Due in December 07- we're almost halfway there!! NEW THREAD

[Caz10]

Hope this works....! Here's hoping July is the month for

• proper bumps not fat looking tummies
• feeling them move!

mrswizz I get dizzy spells too - in fact fainted about four times in a week a few weeks ago - I do have low bp and had low iron in my last pg (not this one though yet) so i think that's why. I don't think it's anything to worry about if you feel well otherwise. Just make sure you sit/lie down when you feel it coming on or else you might hurt yourself if you faint.

I had pethidine last time and hated it - barely remember the first few hours with dd (had it very late on) and just made me disorientated and swear a lot! So will def not have it this time, will try with just gas and air but will go for an epi if it gets too much (apparently I was screaming for an epi as I was pushing last time when it was MUCH too late )

we tried to get into the private wing of our local hospital but it was fully booked when i was 6 weeks PG! I didn't want to trog across london for my appointments so we decided to stick with the NHS in the end.
Will definitely be asking about a private room next time i see the MW, though.

mixedmama - up here everyone gets their own room as a matter of course - surely you don't have to give birth in a room with other mothers doing the same? sounds horrid

At my hospital, I think they have 4 birthing rooms (single occupancy) but after labour you have to share with I think 3 other mums and babies. Could get extremely noisy. I will try and check out ASAP i think, if all has gone well.

My hospital also has a strict only two visitors (plus DH/DP) at any time which means DH family who drive me up the wall cannot just descend on me two hours after giving birth. One of the main reasons for choosing this hospital - also can walk there, which should speed things up!!

You dont have to share whilst giving birth... you share on the ward afterwards. The thing I remember about last time was other babies waking me up. And having to leave him to have a shower, DH was there but I could have done with some help in the bathroom to be honest, would just feel better chilling out in my own room and the baby being just behind the door.

Ridiculously expensive though, hence why i am saving from now. It is my treat.

oh well thank goodness for that at least - I thought you meant you'd be in a room full of screaming labouring women!!!

We get our own room for 24 hours and then if you ned to stay in longer you share which is fine for me, and I hope to be in and out in less time if all goes well

suey2 I think it can often be really good to stay a night at least with your first so you can get help with bf-ing etc but then again if you feel happier at home then that's probably best for you. I was desperate to get home with dd but had to stay three nights which with hindsight was a godsend

mixedmama that sounds a lovely idea. How long do you have to stay in hospital after the birth?

probably sound advice, skidaddle, thanks

i had a bit of gas and air with both of mine althugh they took it off me when it got the pushing part because i wasnt concentrating, i asked for epidural with dd1 and was waiting on whoever to come and said i needed to push they said sorry too late now

then i had dd2 had a bit of gas and air again and then got really painful i begged the mw to let me have an epidural but i knew i was too ar gone bout 20 mins later would havw been quicker if i hadnt clamped my legs shut and screamed for the hell of for at least 10 mins.

so probably wont get a chance for epidural again, although we have a nice new delivery suite with lots of bithing pools so hoping i might get to use one of those, this time always wanted to before but there was only 1 and didnt want to be dissapointed if it was occupied.

kerioke- with regards to heartburn i had killer heartburn with my girls, was drinkin everything going for it about a bottle a day, so i reckon you will have a girl, and ive not got much at all this time so me thinks a boy it is.

sorry should have read -

"i knew i was too far gone, and then dd2 was born about 20 minutes later"

You were brilliant on long vest tops - now I need the perfect pair of maternity jeans!
My normal ones are too uncomfortable now but I never managed to find a good pair when having dd. Nothing that sits under bump as they seem to fall off me!
I'm relying on you maternity fashionistas!

Sorry - completely unrelated to any thread that is currently running, but I am stressing about bedrooms, and the possibility of having to buy new nursery furniture for newborn. We are going to have to move DD1 from her current bedroom into spare room, so that "bean" can have her room as and when. DD will be 20 months when "bean" arrives, and assuming he/she will be in a moses/crib in our room for a few months - do you think that 22-24 months is too early for DD to go into a proper childrens bed?? She is currently in a cot-bed, so would it be better to buy a cot for "bean", keep her in her cot-bed for a while longer, and then move them both up to the next size in beds in a year or so (ie "bean" into DD's cot-bed and DD into childrens bed)?? Sorry for 20 questions, but sooo confused about what to do at this next stage!!

I don't think its too early, not if she's already in a cot bed. With side protectors I'm sure she'd be fine.
We're having similar dilemma and a friend suggested letting older child 'choose' her own big bed and hence happy to let sibling have old, little person bed.
I'm also worrying if lazy bones dd will give up her buggy! She is 3 now!!

I had 1 puff of gas and air with dd1 - hated it. Straight away I felt like I was really drunk and was going to be sick. That was it and then I had TENS. DD2 nothing - well water. And a natural 3rd stage.

I have my scan tomorrow - am so worried about it. I hope they find nothing wrong.

On a lighter note - I have lost a bloody shoe (well atually I have lost a shoe and a pair of shoes)...but the shoe I wear all the time. I have one and not the other. I cannot find the damed thing anywhere!

Good luck Cazzy for tomorrow!
Once again a flying visit... been horrendously busy at work!
Got blood test results, 1 in 16947 chance of Turtle having Down's!

Bouncingturtle - good results! It's always nice to be able to put your mind at rest...

Cazzy - I have my scan tomorrow too and am also worried but not sure why. Chances are everything will be fine; I guess it's just not knowing. I feel the baby sqirming and kicking every evening and morning now so I know it's still in there and growing! What time is your scan? Mine is at 3.15pm.

Tabbimum - we are at a similar stage with my DD who is 22 months. We have bought her a bed, although not made it up yet. We are thinking of trying her in it and see how we go, with the intention of moving her into a new room before we need to move the baby into her old room. That, and potty training, is stressing me out a bit!

Talking about being in hospital after the birth, I will stay there as short a time as possible. Unfort we don't have the choice of a private room as they only have a few and keep them for special cases (eg women whose babies are in SCBU). Last time I was in a room with one other woman the first night and two the second. The other women's babies kept me awake all night screaming and then the other woman was getting coached in breastfeeding by a midwife ALL NIGHT about ten inches from my bed on the other side of a flimsy curtain. I hope I manage a straight forward birth and can go home on the same day this time. My SIL was home within 3 hours with her 2nd.

But a warning for first-time mums - they usually like to make sure you have established breast feeding before letting you go, at least they do around here. For this reason many people do have to stay in a while longer.

Thanks skidaddle BTW! So nice to think people are thinking of you in cyberspace!

Bed - my DD moved into a bed at 21 months no problem. She got to help choosing the bed.

Pain relief - had homebirth last time with help of pethidine (synthetic heroin!) and gas/air. I found the pethidine great as it enabled me to get some rest after 8 hours of contractions every 3 mins through the night (spent most of it in the bath). But I know it can be a very variable experience and its vital not to get it too late or else you'll be "high" during the pushing bit. I think they gave a jab combined with anti-nausea stuff. My MW this time is very anti and thinks I was very lucky last time to get it just when I needed it. It was 4 hours from when I had that to pushing which was fine, anything less might not have been so good. She thinks I'll dilate a lot faster this time. I think I'll try for homebirth this time again but am holding my options open! Wellington hospital is a lottery when it comes to getting a room of your own - and I'm guessing will be minimally staffed over Xmas.

I'm not planning to BF but will express for the first couple of weeks. I tried with DD and it just didn't work. This time I'm not going to stress myself over it. So I guess doesn't matter so much I'll be a home with midwife only calling once a day.

I'm very aware of the health benefits to baby of BF and in a way I'm sad not to have that bonding experience but there are some pros to not breastfeeding other than avoiding the discomfort - can be quite handy to be able to have others help care for baby, particularly as I'll be sole charge this time.

Skidaddle you poor thing fainting so much. What do you do when your on your own?
It freaks me out big time!

Dazed, I bought some jeans from Next. They were the ergonomic ones. Pecka bought them too. Not sure if shes worn hers yet but I have been wearing mine a fair bit and they are great.
Last pg I had some Dot Perks ones and they were great too.

mixedmama, I know our local hospital is the same wit paying for rooms but they do say that if its busy they give you the money back and the rooms go to other mums who've had sections, twins etc.
Doesnt bother me as I have every intention of being at home

With dd I used a Tens, G&A and Pethidine. The Pethidine was horrid and I felt like I was dying after I had dd. I was that out of it too that I couldnt feed her and she had to be looked after and top up fed by the MWs while they let me sleep.
With ds Ijust had a tens but that packed up the day I went into labour
So I did it without any pain relief and tbh it wasnt that bad. Plus I had episiotomy and forceps.

Thats the plan this time too. Just tens which my MW has said she will provide me with so no hiring one out and I have already bought a birth ball to use and possibly g&a.

But obviously I am going to have a 1 hour labour and need none of it

dazedorconfused- gap maternity jeans? they do both over the bump and under the bump styles. can't find online but they stock them in their oxford st store.

Morning ladies,

Was hoping to come into messages this morning - I have a really boring job!!

Neuro - i stayed in for two nights with my first one, but everything was really straightforward and they were going to let me go home and DH convinced us all I should stay (I think he just wanted to have a good nights sleep )then they decided he was a little jaundiced so had to stay for another night, it just would have been nice to have a little privacy. And, to have a bath, with some help from hubby. If I cant have the room then fine but I am definitely going to try - they are apparently for private patients so will see.

About BF. I BF for about 2 weeks and felt under immense pressure when i went to baby groups and the first thing people said was "oh, you're not BF". However, I also felt pressurised by DH family who encouraged me to mixed feed cos I was planning to go back to work - this time I am not buying any formula or bottles and going to give it go and just take it week by week and also because if I am BF then the baby cannot go to DH family without me and i am not welcome there, so their loss - sorry off on a tangent!!

Tabbimum - DS is 17 months and we are converting his cot bed this weekend as we want him to be really settled by the time LO makes an appearance, plus i want to start readin him a story in bed and things like that because at the moment I take him to bed with me and the DH puts him into cot when he comes to bed, which I have to say that as i work I really enjoy, i know they tell you not to do it. Going to buy a cot for the new baby as slightly smaller than the cot bed and they will be sharing a room until we eventually manage to move.

One thing I am worried about as well is getting him potty trained before the LO arrives, dont thinkI can cope with two sets of nappies!!

Anyway sorry for the long post ladies....

Just to say I really fancy a home birth, but i live in one of those new build flats and I am not the quietest when it comes to giving birth and the walls are so thin.

NBG I do really like our ones but think I should have bought a smaller size.

I am a size 12 when not pregnant - and have bought size 12 maternity jeans and they are massive but darent buy 10 in case I suddenly sprout and dont get any use out of them.

My maternity wardrobe is starting to get on my nerves!

Im still in all my normal jeans because they are actually fitting better than the baggy maternity ones that show everyone my arse and Im always yanking up!!!

I got some maternity dresses last time I was pregnant for work and they are great much better than the jeans and trousers I bought.