October 2017 #5!

[GimbleInTheWabe]

Hope no one minds me setting up a new thread- we were getting full up on the other one!

Here is the link to the deets sheet, feel free to add or edit your details as you please:
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pa8LZMKMLvREYH4kFiNqn1dD7aTb053cT_KHvghwvSM/edit?usp=sharing

Bring on the third trimester aches, midwife appointments and birth plan chat!

So true @Bobbiepin! I can honestly say I haven't missed alcohol at all until the last couple of weeks 🙈

Let's hope whatever was going on yesterday is over and everyone has a better day today!

I'm in hospital again after more bleeding but had a scan late yesterday which seems to have the teason for that as well as why my scan records have my placenta in all different places. Apparently it is in all different places at once; it is shaped like a tortilla chip with the short edge wrapped around the right side of my waist and the long point by my left hip, so it counts as high, low, anterior and posterior. I'm having another scan today, an internal one, to identify if it is all one thing and how low it actually is.

cineraria that sounds complicated. Sorry about the bleeding, it must be so worrying. At least if they know the reason they can monitor it now and make informed decisions. Good luck.

I had a late entry to the crap day club after a phone conversation to my parents went badly (they're socially incompetent, tactless, have shown no interest in how I'm doing this pregnancy, and I got nothing in return to the amazing pic I sent them of baby's face from last scan except a sarcastic comment about needing a bigger house). Afterwards I started crying to dh and went on a big freak out about giving birth. I'm scared of all the normal labour worries but I'm also stressed about getting to hospital! Dh works 1.5hrs away, mil is 2-3 hrs away. The hospital is a 30-40 minutes drive and we have no car. If anything urgent kicks off e.g. waters go with meconium then I'll somehow have to take ds with me in a taxi to hospital but we have no toddler car seat. I've no one local I can leave him with. I know it's all unlikely and hopefully labour will start slowly overnight or at the weekend with plenty of time for mil to arrive but I just feel a bit stressed about it all. I've never been in labour and have no idea how to time it so that mil arrives just before the point I need to get to hospital? I'm worried about dragging her all the way over and it being a false alarm or another 12 hours until my contractions intensify. But if I leave it too late I'll have to go to hospital without dh! Feel so clueless.

@tippety, I'd suggest speaking to your midwife about all those worries. Do you not have a friend that lives locally who is willing to look after your toddler until mil arrives (just as a back-up)?

Also the contraction apps for timing how frequent they are look pretty good. I'm planning on using one to help me when the time comes.

I finally got a Drs appointment to have my boob checked (don't know if anyone remember me worrying about it. inverted lumpy and thickened skin) she was so nice and has requested an ultra sound on it before I'm induced next Thursday

We're in a not dissimilar situation. Could you have a ring around your local taxi firms, @tippetytapwriter, to see if any of them have toddler seats they can use.

I had to take DS (almost 2) with me in a taxi when I was bleeding. It wasn't great but it was just about ok. We did have a seat but it's in DH's car and I don't drive and have never fitted it before. He was coming to join me at the hospital from work, which is a two hour trip in the middle of the day.

The assessment unit doesn't allow children officially but took me somewhere I could be assessed and I held him next to me on the exam table gave him bread sticks and read Mr Noisy about a dozen times while I was on the monitor. He also tried to wipe my bum after I had done the urine sample (he is potty training and loves loo roll) and growled furiously that I wouldn't let him, which made the midwife laugh when she came in to dip the sample and check the blood on my pad!

During the next bleed (I'd been told I'd be induced if I had another) DH brought DS and also his hiking baby carrier that stands in its own, so we had something to corral him in. We also brought the tablet with lots of Disney stuff on it. I called my mum (4hrs away) and asked her to find someone to look after her dog and pack a bag but not set off until we confirmed. MiL is our official care. She is still two hours away, though and is currently on holiday, so it was bad timing but we coped.

I've had some more pains through the night & like a tightening feeling in my tummy. I think it's definitely braxton hicks but how long can they last before labour starts. I'm 37+4 today & feel scared to drive anywhere by myself now. I've got my MIL next door & she works from home if I need anything. Going to pick my mum up soon which is only 10 miles away she can get bus half way to meet me just so I can spend the day with her so I don't go demented in my own company lol. I'm at midwife tomorrow so I think I'll ask her for advice. I hope something else happens soon like mucus plug or waters breaking xx

Thanks doomkitty. I did mention it to midwife a while ago and she was sympathetic but there's not anything they can do. It's sad to admit but I really don't have any friends locally! We're relatively new to the area and I'm socially anxious and crap at making friends. Our neighbours are nice but very elderly ninety plus and the rest of the houses here are student lets. I'm sure it'll be alright on the night it's just I'm a worrier and like to plan ahead but there are too many variables for this to be planned really!

cinerara that sounds pretty stressful doing all that with a little one in tow. Well done to you! Good idea about checking if taxis have toddler seats. I'll call the ones we've got on my 'for labour' list!

butterfly I've no idea but I'd definitely ask the midwife! Things are starting to get really real now! My weird long lasting bh ( if that's what they are) have gone up a notch and I'm starting to get more aches down below and a bit of back ache. But it could all just be weight of baby etc. Seeing my midwife tomorrow too so I'll ask as well!

Good luck for your ultrasound greentrees. Hopefully it's just normal pregnancy weirdness! Mine have gone a bit odd.

I had a bit of a crazy day yesterday too as had been referred for growth scan due to measuring 3cm behind on bump.
Went in on time, all was fine. Sonographer said amniotic fluid levels were on the low side but still within normal range. Then had to wait in waiting room for ages for my notes to be given back. Then I was called to a side room and told doctor wanted to see me so thought this was a bit weird especially as last time I was called in the same room was when I had DD1 and told I couldn't have a home birth as would be continually monitored throughout labour. Doctor really busy so waited ages again then strapped up to ctg machine for half hr. midwife said they weren't qualified enough to analyse the result so needed dr to look. Baby size was all perfect, within the lines on the chart.
After ctg and more waiting, a different midwife came in and said the doctor has looked and you're free to go. The midwives had misinterpreted what the sonographer had written so they thought my fluid levels were below the range but they weren't!! Still, was relieved as there was talk of induction next week once I'm 37 wks as low fluid levels indicate placenta not working properly. So alls well that ends well!

I'm finding baby is really low too at the moment and walking is quite cumbersome. Sometimes get sharp pains where it feels like she's kicking my bladder!

@ButterflyGem I had my first braxton hicks at 24 weeks! I've noticed in the last fortnight they're definitely stronger and last longer but alas; no sign that it means baby coming for me!

@TippetyTapWriter bless you, I have similar anxieties with our dog- we have no one local who can look after him, closest family is 3 hours away and we don't want to tell them when I go into labour anyway. I'm just scared if it's a weekday he'll be without company and walks during the day and I'll be distracted in labour worrying about him 😩 We've got someone to housesit in the evenings but they work full time so no use if things kick off during the day...
hope you find a solution, might definitely be worth discussing yours with midwife as you're more likely to get advice and support for a toddler than I am in convincing them to let my very large dog come into hospital with me 😂 xx

Sophie how annoying to have to wait nervously when all was fine! I was there about 90mins altogether for my growth scan despite the actual scan only taking 5mins! Good to know everything is looking good. I'm getting the stabby cervix pains too, especially when she has a big stretch - it's sooo uncomfortable!

Cineraria That's all a bit of a worry, but it's good that they're really on top of it - hopefully it won't have any impact for the birth?

That's a tricky one TippetyTap, but probably better to have a false alarm and MIL there too soon than to have a mad dash without your DH? If she's there early is there somewhere she can be in the house that you're not so that you can Labour in peace?!

Greenpeace that's great that you can be seen for ultrasound pre-baby - hopefully it's all just hormones playing up.

Butterfly- do you think this is the start of things? That's useful having your MIL next door - do you get on ok? Mine is nice but next door might be TOO close!!

Are there any babies arrived on the thread to date?

Nothing much going on here, just really tired of juggling house work, house sale, and toddler whilst anaemic and nearly 38 weeks preggers Baby girl is a right squirm and now my stretch marks have started to stretch beyond their last pregnancy point. Really ready to have a baby now!!! Except I haven't packed my hospital bag yet

@Nessa, no babies on the thread yet, but a few on the Facebook page.

I'm so not ready to have this baby yet. I've been ready in a practical way for ages, e.g. Nursery ready, bought everything etc. But emotionally I don't feel close. Angry at everything and everyone at the moment, want to kill DP and feel like when the baby gets here I'll not be interested in it.

Hopefully it's just my hormones or something to do with a possible UTI as suggested by midwife this morning, but starting to worry there's something wrong with me. I should be happy knowing I can have my birth centre birth now I know the placenta has moved, but instead I'm just miserable. Only been this way for 3 days, well since finishing work really.

Oh god I'm such a clutz! Earlier I thought I'd try & practise with this tomee tippee microwave bottle steriliser I've got. So put water in the bottom stacked a few bottles on top & then the lid & into microwave for 4 mins. But as I was lifting it out the steam/maybe some water fell out burnt my tummy right on the top of bump & went through my jumper & vest. It's killing currently sat with kitchen roll in cold water & clingfilm wrapped round & I stuck some sudocrem on cos couldn't think of anything else. It feels like a bit of a burn now eek. Other pains have subsided now & aren't regular at all so think it just braxton hicks 😬 xx

Doomkitty I don't think how you're feeling is all that uncommon, but definitely worth mentioning to your midwife when you next see her. It's almost certainly just a powerful hormone cocktail! I keep feeling very low and ratty but it doesn't last that long, just comes and goes.

Oh no Butterfly! You muppet, that's just the sort of thing I'd do Is it very painful? At least baby won't know any different tucked up inside!!

Ouch butterfly hope it heals soon!

I'm feeling increasingly down and irritable doomkitty and also weirdly not excited about baby despite her being very much wanted! I still hardly believe I'm pregnant and even though I have a toddler already I can't imagine a baby is going to somehow come out of me! It's too weird and abstract. That first moment though when I heard ds cry during my section was just magic. Unfortunately he got whisked away to the special care unit so I never got that first cuddle but I'm just concentrating on that at the moment, that's my goal, that first cry and cuddle! I feel ok when I can imagine it but 99% of the time I'm just feeling stressed, grumpy, scared and fed up!

Thanks nessalina you're right about having mil here sooner than later but the other complicating factor is that she works and has a cat so can't really hang around here for more than a day, though I'd really hope it wouldn't be that long anyway! Funny you mention the privacy aspect because that's actually a huge concern of mine. I'm such an intensely shy person that the thought of being in labour in front of anyone, even dh to a degree, is horrible! I guess I'll just hide in the bedroom?! And try not to wake ds if it's night time... hmm.

@Nessa, I only saw the midwife this morning, so no more appointments for a couple of weeks now. I did vaguely mention feeling irritable, but took DP with me and we'd just been bickering before I went, so didn't feel like the right time.

@tippety, I do feel a little better now after a sleep. Think it's just hard adjusting to being at home after working full time for years. First time I've had off in ages and I'm exhausted so can't even go out and do anything physical.

Plus DP has this stinking cold and is behaving like a typical grumpy man with man flu. I was expecting finishing work to be all lovely and cuddles, but so far it's just him being grumpy and sniffing and coughing.

Tippety I totally get that, I'm worried about the same thing - my folks are about 2hrs drive away, and we'll need to have them come over to look after DS, but I really don't want them around whilst I'm in labour! As much as I love them it feels like such a private thing, and I won't be able to relax with a house full But then I also won't be able to relax if I'm worried about DS. Best case scenario is that I go into labour in the morning when he's at nursery, so I can have a nice quiet day at home, and just tell my folks to pick him up from nursery at 6pm!
In your situation though, she may have a cat, but she'll hardly pack up after 24hrs and leave your DS on his own - though hopefully baby will decide to come at a nice convenient time for you and it won't be an issue!!

DoomKitty Men are such wimps with colds Expectations never quite live up to reality - I was looking forward to mat leave sooo much first time round but I got bored and stir crazy within days. Hopefully things will shake down for you in a week or so? Sounds like you have a lot of finishing work tension to let go of! Think chilled thoughts... when are you due?

@Nessa, it's particularly worrying as I'm not just on mat leave, but actually handed in my notice to have a few years off.

I'm due 3 weeks on Monday, 16th October.

Hopefully I'll feel better when I don't have constant heartburn, rib pain and fanny daggers. Seriously they are getting so much worse, feels like someone stabbing me in the cervix and I'm going to pee myself at the same time.

Have tried to drink loads this evening due to possible UTI or dehydration. Think that definitely is part of the problem cus I've drank over 3 pints of cordial and only had x1 proper wee and about 6 trickles (sorry for tmi).

It's a huge change doomkitty but especially as you know it's not temporary. I also gave in my notice when I had ds as we were planning to move cities after the birth. It does feel very strange. Felt like I had as in limbo, which was a stressful feeling. And when my maternity pay stopped and I was fully reliant on dh's salary I found that quite hard to cope with as I've always earnt my own money since I was 18. I planned to find another job at 1 year but ds seemed too young and the salary:childcare difference didn't make it worthwhile. Now a sahm and will be for another 2 years I guess. I'm 'lucky' in that I didn't actually like my job so don't miss it but it's still a big adjustment and quite ego sapping to be technically unemployed. But also an enormous privilege to spend so much time with ds.

Hope your plan works out nessalina! My ds doesn't go to nursery but at least if I go into labour during a weekday dh will be home in 1.5hrs. Fingers crossed for a slow steady build up... I keep reading stories about quick labours. Think I need to step away from the internet.

Hopefully I'll feel better when I don't have constant heartburn, rib pain and fanny daggers.

^this The fanny daggers in particular are getting sooo uncomfortable!! It's making me waddle in a very unattractive fashion

DoomKitty keep it up with the water, though it's bloody hard when your bladder is the size of a thimble. Sounds like mat leave is going to be a massive mental adjustment for you, so just be kind to your brain and let it catch up

I've seriously cocked up with my whooping cough vaccine Midwife told me at 28 weeks (I think) but I forgot to book it in, then had to change it a couple of times, then I've been ill this week so had to rearrange again... spoke to the GP and it turns out I should have had it by 32 weeks for it to give the baby immunity. Which no one told me, or I might have pulled my finger out sooner... but it's my fault really, and now I'm 38 weeks and buggered

Tippety anecdotally fast labours seem to be much less common than slow ones, so fx for a nice medium length one for you. For all of us in fact!!

Nessalina we don't get the whooping cough vaccine here and they weren't doing them in the UK when I had ds1 (5 years ago), he has never had whooping cough thankfully.

First labours are definitely much more often long than short, I think the average is about 12 hours (although can't remember where I'm getting that from...) so chances are you'll have plenty of warning! Mine was 10 , 2nd labour about 2.5 hours, both have started in the evening with DH already home. Worryingly at my doctor's appointment yesterday he looked at me very seriously and said: make sure you call the midwife straight away when you feel anything as labour may be only an hour, 2 pushes and that's it I'm actually hoping for a bit longer otherwise DH won't get home in time, let alone putting up the pool / getting the midwife here!

My MIL is coming to stay with us and I'm having a home birth so trying to get used to the idea of giving birth in front of her , I was really hoping to have had the baby before she got here to be honest especially as she's bringing her dog who cries if shut in a separate room - wondering if it's too rude to insist MIL stays upstairs with dog for the whole thing? She arrives this weekend, a week earlier than I had intended, so doesn't look like baby will be here before then. It will be reassuring to have a back up for the kids in case anything goes wrong and to have an extra pair of hands after the birth anyway, maybe I'll be lucky and go in to labour overnight when everyone is sleeping!

doomkitty my DH also has a stinking cold and has for 3 days now, he won't take a day off work as he has 'too much to do' so just grumps about in the evenings / mornings spreading the misery and not getting any better. I have warned him that baby could arrive any day and he'll then be even shorter on sleep / rest so taking time to recover now might be sensible, but he is determined to be a martyr

Luckily I don't have a sniffly DP but I did have a lady in Tesco bend down to pick something up in front of me and say 'oooh my back is killing me!' Safe to say my face was like this: . "YOUR back hurts?!" I wanted to shout in her face.

Also- baby boy cannot make his entrance until next Thursday evening now as I have booked a commercial photo shoot job for pampers. Apparently I have to eat cake - no problem there haha!

Hi guys, think I have just lost part of my mucus plug. 36 weeks and 4 days.

I tracked cervical mucus when TTC so consider myself quiet apt at what cervical mucus looks like.

There was only a small amount after a BM, and it was jelly like and tinged pinky brown.

I know it doesn't mean things are going to start yet, but it's a bit scary and exciting. Could still be weeks and there's probably more to come out yet.

I know it's TMI, but have put a panty liner on to see if anymore comes.