June 2014: New Year, new trimester, new thread! June bugs no 7!!

[hackneybird]

Ding dong!

I was actually in a private room as I arrived at 3am and they were full. Cue much annoyance at me appearing. Begrudgingly given a private room, DH sent home and me being left completely alone with a newborn. I was then shouted at because she was crying and told to strip her and give her skin to skin, then shouted at by another midwife as clearly she was freezing. I was told someone would see me to check DD at about 10am and we were eventually seen about 6pm and finally discharged. I felt so alone after DH left. I want to be with him in my own bed this time. And hopefully with DD too once things are cleaned up!

BEE they have very few apparently. Although I got one.

What are the reasons for staying in the postnatal ward? And how long have you stayed if you did? My midwife was telling me that for straight forward births, even births that requires instruments or stitches afterwards, they try to send the mom and baby home after only a couple of hours. My SIL was home 5 hours after her son was born, despite having had an epidural and a bad tear. I would imagine a cs would obviously require a couple days' stay, but other than that what are the reasons for having to stay longer if you don't want to?

All this talk of labour is really useful - I feel like I have no idea about most of it so it's helpful to hear people's real stories!

Currently wondering if there is a proven method for deflating a bump... I'm fairly sure at least 80% of it is air and I'm so uncomfortable - has been painful all evening! Not impressed!!

Apart from this and the tiredness ism actually starting to enjoy being pregnant. I think it's partly that it makes me feel a bit special iyswim, and partly because I'm now slowing myself to get a teensy bit excited about the result

Wispa a friend of mine was in for ten days because the baby lost too much weight after it was born and needed a feeding tube (apparently it's common for them to lose a bit of weight but not too much). She was five weeks early though so I don't know how much difference that made.

wispaxmas I think partially it depends on how busy the hospital is-if they have no spare beds then obviously they'll try to vacate them as quickly as possible.
I stayed for 4 days-the reasons were:I lost quite a bit of blood,DS was 2 weeks overdue,his blood sugar was low,temperature was not stable and I wanted to breastfeed him.He wasn't too keen on boob at the beginning and I didn't have much clue about proper latching and so on.
Most mums were leaving next day after delivery but there were a few who left a few hours after giving birth.

Hi there all, my 16 week check with consultant was good yesterday and heard the heartbeat which was great. Placenta pretty much the same so another scan at 18 weeks. Told work today and all was fine and my boss was shocked as he didnt suspect (i guess i covered my moping well whrn he was around) Then 5 mins later I went to the loo and got a bright red bleed - had anyone else had this? Turned to brown blood pretty quickly but if I wipe now still a little brown ( sorry tmi). I felt flutterings today but very tired. We did dtd at the weekend but not sure if I would get such a delayed response.

Panic- no experience of this but probably worth giving the midwife a call in the morning I'd say.

Summer - sorry about episiotomy ! Everyone I know who's had them say they're fine but I didn't have one so it's just the thought that terrifies me. Wispa I'm sorry that link doesn't work for me it says I have no authority for directory ??

Re hospital stays. Bee check your local policy - some have a policy of a minimum 1 night stay for a 1st time Mum but it depends on you & the baby as if either of you need to stay you both will (this is also far preferable to rushing home & baby being admitted again later on a children's ward).

Things that can contribute - feeding (are you coping / managing successful feeds if you want to bf) jaundice (many babies are quite jaundiced I was discharged with a slightly jaundiced baby) blood transfusion (they may need to monitor you) epidural (they need to make sure you can walk recover fine & are emptying bladder properly) injuries (if baby suffered any birth injuries they may need a bit longer) c section (don't know standard but both friends were in 2 nights) blood loss (if you're losing too much) the list is endless

So basically - who knows! I was begging to leave I did not want another night in a ward where they kept losing my meals surrounded by babies crying all night with a horrible bed. I had my baby packed up in his car seat dressed and ready to go & just kept checking if my notes were ready so I could leave (they said if they didn't have time to write up my file I'd have to stay anther night but otherwise could go that afternoon so I was checking every hour or two).

I gave both at 3pm and left 24 hours later.

I gave birth even!

Wispa I had no birth plan last time and was put off by attitudes of doctors around me socially so left pretty much all decisions to professionals. I knew a lot about some things epidurals water births etc (I had wanted a water birth) but episiotomies were not something I really looked in to I just took doctors at face value & tbh found the idea quite unpleasant so just hoped it wouldn't be me! This time I need to do a lot more research in to quite a few things but am waiting until my therapy gets underway. For example we have a very expensive recently new birth unit locally that everyone raves about but I am terrified of using and being away from doctors as I now have an almost phobia of midwives. Hopefully therapy will enable me to be a bit more rational & look in to some options etc

I stayed because there was nobody to remove the drip thingy from my arm so I could be discharged. There was some attempt to make sure feeding was going well but essentially they told me to give her formula if she wasn't feeding. Nobody showed me what to do or anything.

With my dd I had an Episiotomy but due to everything going on and the epidural I was unaware of this until after. The worst part was going for a wee after as that was nippy.
I stayed in for 4 nights with dd as my first, I was bf'ing, she was a little jaundiced, to check my recovery following epidural.
I actually found the stay ok as the midwives were so helpful. I would bf dd and they would come and take her away to let me get some sleep.

I got the baby blues on day 2 and was helpful to be in hospital with this and to then get over it. I shared my ward with 4 other mums and ended up friends with one of the others who lived near me.

With ds it was all so quick and whilst the midwife was stitching me up she was talking about my discharge. I hadn't even held ds yet.
I wanted to stay and asked if this would be possible. She laughed and said, no beds available, this is your second.
They did find me a private room with a bath that I could use until all checks had been carried out and we could go home and that was lovely. I was able to have a nice bath then have a lovely cuddle with ds. Then it was waiting hours on the doctor coming round and we were discharged at 1:30pm and home by 2pm.

Just realised i stayed in for 3 nights, had her 8pm on Friday night and left Monday lunchtime.

I had ds on Saturday morning and left Monday evening. He was small so they were doing checks. It wasn't an horrendous experience but it wasn't great. I waa in a ward with three other women though didn't really see anyone. As ds was in a hot cot (plugged in) I couldn't leave my bed which was tough. I waa discharged Monday morning but they couldn't find a pediatrician to discharge ds. By 6pm I'd had enough and discharged him myself and brought him back as an outpatient the next day for final checks.

panicmechanic I had something similar on Christmas day, although it was mostly just brown blood. It was only a very small amount when I wiped, but happened a few times on Christmas day and again on boxing day. There is a phone number (the local early pregnancy unit) in my notes that my midwife had said to call if there was any bleeding before 24 weeks, so I ended up calling on the afternoon of the 26th. The midwife I spoke to said it was almost certainly nothing to worry about so basically just to monitor it for now, but if it changed in any way, got heavier, became red, or even if I was still worried, that I should just call back and they would get me in for an exam to check my cervix.

Luckily, it stopped almost as quickly as it had started and there has been nothing since (fingers crossed!) so hopefully that's it. I'd had my 16 week appointment on Christmas eve and all was fine!

So if I were you, I'd call my midwife for reassurance but I don't think you have anything to worry about.

panic I agree with others, I would call the midwife to discuss and see what they suggest. My notes also say to call regarding any bleeding at all before 24 weeks (it actually says to visit A&E). My only experience of bleeding was early on between 8 and 11 weeks when I had three separate bleeds, one which was bright red, but stopped almost as quick as it started. I had a scan at EPAU that time and all was fine.

I would contact them for some reassurance. It could just be linked to the position of the placenta, or simply be a haematoma thingamajig (which is what they said mine could have been) which is essentially like a blood blister popping.

Great you heard the heartbeat, and am sure all is ok

Humph......whinge alert! I was supposed to have my 16 week check today at 12:00, have literally been counting down the days and woke up at 6am so excited.

But, I got a call at 7:45 to say the appointment has been booked with the wrong midwife team, not even for the right hospital! And so they cannot see me :(

I'm so disappointed, immediately burst into tears (slightly irrational) but I have been so looking forward to checking if all is ok and now I can't find out. I have to call up and book a new appointment once they open at 9am.

How they managed this I have no idea, I have my hospital patient number when I booked the appointment and even called to confirm it on Monday!!

Angry, but mostly just v upset that I won't be able to check if everything is ok today :( :( gutted

Awww that's rubbish Vicky! Id probably cry as well!!!
Hope you get another appointment ASAP!

That is terrible vicky and even worse it took this long for them to bloody figure that out. I hope that you get your appointment soon.

Speaking of all this birth stuff is anyone actively considering an ELCS? Esp first timers - I know that there is a really useful thread on the childbirth board but wanted to know if any ladies had thought this far ahead.

I am considering this option - having heaps of issues at the moment due to previous multiple abdominal surgeries and scared that labor is going to make it worse - so think that maybe an ELCS is going to be a sensible option as I really want to avoid going down the epidural route for a VB and the potential associated interventions that increase in chance if I am going to do that. Figure a) I already am fully aware of what I am getting into healing wise etc due to previous experience and b) if I am going to get an epidural I may as well go the ELCS route and I have a feeling it may end up that way anyway.

I know I dont have to make a decision yet - but considering I was keen on a MLU water birth with no Epidural I need to get my head around the fact that this probably wont happen now!

that is annoying Vicky

I was trying to book our fights for our summer holidays but can't do it on line. At the end of the booking they ask for the infant's name. that cam be tricky since we don't even knot if it's a boy or a girl

Oh that is crap Vicky, whinge away. Are you waiting a callback for an alternative appointment?

With DD1 I was in labour for 27 hours, I stopped dilating at like 8/9cm so they had to give me some meds to help me along, I screamed for an epidural at this point, I had had two bouts of pethidine and that was the max. BUT before the epidural could work the pitocin (think that's what it is called) kicked in and I started to dilate and had to push....so I felt everything after having that needle in my back! But I was out within 24 hours slight tear no stitches. With DD2 I was in labour for 4 hours, and had her within 20 mins of getting to the hospital, no time for drugs even although I begged them - in fact OH nearly missed it because he was trying to park the car. But because she was low birth weight I had to stay in for 3 days- and I was lucky enough to get a private room.

I've been googling 3rd labour and I've seen that even although you've been through it before ANYTHING can happen, so I'm still nervous and want a hospital birth with access to all pain relief!

Plus had my 16 week appointment yesterday, all ok and got to hear the heartbeat. Anybody else rhesus negative and need to have anti d?

Oh Vicki that's rubbish, I hope they can book you q new appointment quickly.

I'm still quite appalled they only keep you in for 2 days after a CS, seems short to me. It's interesting that in Germany they actively encourage an epidural if labour stalls a bit and dilation doesn't progress - it's not just about pain relief but also about relaxing things down there.

Very different to what you hear about epidurals here.

Those of you who've already bought a pram, what did you go for? We're going pram shopping on Saturday and we have two favourites but I'm nosy!

I was told postnatal ward at Whittington should better be avoided and they don't have private rooms.. i really want to use their MLU where you can stay for one night after birth with DH by your side. But if they do decide to put me on beta-blockers, aspirin or what not, I probably won't be eligible.. :((