Due in Sept '07 - new thread (ish) until we can think of a good thread name, because we didn't notice the message counter and oops we've run out of room for messages!!! Am lost, here alone, come and find me.. HELLLLOOOOO

[Hopeitwontbebig]

Oooh this bad Boxer has just farted and it STINKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi I am sorry to intrude, how do I start a new thread?

Hello ladies, I'm back. I've just spent the last couple of hours catching up on all the posts. Welcome to MrsB and willjo. MrsB, hope all goes well at Guys, it must be a worrying time for you. The ladies on here are fab at supporting you when things aren't entirely going to plan. Keep us posted.

Hopey, my asthma did get bad again (you're lovely to think of me). I had to go back on the higher dose of steroids, so am feeling better now, not so breathless anymore. Meanwhile I'm struggling with this diabetes thing. I have to monitor myself after meals this week. But there is a connection between high blood sugar and steroids, so my readings are high. Saw the gp today and she's encouraged me to try to reduce the steroids again from today (but it'll be a smaller drop this time). That should mean my blood readings won't be quite as high. Guess its all about finding the right balance. The baby's measuring large atm, but that's no suprise with the steroids and diabetes. I get a scan next week to check it out.

I've been laying low because I've been down about it all. That and stuff with dh. Guess I went introverted for a while, but I'm back now, and feeling better. Missed you all! I loved hearing about plans for the babys' rooms. I'm trying to make plans too. Ds1 has a castle theme in his room, ds2 has a jungle and I'm thinking maybe underwater for this lo, or maybe a space theme. I try to do something that will last several years because decorating tends to get a low priority round here! Anyway, good to be back, speak soon!

Kinki, great to here from you. Sorry you've been feeling low, but it's totally understandable. Is DH ok? Hope your asthma behaves itself a bit now. We'll have to see who produces the bigger baby I've got a scan in just over 2 weeks to see how big this one is! I think an underwater theme sounds fab! I did that for DS2 when Finding Nemo was popular. I even used glow in the dark paint and painted a pattern on the ceiling so it looked like you were under water looking up at the light shining on the water's surface... well that's what it was supposed to look like.

And now to send you a bbiiiiiiiiiiiggggggg ((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((hug)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

aw, thank you hopey . That room sounds great - I didn't think of doing the ceiling as well. Might steal that idea from you!

I'm not convinced I've got a big baby - I think it might be lots of fluid (apparently if bld sugar is high, the baby pees a lot). Ds1 was tiny and ds2 was average, so I haven't got your track record! Have you got a growth scan planned?

Not sure about dh. My doctor asked to see him because I was concerned about him, but he's not ready to talk about it yet. Things are a bit tense, but we're plodding on.

Hey, btw, what is it with you and animals?

Hi MrsB - how worrying for you. i have experience of my babies having cardio scans in utero and i can tell you they can do amazingly detailed scans and the specialists i've had have all been great - sympathetic, knowledgable and very clear when they explain things so i'm sure you are in good hands. when is your next appointment?

Hi everyone, thanks so much for all your kind messages - it means a lot . Yesterday was horrid - having told me they wanted me to have an ECG as soon as possible (like, Monday), Guys said the soonest they could do was 13 August . So I was facing a month of worry, and not knowing if the baby had a serious defect until 4 weeks before my due date. (Apparently there aren't many peri-natal cardiologists in the country, and they're all on holiday... ) Then a fab midwife I hadn't met before kicked some serious butt and got me an appt at Kings instead for next Friday. I'm still nervous, obviously, but she was so reassuring and told me it was probably nothing too serious, given that my anomaly scan was fine. So fingers crossed.

EnormousChanges, interesting to hear you've got experience of cardio scans - any other words of wisdom, or advice on what I should expect from an ECG?

Kinki, sorry to hear you've been feeling low, and hope things are brightening up now. Love the room ideas. My sister has an underwater theme for her dd. She painted one whole room to look like a beach (ie yellow sand at the bottom and blue sea at the top), and put big stickers of fish etc all over it. It looks fab, and everyone's very impressed that an 18 month year old knows the word for octopus!

Welcome Willjo!

Hello everyone, not posted for a while as been busy at work. Finally dawned on boss that I am going, tee hee!

Welcome Mrs B and Willjo.

Mrs B - lots of crossed fingers for you. Have no experience of what you are going through but thinking of you

Willjo - welcome. I am also in South West London and planning to try and stay at home with independant mid-wives....although option for bailing out to Kingston hospital always there if it gets too much (are you using South London mid-wives?)

Kinki - welcome back, sorry you are a bit low but love the underwater theme. The most I have got around to is making some pictures from material stretched over artists frames after I looked on the internet and to buy a picture for a baby's room costs over £100! Why if you write baby on anything can shops double the price !

Canadianmum, hope everything ok with your blood pressure.

On subject of discussion about weight. My mid-wife warned me today about a growth spurt between 28 - 32 weeks which is partly the baby and partly you blood thinning and volume increasing to make it easier to pass through the placenta. This is apparently why your iron can drop at 28 weeks and the test for this but also explains some weight gain.

Have a lovely weekend. It is my niece's 3rd birthday tomorrow so I am helping my sister with her party. That will be baptism by fire!

x

Hi all...

MrsBumbleBee Sorry for what you are going through, I can't begin to imagine how worrying the wait will be but thank goodness it is now sooner rather than later and well done to the MW for kicking butt!

Kinki Boo! about the diabetes but good that they do such screening nowadays as it means you and baby will both be fine. I also had the GTT because of family history but I was lucky. Are you allowed chocolate? Good luck with the nursery-an underwater theme sounds lovely.

Willjo Welcome and looking forward to hearing about the HB when the time comes. Im too having a little girl. Sorry about your history, you have been through an awful lot.

PennyPops Can understand your worry over the birth and the hospital. Labour is a time where we feel at our most vulnerable I expect and it's not good to have to worry about a hospital turning you away-sounds awful

I know others have spoken about hypnobirthing on here, I think I might give it a go sounds quite interesting.

Has anyone started ante natal classes yet? The ones that the MW organises I mean. Think im due to start them in August, seems a little late but never mind. Keep thinking im going to have her early but think it's just because my best mate went into labour at 32 weeks.

HI everyone. Have been lurking but not posting much.
Sophus, hope your mum is continuing to recover well.

MrsB - wishing Friday along for you ASAP, very much hope it is nothing - good luck.

Am too feeling very down, we're in the process of taking out a hugggeee loan to cover debts. Its very sombering and depressing especially as I am only responsible for one small loan - the rest is DP's. Nothing else seems to be able to be done though.

Time seems to be marching on a bit faster here which is just as well as I still have 3 and a half weeks at work and I'm finding it really hard going. I work 12.5 hr or 8 hr days and the ward has just been so busy lately that I never get to sit down. Last weekend on an 8 hr shift I got no break at all and on the longer shifts I am lucky to get half an hour. I'm rushing up and down all day and I can just feel my ankles pooling up with water. I'm hoping the ward is going to quieten down soon, if not I think I am going to have to be a bit more forceful with taking breaks, stop worrying over others having them and just take mine when I need to go. Probably won't make me popular but I'm 31 and half weeks pregnant now and I need a bit of slack!

I always seem to come on here ranting, I am sorry.

I'm still completely unsure what to do about home birth - when I had a scan at around 25 weeks the registrar mentioned that my placenta was low lying - which I'm worried may complicate my labour. My plan is to d/w the midwife at my 34 week appointment (don't have one before then), see if maybe they might do a check up scan. I'd base my decision on that. I can't help but have this horrible feeling that something is wrong, that I will never have this baby. I remember feeling much the same with DS - all was fine there but not a nice way to feel.

Hope you all have lovely weekends planned. Mine is a quiet one as trying to rest up as much as possible between shifts!

Flossalump

Im also a nurse but mental health and I gave up at 30 weeks. I was working in the community mainly but doing a lot of driving and had a lot of visits in a shift so it got a bit heavy. Im actually on annual leave currently but mat leave officially starts 1st August. I really think you should consider having a re-think about your plans. I know what working on a ward is like and it sounds as if you need to either be better at taking breaks etc like you said or talk to someone about going off a bit earlier. Do you have any annual leave owing to you?

Hi everyone and welcome willjo!

Floss - if your placenta was in the way and there was a change it could complicate labour you will have been booked for another scan about 34 wks? Mine had moved by that point with my last pregnancy and most do - so if thats the case with you then they should be fine to book you for HB. Sympathise on the money front - i'm currently researching car insurance and debating a loan to try and lower interest on existing loan!
Get some rest xx

No news yet on my friend!

I've been having a tired couple of days - lo is very active and uncomfortable - i don't know if it's a change in position or just room getting tight and kicks getting harder. My bump is very low and i've had lots of stitch type aches and pains. Will be interested to see if lo is starting to engage (DS did at this point)?
Just to top it all off DS was sick this morning so looks like i'm in for a great weekend

Sorry - if there was a CHANCE it could complicate...

HI Chatty - this wasn't at an 'official' scan IYSWIM - I thought my waters were leaking! And they did a scan to check. On my 20 week scan it says my placenta was not low lying. However at this second scan the dr said it was just clear of my cervix - but I have no written documentation of that.

Edie, really don't want to go any earlier! I'm hoping I am still able to do roughly my share of the work and am not being a burden! I'm taking 2 weeks annual leave. The way things are I don't think we'll be able to afford for me to have more than the 6 months off. So time after with baby is precious!! I am most of you though!

BTW chatty, hope DS is ok! We are mid potty training atm which is great fun!

Thanks floss - i was told that if the placenta is clear it doesn't move back! Good luck with the potty training - we've given up on that one for the moment especially in this weather - DS 2.5 can do it but doesn't really want to!

Hello everyone

Just a quickie, so sorry not to respond to everyone else! Edie - my first hypnobirhting session is next sunday - can let you know how i get on??

Dal21 Yes if you could let me know that would be great. Good luck.

Floss I know what you mean, im still unsue as to whether I can have all this time off but can always go back earlier if we are struggling.

Just make sure you look after yourself at work

floss - I think if you have any concerns about a low lying placenta they should definitely book you in for a scan. Its probably unlikely but it would make you feel a lot more confident about the HB. Good luck!

kinki - so sorry to hear about the asthma and diabetes - that is really more than any one pregnant woman should have to deal with! Glad to hear they are looking after you well and that you are feeling more positive.

MrsB - best of luck on Fri. King's is a great hospital and I hope you and your lo get excellent care. Hopefully it will turn out that they worried you for nothing!

Our nursery is now decorated, we went for creamy yellow wallpaper with multi-colour dots spread evenly on top. The curtains are called "Amazon" and feature parrots and other jungle creatures embroidered on a cream background. I love it! I hope it is suitably unisex as we don't know what we are having. DH has put together the cot and changing table and I have washed and sorted all the bubba's clothes. How can you tell that I had a premature birth last time? . Still haven't done my hospital bag yet, maybe next week .

Hi again Mrs B. That's great that you're getting an ecg. i have never had one - just been scanned for both pregnancies because the ecg machine at charlottes was stolen weeks before i turned up with first pregnancy and they haven't been able to replace it yet. so good news for you as ecg will be brill and much faster than a scan i think (easier for them to measure what they need to measure) but i have no experience to share with you!
I can tell you what they look at with me - of course you might be a v different case but maybe just give you an idea of what to expect.
with me they're checking for congenital heart block. to do this they look at the heart as a whole and then look at each of the four chambers of the heart and then measure the flow in and out of the heart through all major routes. they also measure heart beat and do some sort of interval test, ie they sample a bit and measure rhythm to ensure it's as it should be. with an ultrasound scan this can take ages - if baby is lying wrong way round or something - but i think it will be much swifter with an ecg machine (which i'm told looks like a lap top - hence the theft).
i can tell you that not all heart defects are equal. some are more serious than others - and as you've been told, some irregularities clear up by themselves (fingers crossed!). so it's not always as bad as it sounds.
my consultants have always been really really good and i've been really impressed with them so i hope you meet the same level of professionalism.
how many weeks are you?
i have another scan on monday. i appreciate the trepidation you're bound to feel but will keep my fingers crossed for you. x

Hi all, and welcome willjo!
Good news about your appointment MrsBumblebee, hope everything goes well for you.
Am I the only person on here not bothering with any hypnobirthing / antenatal / NCT / bouncing up and down on a ball type classes? No offence to anyone intended, I just don't get the point...

Hi EmJ - is this your first?
I have done parentcraft classes with my midwives - found them useful as was more 121 time with the ladies who were going to delivering me. It was hugely beneficial to DH aswell-definitely helped him get his round what lay ahead.
Re. the hypnobirthing, I am just a curious soul and am fascinated by things like this. I fell ill 2 years ago - conventional medicine did nothing to get me well again, it was complementary therapies that helped. Ever since then; I have been open to trying different things.
But I also think it will give DH and I chance to try and think about coping techniques together during labour. I have never been good at letting people support me and with this will be a time when we need to feel comfortable with one another at what will be a challenging time. I still cannot get my head round the fact that my DH is going to see me at such a vulnerable time.

Those are my reasons anyways. Everyone is different!

Hi all

God i'm tired. 3 days of driving up and down the M11 to and from hospital. Yesterday was first day we left the hospital thinking that there was cause for hope, every day up until then i have been thinking "i am watching my mother die". My brother and me have been trying to sort out her house as she has been trying to cope on her own, failing miserably and not telling anyone and hiding it all from us. Basically the house is in a complete state so we have been cleaning for 3 solid days now and there is still a way to go. She's not going to be home for a while so think we will get an agency in next week to finish it off.
Tomorrow i'm having a day off from it all and letting someone else cope.
Have been following everyone else's news as well so here goes:

MrsBB good luck with your tests - it must be worrying at this late stage, let us know if there is any support we can offer.

Kinki - hang on in there with the GD and the asthma - will the birth relieve the asthama? Presumably your lungs will have more room one the LO isn't taking up all that room.

very impressed with themed rooms - i was quite impressed that we had painted a room - but that's all we've done or are intending to do, and it's a really small attic room.

mrsmar - am also complete wimp about pain but intend to conquer it with this giving birth lark.

oh and did i tell you that DP is off to San Francisco next w/end for 10 days business trip. Will be keeping my legs crossed the whole time he is away as i will be 34/35 weeks by then.

should be going next door for party tonight but am so tired will stay on sofa.

Oh and re ante-natal classes - they have been great for getting DP to engage and realise that he has a massive part to play in the whole thing.

To everyone else i haven't mentionned - hope things are going okay and thanks again for the support, it's been a great help.

And if anyone else says to me "not long to go now" i will deck them. It's a bloody lifetime away.

S
xxxxxxx

sounds like you've been a star Sophus. really glad things are looking a bit brighter for your mum. and good idea about the cleaning company.
i don't know your/your mums circs but social services might help out if she's been struggling for a while and might need support when she's out of hospital?
glad to hear you're having a day off tomorrow. hope you get to relax and don't worry about your mum too much. put those feet up and get your dp to get some treats in - you deserve it! x

Second that about getting informing the hospital that your mum hasn't been coping. She could meet with an occupational therapist to discuss areas that she is struggling with. She may or may not be entitled to help, but well worth finding out. And BTW probably better to ring the ward in the next day or so to discuss this - or else her discharge may be delayed, leading to increased risk of infection etc. Try and take it easy Sophus.

Sophus, it sounds like you're doing a fantastic job sorting out your mum's house on top of the pregnancy. It must be knackering, though, so try to take it easy as much as you can.

EnormousChanges, thanks so much for the information, it's helpful to have some idea what to expect. From what you've said, I'm really lucky to be getting an ECG, so that's great. I know the time will really drag until Friday, but I'm feeling a bit calmer about it than I was.

Re antenatal classes, I agree with what some others have said. I'm probably going as much for DH's sake as my own - I'm the type who'll read everything that's going anyway, but I could never persuade him to, and this way he'll have some idea of what to expect!