Jan 2013 Part 5: Once we pop (on time!), we just won't stop!

[BuntyCollocks]

New thread! I've lost my lovely spreadsheet so if someone can add in the stats and update, that would be wonderful; I'm sure someone else had a spreadsheet that was as anally organised as me

I've bought own-brand maternity pads in Superdrug, where they are on special offer.
I think they're necessary because they're longer/thicker etc.

I bought Asda ones. We were told to have proper maternity ones so that the midwives could tell if our waters had gone etc because normal sanitary towels take away all the liquid and disguise odours etc. They can generally hold more fluid too as there is apparently quite a lot after...

Oh dear, boutique, glad all is well now!

dieciocho I had no braxtons with DS and only had what I think was them a couple of times this pregnancy. Makes no difference.

katolla I used always ultra night and they were fine.

Typing this sprawled over my gym ball trying to find a comfortable position to alleviate the sharp stabbing pain as Widget burrows deeper and deeper into my pelvis. Hypnotherapy cd on in the background. Thank god DS is still asleep. Will have to wake him soon though...

Glad all ok in the end boutique. There's nothing dignified in any of this is there!

On the braxton hicks I don't really remember having them with my first but the last 2 times I've had loads and this time too.

On the pads I think they prefer you to use maternity ones to begin with so they can check waters and blood loss. I've got mine from asda.

Saw mw today. Was worried baby wrong way round but she is certain head is down and babys just poking it's bottom out! Had to take bp 3 times as it was higher than normal. But that was probably because I suffer from anxiety and find the whole run up to Xmas makes me anxious so no real worries!

I have finished work, hooray!!! Sooooooo happy to be on maternity leave at last... Been feeling super tired lately and haven't been sleeping well at all so will be v glad to have a nana nap in the afternoons from now on :) Got last NCT class tonight on breastfeeding.

Hope you're all feeling good ladies.

Just catching up with everyone's news. I have spent the last two days writing mine and my mother's Christmas cards (she had a stroke last year and can't write now) and wouldn't allow myself to get distracted by logging onto MN as I can always waste hours when I log onto computer and then another day has gone by and I've achieved bugger all! My back is now killing me and I am ready for a nap, but very relieved to have got a big job out of the way.

I am getting loads of BH and have been getting them for last couple of months. They seem to be increasing in frequency now. I am so uncomfortable now and can't seem to get comfy when watching TV or in bed so am just about ready for little one to arrive now.

Boutique how scary. Glad you are now home safe and sound.

Tugs fantastic news. Enjoy those afternoon naps. I love mine.

hi Ladies,

Feels like aggeess since i've last logged on -been super knackered but finish on Friday - YESSSS! To be honest, i'm only going in with the sole purpose of hopefully getting a decent leaving gift and maybe going for lunch with some work colleagues before coming home.
Have also been getting a cab from the office back to Victoria stn which is great not having to brave the tube - even coming in later in the morning hasn't made too much difference as trains still packed with people coming up to London to shop!

Just on the maternity pad notes, i've been stocking up from Boots as they're only £1 at the moment. The other tip i've been given which will mean a trip to Pri-marni, is to get some cheap towels and pillows to take to the hospital and that you can leave behind after the birth, flip flops for the shower, ear plugs and lots of food.

We had some new mums at our nct class on Monday and they all said that the post natal care they received bar one was shocking - NONE of them were offered food after the birth!!!

boutique - sounds very scary. Hope baby stays put for a wee bit longer. Horrible being poked and stared at too.
Katola - for me, deffo maternity pads (my hospital also had endless industrial-strength supply which we could help ourselves to, which was good given that I spent 8 days on the ward post-birth last time.
Something I thought was not worth the hassle was the breast-pads - they quickly turn in damp cheese cloths - gross!

I had what was meant to be my pre-op today, only to find out that the date already agreed was not available anymore. Which mean that i am now booked for hogmanay :( great.
I was somehow hoping (madly) to be back at home by then, but instead will celebrate (puke in a cardboard bowl) on the ward, assuming the section goes ahead in a timely manner.
Baby is still high and long, with head totally free (am 37 wks today), so no sign of anything happening right now anyway, but for the SPB rearing its ugly head....

Why are you having s section, if you don't mind me asking

because of my last horrendous birth, which ended-up in EMCS.

Just about to head to the hospital for my 34 week scan - to check the placenta is not over the cervix. Fingers crossed!

Marasme poor you. I'm seeing Consultant tomorrow and will find out date of induction then. I am rather hoping it will be New Year's Eve/Day though as think that would be a good day to have your birthday. I always think New Year can be a bit of a let down. Lots of hype then nothing special, so to have your birthday then mean you would always have something to celebrate.

Godz am shocked about NCT comments on post natal care. I get really hungry and need to eat every few hours - have always been like that, but am worse during pregnancy. I will definitely need a proper meal afterwards. Met up with a friend who had had her baby a month ago in a London hospital and she said ward was so busy and staff rushed off their feet it was like being in a refugee camp! Will need to think about what food to pack in hospital bag. Have got chocolate, muesli bars etc but will definitely need more than that. Serves us right for being pregnant during baby boom. 2013 is supposed to be a bumper year: feel good factor after Fifty Shades of Grey, Jubilee and Olympics!

Well my food has been lovely, the roasts dinner is as good as you would get at a cheap carvery, with a Yummy swede and carrot mash and loads of gravy. Desserts are fine too, even if sometimes its not fully defrosted with the cold desserts. I have a stash of sweets and chocolate and I'm quite impressed that they are lasting ages. Not even eating them just to pass the time.

I thought toast and jam and tea was the basic staple of all post-delivery wards? Its certainly what I had on tap within an hour. From experience you will all be starving hungry and craving sugar so pack biscuits/marsbars/cereal bars anything to last until mealtime. Order in pizza.

pmgkt I'm eating vast amounts of chocolate to pass the time at home and i'm not even struggling to fill my time.

i dont think food is on the top of my worry list (it is quite a long list though) as i plan to be there as short a time as possible and dh can bring in any food i fancy, though hospitals always make me lose my appetite. glad you are eating well pmgkt

I had dd1 in London and they did offer tea after birth in the delivery room and maybe toast as well but once transferred to postnatal war a couple of hours later it was a bit of chaos. DH went out and brought me pasta from Carluccios and a smoothie from tesco, the pasta was the best thing I had in my life :-). Giving birth is exhausting and you'll be very hungry afterwards. They did offer some meal later I think but i'm not a fan of hospital food so declined all and got DH to bring in the good stuff instead - depends if your hospital is central enough to have options nearby as well. For the hospital bag I've just packed some biscuits and dry bread and will pack water and a couple of bananas on the day to provide energy during delivery.

For maternity pads last time I didn't have any and they gave me at the hospital, it was fine. This time I got them from Tesco, also around £1 or sth, very cheap.

It's so cold now!! I hope baby stays inside for a while longer, would really love to get rid of the bump but feel it's much cosier for a baby inside than outside at the moment!

I had DD1 in July. The ward was rushed off its feet. Had to wait a couple of days to get a free delivery room to be induced. However, I got tea and toast immediately after birth. It tasted WONDERFUL :)

Ladies, Christmas/ January is, I hope against hopes believe, a good time to give birth as the wards tend to be quieter.

One thing to note is that if you have an emcs, you might not be allowed to eat. I wasn't, and I was STARVING. I'd thrown up the little I'd eaten during the previous two days whilst in labour, was sectioned at 2.30pm, and wasn't allowed to eat anything until 10pm that night - my stomach had been completely empty for over 24 hours. I would and could happily have killed for some toast and tea.

Re the food mama is right (from what I remember) ds2 arrived on Xmas eve and it was reasonably quiet I think I got tea and toast after. I do remember that no one wanted to stay in hosp for Xmas so the ward was really busy witg everyone wanting to go home! Quite shocked to think this was nearly 7 years ago! See time flies once baby here!

salt I thought I would be in and out within 12 hours last time but DS had meconium in the waters and needed to stay in for observation overnight. Do have something in your bag, even if its just some chocolate.

The pasta idea is a marvellous one! If I do stay home I'm going to have macaroni cheese waiting for me on low in the oven

Macaroni cheese, mmmmn! I may request that as my 'coming home meal'. Or I may well fancy something else by then...I think I just want macaroni cheese now!

Last Friday my coming home meal was lasagne and chips! Perfect.

Coming home from hospital, that is!

Hmmm, I really fancy some macaroni cheese right now - sounds deeleesh!! I hope that the nct girls were just unlucky and from all your experiences sounds as if they may have been. However to be on the safe side, i've instructed DH to pack jaffa cakes, oat valley bars, crumpets and lots of ribena cartons as a minimum. My appetite is enormous at the moment - yesterday and the day before had 2 x 3 course lunches and STILL managed to eat massive dinner in the evening!

Just remember that what you don't eat will get demolished very quickly on those long feeds whilst chained to the sofa...