October 2004 - Massive Moose - part 4

[beansprout]

Ah - see what I did there? [wink}
Hope it's ok to start a new thread. Computer couldn't cope with the old one.

Ok here, but am on operation not-go-mad today as have been feeling pretty down. Friend over this morning and will waddle into town this afternoon. This will render me exhausted and will then sleep/graze until bedtime.
Have also watched far too many baby progs on Discovery Health. Have become an armchair expert in giving birth ("ooh, you don't want to do that love"). Will get my come uppance soon enough!!!! Eek!!

Many congratulations Toots

Hope things are going ok for Cazzybabs.

Turtle you poor old thing - I know exactly how you feel. I'm convinced I'm going to go into labour during the night (as did last time and seems most common) - will probably be proved wrong. Every night I go to bed now I have mixed feelings between being really tired, knowing I won't sleep well because of pain in hips, etc. I also feel quite scared every night and real pangs of guilt every time I say goodnight to my daughter and 'see you in the morning' in case I don't see her next morning (parents would come over and sleep in house if we had to go to hospital in night). Wonder if I'm stopping it happening by being so negative?

Also feel guilty today, as I should have taken my dd to a once monthly toddler group that she absolutely loves going to this morning(and been 5 weeks since last one as long month), but I just couldn't face it - particularly all the comments on my being overdue and the continual helpful tips on how to bring the baby on (as if I didn't know). Mondays to Wednesdays my dd is in nursery and every morning and evening that I take her/collect her I get all the staff gathering around me 'oh you're still here' etc. etc. SOOOO fed up with it

PS - for the stats this is my second pg and my dd1 is 2.5 yrs.

Distracted - you have my full sympathy on all the comments. I was greeted with "you still here then?" the other day and hey, I'm feeling sensitive at the moment, so it upset me .
The other thing that currently bugs me is sentences that start with "ooh, just you wait..." - arghhh!!

Turtle - you sound fed up too lovely. All I can say is that you have my full sympathy. Hang on in there moosey, we WILL get there (much as it doesn't feel like it sometimes).

Clocking in for another day....

No guilt please from anyone! Distracted, can understand why you didn't want to go, I am exhausted just from trundling up the hill to take DS to nursery and back. And Turtle, all that pain sounds very tiring and stressful - could you take nurofen as well? I think they are both pretty safe for pregnancy and BF at this stage.

DS asleep so I get a nap today - yay!

distracted know how you feel, i have been avoiding toddler groups etc cos of annoying questions and im not even overdue like you. was your dd1 overdue? my dd1 was and the midwife yesterday told me that prob means this one will be too, boo hoo.

Just went out and purchased Clary Sage and will tuck into some pineapple and big mug of raspberry leaf tea. met friend for lunch who has a DB 7 weeks old, she was incredibly encouraging, remembered very well how this time just drags by but there is sod all you can do about it.

Oh forgot to mention the chocolate fudge cake fom M&S - although pissed off with my weight gain it seems to be the only thing that makes me feel better right now -arggghh sorry to moan and groan so much - tomorrow is another day - right?

by the way thanks everyone for your sympathy, I know we are feeling fed up now. I have to keep reminding myself of a girl I met at the NCT class who is due in a week and broke her arm falling in a restaurant last week.

Imagine that - going into labour with the use of one arm - poor thing is hoping she will be very late so it will heal better.

Hi, just checking in to see if anyone else has popped. I´m hoping the fact that geogteach and cazzybabs haven´t posted today might mean things are finally underway.
Lots of sympathy to all of you in pain. It´s bad enough being huge and uncomfortable without pain aswell. Think I´d be completely unbearable to live with if I had that to cope with aswell.
Turtle - Im now drooling at the thought of M&S chocolate fudge cake. No chance of it here in Germany so I´ll have to console myself with yet another huge bar of chocolate.

M&S chocolate fudge cake does sound yummy - we don't have a local M&S but if I'm still around tomorrow morning think I might go to the supermarket and buy some fresh strawberry cream tarts. There have got to be some benefits to still being pregnant (will have to go on a diet once baby is here as have put on ridiculous amount of weight).

Think Cazzybabs would have posted by now, so fingers crossed. Perhaps Geogteach will prove us wrong about due dates?

I put off my third sweep that I should have had this afternoon, giving myself one more day to try natural methods and then if I'm still here tomorrow have got sweep at 8 am and then got to be at hospital 8 am Saturday for waters broken - only 1.5 days to go

Sorry to disappoint folks, but sod all happening here! Just can't face sitting here waiting for it to happen so met friend for coffee this morning while our DS's were at pre school and this afternooon met my postnatal group from DS at a soft play area with all the hundreds of kids we now seem to have between us. I seem to be out and about a lot more than I was around due dates for other 2 hope that doesn't mean its even further off!
Have total sympathy with Turtle re turning over - how can something so simple be so painful?

Geoteach, happy due to date to you!! Sorry to see it hasn't happened yet but seen as how you are a pro I am sure it will all be a breeze when it happens!!

Thanks for the sympathy folks and yes the chocolate fudge cake was pretty damn good

Whose next......

Knew there was someone due today, just scrolled down to find out who it was to wish them happy day and found out it was me

Right. Toots patented top tips, for the whole of the big event - randomly and as I think of them.

1. Ear plugs. Wax muffles ones from Boots. Great for hospital stay. Calms the noise of other hyped insomnniacs and anti-social early hours mobile phone users (you will meet them). Also REALLY reccommend you wear them in bed once you get home. You CAN hear anything resembling a cry, and they stop you hearing little mews and sighs that have your eyes pinging pointlessly open through the night.

2. A pillow from home for labour. Really, definitely. Hold on to it at home, in the car. It understands your pain. Have a bit of something you like to smell on it too.

3. Are your buttocks clenched? Blow out through your mouth. I was amazed that I could feel that my body was opening when I relaxed my bum.

4. Get your partner to try and massage or touch you even if you've decided beforehand you're not going to want it. DP rubbed my shoulders and held my hips quite late on and it was nice and I wish we'd tried it earlier.

More later. Must try and persuade DD1 that nursery is THE place to be today.

Wow Toots I´m truly amazed. Not only do you have a new born baby to contend with and a toddler to get to nursery, but you find time to post your tips for the rest of us meece. Thank you .

So who´s going to be next....

Thanks for your top tips Toots. Had been woindering about the ear plugs. Have been trying to wean myself off them but will now revert back - hurrah!

I reckon that Cazzybabs is either a) trapped under a heavy object or b) ......
Distracted - am keeping everything crossed for you.

Between the lot of us we have managed 2 dbs in a week, so we already havea backlog here... we need to get to work!! I say that, but still sod all happening here. Piglit? Sooz?

Well, bad news from me. Baby not engaged - floating around and lying all over the place, and so I am off to see consultant again on Monday to have a scan. MW said labour unlikely some time soon as baby's head not in the right place to push on the cervix - so more suffering and sighing from me! Not much sleep last night as seem to have yet another cold and sore throat - cue more moaning....

Bored bored bored. Had a crappy m/w appointment y'day (had to wait an hour and a half in the hottest waiting room in history with nothing but Women's Weekly for company) AND I got a parking ticket. Blood pressure was up a bit (having been v low) so m/w is coming round on Saturday and I have another appointment on Monday.

Beansprout is right - we need to clear this backlog.

Thanks for the tips Toots - a friend of mine told me that earplugs were an essential too!

Sending good vibes to everyone for today.

Message withdrawn

Well I´ve just got back from a walk to our village shop and found out that apparently I´d already given birth. The woman in the shop looked really surprised to see me as she´d just heard I´d had a baby boy. One look at my bulging belly told her otherwise and as I pointed out I´d certainly be the first to know when I do eventually give birth. Mind you knowing this village, everyone will have heard the news within hours and I´ll probably start receiving congratulations cards tomorrow.
harman - really great to hear you´re getting the keys, don´t do too much though and take up any offers of help.

I know what you mean Huppa. Some woman I've never met before came round collecting for a jumble sale last weekend and said "I thought you would have had it by now" ??? Sometimes I miss the anonymity (sp?) of London....

Lol Huppa. That's crazy. Piglit and Florence - big hugs. Hope you have good days.

Bean - so glad you get on with plugs already.

Harman - take it easy, won't you.

Another tip: DP seems to have remembered that my job is to take care of nourishing the baby, and his job is to take care of nourishing me. MEECE - YOU MUST GET HIM TO GET YOU LOVELY NUTRITIOUS MEALS - YOU ARE BUSY.

Oh God, I wish you all were busy

Have started Oct '04 babies thread. Just been in there putting up bunting and nibbles and putting on the heating.

Would be nice to have given birth so easily that you didn't even know it had happened wouldn't it

Well in terms of clearing the backlog it does look like Cazzybabs has popped doesn't it and I will have done by the end of tomorrow by hook or by crook as will be induced in the morning (maybe by hook literally ). Probably won't be home for couple of days though to post. Plan to probably stay one night in main hospital then hopefully transfer back to local midwife unit for second night (main hospital one hour drive away). Although when I went in this morning for final sweep at local unit they were actually full and tell me there are lots of people overdue at the moment, so there might not be space!

Florenceuk - don't they say it's quite common for babies not to engage second time around - that they only actually engage when you go into labour v. often? Will give you time to get over your cold though if it takes a while I suppose Hope Mondays appointment goes well.

Have to say I hadn't thought about earplugs for hospital, but sounds like an excellent idea. I'm in 2 minds about how long to stay in as it's nice to have nothing other than baby to look after for a while - no housework etc., but remember real downside last time was that even if your own baby didn't keep you awake all night everyone else's did! Will try and dig some out today as dh has some somewhere.

Well had final sweep this morning and MW not too positive, said cervix still thick. Not a terribly warm MW though and in fact when I questioned her she said it doesn't thin until you're actually in labour and when I read my notes my cervix is no longer posterior (like last 2 times) and she had written 'partly effaced' whatever that means (last 2 times they had written uneffaced). So we'll see if things kick off naturally today or tonight, otherwise I have to set off at 7 am tomorrow morning for hospital.

Of course the one advantage of having got this far is that my dh is working from home today (he works 1.5 hours drive away which has been a big worry) and my mum has taken my dd already this morning so I no longer have to worry about dh getting home and parents getting here for dd etc., when I still have a 1 hour drive to hospital, which has been a big worry.

Very very emotional saying goodbye to dd this morning though . Fortunately managed to pretty much hide it from her as she was too busy being excited about going to gran's. Do feel really weepy today about everything, but have bought myself some strawberry cream tarts and nice meal for us to have tonight.

Sorry - my posts get longer and longer

Toots - keep that heating on, will be joining you and Eyelash soon on the October babies thread

Distracted - you post away, I'm always happy to read what you have to say. It must be odd knowing that it will happen by tomorrow at the latest. I wish you well and hope it goes swimmingly for you. Those strawberry tarts sound just the ticket too.

Toots - LOL at your nibbles and bunting. Don't like to think of just you and Eyelash there with the balloons and DJ all ready to go... we'll be with you just as soon as we can - promise!!

Bean is playing hide and seek (not appreciated). One minute I can feel his(her) back and the next... nothing, just a squidgy belly again... not sure where he is at the moment. And so the waiting goes on....

Distracted you should definitely keep writing as it will at least kill some time

I really do relate to how you are feeling though and I guess at the end of tomorrow you will have a little DB and it will all be worth it. I guess this one is just too happy and contented at the moment - poor you though saying goodbye to DD off to grans, that brought a tear to my eye.

Bean what's up with the little bean hiding? as mine seems to be today also? I didn't think there could possibly be any room to hide. hmmm

Toots, thanks for the top tips, I "hear" ear plugs were also good for busy wards pardon the pun!

Wonder how Cazzybabs is getting on?

Distracted - best of luck darling. If it's any help, I was in two minds about whether to stay a second night, but was told to sling my hook - very bust time.

My huge bubble has suddenly burst and I feel wobbly and vulnerable and blue. Milk is in also feel a bit hot. Will take it easy this arvo.
Beansprout - if you listen carefully you'll probably be able to hear bean counting to one hundred. IE being so advanced, he really is playing hide and seek.

Two more tips -
Am currently sitting on my almost doughnut shaped Boppy pillow (stitches are killing me) it is just the best for feeding tinies as it is stuffed really full and you can get them up nice and high. Ordinary cushions just aren't the same. You can get them from Great Little Trading Company.

Secondly just something from deep in labour (transition probably, though I didn't know it). I thought about two incredibly brave characters in a book I'm reading (His Dark Materials trilogy) and kept repeating 'must be strong like Will and Lyra - they're only children, I'm a strong woman' It got me through some tough ones. So tip: think of strong heroes.

Also, and hth, I think there were really only ten or so total b*ard contractions in the whole thing, and they weren't all near the end, one was at 3.15 in the afternoon, so don't assume it will just get worse, you might be tucking more bad guys under your belt than you think.