August Due Date Crew - Into Trimester 2 (Thread 6)

[AnnieApple123]

As always, newbies are most welcome.

Apologies if I’ve missed out anyone who gave a date. Do shout if so. Ditto if you’d like to be added or have updates.

July
26th @MidnightSunshine12
27th
28th
29th @DesertSnow,@Mulner88 & @overwork
30th
31st @AnnieApple123

August
1st @ChloeN & @SnowL2021
2nd @Amme18
3rd @PumpkinEverything, @Chl0o & @LS888
4th @BMK & @UsernameNotPresent
5th @BusyBushBaby @LBF2020 & @BoodifulGoose
6th
7th @CityKity
8th @Sjw30
9th @marleyandme & @buttercupbee
10th @VickiGo & @Desperatelyboredhousewife
11th
12th @Rose05
13th @sally16
14th
15th @BCxx & @nadsc
16th
17th @narwhal88
18th
19th @Firsttimemomma1 , @P1pk & @Nic2908
20th
21st
22nd
23rd
24th
25th
26th
27th
28th
29th
30th @unluckyinlife

We moved last year and everything that could go wrong did. I'm convinced the stress of it all is what stopped me from getting pregnant for almost a year! We're now in our dream home and about to start renovations (with a whack to our budget eaten up by things that happened during the sale of previous flat), so hopefully most things will be done before baby arrives.

Have made the decision to postpone the kitchen reno for financial reasons which makes me sad but can't do everything all at once!

I think I’m going to have to start smothering on the bio oil from tonight.. I have a proper bump (as well as having gained weight from having a meal every 2 hours 🤣). I think I started about 14 weeks or something the last time and there was nothing there.. do you think you end up bigger the second time or just get bigger sooner and stay that size? 🙈

@MidnightSunshine12 I've been in my house 3 years and still no kitchen Reno :( and my partner fits them for a living!! 😭😭😭

I would also recommend moving sooner rather than later! I ended up moving house (and city) at eight days postpartum and it was awful!! Felt so overwhelmed. But we got through it and I am so pleased we moved as it’s lovely to be in a home we love with our son.

From what I can gather, being consultant led seems to just mean more observations and that you can't birth on a midwife led ward. If you chose VBAC they'd immediately put you on a consultant led ward because you're higher risk for things like c section opening during labour etc.

I kind of relate to your feelings on VBAC. I can see me going for a section. I absolutely cannot face being induced again so it would certainly be section rather than induction. I've never had a vaginal birth so my chances of being successful with VBAC seem slim.

Equally though, my hormones are making me very anxious and I'm currently having anxiety about everything from not owning a home to what happens if I die during the c section 🤣🤦‍♀️

@UsernameNotPresent You can do this! We are emigrating to Dubai in May, when I’ll be about 6 months pregnant. With two young children. Probably gonna kill my husband in the process but at least the prisons out there will be sunny.

I’m with you re: inductions @Createcomet I would never accept one again. I had obstetric cholestasis with both the boys which has a slightly increased risk of still birth, so they get baby out as soon as they can once your full term. I naively accepted an induction with my first son at 38w, and as inductions go it wasn’t awful, as in he was born naturally and I didn’t need any interventions etc. But it certainly isn’t something I’d ever want to repeat. With my second son they tried pushing induction again and I politely told them to F off. I had a sweep instead and he came the next day, but the experience compared to my first was like night & day. I feel like inductions should only be used as a last resort but they seem to push them so frequently on women who just don’t seem to need them!

OH GOD *once you’re full term.

Not your

I can spell I promise!

@BCxx Ive been oiling the belly now too! I want to get one of them bump masks for when it looks bigger they look nice 🤣

I'm also hopefully going to be moving (again) while pregnant! I'm staying with family at the moment due to starting a new job but we had an offer accepted on a house last week, hoping to be in April time if things go smoothly.

All went well with my scan 🥰 unfortunately couldn’t get the position right for the screening. Due date now the 10th august. I’m still on cloud 9!

Following. Struggling to keep up with these threads 🤣

@somuchtolearnabout as a first timer I'd be interested to learn why inductions are so horrendous. Any tips gratefully received!

@Sjw30 god your scan went well 😊 are they going to get you back in to try and get measurements again?

Thank you ☺️ no, they only said they would do bloods in a few weeks

@ChloeN yeah I got the my little coco one in the summer before my august due date last time and it was such a treat when you were really warm 😂

@Createcomet yeah I suppose the consultant thing is more relevant if you did go for a vbac. I’ve never even been in labour so just hope everything goes as straightforward this time 🙈 I fully thought I’d die during it last time.. the early days after he was born I was genuinely pinching myself that I was still here, I really hadn’t envisioned that being the case 😂 the risks for an elective section are so badly skewed though. They are the risk of all sections, including those on people who were in a life or death scenario from a vaginal birth gone wrong. I think if you’re healthy and low risk a section really isn’t that risky. My friend had a positive induction, really quick, straightforward but then my other friend had an induction at Christmas and had the worst time of it. She ended up needing blood transfusions and was kept in for days. They never use those examples when trying to sell a vaginal birth to you though funnily enough 🙈 you can tell which side of the fence I’m on (and standing well back from the fence)! 😂

@LBF2020 They’re not horrendous! Honestly they’re not. I don’t want to scare anyone and everyone should make a decision based on what works best for their family. For lots of people, a c-section isn’t realistic. If we weren’t moving I wouldn’t be able to have a c section - 3 kids not being able to drive? NO WAY. So I’d not have chosen a section in the UK, but we are moving and will have a nanny so if it’s absolutely essential, she can do the driving. In an ideal world I’d like a birth exactly like my second, but everyone keeps telling me 3rd births go rogue so I’m not getting my hopes up.

Induction for me was just slow, and painful. Sat around in hospital waiting for it to work and it took f*cking AGES, and It was painful from the beginning practically. From 1-9cm I was in pain, which is a stark contrast to my second pregnancy where I went into labour naturally, I had a second sweep booked for that day and when I went in she said I was 5cm and I’d just woken up from a nap and had a bath, I barely even knew I was in labour. I did 1-9cm at home just me and my husband and honestly…it was manageable (not nice towards the end 😂😂 but definitely manageable). I just don’t think they’re necessary in so many cases, “measuring big - induction” “measuring small - induction” “anxious mother - induction” and a lot of the time, the baby isn’t big or small and the mother doesn’t even need to be induced.

Hopefully I’ve not said anything that others don’t already know, but yeah, that’s my opinion on it based on my experience alone. Which as I’ve said wasn’t the worst, but not the best.

@LBF2020 they basically force your body into labour 'naturally'
So years ago when my mum was induced it was a super quick method that had me out within 3 hours..
obviously that led to complications with mothers and babies so they changed it too a more natural method which can take days and days!

I was induced, I requested a c section and was told no just get induced we can do it tomorrow since your spd is so bad and big baby..
I wasn't ready. My cervix was the same as if I was 20 weeks etc so it was really painful and slow and put my son at risk. I didn't know the process or risks and ended up with an emergency c section.. was so rediculous 🤦🏼‍♀️ I also didn't know my birthing rights where I was more than allowed a c section 😂

You'll mostly hear horror story's with induction due to the trauma people still feel opposed to the easy ones that worked well. remember most reviews on anything are bad as people only review when they are unhappy mostly. So if you needed one that doesn't mean it will be awful!
They are rarley essential though xx

@somuchtolearnabout agree! I got induced at 39 weeks after being terrified over my “big baby” (8lb 10 and I’m tall so no surprise!). Again wasn’t a horrific experience, just had pessary and gel, but the wait 🙄 I hadn’t pooed in days because by that point it’s hard enough without only having access to a shared toilet in the hallway 🤣 hadn’t showered, hadn’t slept. I just don’t think it was as relaxed as you should be for a calm labour. Had to have an enema, and baby pooed inside me.
I’ve heard induction horror stories and it really wasn’t that, but would rather let my body do its thing. But need to remember this when I’m fed up later on and I’m tempted by the offer to get baby outy 👀🤣

@somuchtolearnabout & @sally16 & @Amme18 thanks for the info. There's so much to take in and learn. It's great to hear others experiences. I'm considering having a doula for the birth as some extra support and to advocate for me.
For those that have had a consultant led birth before, does anything different happen at birth? Or do the midwives still take primary care for you. This is probably a really stupid question 🤣

I had a really positive induction. My waters broke at 5am at exactly 39 weeks and then they left me for 24hrs to go into labour naturally which I started to but my contractions were very sporadic. I went in at 5am the next day and I wasn’t brought to the delivery suite until about 8pm that night where they said they were going to put me on the drip to get things moving more as I was only about 3/4cm. They did advise me to get the epidural as they said it’s even more painful when you’re induced and I was exhausted as I hadn’t slept in over 24 hours and I must say I was so glad I got it. I was 10cm about 7 hours later and baby came 2 hours later at 39+2. Obviously if I hadn’t gone for the epidural maybe I wouldn’t have thought it was so great but just wanted to get a positive induction story out there as they aren’t all bad.

@LBF2020 it's still midwives it just means you have a consultant on hand that knows your care. Theoretically anyway as half the time you'll get a registrar haha! But I preferred having consultant led.. meant I always seen a dr and felt a bit more advised haha

Just to add another induction story - my friend had one and honestly she has the most positive birth story out of all of us. Really quick labour which she did naturally (which is what she wanted).

I don't have any experience of induction though. Personally, I did hypnobirthing for my first and it really helped me with early labour, right up to being 8cm but then things went crazy and I needed an epidural and transferred from birth centre to labour ward. This time round I'll use the labour ward straight away, I'll still do hypnobirthing but I also want an epidural for sure (where as last time I really wanted to try to have the baby without an epidural. I honestly don't know why I was so obsessed with this)

@nadsc nearly everyone I know that was either starting labour themselves or Atleast a bit dilated had a decent induction, it was more so the ones like myself that's body wasn't ready haha!

@sally16 my two friends had ones like yours and they ended in emergency c sections too. I feel like most inductions where like you said the body isn’t ready ends up this way. I won’t be requesting an induction if I go over this time just in case. Honestly, women who have c sections are beasts, you’re so brave!

Totally agree @sally16 I think inductions can work really well if baby is already engaged, or if you’re already a few cm dilated (I was 2cm dilated when I was induced which I think is why I only needed the one pessary) - but when your body isn’t ready, trying to force it to go into labour just isn’t going to work. Try as they may, if you’re not ready you’re not ready. They definitely aren’t all bad, but that depends almost entirely on how “ready” your body already is. And that’s just too much of an unknown for me.