The Berry-Copter!!! (Early 2015 edition)

[FeatherFeather11]

Here we go! Here's to a big Berrie clusterdiff from the other thread and many a safe and healthy baby Berrie arrival in 2015!

Hi Feather,

Okay, firstly go to the Sleep board on MN , full of amazing advice and also every other thread is all "my newborn won't sleep!" so you know you're not alone.

Yy to hot water bottle in bed, plus dummy. I know some people loathe them but they really help Dodo settle on bad nights.

She slept on me for two nights and then I had a dream I rolled over on her and woke in tears, and said no more! We figured out a compromise of, and this may be a bit hard to explain, but.....

-turned my pillow so it was perpendicular to the headboard of bed, "long and thin" as opposed to the usual way you'd have a pillow
-put a firm rolled up towel along the side of the pillow to prevent Dodo rolling into the pillow
-put Dodo alongside the pillow so I could cradle her in my arm as I slept

She accepted this as a substitute for chests, along with a dummy!

Okay not sure how clear that explanation was so will post a pic of set up just in case it's helpful. Should stress this is a random thing I did on my own but I think it meets safe sleeping guidance as baby has own blankets, cannot get under your duvet, and cannot get smothered with pillow. Snuzpod prevents baby falling even if she does roll.

So you just have head on pillow as normal and you can cuddle with one arm.

Stuffed toy represents baby!!

Hi all. Had a private scan today ( one of those quick ones as mother in law is here and wanted to show her the baby). I was so excited about seeing our LO again but the technician spent more time on my fibroids than baby. The fibroids have grown massively in last 3 weeks and the big one now measures 11cm while the "small" one is over 7cm. I am so worried at their massive growth and all the possible complications. A quick search on MN showed lots of stories of complicated births - including premature labour, post partum heamorrhaging and extremely painful degeneration requiring hospitalization. And most of these cases are for women with far smaller growths than me ( a big fibroid is anything over 5 cm). I am trying to focus on the baby that still seems well but I am so worried these f@&?ing things will affect him, take away blood supply or induce labour early. I am also scared about what happens after birth and potentially having to have a hysterectomy. Also worrying about bump size, which I am sure is not helped by fibroids - I have so far only gained 2 pounds and am still size 8 but already look like I have a football under my top and am about 2 months further ahead than I am. How big will I get? Will I even be able to walk in the end...

I know I just need to wait till I see the consultant on 10th march and there is nothing I can do before then. I also know that Dr Google is a great harbinger of doom, but i just feel so helpless.

I am sure all will look better when I have a way forward plan. Or even tomorrow after a rest

jelliereading your lovely news has really cheered me up. Will you be having an early scan in the clinic? It's the loveliest thing.

rp I love the ingenuity in creating a safe sleeping place for Dodo. Looks very cosy indeed.

feather I hope rp' s tips help and cleo is soon giving you some much needed shut eye. A few of my friends used things like Ewan the sheep ( with the heartbeat simulator) which seemed to help.

lady how are you? Is baby still breach?

Sorry for my moany, self centered post. Just feeling horrid today but I am sure all will be better tomorrow.

I'm sorry about the big fibroids Pearl, these extra scans are supposed to be reassuring! Is it worth a phone call to your midwife on Monday or the hospital to give them the scan results and see if they want to see you earlier? If your husband is a cardiologist is he on DNUK? Maybe he could post a question about the fibroids in the O&G forum.

pearl might be worth making an appointment with your consultant to discuss. Did you get a report from the private scan?

Thanks so much for the suggestions RP and pearl: I threw everything you guys suggested at getting her used to her bednest today and it seems to have worked a treat! Ewan, hot water bottle and dummie combo seems most effective Nd she's had more sleep today since her birth - THANK YOU.

How is everyone? Sorry to waffle on about myself so much recently. Normal service will resume once I've got the hang of things - promise! Just give me another week or so. xxx

Sorry - meant thank you jellie re hit water bottle suggestion xxx

Oh Pearl I can see why you are worried. Can you explore ELCS if birth might be difficult? But look, you will see a consultant in 10 days and I'm sure they've dealt with worse before, they always have :)

Feather great! I will also say, Dodo did not want to know about her Snuzpod for the first two weeks but she now spends about 50% of the night in it, typically going down in it at first and then coming into her cosy place in our bed in the early morning when, I think, the temp drops. Last night she slept from 1am-6.30am and then after feeding from 7.30-12.30 -! So it may well get much easier soon. (Am finding bf tough though, so it's not all smuggery chez Peasant!)

Lady when are you off work? Can't be that long now....?

2 weeks

Pearl so sorry you're having to deal with those worries but as RP said, your consultant will have come across this before and will give you a plan. In the meantime, do what you can to focus on the fact that the scan didn't show any issues with how mini pearl was forming and try and trust that the medics will know what to do.

Feather so pleased to hear you had a successful night! Hope it's the start of many.

Rp you hear of bf just suddenly clicking for babies so I do hope that happens for you..? Or are you resorting to bottle?

Had my 16w appt with midwife this week and totally uneventful. She basically asks me how I'm feeling and if I have any questions, tells me that I should start feeling movement at 20w and then I'm out the door again. Am I getting a bad service or is this totally normal?

Bushy what time's your scan on Fri?

Lady is it 2 or 3 wks left of work for you? How you coping with it?

Trying to do something about weight gain now I'm in 2nd tri. I still have hunger pangs but not so bad as it was. I've gained 9lbs in 16wks which is terrible, especially as I'm already overweight. Off for a walk with friend this morning and then a swim this evening. So glad we're edging towards spring.

Pixie I have really struggled with motivation to exercise, at first due to nausea, then tiredness, then general winter crapness. I'm glad the days are getting longer again! My 16 week appointment was also brief, just urine dipstick and BP check. They didn't start listening with the doppler until 25 weeks. Are you considered low risk or do they keep you under the consultant due to IVF?
RP and Feather, it sounds like you are both coping really well, I've put Ewan the sheep on my amazon wishlist!

Lady I'm low risk, no special treatment anymore.... yes she did dip test and bp too. I just think she could be a bit more forthcoming...most of the info I've had is due to questions I've asked but perhaps that's just normal and I've been spoilt by the brilliant consultant we had going through ivf.
Hope everyone's having great wknds.

Lady - 2 weeks how exciting! Are you all ready? I'm already giggling if I get a meeting invite later in the year!

Pearl - sorry to hear about your fibroids. Its non stop worrying thus business.

Feather! Glad the sleeping tips helped, hope you get a good few nights on the trot now.

Pixie- I wouldn't worry massively about your weight, you may just have had a spurt. It may level out iyswim.

I have a scan on the 13th! I also have a doctors appointment in the morning... This is going to be the loooooonges 2 weeks ever! I can't wait to see if there's one or 2! I hope its not too early for heartbeats. I'll just be 6 weeks. When did you ladies have your first?

Jellie yes I certainly have had growth spurt...not sure baby pixie has though . I blame the weight gain on massive boobs.
I had my early scan at 7wks and saw hb. My friend had scan at 6+1 and saw hb so I do hope you get the same!
We think time goes slowly when ttc but I swear even worse in early pregnancy when on tender hooks. So cruel!

Lady how exciting!!! Are you doing any obstetric work these days? (Are you a 'general' anaesthetist or an obs one?) does it make you look at labouring mums differently now you are so close yourself?

Where is chloe? She is the next Berry to join the nursery, right?

Feather I didn't even know about Ewan the sheep so that's a fantastic resource! Also Gro Bag who do baby sleep stuff have a wotsit that you hold next to baby's ear and it plays soothing white noise sounds. Haven't tried it but my MW recommended white noise, warming bed, tilting bed slightly, and putting in a blanket that DH has slept on so it smells familiar (not you or it will smell like milk,assuming you are bf).

I am persevering with bf right now but it is tough! My supply is up and down, Dodo has gained only slowly, and sometimes her latch gets really rubbishy and I have to spend ages unlatching and relatching her. Yeah, waiting for that magic 6-8 week mark!

Ha ha, just looked up Ewan the Dream Sheep on Amazon and cackling at the review "bought this to replace Ramsey the Nightmare Goat...baby no longer wakes screaming in terror"

RP yes, I cover obstetrics on Mondays and I'll be doing the high risk clinic on my last day at work. I don't think it has altered how I see labouring mothers, I've always found it really satisfying giving them good pain relief and I've always winced at the assisted deliveries, even though I stay at the head end!
Well done for persevering with BFing, I'm really hoping I can manage it but it doesn't sound easy for anybody! Are you getting help from things like LLL and local support groups/drop-in sessions? Did your baby have a tongue tie by the way? It seems like loads of berries have had babies with a tongue tie and apparently there's an association between TT and folic acid, which I suppose long-term TTCers are more likely to have taken than instadiffers!

No, 2 MW said no tie, and she often has a really good latch. Just sometimes can't be arsed! Yes, local support group who are brilliant, but ultimately it's you on your own at 3am or whenever.... That said, it's really satisfying when it goes well, and she is just moving up a size in baby gros, which is a lovely feeling.

Your job must be so interesting, if wince-making at times! I could never handle all the needles - DD heelprick test made me cry

Rp, midwives are notoriously bad at spotting tongue ties, lactation consultants are much better as they do a more thorough check. T had a posterior tongue tie and while he could achieve a good latch, it was a struggle for him (pulling against the tie) so the latch got worse as the feed went on. We had it cut and it was much better for both of us. Even if it's not a tt a lactation should be able to help with the latch - have you tried the exaggerated latch technique?

No, that's a new one on me! Thanks. Will try when she next feeds :)

Worked a treat for us - there are videos and descriptions around (also known as flipple. Basically you lie your nipple in the little channel just below their nose, pointing up their nose, then wait for them to open their mouths - when they open nice and wide the nipple pops in almost on its own, sometimes with a bit of help from you - it's a good way to get a nice deep latch.

lady 2 weeks to go - how amazing! I bet it seemed so long to wait when you found out you were expecting and now it's just around the corner. Do you have any plans for the time when you're off and before the baby arrives? Besides trying to get lots of rest of course.

feather so happy that all the suggestions worked and some sleep was achieved! fingers crossed it keeps being effective.

jellie I had my first scan at 6w3d and saw a lovely heartbeat so there is a good chance you might see one ( or perhaps even 2 in your case!). I've had a few scans since and nothing has compared to the excitement of that first one, but I do totally agree with pixie that the weeks until you cross that 12 week threshold seem to drag on forever.

pixie my MW told me that lots of women gain in their first trimester due to nausea, tiredness and cravings and then this levels off, so fingers crossed that's how it goes for you. For anyone used to watching their weight (as I've always done too), it's hard to see the numbers on the scale go up but I keep trying to tell myself that this is the one time when it's a good thing and not gaining weight would be much more worrying...

Thank you everyone for your kind comments and encouragement - it really helps and combined with a good day's rest yesterday has made me feel lots more positive. I have decided not to make any more explorations myself into all that can go wrong and just wait till I see the consultant in a week's time to see where I stand and if there is any reason to worry. I really don't mind having a c section and/ or a managed 3rd stage if that's what it takes to bring this baby into the world safely, and I probably have to accept that I won't know which way things will go up till the end.

lady is your LO still breach? Not sure if you feel comfortable answering but could I ask your professional opinion on epidurals and do you see them as significantly increasing likelihood of instrumental delivery/ tearing/ trauma? Please feel fee to ignore the question if you prefer to leave work at work, I totally understand.

Pearl I have a long list of things to do on pre-baby mat leave, mainly boring stuff like defrosting the freezer and washing windows!
Yesterday morning I scanned myself and the baby was transverse, then scanned myself at the end of the day and she'd turned cephalic! She's still very active so there's still time...
Re-epidurals: I always recommend this website for information written by anaesthetists on pain relief in labour and anaesthesia for caesareans. The leaflet on there says that the chances of needing a forceps/ventouse doubles from 7% to 14% with an epidural, but personally if the salad tongs are coming near me I would rather have an epidural! Most epidurals now use the low dose of local anaesthetic and are often patient controlled, so hopefully less motor block. No increase in caesarean rate. I do the stats for our labour ward anaesthesia, all 3rd/4th degree tears (incidence about 1 in 25) are repaired under either spinal, epidural top-up or GA and most of these tears are coming to theatre without having had a prior epidural in labour.
If you do need an elective caesarean for the fibroids, we did another lovely one yesterday with the drape dropped down when the baby came out so they could see what they had, and then skin to skin until the end of surgery.

Good afternoon berries, sorry I've not written for a while. it's been lovely to read about rp and feather motherhood.

I had my 12 week scan last week and oh my god,how beautiful! until New i've been cautious with everything baby related, but when I saw the little baby bouncing around I could not believe my eyes. now I feel it's all real and I'm not just fat!
I have a meeting with a consultant tomorrow because baby was ivf but I don't know what it will entail. Well update you tomorrow.
Sorry for short update, I hope everyone is ok, and congratulations to jelly_I'm no longer the baby on the list (if you knew what I mean!)
I saw heartbeat at my7 week scan so I'm sure you'll see one xxx

Fluffy so pleased to hear scan went well. It's amazing isn't it what you can already make out so early on. Get any good pics? Our consultant palmed us off to MW straight after 7w scan so it's nice that you have follow up.

Urgh, feeling very sick today and busy day at work. At 17w I thought this would be over and done with?? Normally eating something helps but apparently not today. how's everyone else?