October 2014 // thread 15 // hooray, here come the babies!

[sazzlehopes]

Going through these fast at the minute!

Argh I had the speculum yesterday and found it so uncomfortable, I started worrying about my very low pain threshold for labour, I nearly crushed dh's hand!

Rant alert... We invited my MIL and SIL over for Sunday dinner with the three of us (DP, DD and I). We initially suggested 1pm but MIL said that was too early as it takes approx 1hr to travel here.

Anyway, MIL arrived with SIL and takeaway tubs containing freshly cooked Sunday dinner for two people . Her explanation, she was concerned that SIL might be hungry when she got here... Before you ask SIL is 44 years old and perfectly able to time her eating around an hour car journey and Sunday lunch at 2pm.

When we came to serving dinner MIL and SIL both dutifully offered to have a little of the Sunday lunch DP (son / brother) had spent 3 hours in the kitchen preparing alongside the dinner that they had travelled with. DP seems unphased, so I'm guessing that it's my pregnancy hormones making me feel on his behalf. He's currently doing a 2 hour round trip to take them home as they had to get a cab over.

I should add that generally MIL is lovely but today not so much...

I'd stab her in the eye with a Yorkshire pudding.

I've had a couple of smears and the speculum check as well a few weeks ago and I've been OK with them, definitely trying to relax your bits is the way forward. For the speculum the mw told me to take a deep breath first and a slow exhale as she inserted it, it wasnt too bad :) My sweep is a week tomorrow if no baby first so I'll be interested to see how you ladies get on too.

Sazzle will let you know how it goes. Had a wax a few weeks ago and that was definitely more painful
Than an internal exam
Celly I'd be pissed off on DH's behalf, sounds pretty ungrateful of them to me. On the plus side you've got lots of yummy left overs

Sazzle - important thing to remember about a sweep, is that if it's painful (too painful), ask them to stop. As far as I can tell from talking to my doula and also to an independent midwife, if it's really that painful, it's not going to work other than give you cramps for a few days that you could have avoided. If it's 'easy' for the midwife to do, then there's a high chance you're almost ready to go anyway, so might work.

I'm not going to have one until minimum 41+3, but even then I'm probably going to say no thanks.

Had a few hours of baby not moving much this morning that worried me a bit - we had sex, which usually relaxes it for awhile, so that might have been the cause but bit weird. Then realised that if I went in due to reduced foetal movement at 40+ weeks then they'd probably just induce me. Erk. Had a bit of a reality check about a baby definitely being here in the next fortnight. Cue cleaning of bathroom AGAIN.

All my pants are getting tight and rubbing... I don't want to buy new ones just for a couple of weeks, so am risking all sorts of hassles by going commando everywhere... hahaha. Let's hope no waters go in Tesco or similar. Absolutely nothing to mop them up.

puppy I just did a full on pig-snort-laugh to that image.

Celly, your MIL is so lucky she's got you and not me... How incredibly rude!!!!

goats I'm loving the idea that you are risking going commando rather than buy new pants. That is ace. And thanks for the advice, that makes sense.... I refused all sweeps last time, I'm only going for it this time to avoid induction (due to previous csection).

Cheers mrsb and munday for the feedback reports tomorrow. I've had plenty of smears before so it should be ok. I mean I've given birth ffs, I don't know why I'm worried!!

Probably a good chance to practise some breathing...

sazzle good luck with the sweep if you go for it I keep popping in to read updates!!

fyi..my sweep hurt as she pulled ny cervix forward and he was born five hours later!!! it was the most uncomfortable one ive had but hey it was worth it

G

I've got a bed nest and reckon you could attach somethjng to the wooden end.

Ha ha missus! I got very annoyed with my DH after he had a few drinks too but really would have flipped if he messed with my ball. Got annoyed with him in labour as he was tired and trying my gas and air! Fortunately not at the critical points but even so....!

sazzle - yep, I'll only agree to them to avoid induction too - right at the last minute I expect.

Lucy - 5 hours later? Holy shit !!

Aw yes Pony I know that "hush little baby" tune! I told DH about how I'd impressed baby with my rocking and "singing", he raised his eyebrows in disbelief, the fecker.

I'm not sure if I'm worried about sweep pain really, more just that I can't get my head round things going UP my cervix while there is something I'm trying to protect up there, being positive. I've had 3 coils inserted in the past, they've hurt but I've gone back the next time without too much concern - but linking that grim procedure with anything to do with a baby doesn't sit well with me. Irrational as it might sound.

marking place!

Awake with a hiccuping and busy baby... the amount of times this lo hiccups is concerning. Maybe it didn't like mackerel for tea.

Kirsti Lillemor chills out utterly to "twinkle twinkle little star" and "thou shalt have a fishy" which are the two songs I use to regularly settle J. She must have heard them in utero.

Binky and anyone worrying about the pain of speculum / internal exams. It very much depends on how good the person giving them to you is, and how receptive your cervix is. The lady who examined me when I was found to be contracting the week before Lilla turned up nearly had me shooting backwards thru the wall. I was like "shit where's my pain threshold gone - I've done this before and not noticed internals!!!" She was just shit.

And yep to what Fedup says we've hung mobiles from the wooden end of the bednest. They weren't any use but you can do it

Yellow I just have a low pain threshold and am a wimp! I hate smears and have had two uncomfortable although not painful internal examinations this pregnancy, I think my inability to relax is my main issue which doesn't bode well for natural labour really

How's being at home with your little girl?

I also have a low tolerance to snoring and stupid noises dh makes in his sleep. I've punched him in the back twice and rolled him on his side and he's still doing. Next step is suffocation with a pillow

Binky my pain threshold is shite! Honestly exams in labour hurt much less as the cervix is opening. Deep breathing and asking for a second or two to relax before they do it really helped me.

Its lovely being home. Though DH has a lot to remember about the newborn days - L's just done two poos during this night feed and he's acting like a martyr!

I find internals hurt - the ones that check how far dilated you are. I've never had a sweep. Not agonising though - manageable. I would do some deep breathing.

binky I had this the other night,
Finally fell asleep after ds had done his mammoth feeding sesh and DH starter snoring.
Wanted to hit him!
It's his first day back at work tomorrow so I'm on my own with two kids. eeeek, eeeek, eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!

Well that's me officially cooked and ready to go....whether babyB agrees or not is a different matter entirely!

Happy due date mrsb!

I have a question that the books don't make clear that I don't want to text the doula about if it's a duuuuh type question.

Moving around/bouncing on ball/rocking hips etc in labour. Are these things that help you dilate more quickly? Or mainly about getting the baby in the right position/helping them move down (does this in turn help you dilate?)? Or just about reducing pain by helping distract you?

Aaargh, in new pregnancy developments here - I have just noticed cellulite on the top of my arm. Holy crap, it is SO time for this baby to get out so I can stop having a screwed up bod.

Goats I thought both. So prior to labour it gets baby down a bit. And in labour or just before rotating helps to dilate? I'm not 100% sure though so perhaps someone else can confirm...

Also yes I guess it does depend on how the person doing the internal is. I didn't find them too bad first labour up until a male doctor came to examine me and he was so rough and it was so painful I think I almost kicked him in the face!

Happy due date mrsb.
Good luck to the sweepers today!