June 2019 - Part 7!

[Kescilly]

Hi ladies! Picking names, packing hospital bags - third trimester here we come!

I thought I'd start out with the stats this time and I'll post the updated name list in a bit. I've just included the data that I have, since a lot of people are missing bits (or quite possibly I've missed their posts). We come from all over, so I'll put that bit in another post later as well.

Our average age at estimated due date is 33! That should help some of us who are feeling older.

And that's not just because we're all second-timers! In fact, most of us are having our first baby this year.

Baby #1 - 31
Baby #2 - 26
Baby #3 - 9
Baby #4 - 1
Babies 1&2 together! - 1

Fifteen of us are expecting lovely little boys, nineteen of us are expecting darling little girls, and at least sixteen of us are waiting to be surprised!

The average due date is June 13th, and the most popular due date is June 24th. We don't have anyone expecting on the 15th, 23rd, 27th, or 30th as far as I can tell.

And if you happen to have a baby on my birthday (June 16th), your baby will be born on Father's Day this year!

@swiftfox I would second the babyzen yoyo- it’s amazing! If we didn’t have a dog and lived in London we would have got this. You can go and see it in John Lewis. It is super light and is so small folded up you can have it as hand luggage on a flight! We’ve gone for the UPPAbaby VISTA but that one won’t be for you!

We’re slowly getting everything sorted. I just want to get my hospital bag ready and then I’ll feel more relaxed! I’m doing NCT and still feel like I don’t really know what I’m going to need to do but hopefully instincts will kick in!

@toomanyflatwhites @Kescilly @swiftfox I hope I can figure it out. I've never held a baby, I've never changed a nappy, I've never babysat, I have one friend with a baby - the rest of them are all on dubious tinder dates and falling out of nightclubs at 4am. I'm clueless.

Luckily DH is the oldest of 5, and we're also in the very fortunate position of being able to afford a post-partum Doula to come and show me what to do/how not to accidentally kill the baby

I'm just about the least baby friendly person alive, so I hope I have some instinct buried in here somewhere.

@Kescilly I don't know how you're pregnant and doing a renovation. You're tougher than me. I'm seeing my flat with new eyes right now, for sure. All that sleek mid century furniture we splurged on is starting to look like a terrible idea

Hi everyone,

First time posting - currently 29+6, due 22nd of June, 1st baby, little girl!

I've had a bit of a scare and I suppose I'm just looking for a bit of reassurance from anyone who might have gone through something similar. I have been nothing but relaxed and excited about my pregnancy up to this point. To cut a long story short, a few days ago, I started getting regular braxton hicks contractions so called the MAU to ask if this was normal - I was told to call back if they continued all day, which they did, and a few hours later I had a big bleed (which was so, so, scary). I was admitted to the hospital, given steroids in case I had to have an emergency c-section, and kept in for 48 hours for observation. The whole time baby and I were fine, no problems with my blood pressure or her movements/heart beat. I had an ultrasound and she is measuring perfect and there isn't a problem with the placenta. They can't tell me for certain where the bleed came from - but apparently this isn't unusual. I was discharged and told what to look out for in terms of further problems.

The thing is, despite being told everything is fine and normal with me and the baby, I am now terrified and totally paranoid about every little niggle/sensation. I feel tender in my lower abdomen and am getting period like cramps throughout the day - according to the midwives this is normal after a bleed, but I am making myself so anxious. I think I probably just need to give myself more time to relax again, but right now I can't help but feel that I am going to be this way for the next few weeks until she arrives.

Has anyone else experienced this kind of thing and how did you work through it without being a nervous wreck?!

@LolaBlue87 welcome to the thread! Sorry to hear you've had such a stressful time of things. I haven't been through anything similar, but what I would say is that even if your little girl had to be born early, she could still be totally fine - my mum had preeclampsia with me, I was born via c section at 32 weeks, and I turned out perfectly okay! I guess the important thing is to keep the midwives updated if anything changes, and then they can make sure to act as soon as they need to.

Welcome @LolaBlue87! Sorry that you are having such a stressful time. I haven't experienced exactly what you are going through, but I have been beyond anxious for this whole pregnancy (due to a previous early pregnancy loss) so can totally relate to the mental torture/ stress. I don't have much advice for how to cope - otherwise I would be applying it to myself - but I just wanted to express solidarity and that you are not alone in feeling this way .

As @imtakingabath says, the reassuring thing is you are far enough along now that your baby could be born right now, and the overwhelming chances are, she would be just fine.

I had a bleed at 30 weeks, and was told it was cervical erosion. Did they examine your cervix at the hospital, and is it closed? It's great that they checked your placenta, and know that it is well/ fine - as my understanding is that dangerous bleeds are linked to problems with the placenta. I found this page online, which says that as many as 1 in 10 women have bleeding in the 3rd tri and provides information about some of the common causes: medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000627.htm

Hope you feel better soon and take care of yourself

So pleased to read how many of us haven't got much/any experience with babies...I held my first one EVER at the age of 35 last week 😂 I can keep pretty much any animal happy and healthy but this just seems like such a huge leap!

Easter holidays now so need to crack on with jobs, bedroom furniture needs sorting but compare with most of you I think I've got an easy ride there.

Still haven't bought a change table or decided whether I'm going to...can't make up my mind at all!

Thanks for all your advice and reassurance earlier in the thread ladies, honestly I would be a basketcase if it wasn't for these threads! I spoke to a midwife today who'd contracted me about not being at an appointment yesterday (that I was told I didn't need to go to any more 🙄) and she was lovely, told me to keep coming and I'm going to chat with her in a couple of weeks. Also, noticed in my notes that my next consultant appointment is with someone different so already feeling more relaxed!

I'm another one with very little baby experience, I've changed one nappy about 10 years ago!

Our nursery furniture got delivered today so we're going to attempt to put it together on Sunday. I'm off work over the long Easter weekend so going to wash all the baby clothes and sort everything then ☺️

Ladies that bought the positive birth company online course a few weeks ago...how have you found it? I’m really kicking myself for not getting it when it was on offer!

@Heyha I'm the same! Very good at animals - I've rehabbed a few traumatized rescue dogs in my time - but baffled by human babies. I've thought ruefully a few times while vomiting for the millionth time, that maybe I should just have got a third dog

Just got back from the doctor - I had to have an extra scan because I was measuring so small. Turns out I'm small, but the baby is bang on the 50th percentile, so I'm not sure where he's hiding.

He's also a frank breech with his hands up by his face. Hopefully he sorts himself out in the next couple of weeks...

@stellarfox I bought it (positive birth company)... but have only watched the first few. Not sure why but I didn't click with it.
However...I was raving before about the book by Hollie de Cruz which I got on offer for the kindle for £1 a while back. Well, I had been contemplating buying her audio course for £95 but it's currently £40 for the whole month of April so I went for it! I'm a few days in and so far very glad I bought it. My theory was that as I have been listening to her MP3s for relaxation and affirmations for a few months already that I would respond better to her voice.

@stellarfox - I have learnt so much from the PBC digital pack, more than from antenatal classes or books - and its given me info about options I didnt know I had, probably the best 20 quid I have spent on myself. Highly recommend and you get access to a FB group full of positive birth stories.

I have it, I should really listen to it!

Omg, I feel like someone has drilled a nail through my left hip. It's so painful I woke up several times during the night and have struggled to roll out of bed. And it's on one side only. Meant to entertain our guests today but can barely walk downstairs. Have sent DH out for breakfast items and trying to manoeuvre myself in the shower

Anyone else struggling to get out of baths? Had one last night and getting out was harder than expected! I'm trying use essential oils recommended by the hypnobirthing course, and they are very relaxing.

What are the essential oils they recommend @swiftfox

I’m away to investigate hypnobirthing a bit more. Really want to avoid a CS again as we want a 4th baby in 2021 and plan to do whatever it takes to try very hard to have this baby vaginally.

Thank you @Bizawit and @imtakingabath.

Despite having to go back into hospital this morning with another small bleed (thankfully I didn't need to be admitted!) I am feeling a lot better about everything. The consultant has explained that this is probably something I will need to deal with for the rest of the pregnancy and I should be aware that I am at risk of premature labour. I think I'll be spending more time at the MAU than I'd like over the next few weeks!

I’m so frustrated right now. The antenatal assessment centre called after I had some blood taken and said that I’m slightly anemic and I need to take some iron supplements. They said I could get a prescription from the hospital or from the GP, or I could buy it from the store.

I figured rather than waste a GP’s time, I’d just buy it myself. I was willing to pay for it, I don’t need to waste NHS money for something like this.

Except I’ve been to three stores now. Two didn’t have any iron and at the third, the pharmacist just told me that he can’t sell it to me because I’m pregnant. He told me to go see my GP.

I think I’ll have given birth by the time I get a GP appointment! And I’m not going to try and get an emergency appointment just so that they can prescribe some iron.

People complain about the NHS being stretched thin but apparently I should have wasted their time and money from the start.

I wonder if I can buy it online?

@LolaBlue87 I’m sorry you’re dealing with bleeding, that must be so stressful! I’m glad that they’re monitoring you and taking it seriously. Have they told you to watch out for signs of premature labor?

@swiftfox have you had any physiotherapy? It’s self-referral here and helped me a lot when I started developing hip pain. It can be so debilitating, please get some help!

My gp practice offers telephone consultations so you have a five minute of that chat with the doctor about 'minor ailments' and they can do a prescription if needed for you to collect from the reception not sure if that is something that you could do?

@Blondcat I’ve tried doing that in the past but I think it’s either a full telephone appointment that you wait for, or they have the GP on call talk to you. Which has felt like the phone equivalent of an emergency appointment in the past, so I don’t know what’s appropriate here.

I would call and ask if you are having trouble getting the iron elsewhere as it is important for your health and not wasting nhs resources if it is something you need to keep you well.

I think I’ll have to, thanks.

@kescilly

Tomorrow, head for your nearest Boots and get some Spatone.

It’s liquid iron, take it in your juice and you can get it on 3 for 2 permanently there.

Other iron supplements I have experienced have been less effective, poorly absorbed and constipated me horrifically.

None of that with Spatone, it’s the nuts

[disclaimer: I do not work for Spatone nor is my real name Lady Spatone]

Hi @kescilly it’s an emergency phone appointment you need I think. That’s what I’ve done for pregnancy related stuff - if you call the reception they should schedule a dr to call you back that day, you can have a 5 minute chat and then they’ll do a prescription for you to pick up.

@LolaBlue87 so glad you are feeling better 😊💐.

Could say it’s for someone else or get someone to buy it for you. I did that with asprin as was asked to take it during pregnancy. I just sent in my hubby to buy it cause he wouldn’t get asked pregnancy questions. I also was told to get it from gp by hospital cons which I think is madness when 100 asprin only cost around £1.50. A prescription would be around £10 cost to NHS. MADNESS!!! 🤦🏻‍♀️

Went out to dinner with my FIL and step-MIL last night...and FIL tried to invite himself into the delivery room to watch while I deliver this baby and that he was planning to be AT THE BUSINESS END.

Nope. Hard pass. I knew he was a bit lacking in boundaries, but this is bad even for him.