Jan 2014 THREAD 14 -- This will be the lucky one!

[TobyLerone]

We got Thread 13 out of the way without too many mishaps. Phew!

Now it's time to sit on our arses eating entire Chocolate Oranges really get to work on getting some more of these babies out.

Good luck tomorrow, tarka!

another, what you went through, combined with those awful few-days-after-birth hormones, is enough to make anyone a bit emo!

Stabby cervix pains? Check. Also one spot right at the front of my (whatever that bit of lady parts is which is right below belly...like the front bit) which feels like it's burning. Lovely.

More painting done today. And I finally put the curtain rail up in our room and hung the new curtains. It looks fab! DH back to work tomorrow, so I'll put the crib together and actually try to do some cleaning. My house is a midden and I'm terrified I'll go into labour with a dirty house to come back to!

Good luck tarka!
blue they don't offer a sweep until after the due date here. My 38 week appointment is on Friday so I'll ask, but not holding my breath.

toby - I'm in awe of how active you are! I feel like i need a nap within 20 mins of being awake.

tomorrow I'm going to do laundry. I'm also worried the baby will come and I'll have no clean clothes.

anyone elses bump really heavy? Sounds odd, but there's so much pressure and it feels really heavy. It's not comfortable at all

frying my bump has been heavy and uncomfortable since it dropped on boxing day, and i have the lovely nausea and vomiting back like sultana.

id like baby to hang on till due date mid jan so he or she doesnt have a xmas/new year birthday but i am so over being pregnant id also quite like them to just be here already!

oh Another it's not surprising you're feeling emotional after everything you've been through.

I've had a lovely day. Got up late, took the pooch for a long walk down the beach and got some brunch. Then had a lovely afternoon nap. Very unproductive but much needed recuperation. Hopefully will get a bit more done tomorrow.

I hope all the stabby pains where ever they may be! go away soon.

frying my bump has days where it feels really heavy. My stretch marks are really itchy at the moment as well. Having to slather on butter cream every few hours to help.

Hi all, just clocking in. another it's good that you are now going over everything that happened and putting it to rest. It takes some getting used to and presumably a level of grieving too, having a hysterectomy.

Congratulations on the new babies!! You are all heroes. I pitched up both with ds1 and 2 at only 2 cm dilated, screaming like a banshee. Maximum respect!!

Well, 37+3 today and just been swimming en famille...started to feel pretty crampy and having strong BHs now, some as frequent as every five mins, but not consistent. So, nothing special and no show yet, just uncomfortable. Good luck over night anyone who is imminent!

Frying I was told I was having a sweep tomorrow at 39 weeks. ( I said I'd think about it)

I'm next seeing my mw at 40+4 and she said she might give me a sweep then if I beg! But that they don't usually offer them until 41 weeks.

Arg stabby cervix strikes again, been stabbing every 5 mins for about an hour. Google tells me it's my cervix dilating.

i am so flipping trumpy. It stinks and i genuinely feel bad for dh. I just trumped in his direction, he's fled the living room. Apparently he can smell it in the kitchen

I'm hoping for a vbac Toby. It might be why they are offering it early? I dunno. I'm saying no anyway. I'll be induced at 41 weeks otherwise afaik.

So stabby fanjo is dilation? If that's the case, I can live with it. Just.

frying my bump feels like it weighs loads more than it did, and I carry it around in my hands (when there's no one visiting). I think it's the 'lightening' which is old person speak for head engaging. I hope.

Had friends round tonight for leftovers feast and board games, was ace fun, but I am having BHs like a mofo. We did go for a v long walk earlier, may have set it off slightly.

tarka hope all goes well for you.

another you are def entitled to start feeling emotional about the whole thing and I really don't know how you have coped so well.

I am back in hospital with Aurelia. Even after her awesome night she had dropped another 30g in weight and after a blood test they found she now needed light therapy for jaundice.
We came in a 15:40 didn't see anyone until 1700 when they told us what we already knew. Then at 18:50 we finally got put in a room and she went under the lights. Dh has had go home now and I am a mess. I am so worried about her but just want us to go home and be a family. My family visited today (last visit I was in labour so it wasn't much fun and this time I have ended up in hospital with bubs)
Anyway I feel so useless. We don't know what is going on and if I want any food or drink I have to go and find someone to ask for it as not even water from the tap is ok to drink. Baring in mind they want me to eat loads as breastfeeding. Well tbh we have now decided to express as I have lost all confidence in myself (even though all the midwives had previously said to feed on demand as long as its about every 3 hours and stop when she stops but apparently I should have been feeding for at least 20mins each time. Would have been nice to be told this at the start)
I just want to go home, it's horrible. I have no idea what I am doing and feel like it's my fault and I messed up somehow.
I know we might only be in for a night or 2 but Aurelia seems so perfect to me and to think that something is wrong isn't nice.
I don't even have a call button to get help, I have to wander the ward to find someone.
It's just not how I wanted things to be going and I can't stop crying when I look at her in the incubator.

I know dh is upset too, being apart from his new family and his daughter who he is completely in love with but he is being so strong for me.

Oh, frizz, I'm sorry you're going through this with Aurelia :(
AFAIK, though, jaundice is easily treated with light therapy and she'll be fine. Both of mine were jaundiced at birth, although natural daylight managed to sort it, so not as badly. But she'll be ok. And you'll be home very soon. And you're doing great with breastfeeding. This is not your fault and it's very common.

Hang in there

Oh Frizz so sorry to hear you have had to go back in. Please don't feel like a failure, it's hard and you have done your very best for Aurelia. I hope things pick up for you soon and you both get home quickly

Oh frizz hugs xx

thanks ladies.
Aurelia isn't due another feed until midnight but she started crying crazy and moving her mouth. Didn't know what I was supposed to do as the nurses come and help feed etc to the schedule.
Have just gone with my gut and fed her from the breast.She has drained one with a 15 min feed (not sure how much was in there as had expressed at 8:30 and not sure how long they take to refill) and is onto the next.
Hope they don't tell me off as again I just feel like I have to ask permission for decisions about my own child.

Did you offer her the other breast? I vaguely remember that being important. Could be speaking bollocks, i failed breastfeeding ds.

she is your daughter. Maybe tell them what's happened in a "she woke up feeding, she ate from this breast for 15 mins and drained it" don't sound apologetic, just state it.

Sorry, just re-read and saw she's onto the other one

frizz my dd never fed for more than 10mins. Some babies are just very efficient feeders. Surely the more bmilk she has the quicker the jaundice will be flushed out so they can't complain if you're feeding her more frequently than the schedule.

Oh frizz sorry to hear you have had to go back in. The advice I had when I phoned about Mason the other day was to still feed from me, but if he wasn't feeding for at least 20 mins a feed to express and top up with expressed breast milk by bottle, syringe or spoon. The light therapy should work quickly although they do get quite dehydrated so may need to feed more regularly. Three hourly is the minimum interval for feeding, breastfed babies often feed more often. Dd1 averaged 1.5 hourly at this stage, Mason feeds 2.5 hourly.

I hope so and there is still 25ml of expressed milk in the fridge to top up if she is still hungry.
They are supposed to come every hour to check on her but last check was about 1hr 45 ago. Doesn't fill me with confidence tbh.

Also it can be helpful to think of it them like a tap with a flow rather than a milk store. They are never empty, the flow just slows down. When the flow is too slow the baby gets frustrated and stops feeding but there will always be milk available even if you have just expressed - the baby will just have to work harder for it. This website is really good for bfing advice because it is evidence based rather than anecdotal.

Good luck tomorrow for your induction Tarka, hope it all goes quickly for you.

frying my friend from the ante natal ward delivered her baby unexpectedly after only experiencing regular stabby cervix pains, she had no contractions that showed up on the monitor at all. In fact they were just about to send her back to ante natal from labour ward, when they noticed she was pushing and when they checked the head was out!

Thanks for all your support ladies, feeling a lot better now, a good cry works wonders I find. I think I might see about some post-birth counselling to help me process everything. I don't feel bad about having a hysterectomy, I am glad I did as I wasn't sure I was going to make it through the surgery when I got put to sleep.

another that sounds like a good idea. Just to be able to speak to someone impartial about your whole experience. You had a long wait building up to it as well and have been though a lot. Regardless of if you don't feel bad about the end result, it's still a ma or life events (well 2 major llife events)