Anyone due in April 2024 #3

[XenaTheWarriorPrincess]

New thread for April due dates!

Feel free to tag people from the old thread so they can find us easier.

I also feel miserable. I am sooooo uncomfortable and in so much pain so much of the time...
I have been signed off work for nearly 2 months now, because of the back pain.
Now I also have pelvic pain, which is new and exciting....

Not a lot of actual heartburn, but the reflux is horrendous, often waking me up in the middle of the night. Not to mention my actual belly hurts. I dont know if its the muscles being stretched or if it is the skin... but it HURTS!

And the babys movements also hurt... 35 weeks on Wednesday as well and cannot wait for my schedules c section in 3 weeks.

I did IVF, so this baby is WANTED! But being pregnant is not the one! Also, selfishly, I want to get drunk! I miss drinking LOL 0.0% beer is fine, but it is not the same!

After yesterday's confession of struggling, my 5 year old decided to only sleep 8pm-11pm last night and is still awake now getting ready for school. I think he's testing how far I can be pushed 😅. Safe to say I have uncontrollable tears this morning thanks to hormones and lack of sleep!

yeah I completely agree. I feel exhausted at the minute. I’m only 32 weeks so have quite a few left to go. I hardly sleep at night because I’m in so much pain with my pelvis, I feel like my sinuses are always blocked so my face is puffy n tired looking. Defo lost that pregnancy glow 😂
Im out of breath all the time, that coupled with my PGP means I can’t really go anywhere far n I’m on mat leave now so feel like I'm under house arrest.
The first 6 months were a breeze and I was terrified of giving birth as this is my first. But now im excited for. It sounds selfish but I want my body back. I want to be able to sleep on my back n front n not have to take into consideration every single tiny detail of being alive. Googling everything to see if it’s ‘allowed’ or ‘normal’. Can’t eat this, can’t do that.

@ASGIRC i saw someone pouring a glass of champagne on tv the other day and was really jealous I couldn’t have a nice cold one for myself. I think my first proper meal when she’s born will have to be all the foods I couldn’t have washed down with a big glass of Merlot.

35 weeks and really struggling now too , just exhausted after work . I had been really active in the pregnancy up until 2 weeks ago and now I’m barely getting my steps in . 2 more weeks in work left after this , I don’t know how I’ll manage it 😂 between back pain and hunger and feeling faint . I also went through IVF and had 2 miscarriages last year , so a very wanted baby , but jaysus the end of pregnancy is rough . My cervix js still long and closed and I’ve no sign of any Braxton hixs , my boobs haven’t started leaking so I’m afraid I’ll go over I’d say , I’m guessing I’ll be a 41 weeker

Another silly question , just thinking about post partum , what did you find most useful , maternity pads vs the adult diaper ?

Hope everyone is ok this week. Just wandering if anyone has found their rings are stuck on their fat/swollen fingers?! I told myself I was going to remove my engagement ring after Xmas but I didn't and now it's well and truly stuck. It's not hurting yet but I have tried holding it above my head, in cold water, tried using liquid soap to lubricate and tried the trick with dental floss but it's not shifting. My best friend had to have hera cut off but I really want to avoid this if I can do would welcome any tips from anyone who has experienced this!

@Hopefulfirstround after asking all of my friends who have had babies I’ve decided to go with Frida disposable underwear & maternity pads. Apparently the adult diapers are quite uncomfortable and can cause irritation from what I’ve heard!

@ZB86 sorry to hear that.
what about additional to soap, use as hot water as you can bare. Hoping the ring would expand.

on the other hand, today I have trouble to sit and wonder if anyone experience something similar. As in when I sit - I feel like my stomach/lung being squashed so much. So I have to almost arch my back to keep my stomach unfold. difficult to find a position to rest.

@MumDaisy1980 yes I know exactly what you mean I have noticed this during the last week or so.. feel like I have to lean back and stretch my belly out when I've been sat on a chair for ages at work because everything feels like its being compressed!

@MumDaisy1980 @1994jk I have taken to sitting like a frog (or at least that's how I feel I look!) sat on edge of sofa legs wide and belly drops or cross legged on any chair. Anything that lets my belly hang it feels less compressed if that makes sense. Feeling like a goddess 😂🙌🏻

@MumDaisy1980 yes! I am in the car alot and I just feel like there are limbs in my ribs, my lungs are squashed and my back absolutely burns with pain! These babies are definitely starting to take up a lot of room lol x

@1994jk @Cora24601 @Ttcmumma thanks! Feeling quite a bit change in 3rd trimester!

@Mrsttcno1 thank you 🙏🏼 I’ll order a few of those too

@Hopefulfirstround I went with pull up diapers. The Ausonia Discreet ones. I hate pads with a passion, and disposable underwear sounds too lose to keep a pad in place!

No rings for me, as I never wear any, but my hands are starting to swell!
Woke up in the middle of the night, the other day, and had to loosen up my watch strap!

My belly HURTS. The skin or the muscles... I dont know which, but the damn thing is stretched and honestly, it feels like an alien is going to come out!

I am ready to be done with this!

3 weeks to go!!!!!

Sorry to hear about all the mamas in pain! We’ll soon be there 💕

Has anyone looked into renting a TENS machine? I heard boots rented them but I can’t find links anywhere! X

@BuzzybeeMum I have looked into this and can't seem to find anywhere to rent one. I'm planning on asking my midwife on Tuesday at my 36 week appt. I also think you may be able to rent them from your doctors but struggling to find information in all honestly!

@BuzzybeeMum I borrowed one from a friend last time (who hadn’t used it during labour) and then I didn’t have any need to use it at all either during labour. So on that basis I won’t be bothering this time however happy for others to prove me wrong if they found it useful! I wouldn’t overly stress if you can’t find one though.

They sell them on Amazon for £30 or are these not the proper ones? That's what I was planning on buying

I spoke to my midwife about the TENS machines @BuzzybeeMum ! A couple of my friends really recommended using one so I discussed it with my midwife and she said that I should be able to grab one from the hospital, she said they have a handful of them which they give out usually after the 36 week app if people want them. She did say there’s a limited number of them but also said not many people tend to take them anymore (not sure why) so she seemed pretty confident that one would be available for me. So maybe check with your hospital! X

I rented a TENS machine from an online company called birth-ease last time which was easy to rent and return. I was induced and never went into labour so ended up with a c-section but I had a lot of induction cramps in my back and the TENS machine really helped the pain. It's definitely worth looking into whether you can hire one through the hospital or an outside company as you just don't know if it might help, it certainly did for me.

Is anyone planing on having a water birth? What will you wear in it? I was thinking of wearing my bikini top but it has long strands in the back and now I'm thinking they'd get in the way. I read some women just wear their regular vests. I just know I don't want to be completely naked.

@SummerOak i had a water birth last time and I just wore a sports bra kind of thing and nothing on the bottoms. I was the same about not wanting to be naked but to be honest alll that goes out the window in labour 😂

@SummerOak I wanted one last time but couldn't, hoping for one this time. I'm just going to pack a spare bra so I can go in, in the one im wearing at the time of labour. Tho like above has said, you really won't care once you're in labour. I'm very shy about being naked in front of people but my partner was reminding me last time that I had no knickers on and my curtain wasn't shut in the antenatal ward, I didn't care I just needed to be comfortable lol. You'll take the bra off soon after anyway to breastfeed. With my non water birth I wore a hospital gown with nothing underneath

Thank you @Ttcmumma @sweetdreams23 I'll probably just get a comfy bra then. Yeah, I keep hearing that once everything starts you don't care if you're completely naked. I've started getting things for the maternity bag, it's starting to feel so real now.

@SummerOak i hope you get your water birth. I loved mine last time- instant pain relief. Unfortunately I tore badly previously so this time I won’t be able to actually birth in the water (surprisingly water births actually can be cause of tears as they can’t control/ monitor your pushing as much when you’re in the water) but hoping to atleast labour in it a bit as found it so soothing