Due Nov 08 'Listen baby, I've crocheted you a lovely cardie... now don't make me come in there with that hook!'

[sparkletoes]

Lets see if these overdue babies get a move on!

DocW sounds like you are doing all you can! Tell you what I'll send my MW down to you she will be convinced you are not only B2B but Breech as well so you will get a scan asap!

Does beg the question tho how are you so sure it is B2B (sorry don't mean to sound cheeky by asking!)? I thought mine had moved but couldn't be sure until scan confirmed otherwise. Only was sure it was ever B2B after previous scan confirmed that too.

i dont think its cheeky at all. I personally am not 100% convinced as i cant feel much movement, surely i'd feel more if all the limbs were at the front? midwife is convinced, as im not in the NHS system I wont be offered a scan and just have to trust her. the only real indication that she is right, is that heartbeat is always difficult to find, and i have chronic backache.

firstly, congratulations misdee sounds like a lovely birth

i am just back from my attempted sweep !!
babys head still quite high so MW couldnt do it, said he could feel soft cervix and head.
really disheartend, baby back to back, measuring big and head high. talked about induction but i really dont want that yet as it will end up with forceps or c-section.

drswife is your babys head engaged? your MW sounds very hopeful of a natural birth for you, which makes me all the more determined to resist induction!

got to go back next week when they will want to give me date then as i will be overdue

hope everyone else getting "swept" today is more successful

DW your recount of telling the MW did make me smile - sorry if that was not the intention!

What I would say is that I have no regrets about the HB plan as I got to labour at home for a long time with a MW here until I was actually able to have the epidural (more than 3cm dilated) whereas if I had gone into hospital straight away I would have had the same pain relief available (G&A) but without the comforts of being at home - and when you are wailing in labour that is a nice place to be! As it was B2B and progressing slowly and I had to go in for the IV antibiotics anyway (and I couldn't cope with the pain!) I decided to have the epidural. So what I am trying to say, in a long winded me me me way, is that go for the HB and if you need to go in then do so at the time - remember you can have a HB and choose to go to hospital but you can't do it the other way round.

Good luck!! And its true - it really is worth it!

DocW my MW has had difficulty finding HB too and I also have chronic back pain which gets unbearable in evening. I think it is not always clear by just feeling which way baby lying and some MW better than others. The more experienced MW could tell without a scan that baby was head down but other one STILL thinks it is breech! My first scan to see if it was breech showed that what that MW thought was the head was actually the knees! My scan yesterday showed what MW thought was the head was its bum haha!

So from all that I wouldn't be absolutely sure at this stage but by all means carry on with the advice you have been given for maximising OA position...

I also think ChocO is spot on, I tried to stay at home for as long as possible even tho I didn't plan a HB and it was far better I think than being in hospital for all that time.

Sorry you didn't get your sweep ChocGal but maybe baby needs time to turn at moment then will be ready and you may not even need sweep?? Just thinking out loud but trying to look on bright side for you...

Congrats on all the new arrivals.... I myself am unfortunately am still on the pending list - wishing I wasn't!!!!

Baby's head is engaged - am sort of hoping that the full moon tonight will help.... is anyone else as uncomfortable as I am???? Keep getting tightenings but nothing else - this boy is somewhat of a joker... wish he would just put me out of my miser but on the other hand dh is away until my due date so maybe he's just waiting for him!!!

Both my parents are ill in bed with the flu as they are living with me at the moment while there house goes through so have no fit and healthy birthing partner... any volunteers?????

thank you sparkle i am starting to feel better about it, i am not even at my due date yet i just think i always thought i wouldnt go over dates because of babys kidneys probs (but now they dont seem to think that is an issue, even tho kidneys are no better)
anyway, like choco has said, as long as baby arrives safely i am sure i will soon forget the method by which he arrives!

now, just to get his head down a bit!!

chocolate im 2/5ths engaged now i think, i didnt check notes yesterday but she said had dropped again.chocorange thank you for the reassurance. To be honest as time gets nearer I'm more open to hospital etc as i just want the baby out.
sparkle I know the head is down, im sure of that but what she thinks is knees im sure is bum, i get no movements which i would expect jerking of knees surely. also i have no guesstimate of weight at all.

Having an indi midwife is fantastic, i have two hourly appointments, ive discussed every aspect of birth in depth, ive managed to read amazing natural birthing books and feel knowledgeable and empowered about all aspects of birth. The only draw back is that I have no idea about bishops scores, centiles, growth scans etc. But i do feel really strong in that i know i dont have to have an induction, i dont have to go to hospital...everything my midwife recommends is just that, a recommendation, i make all the decisions and i feel much more confident to be able to refuse treatments/induction and why.

drswife my bishops score was 4 today which makes induction unfavourable at this stage, all the MW's at the hospital have been really nice but i think they are quick to suggest medical interventions.

i am hoping i am strong enough to make these choices for myself going by what is best for baby and me.

chocolate thats the thing about independant midwife, they understand the need for intervention but are not bound by hospital/nhs policies. They believe in the womans right to the birth of her choice, so rather than being induced, i am continually monitored for blood pressure/protein etc, im talking every other day. its frustrating but touch wood, so far, its better than being hooked to a drip etc.

When my midwife visited my hospital to introduce herself in case i have to transfer, the superviser asked her how she felt about not being able to clinically treat me, she said she understood and was just as vital as a birth partner. they then said, that does she understand that they will not listen to requests from her but from me as the patient only! i find that ludicrous, if im out of it, i would expect my birth partner DH/doula/mother or midwife to voice my preferences!

Drswife, its all hospital politics isnt it!
your explanations and opinions have really helped me so thank you

well i am off to wrap up warm and go for a walk then jiggle on ball for a while, in the hope that something will happen before next thurs so i will not have to make the decision about induction!

catch up with everything when i get back
x

What a great birth Misdee. I think we should list that one as the ideal to strive for.

LOL at Sophie being born with her cardi. Did she have a hook aswell. Reminding me of litlte bo peep.

Talking of hair - ds was born with loads of black spivy hair, which shocked dh and I, being dark blond. Then it all fell out and went dark blond.

Did I tell you that ds2, is really quite RED. I call it strawberrry blonde, but I could be kidding myslef. OH SHIT. I have quite alot of red in my family, red in my hair aswell, and was PRAYING that this didn't happen.

MonkeyM, sending curry over. Actually I
don't think it will help, becasue I only make a medium, and I think you need a hot, to start labour. Our local curry house, there is one guy, famous for his curry, to start labour. People travle for miles, and then trot off to St peters hospital, all happy. It is in the local paper and everything.

Come on TWinkle. Come on baby twinkle. Lets get moving. What is all this ? Nowt happpenin ? No, no, no, come out wherever-you-are !!!!

Very Sorry to Chocolategal, that sweep didnm't happen. This is a real shame. What happens now. Oh how frustrating. Come on baby chocolategal, out you come too.

LOL at DrsWife and mum, not bum- Jeremery Kyle.

Now come on babies - of DrsWife, MonkeyM, Sparkle - now I tell yuo, I know it is nice and warm in there, but ..... now IS THE TIME. I am starting to get impatient

Come on laura, with your 10 mins contractions. Come on baby, speed those up please.

Anyone else need baby, come on over to the goodside, words of encouragememnt - I am afraid they are not great, but i am doing my best ?

hana yes i appear to have been rebozo'd! it didnt work though. Ive got these exercises where you get on all fours, drop your shoulders to the floor but it kills, either my boobs are squished or the weight on my arms is horrendous. apparently im meant to tip baby back out of pelvis, allow it to slot back in and then it should engage perfectly and labour will really kick off. ive done it, baby just seems to grind its head further in pelvis.

choolategal my bishops score was 4 at my sweep on sat, less than 48hrs later baby was here!

Congratulations to Misdee and WAM4.

oooohhh!! chocorange my walk is going to be a power walk now!!! LOL!!!

The day before I went to a fireworks display chocolategal so go get some loud noises. I also used the EPO capsules internally. Good luck!

Chocgal sorry your sweep wasn't successful. I've just come back from hospital and like you, they couldn't sweep as head too high etc, etc. Sigh.
Am booked in for induction next Tuesday.
Boo hiss. Hope to coax baby out before then. Have told DH he has to sh*g me all weekend. He took a deep breath, rolled his eyes and said yes ok then.
Lacks yes I am a northern bird. From Burnley. And proud of it. But have lived in the big smoke for 11 years now. Still say grass and not graaaaarse though. Will be interesting to see how our LO's accent develops. My DH sounds frightfully posh don't you know....and me, well - not quite the BBC!
Obs I'm with Hana on being a secret fan of gingers. Toby Stephens, and Damien Lewis both do it for me...so no worries there. He'll never be short of attention!
Love to everyone else.

Agree, agree with Damien Lewis MonkeyM!! Also prefer Harry to William if you are asking!! Not had look at Toby yet but am sure same applies Hana! Also that name I liked (Roan) doesn't mean 'seal' it means 'little red haired one'! Not using it tho

Sorry about the sweep that wasn't but def try a few home-made ones over weekend! And reflexology massage (with clary saged oil) just under your left inner heel. And more curry....

I have pains in my bits and it feels like I been doing too much horse riding WTF is that about?!

Sorry to all those with frustrating non-sweeps.
Wow and Congratulations to misdee, welcome Sophie, beautiful timing, I love how her sisters woke up, gave her a cuddle and went to school!
Still just bits of twinges but ignoring them so in a much better mood than yesterday, despite DS having a violent tantrum from 930-1130 last night!
Drswife, isn't there a remedy in your homeopathy kit for badly positioned baby?

Congratulations to all the new mums .

Just a quickie to let you know that my dd3 arrived two weeks ago today by elective c-section as she was breech. The spinal was wonderful and I didn't even feel it at all, apparently when dh arrived in theatre all gowned up the operation had already started! All I felt was some slight pressure, but I thought they were just palpating my bump to see what position she was in, but they were actually in the process of delivery her!

We had some lovely skin to skin time in recovery and I was shaking constantly, then back up to the ward where my dh was waiting for us. Two days later I was discharged , glad to get home really though as aftercare was shocking (left for 12 hours between given painkillers and no help to lift dd3 out of her cot etc).

Dd3 is breastfeeding constantly, so I bought a pump and dh gave her a feed last night and again this morning, which gave me another precious few hours sleep.

Good luck to all the mums due this month!.xx