Babies due June/July onwards

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Here is promised thread jessi! Congratulations too Ellasmum and jessi - Ellasmum, my due date will be about 20th July I think. Haven't seen any midwife or doctor yet - trying to remember what I did when last time!

ENJOY your time Kaz33

kaz33, you'll probably find yourself scrubbing floors at 6am. Or is that just me?

Kaz33 I really need that feeling that you have now... no more work, must be wonderful!
I think with first baby you never really understand what it means to be 36+4 weeks pg until you get there.
I thought I would be fine working till the end as everybody says it's better to have the time off when the baby is actually out, but I am now rethinking it.
This is why:

1. Cannot fit into any professional maternity attire anymore
2. Cannot wear my court shoes anymore and visiting customers wearing my trainers doesn't really look appropriate
3. I am out of breath after one flight of stairs and the lifts at my office are often out of order, (I work on third floor).
4. Colleagues who are normally very friendly and relaxed in my company, have suddenly become nervous and keep asking me if I'm OK and if I have all the emergency telephone no on my desk... just in case! I may decide after all to stop a bit earlier, will talk to my boss tomorrow...

Hi Dahlia
I understand exactly what you went through, for me it was the same at 29 weeks. The junior doctor who visited me could not hear the baby heart, and when I told her that I did not really feel the baby move that much she became very worried and started prodding my bump so much it hurt, but still no movements. She got so panicky she sent me straight to the antenatal clinic to have an emergency scan. Since my dh was away that week and was not reachable on the phone I had to travel to the clinic by myself, fearing the worst and nobody really to talk to.

I was so convinced that that was it, that I started crying when I arrived at the reception.

Luckily the scan revealed a healthy and bouncing baby. Same as you they first said that there was not enough liquid and that he was small for dates, but then rectified and said that there was more than enough liquid and the baby is actually big for dates!
Now he has settled into a routine (not really Gina Ford!) since he is very quite during the day and becomes very active in the evening, just when I am about to go to bed

Happyspider - when are you off work ?

I was due to work this week but just couldn't handle it in the end, I was so tired. Don't remember it being so bad last time.

Dahlia - I want to redecorate the hallway !!! How mad is that, think I'll see if I still feel like it next week.

I keep phoning DP on mobile to tell him what i am doing and how happy i am. Think he's going to get a bit annoyed after a while...

Dahlia, sorry the milk isn't working for you, maybe you need to drink more?? Vile though I know. Hi Happyspider, I also have the swollen ankles too.. most attractive aren't they?
Kaz33, am with you on the decorating thing. I want as much done as possible before no 2 arrives as I know it will never get done otherwise!
All is well here, have put on 2 stone so far + 3 lbs and feeling quite happy as last time I really went for it and stopped looking at the scales after I'd gained 3 stone. I've just read the whole of the natural birth thread and am feeling anxious about labour no 2. Need some chocolate I think.

Well, this morning I have cleaned upstairs thoroughly, emptied and refilled two big cupboards and painted some of the new garden fence we are putting up. I can't seem to stop myself, its like every day I have a list of jobs which must be done and I want everything perfect for when the baby arrives. I was like this last time, but I was 7 years younger! And my dreams are getting more and more horrific - last night dreamt that we were having twins and I was carrying the girl and dh was carrying the boy, and he had it 6 weeks early and mine got stuck and wouldn't come out so they said they would just leave it.

Dahlia & Jessie - I too am petrified about the birth. Last time it was horrendous ending in an emergency c-section.

But as everyone keeps telling me - no reason that the next will be so I'm trying to keep positive.

kaz33, what scares me the most is that I will go into labour and I won't realise!! I know that sounds really dim but with dd my waters broke on the loo at home, we went to hospital, and contractions started very gradually while I was in the bath there, and there was a midwife on hand to say right, you're on the way. What if I have mild contractions and don't even realise? Am I being silly?

Thinking about it mine started very gently - I had about 12 hours ( all night ) of light contractions about 10 minutes apart.

You'll know when you are in labour because of the regularity and then of course when it hurts like hell.

Even though it was less than 2 years ago - I can't remember anything about babies. But no doubt it will all come flooding back when I meet baby2. I am sure labour will be just like that !!

Of course it doesn't really help when well meaning people tell you things like "Oh my 2nd shot out like a champagne cork and no-one caught it" or "I had 2 contractions in the middle of the night and then the baby was born" etc etc.

Oh god me too (due second week of July). all my friends keep having three-hour labours and all it makes me feel is that they've used them up and I'll have another 30+hour epic. AND I keep forgetting that I will, in fact, have a baby to look after...

I am praying, literally for a 2 hour labour. How fabulous would that be? unfortunatley my midwife keeps mentioning that this one is currently OP and quite likely to be so for labour.I am going mental sleeping on my left side as advised, when I can only really sleep well on my right!

oh yeah, I forgot about the actual baby bit aswell - my brain is only going so far as the birth. Actually I am living in La La land and thinking once the birth is over, everything will be lovely and wonderful and easy. Ha ha ha.

I fantasise about 2-hour labours regularly. I allow myself a small amount of gore and hideousness for 'reality' (yeah right) and cut to the Glorious Moment of Birth, clutching babe to naked bosom, all of which has taken place in a birthing pool in our dining room. The bizarre thing is that last time I was a lot clearer about wanting an epidural and suchlike IMMEDIATELY.

And I've had to give back all the new-baby stuff to my sister, so I really should go shopping. At the very least, it will need nappies.

Strangely enough I have two friends who have just had number two - between 2 and 3 years of elding sibling - and they both have said that it hasn't been as tough as they thought it would be.

Two hours would be fab, I'd be happy if he shot out like a champagne cork - I'm worried that i have got one of those funny shaped pelvis - and I'm only going to find out after 35 hours of labour ( like last time ).

Heres hoping - for easy births and easy babies !!

Just been swimming - god that was knackering, now going to lie down for a while.

Hello
It's great to read how everyone is gettng on and it all sound really familiar - makes me feel quite sane!!
I have just finished work - I am due July 4th so I feel quite decadent . With d/d I had a scan at 36 + weeks as movements were down and I ended up having an induction that night as she was small for dates and fluid levels were low . This is why I want to be organised really early this time . I have stopped weighing myself but I know I have gained 25kg as at last appointment( don't want to translate it into pounds)
Happy Spider I know what you mean about lifts not working - our toilets at work are on the 4th floor and last week at work the lift was broken . I took a snack to eat on the way to console myself.
At my antenatal classes with dd1 the midwife said sometimes mums work up as late as poss to get max time after but end up exhausted before the birth. They need a good reserve of energy for labour and early days. So I think you have to really judge how you feel as to when to leave work . I was really struggling and felt very grumpy but feel relieved to have finished .

Forgot to say I am really worried about labour as well and am thinking about prebooking epidural. Not sure wether to hire tens machine - didn't seem to do a lot last time

Spoke to my boss today, and since I have started one project it would be nice to finish it I have been told, however have managed to negotiate to work a couple of days from home.
This is great news as it means I can lie in the morning and go to the loo anytime I need to and of course wear my very flattering slippers.
My dh is diy fanatic, so he gets all the decorating done, however I have been appointed as chief cleaner of the house...

Went to ante natal class last night and have decided to have a mobile epidural, Colette I agree with you as I have heard Tens machine is really a light pain relief.
PS getting very scared in view of my first labour...

Slept for 2 hours - pure joy.

Happyspider and Colette - great to hear I'm not the only one tramping around in my slippers.

I had a Tens machine with DS and thought it was great - I will definitely be hiring one this time for the early stages of labour. Happyspider as its your first baby I wouldn't rule anything out as you have no idea how you will cope.

Remember that when the contractions start your body produces andrelin and you are able to cope with a level of pain that you thought was outside your abilities. I went all the way to fully dilated with just the Tens machine, gas & air and birthing pool. As long as you are progressing normally there is a strong possiblity that you will cope.

However so not to sound like Boogs ( other controversial thread ) though a totally natural birth would be great and give you a great sense of achievement there is no right or wrong way to do things and if you end up having intervention thats fine too.

I ended up having everything - epidural, ventouse, forceps and c-section so I know all about intervention !!

I think what I am trying to say is that to a certain extent it is a lottery and its best not to make any decisions until it happens - trying to remain positive and relaxed is the most important thing.

Theres my lecture over!!

Happyspider - good news on the working from home. Are you a solicitor too ?

Hi Kaz33, no, I am not a solicitor, I work in IT as a consultant so I can get away from the office now and then.

The TENS machine looked quite cumbersome to use,
also the gas is another choice not to rule out but I have heard that makes you sick, that's why I thought to go straight for the epidural, but it all depends on how I feel on the day.

I spoke to my mum tonight and she's never used any pain relief in labour and she's had 5 natural/straightforward labours and she survived.

I am not sure I am that brave,

Kaz33, anyway I really appreciate your advice, for first time is maybe easier to be optimistic because we don't know what to expect...

Shouldn't really butt in here but can I just say that, wonderful as epidurals seem to be, they are a massive intervention in labour and are best kept as an option if other methods of pain relief fail. Your own body can do a wonderful job of producing it's own painkillers (endorphins) which a TENS machine enhances. The birthing pool is another effective reliever of pain. In my experience, women who opt for epidurals as a first choice for first labours tend to need assisted deliveries. Have faith in yourself. Epidurals are there if you need them - you might surprise yourself and find that you don't need it.

Come on Happyspider - have faith in your abilties, once you really can't cope anymore the look into alternatives like gas and air, water, homeopathy,.... epidurals are not a guarantee (far from it) of an easy and painfree labour.... otherwise it would be mandatory

Will think of you Popuce and Mears when in labour and will try to hold on.
If you happen to be at my hospital on the day you may see me walking around the maternity ward and not lying in bed ;-)