Pregnancy's Best Kept Secrets

sooz

ooobedoo wrote:

I found out yesterday that according to the scan, my daughter is 11lb and I have 2 and a half weeks till her removal! She is sideways(transverse) and I have to go into Hospital twice a week till she is born.....

Anyone any experience of a very large baby???

don't have experience of a very large baby, but my second one did go transverse at 34 weeks, and stayed that way for nearly 2 weeks.

i was meant to be seeing the consultant, but ended up with a locum who had to be persuaded by me that the baby was not head down, first said it was not a problem, then consulted a colleague and changed his mind.

i was told not to go on holiday [2 hrs drive from home, and near a big hospital], to come in the following week for another scan, and if he still hadn't turned i'd be kept in hospital until he was delivered by c-section.
i had written all across my notes in big letters - 'leaving london against medical advice' [because nowhere other than london has hospitals right?]
and also told to go straight to nearest hospital if my waters broke, due to risk of cord coming out first.

didn't really think much of the locum, so went home and looked it up. turns out he was right about risk of cord prolapse, but decided to go away anyway - since he was wrong about hospitals etc. spent as much time as possible on my hands and knees, leaning forwards, cleaning floors etc, and he turned back. it was very very noticable when he did, as my whole bump moved and changed shape. it was also very uncomfortable as he moved, but then fine once he'd settled. however, he turned out to be smaller than my first, only 7lb, so he had room to do his flip. i decided not to try the other methods suggested for turning a baby, such as ear candles, or shining a light up you know where to make him turn towards it :eek: - almost got as far as an accupuncture appt to turn him, but he'd already moved by then.

[scan measurements are not always right, my first i was told he'd be over 11lbs easily, and he was under 9, same for the second one - told he'd be a huge baby too. they measure head and tummy circumference, and both mine has big heads and bellies]

anyway, hope this rambling message helps...and good luck not long to go now .

Twinkle_Mitchell

That a stretch and sweep is NOT just 'slightly uncomfortable' is is pure hell....I'll give birth again before have another stretch and sweep. (At least on internal exams whilst in labour, you have some pain relief!)

That when your waters go, it feels like you have peed yourself....but the water replenishes and just keeps trickling out.....(so put a pad on before you go and make a cup of tea, unless you want to leave a snailtrail showing where you have been)

That on your first birth, your birth plan will go out the window at the earliest opportunity and when the midwife asks if you have one, you will deny it as you will be too embarrassed to admit that you wrote it. Was I so naive as to write something like ' I would prefer to have soft music playing in the background to help relax me.....'!! Soft music...HAH! A brass band could have marched through that labour room and I wouldn't have given a hoot. As for the comment I wrote about 'soft lighting and minimum of people present'.....ho, ho, ho, that all changed with the 2 doctors, 2 midwifes, an anaethetist, a student and a huge miners lamp all focussed on my Jack and Danny!

iwanttosave_2

The worst, was walking round after clenching my pelvic floor muscles so hard because it felt like all my insides were going to fall out.

Oh and grapping hold of my breasts with both hands in Asda when I got a twinge of pain from my mastitis.

Horasio

Don't believe the hype about breastfeeding meaning the baby won't poo for a week. They poo up to 8 times a day just like with bottle feeding.

Breast is best but bottle feeding got mine sleeping throught the night after 3 months:)

deaththecat

The one thing never mentioned when you are pregnant is that babies are really weird.
I was told everything about my breasts imploding, an undercarriage like raw liver, sleepless nights and the all-invading smell of baby poo (surely an outstanding biological weapon?) but nobody said how funny my baby would be. All her weird expressions and little habits, her *learning* experiences....sometimes I think she's almost human.

ooobedoo

I have been back today and the baby is still sideways, the consultant was umming and ahhing about admitting me so I don't think I will escape being admitted early. I have to get an ambulance if my waters break as apparantly there is risk to the baby.

I feel quite down today, bit tearful.

alfiedog_2

I had a very similar situation with my daughter. She was transverse and I had to stay in hospital for a month just in case my waters broke and the cord prolapsed. They eventually decided to do a c section but an experienced midwife whispered in my ear that 'your baby will turn round into the right position when it is ready to be born'.
The night before I was due to have the cs my waters broke in spectacular fashion and everyone was dashing around panicking but guess what, she HAD turned round and I had her normally 8 hours later:j
Just thought I would give you a bit of hope that all will be ok!

ooobedoo

Thank you, they are going to do a c-sec whatever happens as she is 5kg(11lbs......) and I am only 5ft-according to people around me I am as wide as I am long.

iwanttosave_2

ooobedoo wrote:

I have been back today and the baby is still sideways, the consultant was umming and ahhing about admitting me so I don't think I will escape being admitted early. I have to get an ambulance if my waters break as apparantly there is risk to the baby.

I feel quite down today, bit tearful.

There are some exercises that can help a trasverse baby to move, I will see if I can find them.

One is getting on the floor on your hands and knees, putting your chin to the floor and having your bum in the air.

http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/breech.html

http://home.comcast.net/~l.mcmahan/turn.html

ooobedoo

Thank you for that, for the last week I have had the babies spine in my pelvis and it hurts so much, I am walking like I am badly constipated!