Due October 2023 Thread 8

[Chanteuse]

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

@PrimarilyParented glad it was a false alarm for you and you have a bit more time to prepare. Your post made me realise how unprepared I am for early labour! I'm booked in for a c-section and don't currently have a plan for the kids if I need to go in early, especially at night

I really need to get my hospital bag sorted and ready to put in the boot of the car I think!

The fact that ‘October babies’ are coming already has been a wake up call. Plus the Braxton Hicks are happening every day, and I generally just feel MASSIVE!

Sod’s law I’ll be overdue though…

Due to finish work next week but have definitely started nesting today. Washing all of baby’s clothes (whilst the sun is out and can dry it on the line) and had a full on kitchen clean until my back started hurting. I feel disheartened that I could still have 6 weeks maximum to go as I’m due late October 😆 but need to use this time wisely, get the hospital bag packed and in the car ready for the big day. Just so excited to meet him now. 🥹 I also keep bursting into tears at the slightest thing. Anyone else overly emotional at tiny things?

Congratulations to those whose babas have been born already!! How gorgeous and exciting xxx

@Koalawhala i’m in exactly the same boat as I have a section booked. my partner was being lovely and trying to be supportive last night but saying all the wrong things, like ‘don’t worry you won’t need to go in tonight Labour takes ages’ and ‘you could be like this for weeks’. He ended up making me laugh so much that I eventually said ‘you haven’t prepared for Labour have you because we’re supposed to have a c-section?’ - I hadn’t either though, to be fair.

The uncertainty is definitely a headfuck at 35 weeks.

At some point in the next 2-7 weeks we might be meeting our little lodger for the next 18 years. Not to mention that he might show up early!

Due dates are definitely BU.

After all the palava with my service telling me elcs wasn’t an option I got booked in today! Thanks for pushing me to be more forthright about what I wanted guys. Booked for 23rd Oct (bang on 39 weeks) and so, so excited for the birth finally when all I’ve been is dreading it.

@doeandfawn thats fantastic news, I’m so pleased for you.

@doeandfawn that's great news!

Oh I'm so pleased for you @doeandfawn thats fantastic news and will do your headspace wonders in the coming weeks!

Less than two weeks until my planned section here, can't wait to meet her! More nervous about the post section physical recovery than anything else.

Great news for you @doeandfawn, I’m in for the 23rd too!

that’s so funny @PrimarilyParented, I feel very unprepared too! They said if I have any twinges to go straight in and if it’s labour they’ll do the c section straight away. Not sure what happens if it’s a super fast labour though 😕.

Hi ladies ❤️ 38+4 here and had a midwife appt yesterday where she said that in my area, they don’t like to let pregnancies go past 41 weeks? I have therefore been offered to have a sweep booked for 40+3 and if that does nothing, then an induction at 41 weeks..

I have declined the sweep and will decline the induction that early - in my head I’ve always thought I’d be happy to go around 10 days overdue before I consider induction and intervention.. I’m low risk and pregnancy has been perfectly healthy so far!

Am I being irresponsible and clueless? Would love to get your thoughts xxxx

@VanillaOat I was induced bang on 42 weeks but knew in my heart it was the wrong decision. I actually cried when I went in for my induction. I knew my exact ovulation date and my NHS due date was 3 days earlier than that, so wish I just declined for another couple of days.

I think it’s reassuring to know that France calculate due date as 41 weeks. Don’t be pressured at all to do anything you don’t want to.

It’s quite a bit of reading but the NICE guidelines are good to look at. Risks of induction and going “overdue”. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng207/chapter/recommendations

@VanillaOat here they ‘let’ you go to 40+10. So if I haven’t gone into labour by 40+3 I think I’ll be asking for a sweep.

My midwife said the guidance used to be 42w but that is slowly being revised to be closer to 41w as there is more and more evidence around the risks involved of going beyond that (mainly due to the placenta working less efficiently). She said she starts getting twitchy when her clients go beyond 41w and as somebody with 3 kids herself said she wouldn’t opt to go past 41 weeks but ultimately it is of course your decision. She suggested pushing for a scan if it got to that stage and I didn’t want any intervention to check the workings of the placenta etc. Perhaps something you could think about?

@VanillaOat ive declined any induction this time and am booked for a provisional section at 40+9 for if I go well over. My little girl was induced at 40+10 and ended up an emergency section. Neither my midwife or consultant have commented at all on my choice to decline induction this time which I was pleased about!

Has anyone’s iron dropped again? Mine is now apparently really low (I’m 40+1) and my midwife said I may need a transfusion or infusion so she’d bounce the results back to my consultant but I’m a bit concerned that nothing has been said since Monday!

@Koalawhala i called triage today and they said that at 37 weeks they wouldn’t do anything more than check/monitor me unless I was in established Labour. That’s because I’m not medically high risk though, but elective section due to previous emergency section and history of big babies. To be honest I’m more comfortable at home so decided not to go in but if I’m still having contractions in the morning I think I will go in to get checked over.

I think it's a lot to do with age how comfortable they are with going over your due date. I believe the risks of the placenta deteriorating massively increase over the age over 40 so they're quite cautious. They can only offer guidance though, it's the mothers decision at the end of the day

36 week midwife appointment and she told me baby is measuring LESS than two weeks ago which isn’t physically possible. A little worried he’s stopped growing 😥 Been sent for a growth scan this afternoon to check up on him which is great as they sorted it very quickly. Anyone else had where their baby has measured the same as their previous appointment? She also said she couldn’t find
him in my tummy when she felt for him! Hopefully all is ok x

@Summer022 if midwife is only going by a bump measurement which is showing as smaller this could 100% be down to how far back baby is sitting in you today compared to the day you last had a measurement. Bump measurements can be so inaccurate.

It's good you've got a growth scan sorted so quickly, hopefully they can confirm all is on track.

Not sure why she would have commented at 36 weeks she couldn't feel baby in there - I find that very bizarre!!

@VanillaOat Google the myth of the ageing placenta. A lot of the info I was given at antenal classes was that they induce because of concern about the placenta, but there's not much evidence supporting that going overdue is actually risky in a low risk pregnancy.

@Summer022 I had something similar at 28 weeks, was so worried. Had the growth scan 24 hours later and baby was fine and growing as expected, consultant told me it was down to the inaccuracy of the midwife measurements because so many variables affect it.

Looking for advice! This is my first baby, I’m 37 weeks and 5 days.

I have had loose stool (tmi sorry) for a few days which is super unusual for me, I’ve felt nauseous since yesterday and today I’ve been dry heaving/borking - is this normal for third trimester or could this be a sign of Labour ext?

Thank you in advance!

Anyone elses babies really low? I still have another 4 weeks to go but baby is so low that it’s uncomfortable to say the least! Had reduced movements on Tuesday and doctors wanted a scan to check all okay, which it was) all getting very close!

Whether or not the baby had stalled growth, this sounds like an absolute nonsense thing to say.

My baby is measuring big (so far as that can be relied on), and he "disappears" sometimes. Others, he's right up front and centre and I can practically squeeze his bumcheeks.

@Sav96 I think could be normal, I've had a good bit of nausea in the last few weeks. Mentioned it to doctor and she didn't seem worried. But maybe ring your midwife to be on the safe side?

Anyone doing colostrum harvesting right now ? I started yesterday and only getting tiny amounts. I'm still storing it but not sure if they will laugh at me for the tiny amounts I will be bringing in with me on Monday 😂

Hope the scan goes ok @Summer022.

Super low here too @Glitterb! not very comfortable but I’m assuming this means she is head down as she was transverse/breech last week. Braxton hicks are feeling stronger in this position too. I’m 35 + 5

@OrionNebula Keep going with the harvesting! A few weeks ago I was getting minimal amounts and now I can practically fill a syringe.

I'm 39w+5 and in the hospital being induced due to GD. It's very boring and not much happening yet!