Leonie, and those that know about glucose testing in pg!

[StarshitTerrorise]

Here is my unintended emotional vampire thread. Please help if you can

Okay, just checked in with the diabetes midwife and gave my readings. She's happy with sugar levels but appalled by my diet. Fair enough as so am I.

I have a normal mw appointment and if still measuring big by the tape measure need to see diabetes mw for a second tape measure.

Am allowed to cancel scan for now and can stop pricking my finger.

Their biggest concerns are distance to the birth centre as it's an hour and a half away. I'm unconcerned about that as it was an hour and a quarter away last time I gave birth there.

Oh, and I don't have to have a GTT!

I know we shouldn't feel grateful to HCPs who are professional, human, practical and who treat us as adults but honestly, I want to buy the diabetes midwife a box of chocolates for doing her job!

Just to let you know and not to scare you, but I live 10 mins from the hospital and still gave birth to dS3 at home. 3rd labours can be very fast. It went smoothly with just me and dickhead but I'd recommend having things like mattress protectors, care mats, etc ready, just in case. Ambulance arrived 10 mins after he was born. This was not a planned home birth.

Yes, thanks. I know I can't seem to manage anything these days without a level of drama but I called my own new PCT to let them know of me just in case. The problem here is that with the exception of needing a c/s I will almost certainly be too terrified to actually go to the hospital, but they won't agree to do a homebirth if I am registered at the other PCT.

Unless they are all disorganised enough for me to be registered with both, that might work!?

An unplanned home birth might work!

But not if it's too big a risk, I suppose.

Could try registering with both? What's the worst they could say?

Do I register with both and admit it? Or do I hold two sets of notes and have two sets of antenatal appointments?

I understand the rationale for unassisted birth but I do think it is irresponsible to plan that.

Wasn't meant seriously, Star. It was actually bloody terrifying (and bloody.)

Do you have a problem registering with your new PCT? I vaguely remember something about one of them being awkward. It would seem to make sense to be registered at your most local one so all services are closer and on call midwives closer. It still took the on call midwife 45 mins to get to me, 35 mins after DS3 was born and that was only from 6 miles away.

Maybe use aba eg graded exposure to new hospital with systematic immediate rewards, in context of distractors and preferably with fight-or flight-response prevention Then grit teeth (or try to see the midwife in a children's centre) and get the initial visit out of the way. As a third time mum who may progress fast, you do kind of need a local maternity booking, the possible mini-row about home v Hosp v birth centre can wait till you're safely listed. And I realise the times won't work but just maybe the local midwives might be a little bit [http://www.kingstonmaternity.org.uk/images/stories/pdfs/Yoga_Class_flyer.pdf woo] and they seem to like [http://www.kingstonmaternity.org.uk/self-referral-form self referrals]

Photocopy of old notes, look blank when asked by herts Hosp if youre definitely now booked at st newhome's, especially when starting the process if it seems very slow. if you're back in herts when the urge to push comes I doubt they'll leave an almost-delivering mum with zero care.

Sorry, meant woo and self referral of course

Lol!

Good points Marisa, however new hospital is a) full of very rude staff who leave the phone ringing for ages and then pick up and hang up to get rid, b) unhelpful and desperate to put off new bookings, c) refusing of hospital tours!

But perhaps I just need to go for the homebirth option, with no mention until fully booked, as you said!