hmmm i think its a bit of both tbh. im a student midwife and also 31 weeks with my first baby, so i can see both sides.
with the puffed up hands and feet - it can just be a normal pregnancy thing, especially if its been hot, but it also can be a sign of pre eclampsia. The flashing lights you experienced can also be a sign, but to diagnose pre eclmapsia you need to have protein in your urine and high blood pressure. i think what she was saying if you have flashing lights you should call triage, because thats all she is able to do too and not to worry about ringing them because that is what they are there for (maybe what she said came out wrong?)
as for the size thing, i think she was just trying to make conversation, you cant tell the size too much from just feeling the abdomen.
again with the HV i think it just came out wrong and was just trying to be helpful. not all women are aware that the HV is there for things like that
as for the when will they come - as you've already said we have no idea! its not something we can even guess at lol.
you've just reminded me of a funny story - was doing a placement on labour ward and i was looking after an asian lady who was being induced. the OH kept asking me what time the baby was going to be born
the conversation went something like this:
OH: what time is baby going to be here
me: i dont know, we cant really predict these things, especially since your wife is being induced
OH: oh ok, but approximately?
me: i really have no idea, we havent started inducing her yet, once shes in established labour we could give you a very rough guess of what we would be expecting
OH: how long does it take to be induced?
me: i dont know it varies from woman to woman and every pregnancy is different
OH: how long does it take to get into established labour
me:
i dont know, but once she has been on the trace for a bit, we will get her up and walking around and bouncing on the ball to help bring baby's head down and move it along
OH: how much quicker will that make it?
DO I LOOK PSYCHIC TO YOU????