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.

For those not on fb, livia Rose joined us at 2.43pm on 7.11.11 weighing 7lbs 3 (which weirdly I'd guessed spot on). Was a bit if an epic so I'll write birth story when home. Ended up with emcs and haven't been doing so well so I'm still in hospital but hoping home by Friday. Congrats everyone else so far. And 'come on come on' to the nearly due ones.

Congrats Squeaky, glad to hear he is here safe and sound but sorry you have had a rough time.
LK congrats to you as well! Also sorry your not doing so great. Hope you are home soon and feeling better!
Buffy whinge away, totally frustrating when things are changed by the actions of others especially when you think you are sorted.
Sorry my heads battered tonight so can't remember everything everyone's said, plus on phone as can't face moving off the settee!
Mw went fine, she agreed it wasn't a good plan to do the sweep re dd's bday. She did 3 sweeps last week on different ladies and all 3 went into labour and delivered within 24 hours. For someone with minuscule hands am now afraid of her!
Next week if am still there for the appt on weds then I'll have to be given an induction date. Ffs. As well as rather brutal sweep. I've told OH he has to step up a gear and get on with dtd as mw said it is literally the only thing that has any scientific evidence of working. Clearly only if you are ready to go into spontaneous labour though.
Wrapped dd's pressies. Faced off to ex dp who seems to find an excuse every fortnight he has the kids to make our lives as difficult as possible. Been to consultation thing with ds's school and am actually not as knackered as I could be! All good.
Hope we are all doing well.

Congratulations to all the new mummies (and daddies) enjoy cuddling your little ones!
To all the ones still waiting... Come on you lovely ladies! Hang on in there! Thinking of you all!

Congratulations Katie, lk and moosey!
Huge congrats squeaky even though it wasn?t at all what you wanted. Hopefully you can recover soon
Sorry buffy, that is really crap! Glad your DH is well though
blue thinking of you! Hope you?re well

Re sweeps, whole hand?! [gasp!] I?m rather glad that they don?t do them here in Singapore that I am aware of! I?m not even sure how the baby will fit out, let alone fitting a whole hand in!
Apart from that, OB appointment tomorrow and hoping for some good news, but doubt I?ll get any. Meh, I?ll stay back and help tidy the thread up, as I am ?only? 38+1

pandia apparently it's because at the moment the neck of womb is probably posterior, hard and shut and for the sweep to be effective they will
'pull' it forward. Which would hurt... However the more 'ready' we are the more anterior and soft the neck of the womb becomes and therefore less uncomfortable. Well that's what I got from her hand puppets anyhows hahaha

PMA I plan to go into labour today so that Bean is born on the 11th.... uncrossed fingers

Ooo yeah 11th tomorrow!
However I want to go for the 12th as tomorrow is the dc's stepmothers bday and I'm not her greatest fan! Neither am I my XP's fan today either, after arguing with me last night today over picking the kids up, he rings dd (his only flipping dd) to wish her happy birthday and informs her that he hasn't bought her a present but will take her to choose something over the weekend. One upset dd! one pee'd off voodoo who of course has to sort out the mess! However despite his idiocy she was very pleased and surprised at her presents... JLS hoodie apparently is the best thing ever, oh no hang on twilight scene it is, no It's JLS, no twilight...... Bless her. Don't know where the time goes honestly I don't!
Anyhow, who's missing? Who's next with the birth announcements?
Going out for a meal tonight which I have to admit I am very very much looking forward to! I plan to have a HUGE bowl of some very rich pasta and be a pig!
40+2

Hello all. Sorry for not posting for ages, I have been reading everyday but not got around to posting.

Huge congrats to all the new mummies and babies and hope those whi have had trauma are swiftly recovered.

I am 39+1 today and saw midwife yesterday. I was getting a bit concerned as my ankles had started to swell and my bp was creeping up (from around 120/75 to 140/85). She was very reassuring and said unless it went to levels around 180/110+ and/or I had urine problems, she fully expected bp to increase as labour approaches. She reminded me I am growing a fully term baby by now! My urine is perfectly clear and she is so confident in my ability.
I am also waking every single night without fail around 1/2am and having to have a poo. WTF?! Why the same time every night?

Anyway, mw said she could no longer feel baby's head as it was so far engaged into pelvis, so she is hopeful for something starting in the next week or so. I still have mild period pains every so often. Nothing regular but all signs my body is getting ready, cervix softening and thinning etc.

Sort of looking forward to this birth now.

On maternity leave i have: had indian head massage, cleaned most of house, watched lots of lovely daytime tv and been to the cinema on my own.
Planning to take DD out for breakfast tomorrow, go to Ikea on saturday, pizza express on Sunday and then out for lunch/cinema on Monday.
Today i am about to mop kitchen floor, do another month of DP's accounts and then fall asleep in front of the tv before going to pick DD up from nursery.
Happy days!

One word of caution re sweeps. When they work they are great but they can accidentally break your waters doing them (happened to me). If this happens, you are then on the NHS clock and will be expected to go into labour within 48 hrs or less otherwise you'll be induced.
I have told my mw i don't want a sweep unless I am 41 weeks+.

squeaky its good to hear you positive attitude despite things not going according to plan - hope you are well on the way to recovery now! And Congratulations!

Never we've resisted buying MW3 - first time ever weve not bought the newone the day it came out! I'll get it for DH for Christmas probs - but just dont see us having time to play it!

I'm really surprised that some mws would do a sweep on due date, for us it's 40+7, +9, +11 followed by induction at +12. On the basis that due date is not an exact science etc. I too am not too comfortable with the idea of a sweep - so hoping it wont be needed!

Sorry about the car buffy but glad DH is OK!

H007 I'm on the same plan as you! Due on Saturday - but would love her to come tomorrow!

I have actually had my first sign - a little bit of blood on the tissue yesterday - thought possibly the start of a show - there was none of the mucous type stuff though - so not 100% sure that's what it was. But being positive as the first sign of anything happening at all! Will keep an eye on things today for any more signs! (I do know it could be days still - but staying hopeful!)

Hi All. Bufffy sorry to hear about the accident - that is terrible. Hope the insurance is more generous than you anticipate.

39+5 today and no signs. I'd love the 11/11/11 to be the day, but seriously doubt it.

I've been for a walk most days and I get very uncomfortable as he pushes down hard! Yesterday we treated ourselves to a pub lunch - GIANT pie and a pint (of blackcurrant juice for me). I struggled home then slept on the sofa for 2 hours to recover! Today is wash and build crib.

Sweep chat has been useful - thanks. I've been offered one on Monday (40+2) but I initially said no I'll wait until the next week. Then I got curious as to what my bishop's score was so thougt I may say yes to it. But MrsA your caution has sent me back to my original decision - wait to 41+2.

I've been asked what my plan is for induction and I've said no induction unless monitoring shows placental or baby issues. She was cool with that but is checking with the hospital that they would support that. Not sure they have a choice? If everything is going fine and all signs are good then they can't force me?

My bp has dropped today (106/72) as has my heart rate (76) so feeling good.

Big congrats to the new mums. Went to hospital last night but only 3cm. Tough night but managed to get some sleep between 5 and 7. Contractions intense and over a minute but frequency has slowed down so will try walking and nipple stimulation to kick start. So tired now

Ah cookie sending positive vibes. Try to doze/power nap/micro nap between contractions if you can and do not think that just cos early labour is slow, the rest of it will be. Good luck!!

I will not be agreeing to an induction. Very dangerous after a c-section, uterine rupture risk soars. I will have daily monitoring if needed once I go past 42 weeks. What would I do if I was very overdue (43+ weeks)? Not sure. Possibly elective c-section?

WHO says term is anything from 37-42 weeks, so you are not overdue until 42+1.
And, as per my usual self - induction is your choice. You can ask for it if you need it if you were overdue and fed up of early labour or you can refuse it. As always, unless there is a medical reason specific to you and all is still well with baby, you can refuse any type of intervention.

For those of you not on Facebook, ds arrived on 8th nov at 12.40 weighing 9lbs.

Quick version: went into hops at 2am on 8th, checked and not dilated but cervix paper thin. Went back home, tried to sleep but too painful. Cx had got much stronger since internal.

Cx ramped up quickly and regular so back to hosp at rush hour. Took 1.5 hrs. DH v stressed but I focussed on breathing. Checked at hosp and was 7cm. Taken into lovely room and was coping fine but bp was high. They decide to break my waters and engulfed both mws. Was 9.5cms so asked what position I wanted to get into. Tried leaning over bed and was suddenly pushing automatically. Took mws by surprise as thought I wld be another hour.

Felt burning/ring of fire when head was crowning, didn't hear any crying then suddenly whole body born. Still no crying. Mw hit a button and 4 people were in room in seconds. Ds started to cry but was so blue. DH had stopped me turning round as he was disturbed by what he saw. I couldn't move as still had placenta to deliver but did see ds pee and nearly hit the paed (who was v cute).

Apgar was 6 at 1min but then 10 for next checks. Had skin to skin, breast feeding going well (this dc obv read the manual).

Active labour total of 6.5 hours. With DD it was 21 hours. So feeling v happy and amazed I did it without drugs (not my intention).

Tip for breathing: if I panicked as the contraction grew stronger I would really notice the pain (breathing quickly through mouth). If I started to breathe in through my nose and out of my mouth I hardly noticed the contraction. DH was massaging my back at same time. DH also would talk me through contraction ie breathe deeply, you're doing really well etc. Really helped me mentally.

Sorry, that wasn't that short!

Sorry meant to say haven't had time to read thread yet so hope new mummies and babies are ok and lots of contraction vibes to waiting mums to be.

Ah, DD is awake. Best go check on her. She keeps getting upset when ds cries, not sure what to do about that .

Moosey CONGRATULATIONS! Sounds like a pretty fab labour/birth and glad DS was OK in a very short time. And brilliant that bf going so well. Often it is just pure luck unless you have lots of help. Sadly, nhs is too stretched to provide the right support for each woman, which makes me cross.
Enjoy your newborn and I have no advice for what to do re DD as I'm expecting tears before bedtime with my DD when this one arrives. If you find a way, let me know!!

Goodluck Cookie and I echo trying to rest as much as u can between contractions. Your on your way though :) sending lots of positive vibes!
Congrats Moosey! Well done on breathing through and glad everything is ok with ds! No tips on what to do with dd though, my ds wasn't too upset by dd crying when she came, more interested I would say. Perhaps a book or a teddy she could settle like you do with ds?
I've cleaned the fridge and the cupboard under the sink. Decided it was crucial as expecting mil to cast her eagle eye over everything when she visits after the baby comes. 3 years I've been with OH and they've never visited. Eek. Plus fridge was filthy. Hope it's nesting! Mw thought baby was totally unengaged yesterday. I personally think she had been totally engaged as couldn't actually stand up straight just before went into appt for the pressure on my pelvis. It's definitely true what they say about 2nd and consecutive babies not staying engaged!

Thanks mrsA and voodoo The mws were excellent this time round. The mlu was not busy and they stayed with me until birth. The next mw was brilliant, I have 2nd deg tear again but not as bad as last time. She explained everything she was doing and said she loved sucturing (sewing). I like it when someone loves their job and is so enthusiastic about her handiwork!

DD was born on may bank holiday so wards were v busy and less staff. This time I got my own room and lots of mw advice/input.

She's always been scared of loud noises. Guessing time will help and spending lots of time with ds. She did manage to sleep through last night. She sleeps like me

Waiting for mw, who is visiting before 1pm .

hello all - i've been looking at this thread since starting mat leave a few weeks ago, and have been encouraged by all the timely births and lovely stories! i am expecting dc2 on 15/11, and already have dd1 who is 22mths. she was born at 42+2 so trying to prepare myself for another 2 weeks of discomfort! am trapped in the room without a tv or phone today as the two cats have brought in a bird who is half dead and is flapping around the front room. i am too scared to deal so have run upstairs and shut the door on it until dh comes home at 7. not a great first impression to make to you all - sorry! hope its not too late to join in and keep some of the expectant mums company.

Hello Mrsgt - the thought of being stuck in a house with a half maimed bird is my idea of living hell! So you have my sympathy!

Thanks for the birth story moosey sounds like all in all went very well!

cookie fx things get going soon!!! x

Hoo7 - That was my intentions too!

I was due today but was hoping that I'd go tomorrow instead. As it was, squeakyboo will have fireworks to celebrate his birthday... almost! His bday is 4/11/11 so I can't really complain.

Still in a lot of pain but I'm having regular Lavender oil baths and they are really helping. Last night the pain at the incision was almost as bad as ctxs! I'm not exaggerating - apart from a short period during labour when the ctxs got really bad, I don't think I've ever experienced such pain!

I hope it's all going well for the other new mums. And for those still waiting, I hope it isn't too long!

Have a good day all.

Welcome MrsGT we share a due date so will happily accept the company! How has your pregnancy been? Maybe this one will surprise you and come along early when you are not expecting it!

Cookie hope you have managed some rest before all the hard work comes along, very exciting that you nearly have your baby!

Buffy sorry to hear about your DH's accident but glad he is ok. Here's hoping the insurance Company are more generous than you are expecting. We are planning to do without a car for a while as my personal contract vehicle is going back next week. There is too much going on at the moment to decide what to do about buying a new one / used car etc and I'd rather save the cash for as long as possible. We don't use the car at all in London but sod's law says when we move back to Birmingham we'll need one. Oh well, will cross that bridge once I've sorted out the returning this car (inspected yesterday and needs several jobs doing to avoid the ridiculous charges, annoys me when some of the things I would consider to be genuine wear and tear after 3 years!), packing up our flat, ordering new furniture for the new place (we have fitted wardrobes here, so we need storage wen we move!) organising removals and working out how we will get the 120 miles with a new baby, without a car! Oh yes, and the small matter of giving birth to my first child!!

I am feeling a little stressed this week, like there is just so much to do and I can't deal with it all at the same time. I'm looking into booking a reflexology session to get my chill back, I worry that feeling like this will psychologically put off labour starting as my body senses I'm not ready!

Pam and MrsA I really want to refuse induction as well, I know my hospital's policy is to induce at 40+14 exactly, but am really hoping I don't get there for it to be an issue, particularly as I do worry about too much monitoring if I want to go past 42 weeks and the negative impact it could have on the baby if the placenta really deteriorates. I have also heard stories of women being told horror stories about how irresponsible they are by leaving their baby in for too long and overcooking them

Well, will cross that bridge when we come to it (or not, with any luck)

Sorry for waffling, am going out for a walk to try to escape my cabin fever!

truffkin - lets see if we can both hold out for due date. my hospital also induces at 40+14 (st georges in tooting) which is what happened last time so am also thinking about refusing that option if it came to it. fx with second baby it won't but who knows...last time i was induced at 10pm on a sat night and had to stay in afterwards, even though we live 5 mins up the road and they didn't expect the pessary to work first time. it was a really miserable night in what was supposed to be the ante-natal ward but wasn't. we didn't have dd until monday lunchtime so not ideal - hence keen to avoid this time!

mrsgt welcome! Here's hoping the cats have sorted out the bird by now - not that I would wish a dead bird on you, but the poor thing's probably in pain and would be better off if your cats would finish the job. My cat leaves dead spiders in the middle of the floor for us, but that's all she can manage. It makes me very happy as a dead spider is always preferable to a live one in my book.

Thanks for your sympathy re the car, ladies. I really am just pleased DH is fine, although he's still a bit jumpy (no surprise I guess). I don't drive, but DH is an "essential car user" for work (meaning he has to have a car, but work doesn't pay for it...). Truffkin if you end up looking at cars once you're in Birmingham and come across a 52 reg red Focus, check to see if it's been written off before you buy it!!

Well, I've addressed 40-odd Christmas cards, now to decide what to write in them - trying to find the words that I can write now that will be accurate by the beginning of December. I may just take my chances that this LO doesn't turn into a December baby!! The idea was to send them with birth announcements as well, so I might just sign the cards and leave the news entirely separate.

Positive vibes going out to all you ladies still waiting for signs / suffering pre-labour or post-labour pain.

Truff it's a tough one. Being over 42 weeks does introduce risk but then so does an induction.

As you say fx we don't have to make that choice! Hospitals may have policies but they can't do anything without your consent. I'd want to know what the risks of monitoring not picking up a problem.

mrsgt a warm welcome to you :)

Moosey sounds like a good experience except for the scare as he was born - that must have shook you both. Hope you are getting rest now.

Well even BH have eased off this week. Och well - junior bake off swiss rolls are calling me :) halfway through crib scrubbing!

thanks for the welcomes, all.
have braved the front room and retrieved my phone and have allowed the cats in. i won't be going back until dh home but hopefully the bird isn't in too much pain or has escaped.
i had sort of hoped that the excitement of running up the stairs might bring on labour but alas everything remains the same....a back to back baby and almost continuous BH, but no sign of them developing into anything more promising!