October 2005 Chatterboxes - nr. 4!

[SusiS]

there you go ...

Hospital birth JM - was 27 hour labour and cord wrapped around dd's neck twice - also both our blood pressues were critically low during second stage, so really want to be in the main hospital in case of problems (and for ease of drugs!).

Bonniej - we're probably not finding out the sex of the baby. DH really didn't want to so I made a promise that we wouldn't find out as long as he quits smoking before the baby comes. He's been fag free for two days, so fingers crossed!

Are many people planning a home birth? I was asked if I wanted one, but was a bit wary as first baby etc, so I don't know how bad I'll find the pain and stuff like that. Plus I was under the impression midwives prefered to know you've had one "normal" birth at a hospital before they let you have a home birth.

We're booking a week away in September, bit close to the due date but we're only going to be about 75 miles from home, and lots of good hospitals on the way! We're going to FIL's caravan and he's got lots of family that live near there, but mainly we're going away just so I can have a break. I've booked a week off in July to "cat sit" when my whole family abandons me and goes off to Cyprus! Aside from that I'm not getting a proper break from work before I break up, so it will be nice to get away, if a little close to the due date!

Im gonna try and stick to my guns and have a hospital birth - for the epidural more than anything i think!

Im also gonna ask for an induction tbh.... i had one last time for social reasons, and with having such a tiny tot already it would be SO much easier to arrange someone to look after her especially as closest family is 45 minutes away!

can't have a homebirth - had an em. cs last time!
know what you mean jm! it IS hard with a little one already! don't really know yet how we are going to do it! - don't have any family to look after him - and no friends either (new to this area)

im exactly the same.... hence why i want a social induction to be able to get dad here in time to look after dd and so he can arrange the time off work etc. dad doesnt drive so would mean him getting a train and a taxi to my house, by which time i could be in full throws of having the baby on the bathroom floor!

Can't say that i have weed myself but have been doing pelvic floor exercises. I have stuck postits on the kettle and tv to remind me, how sad but if it works..

off to see the midwife this am to pick up my blood test results and notes, very excited.

Def going for hospital birth as it's my first one.

May also go and have a look at prams. Have decided on a travel system. Anyone got a preference for which one? or what to avoid?

There are loads of threads about travel systems and be warned - you could drive yourself absolutely mad with the choice!

We bought an all-singing all-dancing monster-truck of an all-terrain pushchair with car seat fitting. Looked great, very trendy, etc. but an real pain in the a*se. Soooo heavy I nearly put myself back in hospital getting it in and out of the car. This time round I've bought a 2nd hand mountain buggy (from a mumsnetter!) and a matching carry cot off eBay.

Advice I would give is to try and get as light a pushchair as you can - the lightest are Jane Powertrack / Mountain buggy /Bugaboo, and all have carrycots but are v.expecnsice (around £500-600). The advice these days is to not use the carseat for any length of time as the baby needs to be flat - it's better for its back. You also need to think about what you will use it for. Will you be doing lots of walking, incl off-road/countryside/parks, etc. or will you either drive most places and use the pram for town shopping, etc.?

Also be warned that you may well find the travel system so cumbersome that when your baby starts sitting up you go out and buy a buggy for £70 and the old pram ends up taking up loads of space and turns out to have been a huge waste of money. That's why getting a light/narrow one is a good idea, so you carry on using the pushchair loads when you get rid of the carrycot. Some can also be used from birth in their lie-flat positions.

Have a look at the Review section on Mumsnet. As a guide for weight, anything less than 10kg is good going, but that might not matter so much for you if you're not getting it in and out of the car or trying to wedge it between narrow shop aisles.
Good luck!

Thanks. Dh and i went to mothercare at the weekend and my stress levels were off the planet. We have actually got a jogger/stroller (second hand) but can't be used till baby can sit up. So i really want something that can be used before this. We have a dog so also need it to have good suspension.

Aggghhh

The ones I narrowed it down to this time round were:
Jane 360 Matrix
Mountain buggy
Quinny Speedi
Bugaboo
All are good for off-road and are light/easy to manoeuvre.
I'd also recommend eBay for many of the above. HTH

sorry, the Bugaboo link doesn't take you straight to the pushchair - just use the pushcahir menu.

you've given some excellent advice on travel systems, moomin. my only piece of advice is stay away from the Mamas & Papas one with the surefix base. It fits on the rear seat at an odd angle and makes babies head loll forward. I spent all of the time in the car with dd holding her head back in the seat!! This time i'll be the driver so will have to buy a new one. It's a shame because it's in good condition. There is actually a thread on it somewhere (can't do links) and apparantly it was on Watchdog too for that reason.

Anyway I probably won't be back on now until after my holiday. We go on Saturday and i've got so much packing and stuff to do won't have a chance. So again, good luck to everyone with scans and i'll look forward to hearing all the news when i get back

p.s, regarding weeing yourself, I'm on third pg and have never wet myself yet! Am religous about pelvic floor excercises though. Unless you want to be Tenaladies best customer you just HAVE to do them )

ooops, someone's selling one of those m&ps I was talking about at the moment!

yep, very good advice re pushchairs! we've got a britax travel system for ds which was very good in the beginning. but now i wish i had a 'smaller' one. it is quite bulky! i think they do strollers now from birth on!! - i obviously have to buy a double one

thanks all. it's always good to get adive from people who have been there and not just the shop assistant who is trying to sell me something.

Got my 20 week scan next week and like e.o.e am excited but really worried. I have not felt anything yet, am o/weight thou and have compounded prob by buying a doppler and can't hear anything either (is it too soon for that?). No bleeding or anything. Is sthing wrong?

My friend who's a GP said it's always hard to get a HB of a doppler to begin with especially as you are only 20 weeks. The midwife had troubble with mine today as the baby kept moving. I only felt baby move at 19 weeks and if you are slightly bigger (hope that's not rude) you may not feel for some time yet. So don't worry.

I have a blood pressure of 90/40 it's usually low but not this low. Anyone know anything about blood pressure? Also anemic which explains why i'm always so blooming tired. Apart from that baby is the right size and all is ok.

Thnx Lexie. Good luck with your BP

Thnx Lexie. Good luck with your BP

had my 20wk follow up scan today - finally she could get all the measurements! took good 40min though - bubs just wouldn't lie still!!!
everything's fine, she is still a she and growing nicely
will have another scan week 32 to check on the placenta - was still a bit too low for her liking. *hehe - get to see bubs again!!!!

Thats great Susi - my scan isnt til next wednesday.... which reminds me - cant find the letter so will have to phone tomorrow for the time!!!

My hospital wont tel the sex, so it will be a nice little suprise.

Getting more regular movements now - not to the extent its kicking the hell out of me, but a few little flutters now and again!

JM: I didn't know you can get social inductions! How cool. I'd never go for an induction because I understand that they generally make the pain worse, but then I'm lucky in that my mum only lives 40 minutes away!

Lexie: My blood pressue is low low too - basically they don't worry about low blood pressure, it's high (pre-eclampsia) they worry about. Basically low blood pressue just makes you dizzy and faint though. Lexie does your jogger/stroller recline? If so you can probably use it from 3-4 months. I used a sling until then most of the time.

Thanks for the great advice, everyone. Yes, this is my first, and I feel very aware of how much I don't know. Fortunately, I am going to have to buy very little (one of the few advantages of being the last woman of my generation to give birth) so I shouldn't make too many expensive mistakes.

I'm now 20 weeks and I'm not having my scan for another fortnight. Rather late, isn't it? It's making me a little nervous, specially as I didn't have CVS or amnio, and I'm 41...

Main negative of being pg so far: the constant worry about the world I am bringing my child into. Every TV crime report (like tonight's horrible news about the five year old attacked by older children) has me transfixed in horror that I won't be able to keep my baby safe...

Main positive of being pg so far: feeling the kicks - biggest thrill ever!

Yes you can get social inductions, but the docs and obs people have to agree... I got one last time because dh is army and was being sent to Iraq, he was onyl allowed home for 5 days for the birth, and i couldnt face having the baby alone in a place i didnt know anyone. They agreed and took me in at 39weeks.

Hester - my scan is on Tuesday and I'm 21 weeks today, so will be almost 22 weeks when having the scan, the same as you. I've had no screenings either. Didn't worry me at the time but now I wonder why I said no!

Advice about pushchairs/prams has been good today, cheers! My family are kind of getting on my nerves, everybody has an opinion based on how they used their pram etc. My aunt keeps telling me I want one with good suspension as she did lots of walking. Fair enough, but I hardly walk as it is now as most family live 25 mins car drive away!!

Scans - i don't get mine till 23 weeks

as for blood pressure - not too worried just have to get up slowly and make sure i don't black out.

Pushchair/jogger not recline but do have sling so might see how that goes as to when/if we need another pram.

As for MIL/SIL i'm too big or not big enough and have put on far to much weight (half a stone in 4.5 months) they drive me mad. Also begining to get advice from everyone