Homebirth General Discussion #21

**Lady-bug** · August 11th, 2014, 11:40 AM

I would be quite happy to move into a cave by myself for the next few weeks. I can't seem to get rid of this cold, it's been in our house for 6 weeks and now ds2 has started coughing, again. Blah!

**Tegam** · August 11th, 2014, 11:55 AM

Oh ladybug that can't be fun, we've had our run of colds but nothing had and I seem to have mostly missed them thank goodness! Hugs

**kellbell** · August 11th, 2014, 06:16 PM

We had influenza b go through work I was sick for 2 weeks with it but my hubby and kids missed it despite me coughing for 2 weeks ! Not fun being pregnant and sick at all
Went to the home birth Qld meeting today was so great. Sitting under the trees in a circle listening to home birthing stories
Just what I needed to recentre myself

**Cassius2** · August 11th, 2014, 09:10 PM

oh Kellbell that sounds just perfect! I wish we had similar circles like that where I live!

Lady-bug: we are also in flu hell. just been on a constant merry-go-round for DD1 and I. the others seem to have bolstered but we are struck down with a persistent cough that will not go away.

**Jennifer13** · August 12th, 2014, 05:35 PM

Hugs to all the sickies, esp the pg sickies.

Spring is nearly here and hopefully you'll all feel better soon.

**Bella29** · August 14th, 2014, 01:29 AM

Wow, I have missed heaps! Sorry to everyone I forget to reply to, there was so many moments when I was reading the four pages I had missed where I empathised or commiserated with you all.

Sterla - congratulations! Well done mamma! I couldn't follow the link, cos my tala talk has issues with me following links, but I will try to follow it up later

tegam- honey, you are a machine! You are doing so well with working and caring for four children and doing so much. If you wig out occasionally, it's ok. Well at least I hope it is, cos I have had multiple occassions like that recently and I just have to tell myself that they love me and forgive me for not being perfect. I certainly love them unconditionally despite their imperfections. In fact I adore them.

Kellbell, I don't know lots about placenta movement, but I do know, that it is worth rechecking later in pregnancy, like 36 weeks etc to get a better idea. This is when the lower section is growing up and dragging the placenta with it. And good luck with birthtalk. I love Melissa and she has such a lovely heart. I adore her.

Meow and ladybug, so close for you girls! Sending you all my love and hoping that you are able to endure the end of pregnancy with lots of support and love, and that you are able to savour every last lovely moment, even as you struggle to cope with the harder parts. It won't be long till lovely babies are tucked up into your arms.

Oh and Jen! Sooooo happy that your sister has chosen an IM! Yayaya! I am so happy for you! I know it was hard for my sister to watch me have a c/s, I can't imagine her pain if she had to have watched me have a second one, or get a crap model of care. I really hope she has a beautiful healing birth.

Afm. Well mothering three is full of both ups and downs. Eddie is 13 weeks yesterday. Like Sterla, I think it am lapping him up more than the others. His skin is sooo beautiful. I just want to nuzzle him constantly. Which is handy cos he really suffers if I eat practically anything! Consequently I carry him a lot. He also is pretty windy and constantly wiggles in bed, trying to get comfortable. I am really struggling with exhaustion about now. I'm dizzy and today even shaky from lack of sleep. There is not a lot I can do. It isn't helped by the fact that dh just has no real interest in learning how to settle him. So even if he gets up with the girls, he has never tried to put the baby back to sleep on his own. He will bring him back to me after 30 mins saying he needs a feed, which clearly since I will have only fed him isn't true, he needs to be comforted back to sleep. But hubby brings him in to me and I then I comfort the screaming baby back down to fitful sleep in my arms. Gahh! He tries hard in lots of other areas, but he just doesn't do little babies. Anyway... I'm shattered. Despite that I feel guilty for being normal and being tired, cos I get help at home to keep the house tidy twice a week, so my house looks good, but I don't get rest, so whilst everything looks great, I am not feeling any better than any other mother since I am walking the floor boards with a really struggling baby. My Gp has said that I can have losec if I need it, but I would prefer to persevere without it if I can. Despite that, I am once again going to bat for local women as a maternity services consumer rep in our local hospital. Hoping that we can get some changes for the better locally.

Sorry for the essay. I needed a vent. Xx love to you all. Ps I am really enjoying this bub. He is too beautiful for words. If I could just get a tad bit more sleep, I would be all over it!

**Jennifer13** · August 17th, 2014, 12:23 AM

Hugs, Bella. It sounds tough with an unsettled Eddie.

You get no down time during the day with the other girls and then that at night, no wonder you're shattered! My DP doesn't do settling babies either (he blames it on his lack of bbs...). But I'm not stealing your vent, so far my littlest miss has taken it easy on me. I hope you see some improvement soon.

Still thinking of our springtime bellies too!

I visited a HB mama the other day with her tiny squish. I took groceries, washed the dishes, folded clothes and entertained the toddler (with my own). It took about ten times as long as it should have because DD2 and her DS alternated between having so much fun getting into mischief and fighting that I was interrupted every five mins. But it was so wonderful to see a tiny squish and her mama still in babymoon. Made DD3 look huge!

**Tegam** · August 17th, 2014, 01:23 AM

Oh Jen and bella please stop reminding me how quickly it all goes!!!!

Meow. Why are you so quiet??????

**Bella29** · August 17th, 2014, 07:43 PM

I'm hoping so too. Dh says that most colic/reflux things settle at about 12-13 weeks, which is when mothers tend to have tried one last thing and then think that was what worked. So consequently they then tell everyone what will work for their baby, when really that is just the age that the baby grows out of it. Anyway, fingers crossed.

Is meow that close that we are in stalker mode already? Tegam? I can't see her ticker on tapatalk

**Tegam** · August 17th, 2014, 11:28 PM

Bella your husband is a clever man!

Well she is 2-3weeks ahead of me and I'm 35 weeks. She is also ahead of ladybug who is 38 weeks and she is due in August so yelp I'm starting my stalk

**Lady-bug** · August 18th, 2014, 01:21 AM

Meow, hope all is well, thinking of you!!

**meow** · August 18th, 2014, 08:57 AM

I'm currently about 38.5 weeks. My platelets came up in one blood test but the last test had them even lower than ever. If I go into labour now it'll be a hospital transfer. My husband has taken some time off work to ensure I can follow my diet and supplement routine and get lots of sleep to see if we can get my levels up. Retesting probably on tuesday this week.

**Tegam** · August 18th, 2014, 10:50 AM

Oh meow. It's been one thing after another for you hasn't it this pregnancy! Hugs. You must be stressed

**Lady-bug** · August 18th, 2014, 12:06 PM

Oh Meow, sending you lots of hugs, sorry this is happening, hope everything settles down for you.

**~phyrephly~** · August 18th, 2014, 01:31 PM

Meow I hope things improve for you xx

Hey, for those who had a back up midwife what kind of plan did you have in place? As in, when did you decide you needed your back up over your primary midwife?

The reason I ask is my primary midwife lives over 2 hours away, she moved after DS was born. We have a great rapport and I wanted her to be midwife at this birth. She thinks my labor will be short, and had therefore been in touch with another midwife to be her back up if she is stuck/at a birth/can't get to me.

I had a chat to my back up midwife today, who is lovely and I have no problem birthing with her, I just don't know at what point do I make the call to have my back up over my primary. I'm 38 weeks this week and feeling like getting all my ducks in a row is important. I'd like to know what others have done, whether anyone had birthed with their back up and at what point did you make that call?

**meow** · August 18th, 2014, 03:52 PM

Not stressed because stress doesn't help the body do good things like make lots of platelets!

But I have had some teary times and had a big cry with my MW the other day and complained about how unfair this all feels. I can't believe the run of bad luck! Though I think it's all come from the hep A and it's just had a cascade effect. Visualising platelets growing in masses and hopefully adding all the sleep should be helping. I'm getting about 12 hours in bed every night which is quite a bit more than usual. The kids are both due to start school this week (kindergarten/prep/foundation year for our eldest and a new preschool for the younger one) and I decided the little one can start the week after. Cut out all other appointments for the week too. Scaling everything back and focusing on being zen and rested.

phy- I've always had two MWs so they both come when I'm in labour. Last time my back up/secondary MW was first there but my MW was only about 30mins later. This time my backup/secondary lives closer and the chances are she'll be first too but I'm hoping my primary still makes it. We'll see! Can you get them both to come when you're in labour and make the call that way depending upon how long labour is?

**Dot Face** · August 20th, 2014, 07:17 PM

I am trying to shake away the immense cluckiness that has overcome me after reading birth stories/announcements, pregnancy announcements and this thread lol..but it's so hard!

**Lady-bug** · August 20th, 2014, 07:20 PM

Meow I hope things improve for you xx

Hey, for those who had a back up midwife what kind of plan did you have in place? As in, when did you decide you needed your back up over your primary midwife?

The reason I ask is my primary midwife lives over 2 hours away, she moved after DS was born. We have a great rapport and I wanted her to be midwife at this birth. She thinks my labor will be short, and had therefore been in touch with another midwife to be her back up if she is stuck/at a birth/can't get to me.

I had a chat to my back up midwife today, who is lovely and I have no problem birthing with her, I just don't know at what point do I make the call to have my back up over my primary. I'm 38 weeks this week and feeling like getting all my ducks in a row is important. I'd like to know what others have done, whether anyone had birthed with their back up and at what point did you make that call?

I'm the same as Meow, both my primary and back up come when I'm in labour, last time my back up got there first but my primary midwife arrived not too long after her.