Due in July 2005 - Part 5 (The Last??!!)

[Bagpuss30]

OK everyone, here it is. Who will be first to post their announcement I wonder?

Hi everyone again and happy due date to you too, mirashark!
I think I'm having Braxton Hicks at long last- very tight across the lower part of my bump and lots of pressure in the lady garden regions. It's all very irregular at the moment so I'm not getting too excited.
Baby is very active still and seems to be trying to escape all on her own. Fine by me, as long as she gives me a chance to get an epidural in first.
Hoxton Chick- I love the new name (Sophia was on my shortlist), but were you not tempted by one of my finds? I thought that Florence Orlanda Cheryliss had a certain ring to it...
Pinkmama- please feel free to come around to mine to satisfy your cleaning urges- I have just bought a m&s chocolate fudge cake to celebrate my due date (any excuse) and would swop some window washing for a slice or two.

Lolasmum- hope you get your sweep- please let me know waht it's like as I was put off the idea but may be begging for it by the end of the week!

Many congratulations to Eastyorksmum and Baby William, Merryberry and Vincent (so sorry to hear that he had to stay in hospital - hope he is back home soonest), Bagpuss and George.

I also hope to hear that things have gone well for Mommy D and Mrs Darcy.

Hope all the rest of the Big Mammas are not suffering too much in the heat - I have to say I am getting fed up with all the sympathetic looks when people catch sight of my bump - well hey you can't miss it I suppose.

Had my growth scan on Monday and DS2 is apparently over 7lbs now so really pleased as DS1 was so tiny. I'm back up to the hospital tomorrow for my blood to be taken in preparation for C section on Monday and to take stock of anti sickness tablets to take over the weekend. Can't believe we are going to have a new addition to the family on Monday.

Anyone else had an elective C section? (just wondered what to expect as last one was emergency - hopefully things will be slightly less fraught than last time!).

Good luck to all you ladies in waiting and hope all you new mums are doing well.

xx

Hi all, I was wondering if we might have some news from MommyD yet but I suppose it is too early.

I hope mrsd is OK too.

There must be something wrong with me as I'm still nesting, in particular washing anything in sight.

Harriett, sweeps are great. Mine didn't hurt at all and it was really effective.

webwoman, thanks for the congrats and good luck for Monday.

HC, hope you have a nice time at ds' nursery. We went to ds1's nursery sports day on Monday and ds2 was quite the celebrity .

If any of you get really overdue, I have a big box of raspberry leaf tablets still - I only got to take about 8 of them - I'll send them to anyone in need!

Harriet - it didn't hurt at all and was over before I knew it. Nothing's happened yet though... I've had BHs, but they're a bit run of the mill now. Apparently I'm 1-2 cm dilated and the midwife says I really should be in labour. But, I'm not. Looking forward to some more birth announcements.

wewoman05: we had a medically required c/s, which was 'elective' rather than 'emergency' (due to raised BP / IUGR)...

What to expect ? Well, dw was surprised by two things:

1. The drugs in the epi can make your arms / body shake / shiver - she wasn't quite expecting this, and it doesn't happend to everyone, but if it happens to you, you'll know this is normal !

2. The drugs in the c/s epi are stronger than the traditional /mobile epi' given now as pain relief in labour. When dw was recovering she found it very weird / infuriating / scary not to have full control / sensation / movement in her legs for the recovery period. Of course, this sensation returns, but she found it a bit odd, and would have like to have been told about it first, IYSWIM.

3. Procedure itself - well, we had a little 'anteroom' off the theatre for the anaesthetic. It will be given by the anaesthetist plus an assistant / nurse, they'll check it works (ie - you can't feel pain in the belly etc.) and when they're 100% happy with you, they'll push you through the doors to the theatre where there'll be an impressive team - doctor / surgeon, nurses, midwives, assistants, pediatricians etc. A paper screen means you don't see anything, and dp / dh / friend can be near 'the head end'.

You can maybe bring in some music.

They'll get busy on you, get to the baby, take him / her out and hand the baby to the midwives / nurses / you. The surgeon and his/her team continue to finish their op and put in their stitches. All this time your anaesthetist is next to you checking everything is 100% and you are 100% comfortable.

When they're done, they wheel you into a recovery room where they'll monitor you to make sure all is well, and you may stay closely observed for a further few hours / overnight etc. depending on when things happen.

In our hospital Dee then got a 'handbag' with an epi top up system (they left the epi and canula sited) to administer pain relief when you need it in the days that follow. It just takes care of the pain, it won't knowck your legs out again.

The midwives and nurses looking after you will have a course of painkillers which you'll be given regularly.

After about 5 days they'll take away your canula and the epi top up unit, if you had one, and a day or two later they take out your c/s stitch / staples.

You'll get similar discharge to a normal birth, so plety of towels / disposable panties etc.

Dee recovered very quickly, didn't feel very sore, and was pleased to get rid of the 'handbag' so she didn't need to carry it to the toilet etc.

You then have to take it easy (no carrying / driving) for 6 weeks, and be careful to support your tummy when sneezing, coughing etc. to give you extra comfort.

HTH.

X

Ooh Harriet, windows are my particular obsession at the moment, what I wouldnt give to swap a window for a slice of choccie cake

Good luck lolasmum- hope that kick starts your labour finally! Looking forward to hearing all about it!
and pinkmama, you'd better be quick as dh is now home and tucking in... I do have some nice fox's classics and twix's though...

oi, harriett, i was in hackney m&s this morning. i reckon i would have spotted you though....

It's 11.30pm ladies...time to start those chores you just have to do! Hoover front room , rearrange books on bookshelf - now should that be alphabetical or height order, decisions, decisions.... Scared myself silly by watching Desperate Midwives on BBC3 tonight, too many babies heads poking out of 'Ladies Gardens' (I love that term...) I especially enjoyed the moment when the home birth ladies' waters broke and exploded all over the attending midwife and the bedroom walls...just the reasoning you need behind opting for a hospital birth! You'd get lumbered with the cleaning up afterwards...
Tummy tight, baby moving and off we go....a hoovering.

Morning! Am I getting excited about nothing? I have woken up with constant bad period-type pains and my bump seems to be a lot lower and 'pointier' than before- I look like a big pear! I hope this is the start of something big, not too painful and not too long of course!

Hoxton Chick- you really couldn't have missed me in m&s- I was the one getting all the disapproving looks from the grannies as all I had in my basket were emergency swiss rolls, a large fudge cake, come percy pigs- oh and some raspberries (well, they do go so well with chocolate!)

I am so naughty as I am going to have to get rid of this one day... maybe after breastfeeding- I hear that you need a lot of energy for that...

Hope everyone else is fine- thinking of MommyD and MrsDarcy and sending good labour vibes to all. Keep your fingers crossed!

Keep us posted harriet! Got my fingers crossed for you!

Hope all mammas and mammas-to-be are doing well.

Esp. mrsd - hope baby is in good health (your CATs are blocked BTW). X

MommyD - how's the Royal Free ? I hope it's OK !

Just checking in for news....

Am off shopping soon to stock up and get things to decorate ds's cake. His party is tomorrow and birthday on Tue - he will be 6. After that I can relax a bit. Not in a hurry for baby to come really as I am feeling so fit. Still got lots of nesting to do as well.

And its not even very hot here either.

Cheers Hub for all the details on Dee's "elective" c section. Some of it sounds quite similar to when I had my emergency c section with DS1 but as it was 4.5 years ago and I was quite dosed up, it is a bit of a blur! I don't remember the "handbag"! I think the first 48 hours of memory have been erased! I have just been to the hospital this am to have my bloods taken and be given my anti sickness tablets in readiness for Monday. Are Dee and Camille home yet? If not, hope they are soon. It is a marvellous feeling bringing a new baby home from hospital for the first time, especially if you have been kept in for longer than normal!

I have to say I have had no nesting feelings at all - no desire to clean or anything. I really want to get baby's room sorted but DH and I will no doubt leave it til the very last minute! I must recheck my bag too. We hadn't packed a bag last time as DS1 was 4 weeks early so this time I am much better organised on that score!

Hope to hear some more news over the weekend about more babies. Harriet - I have had such a sweet tooth this time round - addicted to mint aeros and just cake in general!! Hope things get moving for you very soon!

Eulalia - Happy 6th birthday to your ds. What a trooper you are having a party tomorrow!

Good luck to you all. Will try and check in before Monday as may be out of action for about 5 days depending on how things go.

xx

oooh, sounds hopeful harriett. you would have recognised me in m&s too - tiny baby, screaming, grannies cooing, me looking for somewhere to get my tits out (mess cafe in amhurst rd v. accommodating, for future reference!). oh yes, & i only had chocolate based items in my basket too....

WW05 - Yep, my girls are back home !

Sorry, didn't realise you'd already had a c/s, so some of my info will be a bit redundant, but hope some was useful.

Not sure if the 'handbag' top up unit is routinely done at every hospital.

MommyD had baby Bowen ('Bo') on Tuesday as planned! Gorgeous little boy weighing in at 7lbs 8oz at 38 weeks. Mommy's in love (for the third time)!!

Very straight forward C-Section, lusty cries and APGAR of 10,10. Mommy came home yesterday and is breastfeeding under a tree in the sunshine. Lots of light for baby Bo as he has bit of jaundice.

MommyD will catch up with all the news soon. Good luck all!!

Congrats MommyD !!!!!!!!!

(And PoppyD if that was you !) - sounds like all went well and can imagine idyllic scene of mom and babe in the garden !

Aww, bless, well done MommyD . Sounds like a lovely birth. Welcome to Bo also.

Was just thinking the same dinosaur. She was going for reflexology the other day and has not been back since.... .

Congratulations MommyD and welcome to Bo

Congratulations MommyD! little Bo sounds lovely!

and Bah! no joy from me yet. I bet that mirashark and Pamina3 have beaten me to it!