August 2017 babies! The final thread!

[Rose83]

I'm so embarassed with how dirty some bits of my house would seem to her though - her place is absolutely spotless. I've also seriously considered getting a cleaner to do some hours getting particular rooms spotless so I can work from a clean starting point! Because we've done so much renovation on our house (every single room needs doing and electrics etc) the place has never been properly clean and is always too dusty. Only the rooms that I've actually finished do I manage to keep clean and tidy. Oh and I get the Hoover upstairs once in a blue moon so that's a disgrace. Writing that I realise I must sound really lazy lol but our house is a huge Victorian house, and in Scotland that means massive ceilings, stairs and actual room sizes so everything is just so big to clean! X

 

[MissCharli]

Haha no it's fine I know what you mean, I also live in a Victorian house (though only 2 bed) but again huge ceilings and big rooms etc! Someone I work with pays for a cleaner every 2 weeks (2 messy lads living in a house!) but he tidies up before she comes which I think is kinda pointless haha.

 

[spuds]

Ah I couldn't deal with that lack of punctuality! Must be really difficult carting your other 2 along just to sit there for hours!

Just watched the most amazing thunder and lightning storm. Drove down to the seafront just to get a better view. We don't get them very often down here, like a once in 10 year thing that it's this prolonged.

The best still I could get from my video!

Impressive storm catch there.x

 

[spuds]

Love your bargains Rachel. I'm also a fan of sainsburys clothes.
Sorry to hear about appointments being so late. My midwife is always running late by the end of the clinic. Over an hour is ridiculous though!

Rose, that must be really stressful having to keep your little ones under control in the waiting room. Not good for your blood pressure!

Glad your readings have all been normal MissCharli. Must be a real pain having to do monitoring. How long do you have to do it for if it all looks normal?

I have my midwife appointment yday and no surprises I am measuring big. 31 cm at 29 weeks. She didn't seem too concerned at this stage. Are other ladies with their second or third babies measuring big?

I've been taking things easy in this heat. Getting lots of sympathy from other people. Let's hope we are not in for a heatwave summer.

My 28wk (done at 29wk) measured just under the top line on their graph so mine will be big too. At least 8-9lb if it were to stay stead, but could be more. Have another growth scan in a couple of weeks as they couldn't measure the head as it was too low that day - typically, the one day baby deaides to experiment with head down! Keep an eye for ketones in urone, she said bigger babies need more carbs and regular food than smaller ones. Of you notice more regular loo visits (but less fluids coming out) it could be a sign, regardless if you don't look dehydrated.

 

[spuds]

Oo i wanted a baby book, is it any good?

Im officially in the third tri finally aha.
I havent felt the baby give a strong kick since yday morning, but we went to blackpool yday and was busy all day so idk if i missed kicks or if she was sleeping. Ive felt a few flutters this morning idk if i should call mau cos im still feeling flutters? I think theyll tell me not to worry cos im not 28 weeks tho? xx
Oh and i was getting bad belly pin around my middle/belly button.. growing,BH? Whos knows lol x

I had a similar experience. I went the second day and they told me I should have gone the day before. They will put you on a fetal monitor to check regularity of heartbeat and movements. Probably nothing but best get the re-assurance. At busy times baby can be quieter but they also said it can get lethargic from lack of carbs etc so they can find a lot out from urone and blood samples.x

 

[spuds]

Quick update!
They're keeping me in on the ward, dr wants to monitor me cos he's worried I'm going into pre term labour. And because of my vaginismus he can't examine me properly xx

Omg I have to stay in for 24 hours

Anyway been having really.bad pain over belly mainly in pelvis and it's just getting worse so he thinks it's labour pain. Feels really tight and period pain like :/ wasn't concerned about the pain before coming in! It was coming every 2 mins for about 1 minute then dyed down now I'm on ward its just a contact pain. Hubby had to go home haven't had dinner or my vitamins. Feeling sorry for myself. X

Aww PB, only just seen this post. How are things now?

 

[PeanutButter]

Oh how weird your talking about hosp bags! I didnt come on here yday, i went to bham to buy stuff for my bag! aha.
How many clothes would you pack for yourselves? For baby i have 4 grows size NB and 3 0-3 just incase shes big, same with vests and then i have a coming home outfit. What are you taking for baby?
Also at the hosp do you need to shower? I didnt wanna bath baby for a few days as i herd that the stuff they come out with is good for them, anyone else doing that?

Thanks spuds. Im home now and everything is fine with baby. I just think she does what ever she wants or changes pattern so often i cant even tell. xx

 

[MissCharli]

Well I think its recommended that you take 3 or 4 old nightshirts/big t shirts that you aren't worried about ruining, same with cheap pants (I bought 4 for £4 black ones from Tesco last night). Mum says the disposable ones are a waste of time! You'll also need nursing jammies/nightshirt if that's what you're planning on doing and a going home outfit too. Somewhere also said backless slippers and a thin dressing gown for modesty. But it's recommended that everything is dark in colour for any leakage afterwards! Which seems to be difficult to find in the summer...

I'm not sure about bathing baby soon after, but I think the hospital tends to clean them up after a little while. I think we will definitely want to shower at least once, cos we'll be all sweaty and bloody etc. I've bought a navy bath sheet to take with me.

I've mostly been working off this list:

https://www.babycentre.co.uk/what-to-pack-in-your-hospital-bag

My mum said a few things you probably won't use, but overall it's a good list

 

[PeanutButter]

Yeah im just weird about showering where other people have, id rather wait until im home if possible lol.

I bought bright unicorn jammies and nighties heh. Primark have some good night shirts thaat open at the front i bought one of those for feeding in hosp (They feel so comfy) £8 i think if anyones looking for one.
Undies im taking old ones and replacing with new ones but gonna take some disposable ones aswell just incase, theyre only 99p in superdrug. Ive take a pair of cheap short leggings to shove under my nightie if i need to cover up.
Ooo also primark do jammies that look like jogging bottoms which i think is great for coming home in, bought some mens tops for me to theyre long and baggy

How many nappies and pads would you recommend? x

 

[MissCharli]

Ah I need to go to primark I just can't be arsed with town haha, maybe I'll go on Thursday cos it's open late The one here has such a huge nightwear section, so hoping I'll find something useful there.

Not sure about pads and nappies etc. I'm going shopping with my mum in a bit for that sorta stuff so will ask her and let you know!

 

[Rose83]

Showers- after I gave birth to my son the room I delivered in had a bathroom attached and my midwife said she'd watch the baby while I showered (my partner went home as it was 3am) and honestly it was the best shower of my life lol. You are covered in blood and waters (in my case they had pooed in my waters so having that over you would be gross) and the shower was just such a relief afterwards. They provide towels for you but they are tiny. However I've never bothered taking my own as after you've dried you just dump them in the towel bin and don't have to worry that you've got blood on them or anything.

Maternity pads - in my experience the hospital have given me a pack of their pads each time but I think this really varies from area to area so would take your own too. The hospital ones are by far the best. I think I've said this on one of our threads before but I got a lot of advice about pads after my first birth (forceps, tearing and episiotomy so a lot of bleeding) basically most maternity pads are expensive and not suitable for the job as they are constructed with a plastic backing which makes you sweaty and promotes infection. The ones you get in hospital are super cheap but super cheap means they are made with that sort of fabric type covering (can't describe it very well but more like the covering that usually touches your lady bits rather than the underside). I was advised that to replicate this you want to buy the cheapest sanitary towels you can find as they make them so cheap by not needing the plastic. After a lot of trial and error I found the only place you can really find this is Superdrug maxi towels which cost around 55p for 20 and come in an own brand packet which used to be white with pink lettering. I'm going out today so might try pick up a pack and take a photo.

Washing baby - total personal choice and of course they won't make you if you don't want to. I did after about 12 hours and couldn't wait to have them them all clean and not sticky. Also even after a bath they keep a lot of stuff on them anyway. Again you can use hospital towels but as they are a bit rough I usually take a thin baby towel (with the little hood bit) in with me. Bounty packs seem to give you a free Persil branded one which is quite good for this as you could always throw it away if you didn't want to take it home.

Pants/nighties - Primark definitely great for this. I buy the huge black 'granny' pants they sell that are really stretchy and have no seams. They work really well for comfort. They used to do maternity nightwear but not sure if that's still the case but usually have some nightdresses/shirts that will work.

Clothes for you - I've been in 3 days each time and always just sat around in my pjs/feeding vest but I know some people can't do that and want to be dressed so it's up to you how many outfits you take. Primark are good for those pull on slippers that are almost throwaway in terms of how much they cost. One thing I never factored in my first birth was if your waters break before you get to the hospital they just keep coming out every time you move so I went through three pairs of trousers before I even got in the car lol.

Baby toiletries - nappies, take a pack of size 1 (aldi are £1.49 and I've never had a problem with them from birth) if you are having a big baby you might find size 2 might fit a bit better but even my 10lb baby went in a size 1 while still in hospital so not worth taking them with you too. Cotton wool pads for cleaning. You're not advised to use wipes until they are a few weeks old (I've always ignored this and never had a problem) so in hospital I've used WaterWipes. Take nappy bags as they are useful for putting your used pants in too if you have leakage.

Think that's everything I can think of to help x

 

[Rose83]

Oh number of maternity pads - I'd take a pack of 20 in with you and have more at home you could get partner to bring in if you need them. A hospital isn't going to let you sit there without anything if you ran out though. I swear the hospital ones are best though so I snuck an extra pack away with me lol

 

[kumber]

Sorry ladies, keeping up to date with you all but struggling to keep on top of replying to so many posts!


My hospital bag has the following:

• 5 x sleep suits
• 5x vests
• 10x nappies
• Wipes
• 5x massive knickers
• 10x maternity pads (going to try Rose's suggestion as they sound far better)
• 4x pjs with loose vest tops for bfing
• Loose jacket (not a fan of dressing gowns)
• Loads of food and drinks - I don't like leaving baby to go and get breakfast so family stock me up with sugary food as my energy is rock bottom after labour
• Hairbrush
• Hair bobbles
• Face cloth
• Towels
• Mild shower gel (do not use on your foof!!! Just use plain water)
• Shampoo and conditioner
• Chargers
• Going home clothes
• A pillow from home - hospital pillows are awful and there are never enough. Also helpful to have an extra pillow if you're new to bfing - provides loads of extra support for baby and your arm
• Blanket and hat for baby to go home in
• Plastic bags to store used/dirty/bloodied items

I don't like to wash the baby for about a week after birth, as they're born with protective oils on their skin which stops them from getting dry or flaky skin. Nothing wrong with washing them after birth, just my personal preference not to

 

[Elspeth]

Thanks for great tips ladies.

Hospital bag has been at the back of my mind and I might try and get something together in the next few weeks.

However I have so much on my plate at the moment I don't feel I can contemplate having a baby at the moment.

We are definitely moving in a month, so I have to pack my entire life up first.
To make things worse we are going to a rented flat in the short term while we wait for the house we want to buy to be ready. Have to put most of our furniture and things in to storage and pack just what we can fit in a 2 bed flat. So there will be another move on the cards soon.

Also struggling with work. I've still got serious stuff to get done in the next 3 weeks so I'm all signed off in this post.

My daughter is such hard work, I feel I am barely coping with her.

Still have no plan as to how we will manage the birth ( as have no one close by to look after her).

Feel so exhausted, have no energy whatsoever. And this weather doesn't help.


All in all feeling completely​ overwhelmed. Want to crawl in to a hole and hide from it all.

Urrrgh...sorry for long moan.

Hope other people are enjoying pregnancy a bit more than I am right now.

Xxx

 

[Rose83]

Just remembered a tip I was given. Peeing is really stingy after birth so I was told it was worth taking a throwaway measuring jug (like a 40p Asda one) and tip water at the same time as peeing so you are watering down the pee and it won't sting as much. Or to pee in the shower but I'm sure a lot of people would be horrified by the idea of that!

Oh I also take an eye mask and foam ear plugs as it can be very loud and very bright in hospital wards x

 

[Rose83]

Aww Elspeth that sounds rough - moving twice before baby will be tough and stressful if you don't have everything around you.

Is there a parent or someone that can come stay near you/with you close to the birth to look after her? X

 

[Elspeth]

On a more positive note, I finished work at 36 weeks with my daughter.

Those 4 weeks were some of the most blissful in my life.
Spent my time pottering, cleaning, meeting with my new mummy friends and feeling so excited about the new arrival.

I'll never regret taking that time. I did have 13 months off work though so I can completely appreciate people want to maximise the time they have with baby. But there is a lot to be said for feeling rested and as ready as you can be for baby.

I don't look back very fondly on those early weeks. Meeting my daughter was the most joyful moment of my life and the birth was fine but the next 2-4 weeks were a living hell.
Hoping things will be better this time. With all that is going on I doubt they will be. Eeeeek.

Xxxx

 

[kumber]

Ohh Elspeth, it sounds like things are really tough for you at the moment. Could you take her with you when you're in labour if there's no one else who can look after her?

 

[PeanutButter]

Thanks for all the info ladies, much appreciated x

Elspeth, sounds like a hard time hun. I hope things get easier for you. Moving house is hard at the best of times, let alone with a toddler and being 30+ weeks preg. Just remember itll be worth it once its over xx

 

[MissCharli]

Thanks for all of that advice Bought a box of tesco maternity pads for like £2, so hopefully they won't be too bad. My mum agreed that baby wipes are fine to use straight away, she never saw anyone have any problems though they will prefer in hospital using cotton wool balls. One tip my mum also had for cleaning the 'foof' area was a baby sponge, because they are really soft and delicate.

Do you need to take formula with you? Like just in case bf isn't working etc?

Sorry to hear its all so complicated Elspeth I couldn't cope with moving now, so I can only imagine how you must be feeling! x