December 07 Babies

[reward74]

Hey Everyone,
Glad to hear all is well out there!

My friends have pressured me into registering for gifts. We have no idea what we'll need other than a bottle, car seat, crib. But we did our best....

Has anyone else registered? I too feel like I can't believe I am pregnant and that I technically only have a little over 4 mos left. It is crazy!! But, I am showing, so I guess I didn't look silly scanning everything in sight!!

Talk to you soon!

Hope all is well..

[kia1973]

Hi all,

glad to see everyone is doing well. i'm on top of the world at the moment as i finish work on friday for a month YES one whole long month off work i can't wait. i'm so excitied i haven't had any time off since xmas so its been a long time coming.

will stop by again soon to catch up on everyone

xxx

[cookholmes]

Reward, we registred the minute we found out we were pregnant! I will advise you to put diapers on the list, those can be costly and if people want to buy them for you, it is not a bad thing!

Kia, I wish I got a month off, but I am working until I get put on bedrest or give birth.

[kia1973]

hi all,

well i have just found out that we wont be having another scan at all through out the pregnacy!!!! really gutted about it, the area we are in it is the policy of the hospitals trust that they only perform a dating scan at 16 weeks, the only other time is if it is clinically necessary!! don't they know i'm a frantic mother to be and can not wait until the birth to see my baby again.

we are lucky that because of my age the NHS paid for the Nuchal scan for us otherwise we would have only had the one scan throughout the whole 9 months!!

looks like we are going to have to pay out for a private scan, i really need to know that this little one is growing ok.

is there anyone else who has the same problem with thier hospital??

sorry to rant on, hope eveyone is doing ok. have a lovely weekend all.

sha xxx

[SJ BROWN]

Hi Sha

dont get me started on the bloody NHS

we have just been told there are no ante natel classes in our area on the NHS so we have to go private........it is also really difficult to get private ones as they are only small classes & get booked up really early!!
something like ante natel should be available to everyone!!

I cant believe you only have 1 scan!! in our area you get 1 at 12 weeks & 20 weeks....

We are very lucky as a few years ago I volunteered to be part of a womans survey & as part of the survey when you get pregnant you notify them........they do all our scans & we also get free scan pics too!!(our NHS hospital charge £5 per pic so we were well chuffed when we got 5 for free!!)
also, as part of the survey we get as well as week 12/20...a nuchal scan(which we combined with week 12) and we also get one at 34 weeks!!(cant wait for that one) They then follow up when baby is born & do checks on baby for first 3 years .......

You could always try & get your doctor to refer you by saying you are getting really stressed & worried & need to see everything is ok....worth a try

anyway chin up...........how many weeks are you?? I am now 19 weeks 1 day & my 20 week scan is next wed 01/08/07

Love to everyone else
Sarah
xxxx

[Tams]

Hello everyone!
It sounds as though you are all doing well! Sha don't even mention the NHS to me, they are my least favourite people at the moment. If its any consolation the private scans are around £100, a lot but worth it I think for the peace of mind, if you do decide to get one done, think about the timing, I understand that once the baby gets too big they're a bit disappointing as you can only see the odd body part!

We had a lovely holiday, perfectly timed wrt to the weather in the UK, it was warm and sunny in Portugal and I did lots of reading of books and lying in the sun. No more bleeding and I have a little brown bump! Actually it looks more like a brown beer belly (Sha you're not the only one!) I did find myself rubbing my stomach occasionally so the other people round the pool didn't just think I seriously shouldn't have been in a bikini! I did try the maternity costumes but they were all too big and looked far worse than even my exposed beer belly!

I receievd a letter out of the blue yesterday telling me that I have Group B Strep following the swab they took I assume when I went into a&e when I had the bleed. I think thats the only swab they've taken, who knows, there was no follow up call or explanatory letter?? Anyway apparently it means I have to have 4 hourly injections when I go into labour, there is a small risk that the baby could get meningitas. The upside, if there is one is that apparently 1/3 of women have this and the chance of the baby contracting it is very very small. The other positive is that it means they won't leave me in labour for a hugely long time as the risk to the baby increases - so no 37 hr labour for me. In the states this may sound barbaric, but on the nhs they will do anything to avoid the added cost of a ceaser, even if it means you can never run without wetting yourself again.

Has anyone else been screened for Group B Strep?

So exciting to hear that you can feel your babies already, Denise I can't believe you could feel yours have a fight!! Quita as well, I guess having twins means that you will feel them even more. I still can't feel mine move, apparently the front positioned placenta means it is likely to be a while yet.

I have a scan (21 week anomoly scan) booked for the 14th Aug, can not wait! They have also suggested I see the consultant following this scan to talk about my arcuate uterus which may cause some problems later on as space gets tight. Also hoping to see that the placenta has moved up away from the cervix.

Good to be back!

XXXX Tams

[kia1973]

Hi all,

Well the bloody NHS strike again for a few of us I see, I’m still in shock that they only do the one dating scan in this area!!
We have booked ourselves in for a private scan the first week of Sept when we get back from Spain (off on sat for 3 weeks can’t wait to chill out). The scan is costing us £175 not sure if that’s good or bad but it’s the closest private clinic to us, we do get the photos and DVD included in the price.
I have had a letter from my local hospital stating that I have an antenatal appointment on the 2nd Aug and this can take up to 3hrs! I really don’t know what this appointment is all about but I’m sure I will find out and let you all know


Sarah – I’m 20 weeks now, good luck tomorrow with your scan let us know how you get on and what it was like, you will be able to see much more now and it’s the right time as well as the more advanced you are in the pregnancy the less you see as the baby gets so big. It fantastic that you have taken part in the survey, wish they had something like that in this area I would have defiantly been part of it. I do work within a hospital but not in the imaging department and due to the lovely NHS we just cant do favours for favours!!! I’m on nights when we get back from hols so hopefully when all is quite it will sneak a quick peek.

Tams. So glad you have had a fab holiday, I can’t wait to get away now, so you have a brown beer belly? Mine has grown a little over the last week, but still not enough for maternity wear. I really do look as if I have been in the pub too much drinking beer and eating all the pies!!! Come on baby belly at least then people would just think I’m fat!!
I haven’t been screened for Group B strep yet but my midwife has agreed to do it on my next visit, it isn’t yet offered as a routine check on the NHS! But well worth having as it can be fatal if unknown during childbirth. Will let you now the out come.
Well you will be pleased to know that I have started to feel the bean move have felt him for the last few days now, not all the time but when I’m totally relaxed that’s when he wants to play, and same as you I have the anterior placenta. (Another reason why I would like a scan, see where about my placenta is sitting now!). Hope all goes well with your scan, let us know how you get on, and hope to hear that you have felt your little one move soon.

Hi to everyone else

Sha xx

[Tams]

Sha that's great that you can feel the baby move!! Esp with the anterior pacenta. I started to worry (as is my default reaction these days!) and then realised that I'm only 18 weeks, 19 tomorrow, hopefully I'll start to feel something over the next couple of weeks!

175 sounds about right with the dvd, pics etc, I think once you get to the stage when they test for anomolies it probably is a little more as they do so much more testing. Very exciting, something to look forward to when you get back from your holiday!

XXXX Tams

[MISSPIGGY]

Kia I had my second baby in Reading hosp The app's took up to three hours sometimes because of a long wait to see doctors. Maybe thats the reason.

[kia1973]

misspiggy thanks for the heads up on the appointment.

well i went this morning and only had to wait an hour before it was my turn which isn't that long a wait for NHS, anyway the appoinment was with the consultant (which i didn't even know i had been refered to) which took all of 5 mins!! he had the nurse check my BP and then listened into the beans heartbeat, had a feel around my tummy and said everything was fine and he didn't want to see me again as IVF isn't anything Special!! can you believe the man? i didn't even ask to see a consultant, i really felt as if i was wasting his time and he was leting me know about it.
i was so glad to get out of the bloody hospital, the only good thing to come out of the whole appointment was i got to hear beans heartbeat.

well on a brighter note i got a call from the clinic we had booked the scan with and they have a free appointmnet on sat morning, so we are going to have the scan on the way to the airport, what a lovely way to start the holiday off i cant wait.

Tams i was definatley in my 19th week before i felt the bean move, but looking back i'm sure i felt him earlier but just didn't put the 2 and 2 together. you will prob think the same thing, i don't think it feels like butterflies like alot of people have told me to expect, my i would discribe it more as air bubles bursting, DH got to feel movement last night which brought tears to both our eyes, the more i feel him move now the more i want him to move about, it just brings a smile to my face everytime i feel him move. hope you feel movement soon look forward to hearing all about it.

hi to everyone else hope your all doing ok.

sha xx

[reward74]

I agree... doesn't feel like butterflies to me either. It felt like little bubbles in a champagne glass and a tickle for a long time. Now it's a thump here and a thump there. I have an anterior placenta but he can get in a place to the left I feel him clearly other times it is muffled. I am rounding out my 21st week now. So I hope you feel the baby soon Tams!

[Tams]

Sha, that's such exciting news about the scan - perfect start to your holiday! Ignore the consultant, clearly has a bad case of ego.

Reward, I still haven't felt anything, I am 20 weeks on Wednesday. Everything else seems fine, the bump seems to be getting bigger (although difficult to tell as its bigger at night than in the morning!) so I'm sure its just the placenta getting in the way. I will be relieved to have the 21 wk scan next week though just for some reassurance. Also if the placenta's moved up I should be able to do some exercise again.

Hope you're all well. I am looking forward to my bump moving up above my tummy button, I'm conviced that at this point I will look definitely pregnant rather than just as though I've got a 10 pint a day habit!

XXXXX T

[MarciaL-OurHope4Baby]

Hello

Our PC's been out of action for a while, but I just wanted to let you know while I can, that on Monday 30th July, I went into premature labour at 4.20pm. I'd started having contractions every 2-3 minutes lasting 20-30secs I'd gone to the loo and felt something move. I could only describe it to Steve as the same feeling like 2 of my other losses where the mucus plug fell in the loo, but it was painless this time and it wasn't the plug. Although nothing fell away, I knew that something wasn't right, and it's at that point I started having period pains, and by the time we were on the way to the hospital I started having contractions on top of that pain.

On Tues 31st I was 20 wks pregnant and still having very erratic contractions but they were still continuous. I wasn't far along enough for drugs to aid us, as the baby was only 18wks things would have to further along at least 24wks for meds to help. I'd gone into labour because of Placenta Abruption and as the contractions was so frequent and so intense, if they tried to stitch the placenta it would just tear even more, so the only things they could do were to pray things would calm down, try to ease my pain and monitor me all the time.

I had a scan, they did tests, I was on a drip, they did blood tests all to see what they could do and to help the baby and I. I was on gas and air, I was having very strong Paracetamol and Codine every 3 hrs and then Co-Codimol at some point and had a Pethadine injection.

By Tuesday afternoon the contractions eased off and then came back every 15-20 mins from the start of one to another, but they started lasting minuets and not seconds.

Sh!t this is hard to type.... the pain got so bad that I was still on Paracetamol and Codine but also having Morphine every few hours as well. I knew I wouldn't be able to hold on any longer as I'd sneezed at one point and felt something move again. I was sure it was the baby by this time, and realised it was the baby that had moved down the day before. I was given another internal and they said that they could see the foetal sac at the neck of my vagina, so it had come down the cervix and was just there.

I asked Steve to take some pictures of my timmy as he'd happen to have his digital in his jacket, and he took the pics I wanted and I told him that I knew I was going to go into labour the next day and wanted him to prepare for that. It's been the scariest time of my entire life, and I knew I was in labour and couldn't do a thing to prevent it but try to hold on and not let things go further. I didn't even go to the loo unless it was to let out small amounts of wee, which helped with the pressure. But I thought things were better when around 11pm the contractions went to 1 every hour, and they were preparing to stitch me. Family and friends visited that day and we said things were better, but by 5am the next day the Wednesday I knew this was the day.

The contractions were lasting 2-3 mins again now and when the last one finished it was 1-2 mins before the next one. I woke Steve and said I couldn't cope with the pain and I had more morphine, he went home fed the pets and came back. I started having back to back contractions and throughout the morning things calmed down again. My dad came to visit, and it was like his presence made things better. I was having contractions every 20 mins or so and they lasted for a min and half - 2 mins each time. He left at 9pm and said he was going home to get my mom from work. She had patients to see and couldn't make it down. Steve said he was going home some more things and to feed the pets as he slept at the hospital with me in our room. I was considering going to the loo after Steve had gone and let the nurses help me use the bed pan, or do it then with Steve helping me as I was on bed rest, and something said do it now in my mind. I started to wee and it felt like I was going to have the baby there and then . I got up, put the maternity pad under me, and said call the nurse the babies coming.

He hit the emergency button and nurses came running in....I said, the baby's coming, I can't hold on anymore, and suddenly all the pain went away and I was suddenly very calm. Steve was balling his eyes out and kneeling in front of me, and I said I'm going to let go now, but please don't look. We'd already asked to see the baby when I gave birth from the Monday night. I asked him if he still wanted to see, and he said yes, and I just relaxed over the commode they put me onto and the baby was born still in the sac .

I had to then birth the placenta which gave some trouble. I was sorted out, so was the baby. A beautiful boy was what we had created, and we named him Tiago (Ti-are-go) Frederick (after Steve's late dad) Lloyd (after my dad as that's his middle name, and Tiago was due on dad's birthday). He's 200grams (7 ounces) and 23cm long. He has my jaw-line, my chin, my nose, Steve's eyebrows, his mouth, his ears and his feet but his little toe on each foot is just like mine and my dads.

They said that he hadn't tried to breathe on his own yet, but his heart was still beating so we should spend the time with him, but babies this young only stay alive for 10 mins the nurse said. Tiago was born at 9.20pm and I played my musical doll to him since we got to the hospital as I always did at home after I read to him; so that's what we did. We talked to him, told him about us and the family, his brothers and sisters that were waiting for him in heaven. We shared so much with him, and expressed our love for him, and in that time he took 2 big breaths and we let him listen to us and he passed away in Steve's arms around 11pm .

They let him stay with us right up until we left the hospital Friday evening. We'd had blessings done on the Thursday by the hospital vicar, and prayers on the Friday afternoon. The hardest thing we've had to do was leaving him and coming home, it felt so wrong, and I'm feeling so lost without him, that I don't know how to cope right now, as we're trying to sort out his service, and committal music and service cards.

But we have a beautiful boy as we always knew he would be, and always said 'he', and everything we bought was in blue. His 20wk gestational scan wasn't until 14th August and we'd intended on finding out the sex, but we'd bought a few pink things as we really didn't care if Tiago was a Freya instead, but it's funny how I always knew he'd be a he.

You're now going to see the pictures, and I hope it's not too distressing for you.






I'm not totally leaving the site, but won't be posting. Please feel to post my messages here or pm me, as I will respond to them when I'm able.

Remember you have a miracle inside you, talk and sing to your little ones every moment you get, because we're so glad we bonded with Tiago before hand. Seeing him only made that love stronger. I wish every single one of you the very best, because seeing your scan pics has just made me feel even more happy for you and can't wait to hear your happy news in December. I'll be watching out for your birth stories.

My love and best wishes to all .
Till next time
Me xx

[shantala]

hi all

sorry to crash your thread but wanted to say sorry to marcia - actually, sorry isnt enough to say. there are no words that can help right now but take time out to grieve and you know where we all are if you need us! my deepest sympathies for you and dh!

wanted to say hi to all the ladies ive cycled with at some point! its so great to see all your tickers, read all your updates!! just wanted to let you know you've not been forgotten and i often come and check on you and make sure you're all ok!

xxxxxxxxx

[cookholmes]

Shantala, I never feel like you are intruding, I miss you! How are you doing?