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....

lol, I just got a card through the post from my grandparents, and when I saw that my nana had signed for both of them (my grandad is pretty seriously ill with dementia) I burst into tears! Poor DP didn't know what to do, I was laughing and crying at the same time. I'm just so happy that my grandparents will both get to meet my new baby, and that my Grandad will at least have some idea of what is going on, but sad that he isn't fully aware, IYSWIM.

Ninja your poems are lovely

Weston how strange to think we might have passed in the corridor at Shrewsbury. I left at about 4pm on Monday with DH and Toby - probably looking a bit bleary eyed. I was in bay C on ward 18 the first bed on the right. I was wearing a black skirt and pink top when I left I think! How is baby Leah doing? Which midwife delivered her? I had Nicky for the first part and Laura took over and finished the job. What I hated about Shrewsbury was the food: the night Toby was born I was given a meal of, wait for it, bolognaise sauce, pasta shells, baked beans (???) and a baked potato. It was horrible!

Come on! More babies please!!!!

PS still battling with the feeding: you should see my poorly nipples!!! But not everyone has poorly nipples - I think I am unlucky. I was talking to my best friend last night and she said she had the same problems as me but her sister fed her baby on first latch and no pain, no problems, no soreness, cracked, etc no issues, nothing - and is still feeding her now at 1 years old.

Hello everyone.

Easyeggs thinking about you today and hoping you are holding your lo soon

ninja thank you for the poem, its fab!

BBL So sorry you have been having problems with bf, I got really sore with ds2 and went through loads of cream (can't remember the name) I did go on to feed him until he was 9 months though and managed to get my latch sorted and nipples repaired after a couple of weeks. This time I seem to have (dare I say) a dream baby, he is feeding so well and after keeping us up the first few nights, he now manages 4 hourly stints

Congratulations to all the new arrivals, sorry I can't name you all.

Sending lots of happy labour vibes to all those still waiting.

Serious faux-pas! Thank you ninja for the poem!! am actually blushing.

Esme only feeds and sleeps. Why on earth was I so stressed out with dd1 when a newborn?

Congratulations to all the new mummies, I can't quite keep up on who I have congratulated already!

wook so pleased everything is ok with your ds and hope his skin doesn't cause him too much bother.

ninja great poems, don't know how you managed to remember all the details, my brain is like a sieve at the moment!

I have just remembered that I'm meant to be sorting out registering dd, oops! How do I go about it?

Dh went back to work today and so far I am surviving! Although, got bath and bedtime for ds to do yet so shouldn't count my chickens too soon!

Good luck to easyeggs and anyone else who might be labouring away! In fact, pavlov has gone quiet, wonder if she is?

Hi everyone. I've spent the whole afternoon wandering Newcastle city centre in the hope of something happening - no joy, I'm just exhausted.

wizzy congratulations! Great to hear of Daniel's arrival and that his skin condition is manageable, even if it takes some extra care. It must be nice to be home at last.

katster I am a big worrier too. Wish I had the magic spell to just take life in my stride.

Need to go and put some dinner on before I fall asleep. Zzzzz

I am not labouring, alas. Far from it. I had a few contractions yesterday, but then they stopped and nothign else. AT ALL.

I have cleaned the car out, literally scrubbed it, then hoovered it (well helped DH with those pipey hoover things) and DH refused to let me spray wash it, so we drove it through an Arc. I cleaned the kitchen, the bathroom and then had a good ol barney in Sainsburys about a broken tv which was out of warranty. They dared to suggest I was not being honest about where I purchased it (they actually said, i could have bought it anywhere, which i took to mean they were calling into question my customer status ) as I had no receipt, so i went home, hunted out the receipt (i knew i had it, just could not be arsed to try to find it!) and told them 99% of customers are honest and truthful and they automatically put me, heavily pregnant with toddler in tow into the 1% of dishonest people. Utter disgrace. Bamn, new (better) tv, £40 goodwill gesture! Think he was afraid I would pop if he did not do it!

But, all this activity did not result in the baby arriving...grr.

Congratulations to all the new babies...lissy and wizzywoo welcome to your babies Emmeline and Daniel! hope you are both ok.

ninja love the poem..thank you...

Am tired..DH went to work and DD is very subdued and quiet and gets very jealous when i BF...its painful to watch and at the mo at 7pm am shattered and hormonal and just want to cry..sorry to moan folks.

BBL had sore sore (painful) nipples for 3 days full and now the scabs have gone (tmi) it hurts less..sorry it hurts

Good luck to all those waiting..
Congrats to all those popping!!!

ps laugs i love DD to bits but DD2 makes my tummy feel all funny..I'm in love..I'm sure it will be the same for you. i never thought that possible.

Congratulations to all new babies out there - I have read your birth stories but have a very small brain at the moment and can't hold onto the information! weston, I'll have a birth like yours please. Eeyore & venus well done for your marathon efforts. It takes a bit of getting over - I really hope you're taking all opportunities to rest and recouperate.

Well, I had a whole morning in the hospital this morning for no real reason. I had to wait over an hour for a scan to measure placental blood flow and amniotic fluid, and then more waiting to see the experienced consultant I'd been promised, except he sent his young trainee . She was much less reassuring than my lovely consultant MW and very business-like, and also a bit jumpy about my dates. EVERYONE I've spoken to so far, including the sonographer this morning, said that the dating scans are only accurate to within a week. She thought differently and basically dismissed my concerns that I'm actually only 41 weeks instead of 42 out of hand. However, she did go an spek to my intended consultant behind closed doors and he told her not to bother getting me in for monitoring on Saturday and to leave me until Monday for more scans, etc. Hoorah.

So, now I am officially 42 weeks pregnant, have had 3 sweeps, a couple of shows (probably as a result of the sweeps), am 2cm dilated but the cervix is still 1-2cm long (she said firm, everyone else previous to her had said 'nice and soft') and nothing is doing. The past 2 nights I've woken with a few really serious braxtons which have put a lot of pressure on my pelvis (but not my cervix?) but they have instantly stopped as soon as I've had a pee.

So, over the weekend I have to seriously consider what happens if I don't go into labour. They seem to be getting jitterier at the hospital - they don't deal with people like me who refuse induction very often. Especially VBACers. I'm beginning to come round to the idea of induction again - it would give me at least a chance of vaginal delivery, although it could well be a messy one. And of course the risk of an emcs is there. If only I had a crystal ball which would tell me if I'm destined for another CS, and then I'd choose an elective. This waiting game is wearing thin. Having been optimistic all week, I'm beginning to doubt baby's degree of engagement/presentation/pressure on cervix/intelligence again . Maybe it's because it's raining...

Sorry for the downer on a really happy thread at the moment.

That's tough, hobnob And so frustrating to have to see a trainee when you're already anxious. I hope something happens soon x

Oh hobnob how frustrating for you I really hope the baby comes soon and ends the dilemma for you. How crap that at this stage your consultant could not come to see you, and I hate it when they dismiss concerns and opinions out of hand so easily, like you know nothing, just plod along through your pg blind without doing any research. I shall keep my fingers crossed for you.

Meant to say also ninja what a great poem! I am impressed with the fact we have two poets here! Keep em going!

BBL we arrived at shrewsbury at 4pm on monday! went straight to consultant unit so we prob passed in the corridor, with u on the food front..beef stew..yeuck! went straight to nandos when came out!!

hobnob hoping the baby decides to come soon for you, very frustrating,

Congrats to all the new babies/mummies

helips we rang the registrar at our town hall and booked an appointment to register Ioan. We go there tomorrow - first main outing with the pram, on the bus and with DS1!! Am quite excited about it now, was terrified about leaving the house last week!!

Weston that is so weird! We should have carried knitted boobies.

Well 'thumper' aka Toby has settled down for the night so I am off to bed now zzzz.

Morning all!

Martha Lucy was born yesterday morning (4 days early). Woke up at 2.30 with some pain in my back - every 9 mins but not bad, woke DH at 3.30 and phoned mw as laboured quick before. Left straight away and arrived at Chippy at 4.15am, Martha was born at 4.48!! Pool was just ready but 2nd MW didn't make it. She was 9lb 6.5oz and a real shock as had it in my head she was a boy!! No pain relief (other than pool & no tearing - was home by 8.30!!)

She's got loads of jet black hair, feeding for england but not sure she's getting enough as very whingey, hopefully this'll get better when my milk comes in.

Congrats beepbeep ! Martha- what a lovely name, it is so cute. And its the month for big babies, isn't it?
I'm jealous of all you fast-labouring women! Would have a 3rd almost to have a fast one too.

right, Esme woke up at 1:30, fell asleep again at 3, I am sitting here still eating nutella bread. My shoulder hurts from letting her suck on my finger in an awkward position and have to wait for pain killer to kick in. Precious sleep-time going by....

I had a heart-to-heart talk with my 2 yo when I put her to bed, she had separation anxiety and I talked through the entire how-mama-had-to-go-to-hospital-thing with her. I don't think she understood a word but she kept hugging me and finally settled down in her bed. ....poor little mites, they try so hard to understand what's going on.

congratulations beepbeep, wow that was quick. Well done you two. And Martha is a really cute name.
hobnob, I hope labour will start naturally for you! Who knows it might even happen today! It must be really difficult to decide induction or elective CS.

Beepbeep and !!! Well done you! I hope you both get some sleep today.

Well I was up at 2:30 as well with contractions, but was unconvinced that they were the real thing since I was just after having a sweep yesterday. Some were really sore, but others were really short and not that painful. I got up and found they were much more bearable upright with breathing, and that the breathing seemed to lessen their intensity and duration somehow. So I sat up in a chair debating a) whether to stay up and make the most of them, and see if I could get them to continue or b) go back to bed 'cos I was knackered. In the end, after some toast, option b) won and I was back in bed for 5am, just as Martha was arriving!!!

Now they are just like little BHs. Sending DH off to work and going for a walk with a friend. Either things kick off today or, in the absence of more sweeps, we sit around getting frustrated 'till Monday again

I hope DD behaves today - I'm shattered!

beepbeep Congratulations! Martha is a lovely name. I hope you're all settling in well.

hobnob sorry things aren't happening for you. Your laidback 'it'll happen when it happens' approach has been a real inspiration to me (I was 2 weeks late last time and climbing the walls). I know you've probably tried every trick in the book at this stage but curry and sex the day before I was due to be induced worked for me (but I was probably just ready).

BeepBeep WOW!! Congratulations! And what a gorgeous name, and amazing birth story! I really, really love the name. I hope you're all doing ok!!

Hobnob we had exactly the same night!! Although timings a bit different. Mine started at 9.25pm, went on until 1.30am, and I too had the debate between feeling knackered and wanting to go to bed, and bouncing on ball etc. Did that for a bit, then went to lie down. Got up again as couldn't get comfy, was sick a couple of times, then noticed I had dozed off and everything had calmed down!! It is unbelievably frustrating, isn't it. I just feel like I don't understand my body at the minute. But I have no reason to complain, as I am not even due until tomorrow. Although I feel overdue because this is now 9 days that i have been having stupid stop-start episodes. GRRRR. I hope you managed to get some sleep last night.

Congrats, beepbeep!! Love the name. Will try to ignore that we had the same due date

In other news, we need a new thread! Will start one if no one else has gotten to it... can't promise a catchy title tho.

here ya go

beepbeep welcome Martha! Congratulations!

hobnob I really hope this is it for you! Fingers crossed it turns into something, you have waited a long time, thinking of you [hugs].

Just had some pineapple for pudding after lunch, and now going for a loooooooooong walk. As nothing is happening this end!