August Due Date Crew (Thread 9)

[DesertSnow]

Thread 9! I wonder if this will be the one most babies are born in - can't wait to hear all the happy announcements 😁

I'm really sorry if I've missed anyone, I've done my best. Do give me a shout if I've missed you or have your info wrong (apologies if so!), and I'll make a note.

Delivered! 👶

June 20th - @Miraclesdohappen88 💙

Due Dates 💥

July

26th - @MidnightSunshine12 💛
27th - @Spiralout 💙
29th - @DesertSnow 💖, @Mulner88 💖, @Porcupette 💛, @Loudmouth1 💛, @overwork 💛
31st - @BusyBushBaby 💖, @jjeanii 💖

August

1st - @CityKity 💛, @SnowL2021 💛
2nd - @sprollie11 💛, @ChloeN 💛
3rd - @PumpkinEverything 💙, @Chl0o 💙, @LS88 💛
4th - @BMK 💖, @Alpacabag22 💖, @Amme18 💛, @DomesticElf 💙
5th - @LBF2020 💛, @Desperatelyboredhousewife 💛, @BoodifulGoose 💖
6th - @buttercupbee 💛, @somuchtolearnabout 💛, @Rowanandremy 💙, @TattyTil 💛
7th - @marleyandme 💛
8th - @RGxo13 💙, @JT2021 💙, @Wineismybestfriend 💛
10th - @VickiGo 💙, @Sjw30 💛, @AlexM7 💛
11th - @tax19 💛, @nadsc 💛, @Rose05 💛, @sally16 💙
13th - @newmummie 💙, @Fizzmatizz 💛
14th - @Babykingincoming 💛
15th - @Gizzyanne 💛
16th - @Recoba 💛
17th - @Narwhal88 💖, @jollydollyirl 💛, @cococat88 💛
18th - @sommeliermama 💖, @EsmeSusanOgg 💛
19th - @Firsttimemomma1 💛, @P1pk 💛, @Marmaladebear 💖, @Stuwe 💛, @MartaEly 💛
20th - @BB1993 💖
21st - @BCxx 💖, @Justdancinginthedark 💛, @honeymirabella 💖, @allgoodthings84 💖
23rd - @MinnieFirstTimeMum 💙, @Owlgirl14 💖
24th - @Daisy155 💛
25th - @unluckyinlife 💛
26th - @MummaYoung2023 💛, @Wife2b 💛, @HRSC 💖
27th - @ropo34 💛
28th - @Shinea 💛
31st - @chickpea1982 💖

September

1st - @froglou 💛

It appears my run of relatively uneventful pregnancy has come to an end and is now going to cause issues until baby arrives.

Just went to get in the shower and I literally have weird pink lumps with streaks blood falling out of me 😫

No amount of googling has been able to identify them so I imagine it's another trip to the assessment unit for me 🙃 typically my husband left this morning to work away until Friday as usual so it's just the kids and I again 😑xx

@unluckyinlife hope you can get someone to look after the kids and get seen asap! Fingers crossed it's not too serious. How far along are you now?

Sorry I've been so quiet lately I've been exhausted with work and am quite anaemic plus trying to coordinate a house purchase so have been lacking time/energy for much mumsnet. I finish work at the end of this week and cannot wait.

Oh God @unluckyinlife I hope you're okay and get seen asap!! Is it definitely not your mucus plug? Hope you get answers soon!!

@BusyBushBaby of course! Sounds like you have a lot on!! Not long now until you get to finish then hopefully you can have some rest until baby arrives xx

@unluckyinlife hope everything is okay! Sounds a lot like mucus plug, but I guess it's pretty early for you for that to be happening (checked on the first post and you must be about 33w)? Hope you get seen quickly.

@Marmaladebear 100% feel you on both the childcare and home birth situation. Honestly, if I hadn't had shoulder dystocia with my first, I'd be definitely going for a home birth this time round. And even given that, I'm going to make two plans (with my midwife) one for going into hospital and one for what to do if labour is really fast and things end up happening at home.

@unluckyinlife hope you are able to get childcare sorted and get seen. Echoing what others have said, it sounds like it could be your mucus plug - I had a bit of a show but no blood a few weeks ago when I was 33ish weeks.

@Marmaladebear I don’t think it’s mad to have a home birth for practical reasons, we've been in touch and approved for a home birth as a plan b option in case we can’t make it to the hospital. It’s all over my notes that dd was a quick delivery, under an hour from confirmation of active labour to her arrival (she was my first) and it takes 45 minutes to get to the hospital so my midwife raised the potential option up to us. Child care is something I hope we have covered but if he’s as eager to arrive as his sister it might not happen 😂 it very much depends - though I’m very much hoping if I have to have a home birth that dd isn’t present, mostly because she gets upset if either of us is ill or in any kind of pain so I can’t see her witnessing or hearing her brothers birth is going to do anything good for her.

@Recoba @Rowanandremy oh interesting!! I hadn't thought about having it as a plan b or doing two plans. I'm going to raise it with the midwife at my appointment on Wednesday. I think ideally I would give birth at the hospital (and have the epidural) but if I go into labour in the middle of the night and can't get hold of anyone for childcare I'd like to be prepared in case we end up having a home birth. In this scenario I'd hope my son would be asleep and not witness me in pain either - he's such a sweet boy and says sorry if he even thinks anyone is hurting 🥹 we've got a few people on standby for childcare though so I might also ask them to sleep with their phones on loud from when I'm full term 😅

@Marmaladebear it’s worth asking if you are wanting a hospital birth ideally but need to be practical for a just in case scenario. My midwife and the home birth team were completely fine with me having two plans. For us it’s if I go into labour during rush hour traffic (which is bound to happen because we don’t want it to! 😂) we’d have no chance of making it so would be better staying put and having baby here. Aww that’s so sweet, sounds like my daughter which is why I’m keen on her not witnessing anything - just hope that ends up being reality and our childcare plans work 😂

@unluckyinlife i hope you’re at the hospital yes that sounds maybe like it could be your mucus plug! I hope you get some childcare too so sorry to hear this!

I have also been admitted into the hospital, I was doing so well and I blacked out and fell on the sofa thankfully not on the floor or when I was picking him up from school on concrete woke up and he was so scared poor little one!

Thankfully DH walked in right on time and was quick to take me to the hospital! They are checking my Iron levels, dehydration or if I have an infection.

fingers crossed it’s absolutely nothing! And I can go home tomorrow!

Oh jeez thinking of you both @unluckyinlife @Daisy155 fingers crossed you’re both okay and home soon 🤞🏻 it’s never straightforward is it 🤦🏻‍♀️

It's very reassuring to hear I am not the only one with moods. Today was a bit better.

@Daisy155 how scary! I hope it's nothing, and just a combination of heat and being very pregnant.
@Rowanandremy did you manage to get through to the assessment unit?

Childcare during childbirth is giving me nightmares as we don't have any family local and both sets of trusted friends who kindly offered to be on standby will be on holidays for next 2 weeks. If everything goes to plan and little ones stays in until my planned section date in 3 weeks, we should be fine. Problems will happen if I spontaneously go into labour before then.. I do have an agreement with our babysitter, but she works in DS' nursery, so logistics might be slightly complicated. I hope little monkey behaves and stays in until planned eviction date 😬

@unluckyinlife irrespective of husband or children I think you need to go straight to hospital: do you have anyone at all who can step in as you may need a c section etc as perhaps your waters went too(with plug?)?@Daisy155 oh my goodness- who expected that!*Good thing you had backup!!!! Yes hopefully it's just lbp from overdoing it with maybe dehydration ..but you shouldn't be kept long. Listening about @Marmaladebear 's and @Rowanandremy 's children it has made me remember that my son was like that but now at 4 has become the tantrum king with full dramatics and temper/anger and I'm wondering if this is normal like a phase or sth I need to pursue so to not let it take root.. anyway probably another thread on that one! Hope @unluckyinlife and @Daisy155 that you are both OK and nothing major or etc.

@Daisy155 how scary for you all, I really
hope the hospital find the cause and you get sorted so you can go home.

@DomesticElf when I had my
show? It was during the day luckily so contacted my midwife and she wasn’t concerned as there was no blood or signs of pink and I had no other symptoms - she did stress that if anything further happened I should contact her or the hospital. Glad your mood has been better today, mine has been terrible 😂 I’ve been so irritable that my wife said she gives it 48 hours before I give birth because I’m not usually like this at all

@CityKity definitely not crazy to be sad that pregnancy is nearly over - I've really not found it easy, but I'm going to miss the bump for sure. Everyone else has put it far more eloquently than I could, but please don't feel guilty. As long as you have the basics and oodles of love for your little one, they really don't need anything else. We don't have a nursery, and we certainly don't have the home we would ideally like to start our family in. And I know people will judge us, but as long as we love this baby and take good care of her, it doesn't matter. Easier said than done to ignore any comments though, I appreciate that.

@EsmeSusanOgg That sounds very uncomfortable, definitely worth mentioning to midwife to see if there are any options.

@BMK Thank you for the tips! I read about raspberry tea but was put off by something I read. I'm going to try eating dates though, as that's another I've heard.

@DomesticElf I don't know if it counts as mood swings but I've definitely been getting teary quite easily of late.

@MinnieFirstTimeMum I'm usually a bit of a workaholic but I feel like I've hit a wall now and am kind of ready to stop. I still have 9 working days left though as am stopping at 38+6 (unless baby has other ideas).

@Marmaladebear I think having a plan a and a plan b is a great idea for birth, especially if you feel a home birth might be more practical.

@unluckyinlife as others have said, might be your mucus plug? I hope you manage to get checked out soon. Keep us updated.

@Daisy155 sorry to hear you're unwell, hope all ok and you can get home soon.

On the number of kids question, I think if we had the money I'd like three, but I'd be very happy with two. Especially after all the worries of this pregnancy. DH definitely only wants two, so I think that settles it.

Has anyone had any success with colostrum harvesting? I took a class on it and have now tried 3 times, but nothing at all happens. Tried all the tips (warm flannel, relaxing, privacy etc.) I'm now worried that I won't be able to breastfeed and feeling like a bit of a failure. Anyone else have any experience/wisdom?

@DesertSnow in my experience with my first, it took a long time for colostrum to actually start moving. I think for the first couple of weeks I tried nothing happened, or maybe I got one drop. Then as time went on it became easier to get more out, even though I was doing the exact same things as before. So I wouldn't worry if the things you're trying now aren't working. I think mine started with managing to get one drop out (I was so pleased) and closer to my due date I was getting a fair amount (never loads, but maybe a syringe worth per session). I don't think the ability to get colostrum out is particularly indicative of success in breastfeeding (babies are generally much better than hands).

Have you tried massaging round the breast? So divide the breast into eight segments and for each segment massage in small circles with the heel of your hand. Might help to get things flowing.

@DesertSnow I found I was doing it too fast, I was massaging rather than squeezing, when I slowed down and squeezed for a good few seconds it worked! But literally a couple of tiny drops nothing much at all xx

@DesertSnow with my first, I could only express a few drops at a time, and my nips did not thank me for it 😂 (Then with all the excitement and upheaval of a newborn, I forgot I made that small colostrum stash). For what's it worth, I was never able to express breastmilk much, with manual breast pump maybe could get 30mls or so out of a full breast. Despite this, I exclusively breastfed successfully and then went on to breastfeed until DS was 2 years 4 months. Babies are very efficient at getting the milk/colostrum out!
@Rowanandremy glad all that has settled. Oh the mood swings is something else, isn't it. Pregnancy is a beautiful thing they say 😂
@unluckyinlife how are you getting on?

PS please excuse my spelling/grammar. Brain not working.

I could not harvest with kiddo 1. Totally normal. I freaked out also because it took a couple of days for my milk to come in (again totally normal, do not be bullied into endless pumping!) So I let midwives manhandle boobs/ constantly pumped for a few days... Then ended up with an insane oversupply and mastitis a week postpartum (do not recommend!)

Buuut I breastfed successfully for 3 years.

Baby will be able to get the collostrum better than you!

This time around I've been leaking the stuff for weeks.

Update after the mammoth antenatal clinic of doom.

(Quick recap, felt rough all weekend, went to get checked over Sunday ended up on monitoring overnight because nausea was making me sick and messing with my blood sugars - have GD)

Sugars more stable now I have the anti-nausea stuff. Diabetic team happy - but I need to call if fasting bloods 6.0 or higher, or any other bloods drop to 3.5 or lower. I have to have earlier lunches to prevent hypos and split evening meal into a tea and supper situation - one for sugars, two because there is limited room in my squished stomach!

Obstetric consultant lovely. Very happy with growth at the moment (had scan). Says, alas the achey back and horrible achy pelvis is just because baby is sitting with his head low in my pelvis, using my bladder as some sort of squishy pillow. So he is comfy, even if I am not.

Due to how long I have been on meds (since 17 weeks) and how knackered I am. And because we don't want me going into labour in my son's 5th birthday (which is between 39 and 40 weeks). If baby has not made an appearance beforehand, she's going to do a stretch and sweep at our next appt in 3 weeks (1 August). Have a birth choices catch up with midwives tomorrow.

So, feels like the end is in sight. I am uncomfortable, but in a 'this is usual for 34+4 weeks pregnant' situation. And I can just chill (as much as possible with an existing small human, building work and a mad dog) until kiddo makes an appearance!

All in all, feeling much better and more reassured. Plus, I start mat leave next week!

@DesertSnow This was kind of the stage I got to the last time. I think the pressure of wanting it to work and seeing how much people on these videos were getting, with freezer bags full of it, was making me stress even more than it just wasn’t working for me. As I got closer to my date I did have a bit of success after coming out the shower a few times but it wasn’t anywhere near enough to fill one of the tiny syringes. It kind of knocked my confidence then I didn’t know what I was doing when I was trying to hand express in hospital after he was born. I tried again with a pump when I got home and even though milk would come leaking out when I didn’t want it to, I didn’t get a single drop out when I tried 🙈 In hindsight if I’d just chilled out about the whole thing I think I could have managed it. You can hand express colostrum up to 3 times per day before baby is born and it seems those who have done that get good results after a few days. I just wasn’t sure on any of it that I ended up being so inconsistent and stressed about it then nothing happened 🤦🏻‍♀️

Even if you don’t get a single drop out before baby is born, it’s fine! You’ll manage after baby is here just the same I’m sure 😊 don’t put too much pressure on yourself (I say before I attempt round 2 in a few weeks and swear at those stupid little syringes)!!

@DesertSnow I found using a warm compress on my boob first then massaging made the expressing a lot easier!
I managed to pump easily after birth but my friend who breastfed for 2 years got 30ml max at a time of pumping, so do not be discouraged if your struggling to express!

Baby's suckling is totally different to the pumps! 💙

Im generally a slim build and go to the gym a lot etc when not pregnant. I put on 3 stone last time though and fully allowed myself to do the same again this time. I got my weight checked at my midwife appointment today and my BMI was 26 which is in the overweight category (anything above 25 is). I’m not blaming my midwife, she is lovely and just doing her job but are we really taking two people into account on the scales and looking at where they are on the normal bmi chart? 🤦🏻‍♀️ I really don’t care about weight gain this time and I know itl come off the same as last time. I even ended up losing an extra stone on top of the baby weight last time but it just bugged me a bit that someone’s already having a hard enough time and has enough to worry about without being told their bmi means they’re ‘overweight’ when they’re a size 10 🙄 Probably just the pregnancy hormones making me a bit defensive but I just thought how is that helpful for anyone to be told?

That’s my Tuesday rant over 😂

@BCxx my bmi is a fair bit higher than this and was reffered for growth scans because mines jumped up..
my face is slimmer than pre pregnancy.. so the weight gain is surely baby related and yet I also got annoyed as it didn't seem to be taken into consideration 🙄

@BCxx when it comes to weight and pregnancy I wouldn’t worry at all! Because that’s just imaginary numbers do they want us to loose weight during pregnancy I bet they don’t! The weight will definitely come off it always does and 26 means you will be completely fine! I don’t know what’s the point of her telling you that to be honest it doesn’t make any difference unless there are health reasons why she would say that!

@EsmeSusanOgg glad you are feeling so much better! That’s everything is being sorted out as well before the arrival of your baby 🥰 I hope it continues going into plan especially at your sweep appointment!

@DesertSnow I have never collected it, because it was so tough with my first he managed to do it himself! With my second my milk just came in as soon as baby was born and handed to me my milk just started flowing! I guess that will be the case with this baby it will just happen naturally by itself again.

Update - my Iron levels are dropping at a very fast rate last week on the 5th I did a test and it was 136 and to day 6 days later it’s dropped to 107. I am still in the hospital because this morning I almost blacked out again! My blood pressure was low and they want to keep checking until satisfied!

I will be on iron tablets and if anything
at 34 weeks if it continues to drop and it goes below 95 they will put me on Iron infusion as I will be giving birth at 37 weeks! To avoid blood transfusions etc!

I am always anemic during but this pregnancy as I was eating extremely healthy and iron dense food we thought all was ok! Because my levels have been good until today and my ferretin dropped from 41 to 17 😬