Due October 2006 - part 4

[nowanearlyNicemum]

there we go - I did it.
just need for you all to find it now...

waht do you do when you wake at 3.30am and can't get back to sleep. thank god for mumsnet. Just sitting here catching up on things. And the most annoying thing is just when you think you are dropping off again baby starts doing somersaults. Am so tired at the moment. and so fed up - mum and dad visted yesterday with some friends of theirs and all they could say was - you don't look very pregnant - well I can tell you that I certainly feel it. 36+3 and I am getting thoroughly fed up and just want it over. Can't help to think about what could go wrong. But trying to keep positive.
Sorry for rambling but it helps!

gemmittygem I hope baby is late so your DH is around...I wasn't a routine type mum for the first couple of months with my dd...then someone told me that you could get babies into a routine and suddenly it was like a light went on at the end of the tunnel...she has slept brilliantly from that evening onwards. Doesn't have to be that particular baby guru though, there are loads with very similar advice out there (and a bit less schoolmarmish)

Don't know about feeling sick = labour. Did have awful diarrhoea just before contractions started last time. And know the feeling of waking up in night thinking 'is this it?'. Last time I used to get up and pootle about hopefully. Now I just roll over in bed thinking 'well, if its labour its going to get worse and I'll wake up again' and eventually get back to sleep. You really need to conserve your energy for after baby arrives as it is so exhausting those first few days.

Sleeping on the left side is because supposedly if you sleep on your back the weight of the baby and uterus can compress the major vein leading back to the heart. I have to say I am a bit sceptical about this as think if you cut off half your venous return you would wake up or shift position so I don't worry too much about it. Couldn't sleep on my back at the minute anyway as feel like a stranded beetle though so end up on either side, but baby is on left side and sleeping like that I always feel like I'm squashing him!

Is anyone else starting to feel really really hungry? After not really noticing a change in my appetite I'm now waking up at night absolutely starving. Maybe cos weather has turned cold? Not that can eat much as stomach so squished though.

Had a bit of a 'ohmigod I am going to have to go through labour again' moment last night where suddenly got very scared...its a very weird feeling waiting for the agonising pain to start

MrsBlobby, good to hear that everything's still good with you. I've been trying to sit on my birth ball as much as poss, but my feet were swollen yesterday. I think I need to have my feet up sometimes, so I'll just make sure I'm on my left side. And Milliee, I'm walking like John Wayne too and worse than that, I don't seem able to sit with my legs together anymore. I feel like someone's Nan!

Thanks for the hospital checklist Seona. I've now got my stuff ready (mostly), I just need to pack it.

Hope you managed to get some sleep after all that agrimum.

Every time I login now, I wonder who's baby will have arrived...

Lol at someones Nan posture! Know what you mean though. My Mum actualy told me to 'close your legs young lady!' yesterday. Made me feel about 12 again!
Sallyrosie if anything Ive realy lost my apetite which is a real shame cause we went for a meal for my parents birthdays Saturday and I didnt feel much like eating plus we were invited to Sunday dinner at my aunts, shes one of these lovely people who always does home baking and the green beans are from her garden, that kind of thing and I just didnt want any of it. Ate some though to be polite .Funny I had a moment like that on Friday evening about doing it all again. Someone actualy asked me the other day if I was scared? Of what? Done it,been there,didnt buy a t shirt though.
Anyway off to take my ds to playschool soon then dh and I are gonna start bringign baby bits up from our shed to awsh.
Hope you ladies have a good day and yes Dogmum get your feet up woman as much as poss. xxxx

Hi all,

Pmoore -My dating scan brought my due date forward by 10 days which I was really pleased about at the time but now I'm starting to feel a bit concerned. I was 95% sure of my dates and I'm now worried that either I'll be induced when it wasn't needed or I'll get to 10th and be desperate but they won't induce me until 10 days after my original due date.

Does anyone know how being induced works?? will I get booked in for 10 days after due date or do they let you hang around for a while? Also am I right in thinking that when you get induced you can go for days before real labour kicks in? As you can probably guess I'm getting fed up at the thought of being pregnant until the end of October!!!

nicand2: I was induced first time around. Induction is recommended for post dates pregnancies as there is a small increased risk of stillbirth post dates (think it goes up from something like 1 in 1000 to 3 in 1000 but I am not at all sure of that)
You don't have to be induced, and if you don't want to then should be offered regular scans/checks to make sure that the baby is ok. You'll go into labour naturally eventually.
If you are induced then there isn't a definite 'date' but its usually around 42 weeks I think.
They should offer a membrane sweep first - this is where the MW/Dr puts a finger up inside the cervix and sweeps the membranes away from the cervix. It releases prostaglandins that sometimes get things going naturally. Some countries do these routinely from about 39 weeks (my sis had her first in Canada and was offered this) but I have tried and failed to get my MW to do anything before I am 41 weeks even though the searches I did on internet suggested that it does increase chances of labour starting naturally and does reduce post dates pregnancies without increasing risk to mum/baby...but that is whole other story...
Induction can be done several ways depending on how 'ripe' your cervix is. If your cervix has opened up a little bit and is nice and thin then you may only need to have your waters broken. This then usually starts things off. If the cervix isn't ripe then you get a prostaglandin pessary put in to start ripening the cervix.
If your contractions aren't frequent and strong enough you get an oxytocin drip to stimulate them.
You need to be monitored at first, but after that I think there is no recommendation for continuous monitoring for routine post dates induction.
Think there is a higher chance of instrumental delivery or CS following induction.

Thanks for all that info sallyrosie, think I'll go and eat some more pineapple and keep my fingers crossed that things kick off before it becomes an issue!!

Must have had the worst nights sleep ever last night, whichever side I sleep on feels like the baby is being squashed! Spent from 10pm last night with what I thought were regular contractions-well, I'm still here!Been bouncing up and down on the birthing ball watching tv. Went food shopping this morning with my mum and dad-nice of them to take me. It is hard work though.
Sallyrosie-I know what you mean about the starving thing-usually in the middle of the night. I just bought some porridge in the hope that it'll stop me reaching for the first unhealthy item that comes to hand.
I just feel so big and unable to walk (got that John Wayne walk!) and wonder if I'll ever fit into any of my old clothes ever again. Trying not to let things get to me but with only a week to go just want things to happen. Sooooo inpatient.
Anyone got any tips for heartburn other than swollowing the whole bottle of gaviscon??!

well, I had my show two weeks ago and have been having loads and loads of contractions but I'm still here!!!
really thought things were getting going last night. MEGA contractions started at around 6.30pm and kept going - although intermittently - until I forced myself to go to be around midnight. They lasted for a bit longer but must have tailed off as I slept reasonably well and haven't had the slightest twinge this morning.

anyone had any news from Whiffy? hope she and the LO are doing ok.

you lucky ladies with your reading, knitting and dog-walking programmes are making me feel very jealous. have just completely lost it with dd because she won't settle for a nap and I'm knackered. having said that I can't hear anything from her room right now so I better go and catch a few minutes kip while the coast is clear...

agrimum, i was up at the same time as you this am, wish i'd logged on. would you believe i was allergic to the stuff the beautician used for the bikini waxing on thursday. ever since i have been up most of the night every night trying desperately not to itch the massive unattractive rash that i have acquired. it was bad enough when it was just getting up to pee. i spend the nights constructing vicious letters to the stupid beautician who didn't listen when i told her i didn't want the hotwax. it's miserable and there's no medicine that works that you're allowed if you're pregnant, not even antihistamine cream. in desperation i've bought an aloe vera plant and using that
on the plus side, i am no longer desperate to go into labour as would be shattered and deeply uncomfortable before i'd even had the first contraction. dh keeps trying to say nice things but really, you can forget perineal massage as a turnoff, this has to be the worst...
hadn't mentioned this before now as felt like such a moron for not being more stubborn with the beautician.
on a diff. note-lying on your left side is recommended to encourage the baby to lie on the left side because it's easier for the baby to come out on the left than the right due to the different amounts of large intestine on the left and right. that being said, it's only a small advantage for the baby to go left not right so nobody panic.

Hi

Nicemum - I know exactly what you mean about getting ratty with dd - my dd is in bed but is busy playing around, I will go up and have a snooze in a min, before I go to work, but can't settle until all is quiet in her room!

I am absolutely shattered, just want to sleep all the time, but can't!

We were invited round to a friend's house for dinner last night, when we got there, there were loads of my girl friends sitting there grinning away ... she'd planned a surprise 'baby shower' for me! The men went out for a curry and we all did baby things ... really nice surprise and really lovely pressies (esp. chocolate - of which I am working my way through now!!), only thing is that we didn't get home until 12 ish so I am double knackered now!

Has anyone else ever had a baby shower - I know they are big in USA/Canada, but seems they are catching on here. Anyway, really nice - cheered me up, except everyone was drinking alcohol and all I could do was smell it!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am feeling sick a lot of time, and getting wierd cramps. I am also another one with diff. dates, my dates say 16th and scan says 23rd. I ma hoping for the 16th or earlier personally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope you are all having nice day's.

This insomnia is starting to get really annoying - at least mumsnet assures me that its not just me! Last night I was exhausted so fell asleep by 9.45, only to be woken by dd at 10.30, and then unable to go back to sleep for hours due to feeling more awake than I ever do during the day! Its also nice to hear that everyone is getting well and truely fed up of this being very pregnant state - oh for it to be all over without having to go through the birth [which I'm trying not to think about - can't belive I'm going through that again!]! I'm voting for dp to go through it next time, if there is one

The only plus side is that I've been having a great time with dd
recently - been really enjoying my time with just her. I'm really worried about how she'll take to being a big sister. Any of you any advice on how to help her adjust other than the usual present from baby route?

I hope you all manage to sleep well tonight

Message withdrawn

at people not offering their seats Millie - I was only offered a seat twice - once a v. nice man and the second time an old(ish) lady. Would have liked her request to shame someone else into standing up but it didn't happen! Most of the time it wasn't an issue, though, as I was getting on at the beginning of the bus route. Could you try asking someone in a priority seat to get up? I was always too shy to do so, but if needs must...

All these hopeful signs of labour, or is it wishful thinking at this stage?

Gingeme: is your DS still getting on well at nursery? Glad to hear he's now coming round to the idea of a baby rather than a new train!

It's raining here, but on the bright side I'm not at work . Must get outside for a wander as have been in bed most of the day (with my knitting - note multitasking). Hope everyone else is having a restful time.

And ouch for Marthahm - what about arnica cream?

sallyrosie and others, are there any non gf but similar baby gurus you'd recommend? I definitely want to go the routiny route but just have another couple of types of routine... heard that the baby whisperer was good..what do you think?

Well I explored the local area today, as I'm here in Belgium now, and found a nice little park. I did some step ups on the steps of the bandstand, to the amusement of passersby, but I don't care, it made me feel a lot better! People smile and laugh at the bump all the time, like they're mesmerised!

millieee, I would just ask those rude people to give up their seats, as they would look really bad if they refused. say what you like about Kazakhstan (for example, where is it?), but there and in other ex-Soviet countries people always get up for you if they see the slightest hint of a bump. Mind you I think they do in smaller towns in the UK as well, it's just London because it's such a massive city.

is anyone else on the raspberry leaf tea? It might be my imagination, but I think I'm getting little period type pains after it..

I can't wait till we've all safely had our babies and are in the postnatal bit!

Hi everyone, I'm new here! My first baby (girl) is due 21st Oct (well, 16th according to dates but 21st according to scan - MW said to go with scan)... can't wait! I live in West Berkshire and so nearest hospital is Reading (still a half hour drive away) but have heard bad things about it so going to a lovely little midwife led birth centre (150 births a year) in Andover, Hants... so long as I don't develop any complications between now and the birth and I don't go over 42 weeks...
Getting very huge now, waddling around, feeling like a beached whale whenever I lie down... glad to see it's not just me having problems sleeping as well. I'm finding it really awful at the moment, I have twitchy legs, esp at night, and spend hours trying to get into a position comfortable enough to drift off to sleep... Had a 1-1 "massage for pain relief during labour" class on Sat which was brilliant, learned so much, the tutor taught me how to surround myself with pillows in bed which does help (I have 6 pillows in bed with me now!).
Is anyone else feeling sick in the mornings? I feel nauseous nerly every moring between about 9am and 11am, just as bad as the first three months (yuk)... hope it will go away soon.
As I'm now 36 weeks I'm about to start the perineum massage... I've read that 96% of women who do it daily in the last 4 weeks will have an intact perineum after birth... sounds good to me! Anyone else doing this yet? Any tips? xx

Ouch martahm.I was told you can use Eurax cream for itching,safe in pregnancy, but not sure about using it on your bits though.
Yes thankyou Swizzler my ds is doing very well at nursery. He bought some art work home today. He stuck some twinkly things on a piece of card and buttons etc. Put it straight on the fridge.
Well weve got all our baby stuff in the flat. Put the moses basket on our bed to air it off and the cat got straight in it. Washed the car seat cover and the bouncy chair cover and the soft baby toys that were ds's. I just cant believe we were doing all this a couple of years+ ago. Certainly wont be doing it again though

hiya every1!
Been doin loads of housework 2day & sorting out the spare room, gotta get it sorted 4 when dps mum comes 2stay when baby born! Which i'm not 2 pleased bout btw! lol.

Welcome lisamary, i'm due on 30th, having a boy!
I've just started doin the massage(if u can call it that!) Hopefully i'm doin it right, I just googled it 4 instructions how 2 do it properly!x

Gemmitygem- I live in a small town & not 1 single person has offered me a seat yet on bus train etc! so i guess its not just london! x

hope every1 else ok!

Good luck to all you October Mums to be! My little boy will be 1 on the 3rd Oct and I just don't know where the time has gone.

Wishing you all the best for the future

Hannah & Thomas
xxx

Hi everyone - I know hat you mean about the insomnia - I am shattered at night and fall asleep for 1-2 hours, wake about 12-1pm then lie awake until after 6am! Manage to get off again after dh goes to work for couple of hours. It sucks!

Also been feeling really sick the last 10 days or so - been going to bed with a basin. Must be the hormone levels changing again as my hair has gone greasy - it did this at the beginning of pg too.

I'm 39 weeks now and my dh doesn't want me going out the house in case I go into labour or waters break outside!

I've been drinking raspberry leaf tea for last 3 weeks or so - braxton hicks quite strong - could be tea - might not be?

Still too hot for me, wish the sun and heat would go away - it's torture! My feet are like giant puffballs!

Does anyone elses baby get the hiccoughs loads? Feel like my baby gets the hiccoughs a couple of times a day!

Used to get lots of hiccups when dd was inside - and she hiccupped lots when she got out! Haven't had it this time though.

Yeah - I never get offered a seat on the train either. It's not the actual lack of a seat that annoys me so much as the thought that all those people are so horrible!

Does anyone else find the perineal massage uncomfortable. I hated doing it last time (& so didn't much) and haven't started this time.

I agree Popsi, I found perineal massage really painful last time, especially to begin with, and I still ended up with bad tears, so this time I haven't bothered. If I'm going to tear anyway I'd rather not go through futher discomfort beforehand!

Is anyone else really suffering from the continued heat at night? My feet just seem burning hot when I'm lying awake with insomnia - not a very nice combination!

Hi everyone and welcome lisamarv.

nic2-I was induced 13 days after my due date with DD.Here you are given a sweep at 41 weeks if you want one (didn't work for me last time.) Induced births can take a long time, but they can also be quick. I was given the gel to ripen the cervix. My labour was less than three hours!!! Have met other people who have also had very quick induced births so you just don't know. Keep on eating that pineapple-that is my plan.

I am also suffering with nausea-and didn't even have it during the first three months! No indication that anything is going to happen here any time soon though-38 weeks tomorrow.

Girlygale glad you enjoyed your surprise baby shower. I had one last time and it was lovely.

Gemmity-I didn't use any of the books for a routine, but found I fell into my own one anyway.
By the way, Kazakhstan is very much on the map these days-Borat's film is about to come out! I realise people aren't too impressed about it in Kazakhstan , but my DH and his friends are gagging to see the film. They are going to drive me mad incessantly quoting it soon!

PMOORE I have had raging heartburn since 20 weeks. Gaviscon Advance is good but even better is a tablet called ZANTAC. You can get it off the shelf near the Gaviscon and midwife told me it's perfectly safe. You tae one in the morning and that's normally enough to ward it off before it starts. Good luck!