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

[hackneybird]

Ding dong!

My sister and sister in law both rave about their ergos, so we've just decided to go for that. SILs giving me her wrap sling, but looking at it I'm already confused about how it's worn!

Bumble that's very funny.

Marlena totally get not telling anyone you're in labour, I don't think I did, although DH and I 'disappeared' and weren't contactable for about three days, so everyone guess what was up. They were very tactful and stayed away and waited for us to update once DH was born. We're lucky and have reasonable families.

Lady good news about the GTT,hope you can relax a bit more.

Bee there are a variety of pain relief options available as every labouring woman is in different circumstances and will be having a different experience and will have different preferences. And like nosey says, everyone reacts differently. So what is better for one woman is not better for another.

Haha, Bumble, that's brilliant! Think I might do the same as Summerbaby and leave my phone somewhere!

Glad to hear GTT result Lady, shame thyroid no better though. Still, as you say, at least you know why you don't feel any better.

Thanks for the sling library info- looks like there is a good one near me and although I don't think they have specific twin slings they do drop ins and consultations which will be useful. Haven't thought of using two separate ones but suppose that is a possibility. Am seriously considering not bothering with a buggy to start with, just have carrier(s) and see how things go. Hmm...

Thanks LadyG will do a bit of research - yes he used to slip down a lot maybe I wasn't v good at tying it properly.

Yes pethidine was the bees knees for me & gas & air was fab too. When they came to me with 2 paracetamol on a tray however I almost killed them...

LadyG - Fab news on test results :)

Afternoon all. I got all caught up in rl over Christmas and the new year, but am back to mn now and hoping to catch up a bit! Had my 16w midwife appointment yesterday, and got to hear the heartbeat, so I'm reassured I'm still pg :)

Hope everyone else had a good festive break?

stacks my festive break was so relaxing (even with a 4yo) I'm finding it REALLY hard to get back into the swing of things.

Pleased you had a good one and had a positive 16wk appt.

I must say I've found it hard with DH going back to work. DS (1yo) is lovely, but he's hard work! He's getting very cute, but is showing a temper more and more these days. On a bad day I find myself wondering how I'll cope with two of them!

Hi, as I've said gas & air hasn't been used in over 30 years where I'm from and I have seen several midwives say, why on earth would you use that, just get an epidural, it's much safer and less harmful. It's another one of those cases where what is recommended in one country is seen as dangerous/harmful in another, and I find it baffling!

My issue is mainly with the fact that from the comments I've seen on UK births you often aren't allowed any other type of pain relief before trying gas & air, which sounds problematic to me.

As I've said, I base my questions on second hand information and might well end up loving it!

Oh, and also, I hope no one feels put on the defensive by my questions, just like I try not to be put on the defensive by your questioning my questions - it's just that all my friends and family have had babies in Germany and the approach is so different I sometimes feel a bit alone and even more disoriented than I'd normally feel about the whole thing.

The epidural for my first birth was great, but it was the reason I needed a CS. When they topped it up, my blood pressure would fall (slightly) which caused DS to have long heart decelerations. Gas and air didn't do much for me, and I didn't want pethidine because I react badly to opiates (waking nightmares etc). For this baby I'm hoping to get away with just gas and air and a water birth, but I'll just have to wait and see. DS was 16 days overdue and an induction - my body just didn't seem to know how to do labour. I'm hoping a natural labour will be better than the hormone drip, and less painful.

Gas and air is a completely different kettle of fish to having an epidural though. Epidurals don't work for everyone and there are plenty of draw backs. I think pain relief choices in labour are like a box of chocolates you can generally try a few different ones out and see what you like... I scoffed the whole box incidentally!

Heh, yeah. My friend had an epidural for her labour a couple of months ago. Didn't do much, and she then proceeded to shock the midwife by getting up and turning over in the bed. I'm not sure they believed her when she said it didn't work. It was all put in correctly, she just seemed kind of immune to it.

I have had both an epidural and used gas and air. I am another who needed medical intervention due to the epidural so I will not be having one again. Water and gas and air. Most of my friends have had ELCS where I am from and yet I think that is ludicrous.

Each to their own I guess but as you have said you only know from second hand information and as most people find gas and air helps them concentrate it doesn't seem that bizarre to use it.

Well, I'll just stop asking questions then, thanks anyway.

I've also had a birth with an epidural and Gas & Air and although no pain with epidural it slowed everything down, dd went into distress and I required a lot of intervention to get her out almost a emcs but managed to just get her out.
I think I prefer the naturalness of using gas & air and letting nature run it's course.
This time I'm hoping to go to new MLU and use the birthing pool with gas & air. I remember speaking to a midwife once who said the emcs rate would probably drop if we didn't use epidurals.
Each to their own and I love the box of chocolate analogy.

Having an epidural is very extreme in relation to taking gas and air. It is so long lasting and has much more of an impact (such as slowing down labour dramatically and leading to more EMCS) than G&A, which in its effect is so fleeting in comparison.

But yes, G&A and pethidine are routinely offered way before epidurals. I suppose for the reason above and because of the cost to the NHS. If an epidural is more likely to lead to further intervention which in turn may be more likely to lead to EMCS, then that is very costly, not to mention the increased recovery time needed by Mum.

I had a walking or mobile epidural. I thought they were the norm these days, rather than the ones that render you totally immobile. That seems archaic!

No need to stop asking questions BEE? Just be accepting of other people's answers perhaps?

As I mention upthread I LOVE the idea of a walking epidural! Do they still slow things down? I assumed that the main reason the epidural slowed down my labour (and thus ended in EMCS) was because I was stuck to the bed.

Think it's a very interesting topic of conversation as there are so many preconceptions about painrelief. I was very 'oh no, I wouldn't want an epidural' before birth - I probably didn't want to acknowledge that labour would actually be painful enough to need one! :) But it was the best thing at the time (maybe/probably!)

Also interested Marlena that you said gas and air helped you concentrate. I felt like I lost control with gas and air and it made it worse. I felt like I was really horribly stoned. (not that I have been stoned for at least 10 years officer)

Nevermind me, I'm having a bout of stroppiness/teariness and like the big toddler I currently am will just take a nap.

I understand that you all say gas & air is fine, and it's being used more in other countries, too, but all the medical advise I've read says epidural is a safer option and leads to faster/better labour (vs. slowing things down, which it seems to do here).

In the end it'll all be such a whirl I'll end up being happy with everything, but it's very hard for me to see how there can be two such opposing views - and not just from people giving birth but actual medical professionals.

Hence my confusion!

Can't believe I'm actually crying over this, stupid hormones.

Is it a valid choice to just hope that I go to bed and then wake up with the stork having delivered the baby?

I don't want an epidural due to the fact that at least for my trust it appears statistically that more intervention or EMCS are caused as a result. That said - speak to me afterwards and I too probably will have had the whole box of chocolates as well! .

Went to the hospital last night to look at the labour ward. Lovely new and clean and the best room has a view over the city (the shard, gherkin etc) which is stunning. A bit wasted though as I'm sure when it comes down to it I really wouldn't give a crap what the view was like!

Has anyone had or is considering a Doula? The only concern that I have re going to the hospital rather than a birthing center is the medical slant of the whole process - thinking of getting a Doula to make the process more positive.

I'm not an expert and this is only my experience but I think that the ha an air effects you differently depending on your pain levels and how far into labour you are.
When I arrived at hospital I was already 10 cms dilated and the pain was intense.
The midwife was insistent that I use the gas and air as I felt a bit panicky! I didn't really think it helped but I don think it must of and helped me to focus on my breathing.

When ds was out and they said to use it for stitches and catheter it made me feel weird and woozy.
I think if I'd used the gas and air too early when say I was maybe 4cms I wouldn't of liked that feeling but when my pain was most intense it helped.

Don't know if that makes any sense. It may be totally wrong but just how I felt about it after.

nosey you are making me laugh today.

I don't know if they slow things down - in my case DS got stuck in the birth canal as he was in the stargazer position. Forceps didn't work either so I had an EMCS.

But because I was also on the hormone drip I was vein monitored so less able to move around so freely because I was tethered with a bloody cord to the monitor. I think if you can move around and squat and such then it would help things progress enormously in comparison with being flat on your back.

I enjoyed G&A but I understand it makes some people feel quite queasy.

Bee In Germany do they routinely have walking or mobile epidurals there? Perhaps that's why epidurals are viewed as more successful there because the mobility assists with the birth.

That makes sense ohclutter as I had gas an air quite early. I was on the hormone drip for induction too and it was very awkward to move about. Sorry if recent posts have all been a bit 'me, me, me, I had that, I did this' etc etc but I am finding it really helpful to properly think about the whole thing etc and other peoples experiences :) :)

My mum loved G&A but Dad told her to leave off it for the moment of my sisters arrival so she could fully 'appreciate' it. I can picture my mum's face

Hope you feel better after a nap BEE. I have been having a down day too - had a big row with DP last night (pretty unusual for us.. can only think of 3 major rows in 6 years) that is, as yet, unresolved. At least it is the weekend though! I am taking DS to his first dance class tomorrow morning a v much looking forward to it.