Due in October 2012 Part 7 - towards the finish line, going for Gold!

[Planktonette]

On your marks...
Get set...

GO!

Ah, thank you all, feel so much better that lots of people are suddenly feeling like this. My dad came to visit today, a sort of last ever visit while I am just his daughter and not a mum. He's not given to displays of emotion so it was quite sweet. We had a pub lunch in the New Forest then walked along a river to another village and back - 40 mins each was, think I will ache tomorrow. Had some energising ice cream before we turned around to come back.

I was explaining the idea of natural birth to my dad, and it made me realise how much I know and how simple it should be, really, as long as I stay calm, and that made me feel better. DH is being completely angelic and that really helps too. It will all be fine. Hopefully...

Got home to find that the midwife has dropped off the homebirth box while I was out - this is both exciting and scary. Officially we're not allowed a homebirth until I'm 37 weeks, which is this Friday coming, but we have the box now so it could all happen...

Angelico, I ordered that electric airer a couple of weeks ago - it's brill, really versatile and will be a godsend with reusable nappies, wipes etc and out washer/dryer only has one drying temp - fecking hot - which is no good for the bamboo nappies we have bought, and we don't have radiators so no way of drying them quickly in winter. I'm in love with it already!

Crazy and Huffle ... 44" here unless bean is stretching then it's more like 46" . And people are now telling me the bump is neat! Any advances on 44" anyone or do I officially have EnormaBump?

Huffle, so agree on the sleeping unfairness. Went to John Lewis yesterday and bought Dreamgenie pillow. Sort of helped in that I was comfortable enough to get to sleep but then when I wanted to roll over it was a bit of a challenge and I had to wake up to do it. So I slept better when I was asleep but kept waking up to roll over.

Also to Huffle, how about sitting on a birthing ball (covered in a towel) until active labour, then getting DH to support you by taking some of your weight? The active stage can be pretty short so you wouldn't need to be tiring your thighs out for long.

The funniest bits of yesterday's NCT class... trying out tens machines on the husbands - hilarious, and a very empowering sensation, being in charge of the dial whilst the pads are attached to the arms of 2 men! Their hands were twitching and they didn't know whether to laugh or yelp. It was on setting 3. Of 15!!!!! Wasn't thinking of getting a tens machine but wondering if hooking DH up to it and turning the dial up whenever I have a contraction might provide me with a good distraction!

Also she got the women to educate the men on why they should remind us to do pelvic floor exercises, and what might happen in the future if we don't. 8 blokes very . Then she told them they should be doing them too. This is the kind of thing DH would normally laugh off but he has been asking me question after question since and is actually doing them himself. How cute?

Bella, glad your baby shower was nice. I eventually agreed to let the girls from work organise one for me on the condition that I had the final say about what games were included, and it's this Friday evening, and Friday will also be my last day at work, it's too hard being back so I'm going to stop at 37 weeks and give myself an extra week to relax. It's a hard decision because I go back at the start of September anyway so it's not like I can come off a week early and go back a week early to compensate - I am basically depriving us of a week's pay and I feel really bad about that, but DH has convinced me that me being relaxed is more important than the week's pay.

CWest, my NCT teacher said Paracetomol every so often is fine. Hope you feel better soon.

Flip, Velo you too?? Bless you, at least we know we all not alone!! Hope u feeling better tmrw xx

Thank u Londonmrss . I hav been v pleased with the whole Natal Hypno and it has helped me no end. Hav told many people about the whole giving birth in a coma concept. But this morning I was just having a total and utter freak out........ I know I am perfectly able, I just took a wobble and felt perfectly petrified too!!!! Ooo errrrr

Just met a lady there I kno thru work with her 7 week old, wee dote. Came 5 wks early...... Told me to go home and pack my bag, just incase!!

I have 3 wks work left which due to reduced days is 11 days actually in work with a wee bit of work from home! In that time I will hav full appointments each day and need to find time to do 3 months advanced wages, 1 partial advance VAT return, try to leave info on every conceivable unusual situation and clear up all my clutter!!! I shall be shelving the next emotional melt down until at least then! But still, 11 days...... WOOHOOOO!

Angelico interesting on the colour match. Hmmmm.

Thanks Yomping. I do think birthing ball and walking about will be my best bet. DH says same (becoming v educated!) hopefully 2nd stage will be short if hav been upright and active and I can lean on him any which way that works!! He is v v big and strong, I hav every faith!!

We hav Tens demo this wk too, looking forward to!! Had not considered at all but MW was very positive about it last wk. Any of u second timers use it before?? I am hoping to be in the relaxed hypno camp and wondering if might be counter-productive??!

Huffle, I don't think using it on myself will help much as want to be all zen and hypno too, but using it on DH to distract myself??? Now that's an idea!

Hugs to all those who've had an emotional weekend. Labour still feels like a long way off to me so maybe it'll hit be in a few weeks?

Glad to have done part one of the course. Now lots of essays and coursework and then part two is the three full days over the last weekend in September. Little bit close to the wire... Hoping bean stays put for a while...

Right. Off home for an early night. Bushed.

Yomping good to know another rave review of the dryer thing :o It's more for my clothes ironically as DH and bean's clothes can mostly be tumbled but loads of women's stuff says not to. I never know whether to risk it or not - you get away with it 80% of the time but there's always that one top that shrinks... Loving idea of zapping the menfolk with tens machines :o >:-D We so need a 'devil' smilie!

Speaking of shrinking (nice link Angelico heh heh) did any of you see that episode of Horizon 'Eat, Fast and Live Longer'? It has gone from the IPlayer but you can see it on . It's basically about fasting extending health and life and the conclusion is even 2 days a week on 500 calories can have big benefits, whilst allowing you to eat pretty much what you like on the other days. Disclaimer: they are only really starting proper human trials of it but seems to cause big reductions in cholesterol, blood glucose and some other hormone which is linked to various cancers - also big body fat loss! Have seen threads on here about it and really considering it post-bean with my new found obsession with not getting type 2 diabetes. The risk is 50% post-GD and that is really high.

Congrats Livvy

Oh and yomping, have you seen touching the void? It's a climbing film so you might have... anyway, the guy has an accident and his partner thinks he's dead. He's not, just has a broken leg and is in a cravasse. He gradually over three days crawled back to the camp. Incredible story. But the point is that he said if he had contemplated the enormity of what he had to do, he wouldn't have been able to. It would have been too overwhelming. But he just focused on the next rock and trying to get there. Once there, he had a rest and then contemplated the next rock. DF and I use this all the time and I think they focusing on smaller, more manageable challenges has helped us get through this year.

So( and there is a point to this, I promise) perhaps try thinking of labour as a series of contractions, rather than trying to get your head round the whole thing. Stay in the present, one contraction at a time. And what will be, will be.

Think my yoga hippy side is coming out. It's a terrific film, nonetheless.

cwest paracetamol is absolutely fine, no need to worry about it at all, including taking it regularly. So keep taking it and hope you feel better soon!
angelico I thought that eat and fast thing was really interesting too, haven't looked at tht much research about it yet as obv wouldn't consider it whilst preg or breastfeeding but do plan to do a bit of reading about it at some point.
livvy agree that touching the void is an awesome film and that one step at a time is a good way to look at labour. Ultimately, giving birth will be manageable, for all of us. Before I had dd people used to ask me if having seen lots of deliveries made me more anxious - especially since drs tend to see the complicated stuff. Actually, it makes me feel better because every single delivery I've watched, no matter how difficult it's been, you can instantly see once the woman is holding her beautiful newborn that none of it matters any more and that every second was so worth it. Makes me go weepy thinking about it but kind of in a good way.
Sympthatize with the difficulty of not knowing when it's going to happen. I am starting to wonder if this little one is going to stay put till planned section or if it might decide to emerge sooner. Really, really want it to stay put, after last time I so want a nice calm planned section rather than any emergency stuff. However, in a month or so it will all be done and I will have my baby so doesn't matter too much at all!
Absolutely knackered today and struggling a bit. Feel breathless and dizzy all the time. Hopefully the spatone will start to help soon. Midwife going to check bloods again on Thursday anyway. Feeling like thwt is also making me weepy - not sure why. Dh has announced that I am going to bed early tonight - going to have a bath with dd, get into pjs and then snuggle down. Not planning to argue with that!
That's enough rambling from me for now, good luck with the week everyone!

Holy macaroni angelico that airer looks fab but £90!! Yowzers. It would be well handy but I think I can predict my DH's reaction... I have, on the other hand, seen a pineapple corer & chunker on the Lakeland website that I am VERY tempted by. Under £9! And I've seen the threads here on MN about the 5:2 diet and must admit I'm very tempted by it (obv when I've stopped bfing). Love the idea of being able to eat more or less what I like for 5 days, just not sure how I'd handle the 2! I get a bit, um, grumpy when I'm hungry!

Lots of sympathy to those having hormonal meltdowns. I often feel right on the brink, and I really feel like DH either doesn't understand how hard it is to be 36wks pg, or much worse, doesn't care. He isn't really making any effort to make life easier for me, which I feel I can't really complain about because he's so fab all the time, and does more than most men probably. I'm just not doing any less than I normally would with DS or around the house, and, possibly worse, if I ask him an insecure question about how I look, he'll give a very lukewarm "ok". Which makes me feel very, very, very I may have a meltdown at him at some point soon but I'm trying to figure out the right way of doing it. Sigh.

Embarrassingly, I can't remember how I dealt with the anticipation of labour. I think I assumed DS would be really late and then was completely shocked when he came early! This time I'm torn between impatience and denial...

As for labour itself, it is a terrifying unknown to face. But once you're in it, livvy is right - you have no choice but to manage each contraction as it comes. Hopefully your midwife will be fab and supportive and help you to deal with it well (rather than the hospital bitch I had who told me to pull myself together because it was going to get much worse - which TERRIFIED me - but she was completely wrong and a massive twat)

huffle don't worry about your thighs, you won't feel those

Sorry, rambly post. I've actually had a lovely day today with DS and DH, I'm just permanently so exhausted I can barely think straight. Nice n ready for the new baby fog!

Well the meltdown has hit. Just wrote mad rant, then deleted it as couldn't bring myself to post it. Feel miserable - and guilty for feeling miserable. Half of me wants baby here, other half wants to take her out and put her in suspended animation for a few more years till I somehow magically become ready to be a parent.

I somehow feel guilty about absolutely everything at the minute but I've been told that comes with the parenthood territory and I can look forward to that feeling for the rest of my life... How can I go from being excited about bean to being terrified of how much life is going to change within the space of ten minutes?! Is anyone else feeling like this? :(

Crazy your pineapple corer and chunker gave me a watery laugh at least.

Absolutely! I've already got one and I'm still terrified of everything changing again but more excited about it and happy about baby coming than I can explain. Basically it's completely and utterly normal. So don't worry.

I've seen Joe Simpson (the bloke who wrote Touching the Void) speak a few times, read some of his other books too. He lives around here. Labour is just a day - two if you're unlucky. Once it starts, you know it will end, you know? I don't know, I find that thought encouraging.

Got boyfriend to measure fundal height a minute ago as fretting as has been ages since last midwife appointment. He made it somewhere between 28 and 34cm so that backfired a bit!! Am ignoring his meaty, unskilled measurements I'm sure baby is measuring fine la la la.

Checked my waist too whilst I was there since people are doing that- just under 40 inches, though I can suck it in a surprisingly large amount - tried this earlier and then got freaked out it was hurting baby. I am a shortie though.

I am still too chicken to weigh myself, though I have promised myself I will at some point before 40 weeks. I wish I could feel better about myself, I've tried really hard with exercising and healthy eating during the whole pregnancy and I still just get so self critical.

Evening was better than day - naked cuddles and stuff. Just settling down to bed now, I'm really exhausted. Emotionally more than physically, though the flat is all done and sorted, near enough. (hats off to people actually decorating, I only tidied/sorted out mine)

tired squid who promises to be more positive tomorrow, 37+5

Hugs to everyone and sorry for lack of name checks and specific responses. I think about you lot all the time, you're lovely. take care and be nice to yourselves.

crazy we've got a lakeland pineapple corer, much much fun! But be warned, our NCT lady said pineapple can bring on labour (suggested alongside curry, sex, nipple tweaking etc for if you're overdue) so don't go crazy!

V tired, one more week of work then maternity leave, too much still to do but know it won't all get done. Had meltdown this week too on whole work & labour & motherhood thing - DH mopped me up but I suspect it won't be the last time...

Lots of love to all, take it gently as you can. [Thanks]

Evening all, this thread moves so fricking fast I just can't keep up. Sorry to all those feeling ill and freaking out. The sunshine in London has kept me smiling - my meltdown may come when it disappears. To all of you worrying about parenthood let me reassure you. If I can do it anyone can. Like labour - take it in bitesize chunks and you will be just fine. Honestly, on paper I would be a rubbish mum but according to DD I am not bad at it at all. Only an idiot would not think about the enormity of it though - that is very natural.

Trying to compete with Cherrychopshits and Angelicotwopoohs and stuffed my face with prunes - think I may have got carried away and am dreading the consequences tomorrow.... ooops. Right I am off to cry watching the end of the Paralympics so sad it is all over.

A cautionary tale for anyone packing their hospital bag... Mine has been half-finished for a couple of weeks thanks to my lack of practical nightwear (I sleep naked but suppose that's not on in hospital). When I opened it tonight the post-birth multipack of Kit-Kats was not quite as I had left it. Something had eaten most of it, chewing through the foil and scattering shredded wrappings and crumbs all over some maternity pads, babygros and huge knickers.

I shall vacuum the suitcase and spray it with something antibacterial but really there's no way to thoroughly clean a wheelie, is there? At least I now know what the scuttling noises that woke me a few nights ago were. DH says it is my own fault. On the plus side, the box of Jaffa Cakes is intact.

Lots of movements since Wednesday's scare. DH took me out for a steak last night and we had a proper grown-up conversation, uninterrupted by random observations about elves, fairies, Shere Khan and DD's various best friends. The glass of wine gave me a mild hangover as I'm such a lightweight these days, but it was worth it.

Nesting hasn't kicked in yet. But I have taken DD to the lido three days running to take advantage of last of summer. She is really beginning to swim now. I am so proud.

Ok, I know I said to myself that i'd have a proper catch up today as my last 2 posts have been me me me. But I really just have to get this all out....

So went for a tour at the hospital today, post partum nly as that is where dh's mom works. I thought I was rwady for it all, but walked past 2 rooms beside each other both with crying newborns and it totally set me yompung I think I have also been living in complete denial. off in tears!!!! This is really going to happen isn't it¡

Oh and also I ran over a coyote with my car on the way home, just about right at oyr house. It was only a little guy. Dh had to go get his gun and finish him off. Poor little thing. Cue flood of tears #2

Smiley, velo, Oh gosh, I can see now after a proper catch up that sooooo many of us are feeling hormonal and teary this weekend!

squid, yomping, angelico, lomdon, kyrria,huffle, and anyone else who wants in GROUP HUG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am in denial about # of inches, but I am still neatly at 10 squares of toilet paper round the belly. Lol

Button is a full outie.

Anyone have report of their bump "dropping" yet? When is that supposed to happn? I think something in me is currently in it's way to changing as my spd/hip pain is almost all but gone there last couple days and the twinges oi do get now are quite different.
Oh and I think baby blue had a bit of a 6th sense about our dry run to the hospital today, he was squirmung in a very uncomfortable way with what I imagine to be his little hands squeezing cervix shut going "no no no, I.m not ready to come out yet!!"

Sorry for being a bit AWOL recently, life is really getting in the way of Mumsnet at the moment!!

Had a 33 week scan on Friday to see if my low placenta has moved - and it has, YAY !! Think I'm definitely moving towards a homebirth now...baby is 4lbs, 10oz at the mo.

Got just 4 weeks left at work then hoping to be able to spend more time on this lovely forum & nesting and "stuff" and napping - God, I miss uninterrupted nights sleep!! Whoever else is suffering with hip ain, particularly at night - I hear ya sister!

And at Angelicotwopoos & Cherrychopshits I have to say I'm also occasionally a 3 x poos a day girl, I swear it's the baby wanting more space & somehow 'forcing' bowel movement!

35, 33+1, dc#1

Loopy I'm with you on the 'regularity'. It's a pain in the arse (arf) in a similar way to constipation - um, over-use!!

And Angelico and smileyhappymummy I am also FREAKING out about a 2nd, and the changes that are going to happen. Like smiley says it is totally normal - in some ways I think it's one of the biggest life changes you can have. I was totally unprepared for the change DS was going to bring and I think that partly contributed to my PND, so at least you're in a stronger position than I was, angelico! God I am terrified about how I'm going to cope with 2 under 2. Trying not to have a total meltdown about it all and keep it together...

MrsConfusion I ate loads of pineapple last time in an effort to get labour going - that's partly why I'm interested in the corer suddenly! And it looks fun! Although my reflux is so much worse than last time, I'm wondering if pineapple would just be a method of self-torture

elpis YUCK!! What ate the kitkats??!! Yuck yuck yuck!!!!! Hooray for jaffa cakes being intact... Interesting, a kitkat loving, jaffa-cake hating beastie.

Just had my first cup of raspberry leaf tea and baba is going mad!!!! Well it has been mad for last 3 wks anyhow but oooo-errrrr, stay put baby!!!!!

Just wanted to pop on with an excerpt from the Travel supplement from The Times on Saturday. Given our current atmosphere of meltdown and the great unknown, think this is worth reading.........

This was written by Giles Coren, by the way. His wife is Mel of Mel &Sue, cannot think of her surname......

"I dont know what they told you, but they told me that having a baby was going to be hard. They talked about tears and tantrums, a lack of sleep and the shortening of tempers, the end of fun, the end of privacy, the end of sex, the end of youth, the slow crumble to the grave, the beginning of the end of everything.
But they were wrong. It's all been a piece of cake and an absolute joy. Kitty popped out of my wife in February last year as easy as a chocolate from a box, with a smile on her face and a healthy appetite. She started sleeping 12 hours a night almost immediately, whacks out for two hours every day at 1pm to give us time for lunch and a little snooze to ourselves (i have never had so much sleep in my life) and spends the rest of the time selflessly entertaining us."

Now, whilst i woukd also like to read his wife's side of the story, and that the life of a freelance high profile journalist is rather different than that which most of us experience, isn't that a nice start to our week????

So BOOOO to all those who tell us our lives will never be the same!!! They won't, but they will be wonderful!! And we will all have lovely, calm, well-behaved babies, just like Kitty!!! (lovely name!)

Have a good week ladies, chin up!!!! Xxx xxx

I can't tell where my baby is! She's moved!
She was happily head down kicking me in the ribs for the last 6 weeks, but last night she moved. Now I can feel movements all over- sort of bum wriggles or something, but can't tell which way up she is or which way she's facing! Can't tell where legs are, so maybe facing in and kicking at the placenta or something. Hoping she's not decided to flip to breech, but I'm not sure. Guess midwife will tell me on Friday.

Well if anyone gets into my hospital bag and drinks my champagne or eats my fois gras, I'll be furious. That's all that's in there so far. Can't imagine that I'll need anything else.

33 + 3, #1, due 26th Oct

I'm not packing my hospital bag til next week. We're having a weekend away to York on Friday (can't wait) and the bag I want to use for hosp is the one we'll take to York. Have got contents (near enough) sorted though.

Right, have got today off as annual leave. Had big plans but currently struggling to keep my eyes open so going to go for a snooze.

32, 33+1, #1

I like that story huffle, why does it seemingly have to be all doom & gloom when it comes to childbirth & newborn stories?!

I disappear for days and now posting twice and I'm back to rant!! Feeling very as my replacement has just been announced by my head of department (not my line manager who is utterly lovely but on holiday) to the rest of the team and frankly, really insensitively (although this could be pg hormones I s'pose ). Just banged on how good my replacement was and how much she's contributed to other projects while a temp on the team and NOTHING about how much I've achieved in the last 18 months having taken on a new area with just a 30 minute handover & all learning quickly on the job, the difference I've personally made to processes and how much I'll be missed (I guess I won't be then?!!). I could walk out now I'm so !!!

I really love my job and it's hard to enough to leave it in someone else's hands already, let alone rubbing it in on what a great replacement I'll apparently have. I know my life will change massively when the baby comes along and I may not even want to return to work but right now, I'm really, really fucked off

GRRRRRRRRR!