July 2010: Our babes are due! Within the month, they'll all début.

[Chulita]

Thanks to spirael for the title, hopefully we'll all pop before this thread ends!

Oh tsc hoping things kick off for you really soon. I'm having contractions about every 10 mins and they are definitly more painful than yesterday. LOL at makeing dp do sex on you

Right, going off for another walk, hopefully that will keep things going, found some buffalo before lunch - they are quite big and scary looking! Have told dh not to go far this afternoon, but thinking he's alright for a couple of hours?

Hi all,
Congrats to the new arrivals. Just a quick message to say that baby Isla arrived on 19th. She was 8lbs 5oz.

Here's my birth story.

Since I was 14 days overdue I was booked in to be induced which I was not too happy about since I was planning on going to a midwife led unit and having a water birth.
Was induced on Sunday evening at 6.30pm with the gel, starting having mild contractions at about 1.30am. Put on my tens machine and breathed through each contraction. Found I was not comfortable lying down so walked around the corridors a lot. Also swaying from side to side during each one helped.
At 8.30am I was about 4cm dilated and went down to delivery room. Midwife broke my waters to speed things up. Listened to some cd and continued swaying leaning on the bed! When my legs got tired sat on birthing ball for a while but found the standing much more comfortable as the contractions got more intense. Put hypnobirthing cd on in background and the midwife burned some aromatherapy oils (think it was mandarin and camomile). Had drip put in to help contractions along. Started to feel the urge to push so midwife said try pushing to see what happened. Did some pushes but didn't feel anything happening. The baby's heart rate was good but she wasn't showing much activity so two doctors came in to attach a trace to her head. Had to lie on bed then but was good to have some rest. Started to feel overwhelming urge to push soon after and after a few contractions was fully dilated. Lay on side with leg up in air. Pushed with all my might! After a while felt baby moving down. Baby's head started to come out. Had to have a episiotomy since skin very tight and head quite big. It wasn't bad at all and straight afterwards her head came out and tehn one more contraction and the rest of her slid out. Best feeling ever! She was born at 3.34pm so was in active labour for about 7 hours. Pushed for 1 hour 14 minutes. So overall the birth was really good. The midwives and doctors couldn't believe I'd only used TENS for pain relief. My midwife said I was the first lady she'd ever delivered with no pain relief but think I was a lucky one and didn't feel the need. Really focused on the breathing and not panicking.
So that is my birth story... We stayed in hospital one night and came home yesterday. So far everything going well but tired! Good luck to all those who are still waiting! Thinking about you all. Will catch up on thread when I have some more time.

Sounds fab irishfairy Congratulations

My contractions have slowed right down again. Wondering if I'll ever have this baby?

Hi all, havent posted in quite a while. Still trying to get to grips with it all!

Dylan slept a bit better last night, he had a bit of a hissy fit about 1am which lasted about an hour and half resulting in a MASSIVE fart (him not me!), feeding for a bit then he went to sleep and woke around half 3, then 6ish, then half 8. Doesnt sound good but I think thats the most sleep Ive had yet!

Ive become a bit obsessed with checking my boobs all the time for blocked ducts, how do I know if hes draining all the milk?
My boobs feel tender all the time but cant feel any lumps associated with blocked ducts. Im paranoid Im going to develop mastitis

Big congrats to melissa dee and emster!

congrats on baby isla irishfairy your birth story sounds so calm. Hope your ok

Good luck tsc hope this is it for you. wonder hope your pains keep coming hun you must be so fed up

dh any extra sleep is better hun and from what you described every 3 hours is an improvement. We are pushing rileigh to 4 hours at the moment but other time it can be 2 hours x

dh don't know about mastitis (thank god) but your boobs are never totally empty, there are some very wise mnetters on the breast/bottle feeding forum if you need an expert. If he's feeding every 3 hours then I think you should be OK - not sure when but at some point your boobs go from getting engorged and 'emptying' to just being quite normal and not getting tender - sorry not much help am I.

We just had a little doze and woke to two contractions lasting over a minute (yay) but nothing for last 20 mins (boo) DH is cooking a chili, then I think I'll jump on him. I really, really want this baby to arrive in the next 24 hours - don't think dh or dd will be able to cope otherwise.

Oh tsc and wonder, think the race is on between us three. We managed to have sex last night and 15 minutes later I was having pains/tightenings painful enough to take my breath away. Got up, took some pain relief and went back to bed. Unfortunately they tailed off in the early hours

Had mw again today, stretchy, soft, central and partially effaced so all good. she did me a fantasticsweep, alternating between going round and round the head and stretching the cervix for about 5 minutes!! tbh If a sweep that vigerous doesnt set me off, Im not sure what will!
Have jumped on dp already this evening, so now just got to see what, if anything,happens tonight>

She has booked me in for a check/induction if I want it for 8.30am monday but doesnt think Ill need it...hope shes right...

One of us has got to go into labour surely...

ARRIVED
26th June 8:40pm (Due 29th June) - violetbubbles, 33, Glasgow, #1, GIRL 6lbs 6oz, Iris
29th June 0:50am (Due 28th June) - WickedWitch, 30, Bristol, #2, BOY 7lb 10oz, Edward Davis
29th June 11:15am (Due 29th June) - JoJo, 34, N London, #2, BOY 8lb 13oz, Frank
30th June 1:54am (Due 6th July) - Delta4, 34, Leicestershire, #2, BOY, Isaac Henry
30th June 4:32pm - Randomama, GIRL, 6lb 12oz, Vita.
1st July ? (Due 9th July) - Kapars, 36, E London, #1, GIRL, 8lb 4oz, Yasmin Sophia.
6th July 9.23pm (Due 3rd July) ? MyLifeIsChaotic, 29, North East, #2, BOY, 8lb 4oz, William.
7th July 9.23am (Due 25th July) - Spirael, 28, West Yorkshire, #1, GIRL, 8lb 3oz, Miranda Jane.
7th July 11am (Due 7th July) - Stac14, 30, Glasgow, #2, GIRL, 9lb 12oz, Riliegh.
8th July 1.22am (Due 23rd July) - Firerise, 31, Hampshire, #1, GIRL, 7lb 4oz, Imogen Frances.
9th July 8.57am (Due 18th July) - DesperateHousewife21, 20, Kent, #1, BOY, 7lb 2oz, Dylan James.
10th July 11.35pm (Due 4th July) - Orangefizz, 34, southeast, #2, BOY, 8lb 10oz, Samuel Edward.
12th July 3.39am (Due 18th July) - Kittykat77, 33, Lincolnshire, #3, BOY, Thomas Mathew
12th July 3.39pm (Due 9th July) - Memphis83, Leicester, #1, BOY, 6lb 14.5oz, Lyndon Freddie
12th July 10.15pm (Due 4th July) - kkfairybrains, 25, Ireland, #1, GIRL, Ellie May
13th July 9.51am (Due 13th July) - NorkyButNice, 30, Kent, #2, BOY, 11lb 3oz
18th July 12.20am (Due 12th July) - Deelite, 36, sussex, #1, Boy, 8lb 9oz, Sean
18th July 6.37pm (Due 25th July) - Emster30, 29, NE London, #1, Boy, 9lb 4oz, James
19th July 1.40pm (Due 14th July) - MelissaM, 34, hampshire, #2 Boy, 7lb 4.5oz
19th July 3.34pm (Due 4th July) - Irishfairy, 25, Oxfordshire, #1, GIRL, 8lb 5oz, Isla

GIRLS: 8
BOYS: 12

PENDING

11th July - Beckyg123, 28, Glasgow, #1, SURPRISE
12th July - GlastonburyGoddess, 25, Glastonbury, #3, SURPRISE
14th July - secondcoming, 37, Manchester, #3 SURPRISE
15th July - Viksam, 35, Somerset, #1, SURPRISE
16th July - nixster, 28, bedford #1, GIRL
17th July - Grumpypumpkin, 35, Sussex, #1, GIRL
18th July - Wonderstuff, 31, Hampshire, #2
18th July - Amiable, 40, N London, #2, BOY
22nd July - Chulita, 27, Dorset, #2
25th July - Emster30, 29, NE London, #1, SURPRISE
26th July - Anifersgirl, 33, South Bucks, #1, GIRL
27th July - EmsieRo, 29, S London, #1, GIRL
31st July - Gracie123, 26, Cumbria, #2

Congratulations Irishfairy!!

Oh man, i cant join the race at all........nothing doing here apart from some period pain like ache, thats IT.
I have cleaned the house, well some of it, today, i have made the moses basket up, DH has hired the cot base(which was a bitch of a job) and fitted a dimmer switch in the babys room. The dog has a bag packed ready and Im ready and waiting for this baby!!!!!!!
I have MW tomorrow at 1.40, she doesnt know it yet but she will be doing a sweep. I have induction booked for Tuesday, well i say booked, i have to phone the hospital at 8pm to see if i can go in. Does this mean i will stay in if they induce, will i be on the ward or in a room, coz if im on the ward DH cant stay with me, that would suck! Ohhhh i so hope things happen naturally before that!!
Irish fairy Thank you for posting ur story, it actually made me feel a lot better about induction all other stories i have heard have been more negative. Congrats, i hope ur feeling ok.
DH have u got any BF support, i know the NCT have a phone number you can call, have u got the NHS book, i think there were some numbers in the back of that. Are u getting any sleep during the day yet? I hope u are. Sounds like theres some improvements anyhow.
Soooooooo whos it gona be???????

My contractions seem to have stopped again 10 mins apart for an hour getting progressivly more intense - nothing in last 35 mins - what's that all about.

wonder I feel your pain, its so bloody frustrating isnt it. wonder if i'll actually believe it if I do go into labour naturally?? never had this with my previous two, just went into labour without all this silly leadup/false alarm stuff grrr for us x

Well since i posted i have been feeling some strange twinges. Seen as though I havent had any BH im really not sure what to think, this feels like waves of period pain every so often, does that make any sence. God im soooo naive!!

Well im up and cant sleep. I have been having stomach ache since before I went to bed last night and now I just cant sleep. Having a nice cuppa and gona hunker down on the sofa for a while, see if i cant sleep down here. Hope everyone else is doing ok.

dh your boobs never completely empty, as the LO sucking pauses the ducts refill a bit, just that the pauses get longer whilst he/she waits for refill!

What most people mean by 'empty' is:
I) you couldn't express anymore by hand (eg squeeze the nipple between your thumb and fore finger and see if anything comes out!)
II) LO has drained all the foremilk (watery milk, good for rehydration) and had a decent amount of hindmilk (fattier creamy milk, good for filling a hungry tummy).
LO usually has to feed for 25-30 mins on the same breast to reach the hind milk. Offering the second breast then provides more foremilk, or if they feed lon enough, more hind milk too.
I'm told by bf counsellor friend that summer babies seem to feed more frequently than winter babies because it's hot and they want more foremilk for hydration, so don't worry if LO wants 'snack' feeds at various times, as long as they are getting longer feeds in the evening you should get a bit of a longer break/rest.

Gosh - I sound like I know a bit, but I've only ever had a winter baby, who fed and slept brilliantly, on a stiff routine (his, not mine)!

I suspect I will collapse with this one and a toddler to deal with and be on here asking advice from all you early birthers with 4 weeks olds in no time!!!

So........I havent had any sleep at all since i got up at 3. I have had three or four painfull contractions which have taken my breath away. So im sat on my birthing ball reading Gina Ford and waiting till 5 so i could go have some breakfast, why im waiting till 5 i dont really know. 5 came and I got up and gush,, there go my waters, not a massive gush but enough to catch in my hand and go on the floor. Cleaning myself up and a giant brown mucusy vileness came out, my show. Since then nothing. I phone into the labour ward and she asked me a load of questions, she was really nice actually, (i shouldnt sound suprised should i) So im staying put, going to have a bath once DH is up, i havent woke him coz theres no reason to.
Im really excited that something has happened, i know it could take ages from here but at least its something!
Gracie sounds like good advice ur friend is giving, pretty much matches up with what Gina is saying in her book.
DH hows it going with u, what was last night like?
wonder glasto TSC looks like i might be in the race after all!!!

viksam how exciting! You're going to be cuddling your little one very soon! Woohoo!

Viksam how exciting, good luck, wish my waters would go.
My contractions went and so I am not in labour - latent phase - they bloody hurt and became strong, not like bh. I'm getting dd back home - really missed her last night. Going to make cakes and distract myself - could be days. Dh is very very stressed but has gone to work.

irishfairy congratulations sounds like a fab relaxed birth!
good luck viksam sending postive vibes to you!
quick question is anyone having problems with nappies? mine keep leaking! his legs are skinny so he fits into prem ones but there isnt enough padding to absorb his pee, im going to eventually use the eco sainsburys nappy but the newborns are huge so at the mo ive tried pampers and huggies and then both leak, i point him south as the midwife calls itand do up tabs as tight as i can but its driving me mad!!

Well unfortunately I am not in any race as absolutely diddly squat going on with me .

Few twinges in the evenings but never come to anything, to be honest its probably just the baby moving around as space is tight and it feels a bit uncomfortable when there is any movement.

Bored and fed up, am starting to get my head round a possible induction, which is miles away from the birth I was hoping for. .

Hope to hear of a sudden baby surge soon!!

gracie thanks for the info thats really helpful

viksam last night was ok ish, he woke every 2 and a bit hours roughly, Im managing to get some sleep around 4pm almost daily which really seems to help, I didnt manage it yesterday and ended up falling asleep whilst laying on DP on the sofa at 9pm and missed dragons den!

Congrats irishfairy sounds like you had a very good labour!

Fingers crossed to those still waiting, want to hear some more labour stories soon!

Who has put pics of their LO up? I think Ive only seen a couple of pics, would love to see some more

Well guys i havent has any pains since about 9ish. Sent DH to Mc Donalds for brekfast, oh so naughty but oh so yummy. Got MW at 1.40 so think im going to relax and kip a bit till then. Im so glad I did all those jobs yesterday, i do want to wipe over the bathroom but thats about it really. I feel totally content and happy to have my baby now........bring it on!!!!!!!!!!
TSC are u being induced tomorrow then?? glad I didnt try the tea, sounds nasty!!
wonder yes contractions were painfull, my friend asked me to describe how it feels, i said like u really need to go for a number two, is that what it feels like for everyone?
grumpy i bet i will have to be induced too now contractions have stopped, not sure how long they leave it after waters have gone though, I'll find out this afternoon.
Hope all our new moms are doing ok, its a bit quiet out there!!