May 2017 #7....... Final months, rapidly growing bumps

[RasperryInAMelon]

We are a chatty bunch!...

For those newbies who are joining or want to update your details on the spread sheet of EDD's...

May 2017

Also a link to the last thread Thread6

brightsmoke labour for me:
Baby 1: 40+4, spontaneous vaginal birth. 7 hours active labour, 13 minute second (pushing) stage. The days before his birthday I had dull period type pain, it didn't stop me going about my day to day, but I was aware it was there. Then on the day it felt much like period pain but more crampy. I am also a lone labourer and like to be left alone in my own space. I had diamorphine and gas and air for pain relief with my first.
Baby 2: 39+1, induced vaginal birth. 3 hours active labour. 5 mins second stage. The day before she was born my waters were leaking, I then kept an eye on my temp and rang midwives. I had no cramping. Then at 10pm my waters completely went. Still no cramping.
The day after my temp was rising which is a sign of infection so went to hospital to be induced. They induced me using the drip, this made my contractions more painful than my first, but I coped much better. I only had g&a for her birth.

I had a cervical stitch with my second and that was taken out at 36wks, I had mild cramps that day but nothing came about until 3 weeks later. Was the longest 3 weeks of my life!

The feeling after labour when you get to hold your baby for the first time cannot be explained. You will feel like super woman. It is the most empowering thing I have ever done! I love the natural high giving birth gives me and cannot wait to do it all again 🤰🏼😍

sah hi ... 25th is an awesome day to be due. 😊 108 days! Ahh that sounds so close! X

We have a Skoda Octavia estate so is a reasonable size but the problem is we're on a two year lease which ends next June, so are not able to change it, we really did not think it through! I think we should be able to do it at a squeeze but its just about finding the right combination. Just one more thing to sort out!

Checked and it's true
If you use code 'EXC3' you get 30% extra discount on normal tickets and also check the packages with TommeeTippee, which includes 2 tickets and a discounted product.

teaspoon excel - I am using it as a day out with hubby without the other 2 littles. Hoping to get a car seat and any little gadgets that make life easier. Mainly we just want to go for the experience not been to one before. 😊

bright I think labour does feel different for everyone. Mine was nothing like I expected. I was 10 days overdue and feeling fine, but fed up, then about 4pm the day before I was doing the window boxes, and suddenly felt incredibly tired. Went to bed and slept amazingly for the first time in ages. Woke up the next morning with a funny tummy. Then about lunch time the contractions started (not that I knew what they were!), they were not really painful and nothing like period pain, just a tightness around my upper thighs. They ramped up a bit and I had a bloody show around 4, headed to the hospital, was introduced to the wonders of gas and air, and then she was born at 7.30.

Similar to bean I found the whole thing empowering and felt on top of the world after. It definitely was not the worst pain I'd ever felt, and generally a positive experience.

Gin if you have one in a high-backed booster it might fit in between a baby and a toddler seat in an Octavia, with a squeeze! If its three big seats itll be tricky. It'll either have to be that or second adult in the back in the middle and baby in the passenger seat, but it'll only be for a month or two. We can't quite get our three across the back. We didn't factor in a third child either, (the wonders of hindsight!) our car is only a couple of years old.

I'm on my third child and I've still no experience of labour! It's my one bug regret really, I'd love to experience it and it won't happen now, as they won't let me try a vbac and this is definitely my last.

Love hearing the birth stories :)

Made it out the house (taxi both ways!) to go to my mw appt today (27 weeks, I think I'm slightly out of sync due to holidays over Christmas).

Baby appears breech, so I'll be on Spinning Babies soon trying to turn... I know there's lots of time, but I tend to grow them big with large heads so want to help things along if possible! It was very uncomfortable when she was feeling for the head so I think if baby stays breech I'll be incredibly uncomfortable later on in pregnancy.

Also had a chat with her about going post-dates - they moved my due date by scan last time and it caused all sorts of grief right at the end. She's going to talk to the SOM later and let me know if we can agree to be slightly flexible on my due date this time rather than having the hit the fan when in labour like last time. Fingers crossed!

Still feeling completely knackered, this is probably the worst cold/virus I've ever caught. Luckily I can still sort-of think straight (no long term concentrating though) just don't want to move at all (hanging up laundry indoors is exhausting, for instance!!).

Thanks Bean. Wills defo consider it then. And love your naming system!!

Gin we went to JL last night for an aided shop and spent most of the time looking at car seats! Can't remember the model, but they definitely made distinctions on width of some units, so might be worth popping in and asking for a steer on their narrower seats in case that helps?

And thanks for the tip on the last day deals Rustler!

And thanks for the tip on the last day deals Rustler!

bright I hated every second of labour (lasted 36hours so that's a lot of hate going on!!) it was agony, I couldn't stop vomiting and shaking and then ended up with forceps delivery during which I kept spewing (difficult to do whilst lying on my back, paralysed from chest down!) so yeah, awful. But everyone is different. Some women even enjoy the experience!

Having been induced x3 I can't say I've ever felt my body has been ready to give birth! It can be a slog anyway but I feel that going into labour naturally would be an achievement but probably not going to happen either this time.

As have always had high risks I've never been able to use the pool or anything either. No regrets necessarily, they didn't look like especially pleasant births but looking back it was only a brief snapshot in your child's entire life. And whatever pain it caused you got to meet your baby at the end of it.

One thing I would like to do better is pain relief, I've had an epidural, gas and air, hypnobirthing which worked up to a point but always ended up screaming and rubbish at the transitioning bit.

Just phoned for TFT and all was ok! Yay!
Teaspoon and others if you're planning to go to the baby show on Sunday, please let us know and we can meet there?
I'm tempted to grab the tommeetippee breastpump package, which would bring the cost of the pump at less than £60 and still discounted entry tickets with the EXC3 code.

Such a busy thread! I left my mobile at work last night so have only just caught up.

Saw the MW today for my 25 week appt.
Tummy measuring 25.5 (I am 25+6 so apparently thats right on) and heartbeat was 155.

Dont see MW again until I am 29+3. Our trust is super busy atm and they have had to set up temp clinics on the weekend at our hospital to see everyone. My appt is on a sat which means DH will come too.

"always ended up screaming and rubbish at the transitioning bit" - I think that's normal. I don't know if I transitioned with first labour - they were keen to yank him out as soon as possible and I was numb from nipples down :D

At the baby show we went to (4 yrs + ago!) medela was exhibiting and had the swing for £80 or so and I think with a free Calma teat. That was definitely worth it.

Midwife has called back about going post-dates and said that we can have a proper chat at 37 weeks (that's the earliest they have the HB chat as before then you're prem anyway so need to go to hospital) and once they've explained risks etc (which I knew last time) they will support HB if I go for monitoring post 42 weeks (which I did last time) and that what happened to me last time shouldn't have happened. Feeling better about that now!

Interestingly the hypnobirthing stuff said exactly that, even the most relaxed hypnobirthers might have a phase in transition where they looked frightened or wanted to go home and say they weren't ready to have a baby!

Glad to hear they are being more supportive with monitoring post dates for your hb savage.

Savage pleased about the home birth. I hope it all works out well.
Good to hear all your birth stories! I wasn't imagine rainbows and unicorns but it's good to know that every birth is different. I'm not (yet) nervous for that part. Having been to see the birthing unit, I know where I'm going to be, which is rather realising as an environment. I hope to hear the stories from ladies in the group as and when we are going on into May (probably a few threads further down the line at this speed!)

My work situation has become partially more complicated since yesterday. When I visited Occu health a few weeks ago, and my operational lead Sam afterwards, I was led to believe that my return to work whenever I was ready would be supported as a phased return with alternative duties. I told her that returning to my current duties would be both physically and mentally to heavy for me, and I thought she understood that and would help find different things for me to do. When on the phone yesterday, her story had changed towards: 'well someone is gonna have to do the job and we are currently dividing it between ourselves' and 'you'll probably need to use your annual leave towards doing less hours per week'... (not prepared to sacrifice that week of annual leave towards that, as it won't suffice, and I'm not able to finish at the time I was hoping to finish in that trust)
So there, after being positive last week about returning to work (mainly the other stressless job where there WILL be lighter duties) I was getting a bit desperate. My visit afterwards to the other job and discussion with the manager there was much more fruitful and it was made clear that I would indeed have lighter duties, such as light regular clinics, manning the phone handling telephone enquiries from worried patients and parents, chasing up equipment, and perhaps a few sessions of hydrotherapy (teaching, not receiving).
So all will depend on how the GP words my sickness certificate, and how well Sam will be able to 'accommodate' for the lighter duties as well. I'm keen to return but not at all able to the difficult and stressful school. Wow!
Time for a swim, thanks for 'listening'

Rustler my advice would be that you need to get your GP to sign off a return to work note advising that you need to work light duties, detailing what you can and cannot do and also how long this needs to be for.

Additionally, you could submit an official Flexible Working Application (check out the .gov link for tons of info)

I cannot see why they cant arrange a phased return to work for you.

I know that in my situation, I plan to return 9-4:30 3 days per week for the first 6 weeks, then 9-4:30 4 days per week for another 6 weeks and then 9-4:30 5 days per week (At the moment I work 9-5:30, but I cant be dealing with getting home that late once LO is here).

Rustler I cannot belive they are not being more accommodating considering the fact your PG, most would be panicking you would sue surely!? Hope you get it sorted. As rasberry said make sure your fit note is super spesific on what you can and can't do and for how long.

Starting to think I want to go to the baby show. Feel like I'm missing out 😂 Don't actually need any big stuff so perhaps a waste of an afternoon! Will see nearer the time.

Sad to hear that your work is not being supportive Rustler. A colleague at work who is NEBOSH trained told me that pregnant woman get a lot of protection and so far my work have been very good with me. Hoping things get sorted for you.

I'm feeling a bit left out as I don't see the midwife again till 28 weeks. No 25 week appointment in my trust!?

I'm off to the baby show at excel on the Saturday. I prebooked tkts a few weeks ago. Dragging TH around and I don't think he is looking forward to it! I am hoping to have a good look at slings and car seats and grab as many freebies/good deals as possible!

Anyone else feel great one day then wiped out/run down the next? With seemingly no reason? I'm guessing it's just the ebbs and flows of growing a little person.

Felt good last few days then started feeling crappy with bad headache yesterday afternoon & today feel totally wiped out. Supposed to be at work (my last week ) but the mum called to say little girl has vomiting & diarrhoea so best I stay away. I'm thinking it was for the best now as I feel pooped today anyway and catching up on paperwork.

Badgerbird - yes! One minute I feel like I'm a normally functioning person and then, with no warning, for days I can barely get through the day 😩 I am deciding I am no good at this pregnancy malarkey!

Anyone experiencing dry eyes ? I know I read in the Bounty mag that you might not be able to wear contact lenses for as long as normal at this stage and it seems to have started for me this week. Even in my glasses if I close my eyes they sting and water ? Annoying.
Just hitting my 4pm 'wall' at work where I get tired, fidgety and just generally fed up and want to go home. Bump feels like it needs to stretch a bit as very tight . Baby on the move regularly which is nice but still startles me every time ! DH rested his head on my tummy at the weekend and promptly got a punch in the face - from the baby not me !