******November 2006 - FIVE GOLDEN RINGS....of fire left to go!******

[NativityJane]

Come on girls, we can do it.

I can, but I don't want it, I had pethidine last time, made me too sleepy to know what I was doing, I lost all control of everything, and it made DS really sleepy when he was born. Besdies, I don't remember it making any difference what so ever to the pain.

i should be around most of tomorrow, i'm sure the midwife said when she booked me i would be going in in the evening.. ds is at nursery tomorrow so i plan to get the house tidied up ready, have done all the washing today, just finishing off the drying!! actual induction is on thurs i think, bit confused reallly with everything thats going on, no-ones really explained it. she said something about gel if my cervix is the same as it was for sweep, or breaking waters if they can... i think i'll be getting the gel as i have not felt like anything is happening down in that department!

getting anxious about it now, fear of the unknown! i think i'm ready, i've prepared everything, but in my head not so sure, fear of the unknown again! we have such a fab little routine with ds, he's such a good boy (for an almost 2yr old anyway) wonder what new baby will bring to our lives!

nj. i admire any woman who can do the birth thing without painrelief, but not for me, i'm a wimp i'm afraid..i always blame it on being a nurse, we have a different perspective on pain (if it hurts, give 'em drugs to make it stop, it's simple) so this whole idea of going through pain and not wanting to stop it seems bizzarre.... i really hope i can have an epidural!! please please please!! lol, i'm begging already!!

See for normal ailments, head aches and things I wouldn't take anything, I woul rather have the headache than take the drugs TBH, but when it comes to childbirth...... whole different story!!! LOL

Sara I can tell you what happened with my induction if you haven't read it somewhere else already if you want? It probably won't be the same for you down to the last letter, but could put your mind at rest?

Why have i got to give birth i thought i stork delivered it.In that case yes i am blooming scared but know the end result will be worth it.We tried for 2 years to get pg and we are just desperate now to meet our son wondering what he looks like if hes healthy if hes ok.Dh finishes work on friday (whispers with hope if we havent had him by then)and he is off until the 3rd Jan so im really excited about that too cos we are going to have some excellent bonding time as a family.

You lucky things having all that time together, and over Christmas

So you really don't think there is anything subconciously stopping you from going into labour?

oooh, yes please nj, tell all!

i have induced lady's in the past through my job, but thats a whole different set of circumstances, but thats the only experience i have of induction.

nope not for me!!
good luck again for tomorrow sara xx
are you having a sweep tomorrow nat?

Basically, I went in on the Sunday evening, they put the first lot of gel in, told me it probably wouldn't do anything and to go to sleep, I didn't sleep, but it didn't do anything, 6 o'clock on the Monday morning, they did the second lot of gel, straight away I got niggly period pains but othing too bad, about 11-ish it started hotting up a bit more, and I would say the labour really began then, just gone 4 I was checked and was 6 cm, an hour later I was ready to push and he was born at 5.30. I still don't know to this day if my waters went on their own or if they broke them, I don't remember it at all. I didn't have forceps or vontouse or anything like that, I had to have three internal stitches where his finger nails scratched me (he came out with his hand next to his head) but I didn't tear at all.

The labour itself was very intense and once it got going it was full steam ahead, but I don't think it would have been any better if it had have started naturally.

I am sure you will be fine, I expect you are feeling somewhere between shit scared and just so excited at the moment! Here we all are counting down the days, and you are counting down the hours!!!

Debbsy, yes sweep is booked for tomorrow, will be interesting to hear what excuse they are going to use to not do it tomorrow! They have put it off for 3 weeks running, do you think she will pretend her fingers have dropped off or something?!!!

thanx nj, that doesn't sound too bad... like you say how can you tell if it makes the labour any more intense, when you don't know what it would have been like spontaneous... i would describe ds' labour as intense, i had no warning, woke from a nap, had show and immediately stared contracting every 4-5 mins, 5 hours later their he was! i was prepared for a slow build up over a day or two, not a sudden onset!

shitting myself, trying to keep busy by tidying at the moment, it may not need cleaning but it's getting a clean anyway.... and i'll do it all again tomorrow!

Hello again

NJ - Your version of events regarding induction seems a lot more reassuring than the booklet version they gave me - which seems to take a week! I go in at 3.30pm on Saturday as I am a first time mum - apparently they will start it off then keep me in until baby delivered. I'm hoping that I don't have to go to that, but your recollection is easing the tension a bit.

Re: question - am I ready - hard to tell - in truth I have no idea what to expect. Annoyed about having to repack bag etc.. - which will have to wait until after consultant visit tomorrow as I'm way to tired to get everything together (and half it is still in the shop anyhow)

Incidentally - I'm wondering if we are all having boys I know two of you know already - but I did hear that boys are notoriously more reluctant to leave the womb than girls - and all the ones that have turned up more or less on time seem to be girls - or am I just making things up again.

Rang insurance company - we can claim for theft - they have asked us to compile a list of stuff stolen - in detail - with a price for everything... Bet they don't usually get such odd things on their list as a box of breast pads

Just ate fresh pineapple and ice cream (and chocolate on top) - quite nice really - can't say there is anything really happening other than a major storm brewing outside - friend of ours wonders if I'm doing an 'omen' or 'Rosemary's baby' waiting for the mega storm to break with a full moon...

Feeling lots better, but very tired - look after yourselves. LA

forgot to say that i ended up with ventousse delivery, so the way i see it is the luck of the draw... so long as baby comes out healthy with 10 teeny fingers and 10 teeny toes i'm happy!

LA, men are lazy things aren't they!! this would account for our long waits!! i have a feeling this is a boy (but i wouldn't put money on it) funny, but i've always seen myself with 2 boys (doomed to lifetime of football, mud monsters, the dark part of toys r us ) oh how i would love a little pink girly though! (don't think my bank balance could take it)

i'm also sart here eating pineapple... last chance now to get it started naturally!!

Hi everyone, like your new thread title! .

LA - how awful for you! hope you've found a new bag now!

NJ - don't panic - i promise you it will be a wonderful experience ( ok i shouldn't make such a promise, but i feel confident for you ) i'm still glowing from my 'pleasant' home birth. It is not without pain relief - you get gas and air! My mw's had four canisters for me and i only got through one (my biggest fear was running out of it). My mw also carried a drug which she said was similar to pethidine but milder and iirc it doesn't have the same affect on baby - but i didn't need that although comforting to know it was an option - could you enquire with your mw about such drug?
I am no hippy - but i definitely agree with the research i've read on homebirths and the fact that the comfortable environment and serious lack of intervention makes for a calmer you resulting in a far better managed birth. I read that sometimes just the act of entering a hospital and feeling the anxiety that brings, can be enough to halt contractions or slow them down, making a labour more drawn out. Just think - you will not be having to stare at four boring walls, you won't be forced into positions that your body doesn't want to be in. My birth happened so very naturally, i was pacing around right up until i started pushing. The midwives hadn't monitored me at all - they were actually waiting for an appropriate moment to but that moment never came. So i had no internals or anything. The baby just arrived! I'm sorry i know i'm going on, but i think its a shame you are dreading it so much as i'm sure you will be glad once you've done it! .

GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU!!

All I can say on the induction front is that yes while it seems the odds are on for more medical intervention with an induction, as long as you are prepared for that it will be fine, there is nothing AFAIK that can happen in an induced labour, that can't happen in a natural labour.

I think the key to any sort of labour (including CS) is just to keep as open a mind as possible. I have never heard anyone say anything like 'my labour went just as I planned it' it might be in the right place, or at the right time, but there will always be something that didn't go according to plan, and you have to be ready for that.

Hattie, thanks for your kind words and reassurance, you are right if I ended up with the homebirth and got through it in one piece I will be very proud and pleased as punch with myself, infact you had better make lots of room for my big head on the P/N thread!! But, I am the sort of person that would be more comfortable in a hospital environment, with people about and telling me how things are progressing, I actually can't imagine how frustrated I would get if I wasn't being told how dilated I was on an hourly basis!! And although I do joke a lot about the epidural, it isn't all about that, I wouldn't just go to the hospital and insist on it no matter what, I would still hope to go through the labour with as little pain relief as possible, but at the same time like I said I don't feel like I have anything to prove and if I ended up having an epidural then I wouldn't feel like I had failed in any way, or that I wasn't as brave/strong as the person in the next room who didn't have one. I suppose my mind is as open to all aspects of childbirth as I think anyone could be really, my problem is that if I get shoved into the box labeled home birth, most of my choices and options are then limited, and I know people can argue that choices and options are limited in hospital as well, but they are limited in different ways, ways which don't bother me in the slightest!

Wow sorry, bit full on for this time of night

Right I am off to get in the bath and hopefully to bed after, but just wanted to wish Sara good luck incase I end up missing you tomorrow, and everyone else good luck as well overnight.

I have the midwives tomorrow morning so won't be about much in the morning I expect, but will obviously let you all know the outcome when I get back

G'night xxx

what was it i was saying about a good nights sleep,been having contractions since 12am going to bounce on my ball.

Are you about Debbsy? Any news?

morning good luck with the sweep,lets hope it gets you some results.
Sara best of luck today
im bloody uncomfy feeling loads of pressure down below its killing me,had contractions most of the night managed to get to sleep about 4.30am got slight contractions now,and really bad backache.Surely this has got to be leading to something>??

oh sweetie, not long i promise. All this pre-labour stuff really helps for the real thing. I had what you describe for 3 weeks before Becky made her appearance, but she was over and done with in 7 hours start to finish and gas and air only!

Can you go and do something to take your mind off it. The one day that I got out of the house, went up to see DH at work, was typically the day I went into labour. We left the kitchen at 5pm, I was feeling a little uncomfortable. By 6pm I was in agony! Becky was born at 12.15am!

jarm im trying to keep busy just sorting out some new bedding to put on,sorting out washing and ironing.Going to make myself some egg on toast to cheer myself up.

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Hello girls

Sounds like progress Debbsy

I'm incredibly tired - can't recall sleeping much last night. 'Contractions' very erratic so probably don't really count .
See the consultant at 2.00 - apparently they will do a sweep - might throw a wobbly to see if they can do anything else.

Suppose I ought to do something useful - like get dressed.

Hope everyone else has a much better day.

Sending a wry smile to everyone LA

Debbsy it is sounding really good - hopefully not long now

Actually LA, although for obviously different reasons I suppose I should be thinking about re-packing my hospital bag now.... I will have to do a search for my great big list later I think

i'm in a pool of tears.. just phoned antenatal and they can't do it till tomorrow... i don't wanna do this anymore i'm pissed off now

so i go in tomorrow at 8am

it sucks

Sara, you know it might not make any difference, you remember I said the first lot of gel didn't do anything? They said that was because I was a first timer, and second timers don't normally need that much help, so you might find that you have the baby no later, but you get to spend the night in your bed instead of the at the hospital.

Sorry though huny, when you have it built up in your head it is a big PITA and so unfair when it is all pulled out from underneath you. Anything I can do, just yell xxx