April 07 - hanging out the bunting for baby Luke!

[Bramshott]

Well Ellie did say we could . . . !

Leaky, hope you are feeling a little brighter this morning. Glad to hear that you have hopefully got access to some NCT suppport, maybe they can point you in the right direction? Really hope you get things sorted. It is so difficult when your idea of how things should be is different to dh's. Look after yourself xx

Caz, you and your dc's are having a tough time of things just now. Does it feel like you spend your life at the doctor's surgery?! It does for me sometimes and I only have 2 children. Hope they are all much better soon xxx

Shame about the job Liath. Are you happy where you are generally or are you really wanting to move?

That's it for now, off to tumble tots, see you later xx

Leaky - I have an amazing woman who you might like to talk to about waterbirths and/or homebirths .... FB me and I'll give you her contact details. You could perhaps have a "teleconference" with her, you and DH

NL, hope filling went ok love - have been praying for you

Lurking around and popping in again.

Sorry to hear about poorly DCs and horrid painful teeth. Funny as I am having my last wisdom tooth pulled out tomorrow, and then I'll have no wisdom left at all .

Oooggs - Luke is very cute, sorry to hear about the painful boobs. I am cringing and wincing on your behalf right now. Lansinoh cream is what you need, fab stuff. I still use it as a lipsalve (is that a bit gross?).

Dippy - I would cry and cry if DD1 chopped her hair off, so I can empathise with you being gutted about the hair cutting session. You will look back and laugh.

We're all OK here. S is frighteningly independent - I swear I could leave her at school with E (in year 2) and she would be quite happy. Work all OK, fingers crossed the current climate won't have any effect on my industry, so should be OK.

So, popping off again now . Gotta make some calls whilst the small one is sleeping. x

Oh Leaky forgot to say, I agree wholeheartedly with Caz, HBs are fab (provided everything is progressing smoothly). If I ever had another baby (which by the way I am not planning to do at all), I would deffo go for another HB. So many positives. Good luck.

No energy for personals..sorry.Just thought I would let you know we are moving to Lincolnshire end feb/early march.Loads to sort as need to get uk child benefit number for M and find ds 1's...and the rest
My grandad left me some money in an ISA so that will move us.Then when there need to find work.
Caz,we have leccy bill for 500euros!
Hope you ok OOOGGS,Leaky,Sol and everyone else.xx

Ooooh Dooby - which part of Lincolnshire?
I hope you and all your family will be very blessed there!

Good evening ladies

I have been chatting to dh and we're making some progress.
He is prepared to read around the subject and I got touch my local NCT waterbirth adviser and she is prepared to come round and chat to both of us. I also realised I know a few local mums who've had homebirths and if needs be will try and get them and their dps to chat with dh.

Was advised to get by hands on a copy of The fathers homebirth handbook, which looks very interesting and useful.

We are probably 30-40 mins from the Bolton Royal hospital (depending) on traffic.It's the nearest hospital which does actively encourage waterbirth. If needs be I could ask my midwife about going there.

Taking our own pool is not feasible at local hospital and I'm not sure we can afford doula or private midwife. So I'm ruling that out.

I really appreciate all the suggestions and advice you've given me. DH is away for work the next couple of days so I intend to have lots of lovely info ready for him when he gets back.

Dippy - i'll see how dh gets on with all my planned activity. But will keep your lady in mind.

Dooby - Good luck with the move!

Right, I'm off for relaxing bath and early night.

Leaky, at lease you're starting to think about the waterbirth and plan for it now! Hope you get something sorted out. I've been told by the way that even since April/May 2007 hospitals are under much more pressure to offer women the options they want including waterbirth - I remember my antenatal class at the hospital was done by a mw who'd never been involved in a waterbirth.

I'd love one but I've been too cowardly to raise it which doesn't exactly help my chances, I guess. The hospital I'm booked into has 2 birthing pools but I may well be waiting around for a room on delivery suite let alone getting one of the pools, plus I fear they're going to be wanting to get me on to the drip and fasten me to a monitor for my whole labour again.... I worry I've left it too late for a birth plan and that it's going to annoy them if I put this this and this were crap last time and I just want it to be different (I'd like a daytime midwife who is confident about telling people to get lost, no one coming in to "borrow" equipment - surely each of the rooms be kitted out to start with - to be spared the 6 doctors at once on the ward round....

Elkie - it's not too late!

Ok - so 1) you don't want people in the room or speaking to you unless the health of you and your baby requires it. Thats line one for your birth plan!

2. You don't want to be restricted in your position so would like hand held monitoring. If they feel they need a continuous reading then you will need the straps to be long enough so you can stand or sit. You feel this is important as mobility will help you keep your labour progressing and help you manage your pain

3. You would like to try being in water if a pool or failing that a bath is available and you realise you may need to get out to deliver.

I know that you had a tough time last time and it makes it harder to muster your confidence for this birth - but you can do this and you are going to birth brilliantly. Now go and have lots of sex - it's the only way to coax these babies out

Elkie I agree with NL. It's not too late for a birth plan and you should try and make this time a more positive experience.

My labour and bith with G were so good because I was very focused on what I wanted and the hospital was amenable. As a absolute bit of a control freak I want to do as much as i can to get that experience again.

BTW I've just read that even a bit of a kiss and cuddle releases oxytocin so get going!

Hello!

Hi Dippy

You ok? I see from FB that you didn't get much sleep.

I'm ok. I got sleep. It was just weird sleep! How's you?

Hello.Please tell me good stuff about uk when you get a chanceHope you all ok.xx

Hi everyone

Dooby How exciting!!!

Lincolnshire isn't that far away from me!

.We are still wavering but are 65% for move.

UK is great!!

Leaky - My friend's DH recommended this to purchase for your DH last night. Apparentely it is very comprehensive and he found it really helpful when his DW wanted a Home Water Birth and he wasn't so sure!! (They had a very lovely and successful HWB with their last two children (1st was born in hospital, no waterbrth) HTH!

missing you lot loads but things seem to be a bit busy here at the moment. I have engorgement and it hurts all the time but very especially at latch on. I am squirting milk (so no problem there) but the damage to my nipples has been done and it a case of trying to get Luke to take more 'boob' into his small mouth than he wants to. So more nipple in, loads of that 'lansinoh' and feed through the pain

liath - sorry about the job

caz - hope James eyes ok

NL - hope filling went fine

Elkie - my due date is tomorrow if you fancy borrowing it

I am now being called for the next painful feed

I will try harder

oh Oooggs love sorry you are in pain

IME you have done the hardest part.... I always think if you can do it for he first week then it just gets easier and easier.

to you nd your little brood xxx

Thanks for asking about James' eye.... he is fine

oooggs niceto see you, sorry you're in pain hope it eases up asap {{{{{hugs}}}}

sorry for being awol (like you care) been bloody manic since dd satretd school. She started full days last thurs and I worked thurs/fri and wasn't getting home til 7. This week saw my new routine start, dd at school, ds at childminders and me at work. it's a bit of a rush getting everyone where they should be but I think it'll work as I got to work everyday by just about the right time and just about got back in time to get dd from school. The only major downfall is that dd's school is on a huge hill, think slight incline but for 200 meters, today I got there just about right but parked literally at the bottom of the hill and was completely puffed out when I reached the top! All good for the fitness and weightloss regime I've also started my quest for weightloss on staurday and have been good.

And the really good thing is that it is the end of January so all those pesky tax return have been done

You will be super-fit soon Eddas! Glad the new routine is working out well.

Hi all,

Oooggs, I had that painful engorgement thing, my lovely midwife told me to hand express for 5 minutes before each feed (& watch the clock to make sure it was 5 minutes!) which softened the areola loads and meant ds could get a better mouthful. Good luck, I'm wincing with you!

Leaky, I had another idea but is it worth your DH talking specifically to the midwife about what happened at Eva's delivery to get a perspective on whether what went wrong would be any worse at a home birth (if you get my drift!).

Better go, I can hear dd wailing.....

Hi all, I'm now resigning myself to a February birth. Consultant's appointment on Monday, and no doubt therefore the dreaded induction conversation. On Tuesday my mum has said she's heading down to London anyway, but CM can't take D that day. On Thursday baby will be 10 days overdue (I understand induction unless for other reasons shouldn't really be done before that though D was started at only 8/9 days depending on whether you count gel on Wed night or manual breaking of waters the next morning).

Elkie - induction is optional. You can ask for monitoring instead and in in any case I wouldn't have let anybody near me at 10 days over - I pushed the booking to 14 days over (midwife had to go tell the consultant that the third time mum was being awkward ) and then anyway it din't matter as B was born at 8 days over. If you really don't want it at 10 days - or less then say so. Now go have sex and render the matter redundant anyway