Due February 2025 - Thread 4

[UrbanSquirrel]

Just creating this so that we have somewhere to continue when Thread 3 fills up. If you're due to have a baby in February 2025 (or late January or early March, as we have a wide spread!), come join us for support, advice and (at present) some really useful Black Friday recommendations! Big welcoming hugs to all the usual suspects coming over from Thread 3 🤗

@ridl14 I had my whooping cough yesterday and asked about the gap to RSV. Vaccination nurse said the RSV manufacturer recommmended 2/52’s apart - it may be different where you are but worth checking?

Had my RSV last week too - no side effects at all luckily.😊

I have my first growth scan on the 19th, had my last scan (3D) at 27w 5 d, and she was measuring around 50th centile again, so really hoping all stays OK for this next one.

Not seeing my midwife til January 8th now, which feels like there'll be no time left til DD's EDD (14th feb)!😬

When did everyone get their birth options talk? After a lot of thinking, I'm confident i'd like an ELCS, wondering if I should call my midwife team or consultant to let them know so any appts can be set up?

I never had any side effects from RSV or Whooping cough vaccine apart from a sore arm.

@autumnbake if you are consultant led already I'd bring it up at next appointment if you haven't discussed already. My consultant has been discussing birth options since my first appointment. They don't normally actively make plans for c sections until after 36 weeks usually for week 39 so it may be a while off until you can confirm it.

@elb1504 Thank you! I believe I'll see him on the 19th at the scan, so will bring it up then and see what happens😊

Oh really? Thank you! I actually ended up having them both at the same time, she checked and said they're recommended together if you've not had whooping cough by the time of the RSV. Weird there's those differences isn't it!

After they couldn't take my bloods last time, the phlebotomist told me she wasn't sure which bloods to take, then she seemed to figure it out (ish)... She said it said to take 1.75 (ml?) of two things and she had 7.5(ml?) vials and asked if I was okay with her taking them so I didn't have to come back. Ofc I said yes but bleh so much blood 🤢 got myself a chocolate orange after my left arm had two jabs and all that blood taken 😂

Heya, I’m 99% sure I’m going to go for an elective c section too. I’m just wondering at what point you got a consultant, did you have to request one? I’ve only seen midwives so far and my community midwife team who I am having the birth options chat with are in a different area to the hospital where I’ll be having a baby so not sure they’ll be able to advise

I think you need to mention to your midwives and they'll refer you for a consultant appointment around 36 weeks, i think they should be able to refer to a different hospital too. It may mean things aren't as straightforward as previous pregnancy i had my baby at a different hospital to the trust my community midwife was from and it was a bit of a faff but when she booked me for induction (which I didn't end up having) she rang the other hospital no issues.

Just been for 31 week appointment, baby has jumped from 50th to 97th centile ! So she's sent me for a growth scan on Monday. Feel a bit nervous but she said it could be anything, the way baby is lying etc. she said they also might do another GD test even though the last one was negative and my urine was all ok this morning. These babies like to keep us on our toes.
She also called up and got me a consultant appointment to discuss booking a c section, and managed to get an appointment for tomorrow! It's all stepping up a notch now I feel and things suddenly feel a lot closer.

Also for those wondering about appointments falling on Christmas Day, my midwife has moved to a Monday clinic on Christmas week so she booked me in for my 34 week appointment on the Monday instead.

@Redapple21 Wow what a change! But then, as others have said before, these prenatal percentiles aren't always the most accurate; or maybe baby has just had a bit of a growth spurt? It's good that you get another scan out of it - the more the better, in my opinion, just to keep an eye on things. And that's amazing that you were able to get a call with the consultant so quickly; it'll be good to talk through the various options, if nothing else. Good luck!

@Redapple21 I had my 31 week appointment on Monday - my fundal height went from 50th to 95th, but my midwife was unconcerned and said she'd wait to see the next measurement. No growth scan for me! Again, so interesting to see how different everything is across trusts.

Good luck with the scan- hopefully (and most likely) everything is fine.

@UrbanSquirrel yes quite the jump! She measured me again just to make sure 🙈 I know with my last baby I was always measuring around the 90th centile, so I was pleasantly surprised last time when she said I was measuring around the 50th. But little miss has now decided to join her brother at the top of the chart. I'm only 5ft1 and my partner is over 6 foot, so I think maybe that's why I always measure on the bigger side. Who knows. Hopefully all is well and yes I get to see her again 🩷
Yes I am excited to see the consultant tomorrow and get the ball rolling for the c section. The midwife said they might even give me a date, which would be very exciting!

@QuantumPanic oh that's good to hear though that yours wasn't concerned. Yes so strange as they all do it so differently, you would think it would b a book of policies that all trusts follow, but apparently not! Xx

@Redapple21 Ooh I shall be so envious if you get a date! I have to wait until Week 37 for my consultant appointment and assume I won't hear anything until then... It's very annoying as I like to plan...

Mind you we have a (second) Birth Options meeting tonight and then a call with the team
Leader on Monday week, so who knows, after that we might be able to firm things up a bit? (I could save them a lot of time by telling them now that I won't be changing my mind, but DH and I thought it best to play the game and do all the sessions they suggested, just to show willing).

Fingers crossed for you x

Also, exciting times here Chez Squirrel, as we have our health visitor coming round for her introductory visit in an hour! Not sure what to expect, though she seems lovely on the phone. Have spent the morning tidying up in an attempt to look like responsible adults who can be trusted with a baby 😂

@UrbanSquirrel well I won't get my hopes up too much for a date but it would be lovely to know! Hopefully you get yours soon. Yes you've been set on a c section from the off so it would be good if they stopped inviting you for extra talks haha but as you say, best to go with it.

Good luck with the health visitor! X

@Padronpeppersplease hey

If you speak to your midwife I believe they are the ones who will refer you to a consultant to talk through the elective c-section. My community midwives are also in a different area to where I'll give birth, but they've always just rang up/emailed the other hospital & shared my notes whenever needed x

The only reason i'm consultant led already is due to different issue picked up at my 8 week booking appt.

@UrbanSquirrel Goodluck with the health visitor appt!😁

Can report (with relief) that the health visitor was absolutely delightful. Having read some horror stories on MN, I wasn't sure what to expect. I made it clear that we were planning a) an ELCS and b) formula feeding, and she didn't query either of the choices. She's given us a load of leaflets about vaccinations, children's centre groups and classes, etc, which look like they'll be very helpful. Obviously we might just have lucked out, but just a reassuring story to counter some of the alarming experiences reported elsewhere on the site.

Also signed up today as a volunteer for a foetal MRI imaging study at St Thomas's here in London - a friend is a radiologist and flagged it. I had no idea you could get involved in stuff like this. They're testing new ways to image the placenta and womb during pregnancy. It's completely safe for the baby and I should get some extra images out of it, so all sounding rather exciting. MRI is on 17 December. Should be a valuable extra health check, and a chance to help science 🤓 as well as keeping me out of trouble once work stops...

Ooh, super interesting @UrbanSquirrel . Have you had an MRI previously? Well done for volunteering - I'd be swayed by the images (really cool that you'll have an MRI of your baby, or at the very least of your placenta - not many can say that!) but put off by spending a semi-significant amount of time in a tube. 😅

@QuantumPanic No I haven't ever hd an MRI! Really interested to see how the results differ from ultrasound. Fortunately I'm not claustrophobic and obviously am a total geek so will report back. That said, I'm hoping they give me images of the baby rather than the placenta - I mean, I doubt the placenta will be all that interesting 😂 x

Been to my 31 week appointment today and next one is going to be New Years Eve, she’s combining my 34 and 36 week appointments and having one at 35!

Baby is apparently 2/5 engaged!

Have you googled images of a baby from an MRI scan? They are hilarious!!

I had an MRI on Tuesday on my head and just to prepare you, my baby moved SO much during it. It felt like she was trying to climb out of my belly haha. I'm putting it down to how loud it was, but I was funny having to be dead still but then my bump going absolutely wild haha.

@Odessa1 Oh wow they look like aliens!!! 🤣 NOT what I was expecting! Good lord, maybe not one for the baby book then... Thanks for the warning about the movements; I imagine it must be very confusing to suddenly have everything so noisy!

I hope the results of the head scan were useful / positive for you! ☺️

Super cool about the MRI, please send any pics you get 😊

At what stage is the baby ment to get head down?
2/5 engaged sounds like it's not going to be long but I know that's not always the case

@retrievermum Gosh, 2/5 engaged?! That sounds... pretty advanced? Does that mean the baby has already 'dropped' for you or are they just lining up ready for that?

I confess, our NCT class has made such a thing about babies pressing on our bladders in these last few weeks that I've finally given in and bought a pack of Tena Lady. Just in case 😬

@herewegoagain123456 @UrbanSquirrel I think they like baby to be head down from around now, but it’s not concerning until 36ish weeks so still have plenty of time!

2/5 engaged does sound pretty advanced but because it’s my second baby, apparently they can pop in and out a lot more, whereas a first baby tends to get nestled down there and stay there, so I’m fully expecting it to be not engaged again at my next appointment! I definitely suspected it was engaged, my bump has been quite low and I’ve felt a lot of pressure between my legs for the last week or so!