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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Brackston hicks - stupid question

28 replies

StaryNightSky · 08/11/2007 15:06

Hi All

Very stupid question.

Well series of questions actually

When do you start to feel them (I'm 20 weeks according to the hospital and a bit further along according to me)!

What do they feel like?

Do they just affect your uterus or can thay affect other things?

I get infrequent times when everything from my sternum (ish) down goes Rock hard and I mean rock hard!

I don't want to have to look it up in the pregancy bible (that book scares me)

I haven't seen my midwife for ever and I don't think I will see her for ages.

So come on what do you think this is. BH?

Thanks

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

HolidaysQueen · 08/11/2007 15:09

Hi StaryNightSky - I'm 20 weeks too (and like you not seen midwife for ages either!) and find that my bump also goes rock hard sometimes. And I get all sorts of weird things going on with the muscles most of the rest of the time - aches, stretches, pains etc. Not sure if any of this is BH but I think this sort of thing is fairly common during the second trimester.

paulaplumpbottom · 08/11/2007 15:09

Can you not call your midwife?

CatIsSleepy · 08/11/2007 15:09

I felt them quite early on...from 3 months or so though they were fairly infrequent to begin with
can't actually remember what they felt like at that stage!erm, like being squeezed i think...my tummy would go hard

Sounds like you're having bh
what do you mean by 'affect other things?' what kind of things?

Original poster

StaryNightSky · 08/11/2007 15:12

Oh, I don't even have a midwife. I've never seen her and I don't have a clue how to call her.

Well its not just my bumb that goes hard but everything goes hard upto mu sternam ish.

It doesn't really bother me but I just wondered what it was. IYSWIM

Also for some reason thay have booked my 20 week scan for 24 weeks. I'm very worried about this as there is a high chance of abnomalities due to the medication I have to take. Am I being unreasonable to ask for the scan to me moved forward?

OP posts:

katwith3kittens · 08/11/2007 15:15

Sounds like BH to me.

And no, YANBU to ask that your scan be kept at 20 weeks.

lailasmum · 08/11/2007 15:16

I have been having BH for a few weeks I am 26 weeks pg. Since this is pregnancy number 2 I remember what they are like from last time. It sounds like you could be having them. Aches and stretchy feelings are normal too.

Original poster

StaryNightSky · 08/11/2007 15:20

Oh cool thanks, atleast I can put a name to them.

So do I phone the ultrasound and ask for a new appointment? Sooner rather than latter. Thought it was daft at the time. But given the fact that a one point they gave me due date of october 2008. Which would have been 14months after the scan they had just done I don't think they are great.

Sorry.

OP posts:

lailasmum · 08/11/2007 15:32

Just phone up and see if you can get an earlier appointment-They don't sound too on top of things. Are you having any antenatal care at all?

Original poster

StaryNightSky · 08/11/2007 15:38

Nope!

I've had a 7 week, 14 week scan and my triple test.

But that's it. Not that I mind. Its just that sometimes I get these really dumb questions and I think well who do you ask?

OP posts:

lailasmum · 08/11/2007 15:47

Its a bit odd, I would think that you should be referred to a midwife though I do know that a friend of mine has had very little ante natal care for both her pregnancies. I would get a doctor's appointment and ask for a referral to a midwife or alternatively phone your doctors surgery and ask who should be providing your antenatal care. It seems a bit odd. have you been booking your own scan appointments?

Original poster

StaryNightSky · 08/11/2007 15:54

Oh No

They refered me to the midwife. She was on holiday for a week or so. I've called several times and asked for an appointment to see her but apparently she is too busy.

The docotr refered me for the first scan and all the scans have been booked at the end of the last one IYSWIM. At the Ultra sound department in the maternity hospital.

I check my blood pressure every day as it has been very low my entire life so I have to keep and eye on it.

I don't mind really, its just if I've got a stupid question!

OP posts:

lailasmum · 08/11/2007 16:02

I think you should be getting more care than you are. I mean things like urine tests for gestational diabetes, I have been having these every appointment and the routine blood tests that happen at various stages And then there is stuff to find out about like Anti D if you are rhesus negative. They should be answering your questions. Just keep bugging the midwife, you have slipped off their radar.

HolidaysQueen · 08/11/2007 16:23

Stary - where are you? If you're in London then I know there are huge midwife shortages and I think that has affected what they do. I'm in London, and have had only 2 appts so far in 20 weeks - I saw the dr at 6 weeks to get the hospital booked and then the midwife at 11 weeks for booking and scan. I then won't have seen anyone until 22 weeks - when I finally get my 20 week scan. I think they just leave you to get on with it a lot of the time, but it completely depends on your hospital so it can be quite disconcerting on here as some people get much more frequent care and especially as a first time I find I don't have a clue if a symptom I have is normal or not.

FWIW, I have stupid questions all the time (had one about oily nipples the other day!) and usually find someone on mumsnet has the answer...

I def think it would be worth you trying to get your scan brought forward. I am tearing my hair out waiting until 22 weeks so can only sympathise greatly with you having to wait even longer.

Original poster

StaryNightSky · 08/11/2007 16:26

I'm in northamptonshire!

Its really rubbish! I don't mind me missing out on care, I very practical and have enough common sence to know what to what out for in terms of major things.

But I do worry a bit about other people, if they get this level of none support!

I'll phone the hospital and see if I can't get the scan brought forward.

Thanks

Oh and MN is great for stupid questions!

OP posts:

HolidaysQueen · 08/11/2007 16:38

I agree - it's so rubbish!!! I don't think I've heard of a postcode lottery quite as much as there is in maternity services.

I do think they shouldn't just leave women quite so alone even if the pregnancy seems normal - particularly in a first pregnancy when you have no prior experience of the things that are happening to you. I think I'm generally quite level-headed, and also a bit obsessed with blood and gore and bodily functions, so happy to try and work things out myself first and so research on the web etc, but even I sometimes wish I had more frequent meetings with someone who knows what they're talking about.

Good luck with getting the scan moved - bursting into tears may help . I would also definitely make an appt at your doctor to get them to chase on the midwife. You may find that you are on shared care (I know my dr will be doing most of my checks post 22 weeks rather than always being the midwife) so they may actually have more responsibility for you than you might think.

lailasmum · 08/11/2007 16:41

My friend (the one I mentioned in the earlier post) had the exact same problem in Northamptonshire, she was in Rushden. Gave up in the end and got an independent midwife.

Original poster

StaryNightSky · 08/11/2007 19:30

Lailasmum

I'm just done the road from Rushden, so tell you friend that things have not improved!!!

OP posts:

lailasmum · 08/11/2007 19:56

I hope you have more luck in the long run than she did with the NHS. Make sure you push for some attention. She said that they have a strange system there where the midwives are in the community for 6 months and then in the a hospital so you could theoretically end up with 3 midwives over a pregnancy if you had seen anyone from the start. My friend barely made it to an NHS midwife, had a booking appointment with a secretary at the surgery to literally fill in her details on the records book thing you get given and then saw a completely useless midwife who had no interest in her at all for one brief appointment. It got to about 20 odd weeks with no further contact so she got her GP to check her over and then she ended up hiring an independent midwife for the rest of the time. Also my friend ended up going to Bedford hospital when her home birth went wrong as she found Kettering a bit crap.

Original poster

StaryNightSky · 08/11/2007 20:05

Kettering is still a bit crap!

DH work college's wife has just given birth there. Their story is not unusal and rather worry.

I really don't want to go to hosp if at all possible. Would rather have a home birth, or a birth a rubbish dump for that matter!

OP posts:

lailasmum · 08/11/2007 20:08

She had planned a home birth. She got told by the midwife that if she planned a home birth then none of the midwifery team would turn up. (they can't do that I am pretty sure!) My friend complained to her supervisor and they all closed ranks on her and protected her.

lailasmum · 08/11/2007 20:09

She attempted her home birth with her independent midwives and had to be transferred for a c section but chose to go to Bedford.

lailasmum · 08/11/2007 20:13

Its hard really, you will either have to shout very loud to get the midwives to pay you the attention you should be getting or go down the independent route (which you shouldn't have too obviously).

Original poster

StaryNightSky · 08/11/2007 20:14

Oh I can shout really loud. But the quality of care is still crap!

Think I will just have to look into some alternatives!

Hope your friend was ok?

OP posts:

lailasmum · 08/11/2007 20:23

She was fun just pissed off with the lack of care, but they were all ok. This was her independent midwife, Sue Kinross

lailasmum · 08/11/2007 20:23

That should be fine not fun

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