February 2014 - all our bags are packed, we're ready to go...

[sunflowered]

Well... we're getting there at least, and definitely ready to meet the first thread baby!

Woop sunflowered that sounds positive so far fx it continues and DEFINITELY call someone to give you some food!

I'm due the first in my nct class by a week, and a month ahead.of some. Will not be impressed if someone overtakes me!

Thanks for the advice poppy saves me lots.of bag space ;)

Winter I'll be 34 weeks by the time I start my NCT classes next monday. Must admit it'll be nice being ahead of some people (hopefully) having been lagging behind most on this thread!

Went to the supermarket last night for a very light shop and felt like I'd been hit by a truck by the time I got back. Wtf is up with this fatigue?
Now today all I've done is walk to the doc's and back and I already feel like I've been hit by a much smaller truck. Stupidly tired - not looking forward to the next few weeks.

There are only 2 babies left to be born from my NCT - mine and another. The other is having a girl so that brings the total to 5 girls and one boy so far! Wonder what I'll have? One girl just let us know she had her baby at home with instructions over the phone from midwife!

Nobody has popped from our NCT group yet! First due date is later this week. I wonder what will come first for me, a thread birth or an NCT birth...

Julietee I'm totally zonked today too. Awake for about two hours last night but more than made up for it with going back to sleep between 7.30-9.30 and 10-11. Feel like I'm in a fog - not sure how I will cope with genuine sleep deprivation when baby arrives!

Dawn I didn't fall asleep until 4 last night, and have been fed up with pregnancy since week 6 probably, due to all the 'side effects', so I know what you mean! Also getting poked at both sides of bump, no idea what he's up to really. Last night it was bottom and top at the same time at one point as well.

Glitter welcome :D

Artistic That sounds like a lovely sleep indeed :)

Julietee I get you with the exhaustion, everything seems to require a lot of energy now.

Have gone through all the baby clothes and cut tags off, and sorted the tiny bit of "equipment" we had too! And started to read some of my useful books that I have left to read. Don't think the "what to eat when pregnant" will be read though :P

Dreamt me and OH won a free holiday to Spain. Disappointed now!

I went back to bed from 10-12 - no sleep, just TV watching. Still, I feel perkier!
Given how pooped I was yesterday, I'll probably take it easy today and not try to walk again. Bah. I'm considering trying an aqua aerobics class, but don't know if it'll be a bit intense?

Speaking of poo, doc gave me a prescription for lactulose. I haven't been properly constipated, but things are getting... harder.
He also had a feel of bump and he is still head down, despite all my lounging! Yay!

Also, DH thinks bump is bigger today. I have had all the symptoms I've come to associate with a growth spurt, so maybe?
But - isn't it all growth spurt from here on out?

julietee I know what you mean with that :)

Am also wiped out by stupidly small activities as well, it's such a strange feeling as used to being quitw on the go. currently back in bed for a post lunch nap zzzz

I think my baby is on a crazy growth spurt at the moment! It seems to be growing lots, is a bit quieter and I've been getting ligament pain. As well as me being exhausted.

FIL popped around with their present for baby, a stokke tripp trapp and newborn set we're really chuffed!

Just tucking into some apple cake, it's still warm from the oven. yummy.

Well midwife suspected breech but couldn't tell for sure, so scan on Thursday to confirm. Looking forward to seeing little one again and guess what will be will be. I can't help but think there will be a part of me that will be very sad about missing out on the experience of vaginal birth though, if it does come to that.

Now at the uni library trying to make tracks with dissertation. Only 1000 words to go before first draft is done.my bump has had quite a few dirty looks...I sort of want to put a sign on it saying 'this bump was planned! Ps I am 28 and have been married for 5 years' (not that it would matter a jot if those things weren't the case...)

I'm so envious of all these day time naps! No chance if even laying down with my energetic 3 year old

My energy levels are crap today, after yesterday's sudden bout of activity....

julietee might be worth getting iron checked again in case that's causing fatigue? It sounds like you've been really active though so might be time to start winding down and see if that makes a difference?

Any chance of bringing your infusion forward artistic? Given how close we are to the end a week's difference could have a real impact for you.

Not much sleep here either. Different types of monitoring/pills at 10, 11, 12, 1, 6, 7 and 8... (and woken up by others on the ward between 1 and 6). Maternity is all single rooms here though so could be a lot worse.

Plan is watch and wait - will deliver at 37 weeks if stays stable but current ok bp is no indicator that it'll continue to behave, so it's "any time" rather than booking a date in 3 weeks. Out of interest, do any of you have experience of induction before 37 weeks? Have been recommended cs as induction unlikely to work that early for 1st preg. Feel like I've been training for a marathon then bust my knee on the walk to the start... Healthy baby a bit earlier than planned is still the expected outcome though, just with a few more people getting a good view of my fanjo en route

cross post marzi - i know wanting to push a watermelon out of a button hole naturally is a bit bizarre, but being told it's prob not an option is strangely disappointing.

sorry fat p-e fingers hit post too soon - was going to add that I'll be here to share experiences with if it comes to it. Great progress on the dissertation though (apart from the judgemental fellow library users )

Well the verdict is in and placenta too close to cervix so planned c section. Was a bit of a shock as thought they wouldn't decide for another two weeks but both sonographer and consultant seemed fairly confident it's not going to change. Final growth scan booked for 37 weeks then c section should be anytime between 12th and 18th Feb!!! Pretty scared if I'm honest

Thanks sunflowered. The marathon analogy is a very apt one! I'm 36 weeks so...who knows...we may be getting sliced around the same time! All the med and monitoring sound like a real pain, though reassuring that they are keeping a very close eye on you. What a relief that you have your own room. So does watch and wait mean staying in hospital from now on, or will you go home but have regular check ups?

Sassy sorry to hear that re placenta. Is it the surgery that you're worried about? If you pop 'positive elcs stories' into the MN search box you will get stacks of very reassuring accounts..I have been reading all that I can get my hands on.

Looks like a few of us are headed for sections then. Sassy mine will be that week too, but haven't been given a date yet. They'd like to do it at exactly 39 weeks, which for me would be 14th Feb, but I'm desperately hoping to avoid a Valentine's baby! I guess I will know in a couple of weeks when I have my consultant appointment. Fingers crossed!

I have had two very positive caesareans - one emergency, one elective. The nice thing about the elective was that I wasn't too drained from hours and hours of labour - with DS1 I was fiendishly tired and practically hallucinating as I'd been awake in labour all the previous night and that day (20 hours), and eventually had a section in the evening, and was up most of the night with him, only catnapping for maximum half hour intervals from about 1am-6am, with feeds etc in between.

Been too busy doing tidying and sorting today and now my back and pelvis are in agony. Stupid SPD. I have overdone it, and what's more, have to pick up DC and then teach all afternoon/ evening now, when I really want to just collapse! DH is out on a training course tonight for Scouts (I am supposed to be on it too, but have made my excuses as I don't know how committed I will be once baby arrives!)

Thanks Sugar and Marzi - it feels better to hear others have coped with it. It's a mixture of the idea of surgery and also being away from dd for so long that's stressing me. X

Glad to hear things are still cautiously positive sunflowered and fx things stay as they are for a few more weeks. I think people on here have been induced early before (I think somany?). But great they have you in a single room and you're not on the ward! C

sassy that's rubbish placenta hasn't moved enough but it's infinitely better to know it now. Totally with you on the avoiding A valentines baby if you have the choice! Watch me pop mine out at one mminute past midnight now having said that.

Good luck with dissertation marzi! If anything they should be impressed looks not judgemental for keeping up the studies at 36wks!!

Another thing I wished someone has told me about last time - tummy tubey grip.

I have a smallish frame (5ft 5 and normally between 8.5 and 9 st) and my first baby was 91b 11 and my belly was absolutely humongous - really a ridiculous size.

As a result I was left with really quite a damaged tummy, no muscles and no feeling - I had a large patch of flab that was completely numb and well basically moved independently to my body, which was really uncomfortable. In hind sight I thought giving my tummy some support would have been a good idea and a tummy tubby grip would have been perfect.

So I pre planned and picked up a tummy support bandage from my physio today, so I can have some support when the scar and my tummy nerves are healing (although this time the bump is not as big).

I guess this could also be of some use to big bump ladies who have a natural birth too who feel their tummy needs some extra support.

Hope that helps a little!

Re insomnia, I have had it for the last week - its the baby moving and partner snoring and 3 year old waking up, pain turning over etc. Miraculously last night I got some sleep so feel ok today.

I found myself shopping for champagne in M and S but then thought its just going to sit there and tempt me for 5 weeks, so will wait.

Sorry to hear about you guys having to have CS - can understand a feeling of disappointment, but as long as baby is delivered safely, that is the main thing :)

One of my cats is playing with the cat flap, pawing it open and closed, open and closed.. Getting slightly annoying!

Tried to sing some nursery rhymes to baby earlier today (I feel silly singing to a bump), and he started kicking and fussing like mad... Not sure how to interpret that reaction.

Sugar thanks for the positive stories :)

Champs hope you get good news tomorrow! The MW did say that there is still turning time, but they need to confirm presentation at this stage as there can be a risk of cord prolapse if waters break and baby is breech.

I'm not so worried about the op itself, but the recovery. I had a laparoscopy about this time last year which is keyhole surgery, so relatively minor, in and out the same day. I had a horrid reaction to the GA - hopefully wouldn't have the same to the spinal - but recovered, I felt, pretty quickly, compared to some accounts I read.

All the same - I needed a lot of help getting in and out of bed for the first couple of days - really don't know how I'd cope looking after a baby at the same time. But I know that heaps and heaps of women DO manage and, yes, safe baby is definitely number one priority.
I think DH secretly quite wants me to have an ELCS for planning purposes!

Sunflowered glad to hear that things seem better today. Hope you can get some sleep and decent food!

Sassy, I am also on course for an ELCS due to low placenta, although I will be scanned again at 36 weeks (am 35 now) to see if it's moved. At how many weeks did they say they would deliver you? I'm bit sad if it does end up in a CS but c'est la vie. At least we will be able to plan well around it! My recovery with my last CS was not too bad.