November/December Babies - new thread

[susanmt]

To make it easier for all of us!!!

hi there, this baby is due Dec 3 and ds will be 2 at the end of November (he was due Dec 2, and I'm hoping that at least the new baby will have its own birthday!) don't know whether boy or girl, and don't really have an 'instinct' this time either.

a ha ha, yes, finished - apart from one amazon order - blessed with very small family on both sides & agreeing not to exchange pressies w. my mum & sil.

Hello everyone, haven't posted for a while, nice one susanmt. All good here feeling pretty good now, not long for me 3 1/2 weeks. Definately nervous about the new arrival, my mum is flying over from the UK for 5 weeks (haven't seen her for over a year - which'll be nice) Have got nearly everything sorted for baby, starting to get bag ready. Everyone keeps on asking me if its ready so I thought I would succumb to the pressure. Christmas hadn't even crossed my mind until I read this thread..I guess had better do that before I can't! With it being my first I am more in the dark about whats ahead, will have a look at the 0-1 children, or 1 -2 children thread sounds like it should give me some good advice. Am a little worried that I may be struck by lack of contact with outside world as live in the sticks in NZ, so no family (except my mum for 5 weeks) but friends, a little drive away...I'm sure all will be well, and I can always jump on mumsnet for the support. Well good luck everyone, will write again before 'B-Day'

Good luck 1stimer! From your name, I'm assuming this is your first, in which case the thread you mentioned won't really affect you - it's more geared for people contemplating or pregnant with their 2nd. Anyway, enjoy these next few weeks!
I haven't bought a single Christmas present, but have been inspired by Monkey and will try to get on-line shopping done in the next few weeks.
Elliott, how are you preparing your DS for number 2?

Hey 1stimer, where about's in NZ are you?

Hi all, just seen doc again - had to wait 5 long weeks for this appt. I asked him if they tested here for gsb, as there's been so much talk about it, & he said they didn't unless risk of early delivery or planned water birth. i told him I was hoping for a water birth & he basically told me I shouldn't (not that I couldn't) but as I had not just 1, but 2 risk factors - previous c-section, plus last time shoulder getting stuck) it would be highly inadvisable. i am so gutted. I wanted a water birth 1st time & couldn't because of undiagnosed breech, 2nd time too quick & torn to buggary. Really hoping this time I could, plus lesson my chances of tearing so badly again, and now I'm told, after weeks of bloody worrying about the birth & finally coming to a decision & a certain amount of calm, now I feel really fed up. And 4 more weeks to wait. if I have to go throught the hard work, without even a bloody bath to help, I wish I could at least get it over & done with.

Sorry for the moan. Good luck 1st timer & everyone else. www - all settled in? How are the HB arrangements going? Did you take your ds with you to the mat. unit? Is this keeping your options open - are you still going for the HB?

Oh monkey, how disappointing. I hope Pupuce or Mears/Leese sees this, it would be interesting to hear whether they agree. Yes, I've moved and have booked in with the midwives and settled in. They're fine about a home birth so I'm still on for it and planning it, but just wanted to look around the mat unit in case I end up being transferred. It scared me though, just because hospitals do, so I hope I don't end up there. Yes, took ds, who was a sweetie. Welcome 1sttimer and come and join us on the Nov/Dec babies thread once we've started it. Blimey, we're all getting really close now aren't we? Elliott, ramble all you like - were you envious of the friend for having got childbirth over with? My sister gave birth on Sat night and I am soooo envious that she's got it over with! And I did think the baby was very cute - thank goodness I do seem to have some maternal hormones in there somewhere. I think I've been dreading it so much that I'd lost sight of the fact that there are nice bits too! Susanmt, isn't your op soon? Rhubarb, how are you feeling about hb now?

I'm feeling a bit nervous about it all too, and this is my 3rd. How on earth am I going ot cope with 3 under 4? (for 2 months or so, but psychologically it is doing my head in!). The fist time I had bad PND (in hospital), 2nd time it was milder but still a bother, and I'm worried I'll get it again. And I'm freaking about the birth a bit too. I know everything should be fine and there is nothing wrong with me that should affect the process of giving birth, but my obstetrician is doing my head in about being high risk (I'm not, but he wants me to be I think) and I'm terrified I won't get the birth I want and am quite capapble of having because he will panic if anything is not totally 100% routine. Arrgh got to go, ds is waking up, I'll post again about it sometime soon!

tinyfeet - badly, I fear HAven't progressed much beyond 'there's a baby in mummy's tummy' - don't want to freak him out too much by going on and on about the baby living in the house - I'm planning to discuss that a bit more in the last few weeks. He's now seen a baby breastfeeding, at least!

www- I'm feeling pretty much ok about the birth at the moment - I know it will be hard work and scary at times, but I feel confident that it will be a positive experience as it was last time. Actually I don't feel the slightest bit jealous of those who have recently gone through it - mostly they seem to have had a much worse time than me! I also feel a bit of a wierdo - I am surrounded by people currently expecting their second babies (thank god I did get pregnant!) and mostly they are wanting more intervention than last time - pethidine if they managed with gas and air last time, epidural if they managed with pethidine last time, elective section if they had an emergency etc etc. I find this quite hard to deal with as I really want to tell them that it will be better this time and that position/active birth/avoiding monitoring etc will help...but I don't want to be judgemental so I generally don't say anything, I just sit there feeling like I'm on a different planet!! And also feeling very lucky that I had a good experience last time, and sad that people don't get mroe support in labour which I'm sure would help.

Managed to kill of this thread AND the homebirth one

Elliott, let me kill the thread, as I seem to be an expert at it lately. Nothing to say really. I'm just so uncomfortable this time around. I really want the next few months to fly by and then to have my baby late - in early January. Sounds crazy, I know.

No such luck (killing thread) Tinyfeet and Eliott.... I always post on pregnancy threads

Monkey - (sorry just seen this) It is quite common for Drs to be wary/against water births for VBAC but water births specialists (including in CH) would actually advocate that this ONE good way of ensuring the VBAC as it is great pain relief and much more gentle on your body. As for GBS, well I do know people who have had water and GBS! What about the birthing centres???

WWW - how did it go for your sis ? Did she have a good birth ?

Eliott- I know what you mean when you feel on a different planet .... I can SOOOO relae to that

monkey - if you're after smelly stuff for grown ups then Molton Brown is good -kind of classy and beautifully packaged

thanks all - getting really close for everyone. i've made an appt with the hospital so can discuss in detail their policy re water births & then I just want to forget about it - sick of the whole thing. Who's going to be the first to pop? My 2 ds's are getting so fed up of waiting, I don't think they believe it'll ever come out! elliott & tinyfeet - do you have any good books about siblings coming? Mine really like reading them & love talking about what they can do for the baby. "babies whinge a lot, don't they, mummy? When it cries I'm going to make it laugh like this...." (cue scary face/mad dance/frantic toy waving) Dunno how old your are tho, but my 2.5 yr old is still v. keen on this front

Hi there - good luck monkey with your hospital appt. We do have a couple of books - very simple books that illustrate a new baby and big brother. Ds is quite keen to hear about babies, but he's not yet 2 and can't verbalise much about his own feelings or future events. I'm planning to start talking a bit more about the baby living here when its only a few weeks away - I am lacking a book that goes from pregnant to baby's arrival though, which would be helpful!

Monkey - there is no reason why you shouldn't labour in water. I agree that a waterbirth might not be a good idea in view of the previous shoulder dystocia. However, the reason you may have had shoulder dystocia in the first place might have been to do with the position you were in whilst delivering. In a waterbirth, the baby delivers itself and there is much more room for the baby to emerge because the sacrum can move back easily in the water. You could deliver in the water with the proviso that you agree to come out should there be any problems. Was there a big delay in delivering the baby's shoulders 2nd time around?

mears, I have no idea re delay, I wasn't in a conscious enough state to be aware - only found out v. recently that shoulders were even stuck. Got copy of notes from doc which just state they were stuck, but doesn't mention time. Doc just said wb bad idea for that & other reasons, but like I said, I'm going to discuss in detail w. hospital, as he can only advise, he won't be there. (I agree with you re:position, one reason I'm so keen on wb. I suppose It's all academic really to a certain extent - i might not get there on time, someone else might be using it etc etc just want to find out info now rather than having a conversation when 9 cm dilated!) He did say that if baby was same size (3.7k) or larger, it would be likely to get stuck again, so he may consider c-section after all, atm estimated weight is 2.8 k, but dunno what that translates to as estimated weight at 40 weeks, plus I kow these estimations can be very inaccurate anyway. It feels big to me. I'm not worrying anymore, just trying to get fully informed. Seems like even at this late stage, new twists keep popping up, which is just tedious now.

Anyway, good news is dh has been away on business all week & I haven't popped! Just gotta get him back tomorrow & I'll feel greatly relieved.

elliott, my ds1 was only 17 months old when ds2 came along. I had a simple book about getting ready for baby, baby arriving, screaming & being a pain, older kid getting the hump & all being rosy at the end. Ds liked it but dunnop how much he understood. Can't remember doing very much tbh, as like you said, their grasp is quite limited, so as long as you mention it & try to involve in a basic way, I wouldn't stress too much. We just worked really hard at giving tons of attention to ds1 after the birth & it all went very smoothly. No jealousy at all, thank God, and they're really great mates now. Hope your transition goes smoothly.

Bobthebaby - I live in the Bay of Islands (Northland) are you in NZ? (Sorry for delayed response not been on the net for a while!)
Elliot- as this is my first I guess I don't quite realise the pain involved, but where I live I don't have the option of anything other than Gas and Air and Pethidine, if I need more I will have to be transferred to another hospital 1 1/2 hours away, so it relieves me somewhat to read that someone has had a positive birth experience...don't get me wrong I am not against intervention but I am hoping that all will be well enough to cope without transferring to the big hospital
I guess thou I am in denial aswell , I'm actually more worried about afterwards coping with new baby etc, I have been thinking that there is not much I will be able to change about the birth, planning to labour in a water bath and deliver outside, whatever happens it will be over eventually, I know I am probably somewhat deluded

1stimer - Bay of Islands, how beautiful. Went there a couple of years ago. Don't think I would have wanted to need a hospital though. It seemed to be huge travel times between places. I live in Christchurch, but I chose not to go to Christchurch Womens because I heard too many stories about babies being taken in the night and fed formula. I had a waterbirth at a midwife staffed unit and it was lovely. The fact that transferring would have meant 25 minutes in an ambulance in labour was a good motivator to not require pain relief.

Hi All!
Am very impressed at everyone's birth plans. Haven't done mine yet but am only planing to write EPIDURAL in very big letters on it (you never know, it might be 4th time lucky and I might actually get one this time!) Know from my previous experiences that any plans I made and ideas I had soon when out of the window when the contractions became unbearable. Have been having a busy time this week decorating the house while we have the chance so things in absolute chaos. Saw midwife on Weds and had sugar in my wee again so have to be seen at the hospital next week, don't know what they will do as I will be 37 wks + 2 by then. Hope I won't have to have the dreaded GTT!

Best wishes to you all x

1sttimer - my first time (how long ago it seems!!!) I had a horrid 37 hour back labour with ventouse and 9lb12 baby at the end with diamorphine and gas and air only - it wasn't nice but I wasn't allowed an epidural for reasons to do with back probs I had at the time (well, was strongly advised against) so it can be done.

I havent even thought about birth plans this time - my birth plan is 'GET IT OUT'!!!!!

Well folks hopefully it will work out OK this time. I'm off tomorrow to Inverness for my op on Thursday and all being well should be back on Friday. I have a whole day shopping on my own tomorrow!!!!!
I'll let you know asap when I get back about how I get on, and hopefully it will all be good news!

Well folks hopefully it will work out OK this time. I'm off tomorrow to Inverness for my op on Thursday and all being well should be back on Friday. I have a whole day shopping on my own tomorrow!!!!!
I'll let you know asap when I get back about how I get on, and hopefully it will all be good news!

This is probably not the right thread for this question, but maybe someone has some good advice. I am due at the end of December. During my 1st trimester and also as of a few weeks ago, I am having problems sleeping because in the middle of the night, I start sneezing. I am also congested during the day, with a runny nose. When I wak up in the middle of the night, I have to blow my nose numerous times, and then I can't fall back asleep. I'm nearly certain that this condition is pregnancy related, and not a common cold or a sinus infection, but was wondernig if anyone else is experiencing this? Is there ANYthing I can do or take as a decongestent or to alleviate this condition? Thanks!

Tinyfeet - I had this last pregnancy - it is quite common. Most decongestants are not suitable - I used Olbas oil which was recommended by a pharmacist at Boots. It was very good.