Due Feb 2010 part 2: the second trimester

[CaractacusPotty]

Not sure I am any more qualified, frankly, but hey ho!!

Commiserations to all those suffering from constipation. Personally I've got a nasty case of thrush

stresshead did you speak to someone?

Wow to all the CS stories! I am in awe of you all! As a totally-in-denial-about-the-birth first-timer that was a real eye opener [shock} Had to go read a few of the slightly more rose-tinted home birth threads afterwards to calm my nerves! It is so good to get a realistic perspective though - bet they won't tell me half of that stuff at NCT classes!!!

Total sypathies to all the constipation sufferers - baked beans on brown toast for my lunch today!

Is anyone else suffering from sciatica? The shooting pains in my buttocks and thighs are getting ridiculous now, I really struggle to get dressed in the morning! The yoga really seems to help, but does anyone have any other tips?

OMG I am getting value for money with the free prescriptions today!! I was at the doc and she prescribed me 500mls of Gaviscon, 500mls Lactulose and x3 canesten pessary! That will have saved me ££££££ buying it over the counter. No sciatica though!

Also, good news about my ear. The eardrum has been sooked in the way (medical term!!) with the pressure difference from the infection and just needs to pop then all should be back to normal. It will happen in time according to the doc, or I can drink a glass of water every day whilst pinching my nose to gently encourage it.

And, DS is back to normal. Rosy cheeks, full of life and eating for scotland. I guess he has 9 days worth of catch up eating to do.

Lol at Mawbroon managing to blag about £60 of pharmaceuticals! Glad your DS is feeling better, that must be such a relief!

Ok, now I have insomnia on top of constant thrush, recurring UTIs, constipation and backache. Does it get any better???

Anyone else struggling to get through a day's work? Waking up ridiculously early and not going back to sleep. Soo tired in the evenings I am crawling to bed at 8, I even missed Sppoks last night FFS. Feeling really sorry for myself and quite moaney....

Clappedout and all the others with problems, sorry for you. I am feeling quite lucky that I only have mild heamorroids and bleeding gums! .
I do wake up at silly hours at night too, and is unable to go back to sleep, but I am not working this time arround. I don't remember being that exhausted in 1st pg and worked till 7 months (when my contract ended) then moved and unpacked, cleaned new house like mad... Wouldn't be able to do that now! DD is almost 5 so the fatigue is not due to toddler "strain" either. I do crawl to bed around 9h generally after falling asleep on the sofa.... , not much of a social life!
Does anybody knows what normochromatic normocyts anemia and lower lymphocites means. I would guess it is normal in PG, but if I google I find not pleasant things like cancer and kidney failure... I am sure the hospital wouldn't have left me to leave with the results and the doc would have called me by know if it was that serious!
mawbroon glad your son is better and hope your hear will pop soon

hmmm, if I remember what I studied at uni mamaloco neither sound like cancer or kidney failure! Kidney failure would be picked up in urine with blood and sugar annd protein etc (i have rubbish kidneys and that's what they are always checking for - that and high BP).

Am not a doctor, but doesn't sound too serious - can you ask your MW or GP soon so that you can stop worrying? when's your next apt?

Just back from the in laws, MIL drove me NUTS again. Really struggling with this relationship at the moment. She says she's coming to see us again in december and I was muttering NO NO NO under my breath. She makes me feel like anything I do in raising DC will be wrong. I've always got on pretty well with her but at th moment I can't bear her. Is it because I'm pregnant and she wants to control? Both her other grandchildren live within a mile and she childminds for them and is totally involved. Sigh. I did gain 100 babygrows/vests while there from the cousins, so it's not all bad news.

2happy thank you so much for putting a name to the chin up thing. I have been able to google away today and put my mind at rest. stoofadoof sounds like you have a bit a dilemma about your birth. C sections seem fairly ok according to my friends, though the not being able to drive for 6 weeks drove every one of them crazy.

It is so lovely to come on and hear everyones moans and groans. It makes me feel more normal. My gripe for the day is Braxton Hicks. They have got so strong I have to stop what I am doing until they have gone. Compared to some of your ailments it is nothing though, so I will shut up right now.

Hi
I've not been round for ages - work has just been so draining recently. I have tomorrow and all next week off on Annual Leave now so lots of rest and relaxation. Hooray!

I'm also a first-timer-in-pink-specks-land where it's all bearable at home with the midwives, I'm still imagining the best but planning for the worst. I might want to scream for drugs and hospital and obviously there could be unforseen circumstances. Thanks for sharing your birthing stories, great to get different experiences and opinions.

Best of luck with all the ailments, especially Stresshead with your spotting - I remember how freaked out I was at 6 weeks when I had spotting. The most uncomfy thing for me right now is cocyxx pain. Owch. Mind you I feel pretty lucky to not have an ear infection/thrush/piles/SPD/nausea/flu and only mild, infrequent indigestion and constipation!

Take care everyone

chinook - i find braxton hicks combined with being kicked in the groin and driving 80mph up the M1 an especially great combination of things in pregnancy.

My breathing teacher told me to practice on the braxton Hicks. Makes me realise how hard it's going to be to concentrate on breathing during real labour!

Sorry I'm not managing to keep up with everyone's news too frequently - I can only read for a few minutes at the computer before feeling sick still! It's the only thing that causes it so shouldn't be complaining too much, except it gets in the way of my MNetting!

I thought I'd tell you about my odd experience today: I bumped my bump (clearly bigger than I realised..) against the very unforgiving arm of our sofa (whilst trying to prevent DS spraying cup of milk on new carpet). As I have apparently got anti-M antibodies (a whole new and very dull story that I only found out about last week), I had to go into the labour ward this evening for monitoring. Very kind friend kept DS for us for an hour and we escaped quite quickly when they realised that the baby was moving so much they were having trouble tracking his heartbeat! Have been advised not to pick fights with any more sofas and sent home with a sore bump! I'm sure these things only happen to me!!

Hope all the ailments are manageable - remember to keep a bit of lactulose for after the birth - it comes in very handy then

bethylou i keep hitting mine with doors as ai forget i take up twice as much space now...not hit hard yet, fortunately, but i can see it happening to me too.

btw, when do we move to a third trimester thread, and how does that work???

Most embarrassingly, I keep bumping into people when I try and squeeze past (which just isn't possible anymore!) Not sure about how a third trimester thread will work but someone will know.

Gosh yes, what is it with the total lack of spacial awareness?! I too keep catching my bump on doors (car, doorways, kitchen units...) and trying to squeeze through gaps that are blatantly too small for my now gargantuan frame.

I must be the weird exception to the rule with tiredness, I get really worn out by tea time, but then come 10:30-11:00 I seem to get a second wind, then can't sleep until really late! LO seems to be practicing for the all-night partying of his/her teenage years too... Hope all of you tuckered-out ladies manage to get a nice lie in at some point over the weekend! x

Ha ha, yes, I remember actually managing to iron my bump last time!!

Chinook - brave of you to google!!! Glad it was reassuring, though.

Starting a new thread is dead easy, but I did it last time so it must be someone else's turn this time!!

I'll start a new thread when I reach the third trimester.

But I'm last, so somebody else will probably do it before I get there!!!!

The lactulose is doing it's job. Thank goodness.

DS's swine flu swab was negative, which is irrelevant anyway now he's better!

HI everyone hoppe ypou are all ok..not cazught up on the newes, have been without a pc for 3weeks!! as DH took it with huim.. but our new one arrived today so I have set it up and back online hurray..

Well had another scan yesterday.. all going well.. baby weighs 2lbs!!! already.. and it is another boy!!! 3boys under 6 this is going to to be lively (or should i say livlier) household lol..

Hope everyone is well.. I asm ok will be better when DH gets home in 2weeks, my lower back is really painfull and it seems to be spreading into my hiops.. walking is hurting occasionally, and it is very painful if I sit on the floor it makes me want to cry as I am getting back up !!!..

I bought my pram 2weeks ago we go the Skate, just trying to see where we can get the bag from as mamas and papas dont seem to do it neither does the shop out here were we got the pram. I got my carseat from boots and that took less than a week to get out here.. I did an order on Next last night for the blue snowsuits and sleepsuits.. I do believe i am nbearly ready for this little ones arrival.. DH has even bought some nappies for him whilst he is in th UK.. It is getting very exciting now we are all fast approching the 3rd Trimester.. and really afgter xmas and new year it will be countdown....

Again I hope you are all well
Take care xx

Hi all, hope all is well in the world of ailments, all par for the course heh?

Nothing to report really, just saying hi and realising how lucky I am to have a doctor who signed me off work weeks ago and a company with excellent sick leave policies so am still on full pay and not having to race around the country like a nutter without getting any breaks.

Appointment with consultant on Monday so will find out whether its c-section or normal delivery. Just want to find out so I can start getting my head around whichever way it's going to go.

Enjoy the bonfires if you're heading out over the weekend and watch out for slippy pavements, nearly went over today with the rubbisho weather we are having and my complete inability to acknowledge that I can't walk as fast or as well as I used to!

Bye for now

Hey all

Just to update you... I asked for advice on her on Tues evening re bleeding - well I called the hosp and they asked me to come in first thing, and much to my surprise I was admitted for 36 hours monitoring until they were satisfied the bleeding has stopped (it had).
They seemed to take it very seriously, and told me not to feel silly for bothering them. I have to take it a bit easier incase there's any more similar episodes, and I had to have 2 steroid injections (in my bottom, owww!) for baby's lungs, just on the very rare off chance that the baby comes early.

Thanks to everyone who responded, and I look forward to contributing to the thread in a much more postive way in future! Feeling pretty good other than that, baby's kicks getting stronger all the time and I'm still looking pretty mobile!
Away for the weekend with dp tonight, going to brave the maternity swimming costume in the pool tomorrow, self-conscious city, and I'm paler than paler but ah well!

Hello all, and sorry to hear about horrid ailments.

In the interests of balance I thought I'd outline my birth experience as it was very different to those explained already! But before I do I want to apologise to those who had such tough and stressful times of it with other DCs and I hope this doesn't sound like boasting...just thought it might help first timers! I'll do the potted version:

My labour lasted 4.5 hours, and I gave birth in the pool at hospital (although it was still filling up when I got in) with just entonox and the water for pain relief, all as per my ideal birth plan (I was perfectly happy to deviate from it had I needed to though). I was 8-9 cm dilated when they first checked me over, after 30 mins or so of getting into hopsital. It was a wonderful (if extremely painful!) experience, and I do realise how fortunate I was. The only downside was that as it was such a quick labour I tore rather badly. But you don't really mind that so much because you have an actual real baby laying there next to you, so perspective wise that helps!

Hope that puts some minds at rest, and virtual high fives to those who those who didn't have it that easy. Look see we still want to do it all again!

Ah Stresshead we have been thinking of you. So good to hear everything fine, and that you were well looked after.

Stresshead - thanks for coming back, we were worried about you. Glad they looked after you in the hospital and so glad that you called them.

I am off to PIL for the weekend, it's my first weekend off for six months and I am so looking forward to having someone else cook for me!

Have a lovely weekend every one.

Glad they kept a close eye on you Stresshead, and that everything has settled down again now, owch at the bum injections, getting my swine flue jab on Wednesday so my turn to be a pincushion. I've decided on balance to have it but it's been a difficult choice. Good luck with the swimming, I've missed a few aqua natals but have good intentions this week.

Great to hear your birth story Grin, I'm still reading the Ina May Gaskin book and finding it helpful to keep positive birth thoughts in my head. I have read plenty about what could happen, now I'm going to stick with my hypnotherapy cd's and imagine the best case senario!

I went to an NCT sale today and got loads of goodies. A Baby bouncer (£2!!!), A travelcot (will be used in about 3 weeks when our friends come to stay with their wee one), sleepsuits, clothes and hats, a couple of growbags and all the moses basket bedding a baby could possibly need, well assuming they don't have more than 6 leaky nappies in a night! Could that be possible? MIL has offered to buy our buggy/travel system which means all we really need to get is the cot and some nappies. Mind you there's probably hoards of stuff I don't know I need yet, or have forgotten, lol.

While I remember, does anyone have any preferred baby products, bath wash, wipes, cream and the like? My MIL was asking and I thought I'd just wait and buy little pots and tubes incase he reacted badly to anything but I think she wants to stock up on my behalf! Any suggestions welcome

Have a lovely relaxing weekend everyone.

sunnybump - they really don't need any baby products!! I've still never used any soap or shampoo on ds, and he's 4!

My constipation and indigestion seem to have eased up a bit. They are not gone completely, but it is a bit more bearable since I started on the lactulose.

Other than being completely knackered today, I guess I feel ok. I had to go to bed this afternoon for an hour because I was so tired. DS was awake about three times last night needing the toilet, so I had a pretty disturbed night.

I am starting to feel pretty large now, and there's still 16 weeks to go. I am going to be enormous again I think. I am short, but have relatively long legs and a short body, so there's nowhere else for my bump to go except out the way!!!