June 2015 - thread 7 - finding out our teams!! Pink/Blue/Yellow which are you?

[jazzyjenbo]

For ladies expecting very late Maybees or Junebugs 2015

I didn't do a hypnobirthing class but I did have the natal hypnotherapy CDs which I'll dig out again soon to start falling asleep practising with. They were good for helping me focus on my breathing during labour, although I found "the woman" a bit patronisy-soundy and there is a moment when she says "you're doing really well" or similar and I screamed "How would you f know??? You're not HERE!!"

I also wanted to be in the water but my contractions weren't close enough or regular enough when they finally let me stay in so I couldn't go straight it to the pool. My contractions were never regular, right up until the point of delivery, so that is something to be aware of! By the time the mws were happy that going in the pool wasn't going to delay things for me, I couldn't face moving rooms so I never went in. I ended up on the labour ward anyway so wouldn't have stayed in it even if I'd got there!

Can I remind everyone of the importance of pelvic floor exercises?? I won't go into why I have been reminded to do them myself

Re NCT - we had super classes at ours and met lovely people, all of whom I'm still regularly in touch with. I do realise it's luck of the draw and some people get really duff groups, and you read some real lentil weaving horror stories about them on here! The friends were the best thing I got out of it, though, so if you're moving away immediately it might be worth investigating the groups there instead.

That is one of the things that has really frustrated me about the system here, or my hospital and doctors at least. I have learnt about so much of this stuff through this group and other people, if you left it to the midwives I have seen I wouldn't know there are 'nct classes' (I need to look them up), I wouldn't know the hospital does antenatal classes (we are now enrolled as someone told me to check), I wouldn't know you should get free prescriptions, even the 3 different GPs who have given me prescriptions for pregnancy sickness didn't bother to mention it... It would be so easy for one of the early midwife appointments to have scheduled 'tell patient hospital has antenatal classes and how to book, for just one example.

Elizabeth - i wanted a water birth both times.
With ds there was only 1 pool on the birth centre, i got that room , but there is no way i could of stayed still long enough to get in even if it had been an option towards the end. I had alot of complications and ds's delivery turned into an emergency... Wheeled frantically to delivery wards etc.
When i had dd again i wanted the pool option to b available, birth centre was completely full and i had to labour on an observation ward.... However there was a large bath and i did find it comforting having the water around me and had shower on aswell, i was able to stand up and hold rails. I had no pain relief at all with dd.
This time again i would like the pool option but know its not always available.

jazzy thanks for the feedback, I know it's likely to maybe not be free but I am a huge water person and felt maybe if I even had a little time in one it may relax me more. I ll mention it to mw at Friday app as she asked me to have a think about it, obviously it's not a hard and fast decision as I don't want to have a fixed plan and it then not happen through emergencies etc

pasbeacoup I practice my exercises religiously, a tip from a friend that the are important.

Quick question, I am getting back into my swimming again after a few weeks off, someone I know who is pregnant has been advised to not do breast stroke legs, is this general advice ?

They did some hypnobirthing at the end of our NHS antenatal classes! Our NHS antenatal classes were really good; I felt no need to do NCT ones as well. And they were in my local area so I got to meet local mums to be (I met the local mums afterwards at the local baby groups). It's the place to get the type of questions that people have asked here answered. I felt very informed about pregnancy and labour and then ended up having a section anyway! They also did a session on caring for baby and one on breastfeeding. They seem to vary a lot from area to area though! Ours were done by my own midwife, she was great.

What I did find interesting was that every pregnant lady in my classes (including myself) was an older mum in their 30s. I'm not sure if that says something about my area or the type of person that makes the effort to attend classes though!

Feeling a bit worried as not sure if I felt baby move at all yesterday. Other days I have felt tiny movements a couple of times, but don't think I felt anything yesterday. Is it too early for regular movements? I know all about Count the kicks (and have one of the movement wristbands), but I'm not sure if that only applies to slightly later on? I'm 19+4.

In other news, been randomly sick this morning after nothing for weeks. So weird!

It's still early ots. At my 20 week scan I said I wasn't feeling movement (I've felt odd movements on a few days, that's it) and they said to give it another couple of weeks (so 22 weeks). But I have an anterior placenta. And I did last time and didn't feel regular movements throughout (well, less than 10 a day when count the kicks said you should have 4-100 an hour!). It's not about counting the kicks now though, it's about noticing the pattern of your baby and getting checked out if there's a change in pattern (which I also didn't have last time).

Thanks cuphat. I think once I've had my scan (Monday) I'll be able to relax a bit more but until then I've been worrying about every little thing!

I can't remember when I started feeling regular movement with DS, but it was definitely after my 20 week scan so I know its still early at the moment. Also I was really busy yesterday and rushing about all day as we're moving on Saturday so I wouldn't notice movement as much as the days when I just lay around.

I was reading about swimming last night - breast stroke is fine unless you have PGP/SPD. It's actually recommend in the third trimester as it strengthens your top half.

Must actually go swimming and not just read about it

I think you are probably right ots I only feel kicks when I am sitting or lying very still. I had a day of no movement recently but then it started up again. Maybe it was just catching up on some sleep!

Elizabeth I asked my midwife specifically about breaststroke and she said if you have any hip/pelvic issues then avoid. if you're okay you can do some but don't let it be your main stroke. hth. Its just what my mw said and each may be different.

otsI find a large ice cold water and then lying down on left side gets mine wriggling a bit more if I'm worried that he's been still.

elizabeth what anything said. i also looked it up and I also should actually go swimming instead of reading about it :P What I read from a few places said it's a no-no if you have any pelvic pain but otherwise it's actually the best stroke especially in 3rd trimester for the muscles it strengthens (in my case I would have no idea if I do it using the right muscles, not a water baby despite being australian)

Giving birth in the wild sounds crazy. I feel daring enough planning a homebirth (mainly because I want access to a birthing pool and I know the hospital only has one.) but I'm 5-10mins drive from the hospital if needs be. Also less chance of attracting wild animals XD

I was looking at the hypnotherapy books and CDs on Amazon yesterday. Not sure I could face an actual meeting (I'm fairly sceptical and would be worried about wasting my time, money and sniggering like an immature schoolgirl if it all got too hippy-ish), but was considering trying the techniques at home and seeing if they work for me. I know some people rave about it!

Has anyone else booked in for anything like pregnancy yoga/aqua natal or anything like that, yet? I've finally found a local pregnancy yoga group that runs in the evening, so me and a friend are going to start doing that from next week. Hope it might help keep my joints and muscles as limber as possible, but as an avowed exercise/sport hater, it'll be interesting!

That's what I was hoping for Tori

its yes it is too early to have regular movements, don't worry as cup said my hospital said around 22/23wks you should be having more regular movements and even then that's not guaranteed some ladies don't have them until much later.

ots not its!

I had my first really weird giving birth related dream last night! Have been having weird dreams but this was the first specifically baby one - baby way a girl, all well and good, but was talking like dd does (aged 2 and a half!). Telling me what she does/ doesn't like etc. Mws were all astounded but discharged us within the hour as "it's clear she'll tell you if there's anything wrong"

I didn't like the way she looked either

Oh no tori babyB is being naughty already! I hope he/she uncurls soon!

pas I had a dream that my baby came out about six months old! I also had one where it was so small it fit in the palm of my hand!

oh dear Tori hadn't occurred to me that could be a problem! I'm also not feeling any movement, one reason I have held off telling everyone at work for so long. Scan this afternoon, hope baby behaves!