The Pregnancy Chat Thread!

embee

Congrats to tinofapples and mrs. tinofapples - she is just dotey

sud

Hi all,
I was just wondering does anybody have any experince of the CUMH in Cork. My main issue is whether or not to go public or private, now that there is only one maternity hospital in Cork and everybody has to go to the CUMH is there a point in going private and paying €2000. Will you get the same level of care under the public system? and persumingly all going well you would one need to spend one night there.
Any opions on this subject would be much appreciated:)

Nea

Congrats to all parents of the beautiful babogs.

Just an update, I do have Obstetric Cholestasis a condition where the liver is not breaking down bile properly and may be passing biles acids into the blood stream. I have been given medication to try regulate this problem and they will induce me in the next week. I am being monitored also.

Apparently one of the only ways of noticing this is a severe itch, so if anyone is feeling very itchy it is worth mentioning it to your GP for them to take a blood test to check for this condition.

Suaimhneach

Yeay, loads of lovely babies!

Kincorababe

OMG, your babies are all beautiful - congrats to all new parents and I hope ye will all stay on to help us moms to be.

I went to the hospital yesterday for my 13 weeks scan with my partner. What we expected to be a wonderful experience, was a complete nightmare. Not only were we left waiting an hour with approx 80 other women(all moms will understand the agony of waiting with a full bladder!!) we were treated very badly. My partner wasn't allowed in with me to any part of the event! They refused to scan me. They didn't give me the information I asked for and as a first time mom to be, with a long standing medical condition,(I am allergic to all pain killers except panadol!) I got no answers! The only remark made was 'You are going to be a nightmare!'. Not only that- the place was filthy!! The bathrooms were a disgrace- used tissues and urine on the floor just to mention one thing! I also requested a 20 week scan to see if my baby's kidneys were ok - as renal failure also runs in the family- and they refused to do it!!! I am so distressed and disheartened over the whole experience. Can someone tell me that it was just an off day in the maternity or is this the usual standard of care??? Is there anything I can do to get them to listen to me??? I am 24. so it is not like I am just a young one that they are fobbing off- AAAHHH please give me some advice!!

Suaimhneach

I doubt you'd get that sort of service if you went private... which maybe for the sake of your scans is worthwhile. From what I know (I am not a mother, just have some friends who are and have read threads etc) it should definitely not be that bad. Sounds well out of the ordinary.

Kincorababe, I hope you find somewhere better to get them done. Congrats on the baby.

silja

I am so sorry you had such a bad experience. Are they basically refusing to give you any scans? That seems weird. Some hospitals give only a 12 week scan and some only a 20 week scan, but if I understand you right, they refused you both of these routine scans, when someone with your medical history should definitely get the routine scans, and possibly more.

I would definitely complain; maybe talk to your GP first and see what their experience is with whatever maternity hospital you are attending, and what they'd suggest, and after that, write a letter to the Master of the hospital or the Director of Patient Servies and ask about their policy for people with your medical history.

sud

Kincorababe, that sound terrible, If you dont mind me asking what hospital are you going to. I only found out that I am pregant recently and trying to make the decion on going public or private..... im just wondering is your experience the norm:(:confused:

embee

Kincorababe,

Sorry to hear you have had such a bad experience. Unfortunately, you aren't alone in such treatment. You need to make a formal complaint about the way you were spoken to and the way that your partner was treated - that behaviour just isn't acceptable. Write to the director of patient services in the hospital.

I really don't think that there is much difference between going public and private. The biggest difference these days is that you get your own room and a better menu - fine a lot of the time but being in a room alone can be very isolating as a first timer. The safety of ultrasound scanning is questionable and they should be kept to an absolute minimum, but you should have had a scan at your booking visit. What if you're carrying twins or more? They would need to work out a care plan for you based on that (Mums of multiples have many, many more ante-natal check ups than Mums with singleton pregnancies), and the quicker twins are discovered the better for Mum and babies. I would contact the hospital and complain - demand a scan. Its crazy that you weren't offered at least one. I went public in 2005 and had three scans altogether - 12 weeks, 20 weeks and again when I was overdue to measure liquor volume around the baby.

flyz

Kincorababe, your experience sounds horrible. I would be complaining to anyone who'd listen if I were you.


Congrats to the new additions of both babies and mums2b!

Flyz - glad to hear your girls are doing well - good sizes for 35 week twins Can I ask, are they identical twins? Tis hard to tell when they're in profile! They are beautiful and you must be thrilled. The time will fly until Aoife passes that 5lb milestone. You have your breastfeeding down pat also - fantastic!

Aoife is now 5lbs and Eimear is 6lbs10ozs. We are being discharged from Neonatal Homecare as of next week.

Also they're not identical. Doesn't stop people from getting them confused though

As for breastfeeding we're currently using nipple shields as both girls were too small to latch on correctly. I am slowly attempting to wean Eimear off the shield but it's a slow process. It will be another few weeks before Aoife is big enough.

Nea

Hi,
I am now the proud Mammy of little Leon, born 03/03/08 @19.47.
I was induced due to the Cholestasis, after 4 hrs in labour I opted for the epidural. 10 mins later the babys heartbeat started to suffer so they opted for an emergency c-section.

I cannot praise the staff in the Delivery Suite in the Coombe enough.They were on the ball.

Leon spent 2 days in ICU due to laboured breathing and then had to be put on a blanket for his jaundice.

I had heard a lot of horror stories about the Coombe but experienced none of them. The midwives were great, especially helping out after a section. The showers and toilets were spotless.

Glad to be home tho!!!!

TequilaMockingBird

Congratulations Nea, and "Hey" Leon!


I miss "baby smell"... enjoy it!

Nea wrote: »

Hi,
I am now the proud Mammy of little Leon, born 03/03/08 @19.47.
I was induced due to the Cholestasis, after 4 hrs in labour I opted for the epidural. 10 mins later the babys heartbeat started to suffer so they opted for an emergency c-section.

I cannot praise the staff in the Delivery Suite in the Coombe enough.They were on the ball.

Leon spent 2 days in ICU due to laboured breathing and then had to be put on a blanket for his jaundice.

I had heard a lot of horror stories about the Coombe but experienced none of them. The midwives were great, especially helping out after a section. The showers and toilets were spotless.

Glad to be home tho!!!!

Nevyn

Congratulations Nea.

Quality

Just wondering is anyone else pregnant at the moment?

I am 8 weeks today, No 3!!

Feeling sick as a dog and delighted about it, Hopefully a good healthy sign as I had a mc last June.

First visit in hospital is not until the 16th of May so a while to go before the scan.

6th

Congrats Quality, make sure you take it easy ... well as easy as you can with 2 already.

Oryx

Nice one Quality, best of luck.

I just had to stick my head in here when I saw 6ths name as last poster. I wondered if he had some joyful news to announce.

Lurvely

Im pregnant at the minute too, about 5weeks gone and its my 2nd

Quality

Thanks lads for the congratulations and congrats to you luverly!
I take it your due the end of November?

Lurvely

yeah around then, not too sure of the date yet cause i had irregular periods.

Dee5

Hiya girls I am 5 + 3 toda nad due the 29th of November on #2

Can't wait!!!

flanzer

Wow, was at the Rotunda yesterday for our first scan (14 weeks). You would think the little begger would pose for a photo but wouldn't!! So we got bit of a photo but it's hard to make it out! We could see the little mite moving around and doing allsorts, acting really lively.......ROLL ON Oct 2nd :)

Quality

Ah congrats girls,

Its great to have a few boardsies to share the joys of pregnancy with.
I'd say you were delighted getting that scan flanzer.. I cant wait for mine.


I am going through pretty bad morning, noon and night sickness at the moment. Its really bad when I am driving and well most motion... I was fine on the other two!!

Just happy to be having some symptoms and looking forward to getting to 14 weeks. I am 9 weeks now..

flanzer

Quality wrote: »

Ah congrats girls,

Its great to have a few boardsies to share the joys of pregnancy with.
I'd say you were delighted getting that scan flanzer.. I cant wait for mine.


I am going through pretty bad morning, noon and night sickness at the moment. Its really bad when I am driving and well most motion... I was fine on the other two!!

Just happy to be having some symptoms and looking forward to getting to 14 weeks. I am 9 weeks now..

I'm the male partner in the relationship Quality!!:D:D

I'll tell you lot though, I feel sorry for you women. The missus' bladder was fit for bursting yesterday on the first scan. Although all scans after 20 weeks, the bladder doesn't need to be as full...... on top of her having really bad morning, noon and night sickness as well.....

Quality

flanzer wrote: »

I'm the male partner in the relationship Quality!!:D:D

Whoops..:o


I am not as sharp without my coffee.

I miss coffee, and do you know what is worse. I feel so sick that the easter egg the oh bought me is still in its package not even touched.

I mean going off choclate...:(

Quality

Got an early scan this morning, I could see my little baby and the heart beating away...

I got a bit emotional, I was crying my eyes out and snotting.. It was wonderful..:D

Lurvely

Ah thats great Quality The only problem i seem to be havin is that im eating non stop!

Hotblack Desiato

Very late post here, but this is my first time back on boards...

Abby was born in the afternoon on the 10th March after a 12 hour labour. Was getting a bit rough before the epidural kicked in, pethidine just made mum sick and the gas and air was no good at all. Pregnancy had been pretty much trouble free and in retrospect mum didn't think the labour was too bad. Here she is, 15 mins old:



They say the real 'fun' starts afterwards and they're right :rolleyes: Mum tore and bled quite a bit, the doctor was stitching for ages, it turns out later they'd tested her haemoglobin and it was very low but they didn't do anything about it or say anything to us.

8:30pm and they kicked the visitors out including the dads :mad: I wanted to stay longer but, sure, you're only the parent what would you know. An hour later I was just going in my front door when my wife rang me to say she'd dropped the baby :eek: The midwives during the day were helpful but the night shift were very abrupt and bossy and even though my wife was exhausted, she was ordered at 9pm to feed the baby. Got up, picked her up and promptly collapsed. Baby was taken into neonatal ICU, checked out and kept in for observation, luckily there wasn't a mark on her, they even did a skull x-ray but she was fine. Mum was kept in the high dependency unit overnight but back on the normal ward first thing the next morning and was expected to get on with things, including repeated lengthy fruitless attempts at breastfeeding, as if nothing had happened. Still no treatment for her and not even iron tablets, even though she was so anaemic she could not produce any breast milk (never even got the swollen breasts thing later.)

We were discharged at the usual 3 day mark, my wife had not been examined once since the birth.

3 days later mum was in bits with an infection (Sat night) and we had to go to the VHI clinic for strong antibiotics and painkillers. The VHI clinic were great.

Only now a month later (after second visit to VHI for another antibiotic) is mum starting to feel herself again, to this day she has never yet been able to push the pram once, and we got no follow up at all from the hosp. The PHN visited but was only really interested in the baby (who thankfully was thriving.) I took extra time off work (bye bye holidays) and luckily nana lives very close by.

Perhaps understandably, mum is really not keen on a repeat performance, but if there ever is one we will seriously consider going private, just for mum to be treated like a human being not a battery hen and for dad to be actually allowed to visit when he likes, it would be worth every cent.

Anyway, here she is more recently, she loves her feeds and is generally a content baby, five minutes after being born her eyes were following me around and she's as sharp as ever in spite of the 'incident', she loves to grab onto her bottle just in case we might take it away!

silja

Sorry mom had a difficukt time, but what an adorable baby!

Hellrazer

Just a quick update.

Baby Mia born at 10.31pm last night.
6lb 7 oz.
Everyone doing fine.

Will post pics later when I get back from the hospital.

Nevyn

Congratulations