September 2013- We've managed to hold them in!

[fl0b0t]

Hi all! Providing the ladies who are currently in hospital don't give birth before the last 20 posts in our old thread, we've made it to a new one with babies all still staying put for now!

Here's the stats thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/antenatal_clubs/a1694946-September-2013-STATS-THREAD

Welcome newbies! If anyone wants to join the FB group (better for sharing documents and pictures), please message myself or jennimoo with your real life name and email address and we can add you to the group!

:-)

I'm so glad my MW has never come anywhere near me with a tape measure - she just has a prod and declares him a suitable size each time :)

I've been having a cup of raspberry leaf tea for the past 4 weeks or so - just one a day, but I don't think it's had any effects whatsoever so far. I think it's supposed to strengthen the uterus so when you do go into labour you get nice strong contractions (could be completely wrong on this though!) If I go overdue though I'm going to start upping the dose to see if it'll kick start anything. Also considering reflexology - anyone had or considered it? A friend of mine, who now sadly lives abroad, is a practitioner and says it can really help bring on labour. Needs to be done by someone who's properly qualified though.

ION, how's everyone keeping occupied on maternity leave? I'm a week and a half on and really starting to get bored now... The thought that I could have another 3 weeks to go fills me with dread!

Re measurements, the consultant j saw at 34 weeks said I could be within 2/3 weeks either side and it wouldn't bother him enough to take any action. So between 31/32 and 36/37 was fine! Having said that, when I said it bothered me, he was happy to offer a scan, nice man, so I had one at 34/35 and baby was smack on target.

Well two hours of sitting around in hospital (and taxi fares as the car is in the garage) to be reassured that all is fine - hurrah! and humph at not sorting this out yesterday and just going with excellent midwifes assessment instead of useless doctor's

Babybear is measuring totally normal for legs and head, but seem to have a huge tummy for some reason. Can cake do that to a baby? Sonographer said he was very low in the pelvis, but without actually being at all engaged which might have thrown the tape measurements.

As an example of questioning medical interventions ... after agreeing everything was fine with size, the dr announces they'll get me in at 40+5 to induce me. I asked why, and she just said, oh well we can just get things moving ... no medical reason whatsoever!! so I said, no thank you, i'll wait until I get to 42 weeks before considering induction, which she was totally fine with (given that the mw's say they don't induce until 40+12 anyway) and has made a note of my request. So bizarre, and all it does is undermines my faith in the doctors when it comes to low risk births, so will avoid them at all costs! I mentioned this to my mum, and that the docs don't have a clue about mw/hv care post birth and her words were 'par for the course regarding doctors' which I thought was interesting coming from a doctor who has made her name advocating integrated paediatric services! proud daughter

In regards to tmi, my body had spent the entirety of this trimester so far clearing out :( and my nipples have been the size of saucers for months (I am soo attractive! ) . At my mw appts she has been relatively unclear about which way around baby is but seemed quite convinced last time that had was down and Central but not engaged yet. Had a bit more show yesterday (yellowy rather than bloody like last time) just as we were running out of loo roll upstairs! classic! 36+1 and I don't recon anything is gonna happen for ages!

Enough tmi?!

So weird you should say that Running.

I had a growth/positioning scan today which showed small/average head, longish legs, but again great big tummy (measuring nearer 39/40w). However, having concluded baby birth weight is likely to be just under 50th centile at term (much like DD) they then said they would get me back in at 38 weeks to start membrane sweeps...

Seems like we had similar experiences.

At the moment I'm thinking I'll say thanks but no thanks. Apart from anything else it hurts like hell if nothing is ready down there!

Running, your doctor sounds special...

Lately I am starving all the time but whatever I eat makes my stomach hurt. Tedious!

Perfect quantity of tmi fl0 am jealous yr clearing out, I'm all constipated again, despite much fruit, salad and back on the actimel

triple sounds very strange, why in earth would they try to bring you on early if the baby is small? Def say no, unless they can give a good medical reason. Current guidelines are not to induce/sweep until 40+12 as risks of placental deterioration only begin to increase (marginally) after 42 weeks. If i remember correctly, risks of m/c stillbirth to 46 weeks are still less than for the aminocentesis test clearly not including suicide due to pregnancy boredom by the mother!

Glad everything was fine at the scan running, and at your mw for the stupidly unhelpful PND comments. Take my advice instead and ignore the silly woman!

Really interesting to read all the chat on progress inspections/interventions etc.....don't have anything constructive to add but am hoping for a water birth and will definitely make sure that DH is armed with badguider's (I think) list of questions so thanks for that.

waggy I'm a week and a half into mat leave too and have mostly been keeping myself occupied by coming to work in DH's office! Nothing taxing, just admin bits and bobs, but I'm finding it nice to still have "purpose" rather than just drift for what could have been up to 6 weeks, which is what I would have ended up doing! Tomorrow though I'm having a day off (!) and going to the beach with my SILs and nephews/nieces which will be lovely.

Can I ask when you all have/plan to impose a drinking ban on your OHs? I'm 37 weeks tomorrow and DH is still having the occasional drink - I don't want to restrict him from having fun for weeks on end, but we're finding it a bit hard to judge! He's getting a bit antsy about me driving any distance alone now though (I'm talking half an hour so, not just round the corner!) so maybe we'll strike a deal where I start making people visit me instead and he stops having more than a pint or so in any one evening!

Ooh yeah, I wouldn't advocate an early/unnecessary sweep unless there was a real reason - they're f'ing painful if your cervix isn't favourable!
For those whose babies are measuring large around the tummy - DD was very barrel chested at birth but nothing untoward - just the shape of some children.

Like SGJ said, some babies just have big tummies. When DS1 was born he had a very oddly-shaped abdomen which we called his 'banjo belly' because that's what it looked like. It wasn't a problem and as he grew it became more normal looking. They mentioned at one of my scans that this baby also had a big tummy, but it wasn't mentioned at the subsequent scan so either it's now more in proportion now or it's not an issue.

I haven't thought about a drinking ban as DH isn't much of a drinker but I have wondered about how far from home we should be. He mentioned yesterday he'd like to take DS1 with him on a dig at the weekend (he's an archaeologist) halfway up a hillside where I know there isn't any mobile reception. Hmm... Should I insist that they don't go? I'll be 38+5 by then (if I haven't gone already...) Had a dream last night I went into labour and really didn't feel prepared. I still feel a bit in denial about all this. Seeing the midwife tomorrow, that will probably make it all seem a bit more real again. Hopefully.

Oooh kitten I hadn't thought of a drinking ban. Probably won't bother as he's like manoodle's OH not a massive drinker.... and we can always get a taxi if we need to! Haha I'm not bothered! Hospital is about 11 miles away and I'm sure we could find someone to drive us if desperate! :)

I have said to OH about not drinking so much - this is after last Friday where he wouldn't have even been able to come to the hospital with me if needed, let alone drive!
Also having had to rush to hospital 3 weeks a go, I would rather he could drive in an emergency - particularly as the hospital isn't that near.
I have only said something though as OH finds it hard to have say 1 glass of wine and more often or not would work his way through the bottle over the course of an evening and it would be sods law the evening he does this that something happens.

I really want DH to be able to go away on his walking holiday but I feel like he's running out of time if he doesn't go this weekend or next. He'll stop having much booze after that I think. I'm 37 weeks.

I am very perplexed by all of you who are bored on mat leave. Never in my life have I had "nothing" to do. This is likely because I am a clarty besom who doesn't know one end of a duster from the other but needless to say if you are at a loose end you should come and visit for I have many, many tasks to complete including packing that fecking hospital bag, writing my birth plan and actually creating a reasonable place for my baby to sleep. Oddly, I also have make mint jelly on my list. I am feeling slightly disorganised in comparison to all you folk with the spreadsheets and the free time that can't be filled. Are there other lost souls out there or is it just me?

Haha joskar actually my to do list sounds pretty similar to yours tbh (except for the mint jelly!) but I figure that all those jobs are things that will get themselves done, you know, at some point...no need to set aside specific time or anything

charl my DH did exactly the same last Friday! Didn't bother me, but did get me thinking what if...especially as our birthing centre is an hour's drive away so not exactly taxi friendly! The midwife on Sunday said "see you in 2 weeks, if you've not had baby before then", which did make DH go do maybe i'll just remind him about that!

Joskar I'm with u, I finish for maternity on Friday, I have my thesis to write for my masters (unless any of those bored people wanna do it?) Then the house looks like a bomb has hit it, the windows are a disgrace, birth plan, educate dh on said plan, pack bag, do a grocery shop of sensible items, nappies, read a book on what your meant to do with a new born! Clean my car out so I can fit the iso thingy.

Bound to be more but that's freaked me out enough!!!

The mint jelly is actually first on the list. Displacement activity, anyone?!

I seriously wouldn't give too much worry to bump measurements or weight predictions from scans. I had loads of growth scans as my meds should lead to low birth weight babies... He consistently measured 50% centile for head and legs and 99% for tummy. At 37+6 scan they estimated a weight of 7lbs10 and he came at 38+2 weighing 6lbs12!! How so wrong?? My other 2 DS were miles out too, I think it's all a complete guessing game that they pretend us scientific ;)

Joskar.. Loving the mint jelly !

Mmm mint jelly. Never had that, sounds good. With 2 DSs already it doesn't really feel like there is such a thing as mat leave, just a continuation of the usual. At least DS1 is finally back to school so I only have DS2 at home. In fact DH was reasonably put out to even be asked to take DS1 to school on his way to work today, which bodes well . Got lots of little jobs to do though. I'm trying to finish a freelance project, somewhat half-heartedly it would have to be said. I also have lots of little admin type jobs that I really can't be bothered with.

Went supermarket shopping today and fell out with the trolley and strained my stomach muscles. Not good. Now I feel the stretch round my belly button is intolerable and feels like something is going to give. Ouch.

It's still the summer holiday for me, so I don't allow myself to feel bored. In fact, as we only moved house a few weeks ago, things are pretty chaotic here anyway. Just fitted a cat flap into our door, so that involved quite a lot of sawing through wood to keep me busy.

I have to return to work for 4 days, then my matern

*maternity leave starts when I'm 37 weeks. Wish I could just go straight through from holiday to leave, as I'm already having the back to school nightmares, but financially it doesn't work that way so have to show my face. I left work at the end of term in an ambulance, so I'm hoping that isn't going to happen again!

I've been stupidly busy during the last 3 weeks since I finished work, only have Tuesdays and Thursdays without DD so have filled those days with the epic table and chairs refurbishment project (finally finished tonight, hoo-bloody-ray), DEEP cleaning the house, gardening, dismantling and moving a double bed, cleaning again, and generally working my arse off doing lots of jobs around the house. Tomorrow will be the first day I'm officially allowing myself to do nothing, though my list of things that I still could squeeze in before the baby comes is quite long... and I'm due next Wednesday!!

DH put himself on a booze ban, it lasted 1 day!! I haven't encouraged it at all but might have a word after the weekend. He can enjoy the bank hol weekend before I become a nag. The odd pint is fine and I'd never deny him that but our hospital is too far to taxi to. We're semi rural, it would take a taxi a while to get to us anyway.

At what point do we start staying closer to home, just incase things kick off? Sis in law has invited us over next week, it's 1.5 hrs away, I don't want to have to load up the bags and car seat just for a family lunch, I'll be 38 weeks. Stay at home or go?

flip, you'll probably have a fair bit of warning, or early labour. It's unlikely you'll be ready to push in 90 minutes, so if you want to go, I'd probably say "yes as long as I'm feeling right on the day" If you're feeling sick, lots of back ache, etc, might be early labour kicking off. That said, if you're at all worried you have a very valid excuse to not go! Especially if you won't enjoy it for worrying.

Wishing I was on mat leave right now. Got today, and next week part time to get through, and I'm done. I just feel exhausted all the time atm. I was off sick on Tuesday after next to no sleep and my hips seizing up. :(