January 2012 - Will any of us deliver before Father Christmas? The race is on!

[MakesXmasCakesWhenStressed]

Hope you don't mind the slight tweaking of the thread title :) I was feeling creative! Not that it matters, at this rate it won't last more than a week...!

here just done a check www.cherylsherbs.com/Essential%20Oil%20Profiles/clarysage.htm

I like the idea of using it in a burner during labour before going to hospital or to take to the hospital. Could you use it in a bath during labour? I'm a bit funny about smells. With DD I can really remember the antiseptic smell and would like to have a nice smell memory. That sounds a bit silly I know. I love lavender oil. I like it on my wheat bag when I'm using it for pain relief. It's so relaxing.

Fish I'd be interested in a recipe!

Welcome easily!

Hope all is OK addicted...

Just got back from the tour. MW kept saying "expect established labour to take 16 hours"...

Otherwise it was nice to see the pools etc. Recoignised a few faces on my way through. All very weird.

Very tired now. Supposed to tidying away dinner stuff...can't be arsed, but am bra-hunting tomorrow and FIL is probably going to be here to re-tile the bits that need re-tiling. Also need to wash my hair tonight too...

My camera battery is dead and we can't find the charger! Aarrgghh!

It wasn't too serious, last night while having the hb's I got really short of breath each time and had palpatations. So went to the Dr this morning who sent me to the delivery suite to do some tests, they were all ready to induce me or do an emcs. Fortunately bump wasnt in distress and very happy, my pulse was still rising tho and getting breathless so I was given a nebuliser started on a course of steroids, i have to take my blue Inhaler 4 times a day and I've been given a purple inhaler to take twice a day. i have to go back tomorrow for a scan on my calfs to make sure there are no blood clots (breathlessness can be a symptom of dvt) I had a chest xray and a ctg. Pulse is back to normal as is my blood pressure. Now I'm exausted.
I'll catch up properly tomorrow.

Eek addicted that doesn't sound good; I know how scary it is when you can't draw a breath. Take it easy, ok?

oh dear addicted that doesn't sound like fun AT ALL. Hope you can rest up now.

fish do you think rose oil would be good? i love the smell of old roses, think irt would be relaxing. my doula said to burn some scents while doing my hypno stuff so it would be a trigger for relaxation, but i haven't sorted it out yet - don't know what to buy or where from!!

and welcome easily!

Oh addicted rest up x

addicted I'm glad you're relatively ok. Rest up...

I wonder how kitty is... EEEK!

addicted poor you hun, at least they are looking into it. Good luck whatever happens.

redhead rose is the most perfect oil for labour, it's a beautiful oil for women in general-however buying pure rose essential oil is prohibitively expensive-I don't even have any in my professional kit because it's just too darned expensive for the pure stuff. It takes 1 tonne of rose petals to produce 1 drop of oil. You can buy rose oil blended 5% in a carrier oil (boots, holland and barrat) but from an aromatherpy point of view it's simply a nice smell-not particulary therapeutic-given that and the choice to not have any I would still go for it and use the blend with luxurious abandon :)
Enhance its properties with lavender and geranium-together the oils "synergise" and make beautiful smell and useful blend.

I'll sort out some labour blend recipes for you tomorrow ladies-need to consult my text books but off the top of my head using geranium, lavender, rose, jasmine, clary sage, peppermint, rosemary are all safe for labour but have different properties depending on what you want them for.

Ah I see I am todays first to open up the insomnia club. I got up to google a hard uncomfortable bump, and thankfully it seems to be normal and nothing to worry about. It feels a bit better now I have had a cuppa. It was a constant hardness rather than tightenings.

Hope the breathing has settled down addicted. I get breathless too, usually after I eat. Its more trying to breath out that is harder than breathing in. The hospital certainly seem to be doing their best for you which is great.

Welcome easily I think we will decide we are the official group we are in active conversations most of the day! Feel free to join in on the stressing. There is a stats list here to add yourself to, this allows us all to stalk keep an eye on everyones progress.

Morning worm I must have just missed you earlier. I've been awake since about 3. Finally given up and got up. I think I'm mentally processing being induced. I'm really not happy with it. It means I can't use the MWLU and that I've got to find another way to try to achieve the calm birth I was hoping for. Still, I've sent an email to my hypnobirthing tutor as I'm hoping I can still use the techniques.

Less importantly (but I'm still stressing) I've got to tell work I need to go on maternity leave at least 2 weeks earlier. So much still to do before I go though.

Sorry for the slight download. These things will be fine but I'm still processing them.

morning I sept really well, then woke up at 3.30 wide awake led there untill dd woke at 4. she decided she was awake and dint want to sleep any more (with being in hospital a friend looked after her and she didnt any naps during the day so was shattered when we picked her up, fell asleep on my sholder when i picked her up, slept in the car on the way home and slept while dh and i ate kfc in the car (so we didnt have to wake her) then slept until 4!)

parsley sorry you cant have the mwlu birth you want, have you had a chance to go and look around the maternity unit? maybe that will help put you mind at ease?

hi easily

addicted I'm glad you slept well even if it was only until 330. Bet you and DD will both be having a nap later.

I took ages to drop off last night then woke around 5 with stomach cramps. Feeling quite constipated. I really can't be bothered going to see the GP so it can't be that bad.

Thanks addicted you might be right. I've got my tour booked for 31/12 so that might help. I've also emailed my hypnobirthing tutor so hopefully she will have some ideas. Truth be told I'm just a bit scared I think.

Glad you had a good sleep for the short space of time you managed. Hopefully you can get another nap in later or do you need to go back again today?

Oh my gosh, I can't believe I managed to sleep 6 hours (ok, in intervals of 3 hours with a pee and a 1 hour wide awake inbetween...) after only sleeping 2 hours the previous nights!

hands yes, mine feel very tight and fatty and weird...

fish I would love to know some recipes for 'smellies'! (I call oils smellies)

welcome easily

addicted oh, I do hope you are feeling better and it is very reassuring that you are being so well looked after!!!

parsley my yoga teacher used to say that although it is better if you are not induced, BUT it is the frame of mind that you are in that counts the most, she read us several stories of former 'pupils' that had children this year and many were induced and had a great birth experience nevertheless. Hope you can find some way of calming yourself and focusing on the prize at the end of it all

red sorry you did not manage to find a way to have your home birth, but after reading the Ina May book and all the negatives they talk about hospitals I can honestly say that, at least the hospital I will be using, have changed their attitute so much int he past few years that it is not at all bad - they encourage active labour, you are allowed to walk, eat, drink, choose the position you like for labour (no need to stay attached to the bed on your back), they encourage skin to skin contact, leaving the umbilical chord on until pulsating finishes, etc So I believe you have an excellent chance to have your 'home from home' birth at the hospital

Gosh, I wrote too much...good morning ladies!

Morning all. Welcome easily
hope you are feeling better addicted

fish I have clary sage and lavender ready to go in my burner (booked for homebirth). Is it best to mix together, or use separately?

Woken up with the runs this morning. Don't think it's baby related, possibly due to 3 bags of crisps and 5 mince pies I ate yesterday!

i have put on 5lb this week

i haven't eaten any more than usual but my fingers and ankles are swollen so i assume most of it is fluid.

feel like a huge weeble

not long to go hey? and then we can see what damage has really been done and do something about it!

Where is the news on these babies {excited emoticon} ? kittie and katy how are you doing???????

take it easy today addicted hope you are sleeping xx

yummy - I get pains like that, I think it's a combination of PGP and just general weight stretching everything. Have you got your bump strapped up? It helps a lot.

I love my aromatherapy stuff, but haven't got anything together - the MWLU has a load of oils so I think I've been just assuming I'll use theirs, but of course if I end up getting transferred I'll need my own with me I suppose. Oh well, as long as I have my lavender I'll be OK. I douse everything with lavender, it's 'my' smell. Lemon smells are nice too.

Right, better go find my oil and shove it in my washbag

Another insomniac night here, too, but I banned myself from going on the computer in case that was why I had trouble getting back to sleep again. It wasn't, I was just very bored until I finally went back to sleep at 7am till 10.

Congratualtions to fish who must have hit full term today by my calculations, yes? And to ghost who has her last day at work! Exciting times, ladies! :)

I'm actually losing weight since the GD monitoring - I've lost 4 pounds in 2 weeks. Nobody seems that concerned.

So I've put on a stone in total - OH reckons that as the baby is 5 pounds plus the plactenta, extra blood and fluid will account for at least another 7-8 pounds that I could end up lighter than I started at this rate I'm not convinced that's a good thing. My BMI was 27 when I started so it wouldn't hurt to lose a bit I suppose but I was expecting to do it afterwards, not during!

Some silly woman at work has just told me that 80% of inductions end up as emergency caesarians. I'm aware of the intervention creep but I really didn't need her to tell me that - my NHS leaflet said there was no evidence of that for post dates. I'm assuming for earlies that it is more of a possibility but am going to focus on the mindset as greenlady suggested. My hypnobirthing tutor has offered me a fear release and bringing on labour session. Must up my practise!!

Hopefully kittie is OK - if they induced her yesterday she might only be starting now depending on whether it has worked.

Parsley I was induced with dd and apart from having an anterior lip I delivered normally in 8.5 hours. Some may end up with an emcs, but not everyone.