Due February 2019: here come the babies!

[maxiflump1]

New thread ladies. 2 gorgeous bundles have already arrived...

@detachablehoof So in labour I had a tshirt and took my bikini bra. Didn't want a water birth, but you can get really hot and it was comfortable to have on!

As for PJs after, I bought just regular, loose ones a size bigger than normal and a baggy t shirt of my dads!

For going home though I was determined to get dressed properly. Took some jeggings and again a loose tshirt with my jacket on top. Also put my small heel boots on to feel like me again as I had missed my heel so much!

Total overshare...but I am going to go there...labour and bikini lines.

I am very much ungroomed at the moment. As well i cant reach 😂 and its not been high on my list of priorities. Advantage to being single I guess.

But I have always ashumed you would need to be completely shaven. But then everything medical I have read says natural is best as less infection risk due to nips and cuts from the difficulty of shaving.

Can you wax whilst pregnant?

Sounds daft but I have everything else planned to a T so it is stressing me out 😂

What are other ladies doing?

@Notquiteagandt - I just made sure I was tidy (as best I could with the whole not being able to see thing), I wasn't totally hair free or anything and wasn't a problem at all. I intend to do the same this time although I was reading up about sections and it said they might shave you lol x

I had a wax the other day, for myself more than anything and I won’t rush back whist pregnant it was waaay more painful than it normal is...to be honest I don’t normally feel it at all but this one made my eyes water. One of my close friends is a midwife and she said it really doesn’t matter as long as they can see baby come out!

@AliceRR - can I ask where you saw the travel Aptimals, I can only find the ones that you then pore into a bottle that you bring sepretly.

I'm just getting DP to manage the area from time to time with his beard trimmer . I don't think it'll win any prizes for appearance and neatness, but it keeps everything under control. I'd think the only issue with the hair being longer is that there might be a lot of fluids, etc. around that area and if it dries or gets tacky, it might be quite painful and the hair might get tangled or matted. Otherwise I doubt it matters!

I can't bear the idea of waxing or anything down there at the moment, though, and I don't want to use any creams or shave, so the trimmer is best option I think.

I still go for a full wax... I really dislike any hair though!

I have properly let go for a while but I’ll tidy up. Re section - I think I tidied beforehand last time so it was a small section of hair anyway, otherwise they will shave you. My scar is swollen from the pressure currently though (keloid) so not sure how good a job I’ll do this time!

This might be a really silly question from a first timer but does the hospital not provide a gown to give birth in? I have packed 2 nighties which button down for after the labour itself to assist with BF but didn’t even think to pack anything for the birth itself?

@Lookingforadvice123 I wonder whether our hospital is particularly bad about feeding (I was told that a five minute 'feed' every four hours was sufficient when I voiced my concerns. They shouldn't let your baby starve if you're struggling to bf. There should be a way for the hospital to provide formula or more support. I won't be taking any formula to the hospital. I have bought a couple of small cartons for the house just in case though. I have no intention of using them but even in a big city you can't get formula at midnight on a Sunday if you're desperate.

I took a nightie and tankini top to labour in last time (one for dry land and one for the pool) but ended up in the pool in the T-shirt I was wearing when I arrived. I stripped the T-shirt off when dd was born. If you plan to use the pool you many want to wear a top but not all do. I just couldn't be bothered to take it off as I was already pushing when I arrived. I had a clean nightie for after but that's because it was boiling hot and the middle of summer. I may see if I can take pjs this time. You'll probably still have a bit of a tummy straight after birth as it usually takes a little while to shrink. I wore a dress home but not sure what to take this time because it's a different time of year.

@detachablehoof I thought I'd want to be covered too. Turns out I didn't care. I went to walk to the shower in the buff (it was in my delivery room not on an open ward!). The midwife chased me with a bedsheet to cover me up a bit. Oops.

@Notquiteagandt last time I shaved (not everything though) to neaten it up when I was at home in very early labour. I was going to do the same this time but I can't see! Going swimming tomorrow with dd and I'm sure I've accidentally shaved a pattern into it or something daft!

Ive never been given a hospital gown...

I’ve always taken big T-shirt’s/nighties then ended up just in a sleep bra 🤷🏻‍♀️

I need to get a wax! I just think, surely it's better for the area to be as hair free as possible. For the stitches etc. Grim, I know. I had my usual Brazilian when I had DS as I was having them done every 6-8 weeks (oh to be child-free and be able to justify the money and time!) but I've not had one in a LONG time. I was using Veet before, but I've not done it in months. Now can't see the area so need to book a proper wax, will do it around 37 weeks I think, when I finish work.

lanalawr I think it's probably luck of the draw being such a big hospital! And it depends how long you're there. If they're keen to get you out I bet they don't take all that much attention. A friend was in for a good 5-7 days after her emergency section and she said whilst it sucked, it was great for feeding, because she asked for help every single time she needed to, so she was mega confident by the time she left. Her little boy didn't lose any weight to note and she fed successfully until choosing to stop at 7 months.

Again never been given a gown. Only time a hospital has given me one was when I went for day surgery.

I'm going to be honest. I just left it last time. I couldn't reach it, DH was working away and I just couldn't be bothered to get it done!

Thanks all. I might need to squeeze in an old nightie for the birth. I feel as if my hospital bag is overflowing although I’ve tried to only follow the essentials from a number of hospital lists I’ve found online!

The official NHS line is to not shave/remove hair. It is there for a reason, good for stopping vaginal infection etc, but guess they would need to shave for stitches. I’ve been giving mine the occasional trim for swimming but not sure how much I care. I used to be a pretty much all off girl but not so much anymore, I prefer waxed sides and tidied up elsewhere now.

Has anyone had diastasis recti / ab separation?

I've been feeling a terrible pain, right at the top of my bump (seems to coincide with back ache) for the last 3 days. Doesn't hurt in the morning, seems to get worse throughout the day and then it's agony at night (until I lay down and it's much better).

I've tried goolgling it but wasn't very helpful. It was my husband that suggested it could be this, I just assumed it was general 'I'm nearly at the end' pregnancy pain??

Anyone?? X

Ladies can you develop intolerances during pregnancy?

I have had really bad sickness whenever eating any dairy products since early pregnancy like yogurt or milk drinks etc but chocolate has always been okay however the last couple of weeks every time I eat chocolate I get an itchy/ sore younger. I thought perhaps I had burnt it at first but it's been too long now and it is only when I eat chocolate I get the pain. 😩

@Lookingforadvice123 it's good to hear a positive story from there. Fortunately/unfortunately I'm hoping not to stay long. I was there less than 24 hours with dd (that was being admitted in labour to leaving with a baby).

Towel wise I've heard conflicting advice. The NHS website for my trust says to take one, but then I'd heard not to bother as you don't want to ruin your own, then when I asked the MW she said to not to take your own as it's an infection risk and you don't really know what bugs you might take home with you so it's better to use the hospital ones (but she admitted they're small and not the softest). Tempted to grab a cheap one and just leave it there maybe.

I'm going to get OH to give me a little trim down there this weekend, we're 3 weeks from due date so I figured the growth won't be terrible even if I go a little over.

I brought one with last time and I’m glad I did. They used it for DD when she was born so she had something that smelled like me as we were separated immediately for 8 hours. Hospital towels are awful!

I didn't really trim down below last time - I got my bikini line waxed enough to not have spiders legs sticking out of my swimming costume, but that was it! Yes waxing hurts A LOT more when pregnant! Anyway, I had to have an emergency caesarean, and the hospital trimmed the top before I went into theatre for the purpose of cutting me open and stitching me up. I was worried about prickly re-growth through my scar, but had no problems.

Different Trusts have different policies on various things. Some will provide a little formula if needed, others will not. Some provide towels, others don't. Some have iPod docks/CD players in the labour suite, others don't. I really recommend going on a tour of your maternity suite (hospitals tend to offer this in one form or another), and asking questions while you're there.

Haha I took a nightie and pj's in, ended up giving birth in the same vest top I'd had on since going into labour 20 hours earlier 😂 hopefully will actually get changed this time x

Unfortunately not all hospitals offer a tour of the maternity ward or midwife led unit. Ours doesn't. They've got a video but actually that doesn't show you very much. I'd imagine it's worth it if your hospital/unit does it though.

@Yakadee I have pain at the top of my bump but it's his feet pushing into my diaphragm ribs which corresponds with my upper back pain.

@sickmumma I think it's possible intolerances seems to go one of two ways gets a lot better or a lot worse. I've been lucky enough that my gluten intolerance seems to have vanished since being pregnant and it used to be pretty quick and horrible - being sick etc but I know of others who have got a lot worse. So mild/barely detected egg intolerance turned pretty strong when pregnant.

@sickmumma I think it’s very normal for certain foods to become something that turns your stomach when pregnant (milk did to me for most of the first and second trimesters although i’m ok now). I don’t know if it’s actually an intolerance though or just pregnancy weirdness and so I don’t know if it will continue afterwards or not.