It's all balls, bicycles, and babies for the PESH!

[maamalady]

Antenatal fred for BESH graduates

CRESH

Faith - pinky faithlet arrived 14th April 2013
Pinkr - suitably pinky one arrived 25th August 2013
Jethro - blue one arrived 23rd September 2013
Noks - pink one arrived 12th January 2014
Frankel - large pink one arrived 10th March 2014
Merks - pink one landed safe and sound 21st March 2014
Sinky - Stubborn blue one arrived 26th March 2014
Driz - blue one arrived 12th June 2014
Kat - pink one arrived 21st June 2014

PESH

Draf - Expecting a late pink one EDD 19th June
Winks - EDD 26th June
Ginger - Miniginger due 13th August
Dor - A very special pink one expected 18th August
Euro - eager Centime expected to arrive a lot sooner than 28th August
Buggerlugs - Buglet due 20th October
Fankle - ESHlet expected 4th January
Cunty - Minichops expected 7th February

So the June cluster is halfway through laying, and then we're on to the July/August batch! Are we even going to have time for Wimbledon and Le Tour and the World Cup in all this excitement?!

How's everyone today? How's the boobs this morning euro? Fantastic news about your baybee, she is a tough little one. Also sending chubster vibes.

Baby is a lot happier here today, far less screaming, though her wee bum looks awfully sore. I have sudocrem on the rash at the minute, any tips for what's best? She was nappy free for a good while earlier. I suppose its not a coincidence she was unhappy and sicky and got a sore bum at the same time I had a very bad tummy. Poor wee pet.

Fab news euro. Hope Centime will be home very soon so you can settle in to this parenting lark properly.

Winks I swear by metanium. Hope she's better soon.

We're good thanks Winks, sorry to hear you mini-winks have been poorly. Hope your both better soon. I've always found Bepathen best for nappy rash.

E has been weighed this morning, 17lb9oz! She's 5oz off doubling her birthweight and is still not yet 5 months

Keeping everything crossed that centime continues to pile on weight euro

I'm feeling a bit less crap today and have been diligent about expressing frequently so hopefully it is clearing.

C has lost 5g overnight but I'm sure that was just down to an enormopoo as she finished all her feeds yesterday.

Bugs, you are spot on about the sunlight. In the nicu she was in the incubator furthest from the window, which I'm sure didn't help with the jaundice. In the scbu where she is now, she is right next to the window. Some of the nurses open the window so she has finally felt fresh air! She's three weeks old tomorrow and has never been outside (we can't take them anywhere). I can't wait to take her out for the first time.

I am torn between feelings that this baby will come when it's cooked, and OMFGGETTHISBABYOUTOFME.

I'm still quite nervous about giving birth, but I really want to meet our baby now! Plus I've been the most hormonal over the last week than I have throughout the whole pregnancy!

Sympathy ginge, the last few weeks are rubbish aren't they. I don't know about you but I didn't have the inclination to do much more than lie in the bath on mat leave before baby came. Have you listened to the natal hypnotherapy downloads? I thought they were great for easing my nerves before the birth (and helped me doze off too).

bugs sorry about the sore legs. Can you get a friend to rub them? You've made me want toast now and we have no bread, boo.

Fuuuuuuuuccccckkkkkkk

R fell off the bed this morning.

My fault totally. Sinkycat has infested the house with fleas. I sprayed downstairs last night after R went to bed, but wanted to do the nursery this morning. R was in the middle of a king bed with pillows to stop a roll, but I didn't count on his "feet down and push" - almost an upside down crawl. Literally 15sec, if that.

Fuck. He's fine. I'm a wreck. His dad will NOT be told.

Sinks it's a right of passage. I was beside myself the first time Faithlet fell from a height - she even had a friction burn on her head The more mobile they get, the more aware you are. Glad he's ok.

Ginge I only got to 38+5 but I know what you mean about either wanting it to end or being nervous about labour. I focused on a statement from hippo birthing My body is in control and knows how to deliver this baby. It helped.

Sinks babies deffo do that all the time. They bounce because they don't know to tense up.

Now I am 39+1 I am procrastinating writing my birth plan (it's only got to be 1 side of A4 FFS!) by playing ridiculous games on Facebook and searching for things I don't need. I should also be revising for the final assessment for my nutrition diploma thing that I bought off Groupon but can't be arsed to do that either. Need to go to the builders' merchants and pick architrave and skirting board for the living room as well.

Might just go for a pedicure.

Ginge my birth plan went a bit like this:
*active birthing
*work up pain relief drugs but avoid epidural if possible
*husband doesn't want to cut the cord

I spent my whole labour clinging to the bed, never got G&A let alone near an epidural. Only thing that was true was that MSB didn't cut the cord! I'm not sure my birthing plan was even read I have a friend who did obs and gynae and she reckoned the 'sparklier' the birthing plan, the less likely it was to be upheld.

My birth plan was:
Water birth if possible
Use hypnobirthing techniques/tens for pain relief
Stay active
No injected opiates
Epidural if needed - mobile one preferably
Delayed cord clamping
Immediate skin to skin

I didn't get my water birth or delayed clamping but I did get the rest. I got through the night and morning with tens and breathing, got a mobile epidural before they put me on syntocin, and laboured and pushed upright. Got tranferred to theatre for forceps but still got my skin to skin. I was quite forceful about what I wanted but I was also lucky that I had a great, supportive midwife. That said, I didn't write any of that down, but HWCA and DSis were well briefed.

Put on your birth plan if you are left or right handed and ask that canulas are not put in your dominant hand if possible. I had a really bruised right hand first time and it made feeding difficult at first.

And if you're on continuous blood pressure monitoring, get the cuff on the opposite arm to the cannula or else it'll squeeze the needle every few minutes. Very bloody sore.

Talking of blood pressure, sinky has yours gone back to normal? I think most babies roll off the bed at some point, I know my nephew certainly did.

The baby is taking her afternoon nap (not to be confused with the lunchtime and evening naps) on my chest. Very very lovely :) except my brownie is in a bag in another room...

Winks, settled down within 2 weeks, although having said that, it's not been checked since! (Sure it's fine though)

My birth plan went out the window. Personally I'd not say definite yes or no to most things (kelland forceps were my definite no) but think about your labour etc - make sure you are confident to ask why, why now etc. I was happy to be led by the team, but did need to be, er, assertive to get good explanations. (And my "no epidural" went out the window on day 3 of my looooong slow labour)

Have calmed down about Bouncingbaby-gate. "Confessed" to nct group and I wasn't the first to let it happen!

I was told to keep my birth plan to no more than half a dozen bullet pints, and only make it about the important stuff, eg whether you want the vitamin K injection, delayed cord clamping, skin to skin, etc.

I also stuck a point in about not wanting the Bounty rep anywhere near me. The midwife went and got me the Bounty pack of freebies but stopped the woman from coming in to take my details/sell me photos

My birth plan this time was

1. Get to the hospital in time.
2. Don't give birth in the car park.
3. Don't give birth on my back.

When The Little Mister was 5 weeks old he rolled off my chest in the middle of the night and got wedged between the side of our bed and the crib. I was hysterical. The Little Mister didn't even wake up!