April 2015 thread 6: our Christmas puddings are half cooked, now bring on the glow!

[BrixtonBunny]

We were getting perilously close to being full up, hope no one minds!

Yup! Might offer to take my MIL seeing as I'm refusing to waste money on a 3d scan this time around

I did minipie, bum up head down every evening or elbows on the floor and knees on sofa. Also say mostly on birthing ball or backwards on a dining chair in last few weeks but he was a stubborn bugger!! Worked for ds2, only option with transverse baby is elcs and I planned 3 weeks off so was desperate to move him!!

BonjourMinou they were comparing low risk births in hospital with mlu and home births so similar women.

I just don't want constant monitoring and being able to be off a bed. For me I wanted to be upright/hands and knees and very time I moved they lost heartbeat. With home births they check occasionally with Doppler which really appeals, so just a less messed about with birth would do me even if it's not water. Tempted to fight against induction as I had healthy placentas both times but Dh likes to follow the rules!!

No worries minipie, I have an unusual congenital spinal condition that means no spinal anaesthesia, hence GA. I quite like the feeling of drifting off that you get with a GA, God forgive me!

Hello everyone :) Haven't been lurking for a long while now, been ill but it is nice to come back and read what everyone is doing :)

I definitely look pregnant now - in fact bit worried baby will be enormous but scan sizes all seem normal...haha

We've been ebaying and getting hand me downs too so haven't done any buying yet - thought january sales might be good idea?

We didn't find out sex at 20 week scan so will be a surprise :)

Love birth stories, going to read them all now!

ooh does anyone know what you have to put in your letter to work when you hand in the certificate for maternity leave?

22+2, so hopefully write letter today :)

Thanks for the tip mini Sounds like that'll be good for relieving wind too!

smogs 'sunroof' I love that, what a great analogy

Right, after another really embrassing cough-wee incident yesterday can someone please tell me how I go about doing pelvic floor exercises and how often I should be doing them? I really must start!

At the moment planning MLU / waterbirth / gas&air (agree - no way do I want pethadine or any opiate painkillers) but depending on where we're living at the time (saga of house buying still continues...) may ask for home birth with a pool, depending on how far we are from hospital and lay-out!

I know it's more unusual for first time births but I hate hospitals and think if I'm in a happy environment where I can get into my own bed afterwards I'll be less stressed and more relaxed - candles, music, tea on tap etc. Also like the idea of a dedicated midwife throughout.

We shall see though - this assumes I remain low risk!

22+1 x

OneDay - if you feel a cough or sneeze coming (or in prep for blowing your nose), discreetly cross your legs. That seems to do the trick.

As for pelvic floor it seems to be be all about squeezing as if you are trying to stop a wee mid-flow. I don't bother with them much as having a section (lazy but there we go).

Pelvic floor exercises should be 10x short contractions and releases of whole pelvic floor three times a day. Also 5x long holds so pull all the way from front to back and hold for count of 10 if you can, again 3x a day.

Also OBEM is good for experiences but I do get annoyed at how many of the women in it stay in bed and give birth on their backs, either I'm odd and most people do give birth like that or they show way more of these than anything else. I was told to keep moving while in early labour with both but they never show women walking around anywhere.

OneDay we were told to try to do the following pelvic floor exercises daily in my yoga class last night:

10 sets of 10 quick contractions and releases
10 sets of 10 contractions held for about a second and releases
10 longer contractions held for 10 seconds

I haven't been doing quite that many but have been doing some quick and some long ones every day on the tube. Trying to up it to follow the yoga teacher's advice from today - really don't want to lose control of pelvic floor!

And smog I thought it was the weight of pregnancy that had an effect on the pelvic floor muscles as well as the birth itself?

Yep you still need to do your pelvic floor exercises if you're having a section. They'll also help prevent incontinence in old age and improve your sex life so there is no downside to doing them. I do them after I go for a wee as it's best to do them when your bladder is empty.

Zahrah I was told not to worry about the water and they would keep the temperature constant. I believe they top up with warm water as it cools but they don't let you get in until at least 5cm as it can slow the labour down.
I also fancy a water birth if available at the birthing centre and the state of the water afterwards did play on my mind.

I watched a good episode of don't drop the baby on BBC 3 where they demonstrated how a small cup of blood can look quite dramatic and that it was all very normal.

I've also been told not to worry about pooping in the water as they will get rid of it so it isn't floating around. I know I know, that's a little bit TMI, but it was my first thought!! my friend said they take it out of the water for you though (I assume with a net of some sort)

if it wasn't for a crazy dog and my brand new carpets i might consider a home birth lol

on another note entirely.. I went to get lunch today from our local cafe and as the lady handed me the dinner said "not seen you for a while, ooo how far along are you? congrats" So i walked out beaming at the fact that now strangers recognise that i'm preggers (which means I don't just look chubby round the middle)

My mum who hasn't seen me for 6 months didn't say a word though when she saw me briefly today :/ lol although she's not the usual motherly/maternal type though so it didn't surprise me.

good luck for next time mel0drama . I've taken to just drinking when I arrive from the water machine rather than trying to hold it all the way there.
I have to go back on the 16th and they made a really big deal about it was strict as to when I had to go back and it couldn't be later than 23weeks. If it was so urgent they could have squeezed me in this week before I go away. She looked at me as if I should be cancelling my holiday to suit their available appointments!

Wow this thread moves quickly - just spent ages catching up on everything.

Great news on all the scans etc. I am now 23+1, so feeling well and truly past the half way mark.

I have got a positive birth story to tell....despite being back-to-back, my labour with DD went very smoothly - I had a water bith in a MLU which I can totally recommend. I didn't actually need any G&A or anything else until it was all over and they were doing my stitches (at which point I enjoyed zoning out to with the G&A - but kept thinking that it felt really wrong to be feeling so high in front of my Mum!) They kept the water at a good temperature and although I did poo I didn't realise I had because I was leaning against the side facing out and they fished it out before I knew (DH told me later!) I did tear but weirdly the water was still clear - I guess I didn't bleed much until after I was out? Overall it was a properly special experience and I'd love to have the same for this LO. The water really helped with the pain of the back to back contractions. Even before we went to hospital I spent a fair while in the bath at home. I have thought about having a home birth this time but I think I'll go back to the MLU. The main thing for me is getting some good support with breast feeding in the hours after I give birth because this is something that I struggled with afterwards. The main thing that puts me off an epidural is that it increases the chance of having an instrumental delivery (forceps or ventouse) and I'd like to avoid that if possible!

But I agree with the other comments that it is not something to be feared - whatever happens the reward of the baby will far outweigh the birth and your body really does just take over the process so there is very little that you actually have to do except keep calm!

So nice to finally play a bit of catch up at 20+2 as had the scan today. Thankfully, everything was normal. Hurrah! So unbelievably relieved and now have a massive headache! Think I just got a bit worked up that something was going to be wrong, for no real reason other than you just don't know. And now it seems a whole lot more real.

All these birth stories are really interesting and I think it just goes to show how different everyone's experiences are, even if, say, they wrote similar things in their birth plans. I am hoping for a waterbirth if possible, although I do get really cold normally (Raynauds), so I'm not sure if I'll be warm enough. Plenty of time to work that all out in theory!

DD is currently stood at the baby gate to the kitchen screaming horror movie style, I'll almost be worried if the neighbours don't come over to check I'm not torturing her, she has refused dinner but desperately wants the sharp knife I used to cut it up. Stories like that would perhaps had a worse effect on my willingness to have kids than peoples birth stories... but I watch OBEM with a sorry joy... I am officially a freak and a bad mother!

You had to drink water before? I haven't had a full bladder for any of mine and they have never said anything.

Think it's depends on the machines Lauren. My hospital specifically tells people they don't need a full bladder for the scans but friends have been instructed to drink a certain amount before each one at different hospitals.

Ahh ok just thought that was a bit odd that I hadn't been told specifically that I needed a full bladder. Just got told I was wonderful to scan coz I'm a skinny Minnie. Nice clear images.

Hello everyone! Been a crazy busy few weeks, so I am still on page 30 of the last thread..trying to get caught up on reading them all :) lol.. just thought I would mark my place on this one before it gets too far! All is well on my end..getting big fast! lol. Can feel and see kicks now from the outside as of last night (I am 21+4 today) so that is def. exciting! DS has been a little shit lately! lol i love this boy to the moon and back but omg does he have an attitude..we are going to have to start using time-out a little more seriously since right now he thinks it's hilarious :/ lol. Anyways im not trying to ignore everyones posts so i will post again once im back in the loop :)

Congrats on the scans Mel and Minstrelle!

Had mine today too at 20+0, everything looked ok and it looks as though DH is going to be well and truly outnumbered as we're having another girl! Feel a bit sorry for him as he really wanted his mini me, but he's still adamant that this will be our last one

Hi everyone! cinnamon it's good to hear they were comparing similar women, I just heard a snippit on the news and thought it was one of those things where they used statistics to show what they wanted to show...

I just had an "interesting" trip to Tesco. Just popped in to my local express for my bread and milk, grabbed a hairbrush as DD keeps hiding mine and the cashier said "oh, I didn't know we sold hairbrushes!" I said "no, neither did I, but my 1 year old keeps hiding mine." Then she asked when the baby was due, so I said "oh, my next one's due in April." and she pulled a really incredulous face! At which point I sort of apologetically explained that I hadn't really lost the baby weight from the last one. Then she said, yes, but still, how many have you got in there! grit teeth at this v familiar remark Just the one, ha ha, I do get big... She said yes, you'll be dragging it around!

I just laughed, seething inwardly. I mean, she didn't half labour the point. I get it, I'm fat. Thanks for making me feel great.

Have attached 2 pictures for you to look at one without my coat on so you can see my bump properly, one forward facing with my coat on as the cashier would have seen me.

Is my bump so bad?

20+4

P.S. Have deliberately beheaded myself in pics since mumsnet can be openly viewed by anyone anonymously.

Evening fellow bumpettes!

After a horrific day ( car written off in a hit and run today, on my way to the scan! Stress with a capital S. Me and bump were fine tho) I can finally say that I am team BLUE! Thrilled to bits!