November ladies are having there babies. One by one here they come. But here we'll let the candle burn. Until we've all had our turn

[Ninjacat]

Come on over....

Aw hobnob your DD sounds lovely! How old is she again? Is she wanting to 'get married' yet? DD is into this right now...on sunday she married me, daddy, two of my friends, but not their 6 yo son. He declined quite furiously! Isn't it lovely when they get on like that, shame it ended in disaster!

roomac i love the idea of hibernating. I have mostly been doing that since the weather turned and baby is not even here yet! I hope you manage to get some sleep.

My nipples are bleeding too Wook still trying though, in fact gotta go feed him again!!!

ooch, lots of poor nips here these days! I'm so grateful I didn't suffer too badly at all last time. Quick healing vibes to you all.

pav DD will be 3 in a minute (well, early Dec) and hasn't got as far as marrying yet, but her teddies do a lot of telling each other off or needing comforted for something or other.

I've had the odd 'big' contraction too, but from DD's experience I know this is normal for me in the weeks leading up to not going into labour . Some evenings I get a run of them even, but I'm firmly of the opinion that it's going to have to be fricking sore very often before I believe that my body knows what it's doing! So I call them BHs and file them under 'no progress'... until proven otherwise

I so hope it's different for your body!!

Oh hobnob don't say that! Last time, I had waters break at 5:30am, BHs every half hour, then gradually more frequent until 1:30pm or so, then wallop a big contraction and DD arrived at 11:47pm that evening. This pg has been so so different though I cannot imagine it will go that smoothly this time!

DD is 3.3, and she has, and still does the telling off of bears, and they have medicine when they are poorly...that was about your DDs age, so soon enough, you will have to whole marriage thing!

Nothing going on here. I made it out of the house today (woohoo!) to do some shopping in town. Just pulled a sweet potato pie out of the oven. Wanted to be getting work done but have to wait to hear back from co-workers, who apparently don't see any urgency to the situation

Only just been able to get on to MN!! Crisis!

Pav my MW said amniotic fluid smells of straw. I had to really think what straw smelt like, but there you go.

BBL I really feel for you. It sounds awful. Have you spoken to a MW/got support? Toby is obviously a hungry boy

Sleepless that sounds like a pretty fab birth experience!! I hope I have a similar one...

'News' here is that I am having v strong and regular BHs and period pain. Was in hospital yesterday afternoon after getting walloped in the tummy, which then went a horrid purply/red colour, and I needed Anti-D. Awful. The worst but was having to wait IN A STOCK ROOM on the labour ward, literally opposite the operating theatre where a c-section was taking place. Could hear everything, and would have been able to peer in v easily, had I had the inclination... They were apprently 5 MWs down, and that was their excuse to be v v rude to everyone, not even examine me, just give me the anti-D after waiting from 2 - 8pm. Oh, and there were three labouring women in the waiting room obviously in need of a room/pain relief. It really really shocked me and I am seriously considering asking for a homebirth, but not sure if this is wise at this late stage. Plus, DH is not up for it really and says by the time I get to be 'hospital-ready' I won't care

Anyway....

Hi to everyone else, need to catch up - a whole morning off MN!! Disaster!!

katster omg that does not inspire confidence does it . Are you ok? How did you get walloped? Must have been scary for you, make sure you rest up x

Toby has been weighed and he's lost just under 10% so the MW is coming back again tomorrow. My mum is currently trying to settle him after I spent ages feeding him - my milk has only juts about come in so not sure how much he is getting really! Poor DS1 and DS2 are well in the background at the mo. Poor DS1 was unwell yesterday and didn't even open his birthday presents, bless him. I hope he comes back from school ready to open them today!

Come on the rest of you: hurry up babes!!

BTW although I'm posting the 'hard' side of new motherhood I have to add that there is sooo much love that comes with it too. I just love looking at Toby when he's asleep in his basket - sooo lovely. And I am in the throws of the baby blues so you need to take anything I say with a bit of a pinch of salt! This phase is totally normal - tears? We're talking flood gates opening all the time!

There was one moment when Toby was in the ward and they took him to the nursery to give me a bit of rest at about 3am when I had had noooo sleep that night and I went to find him at 5am and he was there, in his 'goldfish bowl', happily lying there, on his own listening to Snow Patrol on the radio and the rain on the roof above and I just burst into floods of tears of love and emotion and everything all at once. He was so cute and I thought 'I made him!'

Hi Ladies! Good luck for all those in labour at the moment, pavlov that sound as it would be it for you today? (I hope your husband won't be too busy to miss it )
BBL, congratulation! I hope you will still be able to write poems for the rest of the waiting ladies!
katster, that doesn't sound reassuring. I hope you will find your confidence again. I'm sure your husband will be great support for you anyway.
Second day alone with Paula. Went quite well so far, we had a lovely nap of just over an hour and now I'm just eating everything I can find in the kitchen

Ouch, katster, that sounds like a horrible way to spend the day

katster hope your ok!!! how did u get hit you poor thing?are there any other hospitals/maternity units near to where you live? are you south east london? id have a look online at your other options as its never to late to change your mind!!!
BBL i hope your babyblues pass soon!!!
Everyone with sore nipples im sure you no this all already but try putting some breast milk on !!

So iv had a show!! yay hopefully this may mean some sort of progress?? i had mild period pains this morning, havent since but still going to take this as a positive. Especially with the show as hopefully tomorrow when i have the induction gel that will kick things off!!

katster you poor thing! What on earth happened? What an awful experience for you.

missese Glad something is going on with you, keeping fingers crossed you are in a lot of pain very soon...if you know what I mean!

BBL Sorry to hear it's hard at the moment but thanks for posting both the good and bad sides. A reality check for us first-timers is good I think, but a reminder that it's the good sides that make the bad ones bearable is good to hear too! Hope you are having a better time of it re feeding soon and hope DS1 enjoys his pressies!

hobnob sorry your achey back disappeared (sounds wrong!)

Had an extremely lazy day here today but DH and I going to go for a 'date' out for dinner tonight before we can't do them too much longer. Although sweet potato pie sounds DELICIOUS! Any chance of the recipe longwayaway?

BBL I went through the hell that is a baby not gaining weight and you have my full sympathies. Take heart from the fact that in other countries they give babies a month to regain birth weight. Don't stress yourself...

katster I hope you are ok and your bump hasn't set off labour? If it has, GOOD LUCK.

misssese how exciting! Let us know how you get on tomorrow.

Here's to currently absent friends

katster hope you're feeling better after your nightmare yesterday

Good luck to everyone else in labour or nearly there!

BBL sorry you're in so much pain. DD was not a particularly big baby, but I do remember the pain of BF being excruciating sometimes in the very early days. For me there was a definite breakthrough moment when it went from hurting with every feed to not hurting at all and being a very enjoyable experience. I never bled though - ouch

Argh, just typed loads and it all disappeared!
Just quickly: yet more stress here. DD still unwell, we were back in the hospital again yesterday.
I've just been to MW and she's not sure if baby is head or bottom-down so I need to go for a scan. Fingers crossed this baby just has a bum-shaped head.

Have we heard from Lissy?

Oh, and I thought babies were supposed to lose some weight in the first few days? I was reading a parenting magazine last night and it said they should be back to their birth weight by 2 weeks after the birth.

Just back from consultant. No C section, no induction, just the waiting game, phew.
Was offered stretch and sweep but declined. Don't know why, just got scared. I'm half torn between wanting this baby out and utter terror of labour. Is this normal to be so scared?

Woke in the night and duvet was wet with milk

Went for coffee with DH than to waitrose (as my dearly departed aunt would say "Megan's so broke she doesn't know where her next avacado's comming from"). Was good to be just out and about.

Hugs to you all x

Ninja I am with you on feeling divided between wanting baby, and feeling sheer terror at the way out. How many days overdue are you?

Thanks everyone about being so nice about my trauma yesterday. It was quite scary. Raggie - a man with a ladder turned round without looking who/what was behind him.... Not good. The one good thing is, because I am with community MWs, at least I know it will be one of the ones I have met, and not just the ones who happen to be on duty. Bit worried that baby has been much more quiet than usual today. He does move if I poke him, but he normally wriggles non-stop. Did anyone find their babies did this close to labour, or is this wishful thinking?

Missesee yay for show! I keep scrutinising my knickers everytime I go to the loo!! Hopefully it will happen overnight so you don't have to be induced tomorrow.

I feel totally desperate to get my baby out... I really want to meet him and feel like it will never happen

ninja being scared is very very normal. Once your in labour it will pass as you will be too busy!

This baby is playing games! Contractions stopped after just 2 painful ones, pressure on backside clearly feel things are moving but not bloody quick enough! No proper labour and waters probably not broken, more like increase in discharge. He has decided afterall that he will stay put, so i am now resigning myself to a couple of days of horrible discomfort before anything serious contractions happen

I have consultant appt tomorrow too, although I was referred back to midwife led care, they booked me in for my due date on the 'if you have not had it by EDD you will become consultant led again' premise. Grr. Although i will probably get a scan to check all is ok so one positive from it.

I was so sure he was arriving today I told DD i would probably not be able to get her from nursery and if i was not home it was because I was seeing a Dr to help get baby out. She came home after being picked up all annoyed as our friend did not get her from nursery! She shouted at my belly for baby brother to hurry up!

katster baby will normally slow down before arrival. As long as you are feeling 10 movements, they are likely to be more gentle and less obvious, and if you had many more than 10 then the frequency can slow down. This little one has definitely calmed down over the last 2 days. But make sure you do call the midwife for reassurance if you are worried at all.

Thanks Pav. I am feeling some movements, but they are more gentle and he is definitely quieter than usual. It just scares me, I want him out where I can keep a proper eye on him!!

Have you had any more exciting signs?

Kaster how scary about the ladder. How did the man react?

I hear babies do get quiet before birth.

I'm 39+2. Just feel over due. Could still be here in Dec

Ninjacat and Katsster I'm sending you 'come on babies' vibes. I was you guys last week When it happens, it happens and there's no stopping it. You'll be fine Nature is an amazing thing.