Due Jan 2010 - we're all bump now !

[sazlocks]

Hi all - a new thread for all our new chat as teh old one is nearly full. No idea how to do a link though !

lol bless ill go with organised better than me and im only 24+3!

Im trying not to think about christmas thats scarey enough how fast the last year has gone its all been about baby since March when we decided to try for one and now 7 months later hes kicking me and telling me how strong he is! bless its great isnt it! x

CTFN I think I had 3 bags, not intentionally, though. by the time you have got maternity sanitary towels, nappies etc. then it's quite bulky. I remember taking different size babygros and most were too big as dd was small. Your own duvet might get a bit yucky, though especially if you have a c-section, you can't always clean yourself up IYSWIM.

We also have birthday season now too. I have just bought balloons for dd's birthday (in 6wks) as I remember last year the nearer it got to Christmas the harder it was to find any.

I had a really nasty experience last night. I had heartburn and woke myself up being sick and choking. Thank goodness dp was there to help me. I was then very sick. The combination of curry and gaviscon was not good. Luckily I feel fine today but it was very scary. I will mention it to the mw on Fri. [yuck emoticon]

CTFN when I had c section for ds there is no wearing of pants during op - you are naked under your gown - and no pants for about 24 hours after until they take the catheter out. Hope that helps with your planning .
I would also say yes to pillow and no to duvet. Besides you may well find it super hot in the hospital I had to actually ask for a fan after the section last time - I was feeling quite ill from the heat.

Ah - that's useful about the pants Timmette! I thought I'd wear them, complete with pad ready to catch the muck when they get me up!!! Eww - I really have a bit of a phobia about catheter's... still, not much I can do about it I guess!!

No when you come out of the theatre they have already wacked a pad between your legs - minus pants - and they are changed and monitored by the midwives for the first 24 hours if I remember correctly. There is no dignity in it .

Oh gawd - I thought I'd read up on everything there was to know about c/s - but obviously not!! Ewwwww some more!

Well if you want some more I highly recommend eating lots of fruit and high fibre stuff because going for a number 2 after a c section can be hellish and they will also want to know when you have done that - I lied about it but it took 5 days and I wasn't constipated. Not trying to scare you I just wish someone had told me thesse things before I had mine.
Also if your section is scheduled like mine was for the morning - I was offered no food until the following breakfast, not for medical reasons just because I wasn't moved to a ward until late evening and there was nothing and was starving.

i really don't need any more constipation - but thankfully, GP today prescribed LOADS and LOADS of stuff for me to take, so hoping for regular clear outs daily from now on (sorry TMI). Will make sure I have that pre c/s too. The whole food thing is ridiculous in hospital isn't it?

Saw midwife yesterday. All is well. I asked if there was any real point in writing up a labour plan, as whatever happens just happens. She laughed, and said to just try and put a few things down.
I'm not thinking about that stuff now because I am still in denial that I will have to give birth at some point.

My birth plan so far consists of telling hubby to not let the medical prof freak him into agreeing to intervention when it's not required...I doubt it's gonna get much longer than that tbh. As for hospital bag/birth box...er...not even thought about it yet. No point in me making a list as I'd lose it (after I put it somewhere safe).

I carefully typed out my birth plan with DD, DH had a copy, there was a copy in my bag and we gave one to the midwife. I don't think anyone looked at it once! Top of the list was "I don't want an epidural or pethadine". Of course 8 hours in with no sleep in sight and only being 2cms, I welcomed the pethadine with open arms, not to mention the epidural 6 hours after that! A friend felt she had an awful birth because it didn't go according to her birth plan. She was in a terrible state for months.

Basically, in my experience, don't get too hung up on what you think you want. Once in labour everything changes, in fact the ONLY thing that actually happened that was on the plan was that the Doctor told us what DD was!

This time it will consist of:

Get me to hospital for appointed time
Hold my hand while section is being done
Phone parents
Bring food

As for having a bag packed - I haven't even begun to think about that - I've got 14 weeks to go, so loads of time - hmm, perhaps I had better put some thought into what I need to take!

Oh and Timmette is right - no dignity after a section, your er, leakage, is examined by all and sundry and no knickers in theatre!

I feel like my last birth plan wasn't worth the paper it was written on. Admittedly I was giving birth in Sweden and the plan was written in English, so maybe they couldn't be bothered to read it, or maybe it just isn't "done" out there, I don't know. Everyone was very nice, but still, I look at my birth plan now (I kept a copy) and just kind of laugh.

Anyway... anyone else planning a home birth? I've been green-lighted for one, apparently they're quite rare here in Tower Hamlets and the midwives get very excited when someone's planning one! A woman I met at the NCT hombirth group is giving me a birthing pool for free as they're done with having kids, and I'm hoping to borrow a labour supporter (a kind of doula type person but a volunteer so you don't have to pay) from Homerton Hospital to be there during labour, along with the midwives and my trusty boyfriend, of course.

And last week I met a woman who's just qualified as a hypnobirthing trainer, who's going to give me private hypnobirthing lessons at my house for the cost of the Health in Pregnancy grant. Anyone else have any experience of hypnobirthing? Anyone planning on trying it?

Hi all

25+4 today, been to see mw. took ages to find heartbeat but pnut has been the most active its ever been today, all day, so i knew everything was okay. its just a bit scary!!

I am getting seriously peed off. I was booked in to hospital where i had other 4 dcs. I then went to new hospital with dd1 when she burnt her hand and popped into the MLU to have a nosey. It was lovely, all new and clean. I asked them could I have a water birth there and they said yes, I would just need a referral from GP. This was about 6wks ago!. I rang GPs, receptionist said mw can do it, rang mw she said wait until todays appt and she would sort it.

Went today - different mw, she said because the new hospital is not part of their trust it would have to be GP that made referral. Apparently other mw had done this previously and it caused major problems when pg woman turned up and no one was expecting her, no referral had been accepted as on wrong paperwork. I am rather worried now. Will i be able to contact new hospital and find out if referral has been done??

Sorry to go on but its getting to that time when you just want everything sorted, its only 14 wks away after all. I to have just realised that I will have to give birth soon.

And I too have not even thought about hosp bag yet. I don't want to take my pillow as I want to be back home asap. I suppose dh can always bring extra stuff if I need it.

I took a big pillow and my nursing pillow, were really useful to lean over during labour as was nothing comfy in the delivery room, and useful on ward afterwards when ended up staying in with csec. I also took a few CDs, it was an induction so had time to unpack a bit and put music on to calm self down!

I couldn't fit into the disposible pants I'd (hopefully) bought in a size 10-12 at around 24 weeks, by 40+15 I'd gained further 2 stone and was really swollen after the op! Had to send DH out to asda for size 16-18 7-pack value pants for £1 and they were much more comfy and can just bin at that price! Midwife was actually the one to tell DH to buy bigger pants when she was helping me to dress !
Lovely first outfit had for DS was also too small for him. Wonder if this bump will get to wear it.

I was scared of not being discharged if had not had a poo, so stuffed myself with cherries on day 1 and had no trouble [proud!]. It even turned out they had forgotten to give me the stool softener tablets until they turned up on my discharge prescription, I questioned, and they were 'oh, did we forget to give you these, you should have been having them for post op sluggish bowel!' Luckily I had no probs as could have been v impacted- lack of poo inducing tablets was discovered 3 days after the op!

Agree on taking lots of food, can be hard to get hold of anything nice.

ampster - wow lucky you!!! i am practicing my hynobirthing by myself with book and cd. could not afford the private courses which cost over £200. i already borrowed £200 from parent which i will pay back when i get my grant for a fantastic pram on kiddicare website.

i am also planning a homebirth too, i had two pretty normal (i guess) natural births already at hospital but was so scared during both but the hyonobirthing techniques have already wiped those feelings away and I am looking forward to giving birth now. I would love to have somoene come to my house and do it - lucky you!

Partyofsixsoontobese... - that is annoying for you! Before i planned my homebirth I just had to ask at my mw app to book me into my MLU at the hospital, there was no referall, you just ask to be put down and thats it.

So is anyone going to the babyshow next Friday at Earls court? I am going to go with my sister.

I think I'd be pretty annoyed at the mis-information too Party, I hope you can get it sorted out soon.

I haven't thought about a hospital bag at all! It is a good idea right enough - hopefully if I make a list and go early, DP can shove the things in a bag for me! Since I intend to have the baby here, it is only a 2 minute drive from the hospital to the house. Actually I met a girl today who had her 3rd baby on Saturday - she was out several hours after having the baby and looks absolutely fantastic!

Ampster I too am planning hypnobirthing and will ask more about it at my 28 week appointment on Wednesday. I don't know too much about it, except it is only £20 for the course and I will be very grateful if it helps me relax at all.

It is really interesting being on here and hearing how all the different hospitals & authorities work. I hope to give birth in our home town which means:
Great deal of attention from the midwifery staff
Own room guaranteed (there isn't a ward on maternity)
Birthing pool guaranteed
No epidurals
Any complications and you are sent to Glasgow - emergencies get a helicopter flown in which is 1/2 hour each way
Only room on hospital plane for 1 passenger so DH has to drive the 3 hours up the road
There are certainly pros and cons about it, but provided everything continues to go alright they can't see any problem.

That sounds like a horrible experience quirkychick, I hope it doesn't get repeated

OMG Devotion, I had no idea how expensive it could be! That is a pretty good endorsement for it though, and exactly the sort of thing I was hoping from it.

devotion I'm in the same boat, having a home birth and hypnobirthing book/CD (courses here are £200+ too!) Tbh having read most of the book I think the course would annoy me whereas reading the book I can take the bits I can associate with and ignore/alter the stuff that's all a bit too hippy. I've been using self hypnosis for as along as I can remember (never realised that's what it was)...although the medical prof for some reason like to give you a running commentry about what they are doing when you are trying to relax on a sunny beach somewhere. Actually that's good one for the birth plan..."DON'T TALK TO ME!"

Thanks Fraoschsmum, so far ok. Having to eat less and blander foord (which is probably not a bad thing) as stomach is rather squashed at the moment!

CTFN having the catheter put in was really painless-timmette explained about the duvet better than me much better to get hospital blankets etc mucky than your own duvet.

Constipation after c-section was not painless! You can get really nasty wind which hurts as you are bruised inside, this time I'm going to make sure I get some laxatives/prunes etc. and take it seriously. I think if you search on MN you will find lots of help for it!

yay devotion and somewhathorrified, glad there are some other hopeful homebirthers on here!

i did read marie mongan's hypnobirthing book before i gave birth last time, but i didn't practice any of the techniques or anything. and at first the contractions genuinely were painless - was watching them on the monitor and felt absolutely zero - but then suddenly this WORLD OF PAIN kicked in, and i was like, hypnobirthing? yeah right!

still, hopefully i won't have to be induced this time, so the contractions will build up more gently and i will be able to cope better. in a weird way i'm kind of looking forward to it. i think it'll be so exciting to meet my baby girl, and i love the idea that i'll be at home instead of a strange medical environment.

hi all - well done for those who have thought of labour bag!( gold star)
to those who are having homebirths that wonderful, in your own home with your own stuff and not yucky hospital! (well not all of them)
my DH wants me to go hospital just for the fact of lack of room to swing a cat in my house right now,and resting after- hahaha i know he has never stayed in a hospital maternity ward- with crying babys and machines, bins closing doors slamming and the rest of the noise ermmm rest i doubt it poking and proding taking blood pressure asking if you have pooed yet! that's he nurses!
i do want a water birth and will discuss with MW on next visit!
had a group talk with a few mums today just sharing and boy it was very nice, from waters going in car whilst out shopping to painless contractions, to very short labours!

I am waking up daily and turning it over to home and health tv(275) where it shows "childbirths" and "bringing home the baby" and how to dec the baby room luv it! not sure DH is impressed and leaves the room when labour hit these women!
but i cant have fear and i'm just trying to fast forwards because i cant wait!

other things for hospital bag was

bathroom cleaning wipes or spray with sponge to clean the bath out - they dont clean them like you would!

black bag for labour clothes and your towel after - maybe a bit blood stained all normal blood loss of course!

arnica 200 strength - can not praise these enough, after first birth thought i was pooing glass after and felt so brusied. used arnica with second and nothing after, felt totally normal and did normal poo you can get this strength from Neals Yard.

x

Sorry to be a daftie, but what is arnica, and what is a doula?
Finally worked out the whole photo thang so have put up a few more if anyone wants a nosy - I for one love putting faces to names!