Due March 2023 - Thread 6

[TeddyBeans]

The one where we might start meeting babies!?

23/2 - botleybump 💓
24/2 -
25/2 -
26/2 - TeddyBeans 💓
27/2 - Ubbee 💙
28/2 - BabyNumber3OnTheWay 💙
1/3 -
2/3 - BethBeef 💙, Cams50 💙
3/3 - LittleAcorn20 💛, LaForza101 💙, SammyJay5 💓, pamplemousse19 💓, Lauren11x 💙, Whatsforpud 💛
4/3 - EastyBaby19 💙, Cdoc 💙, Katdemar 💙
5/3 - Babynum2 💙, hopingforarainbow27 💓
6/3 - allthingssparkly, Thirdtimesacharm3 💙
7/3 - GreenIsle 💓, Noodle20, Pickles23 💛
8/3 - Splashh, June628 💓, BabyLimey 💛
9/3 - Penelope_2023, 91mana
10/3 - iratepirate 💛, PeonyPops 💓
11/3 - Chloe1896
12/3 - Katlouise24 💓
13/3 - ToffeeEl 💓, Franklin321 💓
14/3 - beatingheartbaby 💓
15/3 - Hrf1503 💓, TTC24 💙
16/3 -
17/3 - Room4onemore 💓
18/3 - XjustagirlX 💛, CristinaNov182 💓
19/3 - Dreamingof3 💓, alotoftutus 💙, AK93 💙, hellosunshineagainxxx 💙, Allthegirls3 💓
20/3 -
21/3 - FirstTimeTryer93, LifeOfRiley1 💛, Rose429 💓
22/3 - mrshenny 💓
23/3 - Choc2022 💛
24/3 - whydotheyallhaverubbishwheels 💙, Charlothevet88 💛, Mrs2022 💛, Blocklynn 💛
25/3 - Whywhwhy 💙, Missy95 💛
26/3 - purplerain555
27/3 - Cats23 💓, firstlittleone 💓, dmb91 💛, AGirlsNameIsAryaStark 💛, hol92 💙, Amy1303 💛, Bobduncan 💛, OonMP 💛
28/3 -
29/3 - Perexi 💙, SenecaFalls1848 💛
30/3 - ChristmasJumpers 💓, Moonlighting 💙
31/3 - Baby2iscooking 💛
1/4 - diamondbutterfly 💓

Has anyone been diagnosed with polyhydramnios (excess amniotic fluid)? My growth scan went fine and baby has jumped to 76th percentile even with my small fundal height measurement. The only concern was that my amniotic fluid amount was slightly over the limit for normal, so a rescan is booked for a month.

I'm hoping it's one of those things that will resolve itself as it is only slightly over but is there anything I should know/look out for beyond the usual monitoring of movements?

@LaForza101 I had this in my first pregnancy. If I remember rightly they said it can (v rarely) be a sign of an issue with babies swallowing so I had an extra scan to check that. Also potentially higher risk of cord prolapse? I was told if my waters went at home to lay on my side and call an ambulance (this was like 8 years ago though so may be different now) but generally I think it tends to resolve itself more often than not and they'll keep an eye on it

@havanamama here you go, this one gives you a bit of an idea of temperatures and stuff but I'd go for extra clothes over extra swaddles

@havanamama I wasn't satisfied with that one so did a bit more hunting and found this website that might be helpful! en.mokee.eu/blogs/mokee-says/tog-system-explained

So basically if swaddle can be replaced with sleep sack. I'll stick with my sleep sacks then as they have the tog system for different temperatures, but with swaddling in a blanket I would have to device myself if to swaddle in a thin muslin cloth, in a cellular blanket, or one of those Velcro swaddles 🤔

Thank you! This is perfect!

@havanamama so a swaddle would be 1-2 tog depending on how thick it is. Something like a muslin would be 0.5, a cellular blanket is probably a 1 because it has air holes so you can work out how many tog your baby is in depending on which material your swaddle is made of 😊

I think in your situation I'd have the section, if I'd ended up with an emergency section last time I would have a elective this time, but obviously that's entirely your choice. Is sterilisation your idea or the drs? Don't feel pressured into being sterilised unless it's what you want to do.

I haven't started doubting my ability to give birth yet but I have developed a deep concern about how my son would cope if anything were to happen to me or his sister during labour/birth. I don't think it helps that some of the one born episodes I've been watching in the last couple of days have involved shoulder dystocia and babies not surviving 😬

It was their idea, never even entered my mind tbh! We are most likely done with babies after this one but I'm not sure I'm ready to commit to that 😂 they have also mentioned that a vasectomy has a lower fail rate though haha
I think that I definitely have some issues around not feeling like I've done it properly, if that makes sense, and I also worry that another 'failed attempt' would just make that worse? At least if I plan a section it's my choice!
I know I've got a while yet anyway so can see how things go but it's on my mind a lot

I’ve done this too..even thought about writing a will incase anything happens to me 🤣😅 ridiculous as I worked on labour ward and only ever saw one person severely unwell and go to ICU. So it’s rare. I think the nearer we get the more nerve racking it is. I had shoulder dystocia last time and was terrifying. I really don’t want a c section but I feel like I have to do what’s best for baby and can’t risk another shoulder dystocia.
Luckily if you’ve had a natural birth before and been fine subsequent births should follow the same or easier path 💪🏻 x

Do they do electives at 38 weeks? I’m terrified I’ll go into spontaneous labour before my elective at 39 weeks. My last induced labour was super quick when it got going. I went from 0-7cm in 20 minutes..but resulted in a bad shoulder dystocia so I’m so worried I’ll go into labour before my elective and it will progress so quickly it will be too late for c section x

@Dreamingof3 it blows my mind a bit that they think they have the right to comment on when you and your OH are done having children!? It's no ones business but yours.

I don't like the mindset that you've failed if you have a section, it makes me really sad. You did everything you could to get that baby out yourself - needing support/intervention doesn't make you any less of a mother ❤️ One of my friends was told that it's nearly physically impossible for her to give birth naturally, if she was to have a third they would put her in for a section straight away for the safety of everyone involved. Sometimes it just happens that way

@Blondewave I think they prefer 39 but will do earlier if they feel there's a need? My consultant wanted to book for 39 weeks but I felt like I wouldn't get much chance to go into labour myself by then

My next appt is 27th Jan so I think ill see how things are then

@Blondewave oh lordy 😱 that sounds terrifying! Did they get your little one out okay? I've heard sometimes they have to dislocate/break bones to be able to deliver which honestly gives me chills.

I count myself incredibly lucky that I had a straightforward (as much as induction can be) labour and birth. When I told my midwife in one of the post birth appointments she said that was amazing for a FTM. That in itself is a shocking thing to hear - apparently so many interventions are needed these days that to only have an epidural and fentanyl after induction is considered an achievement. Kinda makes me worry that my luck won't stretch to this birth 😬

I’ve only ever had gas and air with my other 7 but when I was induced early it was so painful that if I get induced this time early I’m asking for an epidural

I've spent the evening reading a lot about the different interventions available and have now scared myself of forceps specifically.

I know I can refuse it and put in my birth plan that I would rather have a C-section if there's an emergency. However, is C-section always an alternative available instead of forceps? Could the baby be too far down the birth canal to be surgically delivered instead?

Thankfully he was fine. He was resuscitated and very bruised and broken hand randomly but he’s a big 12 year old rugby player now 😂!

Yes crazy the more interventions the more things seem to go south. If I wasn’t high risk for shoulder dystocia & Post partum haemorrhage again I’d deffo try wait it out and do as natural as poss. A midwife manager I used to work with who I still see told me that my shoulder dystocia was due to getting an epidural & my birth position...& it was nonsense that the baby was too big for me - she said we don’t grow them too big. However it’s too much of a risk for me to risk it again & consultant didn’t reccomend it.

Hopefully you get a nice natural birth this time - a friend of mine has had 3 - no pain relief and just hypno birthing and she loved the experience 🥴😳😂 x

I put in my first birth plan no forceps and felt like such an idiot as ended up with rotational forceps where they turn baby with the forceps then pull them out. They won’t do a c section without trying forceps first. Yeah they aren’t nice..at all...but in the moment when your baby is in danger - you won’t care you just want them out ASAP.

c sections are dangerous once the baby is low enough for forceps as the baby is already in the birth canal. So multiple incisions have to be made and the baby then pulled back up from the birth canal so they only do this last resort if they can’t get the baby with forceps as it’s very risky for both mother & baby x

Do you actually want an answer to that question? Because my friend told me her first son's birth story and it covers what you're asking but it's not pretty

@Blondewave that midwife manager is full of shit 💩

@TeddyBeans it's a yes or no question, but I think the PP already answered that the risks of pulling baby back up for a C section are more dangerous than risks of forceps delivery.

@Cats23 yes me very paranoid with my cervix and 2X previous prem babies. As you will know every day counts towards growth inside the womb so its just a relief every day that goes past. Trying to stay pos but I keep having bad dreams about it also.

@havanamama Aldi have got the Tommee tippee grobag £14.99 at the moment, got one myself today to try out, I've not been sure what to do in terms of blankets or swaddling either.

@Dreamingof3 I've recently been worrying more, and not so much pain etc. more about intervention or emergencies. All the posts before Christmas about how many people seem to know others that have suffered stillbirths after 40 weeks has really frightened me and dread the thought of getting to due date, but know I must be being silly.
Ftm and not many in my circles that have children or in the last 10 years at least

Does anyone know what tog the grobag ‘cosy’ is?

Midwife hasnt discussed birth plan yet even though they have pretty much told me i cant do most things as high risk. I just really wanted to experience a water birth i tried first time but i went in to labour 36 weeks i said i didnt want epidural but went in screaming for one and they told me no because i was already 9cm. Said the second time i will try water birth and would like epidural as Knew what pain was coming and if I couldn't I would have gas and air but once again got to hospital and everything happened to quickly and was to late tried the g&a and it made me feel so unwell so had to go natural again. Felt very disheartened to never be able to get in the water and again this time not aloud due to high risk pregnancy. My waters did go in my bath at home last time though so guess I got a bit of water time!