March 2009: Beware of TMI . . . we're getting ready to give birth and there's nothing we won't share.

[MKG]

Ok so I'll start it off.

Has anyone else had a huge increase in discharge? It's gone from clear and not too much to thick and white, and copious amounts.

captain and twocute I am also a prosepective home birther, MW coming to drop stuff off next week. I sorted out all the old towels and sheets today in readiness.

bib thanks for sharing the anaemia stuff, let us know your hb levels when they are known and fingers crossed they are rising.

Am fine thanks Fearless - or else I hope I am! Have MW appointment on Weds when she drops off the HB kit so will get her to have a prod around and listen to the heart beat - I feel tip top so not worrying at all.

Is anyone else starting to covet non-maternity clothes? I'm itching to get some new jeans but haven't the foggiest what will fit - wonder if I should just pull them up my legs and not do them up?

DS1 has been patting my bump today bless him, can't wait to see his face when it pats him back!

37 weeks tomorrow and racing MKG for the next baby, anyone else want to join in? I'd still quite like a March babe (I'm one and it's so nice to be Spring not Winter), but think it's out of my hands now! Of course if he's born on St David's day (1 March) my Welsh in-laws will be happy!

Hmm - not sure I'm in for the race quite yet. 37 weeks on friday and admittedly am gearing up in case I am 'sectioned' at any point from then but I'd like to get to at least 38 weeks ideally (actually 38 + 3 as I have dd's NCT group 4th birthday party which I've organised at 38+2 !) but will be v. happy for baby to come any time from 2nd March ! Although naturally preferably and don't think I'm likely to go early (unheard of in my maternal family) but hey ! Who knows what might happen.

Start Raspberry Leaf Tea this afternoon and its given me terrible indigestion.

auntyspan - glad the consultant appointment went well.

I would love to join in the race but i am scared of cursing myself LOL, i am 38+5 so i obviously would love to be next , i am hoping for the end of this week thur/fri would be grand but at the moment i am just enjoying the last few days or dare i say it weeks with our girls .

Has your show continued laumiere ??

Just been and had a proper look through my HB kit and it does have forceps and catheters ect, i remembered i had both of my girls trying to look in it when i got, so i just shoved out of the way without having a good neb.

Wheely i take you mean a CS and not actually sectioned LOL pmsl but then again it dont take much to make me chuckle lol .

Fearless do the MWs brings everything with them?

I have a big list of dates to avoid as they are other peoples birthdays in the family. they include:

28th Feb
2nd March
6th March
10th March
21st March

Forgot to say Tesco have fab baby sale on. Nappies 1/3 off. Pampers wet wipes for 6 packs is £3.66! Bargin! I bought 3 lots! And some cute little outfits that are reduced but I didn't realise that until I got to checkout. Well worth a look to stock up on stuff.

I now have a good supply of nappies. Size 1,2 and 3!

Hi all,

almost all set up and ready for the arrival of our little one.

So cute to see the pics of Flannel's little darling! So jealous!

I also have been drooling and snoring for England in the last couple of weeks !

Really enjoying the last weeks alone with my little girl- so nice to be home lazying around, spending mornings together without rushing to work....

Have started with the raspsberry tea and from this week I am cooking my own curries - yummmmmy!

the only discomfort I am getting is the awful heartburn that is killing me- Gaviscon is defo my best at the moment...

This is just too exciting now !

Wishing you a happy week! x x x

Is anybody else glad there is no february 29th this year?

I always feel bad for kids born then - it's worse than christmas having a birthday that only comes around every four years!

Thanks BIB Guess that's where I'm going tomorrow morning then! Got the changing table ready today and then realised that the reusable nappies I have are no good until baby girl weighs 11lbs! Since unless she's got incredibly heavy bones there's no way she's going to be born that big and heavy I'm going to have to stock up on disposables for the first two months or so. Oh well!

LOL 2cutes - yes, C-sectioned although the way things are going it might be the other sort !

BiB - I really want to avoid 12 March as its quite a few people's birthday (including MIL) on that day. So, sods law says... (my due date is 13th !). Thanks for the info on the nappies - I have bought loads of size 2 by mistake (not that obviously its the end of the world as they'll get used) so mean to get some size 1's.

Heh, my dates to avoid are any time this week (parents are over and have other visitors) and 21 Feb as I bought DH tickets to go see Judas Priest, so he'll be all the way across the city!

My friend was born on 29 Feb, apart from it being a great excuse to have a kid's party every 4 years, she just celebrates on the day following 28 Feb each year, so either 29 Feb or 1 March.

Yep, still having mini-shows every day, no streaking though.

A bit of an update from me - went to see GP about piles and swollen hands and feet - piles were completely ignored as soon as it was discovered that my blood pressure was high. GP phoned hospital and they told me to come in straight away for monitoring.
Got DH to come home and take me in - went in and had foetal heart monitoring for about 30 mins - she was bouncing around like tigger for the entire time so no worries there, had blood taken, a urine test and was then hooked up to a blood pressure monitor which took my blood pressure every 20 mins. After 3 very normal BP results and a clear urine test I was sent home.
Only to receive a phone call from the midwife 5 mins after I stepped through my front door telling me that one of my blood tests had come back with an unusual result - I think she said a 'U' test / value, and that the consultant gyno has requested that I go back in tomorrow for more tests....

Does anyone have any idea what they test for when they do a blood test at this stage of pregnancy?

No idea sorry goldmother but if i was you i would call them again and ask them to explain, hopefully they can put you mind at rest. It certainly sounds like you have had a rotten day i cant i keep up with everyone sorry but have you have issues with your BP before.

Hi Goldmother - if your blood pressure was high,and combined with the swelling, they are probably testing further for signs of pre-eclampsia. They basically look for how kindney and/or liver are functioning as these can be affected by pre-eclampsia. That said, if things were v. serious they would have ask you to be admitted for monitoring immediately.

Hope all goes ok tomorrow.

sorry ladies, not only do I have no computer, our internet is now up shit creek! So i will make no false promises about being back with any kind of regularity!!!

Smoking update - I have continued to abstain, hopefully it was just a one off slip up!

goldmother I was in hospital for monitoring over a hike in BP last week, if our BP had returned to normal and you feel your swelling has gone down I reckon there is no imediate danger. I was told that if any of my reults were slightly off then they would just have me back in in a few days for monitoring again, fortunately all was okay! If ti was bad they would have had you back straight away, but if I was in your place I am pretty sure I would be panicking! Hope all is okay!

Had no time to catch up, this could be the story until well after baby arrives unfortunately! But I hope you are all doing well and its good to see all those babies are behaving nicely and staying put!!!

I am 37 weeks 2 days today and very much ready for baby to come out!!!!

Have a good evening ladies!

Hey Goldmother Thinking of you and hope all goes ok tomorrow. At least if it is anything, it sounds like they are catching it early which is the important bit. How many weeks are you now? Sorry if you've mentioned, but as Twocute says, there is such a flurry of postings at the moment it's hard to keep up!

Well I saw my other MW (the original one) and I felt much better having seen her. Everything else seems to be fine with the baby and position and heartbeat, it's just waiting to hear what my bloods are doing. Although she did say that if my platelets hadn't dropped significantly she wouldn't call. I had to stop myself from blurting, "Oh please just phone me anyway as I'll be waiting for the phone NOT to go and I'm an anal freak and want to know what the exact figure is anyway!". But I just nodded and said, "Ok". Anyway, she did say that the best way to combat it all is to go into labour so I went home, went for a walk and then had curry for tea. All it's done is give me constant braxton hix to the point where my head is numb and indigestion!! Oh well. Here's hoping the phone doesn't go tomorrow.

I bet I end up calling her......

PS - MKG - What work is it you do?

Goldmother--I hope you're doing ok. Good luck tomorrow.

Slickbird- I work in a children's store. God I could give everyone a lesson on good and bad parenting in public places. Generally it's not the children that bother me, it's the parents.

Morning all. Hope the appropriate peoples blood pressure, piles and varicose veins go down and the appropriate peoples iron and platlet levels go up (I hope that I have that round the right way).

Personally I am trying to avoid giving birth the weekend of 14th/15th March (41weeks) as this is my mums birthday and my sisters wedding. However, sods law dictates this is probably exactly when the baby will arrive. Fortunately my sister is quite understanding that I might not make her big day.

I know this is probably TMI but is anyone else feeling very big down below? I already feel like I have stretched to 2 or 3 times the normal size and the perineum appears to be receding and softening. I am presuming this is what is supposed to be happening at this stage?

JJ - I can't tell you how sore and swollen my er...undercarriage is! It feels like I'm being branded all the time with a red hot horseshoe!!

MKG - Ah, I did wonder. Yes, I can imagine the parents can be more frustrating!!

Well still no sleep last night, lots of BH and compounded with DD2 being awake three times a night again, I think she was hungry and is growing again, so I'll need to start feeding her up more before bed time and in the afternoon as that worked before. My DH had been up with her and given her her dummy but when I suggested hunger we gave her half a banana and she launched at it!!

Have a good day y'all.

JJ. Iknow exactly what you mean. Felt a bit sore this morning so had a look in the mirror and it wasn't as pretty as it used to be IYSWIM. Definatly bigger and more swollen. Sorry i'm sure thats TMI!

Slickbird. I thought last night was the night! constant BH all night until I fell asleep at 2am. Combined with the worst heartburn so far and ran out of gaviscon! Also DS had fallen asleep at 4pm yesterday so woke up in the wee hours this morning!

For all of you that think you might be popping soon...

I got some mattress protectors from boots this morning. Come in packs of five, so used a couple to make sure I was nicely covering the mattress under me when I sleep! They were only a few pounds - so worth it to save the mattress if your waters go in the night.

I keep thinking that I will go early. Have no evidence, and I'm trying not to think about it too much in case I don't!

laweasel are those protector things like absorbent mats or are those something else?