38+ weeks and so done being pregnant!

[MissMarion]

I know, I know, it's not the first thread like this... but as most women on the other threads I was following have had their babies by now, I thought I'd start my own...
I'm 38+3 and so, so done being pregnant. I'm just so fed up with all the aches and pains (especially pelvic pain and carpal tunnel) and overall discomfort. I haven't had a proper night's sleep in ages. For some reason I was convinced baby would come early (my mum never went to full term) but it doesn't seem like it's going to happen. Baby seems pretty comfortable and still very high on my ribs and stomach!! I'm starting to seriously worry I'm going to go beyond my due date... I've even been feeling a bit depressed lately, feeling just neutral about the whole thing, not so excited anymore. I'm scared it's going to affect bonding with baby post-birth and maybe PND??
Anybody else feeling fed up too?? Please tell me I'm not alone!

@WideOpenSpaces

No updates. Every evening and night I think ooh is this the start of something but no! Nothing! Had an appointment yesterday with my midwife and she has booked me in again next week - I really hope I call her before then!!! Not sure what to do with myself today, I've done all the jobs and don't have energy to do anything exciting! How are you doing?

I'm the same, I'm on high alert, thinking every little ache is labour starting... but nothing still. I'm pretty down tbh, between the hormones, the lack of sleep (what is sleep again?), being so heavily pregnant and totally fed up... it feels like time is standing still and I don't know what to do with myself. My MIL is staying with us now and she's doing every chore in the house so I really have no purpose atm...

Honestly I found I slept better WITH a newborn than I did while I was pregnant so there might be some hope there ladies! It was in fairly short bursts of course but slept like a log between night feeds, and being able to nap when baby slept, at least in the first few weeks, really did help top up the reserves again. You can't underestimate the feeling of getting your body back (I BF) either, so nice to be able to put shoes on and get out of bed easily, little things like that!

I'm coming up 37 weeks and seeing my consultant for a growth scan on Friday to decide when he wants me in to induce me if baby hasn't come naturally before then (I am slightly panicking there's a small chance he will want us in over the weekend 😬 depends on growth!).

In an attempt to avoid induction/make it easier than my last one I've started colostrum harvesting and I tried eating dates but I found them disgusting so there's half a box at the back of the cupboard, I might try to find a way of baking with them. I've got some raspberry leaf tablets I need to start as well...

Apparently baby was a bit engaged at my 36 week appointment and she certainly seems to be burrowing her way down in the evening but by the morning she's popped back out again. I was nowhere near ready with my first so didn't have any signs or anything like that before my induction so this is new ground for me!

Any update ladies? Absolutely nothing from my side, let me live vicariously...

We've gone (apparently...excuse my cynicism) from 10th centile to nearly 50thbin space of 3 weeks...but I've had a bad Doppler reading yesterday for the first time so back on Tues for another check and then end of week for another consultant review. Sonographer did say she was struggling to get Doppler because of baby moving so hoping it's just a duff reading but also thinking I might get my induction next week if there's another dodgy one 😬

Hi, I'm currently 39+4 with my first baby and honestly sympathise with you so much! These past 9 months haven't been pleasant at all and just like you I'm fed up at this point and have lost most of the excitement I've had so far :( I had severe sickness the first 4 months & lost a lot of weight. Then started to suffer from PGP, lower back pain and awful acid reflux from month 5 onwards when I just started recovering. On top of that, I caught covid in July which really weakened me (took me several weeks to get back up on my feet) and I'm still suffering from all my previous pregnancy symptoms to this day. I'm 3 days away from my due date and my mw told me she won't give me a sweep until I'm past 41 weeks and she told me that since it's my first I might even have to wait until I'm 42 (I really hope I don't!). My baby is also measuring 2 weeks behind which is making me worried. Praying that our labour & post partum phase isn't as challenging as what we're going through right now

What does your growth chart look like @nezuko? I think the bump measurements stop tallying with the number of weeks towards the end so as long as you're following along the line you've been on throughout don't worry too much about the actual figure. It's if it dips or been small all along there's concerns so if you've not had anything said you're probably ticking along. But if there are any concerns there's no way they shouldn't be at least discussing induction with you for 41 weeks, your midwife sounds a bit of a plum if she won't sweep you until you're in the really risky but of being overdue?

In fact just looked at the NICE guidelines and for first baby it states you should be offered a sweep at 40 weeks and 41 weeks if not first. www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg70/chapter/1-guidance

I've been looking at NICE today as I'm preparing my complaint about Badger notes and it turns out there is a NICE guideline specifically about patient being able to access their maternity info, which I haven't been able to do because the app is appalling despite contacting the hospital twice to see what they can do about it (as the app developer/salesmen tell you to).

My baby has been measuring on the small side throughout my entire pregnancy (last mw appointment was told he's between the 20th/50th centile?) and when I asked whether that was a cause of concern she said the lack of growth isn't that significant (probably measuring around 2/3cm behind than other babies around his GA) but I'm honestly so unsure I've been told by several ladies to not look into the whole fundal height/growth chart too much because it's not 100% accurate

Oh ok, yes from what little I've learned from how they've dealt with this one 20th centile isn't any cause for concern unless it's a sudden drop from a previous measure. They weren't all that worried with me as long as I stayed on or just above the 10th, they'd have had me in this weekend if we'd gone below the 10th at my growth scan yesterday.

As we keep saying to ourselves, not all the babies can be average 🙂

I can't quite believe mine has gone from being 2kg and 10th centile on my personalised chart to 3kg and nearly 50th centile in the space of 3 weeks and that's with actual scan measurements, the midwife tape measure is even less easy to be accurate with.

That said my first induction I did have a small (9th centile) baby and that was picked up by my midwife at my 40 week appointment as I had no growth on the tape measure since the previous appointment so it definitely has its uses but more for keeping an eye on any changes.

I'd definitely give her a shove for a sweep if you want one though!

@MissMarion not much to report from me I’m afraid! 39 weeks ago tomorrow, been having braxton hicks for the last week or so, baby been engaged since my last midwife appointment. Booked in for a sweep next Thursday, been busy bouncing/swaying on the birthing ball and keeping really active to try and encourage things. Hope you are keeping well

I’m so bloody uncomfortable and I’m only just 34 weeks!! I cannot even begin to imagine how ill feel by 37 weeks let alone 40!

Hi everyone,

Any updates from any of other ladies? I’ve had my 40 week appointment today and had a stretch and sweep also, I came home and started cramping within an hour but they’ve stopped again 🤦‍♀️ I have lost my bloody show as well so I’m taking that as a positive and hoping something will start tonight or tomorrow

@Aug12 that sounds promising! I have had 2 and had nothing after. Even went for a walk after.
I’m 41+1 starting to give up

My Doppler was fine this week but now I've got too much fluid so back to the consultant tomorrow for another look... Possibly will get told it's induction time, possibly will still get one more week 😂 midwife today said we're 4/5 engaged so I'm vaguely hopeful.

We must be due some more babies from this thread arriving imminently?

Our little one made her big entrance on her due date (Thursday) at 6:02 am, weighing 3 kg and measuring 50 cm (not at all the big baby I was promised, fundal height and growth scans are really not accurate).
I went in for a sweep on Monday but the midwife couldn't do it as I wasn't dilated enough. I had started having a show on Sunday though, and it continued everyday until my contractions started on Tuesday night. After about 30 hours of labour (horrible pain in the back as baby was back to back, one trip to the MLU, then going back home, then going back to triage, then back to the MLU and finally to labour ward to get an epidural and deliver), we got to meet our little girl via vaginal birth and without instrument/induction (felt very lucky about it!).
It was the most surreal experience of my life (although many parts are very blurry now, due to all the gas and air I inhaled and the overall craziness of childbirth).
Hope you all get to meet your babies soon!

Oh great stuff @MissMarion congratulations although I bet you could really have done with going in and out so much!!

After a very stressful week or two we've actually been discharged back to the midwife as all the issues that had me in front of the world and his wife have resolved and consultant couldn't see any reason to keep hold of us or book for an early induction.

So I might get my 'normal' birth after all whatever one of those is 😂 I'd said see you on the other side and all that to my midwife the day before as well!