September 2013 - Definitely in the third trimester now!

[badguider]

New thread... will try to find the stats thread and link...

badguider I got a skiphop pronto, but melobaby do one, as do jojo maman. Th skip hop seems pretty good to me though...

Cool. Thanks. I'll get googling tomorrow.

Is anyone else getting really tired in the middle of the day? I'm 31+5 and can't get through until bedtime without a 2/3 hour nap at the weekend. Even though I've done nothing apart from put the washing through this weekend, I'm just constantly exhausted [yawn]. Also, do you have to put sheets in a pram carrycot? No one tells you these things!

I think ours comes with a sheet but obviously it'll get sicked on and there's only one so not v practical. Best thing to do is cover it with a muslin - v easy to whip off and replace!

I'm convincing myself that we NEED a sling suitable for newborn up to around 6 months - I remember talk of brands back in thread 2 or 3 but can't be bothered to go back and look, so what would you all recommend? We borrowed a Baby Bjorn last time but a) was not usable from newborn and b) was bad on my back when (chunky) DD got heavier.
Should I splash out on the Ergobaby carrier? Also like the look of the Babasling... help!

Or perhaps the Kari-me?

I have a close sling which is ok but I made a ring sling when DD was bigger as severally wanted to be carried on my hip.
Both pg those are suitable for newborns I believe but I've only used the close one with a tiny one.
Do you have a sling meet? It's a good way to go and see lots of slings in action and even try sone before you buy one.

oooooh looks like Royal Baby is on its way!

Ooh royal baby! Any predictions???

We were given a blue baby bjorn by a friend of a friend but no instructions... When can you use it from then? I just assumed birth.

I had a Very Important Question to ask you ladies but my baby brain means I have forgotten it. D'oh.

Also given a baby bjorn and thought could use from birth - oops! Ay ideas when from? And yes to getting tired. During the day, afterdoingnot much of anything. I tend to be ok again in the evenings, but afternoons are a struggle... Was determined to pack hospital bag this weekend every time I tried it just seemed like too much work.

I had the baba sling with DS1 and it was ok. I don't think it really suited me as I'm very short. I used a Manduca with DS2 and that was better. my friend swears by the Ergo but I just used to get tangled in it!

Babybjorn is probably the 'structured' sling you can use from youngest/smallest - all the others are bigger (a friend I was out with yesterday has an ergo that doesn't even fit her 5mo yet - though she is small)

Their website says 'from birth' : www.babybjorn.co.uk/products/baby-carriers/baby-carrier-original/original/

If you're not comfy with using the babybjorn from birth the only other option (that doesn't involve complicated 'infant inserts' is a soft wrap fabric 'sling')

There is a big school of thought that is very against the babybjorn type sling anyway.. but even these tend to be mainly against them for bigger babies and feel they're ok for younger ones www.slingguide.co.uk/safety-advice-links/mass-produced-carriers/ So my feeling is that if you get given a bb free then great, use it for a while, but if you're investing your own money it might not be the longest-lasting option.

On closer inspection the bb would prefer your baby to be 7.7lbs. So whether or not it's suitable 'from birth' depends on the birth weight.

Have to say, the Manduca (and also the Connecta) which are both soft structured carriers don't have complicated newborn inserts. They basically have an extra sheet of material with poppers. I really didn't have a problem with it - and I was v nervous about using a sling because DS2 had just had heart surgery and I didn't want to hurt him.

Ok, went to see the midwife the other day. She said everything was going great and actually suggested a home birth. I told her I wasn't brave enough for that but had considered a water birth. She told me about a midwife led unit. It is further from my house than the hospital is.

I am really unsure what to think. Things to consider (from my point of view) are:-

Risk - I keep reading all the different experiences people have had. I keep hearing on the one hand, that it is safer to be in the hands of more midwifes with less people to deal with. On the other hand, a hospital is the safest place to be if something goes wrong. I am 100% torn on this and really don't know what to think.

Pain Relief - With DS, I wasn't given G&A just had an epidural after some time. To be honest I think I would have been fine on G&A had it been offered because it really wasn't that bad at all. I even remember saying "I don't know what all the fuss is about. It's not that hard!!" With DD, I was induced. Believe me, I figured out what all the fuss was about then!! I had G&A but it didn't really help as contractions kept coming on top of each other. The epidural was an incredibly welcome relief. So, with this one (another boy), I really don't know if I should risk the lack of pain relief, or chicken out now and prepare for an epidural.

Distance - The birth centre is half an hour away. The hospital is 15 minutes away. The midwife downplayed the distance stating the fact that traffic is worse heading to the hospital (obviously depending on the time of day). DH is wary of this. He thinks we should opt for the birth centre but if things are moving quickly, just go straight to the hospital. I'm not even sure if this is allowed though.

I am completely confused as to what to do. I go from thinking "I will have a nice relaxing birthing pool experience at the birthing centre" to "I will opt for a elective caesarean". I genuinely don't know which one to go for. I don't remember thinking about it much with my other 2. I just went along and did as I was told. They were both very different experiences though. One was very relaxed and calm. The other very stressful and painful. Both were at the same hospital.

Geeandfeesmum- it's such a difficult decision. We're lucky there's a birth centre next door to the maternity ward at our hospital so will go there. There is a much nicer looking birth centre but its much further from the hospital.

And with gas and air you have to tell them you NEED it. I didn't sound sure enough I needed it and an evil MW took it a away! Thankfully her shift ended and a nice one gave it back :)

SGJ Definitely see if there is a local sling meet up or sling library. If Stockport has one I'm sure you'll find one locally! They'll have a load you can try on and practice with and then hire before deciding what to buy. Also, there is a whole section of MN for sling info so might be worth checking there with experienced slingers.

Geeandfeesmum The most recent cohort study assessing risks associated with home/ birthcentre/ hospital births suggested me led birth centres and hospitals have the same outcomes, with home births slightly more risky for first timers. Its worth bearing in mind that if things start to go wrong or you really aren't handling the pain at the birth centre, they'll transfer you to hospital via ambo so it won't take long at all. To be fair, you can probably make your mind up when the time comes depending on how you feel. They aren't likely to send you away from the hospital if you've previously said you'd go to the birth centre! It might be worth having a look at the birth centre and see what you think of it. ...and don't third babies basically fall out anyway
Also, I've read that the drugs they give for inductions produce stronger contractions than natural ones, which may have been part of the 'problem' the second time around.

Thanks for advice so far. Jennimoo, I think we have a similar set up as you. We have a unit attached to the hospital and a really nice one further away. The midwives have never mentioned the one attached to the hospital with any of my pregnancies. A few friends have had a "home from home room" but I don't know how to get one of those.

Re G&A, with DS I think I just did as I was told and always just presumed I would want an epidural so went along with what they said.

RunningBear, I think being able to decide at the last minute, once I know the kind of labour I am having would be ideal. And I really hope it's true about third babies just falling out lol!! I'm a bit scared though because they say each successive birth is easier and in my cad the opposite was very true!!

Just in case any of you haven't cried much today caught the second half of the Radio4 drama Irongate whilst doing the washing up today and ended up having a full on snot-dripping cry! Its a lovely story, but probably not for those with crazy preggo hormones!

Having a stunningly successful day today - not. Just panicking about the state of the house and non-nursery, and no real idea when we are going to manage to organise things. The thought of packing the hospital bag (instead of having things piled in the living room) fills me with fear at the moment for some reason. I think I need a slap round the face/kick up the bum to get organised and stop panicking.

Midwife home visit booked today! I have two of them (!) coming to my bombsite house on Friday afternoon to do my 36w appointment combined with home birth crack den check (slightly ahead of 36w but I'm away on a course all next week and they don't do weekends). DH is primed to do the big clear up.

I had a long day at work today, tried to avoid getting on the tube in the height of rush hour. Now sitting with my feet in a bowl of tepid water - lovely.

geeandfeesmum being a first timer I don't have much in the way of advice but I can tell you that we have just made exactly the same decision and went for the birthing centre....the centre is an hour's drive away rather than 30mins to the hospital, and the midwives very much played the distance down like yours did ( "pfft that's only 10 or so contractions" I think we're her exact words!). Like bear said though, they blue light you at the first hint of trouble and won't take you in the first place if anything looks even slightly wonky!

In terms of pain relief, our centre offers water, g&a, pethidine and tens machines. Tbh personally I'm more scared of the thought of anything stronger than I am of being in pain so that was a big factor in our decision. I don't want the temptation or any pressure on that front.

The other major factor was just the feel of the centre generally - the midwives there are all older and have tons of experience, they all seem so welcoming and encouraging and genuinely want you to give birth your way. Plus you can stay as long as you want afterwards and they'll help establish bf etc, rather than the hospital who just want the bed back for the next person! Also if you do end up being transferred, you can ask to be transferred back to the centre to do your recovery there if possible.

So that's why we went for it anyway

Can I join? I'm due 26th sept with my first baby and o be honest, I haven't got a clue what I'm doing! Husband works away so don't know if I'm having baby in local hospital or my home town due to his timetable and possibility baby may be early/late???? Not sure how to decide other than really wanting a water birth and going with my gut instinct when I visit each hosp/birthing unit. Anyone else in a similar situation??? (Please?!)

Had strawberries, meringue and strawberry & champagne cream for my desert tonight. Literally a spoonful of that cream and I feel like I've had one drink too many! I did not foresee it being so boozy! Or maybe it's just saying something about my diminished alcohol tolerance?!

Oooh a royal baby boy!! 8lbs6oz. Good work Kate!!!

I hope we don't have to wait too long for the name, I'd prefer to be sure they haven't picked ours before I go into labour.

ION after seeing GP last Thursday and her calling MW to refer me to physio I've still heard nothing :( really uncomfortable but at least I'm seeing MW tomorrow and if necessary will go to a private o

Local physio who specialises in that kind of stuff. Just cross that my (new...) MW hasn't even bothered to call me or return my text...