May 2014 - the Maybies get even closer to Definitely!!

[ClearlyMoo]

I've been brave and started a new thread. Hope the name is ok....

Spoke to the midwife and I do feel better, although in the car home something snapped in my head and I said I don't want an elective, I don't want to know when it's coming, I just want to know that if the pain gets too much they'll take me seriously and, as long as the baby's healthy, they'll either get it out or give me proper pain relief. Whether that means begging to be induced at 39 weeks or going overdue or just going into labour normally bang on the due date or whatever, as long as they take me seriously and understand that when I say the pain is too much, it's too much, I don't care.

Where do these random epiphanies come from????

bornin you're absolutely not selfish for having a baby! I've had 3 incidences of RFM and never once have they blamed it on my age, medical conditions or anything that would be similar to them blaming it on BMI - it's always just been a lazy baby, but they've always said I've done the right thing in getting checked out.

bornin please don't put yourself down. All of us are blessed to be pregnant and just doing the best we can. Will they give you more frequent scans to check all is ok? I can imagine it's very frightening for you.

Regarding kick counting, I haven't been doing it but my pg app said you would pick a time when the baby is usually most active, eg early morning or evening, and then check that you feel 10 movements during one hour (at most 2hrs), movements being kicks, turns, flutters, anything.

I'm a sucker for punishment so I'm off to stalk the February thread...

Fairly random question. Are we supposed to use cotton wool and water to clean baby's botty to start with, rather than wipes?

Samba yes, but woe betide you try that with the first meconium poo, its like tar and the cotton wool just gets caught in it. You will need wipes, or a very wet muslin for that fella!

Bornin I have a massive BMI too, I see it everywhere on my notes 'Unable to determine position due to raised BMI' 'High risk due to raised BMI' 'Daily clexane injections...' la la la. I also have Rheumatoid Arthritis which is currently in remission but likely to flare to such an extent post birth that I'll need heavy duty drugs and have to stop BF.

Selfish? Nah, my baby will be happy and healthy and loved. I dont drink, smoke or do drugs, there are a lot worse things in life than being a fatty.

And, for what its worth, i have loads of movement - and an anterior placenta. Yours could well be due to the positon of your uterus, position of the baby but definately push for a consultation, the stress of the worry isnt good for either of you x

I'm a fatty too, my bmi was 43 at 12 wk scan.
Being large doesn't mean you don't have the right to be a mother!
Please don't let it knock you bornin you have as much right to a happy, healthy pregnancy as anyone and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
We just need a bit more monitoring, but do try to see it as a positive.

We start our NCT classes tonight. I've actually been off work all week with agonising hip pain, I need to go back on Monday and am dreading it. I have a docs appt on weds so may see what they say then as not sure I can handle 5 more weeks of work. Has anyone else been signed off with pelvic/hip pain? I'm starting to think it's the only way.

Also, I'm edging towards requesting an epidural for birth. I have an appt with the anaesthetist in a few weeks to discuss. Any second timers had one?

Ummmm so jolly good job I went to GP not straight to physio. Took my urine sample like a good pregnant lady. Turns out I have an acute UTI which could be causing crotch pain/difficulty of movement. Suggested week of antibios then see of pelvic pain still there.

Moomin well done on your epiphany! Glad MW appt went ok.

Ooh Clearly sounds painful :( glad they've managed to pick it up though, and hopefully it'll improve quickly :)

Thanks sarah! I saw a tip earlier on here about putting Vaseline on before the first nappy. I'm thinking maybe I will let DH do the honours of changing the first pooey nappy. It's really only fair!

Haha samba then you will have one baby covered in meconium, one dh covered in meconium and need to do double the work!!

I haven't done the meconium thing as dd was in neonatal for a couple of weeks after I had her- I suppose every cloud has a silver lining and all that!

I echo what everyone else says bornin - it is not selfish to have a baby even if you have a high bmi, and you shouldn't feel down because I am sure you and you're body are more than capable of looking after this baby. Imagine these mothers hooked on heroin that manage to have healthy(ish) babies- it just shows how resilient they are!

I can understand your worries as that is something I think of lots due to the risk of dd2 having neurological problems- and whether I should have wanted/tried for a second- but you know you are doing your best then you are the one and only best place for your baby to be!!

hobb I had an epidural with ds. I didn't really want one, but I was so off my tits high on the gas and air that I agreed to it. In the end I had to have 3 in different sites in my back because I was so swollen (I had pre eclampsia) that it wouldn't go in properly.

It only worked for about an hour with me and then stopped working, so I could feel when I wanted to push etc. I guess for that hour it was nice and pain free. Also they give you a catheter with an epidural which I found very handy - no having to stand up to go to the loo when I was so light headed from giving birth!

This time I'm not getting an epidural though because of the increased risk of intervention and because it makes labour last longer and all that.

hobbjobb I had one, I'd been in labour for 24 hours and only progressed a tiny amount. I actually gave birth 12 hours later and there was no way I could have continued.

It was wonderful. I had four or five top ups though, I guess becuase of the longevity. I had patches where I could feel everything but I couldnt feel a thing when it came to pushing and I did end up with interventions. That said DS has a massive head (seriously 99th pecentile - we're a big headed gang in our house!), was back to back and was 9lb 3 so it mihgt have had to happen anyway.

In addition, I couldnt cope at 24 hours in, I was exhausted. I had a sleep after the epidural and was able to 'gather' myself a little instead of the panicky 'i can't cope and I'm only 4cms' freaking out I had been doing!

Hope that helps! It wasnt painful, it took ageggessss to wear off though and my legs were like lumps of lard that people had to lift about on my behalf THAT was glamourous!

I'd do it again in a heartbeat if i felt i needed to.

Thanks ladies. It's good to hear personal experiences

I am leaning towards an episode.
Being very large, I think they do push for an early epidural in case you need an emcs later on, the needle is already in your back then so it's easy for them to change to a spinal block. (Sometimes it's hard for them to site a needle in huge correct place if you are well padded)
Plus, without wanting to sound negative, every single person I know who has recently given birth has ended up with intervention anyway and it scares me that I'd try to be brave for hours then end up having to have assisted delivery/emcs anyway!

My sister lives I'm the USA, she and all our American friends are appalled that we consider giving birth without epidurals, they think it's absolutely barbaric and over there it is very much the minority who give birth without them, but they do have incredibly high rates of medical intervention over there...

I've already been told a water birth is out of the question for me so part of me thinks, sod it just get baby out with the least pain possible!

Argh, it's so hard to decide!

Epidural, not episode. Though I'm sure I'll have one of those too!

According to technology I have a very healthy active baby who does have a big abdominal circumference! It's
Just a pity he can't let his mummy know he's ok once In a blue moon!!

Sorry to have been a misery today

According to technology I have a very healthy active baby who does have a big abdominal circumference! It's
Just a pity he can't let his mummy know he's ok once In a blue moon!!

Sorry to have been a misery today

According to technology I have a very healthy active baby who does have a big abdominal circumference! It's
Just a pity he can't let his mummy know he's ok once In a blue moon!!

Sorry to have been a misery today

According to technology I have a very healthy active baby who does have a big abdominal circumference! It's
Just a pity he can't let his mummy know he's ok once In a blue moon!!

Sorry to have been a misery today

Glad to hear he's OK BornIn. Sounds very stressful, please don't give yourself a hard time, you're doing great xx

Good tip on the Vaseline before first poo!

moomin good to hear about the epiphany and glad it went OK at the midwife.

clearly - ouch that sounds painful, the antibios should kick in quite quickly, so I hope that gives you some relief.

Hello to everyone else I haven't mentioned - I haven't posted for a few days as have been so busy here with work, but I've kept up with everyone's news.

All OK here, just rather tired. Having another busy week having to work two evenings and I also bought tickets for DH for valentines day for going to the football tonight so I have two freezing hours on the terraces this evening - got to say I'm not really looking forward to it that much but he was so excited and it meant a lot to him that I would go with him. Going to wear tights under my jeans and layer up with lots of jumpers!

My little one is definitely still breech/transverse. Wonder when it'll start turning around, I hope it does!!!

Still can't get my head around the fact that I'm actually having a BABY and I'll be leaving work for a few months! We've started looking for my maternity cover and that makes me feel really weird. Love my job so much and really hate the thought of someone else doing it! Need to get over that, I know.....

Glad the scan was successful Bornin, and that it's put your mind at ease.

bornin glad the scan went well. These babies like to put us through the wringer don't they?!

hobb I was signed off with SPD in last pregnancy from 26 weeks as I found sitting in a hair increadably difficult.

I never had a meconium poo with my DD so it will be a new experience as it was all in my waters.

I want to try and steer clear of an epidural again as it can be hard to tell if you are hurting your pelvis with SPD if you can't feel it. I managed on gas and air last time but it was v quick in the end and due to the meconium and distressed daughter I wasn't even allowed the gas and air for th pushing stage.

I've never had an epidural - the thought of one scares me more than giving birth does... But then I don't use gas & air for the same reason.

Bornin - I'm glad your little chap is fine. Be kind to yourself, you're obviously doing a wonderful job of growing him xx

I always use really really wet cotton wool sheets for meconium nappies. Works much better than wipes.

Feel like pooh today, think I'm just coming down with a cold but everything seems so much worse when pregnant!

Glad to hear all is ok with baby bornin and also that you've had a kind of good diagnosis clearly (good in that it's probably easier fixed than spd I mean, obviously I know it must be uncomfortable now).

Pregnancy really does make everything worse - I'm feeling really stressed at the minute about getting stuff sorted at work and in the house. We've taken tomorrow off work to hopefully get a travel system sorted and get some of the other bits done. I'm even stressing about having chance to get dh a cake for his birthday on Sunday, which is just ridiculous!

I just went and got some hospital bag stuff, including water baby wipes, suitable for birth. With all the meconium talk, I thought they'd be better than cotton wool and water!
I also got some witch hazel.

Never underestimate the importance of witch hazel! I went through bottles and bottles of it after I had ds. You put it on your poor, shredded bits after going to the loo, or just to alleviate the stinging. Works for stitches or grazes or tears or whatever!

I need to get some more maternity pads and giant pants and lanisoh, but after that, I'm done! Except... Are tena pants better than giant pants, maternity pad combo? Anyone?