February 2013 babies

[Seity]

Good luck to everyone.
Shan - I'd probably pass on amnio like PM said and just be ok with seeing what's going on at the 20 week scan.
I'm also 39 and my NT measurement was normal, but I haven't had any risk #'s given to me yet based on that plus bloods. I'll have the 16 week bloods drawn at the end of the month to add to what they took at 12 weeks.
We've been at the in-laws all week, so I haven't been on much. I'm enjoying having other bodies around to distract my son's attention away from me.

 

[Darklady]

I have the stupidest grin on my face right now and I can't stop crying. Baby's looking great... totally uncooperative during the scan, but they finally got the NT measurement. 1.2, that's normal, right? I saw Baby stretch... wow... long legs! LOL

Measuring 12w5d... right on target from 1st scan

Eeeeee

 

[Loompylooloo]

Welcome to all the new ladies!!!

Finally, here are my scan pics! Took me long enough! The first one was 10w5d but measured a week bigger and the second one was my dating scan where again it was measuring 14w instead of 13w making my dd 30 Jan 2013!

I also got the results of my NT screening and bloodtests and I am low risk with a risk of 1:510 which is good for an old bird like me!!

Had a very bad sickness day yesterday - 7 times in a short space of time and a headache for 4 days but took tablets, ate some chocolate and slept for a couple of hours which seemed to do the trick.

Hope you are all smiling and relaxing as much as poss!!!!
C

 

[Seity]

Beautiful scan photos loompy and great NT results.

 

[Bumpity1]

Darklady I am thrilled for you! Yes that's a great measurement
I could tell by your posts that after everything you have been through you were very nervous. I'm so happy for you and hope you can relax a little now as you have passed a big milestone!

Loompy I'm sorry to hear that you are still being sick. I had a headache everyday with my DS ( i knew it was a boy!), and it made the pregnancy horrendous. Have had a couple this time but I have used 4head instead of paracetamol and it really works. Love the scan pics and your NT & bloods are great. Am waiting for my results, but apparently no news is good news....

Perpetual, why do some women not feel labour? They are so lucky. My friend told me yesterday that her friend went to use the bathroom and her babies head appeared! Not a single pain! Had my last 2 kids with no pain relief, not even gas & air as it makes me throw up, and it was ****** painful. But worth every moment once babies in your arms though.

 

[PerpetualMama]

congrats on the good scans llompylooloo and darklady

 

[Lindylou]

Tiredness is definitely normal, or should I say disturbed sleep! I was like this when pregnant with my son and for about 6 weeks now I've been waking up regularly between 3-6am but then come 7am when my alarm goes off I have to drag myself out of bed. I seem to cope not too bad during the start of the week but come Thursday pm/ Friday I'm shattered and end up having an afternoon nap while letting Euan watch a dvd - hardly the best parenting but at the moment its the only way I can cope.

Lindy its amazing how we cope with birth. I can't say I enjoyed my son's as it was long & I was exhausted by the time he arrived but it hasn't put me off. It's such as short time compared to 9 months of being pregnant & then the overwhelming feeling of meeting your baby for the first time

Thanks lulu. I cannot wait to me my baby so hopefully te thought of that first cuddle will help me through.

 

[Seity]

Gabriel's birth was hard and fast. I got the drugs and they were brilliant. I was rested and refreshed when it came time to push and he just popped right out. I'll definitely be getting the drugs this time as soon as I get to the hospital. No waiting and trying to do it 'natural' this time. It changed his birth from agonizing, horrible, constant pain, to something very positive. I never wanted to do it again, but since I don't have a choice I'm just going to get the drugs straight away and enjoy it right from the start.

 

[PerpetualMama]

Gabriel's birth was hard and fast. I got the drugs and they were brilliant. I was rested and refreshed when it came time to push and he just popped right out. I'll definitely be getting the drugs this time as soon as I get to the hospital. No waiting and trying to do it 'natural' this time. It changed his birth from agonizing, horrible, constant pain, to something very positive. I never wanted to do it again, but since I don't have a choice I'm just going to get the drugs straight away and enjoy it right from the start.

you had the epidural? Did it scare you? I'm terrified of them messing up so never had one

 

[PerpetualMama]

Wow! Thanks perpetual. How did they manage that lucky ladies!? I think it all feels so daunting. No doubt closer to the time I will be picking your brain for hints and tips... survival tips It was difficult enough to get pregnant this time but because of my age I'm hoping to have 2 close together so don't want to be put off!

You do whatever you have to to get through it. If that means meds, then take them! I had shots of some dopey drug that didn't stop the pain just made me high. Only one baby was born without any pain meds at all..number 4- 4 hours start to finish after induction's first contraction. I had my two best friends with me and we used the prepared childbirth breathing which worked wonders when you have a good coach. My friends were awesome, kept me completely focused on them and when I started to panic my friend threw a wet facecloth in my face and broke my panicked trance. I will def consider an epidural this time around though if it goes slow or if it is a difficult birth like number 5 was (he was facing sideways and wouldn't descend). I'm not ruling out anything at this point. I'm gettin too old for these rigors

 

[Seity]

I had the intrathecal. It's a shot in the same spot on the back where an epidural would go, but no catheter is left in. Like I mentioned things were going fast and the shot lasts 2 hours, which I knew would be long enough. It also works instantly vs the 30 min wait of the epidural. My sister had the epidural for both of her births because they were longer and thinks its the best thing ever. I'd have gone that route if my labor had been slower.
I don't believe in unnecessary pain when there's plenty of good options to avoid it.

 

[Bumpity1]

The only advice I would give to ladies about giving birth is to read up on all your options and have an idea of what you want but be prepared for it to be totally different. I have never got the birth I wanted. I don't think the NHS gives out epidurals as freely as you would get them in the US. After all they have budgets and usually only one anesthetist available. They would rather start you on Pethidine or Diamorphine, the drugs that don't take the pain away but make you so high you don't care about the pain quite as much! That doesn't appeal to me but is right for lots of women.
I was offered an epidural during my first labour as I was not coping with the pain at all and it was a long labour. It turned out the reason I was in so much pain was my DD was a back to back baby. Because I had had an epidural I couldn't move to try to get her to move and I ended up having forceps. With my second they discovered early on that she too was a back to back so I wasn't allowed an epidural as they wanted me moving so I could shift her into the right position for delivery. Believe me I would take afew hours of pain over what you may have to endure with a forceps delivery, including infection and not being able to sit on backside for 2 weeks. I wanted an epidural with my DS but again they weren't keen as when they broke my waters to get labour going it had meconium in it. They wanted to get him out as quick as possible and epidurals can slow labour down. In hind sight, he had such a big head I really struggled to get him out and was threatened with forceps by the doctor. That made me push!
Sorry for long post but the reality is you sometimes have to go through a painful labour whether you want one or not.

 

[PerpetualMama]

I had the intrathecal. It's a shot in the same spot on the back where an epidural would go, but no catheter is left in. Like I mentioned things were going fast and the shot lasts 2 hours, which I knew would be long enough. It also works instantly vs the 30 min wait of the epidural. My sister had the epidural for both of her births because they were longer and thinks its the best thing ever. I'd have gone that route if my labor had been slower.
I don't believe in unnecessary pain when there's plenty of good options to avoid it.

is it just pain relief or does it numb the area? I never heard of it nor had it offered. Of course I haven't had a baby in almost 6 years and things change fast

 

[PerpetualMama]

The only advice I would give to ladies about giving birth is to read up on all your options and have an idea of what you want but be prepared for it to be totally different. I have never got the birth I wanted. I don't think the NHS gives out epidurals as freely as you would get them in the US. After all they have budgets and usually only one anesthetist available. They would rather start you on Pethidine or Diamorphine, the drugs that don't take the pain away but make you so high you don't care about the pain quite as much! That doesn't appeal to me but is right for lots of women.
I was offered an epidural during my first labour as I was not coping with the pain at all and it was a long labour. It turned out the reason I was in so much pain was my DD was a back to back baby. Because I had had an epidural I couldn't move to try to get her to move and I ended up having forceps. With my second they discovered early on that she too was a back to back so I wasn't allowed an epidural as they wanted me moving so I could shift her into the right position for delivery. Believe me I would take afew hours of pain over what you may have to endure with a forceps delivery, including infection and not being able to sit on backside for 2 weeks. I wanted an epidural with my DS but again they weren't keen as when they broke my waters to get labour going it had meconium in it. They wanted to get him out as quick as possible and epidurals can slow labour down. In hind sight, he had such a big head I really struggled to get him out and was threatened with forceps by the doctor. That made me push!
Sorry for long post but the reality is you sometimes have to go through a painful labour whether you want one or not.

My last son was a "let's face sideways and not descend" baby and turned into a "Oooh, I'm not liking labor much-dip in heartrate" baby. So they had me switching positions and rolling and rocking etc. They'd no sooner get him to turn and he'd twist back. Doc had me pushing at 7 cm while he manually opened my cervix. Painful as hell, but otherwise it would have been a c-section. DS was born and his body was twisted up like a corkscrew. He spun so many times the doc almost dropped him. If I had had an epidural I think I would have ended up in a c-section. I'm reserving all decisions on birth until I see what little one decides to present me with. If I'm lucky it'll be quick- 4 hours- like DD (14) and steady and unassisted like DS (17)-my only non-induction.

 

[Lindylou]

Wow I'm going to have to do so much research to try and get to speed with everything! There seem to be so many things to take in.

Bumpity- does the diamorphine just make you high as well? I really don't fancy them. Just sounds like you are out of control. I want to be with it enough to enjoy meeting my baby. What I have heard about the epidural- slowing things down, assisted delivery etc puts me off that! Is there anything that can ease the pain an not have my out of it?

 

[Darklady]

Heh... I celebrated my scan by going book shopping (I try not to do it often, 'cuz I rarely leave Chapters with fewer than 5 books... it gets pricey! LOL )... picked up a book of recipes specifically designed for large-batch cook-and-freeze. I figured it'd come in handy to have the freezer stocked with 'thaw and heat' low-intervention meals for the first few weeks.

I told my husband about it... the ensuing conversation has made me realize he really has no clue what those first few weeks/months could be like if we have a fussy kidlet and/or I have physical recovery to contend with. Poor boy... he's in for a shock LOL

On the plus side, spending the next 6 months trying to convince him of that aspect means I probably won't have much time to consider the actual birth beyond "I should see if any of the drugs are even an option" and "guess I should start working on my meditation/self-hypnosis techniques"

 

[Bumpity1]

Lindy, I think both Diamorphine and Pethidine are made from Heroin. If that gives you any clue to how it makes you feel! I, like you wanted to be alert and not feel out of control. I think it really works for some women but I just don't feel it's for me. I think it can make baby sleepy if given close to birth and I want to breastfeed. I think you should just go with how you feel in the moment though as every birth is different. Epidurals are great as it gets rid off all the pain. I think I was unlucky that they didn't realise she was in such an awkward position before they gave it to me. Don't worry yourself though, it probably seems a lot to take in but your midwife will advise you.

Perpetual, that sounds horrible. You would think your body would know what it's doing after having other children. When I had forceps they had put them on her head then turned her a full 180 degrees inside me. That was a weird sensation! Like you I am going into this labour with no expectations. Will just see what happens.

Darklady, now I have started to feel better I too have been thinking about cooking batches and freezing them. I have a slow cooker I love and do big batches of stews, casseroles, bolognese etc. Am definitely going to spend last couple months stocking the freezer. Your DH will be grateful for your forward thinking! Lol

 

[shancherie]

I was hoping to go natural myself: partly because I don't want to flood my baby with drugs right before birth (I know it has been proven safe - I just don't like it), and partly because I want to breastfeed and I've heard that when the mother takes meds, the baby is less likely to latch. Women's bodies are built for this, so I believe I can do it.

However, I'm beginning to wonder if I'll even have that option.

Does anyone know if having a placental abruption in the first trimester increases your risk of having one in your third trimester? I've read plenty about abruptions in previous pregnancies giving you a higher liklihood, but nothing about during the same pregnancy. The abruption (they call it a subchrionic hemorrhage during the first trimester) was very small and I only bled for one day...

Also, I've had brown spotting for nearly a week now - it started two weeks after the abruption healed. I went in on Friday and on the u/s the baby looked great, but the doc couldn't tell me what could be causing the bleeding. I go in again on Thursday. Wish me luck.

 

[Loompylooloo]

Hey ladies. I can't offer any advice on drugs as with my three I have only managed gass and air once. That was with number one. Number two made an unscheduled appearance on the bathroom floor and my mum caught her! DH was green by the time the ambulance arrived and ended up being given oxygen! Number three was a planned home birth and I decided on no drugs and by the end was begging for gas and air but it was all taped together and by the time they sorted it out it was too late! He was my biggest at 8lbs 10oz and my longest labour at 61/2 hours! I am hoping for a home birth with this one but need to check with the consultant if I will be allowed or not as I am on meds for sickness and number 3 was born with undiagnosed congenital heart disease and some will hopefully have advanced scans to make sure this one is ok.
Shancherie- I hope they sort out the source of your spotting!
Keep smiling
C

 

[PerpetualMama]

I recommend prepared childbirth classes with the breathing techniques. It doesn't take away the pain but if your coach can keep you focused on the pattern and not the pain it really does make labor more tolerable. DH slept through the last class with DS (5) and I had to rely on DD (15 at the time) to remember the techiques we never practiced. With DD(14) my friends and I used the breathing and I was able to get through labor without medication and in only 4 hours. Being my 4th child she was quicker (first was 33 1/2, then 12 1/2, 6, 4, and 6) so if it's a first child it may take longer. Best defense I have found is to consciously remember to relax the pelvic muscles and cervix with each contraction so you don't fight it, and if you can be upright laboring, squat with each contraction because it helps shorten the cervix and helps the contraction do its work.
Definitely read all you can and know what to expect or what could happen.