September 2019 #10.

[Karigan195]

New thread so we can leave #9 as a type of condolence book for little Roy and Twittlebee. Sleep in peace little man

Stroan that sounds like a good mindset re the GD. Our poor bodies take such a beating growing new people!
DP is doing pickup for me (he works from home so he has been doing most of my drop offs and pickups- he'd have done this morning except I wanted to push it a bit this week seeing as I have the physio appointment. Yeah that was a brilliant plan...) feeling less guilty about wasting a physio appointment anyway!

@Stroan I hope your appointment goes well, I was listening to an episode of the Happy Mum Happy Baby podcast today that had Louise Pentland on it and she was talking very honestly about developing prenatal depression in her second pregnancy. Might be worth a listen if only for reassurance that there are other people who have felt similarly.

Also lolling at the bumhole swabathon 😂. I asked my husband if he'd shave my vag for me now that I can't really see it any more and he was not impressed. I told him he can't complain about the jungle down there in that case and it's his fault if this poor child has to hack its way out with a machete.

Ps meant to say earlier @Stroan 7 pages is exactly what is called for!! And good job getting it all out and onto a page! I hope the appointment is useful today

Oh my gosh DD has just sat on the top of my bump and I swear she has pushed it down!!! It's definitely lower. This does not seem like a good thing.

Wise ladies - I’ve had really heavy achey legs for the last couple of days. Am sat at my desk dreaming of a hot bath, is there anything I can do in the meantime? I remember one of you saying bananas were good?

@dustydoorframes yeah, with everything else I blame myself for, at least I know that I can't affect how my body copes with GD!

How is the bump now? Maybe baby just got a fright and burrowed down out of the way?

@ronaldweasley I'll listen to that at work tomorrow, thanks for the tip. It's horribly common unfortunately.

The appointment was ok, nothing really happened though! We didn't go through everything in detail, but she agrees I have suppressed some trauma from DD's birth which is coming back to me now. I can't actually remember seeing or holding DD for the first time which is making me feel horrendously guilty. She is going to make notes for my usual nurse and thinks they will suggest some psychological treatment at some stage. However, none of that will happen anytime soon, so she wants me to push the consultant into helping me make more concrete plans for delivery and making sure he knows everything (he's very focussed on the GD and ignores all the other stuff). The hospital agreed and I'm back there next Tuesday morning.

And no need for anyone to be scared of traumatic births! My labour was fantastic, but just went a bit wrong in the last few pushes.

@bridgetjonesdaiquiri I think bananas were mentioned to prevent cramp? Hope it's a bit better this evening.

@Stroan that sounds like some sort of progress? I'm glad she took you seriously. Is next Tuesday a consultant appointment?
Bump still very low. I can't imagine anything can actually go wrong because of it being sat on (as if that were the case there would be no big families on earth!), and I'm feeling plenty of movement. But it is a bit disconcerting. DD really did plonk down on the top of it like on a chair (I was sitting bolt upright, with the bump quite high and flat at the top...).

@BridgetJonesDaiquiri no tips I'm afraid! I'm assuming you've gone home by now (if not that's the problem right there!), but can you put something under your desk to put your feet on to raise them up a bit?

@dustydoorframes yes, a consultant appointment. She wants me to take all my notes and explain assertively how I feel about my previous experience and how that's affecting me in this pregnancy. We'll see! The consultant has a really odd manner - I'm sure he thinks he is being reassuring but it's the opposite!

I'm glad you are feeling loads of movement, but yes to the poor babies getting jumped on by their loving siblings!

Bit more lighthearted - DD has been talking to the baby for months, it's very cute. But she's started trying to talk to it through my vagina. Little bit awkward.

@Stroan that is actually hilarious. My niece tried to lift up my dress "to see the baby" once. But talking via vag is brilliant!
Can someone come with you on Tuesday? Ideally a brisk, organised friend who won't be phased and will make notes and check the list of Points To Be Raised? It's a bit much to tell you "yup, you are struggling and in order to help you, you need to be assertive with a consultant"!!!

@Stroan yeah I think the be assertive thing is a bit too. Do you see a midwife immediately beforehand? Mine said that if you do they are more than willing to stay with you for the consultant bit, especially if you get a good feisty one who knows how to handle them.

@kyles101 that's a really good question! The midwife for the clinic is really wonderful and very interested in GD, I'm sure she would be a great support if the clinic timings allow.

@dustydoorframes DH will come and definitely stick up for me. He's very worried and it's actually him who is pushing me to.get more help, he firmly believes I have some kind of PTSD type thing . He also does not like the consultant after last week. At one stage he turned to DH and said "what about you, are you allowed to speak?". I'm bloody 35, I don't need a man to speak for me.

I've had a few kids try to look at the baby under my clothes. All the kids at DDs nursery are a bit obsessed, there's a lot of bump touching some days.

@Stroan, your DD :) I'm sure mine thinks baby is coming out of my mouth! But she often tries to pull my dress up to have a proper look at the bump, so many people have seen my knickers.
If your GP MW is the best person you see ask her for a double appt. Get a bit more time, this is more important than the physical side of babies!

@BBell2 knicker flashing, always awkward! How old is yours?

She hasn't shown much interest in how the baby will get out thankfully. She asked in the very early days, we always try to be honest and matter of fact about stuff so gave her fairly straight answers but she didn't like it.

She has also come up with her own theory on how the baby got in there. "Mummy, maybe you were drinking too much gin and now you are growing a big, big baby?".

@Stroan glad to hear you will have backup. And the consultant will clearly be only too happy to hear what your DH has to say (you can ask for a different consultant if this one carries on being off!!!)

My DD is convinced my baby is coming out the belly button. Regardless of our whereabouts she regularly tries to lift up my dress / top to "see him". That was how she announced my pregnancy to her nursery key worker at approx 14 weeks "oh mummy has a baby in there". Unveil the belly. Cheers for that DD!

I ran out of gaviscon and thought I'd try Ranitidine today. Absolutely regretting this decision!

I had 32 week midwife app today.
My final height measurement thingy is about the 60th percentile. Is that Ok? I don't really understand it

Midwife also told me my iron level from 2 weeks ago watch verging on being too low so she said we will do another test in 2 weeks time. Not sure why we didn't just do it today! Anyhoo, I have been eating lots of beef and greens so not sure why it would be low. But does explain why I feel pretty tired.
I've not been weighed since my booking in appointment!

Oh and she also felt for baby. She really pushed around very hard. I was thinking baby will be getting squished! Anyhoo she said his head is down and she was basically right at my pubic bone feeling around saying his head was there so i wonder if that means he is engaged or will be soon?

So I am meant to be having my first consultant appointment this week but had a letter to say it is cancelled! No new appointment offered yet.
Starting to wonder whats the point of being consultant led if you still haven’t see one by 31 weeks? Baby will be born without seeing them at this rate!

@meghan2018 that is bloody farcical!

@Whisky2014. Are you still drinking tea? Decaf even. My iron was low and I’ve managed to knock it up with only a few small changes including not drinking tea within an hr of any food. Apparently tanin prevents iron absorption.

Also taking a supplement (pregnacare) eating seeded bread, strawberries, raspberries and putting spinach in any dish that suits it.

@whisky2014 a completely average baby (for your own circumstances) is the 50th percentile.

They probably would have said if the head was engaged, although there's different stages of engaged anyway! You probably don't want that super early though, walking around with a head in your pelvis gets a bit uncomfortable...

I don't think it's as easy to boost iron with diet in pregnancy because of all the extra blood, not impossible though. Are there any gentle supplements you could try before the next blood test?

@Karigan195 I'm only drinking decaf tea and coffee and even then not very often.
I do have pregnacare but haven't taken that yet. I was still taking the nhs one but actually just finished but the label fell off so I'm not 100% sure What was in that. So will start pregnacare today. As for the foods..yep I eat all that, my diet is pretty good which is why I was surprised when she said that but I have been really tired so guess that's why.

@Stroan ha yeh don't want head engaged just yet, just thought maybe he is on his way to getting there. :) I'm so impatient!

@Stroan, smart kid! I'm later in the month, Christmas-new year week conceptions, so very much likely fuelled by gin too!
My DDs 3 next month, interested in the bump and boobs rather than baby but adamant it's a girl and also her birthday present.
@happydays00 its awesome when you have some big old maternity pants - second time round post-labour pants are getting some use!