December- The Final Countdown!!!!

[Calmriver]

HI Guys, I am still confused, so please join me on this one.

Thanks all! I'm going to get my bags packed over the next few days, just incase.

Hi everyone, I've not been around much as the Spanish internet servers are pretty rubbish and have been without phone and internet for days while waiting to change to a, supposedly, better one. But I keep downloading the thread when I get a chance to go online-I need to see how you are all doing.
Being the earliest on the due date list is a bit scary but it's my first so I'll probably be late, and I'm sure that there will be more new arrivals before we get to December.

Lucy-how horrible, but how typical of the local clinic (mine too). Tell me if you need anything(but text me for the time being!).

I really turned a corner last night when I decided NOT to rely on DP saying the house(nursery, hall, bathroom etc) would be ready in time. Work gets done, but so slowly and I just sit up all night worrying about it. I'm now anticipating that it won't be ready and so I have to make baby space somewhere else. I've taken the house apart today and feel much better and much less stressed (but totally knackered!).

Right, now I'm going to read up on whats been happening over the last few days.

I am so appalled at how understaffed the midwives are even compared to 5 years ago, still felt really ill today and as they have cut the appt for 2nd time mums, if you are worried you are told to just pop along to the Day Assesment Unit at the Hospital and they will take a look at you, only if you have a spare day free

I had to get my DH to drive me as I was going cause I keep trying to pass out entirely, not the best plan for me to drive then! and we waited and waited and waited, the day assessment used to be seperate from the appt dept, now they are the same and you just wait until all the appt have been seen.

We finally got home at 4pm and the midwife had had the cheek to ask if we wern't going to wait the next 2 hours for the results!!

I hadn't eaten !!

Who plans to have to wait THAT long!!

She also answered 10 phonecalls throughout my 15 min in with her As they also have to man the phones.

Anyway back there tomorrow for my scan and test results

Lucy and WB sorry to hear you're not having a good time. hugs to you both (())

Saw MW today - not sure about cut backs, but she ha a maternity assistant - does anyone else's MW have one. This other lady, who is also very nice does all the 'good' stuf, like checking my wee, geting my anti-d from the fridge etc. While my MW does the important stuff like BP and listening to the heartbeat. If I end up having a HB, for which I want this MW the other lady comes too.

DH alowed me a nice 2 hour nap this afternoon. Could'nt sleep for most of it for the sound of him and DD playing and laughing . How come when he went for his nap (as he does get up at 4am for work) she just cried and was grotty and noisy - not in a good way? Could be because I foolishly thought that as she had asked to watch Thomas I thought I could do some work....well that never happened and now have to take today as annual leave - not that I mind as I have 3 days left to take and no time left to take them in.

Anyway DD is now in bed, DH watching gadget show and I am back on the computer - normality..restored!

wb - sounds rough. i had to go to the delovery suite last week as suspected waters broke and they were brilliant. i was seen straight away by a midwife and a student and i was monitored, baby was monitored etc. In and out in 2 hours after establishing all ok. I guess a lot depends on your health authority.

Milkshake, I completely and utterly sympathise with the DD story! I ended up last night as a quivering hormonal wreck - certain that I was the worst mother in the world because I had been snappy with DD all weekend, and if I couldn't cope with 1 child, how was I going to cope with 2? Of course, this morning she woke me up with a great big smile, cuddle and 'I love you, Mum'...
Lucy, you poor thing. What a terrible shock for you.
Castles, you are a veritable mine of information! Any advice on arnica before a C-section?

Hi everyone, not sure if I can catch up on everything today or not! We are a chatty group, aren't we

lucy, I am totally amazed that they hadn't told you about the protein in your urine. I don't blame you a bit for being mad - I would be too! Hope everything stays okay.

Yesterday I had to go in to work for a few hours, then ds had a birthday party to go to, then a friend of ours was celebrating her 50th b-day, so we felt we had to go to that too. All in all, by the time we got home, I literally had no ankles First time that's happened this time around although it was a big problem with ds. I kept trying to put my feet up today, but it seemed like there was so much to do around the house I was still up and about probably more than I should have been.

Does anyone else have quite a bit of swelling in their hands? Mine just started about a week or two ago, but they feel really sore, especially in the mornings. And using the mouse on my computer gets my carpal tunnel symptoms going.

A couple of final shopping notes
I finally decided to order a buggy board and it came in missing a major part Have emailed the company and got back a standard "We'll look into it and get back to you" response. wtf? just send me the part or an entire new one please...

And, at the Halloween party Saturday night someone was telling me about nursing necklaces to cut down on nipple twiddling. I've looked online and think I might give it a try. Now I have to decide if I'm going to order one ready made or try to string my own.

Jabber- what's nipple twiddling and nursing necklaces??!I b/f DS1 and have no idea about any of this!
Had a BRILLIANT night's sleep for the first time in ages.

Jabber - my fingers look more like bananas in the morning, and the joints are really stiff and puffy looking - but it goes by about 11ish, especially if I shake them a lot! But the first few times it happened I thought I was getting old and had rheumatism, they looked like an old woman's hands. MW said not to worry at all, it is perfectly normal

x

Mornin. Jabber my swolen hands were in the first part of the PG when I had to have wedding ring on a chain. It's been back on my finger for about 8 weeks, but I can see it needing to come off again soon. Also joints on hands and wrists ache.

Have to share my bargain with you!!! Been waiting for 'Nappy fficer to contact me for about 10 days and nothing. So after looking at reuseables on e-bay and being outbid - or simply seeing outrageous prices popped in to my local second hand shop. Found 3 reuseable, waterproof covers, 6 shaped terry nappies (brand new) and a pack of 6 cotton napies for use inside the covers (also brand new). Add to that a brand new nappy bucket (or bucket with a lid) and a Noddy puzzle for DD. All purchased for the excellent sum of £13.50 .

Have just carved a pumpkin for DD - hands now smell awful, combined witht he onion on them from last nights tea - bleugh! Going to soak them in dettol for a while - I love that smell so much right now!

Have to share with you all how frustrated I have become with a certain blooming mother and baby company. They charged me for the wrong amount initially; then I had to wait aaaages for one of the items to turn up, and no one ever had any idea when it was going to appear. In the end I sent several things back and it took them months to refund the money to my card, and they got the amount wrong even then. I've been trying to get them to pay me back the extra £35 for about six weeks now. The people on the phones are clueless and I have to explain the whole thing again, tell them exactly what I sent back, and take them through the calculations. Then they promise to make the refund, and it still doesn't appear. GRRR. Not marvellous.

judemum, here is a site that sells nursing necklaces. Poor ds had nipple confusion so early on i never found out if it would be a problem for us or not - expressed for almost a year THis time around I'm trying to do everything possible to make sure that doesn't happen.

Glad I'm not the only one with swollen hands, at least. Misery does so love company DG, now that you mention it, I do believe it does get some better later on, but not too much.

PM - you know I'm all about getting those great shopping deals! Am very chuffed (is that the right British word?) for you.

loulou, so sorry to hear about your "blooming" problems. I'm hoping my experience with the partial buggy board order doesn't go down that route.

My fingers have swollen too, I have had to take my wedding ring off. My ankles are huge too.

Hope everyone is ok today.

lucy, with ds I had bp problems and my ankles completely disappeared! Have been anxiously checking them since the second trimester. There's definitely some puffiness down there, but so far not as bad as before.

Hope everything stays ok for you.

Afternoon all....

Ah, swelling. Good topic. Just started getting puffy ankles in the morning, and hands in the morning - and my face is a tiny bit puffy too (probably lack of sleep!).

OB apt today, thrown me a little...baby still tranny, and 'unstable lie' as she swings from breech to tranny and back again the whole time. Itchiness probably not OC, but have had all the bloods done - along with bloods for pre-eclampsia (bp still within normal, but up from two weeks ago - and I have history of PIH) and a full blood count. Do I have any left?!

Biggest bit...booked in for section on 24th of November at exactly 38 weeks, because OB doesn't want to risk me going into labour with transverse lie, history of low lying placenta, and a second baby: if I go into labour before, I'm to get to hospital tout de suite

If (big if) bump turns head down and stays there in stable fashion, and bp stays ok, all that will change....but no one really expects that. So I probably have just over 3 weeks left: don't know whether to laugh and scream with relief (have been feeling crap last few days with itching/exhuastion) or cry for not getting to experience labour ever, but mostly have big grin on face at thought of meeting dd2 in that short a time!

And if I feel so emotional about it, can imagine your shock feeling twice as big, Lucy!

Jabber, take care of your ankles - ie rest, or shop with feet up - and do'nt think we're going to forget about that photo

Eli, how exciting!!!!!!!! I wonder how many of us from the December thread will actually have our babies in December????????

I wonder!

All the excitement threw me out a bit - will post your parcel tomorrow, sorry!

How are you feeling today? Do you knw when you your next appointment is?

Am feeling really emotional, had the scan and Consultant appt today (another 3 hours at the Hosp) they are concerned about the amount of fluid I am retaining, to the point of there might be a problem with the baby, have to go back in 4 weeks for another scan and appt, but Home Birth, Water Birth all been highly un-recomended as they want to do tests as soon as baby is born, am off to try and find out some info as was too shocked to ask any questions at the time.

Have been crying all day, am scared about baby and petrified that going into Hospital will trigger PND again as well.

Great that you know the date I guess Eliboo?

weirdbird, sounds tough but try to wait and see what verious tests say as you could be worrying unecessarily. At least you have time to adjust to lack of home/water birth etc too as I know many people who have had plans dashed on the day and that is also difficult to cope with.

I just had 34 week midwife appt. Nothing exctiting to say.

Bit peeved as i got measured for a new bra in shop the other day. Didnt buy as they cost a bomb but went and ordered online instead. Wearing one now and it is totally the wrong size. threw all packaging away so cant return....grrr

Eli - v v jealous - but happy for you at same time

WB (()) finger crossed all turns out well for you, keep us informed when you can.

Jabber - chuffed works for me !

Our systems at work have been playing up all day so I have actually had to do....work! Although we were taken out for lunch so that took a couple of hours out of the day.

Eli - v v jealous - but happy for you at same time

WB (()) finger crossed all turns out well for you, keep us informed when you can.

Jabber - chuffed works for me !

Our systems at work have been playing up all day so I have actually had to do....work! Although we were taken out for lunch so that took a couple of hours out of the day.

Obviously still playing up. But at least I can now get back on MN

WB, sorry to hear that...does sound v upsetting. What do they mean by retaining water? Do you mean excess amniotic fluid, as in polyhydramnios? (if so, I had that, know a bit about it and the post birth tests) Or generally? Hugs to you...

Bat, yes, its exciting and disappointing all at the same time! I suppose the opposite would be scary and exciting, so no clear favourites really Sorry re the bra, maybe one of us could buy it off you?!

Pumpkin, clearly playing up!

And, thanks...though wouldn't be too jealous, might all change

Well I mean fancy having to do work, at work with just 8 days before maternity leave!!!