December 2011:Once we pop, we just can't stop

[OiMissus]

Here's the new thread!
Squee-eeze those muscles, or squee-ee-eeeze those babies out!

Morning everyone!

I'm spending the day baking today (when I can be bothered to go and get showered and dressed!) for my Blessingway tomorrow. Mexican hot chocolate cupcakes!

mmm I really understand what you say about if you might need an emcs you might go for a planned one. Have you looked at any of the stuff on 'natural c sections'? www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2613254/ Really though I imagine I would need to chat to the consultant, then go away and sit on the information for a few days before I made a decision.

oi that would be slightly insane with a completion date of 12th!

darcies hope it all kicks off soon.

I forgot to mention we did our trial run of the pool at the weekend, DP remembers what to do from last time, the DDs and I enjoyed relaxing in the pool for a couple of hours last night! The pool is staying up now, although I still feel far too comfortable and happy to be close to having a baby! Felt like this right up until the day before I went into labour with DD2 though.

Sorry you are struggling Mmmm :( Hope some babies make an appearance today! I overdid the cleaning yesterday and now back is aching and pelvic girdle pain has kicked in - I knew I shouldn't have hoovered. Silly me. New wardrobe arriving today and my husband has forbidden me to do any housework due to sore body but I don't think I will be able to resist moving all the clothes and getting the babies clothes all ready. Stuff is piled all over the baby's room and is driving me MAD! I also need to keep cracking on with this chapter. What I long to do really is creep back into bed and snuggle up but luckily my hair is sopping wet from the shower so that is not an option.

figgy bad luck re: skunk IBS! What a pain! I must admit though, I am really sorry if this is mean, but it made me chuckle. Don't know why but just the juxtaposition of skunk and IBS somehow is amusing me ... sorry!!

Is it a real skunk figgy or something else? I can't get my head around a skunk with a IBS, isn't that their natural state of being?

Oi, that is an entirely justifiable "no". Even booking a parking suspension in front of your house for a moving van might require more notice than that! They are being idiots.

So sorry you are still in suspense and feeling down, Mmmmcheese. Would it help a bit if you "gave up on" Christmas and planned a really good Twelfth Night? I tried to shift the "Christmas period" last year, as I'd been intending to do for ages, especially given that part of DH's family is Orthodox, so their Christmas is on 7 January, making our 12th night coincide with their Xmas Eve (annoyingly, they have taken to celebrating St Nicholas - on 19 December, but the dual-calendar Xmas does mean something). DS got a choc for each day of Christmas, and we kept the tree lit throughout the period. 12th night (Jan 6) this year is a Friday, so you could have people round for mulled wine, mince pies, satsumas and singing - the best bits of Christmas, without all the grimness (arguments, nothing being open, etc.). All the Christmas stuff will be discounted, too, so you can gorge yourselves on chocolate log for tuppence!

Oh, dear, figgy, that doesn't sound very festive!

Now, mopsy, you stop all that cleaning! Maybe looking at all the disorder and accepting it will serve as a form of childbirth-control, which will enable you to write your chapter and dry your hair!

Figgy Hopefully your Skunk isn't suffering to badly.

Hoping something kicks off today, lots more bloody mucus, pressure & stabbing pains in my cervix. Back isn't too bad, so hoping all the being on all fours moved the baby from back2back position and will get something going.

Feeling hormonal and upset still from our row last night and its really silly feeling this way.

Mopsy You need to put the cleaning products down and rest!

darcies don't feel silly...I cried because DP had moved my dressing gown and I couldn't find it this morning!

I just feel so unappreciated from some of things DP said last night - got me down as I try so hard to keep things together. I know he really does appreciate me tho!

Oh Darcies no wonder you were crying. The last thing a heavily pregnant woman needs to feel is unappreciated - we've enough to deal with at this stage. I hope you're feeling better soon.

Sending labour vibes out to all who need them!

Another night of counting the hours go by on the clock. Baby now feels huge to me (although have nothing to compare it to) but I really notice the increased weight. I also had a bum wedged uncomfortably in my ribs for most of last night - trying to decide if that means bump has moved back up again or baby has got so big, there is nowhere else for bum to go! Despite hrs of movement where it felt like lo was trying to tunnel its way out, all my signs of labour seem to have disappeared completely - resigned to wait for my sweep on Wed to see what they say.

Sleighbells Thanks :)

Hopefully your sweep on weds will get things kick started.

Since having mine yesterday, i've had loads of bloody mucus, back ache & cramps...hoping things kick start soon ish.

Sleighbells I often read your posts and then decide not to post myself as I could have just copied and pasted yours. Same issue with huge baby, bum up in my ribs but also with the ferreting tunneling LO down low. Kept DH up most of the night tossing, turning, snoring, reading on my iPhone and then quietly having a little cry because it was only 5.30 and still three hours till my alarm was supposed to go off, and then I got a leg cramp and couldn't get out of bed easily (and then stepped on the plug for the iron) so DH was in a mood with me this morning even though he did admit that he knew I couldn't help it!!

Sweep tomorrow and hopefully that will get something going...today I will try and get an appointment to have my hair cut and coloured, and maybe a pedicure too. Distraction central. Now if my multiplicity of relatives would just get the hint and stop bloody phoning and texting me - sometimes twice or three times a day...it just makes it worse when I have to say "no, haven't gone into labour since you last called six hours ago" because I feel rude and when they're calling from Paris and Kinshasa and Nairobi and Beijing and the Costa del Sol and DC respectively you don't feel like you can just ignore the calls!

Oh and mrsbaubles and darcies I cried this morning too when I made a cup of tea and when I poured the milk in it had gone off and we didn't have any more milk.

Fingers crossed for you darcies, those signs sound promising...

Thanks Tinsel Hopefully your sweep will help you tomorrow :)

Wish I was able to check my own cervix to determine whats happening!

Ladies, sorry to say this but so glad i'm not the only tearful one today! Mug of Mint Aero Hot Choc & then really must crack on with the ironing - not much there so shouldn't take too long!

Last bits for DD stocking came today - Hello Kitty Top Trump cards & Home Alone DVD. I think I may have slightly spoilt her again this yr oopps!

tyel, if you're getting heckled I'd suggest the approach taken by my friend (who went 2 weeks over): record an
Answerphone message saying "Hi. Thanks for ringing: no baby news yet, but we will be letting you know when baby does appear. Please leave a message if you'd like to."
Then, prepare a reply text that you can copy and send to anyone, eg "thanks for the text. Nope, no baby yet. I will text you when baby gets here and the dust has settled!". Then SEND THE SAME TEXT every time someone texts you, even if it goes 5 times to the same person: they will get the message that it's an auto-reply and will hopefully leave you in peace!! My friend said this worked well for her.

We can all keep each other company crying in corners! Just sat down for a cuppa while the first batch of cupcakes are in the oven, they smell amazing. Good job I am doing an extra batch 1/2 for DP to take to work, 1/2 for the small girls to test!

I feel so Christmassy today, I put our wreath up this morning. I'm not decorating til next weekend though.

I chart when not pregnant, so I'm used to checking my cervix...at the moment it is high, but soft and about 1-2cm. Means very little though really, with DD2 it was totally closed even I my latent phase and I only had an active labour of 4hrs.

So annoying that people keep ringing! Surely they realise they'd have heard if the baby had arrived. I can understand your frustration Tyel!

I am having lots of crampy type pains, BMs and feel sick but I think is just nothing because lots of you have had same for weeks and nothing, right? Have to say, don't fancy feeling like this for another 3 weeks though :(

Msbaubles How do you tell if your cervix is high, soft and how many cms?

Spoiler alert: msbuggy don't read this bit if DDs looking over your shoulder!!!

pludolph, this is tooth number 5 lost for DD1: we usually do the tooth under pillow= £1 for piggy bank. (she got £2 for the first one!) she likes the tooth fairy concept but wanted to write to her because her friend didn't get the same treatment. I'm waiting for her to ask why Santa gives some children different amounts of presents (every household does this differently: some place Santa brings one pressie, some places just stockings, other places a pile of things).... And when Your Dcs are bigger remember to buy TWO of the stockings you want to fill and only let the little darlings see one of them....

Hi all, I am feeling a lot better but still have a lingering cough. Poor DH is still v sick, but still head off to work as he wants to save all his leave for the lil bubba. He is so excited he can't stop rubbing and talking to my tummy! He kisses my belly more than lips!

I am only 38 + 1 today but deffo ready for labour. Though no symptoms so far, not nesting, no engagement of baby, no show, no BH.... Nothing!!! It's gonna be a long wait!!!

darcies if you're not used to where your cervix normally is, it is difficult. General guidelines though, a firm cervix feels like the tip of your nose, soft feels like your chin. Low should be relatively easy to find (but this isn't easy anyway with a bump in the way!), high much more difficult. I wouldn't recommend checking your own dilation unless you are used to fiddling about up there, if your waters happened to be bulging you could possibly pop them by accident!

Falala I know that waiting feeling well. 39 + 2 today and still absolutely nothing. Baby not engaged, no BH, no show. Nada! I'm trying to focus on what I can currently do easily with just one DC

Sooo tired today...been awake since 4:30 although I didn't give in & get up until 6:30 when I decided to give myself a bikini wax Took almost 2 hours with lots of mirrors & anglepoise lamps but I managed it Not quite sure what I was thinking...must be sleep deprivation. Tightenings have calmed down but still coming regularly; they get closer together & stronger everyday so I'm 99.9% sure this is latent labour now. Really thought we were close yesterday as they were taking my breath away & needed lots of concentration.

Anywho, it's raining here so DP can't work but needs to go & look at a job in St Mawes which will involve getting the car ferry...seems like tempting fate for me to go so we are doing it! LO will probably be born in the back of car crossing the River Fal It's my birthday tomorrow so hoping not to be in labour then!

Managed to find my cervix yesterday so it is definitely lower, could just make out that it's softer but still too far out of reach to judge if I'm dilated at all.

Sending labour vibes to everyone who wants them.

Msbaubles I know my cervix roughly I know it normally hangs to my right too lol. Is def soft and not that high IMO but still needs to flatten out as it were and I can slip at least 2 fingers thru - not sure if I can feel my waters tho. Think most of the mucus plug has gone now. RE the cervix when its fully effaced would it be easily reachable or higher up iykwim?!

Falalalababy, how sweet of your Dh to save his leave for the baby. Even sweeter of him not to stay around and let you nurse him! Your mother is coming on Wednesday, though, isn't she, so you will both have an extra pair of hands then - heaven!

aethelfleda, I didn;t quite understand the two stockings bit, unless that is so you can take your time filling one, and the other lies inert until it magically changes on Christmas morning? (also: no chance that you will buy too much for one stocking?)

Busy, busy people and bodies!

darcies I'm astounded that you can reach!!! I wouldn't have a clue what I'd be feeling for, if I did, I think I'd be tempted to get a crochet hook up there and break the waters myself! (which would be a bad idea, so it's a good job i don't know, and that i don't own a crochet hook!)
I've got sweep number 2 at 13:15. I'd like my waters to break now please. Naturally. Before 13:15!