June 2021 - part 4!

[swiftt]

We filled up the other thread already!

@Sitchervice mine starts on the 24th May as well 😁 I work from home but have a job with long hours and lots of stress, I want time before the birth to decompress.

@Sitchervice What is low Ppaa if you don’t mind me asking? x

@AlRRRR low papp-a is where there is a lack of a certain protein or some long medical word. It's more to do with me and my blood flow into the placenta and what I'm providing my baby. it means I'm at risk for pre eclampsia, early birth, low birth weight exct.

I'm OK with these things, my family are quite medical minded and I trust the midwives and love my obstertrition.

What I'm more worried about are the answers they can't give me. Will my baby be at risk of disability ie severe autism...

I'm taking my maternity leave a month before due date, so it starts at the beginning of May. I'm sure I'll be tired and uncomfortable etc but I'm really looking forward to a month off :D.

I also have low p-appa too but most births seem to be fine so not thinking about it much. My last scan showed a good weight and size.

Ah okay! I’ve just not heard of it, so just wondered! How do they find this out, is it in your blood test they do during booking in or the screening you can have at 12 weeks? x

@AlRRRR it would have been flagged on your 12 week screening

Ah okay! Got you, thanks :)

I really don’t know what to do about my mat leave! I’m due 10th June. Start working from home on 18th March. Was meant to be moving house on 1st May so was going to use up my holidays and start my mat leave then, but that’s now fallen through so won’t be moving til after baby is here. Part of me feels like it’s a waste to use up all my holidays when I’m working from home anyway! I don’t think I’ll have much to do as my job can’t really be done from home, but my company are finding me little bits and bobs to do instead. I might wait til the end of this month and see how working from home goes before I decide.

@swiftt I saw some people on here who are working from
home and plan to start mat leave more or less the week before (i think) I work one day per week, just 14 hours and i’ve put my mat leave to start 15th, so last working say is 8th (my 1 day i work) So that’s 2 weeks and 2 days before due date, 24th.
I have all my annual leave from covid year plus the mat leave annual leave to take when my leave ends March 2022. I plan to return to work and then take every school hol off until Dec 2022, as we need to be in Portugal every holiday :)

We had a 3D scan today as OH hasn't seen baby since 7 week scan and looks like full restrictions will be in place at the hospital for
June , it was a private scan so they don't give you any medical advice , it's literally just to see baby and hear the heartbeat. She was all snug and cost and not in the mood for a photoshoot 🤣 she's a lot more active at night usually from 8pm onwards in particular. So nice to see her little face and hands and for my
OH to hear the heartbeat etc .

@TerryRose how nice to see that!! Can I ask what do you mean about full restrictions until June? Where I am, partners have been allowed since December and even on the birthing units/ wards etc

@AlRRRR Wiltshire the UK men are only aloud in the 20 week scan. I hope they are aloud to come to the birth. And I really hope I won't have to wear a mask

@Sitchervice I don’t think there are any areas in the UK at the moment that aren’t allowing a birthing partner during active labour. Chances are that by June things will be even better.

And you don’t need to wear a face mask in labour!

I’m in Wakefield, near Leeds and my partner has been to both scans and in the birthing unit, the partner (you can have 2) can stay from beginning to end, the woman giving birth doesn’t have to wear a mask at all, this has been in place since end December / beginning of Jan :£)

Sorry I meant, you can have 1, not 2 birthing partners 🤣🤣 2 was from Sept to Jan and then in Jan it changed to 1, still 1 now, this was from admission to birth and afterwards if in a private room like a birth centre for example :)

@Sitchervice I’m in Wiltshire too!
I’m not 100% sure on the current rules but the hospital has had restrictions on visitors since the covid cases hit peak again so hopefully as lockdown is lifted visitors will be allowed again.

@Humpty11 GWH still don't let partners in for anything but 20th scan. He's not allowed I'm any of my appointments or growth scans :(

I don't really like GWH but I'm stuck with it. And the staff can be nice.... Sometimes... At least the midwives and my obstertrition is

I really want 2 birth partners. I wonder if things will change by June?

@Sitchervice by saying you hope your partner is allowed at the birth, you made it sound like you weren’t allowed a birthing partner with your other post. But you are.

@swiftt I honestly don't know. For the hospital I'm going to I can't find anything about birth and Covid. My friend was only allowed hers during active labour, then he had to leave right away.

But if people are saying I am, then I probably am. But like you say lockdown hopefully will be over ish by the time this one's born.

And when I say active labour I mean, the baby is almost out.

@AlRRRR sorry I am in Ireland and my hospital only allows OH for the active labour and birth and can only stay an hour or so and that's it then

@Sitchervice I’ve got a consultant appt in a couple of weeks so I’ll ask then what the current rules are.
I know previously they didn’t allow your birthing partner in outside of visiting times until you were 4cm dilated but I think things might change by June 🤞🏼.
I had my son there 2 years ago and I couldn’t have faulted the care that I received throughout, especially from 36 weeks when I had pre eclampsia. It’s obviously very different this time around with covid but I get some restrictions have to be in place, not sure I agree with the rules of having to be in established labour before they will allow a birthing partner in but I do agree that it should only be one partner. We’ll soon see how things pan out!

@Humpty11 with this being my first, I couldn't do without my partner not being there for the whole of labour. I struggle now with the appointments though I do understand the reason for the rules ect. It's just lonely and I never know if I'm going to get bad news.

For birth I wouldnt want a second anyway. If you do find out for whiltshire let me know. I think though with restrictions being lifted we might be able to have 1 for throughout.