April 2013 part six...what does the third trimester have in store?

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milktray I hope the counselling appointment goes well. I've no experience of natal anxiety but I used to be terrified of surgery and overcame it by discussing every possible outcome, good or bad, with my surgeons. That helped me feel prepared for anything! As it turned out everything went well each time.

Looks like I'll be adjusting to maternity pads then :-/. I have weird issues with hygiene and I'm going to have to really work on that. Would wet wipes be ok to use?

Anyone got a fail safe tip on how to get comfy in bed? I find I'm waking a lot due to discomfort no matter how I lie or how many pillows I use. My wriggling is keeping DP awake too and I feel really guilty that I'm affecting his sleep too.

Lovely news about mama and Alex!

I've been a bit over emotional today. I'm sleeping dreadfully badly and DS seems to be pushing all my buttons so I feel like an awful mum. It doesn't help that he is trying to drop his nap, so I'm not even getting that time to relax or try to sleep. I know he's just testing boundaries and I'm sure independence, determination etc will be great characteristics when he's older but at the moment I'd love one of those toddlers that does what their Mum says all of the time (seriously, one of the babies in my mothers group is like this! Another pushes even further than DS so in my sane moments I know to be thankful for what I've got!).

Also got to tidy and clean the house tonight. We've got a journalist and photographer coming round tomorrow to take photos of DS for a story about his heart condition and my volunteer involvement in the charity that supports us with it. Think I'll have to cover up the dark circles around my eyes with some make up!

mama fab news on feeding Alex, he's a strong one!

wombat and fluffeh I know what you mean, I'm sleeping terribly, sooo uncomfortable and feel guilty that the disrupted sleep affects DH. I know it's gonna affect both of us when the baby arrives, but its hard. I was a grumpy mare yesterday too. It doesn't help that my work is so boring at the mo so I feel so much in limbo. Still, at least I'm not run ragged.

milktray I hope your counselling goes well. I'm seeing the women's health counsellor for anxiety around the birth due to my sister losing my neice one day after birth through complications and EMCS and the baby we lost. I hope you're doing ok. I also find the natal hypnobirthing CDs good and try to listen to it on my commute. PM me if you want to chat.

27+1

Hi all

Just want to say that i have been listening to Maggie Howell natal hypnotheraphy CD and started reading the book. I definitely recommend it as made me feel a lot calmer about the birth. milktray I too am thinking about getting referred for counselling, as I have a lot of anxiety. I really hope it doesnt taken as long to get referred here as will have had the baby by then.

As regards sleeping, I have good and bad nights. Have brought body pillow from Argos which was bargain at £10 and that has definely helped with the hips aching.

Great news about Alex from Mama - you must be chuffed to bits!

Milktray Novia and Jorich my husband and I have been going to hypnobirthing classes for the last 3 weeks - it is our last session this week - then we have a refresher at 37 weeks. It is a group session and last week we discussed our fears and then did a guided meditation/hypno session around realeasing our fears and replacing them with positive thoughts. It was pretty Woo but we both found it useful. It was interesting to see what others fears were and made you feel much more normal as everyone was scared of something! Having said that I am a first timer so I think if you have already had a bad experience then it must be a lot harder.

growyourown it sounds like you have a lot to deal with in terms of your experiences and it must be hard not to be petrified. My brother lost a baby at a late stage a few years ago - thankfully I am past where they were at the time but it still haunts you!

30 weeks today and starting to get rather large!

Thanks Ruddy and sorry to hear about your brother too. I'm working through it, just hadn't anticipated how much it would come up once I was pregnant and heading towards D-day. I can't believe you're into the 30's now!

On a lighter note, I've just started getting proper big kicks that I can see from the outside, so that's really exciting and really hits home that there's someone in there!

Sorry can't remember people's names to reply to posts but firstly thanks for the info about afterbirth, silly question but do maternity pads have wings on them because even with my regular periods I always bleed quite heavily and I've lost count of how many pyjamas I've had to throw out from leaking blood on them...
about sleeping I'm also finding it difficult and keeping DH up half the night, I've tried pillows in every position but normally after about a week it stops helping and I have to change them again at the moment I have a normal pillow and v-pillow for head, one pillow on each side of me (one under bump and one under back) and a cushion between legs....sounds like a ridiculous amount but if it helps me sleep I don't care!

important question when should I go buy nursing bras?! I want to get now so I don't have to go shopping as soon as the baby is born, but apparently your cup size changes again when the baby is born (I'm already really big...) so I don't want to buy now and then they won't fit. Any non-first timers help with advice please thanks

29+3

eek got whooping cough after school today, I already have a phobia of injections (my friends are laughing at me as I'm adamant I won't have an epidural and they keep saying wait till your in labour...) and now I'm really scared for this one sounds painful!

sorry for the long post

I can't keep up! I've done lots of shifts over the last two weeks and am revelling in a week day off catching up with telly and housework.

bird I have some nursing and some wireless bras already. Nursing are just as comfortable and I'm just not unclipping them get!

For those not sleeping - I was just using pillows but seriously, I am sleeping a million times better now I have a proper maternity pillow. I know £40-odd seems a lot but its worth every penny.

Do you all feel like your bump precedes you now?! I feel like as I go my bump goes first and I follow!

37+1

Hello all! Just popping in to say how pleased I am to hear Mama and Alex are doing so well!

Will catch up in a minute but had to share my deal of the day...

Joined Sainsbury's little ones club a couple of weeks ago and got email today to say next time I went in store I would receive voucher at end of shop for free huggies bundle box, so did shop, got voucher, put through free box plus you have to buy one pack of nappies. Here's the bargain bit, huggies are all still 1/3 off even though baby event over, so the box went through as £6.65 but the voucher takes off the original £9.99 so I got the large pack of size 2 nappies for £2.65 instead of £5.99 and the free box, result!!

It's the small things that excite me these days! Right off to catch up on last 2 days on here

Just caught up.

I only have 10 maternity pads at the mo as didn't want to mass buy and find they are not the best.

mama how did the breast milk go today?

Thanks for the tips, I literally have a running notebook now that I jot down everyone's tips in, which is my shopping list of what still to get, witch hazel has now been added as has Maggie Howell's book. This thread has seriously been the most invaluable thing I have got in terms of preparations, haven't picked up one of my maternity books in weeks, only one I have a guilt pleasure for is Myleene Klass' that I read once a week, a chapter for the week I am on, however now knowing her partner left her after baby 2 and just getting married does leave a bitter taste in the mouth whenever I read his extracts, he sounded a bit of an arse even then!

Thanks for all the really useful posts on hypnobirthing and what to expect post birth. Like essex I haven't picked up a maternity book in a while but find this thread super useful.

Re hypnobirthing, do you need to book a class or can you just read a book and listen to the cd? I'm keen to try but can't get to a class.

28 weeks today, woohoo it's really flying by now

Evening everyone.

So good to hear from mama again, what an amazing little boy you have, I hope that the breast milk went ok today, I'm sure you will both be home in no time.

I had my 28 week appointment today and that was a big waste of time, I said I had a few questions (after she asked if everything was ok) and she said ok as long as it isn't a lot of questions

So I asked her about getting some proof for uni to support my mit circs etc and she said no I would have to pay the GP to do it as midwives don't do that kind of thing. (luckily uni contcated me today and said they didn't require any further evidence they are just accepting it)

Then I asked about constipation and what was the best thing to take as I have been suffering for several weeks now and I got a lecture about eating properly (which I bloody am!) and then told the GP is the only one who can help me further, So I pushed for a recomendation for over the counter stuff and finally she said well you could try senacot.

I then asked about antenatal appointments and was told I can apply for them and was given a big form to complete but was then told it would be too late for me anyway...Lovely considering I have never been offered them, actually they haven't been mentioned once since I found out I was pregnant.

Feeling really pissed off at this point!!

I then mentioned my concern about going back into hospital to give birth as my last birth was quite traumatic and when they tried to admit me the other month after the accident I had a mini breakdown which shocked me as I didn't realise I had been that affected by it all. Finally a decent responce and she said she will do a home visit to debrief me properly over my last birth (which was 7 years ago) and sort out a plan of action so that this time things are much better.

God this is epic I am so sorry!!

Then I was examined and she couldn't tell how the baby was lying, couldn't find any heartbeat and said that was it and off we went.

Gah what a wasted appointment!

Sorry for the ramble, it was just so frustrating.

Off for my growth scan and consultants tomorrow, so fingers crossed that os a little more productive!

jacq if buying over the counter I'd reccomend lactulose rather than senna personally. I've also found havinga daily probiotic really helps.

Re maternity pads - my friend said don't get maternity pads, just use tenalady! Apparently they are better...

Hello all - has taken ages to catch up. I'd lost track of the thread despite the fact I have spent most of the last week not doing very much at all.

Baby is still staying put for now - I get periody type pains overnight most nights (which doesn't help with the not sleeping due to discomfort) but so far they haven't ramped back up into proper contractions and tend to settle during the day. I am resting as much as possible, although sitting on the sofa gives me backache and sitting upright on a chair squashes my bump against my legs as its so low, so I'm uncomfortable whatever I do! I am trying to get out and run an errand every day, plus take DS to nursery to break the day up and stop me going mental with boredom. I am also doing a 1000 piece jigsaw and knitting a cardi, which is most unlike me at all!

Reading everyone's lists of stuff they have got has also made me realise that we should start getting things down from the loft and buying the new mattresses, etc that we need.

Maternity pads - I used Always extra long last time but I understand they are now scented so I will avoid as it is a one way ticket to thrush. I had lochia for 11 (count 'em) weeks last time so was getting pretty sick of using them.

Nursing bras - one of my projects for next week. I am going to try and waddle into town to get fitted at Bravissimo. There is a tram stop right by the shop so minimal walking required.

mama lovely to hear that Alex is starting on BM and definitely get that hair cut. It will make you feel so much better.

jacq hope your consultant appt is more productive. I would be going mental if they couldn't find the heartbeat and wouldn't expect to just be sent off.

dsygu I didn't remember the steroids hurting with DS1 (although I was being canulated / generally human pincushioned all over when they did it so my mind was elsewhere) but bugger me did they hurt this time round. Ouchy ouch. Good luck!

How is everyone doing with names?

I'm enjoying playing with this website on baby name trends names.darkgreener.com/

We're on an upward trend with DS's name! 13 in the year he was born (up from 0 in 1998).

My own name is becoming less fashionable it would seem - down from over 5000 in '96 to 725 in 2010.

Mama great to hear your updates. Alex is an amazing little boy :)

Jaqueline are you able to change midwives? Would you want to? (We don't have a midwife attached to the surgery I go to so they let me choose which one I wanted to attend from within my part of town).

Floss I have had the steroids with both DD1 and DD2 but those times were after my waters had already gone and I barely remember anything. This time they have booked me in to have them now. Actually they were meant to be done at 26 weeks but the MW must have miscalculated as I am 27 weeks today. I am sure they did tell me to check nearer the time and if they had got the dates wrong then I was meant to let them know.

It shouldn't matter though as this baby is staying put for the time being (so I keep telling it).

I am off to play with your babyname site aufaniae - we are still all over the place with names. DD2 still prefers Molly for a girl and does not mind for a boy. She also likes Jess. DD1's only suggestion 'for either' is PIXIE - but we probably won't be going with any of those!

Actually, according to that site aufaniae there were 83 girls named Pixie born in 2010.

DS's suggestions are Daisy-Biscuit-Chocolate, Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer and Nano (which has stuck for a bump name!)

I'm surprised at 83 Pixies!

Perhaps your DD1 has identified a new trend

Some names we like but I don't think we've found "the one" yet:

Etta
Esme
Sian
Mhari
Mari
Marianne
Roisin
Cerys
Carys
Ceridwen
Eira
Sioned
Arianwen

aufaniae Esme has been top of our girls list for a long time, I've always loved it. We recently added Ingrid too, which sort of seems to fit with your other names? Still totally struggling to agree on boys names-bought a book yesterday so gong to give it some serious attention over the weekend.

Thanks for all the tips on pads etc, that's much appreciated. Going to buy some cheap big pants for the hospital bag today - is one size bigger than normal enough?

So chuffed to hear the great news about Alexander, it sort of feels like he (and you all!) are part of the family and even DH is tracking his progress.

Better drag myself to work - 8 weeks to go til my leave starts...

29+0

Three weeks today until maternity leave starts and I cannot wait. I'm so tired and achy this time around with a 2 year old to look after too!

Back at hospital today for BP/urine check. They are taking great care of me but I'm sick of the sight of the place! Fingers crossed BP is behaving itself and the protein has gone, that way I might get to go more than two days without having to return.