Babies due in November 2016 #5

[FuzzyOwl]

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Aargh! Just had my mw ring me, bloods came back at 8.2 which is seriously low and near the point of transfusion.
I need to take iron tablets three times a day and need to work on improving with my diet which is tricky for a vegi!!

Oh no, Spotty - so sorry to hear that. Loads of spinach, perhaps?! Maybe we should start sharing our meal ideas as I know so many of us are struggling with food... I'm totally disinterested in any kind of cooking and would love some inspiration!

I have 10 weeks left at work which seems SO LONG. From next week I'm starting a new contract which is super full on and I'm really dreading it... it'll be fine once I get going but at the moment I just cannot be bothered!

Ooh spotty you must be feeling exhausted with that Hb. Can you have some time off sick/cancel tutoring for a while? Especially in this weather.
Thurlow I know what you mean about the tube, it's just so icky (as are thameslink, normal trains etc).
My boss treated me to lunch out today, which was very kind but in a non-air conditioned cafe. I ordered three glasses of orange juice and a salad!

Spotty, you must be feeling awful. I had levels like that a while ago and needed a blood transfusion. I would have thought you shouldn't be working with levels like that

I feel pretty dreadful! I didn't know my iron levels were that low until this morning so rushed around as normal and now feel yuck! Probably the heat too.

I'm not working again for another week so just DD to look after.

Really feel like this pregnancy has taken it out of me!

Spotty, that's rubbish Leafy greens, falafel and dhal, apparently. And MANY iron tablets. Hope you feel better soon.

Poor you spotty try and take it easy as much as you can. Floradix in liquid form is meant to be good (liquid easier to absorb than tablets), might be worth discussing with the midwife, I'm not sure if you should take it alongside actual iron tablets or not.

duck my DH is a nurse and said 'anything under 9 is usually a transfusion' but they don't like to in pregnancy as it can bring on labour. MW said they can do a slow iron only transfusion if my iron levels don't improve.

Oh spotty, welcome to my world. I've started on iron tablets this week too. So far no dodgy side effects but I'm sure there is still plenty of time! Read the instructions carefully with them..turns out if you take them with dairy, eggs or tea it stops them working! However if you wait two hours after/before tablets you can then have the above! Hope that helps and you feel better soon x

Sorry to hear about people struggling in the heat - apparently it was the hottest day of the summer down south.

It's great news that for those of you who got the Sleepyhead at a cheap price - but I'm pretty shocked that Amazon won't honour the mistake - and worse, is treating people differently.

We had our 2nd NCT class last night - pretty good actually - I imagine it mostly depends on the teacher though. Meanwhile when I saw the MW a couple of weeks ago she said my BP was high & I have sugar in my urine - so she made me an appointment at the consultant.

Went in today & BP was fine, no sugar found and baby measuring bang on 30 weeks which is what I am - he is head down - long may he stay like that. We had a little chat about the birth & basically she wants to induce me between 38 & 40 weeks - possibly as late as 40 if everything still looks good in 4 weeks. It's a tiny bit disappointing as I really wanted to go to 41 weeks but I am aware of the stillbirth risk increasing with mother's age - no one knows why. And at 51 I'm their 3rd oldest mum - and the consultant was definitely not to be argued with.

So now my main aim in life is to try to do without an epidural - am thinking a doula is becoming more necessary . . . .

I'm with all of your suffering in the heat. My office is air-conditioned but I worked late and left at 6 to find the trains in a state.

2 tubes and 3 trains later and I'm still not home. Should get back just before 9, to a station in the next town, not where I actually live, so my DH is going to do a mercy mission to pick up me and a take-away. I'm ravenous, tired, my feet are swollen and I've run out of water. Today is officially pants.

Fedup that sounds awful. Tubes were rubbish this evening, I ended on a bus which was then diverted. At least I'm home now, I hope you get there soon!

Oh fedup that sounds awful! Feet up as soon as you get home then.

My heartburn is raging tonight!

Lots of useful tips about when to take iron tablets. I'm guessing my dairy ice cream and milkshake addiction is not helping me absorb the iron so will change to taking them in the middle of the night. Normally that sort of thing would be really ridiculous but thanks to insomnia, my four nighttime trips to the loo,, heartburn, leg cramps, the horrific heat, PGP etc, I'm not actually spending my nights sleeping.

It's good you are being monitored so closely corinne and I had no idea you were the age you are, but can understand the extra precautions in place. I've heard good things about doulas but expect it comes down to each individual to make sure you get on with their personality.

I really can't wait for this baby to be here now, even though I am not ready. This pregnancy just seems so much harder than other ones and exhaustion and pain are a constant.

I feel like everything works against each other- I can't eat dairy because it stops the absorption of iron. I should take iron tablets with fruit juice but this makes my heartburn worse. Then I read that gaviscon etc stops the absorption of iron!

I've got the cavalry (my mum and dad) coming to help today thank goodness. DH seems to have very little sympathy and has swanned off to work without helping at all this morning. I'm fuming with him to be honest, I feel like he thinks I'm overreacting about how crap I feel.

when I told my husband how the iron tablets are affected by so many foods he looked aghast 'but what are you meant to eat?' Exactly! They are a right pain to try and juggle, although this morning I've had a bacon roll and a big glass of oj so have nailed tablet one straight away! Roll on 10am when I can finally have a cuppa tho 🙄

Sorry to hear that Spotty perhaps a good chat is in order this evening until he gets it?

I finally got home just after 9 last night and felt awful. Hardly slept in the heat so spent most of the night on the sofa. Up this morning and feeling really sickly and weak which I think is dehydration which is ironic given the swelling and water retention in my feet and ankles. Couldn't get my work shoes on this morning.

Just today left in the office this week so I'm heading in late and counting down the minutes until I get home. Roll on maternity leave! 7 weeks 1 day to go.

How's everyone doing today - especially those of us who are finding it harder or more emotional than we had expected?

I'm beyond exhausted today. I feel like I haven't slept properly in weeks, and in the past few days' heat I've slept worse than ever (as has DD, which has hardly helped). It's our busiest time at work and I am leading constant training sessions, standing a lot of the time - I'm in awe of those of you who are teachers! Plus adding what feels like stress of DD starting school next week and making sure she has everything and it's all sorted and labelled, and the growing realisation that the baby is coming soon and we need to start buying baby things... My head feels so frazzled all the time.

I'm still too emotional - this morning DD woke me at 5.45, she went back to sleep straight away but I ended up on the sofa sobbing with tiredness for an hour. Cried on DP when he woke a bit later too. Fingers crossed I can manage to not cry at work today...

Having said that, I know I am in a slightly better place than I was a month or so ago, and I'm feeling more interested in and connected to the baby. We've started to buy a few things and I have odd flashes of being able to imagine having a baby son in two months time. It's nothing like it was first time around (and I'm not above admitting how jealous reading everyone else's awe and excitement can make me sometimes) but it's getting better slowly.

Spotty, I know exactly what you mean with everything works against each other. The tireder I am the sicker I am; the sicker I am the less I obviously eat and drink or keep down; the less food and drink I take in, the tireder I am... I don't know how to fix it right now!

For all those struggling in the heat (esp at night) I feel your pain! 3 hrs sleep last night and woke up twice with cramp in my foot

Off to the hospital soon for my growth scan just hoping everything's ok

Hi Thurlow I'm glad you are feeling emotionally a bit stronger. I too have found that the further on I get the more I have had to engage with baby (and prepare DS) and it has helped me feel slightly more positive. It also helps that I am struggling with the physical side of pregnancy and figure that no matter what the challenges of having another newborn are, it's got to be better than being 30 weeks pregnant in 30 degree heat with a 2.5 year old! Having said that, I do feel like in just going through the motions and have my head in the sand about what the reality of life will be in a couple of months time. I really really hope it will be a positive change for all of us.

Tired hope the scan goes well and that baby is growing nicely.

Hi all,
I've been struggling massively this week aswell. The heat has been unbearable and I'm up north so can't imagine what it's been like for those of you down south! Yesterday my feet and ankles were so swollen I actually felt like they might pop and I could have cried from tiredness. Had to go out for a team meal after work for a colleague who is a few weeks ahead of me and has just gone on maternity leave. It was lovely but I was just so uncomfortable all evening and couldn't wait to get home. Off work now until next Wednesday and am planning on doing nothing at all. 8 year old DS is going to be watching rather a lot of TV/X box but hey ho, needs must! Least it's cooler today 😊 And only 10 weeks to go lol
Gem
X

Thank you cake

All went well and bubba is growing nicely, so the worry for the last 3 days was for nothing oh well got to see her again so that's a bonus, and I took my 11 year old along so she got to see her too which is nice as kids are normally at school when I have appointments, my 2 year old is with her grandma for the day and my two teenagers reckoned a 11:45 appointment was far too early so I left them in bed snoring ohh to be a care free teenager again Hun?!

I'm still laid up with food poisoning and this heat doesn't help either. I spoke to the GP today who was lovely and told me to keep drinking and keep going with the rehydration sachets (urghh.) But phone if I was worried at all and have to drop a sample off (double urggh) so they can find out what it is in case it doesn't start clearing up. Am dreading the blood test next week after this as I suspect I'll be anaemic after not eating properly as I had to take iron last time in pregnancy and it played havoc with my insides.

Oh Iona that sounds awful! Hope your better real soon

Quick question! Has anyone got any experience of the perfect prep machine? Looking into getting one but there quite expensive and not sure if worth getting

tired, we're getting the Perfect Prep as we will be bottle feeding and everything I have heard about them swears by them. After 6+ months of making bottles up every day and working out how to do night feeds etc, I'm definitely prepared to spend £70 (and you can get them most places for £70) to make life a little easier.