May 2016 Babies Club

wuffly

Lucuma, i would not be as patient as you, if visitors were rocking up like that when you've so much on. At least you've only one more sleep and your off home!! Hope its going ok in the meantime. No harm in checking out the physio back home if you can, so glad I took your advice and went when i did, really made such a difference.

The morning nausea/sickness is the new normal for me, just a quick dash to the bathroom as soon as i wake up. At this stage i don't remember what it was like not to and i feel fine after it. Until the last few days anyway, might just be all the running around the last few weeks catching up on me.

I don't know what people are thinking when they decide to visit at times like this, my visitor that just left planned on visiting for years and always bailed. I was totally lamped when he actually booked his flight. It was lovely to see him but I'm totally shattered, working full time and trying to host in the evenings etc... and even at that I was fairly boring!

Kathy got everything crossed that your levels stay down and baby stays put for a while longer! Have you tried clove oil to ease the toothache. it's a good natural pain killer just rub around the affected tooth, as long as your ok with cloves it might be worth a go. The whole stomach movements are mad, feel like i have less movement but much stronger these days, guess baby has less space.

The girl from my yoga class had a baby boy on tues night back in the UK by emergency c-section, a bit of drama i think, but mum and baby ok. He's going for surgery today, so hopefully all goes well. He is tiny but he looks pretty strong.

Haven't watched one born every minute, I think I'll try and avoid it for now, sticking to the positive hypno-birthing stuff!

Baby shower tomorrow, can't believe its mine and its here already... bit nervous to be honest, girls are arranging it at my house so it should be fairly relaxed.

I can't wait to finish up work, everyone is getting on my nerves at the moment. One more idiotic comment and I am going to throw some one out a window. :mad:

Kathy22

@ Lucuma yes I learned a lot about the labour from the antenatal class. The Rotunda have a policy whereby they prefer you to labour at home to a certain point and then come in obviously if your waters break you need to come in straight away due to risk of infection. There is so much to learn about pregnancy but I am happy to stay at home as long as possible as I bet I will be like an anti Christ if I have a load of people fussing and am in a confined space. We also need to work out our route as there is a lot of roadworks around the Rotunda due to the cross city luas roadworks, my poor husband is at risk of an earful if he takes the wrong route. I am a terrible back seat driver LOL!

Hopefully your guests have not been too imposing and you are all set for your travels home. Safe flight and enjoy your time at home. Hopefully your baba is head down and ready for a quick decent

@ Wuffly thanks for the clove oil tip. I got a mini xray yesterday, my dentist was so nervous and did it for like 1 second. I have an abscess on my tooth and its pretty swollen, I need root canal treatment but am not willing to do it until after the baby is born so just got antibiotics and hopefully it will stay away. Jesus it was so sore but the antibiotics seem to have kicked in a little and its calmed down.

Enjoy your baby shower and all the fun of the day. Let us know how you get on. My friends organsised one for me for 3 weeks time

Enjoy some rest now your visitor is gone.

I still have 6 weeks in work, feels like a lifetime away!

wuffly

34 Week check up yesterday. No scan but Dr had a good feel and said baby is head down and that's why I'm feeling a bit of extra pressure on the left side. Lost some weight after the stomach bug, but she's not too worried. Up about 5kgs overall although prob more like 8-9kg including the weight I lost at the start. Dr asked how I was getting on with the physio for the SPD and I said it was great, really helpful. She was thrilled I was managing without taking panadol or anything... Sat there like an eejit thinking.... I never even thought of taking a panadol... even when it was bad.... dumbass! Not sure if that's baby brain or if I am that thick! :eek:

Had my baby shower on friday, it was lovely, if a bit surreal. So nice to see everyone, kinda rare these days since all the kids came along. They did one big shop between them so I got loads of bits and pieces that i hadn't thought of, Baby Wuffly is spoilt! Very handy being that last of a big group! Yours will be lovely Kathy, its a great chance to catch up and get a little bit spoilt before the madness starts!

Kathy your toothache sounds awful... the antibiotics should help a good bit if you have an abscess, they can't do much until it clears anyway. Hope the clove oil works for you. Root canals are bad enough but without pain killers i wouldn't dream of it!

Lucuma, hope you survived the visitors ok and made it home safely.

Planning to work up to my due date so 6 more weeks of work for me too, hopefully have the majority of the big stuff finished in the next three weeks.
Pretty tired and feather brained at the moment so god knows how much use I will be in a few more weeks! I so miss home right now... proper mat leave and long weekends

Happy Easter!

teggers5

Happy Easter everyone!
Haven't been online much the past week or two. Working long days again so by the time I get home I'm only fit for bed. Roll on maternity leave!

Lucuma

Hi ladies, hope ye are having a nice Easter. 35w + 4d here. Thank god I'm on mat leave as I'm fecking wrecked. I'm so glad the whole aer lingus policy thing forces me to finish a good few weeks b4 the due date.
Got home Fri night, had to leave my Lidl body pillow behind as it didn't fit in my suitcase, it's a long rectangular one. All I have in Ire is banana shaped one so had a lot of trouble sleeping Fri, Sat & last night. THANK GOD Argos have the rectangular pillow, got one today in there :-) The banana shaped is just not for me.
Went to Boots today & got all my labour & hospital bag stuff. I have some stuff from last time like an assortment of pjs, nighties, long string top (for labour), lightweight dressing gown etc. Also have the birthing ball, nipple pads, heavy duty sanitary towels, Multimam compress, (they have a long shelf life!), some witch Hazel/aloe vera gel (but needed more), tea tree oil, squidgee bottle, cotton wool, baby bath stuff, dodies, dribblers, baby nail scissors, hats, mittens (which wweren't needed). The lanolin cream doesn't keep as it had gone rock solid! So I bought disposable knicks, maternity towels, 1 bottle witch hazel, 1 tube aloe vera gel, spatone (gonna start taking that btwn now & birth as well as the pregnacare), Floradix (gonna bring to hospital & start taking daily as soon as I give birth as last time I think I got very drained) , 2 packs baby vests, 4-5 babygros, 2 x44 pack size 1 pampers, water wipes (was inspired by you saying they are the bees knees wuffly!), lanolin cream, an infrared thermometer u point at baby's head (have used ear thermometer from Aldi on no.1 but she fecking hates it, this yoke doesn't even touch them!), baby sponge.
The only thing I'm really missing now is a Tens. Am gonna check online for a 2nd hand one as a first port of call.
Will be great to have the labour bag packed.
Kathy defo do 1 trial run of driving to hosp, closer to due date maybe as road works could change again between now & then! I didn't realise x-city Luas was underway! Imagine women trying to get to Rotunda this weekend could have had some hassle with diversions etc coz of the 1916 rising events!
Teggars sorry to hear you're working long hours, hope u put the feet up today!
Wuffly ur baby shower sounds lovely, esp with you being away from home & all!

Kathy22

Hope everyone enjoyed a nice Easter break. I loved having the few days off although we didn't do a whole lot apart from a few walks. I have been so lazy of late and am terrified of the weight I have gained so need to snap out of it and try and do small bits of exercise each day.

Wuffly are you allowed work right to the bitter end? I would love to do that but becoming so much more tired these days and find it hard to concentrate so will be glad to wrap up 2 weeks beforehand. Looking forward to the baby shower, i didn't invite a lot of people just kept it to close friends and family, i sway between regretting agreeing to it and looking forward to it.

Lucuma welcome home! Hope you are settling home nicely and your family is looking after you. Sounds like you are fairly organised, have to say a big thanks as I have picked up a lot of stuff from your list you shared before and will cross check against the above.

Any recommendations on baby monitors from anyone? Still on my to get list. Also has anyone bought some nursing bras? I bought 2 in Pennys but they are dreadful and uncomfortable so think I should invest properly and go get fitted.

Lucuma are you still noticing baby hiccup? I have noticed it more and more the last few days. They usually last about 5+ minutes. Baby is super active at the moment and seems to be still moving about. They have changed position a few times in the past week as I feel movement concentrated to different spots. I had the most amazing experience yesterday, they were pretty active and as i pressed in they were pressing back (not sure if it was a leg or a fist but going on position at scan id say a leg) but at one stage we both pressed at the same time and they did it really slowly like a stretch. I was nearly crying as I felt such a connection with them and just cannot wait till they arrive.

Teggers hope your looking after yourself and getting some rest, work sounds tough!

wuffly

Glad you made it home safely Lucuma. Sounds like you're well organised! Hopefully you get to take it a bit easy or as much as you can with a toddler. Hope your apt goes well this week.

Kathy your weekend sounds lovely! I was a bit the same about the shower, don't really like being the centre of attention but OH talked me into and it was lovely. Sounds like a lovely experience feeling so connected to baby. Looking forward to meeting this little one, without wishing the weeks away.

Re work, Mat leave here is 45 calendar days so working to the bitter end is the only option although my Dr has offered to sign me off as sick earlier, so i will see how I go. I really just need to get through the next two weeks and I'll have my big projects cleared. Although feeling totally exhausted and not able to get great sleep the last few nights, once I wake now there's no going back to sleep. I have saved up some annual leave and work are grudgingly giving me some unpaid leave. I can see their point, getting cover/temp staff is practically impossible here due to all the visa regs and costs. But will make a decision on whats best for us when it comes around. No one's going to pat me on the back if i go back before I'm ready so we will see!

I bought 2 nursing bra's from next online two difference sizes (no mat sections in the shop here and didn't fancy paying 70e for something that might not fit or get used) few people said there's not much point before hand as you don't know what sizes your boobs will be when your milk comes in. I haven't bought any maternity bra's got away with bra extenders, so said I'd try and be prepared. Also bought some nursing string tops and nighties although apparently i'll just have my boobs out for the first two weeks...:eek:

I bought this one http://www.amazon.com/Angelcare-Video-Movement-Sound-Monitor/dp/B0061PIHOE and travel adaptors, was half the price it is here including shipping, tested it and it worked fine, will see how it goes with baby.

Teggers hope you are getting through your work ok, any sign of it slowing down for you soon? Hope you are keeping well.

Kathy22

Thanks for the info on the monitor Wuffly. I had a read of some reviews and it looks great. I might put my husband on the case, he has got off pretty lightly with the research side of things and has just gone along with my decisions for pretty much everything. Hopefully working to the end is not too hard for you. At least if you can get most things finished early the last few weeks might be a bit easier. I'm currently working on my handover and am hoping to complete it in the next 2 weeks just in case anything goes awry. I might just bring the crappy Pennys ones to the hospital and get fitted for ones after the baby is born. I just find they don't sit right when I am active but sure I am unlikely to be doing cartwheels when the baby arrives.

Has anyone else had swelling, my feet are ok just a small bit but when I wake up in the morning my hands look like sausages. They usually calm down by the afternoon. Have my 34 week appointment next week and will also get my updated blood work done, itch is still around so will see how they fare.

Have you guys got the whooping cough vaccine? I need to get to my GP in the next week or so in order to get it, with all my hospital visits I have not gone to him in ages.

Lucuma

Ladies mat leave is tough going so far.... yesterday I used up a voucher my parents gave me 4my bday last yr to get a 45 min back massage......not trying to rub it in or anything !! :-)
My fingers are swollen as well Kathy. I don't get it in the legs at all TG. I had to take my rings off months ago. Last time I felt like a wanton woman in the consultant's waiting room co of not being married, this time around I'm all respectable but no-one can tell coz I'm not wearing my rings anyway haha ;-)
Wuffly meant to say great news on doc feeling baby head down! Happy days. Am waiting for my scan here as we speak.....
Kathy are you bouncing on a ball every day? They are good for bringing baby's head into the correct position. I inflated mine yesterday & will do 1 hour a night now. Also make sure you don't sit back into cosy sofa etc- always keep your hips above your knees. I'm 5'9" so I had to get the 75cm ball (and bring it to labour ward as they only have the standard size in there) and even at that I have to inflate it to within an inch of its life to get my knees to be below my hips .
Re monitor I also have the angelcare. Got very little use out of it coz we live in an apartment so we could hear her cry in every room, no need for monitor. I got one for 30 euro (sound only) in Argos to use on my dd when we stay in my parent's house. When baby was in the room with me (first 4 months) I didn't use any monitor and the movement/breathing part I would probably stop using around 6 mo anyway (out of the main SIDS danger zone by then) but everyone's different.

Lucuma

To clarify I have 2 monitors- 1 angelcare 2 cheapy sound only from argos

Kathy22

Lucuma you are making me very jealous. Finding myself getting very tired these days, had a pain of a day in work yesterday, was in meetings pretty much all afternoon and had to step outside a good few times, was itchy and had awful heartburn, ended up just bringing the Gaviscon bottle in with me LOL! Was so glad to get home into my PJs!

How did your scan go?

The finger swelling is so annoying, I get it very bad in the morning think its because of the heat in bed. Its kind of painful to bend my fingers all the way down. They tend to calm down a little during the day but definitely not my normal size as my wedding and engagement rings are stuck on there. I wonder should I just not worry and leave them on? Thoughts of getting them off is quite unappealing!

I am using the ball more often these days but less than I should, kind of like my pelvic floor exercises, great intentions and all that! I think the baby is trying out for the local athletics team these days, I am feeling their movements so often, like they never sleep! I guess this is what most people feel earlier on but I haven't because of the anterior placenta. I am in awe of the movements and spend most of my evenings staring at my belly!

Thanks for the advice re monitors, my friends are clubbing in to get me one I just have no clue what to recommend.

teggers5

Is it just me or are the weeks flying by! Can't believe we'll have our babies next month!!
Had a hospital check up today and all going great thank God. Got date for elective section too. All going well our little man will be here in 5 weeks, 9th May.
Met with the diabetes team also. They're happy with my blood sugars so will continue to control it with diet thankfully. Wasn't easy over Easter though I have to say lol.
Weighed myself the other day for the first time in months. Since I became pregnant I've only put on half a stone. Between nausea at the beginning and now diabetes I'll be a size smaller after having the baby lol..

wuffly

Lucuma.... jealous.com of your massage and in general being finished up at work! Hope alls going well at home. How was your apt?

Kathy I've been pretty lucky with the swelling just my dodgy ankle which is fine if i keep it elevated, a little on my hands too, i took off my rings a few weeks ago as they were getting a bit too tight and didn't want to have to worry about them getting stuck on.

Teggers, glad all's going well with the GD, exciting to know when baby is going to arrive!

Re the monitors, not really sure what we will need, our house here a long bungalow type so you hear nothing from one end of the house to other, had a few baby sleep overs and wouldn't have heard them otherwise, but then again, doubt I'll be too far from baby in the early days. Both parents houses at home are old farm house types with big thick walls so monitor may not even work.

Had a rough week, the stomach bug from a few weeks ago came back with vengeance on tues night, apparently a viral infection. Baby wuffly wasn't moving at all so the hospital said to come to a&e of course moving like a mad yoke once we we'd been there for a half and hour. Monitored baby for a bit, heartbeat and movement all fine. I was on a drip for a few hours and sent home with some anti sickness tablets, couldn't give me anything for the d so was pretty miserable for the weekend. At this rate I will be skinner than when i got pregnant giving birth, lost 2kilos in the last few weeks. Finding the cost of being sick with no insurance pretty high. 600e later :mad: Main thing is baby is ok, but not in need of this $hit. Really feel for you ladies that have had a few trips to a&e its pretty damn scary. Got the info about our new insurance when i was off sick, reduced cover so my Dr and clinic are no longer covered... I was not in a good a state, OH was ready to put me on a plane home, sick and emotional not a good mix! They've agreed to cover my Dr until delivery but I will need to find a new one and new gp. Not too happy as I've been through two miscarriages and the rest with these Dr's... I really wish I was in a position to get signed off now.

Kathy22

Teggers great that you have a date set for the section. Nice to have an end date in sight. I have a feeling I will be the last to go in this thread. This baby has been a trouble maker so far and no doubt will be till the end

I am super jealous of you guys not gaining much weight at all. Although I haven't weighed myself I am pretty sure I have gained a fair amount.

Wuffly you poor thing, jeez that's crazy the way they can just change your cover right before you give birth! Sounds like you have had a rough ride the last few weeks, glad all is OK with the baby and I hope your OH is looking after you, sounds like a really stressful time and the last thing you need right now! :mad:

It still doesn't feel real I am having a baby next month. Although I am very much looking forward to it! I am sleeping crap, very unlike me. I wake up with pains in my hands. Think I have carpel tunnel in both hands, stiff fingers and pain and very swollen, quite common apparently. Its like a new symptom every week. Typing in work is a challenge for the first hour or 2! Tried removing my rings with no luck at the weekend, will try again this weekend. Going to stick my fingers in a bag of ice to reduce the swelling and go from there. I have my next appointment tomorrow, dying to find out position of the baba. I am feeling a giant lump under my right rib so hoping its not their head!

Take care guys.

teggers5

Kathy, I've got that lump under my ribs the past few weeks too.
A scan last Friday confirmed it was a "butt" lol
Hopefully that's what your feeling too!

Lucuma

hi ladies, ante-natal appointment last Wednesday went well - so far it's looking like the last pregnancy where ante-natal appointments were boring til the end - blood pressure grand, urine grand, scan grand, head down grand! As my consultant said to me last time it's the one area of life where you just want to be boring and normal and have nothing to report. No harm as I've had enough non-child-related sh!t this year.
Kathy when you wrote your post about swollen and sore fingers I straight away thought 'carpal tunnel syndrome' but didn't have time to post since, looks like you've figured it out anyway. my sister had it when she was pregnant. I do have an increase in pins n needles in hands (and feet) on this pregnancy compared to the last but defo no cps so far anyway. really annoying alright getting a new symptom every week! these are the things no-one tells you about having a baby (oh so many things no-one tells you.....) !!
I always think there are the symptoms you can chat to people in work about and then the ones you can't tell anyone about :-o Babies just feck up our bodies in so many ways, ah they're little darlings all the same !! :-D
Well I'm into week 2 of my 5 weeks off before baby, ticking jobs off the list slowly. Still have loads to do but considering i have 4 weeks to kill plus I have a limited amount of energy every day, no point doing more than 1 or 2 a day. I've been to hairdresser, went to dentist this morning, chiropodist (ingrowing toenail on both big toes) tomorrow.....still haven't booked physio or made it to a pregnancy yoga class (thinking of doing 1 or 2 just to relieve lower back pain seeing as my SPD is really after improving a lot). Dentist today although only an exam, scale & polish was Owwww.....not as bad as you Kathy you poor thing, how is your tooth now? but it was still owww.....he was giving out to me for not coming since last May and asked me has my diet changed during pregnancy coz of hte amount of plaque on my teeth. I answered No it hasn't but was thinking - making cakes, choccy & sweets into a separate food group doesn't count surely does it..... ahem!
Labour & hostpital bag packed but need tweaking. went for a carry-on suitcase for labour bag and it's too big so ended up putting some stuff from hospital bag into it, but then hospital bag (over the shoulder hold-all) is way too stuffed and doesn't even have everything in it yet (e.g. flip flops) so I"m going to have to repack and get a bigger hospital bag. will check my Mam's attic to see if there's a medium size suitcase that I could use instead. Will feel like i'm going on my holidays with a check in suitcase and a carry on suitcase in tow (!!) but maybe it's normal enough that women bring those as their two bags? i know the back pack type was a disaster for labour bag last time as hubby couldn't find things in it when he needed to find them quickly! He'll do much better with a carry-on suitcase. I've also put things in clear zip lock bags (like disposable knicks & maternity pads) so he can find them easier this time around, that was a bit of a panic the last time as I stood up from the labour bed to get into the wheelchair to be brought to my room!
I was in Dublin for a few days this week just gone at a family event of my husband's. took the opportunity to buy a Tens machine second hand. there was a good few for sale on adverts in dublin, but none in Cork. I just need to buy spare pads for it now - amazon I suppose. Checked in mothercare in Swords they didn't have the pads for it for sale.
Also sorted out my medela swing breast pump. it is missing bits but turns out my sister is finished with hers by now (wasn't sure if she would be) and she has the parts I"m missing so have put all that together and put it away in the box ready for use.
Also got back the moses basket I had leant a friend today, another box ticked.
wuffly what a shower of b@stards your work is changing your health insurance like that! that's soooo lousy. if it makes you feel better I'm paying 3000 for my consultant (less the 300 VHI will give me back) but i'm choosing that, i could just do it all for free if i wanted to. i hope your final bill wont' come to too much. so sorry to hear you were so sick, sounds awful. Great that you got the anti-nausea tablets but the diarrhea must have been so debilitating. sorry also to hear about your two mcs in the past, you really have been through a lot in the lead up to this precious baby! it'll be worth all the money and hassle once you have your long awaited baba in your arms :-)
teggars great that you got the date and that all is good with your gd as well. only half a stone! i've put on a good bit more than that! i avoid the scales as well but i'm up a stone at least if not more. i don't care though, healthy baby is all that matters, we spend our whole adult lives obsessing about our weight, the one time that there are more important things at stake than how we look is pregnancy i think! plenty time to lose the weight after, pregnancy is hard. we have to do without so many treats others can have like drink !! we have to have some vices, that's how i see it anyway.

Kathy22

Teggers I have a feeling it might be their butt. I have a lot of kicks over on the left hand side by my belly button so they appear to be in a diving type position. I guess I will find out in a few hours. I have to do 2 more sets of bloods and they will make a decision regrading the Colestasis. The itch is annoying but as long as my bloods remain lowish I am OK. Obviously it would be better if they would just go to the low level but you choose your battles.

Lucuma you had me in stitches with your bag dilemma. I am bringing a small shoulder bag (kind of the size of a nappy bag) for the delivery and then I have a hold all for the stay. I am only bringing 4 of everything clothes wise, have put cloths, nappies, breast pads etc. in zip lock bags and if I run out my husband has been heavily instructed as to where everything is at home. There is plenty of spare vests and sleep suits for him to choose from. I have a mix of PJs, light dressing gown, socks, nursing bras and plenty of wipes, towels, muslin clothes, bibs, flipflops, cellular blankets, mittens hats, disposable underwear etc. The zip lock thing is a good idea, I also put an outfit for the baby to wear including a hat, mittens and nappy in a ziplock bag in my labour bag so my husband can easily find it.

I am going to pack a third bag which will have some clothes for me to wear home and something for the baby to wear home including a cardigan and a heavier blanket for the car. This will be ready to go and my husband can bring it in for me when he is picking us up. I will pack this closer to the time. I'm still debating if I should bring a hair dryer? Seems a bit excessive lol. I might just wait till im there and if needs be I can ask my husband to bring it in.

Delighted your appointment went well. It is great to hear when baby is doing good. Your normal as my doctor says. LOL!

Lucuma I had a clean when I was in the first time and it was really sore without any numbing. Felt like my mouth had been violated. My tooth is OK. Still super sensitive but the pain is gone and the infection is gone so fingers crossed it stays at bay for the next few months.

I am also going to get a second hand tens machine, was going to rent but they are just as cost effective to buy. I have found the pads on Boots online but notice they are now out of stock. Maybe they will have them in store.

I bought a baby book for new Dads and these in H&M for my husband. He has been very good and very patient the last few months so wanted to do something nice. Loving that H&M is now online, picked up some maternity tights after trecking in about 5 times to look for them with no results.

Lucuma

I meant to comment before about the nursing bras. I got some in Lidl-or-Aldi the last time. They are underwired.
I haven't seen underwired ones anywhere else. Saw those ones in Pennys you were talking about Kathy. Also the ones in mothercare don't have underwire. I couldn't wear ones without underwire so I found the Lidl-or-Aldi ones perfect and will use them again this time. The brand name of them is Jolinesse. Wonder if they're available online or anything.....

That vest is really cute Kathy!

Good idea to put the ''going home clothes'' in a separate bag, this can be left in the car until you're actually going home. I might do the same.
People often buy Tens machines and never use them so there could be ones online that are barely used and good as new so defo worth checking out. I got the Obi Tens one for 30 euro from a lady in Donabate said she used it for half an hour then was told she was having a c-section. They're 65 in mothercare so that's half price I got it for.

Today's job now among others is to get the punctured wheel on the double buggy (I've inherited from hubby's family) repaired....will have to find a bicycle shop. And another of the wheels on it keeps falling off so have to see can they do anythign about that.

Kathy22

Well I can confirm it is their butt up in my ribs

Doctor confirmed carpel tunnel in my hands, nothing really to do except a few exercises and will go away after baby is born. Itch is still there, bloods still teetering between normal high and slightly over so they are just keeping an eye on it. My doctor is not too concerned so I am not either. Really need to get to my GP to get the whooping cough vaccine.

Lucuma I am like you, need/prefer an underwire. The others just give no shape but will do for when im in hospital and kicking about at home.

We went to see Muse last night. Baby was kicking like mad during the gig. Staff were so nice, swapped my standing tickets for seated and then escorted us down the lift and out the back door when we left just before the crowd. Maybe there isn't too many 8 month pregnant women at gigs :pac:

3 and a half weeks left in work. Bring it on!

Hope everyone is doing well

Lucuma

Rock on Mama ;-)
Been getting pains since I put my 1 yr old to bed around 5 hours ago. Can't sleep through them which is really annoying as I had a bad nights sleep last night so am wrecked. Got up & bounced on ball & drank a litre of diluted orange & looked up pregnancy book which is very detailed & after reading it am fairly sure these pains are Braxton hicks. Unlike contractions in last pregnancy which were cyclical, rose and fell and could be timed, this is just continuous pain for hours. It sucks! As it's past midnight I'm 37 weeks today (Thurs). I don't think they have been brought on from dehydration as I make myself drink 2 litres plus of diluted orange a day, & I went full term the last time. I actually think this has happened coz of lifting my 13-14kg daughter all day every day since I went on mat leave. Although she walks I have to lift her in and out of her travel cot, in and out of her car seat, in and out of the buggy & in and out of the high chair several times a day. Plus carry her when she's refusing to go where she's supposed to. My mother is a bit useless like she was last time around (all that's changed this time is I've significantly lowered my expectations! ) she is what you'd call a "lady wot lunches" so she's away alot. Tues I had to bring dd to chiropodist as Mam was going for afternoon tea in a hotel for her friend's bday, Wed I had to bring dd to my antenatal appt coz Mam was going to a talk in an art gallery, today I couldn't go to yoga coz I had no babysitter as she was going to a talk in the library followed by a drink with some of the people & tomorrow I can't go to preg yoga either as she's doing volunteer work til 5:30 andthe yoga class is at 5:15! My hubby is around for the wknd but he doesn't arrive til late Fri night &we have a christening Sat (I'm godmother) then he'll be gone again Sun afternoon.
There is an option my daughter goes back with him & he just brings her to her childminder (which we still have to oay for to keep the place) instead of her being
here with me for the next 3 weeks, which would be really sad as it was a golden opportunity to spend time with her but maybe I'm just not able for it. ...
Gonna take 2panadol as these BH really fecking hurt!

Kathy22

Lucuma you poor thing. I was only Googling last night if everyone got Braxton Hicks as I have not felt any so far. Yours sounded painful, you must be wrecked today. Hopefully your husband can give you some time to relax when he is back over.

Your Mum has a better social life in a week than I have had all year :pac:

Work is such a chore these days, doing handover but my head is just not in the game, finding it really hard to concentrate!!!

Lucuma

Thankfully after the panadol I went back to bed around 2am & fell asleep. Woke up & contractions had stopped, Phew!!!!!!
So hard to know I was like. ....do I ring hubby & get him to fly over, do I put on the Tens, what the ****.....
Thankfully my preg book (English one called 'Expecting' had 2 very detailed sections on BH and after reading them (also read out the bit that said they can ve brought on by stress/overdoing it in front of my mother, hint hint!!) I was 80% sure it wasn't a ring the hospital/ring my hubby situation.
Mam got dd out of her cot, down the stairs, lifted her up for nappy change, lifted her into high chair and into and out of the car seat today. I'll make use of her when she's around from now on!!
Sooo relieved those contractions stopped & I got 3 or so hours sleep :-) :-) Thought I was going to be up all night with them

wuffly

Lucuma sounds like your Mam has a great social life! Glad she was a bit more useful when you needed it, hopefully it lasts. Hope the braxton hicks stays at bay, haven't had it myself but I'd say its fairly confusing, hard when you hubby is away and you have to make a judgement call like that. Hope you are getting as much rest as you can. Is there any drop in creche in your area that you could use? Or would your little one be ok in a new place?

Kathy it sounds like you are going through the ringer the last few weeks, are you finishing up soon? I know what you mean I am so fecking over work... Hopefully not long to go and you'll have some rest before baby arrives.

I was so upset over the whole insurance thing, I think it was lucky i wasn't in the office when the info came through, just decided to let it go, put my bills through expenses(which they agreed to), enjoy the air miles and put a big fat tick in the reasons to get a new job/move home column!

Sorted the hospital bag in a hurry before the dash to a&e, need to tweak a little but its fairly sorted, just a few more bits to sort in the house. Bit the bullet and ordered a breast pump, hopefully I'll need it. If i don't and i sell i'll get what i paid for it as its 200e more expensive in the shops here.

Was up most of the night with stomach pains, don't think its braxton hicks, have a feeling that virus is still lurking. Lucuma was it a constant stretching like pain in your bump? It didn't feel super tight to touch the bump though? I should really read the baby book when i get home!
Baby is moving grand had a check with the midwife yesterday and all was grand. Baby still head down!

Hope all is well with you teggers!

Nervous and excited about the next few weeks! Despite trying not to get too set on a specific birth (as I don't want to be distracted/upset if it can't go as planned) I am really hoping that I will get to do the water-birth.

wuffly

Lucuma, can i pick your brain? we are planning to go home about 6 weeks after baby arrives and my brother in law has a one year old that has grown out of most of his baby stuff, they said we can borrow whatever they have just to send to them a list, Just wonder if you have an tips beyond this? the more we borrow the less we have to pack, should home from week 6 to week 16
• Car seat & Car seat base
• Travel cot/moses basket
• Bouncer
• Stroller with bassinet - bring our own?
• Baby bath
• Steriliser? Not sure if we will need?

Lucuma

Kathy what's the story with the liver bloods then, if they were high is there a chance you could be induced?
re the hairdryer they are often used to get newborns to sleep! Older children tend to be afraid of them but newborns find the noise soothing, so as you're hopefully going to have your own room I can't see why not....it's not something I use myself as I let my hair dry naturally so maybe someone else could advise better though!

Wuffly the price of things over there! Breast pump 200 more expensive..... it isn't even 200 to start with for a Medela swing elec single breast pump in Ireland. (that's the one I have). It's a total balls about your health insurance alright. Is it something you'll take into account re the birth i.e. do the different types of birth or types of pain relief have different prices?

That's so handy that your family can give you the newborn stuff in Ireland! That'll make your life sooo much easier! Looks like you've thought of everything, defo take the steriliser if you're exclusively breast feeding you'll need it to sterilise the breast pump parts (You have to sterilise them each time before use) and also to sterilise the bottles used for feeding the pumped breast milk so you'll need one regardless.
On the buggy, I have travelled a LOT with a newborn and although it's definitely handy to have a sling on board especially for a long flight, I find that in the airport it's great to have the buggy. If they can give you the car seat then you can bring the pram part of the buggy (assume that's what you mean by bassinet) to use in the airport. It's just nicer not to have the weight of the baby on you all the time and they can sleep away in the buggy/pram, it's free of charge with airlines as well so why not bring it? The general procedure is you tell them at check in that you're taking it to the gate, and then at the gate you have to take the baby out (can put them in the sling then) and you fold it up and you'll get it on landing (not have to wait til the baggage belt) at the other side. I've travelled with just the sling and I came to the conclusion it's much more comfortable and better to bring the buggy for the airport. Moses basket would be great for newborn alright, more snug than a travel cot, might be hard for them to sleep in a big empty travel cot as they like to be snug. but i see from your dates that your baby might outgrow the moses basket during your stay so you'll need the travel cot then alright. do they have a mattress for it? it makes it a bit more comfy. i just bought one for my dd's travel cot last week actually as she's in it for 7 weeks now during this stay in ireland. you could also buy a cocoon and put it inside the travel cot to make it more cosy.

Re dropping my dd into a creche, I'd feel way too guilty to do that I think. Her childminder over in Europe is different coz she's been going there since she was 10 weeks old, she loves them and they love her and I don't feel guilty dropping her off there at all. But this is a rare opportunity (a once off really) for her to spend a few weeks with her family instead of a childminder and to drop her off at a creche in cork where she knows no-one and is in a room full of strangers would just feel like a failure on my part. Having hubby here for the weekend freed me to accelerate some of the endless list of jobs I have to do here, so for the first time I'm feeling like i've made some headway (alot of it was mountains of clothes both mine and dd that needed sorting) Also I'm getting other people (my mother, my brother, my sister, hubby when he's here) to do all the lifting now I only do it when there's no-one else around. And that has worked, haven't had a braxton hicks since I changed to getting other people to do the lifting! just goes to show that was defo what was causing them coz i was getting them several times a day.

wuffly i found it helpful to look up a diagram of where your stomach and intestines actually are during pregnancy. that helped me to try and figure out what a pain is. i also didn't feel any tightening of the bump during the BH even though my obstetrican told me I would. the braxton hicks are not like i expected them to be at all; they feel the same as a stitch in my side- a really painful muscle cramp in the bump.

I too have been tweaking my labour bag and could finally say it's ready to go. Don't have going home clothes for me & baby sorted but I might grab them on the way out the door. I collected 2 spare sets of electrode pads for the Tens today from parcel motel (amazon) and I put them with the machine in the front of the labour bag as i'll use it as soon as i go into labour if that happens at home like last time. I also checked it's working correctly on my hand (Ow) and that I have spare batteries for it and I read the instructions so I know how to put it on when the time comes. Also put packets of tissues, flip flops, socks, jocks & deodarant for Hubby and lots of cereal//energy bars in the labour bag as well so I think it requires no further tweaking now, I'm good to go!

This week hoping to get the last of the preparing-for-baby jobs done like the rocking stand for the moses basket put together (hubby next weekend!), the flat tyre and tyre that keeps falling off on the double buggy repaired etc. I have the maxi cosi cabriofix in the car already as dd only moved up to the next size recently so I left the infant one in there waiting for baby, but I only realised from an ad I saw on a baby group on Facebook yesterday that there was this foam wedge and head support thingy that you need for newborns which I had taken out of it as dd got older, i'd some job finding the foam wedge! found it eventully and will put that plus the head support thingy in tomorrow. I also need to buy a newborn insert for my Ergo sling this week. Hoping that if I get those last few bits n bobs done this week the following week I can move onto the less urgent but still need to be done jobs like getting my car serviced and designing, ordering, writing and posting my wedding thank you cards!

have to decide when to get a sweep now. My cons said she's willing to do one from this coming week on. I'll see her Wed but will only be 37w +6d so not going to bother getting a sweep this week. last time around I got one at the 39 week and 40 week check up, I also did 3 sessions of acupuncture with the last one being the one where they attach electrodes to the needles (owwwww). I had my 2nd sweep on a Thursday and my mucous plug came away the following day Friday (that was gross/a shock!) and i went into labour then sunday night.
I just finished reading through my labour notes from last time there earlier, i ordered them from the records dept of the maternity hospital for 30 euro. I remembered almost everything correctly the only missing details were I had no idea whatsoever how long my pushing phase was. well turns out it was 1 hr 15 mins. That's shorter than I thought! Also I still can't tell from the notes if I got an injection of syntocinin to deliver the placenta, 2 different boxes seem to be ticked one saying the delivery of the placenta was ''physiological'' and the other box saying it was ''active''. gonna bring them in and ask my cons on wednesday. it's gas how short a time the cons is there for when you're private, looking at the times on the notes I had been in the labour ward (you have your own room) since 20:30 and the (amazing) midwife was looking after me all that time. the consultant came in at 3:45 and baby was born at 4:17. they literally are just there for the last bit !! they take all the glory and the MW does all the hard slog!
interesting reading the notes anyway. my baby's Apgar score was 9, didn't know that. would be fantastic to get that again as that's full marks! (they always deduct 1 mark). i'm a bit worried about that this time around, will baby be born as healthy and be breathing ok.

wuffly

Thanks for the info Lucuma, was kinda set on bringing our stroller anyway, think you're right it will just be a bit easier. Less stuff to be carrying etc... Will have my mam and OH heading home but might be on my own coming back so best to be prepared for that. Got the tula carrier with a new born insert as a pressie so hopefully baby likes it! Prices are definitely nuts here anything between 25%-100% extra. You could literally spend thousands of euros more buying new here, hence all my 2nd hand and online shopping! I did go for the double pump which was a bit more expensive on advice of a few mums here, they express at work etc. which i may end up doing if breastfeeding works out and I end up back at work. Should be interesting as my office has glass walls and we only have one ladies toilet on the whole floor! :eek:

Re the cost of the birth, my hospital is still covered but my Dr isn't as she's from an outside clinic. All births have to have a consultant present, nothing like a home birth(actually illegal) or midwife lead option here. Dr fees are about 1500e for natural, c-section i think depends on the time etc.. natural including the water birth and c-section hospital costs are covered up to the limit of your insurance but doesn't cover 'optional's' like an epidural. Just going to do what's best for baby and worry about the cost after. What will be will be at this stage. Hospitals here are ba$tards for charging, when i had surgery a few years ago the bill was broken down to the point of shoe covers for the staff in the theater and the little plasters they put on you after taking blood! :rolleyes:

Totally understand you not wanting to drop your little one off with strangers, once you are getting help and getting your jobs done that's the main thing. I'm sure she is loving the Mammy time!

Not sure if its braxton hicks or not, will look for a diagram and see if that helps me figure it out, my bump just feels kranky and crampy but nothing sustained or very sore, more discomfort and nausea than anything, Very little sleep the last few nights. Still plenty of movement which is the main thing.

Need to sort out our document file for the hospital, need to find the marriage cert so i don't get arrested! Did a birth plan although it seems daft! Other wise its just moving a few bits around in our room so the baby stuff will fit in.

Anyone else having 2nd thoughts about their baby names? I seem to have gone off everything on my girls list and OH has changed his mind about my favourite boys name and wants to name baby after me (irish version) if its a girl!

Kathy22

All I can say is bring on maternity leave. Currently in work trying to type with my sausage fingers which are quite sore. Made some great progress on my handover but need to help try and find maternity cover which is going to eat into my time.

Wuffly how is your sickness now? Has it calmed down any?

Lucuma, my bloods come back on the high end of normal one week and then elevated the next. They are unwilling to put me on any medication unless they rise significantly. I still haven't got an official diagnosis. I wish I had asked why they would be raised and if it is definitely OC but I forgot. I am going to my GP tomorrow to check my iron level, slightly low last week and get the whooping cough vaccine. My GP is really good and very knowledgeable so I am going to pick his brain. I haven't been to him in ages and am supposed to be doing combined care just been in and out of the hospital so much the last month it felt pointless.

I cannot believe you are due so soon! Less than 3 weeks to go!

Wuffly that's crazy re your comment 'need to find the marriage cert so i don't get arrested'. Would they honestly do that? That is insane!

We have 4 girl names and 4 boy names picked. I am just going to wait till they are born to see which suits. I am hugely indecisive though so it is going to be tough!

Need to finish packing my hospital bag. I have shampoos and general personal hygiene stuff left beside it as they don't fit in. I need to do some rejigging.

Getting quite excited now just need to get through the last few weeks of work!

wuffly

Hear hear Kathy! When are you finishing up? Hopefully you don't have too long to go. I've sorted my handover notes but no one wants to take them from me!
I think its just the nausea back again... its just hard to tell now with everything squished and moved around. Have to eat super tiny portions or I feel sick for ages. Hopefully you get some answers from your GP about whats going on with your bloods, do you still have the itching? How's your tooth now?

Re the marriage cert, at my hospital they won't ask for it until after the birth, I would be in trouble and would get arrested and deported if I couldn't prove I was married when we register the birth, which we will need to do to get the passport and visa, kinda crazy didn't have a passport until i was in my teens! It is crazy, some differences are so extreme compared to home (these days anyway).

Kathy22

Eeek hopefully you can handover to someone, you don't want a load of stuff sitting there waiting till you come back. I will be gone for the guts of a year so will be hiring someone to cover. We have a lot of project going on at the moment so I am desperately trying to get them to a decent status before I finish up. Wuffly I finish the last Friday of the month so 2 and half weeks to go. Next week is my second last week and I've a hundred and one things to do. Note to self should not be on boards!!! :rolleyes: How long left have you got? I think you are due the week before me?

Still have the itch, it comes and goes in terms of discomfort but its pretty much always there. I can take piriton which is safe, I try not to as don't really like taking medication but it does help. Showers, avoiding heat (although my office is like a sauna) and creams also help. My tooth is great now, back to normal thank God.

The baby has been very active the last few days, doing a lot of a big stretches. Thought they were going to pop out my belly button this morning with their movements LOL!!!!

Lucuma

Wuffly I won't even ask whether your employer is legally obliged to provide you with a place to pump over there as I can guess the answer! Ireland doesn't have that law either AFAIK. Over in Europe where I work it's the law, the employer has to provide you with a place to pump. However I'd say some of them provide unsuitable places and officially they are ticking the box but in reality it doesn't work for the mother....e.g. one of my irish mammy friends over there was told she could pump in the same room as is used as the prayer room for the staff that are praying 5 times a day etc....there's surely a room like that in your workplace too? ;-) Wow you're fairly dedicated committing to a brand new double pump! That's good though, it shows you're determined which you kinda have to be to get through the usually-but-not-always difficult first few weeks of BF.
That is unreal about the hospital charging for shoe covers and plasters aftera blood sample!! :-o :-o haha....if irish women had to pay for epidurals I'd say it'd be amazing how people would suddenly find inner reserves of strength they didn't know they had!!
The crampy nausea feeling doesn't sound nice at all....to be fair though very few women sleep well in the last few weeks. I think coz I was getting feck all sleep the whole way through it's no big deal for me but it must be hard for those of you that were getting more sleep to adjust to the lack of sleep, especially when still in work. I'm not enjoying mat leave anyway so far.....my toddler is tearing my mother's house apart room-by-room, cupboard-by-cupboard and I am unable to stoop down and clean up after her coz of the bump and SPD which has made a most unwelcome return with a bang this week...prob coz haven't been to physio in over 3 weeks and the only good women's health physio I know in Cork is booked solid til end May :-( Have had to use a lot of free babysitter Peppa-Pig-DVD so I can get stuff done. Also taking her to one activity a day either mother-and-toddler groups or musical groups etc. Tried playgrounds but she needs a lot of help lifting, stooping etc and I'm just not able. Tried bringing her to soft play yesterday (Monkey maze type place) and although not as bad as the playground she still needs help. I ended up inside the kiddies arena on standby as she climbed into the ball pool, out of the ball pool, into the ball pool, out of the ball pool etc. I pushed a cushion over so she coudl get in on her own but to get out she needed my help so I had to stay in there the whole time.
So funny I tried again this week to see could I get to a preg yoga class - there are various ones on different days and times so I asked Mam about them all: this evening she's goign to the cinema so no-can-do, tomorrow evening she has a massage booked for 8pm so no-can-do and Thurs she's doing volunteer work so no-can-do :-) I have to take my hat off to her! At least this Saturday when hubby is here (and no christening to attend) I'll get to one and he can babysit, hurrah.
Wuffly that's such a co-incidence.....my OH announced last Sunday that his no.1 name choice for the baby is now my name in Irish, something he always said No way to in the past, that's gas!
Kathy have to say my arm was quite sore for a few days after that vaccine, it's the tetanus part of it caused that apparently (they don't have a vaccine for just whooping cough so they give you the 3-in-1). Just for the hospital bag would you consider travel-size shampoo, conditioner, shower gel & deodarant? That's what I did last time and this time as well to save space. I'm glad I repacked my hospital bag into a check-in suitcase (average size) as everything fits comfortably now and when I realise last minute things I forgot, I can squeeze them in.
My doula is calling today now for a meet-n-greet. Decided to get one on board in case hubby doesn't make it back on time from Europe. Last time he made it back in buckets of time as there's 2 flights a day but they say second labours are faster so just in case. My mother will be minding the toddler and my sister has 2 small kids including a newborn herself and I don't fancy going through it alone.
Doula gets paid regardless of whether I use her but it's important so decided it was money well spent even if I don't end up using her. CUMH have a 1-birthing-partner policy unless you ask for special permission. Don't know if I'm bothered though although my consultant gave me the name of the woman to ask. If hubby turns up half way through I'd say I'll let the doula go, I don't need both of them there in fairness.