Due November 2022 Thread 3

[NotAdultingToday]

Hi everyone! I looked but couldn't see a thread, if there is one ill ask to get this one deleted. I hope everyone is ok!

Thanks @Kaykiscout I'll look at those podcasts. Yes, he's learning the breathing techniques with me. A while back though. I do need to keep practicing them. I wrote a birth plan when I first found out I was pregnant, a reflection on my first birth. But I haven't gone through it recently.

And I definitely do want the scan. It's great to see the baby.i just need to change my mindset around it.

@Bramblecrumble22 that's why I go for the scans they offer 🤣, love seeing baby.

I like to know there's good cord blood flow and where the placenta is, and if they mention measuring (you can tell them you don't want them to try and measure and just ask for certain checks) I remind them measuring growth scan has the margin of error 15-20% in both directions so unhelpful for making any informed choices. Write it down and take it away if it's something you or they are suggesting is a concern 💖

My other half had to get on board with my choices (my body!) else I'd have stopped him coming to appointments 🤣

Yes, the cord flow is something they measure, it's been good. They also have done the Doppler in the brain and kidneys sometimes too. I think it depends how it's lying and thats always been good. It was one Doppler measurement of my left uterine artery (they only measured it once) that had an off the scale pi reading.

Wow I missed a lot. Hope your scan goes well @OtiMama, like Pp have said as long as the placental flow is good I wouldn't worry too much as the scans are so inaccurate. Definitely agree with @Kaykiscout about researching and being aware of whatever you can. If I'd been pressured into a lot of things with my first I fear to think how my pregnancy and labour would have been. My baby also would have been tiny as they wanted to induce me at 38 weeks and by 40 he was barely 7lb. @Bramblecrumble22 I think your other half needs a firm reminder about who is birthing the baby and whose body it is going through all the transitions!! Definitely go for what will make you at ease and keep you calm and comfortable during your labour.

I'm feeling really heavy now and am due 28th! So jealous of those of you at the beginning of the month. Im trying to do an activity each week with my toddler to have some quality time before baby is born. So far it's been lovely but soo tiring. I've also been crazy busy organising the house for weeks now and working. Every day is such a long shift. Im seeing the light at the end of the tunnel though.. took things out of storage and got the car seat ready, pram, basket, bath etc. Also organised all of the baby's newborn clothes and my bag.

And lastly I bought a nappy caddy for all my newborn bits and gosh I wish I'd known about it for my first!! Any first time mums invest! It'll make your life so much easier than having to run up constantly or using a basket and having to sieve through it. Got a lovely space for nappies/wipes/mat/bags/cream etc. only £7 from Amazon. I plan on keeping one upstairs and one downstairs.

I can't sleep either @CurlyNo2. Baby is breech and totally constricting my airways.

How're you getting on @VolcanicProtectorMan? I'm feeling a little bit more organised re our last minute housing changes. It will be tight and I need to be super organised and plan ahead but it's possible now. Sadly had to sell/give away so many things though.

I've also made a stock of frozen sauces etc to help postnatally. Took hours but what a relief now that it's done.

Now to focus and try and spin this baby

@greenerfingers managed to clear two drawers in my daughters room so his stuff won’t be in binbags under the stairs! I need to wash all his clothes though cuz i got them second hand a lot of them. So much to do. Hoping when I finish work I will have time, but by then the weather will be cold so will probs have to use the dryer and spend money 😩 he will just have to sleep in with us until we can move at some point. (I know theyre meant to, but my DD ended up in her own room by around 2 months as she was sooo noisy when she slept I couldn’t sleep!)

Hi all just wondering if any of you ladies have had the Covid autumn booster, feeling anxious about getting it but also anxious and worried to not get it.

@Feb85 I've just had a text invite for the booster and I'm also on the fence. It seems to give 3 months immunity. I had one booster in January, then caught covid in April this year, with mild symptoms and I really don't want side effects this late in pregnancy. I was one of the first to have the 2 initial vaccines, but then I stopped working with vulnerable people and put it off until we started trying for a baby. So I'm not all for it. But I also don't want restrictions on my birth if I'm covid positive.

I dallied about the whooping cough, but decided that was the most worthwhile, it's the same as the baby jabs so very tried and tested. I'm going through the same thought process for the flu. I have it every winter no problems so I'll probably take it. But it doesn't offer long term protection and it's just for 3 varients out of many. There's lots of coughs at my work so I'm back to wearing a mask, now baby was turned head down I can breath better. My reception child also tells me lots of children are not in class this week, so I do feel like a ticking time bomb for catching a virus.

I got the 4th booster as soon as it was available based on the abundance of new and ongoing evidence there is to support getting it to protect you and baby.

Also I haven't had COVID yet and can't imagine how awful it would be getting it whilst being this pregnant and having a toddler to look after, or a toddler and newborn, or all of us getting it. I'll link a great immunologist on twitter that shares a summariser she regularly updates about what is known about the vaccine.

Immunologist Viki Male "What we know about the Covid vaccine"

It's reassuring I promise 💖

Thanks for all your comments, I am very pro using your BRAIN about decisions re your birth, will do more reading as and if anything comes up. Right now they are just monitoring me. I feel lack of growth for me is different to a suggestion a baby is going to be big, but then I come from a family of big babies, so big to some is normal size to me haha.

I am having my covid booster on Sunday, had to delay it due to my sickness bug last week. Having had covid at 20 weeks and the feeling was awful, I will take any potential extra protection I can get. I can't imagine having covid late pregnancy when your organs are already squashed!

Just to top off my shitty weeks recently, someone at work reversed into my hire car yesterday at work and took the paintwork off...joy! Hate cars even more now!!!

Glad some of you have got further with your pre baby sorting. My Mum is coming round today to help me sort the house out. My husband is working in London today but usually works from home so its hard to sort things and make a noise weekdays whilst he's working, so I am taking advantage today. Think my mum has offered because she's worried I am overdoing it and will go crazy on my own haha.

I had my covid autumn booster last Sunday they gave me the flu jab at the same time just in the other arm, I didn't have any reactions I know some people say they have a sore arm, but I was fine!
I personally thought I'd get it as I know someone who's not had any and got covid at 34 weeks and went into premature labour over it, didn't want to risk it myself

What are you all planning on wearing to give birth in? DH suggested just a big t-shirt I could chuck away after but I had assumed I'd want something that I can get easy skin to skin contact in and potentially breastfeed?

Anyone come across any good hospital bag lists?

@Cocobeau I'm planning an oversized nighty again, I got one for when I had DD last year that was about 5/6 sizes too big! I'm gonna use it again, because it's so oversized skin to skin was easy in it

I'm 34 weeks now and tested positive for Covid on Friday - can confirm it's pretty rubbish! Spent the weekend in hospital in oxygen and now have very little energy, but feel I'm slowly slowly getting there. I didn't get round to having the autumn booster, but seeing the small silver lining that at least I should have some antibodies for a while. The thought of having to giving birth while feeling like this is horrendous...

Thank you ladies for your replies. Yes I have decided to definitely go for it and got my appointment booked for Saturday. I know it’s everyone’s own personal choice but from reading your replies it’s definitely made me realise even more if I got it at this stage in pregnancy or anything happened and I wasn’t boostered I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself and from what I am hearing the numbers are already on the rise again which scares me.
@Anna783426 i am so sorry to hear you have had such a horrible time the last few days that must of been extremely scary for you I hope you start to feel a lot better very soon x

I want to give birth a hospital gown this time. It was summer last time and I birthed it what I had worn in, a cheep, one size market dress. The looseness was convenient I think it pulled down for feeding but I can't really remember. I think gown or gowns I'd be more comfortable in.

I'm 35+2 and tested positive for Covid this morning. It really is horrendous! Projectile vomiting, fever, intense muscle aches in my lower back to the point I'm not sure if they're contractions? They seem to last too long to be contractions... cough, sore throat, 2 hours sleep, loss of appetite and feeling absolutely depleted. I've been reading and there's an increased risk of baby being born premature if you catch Covid in the third trimester so the booster is worth thinking about. I know that if I went into labour now I would have a c-section because there's absolutely no way I could push a baby out whilst feeling like this!

Sorry to hear you’ve caught the dreading C! Hoping you all feel better really soon. Touch wood I haven’t had it. My parents recently had it and they were terrible.

I have, at times, quite bad health anxiety and I worry about medication side effects more than anything, and although I have had all 3 Covid jabs and all were fine, I worry immensely about getting the 4th booster whilst still pregnant. I was a bag of nerves getting the Whooping cough vaccine the other week even though I had it when I was expecting my son.

I completely understand! My booster was due in 3 weeks and I'm due to have the baby in 4 and a half so I was planning on rearranging for after she's born.

If you don't have the booster (or I suppose even if you do?!) I'd definitely recommend staying as far away as possible from anybody who has symptoms, even if they're negative! I've caught it from my husband who was testing negative at the time and just had a tickly throat. It's my first time having it so I don't think I took it as seriously as I should have but it really is horrible! Now I'm having the added worry of having to give birth alone in case I go early and they don't let my husband in!!

ah no @Anna783426 and @Eryr22 hope you both feel better soon, it must be such a strain on your body and worrying for you. Hope you can get lots of rest.

@Cocobeau Last time I wore a vest top and pj shorts as hospital is warm. Then took the shorts off when pushing and I think I took the top off so just feeding style bra for skin to skin once baby was born. Will probably do something similar this time. Tbh once in full baby is coming out mode i couldn't have cared less what I had on!

Sorry to hear so many are suffering covid. Hope you all get better soon.

I gave birth in a cheap nightie from Poundland. Didn't even know they did clothes but there you have it. Got large ones that I knew I'd throw away after. They had deep v necks too so perfect for feeding and skin to skin.

Hope you're both faring okay @Anna783426 @Eryr22 if you're worried about anything just call the maternity wing for a chat or to get your midwife to call you back ❤️

@CurlyNo2 they haven't found covid vaccine traces in any placenta but the whooping cough is specifically designed to activate your antibodies and give baby the immunity so I can understand why you'd be worried! My arm hurt so much after whooping cough but it's just another thing I really didn't want to risk baby getting I accepted the offer straight away.

@Cocobeau last time I wore a bra and loose strappy dress between water dips, I had a gown put on when they moved me to consultant led so they could get to my back for an epidural though. This time I am hoping it will be bra only then boobs out and a blanket once baby arrives.

Hope you managed to get lots done @OtiMama I seem to be wasting my extra days off work to sort things out, it just takes so long 🫣

Also I've just downloaded the Freya app for anyone interested in hypnobirthing. It's £2.49 but I figure that's a super cheap doula investment to track contractions, help with breathing patterns and tell me how fabulous a job I'm doing whilst trying not to shout at everyone 😅

I’ve got some loose nighties with buttons down the front. Although I can see me ending up wanting to just be in a vest top to keep cool. I’ve packed different options lol.

Thanks ladies. Might visit a few charity shops and see if I can find some nighties or big T-shirts/vests.