Due April 2006 - new thread for the April Shower!

[colditz]

Ok, I did it!

Now shall we get our stats down again? I think we have had some joiners since we last did it.
Copy/paste the list and add yourself to it.

Colditz - due 06/04/06, aged 25, DP aged 32, 1 DS aged 2.9, having a baby boy! Very scared of needles....

I spoke to my sister yesterday about pain releif - she is almost qualified as a peadiatric nurse and expecting her first baby on 6 June. A dangerously opinionated combination.

She is dead set against pethadine, as she says it often makes the baby poorly..... and Ponka's hospital doesn't recommend it.... so despite what the books say (and who believes them?) it is starting to look less attractive. I'm wondering whether anyone else has a view?

Is there another step between gas and air and an epidural? Might ask the MW later.

Anyone used TENS machine before? I might try it, esp as the hospital does free demo and free hire so I guess its worth a try.

I change my mind about pain relief every 5 minutes. Some days I'm feeling brave and think 'nothing but gas and air' but then other days I think 'no I definately want as much pain relief as possible'. Think I'll just play it by ear at the time. Using the pool (unless someone else gets there first!) sounds really nice for the labour and possibly the actual birth bit too.

I heard a couple of interesting things about Pethadine.

The first is that my colleague who now has two grown children in her twenties had it both times and found it quite good. However, exactly 6 weeks after her first, she was in a shopping centre and her legs completely went from under her and she collapsed. Nothing serious, she just lost the ability to stand and use her legs, as you would when you have an epidural/spinal. It turned out this was the pethadine and exactly the same thing happened to her again when she had her second. Weird. she is the only person I know who this has happened to but I don't know loads of people who have had pethadine.

The second thing is that I saw on television someone talking about a study on pethadine. The study was to see how the drug actually relieved the pain. It turned out that the pain relief was not so great, it just seemed to make the women feel out of it and that made the midwives/others present perceive that the pain was less for the woman in labour, when if fact it was not. I think it was a small study though. I don't know how reliable.

My hospital says it doesn't give it because it is considered old fashioned now, affects the baby somewhat and is not as good as an epidural.

Not tried a TENS machine myself because I didn't get any contractions to speak of with my last labour. My friend did though and she liked it for use at home but there was a time when it became just not enough for her. Plus she didn't like it much at the beginning when her DP kept turning it on too high by mistake. My god did she shout at him for that!

I've never heard anything good about Pethedine, everyone I know who has had it says exactly that, that the pain relief was not marvelous and it just made them feel really stoned and out of it.

It's the epidural all the way for me - limited effect on the baby and total pain relief - I can't imagine why anyone would have a baby without it !!! Except I suppose if you were very afraid of needles which I know a few in this group are - mind you at least since it goes in your back you never actually see it - would that help ladies ?!?!

I think if you have had a cs some people say that it is better to be able to feel your uterus as strange pains (ie diffetrent from the cvontraction pains) will probably be the first indicator of any scar tearing (yuk!). So for safety reasons it might be worth trying without, which is currently my plan.....

Aaaaah yes, I can see why that would make sense, although my sister did vbac and had an epidural with no problem. They had monitored her scar very carefully throughout her pregnancy and delivery though, so I assume they were fairly confident that it would hold up or they wouldn't have allowed her to have it? Never really thought about that before.

I went off the sound of pethadine with DS when heard about the stoned / out of it sensation it brings about more than it gives pain relief. Used a TENS machine for the labouring I did at home (which in hindsight wasn't nearly long enough) and in the hospital - found it quite useful and effective. Useful in that if nothing else it gives you something to fiddle with, play about with and work with contractions rather than concentrating soley on the c's. Gas and air I LOVED and can't wait to have again! Could not keep me off it. Epidural I had used in the end, even though I'd hoped not to, cos I was just so exhausted by the time I was into the 2nd day of labouring without much sleep the first night. The relief was absolutely instant and complete for me, lovely and allowed me to get a bit of a doze while my body just carried on contracting (very weird watching the monitor thing show you're having a contraction without feeling a thing). The DOWN side of that for me was that although it was wearing off, by the time it came to pushing I didn't really have it in me, couldn't really feel the contractions to time my pushing with.

Will deffo use TENS and gas&air again, and just keep open mind with regard to epidural - would go for that rather than pethadine tho I have to say.

Hi all, I also haven't posted for quite a while, I've been inundated with freelance work and had to make every minute at the computer count! I'm really glad about it, though, as we've now repaid our overdraft and will be able to buy some stuff for the baby (though NOT a Stokke cot!)

I'm aiming for a VBAC too and I'm pretty undecided about pain relief, and any kind of intervention really. Last time I had my waters broken and was put on a syntocinon drip to hurry things along, which made the contractions so painful that I couldn't have coped without an epidural. And I STILL ended up dilating at snail's pace and having an emergency section due to "failure to progress"! So I'm wondering if I should just refuse all these interventions this time round, and just wait and see how my body manages when left to its own devices. I just don't know if I'll be able to stand my ground when everybody starts saying, if you don't produce this baby withing the next 3 hours we're going to do another section... Really wish I could afford a doula!

Pethedine sounds really scary to me - it is, basically, a mind-altering drug that sends you on a weird trip without taking away the pain - not good! Gas and air is a bit of a joke IMO, I could never get the timing right and the hit came either before or after the contraction. Epidural was great as it took most of the pain away, but I didn't like being stranded on the bed, with no feeling in my lower body and with a catheter. It definitely wasn't a mobile epidural - has anyone had one of those?

I did like the TENS machine, I used just that for the first few hours of my labour and felt really good and in control. And the birthing pool sounds great, but I'm pretty sure that's out of the question for me because of my previous cs. I really hate how that limits my choices this time

Do all these hospitals really use Pethidine? Ours and all those I know of here use diamorphine I think - basically heroine! not that I kow exactly why, but think Pethidine was the 'old fashioned way'. In our hospital they can't give epidurals in the midwife led unit which is where I want to be (was with DD) so it's gas'n'air, water, TENS or diamorphine. I was in line for a water birth but actually found water in labour a bit of an unnecessary distraction. weirdly. And it all went too quickly at the end; the pool wasn't full. TENS I couldn't get the hang of. Gas & air, yes indeedy.

I do think epidurals sound a lot more sensible than either diamorphne or pethidine, given that either drug can cross the placenta (I was next to a woman and child who had had it and the baby was pretty dozy and couldn't feed well) but there are timing issues with epidurals aren't there? You can't ask for them late on! I suspect epidurals are more expensive and therefore a bit less available, needing anaesthetist as well as m/wife etc. I def. don't fancy diamorphine, but with all these things think that there are situations where effective pain relief is the best thing you can do to move things along. But sometimes I have to remind myself that. Am inclined to try for as little pain relief as possible, but as I say was lucky last time.

By the way nightie for me every time! The heat in those wards is unbelievable. Bit of an updraft on your bran flake bar visits is about as much as you can hope for.

Am I right in thinking that the main reason you can't have an epidural late on is that you have to sit really still for it to go in and that'd be quite hard when contractions are really close?

Has anyone else been having problems with cramp? 2 nights ago I got cramp in right calf in middle of night and then yesterday afternoon I woke up from a nice snooze with cramp in left calf. Now both muscles are really tight and I look like a right plonker when I walk up the stairs! I didn't used to ever get cramp but have had it a few times recently and it hurts like hell.

I am really interested to hear everyone's opinions/experience of pethadine. I spoke to my M/W yesterday and she explained it is considered old fashioned, and most hospitals prefer to use a morphine based drug (she said this doesn't corss the placenta, I wish i had asked why not??) But there is a national shortage so some hospitals are going back to pethadine (hence discussion at my antenatal class).

Persoanlly I am beginning to think if all pethadine is going to do is make me less aware of my surroundings and maybe not affect the pain the risks much outweigh the benefit (plus i am a control freak so I DO NOT want mind altering drugs).

New plan. Water, TENS (my M/W said it can be very effective in her experience) gas and air... and see how I go.

My little one is still breech....no turrning yet despite all the wriggling. But apparently there is still time before we have to worry.

I get cramp most nights. Dreadful!
Now I need to go nightie shopping for hospital bag. I think I'll hit Primark at the weekend - unless anyone has any good suggestions?I'm thinking 3 nighties and maybe 2 robes so they need to be cheap!

Morning ladies. ANOTHER pre-term labour scare for the allyco household this week.

On Monday I had't felt baby move for several hours and given what happened to my childminder's poor neighbour thought would be best to go into hospital for a quick check. Labour ward was v busy so was sent to ante-natal ward for monitoring adn lo and behold the monitor picked up contractios straight away. After an hour or so they sent me to the labour ward, saying good luck . Had various internals and so on, yuk, but after about five hours or so the contractions subsided again.

Started again about 5.30am yesterday but again wore off and although they are still coming and going apparently my cervix is tightly closed and baby is still very high, so nothing is really happening.

Only bad news is that he is still breech and I don't think he is going to turn. Have scan to assess that on 6th March and if he hasn't turned will get date for section .

I have a sneaky feeling I will be the first of the April thread to deliver!!!!!

Allyco, keep your legs tied together! You're still at work too aren't you!?If you popped now it would be rather exciting! but it does make everything seem very close all of a sudden. Suppose we all ought to be as prepared as poss now. Hahahahaha...which we aren't...

Interesting about peth/diamorphine. I think it does cross the placenta. May be wrong. But I did all the NCT type stuff last time around and remember the pain relief classes!

I had pethadine with my first labour.Had been in labour all day but only one centermetre dilated. Gave it me and told me to get in to bed as it would ease the pain and help me sleep. What a load of crap. Just made me swear and be awake all night really alert.

My goodness, Allyco. I think you'll be having a March baby but I hope you still keep up with the April crowd, if you do.

I'm wondering if I'll be March, too. The scan last week indicated baby was very big and my midwife expressed surprised at how far down the head was yesterday. She said it's 4/5ths down and she couldn't rock it at all. I'm not really sure what that means but, if anything, I'd bank on early rather than late for me. Must, must, must pack that hospital bag.

We had a cat disaster painting the new nursery on Tuesday. DH was glossing the windowsill and turned round to sort out the brushes when he'd finished. When he turned back round again to admire his work, our cat was standing right in the middle of all the wet paint, looking down at his feet in a startled kind of way. He had gloss all over his paws and, in the subsequent struggle, involving both of us, to get his paws clean, we also got gloss all over the bathroom and all over our clothes. We used the shower to clean his paws and I dropped it at one point, which squirted water into the air and all over us. We were soaking. All this happened with 10 minutes to go until my roast chicken was ready but I managed to remember to turn the oven off. It's a good job DS was such a good little boy while we were running around like maniacs! Poor cat, too. He really wasn't impressed by it all. We can kind of see the funny side now. It's looking good now though and DS seems to really want to move in there. I think we'll get DS in there before a week is up so I can set up the nursery for DS2. Just have to add a border now and move the old bed to my parent's garage.

Secreteater, you should start a new thread on Pethadine to reach a wider audience. See what others say?

In defence of pethadine.. IT was fab it worked well I managed a breech deleivery- Epidural big no no cos of the risks also not guareenteed. Gas and air triggered a panic attack when midwife tried to put mouth piece in my mouth so pethadine which just great helped me to go with the contractins. I shall be really disappointed if I can't have any this time I have put in my notes to ask MW at 36 week visit on Monday

Interesting. Do you think it did something for the pain, gothicmama, or did it just make you panic less?

Ponka I am glad I haven't got a cat....

yes ladies, if you haven't packed those hospital bags DO IT NOW, you never know .

DH would quite fancy baby to be born on his birthday - 19th March - TBH I would be quite happy whenever it is born now. I am getting a bit hacked off with it all and I am normally quite a stressless person.

Hi all
Sorry haven't posted for a while, have been reading thread daily though. I have one day left at work - yee ha - very demob happy. Ladies all took me for lunch and gave me very genourous gift of Mothercare vouchers. Will miss the people but not the work. I am now 5 weeks from due date and all becoming very real.
Had a hospital tour which freaked me a bit - all those bright lights and instruments. NCT classes have been great though.
Our hospital offers pethadine only and I dont fancy it at all, think I would rather have an epidural if things get that bad. When you have never experienced a contraction before its hard to imagine how painful it will be.
Hospital bags packed now, although we have still not moved out of the nursery into the other room so all cot etc still flat packed. DH has been working hard on DIY so cant complain, think we just misjudged timing.
Talking of timing, Ponka and Allyco, may join the line up for first of the April ladies. Due date 1 April but babies head now engaged and he is very big at 35 weeks - think he is 6lb 8 at moment! (that would make him a 9lber at birth if stays on same growth curver) Very active still and feels like head getting lower and lower.

FT40 - I remember my first hospital tour with DD1. I was so scared I cried all the way home!!

Then two days later I went into labour and was ushered into the very same room that I saw on the tour. I still remember that, even though it was 20 years ago this April blimey I am SO OLD.

Oh wow you are an organised lot! I've got 7 weeks to go and haven't prepared anything at all - I thought if I've got my hospital bag ready 4 weeks before the due date I'm doing extremely well!

I really can't image that this baby will be early, DS was 10 days late by the most conservative estimate (I was given 3 different due dates), so I'm expecting the same thing to happen again!

I've also just had a hospital tour (we lived in a different town when DS was born) and was immensely cheered up when I saw one of the delivery rooms - big, airy, with lots of cushions on the floor, a birthing ball, stereo, ensuite bathroom - fantastic, so much better than in the last hospital! However, this was on the midwife-led ward - later we were shown a delivery room on the consultant-led ward which was completely different: small and cramped with medical equipment... and of course, having had a previous cs, that's where they'll put me!

FT40: have to say when you have experienced a contraction before it's still hard to imagine how painful it will be. I keep trying to remember and just cannot. But it is a totally different kind of pain and you do sort of zone out. As far as I remember...!

Ponka, I think it did both I certainly was still aware of teh contractions but they were more of a wave.

I can't remember either. I can remember what I did to cope with the contractions (lean against a wall, basically), but not what they felt like, not really. Thought it was due to the drugs they gave me, but maybe it's just the hormones - nature's way of making sure you do it again!

Has anyone bought a double buggy yet? I keep on changing my mind about this one, I think it may be a big waste of money as DS will be almost 3 when the baby comes. Am wondering though whether I should instead buy a buggy board, or a \link{http://www.urchin.co.uk/catalog/p_65400.html\buggypod}, or even one of \link{http://shop.babyworld.co.uk/DisplayDetail.aspx?prodid=637\these}?