Due Dec 08 -- Getting Ready for final push (in every sense!)

[Beans33]

Here's a new thread for us all lovely Dec Mums!

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Morning ladies!!! Sounds like everyone had a nice weekend! Bill Bailey was really really funny but the auditorium was SO hot and stuffy I ended up wanting it to be finished....very annoying! But still well worth going to. And we treated ourselves to a cab home from London which made a huge difference as I was knackered by the end of the evening!
Yesterday we took DS to a farm in the morning and then had a lazy afternoon followed by a walk in the dark with a torch to feed ducks followed by tapas. Lovely! A walk with a torch is DS idea of heaven. I then fell asleep on the sofa and DH put DS to bed.
We got all the baby bits out of the loft (sooooo tiny!!!) I've just got to wash it all now . Need to go and get some non bio powder.

Colostrum in a syringe?? I haven't heard of that before. Seems a bit odd, surely you should be starting off with the tiddler learning to suckle? Unless there is an actual problem with feeding then it is a great way of getting the colostrum into them. Otherwise why interfere?

Feeling like a right old lump now. I am carrying the same way I did with my son...just a massive medicine ball stuck on my front. This is a killer on your back and ligaments (sp) and it is getting sooo heavy!
Oh well 6 weeks to go...feeling quite of those of you popping sooner!!!

Hello everyone & thanks for all the kind words. Up at my mum's now - didn't come up till last night in the end. I basically put my feet up for 4 days solid and feel so much better for it. Am going to visit my dad later on.

Simmo sounds awful about your DP - is he okay now?

Kimberley kidney stones sounds hardcore - at least with childbirth you get a lovely baby at the end of it! Hope you're feeling better now.

Interesting point you made about over-egging breastfeeding difficulties in antenatal classes arti. Actually my experience was totally the opposite - the message I got from my (crap) hospital classes was that as long as you get the latch right then the rest will magically follow. That certainly wasn't the case for me, and there are a massive range of difficulties that you can encounter which they never even touched on. I kind of understand why they would want to downplay how hard it is for a lot of women, so as not to put people off even trying, but I feel strongly that they are setting us up for failure when they oversimplify things like they did at our classes. When things then do go awry you are left with the conclusion that it must be something you are doing wrong, which it wasn't in my case (although I didn't know that for several painful, exhausting and stressful weeks). I think if you are aware of the difficulties you may or may not encounter you are more likely to be able to recognise and deal with them. If midwives were able to offer decent support after the birth however then it wouldn't matter - for me though the post-natal support was worse than useless and I was very much on my own trying to figure out what was going wrong.

kmp1 the expressing colostrum thing sounds like madness! As far as I know babies only take in a teaspoon or two of colostrum at each feed - if you expressed that amount most of it would get lost in the inner workings of the pump & wouldn't actually make it into the bottle, surely! I wouldn't recommend trying to express colostrum, for your sanity's sake. I remember trying to express on day 3 or so, before my milk came in, and being very upset that I wasn't able to get even a drop. I was convinced that I wasn't producing anything and that DS was starving. Expressing is a technique which takes practice, and one you may not even need (or if you do, certainly not till later) - quite why they are asking you to master it when you ought to be getting to grips with breastfeeding (and bonding with your baby) I've no idea.

2 days to go (probably) till our first thread baby . How exciting! Hey, I hope those of you who are giving birth in November are not going to jump ship for the postnatal thread!

Hi everyone, I hope you?ve all enjoyed the weekend and between us achieved a reasonable amount of sleep. I was just reading a pregnancy book this morning and apparently next week I?ll start to need to wee more regularly and suffer with interrupted sleep ? good grief, so what have I been doing til now if not either of those!!!

Thanks for all the advice on cord cutting/manual third stage etc ? I?ve got my next appt with the MW next week (a different one as it happens) so will run those ideas by her ? I think I?ve got a clearer idea of what to put in that section of my birth plan now.

ladyt I also had a nipple crisis this weekend, and spent ages enviously admiring DH?s lovely little pink nipples (which I?d never noticed he has before) ? he just thought I was bonkers and went back to sleep and asked me to admire quietly!!

kmp another one here who?s email address is my boring old name.

penny I?ve read Gina Ford and liked some of the ideas too, but then I realised it didn?t really tell you how to cope if the routine didn?t work ? I?m sure not all babies click so easily as it appears. I?ve recently read a review of Tracy Hogg, so I?m going to try her?s next (my MIL is a librarian) and keep reading until I find a combination of advice that sounds realistic. Of course, if babyZJ slides easily into Gina Ford then I?ll wish I?d started a family years ago ?

veggie I thought my lady garden hair is getting longer too, and then thought how ridiculous, but maybe not if I?m not the only one ? And cat I?ve got a nice downy belly now as well, showed it to my sis last week who was so shocked I think I?ve put her off children and now I?ll never be an auntie!

pd I?m pleased to hear you?ve had a good rest, you definitely need it as the emotions you must be going through really must be taking it out of you. Thinking of you and your family

And good luck to flumpybumpy - our first babe arriving this week! (and )

Quick one just to say hello.

Cat I would recommend "Damages" as a boxed set - Glenn Close in a very hardcore and quite scary legal drama - or "Entourage" for something much lighter and funny. Both Emmy award winning blah de blah

Kimberley I am so sorry about your kidney stones. My sis had em and found it so sore. Hopefully childbirth will seem easy by comparison

Can't wait for there to be SOME BABIES ON OUR BOARD...I can't help thinking that statistically there must be some out there from people who posted early on, that we don't know about. But am very pleased that everyone is heading towards fullterm or as near as dammit.

Like everyone else I have never heard that about the colostrum in any UK hospital. Can't see the rationale for it. I can only think you would do it if there was some real difficulty getting the baby on, the baby had no suck (due to being premature). I have heard the saying that colostrum is liquid gold - so maybe they were saying that they express it and give it by syringe in certain cases to emphasise this, rather than saying it was routine??
Anyhoo, the only time you might need your breast bump early on would be if you have very severe engorgement and you need to get some milk off so baby could latch on.

I am going back to bed for a bit of a kip - and then a fireman is coming to my house for a fire safety check. Don't know if they come in the nee-naw but if they do DS will be SOOO happy.

He got to see the Royal London air ambulance helicopter right close up on saturday (very sad - it landed opp our house as apparently someone had fallen from a window a few streets away - but in terms of little boys - he couldn't have been more mesmerised...)

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Hi All, I'm back online! Have been following you all for the last week and will try to start posting more regularly again now. Hope you all have wonderful Mondays.

Morning all! Sorry not to have been on for ages, keep logging on to see how everyone is and by the time I've read a fraction of the messages I have no time to post!

DD's have apparently not got the pox but it seems to be a really nasty virus anyway with horrible symptoms - they've been breaking out in big hives all over their poor little faces, red eyes from conjunctivitis, upset tummies and high temperatures. Poor little mites - one has been poorly for over a week now and the other came down with it on Saturday.

So stroking brows and trying to find comfy positions to cuddle two big three year olds over my bump have been my life recently!

Has anyone else found their ribs feel like they're going to crack if they get stretched anymore? I seriously feel like baby hatty is like the incredible hulk in cartoons when he bends back prison bars to escape, except the prison bars are my ribs!

Poison hope your visit to your dad goes okay.

Kimberley ouch to the kidney stones, you poor thing!

LadyT amazed at the sex 2 days after section story.

I had a great book on twins when I was pregnant and one of the bits of advice they gave was to ahem try and treat your OH to some kind of physical relief in the first 6 weeks. Their logic was that even if you couldn't manage sex, doing err other things at least reassured them that they would one day have a sex life again! I followed this advice and it did work well!

Can't find the original question about colostrum/syringes but the only thing that springs to mind is in my hospital if mums didn't want to breastfeed they would encourage them to express off the colostrum to be given to their babies by a syringe dripped into their mouths...

Can't believe some of our babies are due so soon! Is everyone ready? Our nursery is the most horrendous mess of bags of baby stuff and moses baskets balanced on the bed with boxes of old paper work everywhere .

Hiall,

just popping in to say many many thanks for my lovely secret stork present which has just arrived. I got some pulse point homeopathic remedies for use before and during labour. Thankyou secret stork.

Poor DS is poorly today he throw up all over the kitchen floor this morning, yeuch. Suppose we have been quite lucky to get to 17mth without any sick bugs. So no toddler yoga this morning instead we have had a bit of a cbeebies marathon but I have now cracked and put on This Morning for a bit of adult entertainment.

Morning all! Have tried to catch up but you keep gettin ahead of me!

Cat: we've also just finished series 3 of the Wire and loved it. We may need to pace ourselves as there are only 2 series left . My other recommendation, if you haven;t seen it, would be the West Wing (there is loads of that!).

Expressing colostrum: as everyone else has said, pointless unless you have feeding problems. The important thing is to get the baby latched on asap and feeding as much as possible in those first few days to stimulate your milk production.

Have been shamed by you all into getting my arse into gear and ordering essential new baby stuff from Mothercare - moses basket, new mattress for crib, maternity pads and breastpads, all that sort of stuff. More or less done (I think) except for sorting the buggy situation (which I've delegated to DH) and buying a few more vests and sleepsuits (Tescos or Primark) plus cheap nighties for hospital (Primark again).

Heop you all have a good week

hello - a little bit of help needed with terminology:

what is the difference between a bodysuit/sleepsuit (short sleeve and long sleve)/sleepgown/grobag

also, i really want to get a sheepskin for sproglet to rest on, especially as my parents in law are from north wales and they could bring a proper welsh one with them. i remember having one when i was little and they are just gorgeous. however... surely they are the most impractical things? can you wash them? should i get one in black?

also, what about those sheepskins that seem to have holdes in them so you can fit the buggy/stroller straps through them?

any advice gratefully received.

Morning,

I hope everyone is ok.

I have another kidney infection. I rang the out of hours GP who told me I was in labour despite me saying that I wasn't so he said i had to go to the labour ward. I got there and apologised loads saying I didn't think I was in labour but the GP sent me. They quicky put me on the monitor and it showed I wasn't having contractions. So I was then sent to the emergency GP in the hospital who said I had an infection and gave me some anti-biotics. I was really annoyed about being sent round in circles and the labour ward was busy so I felt really bad that I had to go in when I didn't need too.

DS has given me his cold, I feel dreadful.

Flumpy Oooooh just a couple of days to go.

good afternoon all, sorry to all those with sic little ones, and poor you Kayz with infection and the health system run around. look after yourself and lots of cranberry juice.

Cat-thanks for the reassurance, that extra blood supply things sounds fair enough.

Turnip-this is sad but am jealous of you DS on behalf of my DS for your helicopter cose encounter.

jam- when DS is a little unwell and we are camped in front of the telly we watch his shows but everynow and then we turn on the paramount channels to watch 'mummys shows'.

had an amazingly good sleep and felt good when i woke up but then for some reason suddenlly got severe heartburn even though my tummy was empty and then vomited loads of stomach acid, it was like having morning sickness again. crazy child i don't know what it trying to do to it's mother i swear it is usng my stomach as a kicking bag.

You poor thing kayz kidney infections really knock you out at the best of times. For what it's worth think you did the right thing in going to the labour ward if the GP suggested it. Hope you start to feel better soon.

wg we had fleece for DS that my M&D brought back from Australia. Absolutely loved it - put it on the floor and in his cradle for him to lie on when he was very small and he's now got it as a rug in his room (and loves snuggling into it). His was a natural white-ish one, which I used to wipe occasionally when we used it a lot (v easy to clean sick etc. out) and I've washed it in the bath with woolwash once (was filthy but this was after he'd been using it as a rug). Brilliant thing about fleeces is that they are both cool and warm - and fell lovely against skin.

We've just got one for this baby - and I've gone for a black sheep one just to be different (not dyed - is more of a brown really). Didn't have a buggy one but may get one this time. They look really snuggly.

On terminology - tried to write helpful distinction and got really confused myself! basically babies wear a vest/bodysuit (poppers fastening underneath nappy and either long or short sleeves) and then a sleepsuit/babygro on top (this has legs and feet and long sleeves).

Hope that helps. I found M&S ones best last time - they washed really well and still look good for this time around.

sleepgown - sometimes instead of bodysuit/sleepsuit you can put baby in all in one thing that has arms but not legs - just a long skirt bit that you bunch or fold up Makes it easier to change nappies in the night (fewer poppers).

grobag - these are sleeping bags you use instead of sheets and blankets once baby is a bit bigger. They're great - but don't think you're supposed to use them on tiny babies as they can slip down into them. Swaddling worked well for us for first few weeks/months.

Sorry you're feeling rough Kayz . Is there anything you can do to help with the kidney infections? Veggiemummy might be able to help on alternative treatments...

WG: I think terminology vairies, but I would call the tings without legs vests or bodysuits, (sleeveless, short-sleeved or long-sleeved with poppers). The ones with legs and feet I'd call sleepsuits. Sometimes you get ones without feet called daysuits or rompers or something - all very confusing!

Re: sheepskins, we have one we used with DS and they are handy BUT you aren't supposed to use them to sleep on due to the cot death risk (though there is some contradictory research saying they help with regulating body temp - go figure). There was also a scare re: the chemicals used for curing them - try Googling for more info. So if you can, and you're worried about it, it might be worth getting an organic one as that disposes of the chemical issue. With DS we used it for his recliner and for him to play around on, then he slept on it for a while once he was older. You can handwash them as well. We have a (natural) dark brown one cos of worries about stains.

veggie am so sorry you're still suffering with heartburn. I don't know how you feel about taking medication but ranitidine (from GP) really helps me. I only take it when I really can't hack the acid anymore but it works like a dream (and my Dr thinks better to take this rather than lots of gaviscon at this stage in pg given quite a lot of salts in beloved 'scon)

Veggie: I find I get bad heartburn if I haven't eaten for a while - odd but true.

Have just ordered a couple of the sleeping suit things from Mothercare: here

www.mothercare.com/Owl-hedgehog-unisex-baby-bundlers/dp/B001C58BTO/sr=1-1/qid=1226923896/ref=sr_1_1/ 278-0349956-6320831?%5Fencoding=UTF8&m=A2LBKNDJ2KZUGQ&n=44484031&mcb=core

if anyone sees indith tell her i have a pool for her.

also good luck everyone especially verso who i have a soft spot for in a non-lesbian kind of way.

kayz poor you. Hope the antibiotics kick in quickly and do the job properly this time.

veggie your comments about instinctive parenting and taking a step back/ deep breath etc are really sensible and for some reason have made me cry!!! Didn't think I was wobbly today (emotionally that is, clearly am always wobbly in a weeble-fashion!) but it appears I am! Am now snuffling through everyone else's posts - people seem to be having such a hard time with illness and family problems - so sorry for everyone struggling.

I've read a few comments about DHs today (nipple examinations, comments on lady gardens...) and am feeling a bit alientated!!! My DH started sleeping in the other room weeks ago because I wriggle and get up so much in the night that he was struggling at work, so he abandoned me for the spare room. Don't think we've admired one anothers' naked forms for some time, and I can't even remember what sex is!! Am I the only one who has turned into an asexual being? Hopefully things will return to normal at some point (cue a few more irrational tears)

planning to wrap some Christmas pressies and watch crappy TV this afternoon while dd is at pre-school - a few hours of me-time! Yum!

link from SIDS - seems to not be an issue if the baby is asleep on their back (also other useful tips on reducing risks)

www.sids.org.uk/editpics/File/Current%20topics%20Sept%2006.pdf

re: sex after birth, think it was about 4 weeks with DS? Ii think 'when you're ready' is good advice, take your time and don't get too het up about it being the first time IYSWIM.

Trace: am also ratehr teary and stressed at the idea of a newborn . I'm so used to dealing with a hardy toddler that I need to get my head around being responsible for a tiny fragile baby (hence today's shopping spree).

Good Morning Ladies!!!

Sorry I still haven't been able to properly keep up with what's been going on.

Thanks for all the sympathies! I am feeling much better. Although... I must say I feel like being in the hospital has flipped some weird switch. All of the symptoms of pregnancy I hadn't had... I now have. I went from being fairly comfortable to totally uncomfortable! Went from being pretty rational emotionally to crying on a whim. But I guess I can't complain. I've made it this far without any problems... so I guess I'm due for some discomfort.

Totally sad though... I missed my breastfeeding class for being in the hospital. I'm hoping we can get re-scheduled for another one before the baby comes. If not... I guess I'd better find some good books. We do have Ante-Natal classes this weekend so maybe we'll get some good info out of those.

Sorry about the "me" post...

kayz Sorry to hear about you kidney infection! I hope you get on the mend quickly.

LT about sex in hospital. Man I hope my sex drive comes back!! Although... not so sure about having sex in a hospital. ;) Also had a moment about my nipples as well. I liked the old ones much better. I'm hoping they'll go back to normal... but I'm thinking if I BF they probably won't.

Hope everyone is doing okay today.

Hi everyone. Just a 'quickie' (pardon the pun in the light of the chat at the moment) to say I've emailed Indith about the pool message with the aid of EffiePerine's fab list

Thank you Bisou

I am officially rubbish, just kind of snowed under, not doing a good job of keeping up! However you appear to be talking about sex so I'm going to go hide since a) dh is awway and b) I've moaned enough about the state of my bits. No way!

Hi all,

kayz poor you take it easy and I hope you start to feel better soon. Kidney infections are not good.

I'm now getting scared when I think of going in for my c-section next week. How will DD cope with a baby in the house? How will I cope with a baby and a toddler? I get in a right state if I dwell on it to much so have come on MN to take my mind off it.

As for nips....mine are almost black, weird hope they aren't about to drop off

For those who are going in for c-sections, do you plan to shave the required area before you go in? DD was emergency section so they did it but not sure if I should do it myself what with this one being planned. Although I can't see the area so may do more harm than good!!!!