Due Jan '07 part 7: Are you ready to do drugs, poo yourself in public and bear your fanjo to complete strangers? Then you're ready to have a baby!

[2HappyNewYear]

This one seems to be the winner, and I can't seem to come up with anything more inventive, sorry!

Ewwwwww at your "via your athletes foot" comment.

I'll have you know my feet are soft and beautified

Going to take Dh shopping tomorrow to buy me new slippers and a proper maternity nightie.
He'll just love that!!

LTH - Don't forget some towels (my hosp don't provide them), something for you to wear to go home in, toiletries for a shower afterwards, some breast pads, cordial?(my best friend said our hosp water tastes revolting) and big one....MAKE UP!!!!

I just have a holdall for me and a baby change bag for LO.

Raspberry tea - asked the pharmacist lady in our Holland and Barrett and she said it helps to ripen your cervix rather than actually bring on contractions. I tell you what does bloody work - nookie - if you can be arsed - something in that love juice set me off with painful contractions (admittedly they stopped after 3 hours but obviously did something). Sorry if TMI, but I wasn't going in for the whole swinging from the chandeliers business, we, ahem, messed about until DH was 'ready' [blush[ (how embarrassing) and then did the deed very very quickly....am going now as v embarrassed

Good luck Urban - very jealous xxx

way to go wilkie - I'm jealous!
Its been months since I got my leg over so to speak!

I can in no way be arsed at all with all that malarky. I'd have to shave my legs for a start!

As compensation I let my DP play as much playstation as he wants....he knows he'll not be able to once the baby arrives!

LTH - sorry to insult your feet! btw - I'm taking in my tens machine also. Just in case I am able to manage with just that...ha ha ha ha LOL!

Lizzz - it was nothing to be jealous about. In fact it was the worst nookie we have every had. We got the fit of the giggles afterwards cos we only got married in July and that is the second time we have had sex since the wedding - I said to DH how wild our sex life is and who said getting married dampens it

Oooo - yes, TENS machine LTH, got mine packed and ready to go. I don't know why you are laughing Lizzz, I am going to cope with a paracetamol, TENS and two pushes positive thinking positive thinking...

hiya everyone! we're nicking the neighbour's bandwidth at the moment, so can be online....tell you what, online birth blogs could be the new thing of the future!!

things are moving quite slowly at the moment, waters have gone but not getting painful contractions so far. kinda feels like someone tightening a belt across my pubic bone, but not even as bad as period cramps.

DH is flapping a bit - he keeps asking me if i want a cup of tea! bless him! the midwife said to phone her either at half five or when the pain gets too much...she's got another home birth on the go at the moment as well, so i think i'm fairly low priority at the moment, which suits me fine.

anyway, haven't had a chance to catch up with all the posts - but loving the new thread title, and happy new year to everyone!!

Good luck Urban, hope it's all over soon

yes, positive thinking, positive thinking!

feel slightly euphoric - blimey, i won't even need gas & air at this rate!

Good luck, Urban! At least with your waters gone it saves the am I? aren't I? in labour threads! Hope your boy arrives soon.
LTH I also put in lasinoh, and a couple of nipple guards - I know they aren't recommended, but they're the only things that kept me bfing last time, and ended up doing it for 15m, so I think they're worth it (plus there's no way anyone could question ds's growth despite using them, lol!). And a vest top - mw recommended that for if I wanted to use the birthing pool, since I wouldn't want to be wearing a nightie, but might not want to be completely starkers. Camera. Change for the phone/parking. Music for labour. Oh, and lipsalve, don't forget lip salve. Essential for G&A. And your pregnancy notes (if your area does patient-held records), nearly forgot mine last time....and haven't packed them this time either
Sod it, am going to eat pineapple, drink raspberry leaf tea and sh*g dh till it hurts tonight (except he's got man flu, so maybe I'll stick with a nice curry instead )

Hi All and Happy New Year. Hope everyone has lovely xmas's. Good luck Urban, am so excited for you, soon you will have your lovely little baby!

I had a very painful contraction on Sunday (only one though) and then yesterday had some mucus discharge (like snot) the first bit was browny bloody and the second was white. Do you think this was a show?

I am due on 30 Jan so would be classed as prem if I go into labour before Tuesday so won't be able to go to the birth centre I want to birth at.

Anyway, I have a sore (dull achy) back today and can feel preiod like pain - stretchy sort of feelings low down in my pelvis.

I don't want to go into labour yet as still working and not completing on our house until next Friday (12th) so living in limbo at the moment.

I just wondered if you all think that I have had a 'show' and whether I still might have a few weeks left? I am 36 weeks today. Seeing doc tomorrow - do you think they will do an internal? xx

Mrsworry, I had a show 10 days ago and nothing has happened just yet. From what I've read it could be hours, days or weeks til labour from when you have your show. Wouldn't have thought they'd want to do an internal?

Just been for 39 week check, and the midwife reckons it'll be this week! Booked in for stretch and sweep next Monday if it doesn't happen. Going to have another raspberry leaf tea now. It's all getting a bit real.

Thinking of you Urban. You'll be fantastic!!

mtsworry - i had a show ages ago, apparently they don't take it as a sign of imminent labout anymore! i would mention it to the doctor tomorrow and see what they say. if you ask i'm sure they would do an internal....

Bleurch. I'd forgotten how rank raspberry leaf tea tastes.

thats precisely why I'm not drinking it 2happy.

Vile stuff!!

I must be very odd taste then (or maybe not making it strong enough!) as I find it quite drinkable!

Good luck UD and Jodie - have just been catching up on your other thread.

I started drinking raspberry leaf tea last week (I quite like it too) but stopped because I had what I think was a show on NYE and decided I needed a few more days to get stuff for my bag and pack.

Now I am more or less sorted with VILE big pants, DISGUSTING nursing bras etc. Plastic flip flops are one of the few things on my list that I'm still missing - but WHERE can you buy them in January??? Any ideas?

Mmmmmmm pineapple. Much nicer than raspberry leaf tea. Would it be too much if I ate a whole pineapple in one evening??

I don't mind raspberry leaf tea either.
What is pineapple supposed to do?
Not that I can eat it anyway...f'ing heartburn.

2happy - not sure about shagging till it hurts...what if it hurts already! Can hardly walk as it is!

There is a thread somewhere on here about swollen labia, all very gory. But its supposed to go down when the baby comes. Great, then all I'll be left with is piles and stretch marks! (and humongus boobs)

And to think, my body was so perfect before I got pregnant (!!!)

Also, having not had a fag or a drink for nine months, I am sure my cellulite should have gone by now...its all lies.

sorry, am moaning!

Hello all

just quick update, saw consultant today and am booked in for 7.30am on thursday for induction Feel scared and relieved at the same time as now the baby is very real!!!

Thanks for posts about baby's head not being engaged, specially Galmum who really reassured me and the link was really useful so thank you! Feel much happier now about the non engaged head thing.

On raspberry leaf tea thing, ive drunk it - quite like the taste - but no idea if it does anything at all - it doesnt seem to have! i have read somewhere about the pineapple thing but would be interested to know why pineapple's recommended - has it got any special acidic qualities or anything??!!

According to a google search,
"Fresh pineapple
There is an enzyme in pineapple which is also reputed to be a natural inducer of labour ? however the enzyme is only found in fresh pineapple (the process of juicing or tinning the pineapple destroys it) and is only present in small quantities. Allegedly you would have to eat as many as seven pineapples to consume enough to have an effect."

Nuts. The 2/3 pineapple I've eaten tonight will have done nothing but give me heartburn, then.

LMAO at your post Wilkie. Sex is completely of bounds for us. How the effin hell do you get in a comfy position? [hmmm]

DP brought one of his wormates round today, theres a picture of me all slim and sexy on the mantlepiece and his mate said 'is this really you?' WTF. Didn't know whether to laugh or cry!

Keep us posted Urban, am jealous! My bub is squirming loads, theres loads of pulling and tightening but no pain.

Can someone just confirm that I can eat soft cheese? I really fancy some, is it safe (paranoid preghead is back on!)

Lulu, there was a Spa gift set on sale in Boots, that had some flip flops in it!!!

When i was in supermarket earlier I thought about buying pineapple juice but I thought to myself I bet you have to eat about 10 bloody fresh pineapples for anything! and I hate pineapple at the best of time!

Good luck Urban!
i'm so jealous i'm now forcing down my 2nd cup of raspberry leaf tea today
freedomfighter - ive been feeling a bit paranoid about the whole engaged/not engaged thing as well. I'm due on 12th (10 days!!)and at my last appointment was told head isn't engaged yet but m/w didn't seem to think it was a real problem just yet. My pregnancy bible that I have been referring to constantly for last 9 months says "high heads can settle down and engage in the pelvis right up to the last minute of pregnancy. Adopting a wait-and-see attitude is usually the best policy when it comes to engagement". The only reason you'd have to have a c-section is if there is actually some reason the head cannot pass through the pelvis, such as a low lying placenta, but they should have seen that in scans. Actually I'm kind of hoping that maybe the LOs moving down a bit now cos today when i was walking around he was really pressing down on my bladder much more than ever before - every step i took for a while i felt like i was about to wet myself!
Daisy I think we're not meant to be eating some soft or blue cheeses because they are more likely to contain harmful bacteria like listeria. That said, I have had brie a couple of times since being pregnantand am fine! I think it's ok if it's processed though, so can still have soft cottage cheese or of course good ol' chedder!

I can't cope anymore, couldn't put dd2 to bed, she fcked me around for over and hour and I thought I was going to smack her so I had to give up she is now downstairs ripping up some papaer and singing about dora
how the FCK am I going to cope with another one