Due SEPTEMBER thread 11 - nearly there!

[pooka]

New thread

Just wondering for those people who've hired a TENS machine, who did you get it from and roughly how much did it cost?

I've had one of those exercise balls from Argos for a while. Sometimes it's the only thing I've been comfortable sitting on. It does have a bit of a tendency to deflate over time though - and I think that there's not much point using it if your hips are lower than your knees. My midwife lent me Jean Sutton's book on optimal foetal positioning: seems to suggest that your knees need to be lower to open up your pelvis and encourage the infant to slide into an anterior, not posterior, position. (I've got the 65cm ball, by the way, and I'm a bit of a shortie).

The other thing she talks about in her book is your sleeping position: basically a bit like the recovery position, on your side but towards your front, with the other leg drawn up. I tend to sleep like this naturally, but I can imagine it would be a bit difficult to maintain a position that doesn't come comfortably.

Re the freezer. I think I must have some deep seated cultural memory of famine, or something - because I always like to have a freezer stocked so well that if a freak snow storm should wipe out transport and supplies (in Hertfordshire? in August??), we could survive cheerfully for weeks before having to consider eating each other...

Hi all
How often should our babies be moving at this stage? (or at least how much should we be feeling them move?)

Mine seems to be constantly partying. I think it's something like 6 kicks in 24h at this stage. You can get a kick chart from your mw if you're worried. A decrease in movement can be a sign that labour is about to start

Not sure KiwiKate, but I'm a bit paranoid about it at the moment until I have a scan next week. First time I've ever really thought about it,but now I notice every movement.

Hi everyone Quick visit then i am going to do some shopping.

LadyL - I hired a tens from the hospital last time it cost me about £15 and I got half of that back when i returned it.

Finally have bag packed, have not put seperate shampoo in for me will just use the johnsons. I have packed a large holdall for me and my baby changing rucksack with bumps bits in it. Also a carrier bag to go in with me for dd when she comes to visit, bump has bought her a carebear as she is mad on these at the moment.

Sister and best buddy came round last night I now only have to get my room and living room sorted.

Glad the midlands meet up with kids picnic was yesterday as the weather was much better than it is at the moment. We had a great time DD fell asleep on the way home though which means that at 10 last night we were still arguing as to weather she was going to bed or not!!!!

Feeling very uncomfortable today. Baby seems very low suddenly, and am peeing all the time. Really really need to get sorted NOW with finishing off hospital bag and a little suitcase on wheels that I've bought dd to take to granny's house when it all kicks off. Just have to make it to tomorrow (37 weeks) to have home birth, but dh at stag weekend and so hopefully have a while yet, plus builders all over the place and mess EVERYWHERE is getting me down.
Baby moving lots - more wriggles and pushes than kicks though IYSWIM.
TMI alert - am completely paranoid that my waters are leaking as feels very damp today. Will put pad in knickers just to see .

all I can say is thankgoodness foe cbeebies im completely exhausted and have now turned daughter into a tv addict!!

lol sounds familiar diane

I resort to tv too gives me 5 mins peace. Have done shopping and dropped dd at nannys for a few hours, might go get some sleep when i have put all the shopping away.

Yes, from a purely selfish point of view, I have been trying to get DD more interested in Cbeebies but she's still not so keen - don't know whether to to happy about that or not.
Had a MW appt this am. All well with BP, urine, etc but baby a bit (2 weeks) behind in growth. Have been told to take it easy - fat chance with DD who has now decided that she doesn't need her lunchtime nap and DH away 2-3 days a week. And still got 2 more weeks at work. So promised midwife that I would slow down a bit before rushing home to do 2 lots of washing and pegging out on line and hand washing the lining from DD's old car seat which we will be using again and taking DD on a mamouth walk. Am now looking at the floor which desparately needs hoovering. Think nesting instinct may have finally set in!!

Ds is off to pre-school at the beginning of Sept but we can't afford to send dd to nursery at the moment. However, she is quite independent and LOVES cbeebies!!! She is also good at playing on her own so hope that will continue for those early weeks when the baby will be almost permanently attached to me. Because of my group B strep, I will probably have to be in hospital for 48 hours after the birth so at least will get a chance to bond with the baby and get a bit of a rest!

LadyL - I hired my last TENS unit from babycaretens.com and have done so again this time around. They dispatch 3 weeks before EDD for 30 days, don't require a deposit and give you an extra week for free. Additional weeks are charged at £5. Was very happy with them last time. HTH

hi everyone, just thought i'd pop in as i have been busy over the last few days.
pooka, i know exactly what you mean about your waters, i had mine broken for me last time so have no idea how it feels and keep over-reacting thinking they've gone. LOL
was getting a few aches and pains again yesterday but i think that may be due to the fact that i was almost killed twice(god, i can over-react!) a friend and i went shopping in wigan yesterday with her ds, my dd and her sister, when a complete idiot pulled out and the driver slammed on just in time. my friends 20mth old son was next to me and i tried to shield him and baby and hurt all my arm in the process. dd was fine just a little shaken but i couldn't help her as she was sat across the isle from me. it was horrible. i think a old lady thought i was going to go into labour LOL, she kept asking if i was ok and that she wishes me luck. then in a taxi on the way home, the idiot driver failed to see a car indicating in the road and was speeding and slammed on and just missed him. then had the nerve to blame the other driver. MEN!!! sorry moan over. hope everyone else is ok.
my dad has just left as he's been painting my lounge, just need my new carpet laying now and am ready for baby to arrive. it's dp's bday today and have no energy to go out with him to celebrate, besides big brother final is on tonight so theres no way he'll manage to get me out of this house. LOL, i'm soooooooooo sad!!!

jessysmummy - did you find the TENS helped? I am still a bit undecided whether or not to bother with it (I think I am a bit undecided about everything at the moment!). Put off by the fact that hubby won't be able to massage my back if it's on!

hello ladies!!

Lemuel is indeed the first name of Gulliver but we first came across it in a Clive Barker book called Weaveworld......the character is an orchard keeper. its also Old Testament and means God is with him.

no more windy nights but am having a nightmare with feeding and have posted on the b/feeding threads for some advice. i never realised exactly how much hard work it would be. (post is called 'should he be this relentless') just read it again and i really do sound desperate!!

i sit and look into my son's face as he sleeping on me after a feed and just cry at how beautiful he is and how much i love him!!!

hope you are all keeping well.
xx

hi moschops, congratulations again, he sounds lovely and has a lovely name also. did you know he was a boy? what did he weigh? sorry if i've missed this.

LadyL - don't know if the TENS helped (as I've never been through labout without one) but I managed to get to 7 cm without anything else. Think twiddling the buttons gave me some distraction in the early stages. I know that some find it more annoying than helpful but for £20 or thereabouts you're not losing much by giving it a go.
Bubbles - just misread your post and couldn't understanfd why your dad had been panting in your lounge ! Glad to hear that you've survived a double attempt on your life. Hope this is a good omen for
the coming weeks!
Moschops - can't wait for that feeling - tiny baby sleeping on you. Makes up for all the sleeplessness, doesn't it.

I think we must be one of the chattiest threads . My mum and dad are off collecting DH from Liverpool Lime Street station as his train gets in soon.

DS and I have been here since Thursday and are having a good time. Went to a farm place with my mum and DS this pm and he had a great time on small tractors.

Still feeling quite "energetic" or at least not worn out which I am finding surprising. But not complaining .

Will be nice to see DH again, especially as it's our 6th wedding anniversary on Sunday .

Hi all, it was my last day at work today - yipppee!!! I was taken out for a bar lunch and sent home early which was fab. It's now starting to sink in that baby is due in 5 weeks!
Moschops - can't wait for my baby to fall asleep on me, that must be lovely. Although I know a lot of hard work will also follow!
Have a good weekend everyone. x

Moschops - sleeping beautiful baby sounds fantastic!

Ych - glad you have finished work - take it easy!

Back to watch BB!!! - sleep well zzzxxx

DH laughed at me cause i have packed all the bags for me, bump and dd and they are all in the boot of the car with a backup bag for dd in the house just in case we are not all together and she gets collected from home rather than dropped off with which ever relative can have her when i go into labour.

Regarding waters going - mine went at 6.30 in the morning with dd I felt and heard a pop which was closley followed by niagra falls, I was left in no doubt as to what it was.

Three weeks and 3 days to go not that i am counting at all

Sad I know but I calculate that this is the 5560'th post on Septembers antenatal threads not including meetups and the stats threads. So yes I would say we have been a very chatty group, can we keep this up when we go to postnantal group????????????

Afternoon! Well, had the day off yesterday to put my feet up and see if I could persuade my ankles and feet to go down, but it didn't end up being very relaxing at all. Went to the doctor in the morning to get my bloodpressure checked (in case that was causing the problem), but it was fine. Unfortunately my urine sample indicated a possible UTI, so that has been sent to the lab to get checked. Dr said will give anti b's next week if results are positive. While I was doing my urine sample, noticed a spot of fresh blood in my knickers. The nurse didn't seem worried about it, but called the Day Assessment Unit at the hospital after I got home (waited a couple of hours and no more blood, but thought I should call and check anyway) and they insisted I went in. Unfortunately they were really busy, so was up there for 4 hours . Had a scan, an internal (which was very uncomfortable) and got put on the trace for nearly an hour. Luckily all was fine - scan showed the baby was the right size for dates, (was nice to see it again, but not convinced that it particularly likes the scans as was very unsettled for a few hours afterwards), and the trace was all normal.

The Day Unit was really busy, as there were 2 post natal women in there taking up 2 of the 3 beds as the post natal wards were really busy. One of them never had less than 8 visitors the whole time I was there, and they were constantly in and out and generally causing chaos. Won't be happy if I end up sharing a room with someone like that when I'm in there - think words will be said...

Right, had better go and start sorting through ssome drawers and throwing some stuff out. Still waiting for the nesting thing to kick in...

Kiwifruit, did they say what had caused the bleeding? I had an internal scan early on too. Definitely not something I want to ever repeat!

But how are the ankles?

I saw the midwife this week too. She's put me on floradix because my iron is a little low. Strangely I quite like the taste of it - even if if the bottle does look like house plant fertiliser. Other than that, all was well. Don't have to see her again for 3 weeks when I'll be 37 weeks. YIKES! And then they'll arrange to bring all the homebirth kit by.

DP and I are going to a partners pregnancy yoga night tomorrow at Tri-Yoga. Not sure if he knows what he's in for.