Due June 2020: thread 6

[AndddddHerewegoagain]

Hi everyone. Hope you don't mind me setting up the new thread didn't want to run out of space on the other one!

@peetieswie I’m open to getting baby here safely !If that’s c section so be it

@peetieswie I am also trying to avoid a c section. It would be an absolute last resort for me, as I hate the thought of being cut open and a catheter, too. It was bad enough when I had my appendix out!! Haha. But each to their own and it seems like everyone on here has their own reasons for their choices.

I think there are pros and cons for everything, I have had friends with sepsis from normal vaginal births as well as nasty tears etc.
I think at the end of the day each one of us will do what's right by our un born babies, they are the most important thing and getting them out safely whether that's by c-section, instrumental or straight forward vaginal birth we will all have healthy happy babies at the end and how they got here will be forgotten.
We will all get through this 👍🏻🤝

@BabyBird20 ah that sounds awful, hopefully they'll listen to your story & all the research you have done and give you the choice, I'm hoping they'll support me with it as well, I'm currently taking my blood sugars 4x a day because they think I may have late onset diabetes due to his size and how quick he's grown, I have a growth scan on Saturday (37+3) I think they're leaving it so late I might go into labour naturally which just scares me so much. I always wanted a natural birth but now it terrifies me. Good luck hun x

@APD1981 I've had the same pain and pressure for the last few days, I think it's baby engaging more. I had to be tilted backwards on the bed for my growth scan last week so they could measure the head! I thought I was going to slide off! 

@Busylizzie85 Completely agree re everyones individual choices being different but right for them. Anecdotally, none of my friends who had Cbirths had any complications but some of the Vbirth issues friends/family have had are awful. My bestie also had sepsis after an instrumental Vbirth. I'd add that an ELCS is a much different beast than an EMCS.

@BabyBird20 Have you had a look at caesareanbirth.org? They have lots of info on your rights to maternal request CS. Pauline Hull who I think may have set it up is also very active on Twitter with regard to maternal request CS so she may be a good follow for more info. Good luck x

@AmyMaria2 how big is he measuring if you don't mind me asking? Just that the last scan mine was around the same estimated weight as yours at same gestation, also mine is above 95th percentile for his head and adominal circumference. But nothing has been mention to me about potential difficult labour or a c section because of his size? I'm curious if they have mentioned this to you as I've got consultant tomorrow morning I could bring it up. X

@SerBrienneofHouseTorth yes, I think it might be that baby is starting to engage now too. I expect I'll find out when I see my midwife on tuesday!

@Busylizzie85 and @Mj2196 exactly!
A c section saved DS's life. While I dream of a nice straightforward vbac, a repeat c section is much more realistic in my circumstances.

My recovery wasn't too bad, and that's with emergency sections generally having a harder recovery than elective. I was in hospital for over a week after, because of my blood pressure, but was going up and down to the neonatal unit several times a day (ok, I used the lift the first couple of days). Yes, the injections in your tummy aren't pleasant, but I had a handy numb patch just above my scar that I aimed them in 😆
It was quite funny when we were being discharged, as the midwife gave me the standard advice "don't lift anything heavier than you baby" - he was still under 5lb at that point, so didn't give me much to go on!

I'm also getting loads of pressure. Feel ill and uncomfortable today. Hopefully get a good night's sleep and feel alive for work tomorrow!

There is a lot of scaremongering about C sections. NICE have produced a useful table comparing risks of elective C section vs VB. There is very little statistically reliable evidence to show greater risk for either option in most cases. The rest is propaganda I'm afraid.

Thanks @Mj2196 , it's a horrible feeling not knowing, I'd have loved a natural birth if I'd not had all these extra stresses but I want to do whatever it takes to get him here safely, he's the result of 2 years ttc too, we were due to start ivf the month I got pregnant so a little miracle baby!

@AmyMaria2 thank you lovely and you too! I just hope they listen and take into consideration all the worries we have! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you for your scan and a reasonable consultant!!

@SerBriennOfHouseTarth, thank you for those links, I'll have a good read through as want to be fully informed. It might still be medically advised yet, I've not met with my main consultant since before my first growth scan and all these problems were identified!! Time has flown since!!

@AmyMaria2 someone I know had their baby today, 5 days early and was told he was measuring big over 90th percentile and he was a dinky 5lbs 7oz

I'm 37 weeks' pregnant with a 10 and 12 year-old and a key worker partner. I'm feeling really cross at myself for being pregnant right now with this pandemic. I know it is going to be bloody awful when baby is here. Anyone else feeling like this?

@newbyxx yes sure, he was 7.5lbs at 35+6 and I have another scan Saturday to see how much he's grown. My consultant said as he's above 95th centile for most measurements he could get stuck in the birth canal, or his shoulders get stuck or something. Because I have an anterior placenta she said it would be more dangerous if he was to get stuck & also he is now back to back. So just sounds like to many complications to me🙈 good luck with your consultant!! Xx

@Smiffette ah that's hopeful, I do wonder about them getting things wrong sometimes but he's always been 90th-95th centile and he's measured big/ahead since 12 weeks, so I'm not sure xx

I was moaning about increased movements yesterday and eventually called midwife who asked me to keep on monitoring see if any sudden decrease in movements afterwards (which is not the case for me thankfully). I found this page especially the comments are very helpful although it's quite old - www.facebook.com/265529163015/posts/10152336272173016/?d=n
I think a lot of us pay attention to reduced but not increased movements however it's as important so thought I just post it here x

Getting pregnant to this stage was particularly difficult for me so I'm thankful I'm having a baby even though it's more challenging times than usual.

@umabb I have been in triage once with increased movements. The midwife said it's a bit more difficult to work out if something is wrong and what it is but it should be kept an eye on regardless. On this particular day I'd felt baby do a big turn at 6am and then literally all day it did not stop vigorously kicking the right side of my bump. Got to the point where my bump was bruised and sore. I tried to nap to see if it would settle, I tried walking to lull it to sleep but nothing worked. By 8pm I'd had enough. At triage baby was so active on the trace that it was kicking the monitors off. Heart rate was very high (180 ish) but in the few seconds it would stop moving it settled down to it's normal base rate of 150. As it was coming back down MW decided it was just having a bonkers day. I've always felt that my baby was pretty active but this was constant for hours and hours. The next day it was typically quieter, I expect because it didn't sleep all day the day before!

@APD1981 sounds quite similar to what happened to me. Nothing particularly different I would say in terms of how he moved - as in, I wouldn't describe the moves as stronger or jerky or seizure-like as some of the stories on that page, but the constant and restless kicks and stretches did make me very uncomfortable. 🤪 it's good that you went in and glad everything was fine x

35+1

@newbyxx hope your consultant appointment went well xx

36+5

Consultant went well, left feeling more at ease got my induction date for 30th may! So exciting but still hoping he may come by himself before then x

@Nicknamegoeshere it will be tough for sure - with DD I lived for play dates and getting out and about.

@AmyMaria2 are you quite petite? Maybe a reason why they'd worry about 95th centile measurement. My baby is measuring 5-12th centile but they weren't concerned for me because I'm short and they said those measurements aren't surprising considering a 5-12th centile sized mum!

Oh wow @newbyxxx must be nice to have an induction date to count down too even if there is a chance you could go sooner! I can't wait until the babies start coming on this thread it is so exciting!!

@newbyxx you might end up with a May baby! How exciting! Glad you have your date booked in. I've been on this thread since I was about 7 weeks - can't believe we're now at the point where babies are about to come!

I had my consultant and scan appointment today. Baby has jumped from just below the 50th to just over the top line 😱 i will be scanned every 2 weeks until birth. I have the gestational diabetes clinic tomorrow to Pick up testing kit. I too have a rough date for my section, it will be around the 17th June but I won't get the actual date until a week or so beforehand.

@APD1981 @LillianFullStop yeah it's nice to have a date to count down to make sure I wash my hair before that date haha , 8am I have to go into hospital. All my bags are packed etc but I still need to get my labour snacks, I bought some and I've ate them already 😂. My boyfriend isn't aloud in whilst I'm induced but can come as soon as I'm transferred on to labour ward so it's only a maximum
24 hours by myself x

@Blizy that happened with my midwife appt today, bump has gone from measuring 50th centile to 97th so she said if I hadn't already got a growth scan booked next week she would be booking me in for one! She thinks baby has had a big growth spurt!

Interestingly she also suggested I should consider taking early mat leave as she could tell how anxious, stressed and exhausted I am with everything I'm trying to do for school. Has anyone else taken mat leave early? Do you just inform the employer or do you have to get signed off by the doc?

@BabyBird20 these little ones keep throwing us curve balls, never a dull moment!

Has anyone still continued with regular midwife appointments? I haven't had one since 26 weeks, I'm now 36 + 4. I was under a consultant at St Mary's and spike to my community midwife who said if I was ok with that then they wouldn't do the normal midwife appointments. I was ok with that I guess as I was worried about going out etc with the virus but I have to admit I was enjoying the very regular checks as we've had 3 losses, it's my first baby and I'm 37.

I was then referred to the mavis clinic at st Mary's which is where they send u if h have high blood pressure, I only had 2 higher readings when I was a bit anxious, I deffo don't have BP problems. Anyway when referred to them they then cancelled all my consultant appointments too so everything's been cut back.

My concern is I'm due on the 6th of June, on the 1st of May our baby weighed 6lbs 3ozs which was the 80th centile. They offered induction at 39 weeks due to the blood pressure readings which I refused. My next and only other appointment now where they scan baby is the 29th of May, I'm worried the baby might be enormous by then and with chronic SPD I won't be able to push it out!! Don't really know what I can do about it or even want doing, just wanted some friendly advice/reassurance. Feel like it's been a long and difficult road to get to this amazing stage and we've gone from being amazingly supported by the hospital to a little bit isolated