May 2017 #13 the lucky thread

[Rustler74]

Just thought I'd get the next thread ready. Let them babies arrive!

I got my mattress protector from Ikea and it's not sweaty.

@RasperryInAMelon thank you I had a lovely last day at work. It's always very quiet on a Friday with not many people in so had a nice relaxing day. We had a small party in the office on Thursday to say goodbye to everyone and had some cake and got some lovely presents. It will be so strange but nice to not go in on Monday. The commutes were getting really difficult. I was walking 1 mile (uphill) every morning to get to the station which really took it out of me! Hope everyone else that's not finished yet are coping ok.

No update ladies.... been for a few walks, still having occasional tightenings. They want to leave me as long as possible to try and labour on my own. I'm very bored..!
I'm
Guessing nothing more will happen today, so the probability is baby tomorrow.
Really missing my DD, much more than I thought I would, which is strange, as I don't have a problem leaving her with nursery during the days! x

I bet you are bored Wish. Hopefully it will be quick once it gets started. I can sympathise with missing your DD. Think I will be the same.

Hopefully something will happen soon @WishIWasSleeping

My pelvis was fine after delivery but my back was a bit sore, partly the diastasis but also the hyperflexibility thing. It's really easy to overextend yourself and get injured!

Ladies, anyone feeling immense pressure right down there? Sorry if this is TMI but it feels like baby is trying to come out of my wee hole . It's so much pressure that i can barely walk/move around and only from the past week maybe? Does this mean baby is fully engaged?

shini not had this but ouch!

Teainbed makes sense. Lower back pain has been an ongoing issue for me predating pregnancy so I'll likely be the same (occupational hazard). I have bought an excess of v-shaped pillows to prop myself up with/have baby on .

Yeah, the back thing is one to watch out for. At first you'll be so keen to hover over the baby when changing / bathing so as not to distress them, which is fine if your core muscles are working but they won't have come back together yet post-birth (and now there's no baby for them to squeeze around) so your back will take all of the strain. My back is pretty resilient so I didn't realise for a while, but then twigged and made a conscious effort not to do that (and to make sure well propped up when feeding etc, just like all the books tell you to, which I wasn't paying too much attention to either...)

So highlights of my Sat night so far (DH out) are massaging perineum for first time followed by crying when I realised I'd ordered wrong thing for dinner thus having to re order and wait longer Still waiting... baby's going bonkers!

autumn sorry to hear you're suffering so much, that's rubbish!

I'll check out Ikea when I go thanks fox

Mammoth catch up as I have beenAWOL since Thursday ... sorry!

@EsmesBees moving boxes are the fashion I heard 😊

@MissMooMoo BH all do something, whether it is training your uterus or beginning to move your cervix none of them are for nothing. I've been having BH for weeks & weeks, I had the same with turnip and believe that's why my labours are quick. Because I have months & months of prep 😂 hope you're not finding it too frustrating 😊

@1004Rise I hope you had a nice day at the wedding. X

@Autumnsweater Bought my lavender oil today 😊👍🏼

@pennysays I am a homebirth hopeful. Midwives come a week on Tuesday with my kit for my current house. Although we are in the process of selling & buying so we may have to change midwives after 37wks 🙈

Congratulations @Northernexile 😘👶🏼

@teainbed how have you found the afterpains this time? I hardly had any with Bean, Turnip they were awful and I have heard they get worse with each baby. Have you found this? It's one of the things I am seriously not looking forward to 😪

@ShiniBerry I totally understand what you are feeling! I am the same. I was also the same with turnip from 35/36 weeks, she finally made an appearance at 39+1! So I don't have my hopes set on this one coming much earlier and I am trying to keep positive and ignore the unbearable pain.

@WishIWasSleeping good luck 😘

I've just got back from a second hen do for my cousin, took Turnip which was lovely. I don't have a great relationship with my own mum and always worried that I wouldn't know how to be a mum to my daughter. It was so lovely to take her out for a girls meal tonight and we got ready together and did our hair and put our lippy on 💋 although I never experienced a mother daughter bond as a daughter I am loving every second of experiencing it as a mother 😍

I have just 1 more week at work (counting the days) and I am going to spend 50% of this week at home as my feet are really not happy at the moment. So going to wfh with feet up and laptop on 😊

Went through all spuds stuff last night and it sank it that we are having a baby. I think because we don't have his room yet due to moving house I haven't fully appreciated how close we are to having another baby in the house. I can't wait for our family to be complete 👱🏼👩🏼👦🏼👧🏼👶🏼🐶🐶

@beanturnipamdspud so you, me and @savagehq are all having/aiming for home births then? I got my waterproof mattress protector today but I feel a bit funny about bringing this boiby into the world on an "old shower curtain" as mw suggested. So am going to sacrifice one of our (black) sheets. I also saw someone else on Mn bought towels from eBay and then dyed them, which I might do to. Sounds prissy but part of the joy of a home birth is presumably giving birth on whatever the frig you like!

No kit yet, suspect That is this week. You're moving too! Why do we do it to ourselves?! Had another complete meltdown about builders today. DP being v patient.

Lovely about the hen do with turnip 💗💗💗

@shiniberry I think that's exactly what the baby engaging feels like. "Immense pressure down below". Not had it myself but mum friends do... By all accounts sounds bonkers but for some women it happens during labour rather than before. Just as well, the dumpling is bopping around like no ones business at the moment!

Meant to tag @savagehk in the post!

On my way back from a party that was mostly my parents' friends. Many of them knew me as a baby so lots of excitement. But really too much belly touching without checking - one of them came straight up and touched me without even saying hello or looking at my face!

Penny I'm hoping for a hb too :) was just asking earlier if any other hb mums had any words of wisdom for my birth "plan" as have midwife appointment Mon. Trying to move it though as DH can't make it and not sure we're ready

@pennysays I think there may be more of us than that. There seems to be quite a high %

@badger I plan on finding turnips birthplan today at some point, so I will post a picture. I spent ages on hers and planned a hb with her too. (Although unfortunately didn't get it).

As for where you birth, third time lucky for me to have a waterbirth. Part of me thinks I am going to end up birthing on land though and only labouring in the water but we will see.

Things I know I will def want in my birthplan:

Don't offer pain relief I will ask if I want some
Turnip to cut the cord
Student midwives allowed
I will be using clary sage so please no pregnant midwives
Only other people allowed in the house dc's, DH, nana and midwives
I want to catch baby if possible, and we are in water
If we are not in water immediate skin to skin, please no wrapping and rubbing I will do this once baby on me.
Delayed cord clamping - still deciding whether to use ties instead of clamps
In case of me being unable to offer s2s, DH to do this.
My DC are allowed in the room, unless I state otherwise whilst in labour/birth.
If I have decided I cannot cope with them during labour/birth please let them join as soon as their brother arrives.

In case of transfer during labour dc to be left with nana, DH to transfer with me.
In case of transfer post labour, baby to stay with mum if possible. If not DH must stay with baby.

Transfer in labour:
Please respect my wishes for an active calming labour & birth and follow my hb plans as much as safely possible, please ask me if we need to go off course.
Please turn off hospital 'big' lights and use the lamps.

I spoke to my midwives and they said the clearer and most concise the easier for them. I think it can read bossy but apparently that makes their life easier and also means they completely understand our wishes without having to ask for clarification 👶🏼 hope this helps a little

@beanturnipandspud I like reading your posts and the description of your relationship with the daughter is lovely. I am sure you are a fab mum.

Yep there are a few of us going for a home birth! I've finally packed my birth bag (stuff we might need at home or if we transfer) and have tracked down our old shower curtain (used for weaning....). Also intending to labour in water here, been watching a few home hypnobirths on YouTube as will probably birth in the water but will see on the day. I think i need some cheap towels though....

Hello everyone, I've been following your thread for a while now and it's lovely to see the babies arriving one by one!

I'm 37+1 with my 5th pregnancy. This is my second surrogacy for friends. We had a baby in October 15 by c section (breech) and this is a full sibling for them - so they are going to be busy!

I have three of my own. 4; 6 and 8.

Fist was ventouse; second nearly out but got stuck so Emcs; third lovely natural; fourth elcs (breech) and this one is elcs as a relatively young scar and they don't want me labouring naturally. Which is fine by me! Elcs is a very civilised way to have a baby..,

Also means we (husband and my gang and the mum and dad and their gang) can plan as we live about 4 hrs away from each other.

Must sort bag and all that jazz. Am super busy with work at the moment so we're sliding towards our section date quickly without realising. Booked in for 5th May and my last working day is the 3rd as I don't work the 4th normally (Thursdays).

We've been in to the hosp to do birth plan and had a refresh as to where we go.

Am feeling good. Tired and big and sore. Too old for this really!

Good luck all x

@newbieho I'm so emotional at the moment your lovely comment has made me shed a tear this morning. Thank you. I am trying to be the best mum I can be. I didn't have the best role model so I am fumbling along, was very much trial and error with Bean, but feel like we're finding our feet now. Haha. Only 7 years into parenthood and nearly 3 babies haha.

@savagehk I found some towels in wilkos for £3, only issue is they're white. But thought ahh what the hell they can be washed in vanish and given to the fur babies afterwards 😊

@SouthPole 👋🏼 welcome. How amazing of you to be giving such a wonderful gift to your friends.

@beanturnipandspud the afterpains were epic! They've worn off now but had to take paracetamol for them.

I can't wait to hear the home birth stories! It's never been an option for me but really hope it works out for you all. Interestingly a few years ago a friend who had a HB told me that her labour really faltered whilst her children were in the house. The Granny decided to take them out and then things properly started and she had the baby. She said this was quite common! Or that HB mums 'waited' until overnight when their other DC were in bed. Because either consciously or subconsciously they were still 'on duty' as mum. Fascinating!

Last time when I transferred DH couldn't come with me because he had to bring our car. Guess it would be the same this time. It's so shit though.

Boring stat of the day. We've used 66 nappies since BabyTea was born 9 days ago. He is an absolute expert at doing a poo just after he's been changed but even then it seems like a lot doesn't it?

Wonder how @WishIWasSleeping is doing.

Welcome @SouthPole and what a wonderful thing you do for your friends, TWICE!

Thanks @beanturnipandspud that's a great example of a birth plan. It shows that you've been through this before. I agree with @newbieho That you sound a brilliant mum. In a way I hope I have a daughter too so I can have that type of bond. A son would be wonderful too but I've come from a family of girls (3rd with 2 older sisters) and my sister had to squeeze out 3 boys before she had a girl. The eldest nephew is now 18 and in university! My mum and I have always had a good bond. Your common sense as well as instinct will probably tell you how to get along with her. You don't always need a good example.

@teainbed Now you got me scared about the afterpains!

I think that my sprout has turned to breech overnight. I'm not 100% sure yet as it could be its bottom I'm feeling next to my navel and up, but I'm pretty sure I can't find the feet. I will only 'rest' when I get kicks in my right ribs again. I'm pretty happy undergoing an ECV if needed.

Just a question for the mums among you. I know I'm running ahead of myself as sprout is not even here yet, but OH has 2 weeks off in October and we are thinking of going on holiday (Portugal or south Spain is in our list). Sprout should just about fit in the carrycot still so we are thinking of taking the pram. Does anyone have experience with travelling with a pram? I don't want it to get damaged! We will take the car seat with us as well, so I'm hoping to keep that with us in the plane as well as the pram frame. Do we pay for extra baby luggage? Sorry for the long question!

Yeah I'm leaning towards cheap white ones which can at least be bleached!
If we transfer provided baby hasn't arrived yet luckily oh will come with, we don't have a car. If baby's already arrived then I've heard some places won't let baby go in ambulance as no place to secure car seat (?) so doula would drive with baby and husband in car. Luckily it's 5 mins max.