Heeereee comes June, its the home streeeeetch!

[Tee2072]

Here ya go, new thread! We're almost there!!!!!

I'm back after seeing 'Duplicity' which was fun and nonsense. We were so full of popcorn we only had a sandwich for lunch.

Looouise and Naat my sister's OH is Brazilian and it sounds like he's interested in pretty much anything on anything action - they must be a very saucy nation. When my mum first met him she was really disappointed that he wasn't black - I think she'd envisaged Pele in his heyday rather than someone from the Portuguese side of the population. She's always encouraged us to strengthen the gene pool and is v upset she won't be getting any brown grandchildren .

June I used TENS machine for both my DC and found it a useful distraction - like rubbing a bumped knee, it sends the soothing message to your brain which takes the edge of the Ouch! message. Took it off when nearly dilated to get into the birthing pool for DD's second stage, and used it till end of contractions for DS. Had no desire for gas and air - I think I'd feel sick and dizzy with it and was delirious enough on the hormones as it was, but my sisters really liked it.

The men do get worried, because they know that if they had a hurty knee they'd want a morphine injection, but you must just do what you feel comfortable with, and it does depend on your own pain threshold, attitude to intervention, length of labour, position of baby etc. Being well-informed - DH and you - so that you can recognise the stages and the options available at each one - will help you make good decisions for yourself on the day.

hiya all hope you are having a good day!

Just back from my midwife appointment which went ok. they found a trace if sugar in my urine but that maybe because I fainted this morning and was given a full fat coke then gave my urine sample (about 30mins later) so I'm hoping the trace in the urine was from that. Also my pelvic pain is easing a lot, I'm hoping (and praying) that it was a pulled muscle rather than spd as I am now bordering on being high risk and I really wanted to give birth at the Community Midwife Unit.

I have started to think a lot about pain relief during labour. I would like to avoid an epidural is gas & air an effective way of dealing with the pain?

looouise yey on you feeling empowered, and happy they have a space for you in London

ermin you had a nice time out.
What you say about your sister's OH is exactly the same with my husband. Everyone who meets him says "so... you're Brazilian??? " Because he's "milk-white" and has blue eyes and everyone expects a Pele-looking guy hahaha I'll try and upload a pic in my profile so that you can see I, on the other hand, did inherit my parents' latin genes hahaha

laura I when I read about you fainting... Did it happen at the MW's? Are you better now?
Soooo your pain is much better now! Hope it disappears altogether

I'm also bordering being thrown into the high risk category but because I had low BMI when I got pregnant so now I have to show them I'm ok and that the baby is growing fine in order for them to let me BE! and give birth at the BCentre, so I know what you feel

Hope you're all having great afternoons, ladies!

naat I fainted in Clinton Cards when buying an anniversary card for my grandparents (50 years today) I felt so embarrassed

Oh, honey! Carry some power bars or something sweet with you all the time, just in case you feel light-headed... Hope you're feeling better now Take care, pls

Afternoon all

loooouise, that's great, stick to your guns! Good news about the nct classes.

MrsMcJnr, no diet as yet, just have to wait to see the gd midwife monday week and see what she says, so a week off before starting on the blood monitoring We're away next week so will hopefully get everything sorted when we get back.

june, I used g&a and managed ok on that for 2 of mine (I do have a tendancy for quick labours which makes a difference), for the other 2 it just made me feel really sick so didn't bother. G&a when I did use it was only good up until the pushing stage, then totally useless. Besides which it's hard to coordinate pushing with breathing on the g&a! I did have a spinal when I had my em cs last time, didn't manage that on g&a Go with what you are happy with and keep an open mind, don't worry if you end up wanting all the drugs under the sun or nothing at all, you're allowed to change your mind as much as you want! The most important thing is to know what your options are and that your dh or birthpartner know what you would like and will speak up and tell the staff. For me personally, I think it makes a huge difference if you fully understand what your body is doing during labour and what the different stages of labour achieve, takes away a lot of the fear.

laura, hope you're ok [worried] fainting's no fun! Hopefully the sugar was just a blip and they'll let you in the mlu.

Afternoon all!

Baby has been kicking like crazy today! Hope you all are the same!

laura I hope it was a fluke and your GTT turns out okay!

loooouise You got girl! We've all got your back with your mum!

Hope everyone has a lovely Friday night!

Lauraloo poor you! Fainting is AWFUL, and yes, totally embarassing too.
Please don't let it shake your confidence - I only travelled by cab for a week after I passed out as I was frightened of fainting on the tube, but am happy to report that I have not fainted again and am now back in my stride.
Rest up now love, feet up and loose clothes!

Naat sorry to laugh at you hon but oh yes, the sexy dreams do seem to come with the hormones, I haven?t had as many this time round as last but some of them were enough to keep me going for a while I used to often have dreams pre pg that I was sleeping with various bosses, it was awful as I felt so embarrassed when I had to face them at work

Ermintrude ? I absolutely agree with you about trying to be a better parent than our own. I actually feel more hurt and aggrieved now that I am a parent than I did before when I look back at my childhood. I am the eldest daughter of an eldest daughter and I feel that my own mother should have tried harder to avoid the traps that her mother fell into with her but she didn?t she exacerbated them and over the last few weeks she has told me over and over again how I will feel about my son when my daughter arrives. It breaks my heart every time as I know she is explaining how she felt about me when my sister was born. Basically she found me irritating, clumsy, needy, in the way and a liability when my sister came home and she just wanted me out of the way so she could concentrate on her. All my life I have felt the impact of that withdrawal and the high expectation of me as the eldest and whilst I have wonderful relationships with my two siblings, I think I have been deeply affected by my mother?s attitude towards me when I was only 2. I know that the need for affection and love that I crave in all my relationships stems from that. Sorry about the waffle glad you had a great cinema trip I fancy that film (like the trailer piece about the knickers?!)

Looouise ? LOL on the dreams front, naughty girl!! So glad you got an NCT spot! Do you really want your folks around as soon as the baby is born? Am I right in thinking you were going to have your Mum as your birth partner? Are you sure? My cousin lives in Brazil and is married to a Brazilian (he?s bald and crap at football!)

June ? so glad that your GTT results are fine and don?t worry about feeling fickle, that?s the hormones! On the subject of pain relief, my advice would be to keep a totally open mind, you just don?t know how you?ll feel but do read up and understand the implications of each so that you are aware of them. Personally I used a TENS machine and hypnobirthing techniques and didn?t feel the need for anything else but I know I was lucky, some people resist pain relief to be a martyr, there is no point in that either as pain is seriously tiring and you need energy and focus in labour and sometimes you need medication to keep those things going.

Choccie ? here?s to a faster labour for you this time round! Did you try raspberry leaf tea with either of your DSs? I am sure that is what made my contractions so efficient (midday ? 4 cms, 4pm ? fully dilated, 5pm ? hello DS!)

Laura ? sorry to hear that you fainted apparently 70-80% of us will have sugar in our urine at the moment, our bodies just cannot produce enough insulin to cope with the glucose levels but only 1-2% of pregnant women develop GD so most of us should be fine

Bigcar ? hoping that all is fine and straightforward for you at the MW appointment. Where are you off to next week?

Tee ? hey lady

LauraLoo - poor you fainting. I hope you feel better soon xx

I used TENS for first part of labour with DS (he was back-to-back so the pain was quite intense). Tried G&A and it was minging and I was projectile vomiting everywhere (if you like the feeling of being stoned, then you'll love G&A! Most of my friends absolutely loved it!). I then had pethidine as they couldn't get me into a birthing room as it was packed that night so I had it and hated it(NEVER again - the worst part of the whole experience). By the time I got to a birthing room I was begging for an epidural and it was AMAZING!! I loved it and it took all the pain away. I had a lovely, relaxed few hours leading up to the pushing stage. I was chatting on the phone, watching my contractions on the monitor.

It's so individual, as the others have said. Having tried all the options , I'm keeping an open mind, with regards to pain relief, for this one. I'll use the TENS again (my mum bought me and my sister one to share - she's due 6 weeks after me!). I definitely won't be having pethidine again, but will have an epidural if I feel I need it. Don't be a martyr to the pain tho'. My DS certainly doesn't have a big sign on his head saying 'my mum had to have lots of pain relief'. No one knows, or cares how the little one made the grand exit. You've got to do what you feel is best for you and baby in the circumstances.

Had a hectic day and I'm now pooped! Having friends over for lunch tomorrow, and DH is cooking homemade burgers and chips as I type.... (oh and I've bought mini Cadbury's Creme Eggs for pud..... )

Enjoy your evening girls xx

MrsMc hahah, it's ok, you can laugh And don't worry about the venting, remember, it's better out than in And I completely agree with what you said, I'm also the eldest of an eldest daughter and you'd think she'd be different and learn from her own mum's mistakes... but no

Ineed enjoy your creme eggs!

We made a Chinese stir fry after getting the things from the supermarket but after reading ineed's post I realised I didn't buy any pudding!

Have a lovely evening ladies, and a good night's sleep for all!

Yum, cream eggs .

Agree with others. Don't be a martyr about pain. You have to keep an open mind as every labour is different and every person deals with things differently.

I too found the epidural fantastic! If I have to have 1 again I will not hesitate.

Yes Mrsmc I did use the raspberry leaf tea with DS2. With DS1 it was cheap stuff so didn't work but I got the real green looking leafy stuff for ds2 and I think it made a huge difference. When can we start drinking it again?

MrsMc and Naat, yup, I'm the oldest daughter of an oldest daughter too! Mine hasn't been so overtly hurtful in terms of her feelings about subsequent DC, but I see the pattern of her relationship with her mum (who is now mad as a fish) and find it v sad that she has always tried to slip into the same mindgames with me, without even being aware.

I love raspberry leaf tea but think you can't start it till something like 36 wks - but don't quote me; I'll look it up!

I don't know anyone who recommends pethidine; has anyone had a good experience with it? My sis had it during her induction and her DS came out fast asleep because she'd had so much. The idea of someone sticking a needle in my spine terrifies me; I'd rather feel a reasonable level of pain (and 'reasonable level' is something only you can judge and will be different for every one of us). Flexibility is important too: I know a mum who had a horrendous epidural with DS1, tried to avoid it with DS2 but had such a long labour she finally agreed to having one and had a great experience like choccie and ineed, and then gave birth to DS3 fully intending to have another epi but found it much easier than the first 2 and so had no relief. Each labour is different.

Bring it on; this bump is getting really really heavy!

Amen to the bring it on ermintrude!! I am so ready for this baby to be born and I still have 13.5 weeks! At least I go on leave in 8 weeks.

I have no idea what kind of pain relief I am going to want, since I have never given birth before. I am definitely keeping an open mind on that one. I don't think I'll even mention it in my birth plan.

Morning ladies!

You move too fast for me - everyone does these days! Have quickly read and wanted to say...

Looouise - delighted to hear you are staying in London and that NCT has a spot for you . Not sure I can bring myself to open the Pandora?s Box that is my relationship w my mother, but if you are looking for a London buddy who will be doing this sans mother, I?m your girl!

Laura - sorry to hear you fainted! Suggestion that you take snacks is a good one. I am a mobile vending machine...

MrsMcJnr - hello, and greetings to a fellow eldest daughter! So sorry to hear about your bad relationship w your mother. My mother lamented the relationship she had w her mother, then seems to have hit ?repeat? and, consequently, doesn?t really have a relationship w me or my two siblings. Like you, we all get along really well. My dad was really proud of my career, but I think also felt a bit threatened/competitive (he always has to win/be smarter/faster/bigger etc), so I think a little happy that by not working I?m not ?competing? w him . Really unfortunate and am determined not to repeat his ways, either. Although I do love my parents...

Naat - hello, and I am hearing you on the sexy dreams. Had a particular raunchy one last night. Almost too scared to tell DH in case he takes it as ?game on? ? I?ve seen his internet history! Sorry to hear that you, too, have a poor relationship w your mother ? some of the things your parents say do sound quite ?self interested? . I always swore I would have a healthy relationship w my own daughter, so I guess now?s our chance to stop these unhealthy ways.

ermintrude - hello, and greetings to another fellow eldest daughter w mother on ?repeat? mode!

Tee - hello! I?m w you ? about ready to have this little one, now. As ?fun? as being lapped by OAP and constant toilet breaks are!

hello all you other lovely Juners! Thanks for the advice on pain relief ? you have open ears here!! My overall MN reading means that I will be avoiding pethidine, while (if necessary)reaching for TENS, gas and air and demanding an epidural while using my hypnobirthing techniques!
DH and I are off to NHS parental education class today ? wish us luck! Hope you all have a lovely weekend, w lots of sunshine!

Good Morning everyone.

Had an ok nights sleep.Dh had too much going on in his head so was up half the night
I have woken up with really bad back pain.My pelvis is really flaring up and I can't wait to get back to the physio

I too am ready for baby to arrive so look forward to getting to the ten week countdown. 12.4 to go

Just for those that may be considering an epidural and for those that may have a needle phobia, I had it both times and I didn't even feel the needle going in.All I felt was a little pressure in my back and the drug started to kick in after 10 minutes. Was too distracted with labour pains to be bothered about the needle.

Sorry, I am by no means an "Epidural pusher", just wanted to let you know my experience.

Actually, I wouldn't mind having one now to rid of this awful back pain

Morning ladies!

Choccie to hear you woke up with pelvic pain... When is your next physio appt? Hope it's soon

Bunny there seems to be a lot of us who are eldest DD of an eldest DD! I must confess that I slightly panicked when I found out or baby was a girl, because of the fear of "repeating the chain" and doing the same with her All my life I've told myself I don't want to and will try my best not to be like my mother, but the panic kicked in as soon as they said "it's a girl" Good to hear I'm not the only one with raunchy dreams hahaha

It's slightly sunny here, hope it goes on like that DH is playing tennis in the morning and I think we'll go out to enjoy the sunny day when he comes back.

Hope you all have great mornings, ladies!

choccie - sorry to hear that you are in pain this morning . Hope it eases up soon. Agree that we need to think about the countdown - only 12 weeks for me, too. Which sounds alot until you realise how far we have come!

Morning all!

ILs coming this evening to go out to dinner, as its (I may have already told you this!) both MIL's and DH's birthday this week. So I'm having a bit of a break before continuing my cleaning jag! Only one bathroom and the kitchen floor left to do!

choccie sorry to hear you are in pain . I also hope you get to your physio soon.

naat no sun here, but not too cold! The windows are open at least.

bunny I am a bit of those of you due the beginning of the month! I only have about a week more than you, but that seems ages right now!

I am actually the youngest child (and only daughter) of an oldest daughter who grew up in an abusive/alcoholic household. And my older brother was very ill when we were kids (had open heart surgery when he was 6 and I was 4). I don't think there is such a thing as a good place in the 'pecking' order and I also think we can all only do the best we can do with our kids! There are no true instructions manuals!

bunnymother lol @ mobile vending machine advice for lauraloo . But it's so true, and good practice for when weaning starts and you have to carry around little pots of chopped up fruit and bags of rice cakes wherever you go.

Naat I didn't get on with my older brother and still don't - and having had 4 little sisters was v used to girl babies, so I was hugely relieved when my first was a girl. It was only afterwards that I started thinking about how careful I'd have to be not to treat her like my mum treated me.

choccie sorry to hear you're in pain again . I'd like to see your doctor's face if you asked for an epidural now though

An old friend (who swore she'd never have a child and then had her DS aged 40 in Oct) is coming to visit, so my DS will get some baby holding practice in (DD is at a party so will miss him). I saw this LO a couple of months ago and he's cute as a button so am looking forward to seeing how he's grown since then

afternoon all

bunny thanks for the mobile vending machine idea, think I'll be doing that from now on.

choccie sorry to hear your pain flared up again hope your next appointment is soon. my referral came through yesterday an appointment on Tuesday, but my pain has really eased off now

Hey ladies I am in an odd place mentally today. I feel like I can?t keep on top of things around the house and am useless my DS is being a really fussy eater (and therefore bad sleeper) and I get so exhausted making nutritious meals for him that he doesn?t eat and then having to think about what DH and I are going to eat. It?s sooo boring. When I was in the UK (and working) I?d make up the menus for the week on a Sunday and Tesco online brought it to my door but there is no such thing here which means I have to go food shopping every couple of days (in order to carry it home) I?m sick of it. Plus my DH (D standing for something less complimentary with me tonight) is driving me nuts, he is doing the minimum to help and then thinks he deserves major recognition for it

Now, how are all of you??

Oh, MrsMc, so to hear about that. I imagine how disappointing it can be to spend time and effort thinking and preparing food for everyone and then have DS leave it almost all and not want to eat properly...

It's so odd they don't have a delivery service there for supermarkets... Do you think maybe going once a week with DH (so that you have help) might help you a bit so that you don't have to be coming and going all the time?

your DH is not helping much around the house... Men seem to have their "seasons" for those things, and when that happens we seem to have to "tell" them we need them to chip in Hope you can have a talk with him and express all this, esp. as a newborn is arriving and you will certainly need him to be full on with the help.

Hope this helps a bit, MrsMc

ermin thanks for your words, I guess as Tee mentioned this morning, there is no manual for this and we can only hope (and pray) that we are wise enough to be different with our children.

tee hope the dinner goes more than well!

MrsMc hope your DH gets his arse into gear soon. It must be the day for marital disagreements; DH and I were v snappy before he left for work at lunchtime, ending up with me telling him I may be grumpy but he should be more patient with me when I'm up the duff . I kind of think it's true - I was rushing about trying to get things done and all the time I'm aware of my great big belly and low-level nausea making everything take longer and be less fun. Anyway, he's not back till the early hours so hopefully we'll be sweetness and joy tomorrow .

Last week I just didn't feel like planning and cooking so we ate things like bought pizza curry and baked potatoes with fillings and other stuff that takes no effort. It varies from week to week - sometims I'm full of ideas; others I'm uninspired, but I think that if I'm not in the mood and DH isn't going to cook, they can lump it! Of course, DC love having bought food rather than made and it is a bit disheartening to hear their appreciation of Sainsbury's culinary skills . Very hard with a LO refusing lovingly-cooked morsels; at least my DC are gannets who generally clear their plates...

I did see my friend and her DH and their absolutely gorgeous 5 month old DS who is just divine. My DS loved playing with him, and he giggled and cooed back so it was a lovely afternoon and made me look forward to meeting this new LO. .