April 2015 thread 7: Our viable, wriggling bumps have us walking belly-first into the new year!

[BrixtonBunny]

New thread xx

daholster Oh no, poor you always at the worst times! Can I ask why you have a stoma?

I don't have one but lots of people I know do because I am a member of lots of IBD communities (I do have IBD - crohns to be exact - not just a total weirdo that stalks these places without a valid reason lol)

Mel0 - lolz for the willy!

Rusty - re the Boots thing I think I filled in a form that came with bounty pack. A little magazine (basically advertising) and some vouchers arrived last week. There are quite a few useful ones for first timers - this time around I know what I'll need so won't bother with quite a lot.

Cinnamon - thanks again, you're a fount of reassurance. I won't slope downstairs for a mince pie breakfast in that case.

Daholster - how annoying for you. Well done for getting it sorted and returning to your steak.

Hospital bag - I had a list for last time but can't remember which computer it's on annoyingly. I do remember taking far too many nappies, wipes and baby clothes. Had a planned section so didn't need any labour stuff. Have heard of DHs who eat all the labour snacks so a bag with a concealed internal pocket might be handy!

Bonjour I got a Connecta as well and I've had my two-year-old in it a couple of times so it will definitely be used for a while. I went to a sling meet and had a lesson in how to use it with a newborn which was very helpful. You can roll the waist band over to make the back panel a more convenient height for smaller babies.

With regard to the hospital bag, I always pack two which was a good thing as I was kept in for five days with my first. I have a small bag with things for labour, a change of clothes for me, a set of clothes for the baby and a few nappies. Then I have another bag that gets left in the car during labour with extra clothes, blanket, more nappies, etc. that DH can bring in once I'm on the ward. I'm having a section this time so I'm sure I'll be in at least a couple of days. I'll be on a restricted diet for a few weeks around the baby's birth so I suspect I'll need to sneak quite a bit of food into the hospital or I'll starve as breastfeeding makes me hungry. When I was in having DS2 they brought me a bowl of broth and a slice of bread for my lunch one day. After being in labour all night and day and then being up hourly feeding I wanted an entire pizza to myself!

I packed a book in my hospital bag first time round - I can quite safely say it wasn't required!

Morning all! Feeling less grumpy now... Sometimes you just need to vent so thank you for letting me do that. Still worried about all these pains and rapidly growing hernia but there isn't anything I can do about it except take it day by day. It's frustrating that all these pains and things only started after seeing the midwife! Doh!

lucyandpoppy poor you having Crohns. Is it flaring with your pregnancy? I have UC so hence the emergency subtotal colectomy a year ago. I'd had it for 10 yrs but the preceding two it was just spiralling and nothing worked. Ciclosporine did at first but then stopped helping. So after 4 hospital admissions in a year, a drug trial, arsenic out up my bum (no joke!) my attempt at infliximab resulted in an impressive allergic reaction meaning the crash team we're called, soooo embarrassing... I ended up stuck in hospital because I couldn't keep any of my salts up any more, my gut had just given up and I ended up in cardiac HDU... And my lovely consultant just came in with that look on her face and said it was time. I had my op within two days. I still have a flaring rectal stump left so still have a few issues at times but nothing like what it was. After having this baby I'm going to try to get a different job, then once settled have a reversal done to lose the stump for good. I'd love to have more babies in about 5 or 6 years but I suppose we will just have to see whether that happens because the op has a 50% risk of infertility. But although I cope with the stoma fine I don't want it forever if I don't have to.

My dd was ok even though it was a bit rocky at times with early contractions with flares etc and my worries about the meds I was on, but all has been fine. She was a bit small (9th centile weight 75th length, nothing dangerous just skinny!) but gained weight really fast once out! I was poorly afterwards but then I was poorly so often at that point, I was just beginning to realise how bad things had become.

So I'm hoping you are going to tell me that your Crohns is behaving beautifully and you aren't under any stress re medications because you are just so well with your pregnancy glow!

Have you noticed any pregnant with ileostomy groups on your websites? There are a couple of threads on the IA forum but nothing recent or very useful...

If anyone notices any threads like this anywhere I'd be grateful, there are so many worries and questions I have and I don't want to keep boring you lot with them, even though it helps to share!

Thanks

25+1

Morning! After yesterday's worries baby has been very active this morning, so feeling a lot happier.

26 weeks today! Feels like time is flying by.

I so hope we can finally exchange on this house soon so we can start getting work done and have an estimated move in date soon! Would really like to know where we'll be living when baby comes as if it's the new house we might consider a home birth (more space for a pool etc).

I've been reading along but not really posting. So just saying I'm still here, we've been baby shopping a lot so had loads of deliveries arrive.

Just waiting for the dresser to come in two days then I can start on the nursery properly.

Anyone else finding time is flying by?

23+2

Haha looks like that's a yes!

Ooh Siarie what have you been buying?

Sorry to hear you've got lots to worry about daholster, hoping that you are getting the support with it all, even if it is time sensitive a bit of reassurance is all that's needed at times.

Hospital bag
For you: something to wear in labour, clean nightie for afterwards, slippers, I bought large normal underwear as I didn't want disposables. I prefered the cheaper maternity pads that are thicker as it's more comfy to sit on, breast pads (tommee tippee were my favourite), nursing bra, toiletries, towel(s), socks as I had cold feet just in slippers! Clothes to go home in which will need to still be maternity, phone, charger, camera.
For baby: I took vests and sleepsuit in newborn and 0-3 as my babies were expected to be big, a packet of newborn nappies, I didn't bother with a blanket as they put then in a hospital blanket pretty quick anyway and mine didn't have hats either but I know lots of people prefer to have one. Coat to go home in. I had to change ds1 a few hours after he was born as I wasn't expecting him to wee every time I opened his nappy so he got very wet, so don't just take one lot of clothes even if you're expecting to be home quickly! Mine were both also very sicky with mucus in the first few hours so needed changing too.
For labour: tens machine, snacks (I didn't eat in either labour but I know some people do and dh may want to eat!), I was regularly bought iced water which was all I could stomach but if you think you're likely to want squash or other drinks take them, straws so someone can hold a drink and you can sip, hairbands as I couldn't bear my hair in my face, dh was pretty hands on with me so didn't have much time to read etc but I certainly didn't want to do anything but catch my breath between contractions and couldn't have cared less about background music. Probably forgotten some bits but I can add later!

Muslin squares and lip balm as g&a is very drying!

I don't tend to feel much except when she's getting violent in there! I have weekly midwife appointments to keep an eye on me... so I hear the baby quite a lot, which is reassuring. Yesterday while listening to her heart, the midwife commented "she never stays still! wriggliing away in there, I can feel her!" but I was feeling nothing. My placenta is in the usual position too. Just my medical history causing issues for me again, baby's fine so I must not worry.

My caesarian bag was several pairs of pyjama bottoms/yoga pants (black!), a few pyjama tops/tshirts/nighties, LOTS of "full brief" underwear, several packs of night-time sanitary towels, toiletries, dressing gown (unnecessary, the ward was toooo hot), crocks/flipflops (instead of slippers, can wear them in the shower too so didn't catch athletes foot or veruccas - a trick learned from camping lol), my own towels, breast pads (at least one whole packet!), toiletries etc, a bottle of squash (they only provide water which gets boring), and several changes for the baby too, and nappies, cotton wool and a plastic tub for wiping baby, and something warm for baby to wear to bring them home in. I was brought snacks etc daily (and sandwiches) as I was constantly hungry after the morphine wore off, especially breast feeding), . And the usual phone charger, books etc to keep me entertained - gazing in awe at the baby is lovely but I was in for 10 days after having my eldest so needed to be entertained!

daholster oh gosh sounds like youve had a rough time of it but gla that the stoma seems to be helping :) I can see why you would want a reversal though although the risks do seem quite high!

I'm 21 and was dx when I was 13 so going on 8/9 years now of crohns first 2 years nothing worked had NG tubes, prednisolone, iv steriods, asacol etc etc culminating in me ending up in hospital with a massive infection the day of my first day of year 10 work experience... Thats when we decided to do infliximab and I have been on it for over 5 years now (mostly) very happily no crohns symptoms at all as long as I get my infliximab on time every 6 weeks :)

But the hospital has said that the last infusion they can give me is at 31 weeks meaning I am due a flare at 37... I keep telling them this and they are all 'some people find crohns gets better in pregnancy (i have had a between infusions flare up very unusual for me so im clearly one of the ones that it gets worse for but will anyone listen...) and IF I do flare apparently its ok because I can just take steriods to bridge the gap (never mind that my crohns is steriod resistant)' I saw the OB consultant as well who said that if my crohns was in the last 30cm of the bowel (which im pretty sure it is or has been as ive had a sigmoidoscopy that showed inflammation) then they reccomend a c-section so until 34 wk app with her still none the wiser on if I'm having a csec or not...

Sorry i totally rambled on lol can you tell the consultants are not in my best books right now ;) for groups I know someone posted on the inflammed and untamed facebook group that had a stoma and was pg you could send Sara (person that runs the group) a message and ask her to post a status asking any questions? :)

Wipes too, I used huggies natural ones which can be used from birth so didn't bother with cotton wool balls but did take sudocrem. I know others who've recommended Vaseline to stop those first black/green very sticky poos sticking to baby's bottom but never tried it myself.

Daholster I think those dinosaur babygrows are the same as what my Sil bought us. It had a little dinosaur hat with it, so cute.

Glad to hear the scan went better cinnamon, I'll loom forward to your list :)

I've no idea how much bump weighed, and MW says next visit is when they will start to measure me. DH was 2.2lb when he was born so everyone just keeps saying they can't wait to meet bump but obviously not as early as his dad. I was about 6.7 lb I think. Not that it's really any kind of indicator lol.

Brixton we've bought loads of stuff as the sales have been on. All the feeding equipment, started on the nursery furniture, clothes, that kind of thing. DH bought me a changing bag for Christmas (waiting for delivery still), it looks lovely online as I wanted something that looked like a normal bag I picked a storksak.

Found a newborn photographer I like, just need to get around to booking the guy. We even went car shopping, more to go and poke the boots and try and decide what type of car we want to change to. Currently driving a sports car so we've been looking for something that's still fast and sporty but more suitable (boot space and back seats with room).

I think we're leaning towards an Audi RS Q3 or the Mercedes equivalent but we can't find one to test drive as its a really niche market. So yeah everything feels a lot more real now!

hiding I saw that one but we went for the three pack - roaring dinosaur, stars and one with lots of little dinosaurs printed all over it

Thanks for the listening ears, it's difficult just waiting and seeing - I know this applies to a lot of us on here!

lucyandpoppy ibd is no fun is it, it's so underestimated!!! I think it's because ibfliximab can't be used in the last trimester and of course will dampen healing (as will steroids of course). I was on 6mp and steroids when Kaitlin arrived I think and I insisted she had immune blood tests and the paediatricians obliged to make sure her immune system was ok. They did it for the first couple of months to reassure me... But they were fine and I needn't have worried. It's hard to decide what's best when there is no research to tell you really what it's doing to the baby but I knew that being ill was definitely going to he bad for her. To be honest the meds didn't work much anyway!

I'll look into the facebook group, thanks!

Nice to read these hospital lists! I thought that thinking about what the actual baby needs after the birth was enough, completely forgot about the hospital bag and how much needs to go into it! Also, someone has perhaps already answered this question but I missed it, when would you start packing the hospital bag? I'm (hopefully!) a way off yet at 24+2 but if the rest of the time flies by as it already has done then it'll soon come around! X

Also, dinosaur babygrows sound so cute!

Ps just wanted to add that you were very brave to have all that at that age. I got UC when I was 14/15 and that was bad enough, and I didn't even need admitting until I was 29 when it all went very pear shaped. I'm so glad the infliximab worked for you - its just been approved for long term use in UC on the NHS too, bureau! Shame it didn't work for me but I'm so glad to be feeling better than I did! Despite love/hate with stoma - life is back and I can be a hands on doing everything mummy

All the thoughts on hospital bags and what to go in them are very helpful - as a first-timer, thank you!

That said, a lot of people are referring to TENS machines... I've heard of them, but as yet haven't done any research/heard anything about them except that people find them helpful for pain relief. Can anybody who's actually used one shed a bit more light on this?

Annia that's a good question that I was meaning to ask too. Haven't done any research on them at all!

I've also been wondering about TENS machines - I've heard mixed things about them so interested to see what others think.