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

[kayzisexpecting]

Here I have done it!!!!!

Just need more babies now!!!!!

Bisou - I'm afraid the quantities of colostrum produced in my dream far exceed my real life leaky dribbles so am not quite ready to go into commercial production yet!

My ruddy (D)H has just said to me if he knew we were going to be living here instead of the flat I could have had the homebirth I wanted. ARGHHHHH!!!

Beans it seems to be like that at them moment for a few of us - and arguing with your DH will not be helping. Have a good bawl and eat some chocolate...it usually helps me!

Kayz - think that's one of those comments you will have to pretend you hadn't heard or you will drive yourself mad!!!!

beans pull yourself together you big softie!!

traceface not me that's not getting urine tested. I get it tested everytime (and have a lot of antenatal appointments, so no worries on that score). Just had to arrange my own Strep B test. It's PoisonDwarf - and I totally agree with what you say. I can't see why they don't do it. But she is only a couple of weeks away from due date.

ps; love all those names!!! beautiful!

invisible - thats a really good summary of the Vit K debate! Know what you mean about lawyers and reading up ( basically we would have been doctors if we were good at science and not at sentences?!). I laughed this morning at a text from a friend who is 8 weeks pg with no.1. She had told her DH - who is a barrister - that I had been in hospital with suspected early labour. he wanted to know if I had had a show. She didn't even know what that was - but he has already read 3 books!

Thanks trace - I'm not even particularly down about anything either! Silly billy. Oh well, it'll pass. I think I'll just try going to sleep at 8pm tonight!!!

kayz - I agree, just pretend you never heard that - fingers in ears and la la la la....

Its because we were in a first floor flat and he wasn't too keen on me having to go down the stairs in labour. BUT the bloody maternity ward is upstairs anyway!!!!!!

Beans I have been feeling emotional recently. I cried my eyes out at the X Factor finalists song yesterday. I've heard it loads but it just set me off yesterday.

turnip - I reckon its inherent nosiness and a need to sound authoritative about stuff we'd only heard about the day before!

and invisible - I like your vit K chat - thank you - will tell DH how many jabs there are going to be and one more makes no difference!!!!

SL - I'm shaking myself down and pulling myself firmly together! I am usually really upbeat, so a bit ashamed of my mopiness today!!!

Hi all thanks for your kind words. still very shocked but i think i am more upset because i remember when he was born he was my Aunt & Uncles 1st child (he is my late Dad's brother) and i think of my DS and how their excitement and devotion was very much like how DH & I felt about DS. They also had very similar ideas to us. My Aunt is a montessori teacher and she was my 1st introduction to the system which we now have DS in. It is sad when i think of us joking last christmas about the fact that my Aunt was so against guns and her boys playing with guns and how both her son's went into the forces.

but enough of all that now. Just with the Vit K there has not been any difinative research but one anecdotal study found that in a set population more babies had late onset Heamorragic disease of the Newborn (HDN) with the oral than the inj. I think the stats were 1:140,000 for inj and 1:70,000 for the oral however they didnt take into account the newborns prevalence for a liver problem or even record whether they had one, and it is believed that giving Vit K either way does not effect the late onset kind. I gave it to DS but am a little sceptical as there are many more concerning things (like strep B) that are not addressed yet for a small risk Vit K is given. If this birth is fine and not traumatic i might give it a miss this time.

However Beans, i think your DH is wanting something to be in control of for this birth (the men like that) just going on things you have said in the past, with him being funny about your mum being there. So i think if you sit down with him ask him how he is feeling about all this and maybe talking through some things you will do during the birth and what you want him to advocate for you while you are in labour, like pain relief etc. Also my DH is all up on birth positions and massage and also the sorting out of the pool and music. I think it helps him to know he has something to do. He is also my homeopath as he has been clued up on what to give and when. Give him a job to do.

Lal how exciting our first homebirth. My hindwater broke with DS at 9.30pm and i had him at 10.47pm the next day.

I was told today that it takes 2 hours to fill the home birth birth pools is this true? does anyone know?

Not posted on here for a while, but have been lurking a bit, don't have time to post once I've read a couple of pages of posts!

Veggie - I have the mini BPIAB and it says it takes two to three full baths of water. DH pumped it up at the weekend but we didn't fill it so no idea how long it will actually take, but it certainly looks like 2 baths worth of water would fit in very easily.

We don't have an on demand boiler and I know one full bath uses up our tank so we will have to wait for the boiler to refil and heat another tank. First time for me though so I'm expecting plenty of time to get organised.

KayZ - never too late to book a homebirth, if you really would prefer one why don't you ring your midwife and ask the question?

oh yeah thats true Kayz you can even decide on the day they have to attend you if you demand it. But i think they prefer to have a look at your place first.

Thanks for that Icecube, we have a combi boiler but the water will be coming from the kitchen sink which has thin stream so could take ages. This is my 2nd and i'm already 3/5th engaged so could be quick. I mostly want it pain relief but looks like i might have it just in time to deliver.

I have no way of contacting my MW so can't ask for one. I'd really love one though. I means I don't have to wake my mum up in the middle of the night to take us to the hospital and look after DS.

Yes kayz I was just going to say the same thing - why not give them a call and see what's what?

Thanks for the replies on the length of labour kayz and trace - my problem is that when I arrived at the hospital (2 hours 40 mins before DS was born) I was already 8cm dilated so I have no idea when I was 4 or 5cm dilated - nor do I know when the contractions started as it seemed to be a gradual build up from niggly discomfort over quite a few days - probably about 5 (sounds not unlike what you're experiencing at the moment actually kayz).

Oh sorry x-posted kayz. Haven't they even given you the number of the labour ward for when you're going in? Would they not be able to give you a mw contact number, or could you ask at the GPs or antenatal clinic tomorrow?

Kayz-you could try calling your local clinic as the community midwives should be based there or they may know where. Or make an appointment with your GP and get him to sort it out.

I have the number of the labour ward and that is it.

The only antenatal clinic was this morning. She is the MW for about a 20-30 mile area so is only here Thursday Morning.

I might try ringing the ward tomorrow and see what they say.

oh and thanks for the reply majormoo - only just seen that.

i bought some ugly big undies and some surf boards today for post birth bleeding. Last time i only needed the surfboards for a day as i didnt bleed much. The packet i got is a 10pack but it says on the pack that you need 24 in 2 days, has anyone else needed this many. And if the bleeding is heavy would extra large normal sanitary pads do? I can send DH down the road for them any day as we have a few late opening little shops near us, but if i need the big maternity ones suddenly and it is late he wouldn't be able to get some from Boots etc. I'm a bit scummy and don't want to buy too many if i don't use them, I don't use pads for Auntie Flo's visits.

oh and ELC is having a 20% off sale in december with these vouchers. If you shop online the voucher number is CRIBX8B

I really want a home birth now. I think I will ring the labour ward in the morning. Now looking at birth pools!

trace back to the GBS and what your midwife said (really should read properly before posting), I got the impression that my mw disagreed with hospital policy as well. As she was being so vague and so reluctant when I asked about it I eventually said to her that I was getting the impression she thought it was such a small risk that it wasn't worth testing, but she said that no she wouldn't say that at all. Similarly to yours, she said that as long as she can put in the notes that the mother has "expressed concern" she can test for it, but otherwise it's a no. I think that must be why she made me confirm so many times that I wanted it testing. Come to think of it I do often get the impression that the mws disagree with the whole blanket no urine testing policy - when I ask about it they always seem to say it through gritted teeth so perhaps they feel uncomfortable saying it. I think that part of it is that mine is considered a low-risk pregnancy, but still you'd think in these litigious times that it would be more bother than it's worth for them to miss stuff that could be easily picked up by screening.

Beans just have a good old wallow love. Think of it as training - your hormones will rule your world over the next few weeks/months, so embrace them and use them as a handy get out of jail free / get me a cup of tea card at every opportunity.

Veggie I only used normal sanitary pads last time (and Tesco Value ones if you please - how scuzzy is that?), although I guess in the hospital they must have given me maternity ones and I was in for 2 nights, so don't know if this is helpful for you as you'll be at home. I didn't bleed that heavily either and moved on to panty pads pretty soon after. I've always had light periods btw - don't know if that is related but imagine it must be.