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!

@BabyBird20 im going to wait and see what the growth scan says first as it seems the reason I am measuring big is because of Polyhydramnios (excess fluid) rather than the size of the baby. My son was 9lbs so I'm not too worried I just don't want to be induced as I'll be in hospital for days which isn't great in the current circumstances but covid 19 aside we also don't have 24 hour childcare for my son so I would be alone for most of it and I don't want to be away from the toddler for potentially a week!

2 days post c section will be a lovely break however 😂😂

@mrssunshinexxx my midwife actually showed my husband how to do a perineal massage this weekend at the hospital. I hadn’t thought about it but she suddenly offered to show us how to do it and it was pretty simple and not uncomfortable so I think we’ll give it a try from 34 weeks.

Thanks @Andddddherewegoagain good luck with getting yours too! I can see how strange that would be for the smile you bond with in the early days all of the look different! Would be good to have the old photos to look back on though.

I still secretly dream of a smooth VB but I didn't have a good run of it last time. My expectations aren't high - I just need it to not be a car crash . I have my appointments early this week (I assume its OB then consultant midwife) - if I don't get it approved then I will get the replacement pads for the tens and the positive birthing company. Apparently it's good to go through even for ELCS.

@Babybird20 we have a SnuzPod too and love it for the newborn days. Hope you're happy with it!

@lillianFullstop this was going to be my perfect birth as well after the car crash of my first (not cleft related!) But I've now accepted my fate that easy pregnancys aren't my thing!

Definitely done after this one!

@mrssunshinexxx I want to give the perineal massage a go too, but TMI - I feel like I won’t be able to reach! 😂 I have a long torso which means my arms are like t-Rex arms and I really don’t think I’ll be able to do it 🤣🤣

@Gigitree you need to get your partner to do it for you!

Thanks for replies regarding breast feeding I'll watch some videos!

I want to try the massage as well, but @Gigitree I know what you mean I'm not sure I'll be able to stretch down there for that long Cos of bump😂 x

@UKtoSK yeah I feel like that’s the only option really! I can see him totally not taking it seriously though 🙄

@AmyMaria2 exactly, and it’s only to get worse as the weeks go by 😂

@Gigitree yeah I’m glad my midwife suggested demonstrating it so that he’d see what he has to do. Otherwise I wouldn’t have known where to begin with explaining it to him, and probably wouldn’t have bothered doing it at all. I didn’t even realise people did it themselves, I assumed you needed someone to help you with the big belly in the way!

@Gigitree I have a leaflet from hospital showing you what to do and planning to do it in a mirror so I can see ! So glamorous

Re perineal massage, yes I plan to do it and did it last pregnancy too. I did find it hard to reach and in the end couldn’t do it how the leaflet illustrated, so I used to just use one hand with a leg up on the loo seat after my shower every morning (sorry for the mental image all!).

That reminds me, must buy coconut oil and cut my nails before I attempt!

@UKtoSK that’s so great that your midwife showed you how to do it! I think I will get dh to help out this time. Also I did have a tear so I want to make sure the scar tissue is massaged well!

31+1

@UKtoSK that’s so good that your midwife showed you and your husband how it’s done. That way he knows what to do and you know what it should feel like. My midwife hasn’t even mentioned it yet, but not sure if it’s NHS standard practice to cover it? Perhaps it differs from trust to trust like everything else.
I agree though, I just don’t even know logistically how you could do it yourself 😂 or maybe I’m just not flexible enough!

@mrssunshinexxx and @Magpiefeather that’s good that they gave you a leaflet on it!

@gigitree yeah I’m not in the U.K. so not sure about NHS practices. I was actually at the birthing centre for natural/hypnobirthing classes (compulsory at our hospital if you want a midwife assisted birth) and the other couple asked about it so that’s why she offered. Usually in Korea they don’t have trained midwives, just nurses and then the doctor, it’s so different to the U.K., even things like keeping the baby in your room with you after birth isn’t that common here, so we’re paying a bit more to get all of that, so that I can get the closest experience to what I’d expect back home.

@uktosk it’s always so fascinating how much health care difference from place to place isn’t it? I’m glad you’re able to make some changes though so you can get the type of care that you’re most happy/comfortable with. Do babies there typically still go off to a hospital nursery then? I understand why you’d want to pay to not have that happen though, I wouldn’t want that at all!

Hi all,

Anyone having varying fundal height measurement issues? At 28 weeks I was measuring small so sent for growth scan - all fine, plotted just above 50th centile. Today at 31 week scan I measured exactly 31cm but when plotted this puts me above 97th centile based on last plot (from scan). It’s so worrying/frustrating and I wonder why they bother with it tbh :( no growth scan as need to measure large on consecutive appointments so now have 3 weeks of wondering sigh

Thought I'd share...

My next door neighbour is a health visitor and the regional lead on breastfeeding. She's very kindly offered to help me with anything I need after baby comes but in the mean time she's recommended watching videos on breastfeeding on a website called Global Health Media. She said the methods on there are the same as she teaches.

She also recommended harvesting colostrum after 37 weeks, even with no medical problems, especially in the current climate as baby needs the best immunity possible. I wasn't going to bother until she said that!

Just in case this advice helps anyone x

Thanks @APD1981 will defo check that out that sounds like it will be really helpful to have her I'm jealous

@APD1981 thanks for passing on her advice!

@Gigitree yeah, they usually keep them in the nursery, and they have these after birth centres where mums will stay for one or two weeks and keep the baby in the nursery there too, and the nurses basically look after the babies and call the mums down to breastfeed at certain times throughout the day, while the mums take classes and get massages and “heal”. I’m choosing not to go and just going home after the hospital, which is already a two night stay anyway.

The massages part sounds nice @uktosk but that’s a long time to be away from home, you’d just want to get home in your own littler bubble as soon as possible wouldn’t you?

Wow I missed a few days of posts - so many great ideas and suggestions! You ladies are awesome! I've started putting together the list for my hospital bag packing literally with things that you mentioned here hehe. I'm so glad @AmyMaria2 asked about how long we will need to stay in hospital for breastfeeding as I had the exact question. Also completely new to me about colostrum harvesting, perineal massage and TENS machine.. will look into it. I was going to ask, how many nursing pads do we need? Also do we need nipple shields?.. (the husband read about it somewhere..)

I had quite a dramatic episode this morning. Had my breakfast (all bran and banana with milk) , usual pint of warm water plus my coffee), then my heart started racing and I couldn't catch me breath until 20mins later I had to throw up. Stayed in bed for an hour finally felt better. Is it that really sickness is back at 32 wks?? 🤪🤪

@umabb oh my goodness! That does sound rather dramatic. How are you feeling now? I'm 30 + 3 and keep getting the odd 'wave' of nausea, which I haven't had since about 18 weeks. Hope it doesn't fully come back!

Thank you for all the tips re: perineal massage, etc. Definitely sounds worth doing.

@AnonyHB I measured at top of chart at 28w& way above at 31. She said wait to see next measurement at 34 next week. Was told its not relied on heavily & that’s why they have the growth scans as it varies so much. they don’t tend to worry unless they jump centiles massively& more worry about dropping.

Just had the cutest delivery from la redoute 😍 forgot how nice the stuff was from dd& got 40% the softest nursing pjs !

Urgh my heartburn has come back with a vengeance today and I am out of gaviscon!! Anyone got any tricks to help relieve it while I wait to get some more? Feel awful!! 😢

@BabyBird20 cold milk? Prop yourself up in bed instead of laying flat if you can