Sloths, slugs and heffalump bumps-july13

[princessllama]

Hope this works

Oooh can you send some sun this way? Cloudy and overcast here.

Haven't written a birth plan, btw and I didn't last time either...

kanny I'm not bloated too badly, but I do have horrendous wind

Welcome back isitme. I don't know about the induction, vinegars advice sounds good though, really you need to discuss with your consultant who knows your past history. Make sure you weigh all the different risks carefully though.

Thinking I'll be 37+2 tomorrow at my midwife appointment. I'd assumed I'd have another one before my due date, I don't know if it being my first pregnancy makes any difference? Slightly scary to think that may be my last one!

Vinegar it's also cloudy and miserable here, I wouldn't mind some sunshine

Persuasion - I just had my last appointment at 36 weeks. Next is 40 weeks if baby hasn't arrived by then. Felt v odd! But it's my 2nd so might be different.

MW told me to write down what we want to do re VitK for the baby. Does anyone have thoughts on it? I suspect they just gave it to Ds1 last time while I was in theatre (haemorrhage) but DH doesn't remember either.

Persuasion - in my PCT they do MW appts at 38, 40 and 41 weeks. CitizenOscar - you can either go for the injection or the vit k oral drops. I've elected to go for the injection (as i did with the boys). I think they also now do the BCG shortly after birth in our PCT too (before I had to go get it done when the babies were a month or so old).

Persuasion - I'm incredibly windy too! I've given up being polite & keeping them in and I'm just letting out little puffs of gas almost constantly. . Fortunately they seem to be silent & fairly odourless/inoffensive. I do try to avoid letting them escape around other people though.

Re: birth plan - I didn't have one last time & don't think I can be bothered with it to be honest.

I had my 34 week appointment with new MW yesterday. Not as friendly as my last one & she didn't say or write in my notes what my bump measured, although she did measure me. She isn't 'my' MW though, she was just covering due to a rota cock-up, apparently. Same team though, so I might meet her in labour.

Next appointment will be at home. Is that normal? I never had an antenatal appointment at home when we lived in Oxford. I'm wondering if it's because they're so pro-home birth here. I've also been told to fill out a home assessment form, despite saying I want a hospital birth.

I must remember to log on tonight if I get another night of waking at 5am!

Another one suffering from awful wind and burping too! Feel like such a lump of disgustingness during the evenings! Tiredness really hit me now in past few days (37 weeks today) and braxton hicks combined with baby kicking bladder and random cramps not helping!! Never really understood earlier on in PG how you could get so impatient to have baby but starting to appreciate it now. That's aside from just being desperate to meet the little one, of course!

On plus side it's almost nice to feel forced to slob on sofa as despite finishing work at 32 weeks really hadn't slowed down all that much til recently!

Has anybody else found they are starting to obsessively watch for first signs of labour?? It almost reminds me of my symptom spotting days while TTC!! [smile

Totally - if you dont want a home birth, dont fill out the form! Just write a birth plan which says birth on labour ward please - and leave it at that. Never heard of appointments at home if you're not having a home birth but then I'm in London.

BB - no looking for signs of labour here. Just trying to focus on getting through what I need to get done before baby can arrive (and its not allowed to arrive before 20 June as DS2 has his new school induction meeting that day I have to take him to).

Thanks dinky - I know the VitK options are injection or drops but don't know the arguments for or against either & the midwife wasn't very forthcoming either. Any reason not to go for the injection?

Re birth plans - I had a simple one last time but I think the most useful thing was discussing with DH what we wanted and using that for the birth plan. It meant he knew exactly what we wanted and could support me. As far as I know no one referred to the plan during labour but we were both able to articulate what we wanted anyway.

I think some people prefer the oral drops as less invasive - however needs to given over a period of days from memory. My view is with the injection its at least done and dusted in one dose and baby is protected. I'm sure there is loads of research on the pros and cons of both online (prob on mn too if you use the search function).

Not envying everyone who's suffering from being awake in the early hours, sure it'll get me eventually but seem to have avoided that joy so far.

Just been for my 34 week appointment assuming I'd be in and out like all the last appointments. Had very odd visual symptoms on the drive there - half of signposts missing from my vision, not being able to see number plates coming towards me and cars coming in and out of vision. Quite scary at the time and followed by tingly hand and face just on left side. Mentioned it at appt and now been referred to the mini stroke clinic for tomorrow am. Hoping that it all turns out to be nothing, has anyone had similar probs?

What's a home assessment form?!

I've not had any visits at home - and only had 3 postnatal visits at home last time (1 x comm MW, 1 X MCA and 1 X HV) but I've heard of areas where it does happen.

Re Vit K I'll be going for the injection. With oral you have to give them multiple doses as dinky says and you never know how much has actually got in with the amount of possetting etc newborns do.

Lancslass - that sounds super scary! Not experienced it but hope the clinic manages to diagnose the cause quickly. I thinking I were in your place I'd avoid driving if at all possible.

Totally I've had a couple of home visits from my community midwife (despite being absolutely clear that I wasn't at all interested in a home birth) - it's usually when they can't fit me in at the surgery as she's only there one day a fortnight. Not been asked to fill in a home assessment form though so they obviously listened to me!

BB01 - the 4 o'clock club is open to all... come join us!

Lancslass - hope your scary symptoms have settled and that your appointment tomorrow is reassuring.

As predicted I had a pretty hideous day at work with many tears. I am grateful for some jolly lovely colleagues who rallied to help me or feed me, or both. I have had orders from on high not to come in tomorrow, and now I'm worried about adjusting to life on maternity leave. Somehow I feel a bit more comfortable about dealing with unexpectedly unconscious patients (it really was a fun day) than I do about 4 weeks of relaxing and preparing for the imminent arrival. At least at work I don't have to think about how to spend my time...

Slouching - hoorah for mat leave starting! You will adjust just fine, dont worry. Just rest up - your body clearly needs it, catch up on reading/tv you've been meaning to catch up on for ages, catch up with friends you havent seen in ages and chill!

lancslass - sounds scary. Hope you get sorted at your appointment tomorrow.

They're very pro-home birth here. At my booking appointment the MW talked about it for ages, then briefly mentioned the MW led unit as an alternative. When I said I wanted to deliver at the hospital it was pretty much brushed over & she said that when you go into labour a MW will visit you at home and discuss with you then you either deliver at home to she escorts you to the MW led unit or the labour ward at the hospital. I think they try to avoid women going directly to the LW. I think the home visit by 36 weeks is so they can assess it before someone needs to come round in the middle of the night to try to convince you not to go to the hospital.

lanclass don't let it worry you but don't ignore it either, get it checked. as dinky said it might be better not to drive until you are confident your vision is ok x

Evening. Went to pregnancy yoga for the first time last night. My inner thighs are killing me today.. The ladies there are so nice, I mean so friendly and chummy instantly. I think maybe because its woman's only and they don't have to feel shy/silly around their partners like NCT antenatal classes. Next week three post yoga members are coming in with their newborns so that will be nice to see.

TotallyEgg my home appointment is at 36 weeks, I do think its mainly routine.

CitizenOscar I too know nothing really about vit K. I asked for a delayed cord clamping til the pulsing stopped so hoping the vitamin K would not be needed. Going to ask at my next appointment.

Slouching congrats on leave!!

Oh lanclass that sounds really scary I'm glad you are getting assessed quickly. Can someone else drive you to appointment tomorrow?

totally that sounds really bizarre, I was asked where I wanted to have baby (mlu attached to labour ward) and that was that! I bet they have lots of visits to women in labour who end up in hospital anyway as that's what their choice would have been. Almost sounds like pressure to have home birth

Feeling extra tired today looking forward to a quiet day tomorrow

slouching hooray to mat leave you have done brilliantly to keep going this long

do you want a home birth totally? don't let people pressurise you. I know different pcts have varying policies but you should have choice too right?

I've just made the mistake of googling a symptom. why do we do this to ourselves? sometimes I find myself googling something banal like earache and getting something banal back... but then somewhere on page 8 of search results you see earache + death and then you have to search «death by earache» and 15.mins later youre writing your last will and testament. well anyway I have a swollen foot, just one, and I get leg cramps in the left leg in the night. google diagnoses me with dvt and to possibly expect a heart attack. I need to ban myself from the internet!

cheek No I definitely do not want a home birth. I'd be happy with MLU if it was in the hospital, but it's in a completely different town & if something goes wrong I don't want to be waiting for, then travelling in, an ambulance if I can help it!
If your leg is swollen you should get checked out. Probably nothing to worry about, but pregnancy is a risk factor for DVT.

Slouching- hurrah for mat leave!

Hell few days for me... We got the OFSTEAD call Tuesday afternoon so have had a very stressful couple of days... Actually thought the stress might have sent me into labour! I've also just been trying to finish reports... Last day tomorrow before mat leave. So tired but so wound up st the same time.

Cheek hope you're ok

Cheek - lie back on the sofa with your legs up the wall and see if swelling goes down. Leg cramps super common at this stage of pregnancy so not necessarily sinister. If swelling doesn't go down, then give mW a call for their opinion - bet its all totally OK though and just yet another glamorous symptom of late pregnancy.

Cheese - so sorry its been so stressful. Read on another thread that the threat of Ofsted sent a teacher into labour 4 weeks early so not surprised you are stressed and tired, but the end is in sight! Keep focussing on that epic lie in you're going to have on Monday.

Glad you enjoyed pregnancy yoga Photographer. A warm bath should help ease those aching muscles.

My lovely roommates from work treated me to a nice lunch out today which was very sweet of them. Rather fed up with the rest of the department as the partners have totally failed to let everyone know tomorrow is my last day. Grrr.

totally that sounds ridiculous! When I had my booking in I was simply asked if I'd thought about my options, and they accepted entirely my decision for MLU. Why on earth this isn't the case for everyone I don't understand.

lancslass how worrying that must have been for you. I hope the clinic figure that out quickly and it sorts itself.

Just 3 days left at work for me (and day off tomorrow) the cankles are driving me mad, as is the desire for a beer! cheek i hope your swelling is just water retention, glamorous though it isn't. I can definitely recommend baths to everyone too, it's the only thing sorting out my aching legs and feet at the end of each day.

Well done on getting through ofsted cheese. I know how stressful it is (from the close relative of a teacher!) and hope you settle into mat leave quickly.

dinky hoorah for tomorrow being your last day! A huge shame work are being generally incompetent

I hope you 4am clubbers are on / starting mat leave soon.