Has HeidiHi had her baby?

[sillywoman]

Does anyone know?

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

My baby has not come out yet, he is actually due today but is showing no signs at all of wanting to come out. I guess 40 weeks of baking him is not enough. I thought pregnancy was nine months?! They lied!

Never mind I have elephant ankles, toes and fingers and spent hours and hours at the MAU last week being monitored due to high blood pressure, a UTI and baby's heartbeat dropping and lack of movements ( though he decided to make 99 movements in one hour, the most ever! and his heart was pounding away like he was on fizzy drinks whilst he was being monitored just to show me up!).

My son is quite contented to wind me up by wriggling his bum non stop as if to say " Look mum, I am still here, aren't I clever?!" No son, it would be clever if you followed the exit sign and make your appearance now.

Can you tell that I am keen to get him out of the big mother house?!

Hopefully he shall be here shortly, and I am pleased to say he still has his head down, but he keeps engaging and dis-engaging his head, I can tell he takes after his father already, not willing to take a risk!

Ohh hummmm, I shall go and add an additional 14 days onto my calendar since they let you go overdue by that amount.

If anyone sees a very frustrated grouchy woman around Lordship lane waddling and frowning, that will be me, trying to encourage gravity and exercise to start labour!

I shall post my birth announcement and a photo of my mischief maker when he arrives ( though I am starting to think I am just fat and not pregnant!).

Thanks for asking after me.

Heidi x

[Belle]

Ah, sympathies over long stints in MAU, I had the same and found it constantly BOILING and very boring. Not long now though...

[Pickle]

Oh yes, the good old MAU. I basically lived there from 30 weeks onwards with both pregnancies - although despite the boringness did think the staff were lovely. By the end of my 2nd pregnancy I was pretty much able to arrive, take my own bloods and hook myself up to the monitor. And I had a favourite chair!

Good luck Heidi - star jumps, curry, pineapple... none of them work but at least you'll feel like you're trying! :)

[sillywoman]

I've been wondering and wondering whilst I was away. Pickle's curry, star jumps and pineapple advice is good, as is sex and long walks (just a bit further than you feel comfortable going). Poor old you HH, rest well in these last days, the fun starts once he's out!

[180176]

i swear by castor oil xx

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

I am desperate to get baby out but I would not try castor oil, the thought of getting the runs, cramps and baby getting the runs also does not appeal to me but a few women on my birth club have given that a go, some went into labour, some didn't. I am one of those believers who thinks nothing can make a baby come out before it is ready, when people try the remedies their bodies were obviously in labour already. That is my thought anyway.

He'll come when he comes, and if he doesn't, then he'll be force out by the hospital! xx

[Mellors]

You have my every sympathy. I tried the lot and both of mine were 14 days over, lazy little buggers!

[curlykaren]

blimey, still in wales and dragging myself to internet cafe to find out this very thing....where is heidis baby??

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

He does not want to come out at all.

I went for a sweep today, only scored two on the bishop score. My cervix is closed. My son is too bloody comfortable in there. She asked if I wanted to have another sweep if this one today does not work, I said no, so the earliest she could book me in for my induction is the 4th September. So an additional whole year of nursery fees to pay since he will not be born in August! And I don't get my summer August baby. I have endured nearly a whole month of birth announcements and stories and baby photos from my August birth group and I am one of a very few whose babies do not want to come out.

Despite the sweep being painful ( which it would be with a posterior cervix and a closed one) I have had no period like pains, no BH, no discharges, no leaks, no show, no contraction...nothing..infact my son is hiccuping away right now!

So I have resigned myself to the fact that he is not coming out so the 4th of September it is when he will be dragged into this world kicking and screaming! Least I don't have to endure any curries, sex, nipple tweaking and so forth. Think I will just go to the cinema and to some nice restaurants and make the most of my last week of freedom!!

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

As the mother of a child born in late August, I can only say you are lucky. She is always the youngest in her year which does make a difference in early primary education and no-one is ever around for her birthday.

There you go: a silver lining! Good luck.

[Belle77]

sneezy was 19 days late. but he came out happy, healthy and naturally even though I had turned into fret monster! you are totally right, sonny will come our when he's ready. feeling for you though! x

[The Nappy Lady]

Hang in there HeidiHi,

I agree they come out when they are 'fully cooked' and not before...but I do think walking helps to get the head down, and the more the head is down, the more pressure on the Cervix, which all helps when it comes to 'opening up'. So, if you can bear to keep walking do, and try going up and down stairs (or a hill) sideways, it takes ages, but opens up the pelvis in a different way.

Whatever happens you know you're going to be holding your little boy soon, and if you are still preggers on 1st September at least you can say with complete certainty "I AM going to be having my baby THIS month"!!!

Molly

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

Thanks ladies! The sweep does not seems to have worked. No pains or anything at all. Baby is still wriggling away, and hiccupings away. Been walking as much as I can bear, bouncing and rolling my hips on the swiss ball too but the little man is not budging. Since there is only one day left in August, it is very unlikely he will be here so I am just counting down the five days (4th September Friday) for my induction in which I know for sure I will be meeting my son next weekend! I cannot wait for it all to be over!

[KatsuQueen]

Hi I have sent you a PM.

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

Thank you KatsuQueen, I have replied back.

Still no baby, so that is August almost over!

Does anyone have any experiences with the induction? she said to bring our bags but I don't see the point as we would not need them straight away since it is the Willian Gillat Ward I go to first to be induced, and then I am told I can go off and do what I want until the contractions start/water goes etc in which case I head to the labour ward. So I am guessing, leave the bags at home or in the boot of the car, have the pessary inserted, then go home for a meal, walk and then when I am ready go straight to the labour ward. I don't really fancy hanging around the hospital if it is going to take hours to happen!

[Fuschia]

HH: I think you're best to take your bags along, leave in the car as you say. I was induced in the labour ward due to being high risk (twins) and never had the pessary as my cervix was already full effaced and 3cm... just went straight to having my waters broken, that was 10pm, I went to walk up and down the stairs a bit, contractions started 30 mins later, it got painful at about 11.30, first baby born at 10 past 1.

However, I should warn you that if your Bishops score is still low when they start the induction, the chances of success are slim. If that was presented to me, having heard so many friends go through v. long failed inductions ending in CS, I'd be tempted to fight for an elective CS instead! How late will you be on 4th Sept? I would hold out to 42+0 at least... despite your current discomfort.

Beware the drip, which they may offer, to stimulate contractions. It's VERY painful. My independent MW first time round said an epidural prior to the drip is wise, I'd certainly put in your request beforehand so you're already in the queue, at the very least. I had the drip just for baby 2 to keep her head down after they turned her.

Also, they do like to monitor you on the trace, but don't let them confine you to the bed unless there's a very good reason. Much better to get up and mobile as much as possible. They do monitor before and after inserting the pessary or breaking your waters.

[Fuschia]

Ah, i see from your earlier post he was due Aug 21st. So 4th Sept is about 42+0.

You can still decline induction, you know, and have daily monitoring. Although the risk of problems increase at that gestation, it's still a tiny risk and based on a very small possibly skewed study.

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

When I went to Suite 8 last week, my midwife informed me that they do not use the drip anymore as I was extremely worried about that as I had heard it is painful. She said they have a great success rate with this pessary gel, she showed me it, it was attached to a white strip/cotton. She informed me to ring the labour ward on friday at 7.30am in the morning to check what time they will have a bed for me, to bring my bags because once they start my induction they have to finish it off. She said baby and I will be monitored prior to the pessary being inserted and then again after the pessary is inserted and then I will be allowed to go off for walks, to eat and so forth until labour starts in which case I head straight to the labour ward.

Mum did say to me that I should just go for a C section since most inductions tend to end up with a C Section but my midwife said they cannot do that, that I have to try and deliver naturally first, which I am fine with but I am quite aware that I will probably end up with C section as my baby is so active and just not wanting to come out. I will be 14 days overdue on Friday so I will be 42 weeks and I just want this baby out now, even if it means by C section! They said that he is probably an 8 pounder now also, I just get the feeling his head is just wedged in my pelvis because he does put pressure there, he just does not seems to be able to get any further and so far three of my friends who have been induced this month and have endured two days of labour had to have an C section and all three of them had their baby's heads wedged in their pelvis hence nothing was working!

Is it true that an induction means no waterbirth?!

[Fuschia]

I got into the water, despite having had my waters broken.

Obviously if you need to be on the continuous monitor, or have an epidural, then you can't be in the water. If you have your waters broken there is a tiny risk of infection from the pool, (or if your waters break naturally) but they don't stop you using the pool if your waters break naturally, and the bath is always on offer... so I don't see why you can#t just insist (get it filled as soon as you get into the labour room, though)

I guess re the drip, they mean they don't start labour with the drug they used to ofer by drip, but I'm sure they still use the drug that gives you stronger contractions... at a later stage...

You know, you can REFUSE induction and insist on a CS, it's your body, and your baby, HH. Decide with your partner how far you will go and be ready to fight your corner. Perhaps ask what the Bishops score is before you begin? Set yourself a certain no of hours at each stage?

xx

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

That is a good idea Fuschia, thanks for the tip. I know my bishop score was only 2 last week, and I don't feel I have progressed. If it comes to the point then I need the drip then I will probably insist on a c section since I don't see the point of going down the route of drip, epidural etc if labour is not progressing naturally and I am not spending two days in labour like my friends who were induced! I have my mum and partner there so I am sure they will make sure things go ok and make decisions for me if I am out of it!

Only four days to go, I cannot wait for it all to be over!

[Pickle]

I was induced for both pregnancies at 37 weeks due to illness. Both times I was in the labour ward right from the start - first induction took a couple of days (take plenty of books, music, games etc just in case!) but second was very fast. I used the drip first time round and managed the labour using just a TENS machine, so I really do think it's a very individual thing, as I didn't find the pain unbearable. Second time just the pessary was used.

For my second induction I was encouraged to go for a walk, so had a lovely time wandering round Ruskin Park in the sunshine with Mr Pickle.

No matter what happens, just remember that at the end of it all you will have a baby - it makes the whole process a lot more bearable. And if it does happen to take a while, make the most of those hours you have, as you won't get time to yourself again for a while ;-)

[kenzo]

Oh, HeidiHi, so it looks you will be induced first.

I was told that i have to be as well due to cholestasis and after listening how that process gonna look like I'm scared to death!

It's gonna take up to three days: pessary, braking the waters, drip. No water birth, in case of drip i'l be attached to ctg and epidural most likely so no chance to move around and not many possition to choose from.

Was told it would be good if the baby decided to get out by itself but at 38 weeks it might not be very likely.

I just hope I will not collapse like those twin towers in NY (that's my date, 11.09;))

[Fuschia]

Don't be unduly scared of induction, being terrified won't help it along. Just try to be informed and remember that it's your choice at each stage, you don't have to be swept up into their procedures with no control.

If thinsg are favourable, the starting with a sweep might be enough to get you going.

The pessary might ripen the cervix enough, esp if you walk around a lot after.

Breaking your waters doesn't rule out keeping mobile, upright, using the pool, intermittent monitoring

xx

[cactus]

I know this has already been mentioned, but walk, walk, walk, if you can. It really does help

to jiggle the baby into position. I walked from Brixton Hill to Dulwich Village on my due date,

which was probably about 4 miles round trip, then I went into labour that night! At my midwife

appointment the day before I was told that the baby wasn't engaged at all and not to expect any

action any time soon, I know each pregnancy/mum/baby is unique, but give it at try.

All the best.xx