Sorry for a long one - I need advice... I'm 37 weeks exactly and had my last antenatal clinic today - I'm Type 1 Diabetic so considered high risk and have been consultant led throughout.
This is my 2nd baby and my 1st is only 14 months. I had PGP from the 3rd trimester with my first but it started at 10 weeks with this baby. I had a nasty horse riding accident where the horse landed on top of me between my legs damaging my pelvis so they think this has triggered the PGP.
It's been getting progressively worse since then but Saturday night it was AGONISING and Sunday was no better so I called triage asking for advice and they asked me to go in for assessment. They couldn't do anything as I'm already taking codeine and I requested bringing my section forward from 39 weeks to 38 - the thought of this pain for another 2 weeks is killing me. They said they couldn't authorise it so to speak to the consultants today.
I look after my 14 month old on my own and have no help when DP is doing shift work which I'm finding almost impossible. She doesn't walk yet and is so heavy - the triage doctor told me I shouldn't be lifting her - very helpful when you have no choice...
Today I almost ended up in tears during my growth scan because of the pain - they laid the bed flat to get a better view of the head and it was awful. I'm barely managing to walk.
I'm currently popping up to 8 co-codamol a day just to be able to do the bare minimum.
I gave all of the reasons above and the consultant gave a firm 'no' because there are no medical grounds to get her out a week early. She told me that as a mother I should be willing to take a bit of pain for my baby's wellbeing. I explained that I had another baby I needed to consider as well and she just responded that their priority was delivering my baby safely.
She prescribed me more co-codamol and told me that if the pain became unbearable then to call triage - which it already has become and I did call triage.
I went to the pharmacy to collect the co-codamol and the pharmacist pulled me to one side and said she called the consultant as they do not like prescribing co-codamol at this stage in pregnancy as it can cause the baby to go into withdrawal at birth. The consultant told her I had been taking paracetamol which wasn't working - this is not what I said. The pharmacist then said that I should aim to only take 1 tablet a day rather than 3 - I told the consultant I was taking up to 8!!
My question is - is there anything else I can do because I'm now so worried that the co-codamol is going to be way more dangerous than it would be to have my baby at 38 weeks. I'm scared to take co-codamol, but I dread to think what the pain will be like without it - or even on 3 a day!