Pop pop pop We're all about to POP! - July 2014 thread

[ismarah]

Hope you like the title - like inside us, there was no room on the other thread!

ickle

just whispering in your ear that irregular and even regular contractions may become a regular feature from now on - and that I'm afraid can go on for days or weeks...
or you might just properly go into labour at 4 am. who knows.
let the fun begin!

I can't link it, but please please please all of you watch Priscilla Dunstan's Baby Language clip on the Oprah Show, on YouTube! !!
bf or not it is the single best thing I have ever found on how to cope with a crying baby and how to figure out what's "wrong" and what to do.
No other advice measures up IME.

watch it now, then again a few times after baby is born.
My gift to all of you.

Trying to stay calm-all I want to do is sleep but need to stay awake to advise DH on baking he's incredibly sweet and has got a recipe from a colleague to bake something for my birthday but he never bakes so whilst he has v good intentions last time it really didn't go to plan. I LOVE baking so all the kit I'm quite precious about. Alas our oven is useless as we desperately need to redo our kitchen but can't afford it yet-therefore timings/temps etc all need adjusting for it. Cue me not being able to relax or sleep and feeling quite tense as he's literally just started. I know I'm being ungrateful but am just so so tired and being pregnant and hormonal this is perfectly justified

Ps Hayley I'm totally with you re DS. I gave mine lots of extra big squeezy hugs today as I do love him so very much-my little man- and part of me can't bare to lose that close bond but I know there'll be both good and tough times to come once baby here. Bother now I've got all teary about it - said I was feeling hormonal and emotional as well as super tired!

hayley

I was worried about loving baby number 2 as well.
That's normal.
And because I had a traumatic birth with DS1 and didn't fall in love with him straight away I fully expected for the proper love to arrive weeks later with DS2 as well.
but as soon as he was born the worries disappeared and I was in love straight away!

Yes, your relationship with your first will change, but it won't be worse, it will be just different.
and the whole dynamics of your family will change too.
That's the way it is.
his bond will get a bit stronger with dad for example - and that is a good thing!

My advice is that when he sees you for the first time after baby is born make the reunion about him and you.
he would have missed YOU and will want you and may not be interested in baby at all. doesn't matter.
share an icecream (DS1 still remembers this!) or a story, talk to him about his day, have a special cuddle etc.
then introduce his new sibling.
it will be lovely!

Birthday waves at Blue - DH went out in the morning for something edible for breakfast and then took me to Wagamama at my request. He doesn't bake, nor pretend to..

I may have overdone it today. Getting quite grumpy with my body's inability to do what I want it to do and everything is so feckin slow. So when I discovered that I could stand upright and cut down all the horrible stinging blackberries my mother keeps mistaking for climbing roses and insists on saving - I did. Quite a lot of it in fact and now my arms in particular look like I've taken up an odd form of self-harm.

Honestly don't know how anyone is supposed to cope for 2-4-6 weeks of baby arrival paranoia. I'm bad enough as it is and I can at least count down the days to the ELCS. Any little twinge or discharge or backache makes me wonder..

I know I'm a control freak (it's sexy, right??) but my control freakness is mostly about being / feeling as well prepared for something / anything so that whatever happens, I have a plan / can cope. And sometimes that means going to plan B or beyond when real life intervenes. I'm OK with that and understand that babies kind of make their own schedules and throw their own wrenches into plans. Waiting for something as nebulous as a baby deciding to arrive is torture!

ismarah

the combination of not knowing when and what will happen and the fact that we have little control over it even with an ELSC booked is enough to drive anyone bonkers.

when they wheeled me in to labour ward two weeks ago to check me out I completely lost it and was sobbing so much I couldn't talk.
then I tried to explain that I'm not in labour, I can't be, I'm not ready, nothing is ready, nothing is right as DH is in the car with kids and he should be with me and so on...

I was really upset. it was just so horrible to feel unprepared.
later on I realised, that if I had been in labour then simply it wouldn't have mattered whether I was ready or not.
and funnily enough, having gone through being so upset about not being ready, I actually have calmed down about it and now honestly don't care what and when will happen.
I can not control a thing so I refuse to worry about it.

don't get me wrong, I will pack a bag and make plans for child care in a few weeks time, but if it happened tonight I'd just have to accept it and go with it.

does any of that make sense/help?

That's right ismarah the waiting game is awful! I was just looking through some old threads on here from when I was in labour with DS which was interesting as was trying to remember how it all started... Interestingly last time I had two full days of contractions to get to 3/5ths engaged but according to MW on Monday baby already 3/5ths engaged this time!!

Think DH has put whatever it is in the oven... Wonder if I might be cheeky and test one of whatever it is tonight? There seemed to be an awful lot of chocolate involved which can only be a good thing :)

Totally agree zing when I went in on Sunday and was worried what they might decide re these dizzy spells I'd hurriedly stuffed overnight stuff for DS into a bag and had to tell myself all would be ok if that was it so to speak. Baby will come when it decides to!

and Happy Birthday to you Blue, hope cake will be divine!

Thanks blue and Zing. Oh gosh Blue sorry for setting you off
Iv done lots of extra cuddles and stories today as well, just want to get as much quality time in with him as possible. Also feel like he's been a bit neglected the last few weeks as I havnt really done anything fun with him or even been out the house much apart from to the shops and back

That's a nice idea Zing - about making it just about me & DS. I'm hoping he'l be around at home when I give birth so we won't be separated but even if neither of us have gone anywhere it would be nice for me to have a just us moment first so he knows I'm alright again - he's a sensitive soul.

Also thinking about putting a little present in baby's Moses basket for him so when he looks in there's something from the baby to him - maybe a new train or book or something little.

So true about having no control. My mum keeps asking me what the plan is when I go I my to labour - she wants a definite answer. There are so many variations depending on the time, if DP is in the country if I'm full term or not I can't give her an answer. I am starting to get a bit worried about going into labour on my own. I'm hoping this time is like the last where waters went 20 hours before contractions. That way I have time to get my head around it & also get birthing partners to me without there being a panic or mad rush.

The weird thing is that I'm actually quite good in a crisis...and for bean I think I have done everything practical I can, including packing. So I'm confident-ish it'll all be OK - just find it really hard to wait!

Ok, so I'm officially a grumpy so and so... DH has excelled himself and made chocolate brownie cups filled with chocolate ganache and topped with strawberries I've only tasted the ganache (be wrong not to as there's quite a lot spare) and it is divine :) bless he's not one for taking the simple route! Wondering what he's got planned for our day out now! But I really must get some sleep... Tiredness seems to have deserted me unfortunately though.

OOOOOOH blue they sound divine, I need chocolate now. can we swap DHs?? mine can make toast and beans on toast, or soup and bread.

Am awake and feeling lots of SPD pain which along with heartburn means I won't be sleeping much tonight.

chocolate brownie cups filled with chocolate ganache and topped with strawberries

Happy birthday Blue, you lucky thing!

Happy birthday blue!

Thanks zing I ended up on phone to friend who had several days of labour starting/stopping which really calmed me down.

Awake in night from going to the loo- no pain but also no kicking which is unusual...may roll over and see if that helps. What joy late pregnancy b is!

liquid alas I can report that chocolate ganache ok so I had several teaspoons of it is not good for heartburn - currently suffering and wondering why I've not yet picked up my new bottle of gaviscon as am nearly out! Hope the SPD pain eases

plate sorry to see you're awake too!!

busy here tonight!

My heartburn is acid reflux, currently wondering whether to stick fingers down throat to vomit as I will feel better afterwards. Plus I really need to eat some prawn crackers .

I have used nearly a bottle of gaviscon since early June.

liquid snap with the acid reflux. I'm just finishing my 6th large bottle of gaviscon for this pregnancy! Nothing is shifting it from my throat at the moment- ugh!

Well I just woke up soaking wet but unfortunately not my waters going- ds1 had sneaked in and wet the bed! I blame dh for believing he didn't needed a pee at bedtime.

So bed stripped and remade and everyone wiped down I'm now wide awake and eating cereal while they sleep grrr!

Hope heartburn has settled and everyone else is sleeping.

Happy birthday Blue

On the subject of I've got some left over rocky road that DH brought back from work to share. I think I might have had too much yesterday!

How do those of you who have SPD/PGP cope with swollen feet/ankles? Mine are crazy fat at the moment but the physio has said I'm only allowed to put my feet up for 10 minutes at a time, which does jack all to sort the swelling. And they hardly go down overnight. I am having trouble fitting shoes when I need to wear them.

Happy birthday, Blue. Your DH sounds wonderful! What a lovely treat.

Casmama Hope you managed to get some sleep after that.

Happy birthday blue
I can't eat chocolate - especially any time after 4/5pm it gives me heartburn like nothing else.

My feet are fine (toe nails could probably do with a paint) but no swelling. I have lived only in flip flips for about 8 weeks now as getting anything else on even when it's cold or wet outside is just annoying.

hayley

when DS4 was born and the kids came in just hours after I still had IV drip in etc.
DS 2&3 were all over baby, but DS1 came to hug me and asked if I was ok.
he wanted to make sure I wasn't in pain and just wanted to hug me and hold my hand.

but when DS5 was born 3 years later he came in, sighed and laid on the bed as if in pain.
I asked what was wrong and with a theatrical back of hand on forehand and pained facial expression he answered "not all that crying again!".
he even rolled his eyes. it's funny now, but he did upset me at the time.

blue

I don't know what colour of envy I am right now. just doesn't seem to cover it. chocolate ganache and all?

I think you owe your DH an apology for hovering over his baking!

kiwi

stick your feet in a bucket of cold water, add ice cubes if weather really hot

and I don't care what anyone says, lying on my side, sometimes with pillow between knees (and swapping sides every 30 mins or so) is the best relief for both PGG/SPD and swollen feet. for me, anyway.

my hands started to get puffy too, so took of my wedding & engagement rings last week.
I hate not wearing them and amazed how long I could wear them this time!