June 2013 - Thread 7 - Getting closer!

[Sarah2506]

We got full! Hope everyone manages to find their way back here:-)

Well I'd like long enough so labour a bit at home, drop off ds at friends and get him settled,get to hospital then maybe a few hours before baby is born, so I think 7-8 hour labour would be perfect. Now how do I order that?....

Pink bear, you ok? Isn't vomiting a sign that labour is starting?

You lot are chatting too quickly, I can't keep up!

Welcome Jo Jo.

Finally started maternity leave, all ready to get on with some batch cooking tomorrow to jam my freezer full of food for when wee man is here. To be honest, food is my fave thing at the moment. Re hospital bag snacks, I have some banana chips, nuts and raisins and these roasted salty almonds from waitrose which are amazing. Lots of slow release energy foods that can happily sit in a case for the next few weeks without going off.

Just want to sit on my arse all the time. I suppose I had better make the most of it as there won't be much lazing about when he is here...

I have been having quite a few pains again this afternoon maybe i should start timing them...had to take pain killers and my lower back is still hurting been on my ball but nothing easing it. When DH gets home from work i am going in the bath. Do braxton hicks hurt? This is my first and i feel a bit stupid not knowing

Braxton Hicks contractions:
are infrequent, usually happening no more than once or twice an hour, a few times a day
often stop if you change activity, so, walk around if you've been sitting, and vice versa
are usually irregular, and if they are regular they only stay that way for a short spell
do not last long, usually less than a minute
continue to be unpredictable and non-rhythmic
do not increase in intensity
Compared to Braxton Hicks contractions, labour contractions are usually:
noticeably longer
more regular
more frequent
more painful
keep on going, increasing in frequency, duration, and intensity as time goes on
You may experience what is called false labour. This is when Braxton Hicks contractions come more rhythmically, perhaps every 10 to 20 minutes in late pregnancy.

False labour can be hard to tell apart from early labour, particularly if the tightening of your uterus feels uncomfortable. However, during false labour your cervix won't have started to change yet.

As your pregnancy progresses, these contractions may become more intense and even painful at times. When this happens, they may feel like the real thing. But however strong they feel at the time, if they ease off, they are probably Braxton Hicks.

Found that on babycentre, someone else said you can't feel the baby move with a real contraction but I don't know if that's true?

Thank you gina sat on my ball at the minute cos its the only way i can sit without feeling like someone is putting a pole up my bottom lol :-) think he is just warming me up i am not too concerned

BH 'can' hurt according to my MW, that said I had weeks of nighttime contractions with DC1 and in fact when the real deal started they weren't nearly as painful until I was 8cm or so.

Have just sat and played with my toddler for half an hour, first we bathed baby, then we cooked her some dinner, then baby had to be washed again and now pushing her in the nasty pink buggy to help her sleep. Its v cute and I'm getting all hormonal!

We decided not to get DD a big something from DC2, but I'm going to get a whole load of books ready for the endless feeds and we've made and ordered a book of baby pics of DD for her to keep. Plus loads of ideas for toddler entertaining on pintrest which I can recommend.

Also my major BH trigger is a full bladder.

Although mine have always lasted quite awhile

maw I was slightly worried about that too! but no other symptoms and the sickness has eased off during the day and I'm feeling more spritely than I have all day.

Mum and Dad came down and brought everything for a roast, which is just being served. so I'm being looked after!

still considering selling dog on eBay, chewed thru his harness today. or exchanging missing cat for the dog.... not sure anyone would keep
hold of the dog for so long tho!!

My poor DH. I've finally turned into the stereotypical grumpy, tired pregnant woman. He had the weekend off and we were going to take the dog and his kayak to the beach today. Instead Ive laid around on my ass dozing while he's cut the grass and walked the dog. He's sat outside on the patio drinking wine and reading his book right now while I'm laid out on the sofa where I've been for two hours.

Better get some energy back tomorrow as Im meant to be filling the freezer with lots of meals. Whoever said they got more tired when they finished work is right. Doing nothing is exhausting!

Sunny I paddle too and last time was still doing so at 6ish months pg, this time I just watch other people!

Don't think that makes you grumpy though, what meals are you cooking? Inspire me for my week off - oh and how many portions?! All I've batch cooked so gar has been cupcakes and they got eaten!

Sunny I've also turned into a grumpy tired pregnant woman today. Could hardly keep my eyes open reading bedtime stories tonight. Not helped by the fact that i've only just noticed that victoria health have sent me 30C arnica and not the 200C i ordered. Grrrr. And somehow in my head that's DH's fault as he opened the parcel, not me, so have only just noticed.

As for birth plans, mine basically say that I don't want pethidine. Am up for most other things! And given past experience with a bit of a post partum bleed following a natural 3rd stage I'm going to request the syntometrine injection straight away this time.

As for labour snacks I've put a few in the bag but first time I threw up every time I ate! And last time there wasn't time for snacking! Really hoping this labour is a bit longer to give me time to sort the kids out.

Sorry to hear you're both still in hosptial Sams and Cycle. Cycle, I had a similar experience with DS1. He was sooo sleepy with the jaundice, plus it was made worse because I'm rhesus negative and he's not (which i've never fully understood). He had tube in and was topped up with formula too. Once he got over the jaundice he was a booby monster though so don't worry too much about implications for the future.

Right, think i'm off to be grumpy with a mini magnum (or two).

Olimoss am doing the biscuit recipe you posted! Currently in the oven. I can attest right off that the batter/dough is yummy, I could just eat that by itself

Oooh yes, must do that too rrreow, bought the coconut this morning!

Redwelly thank you for the re-assurance, I've been stressing! (partly due to not being able to afford formula!) I've had brilliant breast feeding and expressing support from the nurses here - including let me stay in one of the parent's rooms. When it looked as though I was going to have to leave the room, they tried really hard to get the maternity wards to let me stay. Fortunately we didn't need it (because head of the maternity department said no, despite the midwives as well as the nurses asking for me), as so far this room hasn't been needed. One of the nurses spent an hour going through expressing with me in the middle of the night when I couldn't get it to work (it didn't improve a lot, but it re-assured me that it wasn't anything I was doing wrong and gave me some different things to try). There is a breast feeding support lady in the maternity department who helped me with colostrum harvesting and I bumped into her on Friday and she had some suggestions (and a hug, when I cried all over her ). I cannot fault the support here. (I was struggling so much with the expressing, I asked everyone in the building for help!)

Nye is doing better on 3 hourly feeding -he's suckling better and more alert and we are feeding before every tube feed and he's taking some each time. They are reducing the amount of supplement, which is helping I think. He's definitely been more himself today .

My husband is back at work after his paternity leave tomorrow. I feel he's been really cheated - the first day was a bank holiday anyway; 2 days of leave I was being induced and hadn't had the baby; 2 days we were still in hospital; 1 day the baby was ill and we were up all night in the hospital and the last 2 days we're in the hospital again . He only had 2 days of leave with us at home and not sick.

Rreow - how did they turn out? I made giant choc chip & hazelnut cookies today. A bloody triumph, the size of your hand. Sadly probably no nutrition in them at all....

The mother ship has landed from Oz, just had an hour of opening pressies from home. Glad we ain't bought too much beforehand, so much UFC now, and, for me, hearteningly Aussie and familiar.

Ain't? Lord. iPad autocorrect has gone all street on me...

DH and I are munching on them now, they are SO NICE. I had to use half strong bread flour as I had run out of plain, and I also used half/half dark brown sugar and Stevia as I didn't have light brown. DH has already decided I'm making them again and adding raisins next time!

am feeling like a heffalump after the 4 hour labour class I was the most preggo there the closest was only a week behind but they all overtook me on the walk around, think im the only one with bad hips haha!

the tour of the mlu was a bit rubbish for me cause im on consultant care so in a normal birthing suite and not allowed in water, bit rubbish cause they have cool lights above the birth pools, the labour room I get is fine and tge whole unit only opened in October.

my back is absolutely killing me I had to get oh to give me a massage outside KFC earlier cause I was nearly crying, my feet are all swollen too, hopefully I can chill out and get back to being a heffalump tomorrow

oh thank god - my parents have gone. possibly should be sorting DS's bag for nursery tomorrow, instead sat with feet up feeling a little shell shocked.

god I wish I could have a strong gin.

I should think about my birth plan, anyone put one together for a c section??

cycle medically do they have to have him on 3 hour scheduled feeds? That makes the entire feeding thing so much harder than it needs to be, truly does, he should be allowed to feed on demand which will introduce him to the idea of being peckish (not going suddenly into starving) and it will massively help your supply. Other things - double dose of fenugreek supplement (you'll smell of curry but look like pamela anderson) and also masses of water and solid protein and carbs for you - and OATS miracle food. I am v v v pleased they are being supportive of you, we did go to hell and back to feed and I became passionate about finding out how to learn more about BFng babies who were small and also who like DD were very sick and tube fed. DO pm me if you want to chat more x

Don't mind yes I have a BP for an ELCS, I'll try and post it

Just enjoyed a weatherspoons dinner as couldn't be bothered to cook or wash up was lovely

redwelly I'm planning on lasagne, moussaka, curry and chilli con carne for the freezer. DH doesn't believe in vegetarianism so I have to do my best to sneak veg into our meals!

Friends came round for dinner last night and brought white chocolate and raspberry brownies (whities?) with them. I have to admit there are very few left tonight.

Have cheered up now having just spent the last hour playing 'name that street' with DH on the Jackson Brodie tv show. Edinburgh does look gorgeous on that show.

Redwelly they do need him on 3 hourly, he doesn't wake up to demand feeds. The problem that started it all, I suspect, was in the night when I hadn't set an alarm and we both just crashed for 6 hours or so. He doesn't have the capacity. Actually being in hospital it's easier being on a schedule, because I know I set an alarm and go to bed for an hour and be back in his room to feed him when he needs it. Since he's been feeding again, I've been feeding him, topping him up, then expressing and the expressing is doing better with him feeding first. It also means I'm expressing 3 hourly instead of 2 hourly in the day which is rather more manageable, when you have to go to a cafe for breakfast and lunch which is a trek across to the main hospital. I've been eating better and drinking loads, but I'll definitely give fenugreek a go, thank you! I'll have to stock up on oaty things. Do flapjacks count?

Yes, sorry I didn't make it clear, DD was on three hour feeds and not waking herself but we changed it to offering more regularly. Hard with a preemie though. And YY to flapjacks, so much so I always make flapjacks for new mums or BFing group!

I couldn't ever express much, but DD kust seemed to get so much more when I fed her first. That endless round of feeding, topping up, expressing, doze, feed, top up, express etc etc is all I remember of the first week in HDU after NICU. Have you anyone who can help look after you while your DH is at work? Oh and pumping from one side when feeding from the other, def remember that helped.

Its bloody hard work. Sams how are you getting on with baby boy? And has anyone seen a post from collector I wonder if her twins are home yet