★ October & November 2020 Hedgehogs ★

I'll probably be using gas and air but apart from that hoping for unmedicated, not sure if gas and air is classed as medicated or not xx
 
@Fern81 glad you've been discharged without anything serious. Hope you manage to get some sleep!
Loving all the free baby stuff you get, that's amazing! xx
 
Fern - I'm glad you've been discharged and baby is doing well. Sorry about your OH, I can't imagine the stress of him adding to everything. I love all the fun baby stuff you've got, what a cool gift... my hospital gives away free samples but only to first time Moms. We also have to bring everything for baby, diapers, wipes, etc, as our hospital only provide them free for your first baby.

I have no idea if I'll get an unmediated birth. I had one with my first.. though it was a fast labour, if it has been much longer I probably would have got some medication/epidural. With this birth I am planning to try for a vaginal birth, but due to having a previous c-section I might not get the option. So I'll just be happy to get a vaginal birth... I have no idea if it will be much more painful then my first so I might need some medication... we will see. I wish they offered gas & air here in Canada.

Foster - try not to worry too much about your bump being small. If your doctor is keeping an eye on your baby's growth then that is what is important. A friend of mine showed a picture of her 35 week bump and it looked so little... however her baby was born perfect. We all carry differently and I've learned, even pregnancy to pregnancy! Also, you might get away with less stretch marks :p

Pine - I'll be joining the hospital bag packing party this weekend. I've purchased everything I need for the bags so just need to put them together. It's exciting to be at this point! However, I hope our babies hold on a few more weeks. As for less movement, I brought it up with my doctor this week... she said that if your ever concerned with lack of movement to try this: lay on your left side and wait for 6 kicks, if you don't get 6 kicks in 2 hours to go get checked out. Also, I think the feeling of kicks change as the baby starts to run out of room... now I get less kick's and more stretch feelings, like the baby is sticking his bottom up and trying to stretch out.

I'm starting to feel so uncomfortable at night. My legs have been so restless and sore and I wake up so many times a night. I'm also so tired by 7 p.m. that I just go to bed to read and try to rest in the evening. I keep telling myself that it's just a few more weeks and that I can make it.. but it's so hard. I'm planning to work until the end of September (as long as I don't have baby early)... but another 5 weeks seems soooo long! Enough moaning, I'm very excited to meet this baby boy but also want him to be fully cooked.
 
Fern - I'm glad you are okay - sorry the hospital staff were so loud. I've never personally stayed the night in a hospital (as in, I was the one admitted), but I had to stay overnight with my husband once and I would agree, hospitals can be difficult places to sleep. Also, that's so awesome that you get all those freebies! Also, I'm planning on unmedicated except for gas/ air like Jess said. If it gets to a point where I need a tube in my back, the way I feel about it is I better be having a c-section at that point. I know epidurals are great for some women, but I just have a really icky feeling about it for myself. I know I've said that here before. So, if I need a medicated birth, I want to be going all the way lol. It's all or nothing with me haha.

Joanna - thank you. I think my self-consciousness stems from the near decade of TTC and failing so many times, so there are definitely some feelings of inadequacy I need to work on!!! But I appreciate your kind words and encouragement. :) Also, I am feeling super uncomfortable at night too. Waking up constantly, legs cramping, arms going numb. It's fun times lol.

I am feeling incredibly blessed by the generosity of my friends and family. I was hoping my NY family would pool together for our stroller, but they have been separately buying all the other expensive items that we actually need more, like our travel crib, wipeable change pad, etc. My friends have also pretty much gotten every little thing that we'll need as far as toiletries. I'm currently just missing a snot sucker of some sort, some essential linens and extra diapers (I seem to be super low on NB size and haven't been able to find them in stores). Other than that we just need a few preemie outfits and we are pretty much set with needs. Wants are a different story, but I'm just so thankful for everyone's generosity and desire to help us out. It has made me feel so loved, especially after the debacle with the FB group being so cruel about my registry. Not a single person has said anything to me about my registry being "too much" etc. and I know at least 3 people who would have said something to me (lovingly) if that were the case.
 
Jess that's great you've got everything organized. I'm feeling so unprepared at the moment but I know I will have to wait until after we move. Sorry for the rude comments about your bump. So many people don't know how to address tactfully. At a recent appt an old lady said "You make such a cute pregnant woman" It made my day.
 
Joanna I hope you get your VBAC but having an open mind like you already do is great :) also hope your partner can come and go as he pleases when it's time. They allow that at my hospital currently so hoping it continues.

The last month or two is soo hard. You want a healthy, fully cooked baby but so over all the aches and pains. Hang in there, you've got this.

Jelly glad it went well with the midwife :)

Fern I'm sorry he's such a selfish ass and his mom sounds like a POS as well.

I'm glad you are out of the hospital now too. Sorry for not sleeping well. I must admit, I've been a loud nurse in the past. It's definitely a challenge when you are working night shift and trying to keep yourself from getting sleepy. I did try to keep a quieter volume mostly though.

Ohhh nice baby freebies!!

I'm planning unmedicated. Gas and air isn't an option where I live. Didn't need it last time either. Focusing my breathing helped me endure the pain abd pushing was the biggest relief for me. Some women feel the opposite though with contractions vs pushing.

Co, I'm okay with the loss of equity now. I have a few moments of remorse but this is what's best right now and we'd rather have more money than struggle. Oh and hope you guys like your new place. Feeling safe is huge, worth the extra money.

I'm sorry you feel self conscience about your bump. Bumps come in all shapes and sizes. I was "small" with my 1st and 2nd for awhile. I feel like I never quite looked like my gestation but all was well. This time, I feel huge.

I'm glad you are getting support from family with the registry. We got a lot with our 1st. It was very nice as all the costs add up quick.

Azure sorry he didn't cooperate. My 1st didn't at 28 or 30 weeks. My 2nd did a bit better at 28 weeks. I go Monday for my 3d/4d scan and hope to get good pics.

Pine I'm glad someone else had same idea. They are seriously much nicer and improved from years ago. I hope you find a great place as well.

I hope baby boy stays put awhile longer. My 1st was born 34+6 and only went to NICU because of her age/hospital policy. We did struggle with feeding some. She was very sleepy baby initially, poor latch, fell asleep at breast. I did triple feedings and it was exhausting. I was ultimately unsuccessful with BFing and I believe her prematurity was a factor in that. She does have a speech delay attributed to her prematurity as well. She's really made big improvements over the past 4 to 6 months though with her speech. Although on a positive note, she is very healthy and probably could have nipped feeding issues in beginning if I had worked with an IBCLC. She is in 97 and 95th percentiles for height and weight (not adjusted) so no one believes she was over a month early :haha:
 
Fern I’m glad you’re okay! Those freebies look lovely, what a wonderful thing to get!
I only had a bit of gas and air near the end last time and then put it down again when I started pushing so will hopefully do something similar this time as it worked really well for me. I was breathing through the surges before that and I find the gas and air helps me focus my breathing which helps during transition.

Joanna I totally get what you mean about the discomfort. It makes those last few weeks seem so tough! I’m aware that this baby will probably triple in size before the end and I’m already so uncomfortable! It’s such a short time really, and it’s all worth it! I think we just need to go easy on ourselves!

Co you sound like you have some lovely friends and family who must be so excited to welcome your baby and support you, that’s brilliant!

Flueky hopefully baby stays put for a while longer and you get some good support with breastfeeding this time! I had such a challenging time breastfeeding my first and it really dominated those early weeks for me. The right support is what made a difference and is the reason I went into breastfeeding support myself. It’s so important that mothers get support with feeding their babies no matter what happens. Everyone should have the support to reach their goals and be comfortable.

I’ve got a very tender bump today! I’ve had 2 or 3 electric shock type feelings at the front of my bump the last few days when baby hits a certain part. I’m not sure if there’s a nerve there or something? It all feels quite tender now though! Baby is still moving about okay and everything else seems fine. It’s just a bit weird. Has anyone else had it?
 
Jelly I had some very sharp pains on my side a couple days ago but they went away the next day so I just assumed Baby was sitting somewhere tender.
 
Hello all! Hope your all well!!

Sorry I can't reply to everyone there has been loads of posts since I was last On!

Fern I just want to say your husband is a complete penis!!! For all the things he's done to you I hope you can escape him soon!!

Someone said about being uncomfortable and I am sooo with you!

I had my 32 week scan Thurs and baby is measuring huge. She was measuring the size of a 35 weeker 5lb 6oz!! She's gone from the 20th percentile at the 28th week scan to the 90th at the 32 week scan! I had to go to dau but they seemed really unconcerned which shocked me! As I'm having the extra growth scans (next is at 36 weeks) and my last gestational diabetes check was ok no further action was due. I got them to do the diabetes blood test again because none of my 5 other kids have been over the 20th centile at all... What do you all think? Am I worried for nothing?
 
Cat I wouldn’t worry on the basis of one growth scan as there’s a lot that can effect measurements like the position baby is in. Hopefully by your next scan she’ll be back following her line! Good luck!

Co I think that’s what it is, I had such an uncomfortable night last night, I barely slept and I think it was baby being in an awkward position again. This one seems to switch positions a lot more at this stage than my other two did. Hoping s/he will settle head down soon!
 
Jelly sorry that baby’s causing you sleepless nights... already ;) hope you manage to find a comfortable position. I hope all our babies settle head down soon. Mine seems to be head down most of the time (confirmed with u/s on Thursday) with his head down by my left pelvic bone and feet up in my right side just below my ribs. When I lie on my right side he seems to turn transverse but turns to his “usual” position when I lie on my left side or am sitting down. One of these days I’m sure a lot of us will be complaining about feet in the ribs!

Cat will you be having other scans soon? Maybe the one measurement was just a bit “off”? Hope so! How are you doing pain wise?

Azure when will you try again for the 3d/4d scan?

Flueky that’s so nice that you got a compliment on your pregnancy. From your previous pics I agree you do look lovely.

Co I’m just as self-conscious but it’s due to having a huge bump, I picked up weight everywhere but my bump is enormous all round, I’m one of those women who are very visibly pregnant even from the back :( people are very surprised when I tell them I have 2 months to go, apparently I look ready to pop. I agree there is such pressure after assisted reproduction to “feel grateful” all the time when in reality it goes along with a lot of heartache and really does contribute to a low self esteem. Hugs!

Pine and Joanna I hope you enjoyed packing your hospital bags :) and I hope for both of you that the next few weeks are uneventful!

It’s interesting how many of you are planning unmedicated or just gas & air. I have a VERY LOW pain threshold but I’m starting to contemplate the idea of labouring as long as possible before asking for the epidural, just to be able to move around and get him positioned & produce as much oxytocin as possible. But we’ll see!
 
@Catmumof4 maybe they are waiting until 36week scan to decide if they need to take any action, I can understand the worry though. I would be wanting answers as to why baby has suddenly got so big if that was me. Fingers crossed its an off measurement or baby has just had a growth spurt and will even back out to usual growth line xx
 
Fern - if you wait too long they won't give you an epidural apparently. I had a friend progress in labor so quickly with her first that the hospital wouldn't give her the epidural when she got there. Plus sometimes you have to wait even once you've told the doctors to order one because an anesthesiologist needs to do it and he/ she might be busy or not even at the hospital when you're wanting one!
 
Omw yes Co_foster I’m definitely juggling that in my mind as well! With my previous birth my options were to choose between having an epidural at 8AM or to wait until 11AM because the anesthetist had a 3 hour meeting! If I had waited until 11 I would have missed the window because I started pushing at 11:15 and tore so badly... I am definitely glad I didn’t have to feel that and don’t want to take the chance of tearing without an epidural with A [-o< please can everything just go according to plan...!!
 
Fern - I hope you are able to have the birth experience you really want, especially with as stressful as your life has been this pregnancy. :hugs:
 
Jelly I get the lightning crotch pains but not to my bump. Maybe baby is just hitting or pressing on a nerve??

Also, I feel you on the sleepless nights. Heartburn and peeing through the night are causing mine. Well and all the events going on.

Cat I wouldn't panic. Baby may have just had a major growth spurt and/or I've heard weight measurements aren't the most accurate so baby could be smaller than they measured.

Fern well I think I'd be going unmedicated even if I didn't want to. I wss afraid of pushing so requested epidural from OB but it was too late. They draw labs and results have to be back before they will do epidural. I think the anesthesiologist was ready but I was 10 cm before my labs came back. Oh and I think everyone can do a natural birth but having a good support person to help you makes it easier.

I do hope you get the birth experience you want :)

AFM my ultrasound is in an hour and a half. Looking forward to seeing baby E one last time before birth.

Oh and happy 3rd tri to everyone. I think everyone is 3rd tri now :)
 
Flueky- so will you only be having one more u/s before birth. Wow... ok! I’m having another next week and then at least 4/5 more depending on whether I make it to 39/40 weeks (weekly from 37 weeks).

My bosses are being ridiculous! After telling me they expect me to work until going into labour (which I fully intended NOT to do) and never giving me an indication of whether they are looking to extend my temp contract beyond December into a permanent placement, today they demanded I give them the exact date that I’m leaving this year and when I will be returning next year. Well how am I supposed to to that!? I want to laugh but at the same time am shocked that they have no idea what we discussed at our last meeting and that it ended completely inconclusively with me deciding to go on maternity leave from 38 weeks, no matter what they have to say about it. Hah!

I dug out 2 sets of comfy hospital pjs and a robe, bought a few things for my hospital bag (including my granola bars and drinks lol!) and am planning on cleaning a lot of items this weekend. Every day brings us closer ladies!

Speaking of which Pineberry are you still holding on?
 
Who here is hoping for an unmedicated birth?

I'm actually leaning toward trying to do it without an epidural! I read so many positive stories of women who did it unmedicated (plus my mom gave birth 7 times, all unmedicated), and most of them said they dont regret it and they felt amazing after baby was out. It was inspiring to read and I'll definitely give it a go. Who knows though, once I go into labor I might find the pain too much to handle and get an epidural. Not a big deal either way, IMO :)

Btw amazing stuff you received!!! Yay!:happydance:

Jess - 25-50th percentile sounds great!

co_ You're definitely right about bub possibly not needing any extended NICU stay due to him already being quite big. I'm guessing it's one of the advantages of having a larger babe. Also, I very much relate to disliking comments about bump size. The further this pregnancy progressed the more I started hating it if people said like "oh you're HUGE!" or "are you sure it's not twins?". Grrr.

Catmum - keep in mind, those growth scans can be way off. Like someone else said, she might have have a growth spurt and bub might not measure that big at the next appointment. Mine was 99th at my 28 week scan (even though he was only 56th at my 20 week scan), then down to 75th at 32 weeks.

Fern; sorry your bosses are being such ridiculous jackasses. That sucks. And thank you for asking - yes all still seems to be fine so far - I've had quite a few pains in my lower abdomen in the last few days, as well as rectal pain :-# (never had that before), and Braxton Hicks seem to be getting more intense... so I do wonder if body is getting ready for labour. It just feels like baby is wayyyyy down low, lower than usual. A bit uncomfortable!
 
Glad your baby is still hanging IN there Pineberry!

30 weeks for me, slightly less than 8 weeks before I go on maternity leave, 70 days to go until 40 weeks!

ETA now THIS week’s ticker I can relate to!
 
Fern - seriously your ticker is making me want cheesecake super hardcore lol. Also, it amazes me how employers so easily forget that their employees are HUMANS and also not slaves. I'm sorry you're dealing with that and I hope everything works out in the end.

Pine - Yay I'm glad to hear that baby was down to the 75th%. I bet you were relieved to hear that. I've been reading that we all might start getting comments like, "you haven't had your baby yet?!" and the appropriate responses, such as, "oh no, I did, but I left him in the car because I got tired of carrying him around" or to just fart and walk away without comment haha. :haha::headspin:

Catmum - I don't have advice but like everyone keeps telling me and Pine about size, it's probably not worth it to stress. It sounds like your doctors are keeping close tabs on you and your baby, so if they weren't concerned that's probably a good sign. Also again, large babies have far less overall risk than small babies statistically.

AFM - my dog is being a lunatic (she has anxiety issues and one of our neighbor's smoke alarms low battery warning has been going off since yesterday, making her freak out) and today my cat is being a total jerk. Pine, I also feel like Baby has started sitting SUPER low and I'm concerned that this baby might try to make an early arrival. I think I've been carrying him low in general, but with the way the pets are acting, and that he feels even lower than normal, I'm starting to wonder if there's not something else going on with the bubs. No contractions though or other signs of labor so I guess I should just take every day one step at a time. I have another growth scan next Tuesday so I guess I'll get some more clear answers then. Hoping that the cord blood flow is still working perfectly and they won't force me to deliver early because I literally just packed up most of Baby's things for the move.

I think it's been a while since I shared a bump pic here, so here you go!

IMG_0240.jpeg
 

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