Cooking our little Christmas cakes - late Dec babies

[DaisyBee]

Emma - yes its my waters they check. They do an ultrasound and they measure where the big pockets of fluid are around her. With my blood pressure there is greater odds that she isnt getting the nutrients she needs - which would make her urinate less = less waters. I would think that you would want to mention the fluid leak - esp. if it can cause infection. (right?)

Thinking I may not have a choice about my pain relief - pain makes your blood pressure go up so thinking they will be recommending the epidural. And at this point I dont care - as long as baby & I are ok.

 

[Emma1980]

My midwife knows about it but shes adamant it was pee and i KNOW it wasnt! i will definitely discuss it with her on thursday!

have we heard from Meerkat since her scan?

 

[JayDee]

Thanks for the condolences girls, he'd been in hospital for a month, so we had a bit of a warning.

Noticed a few of us are now on the last box of the ticker, getting real now. It's weird, I'm not worried at all about looking after a baby, just trying to get him out o there! At the nct antenatal class at the weekend she was saying about people who don't deliver all of the placenta properly being more at risk of losing too much blood, pain I can do but that sounds scary. Anyway, it's very rare so guess I should just forget about it.

We also wrote birth plan at the weekend, w didn't seem too fussed about discussing it so we just did it, I'm seeing one today so see if she asks about it.

Daisy - glad baby isstaying put for now. 2 Dec doesn't seem that far away does it? Hope your body behaves till then.
Also glad you got facebook sorted, you'll be addicted in no time, even if it's only for a week or 2.

Emma - I think your waters can grow back if they partially break too early, hopefully that's what's happening to you.

Ak - Some of the info we got from antenatal at the weekend also said about filling the freezer with meals you can just warm up, unfortunately, mine's not that big and full of fresh meat, fish fingers, frozen peas and ice cream (well that's a selection anyway). Maybe we should start eating and making space!

I got lots of xmas shopping done on Friday, just 3 or 4 more things to get. Got bubs the cutest xmas stocking, and a lullaby glo bug to go in it, just hope he comes on time so he's there for xmas...

 

[DaisyBee]

Hi girls

Hope everyone had a good weekend. We were busy trying to finish up some things and had a big "thanksgiving" meal at mil's place yesterday. Thinking she was cooking up a storm incase we can't make it to the real thanksgiving meal on thursday at dh's uncles house (1 hr north) They are all thinking my dr tomorrow will say "no way" to traveling for thanksgiving and then traveling 2 hrs south for a long weekend with my family. Only dh & I are still planning on both. Our families are trying to convince us that we should stay home. LOL

Facebook - noone spill our baby name til after we announce it - cause I have told you guys - but it's a secret to our families til after she is born ( & dh added my mil to my facebook this weekend - LOL)

We found out yesterday too that the baby has dropped - I kept saying to my dh that my bump looked different but we werent sure why. Well as soon as my mil saw me she exclaimed "you've dropped!" LOL How could dh & I not realize this first?!? Weird. After lots of staring at my belly we realized my mil was right. Would explain all the lower backpain I've been feeling very recently which I hadnt had at all during the rest of pregnancy!?

Hope Meerkat is doing well! Maybe she's busy getting things ready....

 

[JayDee]

My baby has dropped too according to the mw. 3/5 engaged, which I guess means heading in the right direction I can't see much difference in the bump shape, but now she's mentioned it there is a much bigger gap between the bottom of my bra and where baby's ass is (they was only about an inch a week or 2 ago, now it's def more like 3).

My blood pressure was also up, 140/80 vs 110/60 consistently before that, so she started asking me whether I was having headaches, flashing lights in front of my eyes, swelling of hands and feet... I guess these are the signs of pre-eclamsia. Assured her I felt fine and bubs is kicking away. His heartbeat was fine as well so hopefully just a random spike (I did have to go to a different place and was kept waiting for 15 mins past my appointment time).

Going back next week to get checked again (would normally just go at 38 weeks) - at least by then I'll be 37+2 and if they decide bubs needs to come out he'll still be classed as full term, I just don't really fancy a c-section Oh well, given I feel fine I'm probably worrying about nothing....hopefully!

Had a v weird dream last night that I had him and had to leave him at the hospital by himself, that's never gonna happen in real life. Luckily the dream didn't involve labour, just afterwards. That's the first time I've drempt about him being real, wonder if it's a sign he's on the way soon? I guess only time will tell.

 

[DaisyBee]

Sorry your bp isnt playing nice JayDee. Hopefully was just a one time fluke and it will straighten itself out. I havent found a stocking yet - debating on pink or to go more traditional with red. So exciting to think about isnt it?!


I had a good dr apt today - got lots of my questions answered & LO is looking really good - good heartrate for the non-stress test even though she seemed half asleep when they did it. She wasn't trying to do karate at the monitors LOL! The nurse who did my fluid ultrasound seemed to do a much better job than the girl last tues. (The ultrasound for the fluid they just have a specially trained nurse do - the other ultrasounds they have scan techs do.) She took longer doing it & seemed to find lots more fluid hiding out in different spots - so that number was higher than it was a week ago (even though last weeks was fine). I was told that they are going to keep having me come in every Tues & Fri & one day when I go in they will just decide to send me upstairs to be induced. Dr. said things at the moment things are looking good but they will still end up inducing rather than wait til I go into labor (unless that happens first I guess!) She hinted at 37-38 weeks. I'm glad they aren't rushing things when they don't have to! That helps me feel better about the whole inducing thing. Found out that I don't HAVE to have an epidural even with my blood pressure & that they are going to try the induction first & see if that works before even discussing c-section. I have a growth scan scheduled for next tues - though the dr says at the moment its more routine since we did the one a month ago - she assumes the baby is measuring fine.

Best news - I am allowed to go see my family for the weekend!!! Unless things dramatically change in the next few days that is. So keeping my fingers crossed that things remain just how they have been the past few weeks!

Dr. didnt say anything about the baby dropping or being engaged but the dr didnt actually even look at me - I am going to have an exam on friday which she says then we will talk about all that. Also having the strep swap fri.

Last night I was having strong braxton hicks every 20 minutes. DH was starting to panic!! LOL Was feeling cramps down low while the top of my uterus was getting really tight. Even woke up with a bh in the middle of the night! Getting crazy real!

 

[PieMistress]

Hi Chicks,

Hope you are all fine and dandy! I can't believe Christmas is just round the corner along with our due dates (!!). I've only got 4 more working days left which seems absolutely crazy but finally managed to interview a successful candidate as my replacement today which is a relief.

Last week my midwife thought the baby was breech so I had to go back again today and she's still not sure so i'm booked in for a presentation scan on Friday. She 'thinks' it is head down but isn't 100% so wants to make sure. Find it hard to understand why they can't tell though?? Also my fundal measurement hasn't really changed over the past 4 weeks but she says it's nothing to worry about ?? Ho Hum (!) At least my blood pressure has gone back to normal If bubs is head down (I will be 36+5 then she said it's highly unlikely it will flip back to breech).

For those of you whose bubs have engaged /bump has dropped what does it feel like? I'm still feeling quite breathless very easily so thinking something is still well and truly wedged under my ribs (head or feet!). I also don't have to get up for the loo too much so nothing is against my bladder at the moment?

Still need to get a boys name sorted ! ARGHGHG! Girl's names we have a good list but really struggling with boys! Might put a note on my facebook page asking for suggestions!!

DaisyBee - Do you get your scans as par for the course? We only get 2 here in the UK (as standard, in some areas it's only one at 12 weeks). I haven't really had many Braxton Hicks, maybe only a handful of times (if that?). They also don't do the StrepB course either (at least not in my health practice). You can send away for a kit but they will charge you £32 to analyse it. Is anybody else having the test done?

Jaydee - Hope your blood pressure goes down. I had something similar a couple of weeks back but it seems to have sorted itself out. Maybe it's the sub conscious realisation of what is about to happen to us?

Wouldn't it be lovely if our LOs were here to celebrate Christmas with us! I bought a half price tree in Homebase yesterday (we never usually bother) and have got most of my pressies wrapped, still need to get a few bits and pieces though.

I was going to write more but my internet connection seems to have died and I don't want to lose this message!

Will be back Meerkat, Emma and Amerikiwi! xx

 

[JayDee]

Hi Pie - I don't think I can really feel that much difference now that baby is partly engaged. I guess I'm not gasping for breath or feeling really full as often as I did but that's about it, still going to the toilet at similar intervals to a month ago.
I've been trying to look at pictures to see if the bump looks lower, can't really see any difference other than it's still getting bigger (I'll post a few see if you can - 10,17 and 25 Nov in that order). I *think* the bottom of the bump is now closer to my knicker line as, when I sit down, it does feel like trousers are digging in a bit more. I think it affects some people more than others.

And I agree, boy's names are hard. We're down to just a few now, but we've been thinking about it since 20 weeks, and haven't had girl's names to think about. Do you know what sort of names you like? Traditional/modern etc?

Daisy - good news that you can go and see your family glad bubs is behaving.
I'm not getting painful BH but I'm def having them, you can feel the bump go hard from the outside, DH can tell as well. Only thing with that is I have no idea how many/how frequently I'm having them. Oh well, I guess when they are the real thing I'll def know won't I?

 

[JayDee]

Oh, maybe I can tell a tiny difference on the last 2 pictures. On the first one the waistband looks flat, on the second 2 it's sticking out a bit in the middle.....

 

[Emma1980]

I dunno pie, i cant decide if i want him here before or after xmas but i KNOW i dont want him comin on xmas day! for some reason everyone thinks that i'm gonna go in to labour very soon, keep getting comments that i'm very low... I still get restricted lungs, and he's been head-down since pretty early, but my guess is he'll be pretty long at birth, i was apparently straight in 3-6 month clothes! I'm 6' and FOB is 5'11...

I have noticed that i'm constantly peeing, more so than at any other point in pregnancy, so hes definitely leaning on my bladder with something!

JayDee you still have a better figure than i had pre-pregnancy, haha! i'd love to have a tidy lil bump like that! i think your bump is still pretty high!

boys names are hard! i had my girls picked out straight off! my boys shortlist is Finley, Shay & possibly Kian... i adore Shay but no one else is very keen & everyone loves Finley but i think its getting pretty common now!

I have the midwife this afternoon, i'm really wanting her to send me for a scan to get my fluid levels checked, i know my lil man is okay but ive heard too many scare stories about dry births!

 

[JayDee]

Emma - I agree, I don't really think bump has moved at all. I can feel that baby is lower down in it though, but only an inch or 2.

Good luck with the midwife, hope she listens and gets you booked in for the scan, hopefully just to give you reassurance that everything is still ok in there.

I wonder if you'll just know his name when you see him? I'm assuming FOB isn't really involved in the decision so you can go with what you feel like? I've picked out a few names that DH isn't too keen on, maybe if I think one of them really suits him when he's born DH will give in cos I've just given birth! No, that's mean, I wouldn't do that really, unless I'm really not feeling any of the names that we have agreed on.

 

[PieMistress]

I'll take a piccy of my bump tonight or tomorrow and see what you girls think! I'm paranoid it's small (midwife isn't concerned) but my fundal measurement hasn't really changed in the past month. I'm measuring a good 35w (she said) and am 36w+3 and I know it's grossly inaccurate. I might ask at the presentation scan tomorrow if they can do a few growth measurements but not holding out too much hope considering how grumpy they were at the 20 week scan (!!)

Guess my paranoias and worries are starting to come to the fore front a bit more now it's getting closer and closer!

NCT Breastfeeding session tonight!

 

[Emma1980]

he requested to choose the middle name, which i said was fine as he was getting no other say, he likes Finley and isnt keen on Shay though i think that has something to do with a certain manchester footballer!

Been to see the midwife and shes asked me to go to the hospital for a check up, shes phoned ahead and got me an appointment at 6pm, she said they will check with a speculum, not sure how that works, thought they could only see the water amount with a scan, shes wrote a letter to the hospital saying that i'm genuinely upset with being pregnant, seemed very stressed and anxious and am very run down, how nice is she!! lol.. cow! i am feeling rotten today tho, had a big argument with my boss at work last night, worked til 3am and then couldnt sleep as i was wound up, so ive been a bit of an emotional roller coaster today!

 

[Emma1980]

oops, you posted while i was posting pie, hope your class goes well!

my midwife commented on how easy my pregnancy was to start with and now it seems to be issue after issue! i just feel like im being paranoid she said not to feel like that and its what everyone is here for!

 

[JayDee]

Emma - If I was in your shoes (or had your bump) I'd be stressing and wanting reassurance as well. I think the thing MWs forget sometimes is that we don't see these things every day like they do. Hope the people at the hospital were more helpful than she was.

Pie - I was measuring 35cm at 36+1 which I guess is similar to you. I've been 1cm under since 31 weeks. On Monday mw (without checking my notes) said it could be because baby has dropped a bit but was also happy when I pointed out it was consistent. Hope things are the way they should be at the presentation scan, I'm sure they will be able to tell you if baby isn't growing as it should be.
Hope you enjoy your NCT breastfeeding class. Ours was quite good, although I'm glad I went to the NHS one as well. The NHS one was more factual, where as the NCT was more practical/emotional almost, glad I'm armed with the 2 different sets of information.

 

[DaisyBee]

Hi girls!

Good luck with your scan Pie! Sure everything is fine. I heard that measurements aren't very accurate later in pregnancy anyway so sure your 35 cm is probably just fine.

My scans & fetal heartrate tests aren't the norm over here. They are done only because they are concerned about my blood pressure. They are happy it isnt going any higher so arent doing things right this minute but they aren't happy enough to let me just go til I go into labor either. The growth scan I have Tues. dr made it sound like "might as well do one" to see - but since baby seems to be generally doing ok for now with the fluid levels & heartrate they are assuming that means she has been still growing. They say I have a huge chance of placenta abruption & pre-eclampsia could show up anytime so this is why I'll be induced. Glad I have good insurance - so they pay for all of it - otherwise I would be having to pay for some of these things. The strep b test is standard over here. Everyone has one during week 36 - again my insurance pays for it. (our insurance we pay a premium monthly to dh's work & they cover part of the cost of it- then we have a $2000 deductable (each) yearly we pay which doesnt count for prenatal visits but does come into play for giving birth)

Good luck with names Emma - sounds like you have some really great ideas there! Don't worry about your midwife - she sounds real fun to deal with! I would be on her case too if it were me - of course your stressed & upset! Silly woman!

About bump going lower - I don't really notice much difference in anything except for how my bump doesnt start right under my boobs like it looked like before - it sticks out more right at and above my belly button. So my shirts are hanging much different than they were & my boobs don't look like they are sitting on a ledge! I've had to pee a lot the whole pregnancy which hasnt changed - lol! Dr. apt in 1/2 an hour - oops - can't be late!

 

[DaisyBee]

Well just got home from my dr appt- the heartrate monitor kept messing up (it was a different one than they usually use) so I was there forever! She measured my fundal height (they havent been doing it at every appt lately) but she didnt tell me what it was. Don't think I've been told since 32 or 33 weeks?? She says measuring good but not specific #. I had my first internal exam and found out I'm dilated to 1!! Seems crazy! She said my cervix is still pretty long (nothing more specific) & that baby is "pretty low" but no exact #'s. She told me to keep my appt for Tuesday and after that we will see how it goes & that anytime after Tuesday she feels comfortable having me induced. At least one of us is comfortable about it!!! LOL I might have a baby in less than a week!
So - I'm packing for the weekend and dh is getting off work early so we can head out. Dr. told me to bring my blood pressure cuff with me & take it easy which I plan to do. I'm looking forward to the whole weekend away - and will be nice to have my mom cooking a big feast for us!

Hope everyone is doing well ~ have a good weekend!

 

[ttcbabyno.1]

Hello lovelies!

35+2 today - eeekkk. Had a scarey day on Thursday, had been having period type cramping on wednesday night and started again on thursday afternoon. Then out of the blue while driving i had to pull over the car and throw up!! Been getting alot of white/creamy discharge and had a few days of swollen ankles that wouldn't go down even after putting my feet up! So i called the midwife with all that info and she thought i was in early labour!!! Told me if i was concerned about bubs to go into the hospital to be monitored or i could have some paracetomol and get some rest and see what happens in the night. Needless to say (as baby was moving like norm i wasn't worried about that) so i had a bath, paracetamol and went to bed.... nothing happened and all back to normal!! Freaked me and hubby out a bit though!

Been getting alot of back ache - which i've not had through the pregnancy until now. More jabbing pains in my vagina and very uncomfortable and feeling HUGE! I believe it's baby moving down.... midwife appointment on wednesday so will see if baby is engaged at all (2 weeks ago baby was free) I really hope i have bubs a little early... due on chritmas day but a week earlier would be lovely!! But we'll have to wait and see when he/she wants to make their entrance to the world. Been bouncing on my ball each night and started with a low dose of the RLT too!!

 

[ttcbabyno.1]

Oh by the way facebook - surname is Gill and my picture is of just my head and chest smiling on my wedding day if any of you want to add me.

Cheers,
KEIRA xx

 

[amerikiwi]

Hope everyone had (is having for all of you a day behind me) a wonderful weekend!

Daisy, hope you enjoyed the Thanksgiving feast and weekend away! I wish NZ celebrated Turkey Day. I thought about having a big roast, but the turkeys are all imported here and they were charging $90 for a very small bird. Instead I bought a Christmas tree and started decorating!

TTC, the early labour scare sounds scary! Glad to hear all is back to normal now. I'll have a search for you on Facebook.

Pie, how did your class go?
For all of you that did breastfeeding classes--what type of tips did they give? Our hospitals classes filled up 5 months ago so I couldn't get into the BF ones.

Jaydee, the leader of our antenatal classes said that if you feel inspired about a name that your DH doesn't like, all you need to do is bring the issue up during the transition phase of labour and you'll get anything you want. She also said that if you need any legal documents signed, that's the time as well. LOL.

Emma, how did the hospital referral go? How's the name hunt going? Ours seems to be going backward. We had a shortlist and instead of taking names off the list, we've recently started adding to it.

This week starts the beginning of weekly midwife appointments for me! I have a strep-B swab and hospital tour scheduled for Friday. Daisy, was your strep B done by the midwife or a DIY job? I had assumed the mw would do it, but she said at my last appointment that they'd give me a test kit and instructions and then send me to the loo to do the test myself?

I spent the weekend stocking my freezer! We have 3 weeks worth of dinners prepared and frozen but then ran out of room. We're now looking on TradeMe (NZ equivalent to Ebay) for a chest freezer. Next task--pack hospital bag. I bought what appeared to be a huge box of maternity pads the other day and was horrified to realize that there's only 7 in the box!! I'll need to buy bigger knickers to have any hope of fitting a surf-board size pad in there.