March Monkeys 2016: 21 boys and 15 girls born

[SarahLou372]

Hi ladies

21 weeks pregnant today I have to go again for my repeat scan today to see if they can get spine measurements... third attempt

DaisyDreamer - I'm down for my birth centre at my hospital in my notes. Apparently its more relaxed. But we can book a tour of both departments if we wanted to which we might do.. cant do It till I'm 28 weeks though. But they said if anything happens to me or baby or I decide I want an epidural then I could just go upstairs to the delivery suite. Although I don't fancy the sound of an epidural at all... and being immobile for a while. Of course if it comes to a C - Section then I would have it. But otherwise I'm hoping to stay clear of it

 

[CurlyRose]

I plan to try hypnoborthing, although probably from a book rather than a class. Is anyone else really excited and impatient for the birth? Not just for meeting your baby, but the whole experience? Perhaps this is just FTM naivety, but I am so looking forward to experiencing such intensity, I can't stop thinking about it!

Me me me! Not in an impatient wishing-the-time-away way, but ya I loooove giving birth and I'm looking forward to doing it again, more so this time too because I'll be in my own space and I won't have to deal with any of the anxieties of wondering whefher I'll get a good midwife or a pushy one who won't "allow" me to do certain things etc.
And that "birth high" hormone rush afterward - magic!

That's what I want to hear! I am also not wishing the pregnancy away, but I am so excited for the birth. Just trying not to get caught up in over planning, need to allow it to be whatever it will be. Hoping for birth centre and drug free water birth, but have to be open to a 20 minute ambulance ride and full hospital, tbh, either way I'm excited!

 

[AMP1117]

Amp maybe its normal and just everything stretching . I've had awful pain like someone punched my belly the last two days . Thankfully its gone today . Not quite sure what it was . Could have been consitpation ? But not sure . Hope all is well xx

It would go from a stabbing pain to like someone punched me in the stomach. Baby's heartbeat fine and he is kicking away today. It came and went last night a few times but never as severe. No clue

 

[AMP1117]

I am looking forward to meeting my baby boy...but I will 100% be requesting an epidural. I was induced with dd and contractions went from 0-60 in no time. I was in sooooo much pain even with the epidural but it certainly took the edge off. Not to scare anyone, but when you feel like a semi-truck is trying to drive out of your butt at full speed an epidural makes a big difference. My contractions came out of no where, I was crying and screaming and wanted to die. The epidural came about 45 min later and within 20 minutes I was soooo much better. Until 7pm when they came back and I was screaming so loud I think the hospital walls shook. I can't imagine giving birth without one...my hat goes off to you brave souls who can. Me? I am a total chicken when it comes to pain and especially now that I know what to expect? Oh yes drugs please! Plus it made getting stitched up much easier ( I had a 4th degree tear when her 2nd shoulder came busting out).

I will say this though, the saying of how the pain magically disappears when you first lay eyes on your baby? That my dears is 100% true

 

[Fezzle]

I think I've been in denial about the actual birth so far! But I also don't want to worry too much as I feel like there are so many things I can't plan, and I just want a healthy baby and a healthy me at the end of it no matter how I get there.

 

[Left wonderin]

I am looking forward to meeting my baby boy...but I will 100% be requesting an epidural. I was induced with dd and contractions went from 0-60 in no time. I was in sooooo much pain even with the epidural but it certainly took the edge off. Not to scare anyone, but when you feel like a semi-truck is trying to drive out of your butt at full speed an epidural makes a big difference. My contractions came out of no where, I was crying and screaming and wanted to die. The epidural came about 45 min later and within 20 minutes I was soooo much better. Until 7pm when they came back and I was screaming so loud I think the hospital walls shook. I can't imagine giving birth without one...my hat goes off to you brave souls who can. Me? I am a total chicken when it comes to pain and especially now that I know what to expect? Oh yes drugs please! Plus it made getting stitched up much easier ( I had a 4th degree tear when her 2nd shoulder came busting out).

I will say this though, the saying of how the pain magically disappears when you first lay eyes on your baby? That my dears is 100% true

I 100 % agree . I too was induced and went from 0-100 in what felt like seconds !! I also had back labour which is awful ! Had to wait 3 hours for my epidural but when it comes to it I'm still VERY excited about the whole experience again . I ended up with a emergency c section after 11 hours of labour . Im open to all possibilities this time what I do know is that it is worth every second of pain and the second it was over i would have done it all again for the joy it brings

 

[BellaRosa8302]

Thanks everyone, for the advice & for just talking about this with me

Thanks for the additional advice NDH!

I spoke to my ob at my annual appointment after the fact... after I had a panic attack (felt like someone was stepping on my chest) all the way to my appointment. She told me the chances of me having a hematoma again are the same as anyone else out there - my chances aren't elevated by any means...

I am excited... and terrified at the same time. Excited to think that maybe I can be better at this and actually have that meeting with my baby moment. I remember them placing her on my chest and thinking about how beautiful she was... and then she was pretty much ripped away from me and I don't remember much. My parents and my in-laws were in the waiting room and I didn't even get to see them meet her for the first time. It really makes me sad to think back on it.

I considered having a doula, but I'm not sure. I haven't fully decided yet. My husband will be with me, but he really doesn't know what to do with me when I'm in pain, to be honest. I barely even remember that he was there. I know he was, but he wasn't an active part really. I do remember pushing on all fours and telling him he better stay near my head

I have the Hypnobirthing book and started reading it last time around, but didn't get very far. Maybe I should start there.

 

[littlelily]

I think I've been in denial about the actual birth so far! But I also don't want to worry too much as I feel like there are so many things I can't plan, and I just want a healthy baby and a healthy me at the end of it no matter how I get there.

exactly this! My nct course starts next month and hope to find out a bit more about options there .

 

[NDH]

I was induced with my first as well and had back labour on top of the induced contractions (I was getting 4-5 contractions every 10 minutes with 30-40 seconds down time in between them). That part was rough no doubt about it, but by staying as active as I could manage and counterpressure and hot water and deep focused breathing and maybe most importantly having a supportive midwife who was with me every step of the way telling me I was doing great and reminding me to change positions I did it without an epidural or any other drugs. I knew the risks of an epidural and as I was already at increased risk of needing a cesarean due to the induction I didn't want to increase my chances further by getting an epidural too. I did briefly consider asking for one when the contractions were on top of eachother with no break but I told myself if I was 6cm I would manage without and asked for an internal and I was 6cm so I put it out of my mind. I did ask the mw if she could turn the syntocinon down though and she did, which lessened the intensity enough for me to get my focus back.
I can 100% guarantee though that if I had had a less supportive midwife who ignored my requests that I be reminded to change positions and move around instead of offering drugs I would have ended up with an epidural.

My next labour that was spontaneous was 100% different in terms of the intensity - though I still had a brief moment of feeling like asking for all the drugs when transition hit me unexpectedly (45 minutes before I had been 3 maybe 4cm and the intensity of my contractions up to transition hitting was so mild I was certain I had hours to go).


For anyone interested, I bought a birth planning workbook from bellabirth.com.au Its geared towards Australian women, but most of the information is still universal and it can be purchased in PDF form for international customers.
Anyway it goes really in depth about how to write a birth "map" rather than a typical birth plan most people think of. It teaches you how to research your options and then map out your birth, including possible detours.
So while you may intend to have a natural drug free birth, you would still prepare for deviations that might take you away from that ultimate plan - state pain relief options you would be open to in order of preference (there are a lot of options in between nothing and epidural), if an assisted delivery was necessary would you prefer ventouse or forceps or go straight to cesarean. When it comes to needing a cesarean there are usually *some* requests you can make as well even in an emergency situation (obviously not under general anaesthetic) - even as simply as requesting there be no "personal conversation" in the OR or that conversation be directed at you, and to have someone describe to you what is happening so you are kept "in the loop" (if you're not squeamish). And then of course there's all the post-birth baby care options most people barely give a passing thought to, but for myself I consider far more important than anything that happens at the actual birth - stuff like do you want the cord clamped immediately or when it stops pulsing, do you want immediate skin to skin and have all newborn checks delayed or done on your chest? Everything is an option that you can consent to or not, but generally hospital policy dictates what is done in all circumstances if you don't speak up ahead of time, and those policies vary widely from hospital to hospital (my local hospital does delayed cord clamping and immediate skin to skin by routine, even in c-sections where possible, but most don't)

I think it's a really useful tool especially for first time moms. Its easy to be overwhelmed and want to just "go with the flow" because birth is unpredictable, but that doesn't mean you can't be pre-armed with knowledge of options etc so in the moment you can be aware that you do have options and can almost always make choices that may or not be different from standard practice. It can be the difference between two women both hoping for natural births and ending up with emergency cesareans, but one was an active participant and knowledgable that every choice she made impacted the end result and feeling comfortable with the choices she made even though she ended up with a cesarean, and the other having been a passive patient with no idea how she ended up where she did and maybe even feeling traumatised from the ordeal

 

[DaisyDreamer]

Bellarosa maybe just start with that hypnobirthing book. I'm sorry that you had a bad experience with a MW! xx

CurlyRose I'm FTM too and I feel impatient about the birth as well! Just really excited to meet and hold my baby. Everytime it moves around in there I get more excited. Surely the feeling will grow over time

Sarah I have heard the same thing about birthing centers. It's good that you would be right by the hospital if anything went wrong. I'm trying for a natural birth as well

Fezzle I kind of feel the same way! OH and I have made a birth plan but it still seems pretty surreal to me.


24 weeks tomorrow. V day! Yay. Going in for a MW appointment next Friday. Always looking forward to hear baby's heartbeat.

 

[Fezzle]

I think I've been in denial about the actual birth so far! But I also don't want to worry too much as I feel like there are so many things I can't plan, and I just want a healthy baby and a healthy me at the end of it no matter how I get there.

exactly this! My nct course starts next month and hope to find out a bit more about options there .

My NCT course isn't until Jan, so I'm looking forward to hearing about what you do in yours!

Some of my choices are limited because I'll be over 40 when I give birth, so I still need to meet with the consultant to see what my options are.

 

[allforthegirl]

I'm going to try and give birth naturally again, with as little intervention as possible, that is if my body lets me. It seems that my body likes to stall when it gets to about 3-4 cm. and since I'm already in the hospital they have given me the drip. Last time though I said I only wanted the smallest dose and gas but my luck didn't have any left. Like so many of have experienced the drip can make things go faster than your body is ready for and is very uncomfortable in my mind. So I was given the smallest dose of the epidural. It helped me get past the instant contractions and I was on my own in the end. Which I liked because I had nothing left and had the high of giving birth and could walk immediately after.

That wasn't the first time my body just didn't like moving forward. So I will be a little more prepared this time and try and stay home a little longer. I don't live far from the hospital. Literally 5 min.

I will also be encapsulating my placenta again. It saved my life last time as I had a post hemorrhage because of a DnC about three weeks post birth. Plus I don't want to have PPD either. I have had it before and I found it to be much like a natural happy pill my body made for me.

 

[DaisyDreamer]

Allforthegirl, did you get the results from your leg scan? Hope everything is going okay with that. I have never looked into the benefits of eating the placenta, do you think you could enlighten me a bit? Since you have a personal experience with it anyway.

 

[allforthegirl]

Allforthegirl, did you get the results from your leg scan? Hope everything is going okay with that. I have never looked into the benefits of eating the placenta, do you think you could enlighten me a bit? Since you have a personal experience with it anyway.

I did and there was no clot to be found thank goodness, I have no heart issues they could see from the two second ecg, and don't have anemia. They didn't check for pre-e because since I have already had five full time births with no pre-e they are more than confident I don't now. (Guess with each full term birth the risk goes down). So I'm just pg.

 

[SilasLove]

Ladies ... I have 17 weeks and 4 days until due date. When I look at it like that ...I get a bit freaked out lol.

 

[Chrissy05]

Had my anatomy scan today and confirmed that we are having a baby boy! yay!!

 

[Fezzle]

Ladies ... I have 17 weeks and 4 days until due date. When I look at it like that ...I get a bit freaked out lol.

I had a similar message the other day on an app and it took me by surprise! It won't be long until we're under 100 days left- double digits!

Chrissy- congrats on your boy!

 

[SarahLou372]

Chrissy05 - Congrats on your little boy

Is it just my OH or do any of your partners not seem as interested in the baby as much as we are??? My OH doesn't seem to want to look at baby stuff at all or baby names... If I pick up an outfit and sit going aww how cute, He just not soft at all

 

[CurlyRose]

*Smug alert*

SarahLou, my OH turned to me in bed last night and told me, completely unprompted, that he is more excited every day about the babber, if anything he's even more into it all than I am!

 

[Fezzle]

My OH gets all gooey and excited now about the actual future baby- especially since we had the 20 week scan and found out she's a girl, he'll send me little emails and texts saying he can't stop thinking about her, putting his hand on my bump, and now he's started talking to her. But- he's not interested in clothes at all (he doesn't want to buy much because people will buy them for us or give us some hand-me-downs), and happy to wait until Jan to start seriously looking at things like prams and nursery furniture.

Since the beginning, my DH has tried to tone down his excitement though due to the early loss we had in Dec and the CP in May as he's still worried something will go wrong. The main reason he resisted finding out the sex for so long was because he knew once we knew, it would make us more attached. So I think there's something about picking a name and buying baby things that makes him feel like it's tempting fate or that it's going to make things harder if something does go wrong. He has gotten better about that the further things get though and the more tests and scans we've had.