November 2013 - Boys, Girls and Bulging Bumps!

[MummaPanda]

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Hi getoff thanks for that and definitely good to keep a record. Actually just remembered, when I was pregnant with DS my consultant asked me to provide an Excel spreadsheet and graph detailing my blood pressures and 4 x a day blood sugar readings - I may do that again! The hard part with me is that when my levels are increased it is difficult to know whether it is pre eclampsia or pressure on my transplanted organs (one of which was a kidney). The kidney sits in my lower left side in my abdomen so the fear was that it may get a bit squashed as I got bigger and then the blood supply to it would be compromised. The other transplanted organ is higher up on the right side of my abdomen. At the moment I'm just trying to do anything I can to avoid being admitted soon so I'm drinking lots of water, checking my levels and keeping my feet elevated when I can. Obviously at the same time I don't want to take any risks wrt this baby so it's a bit of a waiting game to see what happens at the moment...

Hi all

Sorry to hear about all your woes; I managed to avoid the GTT by having baby heart early, but I was really dreading it, so I understand how you feel. The only reason I had to have it was because my Mum has Type 2 Diabetes. She is a very large lady, and I am very slight, so I felt it was a little pointless, but in the end didn't need it! Not that I advocate having your baby early under any circumstance!!

I've been missing my belly these last couple of weeks; irrational, I know, but just one of those things that interesting to come to terms with.

Baby Heart is doing very well (thank God) at the moment. He was promoted out of NICU and into HDU this week, and is up on full milk feeds for his weight (6ml per hour; I'm producing 10 times as much!!). He had a rocky end to last week, as he got an infection, but that seems to have come under control now, and he's doing fine. He is on Vapotherm still, but his flow rate is down to 2 litres per minute. He's quite a chilled out baby, but still ever so wriggly. I thank God that he was a wriggly so and so, otherwise I wouldn't have noticed that he stopped moving!

Anyway - hope you're all getting along okay. If anybody needs advice on expressing milk, that's my specialist topic at the moment .

Great to hear that all is still going well heartonsleeve. Your little boy will be home before you know it!

Very happy to hear all is going well Heart, it sounds like he's a little fighter! Fingers crossed you get to take him home in not too long. x

heart it sounds like your little boy is getting stronger everyday! So pleased for you.
Have you been able to give him lots of cuddles now?
If you're producing lots more milk than DS needs are you able to freeze it for him or is there the possibility to give it to NICU for the sick babies whose mums can't give them their milk? Just a thought.
clucky it sounds like dusting off your Excel spreadsheet will be good for your white coat syndrome. I think you're really brave to have a baby with everything you've already been through. I bet your three year old can't wait to have a little sibling.

Heart - so glad it all seems to be going well!

I've handed in my maternity leave forms today, so only 37 days left at work now :-D

I had to have the GTT, but that came back okay, and everything seems to be plodding along quite nicely. New commute is proving much easier, despite being a bit longer, so that's helping a lot with my tiredness, and our new flat is gorgeous - and we have a garden!

We're starting NCT next week which I'm looking forward to as we literally know no one in our new area - don't suppose anyone lives near Harrow do they? ;-)

Argh I'm wide awake! Tomorrow is not going to be fun at this rate

Hi everyone haven't posted in a while as have been helping the family out with e few issues.
heart I am so happy to here that you and baby are ok after what you went through fingers crossed you can take him home soon enough
vix congrats glad to see your back on a bus
I have to go for another scan at 32weeks as I was measuring small at my appointment last week I was measuring 24 instead of 28. But I don't think it will be anything to worry about as DD was a small baby too.
I also moved into my new house the other week so am hoping to have it ready before the new baby arrives.
Now just waiting to have my maternity leave date confirmed by my line manager but she is on holiday at the moment so have to wait till she is back

29+4?x

Thanks all - I'll let you know how the glucose test goes x

That's great news little heart is out of nicu heart! so pleased things are going smoothly for you

Eeeek gwen! 37 days left at work wow that's amazing! And makes maternity leave see so much closer!

Hang on a sec...just checked my calendar and I only have 16 days left OMG!!! I have 3 days off due to dd starting nursery so it would have been 19.

On the one hand, I absolutely cannot wait and on the other hand, I have a huge list of tasks to complete before I go, not to mention a heap of filing that I need to try and make a dent in ...deep breathes!

These kicks are leaving me breathless, my poor cervix

Hi all.

Heart - glad to hear all is going well. Sounds like you have a little fighter there.

So - has anyone else packed their hospital bag? I haven't but have most bits to go in it. Just got a bit panicked yesterday as a friend who is 31 weeks along like me had reduced fetal movement and went into hospital. All was well in the end but they were talking about an emergency c-section at one point. It made me think, I need to sort out a bag, a list of emergency childcare contacts for DD and buy some newborn nappies!

So - they're my tasks for the weekend. By 32 weeks I want the nursery sorted out - just need a new changing table I think. Got a double pram this week so that's another thing off the list.

It's so much fun counting down the days left at work! Enjoy! Not having that this time round as I'm a SAHM now but loved it two years ago. In fact, I finished just before the Augusg bank holiday last time and four weeks later, along came DD.

Take care all - not long to go now!

Hi wibbly,

No haven't packed bag yet but like you have most things to put in it. Need to buy some new pyjamas so plan to do that today possibly and then will pack bag. I am 30+4...I have a friend who is 37 weeks and hasn't packed her bag and has very little to put in it! I think she is keeping me calm! It is dc2 for both of us so I think there is less panic this time plus we have all the big things (except I actually now realise I don't have a cot for our bedroom yet ) so it will be ok

Work is stressing me out as I have so much to do and so little time to do it. I have outstanding reports and filing that HAS to be done. I will need to prioritise them next week when I go back to take some of the pressure off.

Hope everyone is well.

Heart hope your little boy is still going from strength to strength.

Hi Harv, good luck at work next week. I started declining to take anything else on towards the last month. I told people there wasn't much point as I wouldn't be able to see projects through to the end etc and blocked my calendar! Any persistent askers were told I could easily go into labour early and they wouldn't want something half done now, would they?! Soon shut them up, hahaha!

I have three days left at work! A stash of paperwork and filing too, no idea how I'll fit it all in!
I've not packed my hospital bag yet either, 31 weeks today. The only thing I've bought is a packet of maternity towels!

Fab news heart!

Another one packing a bag at the mo - don't want to leave it too much longer! 30+3

Hello! Infrequent poster here, but have been reading when I can. 33 weeks on Tuesday and now panicking about my hospital bag . Back at work next week too and due to finish end of sept (due date 22/Oct, brought forward a bit so think I may be one of the first after heart of course, many congrats btw!). Will be glad to get back to work for a rest from the dcs tbh . Pretty uneventful pregnancy so far, though was admitted briefly after being whacking in bump with an errant tennis ball at the park . All fine though. Have scan in 2 weeks to see if my placenta has 'moved' up - bit anxious but absolutely nothing I can do if it hasn't!
Will try and keep up more - can't believe how quickly we have moved/are moving into the third trimester!

Anyone else had/got a 32 week scan? I have mine tomorrow, they're standard at Kings apparently. Looking forward to seeing the little man and finding out how he's getting on!

Anyone on here who hasn't got much of baby stuff yet? We haven't bought anything... To be fair we are moving house next week, and staying with OH's parents atm, so no point in stocking up... and we will have some hand-me-downs, including cot and car seat.

It is making me a bit upset though, and really panicky as I keep thinking we will not be prepared when the baby comes! 29+3 today...

Oh, and no Cornish, I will not be having 32 week scan as far as I know, although changing hospitals and trust, so I don't know if their policies are different.

Hi Cornish - I have a 32 week scan tomorrow, but I'm in the US (British but live here) and they're a bit snap happy with the old 4D scanning machines. I've had scans at 9/12/20/28 and now 32 weeks! As far as I can tell, there's no real reason for them apart from insurance company bills - though it's nice to have lots of pics.

I hope yours goes well and will report back tomorrow. Here they tell you not to have a full bladder after 20 weeks btw - not sure if that's the same back home? Good luck!

Hey all - Just wanted to update you on my potential diabetes/ massive baby story. Turns out all is fine. No diabetes and yes the baby is on the large side, but the sonographer could tell it was in the genes looking at my v tall husband. So very relieved but suffice to say I'm not going to buy any "newborn" sized clothes as if he's more than 9lb which is pretty likely, they won't fit!

On the 32 week scan situation - I understand that some hospitals do them e.g. I know UCH does in London, but I'm at the Whittington and just got one because they thought the baby was too big. Anyone else there?

NCT classes start tomorrow in Walthamstow and natal hypnotheraphy couple of Sundays after that - v excited!

Cutelittletoes

We have a car seat, wooden crib and a bouncy seat thing and I'm 32 weeks
We do have bits and bobs in the loft still from DD1 (2.3), but they're still in the loft.

We haven't started on the nursery yet, it's still full of StarWars memorabilia and other piles of DP's crap things

Hi, so 32 week scan revealed nothing new - just a chunky little guy who's on the 80th percentile and who has flipped back to being breech after being head down two weeks ago. Dr said not to worry until 36 weeks - at which point they'd think about ECV (don't want that!) or scheduling a CS (don't want the either!). Eek! Fingers crossed he'll flip of his own accord.