June is approaching, the end is in sight, time to sort our lady gardens so the midwives don't get a fright - Due June 2010

[ConservativesShouldWinSurely]

30/05 GoodName, 31, #1 BOY
31/05 RnB, 31, #3
31/05 dinosaurinmybelly (DIMB), 37, #3 GIRL
31/05 - mampam, 30 #3
31/05 - minimoonumbertwo, 33, #2, BOY
1st - Appu, #1 Girl
1st - ELM, 29, #2
1st - whenwillisleepagain, 42 #2
1st - PogueMahone, 36, #3 SURPRISE
1st - madamefreckle, 34,#2 GIRL
2nd - meggymegmegs, 31, #1 SURPRISE
2nd - Justbeme , 41 #3
2nd - AlwaysHopeful, 35, #2 SURPRISE
2nd - roundabout1, no 2,
3rd - nickytwotimes, 35, #2
3rd - Jenba, ?, #3
3rd - Flossysmum, #4
3rd - marmiteaddict, 31, #1 SURPRISE
7th - MrsC09, 29 #1 SURPRISE
7th - perkster, no 1, SURPRISE
7th - Zeel, #1
8th - LittleRobbo, 35, #3 GIRL
8th - Saucepanman, 31, #4
8th - MrsAlwaysRight 31, #2
9th - greensnail, 28, #2 SURPRISE
9th - Boobz, 30, #2 SURPRISE
9th - Petitfilou, ?, 1
11th - shipsladyg GIRL
11th - woofie, 33, # 2 BOY
12th - Georgee, 38, #1 GIRL
12th - Elena67, 43 #1
13th - sobloodystupid, 34, #3
13th - WaiteH, no 1
14th - Fillybuster, 36, #3 - NOT TELLING!
15th - Ponymum, 41, # 2
15th - Millymollymoo, ?, #4 BOY
16th - NizzyNoodles, 35, #3 BOY
16th - Flossie69, 40,#2
17th - Bluesnowfalcon 28 #1 BOY
17th - Summerhols, 31, #1
17th - Barbeasty, 31, #1 GIRL
17th - chestnut100,30 #1 GIRL
17th - LateforWork,#1, SURPRISE
17th - Plum100, #3, SURPRISE
18th - Virgo1979, SURPRISE
18th - theperfectbaguette 34 #1
21st - Gizmo, 40, #3 GIRL
21st - Bubs1,?,SURPRISE
21st - Sunworshipper, 36, #1
22nd - gaelicsheep, 33, #2 - NOT TELLING
23rd - Bobolana, 29 #1 GIRL
24th - GibberingGinger 34 #2+3 BOYS
24th - lifeinthesun #2 BOY
25th - Ilovemyterrier, 38 #1 BOY
26th - herewegrow 31 #2 GIRL
26th - imkeepingmum, #1, SURPRISE
27th - muchchocolate, #2
28th - Wheredidmyfeetgo 32 #3
29th - CantSleepWontSleep, 36, #3, SURPRISE
29th - MrsDmamee #3
29th - playftseforme, 36, #2+3 BOYS
30th - MonkeyMargot, 36, #2+3 SURPRISE
30th - LaTrucha, 36, #2 BOY
30th - NotGrownUpEnough, 29, # 1, SURPRISE
30th - EssieM, 37, #1, SURPRISE
30th - Monthlymayhem, No.2, BOY

Yikes Gizmo! Best wishes!!

Good to hear from Meggy too. Gosh it's hotting up now! I wonder how WhenWillISleepAgain is getting on....

Oooh good luck Gizmo, hope everything goes well for you both.

Great to hear everything's going well with you Meggy.

justbeme - will keep my fingers crossed for you that nothing happens before monday. How frustrating for you though, hope your midwife is still happy for your homebirth to go ahead when she gets back!

I'm feeling really rough this morning. Have put DD back to bed to see if she'll have an early nap so I can put my feet up for a bit. Am half hoping that i'll get a call from the hospital saying they've had a cancellation and my induction can be brought forward again, but should jusy try and be patient really as there's only a few days to go anyway. DH has a lot to get sorted at work before he starts his paternity leave, and I would feel terrible asking my parents to rearrange their plans to look after DD again!

Have a friend coming over for lunch today, so that will be nice and hopefully will keep my mind off things for a while.

Oh, greensnail bear with it. I feel for all of those of you who have DCs at home with you for these last few weeks. I've kept DD in nursery as usual, so I've some time to get myself straight and relax a bit... I'm alternating between doing a bit of housework - whichever thing is winding me up most at that moment - and lying down to recover from the effort!

I feel like a pensioner, I have so many aches and pains!!

Wow, good luck gizmo - please keep us updated when you can V envious of you getting to avoid the beached whale stage even though I'm not sure I could deal with flump arriving right now, at 36+3!

So glad everything is going well with Jimmy, Meggy, and that the feeding is working out brilliantly. You're doing a fantastic job of staying focussed and positive, and are a total inspiration

Jo087, this is the last place you'll get flamed for anything, let alone deciding not to bf based on your previous experience ....actually, I think you're pretty heroic to even be considering the expressing option at all If it helps, my SIL had a nightmare time trying to bf her ds, 6 weeks of total hell, and then her dd fed like a dream 3 yeara later. I've bf dcs 1&2 but have still invested in some cartons of aptimil as 'back up' because I don't want to make any assumptions about what is/nt going to work this time around.

Only 5 days to go Mampam, so seriously not long to go now...!!!

I'm in the 'grumpy, hormonal, feeling crap and sleep deprived' camp right now....I spent most of the night awake with jumpoing legs and braxton hicks. My oedema has got really bad over the past few days and my legs and hands are really painful, and look awful, too Just got to finish work this week then will be able to start thinking about hospital bags, nursery etc etc...but honestly, I have so had enough now!!

Good luck gizmo - hope everything goes ok.

AlwaysHopeful I know what you mean about feeling like a pensioner.

I've just dropped DD1 at preschool and I felt like I was using the pushchair with DD2 in as a zimmerframe! I was shuffling along at such a slow pace. I've been getting horrible braxton hicks type pains since 6ish last night and would like a rest from them now - especially as the walk to preschool made them worse! I'm going to resort to taking the car to pick up DD1 and then all go to my parents for the rest of the day as I don't think I'll cope too well today. It feels so pathetic as it should all be doable in a 15 minute walk normally!

Fillybuster glad I'm not the only one in the 'grumpy, hormonal, feeling crap and sleep deprived' camp - I've just burst into tears on the phone to DH for absolutely no reason. DD2 was very cute though and came over and gave me a big hug!

Csws did you ever come up with something to take for vitamin c - could you do something with tomatoes? I think they're high in vitamin c so would help the iron absorption. No idea if they're a bad thing for GD though.

Hello to any newbies, hugs to anyone who needs one and sorry if I've missed anything but the thread is starting to move fast!

Awww, thanks everyone, I can see definite advantages to an early arrival, although of course musn't forget there are distinct risks, too, and having a baby in scbu is going to be a roller coaster. I'm hoping I can hang on until 36 weeks (Sunday), but the trace they ran on me when I was admitted is picking up contractions, so it's not looking very likely....

Can't feel any contractions though, so for now I'm admitted to the ward, eating grapes & fielding the odd email from friends & colleagues, and trying not to think about all the things I haven't been able to do to prepare for her arrival

Good luck Gizmo. If she is on her way now, I hope any stay in the SCBU is purely a precaution and very short.

Excellent news Meggy. Your descriptions are really lovely.

Best of luck gizmo and great,positive news from you meggy

jo087 did you say you have bought the Medela swing pump? me too,supposed to be the most comfortable on the market apparently,heres hoping eh!

Filly i too am in the pissed off camp,just generally achy and weepy,and REALLY strong Braxton Hicks,which is the worst because its false hope and i'm being really snappy at DS2 which is upsetting us both. I gotta get it in check really,and try to make the most of us having quality time before little one arrives.

Gizmo - Good luck - hope all goes well.

meggy - Hooray for Jimmy, sounds like he's doing really well.

Sorry to hear so many of you are feeling fed up & uncomfortable. I wasn't feeling too bad til it came to walking to my mw appointment (less than a 5 min walk) - it is really hot & humid here. I was grossly sweaty afterwards & now have really swollen feet. Now it's time to pick up dd from school & the sun has come out so will be even worse. Grossly my feet are really sweaty & keep slipping in my sandals so I'll probably end up on my backside.

Meggy It sounds like you are doing totally brilliantly!
Gizmo - Best of luck!

I am losing the plot over trying to keep the house clean and tidy, keeping on top of the piles of washing and all the bills and financial crap that keep on coming through the door. When I was expecting ds I was organised, house was tidy... I felt ready and could actually relax a bit. This time I cannot relax at all... if I try to sit down for a second, I just see another 20 things that need doing/cleaning/sorting and it's driving me crackers!!!!

Good Luck Gizmo Meggy glad to hear all still going well

woohoo! good luck gizmo! Another baby on the way!!!

Good luck gizmo, I am having a section on monday, just as well as am in inexpicable but permanent bad mood!

gizmo good luck!!!
meggy and jimmy lovely to hear its going so well

filly is aptimil considered the best? i was going to go with the sma gold again but i only used that first time as thats the one he had in hospital? should i take my own in with me? i keep forgeting to ask the midwife as i keep having to go to the hospital for ANC but will be seeing her on mon

littlerobbo yes i've got the swing pump. feels and sounds like the milking sheds round the corner but comfortably got quite a lot out. last time at least

absolutley shattered today also feel about 80!

i definately must get an earlier night tonight before i'm sure what will be a less than comfortable 25 mile bus ride tomorrow.

at least mum is taking DS to tumble tots for me, i think i'd be asleep on the jelly and custard crash mat

A quick update: we have a girl to add to our list. Nameless for now - told you we were unprepared!

She's 6lbs, very sweet, and arrived after probably 3.5 hours of labour, during which (first timers look away now)

1. doctor a told me she was possibly breech, despite a scan ten days ago showing her to be plainly cephalic. A further scan confirmed she was still head down & well engaged.
2. I was sent back to the antenatal ward where, despite my begging to be admitted to the delivery ward (because things were getting strong & I was making a lot of noise), I was told I would remain under obs until I was in 'established labour'
3. my husband was then thrown off the ward for remarking to the midwife that he found her approach patronising (which it most certainly was) leaving me without a birthing partner and
4. I was told that I was making so much noise I was going to scare the first time mothers on the ward, despite repeatedly asking to go up to delivery. I delivered her 10 minutes later, nearly on the floor and with no resuscitaire equipment to hand. I am a smudge annoyed now and thinking of Having Words with the head of midwifery.

Huge congratulations on the arrival of your little girl gizmo!! It does sound like you had pretty shocking care though- am aghast that yr dh was thrown out leaving you to cope by yourself. I've never heard of that happening anywhere. And as for telling you not to make souch noise..ffs! When you feel up to it, I think you shd definitely have words. Hope you're both managing to enjoy yr new addition despite all that.

Yikes gizmo - defintely contact PALS.
But despite all that, congratulations!!

Congratulations gizmo and definitely get your Sergeant Majors hat on and have a few words about your treatment (and DH's). That is utterly appalling. When will these MW's learn that woman do know what their bodies are trying to tell them.

How is mini-gizmo? Has she had to go to the SCBU?

Similar thing happened to me with DS (not quite as bad), I was induced and when the contractions started coming they were coming quickly and very painfully. I was begging to go up to the labour suite but was told that I wasn't in labour and that they wanted to sedate me for the night and send (ex)H home. I point blank refused and 2 minutes later after not being in labour was admitted to the labour suite where I immediately felt the urge to push .

I had a fab sleep last night, only went to the loo twice but have woken up with a really sore throat and feel really groggy. Hope I get rid over the weekend. Oh well, I can't have it all ways I suppose. The sun is shining, no clouds in the sky so I may go and sit on the patio for a bit and enjoy my garden which is looking fab right now, thanks to DH and DC's (under my instruction of course!!)

All these babies that are being born, I wonder what the weekend will bring?..............................

Oh gizmo that's so awful... such a bad circumstance to deliver in. But congratulations on safely delivering baby-gizmo. How is she doing now? How are you doing now?

Huge congratulations gizmo! I am completely at the disgraceful care you received, they should be ashamed of themselves and I completely agree that a very strongly worded letter is the way to go once you're back on your feet and feel able. Maybe it's worth making a quick note of any relevant names/times now before they get forgotten in the haze of the first few days? Most importantly though, she's here and you're both ok xxx

an update from me. Jimmy and I spent our first night together on a special room in scbu! It was fab and he was a dream, only waking for feeds then settling back really easily. The room I have is lovely, just like a hotel with all the facilities, amazing. Staying here tonight too then it looks like we're home tomorrow! So happy, I cannot wait to have him home so he really feels like my baby

Oh Meggy that's absolutely wonderful news, I'm so pleased for you and Jimmy xxx

Gizmo - Congratulations, am disgusted by the care you received though & hopefully when you feel up to it will take it further. Hope your dd is doing well.

Meggy - That's fantastic news, sounds like Jimmy is a good boy. Bet you can't wait to take him home.

Madame freckle - I'm a bit depressed about how untidy/unorganised everything is. Like you when I had dd I was really prepared, bored being on mat leave & house was tidy, everything sorted. This time despite my best efforts everything seems a mess & can't keep on top of everything.

Have just been round the house cleaning windows to get rid of all the impotent outrage I'm feeling on Gizmo's behalf. Can't get my head around it at all. Am on a cleaning roll now, so intend to have a go at the woodwork on the stairs too - I can do that sitting down!

Meggy - so good to hear Jimmy's doing so well

gizmo big congrats on your baby girl! I agree with everyone's comments about the care you received and really feel you should get in touch with the powers that be once you feel up to it, they shouldn't be allowed to get away with treating you and your partner in that way! Gggrrrrrr.

Anyhoo, that aside enjoy your gorgeous girl, just the way it should be

megg I am so pleased you and Jimmy are doing so well and that the hospital facilities are so good! I bet you can't wait to get home though

I really feel like I am a pain as a first timer on this thread sometimes with some of the inane questions I have asked compared to some of the subjects being discussed but I have another one I am afraid . Has anyone ever heard of getting a numb tongue whislt pregnant? Yesterday the tip of my tongue was numb for a few hours in the morning, I hadn't eaten or drank anything strange that could cause it.

Really wish I could give up work now but the other half still hasn't secured a job so the end of next week is my end date, then take a weeks holiday with my due date being the start of the following week (7th June) when I will (finally) officially start maternity leave. unless the baby has other ideas. I am very tired a lot of the time and not the most productive employee for my boss which I feel awful about as it is only us 2 as a team and I am really lucky that she is such a great boss and a close friend now. I just hate letting people down. If my other half was able to have the darn baby then all would be well as I am the only earner at the mo.

Sorry apologies for the rant just had to get it off my chest.

Congratulations Gizmo and welcome MiniGizmo, I can't wait for an excuse to come to Cambridge for the weekend and meet you But I am absolutely on your behalf and agree that Some Action Needs To Be Taken. Although I would suggest a face-to-face meeting with the Head of Midwifery rather than a letter - I found that was an extremely effective way of getting stuff taken seriously when I had similarly appalling care whilst having DS. Glad the labour was fast though...when do you get to go home together?

And woohoo for Megs and little Jimmy...!!! It sounds as though he has come on in leaps and bounds and is doing brilliantly....and so are you

Last day at work....off to brief one of my colleagues on my team, their workloads and their personal foibles, as we still haven't found a proper replacement-filly. Although my manager did admit to me last week that I might be harder to replace than he'd initially thought........I think that's a compliment...?!