DECEMBER 2011 the final countdown (in honour of OI)

[kri5ty]

Sorry for the new thread and crap name but i needed to start one oi how are you doing good luck xxx

I have fallen off the face of MN for a week or so and have loadsss to catch up on! I have been busy doing coursework and seriously nesting!!

PGP is awful, to the point of making me cry, finally got a pyshio app, but not for another 2 weeks :( doesnt seem much point. OH continues not to even attempt a massage if i ask and rolls his eyes.

Been having really bad shooting pains that take my breath away, but seems as though baby is head down (and very low) im guessing its a nerve he is on.

Very strange and TMI... but earlier (when i went to the toilet) i could feel what felt like the head bulging on the outside, through my lady garden lol... freaked me out!!

Good luck oi !! Fingers crossed

tye glad you took the sick advice!!

seven at no time! If you are feeling poorly, stay in your PJs all day, snuggle up on the sofa and be kind to yourself.

My hospital was really good about trying to keep on breastfeeding when I had DD, there was never a suggestion of giving her anything but breast milk. She stopped feeding on day 2 and was taken to SCBU, but even then wehn she was being tube fed (with my expressed milk) we tried her at the breast first at every feed.

I didn't find internals painful at all.

plu Thanks for asking after DD. I think it's just been a couple of things in a row. She had a cold which left her with a nasty cough and lots of phlegm on her chest. She then picked up a fever from nursery, which left her with no appetite. Since then she hasn't eaten much, and particularly has had no appetite for anything good like fruit that I've been trying to feed her. As a result she got a bit constipated which is the one thing we have to really try and avoid with the bowel problems she's had, and it's been a bit of a viscious circle as she obviously feels full and is even less inclined to eat anything and get the bowels moving again! Fortunately we have a check-up with her surgeon next week so he can check her oout properly. She does finally seem to be getting back to her usual self now though, and is clearly bored and being so house-bound - she was standing by the front door with the keys this morning saying "Door. Cardigan. Coat. Car"!

Oh, and I've managed to avoid catching anything so far thanks, although I think there's now a bit of a cold coming and I felt wheezy all last night

Kate your poor DD having one thing after another, glad to hear she's finally on the mend though.

It's very quiet on here this morning!

Good to hear that hopeful sign about your DD, KateM. I find that a child's bowels move a bit more with exercise, too, so her wanting to get over being bored could really help!

I drove MIL and DS into town yesterday, and nearly went mental, what with:

• 3rd and Bird on the car stereo
• back windscreen wiper screeching like a bullfrog with a megaphone
• DS screeching with laughter about the bullfrog
• baby being as "ebulliant" as boiling water
• traffic

How much sensory overload can one woman take?!

I told DH last night that it could be time for me to cut down on driving, as I don't want to make a regrettable mistake. Bless him, he offered to drive us in today (DS needs dropping at nursery near our old house) and get the train from there, rather from here. As far as I was aware, that would have lost him at least an hour; after traffic this morning, I can say it would have lost him over that, so am glad I refused, however kind the offer!

P.S. seven, you are just pre-resting - totally acceptable!

Thanks plu but I caved and got dressed. That's about all I will do today though!

Does anyone know how to check if your cervix has dilated?

From 8pm last night i have had mild pains in my bump then going in to my back in intervales. It wake me up at 1am getting stronger and it hurts now. Called MW and she said to take some painkillers and go back to bed but if it gets worse then i would have to call triages to get checked out. They are still there but if i'm not dialeted and its just bh i dont want to go

My waters havn't gone but i have been sick 5 times and feel crap from lack of sleep.

Son has conjuntivious (red eye) he hates having the drops in so its really hard running after him at 35 weeks pg and then hold him and try to get him to open his eyes to get them in. He also has a cold and was coughing a lot last night and waking up so he came into my bed - not great when i'm pain and being sick but he seemed to sleep more.

That's a nasty set of things to coincide, cheetrick -

That sounds rubbish cheep Keep us updated as to how you get on

Have just cleaned the bathrooms and toilets whilst DD is napping, and am now exhausted! At least now I'm on ML I can spread the cleaning over the week rather than blasting it all at the weekend, but it's still all getting a bit too much. Think I'll put DH on vacuuming duties tomorrow!

Hope you're okay cheep, how rubbish!

cheep hope you're ok. I'd be wary of checking your own cervix if you don't know what you're doing tbh in case you bring on labour but I'm probably just paranoid! Have you timed the pains to see if there's a pattern to them?

cheep how crap for you. I wouldn't check my own cervix in that situation, if you are dilated there is a (small) chance that you could break your own waters, seeing as you aren't experienced at doing it. However, for conjunctivitis...can you express any colostrum? If you can it clears conjunctivitis up very fast and doesn't sting eyes either.

I'm exhausted today, done some crafty/arty things with the DDs but my brain isn't working wonderfully well and things kept going wrong!

My Mum is coming round later, can't wait to see her. I need to go over my birth plan with her as she needs to know a couple of things, she is great at births, although she has told the baby she isn't allowed to be more than one day early as my Mum braks up for Christmas the day before I'm due! I'd quite like to go at 39 weeks like I did with DD2, that would work best for DP's paternity leave!

Hi All

Im feeling really positive today 35 wks today 14.5 days left of work (not that i am counting) and feeling alright actually baby has moved again so foot has been removed from rib and can sit down quite happily.

Noticed my appetite has dropped off hopefully that will slow the weight gain for the next 5 weeks though i know baby has some more growing to do. We have narrowed names down to 3, baby bag and my hospital bag all packed and ready to go.

Having read the specifics of some people's birth plans have a question and dont mean it to sound as if it is rude am just interested - Basically some people seem to have very specific points on there i.e no midwife intervention, no internals etc, cord blood etc is this because you are 2nd timers? I know i dont want pethidine, i want to go straight to epidural from G+A if i cant cope, I want the placenta jab to get it out asap, i intend to breastfeed which i will write down for them but other than that intend to bow to the experience of the midwives and let them do/say whatever they feel they need to to get baby out as quickly and painfree as possible. Does this attitude lead to feeling out of control or Increase stress?

Hope you feel better soon cheep and you don't have to go in, and that your DD recovers soon kate!

msbuggy, really?! Colostrum is really amazing, I think I need to read a book about all the weird & wonderful things boob juice can do!

Saw MW this morning..Squatter has decided to turn and is now breech. She doesn't seem too bothered about this, as I'm 33wks she thinks it'll probably turn again before 35wks. If it hasn't moved by our next appointment, she's going to go through all the hospital details with me :(

figgygal, my birth plan is fairly short, as I think I can't really afford to be inflexible. To be honest, just getting to the hospital on time is going to be stressful enough, so I really can't be arsed to worry about whether I get a birthing pool (which I'd then just have to get out of).

I'm therefore not getting my heart set on things which may then be impossible because something's gone wrong, and make it feel as though I've got less control, IYSWIM.

Does this sound like you, or are you more comfortable with visualising things?

I am the same figgy. Don't want to have too inflexible a plan, in case it doesn't work out and I feel really disappointed. I am having a few things though, definitely no pethidine and I would like a birthing pool if possible and I don't want them to clamp cord immediately. And I want to be informed about things as we go along. But I don't have anything too rigid I don't think. It's all in my head so far though, not written anything down yet ... midwife appt shortly so will ask her about it then.

AWCH join me upside down hanging off the sofa! www.spinningbabies.com will tell you all you need to know to get Squatter flipped.

Wow, that actually looks like a lot of fun, msbuggywinkle! I like the picture of the grinning woman; she made me smile right back!

cheep be wary of checking your own dilation, you could break your waters or give yourself an infection. Are you timing your contractions?

figgy my birth plan is blank right now as I can't really decide which way to go . Your plan seems sound to me.

Hi, definitely beware of rummaging down there - the specialists here did not dare give me an internal for the first few days because they didn't want to set anything In motion. All is well here. Off the drip! Hurrah! Only the odd contraction now. But still no news when I may get to go home. It looks like gingerbaby isn't going anywhere for the time being. I'll probably go overdue now!
Notes for hospital bags: wet wipes - the MWs may not like them on babies, but when you feel like crap and are ill you can still clean yourself up a bit.
Everyone laughed at my huge bag. "we give you maternity towels" etc... I just made the excuse that we weren't ready, this was just the bag we were collecting everything in...
Don't be scared of paracetamol and codeine. They are used here like sweets to keep contractions at bay. But within the safety dose guidelines. -whenever they do let me out I'll find out the recommended doses of them used together, and I'll be buying some on the way home. I only take half dose of codeine as it knocks me dizzy.
Thanks for all your concern and nice messages. Am feeling almost human again today!

Oh do they give you towels? I bought one specially! A black one. To hide the nastyness :S

Glad all is well Oi, that's great. Hope they let you out soon and you can get home and relax!

cheep unless you're familiar with your cervix I wouldn't even consider checking for dilation; how would you know what the difference is? I used FAM when trying to conceive so am now very familiar with mine & have checked it during pregnancy just out of curiosity to see how much it changed; I might try to check mine once I think I'm in labour as I'm refusing internals & I think it'd be interesting but I don't think I'd just go in their blind though. If you are familiar with your cervix you can google how to check it; it's not brain surgery but I think you'd only be able to tell if you were dilated, not how much as that takes lots of practice.

figgy I'm a first timer with a fairly long birth plan but I don't think it's restrictive; I know what I'd like to happen ideally, I know what I'm deadset against & I'm open to changing plans as things progress. As for bowing to the experience of the MW's, mine has admitted to me that they're far too busy to keep up-to-date with the latest info (under-staffed & over-worked)...they just follow NICE guidelines which I don't always agree with; as long as I've taken the time to do the research I think it makes sense to use it.

Waiting for MW who is almost an hour late don't want to get her in trouble & I don't have her direct line so I'll give her a bit longer before calling the office.

Btw I had an internal exam yesterday. At first it was with a speculum, so exactly like a smear test, and then without the speculum, she used her fingers to examine the cervix. It was absolutely fine, it was not uncomfortable, and did not feel invasive at all. She said that the cervix was closed, but soft. So we didn't have any clues as to when labour may start - but at least now we have a measuring point, a starter for when things change.
I now have no fears about internal exams.

mopsy I haven't seen any towels here. I used my own this morning. But I'm sure they'd find one if I asked. How strange!

But I meant maternity pads in my earlier mail.

I am now. Had Ortho appointment this morning & rushed back home for MW birth plan appt so that I could clean, hoover etc. Now she's just called to say her car has broken down & she's waiting for the RAC & will have to rearrange. I could've spent the afternoon shopping :(

Also, she's being not happy with my iron levels...which I had to point out to her were still low & my platelet count & is generally being quite annoying. I feel better than fine & I'm convinced the only reason my levels are so low is that she told me not to take all the tablets as prescribed by the GP. She's calling me back after checking with a senior MW what to do; she sounds a bit panicked but I can't say I'm worried...the GP wasn't worried & she's lovely but a bit clueless at time