MSE Pregnancy Club 25

ferrety

Morning all,

37wks today and 14 on the list wow thats going quickly now

Glad you had a lovely wkend emsbet, sounds as though you need a good rest now x
Im getting excited now too especially as baby is now officially classed as full term but when i think its 3wks till dd and then could be another 2wks after that if late it seems like such a long wait. There are no family birthdays or anniversarys between now and early sept so an arrival anytime from today would be fine.

Well I have been brave and put some washing out despite the weather forcast because we currently have some lovely sunshine and a bit of a breeze so i figure it should dry before the rain comes anyway

Have a good day everyone x

rjh i know what you mean about this forum, I have plenty of friends/family to talk to and meet up with but its so lovely having instant support on here and being able to moan about things with people who are going through the same thing.

Dizsie re: rooms yes sounds like the going rate as if we want an amenity room its £120 per night, these are for those who end up on the main labour ward as you get your own room in the birth unit anyway as they expect to send you home within 10hrs of baby being born or move you to labour ward. We are hoping to only need the birth unit but have certainly considered this option if we need to be moved to the main labour ward as i too cannot stand the idea of being left alone in hospital as i have never even been admitted as a child or attented a&e so the whole hospital experience will be scary for me.

ikkle87

To the ladies who are a bit further on than me (I'm just under 33 weeks) do you feel different down there? The inside of my lady bits feels a bit swollen and just different ( I really can't explain it, I've not touched it or anything it's just how it feels kinda thing)

rjh090384

Yup I been like that or ages ikkle. Only way I can describe it is that feeling I used to get was I was 18 and up having sex all night long lol. It feels swollen and achy

MummyOfTwo

ikkle - its really common and so horrible, reminded me of having thrush. the only thing that helped what wearing close fitting undies. i read online thats its when baby settles on a main vein or something, and causes blood to pool in your bits. lovely!

re the hospital thing - my bestie suffers from bad hospital anxiety, and originally planned a homebirth. as time passed she developed a condition that meant it wouldnt be possible so she talked it out with her midwife, who arranged for her DH to stay with her in a side room. got to be worth a chat about?

ikkle87

Well it feels bloody horrid lol, it's right inside, I feel like I've got something shoved up there lol. Added to the fact bubs keeps doing something which feels like I'm being twanged with elastic bands down there and my back passage feels squished and my SPD is bad and my ankles are fat I have decided I am no longer friends with my body from the waist down!

RebekahR

ikkle87 wrote: »

Added to the fact bubs keeps doing something which feels like I'm being twanged with elastic bands down there !

Feet kicking cervix this is! I had it whole way through.Do you know if lo is breech?

dizsiebubba

Will bring it up with the midwife but i guess she will say it will be sorted if i pay £120 a night... its not a hospital issue its a being seperated from my oh issue... i could be in the ritz overnight but it wouldn't make me any happier unless he was their too x

ikkle87

RebekahR wrote: »

Feet kicking cervix this is! I had it whole way through.Do you know if lo is breech?

I think he is, I don't get any of this kicking up in the ribs that people talk about and all my kicks and movements etc seem to be down low and below my belly button. I have a scan on the 22nd so I guess we will find out then.

ferrety

ikkle it is an awful feeling, i felt like i was swollen down there for ages there were a few weeks between tri 2 and 3 when it was difficult to do anything with OH and i couldnt imagine how i was going to get baby out.
Thankfully I seem to have got over this bit now and everything feels normal. The only odd feeling i get there now is when baby figits, because head is partially engaged it feels odd but doesnt hurt or anything x

ikkle87

I was just reading something written by Jason Manford and whilst it was in relation to the Barlows recent tragedy I thought this part was particularly lovely.

when does life begin? I personally think it begins when you and your partner decide that you want this child. And that is when love starts too. I mean it’s obvious that for a mother, the bonding process starts sooner than for a father. The mother goes through all the emotions, the cravings, the pains, the sickness, the worry, she feels the kicks, the pressure on her bladder, her swollen feet, her baby brain, her body changing, her mind changing, the nesting, the tears and the laughs that come during the 38 weeks. She is the one who can’t get comfortable in the night, who is cold when everyone else is hot and hot when everyone else is cold, who is trying not to waddle, who is still doing too much when she should be resting, who is doing her pelvic floor exercises and who just wants a healthy baby at the end of it.

But the Dad is bonding too all this while. He is scared, he is worried, both for his baby and his wife. From the moment his wife comes in with the ClearBlue, he is on it. He is thinking about the extra mouth that needs feeding, he is wondering where he is going to get the energy from to go through it all again, he is wondering how long he can afford to take off work, he is worried for his wife, he wants to keep her happy, but she’s crying and throwing up and keeps leaving the key in the door, and he comes home from work and she’s up some step ladders, 7 months pregnant putting up some curtains and he shouts, scared that he could lose them both at any moment. He goes to the hospital with her, he hears the heartbeat and his eyes fill with tears, partly with relief but also with ultimate pride, that this woman has done this for him, has given her body, and mind and maybe even her career so that they can, together, bring a child into the world.

He rubs her feet, he makes her tea, he does his job and then comes home to look after his family, he holds her hair whilst she is sick, and he tells her that she doesn’t look fat even though she obviously does because there’s a baby in her womb! He kisses her tummy while she sleeps and he sings songs to this huge bump with his baby inside. And all the time he worries. About the future. Will he be a good Dad, will the child be healthy, will he do the right things and set good examples, will he be as good as his Dad and will the child love him as much as he loves the child.

And together the future parents plan. They paint rooms, Blue or Pink, or keep it neutral because they want the surprise on the day. They buy cots, and clothes, and bedding and nappies and cotton wool balls and one time he’s out and he sees an outfit that says “Been inside for 9 months” and he buys it because it makes him smile, and he knows his wife will smile too. They go to the hospital and they see the baby on the screen and they hold each other’s hand and smile and he tells her how brilliant she is and she says she couldn’t do it without him.

They discuss names and she makes lists, they buy a buggy and a car seat and then the big day comes, and she shouts him from the other room, or calls him at work and says ‘it’s happening’. And even though he’s prepared, even though the bag has been packed for weeks and he’s worked the quickest four routes to the hospital, his mind goes blank and he doesn’t know where he is for a minute. Then she helps him, they do it together.

They get to the hospital, they’re way too early but the contractions have started, and they will go on for the next few hours. She can’t get comfortable, she walks, she sits, she kneels, she perches. He paces and he watches, and he rubs her back and he holds her hand. The contractions get closer, the midwife tells them both that the baby is on the way and then they’re off, after 9 months of waiting they’re finally going to get to meet their new baby. He gets dressed up like George Clooney in ER, and she smiles even though she is in the most pain she has ever been in her life. They go in together, the excitement is tearing through his body, as the pain tears through hers.

And then the moment comes, they’re both waiting to find out if they’ve had a little boy or girl. They’re waiting to find out who they need to look after for the rest of their lives, who will one day look after them when they can no longer. They’re waiting, hoping, praying that this little tiny helpless human being, will keep them awake for the next few months, will cry in the night and will need changing every 5 minutes. They wait for the cry and for the midwives and doctors to turn to them and say “here’s your baby guys, well done......"