Due January 2019 (3rd thread)

[Buttercup53]

Starting a new thread for the January 2019 crew! Newcomers welcome :)

Hi @rach2713 I get what you mean about your waters, I feel the same it’s very strange. It’s my first baby so I have no idea what it’s supposed to feel like 🙈
I’m 36+6 desperate to have baby in the next week really! I feel like this baby is literally falling out of me day by day, I have more period pains and more pressure down below every day. Hoping to not go much longer 🤞🏻🤞🏻
Hopefully no pre eclampsia for you! Did you go tonterm with the other 3 babies? I’m always interested to hear from people who’ve had more than one and if there’s a pattern at all x

Same I feel like I have to hold my belly up to keep her in lol. Hopefully you go very soon so you know if baby is head down.
With my first I was very close to 42 weeks before I had him and my second I was about 40+3days and my 3rd was 39 weeks due to pre-eclampsia so this one is a guessing game lol hopefully soon tho as starting to get fed up now..

Ah so anyone’s guess then!
Baby has been head down since 30 weeks and fully engaged for the last few weeks.
I’m fed up too :( I think it’s more so because of the time of year for me, I love Christmas and being heavily pregnant has made Christmas really hard to enjoy. I know that’s pretty awful to say 🙈

No I am finding it hard aswell love to go shopping but can't face it at the moment and it's not the same doing it online as I like to look at it in person. I'm just counting down now just want to feel myself again ..

Know what you mean about xmas, i'm usually like a hyper kid by mid December but this year i really can't be bothered with it, just feels like an extra effort and inconvenience!

I saw another midwife on Wednesday for my blood pressure appointment. She was lovely, but she was quite rough while feeling for baby/his position.

Late evening, I had some sort of Braxton-Hicks or other contractions (belly was going a bit hard, but it was getting painful and was going on for 2-3 hours, every few minutes). I don't know if there's a connection between her palpating and the BH, but I haven't had any of it since.

My Group B Strep test result just came back, and it's negative, so I'm really happy about that. It means I will not need antibiotics during labour.

I agree regarding Christmas - I usually really enjoy it, and am really excited about Christmas from late November/early December, making mincemeat, baking mince pies and Christmas cookies and cakes.
This year, I'm just miserable. I'm tired and hormonal, which probably plays a massive role, but I'm really sad that we're spending Christmas at home, just the dog, DH and me.
We usually go to my parents', but it seems too risky to drive across Europe so close to my due date. They don't want to come over because they think it's too much work for me/us to entertain and all.

I've decorated the tree, but I'm behind with presents (I'll have to send them abroad), and we haven't even planned the meal/ordered anything.

My midwife done that to me aswell on Thursday's as baby is really far down and then baby moves and she is trying to catch her I was not impressed.

I Am dreading wrapping my other kids presents I done some the other day and my back and belly were in bits but the bigger ones are in the loft and there is no way I can get up to get them done.

What are you ladies doing as a treat for yourself before baby comes I have said to my husband I would like my nails done as I know I will get sometime to myself..

As a treat I had my hair done last week and eyebrows this week, the silly woman has waxed a gap into one of my brows though so they look ridiculous now so I’m pretty much in a total strop about that 😂

Doesn’t sound pleasant with the BH following a painful examination 😐 glad to hear your strep test was negative @riskit one less thing to worry about!

I hate this late pregnancy stage, It’s like waiting for paint to dry 🙈 I keep getting twigs and wondering if something is starting but then nothing so I convince myself I’ve imagined the twinges because I’m desperate haha xx

Oh no I would be I a strop aswell if someone don't that to me. It's not even as tho you can hide it easy either.

That's like me aswell with her head being so low when she moves it feels like my waters are going to broke and I just wish they would I also keep thinking every pain is the start but it's not lol..

Hi not been on for a while so just catching up! Had a bit of a scare last night, my vision went distorted and fuzzy and I had a bad headache, swollen ankles etc.. I'd also been sick earlier on in the day which seems to be becoming quite a regular occurrence! Anyway hubby thought I should phone maternity because it could be blood pressure related and they asked to see me so they could check it out, they found protein in my urine, so I was thinking do I have pre eclampsia, but they did further tests (blood) and everything came back normal which was a massive relief!! I however didn't get in until after 4am in the morning so that was pretty tiring!

37+3 tomorrow and feeling really uncomfortable now, can't roll and my walking speed is slower than a tortoise! Seem to be getting pains down below quite often but not consistent and feeling rather inpatient and nervous, despite it being my 5th baby! Lol!

@ruthieruthuk - glad you are ok!

@riskit glad your test was negative. unfortunately, my group b strep test has come back positive today so I am calling my midwife first thing to let them know.

I have had two UTIs now and apparently the UTIs can be caused by group b strep although most of the time it is symptomless. thank goodness I did a private test!

I am convinced I am going to go into labour over the next few days. my belly keeps going rock hard (which I am assuming is Braxton hicks) and I generally feel quite uncomfortable in my groin. as much as I want the discomfort to stop, I want the baby to be born in Jan!

hope everyone is well!

Hello All!
I’m 34+5 with my first baby, awake at silly o’clock again this morning for the usual trip to the bathroom followed by him deciding it must be time to wake up....he’s been kicking away like crazy! No more sleep for me!
We’re off to visit the hospital this morning and take a tour of the maternity unit, has anyone else done this and how did you find it?
I know what people mean about Christmas, I finish work on 28th December and have been so baby-focussed, Christmas hasn’t got a look in! Might have to make best use of Amazon over the next few days [santa]
What’s everyone looking forward to eating/drinking/doing once their baby is born? Silly as it sounds I can’t wait to have a rare steak!
x

Hey ladies! Well after my moaning about being lonely in the house all day myself I ended up having to rush to the hospital with severe abdominal pain - gallstones which is quite literally the worst pain I’ve ever experienced in my life. After 2 days and a lot of morphine later I discharged myself as I couldn’t stand to be there around people any longer. So I’m lonely but don’t want to be round people - pregnancy hormones eh?! I cant have my gallbladder removed until baby comes unless it becomes critical so there solution was just to keep me there for the next 2 weeks until baby is cooked enough to come out. No way Josè!
Anyways, I’d mentioned before that I now don’t see a midwife so between my 33 week scan and 37 week scan I’m not getting my 35 week routine appointment. Is this when you ladies were tested for Strep B? I’ve not been told about this test. A lot of things have slipped through the cracks with me since I was transferred to hospital care and I don’t want to miss any important tests especially when I’m already having issues

@67oonkin sorry to hear you’ve been poorly :( how worrying for you! Do try and take it easy now your home, I understand why you self discharged but do see why they wanted to keep you in too. Any concerns go straight back.
The nhs don’t routinely test for group B strep it’s something you have to arrange privately unless there’s a reason they think you need testing (at least I think that’s right someone might correct me)
I still can’t comprehend why your midwife discharged you? Can you talk to your GP or hospital consultant about that? You need to be under the community midwives for follow up once you’ve had the baby.
Maybe worth seeing about booking in with your practice nurse for a blood pressure check if nothing else inbetween your hospital appointments x

I will see a community midwife again when baby here apparently. 2 weeks ago when I first went to hospital with the gallbladder issues they thought it was preeclampsia as I had a lot of the symptoms. Even though they then found gallstones I was told my blood pressure would be monitored regularly to make sure I didn’t develop preeclampsia as I was at a higher risk but I don’t know who is monitoring this? I think I’ll contact my GP this week. It’s my first pregnancy and I’m very scared. I don’t know what to expect and I feel like things are getting missed. I had to tell the hospital on Wednesday night that I had gallstones as they couldn’t find my notes for hours. I then got moved to another ward where They fasted me all morning to send me for an ultrasound scan to check if I have gallstones even though I had the ultrasound the week before that showed them. I have GD and because I didn’t eat I had a hypo even though I raised this to them. When I finally saw the consultant they had no idea why I was fasting as the ultrasound was never ordered. It’s terrifying that these people are in charge of my care. I don’t even blame them to be honest. I can see how understaffed they are but it doesn’t calm my nerves or help my blood pressure. Sorry to moan. The closer I get the more nervous I get. Poor hubby is having to deal with the brunt of it all.
On the bright side only a few more weeks to go!

@67 the NHS staff are lovely individually but the systems are shockingly bad and you have to be on top of everything if your case is even slightly complicated. I have basically had the equivalent of a part-time admin role trying to manage my care, liaising between two hospitals, booking and moving appointments, chasing up test results etc. Me and my DH are completely in charge and even though my consultant is lovely and very good there are no electronic systems at all really in my trust and everything is just written in the green booklet which in 2018 seems completely insane. They can’t do anything without your notes. What if I lost them?! Anyway I hope you are ok, please do chase them, sounds like a good idea to go via your GP. If all else fails and you are worried about anything then just call your maternity triage unit and turn up there xx

100% agree with you in this day and age why isn’t it all electronic. As you say the downfall in the NHS isn’t the people it’s the way it’s set up and ran. The left hand doesn’t speak to the right. I had a polypocket of all my notes and at 28 weeks when I moved to consultant care they took them off me and now I have none. I thought they were meant to follow me everywhere. That doesn’t great you are having to be a go between. Is your care split between the two hospitals?

No one writes anything in my notes 😳 I asked the A&E dr to make a record of my visit in the notes when I went in for suspected DVT and he said they don’t usually do it which I think is bad!

I’ll catch up on the thread when I’m less emotional and can read properly 😂
Is anyone else ridiculously hormonal and emotional? I’m literally sat crying for no reason at all!

@harrypotter yep....random crying seems to be my new normal! Poor DH bears the brunt. Mind you I rationalise he’s 50% responsible for my hormones like he’ll be 50% responsible for DS once he actually arrives, reckon DHs get an easy ride at this point as at least they can sleep comfortably 😂

@superveggie - I couldn’t agree more! The midwives and doctors are very nice individually but we’ve found the system to be such a nightmare, test results never arriving, being given half information, thousands of tests but all very disparate and unconnected, unhelpful receptionists... it’s been very stressful for us!

@harrypotterfan1604 - yes so emotional. I keep crying when I see all my stretch marks in the mirror- I feel so self conscious - they are covering all the top of my thighs, under my boobs, hips and tummy.... 😪 just before I got pregnant I felt like I was in best shape I’ve ever been in and I’ve had such horrendous SPD I can’t even walk so I’ve put on a ton of weight ☹️ Anyway moan over..... I know it could be a lot worse!

Hope everyone is doing okay ❤️

I’m glad I’m not crying alone haha
I’m not a crier so it’s really weird to cry so much for me.
I hate everyone around me right now except DP who is actually being really good to me and being understanding of me being a totally physcho!
Part of me wants to hibernate until baby is born and part of me gets lonely when I’m home alone all day and then I hate that too 🙈 literally can’t win I’m never happy 😂

@67oonkin the Group B Strep test is private - the NHS do not routinely offer it.
It is recommended to have it done after week 35 (and before week 37 I think).

I went to gbss.org.uk/ and had a look at the information there, and then ordered a test kit via email through the page: gbss.org.uk/info-support/pregnancy-and-birth/information-on-testing-for-group-b-strep/ecm-test-where-how/

It's £35, and you can pay via cheque, by filling in card details and sending it by post with the swabs (I didn't feel that was safe) or by calling them after a few days (please do call them first to arrange this before you send the swabs back just to make sure that they are okay with it and don't charge you an additional fee).

I talked to my midwife about it before ordering the kit, and she said she would do it if she was expecting.

It is very quick - I think I ordered the kit Wednesday or Thursday, got it Friday, and sent it back Monday. I paid Wednesday and got the result yesterday via text. They should also contact my community midwife (you add details for consultant/midwife when you send back the swabs).

The processes in the NHS are a mess - but I also think that some of the people working there are either too busy or too distracted to make an effort to read notes, which causes additional and unnecessary stress.
I've found that they fill in my notes in different places, so it doesn't seem to be particularly easy to read them either.

@le42 if your SPD is bad and you don’t have crutches yet - get them! I was stubborn and refused them at first but they have helped so much. I’ve had them since September and I don’t think I would’ve managed this long without them. I’m still in mega pain but it takes some of the strain off. Since baby has started moving down it’s started to get worse.
It’s hard with the stretch marks. I remember getting them as a teen when I lost weight and I was devasted. They do fade right down though. Bio oil is your friend!

Thanks @67oonkin - some days are worse than others and I live in a flat up stairs... have to brace myself to get up the stairs it literally makes my eyes water... I'll check out crutches, thanks.

Can I ask what outfit everyone is planning to bring baby home in, it's gotten so cold last few days I'm not sure how many layers to pack in the hospital bag!?