November 2012 - reaching the six-month mark

[StuntNun]

Previous thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/antenatal_clubs/1518656-November-2012-baby-shopping-time-has-really-taken-off

Stats list: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/antenatal_clubs/1485512-November-2012-Stats-List

Mw appointment went well. All good. Slightly worrying though that the student seemed to know more than the actual.nw. Thank god DH wasn't there as he can't stand her. She's a bit older but so far proven to be completely incompetent - think losing notes, putting me down as a smoker DESPITE me telling her all 5/6 times she asked that I've never smoked, and today's clanger, booking me in for antenatal classes 3 days AFTER my edd!! Luckily I'm a lot more chilled than him and can overlook her downfalls as she's quite a nice person. decides not to tell dh about today's mistake

No idea what bh feel like. I don't think I've had any?! Nearly 28 weeks!! I'm trying to get rid of one of spare beds so we can paint the nursery this weekend (dh has desires of painting the whole of downstairs too!!) so we can get the furniture in after the bank holiday.

Need to get some bottles etc will get breast pump once I know if I can bf or not. Those lists are amazing!! I may write my own list copying yours just to tick off! I hate lists though!!

Just been for a ride :) was lovely :)

Midwife tomorrow think lots happens tomorrow.....

Hope youre ok waiting and the cramps are just that youve over done it!

My baby kicks when other babies/children cry!!

Well what a night shift last night. I'm. 30 weeks, and five weeks to go at work.
I think I had a brakston hick last night. It was like ALL my lower muscles ached! I didn't know weather to sit or stand. My son also moved while my musles tightend and I felt EVERYTHING. I never felt him move so much it was fantasic and slightly painful. Now my back aches after all that.

My mattress also arrived today, and it fits the cot fine.

Now I need to sort out my constipation.
Evil

Getting the very occassional rock-hard bump or funny windy feeling now, but no real pains now I'm lying on the sofa!! If I'm still achey tomorrow, or things seem to increase overnight, I'll call the hospital. Thanks everyone :)

I've discovered the culprit behind my elephant ankles last week!

Night shifts.

I was on nights when they ballooned, and they haven't done it since, until last night. I thought it was because we have been exceptionally busy for the last 3 weeks and I haven't had breaks/been off late/worked to the bone every single shift. But last night they ballooned to the same size, and it was the first shift for a long time we have had when there was almost the same number of patients to midwives. In fact, there were less mums and babies on the ward than there were on christmas day! That's a shocker!

Bugger. I've got 2 weeks of nights ahead!! Luckily I have then got 4 weeks on days (unheard of to have 4 weeks in the same time zone in a row!!) but then back on 2 weeks of nights for the final 2 weeks before maternity leave!

DP just came home with Hershey's Cookies and Creme. All is forgiven.

Everything feels just so much better now!

Oh, and I've finally put a little weight on! 2kg on when I weighed myself last night. I think its been 2 weeks since I last weighed myself where I still hadn't put any weight on.

2kg, roughly 5lb. Can deal with that, but seriously hope it doesn't carry on at 2.5lb a week!! That would be 2 1/2 stone by the end, and at my size, I can't afford to put that much on!

Had GP and been signed off work for two weeks cos of SPD. haven't even done much today and I'm in agony. It's horrific :-( I have physio tomorrow for acupuncture which she has said is good at helping SPD pain so I hope it gives me some relief. I meant to ask in GP if there is anything I can take other than paracetamol for pain but forgot!

Izzy, you can be prescribed something like codiene for SPD, but everywhere is different. Get a phone consultation for tomorrow with your GP and ask for stronger analgesia. If that fails, just get yourself seen in antenatal clinic, where you can be seen by obs&gynae SHO/Reg and they can come up with a management plan.

Failing that - triage. But make it clear its analgesia you need.

There are other options though if the pain is getting worse.

Have you got anything other than crutches for support?

Can anyone share thoughts with me? I'm 28 weeks tomorrow and saw one of my midwives today. Everything seemed fine but this midwife is one that doesn't really answer any questions properly and her documentation is shit compared to the others. She took blood (got anti-D on Fri), measured BP, measured fundus, checked heart rate, asked about movements but didn't document any of it, lol! I asked if the measurement was ok and she said she didn't know until it's put on the graph...she didn't put the measurement on there. I even asked her when the 3rd trimester starts and she mumbled her way around not giving me an answer. This is an older midwife closer to retirement too.

Aaaaanyway. She said to rebook into the clinic in 3 weeks time. I'll be 31 weeks then. Shouldn't this be the time where you get seen fortnightly? I don't mind waiting 3 weeks at all. I'm healthy apart from this lingering labyrinthitis. Any thoughts would be great.

Sorry to hear about all these SPD sufferings. The worst I seem to get is left sided sacral joint pain when I try to walk at my normal faster pace or take stairs like a normal person.

Detective, I hope your ankles make it through the night shifts! Maybe it'll cool down soon to enable the wearing of the sexy socks!

I'll with hold my judgement there Peaky

However 31 weeks is the next visit scheduled, dependent on your local Trust.

It goes something like this...

Booking visit, 12 week scan, 16 week midwife appointment, 20 week scan, 25 week midwife appointment, 28 week midwife appointment, 31 week midwife appointment, 34 week midwife appointment, then 2 weekly visits.

However, each Trust have different guidelines, and NICE guidance mean that the 25 and 31 week visit are only recommended for first time mothers. Which I think is tosh. Women need reassurance! Being seen at 16, then 28, then 34 weeks just seems awful to me.

Oh, and if you are 'high risk' you may be seen more frequently, or be seen in antenatal clinic as opposed to community.

The whole point anyway is that it is supposed to be individualised care. For example, you might see a woman at 34 weeks, and her BP has risen a little, but not enough for you to think sending her to the hospital is a good idea. So you might suggest she makes an appointment with you for the next week. Or do a home visit the next day to check your BP again. Professional judgements ;)

Just been having a little boob squeeze and I'm pretty impressed with the products of said squeeze!

More satisfying than squeezing a zit!!

I'm hoping I will have a good supply when baby is here, fingers crossed! Right boob is still producing bigger drops than the left. Not that I squeeze much, just 6/7 squeezes to see what comes out!

I'm not leaking at all this time round though (was from 26/40 with DS), just thought I better add that so you won't worried if you aren't!

Ok I understand being a health professional myself. That sounds standard enough to me and luckily I know my BP etc is fine, not that she told me. 31 weeks it is then! This is an example of what I mean about different guidance though. I was having a look through my pregnancy book (pregnancy bible - UK) and it said that after 28 weeks you should expect to be seen fortnightly and then at 36 weeks it should go to weekly. I know full well what ideals and realities are with resources in health care but it does wind up your nerves a bit when you're not sure whats reasonable and whats not to make a judgement on a different profession and their care.

Thanks for that info :-). Gawd...it's getting closer!

www.dirtyfingers.co.uk just came across this. love it.

www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/live/11947/40115/40115.pdf

Go to page 50 for the antenatal schedule :) The whole thing is pretty useful for reading to be honest!

detective I have some cocodamol which was prescribed before I fell pregnant. I have an appt at antenatal clinic in two weeks. I'm hoping being off work will reduce the pain a little. I have a huge tubigrip, a support belt to hold symphysis in place and the crutches. Not been using crutches in house or for short trips tho.

Peaky I had/have 16 week midwife, 22 week midwife, 28 clinic at hospital and then next is 31 midwife. So similar to yourself.

Just check with GP surgery in the morning that they are happy for you to take co-codamol :)

Sounds like you have a lot of support there ;) It might be worth using the crutches a little more though if you can.

I'm hoping to not take the cocodamol if I can help it. They are the 30mg tablets as well which is putting me off too. Will maybe call midwives tomorrow as have no chance of speaking to GP!

I think you might be right about usi.g crutches a bit more. They do help a lot when I use them in that pain in pelvis isn't as severe. I just feel a bit silly! Guess my health comes first tho. Manager wasn't too great when I called in to tell her id been signed off but I'm in agony tonight and I've not really done much at all never mind what is have been like after another day at work!

I've climbed the stairs now and am just going to bed. I am so thankfull for downstairs loo just now!

Oh I got really confused about the appointments too, especially as I am also seeing the consultant, which one mw said replaced the mw appt and another said should be as well as.

I will read the Nice guidelines tomorrow, thank you for those.

I'm enjoying nesting. After feeling pretty crap and struggling to maintain my usual housework regime since early pregnancy, I've had a major energy burst today.

And I feel so much better for it! Clean and clutter free home makes for happy Detective! DP tries, but just hasn't got the same any standards as me. Downstairs has been kept on top of relatively ok as I've struggled on with it but upstairs was really getting on my nerves! It wasn't dirty or messy by any standards, but I like things 'just so'. I've even washed down the woodwork and got cobwebs off the ceilings! Tomorrow I'm going to blitz the kitchen and give it a thorough bleaching. Oven is clean thank god for oven pride so that is one less job at least!

There is something in me which feels immense satisfaction in having a clean tidy home. Dp does not possess said satisfaction.

I'm having more frequent ante apps, had one at 23 weeks and have another next mon I'll be 25+6. I think it's because of this low hormone do my bp needs monitoring more.

Nothing exciting happening here today (or tomo) there's only so much of the park I can take!

Interesting I thought I'd be 2 weekly from now on after my appointment today. My graph says the same thing. Maybe not?!

Peaky your midwife sounds about as useless as mine! I know she's the professional but so far every other one I've met (we have a team) has been far more knowledgeable and reassuring and able to answer my questions - including the student yesterday!

DH and I sat down and had a long chat about money last night. He drives (I use the term very loosely as it spends most of its life dead on the driveway) an ancient landrover and my car isn't getting any newer. I don't know how we can even begin to continue running 2 cars on 1 income so we've pretty much until he changes his mind again about the fecking landy decided to sell/scrap them both and buy one much newer family car. As he works 2 weeks on/ 1 off it will mean he has the car most days although if I need it I can take him to work - we pretty much share my car as it is just now. Not sure how easy that will be with a baby to organise in the morning as well..

Am i being totally mad getting rid of my car when having a small person? I am so dependant on it as I'm a lazy arse public transport around us isn't great but I don't think it would be totally unmanageable.

Grr! My Manager has messed up my Maternity leave stuff. Not just my sick leave, but my Mat Leave too. I gave him the Mat B1 after the 21 week appointment, so in plenty of time. I also emailed the dates I wanted to commence, but said as we had no working printers in the clinic, I could not complete the form. He said there was plenty of time, and HR was happy with the MatB1. I also could not access the policies at work. I called him last week, and he said he would email it to me, he has not. I managed to find a copy of the policy on the Internet. the form had to be in 3 weeks ago. It does say ' or at first available opportunity' so hopefully that will cover me.

I am gonna bypass him and talk straight to HR. I do not trust him to have forwarded the Mat B1, as he did not do so until after DD2s birth, or indeed any of the forms! And I need to check he has processed the sick leave.

I could so do without this.

Any thoughts, fellow NHS employees?

missMummy having two cars when one is useless is daft. Even more so when on Mat Leave. Perhaps if you approach it from the point of view of safety for your baby. It makes sense to get one car that is the best and safest you can afford.. You will be able to get him to work with a new baby, then collect him later. I have to get DH to work, DD1 to school, DD2 to nursery, so consider yourself lucky! if you do not feel like it, then let him take the car that day. I am sure you could cope one day without it.