The Big Birth Baddy

With my due date having come and gone now and my induction booked, the nerves are creeping in. I'm not just talking about the usual pre-birth, I don't want to poo myself fear that I've had since the moment that second little line popped up, the normal pregnancy fears, it is so, so much more than that to me.

I've already shared with you Moo's birthing story, and in the grand scheme of things it was actually a rather pleasant experience.

It was the series of events after that shook me up, saw me offered an apology from my local health authority and left me feeling like some kind of evil mother.

Moo was born at 11:47pm and after the usual stitching, cleaning and cuddling, I had a bath and my husband went home. I was taken down onto the ward at around 2am which is where the kind midwife, Amanda, who delivered our daughter, left me. She had to, that was her job, there were other women on the labour ward, she had to go back and I don't dislike her for it.

No one on the post-natal ward came to introduce themselves or ask if I was okay, Moo hadn't had a feed, I was a first-time mother and twenty-four. I didn't have a clue. When I buzzed a couple of hours later, no one came to help me, or thirty minutes later and it wasn't until I was desperately trying to figure out how to change a nappy full of meconium that someone came. To tell me off. My light had disturbed another woman in the room and it was only 5am. The midwife was really short with me when I explained that I didn't know how to feed my daughter and didn't seem to understand that I didn't really know where or how to start. She left within five minutes after tossing some suggestions my way,

Words cannot describe how desperate I was for 9am to roll around and for my husband to be allowed onto the ward (except he slept in by mistake and only made it for 10 because his Nan woke him up). I was so relieved to see him, to know that I was no longer on my own. I had somehow been over-looked at breakfast but as lunch came round, I could only muster a sandwich as the line to get something was so long. A midwife came to tell me I'd be in at least another night because I had allowed my daughter to go 24 hours from waters breaking until contractions and so she was an infection risk and had to be monitored every two hours. I wouldn't of minded had they actually been doing that, but this was the first time I'd seen anyone since the wicked witch at 5am and it was lunch time! Moo still hadn't had a feed but no one had time to stop to help me, I was finally offered breast-feeding assistance at about 4pm by which point I was getting quite panicky about her health. We tried for two hours but were unsuccessful so my husband, with my Dad, pushed for formula to feed her to at least give her something.

It was a further three hours before we were permitted a small bottle of formula to give her as an emergency as she was born with an inverted bottom jaw and so unable to latch. 7pm. She was over nineteen hours old and hadn't had a thing, she guzzled that milk down. The two-hourly checks seemed to diminish into nothing and so I started to demand a self-discharge. I didn't want to be there, they'd done me very little in the ways of care and I could do a better job in my own home. The term 'social services' was mentioned casually...as in, they'd have to be notified if I self-discharged against their advice. I told them fine, I was pretty sure that I was in the right on this. 11pm rolled around, I was ready to go home, everything was packed, and a doctor came to give me some last-minute scare-mongering and to inform me that should anything happen to her in the night, they weren't to be held responsible. 

Coincidently, nothing did happen to Moo in the night. We took her to our GP the next morning and he performed all her first checks, she was perfectly fine and has remained a strong, healthy little girl ever since.

My community midwife was appalled at our treatment and filed a complaint on our behalf but to be honest, what could it do? The treatment we received was down to the busy nature of the ward, the under-staffing, the lack of money. Not the fault of the staff (though they all could've done with an attitude adjustment), it was above their heads.

People say that Bounty are evil, yet the friendliest person outside of my family that I saw on the ward was the Bounty lady...and she didn't even try to take a photo so...y'know...

The hospital's changed now, as I've mentioned before...it's midwife-led only and the ward where I had my nightmare, is closed and sits empty. All consultant-led services were shifted up the coast to Hastings...which would be fine...and will be fine...so long as Bear decides to make an appearance on his own. An induction will have to performed there and will require a stay on the ward. I can feel the panic rise within my chest at the very thought of it. I don't want to stay on a ward where I cannot relax, see my daughter and possibly face a repeat of last time, I honestly don't know how I will cope if it comes to that.

Wish me luck and send me labour vibes! I've got to get this little munchkin out before Saturday!

Clare

Cord Blood Donation

During pregnancy a lot of crazy things happen in your body; you grow a whole person, that's pretty amazing! With growing that person, you also grow a few extra bits that allow baby to live inside of you; your placenta and umbilical cord. Once baby is out and their own individual, separate from you, those 'extras' pretty much become waste. Midwives do say that you can keep and eat your placenta should you wish; it's not something that has ever appealed to me personally, but it is personal choice.

As these bits come out of your body, they contain blood and are highly rich in it too! This blood has a high content of stem cells which can help cure a variety of life-threatening illnesses by helping to restore a patients immune and blood-producing systems. Stem cells from 'cord blood' are very similar to those found in bone marrow and so are crucial in the battle against diseases like leukaemia.

The NHS run a cord-blood bank but only in a limited amount of areas. This is a public cord-blood bank, which means that should you 'donate' your blood, it becomes public domain and can be used on any patient, there are also private cord-blood banks which charge a fee (one-off and annual) which makes your blood available to you only. A lot of people opt to use a private bank by way of security incase someone in their family is taken ill with a stem-cell-taxable illness which is perfectly fine.

That said, when I found out about this, I really wanted to donate my cord blood to the NHS. I give blood, I'm an organ donor and as a parent, I would like to hope that if one of my children was taken ill, someone would've donated something that could save them. I can't afford to store my cord blood privately, and I personally feel that it being available to everyone is better than it only being available to me. My Grandmother died from Leukaemia and so this is something important to me.

Unfortunately, I am not within the catchment area (though if I still lived in Hertfordshire, I would be), so as it stands, this is sadly not an option for me but it might be for you! Please take a look at the website if you're interested!

Clare

My Story Monday - Claire

Hello! Happy Monday! IT'S MY DUE DATE!!

And STILL no baby. Heavy. Sigh.

Anyways, today's My Story Monday features Claire (great name) from What Elsa Wears and is all about the birth of her daughter, Elsa.

Having been off work for almost four weeks I had kept myself busy with overseeing the building of our new conservatory. With a due date of 30th September (5th October according to my dates!) and fully expecting to go two weeks over due I thought I would have plenty of time to get all the jobs done. 

Fortunately I did, but only in the nick of time. On the morning of Thurs 27th Sept our new conservatory sofas were delivered and I headed out to do a bit of shopping. A trip to M&S for some food and off to buy a nest of tables for the conservatory. 

A 2.30pm-ish I was back home, assembling my new tables. I shifted slightly to put in another screw and felt a strange popping sensation and a huge gush of water all over me and the sofa. Fortunately not the new sofa, it was, happily, the leather (wipe clean!) sofa. 

My first thought was 'have I just wee'd myself?', but I was pretty sure that despite my enormous state I was still in full control of my bladder. There was also a very distinctive smell!

This threw me a bit, in the classes we'd been to and the stories I'd heard I couldn't recall anyone mentioning their waters going before any twinges or contractions. I made a phone call to S at work telling him that he probably wouldn't be in work the next day and a phone call to the LGI asking for advice. They told me that there was no rush but to come down as and when so they could have a look at me. 

So at 5.30pm, shortly after S got home, we headed on down to the LGI. I was seen in the Maternity Assessment Centre where they hooked me up to a monitor to do a trace and suggested an internal to check that my waters had actually gone. Fortunately one of the things I did remember from the Antenatal class was to keep any pads if your waters have gone. As I whipped the pads out of my bag the midwife took one sniff (gross, I know) and confirmed that it was definitely my waters and no need to do an internal. Phew, the less poking about up there the better!

I was packed off home and told to come back the following day by 2.30pm if nothing had happened but hopefully sooner. 

Back at home I started to have mild pains around 7.30pm but the quickly progressed to being uncomfortable. I was mindful of the advice of not to leave it too long before using the TENS machine so I popped that on. If you have never used a TENS machine it can only be described as WEIRD. I don't think it did anything to take the pain away, but it was merely a distraction and something else to think about. 

I decided to get an early night as I wasn't sure if I would be having to get up very early in the morning!

Friday 28th September

I didn't have to get up very early. Absolutely nothing happened overnight, I did manage to sleep but not that brilliantly. The contractions had picked up however and were coming every 6 minutes. I spent most of the morning bouncing on my birthing ball and cranking the TENS machine up to the highest level. 

Around midday I mentioned to S that I was a bit concerned not to have felt the baby move all morning. He phone the LGI and they advised us to come down. At this point the contractions were coming every 3-4 minutes. But strangely the 15 minute drive to the LGI seemed to put a stop to the contractions. 

We arrived at the LGI at around 12.30pm and I was put on a monitor to trace the baby's heartbeat. The contractions did start up again but were every 10-15 minutes apart. 

I was told that the delivery ward was full but as soon as a bed became free I would be taken down and they would look at putting me on a drip to get the contractions going again. 

For 5 hours I was on the maternity assessment ward waiting for a delivery room. They were 5 long hours, separated from the other women in labour by a mere curtain. 

At 5.30pm I was told that there was a space for me on delivery so I walked on down. Much to my horror I wasn't put in a delivery room, but what can only be described as the medical stock room. There were three beds, me and two other women in this room where staff kept coming in an out to collect medical supplies from the cupboards. To say I was not happy is the understatement of the year. 

Whilst in this room I started to feel the need for some pain relief. The midwife looking after me suggested co-codamol and went off to get some. 10 minutes later she returned with two paracetamol in hand and advised that I couldn't have co-codamol as there was no doctor available to sign it off! I refused the paracetamol. 

Shortly after this, at around 7pm I was moved to the room in which I would give birth. Room 3. Every time I see the room on One Born Every Minute I have to point out that it is 'our' room!

There was a change of shift at 7.30pm and our lovely midwife Rachel joined us. By this point I was 4cm dilated so I was told that they wouldn't bother with the drip, they would just let things happen naturally. The midwife got the Gas and Air going. This was good for a while but has given me very hazy memories of what happened. 

The Gas and Air made me feel like I was the most drunk I have ever been in my life. S says that I was coherent and having full conversations between contractions but I felt dizzy, sick and didn't know what planet I was on. 

I requested diamorphine. This was not going to plan. The diamorphine brought temporary relief, it let me ease up on the Gas and Air for a while. But I think I had it too late. It didn't do enough. I was exhausted and in absolute agony. 

I did what I said I absolutely would not do. I asked for an epidural. 

I had told S many times that I did not want an epidural and if I asked for one he was to talk me out of it. He did his best, but there is only so much you can say to a mad, screaming pregnant lady. 

An hour after I requested the epidural the anesthetist arrived. This was around 10pm. She put all the tubes in my back and was about to administer the epidural when all the sirens went off. She had to go to an emergency. I think I remained quite calm when she told me she would have to go but would be back as soon as possible to administer the epidural. Inside I wanted to kill someone. 

Two hours later the anesthetist returned. Midnight. The epidural was put in and I could feel nothing. Absolute bliss. 

Saturday 29th September

Once the anesthetist left the midwife examined me. I was 10cm dilated. 

I was told that there was no point pushing as the epidural meant I wouldn't be able to feel it and I should get a couple of hours sleep. There was nothing I could do about it at the time, but with hindsight I am absolutely furious. Had I been examined before the epidural finally went in I probably wouldn't have had it. I had waited those two longs hours for it to be put in and during that time my body had got where it needed to be. 

So I went to sleep. 

At 3am I was woken by the midwife and told it was time to start pushing. 

I pushed and pushed and pushed. I remember the midwife saying that I was doing brilliantly and getting really annoyed with her because I knew I wasn't. Baby wasn't moving anywhere, I was pushing as hard as I could and getting no where. 

At 4am a lady who was probably a doctor came in and said that I had another 30 minutes to get baby out. I think she gave me a bit longer. About 45 minutes later she returned and I was still no closer. 

She told me that they were going to help me. There were three scenarios. The first; forceps delivery where we were, the second; a forceps delivery in surgery if they were struggling, the third; if worst came to worst a c-section. As this point I did not care what happened as long as they got the baby out of me. 

The instruments were wheeled in. Several more people appeared in the room. S saw the instruments lined up and says it's a good job I didn't see them. He couldn't believe the size of the forceps. 

The doctor told me she would give me three contractions to get the baby out before we went to surgery. I felt the scissors cut me and the forceps put in position. On the first contraction, with a big yank on the forceps, her head was born. 

I then had the most bizarre couple of minutes of my life, where everyone was stood around chatting and I was laid with a baby's head between my legs. I could feel her head there, it was a surreal time. 

Her body was born with the next contraction. 

Elsa Florence, born at 5.30am on Saturday 29th September 2012 weighing 8lbs. 

She was put strait on my chest and S cut the cord.

The rest is a bit of a blur. I delivered the placenta and I remember them talking about what a good cord it was, very thick, and holding it up to show me. I have no idea what a good cord looks like, I have nothing to compare it to!

Not long after Elsa was born I started throwing up. I had managed to make it through the whole pregnancy without being sick only to throw up afterwards. 

I was stitched up and taken up to the maternity ward. I was resolutely determined that I would not be spending the night in hospital and we finally managed to get home at 8.30pm that evening. 

My birth didn't go to the plan I had in my head. I had not done a birth plan as I thought I would go with the flow, but as it turns out giving birth is much more difficult than I had ever imagined. My ideas of a water birth went out of the window due to the risk of infection from my waters being broken over 24 hours. My determination not to have an epidural was quickly shot. But it doesn't matter. Elsa got here safely, that is all that matters. 

Although I hope it is a bit easier if I go through it again!

I'd like to thank Claire for sharing her experience here with us today!

If you'd like to share your true birth story then please check out the intro post here.

Clare

Castor Oil

Before I start, I just want to say I'm not a medical professional and I'm simply sharing my own opinions/findings.

I've had enough of this pregnancy malarkey now. He's been imminently coming for the last three weeks now and it's getting a bit daft, I was even told by a midwife four days ago that he'd be here 'within the next couple of days'. I'm still here.

So, I started thinking about ways to help things along. With Moo I tried lots of curries and raspberry tea, she was a day early so the results were inconclusive...so this time around I've tried it all...including Castor Oil. 

There's a lot of contradicting reports on the Internet, however the NHS website reports that it was a successful method for 58% of women in their experiment. 58% not fantastic odds, admittedly but enough to make me think 'alright...let's do this...'.

Castor Oil is incredibly tricky to track down, I eventually picked it up in my local Holland and Barrett for around £9 (yes, I wanted to cry over that price but no more than Bear's head bouncing on my cervix if I'm honest). It is thick, slimy and smells very unpleasant.

The main side-effect is diarrhoea, a lot of people reporting that it gave them violent diarrhoea, nausea and even vomiting, before it did anything to move baby along. How it works, apparently, is that because it is a laxative, it causes your bowel to contract to 'flush you out', this in turn, sets off your uterus with contractions.

I drank 60ml of Castor Oil in approximately 3/4pint of orange juice. I couldn't taste the oil at all, but I could feel it on my tongue. It turned my juice very thick, greasy and 'lumpy'. To make it drinkable I had to stir it vigorously with a spoon before drinking...taking three attempts to drink the lot. It made my lips really greasy (which made me feel sicker than the actual oil itself) and I accidentally dribbled it a little and now cannot get the ghoul stain out of my top!

I suffered from very mild tummy upset, it took three hours to strike, lasted about an hour and then was over.

And then the contractions started, they became regular and strong but not really painful...and after a few hours of regular but not very painful contractions, they fizzled out. I had been waiting for them to go 'somewhere' a bit more concrete before heading to the hospital as I'd already had one false alarm the week previous and with Moo I had I think three in total so I really was reluctant to go until the last minute.

A week has passed and still no baby.

So to summarise...yes, Castor Oil can apparently work for some people, it didn't for me (boo), perhaps you have to have a certain set of circumstances which I did not meet the criteria. Who knows?

Just remember that if you're thinking of giving it a try it might not work and you might be quite poorly for twenty-four hours...if you do decide to try, drink loads so you don't dehydrate (I drank about two letres of water, I didn't need to but I just kept drinking out of paranoia).

Clare

Embracing the Bump - 38 weeks

So it's that time again...I'm still here...still pregnant. Here's Bear's bump at 38 weeks (closer to 39).

I'm hoping there won't be another bump update...keep your Ingres crossed or me!

Clare

Working Benefits in Pregnancy

This is one of two posts going live today on the topic of benefits etc.

So in slight contrast to my other post today, in this one I'm going to be giving some very basic advice on working benefits if you're having your first baby. It can be an incredibly daunting time and not just financially, there is a lot of help out there for working families amd so I'm just going to summarise the basics in strait-forward language. I hope that you find it helpful and please note this isn't a guide for how to milk the system, make lots of money or any such thing, it is simply a guide on what you may be entitled to if you are expecting your first baby and are new to benefits.

Maternity Allowance and Statutory Maternity Pay.

If you're expecting, no doubt you will already know about these but I'll just run through them super quick. If you're working you should be entitled to one or the other (you might even be lucky enough to work for a company that has its own maternity policy). Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) is paid by our employer in the same frequency of your wages. For the first 6 weeks you will receive 90% of our average wage and for the following 33 you will receive approximately £136 (or 90% if lower). You will need to of been employed by your employer for 26 consecutive weeks by the qualifying period (week 15 of your pregnancy) which is about 11 weeks before conception.

Maternity Allowance is what you can claim if you are not eligible for SMP and to qualify you will need to of been employed or in certain circumstances self-employed, for 26 of the 66 weeks before your baby is due. It is paid at the same rate as SMP (£136 or 90% of your average income over the 13 weeks you provide as evidence) so long as you have earns more than £30 a week whilst earning. This is paid either fortnightly or four-weekly (your choice).

Housing Benefit.

Obviously if you are claiming SMP or Maternity Allowance, your income is likely to drop, for some, significantly (for me it was over 50%). If you rent privately, you can apply to your local council for help with your rent. There's no shame in it, it's there for people who need it and I can't think of a better reason than keeping a roof over your head. Be warned, it is a long and lengthy form and process, but anything that eases the strain will be welcome, I am sure. If you are seen as qualifying for housing benefit, please note that it is not based upon the price of your rent, but the 'local housing allowance', a figure that shows the average price of renting a property for the size you need. If you are still expecting when you claim, you will more than likely be assessed against the local housing allowance for a one bedroom property, this is because it'll just be you and you're partner. When baby is born, obviously you will need to inform the,, your entitlement will most likely go up. Check out your local council's website for more information and you can also google your borough name along with 'local housing allowance' to find out what sort of figure you might be looking at. If you have a very low income, you may also be entitled to a council tax reduction (which has recently replaced Council Tax benefit), most housing benefit forms give you the option to apply for both, you may as well if you're struggling or think you might start to, it does no harm. Don't forget if you are a single expectant mother, you should be entitled to a council tax discount before baby is born. How often Housing Benefit is paid is highly dependant on your local council, it is often fort-nightly.

Tax Credits.

There are two main toes of tax credits; working and child. You can claim working tax credits before baby is born if you work over 30 hours, are over 25 and on a low income (around £13000 if you are single, £18000 for couples).

Once baby arrives you can then also claim child tax credits to help with costs and also childcare in certain circumstances. All the information is on the website and to make a claim, you will need to contact the tax credits office to ask for a form. Child tax credits are linked to child benefit and so you don't normally need to send your child's birth certificate off if you are also claiming child benefit.

Child Benefit.

The vast majority of us are entitled to this little bit of money which is paid four-weekly. It's about £20 a week for your first child (lower forconsecutive  children) and normally paid four-weekly. You'll get a form in your free Bounty packs (assuming they haven't been frog-marched from your hospital...), if not you can print one from the HMRC website. You will need to of registered your baby's birth before you apply as you will need the birth certificate as evidence.

There are other things such as sure start maternity grant and milk tokens for people who are on very low incomes, it may be worth checking to see if you qualify for such things.

Even if you are only entitled to some of these things after baby is born, it's worth getting what forms that you can as early as possible and fill in what you can before baby arrives. Having a baby is a manic, busy time and you do not want to be worrying about money on top of all of that, you want to be enjoying your newborn! So fill in what you can in advance, finish it once baby arrives, pop it in the post and try to forget about it to enjoy your new little person!

Please note I'm not a financial expert, just a working mother. Please also be aware that the government is currently in the process of introducing 'Universal Credit' which will combine all of the above benefits into one payment, you may or may don't be in an area that has already introduced this.

Clare

When your waters break first...

Hello all...I'm still here...plodding along like a big, old pregnant hippo (I have the temperament of one at the moment). My thoughts are most definitely on impending labour and so this brings me to today's post.

It was the day before my due date in 2010 and I stood up to go to the loo when gush. My waters broke. My husband didn't believe me and assumed I'd wet myself...there's nothing quite like someone being supportive, right? 

The media would have a lot of us think that this happens all the time, usually in really inconvenient places like a wedding or the supermarket but apparently, this is not the case; you are less likely to have your waters break first than you are for them to break during labour. For most women, contractions are the first sign of labour.

If your waters breaking is the first sign of labour, however, they are more likely to go at night; during the night or like me, when you get up out of bed either for the loo or to get up in the morning. A lot of people will tell you that you will know when it's your waters, and you may well do...but you may not. There has been more than one occasion in the past week where I have thought 'was that my waters'?

It wasn't, FYI, but it just goes to show that even though I have experienced it once, I'm still not 100% sure of what it feels like, I think that's partly my shocking memory skills! I'll get on to ways to tell if your membranes have ruptured or not, further down.

You are more likely to be one of the 25% to have your waters break (or ruptured membranes) first if...

- Your baby is in a back-to-back position. If this is the case, I have one word for you; epidural.

- You have caught an infection.

- An injury has caused a puncture in the sac.

- Your baby is in an oblique position.

- You have an unusual amount of amniotic fluid (too much/little).

Your waters may or may not go with a pop, sometimes it can be a trickle (mine went pop and then trickled). Ways to tell if it's your waters and not wee are...

- It won't stop, it'll just keep trickling. You will have no control over the flow either, unlike urine.

- It will smell different, some people describe it as a sweet smell. Don't be mortified if your midwife gives them a sniff, it's totally normal (if a teensy bit grim).

- It'll take more than a standard towel to keep up, even a maternity pad will need to be changed often.

- They'll be clear (or with a slight pinkish tinge). If they are brown, green or any other colour, including red with blood, seek medical advice immediately.

If you suspect your waters have broken first, call your midwife/delivery unit at the first instance to inform them, they will run you through some questions and probably invite you in for an examination whether your contractions have started or not. They may well start immediately...but they might not. It was over 24 hours until I started to feel even the first twinge of contractions, which is a situation that presents it's own problems.

If you are lucky enough to have your contractions start immediately after your waters break then congratulations, you are well on your way to getting that baby out! It isn't uncommon for waters to break late in labour, or to even have them broken by a medical professional so if yours have broken and your contractions are going too then kudos!

If your contractions don't start immediately, not to worry, most will start within twenty-four hours of your waters going, however with your waters leaking, there is a risk of infection to you and your baby. The longer you go between the rupture and the beginning of labour, the higher the risk of infection. It's not a huge deal, you will be given anti-biotics throughout/after your labour to ensure that you are both protected if twenty-four hours have passed and baby is still not born. If twenty-four hours pass and no contractions have started, you will more than likely be advised to have an induction by your hospital. If you are booked into a birthing centre or midwife-led facility, the time is reduced to eighteen hours, after which your care will be passed on to the nearest consultant-led service.

And that's pretty much it for general things to know if your waters break first. Never be ashamed to call your midwife, doctor or anyone else for advise if you're unsure, no one will laugh or judge you for being overly-cautious...or if you've had a bladder leak. Honest. No matter what you have to say, I'm guaranteed they've seen/heard worse!

If you're reading this, pregnant, good luck, congratulations and you'll be fine!

Clare

3M Nexcare Pregnancy Support

You may of seen me mention before that I suffer from back pain, this is due to an injury as a teenager, the bottom part of my spine is incredibly fragile and has presented problems over the years, it is, however, never more apparent than when I am pregnant.

The larger my bump has grown, the more I have suffered, lugging the weight of Bear around with me has been no easy feat. I realise that there are people every day who deal with far much more but it still hurts, I can't wait to have my body and movements back.

However, in the meantime the company 3M got in contact to tell me about their small range of maternity products (yes, I knew they made post-it notes) and very kindly offered to send me some to try. I was really eager to get the Pregnancy Support belt because of how I had been suffering and once it arrived, I popped it on. 

The instructions came with dialogue and pictures and so were very easy to follow which is good because sometimes me and instructions just don't mesh (especially if they're in poor English) and I instantly felt a difference as I waddled across my living room. I felt more supported, which is obviously the point, but not in a strapped-in sort of way, as if someone had come along and just made my bump lighter which was such a relief. My back was no longer groaning under the weight of lugging Bear around on my front during my day-to-day.

It's easy to attach using Velcro and is elasticated so that it moulds around you and your bump suitably, therefore not being over-tight or too loose. The Pregnancy Support in medium is suitable for pregnant women who are sized 10-18 (I'm a 12 for reference), you can also get a large version for sizes 18-28. The aim of the support is to gently lift your bump to take the pressure off of the rest of your body whilst keeping you nice and comfy.

On the second day I wore it all morning but then had to run an errand to the post office. I decided because it was so hot, and couldn't handle another layer to cover it, to take the belt off as it is not the prettiest thing to wear and is large so does draw attention. Thirty minutes later I returned regretting that decision. I had walked ten minutes down hill, ten minutes doing errands and then ten minutes back up the hill and was in agony, my bump ached as if it were about to drop off of me and my back had just given up completely. I had my daughter and my niece (who is eighteen months) to contend with upon my return and so strapped the belt back on to ease the pressure.

I kept it on for the rest of the day where we went to a garden party with some friends, all mothers. No one batted an eyelid and I felt very silly for being so self-conscious earlier. A lot of the ladies there said what a good idea they were and how badly they had needed one of those at the end of their pregnancy and another woman who is due a month after me, said that she was going to look them up when she got home.

All in all, I'm loving having something to help me lug myself around with but here are my pros and cons...

Pros.
- Eases strain on back and aching bump.
- Easy to put on with clear instructions.
- Easy to take off in a hurry.
- Doesn't need to be removed to use the toilet.
- Latex free!
- Apparently makes my bump look very cute and round?

Cons.
- It's not gorgeous to look at, but lets face it, neither's an arm sling so ho hum.
- I spent the afternoon sat on grass and the bottom of the band did start to cut into my hips after a couple of hours so not ideal unless sitting conventionally (which most people do).
- You have to be careful when taking it off that the Velcro doesn't flip about and stick onto things it shouldn't as I've managed to very lightly fray one of the straps by not being careful enough on my first use.

I'm really happy with the Pregnancy Support and would recommend it to anyone who's really feeling like their suffering with back and abdomen aches and pains in pregnancy. It costs £35.99 direct from 3M, Amazon and the NCT.

For 20% off at 3M's online shop enter the code 3Mmaternity01.

Clare

Please note I was sent this item for the purposes of review, however all thoughts and opinions are my own and I was not otherwise compensated for this post.

Hospital Bag

Okay so I'm sure you're aware, the time is drawing near for me to pack up myself and my husband and ship off to the local hospital to give birth. When I had Moo I packed everything. I read and re-read and dissected about a million checklists online and in books to pick the exacts of what it was I needed to take with me. I was a woman possessed with being organised down to perfection.

And then she was born and I couldn't for the life of me find one of the three hats I had packed (why I thought I needed that many I don't know).

So this time around I've decided to pack more wisely, a huge deciding factor being that iPad the first sign of trouble I will be shipped off to another hospital, so packing light is going to be a must. Here's what I'm taking...

- Newborn nappies.

- Baby wipes.

- Travel changing mat.

- Rattle.

- 3x sleep suits.

- 3x vests.

- 2x scratch mitts.

- 2x socks.

- Hat.

- Coming home outfit.

- Blanket from home.

- Pyjamas.

- Slipper socks.

- Wash bag (toothbrush, toothpaste, flannel, shower gel, moisturiser, deodorant, lip balm).

- Comfortable bra.

- Cheap underwear.

- Maternity pads.

Not pictured I'm also taking a bikini top for the birthing pool, breast pads, my handbag because I never leave home without it and my maternity notes. My husband will have his own bag that will probably have his iPod and speaker, a magazine and a bottle of squash in which are things I also recommend. I'm hoping he remembers his phone charger also...

One thing I will admit to be unsure on at the moment is feeding equipment. I have a travel, single bottle steriliser with instructions and small bottle for formula feeding. With Moo I didn't take such things because I was so sure that I would breast feed, it was something I wanted to do and why not? It's a very natural thing?

I didn't factor into my birth plan, however, that old saying about the best laid plans of mice and men...Moo was born with an inverted bottom jaw (an overbite, basically) and I have a rather large bosom, shall we say. The two combined turned out to be a recipe of disaster. Multiple midwives tried to help me and her, we worked away at it for hours and I was devastated. After being alive for seventeen hours and having nothing in her stomach, my husband put his foot down and she was classified an emergency. They gave us formula as we had nothing with us (though had things at home). This is really a story for another time, as the aftercare we received with Maddy was not fantastic and I'm sure it's multiple situations like ours that contributed to the downgrading of our local services.

So this time I know that breast-feeding might not be on the agenda no matter how hard I try. I'm not going to beat myself up about it, I have had two very easy pregnancies in comparison to a lot of women and Moo's birth was strait-forward, I'm not super woman and natural or not, my body might not be able to do it. I am going to give it my hardest like I did before but I certainly won't be allowing my baby to starve for seventeen hours again (I hope that seventeen hours after birth, I'll be home). I have no excuse not to be prepared this time around, I think I will leave my feeding equipment in a separate bag in the car, then my husband can fetch should we need.

So that's my hospital bag! Please remember that this is not what I think every woman should take to the hospital with them. We are all different and I have made my decisions based on previous experience, the facilities I plan and may potentially go to, as well as the time of year that I'm due.

I will say, make sure you definitely have plenty of funds on you, cash or bank card, especially if it's your first baby...labour can take forever and those televisions aren't free!!

Clare

Guest Posts

Just a quick update to link you to some guests posts I've done recently for some fabulous websites.

Budgeting Tips for Mums featured on the website Mums Plus Business, which is a fantastic resource for working mothers looking for support and help with working around having a family. When I'm ready to return to work, it'll be this site I turn to for advice on my options?

My Birth Plan was another post I wrote for #BeebiesBumpWatch with Beebies Baby Store, I even got my own hash tag! #TryNotToPoo

I'll be linking these into my archives for future reference.

Clare

Embracing the Bump - 36 Weeks

The time is getting much, much closer. Bear's managed to get his head in the right place (he's ahead of his sister on that front), and is well and truly on his way. I'm on day three now of near constant Braxton Hicks, so I'm hoping that might be a sign that he'll be here sooner rather than later as I'm quite tired of lugging so much of myself around!!

So here he is at 36 weeks!

Clare

Sanctuary Mum To Be Shower Cream

At my recent baby shower, a friend gave me a huge bottle of Sanctuary Mum To Be 2-in-1 Shower Cream. I've been using it for about a week now and so I figured it was high time for a review. When I was pregnant with Moo in 2010 I tried a few of the Sanctuary Mum To Be products, and I really enjoyed them so I had high expectations for this product.

The shower cream is exactly that, creamy. It feels incredibly indulgent and soothing on the skin and because of it's thicker than average texture, it doesn't come out of the nozzle too fast. It goes onto the skin wonderfully, and a little does go a long way.

It smells utterly Devine and the scent lingers on the skin for a long while afterwards which is typically what you would expect from a high-end product. It's described as containing rice bran, organic rose hip and sunflower, a luxurious combination and lists being paragon-free and hypoallergenic as two of it's selling points.

Pros.

- Smells fantastic with a long-lasting effect.

- Soothing on stretched skin.

- A little goes a long way.

Cons.

- Price; at £6.50 it's not the sort of thing you're likely to buy yourself for everyday showering though does make a wonderful gift.

I'm really enjoying using the shower cream and will be gutted when it's finished and I have to go back normal shower gel...but with only five weeks left of pregnancy, I suppose I can't drag it out forever!

Sanctuary Spa Mum To Be 2-in-1 Shower Cream 250ml £6.50 Boots

Clare

Please note, this product was given to me as a gift by a friend. I have received no compensation or payment for this review.

My Story Monday - Caroline

Happy Monday!! Today Caroline has kindly offered to share her true birthing story with us. Caroline is a British military wife, living in Germany and this is her experience of giving birth abroad.

Sunday 24th February 2013
The husband and I arrived at the local hospital at 8am for our pre-arranged potential induction appointment.  As he was meant to be in Kenya at this point (on an army exercise) and was pushing his flight back on a daily basis we were very hopeful that, as I was by now 7 days overdue, the midwives and doctors would look kindly on us and start pumping me with the necessary drugs to get things moving.  I understand that in some people's eyes my decision to be induced was controversial but I really wanted my husband to be there for the birth of our first child and knew that if I went much further overdue this would be impossible.  Thankfully we got the green light, had a lovely final scan (where I was told "he is not a small baby" - er thanks for that just as I am about to be put into labour) and after I had removed three fingers worth of my Shellac manicure (sob) off we went to the little room to get the first pills.  It appears that my boy just needed a bit of encouragement to make his appearance as my contractions started very quickly.  At this point they were also pretty much pain free and I came to the conclusion that if they carried on in this way it would all be pretty easy - HAHAHAHAHA!!!  The rest of Sunday passed in a blur of tablets every four hours, regular but easy contractions and being rigged up to the ECG machine.  At 6pm they made me cry by saying that there would be no more tablets until Monday -  at this point I just wanted him out as I was increasingly worried about having to wave my husband off from the hospital whilst still in labour - so we went to our very lovely room (a three bed room we had all to ourselves) and watched the rather limited TV.  Army people will know that BFBS has its limitations particularly when you only have BFBS 1.......  The husband went home about 10.30pm leaving me to Dancing on Ice, 'mineralwasser mit sprudel' and some Happy Cherry Haribo (I don't know what they do to teabags over here to make tea taste so weird but it is to be avoided at all costs)  I then endeavoured to get some sleep but this was made nigh on impossible by the fact that the lady next door had had twins and kept wheeling them up and down the corridor outside my room whilst they screamed blue murder.

Monday 25th February - Tuesday 26th February 2013
At 2am I felt an enormous kick and heard an enormous pop (hadn't expected that!) and my waters broke.  Instantly the 'easy' contractions ceased and were replaced with proper ones.  I pressed my call button and the midwives came instantly to check me over before returning with the ECG machine.  At 6am they started me on the induction drugs again and I decided it was time to wake the husband up and get him back to the hospital.  Once he arrived he rigged me up to the TENs machine (a pleasant distraction which ultimately became hugely irritating) and we got into the routine of contractions, grabbing some fresh air and being hooked up to the ECG machine.  The midwives were insistent on me lying down when on the ECG but after I vomited all over the floor (we were on our own in the room and couldn't find a bowl anywhere) they let me stand up which was much easier.  At about 5pm I asked if I could have a bath and then spent a blissful hour emerged in very hot water being looked after by a lovely student midwife.  Unfortunately this came to an end when my baby's heart-rate shot up and I was made to get out.  Interestingly, his heart rate stayed high until I had been for a wee - guess he was squashed - but they wouldn't let me back in the bath again.....  Instead they gave me a water IV and said it would help with the pain - it doesn't.
At about 10pm I decided I had had enough and asked for some pain relief.  It is not common for German hospitals to offer gas and air (some have it just for the British Army patients but my local hospital doesn't) and so this was not an option.  They offered an epidural and at 32 hours in with very little sleep I willingly accepted.  The anaesthetist came almost immediately and within minutes I was entering a blissed out state of no pain and managing to doze a little bit (as did my husband who was brought his own bed so that he could also get his head down)  Two hours later they gave me a top up (bliss!) but after this it all started to go a bit downhill.....  At 2am I informed them that I could feel my contractions again. "That is right Mrs_____, it is soon time for you to push.  Your body knows what to do" Unfortunately, having lost the momentum of labour thanks to the epidural my body didn't really know what to do and I couldn't really do what I was meant to be doing.  I can remember them making me kneel on the bed with my arms on the raised head end and I can remember getting infuriated that they kept tring to cover my bottom with a sheet (ummmm I think I have already lost all dignity so I wouldn't bother now!)  When I was unable to push properly the senior midwife put her hand inside me and told me to bear down on it.  That was almost more painful than the contractions.  She then told me that if the baby didn't come in the next two hours they would need to intervene.  At this point I was more than happy for them to wheel me off to theatre there and then as I couldn't possibly see how I was going to give birth naturally.  They then gave me some homeopathic tablets and told me they would help - they don't.  They simply tasted of weird mints - if I wanted some fake polo mints I would bring some.  The next hour passed in a blur before my legs were shoved in stirrups and a doctor arrived with the ventouse equipment.  At 0602 my little boy was sucked out of me and put on my chest under a mountain of duvets and blankets "he might be an English baby but he has been born in a German hospital.  Cover him up!!"  I was then kept in the stirrups whilst a doctor who spoke no English (the midwife translated so everything was said twice which made it feel like everything took FOREVER) stitched me up.  The husband was asked to bring the baby over to be checked and was told "do not turn around!" so as to not be exposed to my lady parts in all their third degree tear glory.  The stitching took what seemed like forever but eventually I was allowed to put my legs down (bliss!) and we got moved back to our room on the ward.  I subsequently stayed in hospital for 48 hours (it is normal to stay in for up to a week in Germany so the nurses thought I was insane for going home so early) during which we got told off for any number of things (him not wearing a hat, him wearing a hat, not using the fishtank to wheel him around etc etc etc etc) and we had one night at home as a new little family before my husband flew out to Kenya for the next six weeks.  Thanks to amazing family and friends the time flew by and he was soon back to get to know his little boy.

Having never given birth before I can't compare Germany to anywhere else but I thought it would be interesting to put a list of pros and cons to giving birth here so that if I do ever have a baby in the UK I can compare.

Pros:

• The hospital feels a bit like a hotel!
• High staffing ratio meant I was never without a student midwife and had excellent access to fully qualified midwives - on the Sunday we were the only people on the delivery ward initially!
• Time in hospital to make sure you feel confident, the baby is feeding (and help with breastfeeding if that is the route you take)
• Liaison officers make sure that (in most cases) things do not get lost in translation
• Very pro natural birth and breast feeding
• Loads of scans throughout pregnancy and when you are induced/go into labour
• Single rooms or shared with only one other person
• AMAZING cakes with lunch

Cons:

• Cultural differences meant we got told off constantly for our baby not wearing enough clothes despite the hospital being absolutely boiling
• Taking away my Epidural - my British midwife couldn't understand why this had been done and nor could my Dad (who is a GP) - which meant I lost momentum.  If they had made it clear that this would be done I might have persevered without it.
• No gas and air.
• There is only so much bread, meat and cheese for breakfast and dinner you can eat
• BFBS tv is not that great so next time  will load up the iPad.

Many thanks to Caroline for sharing with us today, she blogs over at Adventures of a Military Wife Abroad and you can follow her on Twitter here!

If you'd like to share your story, please take a look at the intro post here.

Clare

Please note that Caroline's birthing story was taken directly from her blog with her permission.

Embracing the Bump - 33 weeks

Here's Bear at 33 weeks. Sort of had enough now, I know that's awful. Bad mummy. Sorry. It's just too hot!!

Clare

A Pregnant Guide to Disneyland Paris

Bonjour!

I love Disney.

I realise that's not terribly uncommon for a woman of my age...having grown up with it literally everywhere, but I do. Perhaps not the extent of some, I don't plaster it everywhere, but I certainly love and appreciate the magic of it all. I love that I can allow Moo to watch a Disney film and know that yes, although it might have sad and scary parts, the point is this; they are children, they are innocent...the world can be a horrible place but right now, princesses and pirates are real and totally awesome.

We did two days in Disneyland Paris last month and it was my first ever time in a Disney park with a child (my mother-in-law thought that was hilarious). I've been previously with family and last year the husband and I did three nights in Paris and then a fortnight in Florida for our honeymoon. Going with a child is a whole new experience, the magic, the wonder, the slow speed at which you have to move...fantastic and frustrating all at once.

Before we went I anticipated that I would be able to go on a few rides, not the obvious ones, but a few...ha. Well, I had a bit of a come down...there is hardly anything that an expectant mother can go on so if you're preggers and planning a trip, I'm so sorry to tell you that the tea cups and yes, even slinky dog is a no go.

But do not despair as there is something far cooler to be up for grabs if you're 'with child'. It's called an Easy Access Pass and is essentially a super fast pass. The Easy Access Pass (or EAP) can be obtained from City Hall in Main Street USA (Disneyland Park) or from Studio Services (Walt Disney Studios), it's a few minutes of red tape (if you're not obviously pregnant then you will need proof) but well worth it!

With the EAP you can avoid the lines and gain quick and easy access to the rides and attractions that you can go on. You use the exit (which is often also the disabled entrance) and show your pass, bypassing the entire queue! Now, numbers...the pass says you and one other, your 'carer' (oh how everyone laughed at me for that), however this is dependant on what it is you're doing and who you are with. As I had a toddler, there was no way I could've managed on my own on some rides and so it was my husband and my daughter who went on things with me. The only ride I wasn't allowed my husband to join us was Lancelot's Carousel in Fantasyland in the main park. Which was fine as we sat in the carriage for the ride as opposed to horses...because let's face it, at 31 weeks pregnant, I was never going to get onto a carousel horse so you can understand why they said no to that.

But wait, there's more! Come parade time there are two designated areas (one in front of City Hall and the other down by the castle) that allow you to get a fantastic, non-shovey view of the parade). We opted for down by the castle and were not disappointed. We had a stone bench from which, even with quite a few people in front of us right at the ropes, we had a perfect view of every float and character. It was the best view of a parade in Disney I have ever had and almost worth not being able to get on Pirates of the Caribbean or Tower of Terror...almost.

There's not a lot you can get on in the studios. The Studio Tram Tour and all the shows (though I'm not sure if I'd recommend the stunt show if you're expecting and/or have a younger child that doesn't like loud noises) are about it which is a shame so you'll have a lot of waiting on the sidelines if you have other children.

In the main park you have more choice, top ones being the carousel, Buzz Lightyear and It's a Small World.

You'll still be sore from trudging though so make sure that when your little darlings are queuing an hour for Dumbo that you sit down and eat a waffle (though don't expect anyone to give their seat up for you...no matter how hot and pregnant you look) and drink plenty of water!

Above all, have a great time, enjoy your children being children and remember...when you wish upon a star your dreams come true.

Yes...I did actually type that.

Sorry.

Clare