PG after MC: Posifrickitivity thread for the batsh*t crazy

[WhatWillSantaBring]

Welcome ladies, new and old. May we all have dull and boring pregnancies. Pull up a chair, crack open a bottle of (non-alcoholic) wine and settle in for mutual handholding, fishslapping and neurosis.

hurray total wonderful news! So happy for you! It's very unlikely to get worrying results 2 weeks later if the initial ones are OK. saggy I hope it's the same for you on Monday!

martha and cbeebies congratz on your good scans

I had my 34-week midwife appointment today and all is well so I've calmed down a bit (they found a trace of glucose in my urine last time so I was worried it'd be the same today). It was a bit different midwife today, not the one I normally see, and when I lay down to get measured she had the cheek to tell me that I have a big bump (to which I responded "do I? I've been measuring fine so far") and I should eat less cake!!! Luckily I didn't get offended, I think she was joking, she changed her tune shortly afterwards and said it's the way the baby's lying and she caught me in the middle of a braxton hicks so when she measured me again it was fine...hmmmmmmmm! She was lovely afterwards and answered my questions reassuringly so I've decided not to let her silly comment ruin my day!

So pleased for you total :-)

pentagon, silly woman said nothing about eating less Tunnocks' tea cakes though, did she? I think there is a wide margin for interpretation there! Yumnumnum.

hmmm, I love Tunnocks' tea cakes! True tea, I can tuck into those

total i'm so happy for you, what a great friday for you :) and cbeebies great scan news for you yay!

i've been off for a day or two so lots to catch up on, sorry if i've missed some biz. sorry for all the worries, saggy hope monday comes quickly for you and got everything crossed for a great result.

pentagon you're at 34 weeks waaa!!!! i find it hard to believe i'll be 31 weeks tomorrow...hard to believe that the countdown is in single figures eek! hope you called the midwife a fat cow under your breath, pah! you'd think they'd know better than to say something like that! now i want a tunnocks tea cake. luckily i had a box of profiteroles in the fridge, i'm heading to my mums for a cosy night and crap tv and we're going to eat them straight out of the box in our pjs yay!

garden i'm hoping for a water birth in the midwife led unit, difference is that it's the floor above the delivery ward in the hospital so i don't know about the birthing centres. the way i look at it, you may be on a 20minute ish wait even if you were in a hospital if you needed an emergency cs for example...so might not be too much different?!

pink how bizarre that hippo has turned into little mousey! must have been the way she was lying? but yay for not such a sore fanjita :)

Grr just wrote a load then lost it.

Thanks for the birthing centre feedback. Someone mentioned weather which may actually be the deciding factor. We'd struggle to get to the hosp if it's snowing but would have some chance of getting to the birthing centre. Best it doesn't snow as actually I would struggle to get out of the village full stop!

Pink That sounds strange! I'm measuring 2 wks under and midwife didn't batter an eyelid. With DD1 I measured 2 under and a different midwife made me go for a growth scan. It was pointless! Scans and tape measures at this stage are all a bit hit and miss in my humble opinion. What did she say about 'hippo' scan????

Total that is wonderful news xxx

Hi ladies... Here's the latest.. MW texted this mornin saying she would phone shortly - a hour later she did, she pulled up my results and told me it had nothing to do with my bloods and that it was bacteria in my waters.

Went for the appointment and the Dr said that there was bacteria but there's nothing to take for it - apparently its a friendly bacteria - so I questioned him about the letter and my bloods etc he had to phone another Dr that one read the screen and said "abnormal bloods" so I freaked and he said it was nothing to worry about and they wouldn't even look at that particular result! The first Dr scoffed at the screen!

Made a appointment with a female Dr next week who we saw post MMC as we trust her, need to discuss my poor level of care and the ridiculous crossed wires over my results... It made me really ill last night and all because of her incompetence!

Scan was fine! Baby is now 13 weeks and of course it has been posted all over Facebook ;). He wouldn't stay in a good enough position to be screened for Downs etc so they suggested taking bloods in 3 weeks. DH is not happy about that and had insisted he attends my next Drs app to push for another scan in a bid to get the screening done

Yay total so happy for you - what a huge relief.

And cbeebies that's brilliant that all looked good at your scan and how nice that you've got another so soon.

fod all the mixed messages sound v confusing! But as long as there isn't anything to worry about. Hopefully the female doctor can help clarify next week. But in the meantime hurrah for a happy 13 week scan! That's awesome.

saggy hope you're hanging in there.

3 days until Tuesday 12 week scan...eeeek...will be keeping busy this weekend to distract myself! Hope everyone else has fun plans x

Garden - I am much in agreement that tape measures are a pile of crap! I'm sure she is still a baby hippo - and I am just hiding her well! All it means is that despite having the scan results to prove it, I don't get another scan to check as there were 'no further instructions' to the midwife.
I am very tempted to just call the hospital nearer the time if midwife won't budge, and see what I can do about getting another scan to check. But - dont have to worry about tht for a few weeks.

I am reading the birthing centre feedback with interest! Although I am now fairly convinced I want to be near the drugs and doctors - just in case - my 'calm and peaceful hypnobirthing' is seeming further and further away!

Fod - fab news on your scan :)

Garden can you arrange for the MLU and then transfer to the hospital on the day if you aren't happy. Kind of cover all of your bases?
IBIP at the end of the day, pre birth predictions about babies size weight and shape are generally bollocks. My 8lb3 ds was going to be long and lean. He was definitely more in the hippo line!
CBeebies that's great news.

total that is wonderful news i am also keeping everything crossed for saggy

fod what absolutely shite service you are getting all round. I also have a lovely female GP who i would adopt if i could it is good to have someone who you can really trust.

Good luck for your scan birds

WRT Birthing Centres etc. I had a EMCS with DS, incidentally janie if you need a EMCS they waste no time whatsoever - they had me signing the consent and into theatre within minutes.

In my heart of hearts i would absolutely adore to go to the birthing centre (which luckily is based within our hospital so any emergencies are dealt with immediately) and have a completely MW led birth, with candles massage and a birthing pool. But DS was a big baby, 2 weeks over, EMCS and i had lots of intervention when giving birth to Baby J (our last MC) last year. I just know that this one wont go smoothly even if they would let me have MW led care.

My point is that i would rather have either a completely natural water birth in the birthing centre or a ELCS. I kind of dont want the middle bit IYSWIM (y'know - epidural, pethidine, forceps etc etc) As i know that i would end up with intervention anyway i am going to opt for a ELCS.

However as many have said this is a completely personal choice and not one that MW's should be pushing for (unless it is for medical reasons - ie in my case i know they wouldnt let me have pure MW led care due to my history)

Sorry did i go on a bit there!!

Thanks ladies It's not helping much but at least the Female Dr is competent.... Oooo here's a interesting story... Her cousin created mumsnet!!!

Fod congrats on your scan

Pink it really is hit and miss (and annoying to boot!) and sometimes I wonder how beneficial the tape measure and growth scans are when they are so inaccurate. But I am neither a midwife or sonographer so what do I know. Ha Ha! Having thought of snow I'm now worried about that too. Also you can't have an epidural in a birthing centre which I think is odd. I didn't have one with DD1 (until ironically after she was born) but I'm not sure I like the fact that it's not an option unless you want a 25min ambulance journey! Still I will go along and take a look at the birthing centre in a wk or so and update you on what I find....

I would have loved to have this one in a birthing centre but as I lost so much blood post D and C both during and post op they have out me down as high risk! I'm gutted as I have only ever had gas and air, however DH is chuffed to bits as he hates the idea of me being somewhere where I can't get medical intervention should I need it. I think it's mainly because he witnessed me hemorrhaging post op and saw all the specialists running in and out and doing all sorts to me -he's prone to fainting on hospitals anyway- so this really knocked him for six

Thanks Saggy and Martha I had my half written post open for ages so missed yours. I intend to do the booking in for the birth centre which you have to do by 34 wks here and then at least it's an option. Like I say it's not really about me it's more if there was something wrong with baby exactly what would they do? I guess I'll find out on the 'tour'. The midwife was saying its only a 25 min ambulance journey but what if there isn't an ambulance immediately available etc etc . Plus I'm getting on a bit and although I still feel 25 am in fact apparently 38 so I feel there is more risk???

oh fod i can absolutely understand why your DH wants you in a hospital, my DH is the same. He would flip if i even suggested a home birth (on the other hand my friend seriously considered it for her second as her first birth was over in 3 hours and was seamless )

and fod i am overawed that you are being cared for by such esteemed family

Fod my DH is also anti birth centre for those reasons....can safely say when they whisked me into theatre after DD1 and left him sat alone in a room holding DD1 he pooped himself. I sent my lovely midwife back to look after the poor sod!

garden if i am totally honest (and i deleted this from my last post before hitting send) that i would also worry that there wasnt an ambulance available, and if the birthing centre is 25 mins away that could be a long wait. However, i would imagine that if the first signs of distress were evident then they would get you to the hospital. To be fair my delivery suite was right next door to theatre therefore IIRC they monitored me for a while before it became evident that i needed a EMCS. I think for you, once they take the decision to monitor you then they would get you to hospital.

Am i making any sense? in a nutshell, i would say if this is your first birth and you are not categorised as high risk then definitely go for the birthing centre if that is what you want. (that was what i wanted with DS but got too far down the line) Then i think that they would send you down to hospital at the first sign of distress, rather than at the point when they decide a EMCS is needed.

FWIW i absolutely love hearing stories of hypnobirth/birthing pool/candles and massage type births as that is my parallel universe! I am just an old codger who is tainted by past experience of-a baby hippo

TBH, having very strong views on my previous births, in my heart of hearts I want the MLU attached to the hospital. I was all prepared to demand home birth if I was told no. But, given recent developments, I don't really mind as long as the baby is ok.
I think the best thing is to make a plan but keep a very open mind that you can change that plan at any time. does that make sense?

Sorry i didnt read your post this morning properly garden.

I think you know what you want, and i believe you are thinking sensibly. If you have a look around and love the feel of the place then go for it. Does your past experience make you high risk? I wouldnt have thought so, but do just go with your gut feeling

Absolutely saggy i know exactly what you mean, which is why i am just going to go for the other extreme (ELCS). I know it is major surgery but i have had it before and know how to cope with the after care. Like all of us i dont really care as long as i get a crying baby at the end of it!

Hope you are having a relaxing weekend saggy (or shall i call you Louise )

Oh Jeeze! I guess I don't really need to decide now and there really isn't any point in worrying about if till the day, knowing my luck they will both be full and I'll have to travel 40 miles to the nearest available maternity unit or give birth in the stream at the back of our garden!

Awww thanks for sharing garden and martha that will definitely make him feel more ''normal' about his feelings about the birth... The whole mc experience has made him incredibly over protective of me and he has a excellent bedside manner... In all honesty Im quite happy to be wrapped in cotton wool atm ;)

Martha no it doesn't make me high risk. Like I say it's more about the baby...after 2 MC's I just want a healthy baby and wonder what facilities they have to cope with any problems once they are born. Although appreciate I may be over worrying here!!!

I am relaxing, and scarily calm!
I rang my local screening department this morning. I was very polite, although quite angry inside, and told them what had happened yesterday, and that I wasn't happy with the needless wait I had. I didn't speak to the original midwife, but this one was very apologetic, said the doctor yesterday was quite right well duh! and she doesn't know what the first MW was thinking of. She is going to investigate and Ill get a call next week.
TBH, Its done now and Im more focused on the baby than complaining, but as I told her, I would like them to carry this forward and hopefully NOT put anyone else through 10 days of needless hell!