May 2016 - May the sickness end soon!

[Bishboshbash]

Hello!!
Thought I better start a new thread before the other one is full up.
If anyone wants added to the FB group PM me, can you say what your profile pic is too so I can find you, thanks!
Hope everyone has a good day today, any scans happening?

I have had the same for the last few days cant how strange! Remind me how far along are you? I'm 16 weeks, I wonder if its hormone related then?
Very jealous of those of you who have had early scans, I couldn't convince DH to let me have one so have to wait until the 5th of Jan, feels like ages away!
Off to my first pregnancy yoga class tomorrow, hopefully it will be mice and relaxing and not too strenuous! Has anyone else been to one yet?

Bish I haven't been to pregnancy yoga, but I'm considering it. You'll have to report back!

I've been to one. It was really gentle. I wouldn't say it was a work out but nice all the same.

So hungry today. Literally can't satisfy my hunger. My asda delivery turns up tomorrow and may well be gone before DH gets home.

I have been to a few pregnancy yoga classes (well, I have done yoga every day for the past 6 years and work for a yoga company so not that surprising!!). It is unlikely to be really strenuous (they vary quite a lot!) but some things might feel tricky! I definitely found some physical relief from aches and pains after doing it too!
And bish I am 18.5 weeks - can't say this is the first time I've had digestive discomfort but this was definitely the worst! The yoghurt seriously helped though

I was meant to start pregnancy yoga last night, but been totally floored with a bad cold. Was really looking forward to it oh well there's always next week!

So today I'm having a crying day. Started off with an argument (more of a bicker) with the BF, and turned into I want to cry every moment ever since then...including comforting a crying pregnant woman at work and crying myself. Anyone else??

Hope the cold gets better soon storm!

Oh cant - so sorry to hear you're having a crying day! I had one of those last week and it was really embarrassing. Mine started with a little head-to-head with my partner too! All because he really wants a new job. I reminded him that he wouldn't be entitled to paternity leave if he started a new job now and he said 'yeah I know, that's fine. I'm just trying to earn us some more money.'

I responded with: 'Oh well don't worry, when your first born child doesn't recognise you because you've not spent any time with them, you can console yourself with the fact you're earning an extra £1 an hour.'

Whoops.

Couldn't shake the bad mood after that. I'll give you the same advice I was given: treat yourself! Grab some chocolate or ice cream or a hot chocolate, put your feet up and do whatever it is you can do to bring a smile to your face. xxx

Thanks toffee! Sorry you had that last week too, and our argument was about the laundry if you can believe it! Somehow he thinks I should be working full-time, doing way more than my fair share of domestic chores AND growing our baby, I'm bloody knackered!! Not as big as our argument about enrolling my 18 week old unborn child in the nursery based at his work (far far from where we live) but that's another story! Hope you sort your disagreement out.
And thank you for the suggestion too, I had a hot chocolate and did feel much better after that!

Hot chocolate solves everything! Oh, and if you fancy a REAL treat, definitely pick up some of Aldi's Winter Spiced punch - it's non-alcoholic mulled wine and its BRILLIANT. I've been testing out various mulled wine options and this is by far the best.

Not sure if I've mentioned this on here yet... but in October, it was announced that my local hospital's delivery ward was being closed, with almost immediate effect. Now everyone is being transferred for delivery to a hospital about 45 mins away. Apparently, it's only a temporary measure until February when the situation will be 'reviewed', but the feeling in the town is that the services are gone for good.

We're allowed to transfer our care to other nearby hospitals instead if we choose, and last night I went to an information presentation by a different hospital (still about 45 mins away, but in the other direction). It was pretty interesting and embarrassingly, I cried at the YouTube video of 'A Day in a Labour Ward' but need to start thinking about where I want to end up giving birth. In a way, it's good to be thinking about the options and weighing them up rather than just blindly accepting the nearest hospital but the main concern is capacity. Over 2,500 births a year happened at my local hospital, and now all the nearby hospitals are going to have to cope with that added number.

That sucks toffee. Would you be up for a home birth? I've debated whether to post this as I'm not wanting to scaremonger if there's not a great deal you can do about it, but honestly the 15min journey to hospital was one of the worst and most uncomfortable journeys of my life. I'm guessing not everyone is the same but the last thing I wanted to do during contractions was to be strapped down in a confined space. In fact DS had his head right down near my bum so I actually physically couldn't sit. I'm not trying to scare you and I'm sure not everyone had such a horrific car journey but that was about the worst bit for me which is why I'm considering a home birth. You can always transfer in later on if you need/want.

Oh no Toffee that's really bad, such a shame that they're closing units and leaving people with a 45 minute journey.

My journey is only 15 mins (although now I've heard your story Odog I'm worried that even that will be too long!) We haven't got a car so are relying on the In-Laws to drive us there too. My local unit has also been recently placed in Special Measures which doesn't fill me with joy either.

Oh no I don't want to worry people, I just wanted to give an alternative view, in case it made people consider a home birth/birthing unit closer to home. I'm sure others will be along soon to say that their journey was totally fine. I think it was mainly that his head was in an awkward position.

45 minutes is a long way, Toffee, but they'll probably consider that when you call in and advise you to come in sooner than they might for someone closer. If it helps, I was considered to have a fast first birth, and DD1 was born 1 hour after we arrived at the birthing centre. Just practise being firm about being ready to go in.

I come and go on having a home birth. It would be so much easier in many ways, but as there's a chance I'll haemorrhage I should be in the birthing centre. I think I'll talk with my consultant about it.

I know everyone will probably shout at me for saying this (and I am a paranoid paediatrician), but home births have a 3 x higher risk of disability or death in babies and although that's still a very small risk I personally would think very hard about a home birth let alone a home birth which is 45 minutes from hospital... That's a very long journey if something goes wrong.

Hate to be a doom merchant but I don't know anyone who works in neonatal intensive care who would have a home birth because of this reason. Maybe I have a skewed view because I see things going horribly wrong, but it's so scary!!

I believe the research states that for women with normal pregnancies home birth is as safe as a hospital birth, and less likely to lead to complications.

I would be uncomfortable with a home birth 45 minutes from a hospital, but I've got friends who have had multiple home births at least that far. Everyone weighs up their own risk, I suppose.

And yes, I'm pretty sure it's normal for HCPs to rule out things like home births because, as you say, they tend to see the worst case scenarios in their day jobs. My MIL was an anaesthetist and probably wouldn't have been happy with even a MLU.

Grouchy the research says for low risk women who have delivered before it's safe, but does comment that risk for babies of first time mums is still small but significantly higher than in a midwife led unit or hospital (3 times more). Unfortunately when it was being covered in the press this got largely overlooked because it's still generally a small risk.

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg190/chapter/1-recommendations#place-of-birth

The figures are in table 4 of the guidance.

Obviously hospital births aren't right for everyone and everyone needs to weigh up their own situation but it annoys me a bit that the media completely brushed over this when I think it's part of the information everyone needs when weighing up what is right for them.

I'll stop my rant about it now anyway. I just get so upset when things go wrong for people that I see at work and probably have let that make me a little over cautious.

odog would that not be a situation where you wouldn't need to wear your seatbelt and could kneel on the seat? Or would you still get a ticket? (And obviously there's the safety aspect too).

Of course everyone needs to way up risk. I am fairly accepting of small risks but DH is fairly risk averse so he's still putting his foot down about a home birth. It's what everyone feels most comfortable with having read lol the facts from both sides.

nicky I pretty much did do that but it was still incredibly uncomfortable, if anyone had tried to give us a ticket they would have been told to politely f-off!

Sorry to hear people have been having a difficult week. I've mostly spent mine under a blanket on the sofa watching CBeebies with a v poorly toddler.

Best thing about my home birth was not having to drive to hospital while in labour. I'm going for a hospital birth this time around and dreading the car journey.

I think my plan is to go to hospital really early and pace about the grounds / canteen etc and that's prob what I'd do with a 45 min drive too. Go while the contractions are still quite far apart and just be prepared to camp out a bit.

I would second going into hospital and being really firm about when you are ready. I stayed at home and got really worked up for far too long. Which is counter-productive to the point of staying at home (ie being in familiar surroundings keeps you relaxed and helps you dilate). I turned up at hospital hardly dilated at all but having virtually back to back, strong contractions. After getting there, getting some pain relief and knowing I was in the place I was going to have my baby I went from 2-8 cm in 3 hours and the last 2 went quickly after. DS was born 5/6 hours after arriving in hospital. So clearly I was more relaxed in hospital as i needed to be where I knew I was going to give birth. I will be a lot firmer about it this time if I don't have a home birth.

Ah this is so useful hearing all your previous experiences - hadn't even CONSIDERED how uncomfortable the car journey might be, was just concerned about driving there to be told to go back home. All of the hospitals have said they'd take our journey times into consideration and wouldn't send women in labour back home but I've already heard different from the births that have taken place in only the last month. A lady at the meeting said her sister in law had THREE journeys to and from the hospital (at 45 mins a time!). It also makes me nervous about capacities.

My preference at the moment is the MLU at Worcester Royal hospital - I like the idea of a home-from-home environment with as little medical intervention as possible, but that it's just down the corridor from the main delivery ward/theatre should anything go wrong. Again, my only concern is that they only have 4 rooms. So firstly, I've got to have a very normal, low risk birth circumstances (not back-to-back or breach) and there's got to be space for me! It looks lovely there though and every room has a birthing pool.

ALSO, they don't send the Dads home when visiting hours are over. I HATE the idea of having given birth, and then DH has to leave at a certain time and go home on his tod without us which is what happens at Warwick.

In another news - felt baby for the first time last night!!!! Wasn't like bubbles or butterflies like lots of people have been telling me it'll be like, but more like little flicks at the bottom of my bump. Trying to keep as still as I can at work to see if I can feel anymore today!

I keep thinking I'm feeling the baby too. Little sort of wobbles about two or three inches below my belly button, on the left.

I'm not sure if it's too early though (16+3 and it's my first) and maybe I'm just imagining it.

I think I'm feeling movements now (19+4). I've only felt one flutter, but every day there are lots of little flicks, jabs and pokes quite far down by my knicker line.

I had my risk assessment at work yesterday and they're already working on advertising for my maternity cover. Still doesn't quite feel real though!

Hi everyone it's so nice to see lots of people still around :) I wasn't expecting tht so will have a proper read back. So I have had a upset stomach the last row days so sounds like I'm joining the club, also feel like I need to go but I think it's bad wind nicky that's where I think I'm feeling movement, although not sure. I'm starting to get anxious about the 20 week scan now, not too long to wait though.

frozen it still doesn't feel real to me either! Telling people at work and I feel like I'm making it up!