Sneeze births please, and we'll BROOK NO ARGUMENT

[TheLittleFriend]

Over here Brookers. I'll stick a cake in the oven

Nuts - it's impossible to feel right if you are sleep-deprived. Lovely that your DP is taking it stoically - he must love you to bits. You can allow yourself paracetamol in the middle of the night, plus camomile tea. Also try burning lavender oil and a good walk around 3pm every day often helps too, however hard it is to make yourself. Pg insomnia can be cause by low iron and mineral levels - try taking a tonic like Floradix. You too Sparks. Hives sounds impossible - try drinking gallons of water each day to clear out your system. And calomine (ps?) lotion really helps. As to the farts... could be a change in diet, pg hormones or baby taking up mores space. Let it all out, love.

Boo - hope life calms down a bit for you!

Biscuits - loving the 'sharing' protocol in your house - you are setting a fine example. must try those Lindt you mention...

How are you feeling Stacks?

Brooks for everyone not named.

Thanks for all your good wishes. I'm sure there's still quite a wait yet but the pink goo was deffo something a got in the same week as giving birth to DS. Seems a lot of people don't get such a thing though... I'm also experiencing period-like cramps and either strong Bhix or early contractions. Then I can go hours with nothing so still a bit worried that I'll end up giving birth on Christmas day. Never mind - I wanted a baby and I'm getting one whatever time of year it is! I shall count my blessings.

TTFN.

Ooh tock it sounds like you're getting a 2012 baby!

sparks farts are def a pg thing. It's all so glam!

How was the cinema stacks?

Waves to Whims - how you diddling? Could be a 2012 babstertock, but who knows? These babies like to keep us guessing. Are you full term nearly? xxx

Hi ladies, quick me me me update, just had my 20 week scan, baby is perfect sonographer was amazing, she got a lovely hand print and foot print to look at and sneaked me an extra pic. We didn't ask the big question so we are UBB until May will do a proper catch up post later.

Wonderful scan news boo

nuts sorry to hear you're feeling low too. The last bit of pregnancy is just so tough, so don't be hard on yourself.

Hoping stacks has had a better wknd, and is preferably now holding her newborn son

Really excited for you tock. Hope things kick off properly soon

I was really uncomfortable yesterday, I could really feel the baby's head bumping against my ribs whenever I leant forwards. It's not as bad now though, so brooking that he is wriggling in to the right exit position!

Yay! Boo, I said it on FB but I'll say it again here - brilliant news!

Tock I have a very strong feeling that baby tock will be here very soon!

And like Little I hope that Stacks and Nuts are doing ok - the last few weeks, days and hours are hard - but one thing is for sure it won't be much longer until you have lovely snuggly babes in arms!

Little I also had something painful stuck under my right ribs yesterday, I have no idea whether it was head or bum as baby Olives is doing full turns on an almost daily basis so I struggle to work out what's what! Mine is also in a better position today so I am much more comfortable! Fingers crossed all the wrongly positioned babies decide to conform and stay head down asap!

For those that saw on FB I made an AllBran, fig and date loaf yesterday to try and up my fibre intake in a yummy fashion! I can confirm after just eating a slice (spread thickly with butter!) that it is actually quite delish - DH even enjoyed it too. So for those that asked here is the recipe

I've never done a link before - and it worked! [proud] I didn't bother with lining the loaf tin, just gave it a good grease. Also I found that half a cup of sugar was fine and added some mixed spice and cinnamon for a Christmassy feel! Mine took 1.5 hours to cook.

Boo, that is super news! Well done! And hurrah for another UBB.

How are you final dayers, Nuts and Stacks? Hope you are both feeling better after nice, relaxing weekends.

And Tock, I am brooking that tockette will be here before we know it! So excited and really trying very hard not to be jealous! My RL friend who was due a few days after me gave birth at the weekend (she was early with her first too) and all this baby news has made me very broody and impatient! I can wait though, I've waited long enough so far, a few more weeks will be fine.

Whim, how are you doing?

Little and Olives I have that uncomfortable feeling under my ribs too. I used to think it was feet, but now I'm wondering if it is the head and miniGen is still breech. Got MW appointment today, so we'll see what she says. Last time, they said if I got to 37 weeks and it was still in the wrong position, they would consider taking some action. 36+1 today, so running out of time! And no idea if there will be a clinic on Christmas Eve!

Olives, I will be trying that recipe even though I am not suffering, it just sounds yummy and quite healthy too. Prob a good one for after the birth too.

Got my consultant appoitntment tomorrow. Have been burying my head in the sand, but this is to discuss whether I can have my birth in the MW-led unit. There is some confusion about this because when I had DD I had a retained placenta and they are panicking that it may happen again. My feeling is that if it does happen again, I can easily be transferred to the main hospital (just like last time and it's in the same building, so hardly a big deal). Would strongly prefer a MW led birth and hopefully a water birth as the experience was so relaxing and calm last time. Brook for me please, ladies!

Great news on the scan boo.

Any news stacks and nut? Sorry to keep asking!

Hello gen and tock thanks for asking after me - I'm due a couple of weeks after you tock, same day as gen I think - 13th. I remember being due with #3 at the end of May, and being irritated as June people started having babies before me. And then being incandescent when a July person did too. How dare she! He finally turned up 10days late in June (and was born in amniotic sac, sucking his thumb. Little bugger)

The Ob won't let me go over a week overdue here, and as the whole hospital setup seems geared to prep you for a section the second you walk through the doors, I think I'm going to schedule an induction for after my due date. Not ideal, but as they're likely to induce me a week later anyway I might as well do it when it suits me.

My big stress is lack of pain relief. As far as I can tell it goes from 'nothing' to 'epidural' in the blink of an eye. I just don't understand why they don't do G&A! Maybe I should buy some of those cannisters teenagers take to the park and take them in with me. Do you think the Ob will think I'm wierd inhaling out of a balloon?

Good weekend everyone? We had 2 Christmas parties to go to - one at the ambassadors residence (for 5-11 year olds - so once again I wasn't allowed in) and one at a neighbours. 2 more evening things this week, and then I'm putting my feet up for a few days. I only have one outfit that fits and can't get any decent shoes onto my fat feet. Glam-tastic.

Oh bugger, baby still transverse, so tomorrow's consultant appointment will now be to talk about delivery options. Apparently they don't normally do an ECV is the baby is transverse/unstable lie, that's only for breech babies, so it sounds like it may be a section unless something wonderful happens. Very fed up about this, but still brooking I can shift it - now about this downwards dog thingummy - anyone care to advise?

X-post Whim, the pain relief situation sounds a bit rubbish. On TV Americans always seem to have epidurals, but I bet you would be able to tough it out without one. Your ambassador lifestyle sounds amazing!

gen I'm sure I recall scarlet's DD was transverse - she might have some advice?

Sorry to hear it wasn't great news - hopefully they can sort it out for you and you get a nice calm birth as planned.

Whim hope you can beat the epidural / CS automatic mentality . These things are great if they're what you want or need but hopefully you can have the sort of birth you want. I love the idea of you turning up with your own gas canisters :)

Sorry for being brief - trying to type one handed while on hold on the phone.....

Thank you Biscuits, hopefully Scarlet may be able to advise. Hope you and your lovely DSs are OK X

Hi Gen I went in for an ECV with both of mine and they were both transverse. It must differ from hospital to hospital depending on the consultants. Ours has an above average success rate for ECVs and my consultant was happy to do it. I was warned that it is less likely to be successful for transverse babies and also that there is a very high risk with the baby going back to transverse even if successful. Apparently babies that lie that way tend to want to lie that way again.
Anyway, first time round with DS they knocked him into head down position but back to back which is how he stayed until the end which was a forceps delivery. They manually rotated him before pulling him out. Not very pleasant.

When I went in for DD's ECV they got her head down but she didn't stay there. She was moving round and round in an unstable lie right until the end. They thought she was head down when I went in for induction but it turns out that she can't have been properly as when I was examined hours after my waters were broken she was on her way out hand and arm first. Terrifying experience which ended in EMCS which was actually quite pleasant compared to DS's arrival!

In hindsight I would have been better getting booked in for a ELCS both times, but like you the thought of that depressed me greatly. I wanted to give it a go naturally if I could. From speaking to other people about it now including a MW friend it's quite often the case that babies that are in transverse positions near term tend to stay awkward.

I can't advise because I know how you feel. If I were to have a 3rd baby (I won't be) which was also transverse I would just go for ELCS, but I would now anyway because I wouldn't want a VBAC.

Listen to your consultant's advice and see how you feel about the options afterwards. There's very little you can do if your baby doesn't want to shift itself. All the bouncing and being on hands and knees did nothing for mine. I stressed big time about cord prolapse. Ultimately I was never going to labour naturally with DD as her head was in the wrong place so induction was inevitable. If she'd remained transverse though they wouldn't have induced me at all. You need to find out how long they'd leave you with a transverse lie, will the do ELCS at 40 weeks or earlier? Or leave you longer to see if the baby moves?

Hello lovely brookers - lots going on here today. Boo - congrats on a fab 20wk scan - you're a star. Any instincts re' girl/boy? So nice to hear you had a good sonographer mine didn't have any bedside manner whatsoever so took all the sparkle out of it. I hope you're on cloud9.

Gen - so sorry to hear about transverse. How frustrating for you. You could look up spinning babies website but it's a bit panic-mongering. When DS was breech I did the 'polar bear' kneel down and lean forward - stick bum in air and rest forehead on hands flat on floor, elbows out. Try swinging bum from side to side in this position. It's supposed to help give space in the pelvis and is more comfortable than downward dog. I swam 2-3 times a week ( - just about get dogwalks in with this pregnancy). Also - if you have a yoga ball, try bouncing, and doing figure 8s or sitting on floor and leaning against it when you watch telly. All pretty tedious - you have my heartfelt sympathy.

Olives and Little - hope babies give you and your ribs a break. Tinitock seems to have a 'mad half' hour at around 5pm and 9pm and it actually really hurts. Limbs everywhere and cervix treated like a trampoline. But as I'm engaged now the ribs are getting a break. Hope you do soon.

Whim - those Americans! Seeing as you're paying can't they just give you what you want? Could MrW get heavy with them? enjoy your glamtasticnights. I am off to final trip to flix tonight with girlfriend.

Waves to Biscuits and brooking for Nuts and Stacks -hope radio silence is a good sign...

I hope I don't disappoint you with tockette taking his/her time despite promising start. I am having great signs but nothing is ever guaranteed is it - so could still go overdue I'm sure? Ought to keep my legs crossed for a few days as I have organised a family fundraiser for our animal park - feeding the deer, hot choc, mince pies etc - for Sat 2pm and it would be rubbish to let people down...

TTFN all you brooking bumpsters. xxx

Gosh gen what an awkward babe you're hatching! What's an ecv? From scarlet it sounds ghastly.

Scarlet, thank you so much for your detailed and thoughtful reply. It's so nice to get a perspective from someone who has been there! I have done a little bit of reading up and it seems ECV is fairly risky for a transverse lie, more so than for a breech. And it sounds from what my MW said that they don't do them here anyway. I will have to see what the cons says tomorrow and weigh it all up, but I wouldn't want to take any risks and there are positives to an ELCS, so I would rise above the disappointment and look on the bright side (tis the brooking way). I am worried about cord prolapse too, so would prefer a CS before EDD, I think.

Thank you again and sorry for me, me, me day!

Cross posts with Tock and Whim. Thanks for the advice, Tock, apart from the swimming, I can try all those things!

Sorry for a super quick post, had my Nuchal test results through today, low risk (1 in 22000) so relieved!!!

gen sorry to hear baby has not moved. Lots of good advice from scarlet and tock though, and still time.

whims ecv is when a consultant tries to change the position of the baby by exerting pressure on the bump. Pushing it, basically.
I know I'm still a long way off that, but knowing the baby is breech had made me think about it briefly, and I must admit its a really unappealing thought. Maybe even less appealing than a nice, calm elcs.

sparks great news about those test results

Thank you Little.

Great news, Sparks! Glad all is well with twinkle.

ECV = External Cephalic Version. The baby is moved by the doctor using their hands on your bump. As Little says pushing it basically. They sort of lift the baby under its bum and guide it round. I found it uncomfortable rather than painful but you can have gas and air for it if you want. I really trusted the consultant as I have friends who had the same consultant who couldn't speak highly enough of her plus she's very highly regarded within her profession. I would have gone straight for ELCS if I didn't feel sure I was under the very best care while having it done.

Any sign of any babies making an appearance yet?

Just a quick post from me as its passed my bed time. DH and I have been spending lots of time together, which means MN is missing out!

Had MW today, she was already rushed even though I was her first appointment! Baby is now 2/5ths engaged, and maybe less back to back. She attempted a sweep but cervix too high to reach. Booked in for another sweep attempt on Thursday, but also booked in the induction route. This means scan on Thursday and induction early Saturday morning.

I'm just going to keep on the 'wait and see' path. We have plans for most of the week now so I'm just going to focus on them. I kind of feel like baby is never going to come, but more in a surreal "are we really going to be parents next week?" way. You think I'd have realised that already, but I'm still not fully sure I do.

I will do a proper post tomorrow. Honest.

Just a quick note - acupuncture (using moxybustion) is acknowledged as a successful way to turn babies. I have read that it is more successful than ECV... and certainly when DS was considered breech by my indie midwife I had a good bit of acupuncture and he either turned cephalic (or perhaps had never been breech in the first place). Either way, the acupuncture can only do good as it's great prep for giving birth. But I know I'm an old hippy and alternative treatment isn't for everyone...

Good turnaround for you Stacks and great results Sparks.

Waves to all. I'm afraid I think tiniTock was only teasing with the show last Friday. Nothing much since (other than a night of v light contractions) so will still be a while here. But tt's feet seem to be in the right place (on the right of bump) now so feeling v positive. Hope lots of brookingbabies follow suit.

TTFN - keep on Brooking, ladies.