Due DECEMBER 2008 - just over a hundred shopping days to Baby

[LadyThompson]

New thread, people, unless someone else has started one...

Hello all!

I'm really surprised that there are STILL "education" classes out there for pg women that don't discuss the possibility of a c-section.

My NHS classes when I had DD 10years ago didn't talk about them at all. I read a lot about birth beforehand, but glossed the c-section bits as I was certain it would be fine having been told several times that "you're a tall girl with a big pelvis and you won't have any problems".

Needless to say 3 days into labour with a baby who refused to budge, I ended up with a c-section and a 10lb 12oz first baby. I also ended up feeling like a complete failure - I distinctly remember hearing other women crying out in the labour suites and being jealous that I couldn't do it myself - hormones do funny things to you .

In hindsight, I think if I'd have considered the possibility of a section, then the depression I felt as a result of the experience would have been significantly less. (This wasn't a result of having the op - I want to stress this - it was my carefully planned birth blowing up in my face and disappointment that I couldn't deliver her myself. The op itself was straightforward and I was lucky to have a good recovery. I want an elective this time.)

It makes me cross that healthcare professionals don't discuss all of the possibilities with pg women. C-section isn't best, but there's a chance it might happen to us all so it needs to be given thought.

Rant rant rant...!!

Veggiemummy Horrified at that prenatal teacher - unhelpful attitudes like that might force another of her students to make choices in an emergency situation that could seriously harm both mum and baby! I'm under no illusion that if I hadn't have been in a position to have a section, then both myself and my daughter would not be here now.

Should have said c-section isn't ideal - of course it's best in many situations!

It still amazes me how labour, birth & feeding can leave a woman, especially 1st time mums, feeling so judged & disappointed in themselves. At the end of the day, we all try to do our best for our children and that should be what counts, not what kind of birth a child had.

And I will stop ranting now!!

LadyT, fab news!

Jam, lol @ your spiderman. My ds learnt how to open the living room door today, the handle is quite high up so he pulled one of his little chairs over & stood on it to open the door!

Well we had the scan today and baby was wriggling about and kicking all over the place. It's another boy . DH is gloomily contemplating 18 years of stopping them from killing each other (he is one of two boys). I'm thinking 'no pink, no glitter, no unsuitable boyfriends lalalalalala'

We have to go back in a couple of weeks because the sonographer (who was really good and took ages over everything) couldn't see the face clearly (he was hiding) but thought she could see something that looked like a cleft lip. All the consultants are on their hols at the moment, so it's back in two weeks for another look. If it is cleft then it means minor cosmetic surgery at Great Ormond Street when the baby's a few months old, but there should be no other issues. So am not worrying too much (yet) though I may need to get some more info on effects on breastfeeding. Anyway, we get another scan and may even get a 3D one if the normal one isn't clear.

Re: caeserarians, it's so annoying when people are sanctimonious about them. I don't know anyone who had a CS for 'frivolous' or 'selfish' reasons. Am thinking of my friend who had a crash CS with placenta praevia - if it hadn't been an option both she and her baby would have died

Great news re your scans LT and RCG . When is your DP back LT?

lovely news on all the good scans - and fingers crossed for your next one Effie!

I have to go back for a growth scan in a couple of weeks to check if my fat baby is still fat, I'm half looking forward to seeing the baby again and half dreading that it will be even bigger!

I never got a linea nigra last time - was a bit jealous as well! Just some odd stray hairs from my bikini line that somehow escaped up to my navel?! Pregnancy does odd thing to you alright...

am sure my linea nigra or whatever it's called turned up later last time. Took ages to fade though.

Oh and the scan measurements showed this is either a big baby (head and abdomen at the top of the scale) or I'm slightly further on than I thought. Noone mentioned GD though, so I think your NHS area must be oddities TYV

Congrats on another boy EP. Siblings fight whatever the combination of sex anyway! Hope all goes well at your scan in two weeks

Didn't get a linea nigra last time really, just a more furry belly. And I don't do bikini line waxing - I mean I can do labour without pain relief, but pulling out my pubes NO WAY .

i also wanted the Linea nigra too i mean anything that sounds foreign has to be good, but i was alos jealous of women whose belly button popped out, mine stayed in for whole last pregnancy. I guest if it does pop out might not be good for navel piecing but just looks so cool, like a nose for my belly.

i really don't find waxing that painful, but then i have never had my underarm hairs done, that would be evil.

mine stayed innie too - I think it's something to do with
a) the size of your bump (mine was not huge as bumps go)
and
b) the depth of it in the first place - I have a rather deep tummy button normally and I suppose it had more layers of fat muscle (cough cough) to travel up through before it could go outie!

It just stayed completely flat for the last month but never quite popped. My bump seems to be a lot bigger this time (and a lot lower, weirdly) so it will be interesting to see if it pops this time or not.

Fantastic news about successful scans Effie a friend's nephew had a cleft lip (a double) and he had op soon after birth and you can't tell now

As a first-timer I want to know all possible outcomes during labour so that I am fully prepared (well as much as I can be !). Surely being ill-informed about c-section would make it a terrifying prospect if it had to happen - I've been reading up just in case AN classes are rubbish.

I have been waxed once and found it excruciating (ha ha I'e got no chance of a drug-free labour !) so I always Immac - as it is not allowed during PG have been trimming. I may brave a wax prior to the birth though.. would be mortfied going in there with a big hairy 'lady garden' on display !

Oh and I really don't want a linea nigra or an outy belly button ! Mine is already stretched quite a lot more like a big gaping hole than a wee slit ! ermm.. that is my belly button I am describing !

Is immac not allowed in pg? Well I never, the things you learn on mn!

I never use it myself - too impatient- I always give up and wash it off before it's worked properly. Although the last time I tried it was about 10 years ago so maybe the technology's improved?

Personally I feel the more camouflage the better in labour - anything to distract the eye from the carnage going on underneath!!

i have a deep belly button never sees the light of day except when preggo, in fact last time it got so burnt when i went on a summer holiday to beach with bikini so make sure you put your factor 50+ on your button if you take it out in the sun.

i have been thinking about it is actually really bad for antenatal classes not to cover cesarean as the hospitals don't really have time to go over the ins and outs in an emergency situation and should be able to assume that a women has been informed before she starts birth. That NCT class i was talking about where they covered it really well it was a 2 day class but the 1st day was on 7/7/05 and as our teacher was running late because of the bombings she had to skip some stuff and she actually skipped out a lot of natural birthing stuff but she made sure we got a good over view of the cesarean bit.

You are all making me cry laughing, with the random talk about outie belly buttons and lady gardens and waxing (and sorry for starting that one!) - there are actual tears in my eyes!

effie congratulations on the scan and that you're having another biy - typical boy to happily show his bits, but hide his face

Just watching the Maestro and baby ZJ is loving it and dancing round to the music - think I've got a cultured one in there.

I completely agree that the more info on everything the better - it can only be less scary in an emergency situation to know that what is being done to you is for the best. Very cross for all those people who've been poorly informed and hoping I'll be luckier.

ZJ.x

Oops - obviously effie you're having a boy, not a biy!

good tip about extra sunsreen on the belly button.

My DH was obsessed with checking whether I was developing a linea nigra last time .

So cross about the story about c-sections. Some passing judgement is the last thing anyone who's just had a baby needs. Grr. Have to say our NCT teacher was great on epidurals/interventions/the whole hospital thing. I was lucky to have a straightforward delivery last time but was a lot less scared because I felt like I understood options and what might happen.

Congrats on boy Effie. I've also got a DS but this one is a girl - so am already worrying about unsuitable boyfriends. Bit early perhaps - but DH reminded me that as he left the antenatal ward to go home after DS was born I was worrying about what if he got a girl pregnant when he was 16. Too much gas and air....

oh my tummy is so uncomfortable tonight it feels like this baby is using arms legs, and whatever else it can find to push out wards, i feel so tight and uncomfortable. Also think it is moving upwards as feeling it my under my ribs. I'm sure i didn't feel this discomfort until much later last time.

Is Immac really not allowed in pg? Not that it matters as my bump is big enough now to hide down there, out of sight out of mind

Veggie, feeling any more comfortable?

Have mw appt today, going to ask about having a hb!

Go Rosmerta, wish I was brave enough to do it at home but somehow I think the dog trying to eat the placenta and DS swinging off my nipples would not really be the sort of birth I would be after.

Veggie i too have the olympics going on really bad last night. I was watching Maestro (same as you ZJ) and the baby was going bonkers really low down almost inside my fanjo.

Effie congrats on another boy.

Morning all - and good luck at the mw rosmerta. jam thought I'd try out Classic FM this morning whilst driving to work - but no response from baby zj at all - maybe he's just not a morning baby.

ZJ.x

Morning girls

I got a linea negra last time - I remember it kind of peeled off like a suntan after the birth! No sign of one this time.

My brain is slowly shutting up shop. Is anyone else not really all there at work? I keep putting wrong dates on letters/using wrong versions of reports .

But am very excited as we have finally booked a holiday. We're off to Cornwall first week of September - yeehah! Walking distance of shops and beach so should be nice and peaceful with our toddlers and I am looking forward to sleeping lots and wandering around in a mellow way .

I haven't even thought about birth plans yet. I want to get to the 32 week scan and see whether my lowlying placenta has moved first and whether it will be another section.

Last time I got my hopes up for a fairly natural birth and ended up being told at 28 weeks it would have to be a section under General Anaesthetic so I don't want to get too excited before I know how things stand!