Due November No3

[Twinkie]

Hi All - sorry hope you don't mind me starting a new thread but my laptop won;t let me put a message on the other one - I think cause it is so long!!

Anyway glad you are all ok - Pandabear - think it is quite common for you not to feel baby if you are active all day - if I have a really busy day I get worried and then I sit and relax and he goes into overdrive - its grosse sometimes like I have an alien inside my belly!!

Have midwife appointment today just routine but am going to ask if she thinks baby will be huge - everyone on hols acted like I was ready to give birth and were stunned when I told them I had 14 weeks left but then again the BA lady asked if I were pregnant when we checked in and all the mumsnetters I saw at last meet up did not tthink I was huge!! I haven't put on anything other than my big bump and inflated boobs though so thats a relief so far!!

Sam if you still have the UTI try to drink as much as you can - cranberry juice or flat lemonade are supposed to work well.

Tonic water is still keeping the reflux under control to an extent and other than clicky hips and being sooooo bloody hot all is ok inthe Twinkie Pregnancy so far.

I wish that those readings were 100% accurate! 6lbs6oz boy and a 3 hour labour!!!!! Bliss. Have been told it has a big head and will be at least 8.5lb! Gulp.

DH told me in bed this morning that my maternity leave has officially started today. (We have our own restaurant.) If I could just set up all the tables and clean the cutlery and do the laundry etc etc and sweep and mop the floor then that is all I have to do! He seems to forget that I can hardly walk and keeping the house in a reasonable state is enough for me at the moment.....oh! and entertaining a 2.5yr old as well. Men....who'd have 'em?

nothing happen on this side of the world BUT dh and I have finished the baby's room finallly. Furniture installed - curtains and blind up .. ready to go now....

in waiting mode.

thank goodness - cooler and rain today

Hi all

Gingernut - yep, will have to have Anti-D Friday before the ECV. Have only been asking DH since July to find out his blood type just in case he happens to be negative too. He is yet to do this for me.

Bunny2 - will be 38 weeks exactly when they do the ECV.

Am convinced labour is not too far away. Have been getting period-crampy pains for about a week now, lots of braxton hicks and also daioherria (sp) - too much info!! Knowing my luck tho i'll go 2 weeks over!!!

I finally got a scan today after worrying non-stop about the bleeding. It was booked for 2.25 but when I got to the hospital they couldnt find me on the list and tried to send me away. Cue one very angry Bunny and Mr Bunny. We dug our heels in and insisted on a scan, they finally relented 2 hours later! Anyway, all was well and the baby is measuring 35.1 weeks so that is a couple of days ahead of schedule. Phew.

M2E, I was convinced labour was on its way a week or two ago but all signs have subsided now and I am expecting a long wait . I want my baby!

Glad you are OK Bunny but sometimes you really do need to stand your ground dont you?

Are any of you going to antenatal classes? With Coddy as the teacher??(LAughing at Flossam...she had a dream that Coddy was the teacher!!And she is scared of Coddy!!)

Seriously, I didnt with ds as he was born early and so I missed out on them and I cant do it this time either as DH works in the evenings and the whole thing would be in Italian and I cant be bothered to get it translated. So, for those of you who are, I would like a rundown of what you do and learn. I particularly want to know about the breathing and how that controls the pain. Please bear in mind, oh pregnant ladies, that I am completely freaking my butt off about giving birth here and that it will be totally natural apart from being in water if it is available.

I wish I had gone back to the UK at 32 weeks but it is too late now. GULP. Thanks all.

Collision, I saw about Codswallop in your message as an ante natal teacher and thought I really was going mad! Had to re-read it to make sure and then I saw that you'd seen my thread! Bunny, glad you got your scan and that everything is fine.

First day of maternity leave today! Been to Lakeside and out for a meal so living the life of which I am to become accustomed as a lady of Leisure!! I think this is what DP believes it to be about, can't understand why I'm not cheering at finishing! I am pleased but under no illusions that this is going to be any kind of a holiday, just an amazing experience I still feel completely unprepared for.

Can anyone actually describe braxton hicks to me? I thought I had been having them, but then when I started to think about it today, I'm not so sure. Where, exactly does it hurt? I have sharp pains down right at the bottom. But if it is my uterus contracting shouldn't my whole bump hurt? My urine is clear but the only way I can describe the pain is like the baby is biting my bladder?! I'd love to hear what they are actually supposed to feel like!

Hi all, glad you got your scan bunny.

LOL at coddy as an antenatal teacher!!

Flossam, BHs don't exactly hurt but I find they can push the baby down into my pelvis wich can cause pelvic pain and uncomfortable pressure on my bladder, IYSWIM (seems to depend on baby's position when I have the BH). I get a strange sensation of movement across the bump, the bump goes very rigid, and I usually find I am struggling a bit for breath when they happen. That's the best I can do, maybe someone else can describe them. The contractions of labour are very different - for me, these were like a wave of muscular activity sweeping down the uterus and ending in a tight knot of pain at the cervix.

Collision, I'm not doing classes this time but I seem to remember with the breathing you are supposed to breathe in deeply through your nose then slowly sigh the breath out through your mouth. It is all about using this to stay as relaxed as possible. If you concentrate really hard on it, you are distracted from the pain. A friend also told me about a tip her yoga teacher gave her, which was to concentrate on specific colours during each contraction - I imagined blue when I inhaled and yellow when I exhaled (it can be any colour, just something to concentrate on and distract you). Hope that makes sense. We were also taught about positions to adopt for labour - do you want to know about that? And how to breathe in the second stage when the head is about to crown (you are supposed to stop pushing and let the head come out gently, we were taught to breathe in deeply and then do 3 little panting breaths out, then a long one, IYSWIM. I never got to try this one as I had a ventouse delivery with ds).

M2E, it sounds like you might not make it to your ECV on Friday...good luck!

I am well and not suffering too badly with the pelvic pain at the moment. dh, however, has a nasty tummy bug so I am keeping everything crossed that ds and I escape this one, but I'm not hopeful.

collision I don't remember much about antenatal classes even though we went to some of them and the last one was only last week

what if you did a search for labour and birth - I have been doing that and looking for info on vbacs... what about this

not much here - strange periody like pains - best way to describe them, dh and I have finally finished the baby's room and it is all sorted. Had some cooler weather two last days - thank goodness....

almost 38 weeks - so just waiting... thinking of doing the curry/pineapple route and see what happens.

found this - online childirth classes....

here

before you lot start getting all fed up with waiting for labout to start and all the suggestions of how to start it...

try reflexology! find someone who knows what they are doing (i know many folk round the country and can show directories of practitioners), and give it a go.

at the very least it will reduce your stress, boost your immune system and give you some energy for the coming event. at its most effective, it can get things started naturally.

good luck!

rosies, can you elaborate on that please? When is it possible to start reflexology? I am 35 weeks, is that too early? Also, I have a nasty fungal infection on my toe (the shame) and wouldnt want to be turned down for treatment because of it, can I keep my socks on?

Collision, I did NCT classes last time but didnt bother this time. We practised breathing but the midwives told me how to breathe during labour anyway, we did birth positions but I spent the whole time on my back having had an epidural, we did a breastfeeding one, also not much help. Cant remember the rest of the classes but they werent really that good, just a nice way to meet other expectant mums. Do you have a decent book? If so, it'll tell you everything a class could cover.

Flossam, when I get BHs, it only affects my lower bump, not all over. It feels like a gradual tightening and if I poke it, my bump is rock hard. This lasts for around 30 seconds then it all goes soft again. I didnt have these in my first pregnancy. I also get a pain similar to the one you describe and I presumed this was the baby headbutting my bladder.

you can have reflexology from pre conception right through. it is never too early or too late.

in fact, it seems to be that women who have regular reflexology throughout their pregnancy seem to have better labours and calmer babies.

obviously the treatment you receive at 35 weeks would be appropriate to that, more gentle and stretching of the pelvis, lots of balancing techniques.

after 38 weeks or so, we can begin to energise the area and so encourage a natural labour.

oops forgot to address your fungal infection... no you cant wear socks but provided the infection is localised the therapist can cover it or work around it. they may even wear gloves.

which toe and foot and where abouts on the toe? is someone irritating you? are you irritable?

Of course she is irritable Rosies!! She is 35 weeks pregnant!!!

Bunny I know the refloxologist I used to use said no to people with infections - bloody beautician also says no apparently!!

Hi

I'm new to mumsnet and just realised I posted my first msg under people due Dec instead of Nov- don't suppose it makes much difference?!I was wondering if anyone has been experiencing the same pains as me.

I'm 38 wks with my 3rd and have had really crampy pains for the last few days. I was awake last night with pains every 10mins for over an hour and I really thought this was IT, but they stopped and all I'm left with is period type aches. I never had this with my other 2, I've been told 3rd timers can be difficult.I am assuming they are BH's of some kind, but I'm getting really peed off with it! Anyone else had anything like this?

Hi Newbie - no cramp like pains - am 36.5 weeks - lots of pains and twinges underneath though - 2nd baby - think he is going to just fall out at times - well I am hoping thats what will happen!!

Have been told by the time you get to the 3rd everything has been stretched and stretched some more....basically it's all been there before and it's got the T'shirt, video etc. Was told by the doctor that my uterus could be baggy!.. ooh how lovely I replied, surely there is a nicer technical term than that! Any how lets hope all these pains are signs of a early arrival, all my friends (4 0f them) have had theirs between 1-2wks early and I'm the only one left.
Just had moment of pregnancy rage in the school playground when someone I kinda know bellowed "Haven't you popped yet?" this is the 3rd time she has said this to me in the plast week, I swear one more and it will not be pretty!

Twinkie....my friend has just had her 2nd, she went to the hospital because she thought her waters may have gone and had herlittle boy 40mins later hardly any pains!

Twinkie - just to answer your question on the other thread. The contractions didn´t really feel any different from the normal Braxton Hicks contractions I´d been having. It was only because I´d been to the doctor that morning and she´d said I was already 1-2cm dilated and could go into labour at any time that I even considered that it might be the start of labour. I decided to lay in a warm bath for half an hour and when they didn´t stop decided to go to hospital.

Ooohhh but are the BH all over your tummy like it going hard or underneath??

Hi,
Riebee, I am really sorry to put a spanner in, but I had the same for 2 weeks leading up to the birth of number 2, but then everyone is different....fingers crossed for you though.

I have been having reflexology, but she hasn't done the uterus area yet, so I am really hoping she might start tomorrow I'll be 37+4 by then.

My Bh's are getting a little more frequent, but still totally erratic. With my last two my waters broke first, so I don't know what'll happen this time.

I'm dreading half term. I am soooooo tired and heavy and over here, half term is the week I am actually due..........great timing eh, so I am really really hoping she'll come next week just so I will have dh at home for half term!!!

I am having an internal next week as well, so I might ask for a sweep if things are ready enough.

Good luck all and hope to hear some news from some of you soon

Arwenevenstar- aww bloody hell I knew it was too good to be true!. Both my ds were overdue so don't know why I thought this one would come any earlier....wishful thinking. Reflexology meant to be good, if only I could get over my thing about people touching my feet I'd give it a go.

By the way has anyone had/thinking of having a waterbirth? I'm going to give it a go this time. I think it will suit my new beached whale look.

hi Riebee, welcome to our little group, hope thing happen soon for you. This last month is so hard isnt it? I bloody well hate being pregnant now, I am so big and uncomfortable.

Lol Collision, yes I am a bit irritable I suppose.

rosies, I caught this fungal infection 4 years ago. It appeared within days of my ds being born so I guess my immune system was low. I did try several paint-on remedies from the doctor to no avail and was told I'd need tablets instead but they cannot be taken during pregnancy so I have not had a chance to start them, that is why I have a gammy toe and I curse it every summer when I cant wear flip-flops . I think I am too ashamed to let a reflexologist see my feet and they might well turn me away making me feel even worse. Are there any other alternative therapies to try? What about acupressure?

strange twinges last night and today feeling very heavy in the pelvis region....

no water birth for me - hospital does not even allow you to use a bath for pain relief - some bureaucratic who haa at the moment...... plus being a vbac they want to monitor me quite closely.

tired and fed up - thank goodness it has been rainy and cool here... anymore 35 degree days and I would have been even more irritable than I am now - poor dd and dh.

Oh yuk, 35C? That's bad enough when you're not pg! Oh well, I suppose you know about all the things that are supposed to bring on labour eidsvold (although the prospect of some of them may not be too enticing in 35C heat!).

Hi Reibee and welcome. I did use the pool last time, for about 7 hours in total. I thought it was great (dh wasn't so sure...he got very hot and sweaty and claims his shoes absorbed so much steam that they squeaked for weeks afterwards). Got out in the end so I could have an epidural. I'd try it again though, found it very relaxing. You can always give it a try and get out if you don't like it (or labour in it but get out for the actual delivery). One of the good things about using the pool (at my hospital at least) is that you have a m/w with you all the time, and they are quite hands off about monitoring because all they can use while you are in there is a waterproof hand-held monitor. Have you been to see the pool room at your hospital? The one I used had no electric sockets (came under bathroom regs) so we took a battery-operated CD player (don't know if you want music...comes pretty high on my list of priorities). Can't think of anything else you might need to know.