Cooking our little Christmas cakes - late Dec babies

[DaisyBee]

Meerkat - you think your busy now.... just you wait!! Glad your doing well!

As for the rest of you - I can't believe you are all eating spicy food and pineapples and I am missing out on all the fun! Instead I am trying to figure out how to change Megan's diaper without her screaming bloody murder & how to stay awake at 4am when she just wants to cuddle for the 4th straight hour. She sleeps most of the day but when night comes she doesnt want to be in her bassinett. At least she is not a big crier & no colic!!! She has her cluster feeding at night too. Trying to nap when she does - but boy its hard to sleep during the day and be up all night! And she is impossible to wake up - you could have a marching band by her and she could care less. I can play with her feet, etc and it doesnt wake her up at all! Today I managed a morning nap which was a help. Hopefully when dh is not on call anymore things will be more manageable - right now only I am up with Megan all night so he can sleep. He's been working practically nonstop since thurs am - Ive barely seen him. Its so hard on him - he is wishing he could be home & he misses Megan so much. Its amazing how attatched we can be to someone we just met!

Im becomming impatient for you guys to have your babies - I cant imagine how YOU guys are feeling about it! LOL Want to tell your babies "hurry up already!!!"

 

[JayDee]

Ha - Daisy, that made me laugh "hurry up already!"

If it makes you feel any better bubs won't let me sleep all the way through the night and he's not even here yet! Sounds like Megan thinks she lives in a different time zone, maybe you should bring her to the UK or New Zealand, she'd have a perfect sleep pattern then.

AK - your description of how baby is laid/turns makes sense to me, but I think we got the same demo with a doll and a model pelvis at our NCT class. Don't think the tutor made any particular reference to the left side rather than the right but I'm pretty sure half of what she said went over my head.

When I couldn't sleep at 4am this morning I decided I'd try one of the relaxation things that they suggested at NCT class, which was to breathe slowly, empty your mind and then try and picture your baby in it. I managed to make him pretty cute, wriggling about in his crib - hopefully I'll get to see the real thing soon

 

[Meerkat]

When I couldn't sleep at 4am this morning I decided I'd try one of the relaxation things that they suggested at NCT class, which was to breathe slowly, empty your mind and then try and picture your baby in it. I managed to make him pretty cute, wriggling about in his crib - hopefully I'll get to see the real thing soon

So glad I'm not the only one who can't sleep! I was awake last night until 3.30am and woke up at 7.00am, wide wide awake. All I hear is people telling me to get lots of rest... if only!! My mind is full to bursting and it doesn't want to sleep. Makes me feel better knowing its not just me though!

Just think, in a few weeks all of our babies will be here. How cool is that? x

 

[JayDee]

...and then we'll have a different reason to be awake all night!

I'm watching that Amanda Holden thing on ITV player at the minute, not sure it was such a good idea (there is lots of screaming and there was a bit about what they do when they can't find a heartbeat etc - making me cry to think about it) but it's showing some of the training so is giving me a better idea of what to expect when the time comes.

 

[amerikiwi]

Jaydee, be careful watching that Amanda Holden show! I read the post on third tri about it and I'm glad we don't have access to the show here. I'll stick with my flowery view of labour for now.

I think I"m the opposite to all of you when it comes to sleep. The last few nights, I've been having the most restful nights of my whole pregnancy.

Daisy, reading about Megan wanting to cuddle for four hours in a row brought tears to my eyes! I can't wait to cuddle my little girl too.

Thought things were starting yesterday evening but nothing came of it. I threw up randomly and had pretty loose stools so thought I may be having the famous clear-out. BHs were pretty strong but not regular and then they went away whilst I was asleep. Oh well, I pick up my TENs machine tomorrow, so she can wait until after that before making her grand appearance.

 

[DaisyBee]

Ooohh! Starting to sound promising AK! ps...what exactly is a tens machine? Heard them talked about in 3rd tri - but have no clue!

Wondering also what this amanda holden show was all about?! seems to be a big topic at the moment! Sounds like its freaking some people out... was it showing a horrible labor or what?

Megan smiles in her sleep all the time - it just melts my heart... even though its not a "real" smile.. I can pretend they are!

 

[amerikiwi]

The TENs machine sends small electrical current to block pain receptors in the brain and stimulates your body's production of natural endorphins. You hook it up to your back and then there's a button to control the strength of the current. You can put it on at home at the start of early labour before going to hospital. The leader of my antenatal classes works at the physio department of the hospital and is letting me use it for free so I figure it's worth a shot.

From what I can gather, Amanda Holden show had a real screamer in labour that really freaked out. I'm sure Jaydee can share more on that one.

Love that your little girl is smiling in her sleep Daisy! Any more photos?

 

[JayDee]

The Amanda Holden show was a minor TV personality (Amanda) training to be a midwife in 4 weeks rather than 3 years to try and show what a hard job midwives do (I guess).

During the show you saw 2 people deliver babies, and one in labour in the birthing pool, but you didn't see that one to the end. The first delivery wasn't too bad, except you got a full on baby coming out shot which I wasn't expecting! The second one, the woman was swearing and screaming and having a bad time, ended up having a long labour, an epidural and a ventouse delivery, which seemed to involve her having to push and push and push without a break. It sounds bad but I didn't think it was that bad, the pushing bit didn't last that long, about 30 seconds I think. The worst bit for me was that the baby wasn't breathing once they pulled him out, he was all blue and floppy. Short term pain I can handle, but seeing my baby not breathing.... that would be awful, I really hope I don't have to find out how awful. There was a happy ending, after a couple of minutes of cpr the baby started breathing and screamed SOOO loud and went pink again.

Hopefully that's descriptive enough! I guess I'm maybe just prepared for screaming and pain so was expecting to see that so don't think it was as bad as some of the others who are maybe more in denial about it? I don't know.

AK - the arrival of the TENS machine might be a good thing, my friend from work who was due a week before me set her facebook status to something to do with a tens machine one day during the week (assume that's cos she'd just got it) and she had her baby that weekend, a week early.

Daisy - I love that Megan smiles in her sleep, I know newborns aren't meant to smile straight away but they can definately show their feelings so I bet she's trying really hard to smile.

 

[DaisyBee]

Yeah - dont think we have TENS machines here?? Havent heard of anything like that before - sounds like everyone has more options than I did for pain relief - we dont even have gas/air - so technically Im not even sure what that is LOL I could either have one specific drug (cant remember the name) but that it cant be used close to delivery cause it affects the baby... but my dr wouldnt let me have that one - wonder if its cause megan was going to be so small or if she was worried about my bp?? (my bp was low all through labor though - vs how high it had been getting before hand - so dont know) So my only real option was the epi. AK - someone I know had mentioned that their hospital does the kind of epi that you talked about - that you could still move around with it. Mine I couldnt - I could feel my legs, etc... but there would have been no way I could have walked around.

JayDee - yes I think that would be the only thing not tollerable - seeing your baby in distress. How scary! I think that everyone probably deals with labor differently - and even my mom said her labors were all different & she actually screamed with my youngest sibling but not her first 2. She had a very difficult delivery with him with no pain relief at all & he had a huge head, huge shoulders, and big hips... guess he kept getting stuck! LOL My brother was complaining about shirts not ever fitting him cause his wide shoulders - and my mom laughed so hard... made her think about his wide shoulders during birth! I wouldnt be afraid to make noise - if its going to make you feel better... but maybe tell your oh's or birthing partners that they need to step it up during labor - I had to be very direct with my dh to let him know what helped - and things that seemed corny before labor all of a sudden were helpful & vice versa - so if they are paying really close attention to what seems to help you focus it will help a lot. DH being supportive saying "your doing great", etc... was NOT helpful at all - exact opposite for me. He wanted to lightly massage me at times - just being a hand on me but not a hard massage - & I hated that... if he was going to touch me it needed to be a firm to the point of hurting his hand touch. I wasnt in a mindset to help myself stay calm at times - but my dh helped refocus me & helped me not to hyperventalate cause I would start breathing too fast when the pain was bad. Him being right in front of my face (like an inch away) breathing with me but slower and different sounds "hees, woos, etc" helped me focus on that.
My pushing at the end - was much faster than I hear most people - esp with epi... they say 2 hours pushing for 1st time moms and 3 hours if first time mom with epi... & I pushed for 5 min?? Enough time for 3 contractions. They held my legs up and back and had me take a deep breath without pushing right when the contraction started.. then breathe again and that time push for count of ten - then 2 more just like that til the contraction ended... then lay back and take a break til the next contraction (not very long in between contractions though).

AK -I added a few more pics on facebook the other day - they are easier to load on there cause I dont have to change the size.... have you seen those (added to the album I already started)? Its totally amazing how she seems to change from day to day!

 

[Emma1980]

im sure we'd all change for days if we'd been in a bag of water for 9 months LOL - i'll go check her piccies out when ive posted this!

what pain relief are you having JD? you gonna brave it out with the G & A?

my piles are back with avengence!

 

[JayDee]

My plan is to brave it with gas and air, but we'll see when I get there! Have a feeling the longer he waits to make an appearance the bigger he's going to be so the more it's gonna hurt!
My MIL keeps laughing at me cos I keep saying my BH don't hurt/I can hardly feel them, she thinks I'm not right, keeps saying "they are meant to hurt a bit you know!" Hopefully this means I just have a high pain threshold and I'll be ok. I'll probably scream my head off at DH, but, to be honest, at the minute, I think he's more worried about things that I am. He's now worrying in case it snows too much and we can't get to the hospital. He has a 4x4 for work so it wouldn't be that we couldn't navigate the roads, more that they could be blocked by accidents. Oh well, it's not snowing yet (although I think it's meant to today and tomorrow) so I guess we'll just see. I'm more relaxed, things usually work out in the end don't they, even if there is a bit of drama on the way...

Daisy - I wonder if the stuff you were offered was pethadine or the other thing I can't remember the name of that is similar. Both can make the baby really dopey so they won't give it if they think you have less than 3 hours to go cos they need baby to be alert once you're trying to push.
Here the order of stuff they offer you is: gas and air (which is nitrose oxide and oxygen mixed together) then pethadine/this other thing then epi (assuming things are going to plan, they will jump to epi if you want them to/they think they need to. TENS machine you have to sort yourself if you want one. You can use a birthing pool if available at the time, but can only have gas and air if that's what you want. Sound similar to in NZ AK?

 

[ttcbabyno.1]

Pethadine or Meptid are the injectable opiate drugs available during labour. (very simular to each other).

I'm going to start with birthing pool or hot shower for pain relief (always seems to ease my back aches and period cramping so could get me through a few hours) then move onto aromatheraphy (heat bags, massage, steam) and gas and air. (have decided against the pethadine or meptid as i have reacted badly to pethadine in the past - migrane and constant vomitting for the 3hours the drug lasted (it's not reversable so once you have it, you have the effects both good and bad for the 3-4hours!) and i would hate to have that again as well as be in labour. And a epidural is a major last resort for me! But we'll see what happens on the day.... you never know how you'll cope til it happens!!

Not long to go ladies... 1 week and a day until my due date (oh, and xmas!) Really hope i go a little earlier, but i won't be holding my breath!!

 

[amerikiwi]

Here the order of stuff they offer you is: gas and air (which is nitrose oxide and oxygen mixed together) then pethadine/this other thing then epi (assuming things are going to plan, they will jump to epi if you want them to/they think they need to. TENS machine you have to sort yourself if you want one. You can use a birthing pool if available at the time, but can only have gas and air if that's what you want. Sound similar to in NZ AK?

Jaydee, that's exactly the same order here, except that we don't have the other thing that's like pethidine. I've put in my birthplan that I def. do not want the pethidine--Mum is severly allergic to it and I don't want to discover during labour whether I am as well or not. My "plan", obviously subject to change at any time on the day, is to start with the TENS, then try the pool if i get sick of that(can't wear the Tens in the pool!), def. gas and air, and then epi as last result. Sounds almost the same as your plan TTC.

Daisy, love the new pictures on facebook!! She's so adorable.

So which one of us will deliver next I wonder....I think Emma. Come on babies--we're all eagerly awaiting your arrivals.

 

[Emma1980]

woo i hope it is me! lol... I have been getting period type pains today actually, just not regular enough to count them yet!

 

[DaisyBee]

Wish I could have used the whirlpool &/or shower during labor. I was so looking forward to that part for some reason - LOL! With me all hooked up they wouldnt let me. I also wasnt allowed to walk around - was limited to my room because of the monitors. Tues night the nurse said something about walking (I only had the suppository at that time) and I was interested in walking & then she talked me out of it - saying I should rest & that I would be able to walk the next day.... well the next day they said "no"!
The nurse had offered me the pethadine - or whatever it was ... and then the dr said no.. so it wasnt cause I was close to delivery at that point (well technically I was just noone knew it at that time.) Which is why I thought there must have been a medical reason.
I used hot bags mostly during tues night before the petosin started- seemed to help the cramping & back pain I was having then...

Part of me wishes Megan would have arrived closer to xmas - then we would have an excuse to all our familes if we didnt make it to all the parties. Everyone is expecting us to make an appearance & with dh's work this past week and our new sleep schedule we are exhausted! We have a xmas party at dh's grandparents house on thurs, his mom's house on fri, my grandmas (2 hrs away) fri night, cousins showing up and my parents house to see us on Sat, and party at my other grandma's on Sunday (again 2 hours away).... So basically we wont even be home all weekend even at night - and I wanted to have a xmas with just Megan, dh & I - not sure when that will happen So thinking I may need to hurt some feelings and be a little selfish. Maybe go see some of them new years weekend instead? And we HAVE to go to dh's grandparents house - we just found out a few days ago that is grandpa has luekemia (sp?) and they are giving him 6 mo-1 yr. He hasnt seen Megan yet - he hasnt felt well enough to visit us & with dh working nonstop we havent been over to visit him yet. DH is taking it very hard - a weird time to get such awful news too.
Wanna know something really funny - remember when dh's mom wanted our baby to spend sunday nights at her house and I was so shocked & upset about the idea... well the idea is sounding more appealing every day! LOL I've never been so exhausted in my life! Don't get me wrong - Ive never been more happy either... funny how those 2 can even go together... exhausted yet happy! Maybe I'll have to get her to babysit for a few hours... good compromise!

 

[amerikiwi]

OMG Daisy--are you crazy?!?! That Christmas schedule sounds completely exhausting and I don't have a newborn (and the sleep deprivation that comes with it) yet. Don't feel bad at all saying no and spending some quiet time at home with your DH and Megan. So sorry to hear about your DH's grandfather. I'm sure meeting his great-granddaughter will bring a smile to his face.

I think we originally stepped on toes with Christmas this year as well, but everyone has come around and completely understand now. We told all family that they're welcome to come to our house with a plate but that we will not be traveling. It helps that it's summer time here, so we're firing up the BBQ. I figured, if I'm still pregnant, I don't want to be traveling far from hospital (most family live 1-2 hours away). If we have our baby girl by then, being at home will allow me (and her) to go upstairs and rest as needed. We have stocked up on paper plates, cutlery, and even disposable wine glasses so that clean up will be easy.

More power to you if traveling is how you want to spend the holidays, but if you want quiet time at home, please tell them and don't feel guilty!

 

[amerikiwi]

Hmm--had a bit of a blood-pressure spike at MW appointment today. Second number is normally over 60-70 for me, but today went close to 100. Managed to get it back down to 86 but still had a blood test to test liver functions for PE just to be on safe side. She said they'd call by end of day if it came back positive and it's now 6:30PM so I'm going to assume it isn't PE!

On a bright note, mw said sometimes bp can rise a few days before labour--so it may be that!

 

[DaisyBee]

Wow that is quite a jump AK! I agree they would have called by now if pe. How exciting that it could mean labor is close!

Thank you for making me feel not crazy to want to skip some parties! My mom who before Megan was born said "no pressure" is now putting the pressure on & making me feel totally guilty! Today she made it sound like the only excuse we have for not showing up is the weather... so all of a sudden I was hoping for snow & icy roads! LOL Maybe I should do the sameas you - invite people here....hmmmm its a good idea!

On another note... make sure you guys are stocked up on pads... really not expected to go through as many as I have.

 

[JayDee]

Daisy - I love that you've gone through this a decent amount of time before us, it's like you're our baby/birth mentor!
I saw your new pics on facebook, I can't believe how much different Megan looks already, still completely adorable though.
I agree with the others about your xmas schedule, it sounds too much for me in any other year, let alone with a new baby. We're lucky, both our families live really close (closer than the hospital I'm due to give birth in, we have to pass my mum's house on the way) and have both said "if we see you we see you, if we don't we don't". Discussed it last night and decided that unless we're in the hospital we're going to try and go to both, baby or no baby, but we're, at most, 10-15 minutes away from home so can always disappear if we need to.
Sorry to hear about DH's grandad. It's hard when you get news like that at any time, but bet it's especially hard near xmas and when you've just had Megan as well. Hopefully you'll be able to make it to go and see him and introduce Megan to him soon before he gets too ill.

AK - sounds so bizarre you saying you're going to have a BBQ for xmas. It's close to freezing temperatures here, and lots of the country has quite a bit of snow.
Hope your BP is a good sign rather than bad. Mine has been higher than normal since 36 weeks, but highest it went is 120/80 which I think is still pretty normal for most people.

We got a tiny bit of snow yesterday but worse was the wind, which caused a power line to come down so we had no electric from about 13.45 to about 16.45. By the time it came back on it was pretty dark and cold (central heating won't work without electric to power the control box). DH laughed at me cos I was sat playing on my nintendo DS by candle light when he got home from work! Honestly, I was just glad that I didn't have a baby at that point, as they would have needed a lot of blankets!

Emma - if you are going to be next, please can you be quick, as I'm still holding out some hope of my little monkey turning up before xmas. Maybe he'll just be perfectly on time (mine not yours) and come on Sunday as he's meant to.

TTC - sounds like you and me are similar with the labour drug attitude. I've never had pethadine/meptid (well done for remembering the name btw) before but don't really fancy putting something into my body that can't be reversed and could have a bad effect on me, and does get through to the baby (bet that's why they wouldn't let you have it Daisy, if Megan's heartbeat was slowing anyway, cos it makes them sleepy). I don't fancy an epi, but if I really need one then that's what I'll have. Hopefully we'll all know soon....

Could be famous last words, but I don't think baby is coming today, so I'm going out for lunch with my friend to pass the time. No idea what I'm doing at the weekend, was expecting to be otherwise engaged, but I suppose we'll see.

COME ON BABY, your prepaid stay is coming to an end, I'm sending the baylifts (is that a UK only word?) in soon to evict you!

 

[Emma1980]

Friggin snow, i had so much to do today, i had stuff todo yesterday and the day before and something always came up, so i was gonna do it all today, yet its snowing like heck out there and absolutely bloody freezing! I dont think i can brave it!!

JayDee - you go first if ya like, i just dont think i can cope with labour with these piles, i wake up in tears at the pain of them now, and i know its not gonna go when i give birth cos apparently they're worse! but because of the pressure down there, i aint gonna get rid of them for a while yet, they are the most horrible thing in the world, i cant sit down anymore, lying on my side is painful an i'm not supposed to lie on my back, URGH!

my blood pressure went up to 120/80 on my last appt too, usually much lower, but mw is fine with it.

Daisy i'd be making excuses summat rotten! but a lot of that has to do with the rotten weather, i pray for blizzards for you! lol - love the new pics, its crazy how much they change!

AK that just sounds sooooos trange, a bbq for xmas?! ya still have turkey n that?