Pregnancy #25 Sponsored by love hearts and heartburn

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Google whether you can self refer as well, just 'your area- maternity self referral' and see if it comes up that way.
 
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They’re currently recruiting my replacement and they had a few candidates who were immediately available so maybe they can. Sorry for your situation also
 
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We did the PBC last time... Some bits were really good, some bits had me rolling my eyes so hard I think I pulled a muscle.
 
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Don’t even want Mr Bean to look or talk to me, let alone read affirmation cards
 
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yeah to be fair I am fully expecting to be wrong too I have no real idea and it’s impossible to see in any of the scans photos we have had so far! Aw I bet he’s so pleased you’re having a baby boy the cheer though haha my partner keeps asking if he can ask if the cord is just a really big penis and I keep saying no . Yeah I really hope this time next week we know, I’m looking forward to being able to talk about them properly and say he or she, and also buy some baby stuff! Ahh that’s so annoying, ours did the same, they didn’t ask if we wanted to know and they just made some cryptic comment that we might have been able to see the gender, which makes me think it’s a boy buy then other people have said you can still see the lines when it’s a girl, so it just confused us and we still don’t know. Thank you I’m sure I’ll be on next week after the scan to tell you all! Good luck in your scan too, and I hope you feel a bit less anxious soon xxx
 
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So far the woman has suggested that Mr O brings some 'affirmation cards' along to the labour so he can recite statements such as 'birth is powerful but so am I' and ask me how 'powerful' my 'surges' are.
How can anyone say that with a straight face!?
 
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They told me I was v low on iron last month so I was tested again last week My bloods came back today (nearly a week later ) and I’m STILL low on iron I don’t know what more I can do as I have been on strong iron tablets, drink a litre of orange juice, spinach and kale smoothies and iron rich foods has anyone else had this?
 
Can you request an iron infusion? I had my consultant document I needed iron infusion rather than tablets due to them constantly being low
 
Can you request an iron infusion? I had my consultant document I needed iron infusion rather than tablets due to them constantly being low
I’m back in again next Wednesday, I will ask about it then! What does an iron infusion entail?
 
I’m back in again next Wednesday, I will ask about it then! What does an iron infusion entail?
It's just an IV, like antibiotics or fluids same stuff thats in your tablets just liquid form gets into your blood stream quicker, I have one every 6/8 months and you feel the effects almost immediately
 
I'm glad I'm not the only one overpowered by my cynicism

I've not told Mr O about the affirmation cards yet, but I already know he'd rather curl up and die than talk to me about powerful surges. His role will be to sit quietly and think about what he's done while I squeeze his bowling ball child out of my body.

I bought the course because I was assured by a woman at work that it 'wasn't what I'd think' and I'd find it helpful for managing my anxiety during birth. I started the intro video and she was talking about the psychology of birth, the science modules looked helpful and I thought 'maybe this isn't so bad after all'...

Then I got to one video about words, where she suggests calling them 'surges' not 'contractions' and thinking of them as getting more 'powerful' rather than 'painful', presumably so that as my uterus turns itself inside out and I rip myself a new arsehole I can relish the prospect of more 'powerful surges' rather than fearing more 'painful contractions'.

Also, she's talking a lot about home births and birthing suites as being the best option, but I've point blank been told I have to go to the Obstetric Unit so I'm not sure how they'll feel about me rocking up with my panpipes playlist and lavender essential oils, asking them to only refer to my powerful surges thankyouverymuch.
 
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I needed a labour ward delivery too, but did genuinely use the up breathing, low lighting for the most part, staying upright and active as much as possible and Clary sage oil really did affect my contractions!
I found all that helpful but it's such a personal thing, what works for one doesn't work for another.
I didn't get on with her attitude of sort of demonising more medicalised births, as I think it could lead to a lot of women feeling like they've failed or been let down if they planned to be in a midwife led unit but had to transfer to labour ward for example. Anyone who births a baby any which way is incredible!
 
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Hahaha this did make me laugh. I do want to do this course to help with breathing through contractions and keeping positive etc but the affirmation card idea makes me want to throw up in my mouth.

I’ve seen them say you can bring your own fairy lights and candles into the labour ward and I’m like surely no one does that?!
 
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Having given birth 10 days ago and starting and then giving up with the PBC hypnobirthing, I'll say the things I took from it that were useful to me were- 1) having the mindset that every contraction was one contraction done and closer to having my baby here.
2) the "in breathing" or whatever she calls it for contractions. I think you breathe in for 8 and out for 4? And by the time you've done 4 cycles of it you know you're at the peak of your contraction so it's good to know it's ending.
But literally my midwife was the best with the "positive affirmations" any time I said I couldn't do it, she was in my ear saying "yes you can, you're doing it right now" like a really good cheerleader.
I had a 9lb 8oz baby, who was compound presentation and I didn't tear or need stitches so I'll take it as a win.
But I did totally eyeroll at most of the course and didn't bother finishing it.
 
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Haha thanks for positive PBC/hypnobirthing experiences - I didn't mean to shit on anyone who found it genuinely helpful!

I'll perservere with it and it sounds like some parts will be helpful. I think I'm just much better at practical stuff, so like breathing exercises etc. will all help but I think I'm just too dark and twisted for all the mindset stuff. We have courses at work about 'positive mindset' etc. and I always find them infuriating
 
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But literally my midwife was the best with the "positive affirmations" any time I said I couldn't do it, she was in my ear saying "yes you can, you're doing it right now" like a really good cheerleader.
When I had baby number 2 (first with my husband) he was like ‘you’re doing so well, you can do it’ and all I could say back was ‘I know how well I’m doing, I’m doing it arent I?’ The looks I caught him and the midwife doing
 
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I’m 2/3rds of the way through PBC and have love hate moments with it. Great for the science part and understanding the role of the different hormones in different stages of Labour and I think I’ll take a lot of that on board, I already knew I wanted to keep lights low, minimise the amount of people etc. But yeah the calling them surges and some of the affirmations aren’t for me. The only one I think will actually help me and I’ll try and remember is “you can do anything for 60 seconds” which I think is quite useful. I don’t see me blu tacking affirmation cards and pictures of the beach around the room though. My consultant yesterday said that I can use the pool for pain relief if I want to but should give birth on dry land - a) because of the risk of tearing being higher in water she really doesn’t recommend it b) because of gestational diabetes and risk of baby being bigger even with scans, it’s safer in her experience to birth out of the water. I have heard a few different experts say that water births can lead to increased cases of tearing because it’s harder to administer pressure / warm compresses to help prevent so actually feel quietly reassured by knowing it’s not really an option! I also didn’t realise due to GD I’d have to stay in for 24hrs for baby’s blood sugar checks, I’ve gone private so knew it was pretty standard and what most people pay for but was hoping to be in and out, at least now I know I need to and can get my head around it and not be disappointed on the day. I’ve never stayed in hospital so the idea makes me anxious but luckily husband can’t stay with me if I want him to which I’m glad about. Having to think about birth is making everything feel very very real all of a sudden. If one more person says to me “not long now” I might punch them already though! 5-6 weeks feels like a very long time when you need to pee every 5 minutes and feel like you’ve got a 5kg dumbbell wedged in your foof every time you move position!
 
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