Due Sept 08: Come on babies, 'cause we are running out of space.

[kiskidee]

New thread here.

Daft name cause we only have 4 more before we hit 1000.

mustsleep - towels?? - maternity or bath towels?? as you need to take both

Good luck Biglips! Let us know how it goes.

I got my surestart maternity grant today so now we can get out car fixed! We havent had a working car since april.

Sass - how long did you wait? as mine got returned back to me cos my stoopid midwife didnt write her contact dets!!! so gotta wait till next Tues to see her!!!!

thanks i need it!

Good luck biglips.

I sent the form for the surestart grant on the 18th, so just under two weeks. Was very quick I think.

Sass quick question about maternity grant. I've looked at the website and it says you have to be on certain benefits to get grant. Im not on any of these but should get a slightly higher rate of tax credits as no job now. Would I be best waiting until after the birth to apply or do it now and appeal if I get turned down? Its sooo confusing.

Becaroo as with a vaginal birth you really can't tell how well or not you'll recover from the section. What you have to remember is that it is major abdominal surgery so take it easy on yourself if you don't feel up to doing things. I recovered really well and had no problems getting out and about as soon as I was home from hospital but other people I know have taken up to 6 weeks to feel right again.

Hospital stay for post-CS vary from 2-4 days with the average being 3 days. You'll have to wear DVT socks, which I think they give you pre-op if it's not an emergency. You'll be expected to stay in bed for the rest of the first day, so you'll have a catheter and will need help getting the baby in and out of the cot, but you should be able to feed. You need to try positions that don't have the baby's weight on the scar.

Your aim should be to get out of bed as soon as you're able and pass water (next morning will be earliest they'll allow). This is seen as key to letting you go home.

Arnica is supposed to be really helpful as someone else mentioned.

Bleeding post CS is supposed to be lighter and it tails off much quicker (unless you have complications like me).

If you want any more info I can transcribed what it tells me in the consent form I've signed. Let me know.

OK LAST DAY AT WORK! Am so so pleased.

OK, I'd like a volunteer to write 1,500 words on a really silly little niche area of pensions by midday today... I've written about half of what I need, been working since 7 to get it done, and I'm running out of motivation! Sunshine, I'm sure you don't have enough to do on your last day, perhaps you'd like to volunteer? Am so envious of you, I finish tomorrow, but really I'm done once I finish this bit of writing.

Sorry if I've missed anything crucial, been so busy I haven't had time to keep up with everyone's posts!

Becaroo sorry to hear about your situation, at least you know you're in the best place to get maximum advice on what to expect from a c-section and how to best recover and still make it a really positive birth experience.

Ooh, got my hypnobirthing CD today, going to listen to it later and see if it miraculously cures all fears of childbirth!

Pram has just arrived!!

I ordered the Micralite toro in stone, but it looks more of a kakhi colour to me.

I really like it though, I thought it would take weeks to arrive but it was 5 days! (Mothercare online)

Have to wait weeks now for little person to put in it!!!!!!!!

Have quite a bit to do hopefully and know bugger all about pensions! Also intending to try and leave early.

I really should have worked tomorrow too but there was something about still being at work on 1st August that felt really wrong!

MelT76, if I were you I'd call tax credits, tell them your new circumstances and ask if you 'll have the higher rate of tax credits that they mention on the form for the sure start maternity grant. That way, as soon as you know you can apply. You could also ask if your childtax credit will be above the family element once the baby is born so you know if you will be entitled to the grant afterwards.

We had it easy with the form as dh is on incomebased jsa.

i can't wait for my little person to arrive either!!

i'm really excited about Halloween! i'm dressing up my baby in a real pumpkin

Becaroo I agree with all the advice given by the rest.
One thing I want to reasure you with is that BF is possible, the baby will want to sleep a lot and you won't have milk but you will have colostrum, they call it "liquid gold", because it is priceless for you baby.

So make sure you are left alone with the baby, without visitors, and try, try , try to BF, 4 minutes will be enough for the baby to drink the colostrum.Finish with one breast, burp him if he needs to and offer him the other one. Do wake him up, he needs to learn to latch on.Do that as often as you can and your milk will come at the same time he would have leant to BF.

If there is a medical condition, like it happened to my ds and you can't BF straight away, ask for a small container and you can express the colostrum by hand, it is a bit painful to start with, but it is possible, I did it.
Thw Mw will help you feeding it to him.

You will be fine.
The caesarean belt, it is £19.99 everywhere at the moment, no offers i am afraid.
Mothercare should have it in stock in the shops. On line you can get it with free delivery from:
www.kidsbits.co.uk/shop/article_Theraline%2520Caesarean%2520Belt/Theraline-Caesarean-Belt.html?shop_ param=cid%3D74%26aid%3DTheraline%2520Caesarean%2520Belt%26
I have not bought it yet.

I am learning sooooooo much from you advise girs. Thanks.

Thanks Sass. I have actually tried that and was told I should receive more, but not to apply for tax credits until after baby arrived and then once I had received my award notice ring them and tell them about the change in circumstances!! They are hopeless. Am thinking I should leave it for DP to do after the birth. That way he has the worry

Suppose I shall have to do my work myself then! I know what you mean about not wanting to work in august - particularly for you since you've only got a few weeks till you meet your baby! Am planning a day of cake for the office and no work tomorrow, so it probably won't be too stressful (watch my manager dump some ridiculous amount of work on me in the morning...)

Spent a while catching up, again! Thanks for the hospital bag lists - very useful as a 1st timer.
Sorry to hear about your problem (can't spell it) Becaroo - hope all goes well and try not to worry (easier said.. etc etc). My sister had c-sections with both her LOs and she did OK (and she's a complete wimp!). One thing she said was she found it hard to get out of bed in the night, so DH set up some sort of rope thing for her to pull herself up with (he was away with work, nice timing).

Had a crap night last night - went to final antenatal class (not NCT) and health visitor went through all the scary childhood diseases. She talked about the red book we get in hospital and said if I was giving birth in Chester i had to ask for the bilingual Welsh/English one as I live in North Wales. I said I didn't see why as i don't speak welsh/am not from wales.

When got home had massive row with DP as he didn't see why I had a problem with a welsh/english book.
For no reason, I then got all insecure that I'll be crap at all this (thought of going to baby cafes for 'mum networking' scares me to death) and our lovely life as a couple with a good standard of living will be totally ruined in 8 weeks when this LO arrives, and so i convinced myself I will resent this baby. Now I feel awwwwful - am I sane to think like this???
Tea & sympathy appreciated - hopefully I'll come and do your work for you - sadly I know all about pensions as I'm an accountant

imoscarsmum sorry to hear you're feeling like this. I kind of went through something similar when I had DS as I loved our life before but I can honestly say that DS has enhanced our life not hindered it. Yes priorities are different and we do different things but we still have a great life, with great friends and we have a lot of fun doing things with DS.

Re. the meeting other mums thing - it seems daunting (and I'm rubbish at small talk) but having a baby gives you an easy 'in' and everyone is in the same boat so more receptive. I lived in a place I thought was really child unfriendly when I had DS ut I couldn't have been more wrong and met some lovely people. DS and I had a full calendar every day.

Poor you imoscarsmum, you're not insane, I promise. It's completely reasonable to have all these anxieties now, but you'll be fine when it comes to it! I have developed a rather interesting line in anxiety dreams, which see me failling at motherhood in new and fascinating ways on a nightly basis. ps, I am such a geek that I'd probably find accountancy interesting, I'm getting quite into my pensions writing!

Starlight I got the natal hypnotherapy CD from here. They also have it on amazon for a pound or two less I think, but it was out of stock when I checked. They sent it very quickly - only a day or two - and have a variety of different ones. I have the preparation for hospital birth one, and I may get the birth music one if this CD is good. I'm planning on listening to it this afternoon, so I'll report back with my initial opinions!

Thanks so much for your words of wisdom starlight, sunshine and hopefully.
It helps to know I'm not some awful selfish cow.

Deep down, I know I won't know what it feels like until LO is here and that our lives will be different but for the better.

My only experience of children is with DP's DD. She has caused DP alot of heartache and of course he still loves her, but I've had to sit back and watch the man I love have his heart slowly shredded into pieces by the one person in his life that he loves unconditionally. That makes me feel resentful of her I guess (and a bit jealous), so I worry I'll feel the same about this LO.
My head tells me I won't but can't quite believe it, iyswim.

But it truly helps to offload like this and to get things into perspective, so thank you.

I have just received the Skip Hop changing bag from Boots. What a surprise I did not know It was de deluxe model!!!!. I have saved £25.00!!!!!
I am going to start using it today. I have a MW appintment and it is raining, so I will pack my ds's thins and my things and they won't get wet.

biglips i meant bath towels i can remember now that you need to take them as they make you have a bath straight after at my hosp

have been dead good the last few days,made meatballs from scratch and have just cut both the lawns!!

keep feeling really short of breath and dizzy it's awful. also keep getting this scratching sensation at the top of what i think is my cervix ..... nice

wow poxtola might have to check out the boots website in a minute now

Thanks everyone...I really appreciate your kind words and advice

A csection might not happen, but I am afraid I am a bit anal and like to have a "plan" for every eventuality! You would think having a child already would have cured me of that!!

I knew you guys would have great advice....am off to the midwife this afternooon so will let you know if blood results are back yet.

Off to north yorkshire this weekend for a break which I really feel I need - its been a rough month!

Thanks again x