Due in June 08 - the rollercoaster continues...

[debinaustria]

Morning everyone

Hope you're all OK today

Deb

It could well be an indicator upsidedowncake. After all due dates are an art form and not an exact science and when you look at the difference in speeds for development for babies after they are born why are people surprised that not all babies are ready to arrive in Week 40.

I had the same with DS1 - late MS, up to about 14 weeks, and then went 16 days over and two days to be induced. With this one, started vile MS before period even due! Obviously no info on whether this will relate to early delivery date.

Suspect Yehudi Gordon is right that in a lot of cases, the baby just doesn't want to come out yet - trouble is, medics have to worry about the few cases where the labour doesn't start because there's some sort of problem, so adopt the view that better to induce all babies at two weeks over than take the risk on the small number who will suffer problems. Apart from the horror of induction for me, DS1 seemed quite happy to be born in the end - remarkably unperturbed by the whole process. Wish his mum had been the same!

sorry to hear your stressful news littlemy34, but hopefully all will be well and you'll be cursing the rubbish tests!! you might want to consider paying for a 3D scan if they don't find anything else, just to put your mind at rest as you can 'see' the baby a so clearly. don't know where you're located but with ds we went to this one on harley street which is also a speciality clinic for fertility etc. and they were excellent. i think they have a wimbledon clinic too.

josey hope the mil visit isn't too painful!

had an okay time on sat except that ds (he came with as all my potential babysitters were there too!) wasn't impressed with the restaurant and was tired so it ended up being pretty rushed in the end. my best mate came back home with me and we chatted for a few hours after ds was asleep tho so that was nice as i don't get to see her all that much.

ds was 5 days late and i had morning sickness pretty much straight away... i can see how you might think there was a correlation as it's all about when the hormones are strongest but who knows??!

Littlemy34, I am sorry to hear your worries, please let us know how you get on with the CVS - have you posted about this on the pregnancy forum?My advice would be not to worry but I can imagine if it was me I would be feeling the same so here's some [hugs] from Austria.

Upsidedowncake I feel grey too today and have been sick twice rather than the usual once I had got down to.I've just had a sleep on the settee and I just couldn't do anything until that nap.

I felt really rough those 1st few weeks, then it's gradually got better, but these last few days I've been feeling worse again instead of better. I don't know about late sickness and late babies. With the boys I wasn't anywhere near this bad but I stopped at about 16 weeks, ds1 was born 3 days late and ds2 was born on his due date. I think this baby will be late as I don't agree with the dates the Dr gave me!!

Completely irrationally I don't want the sickness to stop completely until I am regularly feeling movements from this baby!!!

Totally agree. The more symptoms you know, the more reassuring it is.

But still fun to whinge ...

Littlemy34 - my friend had 1:25 risk of a heart defect at 12-week scan but all was well at 20 weeks. 1:24 is a really small chance, only 4% - only slightly more than the risk of miscarriage from the CVS (approx 2%). Not worth the risk in my opinion but you must make the decision that is best for you.

I agree that the tests cause unneccessary anxiety - I was offered a nuchal fold cos I'm having twins but couldn't be bothered with the worry. I love these babies so much now I don't care what is wrong with them (if anything) - I would still want them.

Praying everything goes well next week.

Anyone else really itchy? I suppose it's just as my skin is stretching but I don't remember it this bad before. It's mostly my stomach and boobs, I wake up in the night itching!!

LittleMy34 - I'm sorry to hear you are so worried. I agree with the others though - your odds are still very low so try not to stress (easier to say than do, I agree). Whether you have the sampling is of course your call. I am also in Bristol and my midwife told me today that St Michael's has a much lower than average rate of mc for amnio, so if you're at Southmead you might want to switch hospitals if you're going to go ahead with the CVS test.
As for the doc turning off the heart monitor, I also agree with the others - docs can be very insensitive and don't think about the impact of their actions on their understandably emotional patients!
Good luck with everything
China

Littlemy34 hope all goes ok on Thursday what a worry for you.

The late sickness thing and late kids.
DS was sick 9months and he was 2 days early and DD I was sick 5 months she was 2 days early, I was led to believe that if you were a late baby yourself you tend to have longer pg's but then think thats an auld wifeys tale

Debs keep an eye on your itching, my best friend had this there is a condition dont ask me what it is called but its to do with your liver and you only get it when pregnant, she had it in late stages and was hospitalised which medication then induced as her liver was getting bad. This early though its more likely your sick stretching maybe bad with warm clothes and cold weather?

MIL away wasnt too bad and not likely to see her till new year now phew!

LittleMy34, wishing you all the strengthand positive vibes possible. Hope you manage to come to the right decision.

Re late/early babies - can't have much to do with what you yourself were like. No idea if I was early or late, but ds1 was bang on due date, ds2 was 12 days early and ds3 was 4 days late, so what does that say? And din't have morning sickness any time, so who knows?

oh well, so much for my theory! Good to hear everyone's stories.

Thanks for all the positive messages - esp ChinaSurprise, nice to hear St Mike's has something right! the midwife I booked the CVS with said their rate of MC was very low and lower than average, very proudly, so fingers crossed. I had DS1 at St Mike's - which midwives are you with? I'm at Hampton House.

In the end we came to the conclusion we couldn't handle waiting six months to find out, esp as we are also high risk for Edward's and Patau's syndromes, and babies born with those apparently often only live a month or so, which would be just heart breaking and a completely different kettle of fish from Down's Syndrome. We will also need a specialist heart scan, apparently, as the results could indicate a congenital heart defect, it never rains but it pours!

We have plenty of stress with this baby anyway, as I'm on a fixed term contract at work which ends at the end of March, which my work aren't going to renew, so we have some financial worries on top of all this, so we decided we needed to know. Not sure what we'll do if it's a bad result, that's another bridge entirely.

Phew.

Debs - I was really itchy for a bit but it seems to have passed now! And are Austrian hugs different to English ones?

DylansLuckyMum - a 3D scan isn't a bad idea, thank you! we'll see how things go on Thursday but might ask about it. Will also make them put the heartbeat on the monitor so I can hear it!

UpsideDownCake - I liked your theory, I'm going to believe it anyway.

Littlemy34 Glad you've come to a decision, forewarned is forearmed - so they say. We will all be keeping absolutely everything crossed for you and your baby.

An Austrian hug is more of a handshake and kiss on each cheek!! And you must take off your glove to shake hands - despite the temperature.

Josey - made me laugh - my sick stretching!!!
I'd read about the itching in late pregnancy.The only itching I had in late pregnancy before was down to my being allergic to my cream for piles - oh the joys!!

[takes glove off carefully and shakes hands with debinaustria]

there. that was lovely! but now my hands are blue.

have clearly started babbling, time for bed....

thanks all, you've been ace. will post back after Thursday.

Hi everyone, out all day so only got a chance to check up in now.
LittleMy, so sorry to hear about the test results. I can't say anything useful as I don't know enough but it seems lots of people have come up with comments that seemed informed and comforting. Really, really hope it goes well for you on Thursday! Will be thinking of you. xxx

Good morning everyone

How are you all? Anyone doing anything exciting today?

Ds2 has speech therapy - why does it have to be snowing so much when I have to drive there?

I haven't had any itching but I do have incredily dry feet I've been moisturising them once or twice a day and it's not making much difference. What's even more strange is that the rest of my skin is really soft so I don't know what's going on with my feet. Does anyone have any good recommendations for good moisturisers?

erm... cos you iive in Austria?

LittleMy34, exactly what tests have you decided on and when will they be done?

Ernest - We are having the Chorionic Villus Sampling on Thursday afternoon. Apparently the hospital here has a lower than average rate of mc after this test, and we decided we needed to know.Not quite sure why I feel i can trust the odds on the rate of mc, but not trust almost as tiny odds on the likelihood of there being any problems, but there we go. The human mind is a weird thing.

Have posted about this on another thread and had a few people tell me their experiences of the test, which has been hugely useful, as well.

If the test in on Thursday, do you know when you get the results? Best of luck.

Josie - Eucerin moisturiser is very good. Expensive though.

Littlemy - so glad that you have spoken to others who have had CVS, and good news about the hospital. Am keeping my fingers crossed that you get good results.

Sorry I haven't posted for a while, been sorting out the house a bit before christmas, still loads to do but feeling more organised.

Littlemy - I am so sorry your having such a worrying time, like so many others have said the risks are still quite low, I'm glad you've opted for the test, I believe that if the amnio is carried out by someone experienced the risk of mc is practically zero. I will keep my fingers and toes crossed for you, please try not to worry it will just make you more stressed.

Thanks all, just had a lovely message on the other post from someone who had really scary odds - 1:2 for Down's, 1:7 for Edward's, nuchal fold of 3.5mm, and she's 42 - and she's just been given the all clear from her CVS!

So it can and does happen, I will keep thinking positive. Poor DH is really suffering, he has far fewer people to talk to than me, and no mumsnet! and runs his own business so is really stuck with work and can't take any time off. So he needs me to stay positive for him.

LIttlemy, I've just thought about my friend who was 48 when she has her baby. Chances of more than 1:2 of Down's and 70% in total of some kind of disability.

And her little girl is absoutely fine.

oops Debs I must have had sick on the brain yesterday!!!