Dec 08 Ladies - Waiting for BabyLady & the usual grumpy tots with stinky bots

[DeidreBarlow]

Hope this is ok...

Wow, congratulations Lady and what a long post considering how grotty you're feeling. And poor DD1 ill as well . THose are great names .

I hope you get some good and proper pampering and rest, you properly deserve it now!

Oh dear, that last post sounded as if you didn't deserve it before or something! I mean you do especially now

Hello LadyT. So lovely to hear from you. I am so sorry that your epidural isn't working again. Could they try a spinal? Or give you an injection of morphine? I can't imagine what it must be like not to have effective post-operative pain relief. Anyway, Dahlia sounds gorgeous and soon this pain will be over but she will still be here to make it all worthwhile. xxx

The anaesthetist came back and pulled the epi out an inch as his hunch was...well, I can't remember the theory but am finally pain free and coming out of recovery soon. Wow. So THIS is what it's like!

Hooray ladyT wonderful news and a truly beautiful name (though I also quite liked some of the guesses too). I'm glad the pain relief has kicked in, finally. Seriously if your sister tries it on with the 'you had it easy thing', ineffective post op pain relief would mean you had it tougher than your average natural birth. I can now admit that I have been quite nervous the past few days. DS2 was born at 39+5, so I was worried the gynea was cutting it fine with the dates, but alls well now. You prob would have gone very overdue with both girls if you'd opted for natural and needed inducing. If epi's aren't great for you that would not have been fun.

As they say here in Holland Gefeliciteerd!!!! To you & to LordG&T

Congratulations LadyT ! I love the names (also might have to steal Cressida in the unlikely event I ever have a daughter... :) ) Glad the pain relief is finally working......

I will raise a glass to you and Dahlia tonight !

hello Lady! Lovely to hear from you. I've been thinking about you 4 all day! Was sorry to hear (at first)that you were having another problem with your epi. Then releaved to read on! Perhaps you just have some nerves in problematic positions around there? I had a combined epi/spinal with ds and just a single shot spinal with dd and was warned it can be a bit uncomfy to do the second time due to first epi - but no probs (apart from fainting) but so glad now that you're experiencing how it normally (and should) be So happy for you, she sounds gorgeous and can't wait to see photo's and meet her x

Well I decided to face my fears and drive dh to his work thing (Chelsea & W-minster) then head off to Westfield with both dc's - ds WITHOUT nap in an effort to face ds's meltdowns head on Wow nearly 5 hours with them there and barely a meltdown (skillfully avoided) I had to let him push the (double)buggy about 3 laps of the place (both levels) then play in the play area for about 45 mins then he finally got tired so I headed to the family room / nappy change and thank heavans for cartoons on in there, I was able to feed A, and change both their nappies (minor ds meltdown at that point as I did his while he was in the buggy - no choice) managed to get in and out of ELC without having to buy half the store (just bought some mega blocks) and then he was happy (well almost) to push his buggy around one more lap then get in it (oh at that point there was major back arching and I've been shot type action) but he was so shattered he just sat there and I could wheel him around. The whole time I had dd in the Bjorn (dh forgot to put cocoon in and she hated sleeping on a blanket straight down in the back) so I'm exhausted!
Apart from no chance in hell of visiting the champagne bar, shocking London traffic on the way home, and a stop at Sainsbury's due to total dd nappy explosion (complete change of clothes) it was kind of a successful trip, however I decided i simply cannot shop productively (or at all) with kids in tow, as my only purchase was Mega Blocks and Aptamil I've decided online shopping is def the way forward..... till he gets older perhaps?
Right, I've waffled on way too much and must get dinner on....
Lady hope you are sleeping.....

Aaahhh I dream of going to a champagne bar in the midst of a shopping trip, thats how sad my.life has become. There is a nice one in Antwerp, just need to ditch everyone.

Well done Pubes, I used to love that I could feed DS2 in those nice little cubicles while DS1 watched Tele or played in the mini soft play in the Derby baby change place at westfields. Very Aussie style.

I'm shattered. Mum wanted to have a look at the shipping straat near DS1's school, so we walked to pick.him up, did some shopping, found a library with a coffee shop (Hooray) then walked home had lunch as DS1 was on a half day. Then took them for their haircut, DS1 was fine just watched the Tele, DS2 on the other hand went postal, he screamed the whole way through. The poor hairdresser cut her finger! Then DS1 & I had to rush off to his violin lesson. Then we had a quick rest then went to dinner with nanna & pip at a local pizza place. Then home, of course the boys were a bit mental so took forever to bath & bed but all done now, to Tele.

Just a quickie to say pain free bliss only lasted two hours! And have been throwing up. But new DD is so fab.

Never mind Rubes. I promise we will find somewhere nice to have champagne when I am up to it. I am wondering whether I am just a wimp about the pain. But the anaesthetist said I looked grey and seemed quite concerned. I feel like a freak! That sounds like a gruelling trip you had, you poor old thing.

NJAN - Cressida is very pretty, I do agree!

Vag, are you enjoying your Mum's visit though?

Am fretting about JJ...

Big love to all. Won't hog tomorrow like this, I promise! DP has been so good today.

Oh no LadyT. Is the throwing up DD1's bug or a result of the pain. How horrible for you. And can't they get the aneastatist back to re-site the epi again? Gosh you sound chipper all things considered. Are you finding these first hours with Dahlia different from those first ours with O? I'm so glad DP has been a star today. So he shld be! And btw you have NOT jogged the board today. We want to know MORE not less.

Veggie - is your mum good with the kids? Is it nice to have her visit? I can't remember if you two are close. I hope yr having fun.

Rubes - that sounds like some day. I hate taking the kids to Westfield even with DH's help. Online shopping is def the future.

Apologies to any NI natives but I don't much like it here in Belfast. I am sure there must be nice parts but I am yet to see them. And the food is awful. Like London twenty five years ago. Yuk. I'm holed up in my hotel room now after a truly nasty dinner. I'm thinking of getting a room service sandwich as I hardly ate the dinner. Bet the sandwich will be crappy too. And they'll charge be £12 for a cheese and tomato panini!!!

Lady please hog the board tomorrow
Sorry that you are feeling pain again - it's not the norm with the epi. dh said a number of things that could be (rare) but possible for it to not work, (which now I can't remember) so doubt you're being a wimp - sounds like you're just unlucky with these...

As far as throwing up, I remember they wouldn't let me have anything to drink until I could keep about an inch of water down otherwise I may chuck. but I was so thirst I drank half a cup and when I sat upright I felt like throwing up (but didn't only just)
They took me out of recovery after 1.5 hours though - and it wasn't long after.
Yes we will do champagne for sure!
Oh I hope you feel pain free soon. I didn't have any of that - call that Anesethist back asap!

Right I am toasting the lovely miss Dahlia now with a glass of cheerfulness x

Vag - didn't know Westfield was in derby too?

Crossed with you Avo - yes Lady - dh said the same - he reckons could be badly sighted and needs repositioning....
Sorry about the Belfast expreience Avo!

Yes lady we want to know more not less.
Throwing up sounds a nightmare after c-section. - crikey. Just a little cough was bad enough and the idea of sneezing enough to throw me into a panic. You are definitely not a wimp. I had no pain whatsoever until the spinal wore off and then it was more discomfort rather than agony. It was also the idea of moving and making it worse that was scary rather than the pain. Can they give you more other pain relief - codeine or morphine or something?

Very glad that dahlia is doing well and lovely though.

Jj hope docs went well.

Kiwi hope you are ok too.

Sorry for crap post - on phone!

LadyT, hope you get some rest soon! Definitely time for more pain relief, get buzzing those docs.

Just to update re GP, the tests on the AN bloods showed that I haven't encountered slapped cheek before so have to go back for more tests - doc thinks I need an IGG in 4 weeks, DH thinks I need an IGM in 4 days [?!] so am going back on Monday to say Here's my arm, take some blood asap. Apparently the IGM is the one that will tell us if I've encountered it very recently, ie from dd, whereas the other one would give a different version of the result we already know. Am quite happy to be stroppy doctors wife on this one since if it turns out I have got it, they need to do weekly scans of the baby to check all is well. Hope it was just pink-cheeks-due-to-random-virus rather than scary slapped cheek.

oh and congrats too to Aunty Trace!

Congratulations LadyT, I'm so happy to read your post. Has O met the lovely Dahlia yet?

I've only scanned the rest of the thread, but do want to say how sorry I am to hear Kiwi's sad news. I hope you're doing ok love

Thanks for the advice on babysitters and pillows - useful all round.

As I'm failing to catch up and do personals, I'll turn this into a me post and update you all from the ZJ house. We're all well and DD is learning lots of new words at the moment - not useful ones, but I'm super proud anyway. And she's fallen in love with singing and dancing and knows loads of actions to nursery rhymes, so we're spending lots of time with me warbling so she can mime along and sing the one word she knows in each song. So lovely.

I had a work trip to Vienna a couple of weeks ago - which was good, but I was away for 4 days and I've only ever left DD for one night before. And I seem to have bitten off lots more than I can chew at the moment - I'm helping organising a charity ball, which is only 2 weeks away, and I'm doing the press and accounts for it (plus still need shoes and a bag), I'm also organising a girls weekend away so booking lots of stuff and trying to keep everyone happy, and in between both of these we have my friends from Sweden coming to stay, so I've decided to use this as an incentive to get all those daft little house jobs done that are stilling just looking at me after moving in 4 year ago. When I will learn to say no and just relax a bit?

That's enough about me, lots of love to you all, especially the newest and tiniest member of our gang xx

Yay for the G&Ts! Fantastic news and I am sure and hope the aches and pains will soon be behind you. I know one other Dahlia, who is probably the most glamorous person I know, so it seems a very apt name for a daughter of LadyT!

[happy] so pleased to hear about baby Dahlia. V glamourous name. And hope you're feeling a bit better ladyt.
And woo hoo trace too . Being an aunty is ace. And you go at the Drs JJ. Whatever makes you less worried I'd say.

PD that house is lovely. And ZJ v cute your DD singing along with you. Our DD does a very funny copy of this crocodile song DS learnt at nursery. If it's any reassurance Rubes she's not talking much. She can however put shoes on, which DS (3) has only just mastered. Funny beasts.

I went out to karaoke with some friends from work last week and as a result have downloaded the most amount of crap songs from i-tunes and currently listening to video killed the radio star. Time for bed...

You lot are cheering me up loads but oh blimey, this is interminable. Had an hour's sleep, now pain is searing again. Will have to buzz for more of anything but already had enough to knock out a small African population so feel like a complete idiot. Anaesthetist went home many hours ago but has written me up for, well, everything. Have had Voltarol, Codeine, Tramadol, you name it as well as Epi top ups. Am starting to get quite depressed. Why aren't they touching the sides?? There's only morphine left now, which I can have, but it made me feel so potty last time. Oh dear, I am rubbish at this!

JJ, really glad you posted. Also glad you have your DH to help force the issue if necessary.

Sorry ladyt. I hope you are alseep now.
I am amused to find both jj and dh asking on facebook if the north korean leaders are named after the tomliboos. Jj I worry for your sense of humour when you are making jokes like my dh's!

Oh and jj when I had to be tested for slapped cheek I did have to go back after 4 weeks for another test not 4 days. This is not to say it was right as it was probably the same surgery as you so maybe they have been getting it wrong. My second test said I hadn't been exposed to it in the meantime.

XPosts ladyt. You are obviously not asleep. How are you feelng now?

I grabbed another hour of sleep after that. Seems to be the way it's going: an hour of bad pain/waiting for painkillers to take the edge off, followed by a hour's snooze. Hmmm. My mind is inexorably straying to the matter of finding a foolproof method of contraception. My new DD is heaven! But I ain't doing this again.

Lady: didn't you have similar issues after DD's birth, hence the morphine? Def agitate for more and better drugs. Hope you got a bit more sleep in the end.

JJ: that is a bit rubbish about the GP. Maybe you can ask to have both tests done? I hope you get some answers soon.

Spot: were there any gems in the parenting books? I've gone back to my old favourite Toddler Taming and there is some useful stuff in there. Any improvement on the sleep?

Pd: how's the house buying going? V exciting that you'll be moving into town. I think there may even be a children's centre nearby.

Veggie: you are bring a sterling host. I hope you get some time to rest!

Oops phone eating my post, better get this up.

Oh Lady, I can't believe your epidural isn't working - how rubbish, and weird? Or is it just that your body doesn't take to it? I only had my epi topped up once back with ds just before they were taking it out and that was cause I asked them to since they were removing it but at that point it had only just started wearing off and what I could feel instantly dissapeared with that. Have you seen the doc this morning? Hopefully you got a bit more sleep in the end.

Morning all just a quickie and no chance for a proper catch up.

lady Sorry to hear you are suffering still. Get a Dr to see you this morning asap, get the morphine if need be. Your body has been through a hell of a lot and you really need more than an hours sleep here and there. My first night with DS was a shocker due to the fact I was only given paracetemol, its not good - buzz away thats what I say!

jj How handy having DH - make sure they give you the right test on Monday.

Oh & lady would MrLady consider the snip? DH had it done after DS. I say after 2 CS the minor discomfort he felt was a small price to pay bearing is offspring!!

Right, dressed, school, work.....I'm late why am I on MN???