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........

Oh arnica is fantastic! Fi you will prob need it for a natural birth just as much there's also another one called hmm something which is good for erm soft tissue damage and bruising I have Arnica cream in my change bag for unexpected toddler bumps and bangs and it makes a huge difference for Lotti. I saw my homeopath about birth last weekend and have a fact sheet - i'll post it in a min for those interested

I'm planning to have a few days hols and do some serious retail with all this stuff for baby, hosp bag etc - want to get it done before i get too big and can't be bothered with it!

Fi have you used tens before, I didn't last time but thought I'd give it a go for £30 - also noticed they do a post partum stress incontinence "probe" which I think I'll have to look into after the summer!!

detsy i hired the mothercare tens last time but as i got pre-eclampsia at 38.5wks and ended up with the emcs i never used it... just sent it back as it came! When looking at them again I decided the boots one looked less complicated... can't remember who said they thought they'd had got their settings wrong and had theirs on boost the whole time and had been pressing the boost off instead of on for contractions. This made me realise that not too many buttons together would be a good thing!

Hmm. My notes are a right mess. Just scribbles here and there from random midwives. No charts or anything yet (am 26 weeks). Next appointment is on 3rd March, so will see what happens there.

Amazing all the different experiences with OGTTs. I don't have to have one, but that, and other hormone tests that are done throughout the UK.. (and world, actually!) are ALL always done differently - it all really depends on how the consultant wants it done. Can't see how that extra 10 minutes would have made the slightest bit of difference to whoever that happened to (sorry, can't remember!) The unit where I work uses lucozade, but the last place I worked used polycal - yuck! Quite a few years back, when I was regularly 'doing' the tests, we used to have the mini bottles of lucozade delivered to the ward... seem to remember pinching one for myself one morning when I had a bit of a hangover... [blush}... sigh... the things that I used to do as a younger nurse...

Lol re tens - yup that would be me!

Well done on finding those bump bands - they look FAB - am also getting some for my large cold uncomfortable tummy - thanks!

Ok here goes on the homeo stuff

Arnica For physical and emotional trauma (hmm that'll be birth then ) or where labour is tiring. Helps bruising and relieves pain of over stretched muscles. Useful also for after pains if experienced when breast feeding.

Aconite for fear and anxiety at any point

caulophylum from week 36 to tone the womb. Can be used during labour for slow or weak contractions

Staphysagria soft tissue damage, cuts or tears incl c section

Dosage from my notes is as follows:
Potency 30C can be taken hourly for max of 6 doses but reduce as improvements are felt. However I would recommend chatting with a qualified homeopath if you are interested in this route. I bought a labour kit last time but it was all very complex so hoping for more luck with this mini set of packets!!

Thanks detsy good advice... there is a homoeopathy person i can book in to see in my local lloyds chemist i think... next time i'm in town i'll pop in and check.

I also bought some bach's rescue remedy in a tiny spray bottle for easy use... never used it but might be of use too

Fi i also find that stuff brill - used to use it all the time for flying and use it now if having a stressed out day. I think I must be a bit of an old hippy at heart - but hey if it works then so what!

Any news yet from the estate agent?

no word as of yet from the viewers... i popped into estate agents this afternoon as i was passing and they had tried phoning them... so still waiting

Good luck - fingers crossed, i know its a really stressful time (get your bach's out!!)

Think i'm off to bed now - sleep tight and talk soon x

off to bed now too xoxox

evening/morning. 4.30 and just can't sleep - again; mostly just my mind whirring over and over. Have tried Rescue Remedy with White Chestnut (nighttime) to no avail. Must try the old bsth before bed trick tonight. Really fed up with it I could cry and I'm pretty tired in the daytime.

Does everyone have a GTT? Lots of you ladies seem to have had to have one...

Interesting advice re the arnica.. nice one.

When we sposed to start taking the raspberry leaf tea, does anyone know??

Impressed you are getting so organised Detsy!

nauseous unfortunately i'm finding it hard to get to sleep before midnight.. then ds is up at 7.. he won't nap in day either. not everyone needs gtt just those that have had gestational diabetes before or suspected of having it or have a parent with diabetes. from what everyone has said i'm happy to not need it.. such a wimp with needles. dh has to come with me to mw on mon as she's doing the 28wk bloods urrgh [insert shiver here] going to ask mw when ok to start raspberry leaf tablets then.

Hello everyone!

Lots of talk of bump bands and GTTs. Sadly for me, I have no need of a GTT as I was diagnosed with GD ages ago. If anyone does get a positive test for diabetes, it isn't so bad, honestly! It will take a while to get your blood sugar under control, but I actually feel a lot better in this pregnancy than I did in my first, so maybe all this sugar deprivation isn't so bad.

Morning!
nauseous - I was told I needed a GTT because of my age - 36
Sorry for your lack of sleeping. Baths do work for me - hope they will for you too.

i'm 38 and they didn't want to test me.. maybe as this is #2 and was ok last time.. I was 36 by end of pregnancy with ds.

ses that's odd, our unit doesn't offer it because of age, usually it's if there's a family history, if you're obese or if you've had it with previous pregnancies.

fi the article I read this week said something of starting it at 32 weeks. It seems early to start to me though, so I think I'll start a bit later.

Rescue remedy is excellent, it does work on me. I used to use it as a student when things got particularly stressful.

I can get to sleep OK, but wake about 2-3time for a wee. With the PGP it's a bit annoying to have to shuffle to the bathroom and back, but I'm at that stage I suppose. And then when I wake in the morning I feel nauseous lately and I have to eat immediately. Never had that with the other 2. This pregnancy is really really different and I've already got a dc of each sex, so it's not related to that!

Morning all!

I had the gtt because my dad has type 1 diabetes, my sister and I have both had them in every pregnancy (that's got far enough, iyswim). I think that round here they only do for the same reasons as Belgianchocolates said - never come across anyone who's had one because of their age.

I bought some rescue remedy for my birth bag last time, because that's what the NCT list suggested - - I don't think I've even opened it, is it useful stuff? Will it magically help me sleep more?!

I've been feeling qute nauseous at times too, in the morning and on the train are the worst. I've noticed also that my travel sickness has got a lot worse in this pregnancy, anyone know why?

Another double buggy question - has anyone seen or even used the EasyWalker Duo? It's quite expensive so we had ruled it out, but now with this health grant thing it might be back on the list for consideration.

Belgian thanks for your advice last night, was too tired to respond then and its a bit complex so would take up a lot of room to give the full picture and theres not really a solution other than like you say to keep asking. Basically, I know my core muscles and uterine muscles etc are fine, I've been at pilates, yoga and acupuncture for a while now so am fit and healthy and the acupuncture helps to keep all muscles in good condition. I think because of this I may even possibly be better prepared than some might be, certainly I think looking after my body has helped because I have no pg niggles (apart from bath hands - and I don't put anything in the water, I think its a circulation thing, and a mildly pingy sinus). Most telling perhaps is the fact that I thought I might be heading for a wheelchair about now, but just seem to be getting stronger and am still walking, had no falls...fingers and toes crossed (not while walking of course). The problem might be convincing carers that I'm fit for the job. Although I would be pragmatic (I hope!) about delivery, i still want to have the best chance of an active birth for lots of reasons including all the usual ones. I'm supposed to have been referred to the birthing centre to discuss all this but haven't heard anything yet, I also wrote to them after Christmas and have had no response, and as I was whinging about a few days ago, my gp just told me I was being middle class. So. I guess I'll just keep nagging! My midwife is good, butIdon't get to see her much and I get the sense that she's not going to support either approach until theres a better picture of how things are - which in my case will be almost impossible to obtain. I think theres a lot of us who would love you to be our midwife. Although I'm surprised you're surprised that women with impaired mobility would be having babies - I thought there were quite a few of us out there, but I guess if you don't see many that might suggest the numbers are low...

On a brighter note, if I'm allowed to wallow in a gloat - we scored a stokke xplory for about 300 pounds new and complete; my mum knows someone who sells them and who offered to get it for us wholesale! This is brilliant as with the higher seat I won't have any trouble lifting baby in and out of pram. Now I really will be middle class.

detsy thanks for the homeopathy info.

pula I can't even remember why I thought that now, something on your profile made me think it but I think I might have been being a bit...pregnant...

polony I suppose I'm not surprised that mobility impaired women get pregnant, just that it isn't all that comon. Just like I have only ever met 1 blind woman, a couple of deaf women, etc... If you're mobile now and walking and doing all that excersise, I really can't see why they wouldn't be able to give you a chance to see if you can have an active birth. I think in a way you're right, you're probably more prepared than a lot of us, who haven't attended any classes as yet! Maybe in a way with my PGP I'm a bit less mobile than you, because the pain in my pelvis is restricting the movement I've got in my legs.

I got the Skate for the same reason as you chose the Stokke, the seat/carry cot can be lifted into a high enough position so I wont have to bend down to attend to the baby. The handle height was a big plus too, so those things were what really convinced me when I was in the shop trying it out.

I've also been victim again of the fashion people who think everyone is short, when I got this mat jacket out that I'd bought in the Vertbaudet sale last year. The top buttons strangled me and the sleeves where way too short, even though it was supposed to be a 12. So that's going on eBay as soon as I start my mat leave. I think I'll just stick with a cardigan for now.

Hmm, I'm stuck in the living room now. They're putting a new wooden floor down in the hallway and have just put the glue down, the only problem is that I need a wee AND I want to get my lunch started, because I've got to go to work in a bit...

I passed the GTT, wahoo! But doctor was over an hour late seeing me. It's the busiest I have ever seen the practice.

The practice didn't send my requisition for the Rhogam shot 2 weeks ago, so I have to take yet more time off work this morning and go back to hospital for a priority appointment and spend another $6 on parking. Bah.

The only good thing is that it is Reading Week, so I don't think they mind (or notice) my being off work so much this week for annoying appointments. I might just take all my marking home and do it from there.

I've measured 26cm for 2 visits now, but that was with 2 different doctors, so I am hoping that is just interobserver error. But at least this new doctor didn't make me feel like a giant cow for gaining 2 lbs in 2 weeks (previous doctor was rangy because I gained 6 lbs in the month prior). Also had a BH contraction as she measured, so maybe that is it too!

Just thought I would say hello again - so much activity in a couple of days!

I had my blood sugar test last week - here (in Belgium) I had to go to the clinic on an empty stomach, they took one blood sample and gave me some very sticky syrup and then took more blood an hour later. It was bad anough waiting around for that long but sounds like I got off lightly - 2 hrs would have been horrible! Not sure why I had to have it though, my doctor said it was routine but I didn't have it last time round.

Also saw my GP again about AND, which fortunately in the meantime seems to be getting better. He is really supportive so am glad he's following it up. Seemed to think it is really unlikely that I'd get PND, at least not due to having been depressed while pregnant. Which is reassuring.

Am also very hot all the time - find myself looking all sweaty and dishevelled (sp??) at work although the heating isn't really blasting. Not a great look! Luckily still not too hot in bed and sleeping ok, all that is ahead of me!

Good tips about arnica, will make sure to get some when in the UK at Easter. Can't believe it's already approaching the time to get the hospital bag ready!

Polony just wanted to say good luck with persuading people about an active birth, I'm impressed with all your yoga/pilates, it sounds like you're doing really well! I was in good shape & strong last time round, but here they are so more interventionist that it was really difficult to persuade them that's how I wanted to do it too (though don't have any disability issues) and ended up with an epidural anyway. And now I am SO out of shape! So well done! Am still hoping to have an active/natural birth this time though and wanted to add some encouragement - I find it so demoralising when people don't listen to what you want. Good luck!

Hypatia I had a look at your profile. Anthropology, now that's something I find really interesting. In another life I was an au pair in the US and had to go to college for x amount of hours as part of my visa and anthropology was actually one of the courses I chose. I know it was only an introductionary thing, but it still really fascinated me. Sounds like you've got a really interesting job! Oh and you're just as old as me too, but I think you look younger than me on your picture!

Anyway DH told me the floor is OK to walk on now, so time for that overdue visit to the toilet and to have a riffle throught the kitchen cupboards to see what nice there is for lunch.

euromum get yourself a doula. I think they're more valuable in Belgium than the UK, because of the interventionist culture. You might get what you want when you do.
You can get Arnica in Belgium too you know. My mum had it in the house all the time, all you need to do is find a chemist that stocks homeopathic medicine. As for AND, one of my friends has had AND with all 4 of her dcs and it lifts as soon as the babies are born, so hopefully that will be the case for you too. All the best

Can you believe it? I'm sitting in the garden with my laptop while DS bounces on his trampoline. I'm in a t-shirt, sitting in the sun, and it is lovely and sunny! I guess there is an upside to being pregnant and hot!