Overweight, overdue, overtired, over-emotional - It's October!!! The final countdown...

[Tigerlion]

Hope this works and that this thread sees the arrival of lots of wonderful little babies!

Hi Youngmum21

I feel fed up as well. I am due on 30th as well. I have period type pains, am uncomfortable and have braxton hicks. I keep thinking labour is near and it still evades me. It is just so frustrating waiting for it to happen!

yeah i know wot you mean emily i think the waiting is the hardest part now, have been tryin everything but still here i am huge and round and i cant be bothered to do anything at the min still need to go get nursing bras but it seems such an effort to get ready and go!!!!

I know that feeling. After weeks of cleaning the house, the kitchen is in a state and I am just sitting infront of the TV!

I just want to get on with it and stop all this moaning I seem to do all the time!

Hi there, I am a student at Birkbeck College (Uni of London) studying an MSc Human Development, and part of my course requires me to take part in Infant Observations. While this sounds daunting (and maybe uninteresting for some...) it is not as clinical as you may think! It simply means that one hour a week, for about 18 months (probably no more), a warm and open mother will allow me into her home to 'observe' her (or her husbands/other family members) interaction with the new born. I will literally be a fly on the wall, I will not judge, speak or talk to the baby or the mother. I shall not be making notes (this is the clinical part I am afriad people will think), in fact you are not even suppose to notice me. The hour that you will allow me to visit will depend wholly upon the mother's wishes, though hopefully an hour when the baby isnt sleeping... As a mother with a new infant, I expect that some people will be thinking that this is the last thing they will want- an intruder/ and outsider. This is the last thing I would want to feel like too. I would like the mothers to know that this is completely confidential. Names will be changed etc. And if teh mother is interested- at the end of my course (June 2008) I have to submit a paper based on my observations, the motehrs are entirely entitled to read them too. As this is a requirement for my course, I have taken the necessary police/Crimincal Records Bureau Checks, and come from a background in child (and adult) related volunteer work as my CV will testify. If there are any expecting mothers who may be interested to hear more about this, but not necessarily make a commitment to allowing me their time, please contact me on [email protected]. My name is Neda, and I would also like to note that I think it would be in both of our interests if I could meet the mother during the end of her pregnancy to see if we are both comfortable with each other and ask any other questions beforehand. This will take the pressure off both of us!

I am looking for mothers who are expecting to give birth in November or December, or even January, preferably in Central London. I am based in Kensington.

Thank you so much and I really apppreciate your taking the time to read this!

Hello all

Hope those overdue don't have too much longer to wait, good luck!

I wish I'd read the hat posts before I did my mothercare visit yesterday. I only have a couple of knitted ones which I don't think will be that great initially, I'll get dh on the mission as he works off Oxford Street.

No signs at all for me today but one of my ankles is really sore, I think walking around on my fat feet yesterday might have pulled/twisted something ho hum!

In the middle of soup making so best get back to the kitchen to make sure nothing is burning.

have a good day all.

Hi Emily and YoungMum, due on 26th and although I'm not completely fed up, I do feel very ready now! Walking is a big problem, as I seem to roll from side to side rather than walk. Still, 9 days yet to go and first babies are often late... DH is convinced it will be here by the weekend, but I suspect that's wishful thinking on his part.

I suppose we just have to wait until the little angels are ready to come out!

dashing redhead, apparently the rolling is good, it encourages the baby into the right position according to osteopaths. keep waddling.
clon, can't believe you're still cooking-really impressive, can't muster the energy myself. is a wooly hat too itchy? only non wooly hat i have is a large comedy australian one with kangaroo on bought by my patriotic aussie friend.
how's the mortgage search going nnnm? i missed the post where you said you were buying, are you coming back to uk? by the way, piles much better after yoga class-they recomend all 4's with bum in air doing p. floor exercises to improve circulation. loved the discussion on french for sweep. hope your 1st born is behaving slightly more angelicly.
gingeme, ds3 still sounds v. cute.
saw obstetrician today. still 3/5 th engaged, will it ever go lower? had cervix 'stretched'. am booked in for further stretching and sweep on thursday.-did feel like i'd been to vet not dr after all of that...
in the meantime i'm off for another curry in the hope it sets things off before then!
all those who are getting bored, this may be too anally retentive for you but i'm entertaining myself by getting my xmas shopping started.

Not anally retentive at all. I've done all the Christmas shopping and all the birthday present shopping to the end of the year as well. I was so stressed about christmas in 2003 when I had my daughter as we were so skint. I thought I would do it when I had some cash and just one child to scream in the shops.

I've even got the cards and the wrapping paper!

hey ive started my xmas shopping too thought it best as im sure me and dp will have our hands full once lo is born and dont think i got any more birthdays to worry about this year!!!

Not sure wot we will be buying lo as she will be so young any one else no wot they getting there lo's????

HELP - Went to Midwife today and she said that baby is laying back to back and won't shift now. She said that there is a chance baby will move in labour, but that doesn't always happen (know of 2 people where the baby didn't, one ended in c-section).

I understand that back to back is horrifically more painful than normal- and likely to last longer. Has anyone else had a back to back, how was it? How long did it last? and any tips?

dd was a normal birth and I was quite looking forward to this one ... now I'm sh**ing myself.

hi every1,
sorry 2 hear that girlygale, I have no advice tho, sorry!
How did ur shopping go wuzz? I think i'm gonna have 2 try another curry 2mora, still haven't got the raspberry leaf stuff! Have had loads of bh 2day tho so must b a good sign!
I've started xmas shoppin aswell youngmum, Have no idea wot 2 get lo as he will b so young, woz thinkin of just puttin money into bank account 4him, He will have loads of presents from family etc anyway!
hope every1 else is doin ok & not 2 fed up! x

hi girly

I havent had my lo yet but she was laying back to back for a while i was told to get on all fours and stick your bum in the air and head down and it shud encourage lo to move!!! x

hey there, how is every one?

Lola is 4 days old today, my bits are sore, my boobs have bled and my milk still hasnt come, so ive given her a bottle tonight, it just wasnt fair she was sucking and sucking for my milk, but i dont have any

have felt kinda weepy tonight, guilty about the bottle, and worried about heel prick tomorrow, any advice

Hi Girly

Try not to be worried. It might shift. Try rolling around on a ball and going on all fours. My friend's baby shifted back to back IN labour. It went ok and they got the baby out with ventouse. I think it just pushes on your back so the pain is more there than all over with the other way round.

Try not to focus on what might be otherwise you will do in your confidence and use your energy on worrying when you need it for labour.

I know it must seem scary but remember that midwives seem to be on this planet to make us shit ourselves constantly.

hi emzickle,

Can i ask did you think labour was as bad as you thought it wud be?

N sorry your feeling weepy im sure lo is happy with a bottle as long as she getting fed xx

it wasnt bad actually - il put it in the birth announcements bit in a min x

done x

Emzickle

Please don't beat yourself up about breastfeeding and bottles. I had a terrible time with my first and sent myself into PND through guilt about breastfeeding not working. My nipples went green and even expressing made me faint with pain. I thought it was more painful than labour. I ended up bottlefeeding after two weeks. My milk never really came in despite all the pumping. It went away over night.

Please don't let yourself be consumed by guilt, I can tell you that allowing youself to delve into it won't make you feel better but worse.

You are a good mother. The source of nutrition is such a small part of the role you will be playing of the rest of your life.

I blogged about my breastfeeding experience and included an article I wrote for the NCT about it. www.doingitallagain.com and click on breastfeeding hell link on top right (please only read if you are feeling strong enough to take on board someone else's experience, as at the moment you might only have enough energy for your own experiences)

x

poor you emzickle, not fun at all, as the others said, don't beat yourself up about it, you're doing the best for your baby whether it's bottle or breast.
girlygale, from an osteopathic viewpoint, babies can turn up to the last minute. an osteopathic treatment would aim to encourage the baby up out of the pelvis by making as much room as possible in the pelvis to allow the baby to disengage and then to turn. also there's a homeopathic remedy, i think it's pulsatilla that encourages a baby to turn, give helios homeopathic pharmacy or ainsworth homeopathic pharmacy and ask them to send whatever they recomend. and, as youngmum and emilyturner said all 4's is v. important. it works on the same principle as the ost. treatment, ie. encouraging the baby to disengage so that it can then re-engage. oh, and acupuncture can help get the baby into the right position too. there really is a large chance the baby can turn before birth. and if the worst comes to the worst, yes, it is more painful, but not disaster

Hi everyone, congrats to all those who have had their babies, not long now (hopefully) for the rest of us! I've had a not so marv week, had to have wisdom tooth removed under local anesthetic last Thursday (ouuuch), very stressful, blood pressure was up (not surprisingly!) so midwife sent me to day assessment unit at the hospital... have also had protein and sugar in my urine since the very beginning of pregnancy but no one has taken much notice as blood pressure has always been normal... blood pressure back to normal by the time I got to DAU anyway, but nasty doctor there told me she wanted to induce me on Friday (day before my due date)! EEK! (This is why I am so not keen on hospitals!) I sooo don't want to end up in the hospital, had my heart set on giving birth at the birth centre, less medicalised and all that. Didn't agree with doctor's opinion at all so got a second opinion from midwife at birth centre who referred me to a consultant at another hospital closer to the birth centre... he was much nicer and said protein and sugar in urine is fine as has been there all through pregnancy as long as blood pressure remains normal... thank god... so can now go ahead with birth centre delivery as planned, fingers crossed. Have had to have my care transferred to this new hospital though, is in a different county so has been a nightmare paperwork wise and original midwife is not very happy with me.
Was also told last week that my baby was spine to spine with me, sent me into a bit of a panic as really didnn't want to have epidural or anything... but she appears to have turned now, so it just proves it can happen late on, and my baby is big as well, they reckon about 8.5lb already, so not sure how she had the room to manouvere but she managed it! Spent 10 minutes twice each day on all fours bottom higher than shoulders, it definitely works
I sympathise with all those having cramp-ie pains as well, I get them really low down in pubic area, esp at night, think it is just the baby moving down in the pelvis. Sure I can feel her pressing on my cervix already, eek! She has definitely moved down as well, top of tummy which used to be rock hard is now all squishy where she's left a gap.
Anyway, sorry for the long post, haven't posted in a while so had a lot to update! Good luck to anyone who goes into labour tonight...

am sitting here awake at 4am, having given myself the fear-what if the baby hasn't engaged any more over the last month because it has the cord round its neck? am instantly picturing the natural birth option disapearing and being whisked off for c section. i think i'm probably worrying for nothing and my imagination is too active, but now the idea has lodged in my brain. how would they tell? is it normal still not to be fully engaged at 40 plus 4?
lisamarv what a crap week, i think my bp would be through the roof if i had to have a wisdom tooth out under local, especially being massively pg.how irritating that the instant response was lets induce, well done you for managing to avoid that dr, v impressive, even if a big pain up the bum.

Marthahm: W ended up with cord round neck but fully engaged, so prob not connected. And no need for cs/ventouse etc. Not sure if that would be reassuring or not! Good luck for your sweep.

Emzickle: the heel prick test was really quickand W took no notice. He didn't cry at the vit k injection either so is a stoic

Stop press - W slept in his crib last night Still feeding every 2 hours but much more settled (famous last words).

Morning all - woke this morning feeling bitterly disappointed as yesterday I had loads of energy then last night lots of nagging pains and movements, thought it would be all systems go this morning (due date is tomorrow) and nothing, not a bean.

Midwife appointment this afternoon and then as long as she is happy I will be seeing a reflexologist later. Then will go to the local takeaway and get a madras curry and eat the pineapple thats sitting in my fruit bowl. If that doesn't shift it I will go and see our vet!

Nicand2 - I know how you feel. MW and consultant have been telling me throughout pregnancy that baby is big and would not let me go past 38 weeks. Until I got to 38 weeks and they said I could go up to 12 days OD, 34week growth scan isn't accurate (why bother then. It makes you want to thump someone!

morning all,

well wot as crap nites sleep last nite was is any one else indigestion getting worse the more pg you get thought it mite of eased off abit but it comes with a vengence every two hours when im trying to sleep!!!!
Had to get up early aswell as mw coming at 10 so got to make the house tidy before she gets here!!!

N now ive got a nose bleed can anything more go wrong ive only been up 30 mins xxx

morning - I am sitting here typing one handed with my 1 day old son in my arms!! Bryn Arthur arrived exactly 2 weeks early, at 3am yesterday! Labour was fast and furious, will post in birth announcements soon for anyone who wants to read it, but wanted to let you guys know - good luck all, I'll update stats too.

Gingeme - had to cancel photos - that was due to be tomorrow!