Due Sept '08: Bring on the babies!

[LittleConnie]

Well that was cutting it a bit fine...

thanks for the advice with the muslin squares I'm sue they will come in handy

marbella Yeah it was great fun! I really hope Justin didn't put you off little boys forever he is a bit of a monster.
I really thought he would be worn out last night we went swimming for an hour when his dad got back and he still didn't go to sleep untill 11!!!!
We will have to meet again soon maybe with the men with us aswell next time.

mellabella * even!

eandz, I would leave my baby to cook as long as possible despite the discomfort and boredom.

Yes, he is a shady doc, imo, if he is going to suggest an induction for a reason (or no reason) other than a medical one.

I had an induction at the end of 38 wks due to medical reasons and I so wish they had said, straight C/S.

My cervix was no where near ready for dilation, they did not think it would work. the consultant said that since it was my first pg, they thought that psychologically it would make the idea of a C/S less of a disappointment as they had tried an induction first. However, the physical trauma I suffered during labour and then the mental trauma which no one could see and I suffered for at least the first year of my dd's life and then came back to haunt me as antenatal depression in this pg is not something I like to talk about or want to scare people with.

My body did go into labour and the trauma of that induction was not something that I would wish on my worse enemy. (though I know most people's experience probably would not have been as horrible as mine.)

More normally, a successful induction many times leads to an instrument delivery (like mine was) or a C/S anyway.

Questions to ask about inductions: Is my cervix in a position where it is easier to reach? Is my cervix begin to thin yet? If so, how much? (gives an indication if your body is getting ready for labour). And if your body is getting ready to go into labour soon, then why not wait for it to do so? Evolution has sorted this thing out far better than doctors and hospitals have, imo, again.

What would be used for the induction? Prostin is a prostaglandin which commonly used here in the UK at first. If that doesn't work, they may then use a drip of Syntocinon (sp?) called Pitocin in the States. So that means that you will end up on your back in labour which is the most uncomfortable position to be in and therefore you begging for pain relief... etc, etc.

All I can hear is ka-ching! for your consultant and probably not the experience I think you may be hoping for.

starlight kiskidee,
theres no medical reasoning from my doctor so far. he just threw it out there when i asked him about the soonest i could have the baby. didn't talk about it too much since he decided to call my husband on the phone and include him in the appointment even though my husband was in the middle of a meeting.

I left the midwife yesterday just after she reminded me to book my 41-week appt with them, and she said "but don't worry, you'll have a baby by then". It wasn't as reassuring as she hoped!

Still, being told that I look set for a smooth birth and unlikely to have any complications is always nice, even though I bet she says that to all the girls...

I had my midwife appointment this morning and everything seems good I asked about b strep testing and she said if I was really worried then the gp would probably test for me if I rang them.

The baby is still measuring way over the 90th centile!
Ds was quite big for my first at 8lb8oz and she thinks this one will be a fair bit bigger.

eandz i would avoid an induction if at all possible - i was induced with ds and it was not a pleasant experience the labour was long and painful and i was unable to wakl around etc

and i was 2 weeks overdue !!

lol! One more thing to do with a muslin!

Fold it and put it on your baby's bottom!

EandZ, if you are bored then buy this book and read it! It was a life saver for me in the early days and would recommend it to any first time mum. It is so easy to read too. Won't tax your brain at all.

For those asking about underlining not working, it's cos it won't work unless you put around each individual word. So you have to put the hyphens around each word in the phrase, not just at the start and end of the phrase. Also applies if you want to do bold or italics etc etc.

Very boring I know - probably doesn't matter!

Afternoon all!
Well I've just spoken to a very lovely osteopath who lives in harrogate but is happy to do a home visit in York. He was recommended by the cranial osteopath who treated dd when she was born and sounds really nice. He's gonna come on a saturday while my dh is around. He sounded really nice and suggested all sorts of things that could be causing the pain and I felt he would give the time to listen to my symptoms and treat them well. I'm used to being treated by a chiropractor and prefer the more physical treatment than the gentleness of a physio, but he suggested the baby might not like it. Ooops, I didn't think of the baby! To be fair the baby never thinks of me when it leaps around like a loon.

Re: muslin squares, we used them for everything, we had a pile of them on the back of the sofa for at least 9 months so there was always one to hand, then they just went in the wash and back on the pile. They were great on the change mat - never mind the baby getting cold, it caught the wee and you could sling it in the wash and shove another one under the baby's bum! I also gave up on bibs when bottle feeding and shoved a muslin under the chin. Dh would always fold it into a triangle first and tie it round - we called dd the 'cheese bandit'. It was a very cute look. They're also useful when other people's children come round and puke on your floor which is just another of the lovely factors of having a baby! I always had a couple in the change bag too - if I was at someone else's house I would always lie dd on a muslin on their carpet rather than clean up possetted milk. HTH!

One of you lot should write a book - '101 uses for the muslin square'. There are so many uses I hadn't thought of!

Raspberry leaf tea - how much should I be drinking? I'm not finding it as gross as I expected, so I'm prepared to up my dosage from a couple of cups a day. Also, does anyone remember anything about drinking it during/after labour to help uterus contract back down? Just wondering whether to stick some in hospital bag too...

The only birth preparation I am really not embracing is perineal massage, suspect it may get pushed by the wayside successfully until the birth, despite investing in almond oil and spending ridiculous amount of time googling it.

Confession: I never did perineal massage and I didn't tear (well not there anyway, mine was all internal). So you might get away with it...! Not the best advice I know!

I did it last time and tore anyway as well...wanders off to put the kettle on wondering about perineal massage "gadgets"!

I am intriuged by perineal massage 'gadgets'! I may google to give myself a laugh.

OMG, I have achieved absolutely nothing today. I'm such a lazy blobby pregnant lady.

haha tmi alert.

as far as the perineal massages are concerned...everytime husband tries to do it for me, we end up having sex. so the oil is coming in handy for foreplay but no massages are actually happening. ugh.

so now i guess i just want advice on how to get him to take the massage seriously?

Eanz I agree with hopefully. It is far to early to do an induction. I would not do it. Find a second opinion. Your consultant, does he want you to have breast surgery or maybe a tummy tuck. I mean, what else? I wish he would stop suggesting you things that aren't a must.
About breaking the waters. I can only go with my experience, but I feel I need to tell you to be vigilant.
They broke my waters at 9:00am (after 2 failed inductions, but that does not matter), anyway, as I say they broke them at 9:00 am and they waited and waited and waited till 12:00am (midnight) to do something about it (C-section)because it wasn't progressing. I,we trusted the midwife, we were sharing her with 3 other women. My dh was ordered to check the monitors for fetal distress. Luckily at midnight a doctor came to see me and rush me to surgery.As a result my ds had a huge infection and had to be treated in the Nicu,but I suppose we are lucky we have a ds at all. If he had been smaller, we were told but a friend midwife, he would not have made it without the waters and the infection for so long.

SO, PLEASE, do not let them keep you waiting for more that 10 hrs after having broken the waters without doing anything about it. Some hospitals wait 12 hrs, as a policy and that can be dangerous for some babies. Hope my experience helps you. I just wish I had known about the dangers then.

Thank god my consultant hasn't suggested a breast augmentation or a tummy tuck. Or else I would seriously WANT to stay with him. I would love a new body after this experience but to be honest I think he just mentioned the induction if my blood sugar stayed elevated/and blood pressure stayed 'border line'. I was quite tiny before I gained my 7 bulky stones so I think he's basing a lot of the readings on my skeletal frame and not my current weight because it's all due to a newly highlighted thyroid problem. (which he agrees is his fault for not noticing earlier).

Re muslin cloths I still have the ones I bought 4 yrs ago for my ds, but because they don't look very white I know use them as kitchen cloths. Of course I have now bought lots of lovely and brand new ones for this baby girl.

Having sex Eanz? That would help bringing the baby . Congratulations!!!!! How do you still manage? No, don't answer.

Yes, a Tummy tuck would be something I could go for. Mind you if he sees me he might suggest anything else!!!!!!!!

eandz I am horrified by your doctor! What on earth are his medical reasons for induction at 37 weeks?

I would REALLY suggest seeing someone else....I am a bit concerned about you and the care you are receiving!

Any news from Sunshine?

Having a typically crappy day.....the e -mails asking if I have had the baby yet have started already!!! I am only 36 weeks!