Due May 2020 (thread 3)

[sao81]

Carrying on from thread 2!

@mintbear oh no, just as we think vomiting is over, it comes straight back 😕 how far along are you?

I am thinking of doing NCT in addition to the NHS classes. It's a little expensive but this is my first pregnancy and my husband and I want to get as much info as we can - even if it repeats, and also meet many other couples as we are quite isolated with no family around in London.

I have a question for ladies who have given birth before. How far away is it ok for my choice of hospital to be? I live in London and the one I have chosen is about 30min drive away. Is this too far for "the day"? I don't know what to expect on the day when the contractions start - is it ok to be in a car with active contractions for half an hour or is it fairly bearable? Thanks!

@woollycat
I'm 14+2 today, my app tells me I'm on day 100!

We are based in Bristol, my parents don't live near by so that's defo a driver to do some classes and make some connections.

We're also going to do the local nhs ones too, as you say, you can't have too much information!

How far along are you?

I was also wide awake from 1-4 then manage to fall asleep lying on my flu jab arm and now it's like carrying around a breeze block 😂 back to healthy eating yesterday day 2 today so let's see how it goes.. not easy with the threat of a vom 🤢

@woollycat my hospital was 25 mins but in rush hour easily 45 mins! I got induced so not too sure on the big mad rush but I'd never even considered that part of it, as its the only hospital near me that delivers babies

@helpasisterout we could be twins 😂 I had my flu jab yesterday and had a miserable nights sleep - woke up at 2am in agony after sleeping on my flu jab arm! Turned over and then woke up again with my hips in pain... decided to just sit up and read instead 😂

Been catching up with all these fab scan pictures, congratulations to everyone over the last couple of days x

Morning ladies.
I again don’t mind paying for scan photos at all. It goes back into hospital and they have been nothing but amazing during my pregnancy with DD, my mmc and now this pregnancy. They gave me an extra reassurance scan this week which could have cost me £80. So I’m grateful to the nhs so £5 is nothing in the grand scheme of the care you get.

I am also wanting to hit the sac every night by 9, I end up nodding off on the sofa lots 🙈

I did the hospitals antinatal classes with my first, it was ok content wise and from what I’ve heard it’s the same with nct, however I did make two good friends through it which is the main thing I got out of it. I think hypnobirthing May be a little more beneficial from a content point of view.

@woollycat I also live in London, I am a short drive away from hospital but with my first my waters broke at work and I drove myself home, my contractions started shortly after getting home but my baby didn’t arrive till 12hrs later. A friend of mine chose a hospital 40min away from her and she was fine as was back and forth a few times, before it was time to have hers. I think you’ll be fine. If you have someone to drive you or in an emergency you can call an ambulance. Usually you have a bit of warning tho.

@november90 I giggled a lot at you and the Oreo biscuit dilemma... you chose wisely 😂

@sazzlerazzle 🙈 I literally ate them before I even got back into bed 🙈

I've just had my flu jab too ladies! It went fine and I didn't cry... it seems I can now look forward to a big dead arm amongst the lost of other things 🙈😂

I have had a headache/migraine since yesterday, all I can drink is water so it's not dehydration!! I dont want to be taking tablets, not even sure I can!! Has anyone got any tips or ways to help!!! I'm really miserable now 😫

@mintbear thank you 💗. We are going to do gender reveal but my partner sat up for hours trying to workout the skull and nib theory lol. I'm no good at it either.

@Purple29 I have bern suffering too and they make me cry!! They actually are the cause of my sickness. The midwife yesterday advised me to take paracetamol which I gave in and did. If you don't want that route my mother in law who is like a herbal Godess suggests rubbing mint oil on the back of your neck. May be worth trying. I tried the head patches and 4head rub.. neither helped. I feel your pain.

I am also falling asleep so early and 7m miserable when I wake lol. I have to take my 13 year old football soon.. better not rain. Then tonight fireworks which hopefully will keep me up past 8pm lol.

I live in cambridge and addenbrookes charges for scan pics... prob even more since Boris visited.. he prob said "that's far too cheap, charge the price of a small car" lol.

I am hoping my energy comes back, I managed to go gym for 1st time in 2 months and even smell of gym was good lol. I have a 4000 word paper due in 3 weeks too... I've wrote an amazing 0 words... I need energy bust of energy or Jesus.. either or would be great

@herwego2020 thanks, I'll see how I get on today but if this continues I might need to cave and take a paracetamol!! We are down telling family this weekend so dont know if I'm just anxious. Hope you feel better soon, agree this tiredness is so hard to deal with. Haven't even thought about the gym and miss it!! Roll on second trimester lol

Subscribing too. Due beg on May :)

@woollycat i'm also in london so all hospitals would be usually 30mins or over away. the reality is most labours start a few days in advance it isn't like the movies where ur waters break and u race through traffic 🤣🤣🤣thank god.. we r lucky that we do have 3 hospitals around us less than 20mins drive BUT we chose one an hour away instead because it's amazing and have high quality care and they let my hubby stay with me after i had the baby 24/7 which was so valuable to share the load. the midwives helped teach me breastfeeding day and night. i felt so looked after- i had no family around at all. everyone's situation and the available facilities are so different so each of us will choose something suitable for her situation and what is good for her family i think. u can have a birthplan but don't expect it to happen. from my previous experience only one out of 6 nct couples had a 'normal' birth everyone else had either a complication or induced or c section- all not the initial birth plan - i learned u just have to go with the flow😇

to the ladies saying WE DON'T MIND PAYING🙄! we are paying already because we pay tax. the government cuts to the NHS are making these small payments normal in at attempt to privatise services. they scan to check the baby but also to help mums mental health and for mum to show a picture to husband/ other kids / family which helpful for everyone to bond. We get a paper copy from our clinics and we get given a folder for "free"! we r not expected to pay for every appointment letter! are u suggesting that 5cmx6cm print of your baby pic is unreasonable in this and does it really cost 5£ or 12£ to do this - i respectfully disagree. maybe we should agree to disagree on this one. i feel strongly about this.

i registered with NCT and the main gain is to make friends who will be going through the same stages but also we went for coffee and lunch shared midnight feeding stresses etc. the daddies also had meet ups. it's a social thing- 3 years now and we r all still in touch and meet up for the kids birthdays xmas etc. i will register again with this baby i think- it's not cheap but it's helpful to socialise with ppl who r local to you. definite yes from me x

@facevalue, I’m in Bath. I was surprised about the cost, this is definitely a new thing. No one I know had to pay so it’s clearly another result of the cuts sadly. I’m glad some of you have had good experiences with the nhs but my scans so far were rushed, impersonal and not relaxing at all. I had two due to one being too early and three private scans - the private ones were fantastic. At my nhs scan the first time the sonographer was so tired she told me off for my bladder being too full and told me at least my baby is real. Wtf does that mean! She apologised then and said it’s been a long day. The second time I was just rushed in and out, not told my due date until I asked as I got rushed out the door (they forgot to tell me) and not told anything about my screening or nuchal measurements. I just wish I could afford to go private for the whole thing after those experiences and do worry now about what lies ahead ☹️

@sunshine8888 omg that's appalling i'm so sorry for you. horrid woman. absolutely agree with u. nhs staff are human if u they r pushed and burnt out they can't possibly show care and compassion. that's exactly why i insisted on being in the far away hospital that has amazing funding so the staff still able to be kind and caring. please next time can u pick up a feedback sheet or ask to speak to a manager - we as patients have a powerful voice- the hospital managers rely on our feedback and they have to show they acted on feedback and complaints .. i always give feedback including compliments. i take time to write nice comments for the good service but also polite helpful comments if something was upsetting or disappointing ( that's just me). i strongly believe in saying something to make a difference if it's possible x

@mintbear I am only 10+6, hoping sickness will magically disappear when I hit 12w in a week, but clearly that's not how it works 😀

@facevalue which hospital in London is this, if you don't mind me asking? I have gone for the Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea hospital as they have an Outstanding rating from the CQC, even though the Royal Free is a 5 minute drive away, but sadly rating is not as good.

@woollycat fantastic choices i think ( never been though) but heated those r good. we r south london so chose St thomas's ( truth is it's 20mins drive if we go at 1am but with the traffic it would never be 20mins during the day) so i say an hour away.

heard' no idea why my phone autocorrects to these random words!

@woollycat I'm going to do both too for similar reasons- first baby (we are clueless.lol) and no existing support network locally. My OH will come to NCT but I will go to NHS classes alone as they are during the working day here and he will have just started a new job.

At the time I didn't even think about being asked to pay for scan photo but after reading your comments the thing that I keep thinking about is what about the people that can't afford it? I have spent part of my career working with families who are experiencing extreme poverty and there is no way they could justify £5 for a photo when they have to use foodbanks to feed their existing children. It makes me so sad that they wouldn't have free access to this.

@pastnowfuture 😢 so true. a simple black and white print brightens our day everytime we look at it x

@woollycat I'm hoping for queen charlottes too!
It's not the closest to me but I would just prefer to have my baby there ! I've heard and read many good things about it and also my partner and I were both born there ( at the old QC before it moved to where it is now)
We are going for a tour of the birthing centre there tomorrow to see what it's like ! X