h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I don't know if this is allowed but I've used a heat lamp before when 'deep heat' or the like wasn't available for what I think of as siatica type pains. And when that wasn't around I tie scarfs and the like around the offending joint. The warmth really helps, especially while you are sleeping.

*imagines attempting to tie scarves around my left buttock*

I am drinking *gallons* Amy. I think I must have drunk three pints of milk alone yesterday - never used to drink milk, didn't like the taste of it. Can't seem to get enough now!

The told me not to eat dinner late to avoid the heartburn so I had dinner at lunchtime yesterday and a lunch-sized meal at about 7pm. I had the worst heartburn I've had in a looooong time last night! *decides to ignore everything that said*

Must go and buy some gaviscon today.

Did I mention that he was pissed off that I asked about the safety a number of different medications? Don't think he liked having to go through the BNF.

Everyone I have spoken to so far has assured me that I will get some energy back in the second trimester so I will worry about exercising more then. Doubt I'll quite be back to my old routine though - as I'll be schlepping over to Ireland every week by then which will be tiring enough as it is.

Busy w*rk day today

Ah...a health matter I know something about. I suffer from God-awful reflux - a 24-hour heartburn if you will - with some pretty awkward side effects.

Milk's very good for heartburn: drink plenty. Toothpaste is good too, although I wouldn't advise you mainline it. Cut down on citrus and fats. It's probably aggravated by the fact that you're doing less exercise, so try and walk as much as possible. Sleep on as many pillows as you can.

B

Peppermint's good, too. And don't drink tea on an empty stomach.

>>Sleep on as many pillows as you can.>>

Is this in order to get your head higher up? I've found that my neck hurts if I pile too many pillows on top of each other (something I sometimes do when I have a really bad cold), but then I read about a good trick - put phone books (or any other big, thick and steady stuff) under the bed legs at the head end.

This will make your bed tilt downwards, so to speak, but you will still have the full support for your back from the matress, and you won't put any unnecessary strain on your neck.

Not sure J will like that Titania! He dangles over the end of the bed as it is due to his height!

I think part of the reason why I'm guzzling pints of milk is to combat this - but I think a bottle of gaviscon will become a permanent feature on my bedside table so I don't have to go downstairs if I wake up in the night.

I'll get it sorted out eventually (even if that is in six and a half month's time...)

I had bad night-time heartburn during pregnancy #1 and only discovered in the final month that it was caused by tea.

So when heartburn started in pregnancy #2, I cut out all tea immediately except for one cup first thing in the morning.

Downside was that baby #2 was born with zero caffeine-tolerance as a result. So after the birth I went back onto 10 cups a day not realising this, and then wondered why she never really settled. As soon as I cut out the tea again, I had a textbook baby. Who was weaned onto a cup pretty rapidly ...

Anyway, it's quite possible that your heartburn is caused by One Thing. The difficulty is discovering what the One Thing is.

The first trimester *is* utterly, utterly exhausting. How people cope with morning sickness as well I really don't know - I was lucky enough not to experience that. But my blood pressure plummetted and that gave us a couple of unpleasant moments. The second trimester is much, much nicer - not long now

Mol

> Is this in order to get your head higher up?

I've always heard that it helps to keep the acid from hurting your throat. Very basic solution to the problem, to be sure - use gravity!

I saw a program once about babies who have the same problem. They are often thought to be just 'difficult' babies because they cry so much when you put them down but the program suggested they can be almost instantly cured by getting a wedge-shaped matress for their cot. Must have seen that three or four years ago

I had my first dream about the baby this morning, although the dream hadn't decided if it was a boy or a girl - it certainly seemed to be two babies! One of each! I'm really trying not to think about the future (other than necessary planning for work) past the scan date, and certainly not past the birth, oh but it was such lovely dream!

Been off line due to connectivitiy problems...

Yes, lie on your back.
Yes, rest foot on doorframe! I couldn't find the right word... Remember to use the 'opposite' leg to cross over your body.
Straight knees.

The other excercise that was described seems to stretch somewhat differently for me - this one did the trick for my butt...

Do drink. Do eat red meat - to build more blood...

My friend had a "difficult" first baby - I'm not sure she ever tried a wedge (possibly not invented then ). But she did say that he never, in the first 3 months, burped. This astonished me - my babies all did burps that a grown man would have been proud of. So presumably the trapped air contributed to the "difficult"ness.

Not much comfort at 3am, though.

Mol

we have lovely pregnancy tea here, which I couldn't get enough of (all herbs good for expecting ladies)

Have you got one of those v-shaped pillows? They are usually stuffed with "beans" and are great during pregnancy and after (early on you can arrage it so you sleep with upper body on a slope, later on you can arrange it around your bump when sleeping on your sde becomes uncomfortable, then they are great for breastfeeding or putting the baby on)

when I get time this week I'll post my birth story about my 2 hour labour and birth with #2 - just for encouragement purposes only

sending good energy I think about you every time I massage my latest pregnant client, good time to send positive energy your way.

Thanks Sho - I don't think I've seen those pillows but I will look out for one Looking forward tot he easy birth story

Ta, hmh - always happy to be sent good vibes!

Had my booking in apointment today. J came too so I didn't forget to ask things and someone else could help remember what we have been told.

We filled in all the forms, and had a chat about options for giving birth - there aren't many near here as it seems like all the maternity units are being shut down.

The midwife was really nice, glad I got on with her and will comfortable with her. I mentioned that I was quite nervous about my 12 week scan as a couple of friends have recently had bad news at theirs.

She said that as we were 11 weeks she would have a go at finding the heartbeat with her doppler. Well she tried for a while, we heard lots of whooshing that was me, and some other whooshing that she said was probably the placenta, but didn't find the baby's heartbeat. I knew it was an outside chance as my little spud is still pretty tiny but I really hoped we'd hear it so I could relax a bit while waiting until the 1st Sept for the scan. I am not really any more worried than I was before, just a bit disappointed not to get this early reassurance. (well ok, maybe a tiny bit more worried)

k - still holding my breath

Breathe in, breathe out, take a nice deep breath in and hold it for two seconds, now exhale slowly and gently. On your next breath start to feel the golden light of universal love entering you and spreading through you filling you with peace and joy. Breathe out.

We now resume our regular programming.

Hope your scan goes well, I feel sure it will.

it's strange, but by the time I hit 12 weeks (with both Gruesomes) I'd had 3 scans each. Different healthcare system (and being _really_ in tune with my cycle, I guess)

ok here you go.

#1 pregnancy was a breeze - I drove myself to the hospital to have her induced (4 days over date, but I think the doc wanted to fill a quota - it was New Year's Eve - I didn't mind, I was busting to have her)

#2 pregnancy went very well, I put on 5kg (and got nagged to death about it) and was very active with my todder - who only started to toddle when my bump made it too difficult to be schlepping her around all the time. At 4 days overdue I dropped #1 off at my friend's house for my 6pm appointment for the half-hour foetal heart monitoring (every week during the last 10 weeks, and then every other day after the due-date until the birth) and for the doc to check the amniotic fluid (also every other day after due date)

I lay there,reading Lord of the Rings, wondering if had been to the airport to collect our teenage niece, and about elves and if #1 was ok etc etc.

After 25 minutes the nurse came in and looked at the print out, then said "oh my,if you're going to have a baby you're going to have to do better than these contractions"

me: what contractions
nurse: (pointing) these mini useless ones (laughs)

Indeed for the entire monitoring (and probably all day) totally unnoticed by me, I'd had contractions which were now 5 minutes apart.



doc: ok, hop in the chair
me: (standing up) what's the news? I guess I can drive home now and hop in a nice warm bath?
doc: er no. You're at 6 cms, and rising, and you're going to hospital. Where's ? *looks at watch* will he be long, it's 15 years since I actually delivered a baby and I have a dinner appointment.

I called the babysitter, who yanked him, the niece and Gruesome #1 out of the car and then sent to the doc. He parked about 300metres away and found me crawling around the waiting room while old ladies with prolapsed uteruses (really!) lifted their legs as though someone was vacuuming. The reason was that pushing my stomach to the floor seemed to ease the discomfort. The movement was because the nurses wanted to lay me down - I knew I'd have the baby there if I did, I'd never get up again.

We drove (too slow) to the hospital, paying careful attention to traffic lights, with me cursing and swearing that he should drive through them,go a quicker way etc etc.

It was only about a 10 minute drive but by the time we got to the hospital, at 7:45pm (I finally noticed my labour pains at about 6:50 when the doc looked at me) I had the passenger seat flat (which frightened a few people looking in at us) and could hardly walk because we were at about 2 mins apart.

I literally crawled into the hospital, crawled into the lift and crawled round on the floor (it helped for some reason, pushing the bump to the floor) until we got to the delivery suite.

It was shift change. So 2 midwives grabbed me (it's a small town hospital, average of one baby per day, I was the highlight of the friday evening)

Now I should explain: with #1 I left my CDs in my room and didn't want to miss anything (of a 4 hour labour) and get them. So the midwife inflicted 4 hours of Celine Bloody Dion on me. I was DETERMINED not to have that again and wouldn't get on the exam couch or take off my knickers until I could hear Eric Clapton.

That was at about 7:50. I was at 10 cms.

After swearing and cursing and shouting during the contractions, and apparently normal conversation about the NHS between times, #2 Gruesome popped out (with a little tear) at 8:03 pm.

Yes it hurt a fair bit, but no more than a really really bad bout of period pain (honestly, I was more uncomfortable than anything - but it was pain... it's hard to describe) but that was it.

as I mentioned, #1 was only about 4 hours of noticeable labour.

I guess I'm lucky like that.

And I hope that wasn't too scary - most people I know think it's just about the easiest birth they have heard about.

And the worst thing? I think I pushed once (or twice) with my eyes open. As a result my eyesight was a bit blurred for a month or two afterwards (it stretches, or bends, the lenses)

Thanks for that Sho - although it still sounds quite scarey if not actually terribly painful!

You just don't get scans before 12 weeks on the NHS unless you've had some kind of problem before, or you start to bleed - it is probably a waste of resources or something to reassure apparently ok women. I pretty much knew I was pregnant from conception and went to the doc at 5 weeks - but we just don't get that kind of monitoring here. I could pay for a private one - would cost around £120.

The lack of finding a heartbeat yesterday is officially Preying On My Mind.

It's really hard not to let that sort of news take over your head. ITs like having them tell you "Don't think about elephants."

Good story, Sho Do you want mine, about how I managed to shock a midwife?

It's hard to describe labour, it's not so much that it hurts, more that it's very hard work . And my experience was that a shorter labour was the same amount of hard work, compressed into a shorter time.

Kelli, you need a . Waiting for the scan at this stage is really hard - I remember practically counting the hours, and trying to prepare myself for every outcome, and telling myself that everything MUST be OK and I wasn't going to believe otherwise, but not actually being convinced until the radiographer swivelled the monitor round so I could see for myself.

Embryos do whizz about a lot in the first few weeks, though - they are tiny, and have lots of room to move around, so it's hard to pick up a heartbeat. They don't stay still long enough for the GP surgery standard equipment to pick up the heartbeat. Again, in my experience. I think 12 weeks was my earliest heart monitor success. I hope that's some comfort.



Mol

When I was in utero, all they had was stethoscopes and x-rays. They took a picture of me at a pretty young age because the doc was positive they heard two heartbeats and could palpate two heads and they wanted to know if I was twins. Nope. An echo and a pair of knees in an odd place was the explanation for the phenomenton. I was my mother's third pregnancy and her labor was so short I was born in the car on the way to the hospital. My father's only comment about that: The back seat of that car was never the same after that.