First time home birthers and their support squad

[jollyjoanne]

Not a homebirther personally but wanting to offer support to Boobz and others who are going for a home birth . . .

Huge congrats snort i too am !! what a dream birth...
i was feeling very dispirited earlier but DP made me get dressed and go for a lovely long walk. One hour or something, and contractions started to pick up again. as did my mood
for the past hour having been having them between 3 and 7 mins apart. some hurt quite a lot others not so bad - the tens is helping. the pain is not lasting too long. so for now i don't think i'll call anyone. DP suddenly starting to get quite keen on not calling them at all. me not so keen. you should see his fingernails. truly hideous.
Have seen loads of babies today whilst out which is good as it reminded me that everyone can do it - and therefore so can i.
Hell to the yeah.
(sorry watched episodes of Glee and 90210 so keep saying things like that in my head)
Anyway - DP said he will fill the pool tonight anyway. and we'll just have to see if things notch up a level again. prob not but ho hum. i can see that i am going to be in labour whilst everyone else pops them out around me.
but i'mm cool with that.

boobz very sweet picture of your DD by the way.

balls typing just made me forget to go odd boost which means the next one is going to hurt!

thanks very much for all your support. made me smile a bit to myself because all my family and friends are desperate for updates but I haven't even told them that things are even a teensy bit under way. can't be doing with the request for updates and worried parents - not yet anyway...

Congratulations snort - that sounds like a fantastic birth!

Bella - hope things pick up soon. Think not telling the relatives is a VERY good idea, it'll be even more exciting when you ring hem with news!

Thinking of you Bella, as you go into the night... this was the hardest time for me as wasn't really dilating but couldn't sleep properly either... hope you get some decent sleep...

and I didn't tell family or friends either, as I couldn't cope with the phone call and texts - in the end I think they guessed as I had gone quiet for so long, but I just made DH field the calls.

v little sleep - some big ctx but tapered off again now quite a lot

soooooooo over it.... might get a mw round just for something to do....

Ooh Bella, I hope things are picking up again now - I had what felt like semi-regular ctx before bed last night, but they totally tapered off during the night. Going for a walk now to try and get things started a bit more.

Totally agree with not telling friends/family, I've barely even mentioned the sweep to most of them and definitely not going to talk about these weird, irregular contraction-type things to any of them, because they won't understand that it could still be another week!

Anyway, best of luck - I say get MW over, you probably need a bit of variation from the company of DP!

Right, off to roam the streets for a while...

Oh Bella, sounds like my labour with DD. So frustrating! Hope things get moving soon and for you too boredgirl!

Oh Bella I know EXACTLY how you feel. If you can be arsed to go back and read my birth thread (starts on page 34, here: )

Original homebirth thread

and then finishes at the beginning of this thread we're on now... you'll see I really struggled to come to terms with the not-quite major contractions that stopped me from sleeping but didn't really get "proper" labour going for aaaages. Everyone following the thread kept expecting to wake up and read that I'd had the baby, but it took 4 bloody days and nights! Obviously no 2 labours are the same, but if it's any help at all, here's what helped me:

-- Having DH home with me, massaging my back with every contraction (yeah, he was pretty bored by the end of the whole thing)
-- Spotify playing in the background (music distracted me)
-- Walks around the block in the fresh air (wasn't able to get further afield as CTX were too heavy to get to the local park or anything)
-- Power napping between CTX (almost impossible, I know)
-- Eating and drinking (also almost impossible for me... I think I had about 4 bowls of tomato soup and bread, and then chopped fruit for dinner for 4 days!)
-- Aromatherapy oils burning in the background.. and massage onto your back by DH
-- Homeopathy kit (you could get DP to go out and get you one).. I didn't believe in any of that guff, but DH loved trying to diagnose the latest problem and then "solve" it with the little pellets he administered... tiredness, pain in the hips, pain in the back, needing to pee but couldn't, to bring on stronger contractions etc...)
-- We watched The Wire (but had to pause for CTXs, DH got a little annoyed!)
-- Powershower into the base of the spine (I did this for an hour at a time - god knows what our water bill was that month..)
-- Yoga

And it still felt like it went on for too long, but when you think you can bear it no more, you can do another hour ? I promise! Get the MW out, she might examine you and tell you you?re 4cm and then you can have some G&A which will relax you and dilate you a bit faster which will get the head to descend a bit quicker (don?t quote me, am not a medic) and then that will get things moving along to the mother-of-god contractions that make way for the baby!

I work from home so will be here all day checking in on you ? you can do it! Keep going! Keep posting, if only to distract you to make things go quicker xxx

Due you mind if I add in - I'm planning a homebirth, due April 24, DC4. I'm in Yorkshire.

I'll add in here, if that's OK

Due

BellaBalloon, DC#1 due 12 January, planned home waterbirth, London
Boredgirl, DC#1 due 15 January, SW London
Motherofsnortpigs, DC#3 due 18 January, Oxon
Southwestwhippet, DC#1 due 18 January
MamaLazarou, DC#1 due 24 Jan, planned home birth, Kent
Verylittlecarrot, DC#2, due 2 Feb, planned HB
Raindroprhyme, DC#3 due 2 February, planned HB, South West Scotland
Comeonbishbosh, DC#1 due 7 Feb, planned home waterbirth, Sheffield
Sunnybump DC#1 due 18 Feb planned home water birth, NE Scotland
intravenouscoffee, DC#2 due 26 Feb, planned home birth, E Mids
Caitni, DC#1 due 2 March, planned home waterbirth, North London
Heth1980, DD#2, due 4 March, planned home birth, Birmingham
Mad4mainecoons, DC#2 due 4 March, planned homebirth, Cornwall
Opalfruity, DC#1, due 28 March, planned hypo-waterbirth, Newcastle
PrincessTweetz, DC#2 due 28 March, planned home birth, Coventry
Bettymum, DC#2 due 7 April, planned home birth, Berkshire
Toady, DC#4 due 17 April, home birth, Torquay
Flybynight, DC4, planned home birth, Leeds
Boobz, DC#2 due June 9, planned home waterbirth, South London
Wheredidmyfeetgo, DC#3 due 28 June, planned homebirth, Wiltshire
Heather1980, DC#3 due September, planned homebirth

Arrived

Happyfaces, DC1 arrived 12 January, induction at 39 weeks due to Cholestasis, Cambridgeshire

My previous three were all hospital births, including an induction for post dates with dc3. Very quick and straightforward though. Three hours beginning to end with my first, 20 mins with my 3rd. No pain relief, max one stitch every time. So why is my husband so concerned about a homebirth? Its doing my head in.

Anyway, hello all. And good luck BellaBalloon.

thanks guys - have snoozed this morning as they have dropped right off. I'm going to go for a walk now - also have a theory but it might be slow because i haven't done a bi poo?! so might treat myself to a cappuccino. slightly worried about the big ctx. anyway hopefully a bowel movement and a walk will rev things up again. can't believe i have to rev back up again! oh well
positive mental attitude and all that. thanks again Boobz for the tips. we have the die hard box set. total nonsense but doesn't require too much concentration.
this baby is going come one day isn't it!!?!?!?

It is coming Bella - I promise. I will give you a bottle of champagne if you still haven't given birth by Monday morning.

Any news??

i my wildest - was really full o after walk but died off AGAIN!AGHHHHHHHHHH

no news from bored - perhaps she is having more luck!

No! No luck! Some ctx but nothing regular enough to justify calling MW.

DESPERATELY trying to speed things up but all the nipple tweaking and raspberry tea in the world is making no difference. A bit of self-examination shows no real difference in cervix either, although it's definitely shortened a bit, no more dilation.

Oh well, another day of distrasction ahead...

keep walking and sleep if and when you can - when i have called the hospital they;re like Yeah first labours - yawn - yes they're very often like this - basically - suck it up sister.
which is nice
i go from being totally down about it to rallying - mainly depends on how tired i am feeling...
Good luck bored really hope it all kicks off for you soon. One nice lady did say that long first parts often mean speedy second parts. am holding on to the thought of the baby flying out once it's time.

oh an taking off the tens and hopping in the bath at 3 am was amazing relief.

hi everyone else

Hey to everyone still waiting - me too. Now 40+5, feeling a bit frustrated with it all today. Went for a walk round town with my mum, had lots of strong feeling BH/early contractions in TXMaxx (must have been designer-bargain endorphins LOL ) but everything died down again. So frustrating.

Hope bored and bella are having more luck
xx

Gah, another day full of back pain, trying to time irregular contractions, realising it was pointless and almost crying with frustration.

Hope everyone else is feeling much better than me; all I can seem to do is be in a grump, I'm afraid

hi everyone,
wasn't going to post cos didn't want to put myself under undue pressure. But.............
ctx every 10min from midnight last night tailed off mid morning. ctx evey 6 min all afternoon tailed off to every 10 mins in the last 2 hours.
bloody bored and fed up and tired.
just about to eat an indian.

Oooh ladies, so many of you in labour at one time! I'm just sorry to hear that things aren't moving along more quickly for you...you're all perfectly entitled to feel tired and grumpy though, so feel free to vent on here if you like. But I really hope things pick up, and I look forward to hearing of the babies' arrivals . In the meantime, sending lots of

Motherofsnortpigs massive congratulatons!! What a lovely birth story . I'm absolutely delighted for you and hope you're enjoying these early days together!

Big waves to everyone else.

hey girls - we are all in the same bloody boat! ctx are so sore aren't they!
this can't go on forever can it. can it??!!

Mine have completely tailed off now, I'm seriously losing faith in my body!

How is everyone else doing? Raindrop, it sounds like you're having a better time than anyone else, I hope things have picked back up for you.

Also, my MIL's new partner just suggested that I 'go for a nice jog'. You can tell he's never been married before... What is wrong with men?! DH came home from playing football moaning about his sore hamstrings. Don't think I've ever given someone such a deadly look as I did then.

Still here. Had a good sleep last night as they tailed right off. Got jiggy with it this morning (DH thinks all his christmases have come at once)
Going to keep busy today supermarket, long walk with the dogs, bingo with the girls tonight.

My mum is in iceland visiting my brother for a long weekend so wonder if i am subconciously keeping my legs crossed till she gets back?

Feel sorry for DS1 and DS2 they are so excited about meeting their baby and nothing is happening. older one is a bit worried about his mum too i think. Nevermind it has to come out at some point.

Good luck everyone labour vibes being sent out.

xx

O you poor girls with labour going on and on. bored - a good cry might just help.

The super speedy labour has taken its toll on my body - excruciating ligament pain, almost certainly strained something whilst giving birth in an awkward position (it felt so comfy at the time...)

boobz - DH is being utterly amazing, I think having the MW tell him that I absolutely have to have a week in bed to recover has helped. The DDs were in their bedroom next to the bathroom when I was having the baby. We had practised mooing and roaring all together, so I don't think they were too phased by the noise and they were in the room seconds after he had been born, cord still attached to him. I'm sure Penny will be fine with her new playmate - our DDs are only 18 months apart and adore each other. They think Humphrey is the best sort of dolly ever! Give me a clue of how to post a photo and I'll put a couple up.

Labouring ladies - you go girls!

Gosh, so many babies about to pop at once! Sounds like you're all coping really well. I know the frustrating / exhausted feelings you're going through and I'm not looking forward to the stop - start bit come June.

It's been a few hours since y'all posted - maybe things have started to happen more now we've gone into the night time?

My weekend has been exhausting (but not as much as all of yours, obviously!) Up and down the motorway with DD (DH is away) to see mum and nana in Norfolk and Leicester. And now a whole week of work to get through - I feel like I haven't had a weekend to get over last week!

Motherofsnortpigs - click on the "Mymumsnet" tab at the top of the page (in blue, underneath the advert) - it will ask you to put in your email address and password, then click on "Share photos" at the bottom of the page it takes you to, and then "upload photos". Hope that gets us a picture of Humphrey...

still here. won £500 at the bingo last night!!!!
so was worth going.

ctx all day yesterday, was in morrisons and had to stop every other aisle, poor dh was exhausted think he thought i was going to drop it in the beer aisle.

much quieter today the odd niggle, baby kicking away. only got woken every couple of hours last night but DH says i was tossing and turning all night.

hot bath in a minute and then take the dogs to the beach i think.

Haggis for tea tonight might have a large whiskey too see if things can get moving.

Hey, I am still waiting as well. 40+7 now, it is starting to get a bit disheartening. this being my first, I keep thinking maybe I just can't do this which is silly I know. However, MW has offered me a stretch and sweep at my appointment tomorrow if I want one. Think I will say yes.

Been trying to think of things to do to keep busy, went to watch some showjumping yesterday (I figured the excitment might kick things off ). Think will go for a couple of walks round the park today.

Can anyone tell me what ctx stands for?