January 2012 - Will any of us deliver before Father Christmas?

[addictediam]

Hopefully no one else has done it while my phone is messing about!

I keep meaning to recommend packing some food in your hospital bag ladies. Starting to BF left me starving and the only thing available on the ward overnight was Weetabix and I inhaled 6, one after the other, much to their amusement. It's normal to be REALLY hungry when feeding starts. My sis visited the next morning and unasked, bought me a carrier full of food because she had the same experience. Except that her dh works at their hospital and the ward staff let him bring her a huge McD's to her room at 3am - perks of being an insider! I'm taking cereal bars, nairns oat biscuits, fruit etc, not smelly and will fill me up!
5/5 is good news Greenlady, at least everything is in the right place and your waters are less likely to whoosh everywhere too.
Great scan result Parsley my bub's tum has gone off th scale and is always 97% but I'm hoping that's the easy bit to birth - her head is normal so presumably her tum will squish out - sounds scientific logic to me!
Good luck Cakes - I had to hang up beloved underwires early on as they hurt. Not what you need to replace at this stage, hope the grey one lasts a bit longer!
As for stretch marks, huh, I need a new word along the lines of tear marks, rip marks, laceration gash marks....

I would secon what kitty said. I was starving in between meal times although we did get tea, cake and custard after the kicking out of dads. That the only bit I'm going to be disappointed about if I get quick discharge.

fish sorry you are having trouble with DD. Everything they do seems magnified when tired and hormonal. Could you try talking to the school again about her behaviour and what she's says about this boy?

Fish - xpost but having similar problems wiht my 4yo DD if it's any consolation. I keep trying to keep calm as she has a lot of upheaval with new baby, xmas, school in general etc but I lost it in the chemist earlier when she dumped her coat on the floor despite me telling her to hold it. Not how I would usually react, especially in public. I sent her to her room and told her to think about her behaviour - not sure she did. She'll be lovely and stubborn by turn and I can't tell what is 'real' at school either. She saw a pink frog on their trip to the local pond recently, absolutely certain it was pink but then can't explain what happened to cause her scraped knee. Kids!

Eek, just spent the last 2 hours ironing the baby stuff I have, not very proud of my ironing I'm afraid, it does not look very pristine......not really very exciting but now I'm ready for my parcel fish

fish knittie sorry to hear your DDs are being hard work, but how wonderful to have a baby brother/sister on the way for them!

Found out that on top of the paper it says 'palpable 5/5' which means unengaged. But as others wrote down is nothing bad, so won't worry

knittie apologies for my ignorance, but could you elaborate on the water front?

On what to wear....I think I will probably have a t-shirt but also a feeding bra, as at the end you just take the t-shirt off...but the bra will maintain the boob out of the way...

greenlady if your waters go when baby is fully engaged the head acts a bit like a plug and tend to dribble out. If your baby isn't engaged they go with a big whoosh as I know only too well. Went just after I had been examined and midwife was grateful they hadn't gone all over her uniform!!

frilly wow, I had no idea!!! Thank for explaining

Gosh, will go to the supermarket now as I realised I have nothing to eat!!!! Ahhhh, how annoying!

Greenlady - Frilly is exactly right. My dd was 5/5 for weeks before she arrived, so when my waters broke in John Lewis it was a very civilised affair and easily contained by my jersey trousers as I was escorted out by lovely staff! I was so glad not to have caused a puddle anywhere and keep worrying, as this dc has dropped but is still sploshing about and not engaged. I treated myself to lunch in JL today (love their Morrocan chicken soup) and felt slightly anxious the whole time!

knittie thank so much, it's really nice to hear i'm not the only one-i feel very emotionally bruised by the whole affair. I wasn't very adult, but this left over feelings shows me i'm not quite right and steady in my emotions myself. to be expected under the circs. I have never been a parent to a 4 yr old before, and i have certainly never been a pregnant woman with a child before. emotional outbursts caused by pregnancy hormones didn't matter so much the first time round!

sorry i haven't read and replied personally to all of you today-my mw said I am 4/5 engaged today but I got the impression that meant only just. not almost there.

I'm 4/5 engaged too. I've looked into this and it seems the vast majority of midwives write the fraction as the amount of baby's head that is still palpable. At 4/5 baby is just starting to engage but can still come out of that position and be 'free' again.

Can I just quickly canvas opinion as to if you're planning on having the injection after baby is born that makes the placenta be delivered more quickly? Not really a biggie but it's something I keep changing my mind about (am aware this might happen right at this last minute as well).
Recent idea seems to be it's better to let things happen naturally but as far as I know there haven't been any conclusive studies....probably doesn't matter massively in the great scheme of things anyway but i'd like to know what others think!

i'm not having the injection, or the Vit K injection...

Dee i will be, I had it with dd and delivered the placenta within 5 minutes of her being born, didnt even really know what was going on! I'm too scared that with out the injection you could be still having contractions for ages after. But to be honest I've not done much research into it. As far as I'm concerned the baby is out so I will put what ever drugs into my body I like! :o

Well that's one aye and one nay so far!

Haha addicted - I like your attitude!

Baby will be having vit k too, I've not really considered not giving it.
Red would you mind explaining why not the vk? I'm just being nosey, so feel free to say no!

dee I think it also depends on the bleeding. I'm having the baby in the hospital as I have very low platelets, but so far no problems with coagulation, etc. but it can also mean that I can lose more blood easily so vitamin K and the injection is I think an option that I will welcome

I'm planning on the injection Dee. I'm gonna want stage 3 over with asap...especially if stage 2's been long and exhausting.

to those experiencing small-child related issues. Not easy.

I have a separate bag with foods in...some for me, some for DH. Will pack fruits in there at a later date, but have mostly gone for cereal bars. Figured MIL/FIL can bring stuff in post-delivery if I wan them to.

Feeling very pleased with myself. Cooked up a mahoosive vat of bolognaise and some meatballs for the freezer for DH if I stay in...and for us all if I'm out! Just got to prep some chilli (I forgot chirizo for this, so will have to wait), for the freezer too - don't tell DH but they're packed with veggies...

Ergh, I'm so uncomfy today...can't tell where she is or what she's doing. She's been a little quiet too. That and it seems Morrison's have stopped stocking the cat food we have. Walked there specifically to get it too. Otherwise I'd have done all my shopping at work. Ah well.

I'm planning on having the injection. I had it last time and placenta was delivered quickly. I was exhausted and wanted it all over and to get stitched up.

Baby will have vitamin k too. I think the benefit outweighs any of the very small risks. I can't remember what they are but I remember weighing it up when I had DD. If you don't feel comfortable with the injection you can have it given orally.

Welcome missrea

cakes I have had that issue a lot with m&s bras. It's rotten.

With dd's birth I had the placenta JAG and to the vit k.

Troublesome dd here too. And my niece is causing similar troubles for my sister also. Hopefully they (and us) will settle once the babies arrive.

I'm shattered tonight. Going to watch Haven then go to bed.
Pgp has been awful today as well. Twice my legs gave way on me.

One of the conditions of me using the birthing unit is that I have an 'active management third stage' I.e the injection. To try and prevent a repeat of last times PPH

To be honest, once baby is in your arms you don't really care anymore

Am going to wait and see re 3rd stage management. I had the syntometrin with DS as I had a PPH and would happily have injection again if needs be. But you can wait a bit if you want, often with physiological management the placenta comes in about the same time as if you have the injection. You can then have it if things looking slow.

The advantages of not having it are that they can wait a bit before clamping the cord. This means the baby gets all the blood available which is actually quite a lot and can help prevent anaemia. Also having injection means you tend to bleed more in one go, but the blood loss in the days after is less and over more quickly. You lose the same amount, but more quickly.

i just want everything as natural as possible, being as hippy as i can. especially now i'm probably not having home birth!!! i don't want to be bothered with injections when i'm all loved up with the baby, and similarly i don't want the baby bothered either, for something that seems so unlikely, you're probably more likely to have your ceiling collapse or your cat suffocate your baby or something. and i just think women and babies have been doing without those injections for millenia, and still continue to do so, and I think unless there's an obvious problem, I'd rather just be left alone.

the Vit K jab also has not had enough research done into the side effects later on and there is a possibility it raises potential for leukemia and other cancers. so i think i'll pass. but i understand why others might not. it's just one of many many choices we're all going to have to make now I guess!

rednose the cancer link has been dispelled ome time ago. I want to actually ask for oral vitamin k instead of the jab, but not sure if my hospital does it. And you are absolutely right, it is a choice that people can make and everyone knows what it feels right, I don't think there is a right or wrong really!

Ah, I should be in bed!

I am also a bit of a hippy and would like to try breastfeeding to encourage third stage, at least initially. Since there are not health factors to the contrary they should let me. I am also going to have them give the baby the Vit K injection. The benefits seem to outweigh the risks and I have it on good authority that if it's done whilst they're feeding they don't really notice a quick jab in the bum, so fx that's the case, or I'll feel terrible :) Not a nice welcome to the world really, otherwise!

Ugh. Another crappy night's sleep of bad dreams and discomfort follwed by an early morning wakeup for no apparent reason. Will be glad when baby is here and waking me up - at least there's a damn point to it then!

oh - and no snow here Wombat, just howling winds, torrential rain and the occasional bit of driving sleet. It's delightful... but much more comfortable to be pregnant in I should imagine (though struggling in and out of maternity tights is awkward!)

Can I have some advice?

Am getting some very sharp and uncomfortable groin pain when I do certain moves (turning over, lifting a leg etc) and am not sure if it's the PGP in another form, it doesn't seem to be my hips as such... Should I just call the physio and see if they can fix me again like last time? Or just suck it up?