June 2013 - Thread 7 - Getting closer!

[Sarah2506]

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

Haha but baby is completely free (so now I'm wondering of my slightly large measurement last week is because of my bobbing baby!)
Got another appointment this week so hoping for numbers... Thanks fr answering my very stupid question :)

I will get myself started on the iron tablets today and maybe get some spatone tomorrow. Am starting to think that I will press on with the homebirth anyway. Didn't even have blood checked at 36 weeks last time. NHS is very quick to say you don't tick all the boxes therefore we advise against it. It seems you have to tick them all at 36 weeks too, so even if improves next week they'll still advise against. Think will say I'm going for it anyway and will ask to be retested in a week or so for my own knowledge. Perhaps if I'd been tested last time I wouldn't have had low iron post birth, so this could work in my favour. Have cheered myself up by decorating DS2s birthday cake with a ridiculous amount of kitkats and smarties . just need to pick him up now so we can scoff it!

They don't even consider ferritin here, just an arbitrary 10.5 Hb level. Don't forget, they can only advise you, they can't make you. Maybe a compromise would be to accept a managed third stage which is supposed to lead to less risk of bleeding?

I've got to be reviewed by a consultant over my home birth because I refused GTT. It's ridiculous. They changed trust since my last baby and they are more risk averse. Mind you, I have a birth kit and clinical waste bucket under the stairs, and syntometrine in the fridge so I know that the MW team are on my side.

Baby B is also completely free and I've a horrible feeling he's also gone back to back as I think I can feel arms today. Arggghh.

Midwife next Monday, so we shall see what's happening!

Babies are tricky little people :-/

I think one of the more useful parts of my nct class was the leader reiterating that we do have choices and that we shouldn't be pushed into things. Why can't you have a home birth? Or rather why is it no longer indicated? If there is a good rational medical reason then fine, but its more likely that every box needs ticking and you don't do that at the moment. Ask more questions?

Oil we plan to go for dinner and I plan to have wine next Thursday assuming my section is still the Friday. Though I'm still kind of clueless as to when it might be, and indeed where!

Same here mrsbri - I actually am getting confused by baby's movements now because it just feels like every position all the time!

I'm confused why iron is such an issue for a home birth.

I'd definitely ask the question to see what you can do about it.

Forget, DH calls Baby B a little mystery as we have NO idea what he's up to. And he appears to have two arses or something! We can't work out position at all. :-/

Looking more into it it seems had i been diagnosed earlier and upped the levels with tablets so that they were ok at 36 weeks it would be all fine.

Think the risk is that if I lose a lot of blood and don't have adequate iron stores I could go into shock. But if I take iron tabs for the next 3 weeks surely my iron will be fine.
Think I'm going to just have to insist on it and sign whatever disclaimer they want me to sign. just don't like going against the rules!
Was going for a managed third stage anyway Hawkmoth as last time my uterus did relax after placenta delivered, so figured better to have the syntometrine straight away this time. I realise they're just being cautious but it's really irritating! Wish I could have found an independent midwife this time. In my mind a planned home birth (even with low iron) is better than an emergency, paramedic attended one!

Must get eating more red meat too - is lamb considered a red meat?

It is, but not sure of its iron levels.

Do you like Weetabix? Fortified with iron and I think it's what has kept my iron levels nice and high for this pregnancy. Supermarket versions are just as good. And don't forget to drink orange juice while eating foods high in iron to aud absorption.

Here you go:

huhs.harvard.edu/assets/File/OurServices/Service_Nutrition_Iron.pdf

Yep second the orange juice with the iron tablets.
Plenty of red meat, spinach, broccoli, weetabix. Just watch out for the black poo (sorry if tmi??!!)

lots of spinach learner, we have it with risotto and in wraps, so easy to get it in your system, I think they may be worrying unnecessarily,
there are quite a few hoops to jump through, im mot allowed to be on the mlu or a water birth because of my BMI at the start, bearing in mind I've not put too much weight on and dome people are twice tge size of me but still on mlu, I tell them about the pgp and get told well it's to be expected, rest love my midwives

I don't understand why a low ferritin level is a contraindication to a home birth. If you bleed it's your haemoglobin that will drop. Low iron levels will make it a bit harder for your body to make it up again as quickly but I would have thought that's something that would have an effect over the following days/weeks, not an acute issue at the time of the birth. I wouldn't have thought it would have any bearing on going into shock.

Just been to Tesco and contents of my basket were - steaks, orange juice, 3 packs spatone, broccoli, nettle tea, oh and strawberry milk (ds1 with me!)!!
Do like weetabix mrs bri so will get onto that tomorrow.
Thought iron content of spinach was actually a myth.

I don't really understand what a low ferritin level is grainmum. My HB last week was 11.4 which had dropped slightly from 11.7 at 28 weeks. my MCV (whatever that means) is 84.9 but don't know what the ferritin level is. Will ask tomorrow.

Mcv is the size of your red blood cells. Mine are in excess of 100 which is bad- normally indicates vitamin deficiency but apparently not in my case. 80-99 is normal.

learnermummy I can sympathise with the loss of the HB option but its a quite brilliant excuse to eat lots of steak! Re iron levels I always thought it was due to the chances of haemorrhage but the FAQs on this site might help ((I'm sure you've found it though already)

www.homebirth.org.uk/

I spent three hours in antenatal clinic today, at the end of which I was put in a room overlooking the NICU which treated DD. It was hot, DH and DD were playing each other up so I sat and sobbed. Suddenly all a tad real, and our consultant was off so we saw someone else, I was told to write a loose birth wish list, (just remembered I meant to post it for dontmind) and I was told none of it could happen the way I'd like. Even tho consultant was the one who suggested being able to do those things.

Just very fed up, ans DH not back until late, DD playing up a treat because of this morning and I want to sleeeeeeeeep!

Packing for hospital is disappointingly dissimilar to packing for a holiday.

What, you mean when you go on holiday you don't pack absorbent material which caters for leakage from every conceivable orifice, for both yourself and a new human being?!

The thing is red I know if I had independent midwife it wouldn't even be questioned.

Sarah - yes.

It seems wrong.

Sorry about the hassle you're having about home birth learner. I think what you're doing makes sense. Surely they should understand and be helping you resolve the issue so that you can have the birth you want!

On the engaged head front, this little one was nearly fully engaged a few weeks ago, then last week she'd come back out a bit and now I'm going for a scan on thurs to check she definitely head down! Quite pleased that I get a scan to be honest. Do you think they'll take another look at the sex for me?! I know they've said baby girl but also that they can't be 100%. I figured that if another sonographer said that then I might actually fully believe them!!! It'll also make the name debating more focused -( thanks for the reply on names post btw forget!).

Oli well done on the packing and have a lovely meal tonight!

Red I hope you feel better soon.

Steffanoid I hope they give you some consistent answers of the meds soon- sounds like you're getting lots of conflicting info at the moment!

Sorry you're having such a crap time Redwelly.

AmI, I recently had a scan to check the position of baby at 38 weeks. I'd also been hoping that they would confirm she's a girl as I know they can get this wrong. We wouldn't have asked, but when the sonographer asked if we knew the sex (so she wouldn't spoil it for us if we weren't finding out), my husband said "we have found out, but if you could confirm it for us that would be great". She told us it looks like a girl and showed us the 'hamburger' (the third sonographer to tell us this which has put my mind at rest a bit more). She was lovely though - we didn't ask for any pictures and she printed off some and gave them to us for free.

Learner, apparently raisins are good for iron. I'm vegetarian and my iron levels have been fine the whole way through (which surprises me as I know a lot of meat eaters who have had low iron levels). I've been taking Pregnacare but also snacking on raisins. I partly put it down to those as I've read they're high in iron.