*Due in June 2005*

[PinkArjuna]

The thread was getting far too long and taking ages to load.

London meet is a week away. I don't have to get the train until 10.30 this time Could someone tell me which tube line to get from Paddington?

Um well I'm still in denial but I thought I better get out of bed today and I have antenatal later so I guess avoiding impending baby is getting a bit ridiculous

I have to go out and buy a hospital bag. I have invested in 2 (very cheaply on ebay) but find I have too much stuff to fit in them. I'll have to get a wheely jobby.

I finally risked getting on the scales this morning and was heartend to find out I haven't yet put on 2 stone dspite being as fat as a cow. The baby is bloody huge. I have a feeling he is going to be massive I do want a chubby baby but after I have given birth. The midwife keeps saying 'what a healthy sized baby' is that their way of saying you are going to give birth to a whale? My arnica tablets didn't arrive they were pinched in the post, I'll have to buy some more.

Hope everyone is ok, and Teabelly I am praying for a quite baby... though he'll probably be Hurricane blue boy...

Hi! Got my dates mixed up - my first ante-natal is next Wednesday

Uki - I will never be so out of it as to be completely naked displaying my bits in front of strangers. Have to be paid A LOT of money for that! I'd love to keep some pants on, or preferably pj bottoms - is this possible? I suppose it is whilst you're just labouring?

Tea - yes I am so relieved I've finished the tiling. Really had to push myself to get it finished yesterday. Just the grouting to go now, but that will be a lovely job by comparison. pmsl at your niece trying to resuscitate (sp?) you or extract your teeth! Let's hope she doesn't get a thing for vets! Agree with MrsW - defo get your ds a Blue Dinosaur!!

Redhead you poor thing, hope you're taking it easy and feeling better this afternoon. Do people actually massage their perenium in front of other people in that class?

thanks Megi! lovely to have you back - did you get your assignment in?

Mrs W - oh yes, do your best to pretend you're really efficient and organised with the temp - that way if you go back to work, hopefully everything will be beatifully organised and ready for you!
It was actually a combination of Curly Watts and The Chuckle Brothers! Gosh what circles I used to mix in!

Katz - glad you're better and bump's wiggling away again

Lippy I didn't know you had to have a catherter with an epidural! No one told me that! I hope I don't need one if I end up with a mobile epi! Poor you. You must have very nice underwear by the way! I've bought a bikini trimmer for my "occasion"

Blimey Pink - 2 hospital bags and still not enough space - I think you'd definitely be better off with a little Wheelie suitcase. My sis bought a lovely one in Wilkinsons for £10. So for you about the post. You get so much stuff from Ebay and places too. Did you ask the PO if there's anything they can do?

charley - I really hope that the perinium massage is merely INFORMATION, we are British for goodness sake!

as for what to wear when labouring/birth etc I'm sure it's fine to have clothes on! bear in mind that it might be better to have a long t-shirt thing on though, as even though you are labouring the midwife might want to check how dilated you are etc. that way you can keep a top on and feel covered up. Trousers would mean you'd have to keep hoisting up and down AND expose yourself! Maybe if you had a shirt type thing you could also keep it on all the way through and just open it up a bit if you want to breastfeed the baby straight away.

have investigated relaxation classes - did you know that you can get paid time off work for this as long as it's recommended by yr MW, GP or health visitor? My midwife is gonna do me a note for work and I'm gonna go for it. Hmm, lets see two hours lying on the floor drifting away slowly, or work....? hard to choose eh?

LOL Charley / RHM re the perenium massage! A friend told me to do this last time, but due to bump in the way I wasn't sure exactly I'd got the correct area , and felt too embarrassed to use a mirror, so ended up slapping loads of oil on in the general vacinity, meaning I had soggy oil stained knickers for a while, and still must have missed the area as I tore slightly anyway...this time maybe I should be getting dh to do it for me!!!!

Like the blue dinosaur recommendations - will definitely have to go with those I think

Oh Charley - I had an epidural with ds but didn't have a cathetur fitted, so don't know if it's down to hospital policy or type of epidural?? My friend had both, but she was at a different hospital...as far as I'm aware mine wasn't a mobile one as my legs were numb for a good few hours???

Well, as I may have mentioned previous, I experienced every medical procedure there is to offer inmy last birth. Yep, catheter too. The midwife asked to put it in after I (much to her dismay) got up to go to the bathroom after having the epidural. My guess is that if your epidural is storng enough that they don't want you to get up and walk, they will ask to insert the epidural. It didn't really bother me much. Sort of gross I guess... but hey childbirth is not time to worry about the little embarassments.

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Ooh KVG - got our fingers crossed for positive reply...let us know if you can before you go away...if not have a great time away, and then let us know!

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Hi ya Lynney, glad you're feeling better and hurrah that the rash has gone...your mw is a sort isn't she? can I swap her for my wasp chewing grouch!

Know what you mean about the bump having a routine....I have what feels like a riverdance fanatic in there in the wee hours of the day, then she'll sleep for a while and becomes very energetic in the evening...this is probably coz I come home and after putting ds to bed collapse on the sofa til my bed time, so she's no-longer being rocked to sleep by my movements and feels she can make afew of her own

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LOL, Lynny! isn't that always the case, love our men despite our better judgements!!!

Hmm. I'm not feeling a great deal of love for my man in the middle of the night when he keeps waking me up to tell me off for snoring. Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

Glad you are feeling better Lynny. You don't have to put a brave face and be cheerful if you don't feel like it. We are all here to listen if you are feeling fed up (think I've done more moaning than most on here!).

My bump is also in a bit of a routine, like you Teabelly it does most of it's wriggling around when I'm lying on the settee in an evening. The other morning it slept until 9am, and I was in a bit of panic because I hadn't felt it moving. I'm hoping when it emerges into the real world it will still like a lie-in!

Can you ask for a private room at the hospital? I know I'd just hate to have to breast feed on a ward full of people and would perminantly keep the curtains drawn.

I am not one who would ever consider wearing anything less that a huge nightshirt and pj bottoms (only taken off at the last minute) I would rather die of heat exhaustion than expose any of myself. I had nightmares about this months ago when I heard people gave birth naked. I was horrified and couldn't sleep for a week and posted on the labour board and lots of women said they wouldn't have taken clothes off for anything.

I guess I won't be going outside for a while (or only short walks inbetween feeds) I can't think of anything more humiliating than breast feeding in public. I would only express and feed Bubba in public. I would never expose even a millimetre of myself and haven't done so since I was about 8 years old. I haven't even swum since I was 16 and doubt I ever will again. Though saying that a friend says I can go to her private pool when its time to teach bubba to swim, however nobody will see me

We are going to watch birth video's at antenatal - I have already put in my objection. its just gross. Honestly its the most hideous thing I could ever imagine and well I don't want to do it myself let alone watch other people huff and puff.

I have a bag I can fit my hospital stuff in from tesco

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lynnny- yr MW just makes me laugh out loud - f antastic!
sorry to hear about all your pain, it really is awful, don't worry about moaning. Have you seen an osteopath or anyone like that? I know I've always suggested this but I had a fantastic osteopath last time around and it really helped with pain management.

KVG - good luck with the Dh job!

I've just had a call from the docs saying I'm anaemic - makes sense as I'm soooo knackered all the tme. Have been having ridiculous 3-4 hour naps on the weekend. Been prescribed iron tablets....anyone else having them? are they awful to take are there any alternatives?

Ha ha ha Pink re the birth video...I remember being very shocked and traumatised by pics in M&B magazine when expecting ds as I didn't realise they printed pics of the full g(l)ory of people giving birth!

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Teabelly - there is no need you can't see down that end why would you want to see anyone else's bits??? what can you learn from it other than to fear your due date more than ever??

When its over I'll have to conveniently forget the humiliation of it and hopefully never ever see the midwife again. Thats why I want a doula, after its over they aren't going to go to coffee with you! Nobody I know is coming near me when I am in labour I'd have to sever the friendship on the spot.

RHM - iron rich foods ummm....red meat, green leafy veg, pulses, pumpkin seeds...and to help absorb the iron have with orange juice, green & red peppers, strawberries and also from recesses of mind white wine too!

LOL Pink! couldn't agree more! That was why when dh said he wasn't sure whether he wanted to be there with ds I was quite happy if he'd have decided against coming in - in the end he was there but I'm sure he has some horiffic images in his head about ds's birth that I certainly wouldn't have!!!

Honestly lynny I hope I get a nice midwife or I'll sack her on the spot.... can you do that? ask for another one if you don't get on with the one your appointed?