May 2017 #12

[savagehk]

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

Wish thanks for the useful info about the vouchers. IT hadn't even occurred to me that I may need to do something about it. I bet it's going to confuse them that we are sharing the parental leave and both claim the max amount of vouchers. Will email payroll today.

That sounds stressful Raspberry. But good you get the extra scan.

Adventure another, less discussed, advantage to staying in hopsital a bit longer is that newborns tend to sleep a bit better there (based entirely on anaecdotal evidence from my NCT group!). Mine slept alone in the perspex crib thing for 4 hrs the first night. She didn't do that again for weeks and weeks.

So looking forward to the four day weekend. In good work news, I now have someone to cover my mat leave, in less good news, he can't start until a week before I go which only gives two days handover.

@RasperryInAMelon Glad things picked up. Does your birthing centre have a protocol for admission that you can see in your notes or online? I wouldn't have thought the monitoring would affect going there but any growth issues probably might so you'll know more on Monday.

@Teaspoon74 I've had one, it wasn't too bad. Basically midwife doing a vaginal examination. Trying to stretch the cervix and sweep the membranes from the baby's head with her fingers.

I am a veteran of three inductions! Two have taken days and days. The first was the longest and involved 48 hours of pessaries, then the dreaded drip for 12 hours. The second I was 41+ weeks and they were able to just break my waters and I had DD1 6 hours later. I think I was actually ready to go with her. The third was in between to two, done at 36 weeks, I did have 24-36 hours of pessaries, and started contracting, then they broke my waters and DD2 came 4 hours later. In my hospital I believe if you're low risk but need induced you can do the first pessary bit at home which sounds quite good although I don't know if that is something that can be done everywhere.

@teainbed I need to double check but you basically can't use it if you're under 37w or over 41 I believe- or if you're high risk or have been induced (anymore than a sweep)

Please could someone add me to the Facebook group? Cinnamon twist kindly tried, but I deleted her friend request because I didn't realise who she was! My name is Louise Sharifi... there's only 2 of us, im the one with the black & white profile pic!

@LouiseJayne23 I've sent you a friend request first off - I'm Helen ☺️

Sorry to hear about your friend mrsjw.

Congrats to all those finishing work, and just in time for some (hopefully) lovely Easter weather too.

Sounds really stressful raspberry, I know that MW & Drs are cautious and want to be 'on the safe side' but it certainly can make things feel scary.

teainbed have you heard anything more about your sugars / plan for induction?

I spent most of yesterday on antenatal ward - had a random phonecall from the MW there - after my growth scan on tues, someone had checked the blds my MW arranged for ?obstetric cholestasis 2 weeks ago (told me they were fine), and my liver function was slightly derranged, so they wanted me to come in for urgent repeat blds & monitoring of baby. Baby all fine but liver function remains the same. Bile acids are ok though which is apparently what they look for with OC.

The antenatal ward was bloody awful - people (other women & their partners) are so noisy & inconsiderate! Talking so loudly on their phones, mobiles ringing at full blast, playing games with the volume right up.....if postnatal is anything like that I think I will burst! Partners are allowed 24 / 7 visiting here on the postnatal ward, which I am dreading given some of the chaps walking around the ward yesterday! Depending on how I am, I hope to send DH home for some half decent sleep post birth, so that at least one of us can function when I get home!

Have put in my birth preferences that I would like to pay for a private room post birth (about £80), and happy to be turfed out if someone needs it more. The rooms aren't always available though, just have to wait & see on the day.

Thanks to those who gave advice re: birthing a bigger baby on MLU. If my diabetes testing remains normal, I am going to discuss with my midwife, and then with consultant when I have repeat growth scan on 25th.

Anyone else's considering/had acupuncture towards the end? Was reading through my notes last night and turns out my hospital offer it after the due date on the NHS. But it needs to be booked 5 wks in advance so how you are meant to know if you will need it I've no idea. Wondering about booking myself in, even if there are no health benefits, it's always nice to have a lie down for an hour.

Good they are keeping an eye on things Sipper although sounds like a stressful day. I'm taking the opposite approach to sending DH home- I've told him there is no way he's leaving me on the ward (unless DD needs him at home for any reason). I want him there to make sure I have someone assertive on my side plus fetching tea and holding the baby while I rest.

No, not your poo, baby poo!

They discharged us before there'd been a baby poo by mistake and I got a flustered call a few hours later to check if there'd been anything.

Morning ladies

Well this is my last day at work but it doesn't seem to be going to plan. Woke up this morning at 5am to BH but the pains were getting stronger every 10 mins. Am 35 weeks today so hoping it's just a false alarm. The BH have subsided but am still experiencing cramping and now the nausea & headaches are appearing, which is how my labour started last time with dd.

Am waiting for my ante-natal class to start and then I'll be off to work for the afternoon. Was planning on going to ikea after work but we shall see!

I was out of hospital in about 12 hours with DS. And that was on a Sunday and after an epidural and ventouse. All the rooms were private but partners were not allowed in outside visiting hours. Didn't stay overnight because of that. I would have been out quicker but the volume of my wees was too much!

Oh blimey jenny keep us updated!

@Esmesbees acupuncture for any particular purpose? Pain relief / relaxation / optimal positioning? I had last time to attempt to induce labour, don't think it worked for me (not on NHS though).

Last labour DH went with me to the ward when we were admitted (about 4am by the end of it) but then went home around 6am for sleep (he'd been 24h without sleep by then), had a power nap and came back in about midday I think. But having him there would have been much better, especially as it took forever for the epidural to wear off. Can't recall hospital policy on visitors / partners though, I suspect it's not allowed for one to be with you the whole time.

For any other ladies with a baby who's currently back-to-back or OP, I've downloaded the ebook from here optimal-foetal-positioning.co.nz/?wpsc-product=e-book-how-will-i-be-born-3
It seems a simpler read so far than the Spinning Babies website (which is comprehensive but rather complex!). After an OP baby first time round, I'm keen to avoid this time, although so far almost everyone has said 'they turn in labour especially second time around' I'd rather do what I can before the baby is too big to turn comfortably (as I've mentioned upthread I'm pretty small and baby is expected to be pretty big - based on my own prior experience, not any growth scan! - and will probably have a massive head, so once that engages I think I'll struggle to turn it)

Good luck @jennymac31 !

Thanks savagehk & foxmulder - my labour with dd lasted 56 hours so am expecting things to take a while.

savage they says it's for 'birth preparation', so to encourage optimal positioning and avoiding induction.

Wow Jenny could be a dramatic last day. Hope it's a false alarm. You sound remarkably calm!

Re sweeps (knew I forgot something) I'd only have one if it was that or induction. I had an attempted one last time but cervix unfavourable and then a proper one the day I went into labour. Quite honestly I was that due by then that I don't know if the sweep did anything. I didn't find it any different from a smear. I think I'll be refusing most fingers-up-my-vag this time, both before and during labour.

esmes go for it then :)

Teaspoon I've been looking at the St Thomas's website, and it says that if you have a normal birth in the Home from Home, they usually send you home within 6-12 hours. My notes seem to say the same thing. Interesting if your MW says otherwise - I'll ask mine when I'm in on Wednesday. Would be helpful to know.

Rise interested in this thing about invalidating the warranty.

Still sad for my friend and I suspect I'm not the first person that she wants to talk to. I've spoken to her husband and I'm just waiting for her to be ready to talk to me. They got pregnant very quickly so I hope that they do so again.

Good luck Jenny

Esmes I'd say book it and see if you need it!

Savage how much "fingers up vag" do they try to do and why? Is it mainly to see how dilated you are? And how often do they want to do that?

Hope it calms down jenny & baby stays put a bit longer!

@1004Rise it's a massive unit, originally built for 3000 births a year. Now it's 6000! There is a high risk ward, two midwife led units and a birthing centre.

I'll be sending DH home. No point in us both being shattered.

Eek that ward sounds awful @Sipperskipper but totally typical to what I have experienced! Avoid at all costs! Glad the bloods were ok.

@jennymac31 that sounds like something is happening but hopefully you get a bit longer.

I'm waiting for the hospital to get in touch to discuss my numbers so nothing happening yet.

Well, once you start getting past your due date, there's 'checking to see what your cervix is doing', possible sweeps, then in labour there's an exam every few hours in labour to asses progress and position. (every 4 current guidelines?).

So I'm 35 weeks and 4 days and baby weight from scan is 5lb 1 which is 12th centile but head is on 75th centile. Should I be worried ?

Adventure I was 35 weeks yet and baby was estimated 5lb 4oz yest so something similar! Head was ahead also but didn't get a centile reading for it individually!