Full term tomorrow! Due 12th June, anyone want to wait for their babies with me?

[OneMoreCoffee3]

I’m full term tomorrow with my fourth baby, planning a homebirth. Anyone want to wait for their babies with me? My due date is 12th June. I always found myself in TWW threads when TTC and this feels similar

I’ve finished work and am waiting for the nice weather this weekend to hand-wash and dry all the big items from the loft (car seat, next to me, etc.)

I have a high energy 2 year old who is still breastfed so I have been getting some tightenings but I think it’s just when I’ve been feeding her. She is at nursery today and the bigger two at school so I’m washing some clothes and preparing the house.

It’s so nice to have some time to myself and I’m feeling really quite patient… for now…

I really hope it all goes well when your time comes. I’ve had my last two in water and I enjoyed it, I hope you like it if you get one

So great that you had a good experience! I hope you have lots of support for the recovery and enjoy your special time with your new addition

Hi All,

Sorry I have gone quiet, baby boy was born on Sunday 14th. It was quite a traumatic experience. I had meconium and then emergency c section but the epidural went up to far and I ended up being sedated. The last 48 Horus gave been a a blur but I'm breastfeeding well though did have a big wobble at 4am and midwives gave him a bottle. Ive now broke out in hives and still in hospital tbough I'm glad as I feel I need it

Congratulations to everyone I'm so happy you had a good experience @Nightscroller1@sparklerr@IVFbabyanyday

I hope you have had your baby @BudgetBusterand @bebefini know it's hard waiting!

@Notmycuppatea I’m sorry it was so traumatic and that you now have hives to top it all off. Having had an emergency caesarean a week ago I agree that hospital is the best place for you right now. It was hard work coming home with a newborn and not feeling great in myself. If you ever want to talk about how you feel re the birth, let me know as I have found it quite difficult to process myself this last week.

I hope that the hives settle down quickly and that you and your baby are continue to do well.

@Notmycuppatea that sounds so frightening. I found the whole thing scary enough and hard to process even with everything going very well! It will take time to process it, but over the next few days you will start to feel better a bit at a time. Go easy on yourself keep your expectations to a minimum.

That sounds so challenging. Take good care of yourself as you process and recover. I hope feeding continues to go well and you get home when you feel ready

I'm going home today and I am much better. Still have hives but they should settle after a few weeks. Breastfeeding I think is going well too! @Pregnanteraoh I'm sorry you feel similar. It's awful isn't it. You want your baby here safely and it's scary when things don't go how we thought

@Notmycuppatea it was all very scary. I’ve never had surgery before, nor did I ever want to. It’s knowing that my body failed me and not understanding how that happened.
I wasn’t prepared at all. This is hard.

Sending love to everyone who’s had a difficult birth or not what they expected. It’s such a precious time but also our hormones make us absolutely crazy (or that might just be me) but we’ve got this, even if we don’t feel it now. Sending good positive vibes to all ❤️

@Nightscroller1 nobody warned me about the hormones. I don’t think that has helped how I have felt at all. I’m 2 weeks pp on Monday and hoping that’s a turning point with the hormones.

@Pregnantera i hope you feel more settled now you’re two weeks pp. You’re right, the hormonal journey is a real ride and im not sure that partners can always completely empathise/ they are going through their own experience and have limited capacity. I think sometimes there’s a pressure for the postnatal period to be a magical bubble but it isn’t every time.

In our home, my DH seems to feel overwhelmed quite quickly with the toddler (he has her at least 1-2 days per week solo usually while I work so it’s not like it’s new to him, it must be something more going on emotionally maybe). Toddler is doing really quite well, unsettled but not as bad as it could be. Big kids have largely been okay, just a couple of wobbles.

We’re one week in and we’ve got a weekend ahead with all 4 and lots of commitments. Then the youngest 2 on Monday and Tuesday with lots going on after school for the big ones.

I’m struggling with the changes to my body this time. It feels very different to my previous births

@OneMoreCoffee3 how anyone manages this with older children I don’t know. Honestly pat yourself on the back - this is hard for me with one baby! I am finding the fog is lifting and I don’t feel crying the same now.

I struggle with my body image due to the scar. But also finding clothes to fit my body now tricky - my maternity clothes are too big but my regular clothes are too small. But also nothing is breastfeeding friendly!

I currently resemble an egg on legs!!

the hormones are crazy and no one warns you and I don’t think there’s anything you can do to help with them. My friends a herbalist and I’ve got St John’s wort and milk thistle to take after my blood thinning injections to try and help!

my issue is I had a really difficult birth/baby 9 years ago and I’m focusing on that and the similarity and if it’ll be the same!

currently having a cry down stairs whilst oh is up stairs with sleeping baby and 9 year old who got sent home sick from school today (absolutely fine).

just feeling pretty useless atm! Wee one was unsettled until 5am… then I couldn’t get her to sleep earlier after a bottle! Not sure how much to feed her sticking to 60ml but is that enough or is her tummy sore etc it’s a mine field!

we will all get through it x

A poem I read today about pp bodies and learning to love ourselves again.

It’s not comparable to your first time where you’re learning everything new. The workload and expertise grow incrementally over a period of years and you learn how to handle each part before adding an extra layer on top. My DH seems in a much better place this evening after a big chat we had this afternoon about how we are both feeling and thinking about how to manage the next few days

@OneMoreCoffee3 it’s hard on both parents with a newborn, sometimes your DH will struggle and sometimes you will. Main thing is you talk it through and work together as a team like you did today. Pleased he seems brighter this evening. I know my DH finds the sleep disruptions the hardest as he is someone who needs his sleep.

That poem brought a tear to my eye! I love it especially the part which said it's the first skin they've known. Don't get me wrong he could've given me a few less stretchmarks 😄 I know child birth post partum is undignified but my god I'm basically a walking nappy at the moment. But my partner has been really good and supportive of helping. I gave up within 24 hrs trying to cover my boob while breastfeeding! I just don't care. Whereas before I would've died if I ever exposed myself.

Yes I agree about the hormones. The other night I sat there crying at 1 30 when he wouldn't settle. I'm not going to lie, If I could've handed him back then I would've. But then after a sleep he woke up cute as pie again. Though, I do understand when people say love isn't instant sometimes like I'm on such an autopilot my partner is besotted with him, but to me at the moment he's a bit like a potato and I'm on autopilot. But I've read this is normal. Like I love him, but I'm not bursting if that makes sense? But it's because I'm just one feed pump after the other.

I admire anyone with previous kids doing this. I couldn't manage at all! Me and my partner too keep trying to communicate. He's really overwhelmed he's never looked after a baby before so becomes stressed if baby is crying and needs a change. Whereas I have a big family so use to it. But he's getting there.

Baby also loves to scream between 11pm and 2am but I read it's because they don't know day from night so really working on distinguishing this making noise in day bright room and then dark quiet at night.

@Notmycuppatea the poem is from a book called beautiful chaos - there is a poem for every feeling in there. I love it.
Hah - I had my boobs out in front of my Dad. I have no dignity left now.

The hormones will settle down I know mine have now, feeling much more like myself and so you will too.

My DH is the same- first baby he has looked after and so the crying is hard to get used to. Just keep talking and giving each other a break now and then. I let my DH go running this morning and I won’t lie it was hard work by myself but he came back calmer and will help me out now.

How is everyone doing ❤️

I’ve been really on and off this thread so apologies for not keeping up properly. I’ve been struggling a lot as I made the fatal error of thinking they would come at 37/38wks, just trying to pull myself out of my misery!
I hope you are all doing ok!? Thinking of you all!
I’m now 40+1 and so nervous for the heat coming!!
bought a cooling tower fan yesterday so hoping that saves me… also got the dogs paddling pool back out!

@Notmycuppatea just catching up, sorry to hear you had a difficult birth in the end. Glad you are home, hope you are recovering well and being taken care of.. what a rollercoaster of emotions it all is. Sending love.

@onemorecoffee sounds busy and challenging. Hats off to both of you. I guess it’s like the ultimate team challenge juggling the kids needs and then the two of you are coming last! Sounds like talking it through has helped, you’ll have to keep doing that as time goes on, things change so quick in the early days.

@pregnantera my gosh that made me well up! Not emotionally stable enough for that today. Gorgeous words though. With this giant baby I’ve grown, I’m covered in stretch marks and the skin under my bump has gone a really strange bumpy texture where the layers underneath have obviously stretched and torn. My tum was flat and mark free before, never had body image problems, but I have to say, given how it’s looking now I’m really quite nervous about how I’m going to look and how it might make me feel etc. x

Hey ladies
Apologies I've been MIA

We had a beautiful baby girl on Tuesday who came bounding into the world rapidly! We just about made it to the hospital and thankfully my DH was forceful with the midwive who kept insisting I was fine and needed to wait in line whilst I was actually crowning 😂

Hoping all the outstanding babies come quickly and healthily before the increased heat later in the week.

AHH congratulations @BudgetBusterhappy everything went well

@warmbelugathank you. I feel for you! I kept telling myself at your point it will be within 10 days so not to worry. I would deffo have a fan for hospital and if you can get someone to get a doggy cooling mat from pets at home, it's my best friend in this heat x

@BudgetBusterah congratulations!

@Notmycuppateaplanning a home birth and bought a cooling tower fan yesterday! It’s wonderful! B&M have the dog cooling mats so I will send DH out tomorrow on your recc!!!! Thanks