Due February 2024 Thread 7!!🤰🩷💙

[AllAboardTootToot]

Cannot believe we are on the 7th iteration and the babies are starting to arrive 😭❤️

arragh - this PUPPs rash is killing me. It’s intensely itchy and now all over the backs of my hands, up my arms, on my thighs with a couple of outbreaks on my calves. My lower bump now has the texture of orange peel and is an angry red / purple as all the hives merged together. I’ve got some pine tar soap on order from Amazon and bath oatmeal that’s supposed to help. I kept waking up scratching in the night 😩

I’ll be chatting with my midwife or GP today and see if I can get anything pregnancy safe to relieve the symptoms so I can sleep! 🤞🤞🤞🤞come on baby I might be ready now!

@Mangotango39 I think they can if everything goes smoothly!

@KayakingBex That sounds so hard, hope you get some relief soon!!

@CharXo I barely used the clothes I packed for myself. I used the pool for labour and just wore a bikini top and that's what I gave birth in so that's all I needed for that bit. For recovery (was there 2 days to start) I only wore a nightdress, it was so hot in hospital. I didn't bleed so much and was able to shower twice so didn't need to get changed, but if I had bled on it or got baby nappy on it I wouldn't have worn anything that didn't open at the front as I am BF and too much effort to get clothes on and off. Then I just wore home same clothes I came in in (I had bathed and changed shortly before going in to be fair)

Didn't eat any of my labour snacks, turns out you feel quite sick giving birth (I actually vommed in the hospital car park on the way in). DH had some though.

Didn't use my little fan, or any muslins actually. Baby only needed a couple of outfits for our two day stay.

What I couldn't have survived without was my pillow (really helpful in getting good position for feeding, probably even if you are bottle feeding as even holding him after birth was tiring). Flip flops - you'll want something easy to slip on and off to go to bathroom on the ward. Long phone charger. We did use our speaker in labour so we could have my relaxing music playing, not sure how much I noticed it tbh but it probably kept the vibe a bit calmer. Obviously need your full washbag with shampoo etc, treat yourself to a fancy shower gel, makes you feel a bit more human smelling nice.

Omg forgot the most important thing, water bottle you can drink at from any angle (like a sports top one) a must have for labour as it's very dehydrating and on the ward when your knackered and want a drink while baby is feeding. Think I'd just be a dried out husk without it.

@LavenderSweetPea Thanks so much for sharing!

I had the same issue with my cervix being too high for a proper stretch and sweep @CheeseAndCrackersx - but I've had the call about my induction and am due in this afternoon. Hopefully as an out patient but the midwife said they'll advise based on how things have progressed today. I'm 41 weeks today.
Good to see you both in this thread @A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 and @KayakingBex - I can't believe it's almost baby time!

@HopeAndStrength good luck!! Hopefully you do get to be an outpatient. I'll update on my sweep on Monday, but I'm fully expecting it not to work. In which case I think I get induced in a week or so, slots depending

@KayakingBex sorry to hear about the rash, that's sounds infuriating! Hope you get something that'll help with it soon. We're so uncomfortable anyway, unfair to have that on top to deal with

My MW tried to give me a sweep the other day but I was only 38 weeks and not dilated at all. It made me scream too! Think she was freaked out by my reaction. It’s because I’m old and baby is coming out early at 39 weeks. Seems daft to sweep when he’s not ready. Eating the pineapple today x

Haven't been posting but watching the thread as I'm due on the 7th ☺️ How's everyone doing? Been feeling some mild period like stomach aches over the past few days and for some reason I'm all of a sudden very aware my belly feels really big and hard - anyone else had this?

Good luck to everyone and congratulations on any arrivals so far 🥰❤️

I'm 38 today and feeling really confident with my decision for section Monday when baby has to come because I have had no signs at all , baby also feels very high, don't think my body would have been ready for induction at all !

Thank you so much @LavenderSweetPea 💖 hope you and baby are ok x

Sorry @Musicalitymum. I dunno now, this is what’s on my plan to do a sweep at 38+2, due to old age (I look more like 32 than 42 😂) and slightly increased BP. They don’t want me going to 40 weeks but I’ve chosen extra monitoring twice a week and scans.

We're good thanks. We got discharged back home again last night. Got our five day check tomorrow so fingers crossed we aren't readmitted again 🙏

It really sounds like a mix bag with sweeps! I think I would still attempt to have one at my 40+2 appointment, as I read 90% of women who have a successful sweep will go into labour before 41 weeks, compared to 70-75% women who do not have one done.

With my first I had a sweep at 39+6 and my waters broke on the way home from the sweep 😂

It's funny now that I have my section booked (because baby is transverse breech) my main fear is going into labour before the section date. So you're all trying to bring on labour and I'm avoiding all those things. No curry or pineapple here!
He's got to come by section so I'd rather it was planned than emergency, and obviously rather avoid labour. Let's hope my body gets the memo until the 20th. Bit nerve wracking as I'll be 39+4 on section date

@Hankthehonk i am exactly the same! Trying to keep baby in until section date as I really don’t want him to come earlier 😂

Well I'm not sure about anyone else but sex didn't work for me, neither did any of the other things!

I can have another try at a sweep next week on my due date and midwife did previously mention induction at 41 weeks. I originally thought I'd never have an induction but honestly the waiting is starting to drive me slightly mad so I'm coming round to the idea now

So went to the GP with my horrific rash - got lots of sympathy. They are doing a blood test just to check it’s not my liver which would be more serious but she thinks it is PUPPS - I’ve got no symptoms that would suggest it’s the other thing. She won’t prescribe anything though 😭. I understand but arrragh!

I’ve been going through some other threads and got some Pine Tar Soap arriving later and oatmeal soak for the bath so hopefully that will give some relief from it 🤞🤞. Other than that keep using moisturiser and pray for labour 🙏

So good news for me; cos my blood pressure is under control there's no need for bub to come early unless he wants to. So I'll have a CS booked in place for 40+ but I'm going to try another 1-2 sweeps next week at 39+ and hope nature takes its course.
Of course that depends whether my cervix is low enough that time.

I'm relieved that I can have longer to try naturally now and if not then I know I won't go too over 😊

@KayakingBex I have the liver thing (ICP), they prescribed me some aqueous cream with menthol in - not sure if that would be good on your skin if you've been itching a lot because it does burn on broken skin! And also piriton to take at night time

@helloooitsmeee - that’s the one. You have my sympathies especially if you have the intense itching! Glad you managed to get something to help with it though. I had seen on other threads doctors do sometimes prescribe things for the PUPPS itching - when I asked GP said she can’t prescribe anything because it could slow babies heart rate down. It could be because I’m overdue now so they don’t want to risk it.

Advice was pretty much moisturiser try not to scratch hope for birth 🙏.

Hi everyone, I was admitted on Wednesday for an induction and 3 pessaries later I’m into 1cm dilated and cervix is still long :( they’ve recommended a balloon catheter next which I’m waiting the doctor to come and insert. I have a very low pain threshold and am absolutely terrified (I even cried thinking about it) I’m very tempted to ask for a section as I’m exhausted and in pain and just want baby to be here already

Sorry @Clueless13 how many weeks are you? have you asked for a c-section, what did they say? Hopefully, not long now baby will be here 💖

@KayakingBex It's not a treatment and is maybe more relevant for dry/sensitive skin rather than rashes, but the Little Soap Company does a great oatmeal soap bar that at least is very sensitive and not drying, so might be good for not aggravating the rash. I find my hands dry out, itch and bleed when I've been at work a few days using the hand soap there, but it all calms down quite well once I've been home for a couple of days using unperfumed bar soap.

@Meeting same here on the sex🙈🫠 althou it does say it can take 24-36 hrs to soften the cervix 😅 so maybe we’ve still time lol

@KayakingBex I’m sorry ur having such discomfort. I developed a rash about 2-3 weeks ago now, the rash only lasted a few days but the itch remained for another week or so, I was pulling my skin apart. Drs sent off bloods to check for cholestasis but thankfully it wasn’t and itch eased, its gone completely now. I found Aveeno menthol moisturiser and piriton eased it if it’s any help❤️

just wondering has anyone 39+ years old been offered induction due to age? It’s hard to decide whether to take one or just wait it out😬