March 2016 Babies!! New Year, New Thread - #8

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Thread 8!!! Eight!! Blimey we don't half prattle on

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I was thinking of a tunic dress this time Suz but I was a bit worried it would be too hot, so its good to know it worked for you. I'll have to keep an eye out for something suitable. Also very good point about having something to wear if transferred into hospital Rhubarb - I hadn't thought about that.

Maybe, TheM, wool - I'm impressed by anyone who can just go for it and have a naked birth. I'm far too prudish and would probably spend the whole labour feeling self-conscious about my boobs .

Me that's dedication from your dh, let's hope for his sake you don't go overdue! (Although I suppose many pregnant women give up booze for 9 months, so its only fair that men have a couple of dry months too ).

neh my only real birth tip is to listen to your body and go with whatever feels natural. I found blocking out the rest of the world and concentrating completely my breathing distracted me from the pain and made the whole 1st stage go quickly, but if you're doing hypnobirthing anyway then I expect you'll find your own coping techniques.

Hope you all get a decent nights sleep tonight. I've woken up at 5am and not been able to get back to sleep two days running now but I quite like having a quiet hour to myself in the morning!

Trin I have no shame I'm afraid, I grew up with a lot of sisters and we were all very open about body stuff (my poor brother!)

I hate being too hot so I think nakedness is the way forward for me!

Can't believe how quiet the thread is today!

I had a really quick labour with ds so gave birth in a maternity dress as there wasn't much time to change, worked fine though tbh. My midwife keeps telling me the 2nd is likely to be quicker so who knows what I will end up looking like. My only tip is if you plan on using a tens machine put it on at the first sign of labour so it is most effective, mine really helped. Oh and you really do know best, hospital wanted to send me home when I first went in, I refused and if I hadn't I think dh would have ended up delivering ds at home!

Ooh, tens machine. My sister lent me one last time. Can you still hire them?

Yes you can!

Jealous of the people with snow. I want snow haha.
I havnt even thought about what to wear in labour. Hospitals are normally so hot though- although never been on a labour ward. Are they baking to? So probably something very light weight. Not sure I'll be bothered at the time though.
Managed a decent nights sleep last night. Woke up about four/five times. The mid morning one - not sure which time as resisted looking at the clock for once took me a while to drift off but not too bad. Went to bed at eleven and woke at 10:30.
Getting my self all upset about tonight though as I have to be up at 6:30 for work tomorrow and really nervous about not sleeping :(
Hope everyone has a good sleep tonight

I bought a tens machine last time, went halves with my SIL who was due a couple of months after. She says she can't find it and I don't want to pay for another one when we have one, grr! I am toying with the idea of a water birth this time, I said no last time because I didn't want to let the midwife take my machine off, so maybe better to go without this time. My labour was pretty quick too MrsElls, but started in the early morning so I had to get dressed into something laboury.

Scared, maternity wards are so, unbelievably hot! And I'm usually a cold person!

Glad you had a good sleep, you sound calmer about last night. Hope you get the same again tonight.

Suz, I remember taking the TENS off to go in the water after thinking it wasn't doing anything for me. Turns out it was! I'll hire one again this time. I'd like to labour in the water, though if I can stay out it'll be better for any potential tears. (I have to come out to actually deliver anyway for 'perineal support'- again, tear management!)

Hmm, I might try to talk my BIL into having another look for me - I just don't want to spend money on something we already have. I'm also not sure whether it did anything as I had it on for the whole time so don't have anything to compare it to, if that makes sense.

scared, maternity wards are hot but I'm not sure about the labour rooms, you won't be on the ward when you're giving birth and I don't remember the labour room being hot. I packed one of those cooling spray cans and don't think I actually used it. But yes, something lightweight is a good idea, sleeveless too.

Last time, I gave birth in a hospital gown, as was induced and had an epidural. Am hoping they'd let me use one again, as would rather get blood etc all over their gown rather than mine! I am going to pack some kind of long vest or t shirt in case I get lucky and am actually able to use the pool this time. Dunno why, but don't like the idea of being naked!

The tens machines sound good!

I'm hoping to use the pool in the alongside birth centre at my hospital, gonna assume that there's going to be plenty of nakedness involved there...

I don't like the idea of being naked either, I generally find it uncomfortable with bits of me flopping around everywhere. I'm seriously considering the pool but will take a tankini top at least. Bottom half will obviously be out but I need to be hemmed in up top!

I hadn't even considered a pool for birth, I don't know if I'd be comfor table at all.
Managed to get a not too bad looking night shirt in primark - black with white checks, like an oversized lumberjack shirt, for £8 so quite impressed.
Still no snow at home but can't believe the difference only 9 miles away at fil's, that rise up onto the hills clearly makes all the difference.
Hope you've all had a lovely weekend, know most of us are on the countown at work now - not long to go

Must add asking about a tens machiens to my list of questions for when I see the consultant. Will definantly see about getting access to one if everything is alright to try for vbac. But will have to check I can use one while being monitored. Not long now until my appointment with him, a week on wednesday, can't wait for that to be over just to have a clearer idea of what's going on.

indom I wonder if there's something in the air, dd has had a 'delightful' few days of really pushing the boundaries. She's been trying to kick dh and I. Real test to keep my patience when she's trying to pick my stomach yet again, she's decided she doesn't like sad and shouty mummy. Today has been so much better, execpt for the pre bedtime battle. Hopefully she's getting this current threenager stage out of the way before bump arrives.

scared well done for resisting looking at the clock. Removing the clock from our room made all the differance when dd was tiny and I was getting to grips with night feeds.

Dh and I finally got fed up of living in the the dining room as plaster is mostly dry set up the seating a rehung the curtains in the living toom this afternoon. I know it's all got to come back down in the next week or two for the land lady or dh to paint the cealing and top half of the walls. But it feels so nice to decompress and not be surrounded by boxes of toys.

Finished my latest blanket this morning and have had to promise myself I will weave in all the ends of the last few I've made before I start something new. The top and bottom of each fish have ends that need sewing up at the back. Managed to get a quater of the fish done this evening... then need to do the same for dd's heart ripple too. The little green blanket was a quick finish luckily.

dobby blanket looks gorgeous! Wish I was crafty like that!

Ah, dobby you have my sympathy. DS went through a very violent stage from 3.5-4ish years. We had hitting/kicking/spitting etc. Well, mostly I did. He didn't do it to DH . It eventually passed, and we managed it as best we could (lots of time out). He's so much better these days but definitely still has his moments!

When is your DDs birthday? Turning 4 brought a noticeable change in behaviour for DS, and he's gradually got better and better. Hoping a sibling won't ruin it. DH will have to handle it!

Beautiful blanket, btw! You've got skills! (And patience!)

Re: labour nudity. I stripped off and got into the pool as soon as I could, last time. When I had to transfer I really, really didn't want to get dressed! The midwife made me put a t shirt and pants on. As far as I was concerned the ambulance men had seen it all before and I really wanted to be naked! I think I kept the t-shirt on at the big Hosp though. (Can't really remember). But, it was weird, a real primal feeling that nudity was required.

It was symbolic, really, of the complete disregard for any kind of bodily squeamishness that stayed with me forever for a long time afterwards. I'd happily tell people about my stitches, or my bleeding nips. Frankly, if I've got to deal with it, everyone else can hear about it too!

Ugh, more work tomorrow. 9 more weeks...!

Happy Monday all. That's one less Monday morning underway in the mat leave countdown for us all.

Just cracked open my packed lunch at 1021 - a new record for me! Hungry hungry...! Anyone else joining me on an early lunch???

dobby gorgeous knitting!

am planning a waterbirth and definitely can't be arsed with a bikini top...boobs are so enormous at the moment I don't think there's much point, they may as well just float around in there

Obviously having never given birth before I have no idea how I'll feel - I may want to be covered up!

4 hours sleep and a driving lesson that was seriously fucking with my nerves. Send tea and pillows, the likelihood of productive work happening this morning is vanishingly low...

Monday is my day at home, it's a busy one though, off to get ds measured for new shoes! I might get a McDonald's for lunch and have written a list of baby things I want to look at when we're out.

Five weeks at work! Feels very close now.

I'm planning on wearing a nursing nightie with buttons down the front during labour but fully expect to end up naked as I did with DD1 - I just didn't give a crap by the end. think when I was transferred from MLU to delivery unit I put the nightie on and kept it on after that. Since I'm planning a home birth this time and may get a birthing pool, I will prob labour naked again, and if I need to be transferred I'll wear the same nightie I did with DD1. Although my house is freezing so may end up not wanting to actually get naked!

love the blanket dobby. I started on a blanket for DD2 just before xmas - went for a stash buster pattern so it's basically patchwork squares knitted all together in one go. I'm making very slow progress though so who knows if I will get it done before baby arrives! gives me something to do when on leave though.

4 weeks left of work, cannot wait for it to be over. got lots to do though, ended up having to do work over the weekend which was depressing.

scared I agree that nights sleep doesn't seem too bad - I usually get max 7 hours sleep and it's pretty disturbed, I wake up 4-5 times a night now to change position but luckily usually I go straight back to sleep. As others have said, try not to look at the clock. And again, I would recommend going to pregnancy yoga - you might find it helps with breathing and relaxing but if you can't face a class you could try youtube videos for breathing and relaxing?

I also have a hynotheraphy cd I haven't gotten round to listening to - apparently I should be listening to it 2-3 times a week so really need to find some time to squeeze it in!

dobby I also sympathise with the 'pushing boundaries'. DD1 (26 months) has suddenly turned in the last couple of weeks and just gets into moods where it feels like she is spoiling for a fight. Sometimes physically (kicking, and laughing when me and DP tell her off), and sometimes just messing about and trying to get a reaction out of us. very frustrating!

Hi everyone

Day off for me today. Midwife appointment then hubby and I are off in to town for a few things. We've got a couple of things to sort including him taking some Christmas items back and me getting some stuff for hospital bag.

I'm not feeling very well. All bunged up with a sore throat and chesty cough. My throat is sooooo itchy as well it's driving me mad. Woke up at half 5 this morning and went into spare bed as I just needed the space and knew I wouldn't be going back to sleep. I managed white another hour at 8.15am but been up since. Oh well.

I've only 2 weeks left I think I'm finishing on 31st now... It's getting closer! If I can hold on until 7th feb I will do.

Have a good day all x

TriJo glad to see I'm not the only one combining advanced pregnancy (wk 33) with driving lessons. Very practical so I am not stuck to the hourly rural bus service to leave my village but seriously testing my composure.

wow I'm in awe of TriJo and foodie for driving lessons whilst pregnant! I've been struggling to drive recently, can't lean forward enough to check traffic when coming out of blind junctions as bump is so big!

Chugger just knocked on my door and I did my usual thing which is to politely cut them off and say 'really sorry but I'm not going to sign up to anything to give money'. Usually they try it on but I unconsciously (honest!) rubbed my bump as I was saying it and he took one look at my bump and backed off really hastily and apologised for bothering me haha. I kind of feel bad using my unborn child as an excuse not to sign up to charitable giving but oh well