Due May 2010: how much longer can we survive on crackers & crumpets?

[cupcakefairy]

Welcome to our lovely new home

Gonna start the list again so it is more accurate, hope that's ok!

19 May - cupcakefairy, 25, #1

morning all..
James thanks for the info re celvapen...Ive hit a brick wall with my LHB and today was told by the doctors Ive got until monday to accept panderemix otherwise I will not be offered anything else..bully boy tactics if you ask me

woke up this morning to some very definate kicks from baby..which was nice..it must have changed position..probably because I was turning over in bed every 10 mins due to aching hips

Morning ladies,

Hope everyone is well. I have a quick question for those of you who might know about these things. I am seriously considering an elective CS (many reasons) and i would like to know the process for this! I would be shared care, so only the proceedure itself would be private. How do i go about letting my hospital know about this and what is the latest that i can do this?

My next midwife appointemtn is in Jan and i will talk to her about my options at that point, but dont know if i will be ready to make a decision then...

At present i am really undecided and am oscillated between a homebirth (which i am not sure i will be allowed) and a elcs. I absolutely, catagorically and completely know that i do not want to have to have a hospitalised birth if i can help it...

And yes, i know that am elcs is about as hospitalised as you can get but i hope you know what i mean...

i have emailed my gp directly to ask her about getting celvapan

ML - that is total rubbish from your surgery - I would happily give anyone celvapen if we had supplies and hope we will eventually... If only our PCT could get their house in order. I would also move heaven and earth to get someone vaccinated if they want it even if the window of opportunity was supposedly closed. Like I said our PCT are saying they're not vaccinating pregnant women any more for some unknown reason. It's not as if the risk has suddenly gone away. Probably a cost saving exercise (this PCT is bankrupt)

Understand what you mean LP about concerns about delivery. Hope your midwife can reassure you and find the best option for you. I have been labelled as high risk and am really worried I'm going to end up over monitored etc Feel like telling them that I want a home birth just to get them to listen to me.

Mollybob..I certainly think Im being fobbed off..but will keep persisting

Molly thanks for letting us know your SF vacc plans. I am going to spend this weekend doing some proper reading and then if I have jab have it before I go to Zimbabwe, as it would be pretty tricky to get very ill out there.

Still not sure if that was the baby moving. Nothing since.

Oh PS bloody hell STOOD on the train for an hour this morning sticking out my bump for all I was worth - oh dear, the invisibility is kicking in...

Lotus meant to say, sorry, have no experience and can't help much. Good luck working it all out though and I hope you do get what you want. xx

Had my 16 week check up with a doc today. All is well. Didn't get to hear heartbeats!
Also asked about SF Vacc and got told it's Pandemrix one or nothing! GP said it's a load of nonsense what has been in the media.

MIL says i should get that in writing from them, probably easier said than done. Decisions Decisions!!!

Sophie..glad the appt went well..some MW's dont seem to listen in until further on.

MAJOR RANT ALERT!!!!

The chuffin boiler has packed up..AGAIN!..it needs a new burner as the other one is faulty..and cannot be repaired until after christmas

Sophie - if you fancy a coffee we're on the other side of the road, opposite the right hand of the 3big houses as you look at them.

to all those feeling baby move already - it still isn't feeling real at all.

I know the frustrations of being due late in the month - a lot of last year's November babies arrived early/in October so by hte time DD arrived a few days early on the 19th it felt like I'd waited forever!

Hi All!

Good to hear about positive 16 week appointments and wanted to say (to Sophie2008 and others who couldn't hear a heartbeat with their MW/Dr) my WM had to poke me REALLY hard (I have a bit of a belly) to get a heartbeat but the machine she used was so crackly and old it was suprise you heard anything.

I bought a machine from e-bay 'ANGELSOUNDS FETAL DOPPLER HEART RATE MONITOR +250ml GEL'(£24.99 free delivery and they posted really quickly) and I was able to hear it a week before my appointment, and no hard jabbing or pain! I recommend getting one of these but as per prev posts on this thread (and my MW instruction), don't take it as given that baby is ok a later stages.

Good luck to everyone for their 20 weeks scan, mine is on 22nd Dec.

Had swine flu jab (the eggy one) about 3 weeks ago now via DR surgery and thankfully everything ok. I'm sure I heard on the news yesterday 24/11/09 that they are offering the non eggy ones to pregnant woman?! Good luck whatever you guys choose!

ML - I can't believe your rotten luck! What a stressful time. Hope you can sort something soon - that really isn't acceptable with kids in the home.

Sophie - how frustrating! My lovely GP practice manager phoned me today and thanked me for bringing them up to speed. They hadn't heard of the Celvapan situation and refused me it yesterday, but my PCT told them and they've now arranged for me to see a GP on MOn, who has to talk me through my options and then give me a referral letter to a practice with Celvapan. You really should talk to your PCT if the docs aren't listening to you.

sob sob sob....having one of those days... Had an energy rush the past few days so got and done jobs that i had got behind with and now burnt myself out. What AM i doing having another baby??...

AnAngelWithin you're not the only one asking that question - think positively - you've had a wee energy boost and one will come again now rest up and chill until it does - babe is probably using your energy today to do some growing.

ML nightmare! hope there's something that can be done sooner than you think

sophie and anyone else who is having problems re celvepen - try phoning and asking to speak to your practice manager - many GPs aren't up to date with the news - it's not easy to stay up to datw with everything. I am extremely nosey and on a email list of other nosey awkward local GPs and I still struggle. Not sure if the new plan re celvepen has reached all of UK yet but definitely the above quoted stuff refers to all of England and Wales. Practice managers can do some digging - GPs or MWs might not want to admit their ignorance (I never worry about such things personally - if people want someone who pretends to know it all then they can see someone other than me whenever they want! When I don't know, I say so...)

Cornish good recommendation if it works. The dopplers we have as standard in practice are rubbish at anyone under 24 weeks - we have one fancy one which is actually for looking for pulses in people with really poor circulation and I've been able to hear sproglet's heart since about 9 weeks but no chance with the standard one. I even borrowed the posh one and brought it home and let DH, DS and DD hear it. DS and DH not impressed at all though. Boys!!!

I'm having a slightly better day (shhh in case I jinx it) and was able to do all that needed doing at work without having to lean on my lovely colleaagues for the first time in, well 10 weeks, and I went for a natter with my good friend and neighbour - I needed a sleep after that but it was something

Mollybob..interestingly..my MW has been using the circulation doppler to listen in to my baby..the normal one doesnt pick it up..when I was nursing I worked on a surgical ward and most patients had either gastro intestinal or vascular surgery so we used that particular doppler to check leg circulation ater things like Triple A Repair..using 15 mins obs to start with..so I was quite interested to see the MW use it on my bump.

Hi All

Memory i cannot believe the luck your having with your house!!! Hope it all works out soon.

Sorry to hear people are having a hard time re SF vaccine.

I had the pandemrix vaccine today - decided risks are too high, i work in a hospital which has 4 wards affected by swine flu with numbers expected to rise - wish i could work from home!!!!

Re Movements - i'm only 14+1 today but have been feeling funny "twinges" now and gain over last few days and not sure if this could be movement or just tissue stretching. The "twinges" aren't sharp pains as such but hapen very quickly and not always in the same place - feels almost like a twitch - sorry hard to describe!

Evening ladies,
Has been a busy couple of days here so have been catching up on all the posts!
Fab that people are hearing HBs and feeling flutters. I have been having funny 'twingey' feelings in tummy, but still sussing out if movements or not...

mollybob thanks for all your suggestions and advice re swine flu. I work in NHS community health with children and so we are being offered (strongly encouraged to have!) pandemix through work. I had printed off the Celvapan sheet to take along to occ health, but have decided will contact GPs surgery first as our occ health contractors are fairly useless and no doubt will not know how to respond...will get pandemix if push comes to shove.

memorylapse am so sorry to hear about your boiler...bloody boilers and heating - time to send that bill to your tyrant LL! Am so glad you had reassuring visit to MW
luckc LOL at your comment on 'standing' on the train. I have been feeling much less nauseous in during the days recently but every morning on the rammed overland commute to central London where I am standing every morning I start feeling very overheated and like I am going to be sick - so have taken to standing with my belly pushed out as far as it can ( as I don't really have a bump at all yet it probably looks like I have bad posture...or wind!) no one pays the slightest attention to me!

tiny and cupcake I too have joined the ranks of carbo loaders...am usually a very healthy eater - avoiding wheat products and eating lots of salads and vegies...seem to now be unable to stomach a cold salad, yet become partial to bagels, oranges and milkshakes!! Oh my goodness, will look full term before have got half-way! Trying not to worry too much and make sure is counterbalanced with lots of cycling, walking and swimming on the more energetic days .
Goodnight all.

Yorky coffee sounds good sometime. Don't know too many people here still.
How old are you other DC's? Wasn't sure if you go to any of the toddler groups.

DD turned 1 last week, DS will be 3 late January, we sometimes get to the group in the soft play area - they're both very blond. Have only been to the under 1s group a couple of time when DH has a morning off to watch DS so DD and I can go.

No-one has mentioned the SF jab to me so I'm not worrying about it until then, certainly won't be running about shouting 'jab me, jab me!'

So far I have put on no weight! DH is very jealous and it certainly isn't cos I'm not eating, no MW for a fortnight but it still doesn't feel real - desperate to hear heartbeat or feel movement

Yorky, i was going to go to the soft play area tomorrow morning with DD if you fancy it?

Really trying to get her more social.

I got my next midwife appointment on 22nd Dec at 20 weeks. I just hope she don't cancel this one!.

hey all. had my sf vaccine on monday night, felt like a big pile of poop yesterday and have a very sore arm but otherwise ok. Really tormented monday night whether i had done the right thing but as an asthmatic i'm high risk anyway. Had the pandemrix as nothing else was offered at my gps. Its done now so just trying to get on with things.
Lotus i'm in a similar position, previous csec with dd as she was breech, now have the choice of another cs or natural birth. having consultant led care and have been told by mw that it may end up not being my decision as depends how strong my cs scar is.

Nothing happening here, except I am noticing I am getting larger (not just my stomach!) I am also eating loads of carbs and although I am not eating chocolate or sweets I can munch through lots of biscuits without batting an eye lid!

Lotus I am having an elective CS, my notes still say VBAC as that's what I thought I wanted to do at my booking in appointment but when I next see the consultant (at 31wks) I will say I have changed my mind (not worried as they gave me the choice at my booking in). Not sure how it works if you haven't had a cs before - I would speak to your midwife about your concerns and ask to get an appointment with the consultant to discuss this.

Oh my goodness we are in December next week! I picked up some Christmas presents today but still have a huge list of people to buy for. I would love to get organised and do it all in the next couple of weeks, I dont enjoy shopping for presents but I love wandering round the shops when its all Christmassy - just as long as I dont need to join the queues at the checkout etc!

Hello folks, hope you're all ok!

I just rang my doctors surgery to ask if Celvapan was available, the nurse I spoke to was quite sniffy and said no, only pandemrix was available for everyone and it was fine etc, no celvapan would be provided, it was that or nothing and she didn't know how they could get any etc

I started directly quoting from the memo I linked to yesterday by the national director of NHS flu resilience saying that celvapan should be offered when specifically requested by pregant women who were worried about receiving Pandemrix, and also asked her what she was planning on doing if an egg allergy sufferer came in for a swine flu jab, if no celvapan was provided? (presumably she would give them pandemrix and then happily watch as they went into anaphylactic shock)

This pissed her off but made her answers get a bit more in-depth! She said that as far as she knew they get contacted directly by the local PCT, and told to go to some cetral location in the county to get their jab. I said that I would also be prepared to do that, and she said "well you'd have to speak to them about that" so I said I would try to contact them, and she offered to ring the professional PCT number they have to see what they said about it.

She rang back after a bit and said that although it was news to her direct superiors at the PCT, when they looked into it they saw that it was a national issue (not just me, being a chancer!) and they have said that when the egg allergy folks are having theirs done in about a months time, they'll arrange for me to have it too.

She did plenty of scaremongering and seemed to regard a request for celvapan as misinformed hysteria, BUT at the end of the day I will be having celvapan rather than pandemrix so I think that's a result (from an out and out "No" an hour earlier)

To all the ladies who have already had pandemrix - look you had to make a decision, and for what it's worth the NHS totally backs you up. We only found out celvapan would be available 3 days ago, and as memorylapse has shown, some doctors are still saying it isn't an option. Please don't beat yourself up if you've already had the jab, there's no absolute guarantee celvapan is harmless either, at the end of the day you just have to make a decision and live with it.

Hello everyone,
Sorry I haven't posted for ages, after the funeral last week we've been a bit hectic.

Don't have much time to catch up, but I hope everyone's feeling well. Yay for everyone feeling LO move

I saw my MW yesterday and heard the heartbeat - it took her ages to find it though, baby was hiding down in a corner.

MW recommended the swine flu jab as she reckoned that the risks of not having it are worse than the risks of having it, but I didn't ask her about the two different types.

Feeling a bit rough atm, I think I have a cold Weather means I'm feeling a bit cabin-feverish as well since I can't get out (don't drive and walking around town isn't tempting!).

just back from hospital after a nasty experience

link here