October 2013: Newborn snuggles and waddles to the finish line

[FeministInTraining]

Stats sheet here

New arrivals here

Key:
SC - still cooking (pre EDD)
SFW - still f*ing waiting (post EDD)
OWT - on way to theatre (CS)
IP - induction in progress
SWIL - somewhere in labour
LIT - lost in transition

Hiya ladies, I just went for my midwife app at 39+ 5 and asked for a sweep, at first she said no because at 39 weeks a woman's cervix is usually closed and hard. She asked why I wanted one and I just casually said I would like to avoid being induced and she said we could give it a go.

'Im very pleased with your cervix' she said!!! I loved it, never been complimented on that before, it's ripe and 1cm dilated and the sweep really didn't bother me, slightly uncomfortable but certainly not painful. So good day for me! She said they work 50% of the time but what's that actually mean, within the day or week?

Thankyou for sharing all your early days stories, they really are a great help, at first I was a bit sulky and trying to hide the green eyed monster about not having my baby yet. But I've told myself to grow up and start taking notes :)

Hi - I'm still on the bus, who else is left? Clapham? Smitten? There must be a few others.

Feeling pretty low this morning - exhausted & nauseous but need to take DS to the park or he'll be climbing the walls. I'm praying he might hsve a nap when we get back! I will probably cry if he doesn't

EDD is today & still no signs of labour - just bloody uncomfortable

Good luck sanji & others IP

Still riding along with you guys! EDD tomorrow. Have been twinging and cramping for so many days, I have no idea what's going on....all I know is labour likely to be imminent in next couple of wks! I really want an October baby though. Hugs to all the others still hanging on. X

Morning ladies! 40+4 here and still twinging on and off, I've given up getting excited at pains so watch me get caught out! Just done another top up shop, I'm getting fed up of being organised, DD's break up for half term today so that will add to the chaos if lil one ever decides to make an appearance!

In other news I've broken my DH, he admitted last night he had a water infection, could it be down to dtd over wkend?! Poor chap he admitted he was in quite a bit of pain but was scared to tell me! Anyways sent him to buy cranberry juice and some painkillers seem to have helped, if it continues today I'll send him to gp!

Glad some of u are finding things easier a few weeks in, just like these last few weeks of waiting, the hard weeks don't last forever and I know I'll do anything to get through them, co sleeping included! (bit easier for me as dh works nights!) my DD's are the same as ur DS pink we all ended up in together in the storm last night! They have been trying hard to not come in to me in prep for new baby, but they are still my babies too, love my cuddles till they kick covers off

threeblondes just keep an eye on urself as water infections can be passed between partners and you don't want that!

had a good night here but H seems a little off today and not feeding very well. think his nose is a little blocked and maybe he has oral thrush as his tongue is very white. mw coming soon so can check it all with her!

Thanks for all the advice and tips. To be honest, I've bad so much advice over the last few weeks that I'm getting a bit foggy headed with it all. I'm going to baby cafe tomorrow to see if someone can sit with me for a whole feed and see where we're going wrong. If things don't improve much I'm not sure how much longer I can carry this on. I know in the long term it will be easier not having to deal with bottles etc and I'm desperate for the last 10 days not to have been a waste of effort but I'm really losing patience and I feel like I don't know what to try next.

Oh, and on other news: pre-pregancy jeans shocker

I'm still on the bus Don'tworry! EDD is today, no sign of anything happening though.

Any movement yet Clapham?

Who else is left on the back seat?

Don't worry roofio dtd didn't work over wkend so I won't be trying again

Sc here, EDD Tomorrow! So still on the back of the bus with the few remaining passengers! Had a bit of a scare last week- went to the DAU for reduced baby movements to find baby was fine but my blood pressure was rocketing- I got admitted, taken to delivery and was to be induced that night- luckily my blood pressure dropped with meds and after a night on the ward was allowed home on Friday!!!

So have been taking this extra time to take note about bfing and sleeping and all the other joys I have to look forward to!!

Have loved seeing all the pictures on fb of all the squishy bundles!!! Too many to name but congratulations to all of you who have your lovely little ones with you already!

I'm still here too, EDD not til the 29th, but I'm feeling so impatient!
DD came at 38 weeks, so this is the most pregnant I've been even though LO is my second.
Some really strong period type pains last night, but nothing today.
I'm officially round enough that even my maternity clothes are just barely coping, not that I want to go outdoors anyway.
Big congratulations and some baby envy to all of you that already have your lovely little ones :)

Glad it's not just me struggling to dress myself Redlips. Even my dresses are skimming my crotch this week. Luckily I've been hibernating, but God knows what I'm going to wear to actually get to the hospital.

Hurry up baby. I've got my eye on some new skinnies from Next for the festive period.

pinkforboys my DD had blue Mongolian birth spots also which is supposedly rare for "white" babies. There must be something in my background though as she and JellyBaby are very sallow skinned.

Good luck to those in labour and hugs to those still waiting.

JellyBaby is 3 weeks old today and is finally back to birth weight and I am back in my pre pregnancy jeans, happy mummy today. On other news HV says my section scar is huge, does anyone else have a hip to hip scar?

I'm still a Backseat Brenda at 40 + 3 and no signs of anything moving. Contemplated DTD but knowing my cervix is 1 cm dilated put DP right off (and me too if I'm honest), so we're just sitting it out for the moment. Mother arriving for ten days tomorrow, so lots of last-minute tidying going on.

Well just thought I'd share my shocker of a night... Dd1 breastfed til age 4, so I have been fairly confident in riding out the early difficulties, knowing it will get easier eventually..

Anyway, last night, A had her first evening of cluster feeding - no probs, I was expecting it, just a bit sore on the nipples. We went up to bed at half 9 and A fell asleep and so did I. At 1am I woke with an agonising pain in my right boob and it was completely engorged like the day my milk came in. First thought was that A was still asleep and I really needed her to feed to relieve the pain! So I lay there waiting and the next thing that happened was uncontrollable shaking (of me) and I felt freezing. I woke Dh and he tried to warm me up, but I just couldn't stop shaking. A woke up and fed and that eased the boob pain very slightly and then she went back to sleep, but I was still shaking 2 hours later and crying with the pain. I got a paracetamol and drank about a litre of water as I felt extremely thirsty. A fed again and this time, the pain eased much more, but now I could feel myself getting hot (but at least the shivering stopped). I managed to get to sleep but woke up completely drenched in sweat - and I mean dripping wet and the bedclothes were soaked through. A fed again at 6 and then I tried to get up to change her nappy but almost blacked out, so got Dh to do it. Eventually, I could feel myself cooling a bit and me and A slept until 0930 (poor Dh had to get up to feed my horses even though he'd been awake most of the night too.)

Now I just have a headache, still got a sore boob and my legs are aching like I've been running, but guess that could just be the tremors. I am wondering if it is a blocked duct or mastitis or something - I never had anything like that with dd1. Dreading tonight but I suppose on the plus side, A slept and fed really well!!

Sorry for the essay, it is just good to be able to write it down.. x

taking sounds like a horrible night! Hope you don't get a repeat.

neenie the way this induction is going you may well overtake me!!

Having a few contractions now, but erratic in both interval and strength. A couple have raised my eyebrows slightly but on the whole they haven't been that strong.

Am being checked again at 2, but having had 2 doses of the gel, the next thing they will do is break my waters, and that requires a room in the delivery suite which is still full. The lady ahead of me is still here too. So will probably have another night in ante-natal. Which is fine, but my DS is missing me :-(. I wonder how many babies will be born on the thread while I am waiting to kick off...

takingachance about a week after the birth I had about 3 nights of uncontrollable shivers (I put a really hot heated blanket over me and it did nothing to rid them), and then after falling asleep I would wake up with extreme sweats (I had removed the heated blanket by this point!). It really is horrible so I feel for you. At about the same time I also had 2 red blotches on my boobs, and I was getting shooting pains in them when feeding. I massaged them when feeding and they eventually disappeared, as did the shakes/sweats. I was put on amoxicillin as well as I wasn't feeling very well generally and the doctor reckoned it was an infection 'somewhere'. Maybe keep an eye out for any red patches and try to massage them out, or if you're feeling ill during the day too then perhaps see a doctor as you may have an infection somewhere. Hope you feel better soon.

After a very late night due to soo many nappy changes (seriously I had to change her nappy 6 times in 4 hours last night) and short feeds when Ailla would fall asleep on the boob and then wake again 5 minutes later crying for food, I had every intention for a lie in today. My plan has been scuppered though by my little girl who is doing exactly the same as she was doing until 3am. Short, unproductive feeds, followed by short bursts of sleep, crying and multiple nappy changes, so no sleep for mummy.
I can smell that another nappy change is required so best go... It's just as well that I love her!

Hi all

Sorry I haven't posted in ages, just don't get much time. Hugs to all those still waiting, i know how frustrating it is but you are all very nearly there.

Ds is 2 weeks now. He's very windy but other than that doing well. I'm so shattered with the lack of sleep and running around after a toddler and my shoulder is really wrecked which doesn't help!

Will try and read back but have been keeping up on fb.

Just found out dh is going away with work for a week at the start of Nov.....eek!

Sounds like mastitis taking, I had it with both my boys. Keep feeding, warm baths and massage and ibfuprofen. Hi to all those still left on the bus. How do I get on the facebook page? I am hoping that looking at the pictures of new babes will stir mine into action.

Taking I would call the midwives for some advice in case you have an infection. Have you taken your temperature?

Thomas had 50mls expressed milk then 40 minutes on one side and can't believe he wanted 10 minutes on the other side too. Now an hour later he is guzzling more. My baby is a milk fiend! Every time I think we are getting the hang of it we then have a few bad feeds but feeling positive at the moment.

Roofio at our breastfeeding class we were told not to look on the tongue for oral thrush, it is usually milk, but look on insides and roof of mouth. I have had oral thrush for weeks, the stops don't seem to be working so I keep checking and hoping I haven't passed it on.

Getting lots of advice, thanks all for posting even if I can't remember who said what.

If you're already on FB neenie, PM me your real name and email and I'll send you an invite.

hi all... I'm still here at 40+1... also the most pregnant I've ever been. DS was 1 week old by now...

thanks for asking everyone - went back to GP yesterday and my BP is still up but is now 130/87 so better than on Monday... plus they found no protein in my urine yesterday. So good news! tarlia I think you might be spot on... I'm surviving on ridiculous amounts of sleep these days so probably this is what pushes my BP up. Wise lady. DP worked from home and took DS to school this morning so I managed to sleep, although interrupted, from 4am to 10am... unheard of these days! but feeling a bit better this morning.

slippy I'm a big upset... we both see St Thomas's midwives but mine refused to give me a sweep at 39+6 on Monday... or even look at my cervix... I'm seriously considering faking reduced movements today, going to triage and beg them for a sweep there... it feels slightly unethical and misleading but I'm desperate...

and yes, told MIL plainly not to call or text every 12 hours as we will call her when we have some news. I think she finally got it although was slightly shocked at my non British bluntness

snaji I'm a positive syntocinon drip and no epidural induction story so don't lose heart! yes, I believe it's rare, they also wanted to give it to me at the start and were a bit shocked when I refused, but I'm a walking proof that you can survive it. I'm not going to tell you it doesn't hurt... but I reckoned no one ever died of pain and I had no comparison then as it was my first birth so no idea how much greater this pain was compared to a normal labour anyway. I wanted to avoid epidural at all costs so this was driving me. I was 9 hours on the drip and managed to stay mobile and upright for 8 hours, before they forced me to go on my back. I had a shot of pethidine 4 hours into the drip which gave me some relief for 30min or so. It helped. You can honestly do it and I'm sure it would all be much quicker for as it's your second! sending you pain relieving thoughts!

chickie sorry things are tough for you these days... I used to fall asleep when feeding DS on my side in bed all the time... it would really scare me at the beginning but I then relaxed. I also noticed that I wouldn't move at all in my sleep when he was next to me (instinct is an amazing thing...) and would wake up all stiff and sore. perhaps just always make sure that your sheets or duvet are nowhere near his face? in case you do fall asleep with him in bed? and hope your family are helping you with DS so you can have some good naps during the day?

Thanks ladies- I think I will speak to the midwives, just been scaring myself reading about breast abcesses

I presume it is ok to continue with breastfeeding when taking anti b's??

Going to take my temp now too - feel like I have fluey aches.

Sounds exactly like you had rox

clapham that's really rubbish, like I said she did say they don't usually do them at 39 weeks, but I really didn't beg or anything just said I really didn't want to be induced because I was hoping for a natural birth. I think I just got lucky, I was first to be seen too, so maybe it was good timing. It was only the second time I saw this midwife so I don't have any relationship with her.

To be honest I don't know whether they would even do a sweep at st Thomas's day unit for reduced movements. I went in at 35 weeks and they put me on the monitor for half hour saw it was all fine and I went. It was a very long wait too.

Also, they may think as it's your second child you don't need as much assistance and it will all come naturally (I know this is nonsense, but they may think like that)

None of this is very helpful, but I really hope baby comes soon for you, it's very frustrating especially with mil's!

also meant to say congrats orange and chickie on your babies' weight gain! Very impressive!

and smitten / red same wardrobe problems here... nothing fits me anymore so I frequently catch myself in public with my belly out... how attractive... luckily no stretch marks here... yet... (desperately trying to look at the positives...) will be very upset with this baby if it will also give me stretch marks in these final days - he is already on borrowed time anyway!