for mums 2be moving on...part TWO

[Marina]

Wills, so pleased the baby is the right way up. I don't know much about pre-eclampsia but understood it is always a risk if you had it in your first pregnancy. Very much hoping Mears or Leese is around to enlighten you professionally. Let us know how you are doing, and let's all send the vibe equivalent of raspberry leaf tea in the direction of the Peak District this weekend!

Usual inarticulate self I'm afraid Marina but you'll certainly be in my thoughts tomorrow.
Hope you have a straightforward op and a speedy recovery too. Love Twink xxx

Didn't see this until today Marina, so you probably won't see it until after you see your new baby. I'll be thinking of you at 11am.

Well heres to Marina and her little one

Had a lovely afternoon yesterday. Plonked the kids in the paddling pool and settled myself down with my feet in my new (unused) nappy bucket filled with tepid water, lavander bath soak and some fresh lavender from the garden. Heaven! Working my way through the raspberry leaf capsules and DH brought a curry home last night but no action so unless I have a very sudden and very rapid delivery then I guess Marina has beaten me to it.

Supposed to go and see the MW tomorrow but really don't want to in case they go on about being too busy for a HB or even start mentioning sweeps or inductions. Haven't got an appointment though so I suppose I can put it off a couple more days but I just know that SIL is going to descend on me soon. Oh well better get back to my scrummy nappy bucket to perk me up a bit....

How are you doing Wills? How are those feet? Actually mine didn't swell at all yesterday. Must be the nappy bucket....

Oh and forgot to add - my mum drove the car through the garage wall yesterday. Shes' fine but poor dad is devastated about his garage. He had it all set up as a mini-brewery for homebrew with stuff he's collected from local pubs and it was his pride and joy. And it was his birthday......

Oh Katherine ... your poor mum! Wasn't it her that had a fall last week??
Just wondering, as I was reading your post, why you are worried about sweeps and inductions when you are still not on your due date? It is still a few days before your are due isn't it? Why would they want to induce you before 41 weeks?
You've probably mentioned the whys and wherefores previously but I can't be faffed to trawl through the thread
I am still feeling really really sick ... surely this will be over soon? Nearly 15 weeks now! Now where did I put my bucket??

Hi Ghosty - I'm not worried about them its just that from what I've read from other posts the threat of them starts looming quite early on. I mean the team is very good here and I think they'd totally support me in putting things off as long as possible, but I don't even want to talk about the possibility and I know a lot of mums2be get this at their later appointments. I think I'm just getting paranoid that I'm never going to go into labour now

Yes it was mum who had the fall last week - trouble is they say things come in threes - first her head, then the garage - what next? She seems fine though. Its poor dad who is traumatised.

Sorry you are still feeling sick. I was never actually sick but felt ill so much of the time with this pg. I just used to keep eating biscuits and anything else sweet and it would help a bit. I think it died away around the point you are at now so fingers crossed. Although then of course you start to worry again... although you should be feeling movements soon which will make up for it.

Oh well of to have a couple more raspberry leaf tablets (I ams ticking to the dose on the bottle BTW in case anyone is getting worried...)

DH reckons the only way to get this baby out is to organise the plasterer to come

The rate you're going you are going to give birth to a big raspberry!!!!!
Or a baby that smells of lavender and says "I'll have a Chicken Tikka Masala with extra popadums" for it's first sentence ....

Oh Ghosty - the heat is killing me at the moment but at least I don't feel permanently sick! Mind you the pills are definitely giving me sickness spells and there are now points where I come to a complete standstill and have to close my eyes etc etc.

Katherine - Feet are no longer feet, they're balls/flippers! I don't know why but I've really focused on them and they're absolutely disgusting! Ah well! Saw my consultant today for another review having had a bp monitor strapped to my arm for the last 24 hrs. Bad news is that my bp is still flying around and getting way too high so he's doubled my pills. He took a look at me and was concerned that I looked very tired and flushed. I was close to saying "I'm 37+2 weeks pregnant, during an English Heatwave - of course I looked flushed!" Did make me laugh though! One bit of good news is that my iron pills have finally arrived - the local gp kept screwing up the prescription, so at least my anaemia can now be treated - possibly I'll find some energy from somewhere!

This heat is totallly utterly GROSS. My dm has my dd at the moment and I'm probably going to wander over there later and stick my "balloons" into some cold water. So does lavender do the trick then? Sex certainly isn't so I doubt anything else will. What about Rosemary - or is that the one that raises your blood pressure - daren't do that - the hospital was positively steaming this morning!

Definitely having grumblings in terms of the odd painful (extremely) braxton hicks but unfortunately moving around gets rid of them - shame! Spoke to the mw about this and she assures me I could have this for another 4.5 weeks so must try not to get so hopeful every time one happens.

Wandering about Marina - hoping she's ok and that all is well.

Good luck to everyone else

marina, thinking of you. Hope all is well.

all limbs/extremities crossed for you marina, i've been on tenterhooks for news today.

marina, thinking of you all, winniex
Tigermoth, where have you been? Hope all is well(?)

Katherine - how are you doing? Any action yet? Hope you are surviving the heat! Have you had any twinges yet? Thinking of you! x Is there any news on Marina yet?

Hope last night wasn't too bad for you, marina.

Winnie - thanks for missing me. Haven't been posting much because I have been too busy (even for mumsnet) then we went on holiday. I'm OK, mostly.

Marina xxxxxxx
All the best to the rest of you xxxx

Hi Muscia
Thanks for asking but no. Another rough night last night. Think its cos its gone so hot again. Baby was really active and was convinced something was happening so spent the night up and down to the loo and pacing around. Nothing though. Suppose I should pop in to see the MW this morning for my 39 week check seeing as I'm not 39+5!

Feeling OK though. Kind of resigned myself now and enjoying feeling the baby as I know I won't for much longer. Its just practical things like doing stuff with the kids and SIL coming over with nephew that make it hard.

How are things with you? I have to say I've been worried that this baby will be much bigger than the other 2 sseeing as its been cooking longer so it was inspriring to read your news. How are things going with you and your little one?

Wills thinking of you - just settle down with a bucket of cool water and relax. It really did save my feet and it makes them smell lovely with lavender etc

Had a bad time yesterday as I felt absolutely lousey. In the end I phoned up a midwife and to cut a long story short ended up in hospital with +ve protein and them threatening to keep me in. Luckily they took blood tests and these came back clear so I got home at just after midnight last night. They think the doubling of my pills is what's making me feel so ill but hopefully this will wear off as my body gets used to them.

Apart from that all is well. Absolutely zero signs of little one coming early - shame. Everytime I go to the hospital those who have had their babies take one look at me waddling in and announce how glad they are to have had theirs already .

Katherine - will try bucket this afternoon after I've taken dd to the dentist.

Hope that marina is ok - thinking of you!

What a grim afternoon - so much for sitting with my feet in a bucket of water! Went to see the MW at 2pm and just got back now, over 2 hours later. I checked out fine, no problems but she was concerned the baby was small, in fact hadn't grown since my last appt. So I had to go and see the dr who sent me for a scan (all this with both kids). Scan wasn't too bad. Baby's head is OK but tummy is right at the lower end. Measures about 5.5lb. However fluid, placenta and cord are all perfect which to me says there is nothing wrong - just a small baby and as my other 2 were fearly small and I'm little that is no surprise. But of course Dr doesn't see it like that and wants me to forget HB and go to hospital. I said I wasn't obsessed with HB and if there was a problem was happy to go in BUT I was obsessed with roadside delivery! MW backed me up and persuaded him to let me start at home and when she gets there if everything seems fine then I can carry on. I'm hoping it will be like last time and by the time she gets there it will be almost out so they wouldn't transfer me anyway.

Oh I feel so frustrated. I always had a bad feeling about this appt. Why are they so keen to meddle. I've got to go back next week and if they are worried then I might be sent in and even induced. Well surely that is going to put more stress on the baby! And here was me worrying that because I was going to term it was going to be big!

Just feel really frustrated. I feel fine and baby is active. No signs of anything untoward other than small size but then that is give or take 3 weeks anyway so I could be measuring 38 weeks really which would be fine. He said it was better to be in hospital so they could monitor the baby but if they think I'm going to travel an hour in labour only to be strapped to a machine forever.....

But then of course there are always doubts. What if there is something wrong? What if I am putting my baby at risk. Oh why couldn't thins little one have come out earlier like its siblings and then everything would have been fine. Just hope it gets a move on now to get them off my back

Are any of us going to get our HB?

Grr Katherine, on your behalf. I remember my midwife telling me that pregnant women themselves are apparently the best judges of the size of their yet-to-be-born babies. Don't know if that's true. CFM is a pretty discredited form of intervention, I'll see if I can find the thread for you in a minute where IIRC Mears agreed (could be wrong though). It seems to me that if your other two were small and you're small, of course this one will be too. Logical, innit? Fingers crossed for you that this one will just turn up soon and you won't make it to the next appointment, let alone anywhere near a hospital. I know there are lingering doubts but did he really say anything conclusive about there being a problem? It doesn't sound like it. Also, your midwife is supportive, which is really important. I'd tell you to go in if she wasn't and you may decide to anyway but just thought I'd add my thoughts. I doubt very much that you're putting your baby at risk, really. Although you must do what you feel is right, just wanted to say I'm thinking of you and sympathising with your frustration.

Katherine, the thread with lots of cfm info is here

Thanks WWW - I'll have a look at this thread. Just hoping so much that this labour will follow the pattern of my other 2 and be quick so they will feel their is more risk of transferring me.

I've not worried about this baby at all. Yes I'm surprised it is small but they've checked everything and all is functioning well so to me that is reassurance that there is nothing amis (of course I still have a few lingering doubts but doesn't everyone). I find it frustrating that given the fact that they sent me for a scan to check nothing was amiss, and the scan showed nothing amiss that they are still making "threats".

Still I just have to hope that this little one will get its act together and perform now. I trust my MW and I know she will do everything to keep me at home if possible. Its down to baby now. I've got another week before I have to face anything else - can't possibly still be pg in another week can I?

Just really don't need this playing on my mind. Why can't it all be straight forward eh!

Katherine - the mw told me dd was going to be small - and scans are only correct to something like 20% (mears will know) - if the baby's active, and you will be the best judge of that, then the risk has got to be tiny - just remember there's a risk with everything. The baby could just be younger than you think!

Good luck!

How funny Katherine that you've had a scan just like mine i.e. tummy is too small (slightly furhter down the thread) - surely that can't be coincidence. They'd already persauded me not to homebirth and therefore there were no worries but I do find it odd. Like you everything else is normal.

Sorry to hear the appointment was dreadful - I really can't see why you shouldn't homebirth - me I'm too chicken with the bp however for you everything looks normal. I will say that whenever I come across a doctor they really can't cope with the idea and I've tended to go with what the mws are saying. Unfortunately mine are all in agreement that its no to homebirth but yours sound like they're still being supportive so I'd just put it to one side.

Currently I'm tearful - but at least this time I know its the pills and by the weekend I should be back to normal. Fingers crossed they're working because I'm not sure I could cope with anymore increases. I'm at 1500mg already and throwing up with an appetite i.e. sick but then hungry for goodness sake!

Katherine - do you know much about aromatherapy? Can I use something with rosemary in it? Can't find a lavender one and can't find the energy to go out.

HI Wills. Yes that was my first thought as well - that we are both having slim babies! Thing was they then said =/- 3 weeks. Well if you add on 3 weeks then it puts me as measuring 38 weeks which would be fine. grrr.... I'm sure things will work out as long as this baby gets a move on. After all if its a quick labour then there won't be time to do anything horrible to me.

Don't know masses about Aromotherapy but will look it up for you. Don't think there is anything wrong with Rosemary but it is a stimilant one so perhaps be careful with your BP. Can't imagine a couple of drops would hurt though. Lavender would be better for you though as a relaxant so help with the BP. Don't think there are any contraindications to any oils later in pg - just a few like lavender are not advised early on but now we are all near the end - inducing labour would be good eh! Rose is lovely and relaxing too. Have a look online if you don't want to go out. I know a WAHM site which does oils and she knows her stuff too sunflowermama

Me again. Just been looking at my notes. The scan report says Femur Length 36/6, Abdo 35, Head Circ 35 amd BPD/ CRL 34/4 - only one I can't figure out is the last one. Anyone tell me what its measuring. This seems to be the only really small measurement.

Releived to see from reading what the Dr has written that hes actually put "Aim for home Confinement" which I think is quite postive considering everything else he said. So maybe I was a bit harsh (paranoid!) about his attitude.

Just read something about using evening primrose oil capsules as pessary - works like prostoglandins in semen. Anyone else heard of this (given that DH is still refusing to risk squashing baby (read as being squashed by me - suppose at least I can tell him I'm no bigger than last time eh!). Also suggested taking them orally. Think I might get some tomorrow if everyone else thinks this is OK?

Is pessary the right word. Have a feeling thats your bum. Not what I meant obviously.....