3rd Trimester bumps!!

[Guest]

Hi Girls

Valli - Babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes are definately bigger hun so don't worry!

Toni - Glad your babies are doing well.........its all getting closer by the minute for all of us!! I am with you on breathlessness and lack of sleep......I generally have about 3/4 really crap nights then one massive sleep........although always at least 2 toilet trips! Keep in touch and keep your feet up hun!

Sophie-J..........are you reading my mind again........we can panic together now........I am now 36 weeks but it has taken about 3 years to get here from 32 weeks........I just want baby asap (obviously as long as he/she is safe!) and am totally with you in all your thoughts.

When I first saw my consultant i asked him about inducing me and he said that would be fine around 38 weeks..........last week he now says he wants to wait and see if I come naturally!! Obviously I will do whats best but right now I feel like dirt and am as neurotic as ever.........I really do want to see that baby and won't believe I will ever have one until that point! I even got myself in a right state when we looked around the hospital.........when I saw other mothers with their little ones I kept wandering if I would get to hold mine ever!

I have my next appointment on Monday and I will be 37 weeks.......dying to hear what Dr will say......I am at the end of my teather too sweets......we will just have to hang in there and hope our little ones decide to make an early appearance!

As for monitors.......I got a BT digital one for crying and the AngelCare one for movement and breathing.........I know once they are born, there will be whole new set or worries but at least we can see them!

I think this sitting around home with nothing to do is going to be the worst thing though!?? I went out for a walk about yesterday and got really dizzy, so I am now a bit dubious about going out on my own......has anyone else had this?

By the way girls a really good book is Your Baby and Child by Penelope Leach.......I am going to try and use my time reading that!

Take care and big hugs

Jenfx

[Kim]

Sophie J - Please try not to get upset and stressed - I can tell from your post that you're really worried and can sense that you've got a bit of a panic moment going on there.
It may help to discuss your fears with your midwife ( as long as she understands that us IVF girls tend to worry more than normal people )and I think antenatal classes would really help as well. At the classes I went to they talk you through the whole labour process and I also found out that the women all had the same worries and concerns ( it's not just us nutters )
Also, I'm going for the AngelCare monitor you mentioned as you can use the movement pad under a sprung mattress.

Toni - Sorry to hear about your back pain and sleepless nights Sounds like the sofa is the best place to be. If you've been watching lots of daytime TV you'll be able to make a fortune once the twins are born by buying and selling propertys and finding priceless antiques at car boot sales !! Is nice that you get to see your babies on a regular basis and that they're both doing well.

Jen - You and Sophie are so on the same wave length, it's scarey !! I had a tour of the delivery suite and maternity ward on Sunday and saw lots of mums and babies. That's going to be us soon - WOW !!!

As for me, I've got a scan, an internal scan and an appointment with a consultant on Thursday to discuss my placenta. I realise that if it is obstructing the baby's exit it could be dangerous for me and the baby if I go into labour. The good news is that I've had no bleeding, so we'll see. I just can't wait to find out what's going on and to get some answers.

Hi to Jackie, Valli and Elizabeth

Love

Kim

[Toni]

Oh Soph you sound really stressed. I guess you won't stop until you can speak to your consultant and get some answers. im sure everything will be fine and just remember, the longer your baby stays in there the better it is for her! Im sure they will let you have a caesarian if you ask and have a plausible reason - after all it is your body!!! i have heard of it being done................... thing is I doubt you will make the decision - babies tend to make the decision about when they will arrive don't they?!

and dont beat yourself up for having a cry - sometimes a good cry is the best thin gin the whole world - i am naturally an extremely emotional person anyway, and i dont believe in bottling things up. Let it all out, get it out your system girl!

I think this last trimester is going to go painfully slower than the rest of it, but im sure we will all look at our babies in a few weeks time when they are born and think 'Wow - that went fast!'

Kim - buying and selling properties? i wont have the time to buy and sell preperties!!!! hee hee

Someone help - whats all this about monitors?

Toni xx

[Guest]

Hi Girls

Kim - good luck with that scan.......at least you will know exactly what is going on hun! Also........another good opportunity to see that little one.....although at this stage, it is just parts you get to see as they are too big!!

Girls the other thing I had done last week was a GBS screen (Group B Strep) it is very rare but can cause a lot of harm to babies.....it is passed to the baby through the vaginal canal giving birth...........but being paranoid I paid £40 to have it done just in case!! I am fine as it came back negative.........if it is positive you just get IV anti-biotics at the birth.

Take care and lets all start burning lavender oil or something.........wish I could hibernate for a while!!

Jenfx

[sophiejane]

Blimey I have had a hormonal day. Thanks ever so much for your words of wisdom and calm. I phoned the midwife and I am seeing her tomorrow. I just wish that I was having scans and checks at the hospital as my last scan was 20 weeks. I'm waiting for dp to come home to discuss caesarean. Mind you a friend reassured me today that thousands of babies are born each day and everything goes well.
I think I am over tired as I'm also not sleeping well, and having full days at work to try and get my work done before I go off on maternity.

Toni - monitors = the baby monitors for the nursery for when baby is sleeping .. so that we can hear them cry. It look like Jen, Kim and I are also getting the movement monitors ... an alarm sounds if the baby does not move for 20 seconds. My friends have told me that this will make me more paranoid but I don't care .. better safe than sorry is my motto.

Jen .. I've also been thinking about the GBS screen. I'm also worried about taxomasplosis (or whatever it is, as I regularly pick up dog poo and my dog eats cat poo given the opportunity .....!!!!). Are we mad or sensible!!! I think many people will think we are mad.

Kim - all the best for Thursday and lets hope that placenta is behaving itself. At least they are fully aware of it and you are getting the medcial advice you need. ooo you might get a date for a caesarean .. is that what you want or are you still hoping to go to 40 weeks.

Thanks again for your support today.
From Sophie-J

[Guest]

Hi Sophie-J

Glad you are feeling a little better hun.........all it takes sometimes is a chat and an appointment with a midwife for a bit of reassurance.......

If all fails.........talk to me as I will always make you feel normal due to being more neurotic and paranoid than anyone on the planet!!

You take care and we are all here for you

Big hugs

Jenfxx

[Toni]

Hi again

Soph-J glad you are feeling a bit happier - its so easy to get ourselves in a state when it comes to our babies isn't i? Let us know how it goes with your midwife. hope she can reassure you and make you feel a bit calmer.

as for monitors - oh! those kind of monitors!! i haven't even heard of the ones you are talking about tho ................... think thats where i got confused ...........

Toni xx

[Kim]

Hi girls

Thanks for the good wishes regarding my scan tomorrow. I am so torn beween what I'd like the outcome to be.

A c-section would mean a planned delivery date at 38 weeks ( how lovely that would be !! ) BUT afterwards 6 weeks of no lifting, driving etc.. and a longer stay in hospital.

A natural birth could mean waiting another 6 weeks if he decides to arrive 2 weeks late BUT could mean as little as 6 hours in hospital after the birth if all goes well, and no operation.

I think if the placenta was 100% out of the way and I had to make a choice I'd go for a natural delivery. Let the baby come when he's good and ready!!

Sophie - Let us know how it goes with your midwife.

Take care everyone

Love

Kim

[eacole]

Hi everyone,

Yeah, haven't been around much. Work has become a bit too much and I'm sooo tired and have just about had it. I'm completely booked with appointments (I'm a therapist) so that I can see alot of people in my last two weeks (I'm on the first week so just one more week to go until maternity leave-hurrah!!)

To be honest, my work is all about supporting and helping terribly stressed people taking care of very damaged children (foster care), and when I get home after work, I just have to chill and take care o fmyself otherwise I would just go crazy, so I'm sorry if I don't have much to offer anyone in the way of support these days, I'm absolutely stretched, it is all I can do to write this today! So you will all have to forgive me that I have no personals!

Anyone else have the haemmerhoids (sp?) from hell? I'm soo uncomfortable, I can only imagine what it will be like after birth...

As far as my own anxieties about giving birth...I had always imagined having a caesarian because it is pretty typical in the states (doctors deliver the babies predominately, not midwives, so they have limited time, etc..). Now it is starting to really hit me that mor ethan likely mine will be a vaginal birth and frankly, the pain scares me! and I do worry about the baby getting distressed if labor labors on too long..though at my antenatal class I was assured that the baby's heartbeat will be preiodically taken to make sure all is well. I'm also reassured that my hospital is the regional hospital for babies needing extra care, an dso on... I feel in my heart of hearts things will go fine, but like many of you I have to really keep myself from geting too crazed, its just so, well, unknown and so BIG, that it really is scary...we'll all hang in there as best we can and at hte end will be holding our lovely babies, I'm sure of it.

OK, wave of utter tiredness...gotta go..all the best to everyone.

With love,Elizabeth

[Toni]

Just a quick note to Elizabeth - if you get to read this that is!!

its lovely to hear from you I'm sorry that things have been so tiring for you - poor love! you say you are emotionally stretched at the moment ... i can't believe you are still working such a demanding job! anyway as for emotional recharge - thats what we are all here for - right girls?! so if you ever feel like a moan, just let it out at us! support is our middle name...........

On the other hand we all understand what tiredness is like (i find it hard to get out of bed before 11 most days - and you're still going off to work at the normal time!!), so if we don't see u we will understand, and maybe we will see a bit more of you during your mat leave?

Waffled a bit i think. i hope you get the gist. just wanted you to realise we are all here for you on those really hard days - if you're not too busy sleeping! you just take care of yourself and your precious cargo, girl, we will all be thinking about you and you are right. the prospect of labour/birth is all very scary - but like i keep telling myself - means to an end, means to an end!

Kim - hi just wanted to say - hope all goes well tomorrow love! will be thinking of you and waiting for a post. it is scary isn't it, the choice between labour and C-section? im lucky in one sense that it may all be over before i have to make a choice. on the other hand if it goes naturally, then i have to do it twice. Or there could always be the wonderful alternative of one being labour and one being c-sect at last minute! scary................ i try not to think about it too much........

Love and kisses all

Toni xx

[eacole]

Toni,,

I'm still here...! Thanks sooo much for that, I really needed to hear that someone understands!!!

Yes, my job is really demanding, but it has its rewards too, but you are right, it can emotionally drain me..

I hope to be around more once baby is born..at least I hope too.. Baby might have other plans..!

All the best to you, you lovely woman! (and Hi! to everyone else, I am thinking iof you all even if I'm not around)

Elizabeth

[eacole]

What am I saying??? See, I AM tired, I meant hope to be around more during mat leave..at this rate, though, one wonders if I can even manage that!!

[valpas]

Hi Girls,
Thank you very much for your support. I am little bit releived. I think its right the babies normally grow big, if mother has diabetes.
Kim, Good for you for completing the work. Now can enjoy your free time. C-section for you too?
Sophie,
I am glad you are feeling better. Try not to worry much. Everything will be alright. After reading your post, I am also thinking to start packing my hospital bag. Did you talk to your doctor about C-section?
Toni,
As you said after 36 weeks everything is added bonus. Thou my doctor fixed the date on Aug 5th, I feel I may have the baby earlier(diabetes)
Elizabeth,
Wow what a nice job you have, Helping the stressed people. I can imagine how busy you would be. Just one more week, then you can relax.
Jen,
Avoid going alone for walks. I didn't get dizzy thou, but I used to get pain on the right side(when I went for long walks). Now I am going only for short walks.
Take care everyone.
Love Valli

[Kim]

Hi girls

Have just got back from the hospital and it's a c-section for me. The placenta is obstructing the baby's escape route and a vaginal birth could be dangerous for us both.
I have to admit at the moment I'm bloody scared but I know the fear will pass because I know there is nothing I can do to change things. I'm also relieved that the best thing is being done - I'd have been much more worried if they'd said that it would probably be OK to try for a natural delivery - at least this way there's no doubt.
So, I've been given a date of 29th June ( my mum's birthday !! ) Her and dad are well chuffed. Anyway, it's all for the best and it's really nice to know that in three weeks time my little boy will be here!!

Valli - How do you feel about having a c-section ? I seem to remember you were a bit scared to start off with, like me. It's a lot to take in at first but DH is so supportive he really is a star!!

Elizabeth - God you've got a demanding job - I didn't realise!! It must be emotionally and physically draining. Not long to go before your maternity leave, and boy do you deserve a break !! Speak to you when your leave starts.

Sophie - How did you get on with the midwife ?

Toni - Hope you're OK and all this c-section talk isn't making you nervous. You sound pretty together about it all and I've spoken to at least three people who have had a c-section and say it's really no big deal. God, it's probably not afterwards hey !!

JenF - Sorry to jump the queue - terribly bad mannered of me I know !!
Am still going to leave my due date as 5th July because in my mind that is his proper due date really.

Jackie - Hope you're OK, thinking of you

Take care all

Love

Kim

[Toni]

Hi Kim

wow - three weeks yesterday then til your baby boy is born! I know that because - unbelievably - that is my hubbys bday too!!! if he is anything like my hubby he will grow up to be a fine lad! with enormous feet (i ask you, size 12.5/13?!?! I sometimes wonder who his REAL dad was - Goliath maybe..............)

Its all gonna happen so fast i think once one of us has had their baby/babies. We will be all checking the boards daily for more news! i just hope mine aren't too early - i hear people often have twins at around 34/35 weeks. which only gives me a month really! like i said I'm praying for 36 wks to go by and then after that i will be pretty relaxed about when they come, or when i have the dreaded OP.

Im sure everything will go alright and they are at least doing the best thing for both you and your baby. the six weeks off your feet is the worst i reckon - have you got anyone that can move in with you for a bit? i was told thats the best way to cope. get your mum for 1 week, your dh's mum for another week......... or at least have them popping in every day for a few days. My babies are gonna be born during the school holidays and most of my friends (i can count 5 off the top of my head) amazingly are teachers, my dad doesnt work, and my aunt works unsociable hours, so im gonna have a lot of help around! plus my cousin and his fiance are studying so they'll be on hols too.

Keep in touch and WOO-HOO on the date being set! nice to have a count down goal i bet?!

take care honey

Toni xx