Due Sept 08: The one where we pack our bags and write our birth plan.

[mamamufin]

I thought I would be brave

Mama2bee - my mum and more recently my sisters have always bitten their babies nails off rather than use scissors! Apparently it is safer... Sounds just as scary to me tho.

There are various baby nail scissors here but I'm not quite sure what makes them particularly safe... I am fully intending to ask dp's sis to do them for me if I am scared, she already has a 2 year old ds!

urgh. link didn't work. here

they are so soft you can usually just pull them off with your fingers.

I've done 5 of the 7 (I added 1 thing) things on my list for today so feeling quite pleased. Mind you none of them were very major things that took hours (well they did take hours but shouldn't have really)

And thanks for the vote of confidence mama2bee!

I am mostly looking forward to using one of these. I know that it will seem absolutely fine when the alternative is a snotty PFB or sucking snot out myself, but I am entirely grossed out by them at the moment.

Tip for cutting babies nails - pidge delegates all responsibility to dp, dp decides to cut 3 week old's nails, dp snips bit of finger off and blood spurts everywhere, pidge berates dp for his cack-handedness, whilst failing to ever get close to any nail clipping herself.

Best way I have found for sorting baby nails is to either pull them off or bite them off.I have done this with all 3 dc's and it is sooooo much easier (and safer!) than those baby scissors/nail clippers.

I also found that scratch mits only worked for a couple of days until baby woke up a bit and wriggled like mad and managed to pull them off, constantly! Then I just used a pair of well fitting baby socks. Nowhere near as easy to get off, hahahahaha!

Also a good alternative is the sleepsuits with built in scratchmits/fold over ones. They don't come off and are brill.

Hello everyone, gosh is there really a due in Feb? Caught sight of myself from the side on, really look like I am going to topple over, am 30w and measuring bang on for dates which is a lot for a little one like me.
I found scratch mitts great (DD was a little scratcher and was glad to find M&S did scratch mitts up to 9-12 mo!) but no luck with those baby nail clippers (and did graze her finger once which was as traumatic as her first vaccination...) I will use proper nail scissors as have the round ended ones for DD, but a good metal pair that are easy. I don't like tearing as it seems to go too low when I do it.
I am feeling full of the joys as I had an appointment with my obstetrician yesterday to discuss my birth plan and he was absolutely brilliant - very onside with my plans for active labour, anti monitoring, and asked as I was not a G&A fan if I had considered water. I just hope the midwives are a bit nicer this time. Last time one was desperate for me to have an epidural so I would shut up wailing!
I was also thrilled to see the maternity refurb progressing in time - the new bit of the ward is open and looks brand spanking new and clean and lovely. I was dismayed to see they even have flatscreen TVs as my husband keeps going on about watching the Ryder cup if the baby arrives on time! I had been getting a bit nervy thinking about birth and all again so now I feel really positive about it all, which is great.
DD is also progressing well with her potty and we are off for a week in Portugal 3-10 August so I hope I will not be missing the London meet!
Keep checking in how everyone is doing - hope those who are struggling are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel sometime soon!

Hi everyone.

I always found scratch mits fall off socks are great.

I use baby nail clippers i love cutting the dcs nails and they dont mind having it done never had a problem cutting them when they were little.

it feels like the babys head is going to pop out at any time im having trouble walking it feels like i have a melon up my fanjo lol.

Ive suggested a date for the meet up.

Hi guys
Gosh I am shatered. Ive had my mum and toddler friends around all afternoon. Unfortunately, my ds was so hyperactive I am seriously wondering if he has that ADHD. It is obvious he is such hard work compared to the others his age. I hope this one is more relaxed.

Lol at the melon lolly :0)
Love the photos deb you look amazing. Cams kilt is fab too!
Ive just received the new next catalouge and they do the baby grows with the mitts attached. Early night for me.

Lordy, what a crappy day I've had...

Went to pahrmacy this morning to try and get something for the itching and the pharmacist wasnt happy and told me to go next door and see a GP.

I went next door to the GP and - amazingly! -there was a cancellation appointment at 10am.

Felt a bit daft tbh, but she rang the hospital and sent me to the maternity assessment unit to have an emergency blood test done and foetal monitoring.

Was there til 2pm but bloods came back ok and managed to get a heart trace on baby too.

The GP thought I might have obstetric cholestasis (sp?) but it appears not. Going for my next antenatal appointment a week on monday and they are going to repeat the bloods again to be sure.

Baby is currently transverse - ouch! - but its got loads of time to tunr...right???????

...that should read "turn"........

my DD was a transverse baby till i was 36 weeks....so yes youve got loads of time

Tiring day - had NCT class, but cab didn't turn up until late (I phoned to ask where it was and just got a recording saying 'it;s on it's way, it's a silver something', followed by the call to say it was outside my house when it wasn't), so was a little stressed - which is probably why 10 minutes in I felt very faint and had to lie down on the floor - probably the codeine again. Despite my assurances that the midwives say this is a perfectly normal pregnancy symptom, and the tutor calmly giving me a pillow and not batting an eyelid, the other 5 pregnant women all looked rather worried!

Watched a video of a water birth which made labour look incredibly easy - tutor admitted that yes, this was the woman's 4th and so our labours would likely be quite a lot longer, but basically the idea that we'll feel OK between contractions was most reassuring! (if this isn't true, don't tell me!!)

Then strapped myself together with support belt and got bus to town, passing Argos where I got a large gym ball with my Nectar points, couple other shops, and then to the bank where I spent 45 minutes getting a banker's draft... I knew there was a reason I didn't use that account any more. Followed by very squashed bus journey - the sort where two people have giant suitcases, others have huge pushchairs, add 8 elderly people trying to sit down and lots of others with shopping and it's all most trying. Time for another lie-down before I print 150 pages of stuff for work...

if people are wondering about birth plans and wondering what the hell goes into one, here are some which I found on an american site with some helpful links.

ohh my goodness you guys!

i had my first prenatal classes today...my husband wasn't interested in the nct classes because he felt that i might feel badly about not being able to give natural birth due to my stills (i get a little touchy about having this sickness with all my stupid limitations sometimes) anyway so we're taking this class at the portland hospital and today as a relaxation technique we were actually told to close our eyes and then clench our 'back passage' soo hard that our eyes and mouths would become squinty....

obviously i didn't close my eyes or clench my 'back passage'.

did anyone else have to do this?

hello everyone. I haven't posted for yonks but keep up, sort of!
I am in the bite baby's nails off camp rather than use scissors or mits - worked with my other 2 kids.

Sorry to hear about your horrible nights debithescot. Mine are pretty similar. It is just soooo tedious and increasingly painful to wake up for each turn and have to some how heave your legs over without your pelvis feeling like it is going to split apart. My husband did a very funny impression of how I he thinks I must turn given the tidal waves that spread across the bed each time I move. Sadly his version was a lot more athletic than the real thing!
I have got a support belt from physios but to be honest I need it most in bed not when walking around and I don't think that is recommended.

My GTT was in normal range, but high normal which has made me think I need to be a bit careful about sugar now - esp with very big babies that I have.

re rhesus - I decided not to have prophylactice anti-D then chickened out and got it anyway, Not sure about 34 week jab. Was it you pidge who said you were skipping it? what was your rationale?

I went for a pedicure and half leg wax today and was able to lie on my back with the bed only slightly raised. This felt like such a luxury to be on my back for the first time in months - never mind the treatments I want to buy one of the tables!

I am considering swopping my mat care from PRincess royal farnborough back to tommies where I had my 1st 2 - I don't think anyone on this list has exp of PRU? I found Tommies to be excellent at the day unit and during induction/CS, but rather variable post natally - I think like everywhere the postnatal wards are understaffed with a lot of agency cover which leads to big problems - women post c section expected to get their own food etc. My exp was ok but I saw other having a difficult time.

Anyway best wishes to all.
xxx

eandZ I had little leaks twice today for the first time , so I think I might start to take the pelvic floor exercises a bit more seriously!!!

blimey,
get those pelvic floor muscles moving!

kiskidsee,
i took your advice on a hot steamy shower!

ooh yes (oh dear me it's very late I have been a naughty talkboard surfer)
theee best cure for bunged up nose is to inhale salt water through each nostril in turn, yes it is very unpleasant and it hurts but my goodness it works! I only do it when v desperate with cold.

Starlight - do complain to Network Rail (who managed LivSt) about both the lack of access, advice and that numpty's attitude. Actually signage at LivSt is terrible in general - took me ages just to find a platform! Transport staff seem to come in two varieties - the really helpful although overworked majority, and the rest who give them all a bad name. Half the time it seems a massive understaking to keep anyone informed and helped...

Was earlier - MrNC called from having dinner with a friend. Car had been towed. Because he'd parked on a red route and not checked the signs properly about the bay he was in. So they came back here and had to get a cab to the depths of Croydon and then pay £260!!! At least him getting there tonight saved the £40 overnight fee, but him pointing out all the extra JohnLewis points I'd get on the credit card did not go down well!

Still, I now have a lovely and inflated gym ball from Argos - a 75cm one. In shiny and somewhat kinky-looking black!

NCT class tomorrow night on Caesarians. I imagine it won't make birth look as easy as the video today...

blimey - yes well remembered - I turned down the prophylactic anti-D at 28 weeks. My rationale is this (in no particular order!) - 1. this is my third and last baby, so I'm not particularly worried about antibodies in future pregnancies, 2. the risk of developing antibodies during pregnancy WITHOUT some external event like bleeding or a blow to the stomach is incredibly low 3. when the recommendations changed in this area (fairly recently) advising prophylactic anti-D to all Rh -ve women lots of reputable organisations opposed the changes, including I believe many midwifery organisations, and my local hospital (Kings) 4. anti-D is a blood product so although there's no current known risk of receiving it, there's always the unknown.
On the other hand of course, it is a very, very safe product. And certainly I will be accepting it after the birth if the baby is Rh +ve (as I have done after my previous two babies). If you search Mumsnet I think there are lots of threads on this topic.

Blimey
There's a thread in the childbirth thread about the PRU, and there are some wuite negative stories on there.

I lived in Bromley for a bit when dd was born, and went to an NCT postnatal discussion group there so heard lots about PRU and Lewisham - typical mix of good and bad stories for both.
1 friend though ended up having an unplanned homebirth on her own with just her dad outside looking for the ambulance because the PRU sent her home without even checking how dilated she was, and even though she could hardly leave, her contractions were so bad - also the m/w who came to the house after the baby was born wanted her to go to the hospital to be checked / stitched, and the hospital wouldn't take her.

Tommies gets better results on the birthchoice website, and it seems to be the only hospital in London rating as better performing - most are least well