*****February 2019 mummies*****

[Phillipa]

Aw thanks Kholl, so do you!
All my friends keep saying how big I'll be at the end, as apparently I'm already pretty big haha.

It's 1am here in the UK and I'm wide awake with restless leg syndrome, heartburn and have peed about 5 or six times in the last 3 hours I've been in bed. I give up on trying to sleep anymore, I think i'll become a night owl instead.

 

[Kholl]

Omg Phillipa I SO feel you on the awful sleep, it is the bane of my existence even when I'm not pregnant (I have had severe insomnia since I was a little kid) but when I'm pregnant it's a whole new level of hell. I am so sorry! Don't let people tell you it's just preparing you for life with a newborn, either -- I always sleep a thousand times better with a newborn than I do while pregnant!

Also you probably won't be huge at the end. In my experience, I grow super big super quick but then the growth evens out and by the end I am a pretty reasonable size... I won't get a whole lot huger than I am now, my belly just rounds out and gets harder if that makes sense. I bet you'll have the same experience!

 

[Kholl]

That said, I definitely do feel bigger this time around than I did at this point with the others... but who knows! I keep trying to look back and find pics to compare.

 

[Donna88]

I think it's hard to judge. Every pregnancy is different. But yeah just because you've grown quickly doesn't mean it will continue.

My back is killing me this morning

 

[Kholl]

oh no Donna back pain is the worst! Is it your lower back? How are you feeling now?

How is everyone? I know that it says tri 3 starts at 27 weeks, which means I'll be starting the new thread in the tri 3 section in just 11 days. I mean seriously how is this going by so fast?!?

 

[Phillipa]

Oh Donna, I hope your back pain improves! I know the feeling well, have had a bad back myself since I was in my early teens.

Kholl, it's so close tri 3, it's a bit daunting to be so near the end now!

I'm off out tonight to socialise with fellow photographers, nothing fancy just a group of people chatting camera stuff and talking tech stuff haha. To be fair, I've not done any photography for a while now, need to get back into before sprog arrives!

 

[Puglover]

Wow, not long til 3rd tri - I didn't realise!
I've started a pregnancy yoga class and feel better for trying to keep fit.
Baby is super active now for long periods and always kicking low down, it's strange. Have a scan next week so I'm looking forward to seeing how things are in there.

 

[Puglover]

Oh I was going to ask if anyone else here is struggling to organise childcare for siblings, for time of labour? We have no family around and no real good friends. I'm considering a possible homebirth as a result, but don't really want that as I like to have my space for a day or so!

 

[Donna88]

My back is fine now thanks ladies it was my lower back, I'm not sure if it was just sore from my emergency stop the day before.

Little one has been so active lately; getting to the point where sometimes when she moves it's a little uncomfortable but I still love it as it means she's okay in there. I can't wait to be in tri-3 I'm so excited to be getting to the point where I meet her

Hope you're all okay

 

[Gemsy]

Loving the bump pics girls!

I've had a lovely relaxing holiday and bump is growing like mad, and baby kicking loads so it's been a great week.

My childcare dilemma is that my sister is due 7 days after me so we are both using our mum for childcare, but we live an hour from each other so we are just hoping we don't clash!!

 

[Kholl]

Puglover, I have no idea who's gonna watch our kids while we have this baby! We also have no family nearby and it's really sad. When I was pregnant with my youngest my mom came to town for 3 weeks and it turned out to be wonderful in many ways but also stressful because my daughter was born like 2 hours before her plane flight home!

 

[Donna88]

Luckily my son is older so he will be okay on his own for an hour or two while we sort out my mum getting to him if we need to rush off on an emergency. My main issue will be my mum is away for a week the week after we're due; she's only an hour away but I'd rather we didn't have to call her from her break. We'll have to wait and see what happens though as obviously we might have had her by then anyway (I'm hoping so as she would want to come back to meet her and I'd feel awful as she's meant to be enjoying her holiday.)

 

[Puglover]

Oh girls, such dilemmas! Life is always filled with so many things, it seems I'm not the only one. Even with parents around it's hard! Let's hope we can sort something one way or another. If it's necessary, all 4 of us will pile in the hospital middle of the night, and I'll be birthing alone! Hubby ain't much use anyway, he freezes in the corner lol.

 

[Puglover]

How are we all doing for names? I dont have a clue! I dont like anything lol. X

 

[Kholl]

No ideas on names! I guess we'll have to meet him/her first...

I am really, really struggling. My insomnia has reached a level that is starting to scare me. it takes me 2-3 hours to fall asleep every night, without fail, no matter what I've had that day or whether I've had caffeine or not or how exhausted I am. Then I wake up 5-10 times to pee overnight, and can usually fall asleep in a reasonable time, but when my daughter wakes me at night (another issue I've been emailing HER doctor about today) I'm awake for anywhere from 2-3 hours AGAIN until morning. Last night, for example, I finally fell asleep around 12:30 or 1am. My daughter woke me at 2:15am, and I have been awake ever since. I have had two opportunities to take a nap; both times I lay there for over an hour, exhausted to tears and unable to sleep. My body just refuses to sleep.

I am scared. I hate who I am these days. I am a terrible mom, a terrible wife. All I do is yell at my kids and cry. My daughter has missed gymnastics two weeks in a row because I am physically unable to drive. I am seeing stars, I am forgetting words constantly, my mouth and brain don't work. It's like pregnancy/mom brain on steroids. I'm terrified. My head is throbbing and I can't eat from sheer exhaustion. My husband works A LOT and very late, and I am on my own with the kids almost all the time. I am completely failing them and virtually unable to function from desperate fatigue. And yet whenever I get a chance to rest, my body won't sleep. It just won't sleep.

I have tried a (very expensive) weighted blanket, high-dose magnesium, whole30 diet, breathing exercises (4/7/8), sleep meditation recordings, 5htp, apple cider vinegar, melatonin, light therapy, cutting out caffeine completely, cutting out all screen time for a few hours before bed... nothing helps. Nothing does anything. Literally nothing does a single thing to help and I am in a desperate place. I can't do this until the baby is born. I can't.

All I've done today is weep and be horrible to the kids. This is my nightmare. I am dizzy and nauseated and I keep seeing stars. It's gotten so bad. I don't know what to do.

I just emailed my midwife and I hope she'll have advice. I am absolutely desperate at this point and ashamed of my horrible sleep-deprived behavior... I feel like I have done immeasurable and irreversible damage to my relationships with my husband and kids, and I don't see how I can make anything better when I'm feeling as utterly destroyed as I am right now.

 

[Gemsy]

Oh Kholl, that sounds awful there is nothing worse than no sleep. Is there any way you can get some help, or can OH take some time off work, just to give you a bit of help?

Have you tried a meditation app on your phone? I have a really good one, and I use it quite a lot when I'm struggling to sleep. Definitely mention your physical symptoms to your midwife though - maybe you are a bit anaemic also? xx

 

[Kholl]

Thank you Gemsy. My midwife recommended having my 28-week labs early to check for anemia and any potential thyroid issue. Fortunately the kids slept ok a couple nights ago, and last night I slept downstairs in the basement where we have a guest bedroom and bathroom. I still woke up to pee 6 or 7 times which is kind of crazy but I at least was able to fall back to sleep ok.

We leave for France in a week and I think a long relaxing vacation with hubby is exactly what I need right now!

How is everyone?

 

[Donna88]

Enjoy your holiday; I'm sure it's just what you need

We're currently in Scotland, our last day. I'm really enjoying the holiday but there's a part of me that is also really looking forward to just getting back to normality. Eating normal food and doing our washing haha.

I'll regret saying that when I'm back at work mind.

We had a wedding on Tuesday and being on my feet all day has really taken it out of me of I'm being honest. It was a lovely day though.

 

[Donna88]

Just seen my ticker, 101 days to go... can't believe I'm almost into double figures - depending on when she decides to make an appearance I may have less than 100 days until I meet my little girl. That's unbelievable

 

[Kholl]

Donna I know, it’s going so fast! Here I am- third trimester starts for me in 2 days!