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

@happydays00 that all seems so soon, hope baby hangs on. Although I can't imagine constant contractions are much fun in the long run. Are you working?

On a positive note from my appointmet, the consultant finally signed off my ELCS and my notes have been updated to reflect that I won't mentally cope with a natural delivery. And gave me some codeine for the hip pain at night.

On a less positive note, they are very worried about why my blood sugars have dropped. She said there was no point booking in my section for 39 weeks as I won't make it that far. If I have another unexplained hypo, they will probably admit me for steroids and delivery.

@KnobJockey did you get the base too or are you all just belting it in? It says it doesn’t fit our car but so many people have them..

stroan did they say at what point you need to stop taking the codeine? I cant remember what my gp said so havent been taking it!

@ivegotthedecaf I don't think they said, it's for back up when paracetamol hasn't worked and.i only have 15 tablets. I wasn't paying as much attention at that stage though, I'll need to check.

@Stroan did they explain what could have caused you to go hypo and did they check the placenta is working ok? Hopefully you’ll be having more regular checks now?

@happydays00 you poor thing with the contractions. Hopefully they aren’t too uncomfortable - can’t be fun for days/weeks on end.

@briddetjonesdaiquiri there's no explanation, no change at all in diet, my activity or medication. My fasting levels ha e always been higher than target, which is why I'm on insulin. So a sudden drop to hypo level isn't good. They've been higher since Sunday, but not by a lot and not normal for me. Week 32-26 is typically when women see higher than usual numbers, then it's common for things to drop off at 36-37 weeks. I'm 33 weeks tomorrow.

They didn't check the placenta this week as I had monitoring last week for reduced movements, have another scan next Tuesday but the consultant wouldn't have left it any longer than that.

They are normally really blase about things so seeing them worried has made me more worried.

All of these babies need to calm down and spend just another few weeks cooking! They all seem in such a rush!

Blummin heck @Stroan

Whisky2014 and @happydays00 your babies rush to be here is making it all.feel quite real here, I'm still in that vague headspace of babies a long while off!

@Whisky2014 mastitis is my worry, just had it once with DD but went in plenty of times just shy of it with blocked ducts and engorged boobs. Have had endless warm showers and paracetamol the last 48hours. Would have a damp cabbage leave shoved in my bra but it's not as easy at work as it was on leave!

Another crap reading today - after breakfast was 7.2 and after lunch was 8.8!
Seems I can't tolerate any bread products now - so I am really stumped for lunch at work. I'll probably have to admit defeat and go on the medication....I've got loads of time left at work sadly.

Any ideas for something GD friendly I can eat without a knife and fork at my desk or on the move, that does not need heating or prep at work, isn't soup or salad and will fill me up?

Some kind of Spanish omelette or frittata with as much veg as you can tolerate pre cooked, cooked and in a Tupperware in but size chunks so can eat with minimal mess?

Crickey @stroan that's all a bit alarming!! Good news re the ELCS though. Is it worth mentioning what's going on to your MH team? The last thing you need is more worry.
@Megan2018 the stress you are under can't be helping the readings, too! At the moment I'm living off salads of pulses (I know, salads, sorry...), chopped veg (peppers, tomatoes, spring onions, cucumber, beetroot etc etc), herbs (ALL the herbs- mint, marjoram, chives, parsley, basil, whatever I can lay hands on for variety), veg in jars (roast peppers, artichokes, aubergines, olives, capers etc). I'm not GD but seem to be on a low carb lunch phase. Also boiled whole grains (spelt, buckwheat which may be more tolerable than bread when mixed with stuff and are lovely with oil, herbs etc). Can you make yourself grazing picnics? Scotch egg, hummus/dips and sticks of veg, crust-less quiche, falafels, gram flour flatbreads (made with chickpeas so not so carby). Does German rye bread- super dense and nutty- have the same effect??
I love lunch...

@moraxella good in theory but not sure when I'll get time to cook it on a regular basis. Unfortunately I am out of the house 7.30am-8.30pm during the week, so it a mad rush to even eat dinner and get to bed by 9.30ish. I'll have to see if there is anything I can buy ready made.

I can probably cook something Sunday night to last a couple of days but midweek will be really hard. I am exhausted by the time I get home. Hence dinner every night is salad and cooked meat/fish that takes 5 mins to plate up.

Work, commute and horse is a bitch to fit in!

I've got 20 more office days to go between now and 16 Aug. Feels like ages but guess it'll go quickly!

@dustydoorframes I'm waiting for the MH team to call me back. Need to move next Monday's appointment as I'm currently trying to re-jig plans to finish work even earlier than planned.

Needless to say, I'm pretty terrified of having a baby at 33 weeks and the doctor was very clear that it's a strong possibility right now. The guilt is unreal, I've spent so much of this pregnancy not wanting to be pregnant so feels like karma is biting me.

@megan2018 I do picky lunches. So cheese, ham, deli meats (pasteurised ones), cocktail sausages, couple of crackers, coleslaw, pickles. I can also tolerate half a baked potato with loads of cheese and coleslaw. Have you tried any wraps? I manage a small wrap as long as that's the only carb. Finish with greek yoghurt to help fill you up? Or maybe a cold pasta salad type thing with loads of mayo, cheese and a protein?

@DustyDoorframes
that is pretty much what we have for dinner every night.

I can't stomach any more salad, it's doing my head in much as I like it. Having it for every evening meal pretty much gets very trying but I have less than an hour to eat and get to bed so its the only solution for weeknights. There's no way I can have the same thing for lunch too, even if I could store it properly, but its a lot to be carrying too!

Crustless quiche gives me high readings at lunchtime (but fine at night) - any form of pastry or breadcrumbs does unfortunately no matter how small. Rye bread the same as any of the other low carb breads - it was fine but now it is not (but is ok at breakfast). No form of cracker is ok either. Nor oatcakes which are meant to be be fine but for me aren't.

The endless meat, eggs and cheese are making me feel pretty ill now tbh. It's like that horrible feeling you get on the Atkins diet.

You bake them in muffin trays in one batch then leave to cool and freeze and get them out in the morning

@stroan
Wraps are worse than the low carb bread for me at lunchtime now - I can't seem to tolerate any carb at all between 11 and 4.

I'm having greek yoghurt for breakfast but I have to force it down - plain yoghurt is vile for me sadly so I'm not getting a second one in. Jacket potato is out as I just can't do that sort of thing on the run between meetings, nowhere to get one and no means to eat one. Today I ate my sandwich (full of meat and cheese and tiny low carb bread) walking between floors.

Cocktail sausages are my afternoon snack but I can't seem to do any form of cracker either at lunchtime. I don't know what it is about lunchtime as I seem to be able to eat most things at night - but I don't have the time to bloody cook and eat then. Infuriating!

The bonus of having the metformin is they will induce me early so one less week on the bloody diet!

Bake a Greek pie with spinach, sundries tomato, egg and feta and fill pastry (see bbc website) and then slice that into wedges?

megan is finishing work earlier for mat leave or working shorter days any option?

@Megan2018 can you just tell someone that you need a proper lunch break now as it's starting to affect your health? I've been known to make breakfast "muffins" which are basically like individual little crustless quiches. Or how about cos lettuce with a filing in like tuna mayo or cottage cheese. Cheese with a piece of fruit and full fat Greek yoghurt. Seeds help too. If you keep everything you have with your carbs high fat can you get away with a piece of bread etc? I've only been able to have one slice throughout but suspect that will probably be knocked on the head soon.

*just caught up as had this to one side and none of my suggestions look any good to you either. You sound really fed up - I'd go back to my first choice about putting my foot down for a proper lunch break?

@Stroan did they say to keep taking the meds? Also, no guilt, we can't think babies into coming early or no one would ever go past their due date!!

Just caught up. stroan, happydays that must be so worrying for you both. It’s terrifying how things can suddenly go from being relatively fine to the medical team making worried noises and talking about “options”. Will be keeping everything crossed that nothing further happens to cause concern.

I was on the verge of calling in re reduced movements this morning but then she woke up and partied. Such a stressful time.

@kyles101 no, have to keep taking the meds. Obviously they don't know how my body would react to coming off them and it's been such a long road to find levels that worked in the first place. Any change now would be discussed first - I've got strict instructions to call in and demand to speak to the consultant!

It's really bizarre, after months of a restrictive GD diet I now have to worry about whether I'm eating enough carbs or whether I should be trying to increase them. I really pushed it with breakfast and had a blueberry muffin and got a reading of 5.1. That would have been over 8 a week ago.

Megan2018 what about fish for dinner then salads for lunch? Or even grilled/baked vegetables? Tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, courgettes etc.
That's so easy to do and just bung in oven with olive oil drizzled over.
Also, I would look into reduce your working hours as those are very long days you are doing. Not sure how you are managing that tbh!

Moneywise I am so fucked. I have a big expenditure on the pool to pay (thousands..see not so good to have a pool!) and now my car service is £250.
All savings are anihilated. This next year will be a struggle and i totally forgot that maternity allowance stops at 39 weeks.
Fingers crossed for a good bonus in April! I was going to carry over 12 days annual leave to use next year but I think I'll have to sell them. I will have 34 days anyway for next year bit would have been nice to have 56!

Still have piles. I'm not good at putting creams on and sticking to routines so that's probably why. Has anyone managed to shrink theirs?!

Oooohhhhh @Stroan I'm so jealous of that muffin!! Have a big old plateful of pasta for dinner for me!!

@Moraxella I don't believe my year fiat 500 has isofix fittings so the familyfix is out. However there is a base called the easy fix that's cheaper as it is only for the cabriofix. That can be used with isofix, but it also can be strapped in with a seatbelt instead, do should work. I've seen them secondhand on eBay dirt cheap where people are having to replace them with the family fix as they need to upgrade, not realising they only work with the cabriofix!

@Stroan I'm sorry you're having a stressful time are you trying to treat yourself a little bit and look after your needs? You're doing your best, which is a lot better than I could, you don't need to feel guilty about what happens. Fingers crossed your body stays stable for a couple of weeks, get a bit more growth in.

@Whisky2014 those aren't my working hours - they are just my out of the house hours.

1hr (ish) commute to work, at work 08:45-17:45 then drive to horse, do horse care, then drive home. It's the way it always is and I am used to it but it makes my evenings very short! In fairness it was even later when I used to ride too. I have a very tolerant DH who is used to only seeing me for a few minutes most days.

Pre pg I could get away with going to bed at 11 or even midnight but right now I am done for by 9.30ish and need to be lights out by 10 as I don't sleep brilliantly. So I only have about an hour each evening to eat and get ready for the next day.

Once I am off work though I bet I'll be bored rigid - I am used to being busy, but certainly being home makes the food much easier as I have time to cook and prepare things which I just don't have now.

Fortunately off this Friday, then in for a full week next week. After that I've got 2x 4 day weeks and then a final 5 day week. Then a whole glorious 12 months.

On the plus side despite the terrible readings at lunchtimes I went for a 5 mile walk and climbed a five bar gate with ease with absolutely no pain the next day, so my body is still liking pregnancy!

I am slightly paranoid that I have no rib or pelvic pain yet baby has apparently started to drop down ready to engage according to midwife - so where exactly all her limbs are I've no idea!