Due March 2008- Alright everyone, let's see those babies!!

[turtle23]

New thread to fill with birth stories

I think we have a lazy bunch of babies here! Maybe they'll start arriving when this miserable dreary weather passes.

5 days overdue now and not even a twinge in sight! Back in for CTG on Monday, going for a long walk and a swim this afternoon. Blood pressure does seem to be causing everyone problems - surely it must just be an end of pregnancy thing if we are ALL having BP issues??

Turtle - your midwife sounds great, glad you're finally having a good experience! Is there a chance she could be your midwife for the actual birth?

Hello MissingMy Heels,..you andI got a race on?! Is this your first? IF not was no 1 late? My DS was 9 days over but only a couple of days over the original date calculated on cycles rather than scan EDD.

Oh, by the way, the evening my waters broke with DS1, I had been swimming for an hour in the morning, done a two mile walk in the afternoon and had my first afternoon nap of the pregnancy. They broke as I got out of the bath that night. So with your plan, maybe today is the day for you.

Keep us all posted I find it so wonderful to hear from others in just the same position.

MMh- no, alas, she is a hospital-only midwife. She does seem to work all the hours that god sends though, so am hoping if things go wrong and I end up in hospital that she'll be around. If you ever feel like a bit of company, my walking partner has abandoned me and I'm very up for exercising these babies out!! Perhaps space hoppers for miles are the way forward...

have been having a bit of a bounce around the living room much to dhs amusement. been trying to convince myself that my due date is earlier then scan says scan said 24th, lmp said 20th and i thought id oved 2 days early so reckoned 18th which would infact make me 39 weeks and not 38 wishful thinking prehaps. may go and ask the advice of the ladies on conception

had a lovely big walk today as well, around highgate woods with ds1 and my mum.

my friendly local evening contractions have started up again. ouch. this is the 3rd night now i'll have had them.

have a MW visit tomorrow, and another sweep booked, i'll be bloody livid if there's not been some noticeable change in state of cervix given all this pre-labour malarkey in the last week. sort of my last chance before induction on wednesday. which i can't be bothered to argue with.

c'mon babies, what's the wait for???

Not everyone is having BP issues, sorry!

As someone working in healthcare, I'm wondering if this is a case of "white coat hypertension" happening on this board?

Thats a joke, so no flames, please!

adelaidejo - have just said the same thing to my inlaws....all the added monitoring and putting the fear of god up you has to raise bp a bit!

Am hoping it's not also the cause of all the closed cervixes with fight-or-flight syndrome kicking in!
jaynef - a 4 mile cycle ride? I couldn't even get my leg over a bike at the moment let alone try to ride it

MB hope you have more luck with your appt than i did, i think i might avoid any more offers of sweeps as it's demoralising to find out nothing has moved when you know you've been having horrid contractions.
spugs, I so want a space hopper now!

I have had bp issues too, but twice when I have had it checked I had been talking about my last birth which would always make it rocket.
the reading is the systolic over diastolic. The systolic can go up with anxiety/ exercise etc. The diastolic is more likely increased due to problems, however, Jfly although the first reading was not perfect it isn't really high either. It is quite normal to have slowed kidney function during pregnancy and to get water retention causing swelling. This is due to the increased pressure, due to lack of space, on all the internal organs. Especially at the end of pregnancy where the baby is much bigger. It would be much more worrying having a high BP earlier on because the baby takes up much less space and so BP should be normal.

I would say from your post that some of the higher readings are due to you worrying about the BP and therefore pushing it up, thinking about PE etc. My advice is try not to worry. If you are really concerned then you can get a type of bp monitor which is attached for 24hrs at home (they attach it in the clinic). This rules out 'white coat syndrome' which is where just seeing a HCP makes your BP rise. HTH.

LOL adelaidejo you must have read my mind about the white coat syndrome!

Actually, I do get "white coat" occasionally, which is why I wasn't that concerned myself about my BP readings (all 7 of them!). And I knew that fluid retention is part of pg. I was more concerned about the fact that PE seems to be more complicated than BP figures alone and is a combo of symptoms/issues.

It's just frustrating to not have a clear picture when tests are ordered and results are given. I don't get why they do the tests in the first place, if they're going to put results down to being pg, and not investigate further, that's all.

But with any luck it's all academic as I'm sure I'll go into labour any minute!

merryberry you sound exactly like me, I've been feeling really rough between about 7-11pm all week, and then everything has totally disappeared by the morning. Have induction booked for Tuesday, and again just can't be bothered to argue with it, I feel awful and fed up! And how bad can it be? (nobody answer that please )

At the sweep the registrar said everything looked 'favourable' and have been having lots of 'show' in drips and draps... ARGH.

Am very impressed at all you active ladies - I know I should do something but all I want to do (and are doing) is lying around feeling sorry for myself, eating my own considerable weight in food and watching rubbish tv. Hope it works for you all!

am doing, d'oh

Oh good lord, I am peeved!! Travel system which O ordered at Baby Show in October and had delivered about 2 weeks is no good!!!! Car seat does not secure in DP's car at all and is secure in mine but worrying where the lap belt goes . So I have to rethink everything and fast!

Am really stressed and upset by this as I'd really liked the travel system and felt happy that it was all organised. Now I need to arrange getting both cars to Mothercare (or the like) to find a suitable car seat for both and then find a system I like that can incorporate the car seat. The Maxi Cosi Cabriofix seems to fit a lot of systems so am hoping, hoping, hoping that it will fit well in both our cars. Fell really cross with myself too.

I mean, why didn't I take both cars along to try out the car seat we'd ordered at any point during the last 4 months?!? Then I would have had plenty of time to cancel the order and research something different.

Also, DP is sick. Seems to have the bug that I had last week. Sods law I go into labour tonight with no car seat ready and a sick DP.

Hope everyone is having a nice Sunday. After saying that I don't want LO to come early (or at least until our bathroom is finished!), I think I've had the first signs of a show this morning (pinky, slightly blood veined discharged - sorry if TMI)? It appeared a couple of times when going to the loo, but only really small amounts, so I guess it could be coming away in drips and drabs..

Was at a family birthday party last night, very sensibly dancing in high heels until 1am this morning, so possibly this has helped to move things along....

fn41 Hang on in there re no induction/home birth. I'm with you all the way - stop the bullying

Am beginning to think that this board is jinxed! 2 girls in my NHS AN group have had babies in the last week and 1 in my NCT AN group... where are the babies for everyone on this board?!! C'mon... time for some action!! (But not from me as still have to finsih decorating!!)

Cricketsmum-It is only the 9th...they're going to start coming daily any minute now...hopefully mine will be early! Have you heard any more from B since this morning?

this lot of contractions are oooooooooh. have had to get up to cope with them. am going to tme the bnggers this time.

Hi everyone. Still a few days til due date (21st) but I'm having those mad hopes of an early baby although DD was 8 days late.
I'm drinking JUGS of raspberry leaves tea and it really gives me BH, like last time, but that's all the excitement I get.
I might have to ask DP for a bit of "help" (=prostaglandin)

Yey merryberry - go go go!

oh i dunno...i could talk through them you see, if there were anyone awake here to talk to so, not that strong. i just can't sleep throught them.

am liking the contraction timer could not be simpler.

when get bored next think i will whack the data into excel and work out average duration and frequency...lord i wish i had sommat else to do!

had to calc duration and freq myself once data pasted in as website outputs text...averaging a minute long at 8 minutes apart. still not convincing. just best so far the last 3 weeks.

need something else to do, another website to play with. am stuck in study as people sleeping all over rest of house!

bored of being awake in the house on my own. tired. not convinced will come to anything. will try paracetemol and sleep i think TTFN

Turtle - no, nothing since the text yesterday am which I assume you got too? Gutted that they didn't say whether boy or girl! Nice and little though - lucky B!

Having said I ddidn't want any action for myself am now getting contractions (BHs???) and backache - uncomfy not painful, so fingers crossed just a wake-up call to make me get on with the decorating. Back was too uncomfy to stay in bed so have left dh snoring and am waiting for it to get to morning so i can start up the sanding machines!

Havent read the last page properly, but am feeling a bit upset and hoping that you can all provide some support.

Dh was driving me last night when the cars in front did something stupid, i was dreamy dazing out the window and he had to pull an emergency brake. The seatbelt went into my bump, really hurting (i do have the seatbelt cover thing but bump is so low now it doesnt help). I had pains for an hour or so afterwards so phoned hosp who told me to come in for monitoring.

Went in and and had a 'trace' on the ccg machine thing which was ok but not quite lively enough for dr. He then raised issues about baby size, my mw said at last appointment (36 wks i was only 34cm) and he reckoned i was still only 33-34cm.

So I am supposed to have an ultrasound today or tomorrow to check for damage, placenta etc. But rather than just giving me an appointment as ultrasound dept was closed i have to ring up and book one myself (my community midwife could do it normally but she is on holiday) and i know that im going to have trouble getting appointment. So despite leaving hosp at midnight last night im sitting here since 6 waiting for 9 am to try and get a slot for scan, just hope receptionist believes me as they are used to drs and midwives calling.....

To make matters worse once i have scan i need someone to read it for me, the nice dr disappeared to lady in labour after examining me and paperwork lady was confused that as i am under mlc i dont have a consultant.