BROOKING NO ARGUMENT for pain-free sneeze births and an abundance of empty birthing pools - pt 12!

[FluffyJawsOfDoom]

I think this is the first time I've ever started a brooking thread!

munx great to see you! I was only wondering about you yesterday and hoping everything was ok.

All good thanks, and good to be back.

I am sure I have missed a lot, I hope everyody is doing well?

My last post was perhaps a little unfair to DP. DP is excited about the baby but he is much more interested in reading a computer magazine than any pregnancy / birth book. I haven't spoken to him yet about the birth or a birthing plan, but its a good plan to write the birth plan with him.
I'm trying not to freak him out, but I'm only 16+6 so we have a bit of time yet :o

How are you doing Munx? :)

Loopy that is a really difficult decision. Is there anyone "expert" you can talk to about it, are you under consultant care?

Little and cakes you'll be pleased to know I sat down while I put my socks on today :o

Don't feel guilty tock. I had a really crap week last week (in tears for most of it, because I was soooo tired) and I felt a bit bad too I must admit - but it totally doesn't mean I'm any less grateful for this baby.

:o nutella I find my DH, though very supportive, is less engaged in the birth plan and shopping etc too - I think the pregnancy is less "real" for him because he's not the one getting his bladder crushed or getting kicked in the ribs all day. (He does get a look of mild panic when he realises it's only 11 1/2 weeks to go, though :o )

Feel mean to my DMa Fluff - I haven't been v graceful ifkwim. Of course you're right - doesn't mean I'm not grateful to be diffed!

I'm not surprised you're in tears if your sleep is so disrupted, you poor thing. Only 11-12 weeks to go.

xxx

Morning all. It's chaos chez Whim as our packers are expected any minute. I'm just going to tell them I spent all day (exaggeration) Monday in hospital with lady problems and hope they are so horrified they don't mind.

Hello munx. Good to see you again.

Sorry to hear you're feeling hot loopy. I feel cold all the time, which is also unpleasant! I had my other boys in very hot early summers, so totally feel your pain. My releif was Body Shop peppermint foot cream which I used to rub onto my bump and then direct a fan at. Bliss. And a very kind friend bought me a bottle of cooling foot spray for when I couldn't reach my feet.

Have a good day everyone. I'm praying our packers will be quick so I can slope off for a coffee before school pick up.

fluff yes i am under consultant care, but they won't actually tell me what they think i should do. They just quote a generic 70% of women who attempt VBAC succeed (rather than the 75% chance i was quoted of a first baby being born successfully vaginally)...as i was in the 25% group last time, doesn't fill me with hope that i will be one of the 70% this time...but they won't say how likely i might succeed....and seem completely uninterested in the risks outlined in the greentop guidelines (i think we tick 7 or 8 of the factors that make a VBAC unlikely, but the consultant wasn't wanting to discuss those, and the VBAC midwife didn't seem to have a clue what the guidelines even were.... so in a nutshell, they have offered me the choice of ELCS or VBAC, with various scenarios that would lead to EMCS, and they want me to decide, without advice. Only certainty i have so far is no forceps at all if i do try VBAC, no lying on a bed if i try VBAC, and no stirrups. Todays thought is i might try VBAC but with the expectation of a CS, and if ends up with a CS then not bother trying in future and just go for ELCS's.....but in a day or two i may be thinking differently,just don't know what to do for the best.

And hello to munx!! hope all is ok in RL now

It doesn't matter how longed for babies are, pregnancy is hard and it's natural to feel a bit grumpy and low some days. I had a mini meltdown at the weekend and spent all day in bed pretty much. Luckily DH is ace and him and dd had a great day.

All ok now, thanks for asking. Had threatened premature labour so was in hospital .... Very scary but absolutely fine now.

Thanks Fluff, do you think I can include on my birth plan that DP is not allowed to cry the whole time, nor may he claim responsibility for whatever labour was like i.e it was really long/hard/painful? I just have this picture of him crying over everything me while I'm trying to give birth and then some comment in the following days like "it wasn't as painful/long/hard as I thought it would be"

Loopy that is a hard decision, and I think I would want to discuss it properly with an informed person too.

Munx good to hear you're well :) I'm relatively new to this thread so hello :o

Oh Munx I had no idea! How long were you in for? So glad all is ok now, not surprised you're feeling wobbly. (((((hugs)))))

Loopy ooh, tricky. One thing - if you're planning a VBAC, do remember to moisturise your CS scar and surrounding area very well, preferably with rosehip oil as it makes your skin very flexible. VBAC is normally ok but you will need good support from your midwife during it. If she's a bit crap you could look into a private midwife (tock is the expert here) or a doula. I would also recommend a natal hypnotherapy CD in order to prepare you mentally for it.

Nutella I like that idea, may nick it myself! DH kept telling people how long 'we' were in labour. I just looked like at him!

tock I bet your DMum hasn't even noticed, or has put it down to pregnancy hormones. Don't worry, we're allowed to be a bit crabby now . Although unlike last time I am the zen master - pregnancies really are all different!

Off to have a chat with HB midwives now. They were reluctant to take me, but have promised to get a strep b test at 37 weeks and that, coupled with my hospital phobia, seems to have tipped the balance. Big phew.

Mr Whim has a hilarious story about how ghastly labour was for him because during one contraction he was kneeling on a pebble and his tea was stewing.

whims I hope they turn up soon.

at kneeling on a pebble! How he must have suffered!

:o :o :o at our menfolk!

Good luck at your meeting smegs :)

Whims I should think they'll be fine with you taking a back seat - in fact I think if I were a packer I'd prefer it to someone getting overly involved

Munx welcome back! Sorry to hear of your scare and hope all is well now.

Little I am still feeling nauseous and tired at 14+3. With DD I was better by about 12 weeks, but I suppose I'm more tired in general this time! Nausea definitely better than it was, but still occurs on a daily basis in late afternoon and evening.

Farfalla glad you had brill hols! I have a Dream Genii pillow in bed at night (I'm using it already as it helps me stay comfy lying on my side and not rolling onto my back). I really recommend it. And as someone else said you can use it aas a BF pillow after the birth, but I never did that I just got backache trying to manage without pillows instead

Tock how exciting re movements! I felt little flutters the last couple of nights. I'm sure it is the baby as it feels just like DD (who I also felt very early) and not like any other sensation eg wind.

Whim I hope the packers turn up soon. Have you been OK since Sunday/Monday's stresses?

Smegs are you better today? Hurrah re your HB!

Loopy sounds very complicated and I don't have any advice, but I'm sure you will make the right decision in the end.

Fluff I second everybody's advice about insisting on proper treatment for your PGP/SPD. My sister had it and it's horrible.

Hello to anyone I have missed. I have been stepping away from MN a bit due to time and also not wanting to mental too much, but I will try to pop in every couple of days!

ha ha ha ha at MrWhims kneeling on a pebble! Brilliant. Good to know AINBU :o I still expect him to cry, there isn't much I can do about that. Thanks everyone!

Brilliant sounds like the genie one or perhaps a few normal ones are the way to go. Thanks everyone.

All this SPD and pelvic pain sounds awful, you poor things!!

loopy I have not given birth before but isn't 30-60 mins to push a very short amount of time indeed? Seems quite hard to achieve or maybe its faster with 2nd births!

munx that must have been terryfing, glad things have settled down!

munx sounds like you have had a worrying time. But you must be at the point now where if labour started, baby would be ok/perhaps just need a couple of weeks in hospital?

far thats my concern...i was pushing for over 4 hours with DS and ended up with the EMCS, massive fetal distress amongst other things, so not filled with hope that i can achieve VBAC....but they keep thrusting 70% figure at me, and that second births are generally quicker, and that it could all be over in a couple of hours, and then i'd be off home, but i can't help but doubt all that they are saying and can't shake the feeling i will end up with EMCS like last time, and i felt so awful after that, think combination of being knackered from the labour, losing 3 pints of blood, plus having major abdominal surgery, blowing up like a balloon to the point i couldn't bend my knees (things they don't warn you about re child birth!) plus the catheter not being checked and blocking, and the cannula in my arm not being checked and my arm going very colourful and swelling up and having to go onto anti biotics for infection(s)...i was initially on over 20 tablets a day when i came home....so not something i want to repeat, but then we would like 2 more children, so part of me is thinking i should try VBAC just in case it works, as if i go for ELCS then it would be CS for 3 and 4 anyhow, so this could be my only chance to try VBAC.

Back at the hospital for a growth scan in 3 weeks, so maybe that will help me decide (DS had a 91st centile head, and this one is estimated at being bigger than DS).

Well in my mammoth 4 day labour I ended up pushing for 1 1/2 hours. It was only that long as my contractions were so far apart. I ended up being put on the drip at that stage to try and get them closer together. If I had normal contractions it would have been much quicker as it didn't take that many pushes to get her out. I could reach up and feel her head after just 2 pushes.

The pushing bit for me was about 60 minutes too (without any contractions, weirdly, but DS was pretty much out so I just pushed with all my might). I'm not sure why though - or why some people are pushing for a lot longer; guessing that the head size and size in general makes some difference. (DS was only 25%ile) Loopy - it's really hard for you to decide because you had a shockingly rotten time with the last CS. I would also want to know if second births are any easier if you had a CS first time round because the body hasn't done the same thing as a VB for the first one, ifykwim? In general, it sounds like your babies are big! Having said that I have a good friend who had CS with first (also big, and she's wee, tiny, tiny) - then was in intensive care with anaephilactic (sp?) shock for days (blew up like a balloon too), but went on to have two VBs after this; her third was a fab birth. Statistics don't really help because we are all individuals and we defy them all the time. I would try to speak to someone neutral but experienced - maybe on the NCT helpline?

Munx - SOOOOO glad you are ok. Keep well and we're brooking.

Don't remember any birth stories from DP's perspective. He kept pretty quiet the whole way through, smart man. I think he was quite impressed when I instructed the midwife to take off her shoes, as she clomped round the kitchen and disturbed my 'zone'. DS's head was visible at this point so must have been quite an odd scenario!

Thanks to Smegs and others for allowing me to be a pregnant grump. Seeing as I've been pretty steady and healthy thus far I guess I shall let myself off the hook this once. I have safely delivered DMa to the station and feel quite relieved. No, I don't think she noticed much.

I am IN!!! Homebirth a-go-go Well, if everything goes to plan, it may not, but now I feel very positive that at least I've had a go at getting the birth experience that's best for me. First mw appointment at 28 weeks so I am officially on the list .

Funny though, I was more cautious about the Strep B thing than the lovely mw I saw, she actually said 'oh, you can still have a home birth if you test positive at 36/37 weeks, most babies fight it off easily, and you're only 5 minutes away from the hospital if the baby needs treatment'. . Seriously, after all dire warnings I've been given by her colleagues?! Not sure if I'm that brave.

Re: the second phase of labour, I was 'pushing' for an hour, but actually that's not representative as the epidural top-up I was given without my bloody permission meant that I couldn't actually feel to push. DD was eventually yanked out by the ventouse. Poor bubba. No wonder she was grumpy until we visited the paediatric osteopath.

smegs all the mws I spoke to about strep B were really keen to tell me that the risks are tiny. Dd should have had 48hrs antibiotics by canula, but they were more than fine to just do 6 hourly obs overnight (because I was fine with it)

Evening ladies

Thanks for your good wishes, apart from my pelvis crumbling I am not bad at all.

Am getting a little worried about this one arriving as had a slightly traumatic birth with DD, ended up with severe foetal distress and intervention but am brooking hard for all of us that easy pain free births are in the post for us all!

Pleae forgive the lack of name checking, I have read back but am dwindling today but am thinking of you all and hoping everything is well.

So lovely to see new Brookers here btw, absolutely made up for you all. Its been a hard road for so many but brooking clearly works! I do hope to see all the other ladies over Hee very very soon.

loopy, quick post as I've not much time. You can drive as soon as a Dr or mw says you're ok to after CS. I was driving at 15 days post CS with the dts no problem. I know what you mean though, I agonized over the birth decision the whole pg. I was vb first time but induced after waters breaking no labour (put me in 5% of women not in labour within 24 hours) plus third degree tear- again only a small % have third degree tears, so i didn't trust the stats... However my first labour I was pushing for 20 min (after a very slow labour nearly classed as 'failure to progress' & offered cs more than once). Nice guidelines say pushing for 2 hrs normal for first delivery, 1 hour for second. I think you should see what birth you'd feel happier with, but I'm pleased i had an elcs.

Hi to everyone else, sorry for rushing off :)

Gen - sorry meant to reply that it's great you have had little flutterings too! How wonderful for you - and v early too!!! Still not entirely convinced I can identify individual movements but can definitely feel a kind of pressure and what feels like someone knocking quietly at the door, ifykwim! xxx