Due Jan 2008 - Ahhh getting close now!!!!

[mixedmama]

Helloooooo????

hey Bluebell, I am due on the 24th too! I dont post much but welcome.

Lulu, lol, we do not do mini feast here . We are such an international bunch (Many from the Indian sub continent, but also Holland (me), Russia, Yemen, Sudan, Rwanda, Jamaica, Ivory Coast...) that we always use food to bring us together - any excuse! Was given a rather generous donation towards my planned pushchair, a lovely card and some flowers. Will have to see about cycling home with it. My last 4 miles in the dark up the hill ride (well, walking up the hill these days to be fair)then rest, bliss!

Antenatal classes at the hospital tomorrow, 12.30 til 4.30, the whole lot in one go.

Oh the joys of being on mat leave - DD is fast asleep, shall I have a nap or read a book?????

fall asleep while reading, nose in book?

Thanks Lulu!

Welcome Bluebell...it's never too late ...if it makes you feel better, you're not the only one still working (not that you'd believe it, reading about all those lovely leaving parties going on today !), there's quite a few of us working well into mid-January ...

hey all, v of all the leaving dos of various sorts today.

well i have dh back and altho he is time-zoned he is manfully looking after ds
gone out supermarket shopping - actually been gone over an hour shd i be worried, nah not for a good few hours yet!!.

I am trying to organise a bingo eve for my orchestra for next tues, making extra cards so we have enough and wrapping silly christmassy pressies for prizes.

had a reason for coming on here, someone asked a q a while back and i've forgotten what it was but it didn't get answered...oh dear will have to wait til the middle of the night when i remember again

also started christmas cards today
and threw some things in a couple of bags for me and baby - think awen's developments may have encouraged me in that dept!
dh even made me write a section on birth plan about premature labour! hope he doesn't know something i don't.

oh a q from me, here 37 weeks is classed as full-term, therefore ok for home birth, but awen's hosp seem to be saying 36???

right going to try and remember that question.....

got it!

letsgo - re gtt. i had it a few weeks ago.
of course it may be diff where you are but how it goes here is:
you can't eat that morning, or even have a cup of tea , then you go in and they take your blood.
then you down this most disgusting bottle of lucozade-like drink, really sickly stuff.
then you sit around for 2 hours doing nothing.
(i advise; newspaper/magazine, books, walkman, spare cushion, bottle of water, snack for LATER, etc.)
then they take your blood again and you demolish whatever food is in reach cos you're starving and on some weird sugar rush at the same time! - eat aforementioned snack.
then you go home and wait.
here if you don't hear anything you are fine, they are meant to ring you within a couple of days if you have diabetes.

hth, kt

what katy said... i had it last time, thought i was going to faint i was sooooo starving.

Ok ladies am leaving work soon, so just wanted to say that now i am on mat leave I will hardly be able to get on as I dont have a PC at home but will try to keep up.

Good luck to everyone (well Awen atm) and anyone else who goes into labour before I can get back on.

Katy - I thought it was 37 weeks aswell. Maybe a different developmental stage? Perhaps lungs, I think.

Hi everyone.

I got given a baby bath from my friend and I'm glad cos I don't think I'd cope with my 1 and 1/2 sink in the kitchen and the sink in the bathroom is tiny.

Been reading up on what I want from birth and I'm struggling to find someway to meet in the middle. I wanted to have a really relaxing atmosphere, darkness and possibly candles or tiny torches but they won't allow any electrical to be plugged in and the torches I have are rechargables that need to be recharged every 2 hours. No Candles either. Wanted to be able to leave the cord but they think it's "unrealistic" to expect a midwife to hang around while waiting for the cord to stop pulsating while there is other ladies on the labour ward.

I really wanted a waterbirth but if someone is using the pool we can't. I asked if we can bring our own pool and they won't let you as the smaller room wouldn't be able to hold the pool and there's no guarantee a big room would be available. PLUS it's on the 2nd floor and they don't know if it would cope with the weight.

When we went into the ward there was 2 MW's and 4 women so thats a 1:2 ratio. Not all the rooms were full either. Does that mean they'd have brought more MW's in or would the 2 have had to cope?

My other panic came back to haunt me last night as well. They don't like DP's to go onto the ward with you (which I kinda understand) they allow you to have about 2 hours after delivery in the labour room and then DP is expected to go home and I have to go to ward alone. I know i'm meant to be knackered and only want to sleep but it's still scary.

I don't like this anymore.... does someone else wanna give birth for me?

Hi everyone.

I got given a baby bath from my friend and I'm glad cos I don't think I'd cope with my 1 and 1/2 sink in the kitchen and the sink in the bathroom is tiny.

Been reading up on what I want from birth and I'm struggling to find someway to meet in the middle. I wanted to have a really relaxing atmosphere, darkness and possibly candles or tiny torches but they won't allow any electrical to be plugged in and the torches I have are rechargables that need to be recharged every 2 hours. No Candles either. Wanted to be able to leave the cord but they think it's "unrealistic" to expect a midwife to hang around while waiting for the cord to stop pulsating while there is other ladies on the labour ward.

I really wanted a waterbirth but if someone is using the pool we can't. I asked if we can bring our own pool and they won't let you as the smaller room wouldn't be able to hold the pool and there's no guarantee a big room would be available. PLUS it's on the 2nd floor and they don't know if it would cope with the weight.

When we went into the ward there was 2 MW's and 4 women so thats a 1:2 ratio. Not all the rooms were full either. Does that mean they'd have brought more MW's in or would the 2 have had to cope?

My other panic came back to haunt me last night as well. They don't like DP's to go onto the ward with you (which I kinda understand) they allow you to have about 2 hours after delivery in the labour room and then DP is expected to go home and I have to go to ward alone. I know i'm meant to be knackered and only want to sleep but it's still scary.

I don't like this anymore.... does someone else wanna give birth for me?

Ooops sorry

Lucky - try not to stress hun.

Spend as much time at home as possible, so you can use music, candles etc. Have baths and relaly relax and try to keep occupied.

When you do go in see if you can have bath there or a shower.

Try to walk around (easier said than done)and just try to occupy yourself and focus... have you tried any hypno CDs Beller and some oof the other ladies think they are great might help you focus.

How about taking your iPod then perhaps you can zone out into your world so to speak.

You dont have to do anything you dont wnat to do.

Apparently 3 minutes of cord pulsating is enough for the baby to get everything they need, but if you really want to wait just insist.

Make sure your birth plan clearly states exactly what you want in terms of pain relief and esp the way that it is offered. I have sppecified that i will ask if I want it. Somebody, cant remember who suggested specifying that you would assk but that you would like to be asked again 20 mins later to confirm your decision.

If they were busier I imagine there would be more MWs but they willnot be with you all the time, but that may work in your favour as you will be able to labour thhe way you want without them pushing any decisions on you.

mmaybe even take some pillows from home things to make you feel relaxed.

HTH

I was actually just reading back on what I wrote and I sound like a right winge arse - Sorry girls.

I'll just have to have a proper think about what I want to do and FIND ways around their RULES!!

Will speak to MW on Weds about birth plan etc.

Cheers for that MM.

Definitely LS. Their rules do sound very stringent, but if a home birth is not an option then defnitely see what you can do to make it better, they dont seem very helpful to be honest.

It doesn't sound like a good place to give birth.

I was in the hospital last night and had some really painful pains in my stomach which dissapeared almost as soon as I was back in the car. If just the thought of labour like that is doing this I don't think i'll manage on the actual day.

Hey MM seeing as you're going to be having your baby anyway, wanna have mine too?

hahaha.... just give it a good think over the weekend.... and see how you can make it better... they doont seem to be able to help.

Mmm. Applying nit treatment to my own head in a hospital bathroom. Not going to go down as one of my favourite life moments!

Hi Ladies,

I've been trying to find the set of questions for DPs to ask in the hospital but I can't. Was the arcronym BRAN? I think I remember Mrsmc posting something about them plus someone else.

If you know them, could you repost?

Wonder how Awen is.....

hi susie, i think BRAN was:
Benefits (of doing whatever is being suggested)
Risks (of doing whatever)
Alternatives (are there any?)
Nothing (what happens if we do nothing?)hope that's right.

fruitful - oh dear, i vividly remember having nits about 13yrs old, i was soooo mortified, was spending the w/e at a friends and her mum ended up treating us both .
hope yours go quickly {bugger off nits!}.

mixedmama - hope we see you back soon

luckys - i'm with you on this. i mean the cord isn't going to pulse for hours and leave other women without a m/w ffs. and surely they 'hang around' for a little while afterwards as you have to deliver the placenta and to make sure you are ok??

i know someone said about a home birth, is it an option for you? really worth considering from what you've said. plus you want to be relaxed in labour and it doesn't sound like a relaxing place to me...
other hosp choices???

right, middle of making more bingo cards, must get on!

Trying to catch up ladies. This maternity leave lark is wrecking havoc with me posting!

Awen due date buddy - ARAGGHHHH!! Hope you are ok and all goes well and dp is back home from japan. I was SURE you'd be early. Remember your bfp! It's mad its gone so quickly.

Amani - yes keep dd occupied as much as you can. Mine definitely thinks its weird that I'm home all the time. Am happy shes got a few weeks to get used to the change before LO arrives!

Fruitful - how bl**dy awful re the nit lotion in hospital!

Luckysalem - how much are you willing to pay for us to have the baby for you !!!

Mixedmama - post soon. I know it will be difficult but we'll miss you. I can hardly speak with my frequent disappearances.

Right - everyone else. Hope you're well.
Off to watch Ugly Betty in a mo and chill. xx

BM - Just raided my savings ladybird and apparently I own £2 will this work?

Katy - I'm going to speak to the MW on Weds to see if a homebirth is possible for me. I've got a feeling they'll tell me I can't because of my weight. Although I'm not as heavy as I was at the beginning of my pregancy... so maybe.

Awen - Where are you?!?! I hope everything is ok and DP gets back in time.

@naetha - I thought my LO had definitely started to engage for the same reason.. always having to run to the loo, esp when standing. Apparently not though. Think he must just be get getting fat and heavy

@lucky - oooh, sorry your labour ward visit was so horrible. Any chance of contemplating a homebirth? At any rate, I don't think they can actually enforce a lot of the rules they mentioned to you, they're probably just trying to scare you into compliance. You're the boss.... although, enforcing bossness can be uncomfortable when there's nothing much going on, would be best to avoid if possible.

i had a lovely day today - off to the osteo first up to deal with the slowly recovering ankle and ongoing rib/top of bump pain, then spent the afternoon with my friend and her gorgeous 8 week old baby boy. He was such a delight. I still can't really believe I'll have one of my own so soon, but assuming it is true (and the enormous bump could be a clue) then I'd definitely like one just like him. Totally adorable.

Got home to find that our Moffii cradle had been delivered, so just spent a little while getting it set up... it's excellent, I'm so happy with it. It's going to look so good with a LO in it

Congrats to everyone who made it through to maternity leave! Happy weekend!