Due in August - part 6

[sarahlou1uk]

thought I'd start one off girls (and Salamander!)

Sorry, I misread your post, you don't want elective, you want induction !

Feathers, as far as i know they can only induce you if your cervix is ripe and ready for labour so unless you're really lucky and your body is ready for labour anyway it wouldn't work.

i'd march myself down to the maternity unit and refuse to leave until they give you a reasonable explanaton for why you keep blacking out. loosing conciousness is quite serious and their blasé attitude is highly unprofessional. you have a young child to look after ffs, you can't keep up like this!

in the meantime be gulping your rasberry leaf, curry and pineapple and dab everything with clary sage oil... you might convince baby to come early of his own accord

Aw yellow, sorry to hear this- wish i still lived up north - i would have come and kept you company. you really do need to get your best assertive head on and tell them you want some answers - maybe they will realise how much its stressing you if you did talk to them about an early induction, but as PT says, if your body isnt ready, it wont work. would you consider an elective c-section if they offered it?

in the meantime, take care of yourself and dont feel bad about asking people to come and spend time with you.

BHM - to go back to your list, having used yours as a basis for my own - you have no towel on there for your baby, and you've only listed one for yourself. I would take 2 (burgundy!)for me, and I'm getting a little snuggly one for the baby.

Don't bother taking nappy cream or baby wipes in, as the midwives will have you using just cotton wool and water anyway. Having said that, when dd was born the MW did ask if we'd got any baby bath with us (which we hadn't) but that might have been because she came out covered in meconium and that wasn't going to shift in plain water!

The other thing I've added to your list is a book. Only because I didn't sleep when in with dd, and might want something to pass the time. That might not be your thing, though.

Yellow I'm worried about you - I agree that you need to be very very assertive and get some sort of better explanation for why you are passing out. It is not normal... I mean if it were we'd all be doing it! Keep us informed of what is going on, I just really hope you get some help - REAL help!

Olivo - I'm in a panic now, re the nursery booking, I was phoning up Monday (last week when I phoned there was no answer) to book Alex in... I hope they dont ask for £500 to hold the place, I dont have it!! I've never heard that superstition about the pram, neither has Sal. Tell your DH not to worry my friend had hers in her house a few months before her baby was born and he's perfect!

I had a big cry last night... Which I wanted to talk to you girls about but I hope you dont take it the wrong way! You know I am American, I've been here over 5 years since Sal and I got married. Sometimes I really struggle - its hard thinking my baby will think of me as a different nationality to him, I get really lonely for my friends at home, and basically what set me off last night was hearing someone on t.v. say some bad things about all Americans. I hear that stuff all the time and it is really hard not to be hurt by it. It just makes me feel like no matter how long I am here I wont be really accepted. Equally though - I dont think I would feel at home in America anymore. I'm sort of... neither American or European but a little of both. So wherever I go I am foriegn! It isnt helped by the fact that we havent been able to afford a trip home in 3 years and who knows when we next will so I just feel all... I dont know! Awkward! Ugh. Thanks for letting me rant. Sal is lovely and helpful but I wanted some other people's opinions as well I guess.

eeny, join the club.. i was born in holland and have dutch nationality but have lived in ireland since i was 8. over here i'm foreign and in holland i'm foreign so i know exactly how you feel. it's an awkward feeling isn't it?

as for the pram superstition... dp's dad instilled the same superstition in him but about all the baby stuff, when i was pregnant with dd his plan was to go out while i was in the hospital and buy stuff as it's bad luck to have stuff for the baby before its born apparently. as you can imagine i put my foot down on that one but the buggy, car seat and crib had to live at my parents when i was pregnant and they brought them down while i was in hospital. i still managed to fill the house with babyclothes though . since seeing the chaos after dd was born (we couldn't figure out how to put the buggy together, or put the car seat in the car on way home from hospital!) he's conceded that we'll be much better prepared for this baby!

Pink I didnt know that you werent born and bred Irish. I have to say, thanks for telling me, I know there are a lot of other people in this situation but it does help to hear about it. It's just sad sometimes thinking that no one really views me as 'one of them'. I guess what upset me last night was thinking when Alex gets a little older and he hears people say bad things about Americans will he be upset that he thinks they are talking about his Mummy? Ugh. Sorry!

You have a lot of patience putting up with that superstition!! I am so super organised I have had every baby thing in its right place for months! Superstition or no superstition! Still it's cute that some of these men are bothering about it, shows they care.

Pink just put 2 & 2 together about your name! Tulips!! Which are by the way one of my very favorite flowers!

hi ya wow what a lot of posts yellow feathers hi

im up for a meet up any where we're in nottingham and have a huge garden so maybe we could do a 1st bday meet upat ours %mins from j25 m1!!!!!!!!

must say im not allowed our pram in the house big susperstition i thought everybody it obviously more of a northern thing

eeny dont be silly you know none of us will judge you maybe the aussie mums will be able to shed some light on how your feeling

must say can understand with useless dh mine is great when im being emotional useless when he is stressed and tired takes it out on me not nice doesnt ever make me a cup of tea either

thank you for your thoughs all of you im kinda of mad though as my mental health team have postponed me again so not going monday now but have got mw and anti d thurs then off to see consultant re my c section so lots of fun next week

and for all you second time round c sections what clothes did you take for baby and you in hospital

Eeny - didnt mean to panic you re nursery - the other two i looked at were asking for £40 or £80 to keep the place. this one is so expensive because the demand for it is massively high - it is for teachers and people in education so only open in term time - i know several people who have been turned down whose babies are due around the same time as ours. was gobsmacked at the deposit but desperate to keep the place.I'm sure yours wont be so hefty.

Hi all, just checking in. Still getting lots of pain and very uncomfortable now. Saw MIL's lodger who is a nurse and she has reckoned by the end of next week i'll have another boy to contend with! Ds is very excited about it all. So i have spent the whole day (and i mean the WHOLE day) packing my bag, baby bag and ds's bag and still haven't finished.

Hiya Yellow! Good to have you back....

Hope everyone else is fine, will catch up tomorrow if i can sit for more than 5 mins at comp.

Snow xx

Eeny - those type of people are a minority. I don't think your lo will have any problems with his mum being american. He'll probably think you're related to some famous movie star that's on the tv because you sound like them! To be honest, one of my best friends is Irish and although there is still a slight twang in her voice, she has lost most of her Irish accent. It's only when she comes back from visiting her family in Ireland that I notice a difference! I think you're worrying about nothing IMO but feel free to seek support from all of us mn's .

PS - I've never heard of that pram superstition and I'm up north (Sheffield)!

I've heard of that superstition, although we kept the pram in our house with ds and he was obviously fine. MIL also said we weren't allowed to put cot up etc etc - I did query about rich people who have a nursery We've stuck the crib up this time (shhh don't tell mil) but I've compromised by not putting any bedding in it so it's not 'ready'. Not that we have any bedding! And the buggy we're not even sure is definately ordered...argh.. so no chance of that being here!

YF - that's really worrying Get it sorted hun.

snowboo - how exciting! I keep dreaming mine is coming early and I wake up in a panic...

Olivo dont worry about panicking me! I'm sure it will be alright. I'll let you know though when the place gets booked!

It's funny me & Sal never heard of that superstition til it was mentioned here today but it seems pretty common!

Thanks sarahlou & booby & all for your support - It's nice just getting it off my chest & having some reassurance.

Hello all,
eeny: I have been thinking loads about my baby being a different nationality to me - my answer has been to buy a load of babygros with an aussie flag on them...I'll force him to share my nationality! I was also chatting to a mum at the school where I work who is white but married to an afro caribbean bloke so her children are mixed race and don't look much like her. She was saying how frustrating it was to have people assume you adopted your children when you're so proud that you gave birth to them.... Think that must be worse...

Can anyone help? I have the worlds most hideous stretch marks which didn't bother me before but recently they have started to itch like mad. I've been using cocoa butter religiously but it is not doing anything for the itching and it's driving me insane!!!

Hi everyone.
Thanks for all the replies. I never thought about the cervix being ripe for induction, you never know though, all these BH's might be doing something and B&Q lady might be right

I've got an appt with the consultant on Tuesday morning and then the MW on Wednesday so I'll have a good chat with them and see what they say.

I have to be honest though and say that I think alot of it is anxiety based and panicking because I know there is no one around anymore. I've spoke to my mum today as her and my dad came back of their holidays last night and I feel a bit better now I know they're back.

I'll shut up now

Aussiemama, I've been getting alot of itching around my belly button. I have been lucky and I've only ended up getting 2 stretch marks which look like scars but thats where the itching is coming from I think. I haven't used anything on them either.

As for supestition, thats definatly gone out of the window here! The babys room is full to busting and we haven't even bought anything.

Todays task, internet shopping and dh has kindly left me his credit card

cocoa butter is rubbish. Used it religiously with ds and still got covered in stretch marks.

What you need is this pot of stuff from waitrose (may have it in boots too) I can't remember what it's called it's a small pot about 8cm across, maybe slightly less high (it's round) with creamy stuff in it, white lid with clear sides iirc, pink label but with handwritingy type print???? It's about £6 perhaps, but absolutely fab, all my friends swear by it and it stopped me getting anymore. It smells a bit urgh though. They also do a body bar in lush that smells the same for 'elasticky skin' (it's not marketed as stretch mark stuff) it's soap shaped, whitey cream coloued, and on the top has three holes and a lump? The cream is better but this is pretty good too.

I'm getting really homesick for Australia.. I don't know if it's so much Oz though, or if it's just I'm so tired of the UK. I never thought I'd bring one child up here not to mention two!

luna, snap on the not putting bedding in the cot so it's not really set up for baby, haven't raised it up to top height yet either as depending on when baby makes an appearance we might have guests before then and need to use it for dd (her room has a big double bed in it so she's evicted when we have guests).

Snow, i'm getting really excited for you now! looks like you'll definitely be the first one from this thread to have your little boy can't wait to see your birth announcment!

eeny, i grew up with parents of differant nationalities.. in holland my mother was the foreign lady and here my dad is still the foreign one. it's never bothered me, i've always been proud of having parents more interesting than the other kids and i'm sure alex will be exactly the same

How are you Snow? Was thinking about you last night and how excited you must be!

Yellow I'm glad you are seeing someone soon, I really hope you get some help when you see the consultant - even if it is treating your anxiety and not a physical problem, whatever works! Have fun with your credit card!

Thanks very much everyone for your comforting words about the whole nationality ussue. It really does help me to talk to you about it and hear these reassurances. I know there are millions of harder problems in life & this is just something I have to deal with. Just gets me down sometimes.

Got a new white mat. top today to wear with a skirt my best friend sent me from the US to a baby dedication this Sunday - I love the outfit and am so excited about getting dressed up!!!

Re stretch marks. I got plenty first time around with ds when I used cocoa butter. This time I have bought a cream from the Boots Meditterranean pregnancy range - can't remember the name but it has olive oil in it. Not got any stretch marks so far with this one! I'll have a look when I next go upstairs and post the name on (bit knackered at the mo so having a sit down!). Anyway, it's in a pot/tub and doesn't smell that bad! Goes on lovely and smooth and isn't greasy!

Crikey SnowBoo!
I missed your post.
Whats been happening and when is your actual due date?
I'm so jealous!!!

Can someone fill me in in case SnowBoo's gone off and had her baby

Hello all, sorry I have not posted in so long. Ive been on holiday and really busy at work. I am due to finish next week. I started a thread on Friday as I thought I had the 'show' and ive had period type pains over the weekend. The same as when I had ds a few years ago. Last time I had no idea I was in early labour and thought it was constipation pains. Ive been catching up with you all it looks like Snow boo could be first - wishing you all the best.

Oh wow Trix!
Have you contacted your MW?

How exciting

Hi Yellow, No I havent do you think I should? I think I could have at least a couple of weeks to go yet. Im just keeping an eye out for any other signs. My ds was born at 37 weeks though. Im seeing the mw on Wed pm, will mention it then unless it really starts to happen before then!