October 2012 - where we all bury our heads in the sand

[pinpan]

I think I had two contractions last night... Was sorting some washing and doing lots of bending/ reaching. Had to stop and take notice.... But then nothing! It did make me finish packing DS's bag for going to though. I didn't tell DH as he would have driven me mad all evening!

Just done some cleaning in preparation for my friend and her dd coming today. She always thinks my house is clean and tidy... Little does she know I run round like a mad woman if I know she's coming!!

I've been having on/off contractions for over a week now. Rarely anything regular but sometimes uncomfortable (not painful) enough to make me stop what I'm doing.

I'm 38+4 today and the same gestation as when Jess was born. Unfortunately I have absolutely no sign of impending baby arrival. I'd be quite happy if she held on til at least tomorrow - my sister and my niece (8 months) are moving back tomorrow after living an hour away for over a year and I'm awfully excited :o She's also one of my birthing partners so having her 5 minutes away is going to be super amazing and make me massively less nervous about going into labour and being on my own.

MW suggested I use crutches if I'm still struggling with the SPD pain. I already have some from when I dislocated my knee at 9 weeks, but I bloody hate using them and during the day the pain isn't too bad as long as I don't overdo it. It's just dreading going to bed that really annoys me. I'm constantly tired - I fell asleep at 9.15 last night but I think part of that is that I wake up every 30 minutes or so and need to pee at least 3 times as well.

Nothing here either, not even a single BH. Had a GP appt yesterday and the baby's not engaged at all. But... I'm quite happy with that thanks - am 35+6. And really really hoping the baby doesn't want to put in an appearance for another 2 weeks, preferably 3!

and to you ladies who are feeling so uncomfortable and in pain. hetty hope it won't be long now!

Lots of BH in the evenings here, but they stop when I go to bed. This is my 3rd baby though, I never had many BH with the others. I've also never had my waters break until the pushing stage, or ever had a show - I just seem to suddenly go into very active labour from nothing.

I'm feeling incredibly sorry for myself today. I ache after doing too much yesterday (seemed to think it sensible to rearrange all the chests of drawers in the house ), and then dh left for work at 6.45 this morning leaving me with a shit load to do to be ready for the school run at 8.30. And to top it off his parting words were 'I'll b a bit later tonight'

for you as well, Littleplastic. Bloody thoughtless men.

CapnHetty - have you got a support belt for your pelvis? Sounds like you might need one :(
I have to keep my knees together in bed whenever I turn over or I get terrible pain in my pelvis - thought I'd actually busted a ligament this morning because I let my left leg fall sideways by accident - OMG!! But moving both legs together takes the pressure off the pelvis/ligaments and makes it a lot less painful for me.

No BH here either - any "tightening" I have felt has been a need for the loo .

Bubblebell - very exciting!

Booked my appt with the acupuncturist for next weds, after I've seen the consultant again on Tuesday - she says she's had good results with baby-turning, so FX that if baby is still swimming around by Tuesday, it can be persuaded to go head down on Wednesday.

Have had the odd tightening, but lots of baby movements. He seems to be moving more and more these days. I'm 36+4 now. I had DD at 36+2 so I'm not impressed with baby making me wait! Lol.

Also feeling sorry for myself. Been throwing up this morning, didn't sleep well again last night as DP didn't come to bed til 4:45am, managed to wake me up and then I couldn't get back to sleep til 6:30am... But I have a child free night tonight and hoping to have a relaxing bath, put on a soppy film and eat my way through the pile of chocolate I brought from Tesco earlier lol.

Hope you feel better soon, Bear :(

Thumb, that's exactly what I have to do. If I try and move my legs separately when I'm in bed it's total agony. It actually feels like something's going to click out of place or something, it's horrible. If I keep my knees together as I turn it does help. I also have to get in/out of bed and the car by sitting down then swinging my legs in together to avoid pain. MW never suggested a support of any description, just using the crutches to help during the day and if I need it at night to get to the toilet or anything. I thought about asking for a referral to physio but as I'm nearly 39 weeks by the time I got an NHS appointment at our hospital I'll have given birth anyway, even if I go over my due date.

Hiccup hiccup hiccup

That is all.

I know it's a bit late in the day, Hetty but maybe getting this might help?

Yes, I have to do that to get out of bed as well, swing legs together over the edge and then use the weight to cantilever myself upright.

Physio won't necessarily help (and you'd be lucky to get an appt inside 6w on the NHS) but an osteopath might, if you can find one who knows about pregnancy/SPD (which, although you might not completely have SPD, it sounds like you've a bit of it) My osteo manages to sort mine out when I go - if you don't know about SPD, it's the pelvic bone at the front, the symphisis pubis - the relaxation in the ligaments means that the two halves can misalign, putting tremendous pressure on the rest of the pelvic girdle and causing lots of pain. The thing my osteo does puts them back into alignment and therefore reduces the pain.

Is anyone having the flu jab this year, or do you think it's a bit late?

I'm 38w but I've read the benefit can be passed to the baby for 2-3 months, but DH isn't keen on me having "unnecessary" injections whilst pregnant, so I was just wondering what everyone else was doing/thinks about it...

Just to add, I got a physio appt on the NHS within 2 1/2 weeks from referral, so it obviously depends where you are :)

Is that baby or you, Beeble :o

Thanks for the link, Thumb. Even if I only get another week or so out of it, if it helps, it's worth it! I did think SPD to a certain degree, but mine doesn't bother me during the day really unless I've been lazy sat still for a longer period.

Last time I needed physio (which was, granted, a couple of years ago now) the wait was about 4 weeks for an appointment.

I was offered an appointment for the flu jab at my MW check this week, I didn't know anything about it at the time so I said I'd look it up and let them know once I'd decided. I still don't know whether to have it or not either!

I wouldn't have the flu jab if you paid me, but that's how I feel about it any time. Dad had it once and was really ill for 3 days (he's naturally immune to the flu though, it's impressive! Hasn't ever had it, even in the 1950s and 1960s, when the previous big pandemics occurred.
Luckily no one has suggested it to me (it's big here in Australia as well) so I haven't had to worry about refusing it or explaining why. :)

Not sure really. Am a nurse so know all about about it and know that it's beneficial, particularly for vulnerable groups. Think I won't though as I'm not particularly vulnerable and the baby will get good stuff from me. It's good if u have any underlying conditions though.

I hadn't even thought of the flu jab.

Is anyone else getting terrible heartburn? I've had heartburn throughout but it seems to have gotten a lot worse. Even Gaviscon won't help now.

DH is a nurse too (albeit a mental health one) which is why I'm sort of unsure about it. I know it's not a live virus, so at first I thought he was being ridiculous, but I've read people still get fluey from having it.

Will baby still get any immunity I have to it through my breast milk? I don't have any underlying health issues.

I don't think I'll have it. I'm perfectly healthy apart from falling apart due to pregnancy :o

I am getting the worst heartburn ever! Last night was awful. I ate dinner at 5.30, I didn't eat anything after that or drink anything other than water, and I was still woken up by it repeatedly til about 3am. I'd run out of Gaviscon as well so only thing I could soothe it with was milk, which doesn't solve the problem for very long. I've restocked on Gaviscon tablets today, hoping it doesn't get that bad again though.

I had the flu jab back in April (southern winter ) - it's free for pregnant ladies here, as they reckon it's worth it. I've had it the last couple of years through work anyway, as I've had proper flu, and I don't ever want it again. My arm hurt pretty hard for a couple of days but otherwise it was fine. I had the whooping cough booster a month ago too as it's doing the rounds in NZ - it's supposed to get passed through breast milk and the baby won't get full immunity from her own vaccinations until she's a year old. (DH had it when he was little and it sounds horrible.)

No heartburn here, but increasingly spending all my time BH-ing and feeling a bit crampy. Scan date put me at 40 weeks today (eeek), LMP not til next Wednesday...

, and to all you hip pain sufferers. Mine has eased the last couple of nights, I think the bump has achieved its own gravitational field and is sucking my pelvis back together again.

Heartburn still going strong here but I'm managing to avoid the double strength EvilGopThatisLiquidGaviscon? so far. Tums are doing the job, I just have to be judicious about when I take them.

I find that if I get the heartburn after dinner, there are things I can eat that will stop it for a while - mostly cheese and crackers - and then I take the Tums before I go to bed anyway. And lie on a bean bag, so I'm not flat, to prevent the night-time acid wash.
Last time I was pg, vanilla icecream worked much better than milk and I didn't need the tablets at all, but it's a whole lot worse this time and sugar adversely affects it and I can't get my luscious G&B vanilla icecream

Hmm might try the ice cream!

Well I've been having tightenings all evening. Started at 6ish. Were somewhat regular then stopped. I went to sleep for a couple of hours before DP woke me up at 1 when he came home. Have been having more tightenings. They're not painful so I'm not feeling concerned at the moment, just wishing I could go back to sleep!

Hi Bear

Same here with the tightenings.... Had to stop for a minute on the way back from the loo. Nothing terribly exciting though...

Been awake since 2 and have given up and come downstairs...

Would you like a ? I've got custard creams (I appreciate they're not very exciting!)

Oh cat has just arrived to keep me company! Hi cat!

I'd love a biscuit! DP is asking if I want to go out for a walk to see if that helps spur things on but 1) I don't think anything's going to happen and he's just getting carried away and 2) it's far too cold to be going anywhere lol. Plus my bra's in the wash lol.

I did have the flu jab fluffy but that was ages ago (14-15wks ish?) and all was well but I'm not sure I would do the same now, purely because I've been told anecdotally that it can make you feel under the weather for a few days after... I can't remember if it did for me - not sure there was life before big bump

Am hoping to have enough energy to head to the shops for some raspberry leaf tea soon as the community MW mentioned it in our ante-natal class this week too - not attempted the peri-massage, but I think its the fact that my NCT group suggested using vegetable/olive oil thats putting me off

Its prob just hormones, but is anyone else getting panicky and overprotective of baby yet? The not sleeping won't help I know (it's 4am now), nor the fact that its my first, but my BIL is staying and I'd forgotten just how much he smokes and since being told at ante-natal that you shouldn't hold a baby for 20mins after a cigarette I'm now worrying about enforcing that after bump arrives - as in I might not always be there with a stopwatch to make sure . Also thinking that the in-laws aren't going to be best at looking after my dog for a week in Feb when we go on holiday - is it just that I don't know them as well as my own family? or is it just being very pregnant? or am I a neurotic?

Can I have a too please?

Pheebs, make sure you don't buy the Heath and Heather teabags from Holland & Barrett. They are a fruit tea mix masquerading as raspberry leaf tea and taste pretty sickly sweet. We should be drinking loose leaf tea which you can get from Neal's Yard or Amazon (Napiers Organic Loose Raspberry Leaf Tea for Mothers to Be). The latter is much purer and therefore more effective and tastes a whole lot better so it's easier to drink buckets of the stuff.

I think your worry about the smoking is reasonable. Your baby should take priority over your BIL's feelings so you should ask your DH (or your sister if he's your sister's DH) to have a word with him.

Pinpan at your bump having its own gravitational force!

Meanwhile, no tightenings here generally although I got lots of them on Tuesday when I over-exerted myself by walking miles with the buggy. I was pleased to have them as I feel that anything like that must be helping to get things ready for labour. I've had nothing since though and have gone back to feeling absolutely normal and not very pregnant except for the bloody insomnia.

Must try to get back to sleep as I have a really busy day tomorrow.

Hello All,

Been not doing much to report about recently, but now have some news

We're being induced on Sunday due to obstetric colitis..........
Hopeful to get back to you with more details when little one arrives.

Good luck to everyone if I don't make it back for a while