October 2013 - may our labours move as fast as our threads!

[PseudoBadger]

New thread!

falcon so glad everything went well (even if it was a panic at the end!) enjoy every second xxx

Falcon great hearing from you. Did your own dates tally up with the scam dates?
Glad all is going well and she is feeding.

I've been sent to bed by dh. Quite glad as I'm just so tiered. Sat propped up in bed now. Wish I could lay down on my side n fall asleep.

On another note. Guy who came to look at car decided not to take it. Said engine sounded funny. Genuinely there is nothing wrong with the engine, so very surprised he came all way from Glasgow to London and left with out the car. Oh well.

X post Falcon I'm glad you're home and sounding besotted
Interesting about dates, I guess it's something you will never know for sure.

Flyer how I wish it was me home and well with a baby. 36+4 SC. No signs of anything. Can see myself going to the end of October...

I know wishful thinking hey Feminist

Cancelled our friends 20 mins before they were due...feeling guilty. Just so tired and feel nauseous. DP also had lunch meeting which always entails a bottle of wine, so we are both in bed now, he is asleep I'm about to watch corrie. Happy Days

Falcon......sounds like you're both doing well.

Ana....... I breast fed all 3 of my babies but I did find it really hard it those early weeks especially with getting engorged and cracked nipples. If I hadn't been so determined to breast feed, I would have given up but I had my heart set in breast feeding. Once it was established, it was plain sailing but it did take about 6 weeks each time to get there.

Depending on how the birth goes, you may not get skin on skin. My 3rd was blue and not breathing so needed help to get him going. Once he was given back, we had lots of cuddles and a nice feed. I don't mean to put a downer on things but just sometimes, things don't work out how we want them to.

On the subject of BF I started this thread because I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by hearing how hard it was going to be. Lots of positive experiences to draw from - I'm only sorry I started it in chat so it will disappear. I might get MNHQ to move it.

Mrs h....... I too had flat nipples with my first. She sorted that out quickly for me though . Breast feeding is hard work and tiring but (for me), so worth it. I found leaking a bit embarrassing and initially I wasn't very confident about breast feeding in public (I was only 23) but I soon got over that and learnt how to feed very discreetly.

Soup queen there are different tens machines for labour. I believe the labour ones have 4 pads and the normal ones two pads. I am not sure if there is a difference between the amount of power/safety or just how it is spread out though, sorry. Yes feminist mine (obi tens) has a boost button for contractions, I think all the ones I looked at did.

More comments about my size/ not LNG left from everyone at work, worried glances as I waddled up to the loo slowly looking flushed and a 4 year old asked me if there were two babies playing inside me!

Pinkforboys I have not heard of that before, what does BC uterus mean?

I agree I am thinking positively about breastfeeding and not buying "just in case" bottles and formula as when it gets difficult It will be easy for me to turn to that and I really don't want to. I am trying to make myself aware of all the potential problems and sources of help though to prepare myself as much as possible, as everyone I know recently has found it really hard at first which surprised me as My mum seemed to do it easily with the four of us. Obviously everyone's personal choice though and not wanting to sound judgemental.

Congratulations falcon on coming home already with baby willow.

wicked I absolutely understand that I may not get skin to skin if there if there are more urgent medical needs but the ones I'm thinking of are healthy babies being taken away with midwives saying things about needing to clean and wrap up the baby before it can be given to mum, baby goes straight on the scales and midwives make jokes about the weight, etc. I would have no patience for that.

My ideal is a water birth where I take the baby out of the water myself but I understand that doesn't always happen. I'm also planning a home birth knowing that half of first time home births get transferred to hospital. I just figure you might as well try, and there's nothing wrong with knowing what you want. It's similar to my attitude to bf I guess.

falcon thank you for sharing your birth story. That's so interesting about your dates. In your opinion is there any chance they were wrong?

MrsH I have same prob with bf.
(Only I didn't realise it would be hard feeding. I thought it just happened. Never thought I'd have problems. Even looked into flat nipples on mn and most ppl said the baby sorted the issue out. Didn't buy bottles or steriliser)
However when I tried to bf in hospital. The mw literally pulled at my nipple "they are too flat, you can give formula instead. What do you want x y or z brand"
Mw who visited nxt day looked at my nipples and said you can try shields. I said I didn't really understand how they worked. She said just keep trying. If she had tried to help me she would have realised I'd bought shells not shields.
And I think after that I half heartily kept trying to bf but had no confidence.
I tried pumping. Did it for about 4weeks. But not very effective n after 4weeks struggled to get much out.

I THINK for me personally I research everything apart from BF. then felt lost and tiered and unable to find time to look into it.
So this time I'm researching alot. Reading anything that might help.

I am guilty of telling preg ladies its hard n to research before hand. In fact I'm sure I've said it here several times. But I think I do this because no one told me.

Recently I've had two friends give birth. Both had same from me. It's so hard etc. both similar births. Long and ended in CS. One bf great and thanked me for the advice. And other couldn't get lo to latch. She told me she was still trying but mainly ff. i said if she wanted to bf to get support. But I admitted something to her. That The day I stopped trying to bf I felt relieved as the trying was stressing me out. She admitted to me that she wanted to quit but felt very pressured to keep trying and thanked me for being honest as she felt better knowing someone else had felt the same.

Anyway apologies as a Very rambled post here.

Think I'm just tiered and emotional.

Thanks for the update falcon, so glad you and willow are home safe and sound. Enjoy your new bubba!

Haven't caught up on the thread yet, but congratulations Falcon, so happy you're home!

Today's scan showed little baby sitting at 5lb7 and bang on for sizing! so looks like she's going to be 7-8lb in 4 weeks! me and DH then went more clothes shopping for the little madam, she's got a better wardrode than me.. wish I could live in sleepsuits!

Begged my doctor to sort my heartburn and she's prescribed me omeprazole, hope it works!

the bf support worker I saw said that hospital I am going to is signed up an agreement that every mother (if they want and its possible) will be handed their baby straight away for skin to skin and baby will be allowed to stay for at least 2 hours in delivery suite doing skin to skin and feeding. I've been told they are very good at doing this and so am hoping, if everything goes well, that this will happen for me. but I'm very laid back about it all and as long as me and baby are ok in the end I'm happy.
Same with bf. I'm pretty determined to do it and am very stubborn when I set my mind to something so won't give up easily, but will not beat myself up about it if it does not work out.

Aw falcon so glad you are home with your beautiful baby!

Karma glad your scan went well!

Have any of you noticed that your abdominal muscles have separated? If i try to lower myself from sitting to laying down using my muscles, my whole bump goes into a point/ triangle shape. There is a really obvious gap of about 3 or more inches. I know that there is something called diastesis recti that can be caused by pregnancy, but it's apparently only normal to have a gap of 2 fingers width. I can also feel baby's knee sticking out of the gap a lot of the time. I'm a bit worried about it to be honest!

Soup I have hired a tens machine from Lloyds chemist. When I asked the woman behind the counter about one of the non-pregnancy ones on the shelf that was designed for other types of pain relief she told me she couldn't sell/recommend them to me because they hadn't been tested for safety during pregnancy unlike the one that was being rented because it had been tested/trialled on pregnant women. I'm not sure what the difference is -I didn't delve any further but it seemed to cost almost as much to rent one as to buy one! Best to just check with someone in the know before you buy.......a midwife maybe?

gt that's tough about the bf first time around. I think you're right about researching beforehand. I did two bf courses/info sessions before ds and got a lot of info to read which helped. ana I do think skin to skin very important not just after birth but in the early weeks. My son is three and still (before huge bump got in the way) would lift up his top and my top and lie on top of me. Esp when he's tired or morning cuddles etc. I think it makes him feel secure! I'm also going to write down numbers of local bf clinics and lll etc and put it on fridge in case I need it. Jack Newman and kellymom website also good. Plenty of fluids, snacks, good probiotic also on my essentials list. Fingers crossed we ll all be fine whichever way we decide to feed our babies.

Glad you and willow are home safe and sound falcon xx

Roofio it's a good outlook to have re breast feeding and skin to skin. I'm pretty similar that if it can happen great, if it can't then they'll certainly be a plausible reason (both skin to skin and bf) I'm not going to beat myself up and feel like I've failed...what will be will be. It's important both mum and baby are happy, no point having a happy baby but a miserable mum.

Went to tesco today and bought, treat size malteasers, large twix, choc digestives AND cherry bakewells. Lol and that's it.

Thought I'd share that

Really annoyed with DH does anyone else find themselves needing to prompt their DH's with extra childcare duties etc as well as their DC's whilst pregnant?

Latest conversation. I'm struggling to get up and down our fairly steep stairs. So DD asks can she have her light on for 10 minutes to read (8.00 pm). Yes but for only 10 minutes because you've got to get up for swimming class early in the morning I reply. DD gets tired and irritable if she doesn't get enough sleep. Ask DH who is across the landing and painting the nursery please can you turn DD's light off in 10 minutes because I'm struggling with the stairs and I want to go downstairs? Blank look in my direction but I think it's registered. 9.00 pm shout from DD - "dad aren't you going to turn my light off?" I then say that's nearly an hour late with switching your light off. To which DH replies that it's my fault for not shouting up the stairs to remind them to switch the light off because he's busy painting! oh and what have you been doing he asks - on mumsnet I suppose? Grrrrrrh.

Sorry rant over.....

GT - I have devoured a mountain lot of cherry bakewells over the last few months

Clapham what size did you order in the jumper btw? I went for a 10 but wasn't sure if it would be big enough.

Feel really sick tonight, got 2 stretch marks appeared on my tummy after doing so well, feel sore and bruised in the soft part under my ribs in the middle and baby's hands are clawing low down like it is trying to tunnel out of my bikini line. Feeling very uncomfortable. still up to another 6 weeks to go!