December 2012 - Last but not least

[annelid]

New thread for us stragglers!!

Congratulations Bunty! Sounds like you were a superstar :)

I've been avoiding calling people because their obvious disappointment I'm not calling with baby news is pissing me off. DP left his phone at home yesterday so I was getting MIL frantically texting asking if everything was fine, he wouldn't let me pretend to be in labour!
Congratulations on your baby girl bunty, sounds like you did amazingly.
Just on the way back from the hospital, realised about 2pm I'd not felt baby all day but they're happy with him. They've said because its my second period of reduced movement they're moving my induction forward so have to call tomorrow and see if they have a bed for me. Midwife did another sweep while I was there too. Very excited the end is now in sight.

Thank u for the help last night. I managed to get him to take some milk from a spoon and rang the labour ward. They suggested a midnight trip to tesco to try some different teats. He has been taking small quantities from a nuk teat during the day today so I'm feeling much happier. I had forgotten how exhausting the newborn stage is though!! I will try and find the postnatal group now. Good luck for the last remaining babies.

Congratulations bunty, I'm not at all jealous .

WHEN IS IT MY TURN

Sorry, just had to get that out. Went and saw my step mum today. She has seen many a child born. I told her my bag was packed and said I had 2 vest and 2 sleep suits. She said maybe a few more might help so packed 2 more vests and one more suite. Dose that sound ok?

Congratulations bunty bet you so relieved!! Just g&a too, wow hope I can manage that

Am sure it'll be me last Emily bet u won't be long now

Congratulations bunty!

emily might be worth packing a couple more outfits, to save your husband having to pop out for more; all you need is a couple of big spit ups and you'll have gone through 2 outfits before you know it. Really hope it's your turn soon!

I knew if I could find this thread there would be some great news congratulations bunty you've got amazing stamina! Isnt it funny how even when things don't work out how you plan (I was visualizing the pool all the way to the hospital, for example, dreaming of the lovely water, only to be told on arrival there was no time to fill it because I was already pushing!) there's a point when you're all snuggled up with your LO and you just don't mind!

Fingers crossed tonight's the night for you lovely ladies!

Quick birth story for you all:

Started induction with the pessary on 22nd, put in at 3pm and sent home for 24h. No progress really expected by the doctors, and none achieved really. Examination next day showed cervix too far back to sweep and closed, trace showed DS was happy in there, and regular-ish contractions. Left for a 24h rest, but as now 42w I wasn't allowed home.
No sleep due to crying babies, and next morning was put on a trace. Trace showed I was having mild contractions, but less than night before. Then I decided to change position (sat up), which brought on some contractions but also a big drop in DS's heart rate. It would have been a bit of an emergency situation, but no one noticed at the time, and it was only seen on review of the trace a few minutes later - at which point DS has obviously recovered well. However, given the drop they decided to accelerate the induction and send me over to labour ward to get things moving asap.
Doc examined me and found I was 1-2cm, and cervix really far back. However she did a sweep and sent me off to walk around for a couple of hours to see if things progressed. I had quite a lot of bloody show, but no change on re-examination so she broke my waters. I was put on a trace and left for a while, and at some point it was decided to start the drip. I managed a couple of hours of the drip easily; contractions were very evident and quite painful, but TENS and walking around was sufficient. Then she turned up the drip by one more notch (about the 5th or so increase) and suddenly I was in agony every contraction. At this point I was about half way through the 'lets see what happens' stage, with 2h till and exam, and 8 hours till anything 'useful' was expected. So I tried GA which didn't help, and logically looked at the time remaining + current pain and decided I was going to end up with an epidural and it might as well be sooner rather than later!
Epidural was good, worked well, and didn't take away nearly as much feeling as I'd feared. I could still easily tell when I was having a contraction, but wasn't in pain from it. However, 25m after getting it in his heart rate dropped and Drs came rushing. Drip stopped, rest given, drip started, epidural topped up - and same again. 6cm at this point.
Consultant was phoned for advice and she decided best to get him out now. It wasn't an emergency, but it was very likely he'd keep having these episodes over the next 4cm + pushing, and so we'd end up with a CS anyway.
CS straight forward, DS born at 3:30am. He was given to Dr to check over and DH stayed with him, then had skin to skin while I was stitched up. I was given him in bed with me when taken out of theatre, and we managed to breastfeed in recovery room.

As he was a Christmas baby we also got given a present from the hospital, and the chance to be in the papers if he was the first born (he wasn't, someone beat me to it at about 1am).

Thanks seconds and hormonal! Seconds in will pack a few more in a little bag with extra nappies (have 10 in main bag) to keep in the car. Stacks love the birth story, and glad you had a nice cuddle. Btw did you get any bounty lady hassling you? Just out of interest, they sound awful on another thread I was reading

Congrats bunty well done!

Good luck nutella hope it's your turn. I've now been referred to two hospitals and we're seeing which one comes back first.

Well done Bunty and Stacks sounds like you both dud really well with long tiring labours.

Emily I was approached by the bounty lady but she wasn't pushy or in your face. I think it depends how you're feeling though. I gave birth at 4pm, had showered and slept well so I didn't feel vulnerable which I think is the problem for a lot of ladies on the ward.

Congratulations stacks and all other new mums!
Really interested in your birth story stacks as I think I remember from the original stats thread that you're also Edinburgh? Was that Simpson's? As I'm potentially looking at induction there within the next week, though still hoping things will kick off naturally.
Glad there are a few others of you still here too! This baby seems far too comfortable in there. Had a show a week ago and tightenings on and off ever since but that's it. Beginning to wonder if this will even be a 12/12 baby. My friend due yday had her little boy today and, same as many of you, noone wants me to phone them as they're all waiting on baby news!
Anyway hello everyone waves and hope those last December babies make it in December!

congratulations bunty and well done stacks, thanks for the birth story.

omg I suddenly don't feel ready at all!!! Having a major hospital bag crisis.... We're not that close to the hospital so dh doesn't rally want to come back (don't blame him) so I've pulled apart bag and just realised I don't have enough stuff! Think I'll have to let go of my "only take one bag" option and pack the baby's change bag. Don't know why I only wanted one bag with all my bits in, I guess I feel more in control with only one bag to remember

emily, breathe! I took my bag, the change bag, a cooler bag if food and sent DP to tesco for extra stuff and home for my pillows! a sarky cleaner did comment on how much stuff I had

What do you have in there? I was in 4 days, 2.5 post birth and my waters went 3-4 times in new knickers/jamas so used quite a lot of stuff.

Yay bunty congratulations and our first baby for this thread! Have a and as a prize! :)

stacks thank you for the birth story. Sounds like you did really well and were very calm.

emily we're no more than 15 mins from the hospital but I've got two bags. One bag to come in with us for the labour and then a bag of non labour stuff (clothes for me, DP and baby) for once we're on the ward. I'm sure you'll get it sorted and the hospital will never blink an eye even if you go in looking like you're moving house you won't be the first I'm sure!

Spotty if you'd only suggested a trampoline about two weeks ago I could have put it on my Christmas list! damn and blast!!!!

Having weird uncomfortableness at bottom of bump wish bean would get a shift on and make a move. DP really can't wait to meet our LO either. But the Dr did a check today and there is nothing going on at the cervix (they've never mentioned a sweep here.... Guess they don't do it)... Ho hum...

emily you're at PRUH farnborough aren't you? There's always the big sainsburys next door that your OH can pop to if you need anything so do not worry! We ended up getting a few things there, mainly newborn clothes as we didn't have enough in that size.

Sounds promising nutella! Fx
Dh said we can go get a few more bits for me as I only had one pair of pjs packed and no going home clothes for me (something comfy) so feel a bit better. My one pair of mat jeans are in the wash so and need to was leggings (can't wait to throw them away) oh god!!

Thanks will you and seconds yes im at the PRUH, didn't realise it had a sainsburys next door, thanks . Is it nice there?

PRUH that is, not sainsburys

emily the PRUH is ok - I don't really have anything to compare it with. A tip: in the postnatal ward see if you can get a bed that's not near the door. The ones near the door have sinks next to them so the cubicle space is smaller. The labour rooms were nice enough - en suite - but I didn't spend much time in mine - only a couple of hours. When I was readmitted for
Blood pressure problems I was in a private room for some reason which was nice but I felt a little bit out of sight and out of mind.

The sainsburys is also useful for parking if PRUH is full. There's also an m&s simply foods at the garage that you have to drive near to enter sainsburys, which is useful for food as I didn't like the PRUH food. Oh - take food!! The dinner is served at 5pm and breakfast not til 8, which is a very long night of no food especially when you're up for much of that night with a newborn and breastfeeding. I think sandwiches might be available oitside mealtimes but I never managed to get anything.

nutella what's the induction policy over there?

emily I would take at least three post birth tracksuit/pj bottoms. I kept bleeding all over mine

Thanks seconds that's really helpful , spotty I will get those tomorrow, ......and relax.

Oh also emily they're doing building works on the maternity and labour wards but dont worry about that - there's no noise or anything. The only difference it made to me was that when I had to be wheeled on the bed from induction suite to delivery suite in a mad rush, they had to go a slightly longer route, but that won't affect most people.

ladies, I am lurking to cheer you all on in your triumphs but will de-lurk to say this: wear incontinence pants! DO IT!
no messing about with layering pads, no extra washing, no worrying about leaks in the sheets, and they are soft and padded and comfy. nappies for everyone!
treat yourself to 4-5 days of incontinence pants.(think I changed mine 9 times first day, maybe 5-6 times today,once or twice overnight). It's probably the best tip I got before DS1 was born and I tell all my pg friends about it and then wonder why they don't call
Second time around I am even.more glad of them and was so so relieved to be wearing them after my waters broke on the way to hospital as when I wanted to push on the way in, I probably weed a bit but no one knows and the car is unscathed!

seriously- get yourself some big nappies and relax about lochia . It is a freaky amount of blood (specially in the first 2 days) but incontinence pants can handle anything!