May 2017 #12

[savagehk]

Hi all! No imagination for a name but it was getting tight!

@Tickyboovicki it's my biggest worry! We are an hour away from the hospital... and DH can't drive (yet). OBGYN & the midwife said because of Bub's heart, he will be more than likely in a side room with us so DH can stay. If DH cant, he's going to go to the hotel across the road.

Hello ladies! Fairly boring day; managed to drive to Norfolk to see my parents which is lovely as I'm being waited on hand and foot. They have bought me a video baby monitor; we got the angel care sensor one off a friend and it just doesn't work so this was a sweet gift. Drive back tomorrow with my parents. My parents are shocked at how pregnant I am, which really makes me laugh!

Also my neighbours have two little girls, 3 and 1. The 3 yr old loves me and today ran up to me asking if she could see my cats and could I come for tea. Loved it. She asked where my baby was, as "she's never met a boy baby".

You generally try to get a couple of feeds done if you're breastfeeding. Baby temperature checks. Hearing test. Paediatrician examines the baby. Wait for discharge drugs if you need iron or painkillers or anything. You could go home straight away probably but then you'd have to come back for all the checks. If you have a home birth you might have to go to a clinic to get the hearing test and things done.

@KLane DH picked out a CATH KIDSTON diaper bag, still has me in hysterics now as I was all "are you SURE, you can have a manly one?" But nope, cowboys it is

Thanks teainbed. Is it bad I'm surprised a paediatrician actually examines the baby?! All my previous experiences of the NHS are that you have to be half-dead before you see a doctor . Do they actually get their stethoscopes out and do a proper exam? I'd wait for that to be fair.

Think I cross-posted with you savage, why does one need to have a wee and poo before discharge? Can I not just give midwife the next day a toilet update ?

I guess I've heard horror stories about people trying to breastfeed on post-natal wards with less than sympathetic midwives which is what has made me worried.

@nursebickypegs at least you know there's a hospital close by!

@lucieloos My MLU aims to discharge within 3-6 hours, although they can only deal with one birth at a time so maybe not indicative of most hospitals! The other hospital locally also said they're moving towards 6 hour discharges but have previously been nearer to 24 hours.

Yes they check everything! They are doing a general top to toe screen for congenital abnormalities like heart problems or an undiagnosed cleft palate. In my hospital 16 babies are born a day so they'll do a morning and afternoon round of checks that's why you might have to wait.

@Autumnsweater we are obsessed! also to be see if you haven't gone into retention

@nursebickypegs I knew it . I get it for urine but assumed it was normal for faeces production to take a few days maybe to get back to normal, do you really have to wait for that too? Not sure how well I poo on demand .

@teainbed cool! Have had two elderly relatives seriously ill in hospital recently and never saw a doctor actually touch them (just their charts), hence my surprise (actually come to think of it noone auscultated my chest prior to GA last year either). Glad to hear they are more proactive for babies.

£950 that's insane! My single room will cost about £350 a night which insurance will cover luckily as will be in for 3 nights, however they also have "suites" in this hospital which go up to £1k+ assuming you get a fully stocked minibar thrown in I don't blame anyone wanting to get home asap, you just want to have quiet cuddly time with your baby and partner not have to put up with other people's visitors!

DH bought a "manly" nappy bag, it was grey and pinstriped, even had a rather patronising checklist of what to make sure you take with you before leaving the house! Think he used it twice before reverting to a normal rucksack

Got a follow up physio appointment at 7.30 this morning so set my alarm for 6.20 but woke up at 5.30

autumn I think it's baby pooing not mum

Bright glad you managed to get some R&R!

Lucie My hospital (St Thomas) apparently routinely keep you in o/n after giving birth. So MW says (though it's the only thing she's seemed positive about in over 20wks!!).

Newbie congrats on last day!

Redblu so sorry you're still suffering but good that bubs is now in a good position.

KLane I love that OH wants his own bag! And depending on your budget, StorkSak's Charlotte bag is lovely!

OK so this is probably a daft question, but what does a "sweep" involve?!? OH says it's to do with hand puppets and Sooty.... not convinced he's right!!

teaspoon www.babycentre.co.uk/what-is-a-membrane-sweep I had one attempted but cervix was not ready to be messed with so cannot give any personal experience.

Sorry Lucie my post was a little short!
Like Tea & Esme said, there are a variety of different things that different people have to check before you get to go home. Mine took all day, but it was the 2nd Jan, so that may have had an influence!
I had to wait to be signed out by a dr due to high BP, and think there was only one dr in for the whole day, hearing test & a latch check for baby and some other newborn check were done in the morning, so it could have potentially been much quicker. I had my first latch assistance in the delivery suite right after birth when baby suckled.
I was on a ward with 3 other beds, but didn't have any problems with that. And DH was there for visiting times. I remember when they moved us to the ward in the early hours, my DD cried and woke the baby boy opposite. That baby then cried on and off for ages. DD went straight back to sleep! I felt quite guilty!
I def peed before I went home but didn't have a movement. That took a couple of days. I was tired of them asking to be fair...!
I don't remember how long it took for DDs first movement. I only recall changing her nappy once whilst in hospital! she was ebf so only had a dirty nappy every few days. It all feels like so long ago but at the same time I can't quite believe it's all happening again so soon!
Teaspoon- My sister had a couple of sweeps and failed inductions a few years back, she says it was on the more uncomfortable side.... but I'm guessing compared to labour it's probably like sunshine and flowers... and she's a drama queen!
My DD still regularly sleeps in the car... I carried her in tonight and she cuddled into me and slept for almost an hour. I sat there wondering how I'm going to do that with a newborn too.. for all the aches and pains, it's sometimes easier whilst they are still inside!
Right, I must sleep, need to be up, washed, dressed and out with DD for 7ish, busy day at work tomorrow. x
On the plus side - not sure how beneficial this will be to some of you, I already am subscribed to the childcare scheme at work, think there was a short convo a couple of threads back, I plan on continuing to get the vouchers whilst on leave this time as DD will still be in nursery. I asked my employer to confirm how it worked whilst I was off, would they just take it pre-tax as normal... apparently you're not allowed such deductions whilst on SMP, so our HR advised (took them forever as no one has ever asked before) they will pay for the vouchers for the period of time I'm on SMP only. That's a bonus for me as I currently claim the full £243. The other option was that they work out a payment plan on my return. I was expecting the payment plan, so a bit shocked to be honest. Not sure the management are overly pleased!
Hope everyone has a good day tomorrow today!

Hmmm 2.30 am wake up what else to do but catch up on this thread!

Nappy bag, for the moment we're sticking with a messenger bag we already have til we work out what we need, it's bright pink but DH isn't bothered We liked that style of the Amazon one you posted MrsJW but then I read somewhere that attaching a bag to the handle of our pram may invalidate the warranty. Since we've packed it back in the box (easier said than done) I can't check so we decided to hold off for now.

Really sorry about your friend MrsJW that's very sad.

Spent half my evening upside down again trying to get this baby to face the right way... no idea if it's making any difference, I still don't know how to tell which end is which Never thought I'd be so obsessed with the shape of my bump, until now "huge" has been enough!

Congratulations on the last day newbie I can understand the mixed feelings though. I'm glad of the 4 day week this week, only 2 weeks left for me from Friday, makes it really start to feel more real!

Redblu sorry you're still having a hard time, at least your midwife was able to decipher the scribbles!

I am staying well away from the thread on postnatal wards, if I give birth in the MLU they say you can be discharged are quickly as 6hrs post birth and you stay in the nice relaxing room. However I can't see them discharging a first time mum that quick, so I think I'll end up on the ward. Like tea no option of paying for a private room so just ignoring that bit Might try asking for a private room on the off chance they're feeling generous!

Bouncing luckily I was in bed already so I missed it but I can guess the story you're talking about.

16 babies a day sounds like a lot teainbed! I guess that at least means they have to have a reasonable process flow to get you out

Teaspoon I now have images of a midwife with one blue glove and Sooty on the other hand advancing towards me

'Morning' to the insomniacs amongst us... 😒 who says 3.40 isn't a good time for a MN catch up...

Yesterday was - crap, to say the least. After the successful visit to the MW on Tuesday where we discussed that bean had turned and the positive outlook to using the birth centre, I had literally zero movement from the time I woke up until 2pm when I found myself being strapped up to monitors in the foetal assessment unit. Although her heartbeat was fine, MW is still concerned about the lack of movement so I'm now going back to the hospital every day for observation and a growth scan on Monday as that's the earliest appointment they have available.

Things should and will hopefully be fine, I'm just worried that this could change my status to high risk and stop me from going to the birthing centre, but we'll just have to wait and see I guess.

@newbieho I hope you had a fantastic last day at work?

@Brightsmoke I bet your spa day was just lovely - DH and I are off away next weekend ☺️
@Barnes79 the middle of the night insomnia is in full swing here, but I'm not having any weird dreams just yet touch wood

@vanilla8 different things get discussed over on FB. PM me your email address if you'd like me to add you. My DH spent £109 on a changing bag and was quite precise about how he wanted it to look, but we got there in the end and went with the Babybeau Isabelle

Sorry to hear about your friend @MrsJW15 it's tough to hear when we're so close to the end of our journeys 💐

Discharge from hospital seems shorter here 6-8 hours with no complications and 1-2 days after CS @lucieloos and @WishIWasSleeping they boot you out first thing to free up beds if you labour over night.

@Tickyboovicki our post natal ward allows dads to stay overnight here thankfully

@nursebickypegs we have the Angelcare monitor and sensor Mat, what problems have you had?

Shit. I'm in the Wide Awake Club.
Baby seems to think me lying down = party time. Stops jiving when I sit bolt upright.
Not exactly the best sleeping position...

Raspberry so sorry my phone didn't update to show your message before I posted. That sounds really stressful- sorry you're going through that. Did you get movement when strapped up?
Daily monitoring will hopefully be reassuring, although I'm sure it feels like a blow to have to do that. Hopefully it won't be needed for long and bean was having a lazy day? Hope you manage some more sleep and you get more movement today. Will be thinking of you

Joining the insomniacs! Bouncing on my ball instead of shuffling in bed disturbing DH and feeling uncomfortable... I've had a few of these nights of cramping but it all goes away by morning!
raspberry hope it was your little one just having a quiet day. At least they are keeping a close eye on you and the baby

@mightymouse76 9 movements in 37 minutes, which is nothing for me compared to what I'm used to.

She went bat shit mental and wouldn't stop (which is what I'm used to) at about 10pm last night and I can feel her having a little fidget now which is reassuring.

It'll be quite nice to have a scan on Monday though and see her again ☺️

@yellowismyfavourite bless you - DH and I are such weird light sleepers that if either of us gets up the other realises and we don't sleep well without the other so I'm led here as still as poss but might have to get up in a mo as I'm desperate to pee 🙈

Please tell me these insane dreams go. Just woke up from a slight panic attack from one. Birds are starting to sing so I might get up and do some jobs then nap a little later..

Raspberry, hooray for the nocturnal jiving- I hope she continues to bother you in this way ; )
Keep us all posted and good luck with the scan on Monday. I've got a 35 week scan next Wednesday and it can't come soon enough.

Morning yellow and Bouncing.

Might do my VAT return.
I know how to have a good time.

@mightymouse76 ... you're so rock and roll... 😝

@mightymouse76 VAT return at this time of the morning could be a good thing. I always work best in the morning - nice clear head.
@RasperryInAMelon These little monkeys do like to scare us. Least the hospital are looking after both of you. Take care and lots of rest. I find that if I've been busy baby goes quiet for a bit but always picks up when I rest.