Nov 2011: aches, pains and waddling, soon to be cuddles and swaddling

[PamSco]

Thanks Moosey for the title :)

I thought I'd go for it as there are only 4 or 5 posts left to go on the old thread.

Two other threads to be aware of:

Stats - you can update announcements here
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/antenatal_clubs/1157973-Nov11-Stats-only

Post Natal - for those of you already cuddling :)
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/postnatal_clubs/1326836-November-2011-early-birds-just-in-time-and-late-to-the-party-all-welcome

Hope this thread sees all our nests full.

morning ladies. Still here, had a few pains during the night but like katie (i think it was) not sure now if i dreamt them or not. more blood this morning and have had period like pains but have been busy taking ds to nursery and picking things up from tesco's so things have stalled again now, [grrr]
Sat now on my ball and hoping things start up again. Not planning on moving again until time to get ds or to go to hosp.

katie and cookie hope you're faring better than i am. voodoo hope your bh have gone onto something more, or at least eased so you could sleep.

Katie fantastic news. Wow you sound lke you did great.10lb 40z!!!
Enjoy your cuddles with baby Nicholas and really glad to hear it went well for you.

Pandia Sorry no help with sweeps I'm afraid I haver had one but I am seeing doc day before due date so I may be in for one then. I too would be interested to know if it hurts (wimp emoticon)
Katie did I put 10lb 40 oz? I am sure 10lb 4oz is big enough!!

katie x posted, congratulations. wow 10 4oz seriously, well done. so so pleased for you.

Never had a sweep before so no idea how much it hurts.

Well done Katie! Sounds like all went fab!

Just sat down to watch Elf! Roll on Christmas! Roll on Baby!!!

x

sweep info

Wow! He's a healthy weight mind Katie! Very many congrats! Funny my mams next door neighbours had a 10lb Nicholas too! My bro is also Nicholas and 6'2, wonder if it's something in the name!
Lovely that you are feeling good after the birth, same to all our new mummy's. I've sneakingly added some sparkling wine to my shopping order this week hehe!

sweep I didn't find it painful but was a little uncomfortable. Have been told though that it needs to be relatively uncomfortable as doing one gently is poinmless (not completely convinced!!). Mine was done by a male consultant who had massive hands though :)

Congrats katie hope you are recovering well & enjoying snhuggles xx

Yay welcome Nicholas Peter and well done katie great news. Hope you get to rest too - not just the boys

I haven't had a sweep but the mw said it was similar to having a smear - so uncomfy rather than sore?

Well done Katie, I'm glad it was so much better this time. I'm all about the "better second time around" birth stories right now! Working hard on my mental attittude but it crumbles easily!
Well. DS at the childminders for the first time in three weeks, I plan to indulge myself today, and not worry about chores etc, but it transpires I have NO idea how to do that! Am rubbish! Went to Waitrose to play christmas shopping in their little John Lewis section and just ended up doing a supermarket shop instead. Hmm. Thought I might go to the cinema but NOTHING on. Dont have any chirstmas movies to watch (jealous. I love Christmas like nothing else. I am pretty sure I wouldnt have bothered having kids if it wasnt for my love of Christmas. I think I may only be having them to accessorise my sense of christmasness. And yet I dont do it well, I am, it transpires, not so over awed by christmas love that I am willing to spend £20 on a furry snowman sleepsuit. But I DO confess to having bought DS and DDtobe matching christmas outfits last week.) I have no appointments for waxing or pampering booked. I do have a serious need for a bath or shower though! I dont know whats happened. Overnight I have started to stink! Of course, I take this, and everything else that happens at this point, as a sign...

Well done Katie sounds like you did really well and welcome Nicholas, what a big boy!

Voodoo I also had a rubbish night with DH snoring a lot and so I've just woken from going back to sleep when he left for work Definitely a bonus of this being our first child!

Baby is ridiculously active still and was through the night, which is a little strange. Am still not 'feeling' like anything is going to happen though. Will be thinking strong labour vibes next week as we have visitors this weekend

Congrats katie fab weight and so pleased the birth went well.

I has2 sweeps with DS and they are just like smears, uncomfy but not painful and the 2nd one worked. The MWs here won't do one until you are 40+4 at least

My word they're coming thick & fast - I'm losing track of who I've congratulated!

Congratulations to bump, Tjuice, LK, Katie, Moosey!!!!

Great news Katie well done!

Truffkin my baby has gone the other way and is really quiet. I am still being nudged but not really active, I hoped that was a sign! I have the mw tomorrow so will mention it to her. I have also booked reflexology tomorrow. Due date not till Sunday but thought I could try a session tomorrow and then again next week if necessary.

Congratulations new mummies since my last visit :) I am
Well jealous... I want mine haha!

Although have to admit legs are well and trelu crossed today as it's OH's niece birthday and I can just see that being issues in the future with grandparents and birthday parties etc.

I'm due on the 19th so truffkin I'll be following you with the black bag for the rubbish :) had a MW appointment yesterday which I cried as I said I felt like a number rather than a person, think it's mainly hormones and fed-upness, due for a sweep on the 18th however MW doesn't think I will be ready for it and therefore it will hurt :0 that was also disheartening as means she thinks I'm due to be forever pregnant :( so suggested that if I wanted I could wait till the 22nd and she'd do it, I really don't have a clue what to do?!

Wishing all the pregnant ladies positive congestion type pains and action, although liking Katie's silent dilation... We can all hope

H007, wait! Keep me company, I'm due on the 25th. I really wouldnt worry about going a few days over to be honest. All the impatience now will be entirely forgotten later on, see if nature wants to take its course before getting too worried. A due date is such a wild guess really. Lets face it, there ia a five week window which is considered normal - thats like one eighth of the whole length of the pregnancy!
I am worried DD has moved back up and disengaged. I noticed earlier that I am walking normally again, I just struggled to eat my lunch, I cant breath properly again, and I am pretty sure her bum which has been so prominant for so long has vanished to be replaced by a load of limbs.
Right. Bath or going to look at christmas decor in M and S? Got two more hours. Or sorting out the wardrone that has become a dumping ground of late. Hmm.

One word for those of you trying to keep busy! DONT!!!!

Haha! I'm enjoying being lazy and doing nothing!

Ewww just had sweep... Rewarding self with cake now. I kind of imagined it as a somewhat more delicate affair, I was thrilled with her tiny hands but then she put her strong arm to good use... Uncomfortable rather than painful though you're right.

I sweated through all the clothes I'm wearing though, need to remember hairbands for birth definitely!

Hi all,

Just to let you know what happened last week...

Andrew Kenneth George was born on Friday morning at 01.44, weighing 7lb 5oz at 39+1 wks. It was a difficult labour, I ended up being admitted due to severe dehydration (off the scale!!) as I was keeping absolutely no fluids now whilst I was in the early stages of labour. They needed a second try to get an IV line in as first time round my vein collapsed!! The good news at that stage was that I was 7cm dilated!! and on no pain relief as I vommitted all my fluids up almost as soon as they went in. Things didn't quite develop as I had hoped they would and I didn't get my waterbirth. The contractions slowed down and needed drugs to get them going again. I was unable to have pain relief the labour other than G & A due to the dehydration. The G&A I found fairly ineffective for the contractions - the best thing was DH washing me down with cool wet cloths. They also had to break my waters at this point. I had an epidural (one of the things I had said I didn't want in my birth plan) but knew then that I had no choice. I also needed a ventouse and an episitomy (another two big NO NOs on my BP).

Unfortunately on Sunday the midwife thought he was a bit jaundiced. He was readmitted and received phototherapy overnight which he found very traumatic. He appeared to have responded well and was released on Monday night. When the MW came today for his 5 day check-up she flagged up the jaundice again so he has been called back this afternoon to get more tests done. Her visit wasn't all bad tho - he hasn't gone down from his birth weight but rather is up 100g so a big yea for him!!!

For me, my episitomy is so sore. Initially the swelling numbed the pain but now the swelling is gone I can't sit and can barely walk. So, I'm stuck in bed and dependent on DH for just about everything (He's having to do so much he never thought he'd have to do... and also knows what it's like to 'keep house'!) My DPs arrive tonight and DH is back to work tomorrow so they will help me lots.

We received excellent care and couldn't fault anything. So if anyone is in the Bromley area and is giving birth at PRUH I found them excellent - both the Oasis Centre and the maternity ward. Whilst I had my BP made out in the end it went out the window. From my first show on Tuesday morning and contractions beginning on Wednesday afternoon it wasn't till Friday early morning that he was born. The only priority I had was to get baby out.

So ladies, keep an open mind... and try to keep your fluids up - that was my biggest problem!!

Thinking of you all

Sorry for the mammoth post...

Big congratulations squeaky - doesn't sound like you had an easy time of it at all poor you and still sore, but hope that you are enjoying cuddles and that it all seems worth it now! Glad your DPs are coming to help.

H007 what do you think your midwife meant about not being ready for a sweep and that it would hurt? My midwife is just going to do one routinely on my due date - hasn't assessed my "readiness" for it in any way.... Smiling hope you get a good result from your sweep, glad to know just uncomfortable, but I still don't really know what to expect - it's erm, them putting their whole hand up and wiggling fingers a bit, am I on the right track?! Is it a good idea to have DH in the room to hold hand? (Can anyone tell I'm a bit nervous about all this?!)

I've got my fingers crossed something happens, might hook myself up to a permanent supply of raspberry leaf tea to help things on!

She put her whole hand in but that wasn't too bad, she then sort of pushed towards my cervix while making a vigorous circling of cervix with her fingers. I think the bit that freaked me a little bit was that she didn't tell me she had gone in far as she was going to. I thought the circling motion was her trying to get further up and I was trying to relax and breathe to help but it's difficult doing that when she's windmilling inside you! It was over very quickly though!

I think I'm a bit of a wimp, had to have a nap this afternoon, think I'll sleep for a week after giving birth. I was quite glad DP wasn't there although I would have liked him to carry my bag home!

Oh Squeaky, that sounds like such a nasty birth experience. Well done for getting through it, and congratulations on the arrival of Andrew. I had some problems which meant i could barely walk or sit after giving birth last time (and the four and a half day labour thing too, but none of the massive medical stuff you had) and was quite dependant on my partner passing me the baby in bed and stuff. Not pleasant, and not the best start, but I fought it - I'd say just relax into it, let yourself be looked after a while, its not just your nether regions that need to recover!

Congratulations squeaky, welcome little one.

Mw appt today, she said head is just in pelvis so looks like a long wait. Not due till 26th Nov though. I asked about sweep and she said they won't do one till 40+5 so 30th Nov if it doesn't happen before then. Don't want a December baby really but hey Ho getting used to the idea.

Made some nigella lawsons pistachio macaroons last night. Boy! Are they sweet! There is so much icing sugar used I'm.not surprised.

Dsd is in bed now so just watching dp playing on new call of duty game. My turn next!

Hope all are well x

Congratulations Squeaky on your new arrival. Sorry you had such a rough time getting him here. I hope the lovely newborn cuddles are helping you recover.
Smiling thanks for the info on the sweep I am the biggest wimp in history so it is good to know what to expect if bump doesn't put in an appearence on time- I know I would get myself into such a state just imagining the worst.
Hope everybody else having a good evening and resting.

Gosh, there's such a contrast between different birth stories isn't there? Congratulations to our new mums, and squeaky sorry you've had such a rough time of things.

No movement here, but then I'm "just" 38+1.

Meanwile some *&%!head drove into DH's car yesterday. DH is fine thankfully, the other driver went into the passenger side. Thank goodness there wasn't anybody else in the car with him. But we think the car is probably a write off.

Sooo, 2 weeks to due date and it looks like we're car hunting. Not the best news as it will almost certainly mean spending all our savings (lovingly put aside to cover my maternity leave) on a new car. Whatever the insurance would give us won't realistically buy us a new car (at least, not one we'd want to buy). And it feels a bit strange that I'll almost certainly be going to hospital, and coming home with baby, in a rental car.

Grumble!! Sorry, I know it's not the worst thing in the world to happen but is feeling pretty dire just at the moment. We'd finally managed to feel financially secure enough to have DC1 as well.