Due Dec 08 - Christmas inductions ... The Holly and The I.V.

[kayzisexpecting]

Here I have done it!!!!!

Just need more babies now!!!!!

That's really interesting Turnip (though why am I not surprised the NHS is not testing due to cost? ) You are right that the stats are low for death due to infection, but I just couldn't handle if my bub was that one in 'however many percent' that did contract it. So I too chose to have it done.

I have a fellow colleague here who has decided not to have the test, but to have the baby monitored post birth for signs of infection. The problem though, is that the virus can be just too virulent for a newborn's immune system to handle, so even with treatment post detection, the baby can still die. I guess it's really up to each individual if the risk is worth the gamble.

Did you know there is actually a better test that can detect the virus within an hour? It's called the IDI-Strep B test. This could be done once labour is established, which would be better than the current method of testing. Unfortunately though, there is still a cost issue (which I agree, shouldn't be a problem if it saves even one baby's life). Interesting about the cost/benefit research you mention not being conclusive - does this mean that they can't conclude whether the cost justifies the number of babies saved? Because surely research must show that prevention has reduced infant strep mortality despite risk of any antibiotics complications? It's interesting to discuss this with you, as it sounds like you are very well informed - do you work in health care of some form? I can't remember!

PD - I'm guessing they say till 37 weeks as that's when you could go into early labour. But I would assume that the later you have it done the better as it's less likely to give you a false negative (as in, it clears by the time you're in labour). So I guess it's just a guideline. Regards the urine test, I'm sure it's a valid & conclusive way of testing (again, I think I looked that up, it's just that the swab was offered as standard so that's what I did). I do think it's poor of your hospital not to at least offer the pee sticks for protein & glucose testing though. I wonder what the NHS guidelines are on that one?

penny99 I don't think they can test you for Strep B without your consent (it's a bit like any other viral test). Probably just best to check if it's something you want done. That's interesting about you hearing the baby might not get enough from the oral vitamin K - as I read the opposite - that with the oral does it will just take what it needs and that the injection could be possibly giving too much unnecessarily directly into the blood stream. Why is there so much conflicting advice?? Arrgh. More research required. Does anyone else know much about oral vs injected vitamin K?

Message withdrawn

oooh and Jolly you now share your C/S date with abbymeg and hotmama!! So we will have three babies born on that day, hooray! Shall I put up an updated due list?

LadyOfTheFlowers due 30/11 DC#3
badkitty due 01/12 DC#1
ChutneyMary scheduled c/s 01/12 (due 10/12) DC#3
twinkle183 due 01/12 DC#3
pwcbird due 01/12 DC#2
rosmerta due 02/12 DC#2 - Homebirth/West Mid, W London
RawChocolate due 02/12 DC#3
melissa72 due 02/12 DC#1
Modernlove due 03/12 DC#1
DonnyLass due 03/12 DC#2, (BOY!)
Doozie due 3/12 DC#1
penny99 due 3/12 DC#1
Katie3677 scheduled c/s 3/12 (due 14/12) DC#2 - Hereford County Hospital
goneundergroundtillfamilyknow due 04/12 DC#3
Hanni22anni due 04/12 DC#2
BrightShinySun due 05/12 DC#2
Nolda due 05/12 DC#2 Princess Anne, Southampton, (BOY!)
mibbes due 06/12 DC#1 - Stirling Royal
majormoo due 06/12 DC#3 - Royal Sussex, Brighton
elenamaesmummy due 07/12 DC#2
jenduck due 07/12 DC#1
Beans33 due 07/12 DC#1 - St Thomas', London
Ebs26 due 07/12 DC#1 - Darent Valley, Kent, (GIRL!)
hiccymapops due 07/12 DC#2, (BOY!)
poisondwarf due 08/12 DC#2 - Homerton, London, (GIRL!)
toratora due 08/12 DC#3
Mina30 due 08/12 DC#2
lal07 due 08/12 DC#2 - St Thomas', London (GIRL!)
jumpjockey due 08/12 DC#1, Homebirth, Cambridge
JezzaJ9 due 08/12/08 - Hope, Manchester
JamInMyWellies due 09/12 DC#2 - St Johns, Chelmsford
Natalie537 due 09/12 DC#2, (GIRL!)
hennaly due 09/12 DC#7
theyoungvisiter due 09/12 DC#2
Artichokes due 10/12 DC#2, London, (GIRL!)
Kmp1 scheduled c/s 10/12 (due 17/12) DC#1 - Queen Charlottes, London (BOY!)
Webbi due 11/12 DC#1
Bisou due 12/12 DC#1, Australia, (BOY!)
fishnchips due 12/12 DC#3
Jackstini due 12/12 DC#2
kayzisexpecting due 12/12 DC#2, Malton, North Yorks, (BOY!)
Alliebongo due 12/12 DC#3 - West Suffolk
KutilPutil due 13/12 DC#2
traceface due 13/12 DC#2
cococat due 14/12 DC#1
pootleflump due 14/12 DC#2
monkeydops due 15/12 DC#2
Veggiemummy due 15/12 DC#2 - Homebirth, Derby, (BOY!)
abbymeg scheduled c/s 15/12 (due 21/12) DC#2 - St James, Leeds, (BOY!)
hotmama scheduled c/s 15/12 (due 21/12) DC#3 - Nottingham City Hospital
Jollybear scheduled c/s 15/12 (due 26/12) DC#1
bunnysgirl due 16/12 DC#2
chinchi due 17/12 DC#2 - Calderdale Royal, Halifax
Purple79 due 17/12 DC#1 - St Thomas', London, (GIRL!)
IceCube due 18/12 DC#1 - Homebirth, Cheshire
snorris due 18/12 DC#5, (GIRL!)
SummerLightning due 18/12 DC#1 - Addenbrookes, Cambridge, (BOY!)
Twiga/okaythen scheduled c/s 18/12 (due 26/12) DC#3
moaningminnie2020 due 20/12 DC#2
reban due 20/12 DC#4
Ninii due 20/12 DC#2
Indith due 20/12 DC#2 - Homebirth, Durham
RhinestoneCowgirl/MaeWest due 21/12 DC#2 - Homebirth, Bristol
waitinggirl due 21/12 DC#1 - Whittington, London
preggiejane due 21/12 DC#1
georgiepig due 22/12 DC#2
NineUnlikelyTales due 22/12 DC#2
hattyyellow due 22/12 DC#3 (GIRL?)
Turniphead1 due 24/12 DC#3 - St John & Elizabeth's, N London
zoejeanne due 24/12 DC#1 - Scarborough
HollyMiranda due 24/12 DC#1 - Chelsea & Westminster
anjlix due 24/12 DC's#1&2 - St Thomas', London (TWIN GIRLS!)
Missmama due 25/12 DC#3 - Birmingham Heartlands
EnchantedWithEdwardCullen/DisenchantedPlusBump due 25/12 DC#3
kitkat9 due 25/12 DC#3
Annagt due 25/12 DC#1
strikey due 25/12 DC#2
GettingBiggerBird due 25/12 DC's#2&3 - Homerton, London (GIRL & BOY!)
purplepansy due 25/12 DC#3
PinguRocks due 25/12 DC#1 - St Thomas', London
Lowrib due 25/12 DC#1 - Homerton, London
mybumpsaboy due 25/12 DC#1, (BOY!)
tm2 due 26/12 DC#1
GordontheGopher due 26/12 DC#2
LitterBug due 26/12 DC#3
Crazycatlady due 26/12 DC#1 - Homebirth/St Thomas', London
Olipop due 27/12 DC#2 - West Middlesex, London
simmo14 due 27/12 DC#2, (GIRL!)
rowergirl due 27/12 DC#2
CatDean due 27/12 DC#1 - Homebirth/Homerton, London
feb due 28/12 DC#2
babblington due 29/12 DC#3
emmanbump due 29/12 DC#1
Kimberly1979 due 29/12 - St. John's and Lizzies (BOY!)
EffiePerine due 30/12 DC#2 - Homerton, London (BOY!)
march29 due 31/12 DC#2
TheInvisibleHand due 31/12 DC#2 - Royal Free, London

Hello all

Veggie I'm so sorry to hear about your cousin - it must be so hard to be far away from home at a time like this.

Excitement here as my waters started to go last night - not with anything like daisy's drama, but my Mum rushed to get the last train down from yorkshire and then.....nothing much happened. They've been leaking a bit since then, and had to go into Tommies to get checked over. Provided labour starts before tomorrow morning we can still try for homebirth. Otherwise it's in to hospital and gel or drip. So having bit of a nap/lounging around on mnet and then will be bouncing on ball/walking up and down stairs to try to get it going.

Can't believe this baby's going to come early. I was slightly complacent given had to be induced for DS and everyone in my family has been late. Didn't quite get round to cleaning out kitchen cupboards/rest of domestic chores I'd been happily thinking I could bore myself with whilst waiting. Oh well.

pixsix I hope your little one is doing ok and you're feeling more confident. Must have been really worrying. Am sure you'll be fine once you get home.

Bisou am v impressed with your making mattress covers etc. I was a bit PFB about buying them last time so have got ludicrously expensive coir organic hand sized blah de blah mattresses which I'm using again. I've washed the covers and it's apparently some of the chemicals that they can be treated with that can cause problems. But I don't think research is that clear to be honest. Sleeping on their backs and keeping an eye on temperature seems to be the most significant thing.

Sounds completely stupid but I can't quite get my head round the fact I'm about to have another baby. Argh!

ChutneyMary I updated your C/S date on Monday too. As we don't want to miss out on wishing you well for it!

Have just realised I've blown the 'curfew' imposed by DH as it's now almost 3am. I'm gonna be in trouble tomorrow. Had better get to bed and do some serious spooning...

Night all!

Thanks hatty! I can't believe it is so close. I don't know how you (and all you others with children) cope with being so pregnant and trying to entertain toddlers. I'm knackered all the time and I only have myself to look after.

poison Your post really made me chuckle. Perhaps the North West tourist board might be interested in... The North West: 'atrocious climate & lack of jobs' . Quite true though, I don't think it has properly got light today it has been so dreary. It would be fun to meet up if you are visiting .

Oh I forgot to say before beans that your DH is being a bit daft with the injection thing. It would be unfair to pass his phobia on.

Message withdrawn

lal how exciting!!! Good luck!

Ooh lal how exciting! About time we had some more baby action on this thread (drums fingers impatiently). Know what you mean about being complacent - I'm convinced this baby is coming late and would get the shock of my life if I went into labour any time soon (even though I'm 38+3 now). At least DP got the baby clothes down from the loft yesterday, but no Moses basket - and haven't even thought about starting the hospital bag yet. Still, it would be a good excuse to bypass the nesting stage (still waiting for that one...)

Oh thanks for the links on OFP Bisou - will have a good luck later (a few mince pies and a couple of eps of SATC later I should think). I was just about to ask if you ever sleep actually - night night!

Ooh cross posts with you there lal. Good luck! Hope you get your homebirth. Set your mum to work sorting out those cupboards

Jolly Snap! Same day as me! 17 and a bit days and counting... It can't come too soon as I'm now 36+4 but measuring 43 - my poor legs can't take much more. Another week and I think DH will just have to roll me to get me anywhere.

OOOOOOHHHHH lal, yay another one (i'm expecting at least one baby a day now on this thread ) I really hope you get your home birth, and it all goes lovely and smoothly (and quickly) for you. Will be thinking of you.

poisondwarf that was mean, i actually thought you were going to tell us

I'm spending far too much time on here lately thank god for Cbeebies

Sorry to be GPS bore - but to answer your question PD there is no specific cutoff at 37 weeks save that you are more likely to have had the babe before the results come back. The testing offered on the site is apparently "better" than the urine culture - it would take you about 4 -5 days to get a result if you wanted.

Bisou no, am not in health care at all (but was a solicitor for many years - so I often take a very information/research based approach to stuff ). I did spend a lot of time looking into all this when pg with my first. But as that was over 5 years ago, some of my information may be out of date! Unfortunately, yes - the cost issue is that the NHS (through NICE which analyses such matters) finds the cost would outweigh the benefit - and indeed the testing itself would not prevent the deaths. As far as I recall there is nothing from the States and Oz which could persuade them otherwise.

The test that you mention sounds very good. The immediacy would cover one of the main concerns about the efficacy of testing but again seems to come down to price which is so sad. But I would worry about it all happening so quickly. The babies are so vulnerable at that early stage.

I decided to do the ECM test because it is less likely to give you a false negative than the urine culture test. As you say, whatever the stats I don't want my baby to be one of the unlucky ones. And whilst I avoid antibiotics as much as possible I would take them prophelatically in the event of a positive group B strep test. It's all up to the individual. But I find it sad that people aren't offered more information about the infection, the different types of tests and told they can get it privately if they would like and can afford the £32. Although obviosly they should get it for free IMO.

Ooooh lal that is so exciting!!! Will you do a live birth thread? Did they say it was your main waters or your hind waters. I always get a hind water leak - and then go into labour about 2 days later (hope much quicker for you!!)

Hope you have a fab homebirth

Night night Bisou!

LadyOfTheFlowers due 30/11 DC#3
badkitty due 01/12 DC#1
ChutneyMary scheduled c/s 01/12 (due 10/12) DC#3
twinkle183 due 01/12 DC#3
pwcbird due 01/12 DC#2
rosmerta due 02/12 DC#2 - Homebirth/West Mid, W London
RawChocolate due 02/12 DC#3
melissa72 due 02/12 DC#1
Modernlove due 03/12 DC#1
DonnyLass due 03/12 DC#2, (BOY!)
Doozie due 3/12 DC#1
penny99 due 3/12 DC#1
Katie3677 scheduled c/s 3/12 (due 14/12) DC#2 - Hereford County Hospital
goneundergroundtillfamilyknow due 04/12 DC#3
Hanni22anni due 04/12 DC#2
BrightShinySun due 05/12 DC#2
Nolda due 05/12 DC#2 Princess Anne, Southampton, (BOY!)
mibbes due 06/12 DC#1 - Stirling Royal
majormoo due 06/12 DC#3 - Royal Sussex, Brighton
elenamaesmummy due 07/12 DC#2
jenduck due 07/12 DC#1
Beans33 due 07/12 DC#1 - St Thomas', London
Ebs26 due 07/12 DC#1 - Darent Valley, Kent, (GIRL!)
hiccymapops due 07/12 DC#2, (BOY!)
poisondwarf due 08/12 DC#2 - Homerton, London, (GIRL!)
toratora due 08/12 DC#3
Mina30 due 08/12 DC#2
lal07 due 08/12 DC#2 - St Thomas', London (GIRL!)
jumpjockey due 08/12 DC#1, Homebirth, Cambridge
JezzaJ9 due 08/12/08 - Hope, Manchester
JamInMyWellies due 09/12 DC#2 - St Johns, Chelmsford
Natalie537 due 09/12 DC#2, (GIRL!)
hennaly due 09/12 DC#7
theyoungvisiter due 09/12 DC#2
Artichokes due 10/12 DC#2, London, (GIRL!)
Kmp1 scheduled c/s 10/12 (due 17/12) DC#1, London (BOY!)
Webbi due 11/12 DC#1
Bisou due 12/12 DC#1, Australia, (BOY!)
fishnchips due 12/12 DC#3
Jackstini due 12/12 DC#2
kayzisexpecting due 12/12 DC#2, Malton, North Yorks, (BOY!)
Alliebongo due 12/12 DC#3 - West Suffolk
KutilPutil due 13/12 DC#2
traceface due 13/12 DC#2
cococat due 14/12 DC#1
pootleflump due 14/12 DC#2
monkeydops due 15/12 DC#2
Veggiemummy due 15/12 DC#2 - Homebirth, Derby, (BOY!)
abbymeg scheduled c/s 15/12 (due 21/12) DC#2 - St James, Leeds, (BOY!)
hotmama scheduled c/s 15/12 (due 21/12) DC#3 - Nottingham City Hospital
Jollybear scheduled c/s 15/12 (due 26/12) DC#1
bunnysgirl due 16/12 DC#2
chinchi due 17/12 DC#2 - Calderdale Royal, Halifax
Purple79 due 17/12 DC#1 - St Thomas', London, (GIRL!)
IceCube due 18/12 DC#1 - Homebirth, Cheshire
snorris due 18/12 DC#5, (GIRL!)
SummerLightning due 18/12 DC#1 - Addenbrookes, Cambridge, (BOY!)
Twiga/okaythen scheduled c/s 18/12 (due 26/12) DC#3
moaningminnie2020 due 20/12 DC#2
reban due 20/12 DC#4
Ninii due 20/12 DC#2
Indith due 20/12 DC#2 - Homebirth, Durham
RhinestoneCowgirl/MaeWest due 21/12 DC#2 - Homebirth, Bristol
waitinggirl due 21/12 DC#1 - Whittington, London
preggiejane due 21/12 DC#1
georgiepig due 22/12 DC#2
NineUnlikelyTales due 22/12 DC#2
hattyyellow due 22/12 DC#3 (GIRL?)
Turniphead1 due 24/12 DC#3 - St John & Elizabeth's, N London
zoejeanne due 24/12 DC#1 - Scarborough
HollyMiranda due 24/12 DC#1 - Chelsea & Westminster
anjlix due 24/12 DC's#1&2 - St Thomas', London (TWIN GIRLS!)
Missmama due 25/12 DC#3 - Birmingham Heartlands
EnchantedWithEdwardCullen/DisenchantedPlusBump due 25/12 DC#3
kitkat9 due 25/12 DC#3
Annagt due 25/12 DC#1
strikey due 25/12 DC#2
GettingBiggerBird due 25/12 DC's#2&3 - Homerton, London (GIRL & BOY!)
purplepansy due 25/12 DC#3
PinguRocks due 25/12 DC#1 - St Thomas', London
Lowrib due 25/12 DC#1 - Homerton, London
mybumpsaboy due 25/12 DC#1, (BOY!)
tm2 due 26/12 DC#1
GordontheGopher due 26/12 DC#2
LitterBug due 26/12 DC#3
Crazycatlady due 26/12 DC#1 - Homebirth/St Thomas', London
Olipop due 27/12 DC#2 - West Middlesex, London
simmo14 due 27/12 DC#2, (GIRL!)
rowergirl due 27/12 DC#2
CatDean due 27/12 DC#1 - Homebirth/Homerton, London
feb due 28/12 DC#2
babblington due 29/12 DC#3
emmanbump due 29/12 DC#1
Kimberly1979 due 29/12 - St. John's and Lizzies (BOY!)
EffiePerine due 30/12 DC#2 - Homerton, London (BOY!)
march29 due 31/12 DC#2
TheInvisibleHand due 31/12 DC#2 - Royal Free, London

Lal Oooooh exciting!!! I really hope you get your homebirth.

I'm going to try to stop thinking about having baby soon in the hope that it makes him come.

congratulations on the baby's that have arrived.
Pixsix hope your son is well and you are getting on OK with the feeding.

Veggie sorry to hear about your cousin.

Good luck Lal

PD how strange that they do not check your urine? Was it you asking how people measure the length of their labours? I am not sure either-with my DS I knew labour was starting when I woke up in the morning, but did not need to go to hospital til 8pm that evening. My notes say my labour was 3.5 hours but seems a bit of a guess really.

I don't think its that long since I was last on here, but this moves so fast...

First, veggie - so sorry to hear about your cousin, it must be difficult for his parents and all your family. I lost a cousin a few months ago in very different circumstances and I know my aunt and uncle took it hard, but over time have got back to their usual lives.

Happier though, huge congratulations to amy LadyT verso and daisy - lovely to have so many babies! lal sounds like you won't be long either and kayz I hope for your sake things get a move on soon or settle...

Re the vit K debate - the jab is given, just in case your baby has an incredibly rare, but dangerous disorder which is cured by having the extra vitamins. The theory goes that it doesn't do any harm to a healthy baby who has it and it may save a baby who needs it. There is an argument to say you don't really need it if you are going to formula feed the baby as formula has vit K added anyway. In terms of whether to give it orally or by injection, there is some evidence that suggests orally may be less effective, not least because a dose accidentally gets missed as you need a course. The injection gets given once at birth and that's the end of it. The controversy with the injection was that there were some studies a while back which suggested that there was a slight increase in the risk of leukemia for babies that had had the jab. Later studies suggest this isn't right, but people went for oral vit K for a while on the basis that this was lower risk. TBH worrying about injections isn't really a reason not to give it that way - your baby will get poked and prodded in the first few months e.g. with the heel prick test, vaccinations etc etc. I kind of feel one more isn't a big deal! DD had the jab and the new baby will too...

Re mattresses - out of an excess of caution I am getting a new moses basket mattress for the baby, but these don't break the bank at around £12.

Only news here is that I had my final hospital visit today before D-day. Scan was good, baby is reassuringly average sized and the right way up. Also had a somewhat more rational discussion with a doctor where decided that I would try for a VBAC, but if this blob decides it doesn't want to budge on time I have a section scheduled for 8 Jan as the hospital won't induce if you've had a section before. Glad to have got that sorted as the previous appt really managed to get me wound up for some reason....

Turnip - completely know what you mean about solicitor training! I am still one and the doc this morning was double checking that I didn't do something medical for a living....

cat - we had a name in mind for dd1 (Amelia Grace) that we'd been set on for ages, then when she came it just wasn't her...she ended up as Lucy Faith (am I allowed to reveal true details?!) which suits her perfectly, so there's no harm in waiting till baby is born. When she was in SCBU there was a little one in the cot next to her who had no name for about the first 6 weeks...I guess the baby doesn't know any better! This one is hopefully going to be Phoebe, but we're open to changing our minds when we meet her!
Turnip am still horrified that you don't get a wee check for protein with every appointment. My antenatal notes have a box which has to be filled in with every visit to say if urine is clear or not. Your place is surely contravening some guidelines - probably not the time to look into it (you don't need extra hassle) but maybe a few months down the line you could investigate...
GBS - I found out I am positive because they did a swab when I had a bleed - if I hadn't had the bleed they wouldn't know so I wouldn't be treated. I spoke to my MW about it - she feels all pregga ladies should be routinely screened but it's a cost thing. She said if someone asks her to do a swab for it she's not allowed to do it, but if they present with 'symptoms' then she can justify it, ie if you went and said " I have an altered vaginal discharge", she would be acting on that by taking a swab and would therefore be allowed! It's crazy!

They measure the length of your labour from when you are in established labour which starts when you are 5cms dilated. So my labour with DS was 4 hours, so the MW is expecting it to be about 2-3 hours this time.

So even though from the first contraction I felt to DS being born it was 20 hours they only count it from 5cms so it was actually 4 hours.

oh and PD - my MW said they only count labour as starting once you are 4cm dilated, so you might say you've been in labour for much longer than your official notes.

Hi all

Oooh, Lal - that is so exciting - hope it comes soon and you get your homebirth. Oh good luck!

I can't seem to stop crying today. I've been quite hardnosed through this pregnancy and although I've got cross, I haven't cried that much (although DH might disagree!). But today I keep bursting into inconsolable tears for no reason. Two of my old friends from school came round with their 10 month and 15 month old little girls today and as I said goodbye to them, I suddenly realised that next time I see them, I'll probably have a baby and I just started bawling and couldn't stop. And am doing it again now! Ooops. I know I'm tired and hormonal, but really, this is ridiculous. I feel like I've turned a tap on and I can't turn it off again!! Sob!