Martians 2014, thread 11. KEGELS!

[LyraSilvertongue]

Shiny new thread, ladies :)

I don't want a birth plan, because I think I will panic more if I don't get what I want (which seems I happen most of the time). If I don't have a plan then fine, if I do and it gets ignored - I panic!

Pram it's lovely how much you trust your doctors, you obviously have always had good experiences.

Hello to the lurkers, hope you join us more often now you have had your telling off from Hot!

No dinner for me, head hurts and just not hungry.

Had to brake the news to my Kitty that after Christmas she won't be allowed to share the bed with us ... It didn't go down well, she's not talking to me. When ever DH walks in the room she does her most snuggly pretty mews and rolls around the bed looking cute ... For me, she walks out the room.

I fully agree with you pram

I was told by health visitor last time round that you need enough water for baby to be under as if baby is touching just touching water but most of skin is exposed, they will be freezing...and baby's control over temp is bad. I think that makes sense to me as if a lot of my body was exposed when in the bath, I'd be absolutely freezing.

Also the bath supports are grand but the ones that float on top of water are not a good idea for the same reason unless you are continually pouring warm water over baby. I'm happy for someone to come along and correct this but I followed that advice last time round,

More typos...sigh.

Off to write some UCAS references and do need to get brain into gear...

Coolhand sorry didn't make clear - meant enough water for the body to be under but not the head!

IceNoSlice my friend practically kissed me when I made this discovery as her LO used to have hideous explosive nappies which went over everything, and she used to have to bathed him totally due to rolling upwards. So once tip was put into action, didn't need as much cleaning as previously!

Blockette - ooh dear hope Kitty forgives you in time. Mine eventually did, but still treat it as a real achievement if they ever manage to break into my bedroom and lie on the bed without me knowing!

That reminds me, must sort the door on the room where DS and baby (once old enough) will be sharing, as the cats can ram open the door at mo due to funny catch on it, and go and snuggle with DD who loves them doing this. As she'll be swapping rooms, would rather cats left DS & baby alone, or none of us will ever get any sleep!

Has anybody else had Braxton Hicks???

For the last week or so I have had this tightening pain in my lower abdomen that comes in waves and then goes completely. I had thought it was round ligament pain. It just happened again just now and it was soooo sore, I had tears in my eyes. I googled the symptoms (in case it was anything sinister) and it sounds just like Braxton Hicks! I didn't know you could get them this early on??

Re birthplans: I agree with block that they can sometimes be yet another thing women beat themselves up over (ie. birth didn't go according to plan therefore I have failed etc etc). However having said that, here's why I think they're a good idea....
With DD1 I went to NHS antenatal classes (excellent btw) and I was the person asking all about which drugs were available and how soon I would be able to request an epidural (e.g. on arrival?). At the 3rd session we had a really inspirational midwife and on the basis of her talk on active birth/waterbirth I immediately went home and wrote a (somewhat optimistic) birthplan based on that then promptly forgot about it (and to be honest I didn't think the midwives would really pay much attention to it). Fast forward a few weeks: about 2 hours into my labour I was politely asking for my epidural (tip: don't ask for it in a quiet/polite voice, yell and scream for it as though you are dying otherwise they don't think you mean it). But my midwife said "....oh but I've just finished filling the birthpool as you said in your birthplan you wanted a waterbirth/no drugs...". Argh!!! Anyway to cut a long story short, she persuaded me to give it a try and I ended up delivering within a couple of hours without needing pethidine, epidural etc. Was so grateful to that midwife - without her I'd have probably not thought I had it in me to go for that type of birth. With DD2 I covered all bases by saying I wanted a waterbirth but would be happy to take drugs and have interventions if things went a bit 'off course'.
This time the consultant has told me that I won't be allowed a delivery at the birth centre if this baby turns out to be huge so I'm a bit

Hmm. I will clearly need to give this bath thing some thought!

Just catching up, I've been lurking and reading with interest....

With regard to delayed cord clamping there are guidelines out there, (think NICE has given preliminary guidance before it is published) our hospital has a guideline, it is recommended to wait at least 1 minute or until the cord has stopped pulsating before clamping and cutting the cord. This is unless the baby requires urgent resuscitation, basic resus ie stimulation can be done while cord is attached.

If you're going for physiological third stage ie no interference for delivering placenta then cord should be left until placenta is delivered or unless it is too short to hold baby up etc.

Also you don't have to write a birth plan but I love it when women do as it gives me an insight into what they know already and their wishes especially if they are already in the throws of labour and don't wish to discuss with me that they want an active third stage, or vitamin k for baby, injection or drops, if they want skin to skin, does dad want to cut the cord, do they want to find out the sex themselves, this all applies for a caesarean aswell whether planned or not. Please don't just say you'll do as you're told, that makes me sad as I want to give care to women who tell me what they want, its their body, their baby, not mine!

And like BWP states not all MWS are up to date with the latest evidence on certain topics and may be old school, most aren't but like all professions there are good and bad! please don't be scared but be prepared just in case your MW isn't hippy or old school enough for you, as someone said a labour can change on shift change sometimes, it's not right that it does but unfortunately we can't work 24hour shifts!

I'm having my 2 MW friends with me at home as well as OH to act as doulas just in case I don't gel with the midwife who turns up on call the night I go into labour. Make sure you choose your birth partners well, they can act as your advocate should things go against what you want, whether it be monitoring, pain management or too many unnecessary vaginal examinations. If your midwife isn't already being your advocate.

Sorry for being miss midwife but couldn't read and run :)

Got my scan tomorrow am equally excited and worried.

Ooh cross posted with PainAuxRaisins there, totally agree with the birth plan for what you have described happened, I have done the same for someone!

Hotcross, I've been having BH for ages. Are you sure that's what you're getting? It shouldn't hurt. Mine don't, anyway.

Also HotCrossPun Braxton hicks shouldn't be painful (or this early really) sounds like ligament pain or possibly a UTI that may be causing irritation?

Mention to GP or MW if gets worse, I've had some pretty bad ligament pain at work when I know I've been doing too much, stretching, lifting and general walking the miles of ward corridor!

Sorry to disappoint you, Madwife, but I honestly don't care how my placenta comes out, or whether they give my baby vitamin K (I'll leave that to their discretion) or whether my husband has skin-to-skin with the baby. I know exactly what drugs are available to me and I am not afraid to ask for what I need on the day.

Hottie, how are you finding the home birth videos? Are some of them more 'successful' or 'easy' than others? If so, how? Are the films helping you to formulate your own vision of what you want (or don't want) to happen?

That's fine Pram but they will need your consent to do anything to you or your baby, especially giving it an injection! and this should be informed consent ie you know what you're consenting to, just a heads up really as long as you know what it is before you don't have to write it down but can make things easier when all you want to do is concentrate on dealing with pain and not answering annoying questions and a midwife explaining all the options to you when all you want is for them to shut the hell up!

Ooooh wouldn't it be ace if CallTheMadwife had delivered PainAux's baby?!

Aw I'm really disappointed they aren't BH. I was looking forward to it happening again so I could practice dealing with the pain. My waterworks are fine so it must be that pesky RLP! Thanks Mad & Lyra

Prambo I am loving all the home birth videos. I'm pretty sure youtube is going to run out of new ones for me to watch soon. To be honest, the homebirth/waterbirth combo that I watch always do tend to look a lot easie/quicker/less shouty than the births you see on One Born Every Minute. I don't know why that is though.

Madwife, how did our mothers deliver their placentas? Since when have we had to make decisions about injections?

Because they're ace HotCrossPun that's why and the women are in control :)

I've just outed myself as a hippy midwife haven't I!? Oh well.

Hottie, I have yet to see a horrid, distressed water birth experience

*distressing

Sorry Hottie. Call me strange but I quite like BH. It's the light-headed feeling that comes with them. A natural high, if you will

I've also been having a lot of low-down pain which I'm assuming is stretching.

In the olden days women delivered their placentas, what we now call physiological third stage. By maternal effort and gravity, usually within 1 hour.

Then at some point a doctor found that a drug used to stop excessive postpartum bleeding, ergometrine could be combined with a drug called syntocinon (synthetic oxytocin - love hormone, ensures contraction of uterus) worked not only to reduce bleeding in emergencies but also could be used to deliver the placenta without the need for maternal effort, so you are given an injection then midwife uses controlled cord traction to effectively pull it away from the uterine wall and through the vagina, whilst ensuring it doesn't bring your uterus with it! side effects are severe nausea and vomitting along with others as there always is with any drug. It became common practice in the 70-80's along with shave and enemas, and compulsory episiotomies for all primips. Thankfully women are given a choice now, though in my experience most women choose injection because they believe it to be quicker, however in studies it has been found that it isn't always, most physiological third stage conducted properly will deliver within 15-30mins, and some placentas will still take this long with the injection and controlled cord traction. Everyone is different and it cannot be predicted, like everything else to do with pregnancy and childbirth!

There was a massive study on the difference in blood loss between those with syntometrine/syntocinon and those without, overall blood loss was found to be similar just occurring at different times, ie sometimes more at birth and then afterwards or less at birth but more prolonged afterwards.

It's all personal choice but I'm going for physiological as you always have the option of having the injection should you need it, ie bleeding, or if it has not delivered after an hour. Although this can be due to other reasons not just a need for the injection, a full bladder, lack of gravity etc can delay a placenta coming out.

Thanks, Madwife. I want the physiological (natural) process. Surely I don't need a birth plan for this, do I? I'm happy for them to inject me if I need it. I'm really not arsed.