April ‘baby’ showers 2020

[motherofboys]

I honestly have no energy at all, I feel like I'm recovering from flu or something.
We've had 2 cases of coronavirus about 20 minutes away. I'm trying to remember that it's only really dangerous to those already vulnerable. I think being pregnant doesn't help as it makes you feel vulnerable anyway. I do think people are over doing it, stock piling things. Our hand soap in the bathroom was on the verge of running out, so DH picked some up shopping with his mum, one of the last bottles on the shelf (!) and a lady spotted it in the trolley and asked if he needed it or could she have it. I swear the supermarkets will have to start limiting how many per customer you can buy so everyone can get what they need.

 

[swedengirl]

Totally exhausted here too! Really weak and lack of energy!

My MIL had a case of corona at her work. The sick women went in for a week after meeting the person she caught it from. Then got sick and hasn’t gone in this week. Luckily I saw her 14 days ago today- so we would have it by now if we’d caught it from her. But her work is carrying on as normal and my fear is others have caught it but not showing symptoms yet and MIL is thus still at risk of getting it from others who don’t know they have it yet. DD will be going to her if my preeclampsia gets worse and need go be hospitalized or if I go into labour so starting to feel a bit nervous!
There are several cases in the area so I stocked up a bit more in the weekly shop as want to limit needing to go out. Nothing crazy though just a few extra frozen bits and pasta which I figured will be handy when baby comes anyway

 

[motherofboys]

How scary that they had it at your MILs work!

 

[happycupcake]

Hello, I hope everyone’s ok. The supermarkets here have started rationing pretty much everything, it started with soap and hand sanitiser but now it’s literally all stuff. They’re also policing people trying to go back in after paying to bypass the checkout limits on stuff. I understand completely why supermarkets have done this, it’s really frustrating. We haven’t panic bought anything, not to tempt fate of course. But when we have needed to buy stuff we would usually buy, like soap, the shelves everywhere are bare, literally. So in turn that makes you think you best buy in more than you usually would otherwise everyone else will buy it all and leave others without anything!

I find it really worrying. I have generalised anxiety disorder, health anxiety is a part of that for me, so this isn’t helping! Our eldest is like me so if I don’t see the news I can pretty much guarantee I will hear it from him. Part of me would rather ignore it the headlines.

Have to go into hospital tomorrow for a growth scan but I don’t want to. I don’t have to have to, but I know they will only frown upon it if I don’t. I think it’s actually completely unnecessary.

Does anyone here every get a really dry throat, to the point it sticks together and stops you sleeping or wakes you up because you feel like you can’t breathe? I’m not sure if it’s sleep apnoea or not

 

[swedengirl]

I’ve been reading about the rationing in the UK! I think people might have gone a bit crazy. Luckily supermarkets seemed pretty stocked here for now, although heard dry yeast is running out due to stockpiling. Thought that was weird but guess if you’re in quarantine then you have time to bake fresh bread!

I grabbed an extra box of pasta, and 2 cans of pasta sauce. And a few extra frozen bits (fish fingers etc) but it wouldn’t last a week. I’m trying not to participate in the panic. But hard to see when others are and then worry things will run out!

Hope the growth scan goes ok happy! I’m sure being in the hospital is one of the safest places as they won’t want to risk those who are immunocomprimised. So I’m guessing extra cleaning is happening!

I’ve been really nervous but saw that the Royal College of Obstetricians released info and found it reassuring. I’ve been terrified of a situation whereby I’m infected when I deliver and would be quarantined from baby for 14 days (thats what they were doing in China) but luckily that’s not their recommendation in that scenario- they want baby to stay with mum. I’m hoping they follow the same here.

Im so tired! Much harder on the body second time around and then having a toddler- I’m pooped! Also I think I’m losing my mucus plug slowly... I’m coming up to 35 weeks and delivered DD at 37 so not impossible... I don’t remember losing it with her but looking back I think I lost it slowly with her too so didn’t notice.

 

[happycupcake]

It has indeed gone completely nuts here. I just looked on the Tesco website to see how things were with home delivery slots and stock, but even their shelves are bare! Literally all pasta apart from chickpea and lentil and other speciality pastas are sold out. Virtually all hand wash, sanitiser etc. The availability for home delivery isn’t great, but click and collect isn’t awful. Quite a few available dates for that. Although, kind of feels as if there’s little point if their stock is out.

Sweden I completely understand your tiredness. I too am absolutely exhausted! You would think being number 5 I would be somewhat used to it by now, but nope! We are trying to organise things for DD birthday Saturday. She will be 7. She wants a chocolate rainbow cake, which my husband has agreed to make as he said he wants to get into baking extravagant cakes (I laughed so much when he said this. Not to be cruel, but he thinks it’s easier than it actually is lol)... of course after saying he will have to bake it for her because my feet just won’t allow anymore, he’s in a flap about it haha
Anyway, it does nothing for sleep deprivation. Or fat feet

 

[motherofboys]

Happy I'm the same with tiredness, I swear I never felt this bad with the other 4. Ds3 was 10 last week and he wanted a cake with no filling at all, which meant I couldn't just be lazy and buy it. In the end DH made it while I slept but I had to write down instructions for him. I don't remember needing to nap in the day or being in bed at 8pm before. And I had little ones then, this time my youngest is 6.
I saw someone asking on Facebook if everyone thought they should start our Easter holidays earlier because of the corona virus, and while I think logically it would be an over reaction (the school has said anyone who feels the need to self quarantine their families will be excused, which I think is fair enough) I also sort of thought "oooo extra sleeping time!"

 

[star25]

HAPPY I get the dry throat and mouth at night which means more drinking and more toilet trips!
When a case was confirmed where I live Saturday I got a Tesco delivery booked for Monda as assumed they wouldn’t go, Monday is my usual day anyway

Sweden, yesterday I was losing something too which could have been plug as different to what I’ve had so far
Fingers crossed it’s a good sign for you

Mother I like the idea of extra sleeping! Ds was up at 4:40 today, I went back to sleep for an hour and a half before dh went to work then another 2 hours in bed when Ds napped which is rare these days
We have 3 days a week just us now until baby arrives
Due date the day before Easter Sunday so it will Be nice for dd to be here the whole time with no pre school

All good at midwife yesterday
She said would start sweeps at 40 weeks If I want
38 week appointment 30/03 then 40 week one is 09/04 which is 2 days before due date
She’s still head down and back to back

Hope everyone can get some rest!

 

[motherofboys]

I didn't even think about delivery slots being taken up. I might book my Friday one now just in case.

It's getting so close now. My next appointment is a scan on 17/3 then midwife on 19/3 but it's my usual midwives annual leave so will have someone else. Then (fingers crossed) just 2 more midwife appointments and he'll be here! Tomorrow I'll be 35 weeks. 5 weeks seems like hardly anything doesn't it?

 

[star25]

5 weeks is nothing, eek!

 

[happycupcake]

Mother, isn’t it strange! When I got pregnant with DD, DS2 was only 12 weeks old, and since she was 13 days early there’s just shy of 11 months between them. I was far less exhausted even having a younger baby to care for, than I am now. Youngest is 15 months, but I’m having to get eldest to help me out a fair bit since my legs and feet are so swollen up I’m struggling to walk, I can’t get on the floor. SPD has been awful this time too. We had to walk back home from our GP surgery twice recently because they’re weren’t any taxis available and it has just killed my feet. They haven’t gone down since. My whole pelvic area was in agony too. I had to stop every couple of minutes. But still, there isn’t a whole lot of difference between then and now yet I’m still so tired!

I gave up trying to find any hand wash and made my own version using shower gel and essential oils. I chose a Simple fragrance free shower gel and some essential oils which are antibacterial.
Have to try to do an online shop tomorrow though. We live five minutes walk from Morrisons but they’re out of everything. Even superglue and alcohol... bizarre.
I shall order other things from Amazon, as I would usually. Toilet roll, nappies, water wipes etc. They did have Dettol wipes but a few days after I subscribed to them on there they stopped doing it and now only have them available for about £70 for 6 packs! My husband thinks we are looking at an apocalypse. Cheerful soul!
I feel sorry for our midwife, she’s Italian and has family living there. She was planning on going back out there next month but she can’t now all this has happened.

Five weeks isn’t long at all. It’s four weeks for us! That’s if this one doesn’t follow her sister and arrive earlier. Otherwise it’s more like half that. I flipped out a little the other evening. It sounds silly but I panicked and said to my husband how on earth am I going to do this again?! A fifth head coming out of THERE.

Growth scan today went fabulously. She’s spot on and right in the middle. I knew there wasn’t anything to worry about. Relieved she doesn’t look like a Hulk. She looks as though she’s heading for a similar weight to her littlest older brother, he was 7lb 4oz. I’m going to guess she will be 7lb 7oz. I don’t know why.
We are booked for a home birth, consultant said she didn’t see any reason why we couldn’t go ahead. She fully supports it and has had three home births herself. My blood sugars are within normal realms but my fasting levels are slightly over what they ought to be. Since everything else appears fine, the plan is to continue until 40 weeks where they will advise induction if she hasn’t yet arrived. Just in case. Because I’m not diagnosed with GD, and everything looks to be fine, but I guess based on my family history, my BMI and my fasting levels (which are typically 5.5mmol/L instead of 5.3mmol/L or below), they would prefer to play it safe.
Is anyone else aiming for home birth? I can’t remember

 

[motherofboys]

I was looking at a home birth but the consultant said no, then last week the midwife said that we could ask her bosses to review the situation but there's a high chance they'll say no as it goes against protocol.
To be honest I don't feel that the consultant even considered my case, she just saw "5th baby" and said no. I keep thinking that I won't bother asking for a review, I can do without the hassle only to get told no anyway, and with them closing the main road through if there was an emergency it would take so much longer to get to the hospital. It's unlikely a midwife will get through all of that in time to get to me. But the temptation to agree and take a load of the stress of potentially having to leave the children, even for 10 minutes until someone can get to them, is still there. I have until my 36 week appointment to make a decision, but she did say that if it's as fast as last time then when I call they won't even tell me to attempt to get to the hospital anyway, so even if they say no it could end up being a home birth.
I've not had a freak out about the actual process of birth, (the getting to hospital I have though) but as DH had no work over the winter he won't be taking any time off and I am worrying about managing everything. He has health problems anyway and with those, plus only having just returned to work, he'll be extremely tired which will mean most of the household tasks will fall to me when I should be taking it easy.

 

[motherofboys]

Is anyone's breasts not yet leaking? I had one tiny patch from one side at 30 weeks and nothing since. I'm not overly concerned because I've breastfed in the past, but with the first 3 I had started leaking by 26 weeks. I didn't leak last time but I literally stopped feeding 3 days before my BFP and someone told me it was probably that I never fully dried up. I didn't get the initial engorgement in the first few weeks either. But having been 6 years since I last fed I was expecting to have the leaking and tenderness and everything all over again.

 

[star25]

Mother mine aren’t leaking but never have done in previous pregnancies, if I try then clear liquid does come out, I’m sure all you’re fine though

 

[motherofboys]

I'm sure it will be ok. I can't imagine that they can just stop working after previously doing their job Hahahaha

So we live in a village and my youngest goes to school in the next village because we moved house and didn't want to move their school at the same time. The schools share a head teacher.
Anyway, the school in our village (not my son's school) one of the teachers is off under quarantine guidelines. Apparently she's low enough risk that she won't even qualify for testing for coronavirus, and has not been in direct contact with anyone who has it, and she is not showing any symptoms, so everyone is guessing that she's maybe had contact with someone who is related to someone who has it, or something distant like that.

 

[swedengirl]

Mine leaked from about 20 weeks with DD but nothing so far this time! I’m really hoping I’ll have more success breastfeeding this time so hope it’s not a bad sign!

There are several cases in our village and I’m getting so annoyed with people who are clearly not quarantining when they should be. Some think it’s just like the flu, which maybe it is, but I think it’s so selfish to put others who are high risk at risk as they think they know better. I’ve woken with what feels like a cold today and now obviously panicking. No fever though...

 

[motherofboys]

Apparently a good indicator is whether you have a runny nose. You don't get a runny nose with coronavirus from what I've seen. We've had colds on and off the last few weeks but always a runny nose and never feeling really awful with it.

 

[swedengirl]

Ok well runny nose/congested nose is my main symptom so that’s reassuring!

 

[motherofboys]

Obviously not a doctor or anything, but everything I've seen online has made the distinction.

 

[swedengirl]

So I’m just totally down and anxious today. I feel like this virus is ruining the end of my pregnancy. All projections say that hospitals are going to be overloaded shortly like Italy and feel that this is going to make the delivery experience really horrible due to shortages of staff and resources. Sorry I know I’m being a downer but feel like you guys might get where I’m coming from....