November Mummies - Are We There Yet???!!!!

[choudru]

Here is the shiny new November thread. All clean and ready for our babies.

Here is a link to the last one for reference last thread

And here is the roll-call:

ChocolateHobnob - due 31 Oct, SURPRISE
FCH - due 1 Nov, SURPRISE
Choudru - due 2nd Nov, LITTLE GIRL
Seabiscuit - due 2nd Nov, LITTLE BOY
Dawn2820 - due 3rd Nov, SURPRISE
GeekInPigtails - due 4th Nov, SURPRISE
pinklady 82 - due Nov 4th, LITTLE BOY
Muppetgirl- due 5th Nov, LITTLE BOY
iris66 - due 5 Nov, SURPRISE
Annainnz - due 6th Nov, LITTLE GIRL
Tonysmum - due 6 Nov, SURPRISE
LizzieO - due Nov 7th, SURPRISE
Silkcushion - due 7th Nov, LITTLE GIRL
Mrsj- Ddue 7th Nov, LITLLE GIRL
Pixiefish- due 8th Nov, SECRET
Sparklygothkat-due 8th Nov, LITTLE BOY (next growth scan on the 5th sept)
TheHun - due 8th Nov, SURPRISE
GermanGal - due 9th Nov, scan 27th June
NYKate-due 9th Nov, LITTLE BOY
Aikigypsy -- due 11th Nov, probably-a-girl
Easywriter - due 11th Nov, LITTLE GIRL
Jetgirl - due Nov 11th, SURPRISE
Mimi - due 11 Nov, SECRET
GoodGollyMissMolly - due 12 Nov, SURPRISE
HollygoHeavily - due 14th Nov, SURPRISE
Revelyell- due 15th Nov, LITTLE BOY
ZoKe - due 15th Nov, LITTLE GIRL
Daisy310575 - due 16th Nov, SURPRISE
Mrss2006 - due 17th Nov, scanned 14 May (no more scans)
Muckers - due 19th Now, LITTLE BOY
Sarahloumadam - due 20th Nov, LITTLE BOY
Bearus - due 21st Nov, LITTLE BOY
Kekouan - due 21st Nov, SURPRISE
Fingerbobs - due 22nd Nov, SURPRISE, next scan?? they say 34 wks owing to placenta previa but will be making enormous fuss to get one a bit sooner
Jossiejump-due 23rd Nov, SECRET
Ara - due 24th Nov, SURPRISE
Floanna - due 24th Nov, SURPRISE
JARM - due 26th Nove, LITTLE BOY!!!
RGPargy - due 27 Nov, LITTLE GIRL
Superloopy - due 27th Nov, LITTLE BOY
Nasr - due 27th Nov, SURPRISE
TeaDr1nker - due 28th Nov, SURPRISE
bunnybaby - due 28th Nov - SURPRISE
Nicolatabb - due 28th Nov - LITTLE BOY
Littleoldme - due Nov 28th - LITTLE BOY
Loopymumsy - due 30th Nov, LITTLE GIRL
Absofruitly - due 30th Nov, SURPRISE

Kez- Welcome! I found being on Mat leave really weird at first but give it a few days and you'll find your groove. I freaked out that I would get bored but now fill my days in resting, visiting friends who have babies and antenatal appointments. see whats avaiable in your area. I am doing swimming and yoga which i never normally get time to do. I find that just doing a bit of housework and maybe popping out to the shops making dinner takes all day. I don't know how I used to fit in work!!

I have been off work for 2 weeks now , cant seem to relax though , always on mumsnet & ebay , i have looked for aqua classes etc & there is non in the area x

I need to ask about my options at my appointment tomorrow. I feel like I wasn't even given any choice in where I could go and just assumed the hospital was where I could go. It goes to show that you need to be assertive and knowledgable about your care.
I have a question is anyone hirng a TENS machine I want to get one as my sister used one and found it good although you can't use it in the birthing pool. Are there any good brands you guys know of? Are they any good?
Loopy- I'll ask my mum about the raspberry leaf again to find out why she said its not good and let you know.

Hi All

Thanks for the advice. I think you're right re formula. My nearest shop, almost, is a giant Tesco Extra which is open 24 hours, so no urgency about stockpiling it! I was just wondering. I really want bf to work but I know it doesn't, always.

We were told at our NCT class the other day to take raspberry leaf tablets from 36 weeks. I'm 36 weeks this week - hadnt planned on getting any - dont think I'll bother reading all these stories of it!

As for an epidural, I say I don't want one, and then I think, but what's the point in a lot of pain that could be avoided with minimum risk? I can't have one if I have my waterbirth anyway, so maybe that's the best solution. I'm scared of diamorphine - has anyone tried that/pethidine?

Fiona76 - I went back to work when DD was 4 1/2 months old, but that didn't stop me bf. If anything it made me more keen to do it as it was a nice way to reconnect when I got home from work in the evening. So you will be able to continue if you want

Loopy - interesting that you too had bleeding last time after taking raspberry leaf. Have def decided to give it a miss this time, the blood freaked me out big time!

Chocolate - you're halfway there with bf if you are so positive about it now. I did find the first couple of weeks hard, but was determined to succeed, and had brilliant support from DH which really helped. it's good if well-meaning friends and relatives can stay out of your way for a few days as it does take time to get used to and you might feel a bit self-conscious. Before DD I had never even been topless on a beach, but childbirth begins to strip away all sense of modesty anyway By the time DD was 3 weeks old I was bf her in John Lewis cafe! Remember you will also find lots of support on mumsnet too.

Welcome kezjoben - what to do on mat leave: watch This Morning, pamper yourself, sleep whenever you like, enjoy going out without having to pack a bag full of nappies, spare clothes, soft toys, more nappies and muslin cloths, enjoy being able to get out of the house at the time you thought you would, rather than an hour later because baby decided she was hungry then needed changing and then was sick everywhere

Here's a cute story for you all. My DD came to our room at 5:45 this morning! She climbed into bed and fell asleep next to me. 15 minutes later she went back to her room and I could hear her shuffling around. She returned with her teddy bear which she gave to DH (who was sound asleep) and then climbed back into bed with me. She obviously thought her daddy was lonely so gave him her toy to cuddle while I cuddled her. She's so sweet that I forgave her waking us at such an ungodly hour.

I will definately keep BF when I go back to work but understand that it could be more difficult and baby will probably need bottle during day but could express so it will still be BF. My friend also used to dash down to the childminder at lunchtime to BF quickly when she first came back to work but that could be stressful will wait and see what happens.
I guess its difficult to think about the birth and ask about your option until you are ready to deal woth it when I was early in my pregnancy I couldn't even read the birth ections in the PG books and magazines. Now I'm feeling so positive about my birth that I can't wait hope that feeling stays. I think MN helps as you guys are all so positive about your experience and give such good advice better than the MWs.

fiona - I'm really glad you're feeling more positive. It's very easy to give way to worry when you're experiencing something new.

ChocolateHobNob - I had pethidine with DD and was convinced it slowed down my labour (which only picked up again once the pain relief wore off!!) I went back on G&A for the last couple of hours as it was too late for anything else apparently. It may be worth having more discussion with your MW regarding the various methods of pain relief (and have you thought of hypnobirthing?) Childbirth really isn't in the same league as normal hurty pain IMO (though it still does hurt!) I think because it's productive. There certainly seems to be an element of "state of mind" with how people cope with it - and there's no right/wrong way anyway. Your plan of waterbirth may mean you don't want/need anything else (Loopy's the expert on waterbirths & can tell you more - I've yet to be lucky enough)

Blimey!! Y'see, this is what happens when i step away from the PC for the evening - you lot go mental with the posts!!

Choudru - i'm secretly flattered at the geek reference but sssshhhhhhhh

I'm just about to go off to bed now so i will catch up with the rest of you all in the morning.

PS - For labour with DS i had a pethedine jab fairly early on and then only gas and air for the rest of labour. The bloke who comes in to do the epidurals asked me if i wanted one and i told him in so many words to f*ck off!! If i can do a natural child birth at the age of 22, while in a rotten hospital with no idea what's going on, i'm damn well sure i can do the same now at the age of 39 (gulp!) in a birthing pool with gas and air in my own home.

N'night everyone!

Just got back from the hospital Callum actually had a breastfeed He managed to latch on and suck!! So much for 'the sucking reflex doesn't come in till 35-36 weeks!!' The nurse went through a discharge check list with me, making sure I am confident to do tube feeds, know how to sterilise my breast pump, where he should be put to sleep, how he should be put to sleep etcetc. Not sure if she was just doing it now to save time when he is actually discharged or if she knows something we don't!!!

RG - re your earlier post - I have a feeling I will be a bit early having this baby too. Dr todaytold me she wants to induce if I get to 40 weeks as the placenta starts deteriorating after that and with the pre-eclampsia it deteriorates even faster, or something like that. She said she is hoping i go into natural labour at 38 or 39 weeks as she would like me to have as natural birth as possible and obviously if I'm induced it's not as natural!

Protein in urine is way up, normal level is between 1-11 (milligrams or whatever), mine was 33 last week and is now 42. So am having repeat tests every few days. Still feel very well though, so that's a good sign - just tired if I do too much, but that's normal. Just have a feeling it won't be too long now and I haven't finished packing my bag or got many newborn clothes...having said this I'll prob keep going till 40 weeks now!

Oh and the raspberry leaf tea, I was advised not to take it at all, at any stage - maybe that's just because of my blood pressure though.

SGK - x posted - glad Callum doing so well! SOunds like the feeding is going well which muyst be a relief. My friend who had her baby 2 wks ago at 34 wks was having real problems expressing, I guess her body just wasn't readt yet - she was only getting 10-20ml out at a time. Better than nothing though. She was trying her hardest not to stress about it as obviously stress doesn't help your milk supply!
Sounds like Callum could be home soon

I've just started on the Raspberry leaf yestedray- the tablets- but am very interested in reasons not to if it involves bleeding afterwards.

Could anyone clarify for me please befroe I take any more

Hello all,

I got halfway through a long post yesterday and then got interrupted, then opened another internet window which closed this one and lost everything I had written. I was so disheartened I gave up but thought I should try again today.

SGK - what brilliant news on the BFing front. You must be so thrilled, and I have to say that it is so exciting to have a baby on the thread already - it makes it all seem so much more real. (Although I know lots of you have little ones already a new baby is different!!)

Loopy - am now feeling smug about my Britax car seat, even though I only bought it because I could not get anything else into the back of my car. I was standing in the shop to start with thinking I should have done more research, but in the end the world's shortest rear seatbelts and a passenger airbag I can't turn off made it a pretty limited decision!!

My exciting news this week is that my aunt brought the family cradle over from Sweden for me. This is exciting because my gran bought it (already antique!!) when she was expecting her first baby in 1940. My aunts, uncle, mum, brothers, sister, cousins and I all sleept in it as babies and this little one will be the third generation to do so!! It isn't exactly practical as it is only about the size of a moses basket but it is utterly beautiful, and my uncle has stripped and repainted it all for us and my mum has made drapes and it is just the right height to be beside our bed. It is just so lovely!!

What is all this about car seats. I have got the urban detour travel system is it safe your've got me worried now!!!

Need cream cake!

Morning all

SGK - congrats on the BF thats fantastic, i tried to get LO BF but he never did take to it - well done thats a real achievement x

FCH - how lovely being able to use the family heirloom, my MIL has kept all my DH toys, cot and highchair which my LO has used and its lovely

Choudru - i guess we are only going to know when we are already in the throes of childbirth how high or low our pain threshold is - had pethidine in the first stages of my labour with LO before the CS, i thought it was bloody brill, didn't get on with G&A at all, but apparently its all in the way you use it. Didn't realise tho' that pethidine can slow down labour

That Rasberry leaf tablets / tea sounds a bit hardcore doesn't it - think i will give it a miss, but i am going to invest in some alsmond oil and have a go at massaging the perinium

everyone else - hope you all have a good day and look forward to more MN chatting

Lxxxx

Mmmmm Cream Cake...

Afternoon all!
Mmm, I want cream cakes too .
Congratulations SGK, your little one is gorgeous and I am glad he is doing so well .
I had a midwife appointment last week, the baby is cephalic but his/her spine is lying against mine causing me a lot of back pain. She suggested sleeping on my left side and standing on all fours for a while every day to encourage the baby to move because a back to back position may make labour longer and more painful. Does anybody have some experience on this?

Had a meeting at the hospital yesterday and am excited to say that I have now been booked in for my c section for the 6th November. Seems weird that I know what my baby boys bday is going to be before he is born!!!! Will have to save some fireworks!

Afternoon ladies!

Another dull day at the office here! How are you all today?

Sparkly - FANTASTIC news re Callum taking a feed!! I really wish i'd been more encouraged when DS was in SCBU all those years ago. He was born at 37 weeks but didn't really show an interest at sucking at all when i tried to feed him and the nurses/MW just said "nah, he's not really interested is he?" and that was that. I wasn't encouraged to try him again or anything! I did express my milk for him tho, so i did something right, but i really wish i'd had alot more encouragement on the BF side of things. Well done to you for perservering tho!!

Anna - Sorry your protein score is high. Just make sure you take it easy! Let's hope you get your wish and LO is born at 38/39 weeks.

FCH - I did a really long post the other day and clicked on "post message" but got an error message so the whole thing was lost!!! Infuriating isn't it!! Brilliant news re the heirloom cradle!! It must be lovely to use something with so much family history.

Easy - I think we ALL need cream cakes!! I would never say no to one!

Lizzie - I didn't realise that Pethedine slows down labour either. Makes me wonder now if i'd have had a super speedy labour if i hadn't had it! My "active labour" was only 5 1/2 hours long so i wonder if it'll be much shorter this time with just gas and air?

Empen - congrats on finding out your LO's birthday!! How exciting!!!

Here's a question for you all - Can you squash the baby if you lay too much on your side? I like to lay on my right hand side but sometimes i feel like i'm laying too far over onto my tummy and when i do this, i feel baby kicking as if to say "oi get off me you lump, i'm being squashed!!" Is it just me?

10 minutes of bfing today Doc came to see us about the protein S definicity (sp?) and the kids cerebral palsy, and has arranged an utlrasound of Callum's brain to be done, to check for any bleeds or damage, TBH he is doing so well I am not worried.

Hi Empen

i think on all fours is very good position for allowing baby maximum space to move into good position

My yoga teacher recommends the Cat position which is basically on all fours then arching back then down again, also breastroke is excellent for babys positioning and you can feel them moving about as you swim

oh got quite annoyed though when the nurse asked if they can give him a bottle when I am not there... I said 'no way'