Due in June thread 6

[charleypops]

All I can say right now is AAAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!!

Hiya Pink... I hope I'm not the one who annoyed you

From your post, I'm pretty convinced you don't want any drugs, and certainly wouldn't advise anyone trying to push them on you.

You can hire a tens machine from boots. m I think you get to keep it for a month. But I also think it's not all that much more expensive to just buy it.

Oh No it isn't you Uwila I only really have one friend who has actually had a kid - we are totally different but she seems to think what was right for her will be right for me. It just really bugs me her telling me what to do when we are so different and are likely to approach pregnancy and birth differently.

Mainly she just off loads her pregnancy trauma on me and I have enough on my plate without hearing horror stories. I think I am quite good and handling the whole ordeal really considering I don't have anyone to off load my doubts on. I am having offers of her being at the birth. I love her to death and everything but I think I would end up killing her (though good pain relief to be concentrating on something else ) not to mention I would feel humliated having my privates on show. We aren't that close...

bloody hell you lot can talk!! i have one bust socilabale day and you talk for england - bet tomorrow when i'm in work and bored there will be no one around!!!

Pink - i hired a TENS machine and can highly recommend them, my midwfie noted that i was pushing the buttons just after the contraction started and again just before it finished suggestign that i wasn't feeling the whole thing, she also felt that the size of the contractions according to the machine would have been very painful but with the TEN is wasn't feeling a lot,. I hired one from mothercare i think and even with dd being 3 weeks early it arrived just before the birth. all i will add is the sooner you apply it the better, i put mine on before the drip went in so just before my contractions started (i know not possible in normal labour!!) The only reason i took it off was when i went into transition the vibration was bugging me and made DH take it off NOW!! but i hadn't turned it off and he got a nice little shock from it!!!!

A think a drug free labour is very doable i only used the gas and air for less than an hour, i stopped because having the mouth piece in gave me something to bear down on i and was onyl 2cm dialated at the time plus again the noise of it bugged me. so mostly i had a drug free labour and plan to again.

katzguk Thats so encouraging. I don't actually know any real live people who had drugs in labour. My cousin had a water birth at home and her hubby delivered both times with the midwife there but he was like a new age daddy! The only time I know of people around me who have had medicated births are for a casearian.

I think I'll buy a machine as they are only a bit more expensive and the rental service might run out if you are over due and you would end up paying the same amount. Also I'll sell it on Ebay

I wish more people I knew had had kiddies then you could hear what all of them have to say. I'm glad I've got mumsnet or I'd be hiding under my bed sweating day and night. Oh I hope I have a nice short labour like Teabelly. Lippy I don't know how you did it

i decided very early with DD that i was going to be all or nothing in labour, either no drugs (or gas and air) or an epidural and since i really didn't want the later i tried the TENs. with hiring providing you let them know its going to be back late most companies don't charge a late fee.

evening all,
finally got a chance to log on!
trib-congrats on your BOY
we had our scan today and i'll give you all one guess....its BOY!!!!
dh didnt believe the sonographer so she zoomed in and all the bits were there,no mistaken
everything else was fine but as he was moving so much i had to sit outside for 15 mins,then go back in for her to get the rest of the measurements!
im really pleased but also petrified as boys seem sooooooo scary and i dont know anyone who has one-lol!!!
im sure i'll come round though especially as we've waited so long for this and he'll be loved loads
trib,my scan photo was also rubbish but that was probably because he wouldnt keep still.my first scan picture is much clearer but this one evens shows his eyes which is a bit freaky!!!
lipstick,good luck for tomorrow-my bet is on a boy-just going with the flow
lummox,welcome to the june thread-glad you've de lurked
re the antenatal classes,i wasnt going to go to them but now i think i might but only for the social side of things.i dont actually know many people near where i live and havent many friends with children so thought it might be a good idea to go,to meet other people in the same boat
charley,hope your "seeds" are doing their jod-ha ha

dont know whats wrong with my spelling-must be tired!!

More boys!! wow bloody hell - There is no missing it is there. Honestly I was like - "is it supposed to be that big?" the scanner was giggling a bit at my surprise. I was sure she had mixed it up with the cord. Oh well Congrats!

Congrats on the BOY both of you

so is that all boys so far bar one girl? wow

DH is convince we're having a girl but i'm still not sure!!

BUBALOO congrats on the healthy baby boy!
This is truly amazing!!
I think you are right, lippy you have no choice, it is a boy!
So I think I remembered you mention in you stats thread that your doctor thought you were one month ahead.... are you? I keep wishing they would say that on my 20 week scan. Not because I am in a hurry, but I wanted an excuse for my humongous bump!

Aw Tea, hope you aren't feeling left out. Besides you already have a cute boy. Hope his willy has calmed down now.

That's funny Pink. That's what DH and I thought. I think his exact words after we left the scan was "Those were some nuts". I wonder if it just swells up in the fluid or if the scan image makes it look bigger than it really is. My three legged baby.

Good luck, Lippy. I bet it's a girl after all the boy hype. Have we got our football team yet?

I actually thought mine was a boy before we went because this pregnancy seems different -- less morning sickness, milder migraines. Just didn't seem like the hormones were all of the place as much as with DD. Of course then they say all pregnancies are different. So, who knows?

lua,i did ask about that today and she said all the measurements seem to fit in with me being 22/23wks so i guess my due date will stay the 9th june.
my doc only said that as he thought my uterus "felt" 4 wks larger but he also said that might be bacause i have a big baby
anyway...im really pleased ive got that out the way but now ive got a day of diabetes testing next thursday which im not looking forward to

I can't believe it! Another boy! Congratulations Bubbaloo, Lummox and Tribpot. This is quite amazing isn't it?

Pink - I hired a tens machine and I think you get about four weeks for your money. I definitely recommend it, but it's a completely personal thing, some people find them irritating. I used mine for quite a while whilst walking round the ward (couldn't sit down or have a bath as it made me feel more uncomfortable), then when I got too tired to walk any more I had pethidine. It seemed to do the trick for me, I went from 2 cm to 10 in about half an hour, started shouting 'I need a poo, I need a poo' very loudly on the pre-labour ward (whilst everyone else was having fish and chips for dinner). I was rushed off to the delivery suite where DS was born after about half an hour. There was just me, DH and a midwife, it was very relaxed, low key and peaceful...I was very lucky really, I don't look back and remember any particularly awful pain.

I won't be doing ante-natal classes this time but I did with DS - just went to a couple of local classes and I'd also recommend them purely for the social thing. I've made some really good friends with the girls I met just before and after having DS.

Love the idea of putting in a few special requests on your birth plan, especially the idea of having everyone singing happy birthday at the crucial moment . It really made me laugh.

I'm not going to even try to respond to all the messages over the last few days, but I will try to keep up in future! I love this thread, it's so brilliantly social.

See, it took me ages to write that message and already another five have appeared!

I think I'm having a girl. So does DH, and most people I meet (everyone likes to guess don't they?). So it's bound to be another boy.

bubaloo, good luck with the diabetes test. In US is a standard test, so I had it first time around. I was borderline when I did it, and had to repeat it . I hate overly sweet stuff, so drinking the stuff was tough, but the test is a not that bad. In case no one else told you that, avoid anything sweet 12 hours before, that what happen with my borderline testand repeating is the worst!!!

Charley - posterior placenta is supposed to be the norm, and is the best. You feel more of the kicks and is not on the way if you (hopefully not!) need a c section.

Pink if you want to get pumped up for a no drug birth,I recommend this book
it is a bit 70's, but explains in detail all the stage of birth, and does a really good job of convincing me that as long as I didn't panick everything was going to be ok. I am like you, and like to be in control of the situation. This book gave me a lot of ammunition to be in control.

Welcome lummox! and many congrats on your boy!

Lua does the book have pictures? I am not overly keen on pictures and woulf prefer it if it didn't

I meant you know earth mother baby coming out pictures - not normal baby and parent type pictures....

Bubbaloo, I had Pernicious anaemia for a while about a year and a half ago. It never got so bad I had to have jabs though. I have had all sorts of aneamia/deficiency. I was anemic and suffering from mild scurvy when I concieved. Infact I was in really bad shape and I don't know how the hell this pregnancy is going so well to be honest. I didn't even have proper periods for about 4 years in total I am not sure how the hell I concieved to be honest. specially seeing as it only needed once too must be like some sort of Karma or something... there is no other reason, I am totally unfit I guess pregnancy vitamins are a life saver to make up for all the physical damage I probably would have done to Bubba if I had to do it entirely on my nutrition.

well ive now had a really s* evening!!!
looked at my banking online only to find that some so and so has cloned my bank card and taken over £1000 out of my account
phoned abbey who told me i need to report it to the police,get a crime number then ring their fraud dept in the moring.theyve acncelled all my cards so now ive got to wait for new cards and pins numbers,and then got to wait for new internet banking details to arrive.
have spent the last hour at the police station reporting it so im not in a good mood now at all
i suppose at least i get paid on friday BUT i probably wont be able to draw anything out anyway-who knows!!!
funny thing was we went to sainsburys the other evening and i used the atm to get some cash and i said to dh"this machine feels really strange-hope its not one of those dodgy ones!"-typical.
anyway....sorry about my rant but i feel a bit better now and im off to bed-got to be up at 5!!!

Mornin' everyone. Just wanted to be first today.

Bubba - first congratulations on your boy (what else!). Second sorry to hear about your rubbish evening This happened to a friend of mine and she was able to get all of her money back fairly quickly so I hope you will be okay. Have you asked Abbey if they can release any funds to you in the interim?

We're planning on doing the antenatal classes (and NCT) partly for the social opps, we don't know anyone locally at all, never mind with kids! (Except dh's 13-year-old niece who is keen as mustard to come and help out, bless her). However, we are also in the process of deciding whether to stay here or move to be closer to my mum - tricky one really as we have to move house in any case (second floor flat with no soundproofing, I can hear my downstairs neighbours coughing/talking/phones ringing, all sorts). But will have to move again when I look for work at the end of the year. Hmmm.

Have other MNetters found it useful to be near Mum or MIL? Mine won't be around all the time as she's very busy, plus dh and I will both be at home full-time and he is fully domesticated, so our situation is not 'usual' in that way. (Hard to say how ill he is likely to be though).

Trib, I think the advantages of living near mum or mum-in-law depend very much on your retaionship with her and her personality. I have a fried (from my first prenatal class as it happens) whose mother looks after her now toddler. She just drops her off and picks her up, just like a free childminder only it's actually the child's grandmother. She has literally no childcare bill.

But, not all grandparent are so willing and so capable. For instance, if I lived near my mother, I'd be lucky to get much more than a weekly visit to a posh restaurant which would of course be remarkably unsuitable for a baby / toddler. However, as she lives in Chicago, that's not really an issue for me. My MIL lives in Brum and isn't of sound health herself. It's not really an atmosphere where a toddler could flourish. They are perfectly nice, and care for DD. But they don't encourage much in way of educational activities and they smoke like chimneys. Besides, we of course couldn't commute to and from Birmingham every day (as we live outside London).

Lummox,
Are you going to join us at the London meet? Never too late late to join in the fun, you know. Besides we are all really lovely people and would like you to come?

It's on April 02 at 1:00. (see meet thread for location details)

Morning all,

Bubb and Lummox - more boys!!! Well yours had better be a girl Lippy or my little one will have a great set of future boyfriends to choose from, he he he

Bubb what a crap thing to happen - my dh used to work for a bank and says you definitely should get all your money back...also as Trib said you should be able to arrange to get access to some funds in the interim. And then you have your diabetes test next week!!! I have mine on the 8th of March so if it's really awful don't tell me, I'm a massive needle wimp!

Lummox - loved the stats update...you absolutely have to come on the London meetup, it's great and as there's no kiddies this time we can all get tiddly on a glass or two of wine aswell...now if that's not incentive.... Actually Bubb didn't you make noises about coming to the next one too?? And anyone else lurking too!

Pink I commend your anti drugs stance - I'm far too much of a wimp myself...and as I figure you get no medals for refusing pain relief I'm in the 'take all I can get' camp. Would second all those praising tens machines - although I do know that it helps some and not others...know what you mean on the pictures front too...dh bought me a copy of a preggie magazine when I was expecting ds...and they had pics of a birth in it - I nearly fainted there and then on the sofa

Congratulations on your boy Bubb!!

Thanks for the thoughts, Uwila. My mum is an expert granny (this one will be number 10 including all my step-sibs' offspring) and is very good at only offering advice when it's asked for and generally not trying to take over - I fear that if we show any signs of not coping in front of the MIL (who is local to us right now) she will be in there taking command, making us swaddle the baby even if we don't want to and generally p*ssing me off. I've already told dh that if I have post natal depression he's not to let MIL come round and start taking over - one of my sisters-in-law had PND after my oldest nephew was born and her mum swooped in and took the baby away for a week, surely a disastrous thing to do under the circs? Anyway, I digress.

My mum certainly won't be offering regular, free childcare as she has too much to be getting on with, but will be able to do the odd hour or two, which might give us a very welcome breather, particularly if dh hasn't improved at all by then. Plus my youngest sister-in-law would also be local, although I think having just adopted a lively one-year-old to go with her lively nearly 3-year-old she may have enough on her hands!