Due Aug 08 - And the Signs of Labor ARE....

[TwilightSurfer]

This is it!! Some of us have already started the descent into new BABYDOM. Best to arm ourselves with the facts. Here you will find the Signs of Labor. Just don't panic. Remember women around the world have been giving birth for ages. You are not alone nor will you be alone throughout this entire process. We are all here for each other no matter what. So let us go forward with heads high and bellies low.

This little quiz might also be helpful. Remember we are in this TOGETHER!!

DUE AUGUST 2008 STATS
[TSupdate04JUL08]

GROUP TOTAL: 57

DELIVERIES [BOYS (0) vs. GIRLS (0)]
sample23JUL via VB SOMEBODY delivered Jenny Sue, 8lbs 3oz & 55cm [EDD 08AUG]
sample24JUL via CS SOMEBODYELSE delivered Timmy, 6lbs & 43cm [EDD 31JUL]

WAITING ROOM [BOYS (12) vs. GIRLS (15)]
21JUL IlanaK is 35 and lives in Central London. She has 2DSs, 6y & 3y. Expecting DC#3 via CSec (EDD was 24JUL), a BOY to be named Saul.
23JUL Voodoococonut is 29 and lives in Manchester but moving to West Midlands asap. She has a DD, 19M. Expecting DC#2, a SURPRISE.
24JUL Alittlebitshy is 28 and lives in East London/Essex. She has a DD, 5y. Expecting DC#2 via CSec (EDD was 03AUG), a SURPRISE.
29JUL Miamla is 32 and lives in North London. Expecting DC#1, a BOY to maybe be named Theodore.
29JUL Bigboydiditandranaway is 36 and lives in Midlands. She has a DS, 26m. Expecting DC#2.
30JUL Dizzydixies is 32 and lives in Fife. She has 2DDs, 4y & 2y. Expecting DC#3 via VBac or CSec, guesses it's a girl.
31JUL SassyLou is 33 and lives in Cheshire. She has 2DDs, 7y & 5y. Expecting DC#3.
01AUG PhilB is 31 and lives in SE London. Expecting DC#1, a SURPRISE.
01AUG Pertelote is 30 and lives in East London. Expecting DC#1, a SURPRISE.
02AUG Vintagegardenia is 35 and lives in Ireland. She has a DS, 9y. Expecting DC#2, a SURPRISE.
02AUG Mum2b1 is expecting DC#1.
02AUG Shazza2002 is 27 and lives in West London. She has a DD, 5y. Expecting DC#2, a SURPRISE.
04AUG SKYTVADDICT is 40 and lives in Lincolnshire. She has a DS, 13m, and 2DDs, 8y & 12y. Expecting DC#4 via CSec (EDD was 08AUG), a SURPRISE.
05AUG ChaCha is 32 and lives in Oxford. She has 2DCs, 2y & 10m, Expecting DC#3 via CSEC, guesses it's a boy.
07AUG BraveNewWorld is 31 and lives in London. Expecting DC#1, a GIRL.
08AUG LadyOfWaffle is 22 and lives in Berkshire. She has a DS, 2y. Expecting DC#2, a SURPRISE.
08AUG Mummypud is 28 and lives in Wiltshire. She has a DD, 2y. Expecting DC#2, a GIRL.
08AUG Bealcain is 21 and lives in Kent, She has 2DSs 2y & 1y. Expecting DC#3, a GIRL to be named Delilah.
09AUG BirthdayBaby is expecting DC#1.
10AUG Lcy is 30 and lives in Wales. Expecting DC#1, guesses it's a boy.
11AUG Sarahnh is 32 and lives in West Midlands. She has a DD, 2y. Expecting DC#2, a GIRL to maybe be named Tess Alexandra.
11AUG Foghornleghorn is 23 and lives in Northampton. She has 2DDs, 3y & 1y. Expecting DC#3, guesses it's a girl.
11AUG Sibh has 2DCs, DS 5y & DD 2y. She is expecting DC#3.
12AUG Buckets is 31 and lives in Southampton. She has a DD, 4y, & a DS, 3. Expecting DC#3 via CSec (01-07AUG?), a BOY to maybe be named Kurt.
14AUG Hardygirl is 36 and lives in SW London. Expecting DC#1, a SURPRISE.
14AUG HazieDazieandBaby is 26 and lives in Aberdeen. Expecting DC#1, a GIRL to be named Gabriella.
14AUG Gigglegirl is 32 and lives in Stockport. She has a DD, 4y, and 2DSs, 2y & 1y. Expecting DC#4, a GIRL to be named Imogen.
16AUG Longwayfromhome is 29 and lives in Argentina. Expecting DC#1, a BOY to named Tomas.
16AUG Pregnancy1 is 31 and lives in London. Expecting DC#1, a GIRL.
17AUG CaptainCaveman is 35 and lives in Nottingham. She has a DS, 3.11y. Expecting DC#2 via VBac, a BOY.
17AUG Iliketosleep is 24 and lives in Wolverhampton. She has 2DDs, 7y & 6y and a DS, 4y. Expecting DC#4.
17AUG Poppysocks is 30 and lives in St Andrews. She has a DD, 2.4y. Expecting DC#2 via CSec or maybe VBAC, a GIRL.
17AUG Warthog has a DD, 2y. Expecting DC#2, a GIRL.
17AUG Jennylee is 30 and lives in West Lothian. She has a DS, 9y. Expecting DC#2, a GIRL.
18AUG Kezza7779 is expecting DC#1, guesses it's a boy.
18AUG Expectant is 32 and lives in Singapore. Expecting DC#1, a SURPRISE.
18AUG Cheerfulvicky is 24 and lives in Cornwall. Expecting DC#1, a BOY.
19AUG SazzlesA is 35 and lives in Cheltenham. She has a DD, 18m. Expecting DC#2 via VBAC or CSec, a GIRL to maybe be named Emma.
19AUG Karney is 39 and lives in Glasgow.
19AUG TwilightSurfer is 37 and lives in Tennessee, USA. She has a DD, 4y. Expecting DC#2 via VB, a GIRL to maybe be named Maggie Ethelyn.
19AUG Daisy26 is expecting DC#1, a GIRL.
20AUG Ejesmum is 38 and lives in Exeter. She has a DS, 4y. Expecting DC#2.
20AUG Stillhere is 36 and lives in Yorkshire. She has a DS, 2.5y. Expecting DC#2, a SURPRISE.
21AUG Pinchypants is 34 and lives in Guildford. She has a DD, 20m. Expecting DC#2.
21AUG Musm2go is 35 and lives in B'ham Solihull. She has a DD, 6y. Expecting DC#2, a BOY.
23AUG Stickybean is 27 and lives in North London. Expecting DC#1, guesses it's a girl.
24AUG Libbyssister is 34 and lives in Oxfordshire. She has a DS, 2.11y. Expecting DC#2, a BOY.
24AUG Cyteen is 32 and lives in Leicester. Expecting DC#1, a BOY.
24AUG SausageAndMash is 37 and lives in London. She has a DD, 3y. Expecting DC#2.
25AUG Petitfilou is 36 and lives in S Oxfordshire. She has a DS, 4.4y, & a DD, 2.10y. Expecting DC#3, a BOY.
25AUG Oopsacoconut is 32 and lives in Wiltshire. Expecting DC#1, a GIRL to be named Poppaea Anna.
26AUG Ellasmum1 is 30 and lives in North Staffs-Newcastle under Lyme. She has a DD, 5y. Expecting DC#2, a BOY.
26AUG Dancerandprancer is 31 and lives in Devon. She has a DD, 28m. Expecting DC#2, a BOY.
26AUG No1putsbabyinthecorner is 30 and lives in South Yorkshire. She as a DD, 1y. Expecting DC#2.
28AUG Ataraxis formerly Readyforbed has 2 DSs, 5y & 3y, and is expecting DC#3, a GIRL.
29AUG Waytoomuchchocolate is expecting DC#1, guesses it's a girl.
30AUG AnnVan lives in Kent and is expecting DC#1, guesses it's a boy.

thanks VG! I knew i could rely on someone answering me! i had a go earlier, seems you need to be a bit of a contortionist but hey, if it helps things in the long run i'm willing to give it a go!
fatty acids may be an easier way forward though!

Mollie i'm just going to echo what everyone else has been saying..thanks and congrats!

TS looks like you're star pupil and top of the class at the moment with grades like that! i'm not so sure that bealcain still won't be first though!

re changing tables...i'm going to be ok with a changing mat on a chest of drawers, aren't i? you're starting to worry me with all these tales of changing tables!

annvan i'm with you on feeling like i need to drink a whole bottle of gaviscon

bealcain hmm so you're the lady to get some sling advice from are you? i'm interested in getting one but haven't got a clue where to start! i'm quite slim with small norks (i love that word!) and think i'd probably use it round the house and possibly out and about as well. being able to bf in it would be a bonus but the main criteria is that it has to be ok for my back (i've got a dodgy weak back from breaking it a couple of years ago). Am I too much of a challenge for you?

I went to docs earlier just to get some more ferrous sulphate and what should have been a 10min walk either way and a 10min appt managed to take me 2 hours! still not quite sure how that happened I got absolutely drenched so when i got home i stripped and i'm now warming up in bed. perhaps tmi there! you didn't all need to know that i'm currently not wearing much!

Oooooh how'd I miss Miamla's post about that. Will go back and reread. But to comment now...I haven't. I didn't with DD. BUT during my labor with DD, at the end, my OB/GYN had a bowl of oil at my bum and was massaging away (couldn't feel it because of the epidural). I still tore. Now it's my understanding doing it prior may or maynot work, so much depends on the individual and their own body makings. Can't hurt to try plus it could be beneficial to uterine muscle development IF you get sidetracked and have a little .

Miamla, I didn't have a changing table with DD. At one point I had one of those curved pads on the dresser...then she got wiggly so I moved it to the floor and just slid it out from under her crib (the one she never slept in) whenever she needed changing. This time I'm just using a changing blanket/pad that I can toss in the wash (and probably just a towel if that's handier). We spent loads of time on her bedroom floor (playing) so floor changes were what worked for me pretty much the entire time she wore diapers. It was also good because we traveled a lot and oddly there's always a floor anywhere you go.

Annvan, you learn so many organisational skills in a very short time when you become a mum, it's amazing. When I went back to work I was a bad influence on colleagues because I was able to chat constantly while working and be just as (if not more so) productive as before! Yes lack of sleep to begin with can make you really quite cuckoo but with a 1st baby you have time to recover in the daytime if you allow yourself to. You just feed, change and go back to sleep, feed, change and go back to sleep til lunchtime.

Exciting news from Bealcain, Pertelote and TS (although it can take weeks to get to the revered 4cm so don't worry.)

hey everyone!

bealcain and TS -very exciting news!

yes, caveman, my belly button is sooo painful too! how much more can it possibly stretch (lots she realises)

but mind as been taken off that today cos GP said LO has moved from head down to transverse....so that's what that new massive lump is on the side of my belly - a head

think it's got time to move back though? any tips for making it do that??

Bealcain, I've been doing some light reading about waters.... Now this may only be a thing in the US but water breaks are considered very important by the doctors (sort of a clock marker). Medically speaking they want you to deliver within 24 hours of a rupture (as long as your not premature). Some places say 48 hours. I've heard midwives complain a bit about the 24 hour thing but abide by it for the safety of the baby. The second issue is the strep B test...surely they did that when you were checked, right? The doc told me today that beginning at my next visit I will be tested every week until I deliver.

I ruptured naturally at 1am and people started worrying around 5am when I hadn't dilated beyond 3cm....by 9am they began to augment my labor because I stalled at 4cm for like forever. 17 hours and 20 minutes after my water broke I delivered DD. On a side note: my contractions were very mild (almost not there) for several hours after my water broke. I'd say they REALLY KICKED IN about 8am (they were climb out of the bed, up the wall and claw the ceiling painful too).

If you get sidetracked and have a little what??

Is a little of what you fancy good for uterine development??

Congratulations Mollie--that's wonderful news. Every best wish for your pregnancy.

As to perineal massage, the thing about it is that if you do tear, then at least you can console yourself that you did your best to stop it happening. I had a third degree tear with DS (do not google that. You don't need to know) and spent a fair amount of time on a rubber ring in the weeks after. With DD I did the massage and when I had a second degree tear, it was a lot more manageable.

DH suggested last night asked last night if he could retrain as a perineal massage therapist. This is the same helpful man who has to be banned from listening to my hypnobirthing CD because it makes him giggle till he sobs ...

Sazzles this baby is oblique too, or I'm guessing so as the hiccups feel as if they are coming from inside my left hip. There has been a bit of an attempt to shuffle down though--I'm between 35 and 36 weeks, so hoping there's time for that to happen.

Sibh I think many DHs/DPs would be willing to retrain as perineal massage therapists (that's if they don't already believe they are experts in the field)...VG, thus the O .

Everyone does know that Os are good for uterine development??

Bealcain How exciting !!! Can't wait for another update.
TS Glad to see everything is heading in the right direction

Well I had a couple of pretty strong Braxton Hicks on Friday, DH looked quite concerned and I had a funny turn on Friday and another on Saturday .... went really hot, heart racing, funny vision etc. Have had pretty constant period pains today too although not mentioned to DH as he's starting to freak out a bit about the whole labour thing again .......

Changing stations. well, with dd i insisted that we got a chest of drawers with changer on top, and I used it once and realised i'm too short to get use out of it plus I was terrified dd would somehow fall off ... so we just put the mat on the floor and always did it there. Worked well for us and is the plan again this time....

I got dd to bed spot on 7pm. V impressed skipped bath though cos she had had a shower at the pool after her swimming lesson. I read her a MIlly Molly Mandy story. Did anyone else love them when they were small???? DH has gone into London to the cinema. He had meltdown earlier when driving me to have my bloodtest and we had a big row (about me refusing to drive myself there (I am terrified of parking places I don't know); me not liking his favourite girl's name; and him not having had a proper day off in months (to be fair, he's right... since January I've been working Monday eve and MOnday is his day off so he can't go out and about all day cos has to be back to collect dd). So i decided to be a good wife and send him off for some cinematic therapy!!!!!

twilight still not quite sure what your numbers mean but you seem pleased so, yay .

back home and still working! Sadly!
Kids in bed (of a fashion!) still a few thumps.
i'd rather be surfing the internet, planning for the baby or sleeping but hey ho!

Mollie Congratulations - hope all goes well for you this time. It was a lovely thought to post on here.

TS I agree with Sazzles - you should be a teacher, you love explaining stuff!
Ds2 has been poking me in the ladybits today, not sure what with but it really doesn't feel like a head- either feet or hands....

Have given up on the sex now, and weirdly BHs have calmed down. I think I had 'developed my uterus' quite enough

AnnVan Having children is a life changing event and no-one can quite explain it to you until you do it. But yes they are worth it. However you do need a rock solid relationship to get through the first year!

Oh dear, feel like a bit of a numpty was refreshing page every so often and wandering where everyone had gone. Finally realised that the discussion had moved onto another page Duh!
Thanks all for your replies re motherhood, I guess I'm so nervous because I'm the first of my RL friends to have a baby. My sister has a DD but she doesn't cope very well as a mum, so it's not much comfortlooking at her example.

AnnVan I still don't feel very good as a mum but am on my third nevertheless! It isn't easy but you never hear people saying they'd go back to not having children. I have always worked part time to keep my sanity - some of us need to, some of us love being a SAHM, some need or have to work full time - you find a way to do it that suits you. Sounds like your sister hasn't found that yet.
One bit of advice - if you haven't got many RL friends with babies yet you will need to put your hard hat on and go out and make some that do have them. My NCT group were a lifeline to me after I'd had ds1. You just have to be brave and talk to people until you find someone you get on with...

Must get off, DP justarrived home soaked through, bless him. He looked like a drowned rat. See you all later.

Thanks PF!

You are welcome - after all I am one of the 'thread Grannies' aren't I - has to be good for something!

FYI for those who get lost with PAGES of posts, there is another option you may choose.....no pages.

Here's how to change things:

1. Find Customise Talk Board (second row from top under Active Convs) at the top of this page.
2. Find Message Display (second section of options)
3. Select Unlimited in the box beside Messages per Page.

[I also like to see most-recent-first as my Reading Direction]

1. then click Save Changes

Now you can scroll up and down the entire thread without pages refreshing or having to go to another page to read/catch up.

I can tell you are almost all on Maternity leave!!! There are 5 new pages since this morning.

Homemade chicken balti and rice for dinner followed by donuts mmmm.

TS and Bealcain - is there a race on?

Dizzy good to have you back - Hope all goes well tomorrow at your mum's appointment.

Miamla - I am roughly following a book By Gowri Motha and she is a BIG advocate of Perenial massage - use either almond oil or olive oil and you can add a popped capsule of vitamin E to the mix. SHe has a special herbal blend but the almond/olive oil mix works just as well. I have found a very willing helper in DH who is willing to do the daily 10/15 minutes. If you want any further info just let me know and will see what i can fish out regarding technique.

Annvan - as another 1st time mum to be I also worry about being ready and a good mum alot of the time. We have had a fab supportive NCT leader who went through how to make it an easyish transition - having a DP, You and Baby babymoon - no one else just you, dp and bubs for the first few days then alternating days for visitors. Although if your family are coming from SA it may be just having someone who you can tell to go away when you need a break and who will make tea/food/etc when you need them.

Sorry for the waffle but you all seem to leave me with loads to catch up on.

TS - that is brilliant! It's been driving me mad as to why my settings are different at work and at home

I have 3 weeks left at work - can't wait!

Silly Q - has anyone else ever had their belly button pierced? I had mine done when I was 18 and haven't had anything in it for about 6 years (it's never closed up), but it looks really weird. The inner hole is practically a second outer hole (to be expected I guess),but it has caused a lip of skin to be stretched at the top of my belly button (the rest is clinging on as an innie/flattie). Is everyone else's like this or is it just becuase mine's been pierced?

No belly piercings here. But I will say my innie is now officially an outie.

Oops....NO I do not want to race yet. Plus Bealcain has such a lead on us all, there'd be no use in even entering the race at this point.

TS: "I ruptured naturally at 1am and people started worrying around 5am when I hadn't dilated beyond 3cm....by 9am they began to augment my labor because I stalled at 4cm for like forever"

Gosh that's really quite interventionist isn't it? You most likely stalled because they were hassling and worrying you! Apparently if a cat is disturbed during labour and doesn't feel safe, her labour will stop completely until she finds a safer place to give birth - same applies for humans. Stress inhibits natural release of oxytocin (the contraction hormone).