Due in September 2006......nearly there ladies!!

[Coriander73]

New thread...

Cori x

Angeliz, hope you're feeling a bit less sore today. Do you have a tubi-grip or support of any type that you could wear? I got one from the physio and it really helps for days out like you're describing (or the days after!).

LC - hope your appt goes well today.

I've been awake sice 5.10am having BHs. Not sore ones, just annoying. I'm so tired now I could cry. Off to kid's club at church in a minute and then we have friends coming to stay this afternoon. I've just texted another friend to see if she can take ds for an hour this afternoon as I need to nip into town and go to tesco and really not sure I can face taking a 3 year old too...

PS - cute thing this morning made me smile - DS hanging around in kitchen saying 'Bum, bum' very meaningfully, kept thinking he'd done a poo and got a bit frustrated with him as he hadn't each time I checked - only realised when I opened the cupboard he was asking for a bun! Bless!

Also asked my mum yesterday how she managed to get my older brother to stay in his 'big bed'. She told me that he was old enough to understand that if he ever got out without her coming to get him he would get a smack!

Don't think I can really follow her lead on that one.

Hello all.
I don't post often as I can't keep up! Especially with 1 year old in tow but I really need some help!
I've 3 weeks ish to go- nobody thinks I will make it that far- and I still don't have a definate for the baby.
I think we want his first name to be Noah unless someone can give me any other ideas. Also, we have no clue what to use for the middle name. Our surname has 2 syllables if that helps.

Anyone any ideas?
x

Angeliz am that people would bitch about each other secretly on an ante-natal thread!!! I know things get heated sometimes on some of the threads (part anything to do with BF!!!), but to do it in secret is just awful!

1b1b - have no name suggestions, but I really like Noah - it's lovely and unusual as well
Liquid - hope you are feeling better today - migraines are horrible. I took cocodemol for my sciatica last time, but don't remember hearing things, I actually stopped taking it as I thought it was causing me to get migraines (I'd not had a single one throughout til I started taking it). Good luck with the mw today.
Keep getting sharp groin pains - it's really worrying DH, he keeps saying 'he's going to come this week I just know it!' at least it spurring him on to get the nursery finished

Hello everybody,

Hellkat, hope your first night at home was lovely! And that you managed a little sleep!!

Re. clingy DSs - mine is a bit odd too the last couple of weeks. I think they know change is in the air, and 2 year olds just hate change don't they??!!!

Calvemjoe, good luck with the move - I hope you manage it before LO arrives.. DON'T LIFT ANY BOXES AT ALL!!!!

Too scared to read the forceps thread at all...

I think that's really sad about the Feb 05 thread. If mums really must bitch about eachother they should do it on private email. Personally I don't see the point - we're all entitled to different opinions about things...

Liquid - def stick to your guns about the private room, so you can keep it as dark as you like and not have to worry about migraines at such an important time. I'd put it in MASSIVE LETTERS in red on your birth plan, along with the medical reason why, as you might not get the midwife/doctors that you've met already. And prepare DH to kick arse if they are being difficult. Can you discuss in advance with the unit?

Re codeine and hearing things, that hasn't happened to me before. I did a google on codeine and side effects, but none of the results mention it (although I did get scared by the number of references to addiction!!). Maybe your hearing things was pregnancy related rather than codeine related? Anyway, I'm glad it worked, and hearing things must be better than vomitting all night with a throbbing head... . Mind you, depends what you heard!!

Also the big bed thing - we moved DS into a big bed in april, and it took about 6 weeks for him to settle. At home our door handles are too high for him to open so he can't get out the room, but if we go anywhere else, we block the door with a stair gate. I think getting in and out of bed is a bit of a novelty when they first move, and it does wear off. Bear with it. We did go through putting DS back in bed loads every night, but got fed up of that (it got longer and longer every night...) and eventually resorted to (un)controlled crying - 45 mins 1st night, then 10, then nothing, and he's been brilliant ever since. Good luck with yours!

So sorry to rant on and on and on everyone!

Thanks for the moral support re the own room thing. In a way it's probably good I feel so ill today becasue it's a reminder of just how bad it can feel. Am just about managing to supervise DS but can't wait till he goes to bed so I can too! DH is really keen to try and get DS in a big bed but I think he's not ready yet - I'm sure it will be easier when we can explain what's happening and help him understand that he needs to stay in bed. He can't climb out of the cot yet s there'sno safety issue - I think DH is just being impatient!

I was hearing strange noises like chirrupy beeps - like a phone going or something but it definitely wasn't real - unless DH was lying! Also kept waking up with cramp. Sorry for whinging- just can't wait to not be pg and have some proper medication again!

Forceps thing has made me think too and will talk again to midwife about my worries of having another big baby. I really don't want to risk having to have forceps or a ventouse in an emergency. I keep having this really nice fantasy where we live in the future and they can just 'beam' the baby out - if only!

Hello folks - sounds like everyone is soldiering on well. I woke up realising that there's only two weeks left until September, which makes everything feel very imminent!

Liquid, I'd point out to your husband that if you do move DS into a big bed it could well mean a few disturbed nights, which is not what you need to be dealing with at the same time as late pregnancy/a newborn. Sorry about your migraines: they sound hellish, my mum gets them and goes straight to bed so how you manage to keep upright and dealing with your little one I've no idea. Could you discharge yourself early from hospital (assuming all goes well) and go straight home to a consultation with a good breastfeeding counsellor?

34 week appointment with my midwife this morning, which was good in some respects (we've not really built up much of a rapport up to now, but had a really reassuring chat which made me feel good about working with her) but did give me a bit of pause for thought, because I think they're laying the groundwork to pull out of providing a midwife for a homebirth at the last minute.

I can see that they have a problem: September and October are about 20% overbooked here so community midwifes have been advised they will have to go to the hospital to help out if there is a staffing emergency. On the other hand, they're alledgedly committed to allowing women choice in how they birth, they've known I want a homebirth since my booking appointment and I don't get why they can't hire in some extra resources on contract for the potential peak period, since they seem to be well aware that it is coming.

That's annoying, that is....grrrr. Anyway, I guess it means I shall just have to leave calling for a midwife a little 'late' and tell them sweetly I don't think I'll make it into hospital. See what they say then.

Liquid, I thought you meant you'd moved DS already - if he's still in his cot and happy there, I'd keep him there for the time being!! It would be a lot of change for him just before the baby, and like Gizmo says, your sleep is really important now...

Gizmo, grr for you re. the homebirth situation, but LOL at your plan to leave it too late!!

Hi everyone, haven't posted for ages. I have just moved into temporary rental property away from all family and friends, while we wait for our new house to be finished. I am getting really worried about who is going to look after my 21 month old dd when I am in labour.If I have to go into hospital my dh will have to stay at home with her and I will have to go it alone, which really frightens me. I am having an antenatal check with my new midwife this afternoon, so I am really hoping everything is going to be ok for me to have a homebirth.My MIL is about 45 mins drive away but she is worried about travelling to us as there are major roads to contend with, and she is a nervous driver. Also, she goes to Kenya on hols the day after I am due and then I will be really stuck. I don't want to leave my dd with a babysitter who is a stranger, she is very clingy at the moment and I don't want to upset her more than necessary. Wish me luck!

Hello all. Am really suffering with back ache at the moment. Apart from the ache I keep getting this really sharp pulsating pain in my lower back. I'm so uncomfortable I just want LO to arrive now!

I have my scan tomorrow. I'm a bit nervous to be honest. It'll be lovely to see LO though and at least I'll know to what extent the foot is twisted so I can be prepared for when LO does arrive. I'll be interested to know how big LO is because I don't think my bump is very big compared to some of the women at my classes who are due after me. I think I'm carrying more to the back which I'm told is a sign of a boy {?}. I could find out tomorrow but I've decided that I'm not going to ask. If it's obvious then I'll know but otherwise I'll hang on a bit longer.

Cori - I can relate to how you feel about your Nan. As I'm currently living with my parents, I'm sharing the care of my 87 year old Nan. She's in the mid-stages of Alzheimers. She's very hard work. Like your Nan, she forgets what you say to her from one minute to the next, repeats the same questions all the time and does her best to play us up against each other and cause trouble. She needs someone around her pretty much all the time and her meals and medications preparing for her. The hardest part is that she's getting so aggressive (verbally). We see a deterioration on a daily basis and it's so hard to see someone who was once such a strong person becoming childlike and vunerable. I hope your Nan is ok now and I hope you are feeling a bit better about the situation too.

Hellkat - congratulations on bringing little Katie home. How exciting! I wonder who will be next....

Need a rant ladies - sorry in advance! Just got back from midwife - only good news is that all the wriggling last night was a good thing and LO is definitely the right way round! Apart from that - absolutely f'ing useless. She's really nice so can't complain about that but with regards to all my questions the answer was 'talk to the midwives on delivery suite' which makes me feel really fobbed off. They can't do anything about the room - not even put it in my notes (they did last time!) she can't tell me how long they'd want to keep me after epidural, she can't tell me if there's a possibility of going home early even though I live 5mins from hospital, can't tell me about probability of anothe big baby/tear etc etc etc - what a waste of my time that was, and to think I made the effort to get there instead of staying in bed for an extra hour and looking after myself! grrrr!

I think I might take gizmo's lead and just be bloody awkward. I figure if I just refuse to stay on a ward what are they going to do - keep LO and let me go home? Nope, can't see that - they'll just have to sort something out won't they?! I really don't get this annoyed normally - must be a combination of hormones and fatigue! But sod it, they ruined my last experience of having a baby, they're not doing it again - I'm going to practice all my 'assertiveness' training - ironically provided by the NHS

Rant over, feeling much better now - thanks!

Definitely keeping DS in cot. Really can't take anymore nights with not enough sleep - especially if it's avoidable.

Mandaz - no truth in the how you carry thing I'm afraid - I've carried both all out front and 2 boys! Hope the scan goes well, give LO a wave!

Speaking of scans - anyone know what's happened with homemama, I'm sure hers was meant to be yesterday?

Liquid, I guess she can't make any promises that she doesn't know she can keep? Can you write about the room in your notes/birthplan? Re. the epidural, I think you would have to stay overnight until your legs came back to life... After my section last time, that was at least 24 hours. Would that make a difference to what you put in your birth plan? - ie if you don't have an epidural and can basically go straight home, that would be easier (although more painful during birth...!) for you?

Mandaz, I have carried both out front too, like a football attached onto my front. I thought the old wives tale was the other way round, that girls were all round and boys all out front? Shows what old wives tales are worth...!!

Hi everyone. LC - I'm afriad I agree with Clairemow - they have a duty of care to you and there are some things they just can't do - like say you can go home after having an epidural/forceps deleivery - even if you live 5 minutes away they will be liable if (god forbid) anything happened to you. All you can do is write what you want in your birth plan. I guess they can't guarantee a side room as they don't know what type of emergencies they are likely to get. I know it's frustrating but I can't see what else she could have said.

But I don't understand why she couldn't put in your notes about the room

Message withdrawn

I think Normsnockers has the right idea, Liquid - it's such a pain, but you might have to go out of your way to try and talk directly to the organ grinder(s) if the monkey doesn't have any influence. Problem is, I can see them being just as non-committal as your midwife: after all, they won't know in advance if the wards are going to be extremely busy when you're in. Nonetheless, you have a good medical reason to need a side room and you should at least be able to explore with them how that might be achieved.

As a last resort, no, they have no right to keep you in hospital against your will. Obviously they have a duty of care to point out if this is not a good idea, but the worst they can do is make you aware that any bad consequences of you leaving are your responsibility.

BTW, like the idea of being 'bloody awkward' - I've spent so much of my life being a good little girl it's actually really liberating!!!

Sorry, didn't make myself very clear did I? sorry. It's not that I wanted to be let home before medically ready (esp if LO still needs care) - I just asked how long they'd probably want to keep me. Also I'm perplexed as to why it was ok to write about my lighting/migraine trigger when I had DS but not this time. Also I'd expect a midwife to be able to give a bit more info on likelihood of big babies after a previous one and discuss options if forceps/ventoose looks likely. They're the sort of discussion I want to have before I go into labour so I can make decisions about what I'd do in certain likely scenarios, rather than having to try and digest loads of info when I'm in pain and anxious because LO's in trouble. Of course hopefully everything will be fine and go smoothly but that's what I thought last time and it wasn't.

I'm off to write a very detailed birth (and post-birth) plan

Hmmmm.

You might find some references to help with questions about big babies/ventouse etc in the articles here .

Detailed birth plan sounds like an excellent idea - I wrote mine the other day and found it quite comforting, a bit like a positive visualisation exercise. Doubt if anyone will ever read it, though

Mabel - yours sounds like my DH; keep having to reassure that I know what they feel like & no, it's not time ... . Thankfully.

Liquid - well it worked, didn't it? we don't do that in our house either, but my sister spanks hers regularly.

Curlygirl - Best wishes for a homebirth!! Totally understand your anxiety. Did pre-check-in today at hospital, and admin said I wouldn't believe how many women drive themselves there alone, but that's not an easy position to be in. Our babysitters are a backup plan, but much better if it's family.

Gizmo; good plan! I'm not kidding; it's what I would do.

Liquid - I'm like you; I HATE surprises; that's why I pre-registered at hospital today ... And go ahead; you should be a pain, if that's what it takes! Squeaky wheel gets the oil and all that. Not to have a private room for labor is unthinkable. Really. Unthinkable. Do whatever you can. I'd be telling them I'd just waterbirth it at home in the jacuzzi, then ... (actually, DH wouldn't go for that.) As it is, will be staying in that tub, when the time comes, until contractions are 3 minutes apart, or my water has broken, whichever comes first.

Mandaz, have heard that the wives' tale of "out in front" = boy vs. "all around" = girl might be based on how it takes more calories/day to create a boy, than to create a girl, over the nine months, and that the extra estrogen might foster more apparent gain around the face & other areas besides the midsection ... but you never know!

Thanks Marls - I've just been a squeaky wheel! Rang the delivery suite and talked about my concerns and they say they'll get my old notes out and I can go and see them next week to discuss plans in more detail

BTW - I don't know about where you are but here if we smack and leave anything more than a temporary red mark we can be prosecuted - there's a huge anti-smacking movement. Have to say though if DS tries to run into the road or stick his fingers in a power socket he will be getting a firm tap on his bottom when he's old enough to understand.

Gizmo - definitely think you have the right idea! What with everything the government is spouting at the moment it's ridiculous that they don't follow through with it on the front line.

Liquid - My sister lives in Dallas. Mostly yes, can be turned in for marks on child, but not for the act of spanking itself, which is still seen as parents' choice.

So glad something's being done at least; hope you get that private room!!

Having a new roof put on (finally) after tornado's hail damage this spring; our whole neighborhood has had to have it done ... but this constant banging may just drive me crazy over the next few days.

Well done Liquid. Fingers crossed for you re. the room.

Re. smacking, I haven't ever smacked DS, and can only imagine doing so in a dangerous situation like you mention, and once he's old enough to really understand that it is a dangerous situation. I was in Sainsbury's once and DS pointed to a toy crocodile and said "snap, snap". A passing nun (?!) turned round and said to him "oh yes, Mummy might need to give you a slap sometimes if you're a bad boy". I was a bit gobsmacked, and hurried away very fast saying, "no, snap snap crocodile"

I'm confused now - Liquid - is Marls right in thinking you can't guarantee a private room to LABOUR in?
Dh rang our hospital today to arrange a tour to find out where we need to go when I go into labour. But they said it depends on how busy it is at the time and to ring an hour before we want to go - really inconvenient for dh's work!!!

Hi everyone, seems like we're all getting aches and pains now, it's such a relief to know at 3am that one of you is probably awake and huffing and heaving along with me.
Monitoring went well today,LO no longer breach, but MW did say this is no 6lber, her estimate is at least 81/2lb,probably more.Natural birth out, c-section in!
Got DD's birthday out the way, little green man cake was a success as was trampoline. We're thinking 1/2 hour compusory bouncing before bed every night.
Finally a little moan. I can hardly walk cos my hips and groin hurt. Am shattered but I can't get to sleep and I've got no energy but can't relax. And LO is doing the most horrendous and painful movements at night. Can it be soon, please.

Hi ladies, sorry haven't managed to catch up yet but will try tomorrow.
Had scan yesterday. There is a lot of water but it's still at the upper end of normal limits so that's a big relief.
Baby is breech though so need to see the consultant next week to book a CS. Really upset by this and have spent most of today in tears and on my knees in the hope of trying to turn him/her.

People keep sharing their positive CS stories but I just can't seem to see it in a positive light yet. I'm sure I will though. Healthy baby is all that matters.

Hope you are all well. I'll catch up of all your news tomorrow.