November 2017 #4: Bump botherers, nesting and maternity leave!

[GingerHanna]

In which we swat away unwanted hands, perform military operations every night to roll over in our sleep, clean the kitchen cupboards for the eleventy billionth time and count down the days to our maternity leave!

Previous thread here.

Click here for The List.

@sock For the Kramzorg you usually pay for the first €4.50 of each hour, but due to having mid level insurance it is all covered so I don't have to pay anything.

The system is a cross between the NHS and USA insured system. You must have insurance but you only pay €385 a year excess total and not all medical costs are assigned to that excess - basic meds, all medical appointments etc are 'free'. It's only if you have extra investigations or like DH have heavy asthma drugs that the excess starts being used. So all midwife and hospital checks I'm having are covered with no cost to me. But the recent drugs for heartburn and integration (stronger than prescription Gaviscon) will be coming out of my excess (probably no more than a few quid).

@GingerHanna sounds like a good system to me!

@Hazandduck I do so wish us ladies could meet in real life, especially when so many of us are not feeling 100% this week

Totally @sock. Hope you had a nice time with your friend though :) We went round our friends' for dinner, she works in a nursery and made me feel a lot better and calmer about handling a newborn! And reassured me she will be round on her days off to help me, phew! X

Sounds like a great friend to have haz!

I've been uncomfortable all day today. Woke up with round ligament type pain and I've felt like baby has been really low down in my pelvis all day.

I have a home visit from the health visitor on Thurs. Not looking forward to that as I don't like the health visitor and it feels like a home inspection - I'll have to clean properly!

@Buttery good luck with your visit, I had my health visitor meeting last week, and had a weird fear they would spring a home visit on me so made DH start madly painting ceilings etc! Ordered a new shower curtain and all other sorts of things! And they didn't even come to my house 😂 I met them at my old school where there's a day nursery. Very strange. I totally know that feeling you mean though, like you're being judged and they will just say "nope you are unfit to be a mother, you have not hoovered enough!" lol x

@butterybollocks I was a bit moody with our health visitor when she turned up mega late on first visit. DH said it was a SS spying visit, but it was ok. Didn’t see the point of it if I’m honest. We won’t see them again now until baby is born.

My HV for DD was fabulous and I'm pleased to say that she's my HV for this baby, despite moving house. Don't write them off completely! They can be a wonderful source of support.

@Zampa mine was lovely too when I actually met her. I just built it up in my head as an inquisition. Turned out she was 20 weeks pregnant so we ended up just chatting and she was really supportive about my anxiety and talked me through lots of things like BF etc. It's a lot to take in in an hour though! She said she won't see me now until baby is 6 weeks old unless I go to one of their open support groups in the area x

@butterybollocks I had the health visitor come and see me last week. She just sat on the sofa and told me about what the health visitor service was. She also gave me a pile of leaflets about groups I can go to in the local area once the baby arrives.

The only remotely negative thing she said was that she thought my house was a bit cold. I just explained that since I’ve become pregnant I’ve been like a blast furnace and no longer feel the cold, but I do have a room thermometer and will be checking the temperature and turning on the heating when the baby arrives - she was quite happy about that.

I’ve been for hospital tour this morning and was tearful at seeing the new born babies on labour ward. I’m going to be (even more of an) emotional wreck when it’s our turn!

@lydiangel83 did you enjoy your hospital tour? Did it help you decide on your birth options?

I want to go on a tour of my hospital, I might see if my husband is free to do it with me this weekend.

@theotherendofthesockportal yes it was great and made it seem very real. Only 30 mins but reaffirmed that I want to start off natural but happy to progress to chemical pain relief if needed! Not sure where you are but we had to book this in July and it gets really full, so I’d say give them a call sooner rather than later to book x

@lydiangel83 I will give the hospital a call tomorrow and ask them if we can visit at the weekend.

Ladies, I have the best day. My Midwife sent me to have some reflexology to help relax and hopefully get some sleep. It is the best thing that has ever happened to me, I feel the most chilled out I have felt in a long time. I will report back to let you know if I slept.

@theotherendofthesockportal I love reflexology, I find it so relaxing. I'm fascinated with how it works, how massaging a certain point on your foot can make your stomach gurgle or relieve back pain. They recommend reflexology to help you go into labour. It didn't work with DS but it was a lovely hour.

Our mat unit doesn't do tours, not all of them do it as it 'can distract from the normal workings of the ward' apparently. Ours does a tour online instead so might be worth checking the website.

Anyone else getting pain in their coccyx? I've had it at night over the last couple of weeks but now getting it during the day as well. It's making sitting down really uncomfortable. Going to try a hot water bottle on it for a bit to see if that helps but I've got a feeling it's going to be one of those things that is only going to get worse until baby arrives.

@theotherendofthesockportal that sounds ace and funnily enough I had thought today I’d quite like to try reflexology! Please let us know if you slept as I am so tired of not sleeping!

I haven't had any contact from a health visitor at all, but to be fair there is not much chance of them being able to come around as I am working 6 days a week 8am to 10pm most days at the moment to allow me to have 2 weeks off when the baby arrives.

Thankfully my husband has been amazing with our 5 year old daughter as she spends a few hours with me at the horses after school and then he takes her home and gets her ready for bed while I teach the final clients of the day or head off judging.

@Durez fair play to you, just reading about your day made me feel knackered. I feel like a total wimp now for moaning about my pretty sedentary office job!

@Topsy yes pain in lower back and also really bad sciatica just getting worse. I have a distinct waddle on the go now!

@sock that sounds heavenly. I remember floating out of my first ever acupuncture session after I miscarried last year, it was like a whole load of emotion and weight and everything was just lifted, and she only used 3 needles that session. I hope you wake up nice and refreshed xx

@Hazandduck being self employed has its perks but right now I am not feeling any Riding is now agony, being stood teaching is agony, just feeling very fed up.

@durezidal you must be shattered! I take it winter isn't going to be a quieter time for you with the horses?

It's such a lovely autumn it wouldn't slow down any horsey fun times. Bet your making the most of all the dry sunny days.

Just to give you all an update on my sleep after reflexology. I slept for longer than usual, still not a full night but that bit extra has made me feel much happier. I still feel quite chilled out and feel the happiest I have felt in weeks. I will definitely get some more reflexology in before baby arrives.

Hope everyone is having a nice day?

It's a really lovely day here, I've been for a nice walk with the dog. Off to our allotment later, and right now I'm going to make some gestational diabetes friendly chocolate brownies.

Just had my visit from the health visitor. It's noticeable how differently they talk to you with a second baby - it does annoy me a bit that they put more pressure on with a first baby. She remembered that I had a horrible time breastfeeding last time and just told me to do whatever works this time!

DD finishes school for half term today - looking forward to having her at home but also slightly daunted by the prospect of entertaining her for a week!

Morning ladies, this message comes to you from the hospital. Baby sock portal decided to put in an early appearance.

My waters broke just after midnight, and I went to hospital leaving a huge puddle in my wake. I was found to be 2cm dilated. Baby was still breech with her feet dangling down so I was advised not to give birth vaginally although I was willing to try.

Baby Beatrice was born by emergency c-section at 4.20am, weighing 6lb 4 at 35+1.

I’m over the moon but in shock, I will be on hospital for around 5 days.

I hope I can stay in the group although I didn’t make it to November!

Eeeeee our first baby! Congratulations sock, wonderful news! Love the name.