question's i'm too embarassed to ask mw

[thislittlesisterlola]

A few random questions I'm not sure how I would bring up in conversation- please help. Am 36 weeks and a shy first timer...

When/ if I go in labour at home when should I have a bath? Can I still bath if my waters have broken( i thought not) / unsure if they have or not?

When could I start taking raspberry leaf tablets? I cant seem to find any definite answers to this. The dosage confuses me too. Do you start with one a day for a week then two a day the next week?

When could I take arnica tablets?

I would like some lanolin (sp) cream on free prescription as I intend to bf. I want to be organised is it too early to ask?

Tia
Lola

Have a bath whenever you feel like it - but not after your waters have broken and make sure someone's there to help you out if you need it! Don't know re raspberry leaf tea - I've always believed baby will come when ready.

Also don't know re arnica

My mw gave me some free samples of lanisoh cream when she visited - but never to early to ask!

By the way - none of these are embarassing questions? All seem sensible to me!

with the raspberry leaf tablets, i'd leave it until 37 weeks, on the basis that I think they do very little but if your baby came before then and you';d been taking them you'd feel guilty. I think I'd started drinking the tea by 35/36 weeks and by 37 weeks was drinking it all day long.
Don't think you can get the lanolin stuff on prescription, could be wrong. sainsbury's regularly have half price sales on all their baby stuff, which includes the lanisoh.

i took raspberry leaf tea rather than tablets.. teh directions should be on the box though.. i drank 2 cups a day from about 37 weeks, IIRC

it won't induce labour, but it is a uterine tonic and can help to shorten labour by making the contractions stronger and more effective.

arnica is for after the birth to help with bruising, follow the directions on the packet

lanolin/ lansinoh is for when breastfeeding is under way, if you get sore/ cracked nipples, but it might not happen to you, you don't need to apply anything before the birht to prepare

a bath in early labour can help, if your waters are intact.. it can help you relax and if it is not the 'real thing' the bath will stop things, so it is a good way to tell if you are in true labour

you can still take a bath after your waters have broken. in fact, some people choose to give birth in water.

Some people say raspberry leaf tablets work and some say they don't. I'm of the school of thought that thinks a baby will come when it is ready and there is no harm waiting.

Don't know much anything about arnica tablets except some people take them in labour? when they have stitches in.

If you develop painful nipples the best thing for that is to get your baby's attachment checked by a breastfeeding counsellor or a midwife who actually knows her stuff (a lot of midwives are crap at breastfeeding support so be aware when on the ward or in the early days) If you need Lanisoh (lanolin prepared esp. for breastfeeding nipples) then you can probably get a sample size packet from your MW or HV as a a stop gap till you can see someone who can help you adjust your latch.

Good luck with your baby. Lots of helpful mums here so don't be shy to post.

thank you for being so kind and answering my questions so quickly.

I think I'll wait until 37 weeks for the raspberry leaf tea- think I'll go for tablets.

Breastfeeding- fingers crossed it goes well. Have in my overly organised way written down the info for my local breastfeeding cafe (nct babies i believe its called)

I will know if my waters break wont I?

I'm finding these last few weeks very frustrating I just want to hurry them along!

Thank you ladies

You will know, in fact mine went when I was in the bath! Btw ic you do get in the bath after waters have gone don't put any smelly stuff in.

All normal questions btw you'll have to try harder to come up with weird and wonderful ones.

LoveBeing34 - I was wondering about that - if they go while you're in the shower/bath, can you still tell?

Yes you might well hear a pop and 'feel' them go (not painful). Your bump will also probably shrink quite a bit!

Yes i could tell I heard a POP as i tried to put the hot tap on with my toe. Also a bit tmi but the bath water was no longer completely clear. It was only the forwater anyway, When dh was helping to dry me and get me dressed the rest went, luckily i was sat on a towel.

you are likely to poo in front of your MW, a few questions isn't going to phase her.

No suds in the bath though if your waters are gone.

haha oddly pooing in front of her doesnt phase me just find it hard to ask her a list of questions- silly really. I will try to come up with some weird and wonderful questions... I'll be back!

Oh good lord. They're not embarrassing questions. As Libra says, when you're pooing and swearing at her mid push, questions about baths will seem a distant memory.

Please don't be afraid to ask questions of your mw. That's what they're there for.

I couldn't tell when my waters went with DD1 - think it was quite late on.

my neighbour said her waters trickled for a few days rather than a sudden gush. is this possible? i thought mine had gone at 40+5 and went to hosp only for midwife to tell me i had probably just peed myself. in my defence i had just got out of bath so it could have been water

Also, your waters might not 'go' in the way you expect - not the Hollywood 'ah I'm in labour' cue lots of screaming and floods of water. With DS they broke as I was pushing (all over the mw) and with DD I woke up at midnight in a little wet patch . THank goodness for waterproof sheet....

Re waters breaking, they don't always go with a gush. Mine were more of a protracted dribble, but it def smells different to wee! I was in the hospital at the time as I was waiting to be induced due to low amniotic fluid, so the midwife got me to stick a maternity pad in my pants and then sniffed the results... who'd want to be a midwife, eh?

Lola it might be a good idea for you to go along to the breastfeeding group before you give birth. They'll be able to give you some tips about the first few days of feeding, plus it will be nice to meet them first so you're not going somewhere completely new and intimidating with your newborn.

And the questions aren't something you need to be embarrassed to ask your midwife (in case you have any more questions). They'll have talked with mums-to-be about much more personal stuff - perineal massage, pooing during labour, sex after birth etc.

thank you for not making me feel stupid

You won't necessarily know when your waters go. With DS they went first thing, and there was no mistaking it -- he wasn't engaged, so there was nothing blocking their way out. I felt this "pop" sensation and then there was fluid everywhere (and it keeps on coming). With DD they didn't go until I was about 9cm dilated and she was fully engaged, and TBH I probably wouldn't have known they'd gone if it had been my first time. But the "pop" sensation was the same, and then there was a bit of a trickle but nothing much.

I got up for a wee at 3am, and as I got out of bed I heard a loud pop. Once on loo, couldnt stop going, and thats when I realised my waters had gone. So, ran a warm bath, got in it.... and then remembered advice that shouldnt bath once waters had gone.... thought oh sod it, im in now, and stayed there for the next few hours, topping up the hot water as necessary.

DS was born 28 hrs later by LSCS, a whopping 8lb9, and as healthy as an ox. So dont think the bath compromised him in any way at all. (wasnt in labour for the whole 28 hrs, my contractions didnt start for another 24hrs almost to the minute!)

Good luck!!!

mine had to be broken after i was induced with ds2 and apart from the midwife telling me she was breaking them the only give away was a warm feeling between my legs.

with ds1 i have no clue at all when they went. definitely late into teh labour.

why shouldn't you have a bath after your waters go?
what about water births?
I'm confused!

Lola - echo the advice re going to BF group before you have the baby. A friend's recent experience in hosp was to have a ward of 29 out of 30 mums who wanted to breastfeed, with only 2 midwives between them to give advice re latch etc.

I'm guessing you'll already know about the initial milk being colostrum (yellow/high fat milk) - but around 2nd or 3rd day, can't remember which, baby may have a feeding frenzy. This ISN'T because they are not getting enough, and does not mean they will always feed that voraciously - but it is what makes your 'normal' milk come in. So don't think you are failing because baby is crying for more milk minutes after you put them down; and do make sure you have food/drink to hand for yourself (and a good book). The next day I woke looking like Dolly Parton!! Poor DS found it really hard to latch on... See here for a bit more info.

Agree with everyone else that these really don't strike me as silly questions!

Baths - I'm sure several friends have been told by their MWs to have a bath in early labour, in order to relax and help with the pain, so I'm sure you are allowed to have a bath. And water births are possible so surely you are allowed in water! I would imagine it shouldn't be really hot, and you shouldn't use lots of bath products, but otherwise I'm sure it'd be fine.

Waters-breaking - I'm still not sure when mine did even after having delivered a whole baby - definitely no "pop" and no gushing at all.

Lanolin cream - really no need to get this before you start BFeeding and I would be surprised if you can get it on prescription. I had heard all about the cracked nipples / excruciating pain etc of BFeeding and kind of expected it, but in the event it was pretty straightforward for me and no cracked nipples and no need for lanolin at all. It might be fine for you too! And if not, it's very easy to pick up Lansinoh or similar in Boots or any chemist if you need it.

That's great you are already aware of your local BFeeding cafe - and of course Mumsnet is a great source of advice. But do remember that it might all be fine!

Good luck with your birth!