MSE Pregnancy Club 26

Lola888

I drank RLT from 36 weeks, I gradually increased how many cups I had, but to be honest with me it didn't make much difference. I had quite a long labour, baby wasn't facing the right way and for some reason my contractions were very far apart and they didn't last very long so by the time I was getting into pushing they'd subsided. I needed an episiotomy and ventouse assistance in the end. It didn't bother me, I'm a very laid back person, so whatever happens happens.

I do remember arguing with the doctor after the birth, she tried to give me a blood transfusion as I'd lost a little bit after the episiotomy (btw this didn't hurt, I didn't even know they had done it!). I refused to have it, she told me I had lost about a pint. Only a pint, I give blood and they take a pint. If they had given me a transfusion I wouldn't have been able to give blood again. Also my iron levels were fantastic during pregnancy, they actually went up rather than going down. The mw told me they were better than some people who weren't pregnant!!

I did have to have some antibiotics via the drip in case of infection so it meant I had to stay in bed for about 45mins- 1 hr and all I kept saying was can I get up now!! I'm not a very good patient!!! :rotfl:I gave my LO her first bf then

I was up as soon as they let me and straight in the shower, the first wee can burn a bit so I weed in the shower which helped Some people say to take a jug of water with you if you go on the toilet.

I was pretty much ready to go home then, but they refused so I spent the first night in the ward with 5 other mums and their screaming babies. My LO slept and slept, I think the trauma of the birth was enough for her. She did do 3 nasty nappies within the space of 1 hour- you could hear the farts- definitely her father's daughter :rotfl:

In the morning I kept saying can I go home now? I had barely slept as the other babies had been crying, if it wasn't them it was the mum next to me blubbing. I was so glad to go home!!!

I really hope this birth is a bit more straight forward!!!

30+5

welsh_cosmic

Good luck butler_helen.... Hope it all goes well!!!

Bangton

Good luck Helen and Welsh too. Although that means I'm ever closer to top! ! Still not ready! !! Quick question from me.. just wondering what others have done. Correct me if I'm wrong but paternity kicks in when baby is born. What did your OHs do whilst you were in labour? Unpaid? Holiday? My OHs work have already told him he can have the 2 week paternity but he wanted a third week holiday and they said no so now I'm wondering what they are going to do if I have a long labour. They are normally great btw but they are so busy at moment they need all the resource they can get and I understand that having worked as a resource planner in the past but I'm also worried days at home with OH and baby are going to be cut short!

Flower08

Bangton wrote: »

Good luck Helen and Welsh too. Although that means I'm ever closer to top! ! Still not ready! !! Quick question from me.. just wondering what others have done. Correct me if I'm wrong but paternity kicks in when baby is born. What did your OHs do whilst you were in labour? Unpaid? Holiday? My OHs work have already told him he can have the 2 week paternity but he wanted a third week holiday and they said no so now I'm wondering what they are going to do if I have a long labour. They are normally great btw but they are so busy at moment they need all the resource they can get and I understand that having worked as a resource planner in the past but I'm also worried days at home with OH and baby are going to be cut short!

Last time OH wasn't entitled to paternity pay as he hadn't been there long enough, but his work let him take two weeks holiday starting from when I went into labour.
This time he will be having 2 weeks paternity, followed by one weeks holiday. His paternity will start once I go into labour as they will have to pay someone else to cover him as soon as he leaves the site.

My biggest concern is if I go into labour during the night. OH works alone at night and the site isn't allowed to be left unattended at any point, so he will have to ring someone to cover him and wait til they get there! It is then about a 40 minute drive home (although I suspect he will do it a lot quicker if he knows I am in labour!)

Flower08

Good luck Helen and Welsh!!

bride2be2012

Good luck Helen!

Bangton, I've no idea as my DH isn't entitled to paternity leave, he's just using annual leave. He was told he could take two weeks from when I go into labour, but then his boss text him last night saying he was doing the rota for next week, and did DH want next week and following week as holidays, or did he want to wait another week. So we're looking at having daddy and baby time cut short too hoping to hold off in giving an answer til I see midwife on Thu and see if baby is anywhere near making an appearance!

Made a lovely hot curry for dinner last night and all it did was give me heartburn. Off into town with my mum for a wander later, think Ill get some raspberry leaf tea!

39+4

jessimacalucy87

Good luck helen and welsh, hope all goes well for you, looks like a few of us may be making baby announcements this week.

Im struggling now with the emotions of having induction, more because Im a first time single mum and starting to panic that i cant do it. wont be the first or last person to think this im sure but still cant help having a little panic

39+5

kerri_dfw

Jessima - my sister was a single mum with her first, she went to the hospital with my Dad. Although she actually started early labour in the morning on the Saturday and went shopping!!! Her waters went whilst she was out buying things, but was just a trickle nothing too much. She then came home around 3pm and went to M0thercare with my Mum!!! It wasn't until about 7pm that she thought "ooh I think I'm in labour" and my Dad drove her to the hospital. She only had G&A and said that as long as you listen to the midwife and let your body get on with it then you'll be fine (this was her advice to me by the way). She's a great Mum, although she is now back with the Dad and has a 2nd little one. Just think of all the snuggles you'll get without having to share your little one with someone else, you're going to be the most important and special person to them. You'll be fab.

Just seen this on the beeb: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-24117682

TTC40

Thinking of you Helen & Welsh, hoping you have 'our' babies soon.

MW home visit was fine yesterday. She looked at the rooms the baby would be sleeping in - nursery & our bedroom. She then went through some guidance about baby sleeping, not using duvets etc. Just general guidance/ recommendations really. She's really nice (& is 22 weeks pg with her first).

She discussed a bit about birth plan assuming I would have a section - although we both accept this is flexible as we don't know this for sure now. OH was there as he was working from home. She seemed surprised that it was the first time she had met him - she said that some husbands go to every MW appt. He's been to every scan (12, 20, 23, 28, 31, 34 weeks - plus 3 early private ones), think that's enough!

2nd NCT class last night. 7 couples in week 1, only 5 last night. Not sure what happened to one of them but the bloke from the other couple arrived after the start time to say they wouldn't be coming as their son had arrived last Thursday - they were due the same week as me so 5 weeks early!

All was well 5.5lb, waters broke in the early hours, they went to hospital & he was born 1.5 hours later. They are expecting to be in hospital for a couple of weeks but no major concerns which is good to hear.

Went through pain relief options & some labour positions. Then did a 'practical' on what would happen during a section. One of the blokes had to lay on the floor being the woman in labour & the rest of us were given a label with 'who' we were. There were props so we had theatre masks/ hats etc. It was quite funny & made you realise how many people may be in the room.

M&S furniture delivery here at the moment assembling nursery furniture. This afternoon will be spent putting everything away - yay!

35+0

dizziblonde

BadlyWrittenPoem wrote: »

I did have antenatal classes (NHS ones) with my first and in all honesty, having none would have been better. The MW was really rubbish and kept going on about how rubbish it would be having a newborn and how tired we would be etc and the first thing we did was watch a video all about stress during pregnancy and how bad it could be for your baby which didn't really seem great either. The only useful thing was the hospital tour but at ours they have tours every week that you can just go to without having the classes.

I found ours more harm than good to be honest. They seemed to delight in trying to terrify you away from any intervention (ooooh here are the forceps... Giggle... Now don't be scared ladies but they go round the baby's HEAD like this!) and pushing the birth options, active birth stuff- but one of our local hospitals is a cesspool of the attitude that women are inconvenient, get em strapped to the bed and make it all as easy as we can for ourselves, and if we need to shout at or bully women to abandon those silly inconvenient birth choices then that's what we will do- so you have the classes preaching active birth etc, and the hospital going straight for the stirrups, leading to forceps etc- which of course the classes have nicely terrified you away from.

Other hospital in the area are fab btw- lovely and kind, respectful of you (and I was not an easy patient) and my big little girl got offered so many pots of ice cream off the lunch trolley when she came in to visit, and has the doctors sneaking in for a cuddle, since a big giggly 11 month old was so different to their usual tiny newborn fodder!

As for the antithesis of the horror stories - 15 minute labour where I didn't even really do any pushing and just let it happen for anyone?! I tend to tell that tale, or pick and choose the parts of the first birth that are amusing and show the farcical side of it (my mother in law showed up in the delivery room and I kicked her out) rather than bigging up the parts that led to me having PTSD from it. Would be cruel of me to do that to pregnant women.