October 2013 - wobbling and sweating through the last trimester

[roxvox]

Baby due dates/sexes/name choices here

I had gallstones when I was really young (14 in fact) and they said it was similar pain wise to being in labour so I was given Pethadine for the pain and I didn't get on with that at all so they gave me diamorphine too. Having had both I'd never have them again. The Pethadine made me sick for hours and the diamorphine freaked me out because I couldn't think clearly and made me very confused. I'd rather be in pain and have some clarity than be disorientated and sick.

Lucky I now know to avoid them and have it written on my notes that I don't react to them well so I don't want them in labour.

Having said that I know a few people who have said they found the diamorphine amazing, so it was probably just me. I hate feeling drunk at the best of times so can see why I freaked out with both of them. I think if things get that bad then an epidural might be better because it doesn't affect your clarity.

I really wish I could cope better with feeling a bit out of it as I'm sure it's lovely to get some rest from the pain but I just can't cope with the side effects.

From what I gather about NCT it seems people go to make other parent friends, which would be nice. We can't really justify doing NCT and Hypnobirthing though as they were similar cost wise and I thought hypnobirthing would be more beneficial as I'm terrified of having strong pain relief.

We finished last week and it was ok, not sure why we had 5 classes though. The first two were full of waffle and crap American videos that didn't really make much sense about people who had traumatic births and how it affected their whole lives (rubbish). The last two were good as it focused on breathing and relaxation techniques and how to cope in labour and what to expect. We could have just done the entire course in 2 sessions though if they took all the American medical process stuff out that doesn't even apply in the UK, I'm not even sure why it was in there.

I am a bit worried about having no mum friends though as I'm the first of all my friends to have a baby and won't know anyone else that I can meet up with when the baby comes

Woah, sorry for the mammoth post.

And Natalie, how rude of them to try and guilt trip you when you were so concerned about your baby. Try and forget about it, at least you know the baby is ok and you can put your mind at rest.

Sorry to hear you had a worrying time Natalie. You must have been feeling bad enough without her unnecessary rudeness.

Smitten how about investigating some mother and baby groups that you can attend when baby arrives. They're a great way if meeting other mums.

1stTimer I've read that your partner should give a bib or something with the babies scent on it to the dog before you arrive home so that they are already familiar with the smell of the baby and that when you return home go in and say hello to the dog and make a fuss of him before bringing the baby into the room.
I have a Cocker spaniel who is really lively and though he wouldn't intentionally harm the baby I'm worried about him becoming excitable and jumping on her, licking over her face etc.

Loads of movement today she is back had down I think she had popped herself onto a transverse position yesterday. so lots of kicks near the ribs a punches on the pubic bone! 32 weeks today!!

Natalie poor you! I had something similar but nowhere near as rude last time i was in with the chest thing the ctg would not stay on her heart and she said it was due to "maternal build" on the notes but I would seriously complain if i were you looks like mw in question needs some retraining!

My midwife said to me on my first appointment its like locking the stable door after the horse has bolted so I just take that line usually with the newly qualified skinny type A personality doctors who think its ok to abuse you over something you can't change. I just say i'm not going to diet i eat healthy and i lost 2 stone before falling pregnant after 4 years of trying its not like i could of predicted I would not be "ideal" weight. They usually shut up after that....

Btw is anyone having cravings come back. I am getting addicted to fizzy drinks now....

Even if you lost the wright they'd still find something to complain about Falcon. One of the consultants I saw moaned that I was hard to scan because I have a lot of loose skin on my stomach due to a 10st weight loss.
Would they rather I was still 19 stone?

Smitten. I too had very few mum friends with ds1. I did meet a few, but with sdp couldn't keep up with meeting them so have kinda drifted out. Although now two of dh friends wives will have babies by the time lo comes along. One was born last week. Other is due in two weeks. So we will all be off work at same time and we get on. They are both first time mums n have been asking me lots of Qs.

Nat I can't believe the mid wife. Not nice. How is movement now? Have you tried fizzy cold drinks? And trying to relax.

I'm feeling the baby kinda stretching today. Like pushing against my insides rather then kicks or punches lol

I had to rush out to co-op at 10pm last night as I had a sudden craving for Cadbury's chocolate eclaires Falcon

Currently lying on my bed supervising Dp building the cot. He's already had to pull it all apart again because he didn't give the instructions more than a cursory glance. He's getting there now though. The bath/changing unit has been built too. It's all starting to feel real now.

natalie, the midwife sounds awful. As falcon says, what exactly are you supposed to do about your weight at this stage? Book some emergency liposuction?

I wasn't having cravings, but my yoga teacher mentioned kit kats this morning. Not something I would normally eat but I can't get the thought out of my head now. I'm in my pjs (lazy Sunday afternoon) and weighing up whether I can be arsed getting dressed and going to the corner shop.

We have our first NCT class tomorrow. There were a few reasons for us choosing them: neither of us know the first thing about babies, our friends with children are way past the baby years so we're hoping to meet some people we get on with, the NHS classes are all in working hours and DH can't get the time off and, finally, our hospital doesn't do tours so I'm hoping for some info about the hospital e.g. What they provide/don't provide, facilities, how quickly they like to get you out etc.

My movements definitely differ depending on where baby is, last few days were a bit quieter as baby was transverse but back to being what I think is head down now so much more lively!
I'm having lots of mummy practice today looking after a very pathetic hungover dp!! Haha, being such a wimp, but I can't help but feel sorry for him!!

Hello ladies, checking in to this thread as back from holiday but not caught up yet. Gave up reading last thread, sorry, but will continue with this one later. Only on page 8 but thought I'd stop to say hello.

Holiday was brill but despite my factor 50 on my face I have bad pregnancy mask. Exhausted now and concerned about babies lack of consistent movement, can't get a mw appointment as they so busy and community mw says to go to hospital. Getting some movement so can't justify a trip there, they always so busy. So back to reality with a bump.

Have nothing organised, and I mean nothing, and a mountain of holiday washing to get through. Asked DH to go up in loft and put suitcases away and get case of baby clothes down but he says its too soon. 32 weeks tomorrow, why does he not get my need to nest???

Sorry for me post off to read from page 8 on and no doubt catch you all on next thread. Hope you all well x

Hello all, returned from our summer holiday in the New Forest on Friday and think I've just about caught up with the thread. Orange sorry to hear about your Grandma being unwell.

We had a lovely time (very weird to think it was our last break as a trio....well, four-some if you include the pooch) and I got to put my feet up and let DP do most of the childcare. Returning home has been a shock to the system as DP went off caving all day Saturday and he flew off to America early this morning.

Suddenly I'm back doing everything DD & dog-wise and feeling rather lonely

MoN & 1stTimer we have a cocker-spaniel cross-breed (daren't say cockerpoo as I know they are frowned upon on Mumsnet) and I've no idea how she'll react to a baby in the household. I'm hoping that, having grown up with DD and all her noise and crazy leaping about the house, she's pretty bomb-proof. My main concern is how I'm going to ensure she continues to get enough exercise each day.

One thing I am going to buy (out of a mammoth list) is a highchair suitable from birth, then I'll be able to have the baby up high pretty much out of the dog's reach. Anything like a baby bouncer seat, I think the dog will want to sit in herself

X-posts with you Jelly - glad you had a good time but I think we both have some post-holiday blues. Fingers crossed for lots more movements from baby to reassure you.

I'm getting lots of weird sensations and tbh I don't always know if it the baby stretching/wriggling around or my uterus stretching on it's own (if that makes sense?)

I've still got nothing organised either....it probably sounds silly but a bit of me is scared to buy anything in case I jinx things.

The lady was saying yesterday that some hospitals discharge you as little as 2 hours after giving birth, obviously providing there were no complications and your baby is latching onto the breast and feeding sufficently or taking to a bottle if you ff, i was shocked, 2 hours!

Then she went onto say all this stuff about making your house, well bedroom like a cocoon and you and your baby not leaving the "cocoon' for the first 3 days, your dh or dp just prepares you meals and drinks and brings them upto you in your cocoon. No visitors allowed (parents, siblings etc) however if they want to help get them to bring around some food for you, get them to drop it off but do not invite them in!!! Have you ever heard anything so daft?! If my mum came with food and i didn't ask her in she would be offended i'm sure, this nct instructor is a little odd i think!

glad you had a lovely holiday Jelly and bridget.

Jelly do you have an anterior placenta? It seems quite a few of us anterior ladies have issues with reduced fetal movements. I met a lady yesterday who also has one, she has been into hospital 26 times now for monitoring. I think if concerned def pop down.

Nat what a total cow that mw sounds, i do hope she gets repremanded for her behaviour, and hope baby is more active today.

Hi all, have been missing but finally caught up with the thread(s)! Sorry for those of you who experienced scares, but glad all babies are still cooking! Welcome to newbies, although I feel like one myself- trying to get back in the loop but forgotten most of what I read already!

Smitten I'm also the first of my friends to have a baby, they all work full time and am v worried about being lonely. Have been looking into local children's centres for their baby groups, not usually my thing but hopefully beats being a loner! Also need to get to the leisure centre, they do pregnancy yoga or 'conditioning on the ball' which sounds interesting- anyone tried it? Going to call and enquire about it...

Natalie the MW sounds a bit insensitive to put it mildly, there is a a time and place for certain conversations and that definitely weren't it (and surely she can see from notes that you have a regular MW and have seen a consultant so there's no need to add her 2 pence!). Glad you were ok at the wedding, I went to one yesterday too and it was a v long day. Had a nap in the middle as some family had booked a hotel room

30 weeks tomorrow, next appointment is at 31 weeks- at the last one I asked about a birth plan. MW said no plans just preferences and to "jot down what they are in the space in your green book while at the antenatal sessions". She made it sound a bit pointless and it didn't seem to be the done thing to actually go through it with a MW. But then I see a different one every time and the rest have seemed a bit more interested. I had to ask how the baby was lying, she prodded me about and wasn't even going to tell me. I know they write it in the book (in a language I have to translate for myself!) but still... Oh well, I'm just another pregnant woman to them.

Flyer the Asos thing is not you, it's them! I'm sure the 'pregnant' models on the website are just normal models with fake bumps. They probably use them to design them too- the dresses just don't seem to flatter. I'm used to things looking the way they do in the picture when I put them on. Ended up wearing a Dorothy Perkins £25 maxi to the wedding yesterday in a size 14. Looked loads better than the Asos dresses I tried before!

Got the car seat delivered last week- Britax baby safe plus was £93 from Kiddicare and goes with the Britax Affinity pushchair already ordered from Mothercare. Haven't got round to paying it off yet though! We (mainly DP) did some decorating and DP put up the baby's drawers which will also be used fr changing. Got some drawer dividers from Ikea which look really handy for baby sized stuff. Washed all the baby stuff with Bounty samples- I love the smell of Fairy and Comfort, and looking at the tiny clothes on the airer made me smile. I'm going to be very unlike myself and iron it all- I hardly iron anything and this may be the first and last time I iron muslins!! Seems silly but I want to so I will

Oh, and on the washing front- as there are only 2 of us (for now!) and we have no tumble dryer we only wash once a week. Do about 3/4 loads usually on a Saturday and towels/bedding/durable clothes get taken to the laundrette to dry. The rest fits onto one airer and then it's all away by Monday. So towels/bedding once a week, jeans and 'lounge clothes' after a few wears unless dirty, tops and underwear after one wear. Except bras . I always find it quite funny, my mum washes hers after every wear but I don't unless they go with a set and get washed with the knickers. Otherwise I usually get a few days wear from them. Obviously it's a bit different in the summer and especially recently as I have grown about 6 cups and discovered that you can sweat underneath them...

Need to start thinking about my maternity bag now, and collect the Moses basket from my friend. I've now got a new mattress and some sheets for it! Hope everyone's enjoying a lazy day, we will all be in single weeks counting down soon!

Sorry for mammoth post

Nice to see you back feminist!!
I've contorted myself in all sorts of ways today and managed to ped egg and moisturise my feet and cut file and paint my toe nails, I'm impressed!! And dp has made up for being a winge bag by ordering a new king size bed and mattress, bring on the 19th!!

Welcome back all from holidays.

That sounds like a worrying night made unnecessarily worse Natalie, sorry about the silly midwife.

We have been at ikea for hours getting curtains, cot sheets and a few other bits for the baby and more shelves, a bookcase and rugs for the rest of the house, then popped to B&Q and DH lost my credit card while I waited in the car with all the shopping so had an hour looking for that and we were then too late to buy shopping for my friends coming to. Lunch tomorrow so had to drive around to find somewhere open. I am now stiff and tired.

I have bought some t shirts from asos where I am a maternity size 6 that are ok but not hugely flattering as they are not rouched at the sides and just dangle down off the widest part of my tummy. Dresses a size 8 fits, bikini bottoms a size 12/14 and tankini top I bought every size from 8 to 14 and none of them fitted. They were too tight and rode up, or had a long dangly bit at the front that hung away from my body really unattractively. It seems completely random. I don't think I will bother with them for any more maternity clothes as even though you get the money back for things you return if you buy lots of different sizes you still have to spend it in the first place and wait for the refund.

My maternity clothes saviours have been these dresses from New Look. I have 2 black ones and the navy stripe. (Sorry can't work out how to link from iPhone)

m.newlook.com/mcs/publish/4923/76718?prodid=280092901&cat=cat30118&name=view-all-maternity

Also this is fab!

m.topshop.com/mt/www.topshop.com/en/tsuk/product/clothing-427/maternity-456/maternity-blue-leopard-bodycon-dress-2133290?bi=1&ps=20

I wear these styles practically everyday.

Thank you MoN & Bridget we will use the bib idea for sure! Aww I will have to come in alone before baby to see him, I haven't been away from him for more than a day since I got him! As with your concerns I worry that he will get excitable and unintentionally get too close to baby! I think for the first few weeks he will be bemused and unsure of what is happening! We have been occasionally playing the sound of a baby crying via YouTube and he doesn't flinch or pay any attention! I hope we all have an easy transition with our pooches and new babies!!

On another note I experienced my first Braxton hicks today! I'm 31+1 now and of all the times and places we were shopping at Trago! It lasted a few minutes. Caught me completely off guard as have never experienced anything like it!

Hope everyone is well and enjoying a relaxing Sunday :)

Welcome back everyone from holidays, glad you all had a good time, and welcome back feminist as well :)

Sorry to hear about your stressful night natalie hope youve managed to catch up on some rest and your cheeky monkey has been a bit more wriggly.

Also sorry your feeling a bit shut out by midwives feminist mine is brilliant this time but I used to dread my appts in my last pregnancy because I always left more confused than when I arrived. Hope you get someone nicer next time. I agree that birth "plan" should be more general preferences though as I know a couple of people that were very specific and then panicked as soon as something didnt go exactly according to plan which I think is quite common.

Like lots of you weve finally decided to start getting ready for baby so crib is up, although need a new mattress and after 4 hours in kiddicare yesterday we have just bought a second hand icandy pear off ebay. Had a really mixed experience at kiddicare with one guy giving our current pram an MOT and being really helpful and then just having a nightmare looking at double buggys, was horribly stressful and turns out one lady we spoke to was speaking complete rubbish... Any way were getting there and Im off on holiday on Tuesday, think time will start flying when I get back

Checking in after a busy weekend... My body seems to be a bit erratic at the minute. One moment I feel as though I am going to wet myself with every step (even though I have just been to the loo) and other times I don't know what to do with myself because of the pain in my back and ribs. Almost 32 weeks though so I guess I should expect it to be like this!

Sorry to hear so many of you are having reduced movements or bad times with midwives/nurses. I had a couple of times with my midwife the other day where I felt like I was being told off (for saying that I was concerned about taking time off for antenatal classes every Monday when I'll be leaving them soon). MW made me feel as though I was work obsessed and didn't care enough about my baby! She's also still trying to push a home birth even though I have told her hundreds of times that I don't want a home birth.

1sttimer which Trago? Do you live in Cornwall?

smitten and feminist I too am the first of my friends/close family to have a baby. And no one is likely to start families any time soon either. That's why I looked to do NCT or NHS classes, but time or cost really put me off the classes.

flyer what that lady had to say made me laugh! I think my mum would kick the door down if DH told her she could bring food for me but couldn't see her grandchild! Sounds very dramatic and unrealistic to me. Although I am happy to have time for just DH, me and baby (even though we'll be at my Mum and Dads for a short while after the birth), and I am very happy to keep visits to just family for the first week or so.

Thanks for the support ladies, baby has been moving today but still not as much as usual, I'm so glad I have the same community midwife for all my appts and she is so supportive at the end of the phone (even at 10 o clock last night) and before I had even woken up this morning I had a text off her asking how it went how things were now etc. so at least we no they aren't all bad, dh let me lie in and after 3 hours of being up me him and dd went back to bed and all slept till somewhere between 4-5pm lol shows how worn out we all were.

I have to say walking into labour ward at midnight in my pyjamas sent me into operation get ready for baby panic mode! Although I had a good birth experience last time literally being on the ward made me like omg omg omg its gunna happen rediculously soon I need to organised ASAP and also with this baby being so in active so often its made me even more want my hospital bag done especially with protein showing in my wee the last two times its been tested that u just don't no what's round the corner!!!! 30 weeks tommorow and the big countdown will begin, the last quarter of pregnant (potentially not even a full quarter)

Is baby moving well for u now too falcon? Xxx

I love hearing about everyone's baby preperations :-)