Babies Due April 2023 thread 5

[KennAdams]

Thought I'd make a new thread seen as last one is full already! 😊

@LauraA31 you sound like me too! No sickness but when I’m hungry i get REALLY hungry and almost get the shakes and light headed and need to eat ASAP.

I have also started to dislike food I usually like or just don’t have an appetite for anything in particular, I was overeating the last two weeks but now my appetite has subsided and getting back to normal.

Also boobs at night hurt so bad it wakes me up when I turn over 😫

I spoke to my midwife at the booking appointment and she just asked what I would like so I said the birthing centre then she said we can talk about the details nearer the time!

Is anyone finding that their clothes are just too snug now and uncomfy? Does anyone have any recommendations for some nice comfy leggings that aren't see through? Can't bring myself to wear jeans any more I just want baggy and cosy!

@DBS94 hey, I got some great maternity jeans from matalan online, not bad in price either!

@DBS94 yess my clothes feel horrible, im so bloated all the time and my mum swears i look pregnant.. i keep telling her it’s all bloat and no baby yet 😂😂
Im living in dresses at the minute but on the look out for comfy leggings and jumpers because it’s absolutely freezing now!

@1stimer16 Haha me too! I go from not hungry to hungry in minutes though so doesn’t give me much chance to make anything decent without feeling shaking and sick! I find myself waking up hungry through the night too!
I keep looking at the birth centre where ive decided to have baby and it looks wonderful, im terrible with pain though so trying to stay open minded to an epidural which would mean i couldn’t use the birth centre 😬 (obviously doing the right thing when im horrific with pain! 😂)
A girl i know had a little boy three months ago, she doesn’t know about me but she was at a wedding recently and she wanted the birth centre but changed her mind and ended up with an epidural, she said it was the best thing she did… it’s so hard deciding, especially as this is my first and i have zero idea of what to expect!

@Margo34 I was prescribed til 16 weeks, this is the guidance from Tommy's - taking them till this gestation has been shown to decrease chances of miscarriage so if I were you I would push to get another 4 weeks course.
I have an extra week or so, so I was planning to take twice a day till 16 weeks then once a day for another week/ two weeks. But I think at 16 weeks it's also fine to stop suddenly.

@Cuppasoupmonster yes we can all support eachother through the birth prep and choices! ❤️💪 I am actually hoping my body reacts better to labour this time 😅 as I don't fancy another 4 day labour - please and thank you. But I think this is less likely for a second birth 🤞 and just hoping this baby gets into a cooperative position as that was the issue with DD, her head was at an awkward angle! Am glad I aimed for a home birth as due to the long labour I know if I'd been in hospital sooner (I transferred on the last day when I was 7cm dilated) they would have wanted to do an emcs. But I managed to get there and have a vaginal which is what I wanted.

At the 11 week private scan the woman said my placenta was up high and at the back this time and that would be good for labour so that's nice to know

@DBS94 I just got back from H&M, they had jeans for £5.50 in the sale! I also got some mum jeans with an elasticated waist from Zara. I don't even own a pair of normal jeans so think I've got a bit carried away 😂 I'm really struggling to find maternity trousers in the shops though. My clothes are getting too tight and if I get a couple of sizes up it swamps me, other than the waist which is still snug!

@DBS94 also lululemon non maternity leggings are so stretchy and comfy. I have a size up and there is a lot of room for a bump

www.lululemon.co.uk/en-gb/p/lululemon-align%E2%84%A2-high-rise-pant-28%22/prod8780551.html

@LauraA31 re birth centre / hospital choice, is the birth centre attached to the hospital? Because if so, you can always start off there and aim for birthing there, and then go to the hospital ward and have an epidural if you need one during labour. Even if they aren't on the same premises you can do this - they'd transfer you over if you requested it.
I'd very much recommend the positive birth company hypnobirthing digital course as it's great for learning how to manage the contractions, and loads of other info about birth and coping etc. With hypnobirthing breathing, the right environment and movement, a lot of women find giving birth yes intense but manageable, esp if the labour is otherwise smooth (eg doesn't take forever and baby is in a good position). And then if you do need additional support in the form of an epidural or opiates, you can always ask for this and transfer. I'd love to do a birth centre but there isn't one near me, so I'm going to aim for home again, and transfer to hospital if needed 🙂🤞

I've always wanted lululemon leggings maybe this is a good excuse @Longbin !

@DBS94 the h&m maternity leggings are pretty good, and and all their maternity/nursing stuff in general is pretty good imo!

Thanks for the leggings recommendations @Longbin ... only yesterday was I trawling sites for maternity clothes and felt a bit sad at the lack of what I found, shall check out Lululemon as heard good things

@PuddingBear that's a good idea, thanks for this.

I had my 12 week scan today, baby and heartbeat all good but as expected I'm a week behind so will need to have a rescan in 2 weeks time. Just so relieved to know everything is ok.

@Margo34 ive also only got enough for up to 12 weeks but the tommys guidance is 16 so I want to continue. I got mine from the EPU.

@Skylark1990 did you get yours from the GP? Wondering if I call them they will be able to prescribe the extra few weeks

@Marshmallowmountain I got them from both my local EPU and also from the Tommy's clinic I'm with due to recurrent miscarriage. Basically I was given 10 weeks worth when I was last pregnant as I went in with bleeding at 6 weeks. I v sadly lost that baby a couple days later. But I still had just under 10 weeks worth of pessaries. Then when I had my appt at Tommy's they gave me a four week prescription there and then and said when I get pregnant next time to take from a BFP then I can keep coming back and getting more each month till 16 weeks. Ofc I already had the 10 weeks from last time so I then had 14 weeks worth, and taking from bfp i.e. 4 weeks till 16 weeks is 12 weeks so I'm good to go basically. It's frustrating when they only give it to you like 4 weeks at a time!

I'd ask your EPU for another months prescription. But the GP may also be able to do it for you x

@Skylark1990 4 days you absolute trooper! Was that established labour or from onset of contractions? Did you have ventouse/forceps? My general plan is to see which method of induction works - if pessary/ARM is enough to tip me into labour, I don’t see why I can’t have a water birth with gas and air. If I need the drip it will be epidural first - I really couldn’t tolerate another pitocin birth with no pain relief, it was agony. Either of these would be a good outcome for me!

Great that baby looks happy, at least there isn’t long to wait for the next scan!

@LauraA31 is it your first baby? I think alongside MLUs are great - stand-alone can be a bit problematic unless you’re very certain you’ll have a smooth birth (aka second or third time mums). My colleague went to a stand-alone for her first baby, ended up with an ambulance transfer at 10cm to hospital for forceps because the baby wouldn’t come out. They were very short staffed that night so the ambulance took over an hour to turn up, she said it was really stressful and she regrets it looking back. Not to scare you! But if it’s your first an alongside will give you the best of both worlds.

@Skylark1990 yeah the birth centre is attached to the hospital so at least they are super close!

@Cuppasoupmonster yeah it’s my first, so im completely in the dark- all experiences/advice welcome haha! I’ve done loads of googling but you always find the worst case on google don’t you!🤦🏼‍♀️

@LauraA31 ah sounds like you’re pretty pragmatic! I do think some FTMs think an easy pregnancy = easy birth but the two are so unrelated - my colleague was mid 20s and total image of health, zero complications but ended up with a complicated birth, equally I know people with lots of issues and very unhealthy from the outset pop them out in no time. It’s a total lottery it seems 😬

Scan moved me along a bit to 12+5 today!

My tastes have also changed. I really don’t fancy sweet things, just bland savoury things. Struggling with any fruit or veg. Basically just want toast and mashed potato 😬

@Cuppasoupmonster Your plan sounds great- I'd do the same if I was being induced I think! And yes you should absolutely try for a pool, no reason why you shouldn't be able to use that if you don't need the drip. Did you have forceps /vontous with your DD?

My labour was nearly 4 days all up so from first contraction to baby arriving it was 88 hours. I was confirmed to be in established labour from 8pm Wednesday and she was born 2:30pm Thursday so I guess that's ... About 17 hours of active labour. It was a true marathon. I did nearly all of it at home with hypnobirthing/ birth pool/ gas and air but we went to hospital around 7am on Thurs as I wasn't progressing past 7cm and I had an epidural at that point so I could sleep as I was exhausted, they also gave me syntocinon at that point too and I was 10cm a few hours later after some much needed rest. Then about an hour of pushing and yes in the end we had both vontous and forceps as her heart rate went up and they wanted her out. But id got her v low, so it was just the smallest type of forceps. I did tear badly but it healed well and Ive had no lasting effects. It was so intense but also amazing, I remember those days and the days in hospital afterwards as the hardest but also most wonderful of my life

@LauraA31 if it's alongside the hospital that is perfect 👌👌 best of both worlds, if it were me I'd absolutely plan the birth centre as plan A, then think of what I'd like if I had to go to the hospital ward as plan B ☺️

And yes as @Cuppasoupmonster says it is a bit of a lottery. I had an amazingly straightforward pregnancy with DD, I did all the prep you can imagine, hired a doula, know my stuff and the labour and birth was still v complicated. However, I do think the fact I knew a lot, had good support,I knew what I wanted ideally and when to question stuff all helped me have a good experience despite the curve balls. And I know plenty of first time mums who have had lovely straightforward births, water births or at home or simple hospital births with no intervention. Our bodies are made for this but it's also good to have that medical support if we need it and there's absolutely no shame in that either ❤️

@Lapin387 not together though I hope?!

Glad your scan went well ☺️

@Tubbytele and @Lapin387 congrats on your lovely 12 week scans! Can we see pics for some nub guessing?? X

@Margo34 ha no, not yet at least!