Sloths, slugs and heffalump bumps-july13

[princessllama]

Hope this works

Just realised I'm not on that runners and riders list, I'm pretty sure I put my name on, you'll all just have to remember me

I took the last one from the stats thread Icing - just copy and paste it and add yourself and your due date in.

Vinegar - rant away! I'm a believer that you CAN have the birth you want anywhere with the right support. Sadly I didn't have it for ds1s birth but that was down to an incompetent midwife who wanted to follow protocol instead of listening to the woman in labour. Congrats on hitting term!

Slouching - or rather NoSlouching - if you have a birth ball to sit on that's good too.

I'm opting for the labour ward at my local hospital, despite the midwives really pushing for a home birth or the midwife led unit. If anything goes wrong I don't want to have to get in the back of an ambulance. But that's just me and I'm prejudiced by the fact that none of my friends have had a straightforward delivery and medical friends have been the worst. I think there's something about being medical that attracts difficulty. I know most women have a much better experience than my group of friends.

I'm meeting my new midwife tomorrow for my 34 week appointment. Hoping she's half as nice as my old one, although it doesn't really matter much at this stage I suppose.

Haven't posted for ages but have enjoyed keeping up to date with everyone else's pregnancies. Thought I'd check back in now as the due dates have been reposted and I have a date for induction (23rd June - a week on Sun - eek!).

In a nutshell, this pregnancy had been hideous. Have had hyperemesis throughout, severely anaemic and most recently, gestational diabetes. GD was only diagnosed a couple of weeks ago and have started on Metformin but a diabetes nurse put the fear of God into me yesterday. Here was me expecting to go in on Sunday morning, have a lovely, quick water birth and be home a couple of hours later, in time to make the kids tea and get them ready for school the next day. Apparently the reality is that my baby will be taken away to to special care, formula fed and put on IV insulin. I should not expect to be going home any time soon and a Caesarian is likely. I am gutted. I feel so scared and like I've already failed my baby. I said that I really didn't want my baby to be formula fed and the nurse said, "if you're so black-affronted about your baby being given formula, then you'd better start expressing now". Is that even possible? I'm only 36+2.

Have an appointment with the obstetrics team in the morning to discuss all of this as it's the first I've heard of it. Have been googling neonatal hypoglycaemia like mad and every piece of information I come across is more terrifying than the last. Has anyone else had any experience of this?

Oh Differentnow - huge hugs to you. Please please write down all your questions for the obstetrics team to ask them tomorrow, including does the baby need to be formula fed or can you try with expressing milk for the baby (and if they are formula fed to start with, surely you can express and give expressed milk as it comes in and then bf too), can you have skin to skin post csection or at least skin to cheek, how long will both of you be in, can you room in together etc. A friend of mine from my fab feb 09 thread had GD and her baby (her fourth) was born via csec as a result - both she and the baby are fine now though 4 years later and she's since had another baby (again developed GD) and they're fine.

AND if you feel up to it, definitely complain to PALS about that diabetes nurse - there are ways to explain things to scared people who dont know what is going on and her bedside manner leaves a frick of a lot to be desired!

on phone as always so won't remember everything but thankyou for your thoughts on.ecv ill keep looking into it. shelley I hope you have a very easy birth this time round and good news ohgood that your little one is head down.

slouching I think I feel the same as you re ending pregnancy. I can't really get my head around the enormity of becoming a mum and think I'm in denial. with the exception of cocktails and chorizo my lifestyle hasn't changed yet and I can't even begin to comprehended how it will.

re birth centres vs wards I understood that if I went for the ward then anything they might need to deliver the baby would be right there... including the happydural! so I think it sounds like a brilliant option...you go straight to the source.

dinky will have to later as I'm on my phone at the mo

differentnow great to see you post again but im so sorry youve had such a horrible experience definitely aim for what it is YOU want though, you might have the labour you wanted in the end, but she shouldn't really be scaring and upsetting you like that hope things start looking up and if nothing else, you get to meet your newborn next Sunday!

Different - sorry to hear that. What a horrid nurse! Not what you need to hear. Sending lots of luck for Sunday, I hope it all goes well and baby Different has a happy birth

Great to see the runners and riders list! Thanks dinky. My due date is right in the middle, will be interesting to see where I actually end up. I've just booked some acupuncture for my due date and a couple of sessions the week after - hopefully that will get things moving along if baby Kanny hasn't arrived by then.

I've opted for a birth centre as I'd like as natural a birth as possible. And hospitals scare me. But fully aware that I might end up in the ward (which is on the floor above).

I think I experienced some pregnancy prejudice yesterday! I was trying to flag a taxi after a late night at work (boo) and I am convinced that two taxis saw my bump and turned their lights off!! Am I being paranoid or does such a thing exist?

Hope everyone else is doing well. Almost hump day!

34+5

Slouching - my antenatal teacher was explaining the Robozo method to me - which is meant to help get baby in the right position. Might be worth a try?

Sorry you've had such a hard time, Different. Hopefully the nurse was trying to give you a worst case scenario. I'm sure it doesn't have to be as horrible as she made out! Try to stay positive. You'll be cuddling your baby very soon!

Thanks, will have a look. I'm not getting too stressed about it - plenty of time for moving yet I hope .

Cheese - just to say again - I was on CLU last time (and will be again). And I had a very active birth - birthing ball and a mat on the floor. Midwife did all checks on the floor except one I think, when she broke my waters. Other than that I didn't go near any bed or machines or anything. I could have been anywhere! Room was ensuite (although toilet was out of order so had to hobble down the corridor to the loo anyway!).

I had GBS antibiotics too and it really didn't impact the labour either.

On the other hand, when I had a big haemorrhage (after delivering the placenta naturally) and had to be whisked off to theatre, it was very reassuring how quickly all the doctors appeared in the room when called by the midwife. So it turned out to be the best place for me, even though I was only there because MLU was full (could have had antibiotics in MLU at my hospital, think it varies).

I'll be back on CLU again this time and just hoping I have a good experience again, especially in terms of the midwife who was there for the whole time and was lovely.

Finally packed my hospital bag yesterday (still need to add baby clothes which are drying, and snacks etc) so feel a bit more ready, although also not at all IYSWIM! Pretty sure this will be my last pregnancy (that's the plan anyway) so will feel a bit sad when it's over but so looking forward to getting some energy back.

Can't wait to hear of more arrivals - cant be long now!

36 weeks

differentnow sorry you're having such a rubbish time, definitely write down your questions to ask consultant tomorrow, it's possible things won't be as bad as nurse was suggesting

My sister had her baby today, a wee girl, luckily they haven't chosen one of our girls names!! I'm really happy for her but feeling a little impatient to meet my wee one too!

Re where people are booked for, I'm booked for mlu but its just through the doors from labour ward so best of both really. I've have 2 deliveries on labour ward and one in mlu so far, but I didn't really spend long enough on either to particularly mind where I have this one. Ideally mlu and 6 hour discharge from there hence avoiding postnatal wards. But the only really important thing is healthy baby, healthy mum and I will keep repeating this mantra to myself if things don't go quite as I hope!

37 weeks today as well-term but I suspect I have another 3 weeks plus to wait...

Ooh congratulations to your sister Thinking - a lovely little niece Go cuddle her lots to get some baby cuddling practice in!

DifferentNow that doesn't sound right at all. Is she saying all babies of mothers with GD have to go to SCBU, be FF and given insulin? And that all inductions end up in CS? Both of those "facts" are definitely not true.

From a labour/birth point of view, if you have had babies vaginally before, the likelihood of needing a CS this time around is much reduced anyway, but even for first time Mums the absolute highest rate of CS in inductions I've seen is 50%. So, basically, as a non-first timer the odds are definitely in your favour for a fairly straightforward labour and vaginal delivery. See the posts earlier re active births even on CLU. You may well find that all you need doing induction-wise is having your waters broken, anyway.

As for the baby. Well, most units do like to keep you in for 24 hours to monitor baby's blood sugars, that's true (and is in line with NICE guidelines). The rest sounds like scaremongering bollocks to me. It is certainly not a given that baby will need formula, or need SCBU, let alone IV insulin!

Obviously I don't know about your specific case but it sounds like you have been told all the possible worst case scenarios for some reason.

The NICE Guidlines are here btw if you want to read them www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/CG063Guidance.pdf

DifferentNow like everyone else I'm so sorry you got such rubbish bedside manner from the nurse. Hopefully Vinegar's post in particular will help you when you see the consultant. Good luck and let us know how you get on.

I'm booked into the brand new MLU at my local hospital but as with someone else up thread (sorry on phone and can't remember!) it is right next door to the CLU so everything close at hand. Am conscious what I get depends on how busy they are as well as how everything pans out for me nearer the time, but as everything is mostly ok and my hospital closes much less than others nearby, I'm optimistic.

Have been a bit dizzy (physically, although brain had its moments too!) at work today and as it definitely wasn't sunny in the office I don't think I can blame the sun this time. Managed ok with lots of water, regular snacks/meals and taking it slowly, but suspect mw will tell me my blood pressure has dropped when I see her.

I'm getting quite excited to meet the baby and will be glad to get rid of some of the more uncomfortable aspects of pregnancy...a few weeks ago kicks were lovely, now I'm being kneed/elbowed in strange places its not quite so enjoyable.

Haven't looked at the waddlers and riders list for ages, can't believe how many of us share July 11th as a due date!

DifferentNow I've had GD since December....have been on Metformin for months, and for the last few weeks on insulin too, but no-one has told me anything of the sort. I'm having to insist on a Caesarean (I have other health problems). They were willing to let me give birth naturally. Nothing has been said about baby being in Special Care, or baby needing insulin at all. I've been told I need to BF to ease things for baby....

I think you've been told a lot of crap, TBH. DD was born at 31 weeks after GD, never needed anything special (she didn't even go into an incubator), I BFed, she never needed insulin or anything else....

Really, tomorrow tell them about this if you like. You can always PM me for full details....

MummyKanny when was pregnant with DD could not get a Parisian taxi to take me even when I told them I was only a few months pegnant, so possibly!

CitizenOscar Thinkingof4 Unfortunately our local MLU is 20+miles from the hospital.... so no chance for me!

VinegarDrinker Thanks!!! "goes off to read NICE guidelines"

Me....tired tired tired! 34+1..... still don't know whether I'll get my ELCS yet.... have another growth scan tomorrow....then anaesthetist on Thursday....

I wonder if any of us will give birth the same day as the Duchess of Cambridge? It would be fun if someone from here was in the papers as one of the 'normal people who did the same thing on the same day'!

BadMiss - good luck with the scan tomorrow. Enjoy seeing your baby again. I hope your anaesthetist is as friendly as me

TotallyEggFlipped me too! I'm a bit scared about seeing him, as I'm asking for a general as I've enough spinal problems without an epidural or spinal block!!!

They will be checking how big bump is too...for a decision on the ELCS....

Would be funny to give birth same day as KMiddy...though not sure I'd come out well in a comparison!

differentnow I've also got GD diabetes and can echo what the others have said, although mine is currently diet controlled although a bit borderline, probably mostly to do with my diet , I had my obstetrician appt yesterday, and the only thing I was told as a given is that baby is likely to needing to be fed a bit more frequently to help prevent its sugars from dropping, and this can be breast in fact that was actually assumed I think. I'm likely to have a section due to previous section and not wanting to be induced and can have delayed cord clamping and delivery straight to skin to skin, although can vbac if i go into labour naturally in the next couple of weeks, so I think the witch of a diabetic nurse was quite frankly talking bollocks!
I would also mention her wise words to the consultant, I'm pretty sure many of the ones I've worked with would be shocked if they realised that colleagues were giving out such factually incorrect and damright damaging and scaremongering information.
totally I hope my anaesthetist is as nice as you too, the last one was so good I burst into tears when he came to see me, although having just been told I was having Pfb at 31weeks as a emcs might have had a bearing on that!
Wish I could sleep, can now hear the birds getting up and battery about to go dead on the iPad boooooo

NotPrincessKate i hope you manage to get some sleep! I can hear the chickens from two doors down waking up but cant sleep because of heartburn

Just signing in to join the 4am club! DS woke briefly half an hour ago, asleep now but I feel really bloated and nauseous & I can't drop back off

Bring on baby eviction!

Thank you all for your supportive replies. It really has been a comfort to me. Will report back after seeing the obstetrics team this morning.

I'm awake too. Hope the rest of you have dropped back off by now. It's DC4's birthday today so I'm expecting to see a little face in the doorway soon. Poor thing woke up yesterday convinced that it was his birthday and was inconsolable when we broke the bad news!

Congrats to your sister Thinkingof4. How nice that you've been able to go through this together. My best friend and I were pregnant at the same time during my last two pregnancies and it was lovely to be able to share it all.