Due August '07 - Part 4

[tokentotty]

Welcome all !!!!

LOL at Hersetta and her pig that looks like a sheep

Doppler due 2nd May, Annie, so am hanging in there.

I was wondering about the 'how many months' thing as well - I got as far as 20wks being half way there so must = 4.5 months, so for the purposes of calculation I guess a 'month' is four and a half weeks...
so 23wks is 5 and a bit months?

As far as I know Feb is the only four week month in the calendar year

Ah yep, that sounds right, thanks Mrs B. Blimey - we're closer to the birth than we are to finding out we were pregnant (which seems pretty recent, really).

I'm going to see the consultant about my raised AFP levels on 23rd April - will ask more about the doppler scan then and will let you know if anything useful comes out of it. Am also going to ask about how to be referred back to midwifery-led care after consultant - I think if everything's fine, I can't see why I can't/shouldn't be. You sounded as though you were considering a home birth before you got referred. Have you ruled it out?

Thanks for the nice welcome Tokentotty - really nice to know someone else due on the same day! How are you feeling?

[clutches head and shrieks at thought of being closer to birth than conception]
Hope it goes well with the consultant on the 23rd - do come and tell us!

Hadn't especially wanted a homebirth but did rather want a waterbirth - but there's only one pool at the hospital so if I want to be sure of being in water it'll have to be at home.
Trying not to think too hard about it till after the Doppler in case it all goes tits up.

Have I missed something - MrsBadger, what is the doppler to determine?

It's to check out placental sufficiency by measuring arterial bloodflow - I have a clotting thing that makes consultants twitchy despite it not really being a big risk .
Full (scintillating) story here

He's not suggested any names TT. He keeps saying that we've only just found out and there's plenty of time. But I can't believe he's not given it any thought whatsoever. I'm sure in my last pg he agreed on 2 of the names that I suggested this time. I'm annoyed that he won't even consider them.

I think it's actually true about the brain shrinking Annie75. I'm not sure if it's permanent though but I'm sure I haven't been the same since being pg with dd. If I don't write something down it gets completely forgotten.

Ohh MrsBadger I had no idea you were going through all that. And you Annie. Sympathy both ways. I hope it all works out and you can get back on midwife led care, but I suppose in the end it is most important to you that the baby is OK.

I'm hoping for a water birth too. Have read so many good things about them - how they help you manage the pain, help prevent tearing, calm you, ease contractions etc. I was inspired by reading the stories on the home births site www.homebirth.org.uk/ - go to contents and water births is listed. Have visions of using it before the labour as it's predicted to be a sweltering summer! www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/seasonal/summer2007/index.html

I was thinking the other day that my two friends who are due at the end of this month have it much better planned - mat leave during the summer where they can take their babies for lovely walks in the sunshine. Meanwhile we will all be huge and sweaty and have most of our mat leave over the winter!!

At least we won't feel cooped up with an infant while everyone else is enjoying the weather!

My hospital also only has one delivery room with a pool but I am bound and determined to get that room!

Is anyone else booked into the Royal Free?

Oh God...just look right here for extreme pregnancy brain. Forgot my work pass this morning so had to get a temporary one for the day. Just popped out and have managed to lose the temporary one somewhere and done the walk of shame back into the pass office to confess and be given another temp pass. No laughter from anyone there then.....

I'd say get in there straight away and refuse to get out!

Kiteflyer - you can look up your hospital/birthing centre here: www.drfoster.co.uk/localservices/birthGuide.asp

Quite useful - tells you rates of intervention next to the national average, what facilities it has, how many beds for labour etc. though it's using stats from 05/06.

I reckon we've timed it well - we'll have a few nice weeks/months in the sunshine before the birth, then getting up in the night/early mornings won't seem as bad for the first few months as it'll still be warm and light. I'd find it hard adjusting to sleepless nights if I gave birth mid winter. Then our babies will be 4-5 months at Christmas . Aw, that's a nice thought...

Don't know if anyone else has thought of it but I am seriously considering buying a paddling pool to use in July / August when I am at home (working at home you understand) for cooling down on hot summer days. Only problem is any passing japenese fishman might harpoon me!

That's obviously fisherman - my brian is fried already !

Have said exactly the same thing to friends Hersetta. Come round, protect me from Japanese whaling fleets and hose me down regularly....

Hi Everyone and Newbies

Had a bit of a fall Tuesday evening. Well, more of a crash to the floor really. I was sitting on the sofa with my leg up underneath me and tried to get up. We have a throw over our cream sofa to protect it from our dogs and it wasn't tucked under properly. My foot got caught and i went crashing to the floor. I smacked my head on the door on the way down and slammed to the floor landing on my side. DP ran in and found me in a heap on the floor hysterical. Luckily he used his brain and called the midwife. MW said that because of the Rhesus negative thing he was to get me to the hospital. Ended up being admitted to delivery suite and staying in for the night while they sorted out internals, blood tests and jabs of Anti D. Baby and me both fine luckily. Poor DP was white as a sheet the whole night. I sent him home at about 11.00 to get me a cheese sandwich cos he was making the dinner at the time i fell and i was starving.

My stint in Lewisham hospital just proved to me that i was right in refusing to give birth there and fight to go to Thomas'. The staff were lovely and i couldn't fault them but the place was a filthy hole.

Didn't actually have any pain before but today my shoulder and side are quite sore and i have a lovely bump on my head to match the lovely bump that's now my belly.

My last maternity leave was March - August and I wouldn't plan it that way again. It was ok at first but then when it started to get realllly hot and humid all I wanted to do was sit indoors in front of a fan in my underwear. But then again I hate being hot and I burn really easily and I would have been so worried that dd was going to get too hot. At least this way, by the time we are in a position to go out more after the baby is born it will be a lot cooler (I hope).

Oh, oh, oh !!! Mrsshuvel you poor, poor thing. Hope you're taking it easy now love? Is normal to feel worse 2 days after anything like that than the next day I find. Still, am very sorry to hear you're in the wars.

Brian.........WTF

Brain obviously !!!!!!!

TT....you're on - just call me Shamu.

I just thought you were being witty Hersetta...

MrsShuvel, how AWFUL for you. Am so sorry this has happened to you. Had you concussion? Your poor other half must have been so worried about you.

So, so glad you are back here to tell the tale.

poor you Mrs S - must have been terribly worrying. So pleased to hear you and bump are fine (apart from your extra bump!). Does that mean you have twins ???

no Mrs B, just a muppet!