September 2019 Babies - Thread #3

[stroan]

Hi,

It looks like we filled up the last thread before anyone had a chance to start a new one, so here we go! Hope everyone finds their way over.

@twittlebee could you possibly link to the Google Doc again?

@karigan195 so glad you were seen again and got a bonus scan. Lovely to get a bit of reassurance too, hope the next 7 days go quickly for you.

Hi Butternutbee

I can't advise because I've not had much at all, never been sick and only felt sick in evenings but not that bad I dont think compared to what I read on here!

Tiredness has lifted a bit here which I’m hoping is the placenta kicking in.

@waitingforarainbow I would be ringing and being very insistent you need to be seen by 13+6 for the NT scan. It’s more accurate that the quad test.
Mine trust have booked me on last possible day (by lmp) so cutting it fine.

Nervous excitement on nipty and scan on Saturday. Three year old knows she is getting a surprise and thinks it might be a let. Specifically a lion cub.

Hi @butternutbee

There’s a few of us with HG, although I’m
Fortunate to not vomit as much as some do. The nausea is so debilitating and relentless. I’m also not getting any better, although I seem to have found a balance of meds that take the edge off.

There are lots of different medications you can try and you can also combine more than one at a time. Have you tried the GP again to see if something else might work?

It took a bit of a battle and going back and forth to hospital, but I now have ondensatron and Stemetil. There’s probably another 6 alternatives.

The Pregancy Sickness Support website is great and they have a helpline who might be able to suggest next steps.

Is anyone considering home birth? I know thats ages away but I've always.liked the idea. I actually disregarded the thougjt because i live out in the country and thought its too risky being far away from hospital. I mentiomed that to midwife and she brushed me off saying ach we go out to the Glen's its fine! So now its got me thinking about it again.

@happydays00 hope your DD has been a bit better today. Mine seems much brighter and had a good day at nursery, thanks Antibiotics! She sobbed for hours yesterday and it was horrible, she’s never like that.

I’m finished work now until Tuesday, really feel like I crawled over the finish line today and looking forward to lots of rest this weekend. DH is great and does everything at the weekend. Only fair really since I am growing him an actual human.

@whisky2014 you are in the NE right? There was one lady on my last antenatal thread from a rural areas of the NE and she had a great experience.

Definitely not for me, ELCS in hospital. As medicalised as you can get! I love the idea but had too many complications and risks last time.

I also always wondered who cleans up?!

@Whisky2014 I had one for DC2 (the midwives cleaned up- or so my mum tells me, I was having stitches at the time...). I planned one for DC1, but had preeclampsia, so was in hospital with that, then induced. DC2 I was supposed to be in hospital as my blood pressure was up, but she came so quick I didn't make it. Thankfully I was still with the home birth team who were with me 20 mins after paging them, and my DD was born 1 minute later... I'm high risk this time, but prioritised for the home birth team due to the speedy birth last time. I'm really lucky, as it's a caseload team, and the same three midwives see me all the way through, attend the birth (even if it ends up being in hospital), and do the postnatal care. It's absolutely brilliant! I am on London though.

Good point about who cleans up, stroan!
I'm also worried the other villagers will here me make noises!
Do the midwives come with all the equipment then? My husband asks how they get a weight of the baby... guess they bring scales?!

Wow dusty that's crazy how quickly your daughter came. I dont think the set up is the same here as it is in london but sounds like you were well supported!

Its also reassuring the arbroath unit where id be if i didnt choose home birth has got a good rep and when i went for my scan everyone seemed lovely there

I've been considering a homebirth since last labour went so horribly wrong as a lot of it was due to intervention, e.g. unconcented sweep, horrid MW, being cut up inside by a student MW who shouldn't have been in me at all, developing sepsis etc. But I do keep thinking it's just gonna be those same MWs but in my home instead and away from Drs who can help.

MWs bring everything they'll need and help with the clearing up too. Usually the mess is pretty self contained to where you give birth. It's advised you get things like puppy raining pads and old towels /sheets etc.

Haven't been on MN today at all really as DS is really ill and I'm just horribly emotional.

I sort of wish I could consider it, I'm not looking forward to being in hospital at all. It has a bad rep for being dirty and busy and understaffed. They sound OK on labour, but the wards after sound hellish. I think the best I can hope for is a speedy discharge. London seems to have some great facilities.

@Whisky2014 At my booking appt I registered as interested in homebirth. My labour with DS, although 2 days long, was straightforward without intervention or drugs. So my MW was pushing it. In all honesty what puts me off is that my in laws will be here watching DS and I really don't care for them to see/hear me in that state. That being said, during my last labour, The Queen could have walked in and I wouldn't have cared.

No home birth plans here! After last time I want to be within spitting distance of an operating theatre. I think if you’ve haemorrhaged before they probably want you to come in

Elective section again for me. I'd hoped for home birth first time round but ended up having to have elective section slightly early due to IUGR and breech presentation. Tbh my section experience was brilliant and have since had a friend lose their granddaughter due to issues during a home birth so even if I wasn't having a section I'd still want to be in the hospital. I live very rurally though so might think differently if I was five minutes from a hospital.

@TwittleBee in my experience homebirth midwives tend to be "cuddlier" than the hospital ones (for a start you don't get burned out agency midwives being mean on the night shift!). I think the homebirth teams tend to attract quite romantically minded ones who want to be in Call the Midwife, and as they have more time with you they are less likely to be frantic and brusque because they are looking after umpteen labouring women at once.

@easterbuns1 is elective where you chose that? This is my first so I don’t know much but I think I would prefer that

@Hsunshine it's organised in advance rather than an emergency one. I didn't have any choice with number one as it was for medical reasons but with number two I was given choice of elective or a vbac (vaginal birth after caesarean) and I went for another section. Generally they won't do one unless there's a medical requirement for one as it is a big operation. I don't know any different though as I've never been in labour etc so I like to stick with what I know, and now I've had two I wouldn't be allowed to try a vbac for number 3.

@easterbuns1 I feel like I read a while back you are supposed to be given the choice but hardly anyone actually is. I better mentally prepare myself to be pushing

@Hsunshine they won't do an elective cs based on personal preference. As pp said there would need to be a medical requirement for it (MH is a consideration but otherwise you will likely be dismissed). Worth discussing your concerns with your MW though.

@stroan my DD is a lot brighter tonight which is a huge relief as her temperature spiked at 40 degrees yesterday. Selfishly, I'm also hoping for a better sleep tonight (for both of our sakes!) glad to hear your DS is brighter too!

@dustydoorframes that sounds awful. My first hospital midwife was definitely very cuddly, she came back to look after me the night DD was born, got me a private room and visited me every night until we were discharged. And she definitely wasn’t looking after anyone but me. So frustrating that experiences vary so wildly in different areas

You can insist on an Elective section just for preference, you just have to know what to say and be a completely awkward cow basically. NHS will try to pursuade you otherwise but you just have to be a broken record, and eventually they have to refer you to someone who will do it.
I am probably going to go down this route but not 100% decided..
There are some really useful threads on here about it.

It even says here that you are entitled www.nhs.uk/conditions/caesarean-section/
I am hoping that age and blood pressure might swing it for me medically, especially as we only intend 1 baby. But if not I’ll create merry hell if I need to.
I’m sure the NCT will try and convince me I can breathe a baby out, but I am totally convinced otherwise! I’m a complete wimp, with a tiny pelvis and all the women in my family have needed EMCS. We do not deliver babies well! My poor mother nearly died twice, after her second the consultant told her she’d never deliver vaginally, and my brother and I were both under 6lbs.

Maternal preference csection is in the guidelines. So if a consultant refuses you have to be referred to someone who will do it. Often a few hoops to jump through so you know the risks etc but perfectly achieveable after 39 weeks.

No home birth here, I did 2 years on high risk labour wards as a jr and want to be in easy reach of all the kit and resus stuff. We have an MLU on the floor down from labour ward so I’m hopefully headed there. It only has one birth pool so I’m a bit anxious that’ll be busy (worrying far too early) but even that isn’t enough to get me to deliver at home.

@Megan2018 how terrifying for you!! I have no doubt I would do the same if I was in your position.

A lot of my friends have had to have a c section and their recovery has been long and painful. It is by no means a cowards way out!! Good luck with convincing your HCPs, I hope they don't drag it out for you! I had a failed (and frankly traumatic) attempt at induction - they couldn't insert the pessary, then I over-stimulated to it leading to both me and baby in distress. I then refused any further attempts at induction. They kept me waiting for a c section for 4 days (nil by mouth etc and in hospital) before asking to attempt to break my waters. I agreed under the condition that if that failed I would be taken down for a c section then and there. Thankfully it was successful and my DD was delivered 24 hours later (albeit in theatre, by forceps followed by a PPH and maternal sepsis).

I so respect people's decision to request an elective c section and I wish my wishes had been respected. Frankly I'm quite traumatised by my DDs birth and have a debrief scheduled in April which I'm hoping will help me feel more positive for this birth.

@Lavellan Whereabouta are you? A hospital near me has a bad rep too (has been in the news loads of times) and when I was having infertility tests at another hospital, the nurses told me not to go to the other hospital as they worked there and said the service is dreadful there! I'm considering a London hospital as they have better facilities and care.