Catching up with TTC #1, thread 9!

[MrsEG]

Replying to everyone in a new thread as the old one is full! Also tagging @Lemonysherbet @ELW85 @MrsH497 @LokiCat @larrydavid - so sorry if I’m forgetting anyone!

@MrsR16 It’s so weird, I was thinking back to getting my BFP for the twins the other day - some days it feels like yesterday but others it feels like a lifetime ago! I bet now Ethans here the pregnancy also feels like a distant memory!!

@TrashKitten10 Ah thanks lovely - wow a 9 pounder!! Well done you! I will definitely let everyone know as soon as I can once the twins are here :)

@PippaPug Thanks lovely! How are you feeling at the moment? Funnily enough they don’t do the steroid injections at my hospital if you’re going to deliver post 37 weeks so I’ve managed to swerve that one - how have you found them? Hurray for big babies - looks like we’re both going to have some chunky twins on our hands!! Do you find you are constantly congratulated at hospital for keeping them in so long/growing them so big?! I get it every time!

@Fivebyfive2 Joe is adorable! How was your first night away?

@thumper59 12 weeks! He is so so cute and I LOVE the matching jackets haha!

@purplefig Ugh the first lie in didn’t go to plan, I woke at 3 and couldn’t drift off again until 6... so glad it isn’t just us wobbling on names at the midnight hour! Yep ours will be Irish names - narrowing it right down and making it even harder for ourselves!! Hope you enjoyed your last yoga class!

Had a scare this morning; after a shocking night trying to sleep I woke quite late (well, around 9) - twin 2 dancing the jig as always but couldn’t feel twin 1 at all. I tried absolutely everything, I must have had a full litre of orange juice, chocolate, prodding at his side of my belly and I just got nothing. I called DH at 11 and just broke down, and we were soon off to triage. I literally cried all the way there! We had a CTG and as much as she struggled to find twin 1, he’s there and heart is pounding away. She told me he’s very low now, and position wise twin 2 is actually almost sitting on top of him so masking some of the stronger movements. The little swines! I’m so relieved, but it was horrible - I was terrified. Tracking twin movements is such a minefield!!

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend :)

Thanks @MrsH497 that's the one

@MrsEG - oh no, so sorry to hear you’re back in hospital. I hope you and those gorgeous boys are ok!

@Lemonysherbet - I raised a complaint with the head of the midwifery department of the hospital my community midwife was based out of. PALS email didn’t even work for me!
I don’t know if everyone gets a GTT though, if that’s any comfort?
If she Googles ‘head of midwifery’ for the hospital, and then calls the switchboard and asks to speak to them, she’ll get it sorted I’m sure.

@MrsEG so sorry to hear you're back in hospital, that must've been really scary. Glad to hear they're both doing better now and I couldn't agree more: they are so darned cute!! Hope you all get discharged soon.

@PippaPug I'm not doing colostrum harvesting - so much discharge in my bras though I probably should 😂 apparently they only need the smallest amount as their stomach grows, so I wouldn't worry if you aren't getting loads. I got a flurry of messages today too - nice people are thinking of us, but it was a bit stress inducing! Not sure about the sweep...will decide tomorrow. Part of me thinks it's early days, but I'm curious to know if anything has kicked off yet!

@Lemonysherbet does she have a risk factor for developing GD? If not I think it's standard not to get tested (I never was). Also it's unfortunate but not seeing the same midwife is also par for the course. Continuation of care would be lovely, but it's not always possible.

What's the weather like everywhere?! Epic wave watching down here in the south west!

@Lemonysherbet @purplefig and @ELW85 are correct gestational diabetes testing is only done if you hit the criteria. I do they just forgot to book the test.

@MrsH497 @purplefig @ELW85 thanks ladies. Yeh she's meant to have one, she's got lots of risk factors. she phoned up today and they apologised as it had been an oversight. She wouldn't even have known about it either if I wasn't having one and had mentioned it.

@purplefig she's quite a hardy person and wouldn't usually get upset but she's seen 3 diff people who have all either missed something out or been utterly useless so I think she's feeling overwhelmed by it all. She's not one to cry and she phoned me in tears earlier so I knew she must have been treated poorly.

@Lemonysherbet ahh fair enough 💕 I hope it all gets dealt with soon for her. And FWIW I didn't mean to sound dismissive, I just have quite a few family and friends who work in the NHS and I hear so often how underfunded / understaffed / overwhelmed the service is.

@lemonysherbert I sympathise with your friend. My midwife quit but noone told me, so when she didnt ring to arrange my booking appointment at home, I tried to contact her and my doc said they'd leave emails.
In the end I arranged my own booking apt at the county hospital and had to arrange my own 12 week scan and screenings. Thankfully things picked up from there and my 20week was automatically generated.
I know how frustrating it can be to feel lost and frustrated bless her.

Oops sorry ! Typo on @lemonysherbet ... god knows who I tagged!!🙈🙈😳

@PippaPug - I’m not doing anything colostrum wise but I’m not sure if I’m ready for it either!
I hope you’re well?

@purplefig - it’s been snowing here today, randomly, and then back to bright sunshine.
How are you feeling? Any more signs? 😃

@purplefig oh no I didn't think you were being dismissive at all. I can't imagine how understaffed the NHS is, and I appreciate how lucky I am with my midwife which is why it's such a shame she has been so let down.

@jessikka oh no that's not good! I'm glad you got it all sorted. It's a good thing you were organised and stayed on top of it all too! Haha I wonder if @lemonysherbert exists.

Hey ladies :) hope you're all well! The weather here is horrid! Thankfully not as bad as some places I've seen on the news, but the rain and wind is crazy!

@MrsEG sorry to hear you're back in the hospital. It's great that you listened to your instinct and pushed for your boys. I really hope they're okay. They are so cute ❤️ hope you're all home again soon!

@LikeTheFruit huge congrats on getting the consultant job! Must be a huge relief. Hope you enjoyed your celebratory lunch :)

@Larrydavid wedding planning is so exciting and apple crumble bar sounds amazing! Hope you enjoyed that along with the cake tasting! When do you get married?

@purplefig happy due date! I can imagine you must be itching for things to kick off! Have you tried any of the 'natural ways' to induce labour (no idea if they're actually supposed to work)?

@Lemonysherbet so sorry to hear your friends had such a bad experience with her care. I hope it all gets sorted for her! I can imagine it must be so frustrating.

@PippaPug ah that's good your cough has gone and you're able to breathe better. I think the breathlessness is inevitable, especially when moving around - I'm the same; all the heavy weight we're carrying 🙈
I'm definitely getting the cravings here and there, but it's been okay, thankfully! I'm doing well otherwise, just amazed at how time seems to be flying!
Hahaha please do share responses if you send anyone a stock image from Google 😂
Have you been given a date for babies, or are they going to let it go ahead naturally for now?
I haven't looked into colostrum harvesting yet. I know it's too early for me right now (apparently it induces labour?), but wondered when is best to start from? I've got a breastfeeding workshop first week of March so will be full of questions for them I'm sure!

@ELW85 happy 34 weeks for Saturday!
Did you buy your own birthing ball or is it something the hospital gives? So much to think about that I haven't even considered 🙈

Sorry if I missed anyone!

It was my birthday on Friday, so this weekend has been full of lots of food 🙊 DH got me the warmest maternity coat from Seraphine as a birthday present (perfect for this weather!!) although I feel like a wrapped up burrito wearing it 😂
We finally started on clearing everything out from the nursery this weekend to make space for furniture. Then had a little mooch around mamas and papas for furniture ideas and booked a personal shopper appointment for next weekend with my parents, who want to kindly get the furniture set for us. I think we're going to go with the Franklin set 😁
Can't wait till it all finally comes together!

In more exciting news, I found some low sugar/high protein chocolate and hazelnut ice cream from Sainsbury today, which hasn't spiked my levels much - so happy I've found something to satisfy my cravings (although it was difficult to stop after a few bites 😂)!

Hope you all have a good night 😊

@ELW85 it's crazy isn't it?! Yesterday we had hail, then bright blue skies within 10 mins. Still all over the place today. Nothing obvious kicking off...just more of the same dull period aches and intermittent painless tightenings. I'm hoping it means changes are underway but time will tell I guess! How're you doing? Not long til mat leave?

@Lemonysherbet phew 😅 hope she gets it sorted soon. Pregnancy can be a stressful enough time as is.

@LokiCat I haven't tried anything to naturally induce labour yet. Having read through all the research (evidence based birth website is really good for this) there's not really substantial evidence for any of it working. That said, if it carries on longer and the threat of an induction is raised you better believe I'll be chugging vindaloo and the rest of it 🤣. Happy belated birthday! Sounds like a good one - that coat sounds perfect for this weather too! Chuffed for you about your ice cream find 😆🙌🏻

Hope everyone is having a good week and staying safe in this weather. I've got a midwife appointment later...still undecided about a sweep! I feel like curiosity will get the better of me x

@purplefig - Did you end up going for a sweep in the end (if that’s not to much of a personal question!)
I don’t think anything helps bring on labour like pineapple/sex etc because if it really did we would be told not to have any of it during the majority of pregnancy!

@LokiCat - Happy Birthday for Friday! 💐 hope you had a lovely day!
Cough is better now and babies have wriggled down a bit now thankfully!
Everyone is still asking (I think because everyone knows I won’t go full term!) but I’m ignoring most of the messages now - or just sending a bump photo to prove I’m still pregnant!
C section is booked as babies are in the total wrong position - a week today 😱
I’m not sure about colostrum harvesting at different hospitals, but our local hospital only seems to advertise it if your likely to have babies early...(which you may be due to GD?) I was told to start from 36 weeks - the first day I got 0.25ml which I was disappointed with as that was over 4 attempts however yesterday I filled up 2 syringes (1ml each) on just two attempts...was only given 5 syringes (and told that the babies can’t share them) so I went back to hospital today to grab some more, if I continue the way I’m doing I will need to pick more up on Thursday when I have my last scan!

@PippaPug haha tmi on here?! No such thing 🤣 I didn't get one, she said the evidence isn't great (which I knew). I'll have one of still pregnant next week. Have just had sex for the first time in months though 😳 worth a go!

@purplefig haha! We've not had sex for ages!! Think DH is a bit weirded out by the bump and baby moving around! Sending lots of positive vibes to you

@PippaPug glad everything is going ok. When's your c section booked for? How are you feeling?

@MrsEG how are you and the twins doing?

How is it only Tuesday?!

Evening all!

DH has just shared with me his plans for Valentine’s Day...genuinely can’t wait! It basically consists of my favourite chippy tea, and a romantic night in but that’s love ❤️
I'm also in a crisis though. I turn 35 on Monday and I’m not convinced I’m ready for it!

@LokiCat - happy belated birthday!! It’s great that you’ve found some exciting snacks to get you through - you’re doing so well 😊
I just bought my own birthing ball after the Labour course we went on. I’m so bad at using it regularly though!

@purplefig - sounds like the midwife appointment went kind of well?! I think I’d be so impatient if I was past my due date. I’m convinced little one is going to be early but DH reckons 2 weeks late to spite me 😂
I’m good thanks! Work is relentless (travelling to London tomorrow) but only 4.5 weeks until Mat leave...if he lasts that long!
Ooh what if you have a Valentines baby?!

@MrsH497 - I’ve been convinced it’s Wednesday all day! How are you getting on?

@purplefig I wish they could prove more about sweeps! I had mine on the Monday (due date) and went into labour Tuesday dinner time. I eventually had him on the Thursday morning ( my bloody birthday!) Id love to know if it helped or if I would of had him anyway!

@ELW85 I'm ok thank you lovely. Feel like I'm tired all the time and my back is so sore! Just can't get comfy at any time. Had a total freak out about money today and that we won't be able to afford me on maternity leave! DH was so reassuring as always. We've got steak for dinner Saturday our valentines as DH is working Friday. Not doing cards or gifts just going to enjoy a movie and both of us not being at work!

@LokiCat happy belated birthday. That sounds like the coat of dreams for this apocalyptic weather!

@purplefig how are you doing? I finally googled what a sweep is. Doesn't sound like much fun! Well done on the sex effort though, must be like a full work out at full term!

@ELW85 that sounds like my ideal valentine's night. We will probably get a nice marks and sparks meal and watch a film at home, but that's what we would do even not pregnant!

@MrsH497 I feel you about the how is it still only weds vibe. I'm wfh today as I have a midwife appointment but I'm exhausted by weds, how am I going to make it back Thursday and Friday... I also had a money freak out the other day and drew up a budget which I found hugely reassuring, have you done one?

@MrsEG how are you and the boys doing?

My friend had a lovely midwife Contact her and apologise for all the things they've missed. She's put a plan in place going forwards so she's much much happier and less stressed now which is good.

I've got my 25 week midwife appointment today, time is flying by so fast, really need to pick and order a pram soon! I feel like I've not really done much apart from the nursery. I want to look into hypnobirthing too. Either a book or digital pack, does anyone have any recommendations?

@MrsH497 I genuinely cannot remember the last time we did it! it was surprisingly OK though

@ELW85 that sounds like the perfect Valentine's Day plan for a pregnant woman! I keep forgetting it's even happening...though I did remember to pick up a card while out the other day so that's something. Any birthday plans? 35 sounds like a great age to me! Anything in particular that is stressing you out about it? Ahh fingers crossed yours arrives beforehand, but just to reassure you it's pretty normal to go over. In fact, in the Positive Birth Company digital pack it says 85% of women go over their due date and the Evidence Based Birth site (love this website so much!) says 40+5 is more realistic that 40 (evidencebasedbirth.com/evidence-on-due-dates/).

@thumper59 ahh that's interesting! It's a hard one to prove isn't it? Because for them to be able to do an effective sweep, your cervix has to be favourable anyway...so it's hard to say if it's the sweep that caused you to go into labour, or if your body was ready and gearing up anyway. Nevertheless, if I get to 41 weeks I'll certainly be giving it a go .

@Lemonysherbet I'm good thanks - feeling pretty OK considering I could pop out a baby at any time! Re: sweeps, people's experiences of them seem to really vary (from what I've heard/read anecdotally). My midwife said the evidence isn't amazing, but worth trying at 41 weeks to try and avoid an induction. All the best for your 25 week appointment today! FWIW I think having the nursery done by 25 weeks is a pretty admirable effort, and certainly much more organised that me. Re: hypnobirthing, I didn't want to shell out hundreds for an in-person course so we got the digital pack from The Positive Birth Company. It's £39 (and regularly on sale!) and covers everything via videos. You also get access to a Facebook group full of positive birth stories and Q&A threads. I found it to be very good value for money and it really helped me feel less freaked out about birth. And a benefit I wasn't expecting: DH got a lot out of it and as a result feels much less like a spare part as he knows what his 'role' will be.

I hope everyone has a good Wednesday! I'm meeting a friend for coffee and having a potter through town. Might have a nosey in Sainsbury's as I think they've got a sale on and the baby clothes are ridiculously cute in there. x

@Lemonysherbet that's the plan for the weekend! We need to remortgage anyway as ours comes to an end in May (great timing!) but doing little things like swapping our shop to aldi will help!

Anyone else feel pants after their whooping cough vaccine?! My arm is so sore! Well it's hump day finally!! Almost the weekend ladies!

@purplefig thanks for the birthday wish 😊
Haha DH and I haven't had sex since I was about 15 weeks after I had a spotting scare. I did ask whether he'd be willing if we needed to induce labour naturally and he was worried about 'poking the baby' or feeling movements during 😂🤦🏻‍♀️
Hope you enjoy coffee with your friend! I've had to stop myself from leaving Sainsbury with baby clothes when I do our weekly shop. They really do have adorable clothes in there!
I really hope things start getting a move on for you x

@PippaPug thanks lovely!
Eeek you'll hopefully be meeting your little ones on Monday!! So excited for you 😁 how are you feeling about it?
Looks like your doing a great job of the colostrum harvesting as well, well done! Hope all goes well at your scan tomorrow x

@ELW85 thanks lovely 😊
Awww your Valentine's Day plans sound so cute and perfect! We're not doing much on Friday as DH is working (plus he doesn't really like Valentine's Day). He did get tickets to go see Cirque du Soleil tomorrow, though, which I'm very excited about!
Have you got any birthday plans?
Hope travelling into London today hasn't been too stressful for you x

@Lemonysherbet glad to hear your friend is feeling happier about things. The midwives should be there to reassure her during this time, rather than stress her out so I hope it continues moving forward!
You've still got time to order your pram. I looked for bundle deals on the Baby Planet Online website for ours, then got mamas and papas to price match it (I think John Lewis do the same). There are some pretty good deals on at the mo!
Hope all goes well at your 25 week appointment! Can't believe how far along you are! So happy for you 😊

@MrsH497 my arms were really sore for a few days after getting the whooping cough and flu jab (one on each arm!). I felt bad moaning at DH every time he tried to hug me 🙈 it should be fine after a few days though!
So happy it's Wednesday! Any weekend plans?

So glad I'm WFH today. The sun has been out for the last two days, but the wind is crazy. I almost got blown away trying to walk in to the office yesterday!! Hope you all have a nice Wednesday x

Hi ladies!
Sorry to have been so MIA again. After being readmitted to hospital on Sunday we have only been discharged today. Scary few days and I had a really hard time in there, yesterday I physically could not stop crying and didn’t sleep at all. Boys did so well in there though and were taken off all fluids yesterday, so we spent the day focused on feeding. Turns out both had a tongue tie so they have now been corrected. It’s been so tough, it’s so challenging feeding two babies it really is. Just getting literally everything possible prepped for the night at home now - I’m sterilising bottles like crazy, have a few bottles of ready to use formula stocked, breast pump is on. So fingers crossed!
They are currently snoozing away in the travel cot in front of me though and have been since their 3 o’clock feeds. It’s hard to explain and not something I was emotionally prepared for at all - but you really can have your best and worst week ever all at the same time. The physical primal instinct to just protect them and make sure they are okay is so overwhelming. I had so much fantastic support at hospital though, and my midwife and health visitor are both coming to see me tomorrow and Friday.
Anywho enough waffling - have a cute snap as we left hospital for the second time today!
@purplefig Happy over-due date!! Come on baby :)

@purplefig glad you're feeling well, it's crazy to think any day now you could have your baby in your arms. Thanks for the advice of the hypnobirthing, that's the pack I've been eyeing up so it's useful to hear first hand from someone who's actually used it. We were quite lucky with the nursery in that it was a blank canvas, we had decorated it quite plain and fitting new carpet, coving, skirting etc the month before we fell pregnant so it was a case of fill it up and whack up some wallpaper. I say we, DH does it all, he's so handy, I'd be truly lost without him. Oh I love Sainsbury's baby clothes. In actual fact all the supermarkets do pretty well in my mind. Good value for money too. Did you buy much?

@MrsH497 ah the dreaded remortgage. Ours falls in Nov when I'm on low wages due to mat leave. Our mortgage broker was pretty much the first person to find out were expecting as my DH knew I would worry about it being a problem 🤣 I found doing a snazzy excel spreadsheet really reassured me we would be ok. I think I'll even have enough for a cheeky holiday during mat leave. I was actually ok after the whooping cough but the nurse did say my muscle didn't spasm when she did it which must have been why! Very lucky.

@LokiCat that's super useful to know for John Lewis, were tempted to go to the big one in Bluewater as I've heard it's got a big pram selection and it's open Sundays which is the only day we have off together, and if they can price match it means we can buy there and then! Which one did you go for in the end? I know where has time gone, thank you 🥰 it only seems like a few weeks ago I was messaging you telling you I was pregnant again!

@MrsEG oh everytime I see a photo of the boys I become so emotional. You must be so proud of what you've made. It sounds like you've had a mixed week, I don't think we can ever truly prepare ourselves for that crazy rollercoaster but you sound like you're doing amazing 🥰

Midwife went ok, was a different one to usual, no idea why. She was nice enough, but caught me on a bad day. I was already super anxious and scatty (I think appointments make me feel this way) She measured my bump and said it was ok, then realised I wasn't as far gone as she thought, remeasured and told me I'm measuring big, 4 weeks ahead. I did point out I'm overweight and have a growth scan booked and had a belly pre pregnancy. Made the anxiety ramp up 1,000 times and I was a mess when I got home. Had a 2 hour nap to try and help. Still feeling fragile but practicing lots of self care to look after myself.