Last week or two of pregnancy

[squidkid]

Just a place for advice/suggestions or a place to chat for those of us in the last couple weeks of pregnancy. I am on a brilliant antenatal thread but my due date is the first there and I don't want to bore them all with nonsense about braxton hicks and how to fill my days when lots of them are still at work... and I think they would prefer their babies to stay inside for now! I'm not quite at the "get it out of me" stage yet... but I'm definitely at the "if you came now you'd be very welcome" stage.... :)

I am 38+5 today and this is first baby. I know most first babies come late, so I've been trying to tell myself I'll be late throughout the pregnancy, but now I'm term it's hard not to be excited. In the last three or four days I've had long periods of continuous mild period-like pain, and some painful tightenings (sometimes very close together, but then they stop). Are these imminent signs, do these mean nothing... I don't really know. I haven't had a show.

Baby has been engaged since 34 weeks (uncomfortable!) I'm pretty sure his/her back is on the left side at the front (all the kicks are upper right hand side) which I think is ideal. I'm a little obsessive about keeping baby in a good position - I spend time on all fours, make sure I get plenty of walking/standing, sit on a gym ball when I'm on the computer, sleep on my side, I don't lie back on the sofa. I'm probably overthinking this.

I am doing pretty ok for late pregnancy - still walking at least a few miles a day, or swimming, or walking into town every day. I actually did a charity night hike last night! (Boyfriend carried maternity notes in his backpack through the woods - it was a bit stupid really!) I am slow, but I thought I'd be a lot heavier and more immobile by this stage to be honest. I stopped work a while back - a very busy, stressful, physically and emotionally demanding job - so I've had a lot of time to relax, nest, exercise, see almost all my friends, sort my flat out. Everything is neat and sorted and stocked and ready.

I'm grateful that I've had a troublefree pregnancy and hoping the birth will go fine too. Feeling positive and relaxed about it, just impatient!

How are other people doing? Staying busy, getting anxious, waiting, over-analysing every tiny sign!? Any suggestions for good things to do in the last week or two? Please no one tell me to 'get lots of sleep' as this is the one thing I am completely incapable of at the moment - up every 30-60 mins through the night...

Ah yes, pass the sausage rolls! Might stop me eating all this peanut butter. Can I put peanut butter on sausage rolls?

Same situation with the school run here! "Still waiting then?!" No. I've had the baby. I just still have a big bump and have accidentally left baby at home.

Orenishii thanks for that - sounded good. I will try some deep pushing down from diaphragm! (Thinking of big poops...) Hehe. I think in reality if baby has to come out quickly - if you gotta push, you gotta push! I had 2 full hours of purple faced pushing with ds, and while that sounds awful, I had no idea it was so long - I guess I must have been in the zone or something. I didn't really feel him coming down at all, so the midwife telling me that he was getting there was my only indication that I was achieving something!

Ds dragging me off now and I better get his supper into him. hugs to everyone feeling fed up!

Nothing happening here either!

Maybe the Sunday night thing is because you're at your most relaxed? It's dark, it's snuggly, it's cosy, it's warm...perfect time for your body to go into labour and not just go under the stairs like a cat.

Totally agree with you mummy when I had DS2 I just had to push, quite an odd sensation if I'm honest!

I'm still worrying quite a lot that I'll never go into labour with my DC about

I've wondered that too, as I'm quite anxious about ds being okay when I have to go into hospital - we don't have any relatives nearby so he will go to a neighbour's house. I was getting quite a loot of contractions friday night and then ds had a stomach upset and puked in our bed - all my contractions stopped, so I wonder if my anxiety about him put a stop to everything :( Mind you, other women on their second and third pregnancies seem to still be able to go into labour and give birth, so it must be possible!

Just been to the local shop for pineapple... :)

Oh def to peanut butter on sausage rolls :-). In fact reading that made me dig our jar of chunky sunpat out..

Not thought about dd influence on labour. Another thing to worry about. Sigh.

Ok. I cracked this evening. Dp went to get me a fat salad from macdonalds for dinner. Yes. I like them. Dont judge. on return the salad was missing (wait for it) bacon, dressing and croutons. Essentially a bowl of dry chicken bits and lettuce. This set me off on 'nothing ever goes ok for me' floods of tears. Then flood gates about fear of induction opened. I was induced with dd and it was a nightmare birth. Ten years ago and can still remember. Prob coincidence but still. Three days included 48 hours at ten centimetres and barrage of crap.

Think also total envy of dp best mate and perfect wife having perfect gas and air only labour five days early two weeks ago.

Feel like I am shit at labour, pregnancy and everything I am involved with is a bit gone wrong.

Sorry.... Still feeling upset :-(

Ohh sorry anne hate those wobbly moments :( Ten years ago is a long time in terms of obstetric care - having worked in obs in 2 different regions I am pretty sure no-one would let you remain at 10cm for such a long time now. And your body has been through labour once - baby should be able to pass down the birth canal more easily and quickly this time round. Totally understandable to be feeling anxious and emotional though.

I am envious of my neighbour who popped her baby out on friday night after a 2 hour labour! Happy for her but also... grrrr! Feeling anxious about labour here too. The anticipation of it is worse than the getting on and doing, I think. Glad you enjoyed the Sunpat anyway! It's bizarre, up until now I've craved tomatoes and pineapple and veggies this pregnancy (good baby girl! unlike ds who made me crave curry and cake) but the past couple of days I just want to eat peanut butter. Slow release energy good for labour, maybe?! If that's the case, please get on with it body...

Finally had my baby one week ago on 14 October but only got out of hospital today. Managed to go into labour 10 days late so avoided induction. However did end up with forceps and an episiotomy under spinal in theatre - not quite the water birth in my birth plan!

Lying in bed wincing at the pain of my stitches BUT looking at my beautiful DS in his Moses basket for the first time after a week sleeping in a hospital cot. Perfect.

Morning all - congrats whatsoever and sorry to hear about your long hospital stay...
Baby hooo was born yesterday at 7.30pm - 7 hours after induction started. Had the complete opposite labour to the one I wanted - in fact as I was lying on the bed, epidural and catheter in, about to start pushing, I actually said "This is exactly how I didn't want to give birth!"
Sad to say I lost control a bit in the middle - hence the epidural and there are things dh and I would def do differently if there is a next time. Was quite unwell afterwards - vomitting whilst breastfeeding - what a multitasker!!! BUT my daughter is sleeping soundly next to me and I swear the 12 hours in total passed really quickly. If I can do it, you all can! Thank you so much for your support over the past week or so and all the luck in the world to you all xxx

Hi all. Just thought I would post a little funny bit about my time at he hospital

in my labour bag:

Extra underwear
Bathing suit for the shower
Dress
Change of clothes
Camera and charger
Laptop
Snacks
Chapstick
Shampoo
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Mouthwash
Socks
Pads
Book
Think there were a couple more things..

What I actually used:
Chapstick
Cell phone

That is all ha ha.

Congratulations whatsoever and nene! Hurray for getting babies out one way or another! Doesn't sound like either of you had the easiest time but you got there, which is the most important thing. Hope babies are both well and gorgeous!

My midwife is coming to my house this morning to give me my second sweep. Hoping this will have more effect than the first one! It all seemed so prromising after the first one - some contractions throughout the evening and losing my show the next morning but since then.... nada. Dh has reluctantly gone into work after hoping all weekend that baby would come saturday or sunday so he wouldn't have to go in today. He's a surgeon and operating this afternoon so if the sweep works quickly I might be having to make some frantic calls to the operating theatre, along the lines of "tell him to put the bloody scalpel down and get home NOW!" He works an hour away from home, too. Yikes. Oh well, likely I am being overly optimistic in hoping for something to happen today anyway. We shall see.....

How are the rest of you ladies who are still waiting for bump to become baby?!

Mummy2benji, re what did I actually do during pushing stage, it's hard to describe it as a task I did, as I was trying hard NOT to make it a task IYSWIM, but essentially I did these things, but not in a cognitive, detatched 'I am choosing to do this now' way:

1 Breathe deeply and permanently on my gas and air, concentrating on DH's voice telling me how to breathe it effectively (he is a dentist with a specialism in inhalation sedation, and is used to administering titrated entonox)

2 Remember my 2 elder sons and seeing them smiling at me in my imagination, for hope and a reason for doing this

3 Allow whatever was happening at business end to happen and not feel I had to DO anything about it like specifically engage any muscles

I hope that is in someway useful, and doesn't sound too 'woo'. I am not a hippy-birther, promise (I wish!)

oh PS good luck for your DHs professional exam. I understand the feeling. My DH had his PhD viva at 38+2 and it was very very hard for me not to feel a tonne of resentment about that. Especially as DS2 had arrived on 38+2!

Congratulations nene and whatsoever you both sound like you managed brilliantly!

mummy2 I can definitely relate to feeling very anxious about the up-coming labour. It's a strange mixture of fear and excitement!

Milli you have gone very quiet, I hope that means Baby Milli is on the way!

Ok my news is I've been having contractions (maybe) since about midnight. They are bearable, coming about every 10 minutes and lasting about 1 minute!

DP's gone to work (self-employed) but will only take about 40mins to get home if I need him. I've just had a bit of a tidy round, just need to vacuum and am now watching Day Break! I know I should really get off the sofa and bounce on my birth ball or walk around, but I'm tired and can't be bothered

All very exciting stuff!!

Congratulations nene!! Well done

I am going on the castor oil today I think. I bought it last week, hoping I wouldn't have to use it but i have a sweep booked for tomorrow and I dunno...I feel so bunged up anyway, I'm 40+6 and I feel about down and out about the whole thing...I wouldn't say my MW is mean or anything but she gets a bit po faced about things and I want to avoid her, if I can. She's on call tomorrow night so would come round if anything happened after the sweep for our booked HB.

Who knows if it will do anything at all! But if nothing else, I could do with a clear out

I'm totally into this idea of concentrating on not actually doing anything, of just letting your body do it's thing - and in the natal birthing prep, she talks about just letting the concertina like muscles of the perineum just fan out...it's all about relaxing really so given what you've said weezl and mummy I'm much more inclined to give it a go :)

Oh gangly yay on the contractions - long may they continue! How can you tell, if you don't mind me asking? It feels like so much is going on down there, I have no idea what's happening.

Hi all, congratulations to the new arrivals! I feel much better about my hospital bag now! I haven't packed much. beeble
Ooh mummy hope the sweep goes well. Fingers crossed.
gangly me too! I'm so tired and the sofa is much comfier than the ball!

Nothing to report here irregular contractions here and there. He was thrashing about late last night though. Ouch!
I'm going shopping this afternoon lots of walking with either just exhaust me or help things along!

will either not with either!

Forgot to ask, is anyone still a tad up and down? I'm all over the flipping place. Poor DP.

Orenishii it's hard to explain! Feels a bit like period pain at the the bottom of my bump, then waves up iyswim?! They're not completely regular yet so I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much because I know it can all stop again!

As a side moan DP has blabbed to the world already, so now got the in-laws calling. Not even told my Mum yet

Yes yes to the constant calls - it's beginning to get me very down. We have 8 parents between us - what with step parents and everything - and it's like none have them have put two and two together that

a) they are ALL texting, culminating in a very anxious woman who is sick of having to say "no, nothing happening yet."
b) don't you think we'll fucking well tell you when it does happen??

JESUS.

Sorry, I am just so wound up by it, it's driving me nuts. My own mum, in the same breath as saying yes, I know it's annoying is ON THE PHONE TO ME ASKING IF ANYTHING IS HAPPENING!

massive congratulations nene and whatsoever!! whoop whoop!! giving me faith!

thank you mummy2. your post made me smile again. i has a sob last night and a massive cry on the phone to my mum this morning. feel oddly better.

orenishii whats your caster oil plan? i am really tempted. have you done the deed yet? they have only booked me a sweep for 40 + 11 days and induction for 40 + 14. is it normal to not see the midwife for 2 weeks at this stage anyway? i saw mine at 39 + 6 and now nothing til the sweep booking at 41 + 5??

good work on the contractions gangly!! how are you doing now? you have my inlaw empathy. i like that my mum in law randomly tests to ask if there is 'news'. told dp to respond last time'oh yes, had it a day or two ago just hadnt got round to letting you know...'

orenishii just seen your note re constant calls. we are all getting it then!! i am lucky in that mine seem to be texts not bloody calls. i would be loosing it with calls and telling family to 'fuck off'

Haha that made me laugh!

Well all action seems to have stopped now, so I have nothing to tell! At least they care I guess

Hey Anne I'm fine thanks. Feeling a weird mixture of anxious, excited and bored! Contractions have slowed down now which is frustrating.

In regards to DTD we tried on Friday which had no effect and I was happy to give up on it tbh because it was so awkward and uncomfortable. However DP wanted try again (because he wants the glory of sending me into labour ) and it seems to have kind of worked! So may as well give it a try!

Oh gangly we tried the ol bonking thing a few times last week. thats something you dont want to film. it kind of worked ok with him behind. but it is so not sexy sex..... we managed 3 successful attempts at the end of last week and i am well and truly still preggers!

i mentioned in another thread that the last time we tried my mum called. i tried to block it out but the ring tone was the CanCan and as soon as i noticed he was thrusting to the tune it was game over for me