Due December 08 - time to start blooming and glowing.

[JamInMyWellies]

New thread lovely ladies

chutney poor you, hope you're all dried off now.

I forgot about all the emotions .

I also thought of another but can't think how to word it properly! Basically, be prepared to think that every little cough, burp & possett (sp?) means the baby is ill. Generally, they're fine and its normal! But otoh, don't be afraid to ring the midwives or HVs if you do think something is wrong.

completely agree veggie, after a 3day labour with DS I came home 6hrs after popping him out and had 8 members of my family who then spent the following wk telling other relatives how fat I still was FFS I had only just given birth!

My tips,

• defo cook as much as you can in advance and freeze into portions.

• get lots of table salt and if you have stitches, twice a day put a cupful of salt into the bath and swoosh your nether regions around in it.

• preperation H, arnica, lanisoh, masses of sanitary towels the really thick maternity ones, SAVOY CABBAGE (miracle cure for sore boobs).

• SKY PLUS, magazines a fully charged laptop (if you are breastfeeding you will be stuck to the sofa lots).

• remember you will feel like you have been hit by a train, your body will take time to recover, your tummy will take time to tighten up again, your legs and hands will get water retention, you will still be wearing maternity clothes.

• dont panic you will at some point in the first few days go oh my god we have a real live baby forever!

Blimey thats all a bit negative.

BEST THING OF ALL YOU HAVE A BEAUTIFUL BABY

If possible, have 2 moses baskets. One downstairs, one upstairs, saves carrying one up & down (look at NCT nearly new sales, always a bargain there, just get a new mattress). Have a changing table set up downstairs so you're not going up & down.

Your tummy won't go back to normal straight away. Do as little as possible and stay at home for the 1st week if you can. Get DH to get your food change the baby and well everything you just chill out cuddle your baby and be together with you DH and you wonderful new baby. It sounds a bit old fashion to have a week lie in as the call it i think but i did it with DS and it was wonderful, it was like we 3 were in this little cocoon of snuggles and love it was summer so spent most of the time with juts my bra and sarong on and had lots of skin to skin contact with DS. We had a sofa bed and we layed on it watching DVD's and cuddling, it was really lovely. Not sure how that will go this time as DS will be 3.5 by the time this one comes along.

Has anyone on this thread got Type 1 diabetes, a friend of mine has and has just found out she is pregnant. Her Consultant and diabetic nurses are really positive about it but the gynaecologist has been very negative and has her scared that if she does go full term she will likely have a still born baby. She is really upset and doesn't want to get happy about being pregnant as she thinks she will lose it. Does anyone have any experience of this?

veggie how awful for your friend. I don't have experience of it but I do know that pregnant women with diabetes are more likely to have large babies, babies with birth defects and stillborn. However, I believe that these problems are generally if the diabetes is poorly managed (so poor diet, little exercise etc). Many diabetic woman have a planned induction or c-section to reduce the risks.

I think the gynaecologist could've been a more tactful but is it possible she/he was just preparing your friend for the worst that could happen? Admittedly, not what you want to hear!

It sounds like she's got really good support from others though so her diabetes will be well managed with regular insulin checks etc.

hth

Actually, I've just reread my post & I'm not sure that's really helpful at all. No doubt that's what your friend's been told already.

Sorry

thats ok Rosmerta i can see what you are getting at. I think she is feeling a bit dispondant and felt the Gynae treater as if she was irresponsible for getting pregnant. she was aware of the risks but instead of giving her statistics they said things like "it is very likely you will have a still born baby" and that they will probably have to "cut you open" a week before the baby is due as a precaution, why they couldn't just say she will probably have a c-section, i don't know.

anyway hopefully they will be a little more sensitive as things progress. I think it's good to give information but causing stress won't help her condition. She has quite good control normally, so hopefully things will be ok.

How very unhelpful Veggiemum. I think if they know about your diabetes and you are properly monitored by a consultant and MW who specialise in diabetes care you would be fine. The risk of stillbirth etc as Ros says is I think more in cases of uncontrolled diabetes. There are people on here who have diabetes (I think Oblomov is one?) and are pg, and I know 2 people in RL who have successfully had 2 babies each with Type 1 diabetes.

Honestly, some consultants should be shot! They clearly missed the 1/2 hour training on interpersonal skills.

yeah i really don't know how these people get into gynae, i'm lucky that i have always just had midwives the only time i see doctors is the GP at the beginning when i tell them i'm up the duff. I'm a health professional myself (paediatric nurse) and it really upsets me when i hear how other medical or health staff treat people with so little respect and just rudely.

Tips: I would extend the pjs/lounging on sofa/not doing much advice to 2 weeks . We were a bit extreme in that we refused visitors for those 2 weeks as well, but only cos our families are far away and would have come for hours.

If you're bfing, realise that that is your priority for those early weeks (at least 6) and farm out everything else if poss (cleaning, nappy changing, whatever). Babymoom: i.e. stay in bed/on sofa, lots of skin to skin contact and feed!

Re the babymoon thing, I found it helpful to think of the 1st 3 months as the last trimester - baby is still v small and needs lots of cuddles and reassurance. Don't worry about bad habits or routines, things will start to make more sense later on.

Accept all help. If no help offered, ask.

Oh, and involve your partner from the start. Get him to change nappies and develop his patent method of getting the baby to sleep/stop screaming. You will reap the rewards later on!

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are all well, I'm really enjoying al the tips on how to survive when the baby is born, thank you!

Well I am a bit worried at the moment as I have been having some tightenings in my tummy last night and this morning with some pain in the night. I also thought I had been feeling the baby move earlier in the week but nothing for the last couple of days.

I phoned the midwife this morning who said not to worry about the movements as I shouldn't expect to feel them every day at this stage. She thought the tightenings could be could be Braxton Hicks although she said it's a bit early for me to be feeling them (am 18+4) or it could be a wee infection or something else. I have to go to the midwife clinic this afternoon where they will check for infection and hopefully hear the heartbeat. Am just hoping it is nothing serious

Mibbes, I think you said you had something similar, did you find out what was causing yours?

Sorry for the 'me' post, hope everyone else is ok.

Hope everything is OK Pixsix.

Artichokes: how are you feeling? I am feeling a lot better after a couple of days on pg vits, though may be placebo effect.

Little Peanut I have just seen your news and am so sorry. I cannot imagine how hard it must be to lose your baby at this stage.

Effie Thanks for asking about me. I was fine yesterday and had no funny turns. To compensate for getting rid of one problem my body found another. Last night I started to get real pain in my lower tummy and got quite scared. I went to the doctor first thing this morning and it turns out I have a bad UTI and am now on antibiotics. The GP took my BP which was low when I took it at home on the day I had funny turns. It is back to normal (i.e high) today so maybe that is why the dizziness has been better. Who knows?

Pixsix I hope your tightenings are nothing. The pain this UTI has given me was so bad last night that I was scared it was the start of a very premature labour. Apparantly it is quite common.

feeling really breathless today, just feel like lying around doing nothing. Think i should take DS for a walk though otherwise will go stir crazy inside.

have an antenatal check up tomorrow which DH can come to so will be nice if we can hear the heartbeat.

dear all - i have just posted a conversation on the pregnancy board about pregnancy and voice. please read it if you are at all interested.

i am trying to write my MA dissertation on how pregnancy and chidbirth affects our voices (breathing/pitch/range/power) and whether there is scope for devising a pregnancy yoga type course, but with some voicing (the vibrations from our voices have the potential to travel through our bodies, including through the amniotic fluid to our babies - would you hum/sing more to your unborn child if you thought it was a way of connecting with them?)

i've got to write 12,000 words before the middle of september or i don't get my MA - any ideas/thoughts greatly appreciated.

thanks

waitinggirl, I did antenatal yoga last time around which included vocalisations. I'll find your thread & post about it

Dear girls, thank you so much for your thoughts.

little peanut so so sorry and sending hugs

as to books- I third the rough guide by Kaz Cooke, it keeps me very amused- the title was tamed for the much more sophisticated uk audience - in uncivilised Oz it is called 'Up the Duff'!

Verso I will start reading more RIGHT NOW!

artichokes sorry about the UTI- hopefully a good course of antibiotics will sort straight away.

Night night and take care

Ouch artichokes, that sounds painful. Hope it goes soon.

Good luck for your appt Veggiemummy: I finally get to see the mw next week

Is anyone blooming yet? We all seem to be languishing with various ailments. I do feel like I'm starting to get some energy back though, which is a relief.

Hello everyone - bet you thought I'd left you!!! Broadband at home has conked out and work has been too busy to catch up (how inconvenient!).
Glad everyone is doing well ...although I was shocked to the core when I read LP's post. Late miscarriages are horrible and devastating.

Feel a bit mean now saying that my scan last week went really well.

pixsix sorry to hear you are so worried - I had them last week at 18 weeks too - I just checked the internet and it said you can feel them from 14 weeks so I wasn't too worried. Alos it said that dehydration can cause them so have been drinking loads and it seems to have helped as none since Sat
Let us kow how you get on - maybe I should've got checked for an infection too...?
Veggiemummy Good luck for your appt - hope you get to hear the HB !

don't feel mean Olipop i'm sure LP would be as please as i am that your scan went well.

Sorry to hear work is getting in the way of MN for you.

we are all a bit affected lately aren't we. good news i think i have felt my bubby move, not as obvious as DS was at this stage, and could still be wind but i feel it's the baby. i think this one is not as active as DS but i just get the feeling she/he is starting to assert herself/his self.

Thank you Veggie.
How exciting that you've felt movements! I was trying to convince myself the other night that I could feel slight movements but looking back it was probably more to do with the bean chilli that I'd just eaten! I love wriggles so can't wait for it all to start!

I am really really sad for LittlePeanut. Poor poor thing. Hope you are resting up and getting heaps of love.

Like others, feel a bit self-indulgent posting about annoying pregnancy complaints after what she has been through...but I have got

1. Swollen ankles and feet - still
2. Dizzy spells, to the point of almost fainting (but this is only about once a week at most)
3. Headaches
4. Dodgy sinuses, yucky catarrh (TMI - I know) but I had this since I first became pregnant and apparently your nasal membranes soften and swell and this is what causes it. So I don't know whether the headaches are down to this or something else.

It does totally serve me right for not getting morning sickness. It all evens out in the end.

By the way, there's a nice sale on Isabella Oliver. The tops really do look swishy. Pricey but nicey.

LP, so sorry to hear your news and I wish you all the best.

To everyone who posted about routines and books since Monday (I've had a lot to catch up on!), thank you for the suggestions - I now have a lovely long reading list - I have several pg books, but hadn't even thought about getting something to advise once little one arrives.

A different question today (sorry, everytime I post I ask a question, but I get great answers!) - is any of those of us due around christmas sick of getting a negative response about being due around christmas? I can't believe people are being so rude (even the normally v nice people) as to say 'oh poor you, how awful having a christmas baby' (heard that several times now)! It's driving me a little bonkers and I'd love to have a nice cutting put down to use ...

Take care of all of you

Z.x