Due October 2023 Thread 8

[Chanteuse]

New thread for our October group - third trimester time!!

@NSx referred due to large bump measurements at midwife appointments.

@FirstTimeMamaAtHalloween I have had similar tonight!!! Completely gone away now!

@NSx first growth scan at 28w was due to 2 incidents of reduced movement, but I was due to have them starting 30w anyway due to raised BMI. The reduced movements would have triggered serial growth scans because baby measured above the 100th centile.

@FirstTimeMamaAtHalloween @katherine123x , so spooky, I had exactly the same tonight, thinking 'surely not yet!'. It pretty much passed now, only comes back occasionally and very mildly.

@peonygirl @Chanteuse and @Sagittarius25 I’ve not really kept up with the thread but come on here as I had my second growth scan today and they told me he’s on the 99th centile (up from the 90th 3 weeks ago) and are checking me for gestational diabetes again (bloods were negative last time). I also have low iron despite being on iron tablets for 10 weeks now, so I am likely to need an iron infusion. I have to see the consultant about both things and the midwives scanning me today said they might move my section forward another week. I’m getting more and more anxious about it all and just want him to be ok.

What have your midwives/consultants suggested is done about your babies measuring big?

@PrimarilyParented I had a GTT yesterday which I think is fine as I haven't had a call today (fingers crossed all good). Consultant has put in two weekly scans now to monitor and basically said we need at least three to build a picture of his growth. He said if he's still looking big after this they would recommend delivery around 39 weeks.

Haven't seen my midwife since first growth scan, seeing her next week so will be interesting to hear her take on it.

@PrimarilyParented I had a consultant appt yesterday and she was great. She said there’s 3 options: waiting and seeing (aka do nothing), early induction at 39w or elective C-section at 39w. She went through all the options with me and validated my concerns. In the end I’ve gone for C-section, but I’ll opt to continue with natural labour if I go early.

@NSx had one extra scan to check location of placenta at 32 weeks as it was low lying at 20 week scan so they checked growth etc whilst I was there and had one other as bump was measuring small at routine midwife appt so she referred me.

@Chanteuse and @Sagittarius25 thank you, it’s nice to know what the likely advice is. I’m already booked for a c-section at 39+1 so it seems likely that will be stuck with.

I’m a bit panicky about having more appointments/tests as after the 18th any sickness leave I take triggers my maternity leave and I was planning to stay until the end of the month. It will be a massive financial hit to lose two weeks of pay and atm my work (teacher) have taken me off timetable to do admin work, so it’s really not a big stress to be in work.

@Sagittarius25 oh my 😂😂that’s so ironic…
seems like your baby has caught up haha!

I’m 34w and seeing my midwife this week, was just wondering the reasons behind the scans.

I hope all is going well for you now 🥰

@PrimarilyParented I am also a teacher and they cannot do that for appointments and tests! As far as I understand it (and union guidance I found on the website says) it is if you are off sick for a pregnancy related reason that it can trigger early maternity not prebooked appointments and scans so only if you call in sick. Also if you were to call in sick with ‘food poisoning’ it’s not pregnancy related so who would know?

@Esl17 thank you, I just wasn’t sure whether low iron and needing a transfusion counted as pregnancy related sickness since it is a pregnancy condition.

I feel a bit frustrated tonight, 34 weeks on Thursday and starting to wish I had elected for a C Section via maternal request. I know a C Section is absolutely no picnic and every method of birth has its risk factors etc, but I just feel so worried and unsupported in all of my wishes/decisions. My partner doesn’t understand why I feel frightened to give birth and my midwife couldn’t be more judgemental if she tried. The only person who seems to understand is my mum! I need to grow a backbone and advocate for myself and my wishes more when it comes to the midwife, but she makes me feel so small it’s really difficult! Even when I said about possibly opting for a epidural for pain relief she rolled her eyes!! Doesn’t help too that she’s the only midwife in my GP surgery. Maybe it’s hormones too which aren’t helping matters…I just feel sorry for myself today and need to pull myself together 😆

@PrimarilyParented I think as long as you don’t call in sick for the day if they are appointments and you have medical evidence for them then you are covered, also if they are morning/afternoon appointments perhaps you can go in for part of the day?

@Summer022 i’m sorry you can’t have a different midwife, honestly they shouldn’t be treating you that way. It’s totally normal to be anxious/worried and 100% ok to want any type of birth you want (c-section, epidural or anything else). Could you call and request a consultation for elective section? I would call the hospital directly rather than the midwife and ask them.

@Esl17 i would absolutely go in for half the day. I have loads of planning of units and admin for the department to do, plus meetings about results and union things (I’m an rep) and I am genuinely enjoying doing something useful in my final weeks.

@PrimarilyParented That’s a really good idea actually calling the hospital directly rather than the midwife. Thank you I’ll give that a try. I just hope I’ve not left it too late at 34 weeks to ask for an elective section. At 16 weeks I saw a different midwife as mine was off sick and she was absolutely lovely - wishing I had her constantly as she’s much more approachable!

@Summer022 absolutely don't blame yourself for other people's lack of support and understanding! You have every right to feel any way you feel, all emotions are ok and you should embrace them. If you feel apprehensive about birth that is fine, we all do. My midwife told me today it is the society who build such a negative stigma around birth that makes us all so worried but negative emotions during birth are detrimental to the course of birth. The body should be flooded with love hormone not adrenaline and flight/fight mode. Trust your body to know what it needs to do, it has supported your baby so far, it will know how to deliver it too. Could you find a doula or someone similar instead of the midwife that clearly shouldn't be doing what she is doing? And opt for epidural if you think you'll needed on the day - no shame in it and no issue, we're 21st century, use the stuff we have, I am sure our grandmothers would have loved the options but they didn't have them. We do. Just know the epidural will not guide your contractions, you will not be fully in charge but midwife will help you with the pace and baby might need some additional support to be born (like forceps etc.). Worth it if it makes you feel calm and at ease, with a beautiful birth experience but perhaps not for everyone - I struggle with being in control so not having that would be hard for me. However, if pain is too much, who cares about control right? :)

@PrimarilyParented my baby is still measuring at 55% and my GD is currently still diet controlled. It is a hard journey so I hope you don't have it - it is nothing to be afraid of, it just changes the whole pregnancy. I find it the same as first trimester - I think about food all the time, need to plan timing, checks, portions, food combinations....it's overwhelming. That said, there are numerous women whose babies measured high but they actually delivered a healthy baby with 6lb or 7lb. Scans are not fully reliable. I think they will likely leave you till 39w if the weight is the only concern as with c-sections it doesn't really matter. They induce early if there is a fetal growth restriction or if placenta starts failing - they want healthy baby out as soon as possible. I am sorry about your iron levels, you must feel rotten with such low iron. Transfusion will help keeping you stronger.

@peonygirl what a lovely message thank you so much! Definitely needed to hear that today, I think it’s felt like nobody has really validated my fears/concerns and told me that it’s absolutely ok and normal to feel like that! I think I’m so worried about anything happening to my baby boy I just feel so much apprehension towards birth where I want to feel excited and ready (or as ready as possible!) thank you for such a reassuring message x Going to try and find a positive birth podcast or something to listen to tonight! Xx

@peonygirl thank you for your advice. I don’t mind controlling my diet, it would only be for a few weeks now anyway, but I don’t think they’re wrong about the baby being big as my last baby was 8lb15oz. Gestational Diabetes was never even raised in that pregnancy as I never measured big and had no additional scans after 20 weeks, so I’m hoping I don’t have GD and just grow big babies as I’m more worried about the complications for my baby if I do have GD. My mom’s last baby was almost 10lb (home birth, no known issues, but no tracking back in those days) and my gran keeps telling me how my great gran always had 10lb babies (but she did like the stout 😆), so I’m hoping it’s just that big babies run in the family.

@kingfisher168 @katherine123x must be something in the air tonight! I’m so relieved it stopped, I am not mentally prepared yet!

@PrimarilyParented They have to give you time off for any appointments. My work has been logging it as 'admin time.' Yesterday after my scan they wanted me to do a followup amniotic swab as I've had some discharge and wanted to make sure it wasn't an amniotic leak (it wasn't-- all good), so the appointment which was meant to be over by 12:30 ended up keeping me in hospital until after 5pm. All admin time. It doesn't matter how long you take. Frankly if it's anything like my work, your boss probably really doesn't want to trigger your mat leave as they want to keep you as long as possible, so they will be quite happy to write it off as anything but sick leave!

@NSx I had a 28 week growth scan and 36 week one (which they called a positioning scan) due to my fibroids. Happy to report they are not blocking baby's exit. I've finally drafted a birth plan now I know it won't be a guaranteed section. Mostly just pre-consenting to medical procedures and mentioning that I'd like a coil put in directly after birth if possible (consultant said she'd look into this for me). Feeling positive about it all this morning :).

@cruciverbalista slightly different I think as I’ve having a section but they’re putting my coil in straight away! I think they’re keen to discuss contraception asap these days

@Summer022 I actually asked for ELCS at my booking appointment because history of SA makes “natural” birth an option that terrifies me. Was told my trust don’t offer them on maternal request and they’ve kept that up my entire pregnancy which is why I looked into hypnobirthing etc. Hopefully yours is different but honestly just push them as hard as you can.