Bump buddies needed for Halloween babies!

[berniegroves]

Hi Bernie! Lovely to hear from you and congrats on your pink bump! We're going to be heading to Mamas and Papas as well, we've got our eye on the Sola and I want to try it out. Plus we need to try it out in the boot of our Toyota Yaris... how weird! I asked for people to tell me whether it folds up nicely in a small boot and people seemed very happy with it on here, so fingers crossed.

Hi Pielette - How spooky we both have Yaris' and are both going to look at the Sola! I am really excited to try it as i think it is a really nice looking pram etc. Honestly i am just excited to start buying big stuff for the baby!

I have heard that alcohol during breastfeeding is the same principal as when you are actually pregnant. Moderation is key i guess.

Darling - Glad you are feeling better about things. we are here is you need to rant.

I also need to pee a couple of times each night! I haven't had a good nights sleep since getting pregnant!! Sob! That is one thing i really miss.

And i am also showing. I have a full on belly and am not sure if i am too big! But then i guess it is normal to worry about that type of thing?

x

 

[Darling]

Bernie - thanks hun i really appreciate that. Re alcohol and other forbidden fruit - the thing to remember (because you'll be bombarded by both accurate and inaccurate information) is that whilst breastgeeding you can break all the rules except the one regarding moderation. As long as enough time is allowed for what ypu've consumed to pass through your system, e.g. brie or wine (or both). In addition, babies will often refuse certain foods that flavour your milk such as spicy foods or garlic etc. But in ptegnancy, whatever you ingest, baby ingests albeit in smaller quantities and it will not pass thrpugh your system without entering babies, so in that respect breastfeeding is very different. You also have the option to express off any milk after you've had wine or somerhing like that. When they recommended 2 units max a week or whatever, it isnt because anymore will harm your baby but for several other reasons; Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is thought to be caused by excessive alcohol consumption during pregnancy but one man's pint is another man's 5! So there is no concrete volume for which they can vouch as safe. If government recommendations were to fall foul of the intangible volume and cause any harm to the fetus, they would be vulnerable to numberous lawsuits. So for them, and us its best to play it safe but i dont think you'd damage your baby if you had two glasses in the same week! When i went for my 20wk scan with Ethan I remember seejng a heavily pregnant woman (we talking mid-late third tri here) outside the maternity wing holding her 2-3 year old and smoking simultaneously. I was so disgusted i wanted to go and tell her off but she looked so rough i thought she'd probably start f-ing and blinding and attack me or something!! Lol. It was nit a pretty sight thought though. I was a smoker until i found out i was pregnant with my daughter.

The weather here is crap! No sign of summer yet!

 

[Darling]

Ps please forgive the typos - typing on my phone!

 

[pink sparkle]

sweet - i think its great that your staying team yellow will be a lovely suprise...i wish id had the strength to not find out and will be nice to go shopping once bump has arrived xxx

Waitress - poor you, what a crappy week you have had. Hey hun things can only get better! OMG at your MIL what a cheeky sod saying that about your figure...how ridiculous to suggest that if you show now you wont get your figure back...nonsense! Lovely that you are showing xxx

Weathers rubbish here to ...i think the summer has been and gone for us hasnt been consistently nice since April!

 

[Darling]

Waitress - (girls excuse me a moment) TAKE THE BITCH DOWN!!!!!!! Seriously sweetheart she's only going to get worse when LO comes along. What a spiteful, venomous, jealous biatch!! Lol. You are so lovely and so caring you are the last person who should have to put up with that. I realise because she's DH's mother it must seem that you just have to put up with her. You dont! You are the wife and mother and you weild all the power in that dynamic. DH will support you especially if he realises that if she's bad now she will be a living nightmare once your baby comes. I have a silly cow for a MIL (good for zip - she wont even babysit her own grandchildren!) but she isnt spiteful or hurtful like yours.

I cant believe you had to carry your dog babe and all these things have gone pear-shaped. Bless you, you must be majorly p*#sed! It doesnt rain it pours. That always rings true doesnt it. You dont need MIL from hell on top of it all! Grrrr! Let me at her! Lol xxx

 

[krissi]

Yes I watched OBEM USA too eeeeekkkkk!!!

 

[pink sparkle]

I watched too! I was pmsl at that couple and the chanting ...OPEN was she talking to her cervix lol! x

 

[Waitress]

Thanks girls. Yep, my MIL is a piece of work. No doubt there will be more where that came from. The worst of it all is that she says all these hurtful things in a perfectly pleasant way. And shes not an old dear. Shes a 62 year old very savvy woman, she knows what she's doing. Grr indeed Darling. I'll hold her, you can slap her!

I've not really worried about the birth-ing thing at all, for me its all about getting to the point of delivery safely - I can take the pain of what will happen then. (I thnk!)

BUT, I am now aware that I don't really know what all the different interventions are and what they can do. There is a high chance I'll have to have a C-section because of my uterus and the baby being breech which I really don't want because i want to be as active as possible after so I was thinking "Pray for a vaginal delivery, aim for as little pain relief as possible but if it gets too much have an epidural as a last resort". Now I'm picking up that epidurals have their own after-effects? Can anyone fill me in on what the drugs do and what effects they can have?

Gas and air - I think I know about, can make you queasy but should take the edge of the pain and help you "manage" better earlier on?
Pitocin - what is that?
Pethedine? - what does that do?
Epidural - what effects does it have afterwards?
Anything else I'm missing? The calm woman on OBEM USA last night was given something in her drip and she was all "OOhh, thats good" - what could that have been? I want me some of that

The more I read and watch about natural birth I am getting more worried about the damage I might do to myself. I am one stubborn bugger with a pretty big pain threshold and I reckon I could do the pushing thing but had no idea there was a "skill" to the timing of it. I don't want to rip stuff that doesn't need to be ripped!!

 

[Darling]

Emma i've done an epidural and a posterior home birth (drug free) so ill email you my experiences. Pethidine I've heard can make baby very drowsy and consequently it can cause problems in establishing breast-feeding. Epidurals are a bit scary but are like oxygen when you cant breath but they will generally keep you in overnight after an epidural and the after-effects include uncontrolable leg-shaking and problems going to the toilet (I had to be held over a bed pan by two hapless orderlies who asked me to hurry up - i couldnt go). However, i would never recommend doing what i did but that said my little guy was back to back and i should have been made aware of what that would involve and moved to hospital for an epidural. My advice would be to go in with the attitude you have now. Just a birth plan that involves things like if you want a Vitamin K injection, skin to skin contact, dad to cut cord etc and possibly your feelings about an episiotomy. I would advise a birthing pool or long soak in tbe bath to tenderise and help the area (sorry tmi i know) stretch and beg them to help you avoid tearing at all costs! Not a good place to tear when you need to get up and pick up a crying baby (mine had still not healed properly 3 months later). Finally, dont be bullied by the natural childbirth nazis! No one gets a medal for going through a hellish labour. I had a drug-free labour with Ethan and I'd rather take a bullet than endure a drug-free posterior labour now! Im going with a birthing pool and hopefully just gas and air (its true it makes you feel slightly nauseous but it serves to regulate your breathing and gives you something to focus on and also it makes you feel a bit light-headed like you've had a fat glass of Chablis!
Ive been lucky so far i have no personal experience of C-sections or ventouse/forceps so i cant advise there but i would recommend a simple birth plan of no more thsn one page. So many women have all these pre-conceived ideas about no pain relief and they set themselves up for a fall. Just go in and be as you are. Have an open mind and be flexible. You just want to get through it as safely and with as little invention as possible. The Dalai Lama on childbirth will now shut her trap! ;-)

 

[Waitress]

Thanks Kara, that helps!

In my triathlete training I rode my bike a lot - like 150 miles a week which is a lot of time in the racing saddle = ouch and very sore "front bottom". My midwife picked up on my, er, hard perenium and has advised me to use an oil on it now to aid elasticity during birth. She reckons mine will not yield at all and any type of above average head will give me horrendous tears. So there's something to look forward to!

I'm so bloody minded that if the mid wife says "3 more pushes and you'll be there" I'm more than likely going to think "Sod that, I'm doing it in 2" and cause myself some damage just to prove someone wrong.

On the flip side, in the pool today I was swimming and another swimmer saw my developing bump and told me she swam up until the morning of her delivery and she had a 3 hour labour, no pain relief, no stitches, 8lb baby, which she puts down to swimming and raspberry leaf tea from 37 weeks. I'll have one of those types of deliveries please!!!

 

[pink sparkle]

I dont have any experience of epidurals or c-sections either.

With DD i had a very long labour, i had only gas and air which i found to be fantastic but when i got to the pushing the hardest part was finding the energy to push. I was pushing for a long time and in the end the mw said she would give me half an hour or she would have to get a doc in...well i found the strength from somewhere as i didnt want a vontouse (sorry if spelt wrong) or forceps. I tore a tiny bit but didnt need stiching.

With DS the contractions were a zillion times stronger (he was back to back) i wasnt offered or advised to have an epidural, i tried gas and air which was rubbish this time roudn (was gutted as had been really looking forward to it) i had a shot of pethadine, which was completely bloody useless, however it did chill me out a bit inbetween contractions...but believe me it did nothing to numb the pain. DS was completely fine upon delivery and latched on fine too (no drowsiness). He turned just before he was born and i literally pushed twice and they had to catch him lol!

I defo agree with Darling - go in with a completely open mind i did both times and just said id take it as it came. I say that if i had another back to back labour i would have an epidural but tbh i dont know if i would ...we will have to just wait and see when the time comes, all i know is i want to be out of hospital asap as i hate staying in over night!

 

[Darling]

Pink - I wonder if they gave you enough pethidine? Or maybe it was just because it was back to back? With my back to back i was literally in hell! I can remember looking up and seeing Joe crying but being so far removed from what was going on in that room because i was in my own personal hell. It was like opening your eyes underwater. You can't see all that clearly and there's that loud underwater sound. There was no break in pain in between contractions and it scared the shit out of me because there weren't any breaks to get it together to ride the next contraction. It just felt like one long contraction. I would beg for an epidural after that. But on the plus side the mw i had (about 25 no kids and green as grass -no dear it doesnt hurt that much really i just like the drama! Lol) stopped me tearing badly because she kept saying to me "No! Not yet! Hold it! Hold it!" and i didnt think i could but i tried and it evidently worked because i tore a little but i didnt need stitches. With dd i tore quite badly. Its funny because the posterior labour i had with ds was not a long labour but it was awful yet with my dd I was in labour for 25 hours and i had an epidural but the labour was calm. After each contraction i could get ready for the next and during each contraction i knew that temporary relief was on the way. After the epidural it was like oh joy! Relief! I got half an hour's sleep too.

Emma - yes please one of those to go please! Thats it im moving to the local swimming pool. Im not sure how helpful these comments are when they tell you stuff like that. I guess you'll be getting through the old olive oil then! Lol.

 

[pink sparkle]

Darling - thats exactly how i felt like it was one long contraction but then the pethadine helped me feel that there was a minute of relief in the middle of them. It felt like i was being told for hours not to push because i wasnt fully dilated but felt the urge because he was back to back, i cannot describe how hard it was to not push when my whole body was telling me to. I managed it but at the end of holding each urge to push i would still push a tiny tiny bit. Its so hard to describe in words, then for ages i was told that there was a tiny lip of cervix so i couldnt push as it would swell. i was given a sweep by a horrid horrid mw. She told me 'lug on the gas and air as i have long fingers!' im not a screamer but i did scream when she done what she did to me. She sent me to the toilet down the hall and said id be ready when i got back. I couldnt empty my bladdre if i had ds would have been born down the toilet, then when i got back i just pushed and it was done.

I think i got the pethadine quite late in the labour only an hour or so before he was born. I know a few ppl who have said that pethadine was rubbish

OMG im scaring myself thinking about ds's birth...but hey my lucky number is 3 and this will be my 3rd labour so im thinking she will fly out! hehe x

 

[Angelique]

I'm actually very glad to be having a scheduled c section.... I don't think I could face labor again... I labored 52+ hours with my oldest, and never again.....

 

[pink sparkle]

Wow Angie 52 hours! Id want a c-section too! I thought 32 hours with my eldest was long, i take my hat off to you xxx

 

[Darling]

Holy shit Angie! That's hardcore! I don't blame you for choosing an elective caesarean!

Pink - without a doubt if worse case scenario happens and its back to back again i will be begging for an epidural!

Hey girls ive just weighed myself and i've gone from 9 st 6 lbs to 9 st 9 3/4 in a week! So ive put about 3 and a half pounds in just a week! No wonder ive been feeling so tired!

 

[Leeze]

hats off to you all with those scary birth stories! Has anyone tried hypnotherapy/relaxation techniques? One of my colleagues is training in hypnotherapy and has said she will offer me 3 sessions for free starting from about 25 weeks. I'm a bit cynical about it but willing to give it a go!!

I haven't weighed myself at all since I got the BFP - am too scared! I've definitely put weight on though because, apart from my growing bump, I can really see it round my face.

My sister-in-law (brother's wife) and nephew (11 years old) are coming to stay this weekend so I probably won't be on much. Wishing you all a lovely weekend, I'm counting the hours now till my scan on Monday morning!!! xxx

 

[Darling]

Sorry Leeze didnt mean to scare you! Lol. But at least now you know if they say the words 'posterior' or 'back to back'to collar them and demand an epidural! Relaxation techniques have their place in nice straightforward labours with nice normal size babies. Have a super weekend hun! Xxx

 

[Darling]

Hypnobirthing is supposed to be very good. Again i think it depends upon a straightforward labour and whether or not you're susceptible to hypnotherapy in the first place. My friend has just had it to help her lose weight. I think its supposed to make her think she has had a gastric band fitted so she will feel full sooner. Ill keep you posted.

 

[pink sparkle]

Oh defo keep us updated on the hypno weight loss...might have to give it a try after if it works. Ive put on about 10 lb so far this pregnancy. Did lose 6lb with sw but thats gone back on now. Need to do it again as im massively overweight anyway...ive just got crap will power.

Just watched Kunfu Panda...supposed to be with kids...they havent bothered dd gone upstairs and ds gone to sleep ...big kid aka hubby has absolutely loved it though and hasnt stopped laughing haha! xxx