July 2015 - into the final trimester we go!

[broodylicious]

Hope this works....

Sounds fabulous MrsF!

A little bit of over active imagination trauma at Zampa Towers yesterday. Currently in Tenerife and the lo isn't being very active (almost nothing). DP was out cycling so I got myself more and more worked up about it so DP returned to find me in floods of tears. Cue 3 hours in the local hospital ...

All is fine and of course now feeling a bit daft. Midwife thinks that in all likelihood lo is just feeling a bit dopey and relaxed in the heat. Movement is still subdued but after recording a strong heartbeat for 30 minutes and lots of "perfectos" from the gynaecologist doing the ultrasound, I'm going to relax like the lo and enjoy the rest of my holiday.

Might get it checked on my return from holiday though

She's being took down for a scan in about 5 mins, then they'll make a plan of action, either discharge with pain meds or if she's lost too much fluid it'll be a c-section by tomorrow. She's doing ok though and seems to have perked up a bit, we had a good giggle at me via FaceTime this morning, I pulled my back running around after ds and dnephew yesterday and I'm waddling something chronic today haha. Dh has a day off so we're taking ds and dnephew to the market for a wander and possibly an ice cream on/near the beach this afternoon

I hope she can go home soon!

I hope she can go home soon!

Sounds like a brilliant day MrsF! Private tour of the unit sounds really good.

Glad everything was ok for you Zampa, must have been very reassuring to be able to go and get checked out over there, instead of stressing for whole rest of your holiday. Enjoy the rest of it.

I'm wishing your Sil all the best Mustbe, she must be under terrible stress with it all so I hope she gets good news today.

I've got less than 10 weeks to go now! Will be having csection at 39 weeks. I think I've got everything, just got a baby rocking chair from Smyths toys 20% off.
There seem to be lots of shops with baby events on at the moment, Boots, Tesco, Asda, Smyths and Babies r Us off the top of my head, there are some bargains to be had if anyone still needs to buy baby stuff.

Hello Ladies - hope you are all doing great.

So glad its friday, no work on monday, and its finally May. Not long to go, whoop whoop!

Must sending best wishes to your SIL xx

I am so tired today (general body tiredness, every movement feels like an effort , must have overdone it today in the gym, decided to incorporate squats into my workout to prep for birth .

Baby room will be painted tomorrow yay! Final clear out of all things that should not be there. Off to Ikea after work to buy changing station and shelves if DP does not change his mind.

Its just dawning on me that I will be going on mat leave next month.
Weird but true, I will miss work and my colleagues who have been fab during this #9monthmarathon I call it. I am not even acting like I am leaving in 7 weeks... Will not miss the commute and expensive healthy breakfast and lunch though! My baby shower is next month, can't wait, so excited.

I am impressed with the ladies that are able to do their toes, I can't be bothered, leave it for nail salon simple pleasures.

BTW - great deals on paints in homebase for those decorators amongst us 2 for 27 on all dulux 2.5L.

I really want our nursery finished as well, but there are some thing I cannot do myself. Hopefully DH can do some things tomorrow!

Hi meeska I'm having a CS 39 weeks als! Getting close!

I would like my csection at 39 weeks, the consultant would like it at 38 weeks.
Let battle commence

Just checking in quickly, glad to hear everyone doing well and heading towards the finish line! Feels like we have come a long way.

Mustbe wishing your sil all the luck - what a scary thing to go through. Fingers crossed her lo is ok.

Have just changed doctors surgery and midwife team due to house move. Was worried about it but best decision as the new team has a breastfeeding specialist that the other team doesn't have. Baby doing well - moving a bit more nowadays although I do go through a lot of the day kinda forgetting I'm pregnant as bump still not too big (I'm very tall) and have anterier placenta. I'm sure it's all gonna change at 30 weeks + though

NCT classes going well. A third of our group is having twins which is exciting. The teacher is fab and we have learnt so much already. Although the 2.5 hr session on pain relief was not fun - I left with a massive headache. None of the options sounded that great. I'm going to stick with my trusty tens machine.

It's been a manic few weeks in our house doing diy, new carpets today - woohoo! Joy B&Q also have some great deals on 2.5 dulux paint. Wilko was the cheapest though - 2 for £22 through their website. Saved a fortune buying paint online (have just finished painting every single room in the house and all the woodwork/ doors ourselves - exhausted now!)

Still working and commuting 3 hours a day to London. Getting tougher now, but it's nice to be able to say I'm going on mat leave next month! Can't wait. Getting a bit worried about money though. I have been saving hard for my mat fund over last few months but we have had to dip into it because boiler broke down last month and a few more unexpected purchases. Have to be strict with DH and tell him it is out of bounds. Child benefit will help loads (£20.50 pw), but I have now heard the Tories are thinking of getting rid of it for the squeezed middle (i.e. us!). Will just have to be careful on mat leave not to spend much money. Will potentially have more time to shop around for good prices and buy more second hand items. Haven't bought anything for baby's room yet as I wanted to wait and see what we need. Have bought pram and sling but everything else second hand (clothes etc).

29+4 pregnant today

Naturegirl82 thanks for the heads up about the coroner’s report for the bednest – it was very tragic but unfortuantely due to parents not following safety instructions. We just have to be careful to use it properly and keep the sides up. I would also never put a baby to sleep on their front

smallbanana I've been thinking what if i go into labour at work too! Luckily there is a good hospital nearby (UCL) and it's near enough that DH unlikely to miss the birth. He would have to travel up by train though as he wouldn't be able to cope with driving into London! Yep the hotel spa i was thinking of was at the Bedford Lodge Hotel. It's quite a posh hotel and spa options are seriously limited around here. I love the Aqua Sana at Centre Parcs in Thetford (just go for the day) but it isn't really suitable if you are pregnant.

My NCT class isn't until 3 weeks before due date! Worried its a bit late but oh well. Registrar who did my 28w appt yesterday had a massive go about the NCT course... basically that the emphasis is so much on the more natural options and needing to have a birth plan in place that it ends up stressing mums out if the plan is deviated from or if they want pain relief - that then they feel like a failure. I'm keeping all my options open at the moment and planning to have a pretty basic "plan" as it's my first and I really don't know what to expect. My only absolute thing at the moment is wanting the baby given to me as soon as she's out, mess and all. I want to hold my little girl!

They've managed to stop everything :) SIL is on her way home now and has been told to rest such a relief. We managed to measure our cot bed today and we've almost finished buying nappies now. Only 10 weeks and 4 days left for me, which is quite scary in a way, I'm not quite sure I have everything ready but I'm also getting quite nesty, I've been re-organising the baby's stuff loads again trying to get everything together, plus ds starts nursery on Wednesday so it's all go here!

Hi Zampa, it is scary isn't it when you feel like not felt much for a while. I hope you are enjoying your holiday now? I was the opposite - lay down relaxing so much on my hols seemed like felt more movement than ever. But... First week back at work it seems so much less than on hols so I purposely monitored. I blame a 2hr jet lag throwing him out a bit :-)

Yes 8 weeks at work for me, finish end of June. Countdown begins!

Lucky I hope you're having a relaxing bank holiday then after all your recent hard work?!

must that's great news for your sil

Brilliant mustbe that's great news!!! Hope she has a good rest and the remainder of her pregnancy goes well.

I've 10+6 left and yes I'm sure it will whizz by. I'm so excited (think nerves will kick in nearer the time).

I've bought a post birth nightie n slippers today (only from asda so not bothered if get ruined although they are lovely) as starting to prep hospital bag now!

I have 9 weeks left until due date!

I have started on my labour basket. It is relaxing to put things in it!

Thanks meeska and MrsF. Much more relaxed now!

Can't believe how organised you lot are. Haven't even thought about a hospital bag despite being 30 + 1. Should use some of my down time this weekend to get planning!

Yay must, that's great news. I'm so pleased. Fx everything stays as it should for a good while longer after all that drama!

charlie, I disagree with your mw, don't think she should have blasted the entire NCT course based on her personal opinion. Looks so unprofessional! Surely every grown woman - and their dp/dh - understands that not everything always goes to plan?! It's the same with everything in life so why should childbirth be any different? I did NCT classes with dd and I found them to give super preparation in case of all eventualities; they covered all types of pain relief as well as talk about more natural alternatives, such as tens and yoga breathing/exercises, then surgical births and natural births. I don't believe I was ever brainwashed into thinking natural was best (though that was my preference and I was fortunate enough to achieve it). Our teacher quite clearly stated numerous times that babies don't read your "birth plan" and that as much as you can push for water or a non assisted labour and write that in your plan, if the docs and mw believe baby and you are in danger, they'll do what's best for you both. Have a list of preferences, for sure - I also want to have baby given to me immediately, delay cord clamping and deliver the placenta naturally, for example - but I think we are all worldly enough here to know it may not be poss? Surely that's just common sense, right?

You would think so broody but sadly that is not always the case. I have had several very tense/scared women who are sure they are going to have to fight for everything and I would be trying to put an epidural in them as soon as they sat on the bed. I think it very much depends on who is doing the teaching in any type of antenatal class, and the temperament of the couple.

Charlie, Broody & jmojo I've started a v simple birth 'preference' plan (sub headings and short bullet points) but v open to 'what will be will be' as long as me and baby are OK.

Im 'hoping' for water birth, mlu said yesterday that MrF can get in pool too (which I was v happy about as want him to feel more part of 'birthing' and hope that he can catch/receive his son to then pass to me). He jokes about it not being clean in there but will 'if he can clean up after' (there is an ensuite in each room).

Here's a few birth plan Qs ladies:

1. Is it better to tear than be cut? I had written pref to be cut than to tear (tearing sounds much scarier esp 3/4degree) but then.have read something that natural tears heal better / faster. So might change that in my plan. Is that right does anyone know?

2. Does the injection to help deliver placenta reduce potential to bleed heavy? Or is it better to try natural (for 30mins or so first) particularly if baby breastfeeds asap to help uterus contract?

That's fantastic mrsf - I imagine it would be quite a liberating experience for him to be able to pass you baby. My dh is a bit OCD clean so he wouldn't contemplate getting in and is still a bit weird over water births because of the whole pooing thing (must admit I did poo with dd and I wouldn't want to be fishing that out the water! Lol!)

I had to have an episiotomy with dd - I was exhausted and she was getting very tired so they wanted her out (turned out she had the cord round her neck) and so used the ventouse (suction cap they put on dd to help pull her out with a contraction) then made the cut. I healed pretty well as it happens and wouldn't be bothered if I have to have it again. The only problem I found was going to the loo because I didn't drink enough in my pg and defo not enough in labour or following few hours so when I peed it was really strong and it stung me. Plus, I was petrified to go for a poo in case my stitches popped open. I don't know how any of this compares to natural tearing but I do know one of the ladies in this group had a third degree tear and has been advised that a c section is the best way to go with this baby to prevent it from happening again and potentially causing irreversible damage (like incontinence, not life threatening but defo life changing).

I tore and had an episiotomy (sp?) with DS and healed quite well although I am now quite tender where the stitches where if it is knocked wrong

with DD I had a teeny tiny tear and was fine and dandy. didn't even hurt to wee

luckystar UCH is my nearby work hospital too!

We did pain relief at NCT class this week. My body has never been too keen on drugs and the idea of a needle and tube in my some scares me more than labour! I've decided to use a TENS machine in the first instance and ask that no pain relief is offered. But I realise that I might change my mind so I've also given myself permission to ask and not feel like a failure. Seems like a good plan. Hope the baby agrees

MrsF water births are "hands off" as a general rule. We let the mother deliver with out touching the perineum or the head of the baby. So an episiotomy would be unusual in a water birth. Plus the skin stretches better in water so there is usually less call for them.

Episiotomies really are reserved for when you have fetal distress and a quick cut would mean the baby is born with the next contraction, or in instrumental deliveries for allowing extra room for forceps. So an elective cut is very unusual, and certainly it can be very hard to predict if a perineum will tear or not. I have seen heads come through and known that the perineum was intact (I used to have a lot of deliveries on all fours and side lying for some reason so I could see the area well.) Then the baby's shoulders deliver and there is a little elbow or something and the mother gets a little tear from it. Sometimes you can see that the area is white and it still looks thick and there is very little give, but then I have seen this suddenly stretch up beautifully and there is no need for an epis. Generally now the thought is that a tear is better as it tends to go down the "path of least resistance" which means around blood vessels and nerves etc. So they heal better even though they are not always straight. Most people who tear have a 1st or 2nd degree. Even episiotomies can extend into a 3rd or 4th degree tear, as often when these happens it is due to the type of skin you have, or the position of the head, or a hand or something that we cannot control. There is no guarantee sadly. But it is your choice, I think you will find the recommended course of action is to tear if you discuss it with your midwife.

So far as the injection (syntometrine) goes... For water births it is advised to do natural third stages. ie once the baby is born, after a little while, we get you up out of the water and onto a bed (usually this dislodges the placenta anyway) and then we continue bf until we see the cord has stopped pulsating, then cut the cord. We look for signs of separation of the placenta and then get you to give a couple of pushes to deliver the placenta. It takes between 10-60 min usually. If at that stage there still is no sign of separation and we have your consent then we could use syntometrine. I expect though that if you want to have it you could discuss this antenatally and have it in your birth plan. If it is administered at birth then it takes about 5-10 min for the placenta to deliver. But they would get you out of the water first before giving it I think. You would need to discuss it with your mw, and then again with the mw delivering you during labour. Check re your hospital policy as what each place does in what order can vary.

You have to have syntometrine if your labour is accelerated with a drip, this is because your uterus is under artificial control, so it will need help to eject the placenta. Blood loss tends to be slightly lighter with the injection (so it is recommended to anaemic mum's) but not by much and if we think your loss is too heavy we will give you it anyway as a matter of course to reduce the bleeding. Usually BF is enough though as it releases the natural version of the same hormone in your system. Syntometrine does make a few mum's feel nauseous or even vomit a couple of times, as it had not only syntocinon (oxytoxin the hormone you release when bf) but ergometrine which contracts smooth muscle but has a side effect of nausea. If you have high blood pressure however sometimes they just give syntocinon for the third stage as ergometrine puts your bp up.

TMI??? probably...I have verbal diarrhoea today!!