The Pregnancy Chat Thread!

Penny Dreadful

firestarter51 wrote: »

Kealys are crazy prices for a mattress, we got ours from kiddiecare for €50 it's the same thing they have for €230, special breathable pockets and anti allergy ect, we got a cot bed from kealys so my thinking was worst case scenario we buy another €50 if it's battered after 18 months.
Make sure you haggle with kealys, we got money off and free stuff, there is also a thread for bargains for parents to be, check this out before you go

Thank you. Fully intend to haggle, the amount of money it costs to set your baby up (even when you're being sensible) is staggering. We'll get getting the buggy, car seat and base and the cot from Kealy's. Then I think we have the biggest of the big stuff done, my parents are buying the changing unit for us and my sister is buying the monitor. Another sister is giving us her old moses basket so we're sorted there too.

firestarter51

Do visit the bargain forum though
Tips on how to haggle with kealys and cheap Angelcare plates from asda ect, the video ones

http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057233294/4/#post91119215

Penny Dreadful

firestarter51 wrote: »

Do visit the bargain forum though
Tips on how to haggle with kealys and cheap Angelcare plates from asda ect, the video ones

http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057233294/4/#post91119215

Cool, will do, thank you.:)

comongethappy

Penny Dreadful wrote: »

Quick question for all of you. We're going to Tony Kealy's this weekend to put our deposit on the buggy, cot and all that jazz for the baby. Thankfully we've agreed on the big purchases like that and I'm very keen to get that done.
I'd appreciate the benefit of your experience in relation to the mattress you've purchased for the cot. We will be buying the Angel Care Baby Monitor and I noticed that it says you cannot use a memory foam mattress with it and you need quite a firm mattress. What one did you you guys go for?
My husband has a little moment every so often and you hear "how much? for that!" from him. I have no intention of spending hundreds on a mattress but equally I do wonder if one for €20 from IKEA is the right choice too. I have also reminded him that the baby will be sleeping in the cot until they are 2 years old (give or take) and so its not a purchase for a tiny baby only, a bigger heavier child will also be sleeping on the mattress we pick.

My friend advised me to go with a cheap foam mattress with ventilation holes. Her son had gotten sick a bit and had leaky nappies, and she was happy she went with the cheaper option as she could afford to replace the mattress a couple times. Also, it's advised to go for a breathable mattress to reduce the risk of SIDS in the 1st year. I'm thinking I'll invest in a springed mattress with waterproof cover after the year mark.

Penny Dreadful

Went to Kealys today and bought (well put a deposit on) the following:
Travel system (buggy, car seat, base, adapters, rain cover and foot muff)
Cot bed
Chest of drawers with changing unit on top
Mattress
Monitor.

Delighted to have that done and decided on now and out of the way.
Loads of other things to do and get I know but I did think that once we got that stuff picked and ordered the rest would (hopefully) be easier.

Chattastrophe!

Penny Dreadful wrote: »

Went to Kealys today and bought (well put a deposit on) the following:
Travel system (buggy, car seat, base, adapters, rain cover and foot muff)
Cot bed
Chest of drawers with changing unit on top
Mattress
Monitor.

Delighted to have that done and decided on now and out of the way.
Loads of other things to do and get I know but I did think that once we got that stuff picked and ordered the rest would (hopefully) be easier.

The chest of drawers with changing unit is soooo handy. Well worth the investment. I had this idea in my mind of exactly the sort of one I wanted and searched everywhere but just couldn't find one within our budget. And then a cousin of mine gave us hers as a gift, exactly the kind I wanted! There are quite a few things that we bought for the baby that we realised in hindsight were unnecessary, however this is something that we use all the time and it is so handy to have all his vests and babygros and outfits and bibs etc right there within reach for when he pukes/pees/generally makes a mess of himself! He is six months now, I'm pretty sure we'll still be able to use the changing unit for a good while yet, and even after that it'll still be absolutely perfect for storage.

It's great to have the big things out of the way. Once you have a buggy and somewhere for them to sleep, you're pretty much sorted.

Penny Dreadful

It's my birthday today and the baby gave me a brilliant present- a full un disturbed comfortable 9 hours sleep uninterrupted! That is the first time in 10 nights and I feel great as a result.

73trix

Happy birthday Penny!

Lashes28

Have many of you bought a Doppler for your pregnancy? Was it worth it?

Merkin

Lashes28 wrote: »

Have many of you bought a Doppler for your pregnancy? Was it worth it?

I bought one on Amazon and love it! Baby Merkin is a very busy baby but there have been two days where he was quieter than normal and it was so reassuring to be able to listen to the little fellow! I've used it more often though just as an excuse to hear the little darling I bought an Angel Sounds one and I think they are on offer at the moment, buy an extra tube of gel as the tube it comes with is minuscule. What stage are you at?

Lashes28

I'm 16 weeks and have started to feel some movement. I love the idea of it, but would need to get my head around not panicking if I didn't use it right and heard nothing. I see the angel ones get good reviews,hmmm tempting!

Merkin

That's just it, there is a knack to using it which I still haven't managed. I tried a few times and could pick up the baby moving but not it's heartbeat whereas hubby gets him very time, and quickly! Health professionals say not to get one because you need specialist training to use one properly but personally I think it's brilliant and just another way of bonding with your precious little one !

margo321

Have any of you used the gentle birth.ie package? This is my first and I was thinking if buying it, I think it's about €70. Thanks

Jerrica

margo321 wrote: »

Have any of you used the gentle birth.ie package? This is my first and I was thinking if buying it, I think it's about €70. Thanks

I have the cd's and I went to a workshop with my partner when I was about 22 weeks pregnant. I absolutely love it, its an amazing community of mums, doulas and midwives and the program itself provides fantastic coping strategies for all stages of pregnancy and birth and assistance in navigating the maternity systems.

There's a Gentle Birth closed group on facebook, you can request access to that and it'll give you a good idea of what it's all about, read some birth stories, see what kind of support is on offer. Personally I feel the workshop is totally worth going to, not only for the mums but for the dad's to be, my husband found it an extremely informative and empowering couple of days and he's approaching the birth knowing exactly how important his role as my advocate and supporter will be.

The Cd's are brilliant, you do need to make the effort to listen to them as often as you can but it's worth it - now when I put on my affirmations and birth rehearsal tracks I'm put in a deep state of relaxation within minutes and usually fall asleep soon after

Its taken the fear out of giving birth for me, and for that alone I think it's great.

margo321

Thanks Jerrica

Jerrica wrote: »

I have the cd's and I went to a workshop with my partner when I was about 22 weeks pregnant. I absolutely love it, its an amazing community of mums, doulas and midwives and the program itself provides fantastic coping strategies for all stages of pregnancy and birth and assistance in navigating the maternity systems.

There's a Gentle Birth closed group on facebook, you can request access to that and it'll give you a good idea of what it's all about, read some birth stories, see what kind of support is on offer. Personally I feel the workshop is totally worth going to, not only for the mums but for the dad's to be, my husband found it an extremely informative and empowering couple of days and he's approaching the birth knowing exactly how important his role as my advocate and supporter will be.

The Cd's are brilliant, you do need to make the effort to listen to them as often as you can but it's worth it - now when I put on my affirmations and birth rehearsal tracks I'm put in a deep state of relaxation within minutes and usually fall asleep soon after

Its taken the fear out of giving birth for me, and for that alone I think it's great.

Penny Dreadful

Can I ask any of you what your experiences have been with regards to a low lying placenta.
When I had my anomoly scan back in May the consultant asked me to book myself in for a placental localisation scan again when I was at 34 weeks to see if it had moved up. She did stress at the time that she was being a little over cautious and that it would in all likelihood have moved by that time.
I didn't think any more of it until yesterday when I was back for my ante natal appointment and I had a mini scan with the doctor then. She said that the placenta hadn't moved and she checked that I was booked in for the 34 week scan.
I've had no bleeding whatsoever during the pregnancy at all and apart from my moans yesterday over on the other thread about the usual stuff (tired, can't bend down, etc etc) the pregnancy has been nothing other than a text book pregnancy thankfully. I know that if I do start to bleed at all I'll have to hot foot it into the Coombe ASAP given the location of the placenta and its good to know that so I won't ignore anything.
Also whats the worst that can happen, I'll have a C-Section delivery rather than a vaginal which I know isn't the worst thing by a long shot.

However, that said I'd prefer not to have a section if I can help it and was wondering if any of you have had a low lying placenta and if so at this stage of your pregnancy did it just stay put or did it move? If it moved was it something that just happened or is there anything you can do that help shift it upwards

Merkin

Did they say if the placenta is covering the cervix at all? If not it can probably still move up by itself. You could also look at having a scan at 32 weeks to establish this

http://www.nct.org.uk/pregnancy/low-lying-placenta

Penny Dreadful

Merkin wrote: »

Did they say if the placenta is covering the cervix at all? If not it can probably still move up by itself. You could also look at having a scan at 32 weeks to establish this

http://www.nct.org.uk/pregnancy/low-lying-placenta

When it was first spotted back at the anomaly scan (22 weeks I think) the consultant said it was a bit lower than she'd have liked and it was a precaution getting me to make the 34 week appointment to see where the placenta was and that she was fully sure it would move up as the pregnancy progressed.
Yesterday I had an appointment with the consultant ob/gyn not the consultant that did the scan. The machine she used was smaller and not as detailed.
The scan was long enough in that she showed me all around the baby and how much it has grown since last time, eyes, hands waving, strong kicks and lots of fluid surrounding her too.
When I was sitting back at the desk with her she asked if I had made a localisation scan appointment yet and I said yes and asked if the placenta had moved and she said no.
I then asked what that meant- section for certain or was it still undecided. Thinking back on this now no definite answer was given. She just explained what a low lying placenta meant and stressed if there were any bleeds to come in immediately. I asked if it might still move upwards and she said there was no reason to think why not.
I was just thinking about this today and wondered if anyone else has had a similar experience and if so what the ultimate outcome was.
It's not the end of the world at all if a planned section is decided on- I'd prefer not to have the surgery given the limitations post birth but obviously keeping the baby safe is the number 1 priority.

Merkin

I hope it moves Penny. Just in answer to one if your original questions, there's nothing that you can actively do to help it move, it's something that will happen naturally hopefully!

Penny Dreadful

Merkin wrote: »

I hope it moves Penny. Just in answer to one if your original questions, there's nothing that you can actively do to help it move, it's something that will happen naturally hopefully!

Fingers crossed! Of all the news you can get that might not be good this doesn't rate really. I don't like the idea of not having a choice though but that's me being a bit silly I think.
A planned section if that's what it comes down will be fine- I can prepare myself for it and I'll know that I have things to get ready before hand too which I wouldn't have done if it ended up being an emergency section.
Also it will mean that the baby will be ok, I won't go over as there will be no hanging around for labour to start by itself and all that stuff.
Is it obvious I'm polishing up the silver lining of this possible cloud ?😉

pastry2010

Penny Dreadful wrote: »

Fingers crossed! Of all the news you can get that might not be good this doesn't rate really. I don't like the idea of not having a choice though but that's me being a bit silly I think.
A planned section if that's what it comes down will be fine- I can prepare myself for it and I'll know that I have things to get ready before hand too which I wouldn't have done if it ended up being an emergency section.
Also it will mean that the baby will be ok, I won't go over as there will be no hanging around for labour to start by itself and all that stuff.
Is it obvious I'm polishing up the silver lining of this possible cloud ?😉

It seems quite common among my friends that are pregnant and a planned section seems to be the way they go if it's still the same, my sister was allowed go to 10cm and then had an emergency C-section and it was all a bit stressful, this way if they plan it you can relax knowing it's all taken care of!:)

Penny Dreadful

Week 29 today yazers!!!
Really feeling the heavy lifting aspect of being pregnant these days but the thoughts of getting to meet my baby in the relatively near future is very exciting. I woke up this morning to find my husband looking at pictures of Dads playing and taking naps with their little babies and it was so lovely. He is so excited about the baby and becoming a Dad.
I spoke to him last night about my feelings re: possible Section and all that stuff and it was nice to share that concern. As mentioned earlier though if that's what the game plan ends up being it will be fine and I'd prefer to have the opportunity to plan for it rather than have the emergency scenario as you mentioned Pastry. Something similar happened with one of my sisters on two of her pregnancies and she was in labour for hours, damn all progression then some, baby in distress, great urgency and sudden section. If I can avoid that then I will.
Hope you're all keeping well this morning.

Neyite

Penny, hopefully you'll never need it but an EMCS is sometimes not that bad either. I had the same as your sister, and still had a positive birth experience. I knew I was heading that way so opted for the epidural and so when they decided they needed to do the section, just topped it up so I was awake to meet the baby, and latch him on. I think though if you dont have the epi they'd need to put you under totally, so its worth asking a midwife about it, and file it mentally away in the "we'll probably not need this info, but just in case" file.

My sister had failure to progress too, so the other sister was worried it would happen to her but she had a natural, quick birth at home so every birth is different.

Merkin

Just to jump in there, a GA is not necessarily needed for an EMCS as most hospitals will now offer a spinal which acts immediately but won't render the patient unconscious. After my escapades in hospital last week I went to visit the girl who had been labouring in my room the night before and she ended up having an EMCS and spinal. She was still catheterised when I went to see her but otherwise was fine and was happy with it as she was awake for the moment her little one made her appearance!

nikpmup

It depends on the situation I think - I had an EMCS and there was no way I was getting a spinal, I had to be knocked out, and fast.

Merkin

The spinal aenesthetic takes five minutes to take effect as opposed to between thirty and forty five for an epidural. I should imagine in a state of high emergency, an instantaneous 'knocking out' with a GA is required! Was the recovery period long for you afterwards and how soon after the birth did you get to meet the little one?

SmokeyEyes

You'll find girls that once the big event happens you won't be dealing with anything but the moment that you're in and that's a good thing. I went over and was induced and I found that in the last week or two when I knew my time to pretend I wouldn't have to go through labour had finally run out I calmed down about things completely. As I was induced I knew heading in that I had to get through things but honestly now, three weeks later, labour is kind of a blur and all that really sticks out is our little man arriving. Now I'm past labour I'm back to worrying about lochia as I clearly didn't have my fill of worry during pregnancy but despite making a show of myself screaming like a banshee I wasn't scared because you will find yourself completely focused. And if you do opt for the epidural, you'll find yourself on Cloud 9 within a few minutes:D

I was on the ward with loads of c section gals and they were moving around like great things, you wouldn't actually know who had given birth on what way after the first night was over!

Merkin

I'm pretty Zen about it tbh Smokey, whatever is best for the safety of both me and Bubs is what's important so what will be will be. The end result will be worth it when I finally get to hold and kiss him at last! I cannot wait to meet him!!

It's so funny you say that about labour considering it was only a few weeks ago, I really think Mother Nature plays some trick on us ladies postpartum as it seems the whole birth experience becomes a bit of a blur very soon after. I suppose it's nature's way of ensuring we procreate more than once if possible. For such a momentous and life changing event it definitely becomes a little hazy shortly after it would seem!

Betsie_xr3i

Merkin if you asked me now to describe my last labour to you the only thing I could tell you is that it was long and I was exhausted other then that nothing xx I remember what happened etc but couldn't describe pain or anything x your little man will be here before you know it xx

Karmella

Merkin wrote: »

I'm pretty Zen about it tbh Smokey, whatever is best for the safety of both me and Bubs is what's important so what will be will be. The end result will be worth it when I finally get to hold and kiss him at last! I cannot wait to meet him!!

It's so funny you say that about labour considering it was only a few weeks ago, I really think Mother Nature plays some trick on us ladies postpartum as it seems the whole birth experience becomes a bit of a blur very soon after. I suppose it's nature's way of ensuring we procreate more than once if possible. For such a momentous and life changing event it definitely becomes a little hazy shortly after it would seem!

This is actually a thing - when we give birth our body releases a load of endorphins which give us a feeling of euphoria and it does also make you forget the pain etc. OK maybe not everyone as I know a lot of women do get quite traumatised after birth. But I was definitely like someone on drugs after the birth of my son - the doctor was there stitching me up and I was babbling for Ireland and just generally high! Little man latched onto me straight away and I was getting my hubby to take pictures and everything - didn't care what I looked like!! Its actually cool now cos I do have pics of that very special moment - no-one else will ever see them obviously, but they are nice to have.