👣 Due November/December 2020 - nearly there ladies!👣

[danielasummer]

💫 @NaomiB79 - due 13th November - girl - FTM
💫 @Jwl45 - due 13th November - girl - 3TM
💫 @Jellycat2020 - due 14th November - girl - FTM
💫 @BG1234 - due 19th November - surprise - FTM
💫 @EithneBlue - due 21st November - surprise
💫 @mysafespace - due 25th November - surprise - FTM
💫 @kkr168 - due 26th November - boy - 2TM
💫 @MsBee13 - due 26th November - boy - FTM
💫 @PipTed - due 26th November - surprise - FTM
💫 @Snowwhite2020 - due 26th November
💫 @Pinktruffle - due 26th November
💫 @Bluebell2020 - due 27th November - girl - FTM
💫 @phe694 - due 27th November - girl - FTM
💫 @mummyshark97 - due 28th November - boy - FTM
💫 @Babyhope98 - due 28th November - girl - FTM
💫 @peachypetite - due 30th November - surprise - FTM
💫 @Awkes - due 1st December - girl - FTM
💫 @Amyyy1 - due 2nd December - girl - FTM
💫 @confused107 - due 3rd December - girl - FTM
💫 @lionsmum - due 6th December - boy - 2TM
💫 @lc86 - due 6th December - boy - 3TM
💫 @Asianchick6693 - due 6th December - girl - FTM
💫 @danielasummer - due 9th December - surprise - FTM
💫 @kj1010 - due 13th December - boy - 4TM
💫 @jalu47 - due 13th December - boy - FTM
💫 @Nic2908 - due 15th December - boy - FTM
💫 @Whitter - due 15th December - girl - FTM
💫 @loobeelou - due 26th December - girl - 2TM

and of course congratulations to the lovely mummies who have already had their beautiful babies x

Still hanging in there but I've only got until tomorrow to wait. I actually think it's worse knowing a date as now I'm in panic mode.
Cleaned right through the house and changed all the beds. Everything set up downstairs for little lady now I just need to attempt to make myself slightly presentable and blind shave my whole body 🤦🏼‍♀️😂

Nothing here either. I had a mild cramping last night got all excited then it stopped.

@LRHRN try to enjoy your last day of pregnancy and do something nice for yourself too. X

Nothing going on with me, except baby seems like he's trying to stage an escape, seriously having a party in there this morning!

Saw the midwife yesterday which was a bit pointless, next appt in 2 weeks at 38+4 so until then we wait, and hope things get started on there own!

Interestingly she said they've just redone all the labour ward so they have birthing pools and all the nice bits in the labour ward as well as the birthing centre - really happy about that as quite fancy trying the pool etc but also stay close to extra monitoring and doctors if need epidural etc.

@Amyyy1 had contractions lasting 3 hours. They start off around 15 minutes apart and I got to 5 minutes apart then they just fizzled out :( I was so frustrated! They've been draining me too. Just feel low on energy again. I'm becoming impatient 😂

Sorry to hear no success yet for you all!!! Fingers crossed we get some more babies appearing soon! It's so difficult to try relax and get things done when I just want to be bouncing up and down on my ball to try start something🤣

Have many people had success with expressing colostrum? I've been trying for over a week and can't get anything not even a little drop, not sure if this means I'll struggle to breast feed??

@excitednerves thank you 😍
I've just had a beautiful and very thoughtful card from my husband and my favourite perfume as a pre birth treat ❤️ god I bloody love him.
He's also had a diamond eternity ring handmade for me but I can't fit it on my fat finger yet 😂

@Asianchick6693 sorry you are having abit of a rough time with all these stops and starts. Look at it as a positive though and your body is obviously trying to do something.
The cramps and back ache are all a good sign that your cervix is changing

@LRHRN thank you! I really hope so, it just gets so exhausting by the end of the night. Almost feels like things are building and building and I prepare myself for the pain to get worse but you're right the fact I'm getting them daily is positive. I just hope the actual labour is shortened because of this stage being so long 😭. How are you feeling about tomorrow? I'm really excited for you!

@Amyyy1 my breasts haven't leaked once this pregnancy. I haven't tried to express yet either. Did make me wonder is this normal and will I struggle with supply after LO is born.

@Asianchick6693 yeah I know exactly how you feel it's so disheartening but it will happen.

If I'm honest I'm shitting myself and I'm doubting everything. What if I can't labour her? What if I can't breast feed? What if she doesn't like me? What if I can't cope? What if my other children don't feel involved? 😭
I know I'm totally overreacting but because I know things will start tomorrow I've got a lot of time to think about it as opposed to watching for labour signs xx

@LRHRN You will be fabulous! I think everyone has many wobbles just beforehand but it's probably worse for you as you know the date of your induction etc, try rest up as much as you can, I'm so excited for you😁

Are people taking baby towels with them in their hospital bags? I know they used to bathe baby's quite quickly after birth but I don't think that happens any more does it so not sure if one is needed? X

@LRHRN - That sounds normal: not at all an overreaction! What goes in your favour is that it sounds like your body is well on its way to helping her out :-) ...I'm sure at some point she will declare that she hates you but not until the teenage years ;-)
Your husband sounds like a lovely man! What time are you going in tomorrow?

@Asianchick6693 - Ouch :-( Hopefully it's all doing good work to prepare your body :-)

@Amyyy1 - I've only just started getting a tiny bit of leakage at 39 weeks. I've definitely been told that leakage/no leakage has no impact on your ability to breastfeed so it should be entirely fine :-)

39+6 today. Due date tomorrow.
Literally NO SIGNS of anything at all... guess I just need to keep walking around.

@Amyyy1 with my first I had nothing at all until 2 days after he was born and still breastfed him for 7 months. It’s the birth hormones that will kickstart your milk. Maybe I’m getting some this time because it’s my second?

@LRHRN wow your other half sounds like a keeper! How thoughtful!

@LRHRN Wow you lucky lady, the most I'll get is cups of tea & toast whilst feeding the baby!

@Amyyy1 I've only had a tiny bit of leakage after showering & not every time, I don't remember leaking at all with my 1st & he got milk out fine.

I've just got a caboo sling & had a little practice, these things seem confusing!

Thanks everyone!
He is an absolute star but a complete arsehole at times too 😂
He's told me I need to rest today so I've come upstairs to lie on the bed whilst he's pottering around in the garage. He's come upstairs and said "oh are you planning on staying in bed all day, don't you think you should maybe do something?" Make your mind up man 😂

I go in for 2pm so I can't imagine me having a baby until Sunday but we shall see.
I've got horrendous stabbing down below today which I'm really hoping is my cervix opening.

I really hope things progress for you ladies sooner rather than later ❤️

@LRHRN you're going to be brilliant 💕 I've been having worries like this ever since finding out I'm pregnant and since a couple of weeks back they've been getting more intense I've cried about it. It just hits me all of a sudden the massive change that's about to happen but I think we've all spent 9 months growing them so everything will fall into place. At the end of the day, they're closest to us and whether we get things right or not straight away, we'll always do our best. I can say that for all the ladies on here :)

@EithneBlue thank you. Been having some on and off this morning. I'm still in bed guys! I just keep feeling the need to save as much energy as possible. I'm sleeping a lot during the day as the 3/4 hours of contractions drain me so much to the point when they're happening all I do is wince and near enough cry in pain but can't be bothered to get my words out! Don't know if I'm overreacting 😭

@EithneBlue @excitednerves I hope that's the case as I have my heart set on breast feeding😬

@kkr168 I tried out my friends sling and could not figure it out for the life of me!!! Even had a teddy in there to act as the baby 🤣

I've managed to pack all my stuff nicely into a small cabin suitcase today and a rucksack with my DP stuff and snacks! Feeling so much happier now I've done that - it was in a large duffel bag which was too heavy for me to carry and I was stressing if they were going to make me carry it myself lol

For those asking about milk and expressing colostrum, there’s a video on here that is really great! I watched it and then tried, within minutes I managed to get a few drops.

www.laleche.org.uk/hand-expression-of-breastmilk/#start

I try to do some every day and can get 1ML each time. If I did it three times a day I’d be getting some serious stocks going.

Make sure you have some sterile syringes though - so you can collect and freeze what you harvest. I’ve started trying with the pump now, to try and stimulate some hormones and bring on labour.

Late joiner! 39+3 today

Re colostrum harvesting I think it's a great thing to try as a back up will be a reassurance to you in the early days establishing latch, but at the same time please don't worry if you can't get much/any

Although we produce colostrum in pregnancy, there's no real biological advantage to producing loads of it before birth (as we didn't evolve with freezers and syringes) and the progesterone in placenta keeps milk production in check to some extent. When the placenta comes away after birth you should find colostrum released more readily (and also the hormones triggering mature milk start so that this starts to come in at day 3ish) as well as the experience of actually seeing your baby and them latching

I don't think it's conclusive that expressing before birth will increase any kind of supply in the same way as it works when your mature milk comes in later down the line for all the reasons mentioned re placenta etc. I'm trying twice a day and sometimes have managed about two thirds of a ml and sometimes almost none at all two weeks later. That's with all the usual tips about warm compresses etc, and until 20 weeks I was feeding DD and pumping loads of milk so quite used to expressing. I have a bit to take and would like more but remind myself it wasn't a thing when my DD was born and breastfed her for over 2 years. As I said first though, it's worth trying and if you can get some it's great to take as it will be real peace of mind in those first difficult hours.

Is anyone else feeling a bit irritated with everything? Feel happy and grateful etc but definitely more hormonal than usual, maybe labour will happen soon!

Hi ladies, just wondering if anyone can relate (although I hope not!)

I'm 37+2 and all of a sudden have this massive anxiety over something awful happening. I'm obsessing over reduced movements and suddenly panicking over the umbilical cord being wrapped around baby's neck, either in utero or during birth. Is this normal? I'm really worried and just wanting this baby out now so I know he/she is safe. Just to be clear as well, baby is moving; I'm just crap at determining a pattern/if it is more or less than the day before etc! (Also had an early miscarriage last year so my anxiety is a little high from that I guess?)

@danielasummer hey lovely. All I can say is I'm exactly the same. I think it's completely normal, you just hear all the things that could go wrong and panic what if it happens to you. Even now when I feel her move or turn I'm like omg what if the cord is wrapping around or what if she's struggling. I get my husband to reassure me. If a concern definitely consumes your thoughts, there's no harm in speaking to the midwives. They're always lovely and reassuring. When is your next appointment with the midwife? I always express my concerns no matter how silly or unreal it may sound but they listen and reassure you x

This is me, I feel exactly the same I have throughout to be honest. Plus I suppose you’ve read the stories like on Tommy’s, as that’s how I started worrying about the cord. Thats why I’m so impatient to have her now feel like everyday is a week because I get scared I will have reduced movements and something will happen. I’ve had three miscarriages so I think this makes you more anxious because you can’t believe you’ve got this far. I think everyone feels like this though.. I don’t think movements are the same everyday for me anyway. I think you’ll know if something was up, I had it a couple of weeks ago think it was a quiet day I went in for monitoring and she was back to normal after thank god x @danielasummer

@WensleydalewithCranberry welcome 😊 hopefully your baby will be here in no time, you've not got left now. Do you know if it's a boy or a girl? First baby?

@danielasummer I've been exactly the same. I keep panicking and thinking what if she's deaf, blind or really poorly 😭 I wouldn't love her any less but these silly little things pop in your head and i think it's just the surge in hormones that makes us have these crazy thought x