Due May 2009 - Childbirth is getting closer and it's giving us the (blue) willies!!

[SpangleMaker]

In honour of llareggub's DS's painting experiments........

Hello flippineck Glad your appointments went well.

Yet again we have variations from around the country then! All adds to the fun!

As for sleep, I am waking up a couple of times thinking it's almost morning only to find it's (normally) 2am!

I know what syrup you mean, flippineck, my previous hospital used that, the problem was that not many women were able to drink it within 10 mins and sometimes were even sick from it, because it's like drinking icing sugar. The lucozade is better, we had that as a back up for anyone who couldn't stomach the syrup.

Its very interesting this GTT stuff!
In my first pregnancy, we had to drink the syrup stuff and wait two hours,then have blood taken, this was after fasting from 9pm the night before, belgian I was one of those lovely ladies who threw it all up within 5 mins of drinking it!!! Which then meant that I had to go and eat some toast and wait two hours after having that and they took my bloods after that so god only know if it worked or not! Jump forward to this pregnancy, they no longer routinely test for GTT, they only do it if you have had it before or if your mum or dad are diabetic, so I don't have to have the test at all! which Im glad because I would have outrightly refused it!
Im just preparing our tea, salmon, roasted mediterrian veg and new potatoes, cant wait and neither can baby apparently!

chocolatebunnies can I come to yours for dinner, it sounds delicious

llareggub I had about 15 doctors in the room at an appointment where the subject was how muscular dystrophy might affect my pregnancy. The answer, in fact, is nobody knows because so few people have this kind of muscular dystrophy that none of the doctors know anything about it clinically, but every obstetrician and student on the ward plus a couple of neurologists all crammed in to see the woman with the rare disease. As the neurologist led me in, he looked very sheepish as he said, i hope you don't mind, we were all curious...I thought it was pretty funny at the time, it was a few months ago so everything we talked about was academic then anyway (still is really). The only problem is, I don't know which obstetrician is which - I had another appointment at that clinic week before last because my midwife was cross that they'd done that, loading everyone into the room for my consultation, and she'd had me booked to see "the lady doctor with the good sense" as she put it for a one on one...but they highjacked the appointment again, and still I don't know which doctor is which. I'm slightly less impressed by that because one of them was on my side (I am pushing to be "allowed" to deliver naturally if I can, I'm really fit and healthy and I think I'll be fine - I do not want to be treated as disabled - but it seems like its hard enough for able bodied women to avoid being treated as disabled during labour...) and the other I felt was just going to want to do it his way regardless (for all I know that could end up being the best way,who knows?)and seemed to have the attitude that I'd be grateful for what I was given.

-draws breath -

so. Glad everythings going well there for you. I think of you when I'm trying not to give in to sweet tooth! It sounds like you ought to be able to have your baby with you, but I guess you just have to keep banging on about it sometimes - this is what I intend to do about my thing.

belgian whats your experience of mobility impaired women in labour? Is the tendency there for birthing centres to just say no to disabled women? Do you think realistically I will meet with little support from midwives for attempting natural delivery?

polony it is so unusual for women with impaired mobility to get pregnant and have babies that I have not had any real first hand experience. The only woman I've ever met was someone who had lost her legs as a child and walked with prothesis, she had had a normal delivery, but I did not meet her until she was on the pn ward. I think that as long as your disability does not impact the size of your pelvis or your uterine's muscles ability to contract, than why should you not able to do it. After all women with epidurals can't feel or move a thing either! I do think you will receive support from your midwives. I know I would support you Hope you get the delivery you want, keep asking, get in touch with the head of midwifery too, because she might be able to help you too.

llareggub & polony So many doctors etc in your room... great that they're all keeping an eye on you but if it carries on for each appointment I can see it could be overwhelming/annoying.

llareggub have a great time with the family but don't wear yourself out

From everyones descriptions of the Gestational diabetes test I'm now so glad it's not routine and that I don't have to have it!

I got DH & I booked on a tour of the delivery suite at the different hospital we're going to this time (too many bad memories with DS birth to go back to the last one). I'm hoping this will help me feel more relaxed about the hospital environment when the time comes... and desperate for my natal hypnotherapy VBAC cds to come so I can get start with them. I'm finding it really hard to get to sleep... my brain goes into overdrive and LO turns into a blast furnace at night.

Evening ladies.

Well I've now cooked 8 portions of chicken & spinach vindaloo - just got to measure it out and freeze it. Trying to be super organised in the vain hope it will take my mind off the fact that my boss owes me 10 weeks wages .

DH cooked dinner tonight gammon, egg and chips - yummy!

Have also just got through 3rd of a tub of green&blacks choc ice cream

I am stuffed . LO is going nuts at the mo too - must be all the chocolate.

fi blast furnace, that made me giggle. That's exactly what mine does at night too and I think I can ditch my winter coat now too, I seem to be OK in just a cardi. DH on the other hand wears 3 layers + yesterday in the car he kept putting the heating on full blast, while I wanted to open the windows!

My Homebirth natal hypnotherapy CD arrived. I wont listen to it tonight, but can't wait to see what it's like.

Oh and I had the midwives magazine arrive and it had a whole 2 page article about raspberry leaf tea, which of course caught my interest as some of you had talked about it. It was really interesting and basically showed it was useful and that it reduced bleeding after delivery too. I haven't got it right here with me, but I'll try and give you all the main points sometime soon.

Hallo - gosh you have all been busy!! Have speed read the last 5 pages or so, so apols if I dont catch up with everyone's news.

Febes to the double snap issue - amazing really isn't it? Wonder how many days apart we will actually end up in May!! Are you wondering about coping with an 18 month old toddler and a newborn and important question are u getting a double buggy?!

Flippineck you're also in the small and very selective 8 May gang too!

Spangle yes to Sunday in Sandbach - brill, i'll text you, if I still have your number which i think i do.

Dandy no worries about the email, I was just blowing off steam about the same initial topic I mailed you on but I'm oh so over it now!! And all seems to have gone very quiet on that front anyway..

I have the blast furnace effect as well and have the same problem in the car with DP - hormones and babies, amazing!

Had sudden and desperate requirement for MacD today and had to divert on way to nursery to collect Lotti - 2 cheeseburgers and fries and lots of indigestion for being so bad! Wanted a toffee sunday but couldn't scoff that whilst driving along

Not heard from Rubysmom for ages, hope she is ok and just busy with life.

Ordered my Tens from Boots today and about to put down deposit on dbl buggy and buy a wrapround sling. Was feeling very disorganised and feel better for a few lists, some tidy drawers and some spending!! Oh and charged ipod so I can listen to NCT birth prep hypno tonight and reread about labour so I know when to take my calm down its all ok panic pills as transition starts

Sundae - dur dingbat

Chocolate that's what we had for dinner but with brown rice.

Belgian good point about the epidural and limited mobility. Sometimes it takes a completely different view point to make sense.

Had my GTT today. We had to starve from midnight, and had to go to the day unit. We were given polycal liquid (blackcurrant flavour) which was so sweet it didn't taste sweet if that makes sense. We had blood taken before, had to drink the drink quickly and a small glass of water five minutes after, and then more blood taken 2 hours later. The nice lady also rang through and got my anti-d delivered to the unit early so I hung about half an hour after and had it then instead of having to go away and come back later that afternoon.

Oh and considering I've been told I'm big, I had the smallest tummy of all of the 28 weekers having the GTT.

Can't find any fundal height graphs in my notes (I've got the A4 green notes but guess everyones are different) The only graphs I have are the growth measurement scans which have the percentile charts on them for head, tummy, legs etc (laymens terms..!) Pip has plotted on the 50th percentile all the way through - as did Lotti. Apart from his femur which is below average but then we are both short ar people anyway!

I had an apple for tea (after my McD "snack") earlier and a pint of orange squash,

Detsy Your very own personalised fundal height chart will be stuck into your green notes, if you look there's a strip somewhere in your notes where something can be stuck. Some trusts don't stick it in until you're about 28 weeks or on your very first measurement session. Ask your cmw next time you see her, more than likely she's got the chart on her.

I've got the green notes too. They're very good.

Hi all, Rubysmum is on Facebook and seems to be ok apart from continuing SPD and LO inside not behaving herself, resulting in a trip to hospital.

Nothing in my notes belgian I'll ask cmw next time as I've been measured every time since pretty early on as I recall. Seems to be like everyone else that number of weeks coincides with number of centimetres?

I've got another growth scan at 34 weeks (which i think is due to my ancient years..!!) And cmw at 31 weeks

pula of the grand bathrooms... well done for tracking down rubysmom, glad she is ok.

Just ordered my close baby sling - woo hoo

And found a USA store on e bay for my juju bag and accessories (all v necessary NOT) Prices are ok but shipping is a killer!

detsy i charged my ipod today too... just waiting for my ebay purchase of the VBAC natal hypno cds to come and i'll hopefully be much more relaxed come bedtime. I like the look of the boots tens too... one of the jobs i was going to do online tonight...

I got a bit side tracked with a search for bump bands in a size 12 that weren't black/grey or white. Fancied some colour for a change and i eventually found these and decided to treat myself. I went into our small town centre today and none of our local shops had any bump bands whatsoever... even though we have a topshop & new look these branches don't stock maternity... came home totally fed up and still with a strip of cold bare belly under my mothercare t-shirt. I did get some things for my hospital bag though so not a complete waste of time and the raspberry leaf tablets from H&B for when allowed to start taking them. I also got some boots arnica tablets... does anyone know if i start taking them before or after lo arrives? probably a daft question?!

Fikelly- I started taking arnica a few days before my planned cs to help prepare for the bruising. Carried on for a week or two after, gradually reducing the frequency.

thanks pulapula maybe i won't need them if i'm doing things naturally then? can always swap them for something else!

Fi- I've heard they can help with a natural delivery too, as there may well be some bruising/discomfort "down below".

I had just never heard of arnica til i started reading threads about planned cs last time and everyone was recommending it for their hospital bags.

You're right... so just got to work out when to start taking them?!

Fi those bump bands are gorgeous.

I'm having an annoying restless right leg and I'm not even in bed. I'm just sitting trying to relax and read a book and it keeps jumping up. It did the same in the restaurant last night. For some reason it doesn't happen in the day. I never had this with my other 2 and it's just really really distracting.

You know detsy the measurements are nothing if they're not plotted. It's difficult to pick up any downwards or static trends without the chart. So you really should ask your mw about it, because that seems wrong. You are right about the measurement corresponding with your weeks, that should be more or less the case and used to be used as a rough guide before the personalised growth charts were invented.

re: arnica. I grew up with homeopathic and natural medicine and my mum always had a tube of arnica in the medicine cabinet for when we had bumps and bruises!