for mums2b moving on from the pg after mc thread.....

[Katherine]

I'm hoping Wills and the other mums I spoke to on the Pg after mc thread will join me here (along with anyone else of course) as I really miss chatting to you but no longer feel it is appropriate to post on a mc thread now that I'm almost half way there. However I find the "anyone due..." threads to have mums due at other times than me and I miss my old chats. So come on guys how are you doing now?

I am now 19 weeks and have my major scan on Friday. Baby has been really kicking properly and DH can feel him/her too. Some days are very active and others are very quiet which worries me. I don't remember such eractic activity with my other 2 but hey they are all different. Still struggling with Sciatica and my nose is incredibly dry and sore all the time but otherwise I feel great and am starting to get my energy back - spent the last few days sorting out a neighbours garden.

Had flu a couple of weeks ago which really wiped me out and left me with a terrible cough which totally defeated my pelvic floor muscles so I had to wear towels. Spent most of my time convinced my waters were leaking so I guess I'm still pretty over anxious.

Hope you are all OK.

Right then, off to boots for me, I've got some catching up to do!! !!
I've just been on the takeways thread. I NEED A chicken Satay and fired rice NOW!! No chance though at work, would smell everywhere out!!

Ohh FRIED rice I think that should have been!

Quackers - that's not fair!!! I unfortunately experienced analphalatic shock from a brazil nut just before I fell pregnant and being pregnant they wont test me. So instead I have to avoid everything that might even have a trace (because going into analyphaltic shock whilst pregnant would harm/kill baby). I LOVE/ADORE/CRAVE peanuts. I found myself actually following a woman carrying a large jar of skippie (peanut butter) the other day looking at it wistfully! Chicken satay - mmmmmmmmmm

Sorry Wills!!!!!! How does Chicken Szechuan sound instead!!! I'm just eating tuna sandwich. Can I eat tuna? Heard about all this stuff eating too much etc...

Feeling rather smug with myself. Spent the morning tidying up the playroom and office. Stuff I've been meaning to do for months. Just got one tiny bit left to do. After lunch I vacuummed the house from top to bottom and tidied every room. Now just catching up on a bit of work while waiting for the sun to move round so I can clean the windows Is that nesting or what!

Oh and DH just emailed to say he's coming home early cos he's tired!

Hi,

I've just hung out my first load of little one's washing and the feeling of inner peace/contentment that I'm currently feeling is wonderful. dd is currently screeching at some injustice, dh has just returned home from his first day back at work with a black thunder cloud above his head and I'm sitting here with a little smile on my face. Sounds silly but there were times when I really didn't think I'd get to this stage. Looking at all those tiny little white baby grows is wonderful - beautiful. Gosh I do hope this all goes well.

Sorry but had to share this moment as dh currently thinks I'm mad.

Wills, we're both mad then - I finally felt able to do my first lot of baby washing today and seeing all those tiny white garments dancing in the breeze made me feel so happy - as though I was nearly at the top of a long climb. Sort of Striding Edge on Helvellyn feeling... Let's hope tomorrow's rendezvous with the consultant and sonographer don't wipe the smile off my face...

Good luck - let us know how it goes

Very best of luck Marina.

Thinking of you Marina. Hope you have an early appointment so you don't have to wait all day.

Know what you mean about the washing wills. You forget how tiny they are don't you - and the socks......

DH came home very miserable but now talking to me (just about). Saying he thinks hes not very well at the moment! Ha!

Anyway finally upgraded our sky package to the knowledge pack so DH can watch a programme on discovery tonight and you know the best bit.... kids are obsessed with the animal planet programme so for once no tikabilla, balamory, teletubbies etc ringing through the house. Still mustn't leave them watching all day. Dare I brave a trip into town so they can play in the park...?

Thanks all. Am trying to focus on the good bits of today's appointments: baby still on 50th centile but with VERY long legs apparently; good blood flow through placenta and umbilical cord. Bad bit is that I have a lot of amniotic fluid and although the consultant does not think this is bad for the baby this late in the day he does think that the whole picture suggests that I am getting more glucose intolerant (not diabetic but it has been a close-run thing), the baby is growing like Topsy, and the dreaded c-section beckons. Not what I wanted to hear at all, I had a rubbish time post-operatively with ds, it took me ages to get better and I am scared witless of the whole process from the bl**dy spinal onwards. He's a good consultant, not pushing me to making a decision now, but I have to see him next week and I already think I know what he's going to recommend. Of course the most important thing is that the baby is OK, but the thought of being that ill again plus having a lively pre-schooler to take care of fills me with . Oh well, thought it was all too good to last.
Hope everyone else is keeping well!

Oh Marina. Glad baby is doing well but sorry it wasn't all good news. Take heart though - there is still no guarentee that you will need a C-Section theres not long to go now so it can't grow MUCH more anyway. Also even if you do then it may not be nearly as bad as last time. Things have moved on since then and I'm sure there are loads of people out there who will reassure you its not so bad. I totally sympathise with your disappointed. I'd be gutted too but at least they are looking after you. Big Hugs.

Big hugs from me too Marina - I've been worrying about your lack of post most of the afternoon. I haven't had a c/section but like you can't think of a worse scenario in terms of having a pre-schooler running around so you have my complete sympathy. Having had an epidural go wrong you made me grimace with sympathy at the thought of the spinal onwards. Not sure that little one has turned yet and on top of that my ankles are starting to merge with my calves they're getting so fat so I suspect that my longed for home birth is drifting ever further away. I have my m/w appointment on Thursday and am ever hopeful that my blood pressure will be low and that little one will have miraculously have turned but I really can relate to you in terms of dreading a c/section and I haven't even had the experience!

As Katherine says we can only take heart from the fact that little (long) one is fine and I must say that when I read Hilary/Ghosty/Quackers it does remind me that during they're stage I really wouldn't have given a toss how I got there as long as there gave me a healthy baby in my arms. Hope that's helped and doesn't sound trite.

Take care

Blimey but my gramar/spelling goes out the window when I'm feeling tired - sorry

Thanks both for your kind thoughts. I had a wound rupture with my first c-section five days after it happened - the op itself went fine. So it's that recurring that I am specifically quite worried about...we will see, as Katherine says it's not definite. But the consultant did point out that the bigger the baby, the less likely she is to descend through a pelvis that has so far proved impervious to full-term babies. He is Head of Department in a hospital which is very actively trying to reduce its elective rates - I heard today that one consultant is running workshops for doctors and midwives on managing natural breech deliveries. And one of my NCT classmates had a successful ECV (external cephalic version, where under close medical supervision the baby is "somersaulted" from a breech to a cephalic position) there last week. She is chuffed to bits as she can now have her home birth. Wills, not all hospitals offer this procedure as it is theoretically not risk-free. It's done in a delivery suite with the baby monitored throughout. But if carefully managed it can make all the difference, so you could ask if it's available at your hospital...

Marina, thinking of you too and hoping things change or, if they don't, that the experience is better this time. Can you get some help this time for ds/you to ease some of the strain?

Just had 5 minutes to catch up and wow ... so many things to add to this thread!

Marina ... so sorry that you have not had the best news ... try and be positive if you can. There is no reason why a c/s wound would rupture this time is there? You might well recover very well next time ... you just don't know and I suppose that is the problem isn't it? Not knowing. Like Wills said, the main thing is a healthy baby, but I know that is probably not helping you at the moment! Thinking of you ... keep smiling
Quackers ... I did 8 tests this time round!!!!!!!!!! So I totally know where you are coming from! The 5 weeks from testing to my scan at 9 weeks was hell for me ... there is not much I can say to make you worry less ... just keep talking and we will be here to listen! FWIW I didn't start to feel sick until 6 weeks but with DS I felt sick straight away ...
By the way ... how do you know where the baby implanted? How can you tell? Just being nosey as usual ... very interested in how you work it out!
Wills ... welcome back ... glad you had a good holiday ...
Katherine ... well, what can I say? Am on tenterhooks for you!!!

Ghosty xxxx

Marina, glad to hear the baby is doing well, sorry to hear that the birth may be one you hadn't wanted. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that things change. Its sounds like your consultant is being positive though, so heres hoping.

marina, just seen this. wonderful news how well your baby is doing i'm sure you have discussed all the options with your dr, incl. trial of labour etc. don't blame you one bit for having misgivings given what happened last time. if you can, of course much easier said than done, try not to worry too much until next week when you will know definitely what the recommendation is. do you think there is anything more you can do to minimise the impact of the c/section option? e.g. hire a mother's help or post-natal doula funds permitting? have you considered hypnotherapy for the anxiety? there might still be time for sessions. you've probably thought of everything already but just in case

good luck everyone else

Marina, lots of love and hope have a good birth, c-s or otherwise, you deserve it x E

Hi all, just catching up with all the news here. Marina, Good luck, whatever happens. Thinking of you! :0 Katherine you too - don't worry you weren't lecturing over the test at all!! Hilary how are you doing? Hope you're ok! Ghosty! Hiya, you made it past that hurdle then! That must be such a relief for you! To answer your question, I know where it is because the last baby was exactly in the same spot and the d and C did not remove all the placenta as it was well developed. I had pains for about 2 months in that spot and felt the implantation exactly there, had a little bleed that day and have felt twinges every day since - which is a worry as I hope i can sustain the pg. I did wait 3 months but have always been sesitive in that spot. It would want to settle right there! Anyone else had this? It can be quite strong like last night. I presume the womb and placenta are growing and it's just making me feel it because I'm still a little tender. Sorry rambling!
Any more news today?

Glad your little one is so strapping and hoping that everything turns out well birth-wise. Glad to hear that you seem to have a good consultant.

Quackers - remembering back I had aches and pains, menstrual feelings and period pains for the first 12 weeks with all three of my successful pg so so worry too much about feeling a bit sensitive there. Its actually a good sign in my book although obviously thats easy for me to say from my position and I would have been panicking too.

Hi Ghosty. Good to hear from you and thanks for the warm wishes. After spending monday frantically nesting and cleaning the house the joiner has turned up today to fit the doors on the bathroom and kids room. Now there is sawdust everywhere and tools all over the place. Still shouldn't complain. We've been waiting 4 years to get these doors done so its really good news really. Just means another mega cleaining day tomorrow.

Needless to say I've been told to cross my legs today - literally as the bathroom is out of bounds. Keep popping round to a neighbours to use her loo but everytime I do she gives me a cup of tea.... DH has taken himself off to Leeds for meetings today so another worry. Also don't want to miss ER tonight. Sods law it will happen then.

Loads of BH and baby very active but no other signs yet thank goodness. Everyone is so keen for me to get this little one out I can see I'm obviously going to be here at 42+ weeks this time. Ah well better wade through the sawdust and entertain the kids downstairs for a bit.