Due in September 05 - Thread 7

[andif]

Had a dreadful night - heartburn until 12.30am, followed by cramp in my calves, then vivid dreams. Can't remember what causes the cramps, or how to stop them, but do remember getting them with ds2 at this stage.
Typically, after moaning about lack of supply work, am working this afternoon, when all I feel like doing is sleeping. Having a very lazy morning, may go and plant some plants my parents brought me up yesterday.

Hope you are feeling ok Moschops - you'll have to do some quality chilling with your kitten!

VF - thoughts are with you x

Moschops, that sounds scary! Make sure you super glue yourself to the sofa with the remote control and a big pile of magazines!! Must say, I'd be quite happy to do that at the moment - have zero motivation for work, and have just been handed a new project that I really can't be bothered thinking about .

Just thinking about you contacting your midwife - I wouldn't have a clue how to contact mine ('mine' being a bit of a loose term, as haven't seen the same one twice) out of hours - must find that out.

dp phoned my local 'cottage' hospital and asked to speak to the midwife on call. she 'wasn't available' and they asked what my symptoms were, put him on hold while the staff discussed what to do and said to go in. they did all relevant obs while they were waiting for the midwife to come in from home (about 15 mins).

she has told me in future i am fine to phone up the main maternity unit (there are no maternity facilities at my 'local' hospital). she has circled the labour ward number for me and pointed out it is staffed 24hrs a day and there will always be someone happy to give me advice. we phoned our local hospital because it was the difference between a 10min car journey and 35 mins.

Yes, arrangements do vary a lot from hosp to hosp - def a good idea to save the relevant no. in your mobile.

Is anyone getting excited about their baby? When looking through baby catalogues I only then realise what a little girl my dd is and start to get excited about having a baby in the house again.

My excitement is definitely being fuelled by the reactions of others when they hear we think it's a girl!! Taught for an afternoon yesterday, and the other teachers in the staffroom couldn't wait to hear about names etc, and the children (6/7 yr olds) were all really sweet about my bump, so came home really excited. Sold some stuff on ebay, so when it's picked up we might actually be able to move in the baby room, and start to plan redecoration and furniture...

Beatie - I swing between excitement and sheer terror ! DH is really getting excited now- we bought a moses basket on the weekend, and he keeps going into the back bedroom to admire it - bless .

It still doesn't feel real enough for me to get excited, in spite of all the constant thumping in my belly! DD just seems to take up so much of my attention that there's none left for poor DD2-to-be. Maybe once we've bought a double buggy or borrowed a moses basket it'll start to sink in ....

andif - just read that you might not be able to use a birthing ball due to strep B. I have this & was offered to use a birthing ball in labour - but didn't want it!! I used a birth stool. As far as I know strep B shouldn't limit your birth choices?

Hope everyone is ok. Hope that you are ok VF xxx For me - I'm just getting bigger all over. Not looking forward to stepping on the scales at my appointment next week. Other mums at school have been asking how many weeks to go - they look surprised when I say 19!!! Have a scan tomorrow to check for problems as all my other tests indicate this. Really not looking forward to this at all. DH will be with me & all little ones at school. Just hope everything will be ok - but prepared for difficult news. Wonder if we'll know if we're going to have a boy or girl? I'm hoping to find this out.

Does anyone else have vein problems? I've got spider veins & varicous veins in my left leg from this pregnancy. Lovely I know. My doc says to wear support tights but this will be too uncomfortable when it starts to get hot.
Best wishes to all

Milward - know I can use birth ball - issue is going into the low-risk midwife unit where no drs, but lots of natural birthing accessories. Don't think they will let me unless midwives allowed to give IV antibiotics. Will hopefully find out at next antenatal, but had to cancel appt with midwife as realised off to Chelsea Flower Show that day - much more important!!? Now seeing GP instead, not sure that she will really know the answers!

Moschops look after yourself please. Am going to try a birthing ball after reading the thread as i am sufferning with chronic back ache. I am having all kinds of trouble sleeping at the moment any suggestions?

Hi guys,

Haven't been around for awhile so just wanted to say hello and that all is well.

I found a new pregnancy yoga class that is just amazing. Less new agey than the other one i go too but also more uplifting and positive, I guess you'd say. I can't really connect to imagining a golden aura of light around myself but I can totally get into sending positive thoughts to my baby and envisioning an open birth canal. Who knows if it will help, but the teacher makes me feel really good about being pregnant.

Other than that, I just feel like I've gotten more into the routine of being pregnant. And have chilled out a lot.

Hope everyone else is doing ok.

Millward good luck with your scan tomorrow!

p.s. mummyhill

swimming once a week or so has sorted my back ache out. I had terrible sciatica a few weeks ago. Probably better to do back stroke or front crawl if you can, since you're flat in the water with these and your spine is more aligned. Breast stroke is supposed to be pretty bad for the back if you already have a weekness.

Have had back problems since is was 16 that,s nearly half my life so far!!!! I have a curvature of the spine and a bulge on one of my discs am due for an MRI in october yipee. Have been to GP who has refered me to the physio so now i am just waiting for an appointment I just hope there is something they can do as i am allergic to paracetamol and the pain is driving me up the wall.

Andif - do you know the product code for the birthing ball at Argos? Had a look on their website, but could only find a £6.99 one, which was 65 cm - was told by an osteopath that 55cm was the correct size to get (will check that again when I get home tonight, but 55cms is stuck in my head...).

Mummyhill - have you tried putting pillows between your legs and under your bump while you're in bed? Maybe sprinkle some Lavendar essential oils on your pillow as well? I went through a phase last week of not sleeping well, but suddenly this week am sleeping like the dead - all very strange!

Katts - where is your yoga class? Sounds great - tried to sign up for one at the Iyengar Yoga Institute in Maida Vale, but the class was full, so am looking around for another one to go to until the next course starts....

Haven't been on here for a while, unfortunately have been busy with work (boo!), can't all these ill people just go to a different hospital?!

About the birthing balls - is that what they call them in Argos? £3.99 seems very reasonable.

I had a bit of a panic this morning - 2 members of staff on our ward (I'm a nurse) have shingles, and one of the doctors told me I should contact the midwife / obstetrician just to let them now I've been in contact with it. Rang the ante-natal clinic where I go, and they said 'oh sorry, we're not taking any phone calls today as we're short staffed'!!!. Rang the hospital clinic, and they were a bit annoyed about what they'd said as well... but told me that as i've had chicken pox, there should be nothing to worry about. Had a look at this website, and seems to be right. Phew!

Kiwifruit, it's at the yoga therapy centre on Pentonville Road. yogatherapy.org

The teacher is Francoise Freedman.

Thanks Katts - had a look at the website, but can't tell if it's a set course, or if you can just join whenever?

Birthing ball is here . It's 65cm, but that's the same size as the active birthing centre one, so guess it's ok.
I put lavendar oil in a warm bath before I went to bed last night and slept like a baby for the first time in months!

I have a mother care wedge under bump and a nice solid pillow between legs (very sexy {not} according to DH) and i am still waking up at least three times a night and back still hurts. Will try the lavender though or maybe a drop of chamomile as that is quite relaxing and should be safe in pregnancy.

Andif - how can you sleep like a baby and be happy? They wake up every four hours to feed and make sure we haven't run off and left them!!!!!!! Pretty much my sleep pattern at the moment. Mum recons its natures way of preparing me. News flash Mother Nature been there done that worn the T shirt now i need my sleep before i have a bouncing baba to disturb it.

Thanks Katts. Feeling bit stressed but ok. andif - hope that the midwives can give the antibiotics.

Mummyhill - I slept like a baby on Medised (something all you new mums will be well acquainted with by this time next year!.. )

Last night was a different matter. Woken up at 1.30 by police arresting bunch of joy riders outside our house - kids shouting, lights flashing etc etc. All I could think about was where their parents thought they were - somebody must have loved them as babies sometime..... This was followed by severe heartburn from my trip to Burger King with ds2 (last time I eat there in pregnancy!) So today I am exhausted, and have just dragged myself round the park with the dog in the pouring rain. Tempted to go back to bed now, though it will probably make me feel worse...
Must go and check if there's any news of VF