Pregnant runners' club

11415171920610

Comments

  • thanks girls! i'm only 26 weeks at the moment, so just about 6 months. plenty of time for him to turn (as the doctors said on saturday - 'you'll probably have a REALLY uncomfortable week in a few weeks time when he turns around!'. oh joy!). it's just he was in this position for the 20 week scan as well (although he did flip over onto his back at one point then , but quickly flipped back again), so the sonographer commented that it seemed as though he liked it in this position, which made me wonder whether he might just stick this way.

    no point worrying about it though. i'm being a good girl and sitting on my swiss ball (even got rid of the office chair and sitting on one all day at my desk now!). you can only really do so much, i guess!

    when i went for my last midwife's appt, she wrote in my notes that he was cephalic, but i'm pretty sure he wasn't. this is the same midwife who can't spell, didn't know what a nuchal scan was, and couldn't answer my questions on how far apart movements are supposed to be to 'count' (ie i can feel 10 movements in 30 seconds, so i assume that doesn't count as my 10 movements for the day, but she couldn't be more specific!). so i don't have oodles of faith in her!

    the little blighter is kicking away like MAD at the moment. my poor poor bladder!
  • MinksMinks ✭✭✭
    Sorry for being dim, but what's "cephalic"?
  • Cephalic means "head down".
    You all know my view on midwives so I won't repeat it ;o)

    The whole 10 movements thing is a real bone of contention too - my baby moved non-stop, therefore I was told that if I noticed a significant reduction in movement I should perhaps consider raising it with the midwife / GP. But for some people they experience very little movement, therefore if "normal" is 3 movements a day, then 1 or none would be cause for concern versus someone like me who would experience perhaps 50 movements a day going down to 10 or 15....

    The whole thing is so individual - it's no wonder we all worry about every little thing.
  • I went to see the midwife at 34 weeks and she couldn't find my baby's head!!! And a friend of mine had a doppler and the midwife said she couldn't hear the baby's heartbeat at 24 weeks, but 'not to woory about that'!!! I'm sure there are some great midwives too, my friend is one of them..

    Oh, about breastfeeding, I think it is lovely to do, Liesje is still fully breastfed, but I wasn't breastfed and had my first course of antibiotics at 29 and am rarely ill, so please don't ever feel guilty if you stuggle with it or decide to bottlefeed. I have a friend in Holland with 4 boys. She decided not to breastfeed the third as the other two were still very little. He was diagnosed with asthma and she thought it was because she hadn't breastfed him. So she breastfed the fourth, juggling life with four little children,sore nipples, thrush and then found out he also has asthma and he was in hospital with bronchiolitis too!!!

    Liesje turned at 34-35 weeks, whilst I was having dinner. It was a bit like the Alien film when it happened. She then stayed breech and I chose to have the caesarian, just think a vaginal delivery is quite risky for a breech baby, but that is my personal view.. Better go and pack my bag now, yes jetting about quite a bit, Liesje has so far been to Holland three times, France, Belgium and North Wales!! She's a great little traveller luckily, not bothered at all by being on a plane! My little sister is due in about 10 days, so we'll be off to Holland again soon to see her!
  • wow, it's all such a minefield, isn't it?

    i really hope the little chap decides to turn and stay turned, but there's not much i can do about it if he doesn't! i know for a fact that they don't do vaginal breech deliveries in my area because people have been whisked in for c-sections when they've gone into labour and the midwives have realised the baby is breech. i'm not sure what they do if you refuse to give your consent for a c-section, though, but i guess if it got to that stage, you probably wouldn't force the issue!

    i'm sure there are lots of excellent midwives. i've just not had that much luck because my midwife is off on long term sick and i've seen a whole string of 'replacement' midwives, none of whom have been particularly inspiring. on the last two occasions, i've seen the same one, and she's nice enough but really not very convincing as a midwife!

    on the subject of breastfeeding - my mum did give it a go, but she gave up after about 3 weeks or so and i was then formula fed. i had terrible skin trouble and a very bad stomach as a baby and child, and when i was about 10, they diagnosed me with a milk intolerance, so there's a chance that formula feeding was not the best option for me. but i still grew fine and am healthy enough now, so no long term damage. i am a bit paranoid about formula for that reason, though, because i had both asthma and excema as a child, and still get wheezy if i have too much milk. my caramel macchiatos are made with soya milk ;-). hopefully, our little one will not inherit my 'intolerant' disposition! i'm steering clear of the peanuts, as they advise, and am seriously thinking of cutting out all dairy when i do breastfeed (at the moment, i have a mix of goats and soya milk at home, and only have cows milk when out and about).
  • I feel so queasy. How did you get through it? Am much worse than last time. Can barely bring myself to eat anything. What did you guys eat? Have gone off fruit and salad, veg tasted grim last too, tea and coffee. Mashed potato is good, just had some of that cold. Feel horrific, nearly threw up in the pool this morning, not sure will be making it there very often when I feel like this. I am quite small so aware need to keep eating but really struggling as have gone off all things I usually love. Hard to eat healthily too when fruit and veg taste horrid!
  • ((Mitchie Moo))
    Can't really help I'm afraid as I also had horrendous morning sickness (well, all day sickness) but lived on fruit - mainly melon. I did find that Orange Lucozade was brilliant too, and still drink it even now I'm no longer preggers!
  • I will disappear on just fruit, but fruit tastes so grim its off the menu for now anyway. Most artificially sweet stuff is pretty yuk too. Looks like plain mash, plain rice etc may work. Hard to know when bring food into work what will work. Have eaten or rather tried everything have brought in except banana which the thought of makes me feel sick. So not sure what I eat for the rest of the day now. Just four hours to go at least till I can go home and crawl into bed!
  • ((Mitchie Moo)) - poor you. Little & often might help. Crackers sometimes helped me, ginger nut biscuits also.

    Caramel - my little boy has both excema and asthma and he was exclusively breastfed so in some ways it must be luck of the draw. What I will say though is that his first hospital admission took place the week after I stopped breastfeeding him at 18 months so I am sure that the breastfeeding provided him with extra immunity (doctors are always interested when they hear this).
  • mitchie moo - sorry to hear you feel so grim. don't worry about eating healthily when you feel rubbish - just eat whatever you can stomach. try eating little and often - so just a few dry crackers, some dried apricots (i found dried fruit REALLY good, and also crystallised ginger, but not everyone likes that), whatever you can handle. don't worry about eating proper meals - just eat what you can. and don't forget, unless you are being very very sick and can't keep down water, there's no risk to your baby from you feeling or being sick. your baby will steal everything it needs from you and you will feel rubbish - but it will be fine!

    and - it's not much consolation, but feeling sick is a very good sign!
  • sianh - sorry to hear your little lad has excema and asthma. i'm sure it is the luck of the draw. i wasn't very bad with excema or asthma as a child - it was more an annoyance factor, really. but i was also very allergic to cats and dogs, wheat (had to be hospitalised on several occasions) and fairly bad with dairy and eggs as well. interestingly, i'm just about fine now (we even have 4 cats!) - although not wonderful with dairy still. i do worry about whether little one will also be intolerant of things, but you can't do anything to prevent it completely.

    and you do at least know that you gave your little chap the best start in life by breastfeeding him for as long as you did.

    my stomach and skin problems started as soon as i went onto formula, according to my mum. i don't think at the time that anyone would have linked the two things - and i don't think soya formula would have been around in those days anyway (not that it's necessarily much better apparently for an allergic-y child).

    have just had a bit of a disastrous run. well, the weather's lovely and it was nice to be out but i had to turn around and head back after about 1.5 miles due to really really bad stitch. i think my running days are now numbered :-(((
  • Caramel - Sorry to hear that your run didn't go well - you've done really well - just see how it goes.
  • Thanks guys. Finding it very hard to work at all. Will buy some crackers on the way home. Not actually sick just very nauseous. Was like this last time, but not as bad. So fingers crossed for thursday.
  • Sorry way behind - been a bit busy!
    Just wanted to add a note on breast feeding. I agree with the general views that you need to do what is best and what works for you.

    I started Sadie on the breast and we got off to a great start. I was lucky and although frantic the MW's were very helpful in getting her to latch on correctly (avoiding sore nipples etc).

    As my husband and I were switching roles at 4 months (me back to work him at home with Sadie) I was very mindful that she got used to formula and bottles too. Also I wanted DH to be involved, so a few feeds were formula. The formula feed helped her sleep through too as you could see what she was taking in.

    I know some women express when back at work and I have upmost respect for them. I felt that balancing a demanding job, returing to work etc it was too much for me.

    I wanted Sadie to feed until a few weeks before I went back, but being the independantly little thing she is she made her own mind up. At 2.5 - 3 months she would not feed from me anymore. All she wanted as the bottle.

    I was devastated, felt like I had failed and was not doing the best for her. The HV made me feel like a failure too. After a lot of misery, I realised, Sadie was happy & I had some independance back so stopped punishing myself. Running was a lot more comfortable too!

    I agree that breast is a great start for your baby, but any amount you achieve is should be regarded as a success. Sadie is a very healthy little girl, who is very rarely ill despite all the play group coughs and sneezes.

  • Couldn't agree more with everything on here re: breastfeeding. I breastfed exclusively for 6 weeks, half and half for another 6 weeks and then formula from 12 weeks and my little chap is the picture of health!
    I have listed my reasons before, so won't do it again, but never once did the HV or MW suggest half and half (breast & formula) and yet I know that it can work really well (in the end my milk just dried up so I had to swap to fulltime formula).

    One of my friends was so desperate to breastfeed because of pressure from the HV that her little girl almost got ill from it - it turned out that she had a poor milk supply (she is extremely petite) so her baby didn't gain any weight, was listless and dehydrated and yet no one gave her any good advice. In fact they were suggesting that her baby was suffering from some unexplainable disease - as soon as she introduced formula she put on weight, improved in developmental stuff and they both came on leaps and bounds. It was an incredibly stressful time for her and her partner as a result and completely unnecessary. It was thanks to the pediatrician that they got sorted with a different feeding regime. There can be a very blinkered view on what is "best".

  • Hi, I have a quick question about pediatricians. I know it's not necessarily the place, but Hegs mentioned one and I'm wondering what you can do in this country (I'm french and before having a baby I had never to see a doctor in the UK) to see a pediatrician?
    Hegs, did your friend pay to see a specialist, or can we/must we have a referral from the GP? I think my GP is useless so I want to get ready if I ever feel I need to take Liya to a pediatrician.
    Thanks and sorry about daft question!
  • Correct me if I am wrong, but even to see a specialist privately (i.e. pay)you generally need a referal letter from your GP.

    I have private health and would presume that the process is the same regardless of the specialism.

  • mum2liya

    yes - you would have to get a referral from a GP to see a paediatrician, even if you went privately.

    if you are serious about being unhappy with your GP, you have the right to change GPs or surgeries - although that's not much good where I live, because the surgery I'm registered with is the ONLY one in the area which is still taking on patients, so I couldn't transfer to another one even if I wanted to! fortunately, they seem to be OK at our surgery - at least, one of the GPs is very nice. the other is as old as the ark and very difficult to understand (he's Chinese), although he does seem to be quite sweet - from what I've managed to fathom out when he talks to me!
  • Yes - referral is needed as the others say already.
    Because my baby (and in fact my friend's baby too) needed to be in Neonatal Intensive Care straight after birth, they were registered with a pediatrician from birth which was handy (for her, I, fortunately, haven't needed to get my little chappie seen since then).
    And you should absolutely make sure you have a GP you have faith in - I feel really strongly about this - it's what we pay our taxes for!

    Hegs x
  • Thanks Clare, Hegs and CM for the confirmation. We're hoping to move quite soon, so that'll be the right opportunity to change GPs.
  • boing for yvette. hope you come and join us!

    hope everyone else is well.

    i'm seriously considering hanging up my running shoes now after yesterday's run. there was a very unfortunate no. 2 moment. it happened on my last run, as well, but i dived into the bushes in time. on yesterday's run - there were no bushes.

    i shall say no more...

    as if that wasn't bad enough, the stitch was just awful yesterday and walking back (well, i couldn't really run in the state i was in!), i could hardly stand up straight.

    i guess it's just the effect of the baby bouncing away inside. must be bashing around against my bowels as well as my bladder!

    i went for a swim at lunchtime today. it's nice, but JUST NOT THE SAME (although no nasty side effects!)

    i am fed up, though.

    :-(((
  • I have just been for a 4 mile plod considerably slower than I usually run, foot was a bit sore to start but warmed up. Felt pretty awful during the run but now feel much better for it. I seem to have a bump already and shorts felt quite tight on me. Had to run very slowly to keep below 140 too. Not sure how long can run if feel like that already. Am now munching through crackers, they do seem to help the sickness. Am struggling to drink liquids though, is this normal as they make me feel sick. Was so bad last night I couldn't do anything and had to start eating crackers at 4.30am. I guess all good signs though as you say. only 36 hours to go till scan!
  • mitchie moo

    re: liquids - try sipping slowly and tiny amounts. if you drink too quickly, it makes you feel even queasier. and try drinking anything and everything. i drank flat ginger beer, which sounds revolting, but was actually a god send. also hot ribena...

    the tight shorts are probably - although not necessarily - due to bloating. you can get that early on.

    on the HR - i haven't kept to below 140, although i did in the first few weeks. my midwife said, as long you stay below 160, it's fine. i must admit, i've stopped wearing my HRM now, because i've slowed so much that i can't POSSIBLY be overdoing it! i found the best measure was how i actually felt. i used to heave and heave during runs if i went too fast. then i got really bad stitch if i went too fast. now, i think i have to give it up completely because of the aforementioned problem in previous post! so, if you don't feel too grim, i wouldn't worry about sticking to 140 bpm unless you are particularly worried about it.

  • ((Caramel & Mitchie Moo))

    Also, sorry Caramel but it did make me giggle (in a nice way) just a wee bit ;o)

    The joys and indignities of pregnancy!! Far more to come let me assure you!!
  • hegs - it's fine. it is actually quite funny. and i'm not a stranger to runners' trots, even when not pregnant! but this really was dire, yesterday, and i had almost no warning - not that it would have been any good anyway, because there was nowhere to hide on that run!

    all the other mothers-to-be in my NCT group were being squeamish about poo-ing during labour. i have to say - i'm really not bothered about that AT all. perhaps i've been desensitised somewhat due to my running experiences.

    the teacher was saying that most likely you wouldn't even know you had done a poo during labour, because the midwife would just clear it away and you probably wouldn't even see it. there's NO way my husband would let me get away with that. he'd be bouncing off the walls shouting 'lou has done a poo! lou has done a poo!'

    right - that's enough talk of poo for now, or poor mitchie moo will be feeling EVEN worse!

    :-)
  • Hi to all the Mums and Mums to be and bumps and those trying.

    Well back at work after my weeks holiday in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt. Must admit i was still feeling a bit queasy (still am) and tired and with the heat and the two hour time differnce, i have just had the laziest holiday ever, did very little apart from relax and sip lots of soft drinks !!!! The hotel we were in was amazing, absolutely spotless, gorgeous gardens, private beach, 5 restaurants, staff were all very friendly and couldn't do enough for you. The resort was nice as well and the weather really warm, must have been at least 30C most days. Because it was so warm most of the excursions left really early in the morning and i just didn't have the inclination to get up at 5.30am on holiday, but loads of lovely trips we could have done and hopefully will do when we go back some day. Didn't see the pyramids, would have cost £175 each to fly, or £75 by coach, 6 hours there and 6 hours back so we gave that a miss. Only downside was the airport which was far too small for the number of flights coming in and a bit of a nightmare to get through, however they are supposed to be extending it sometime soon. Also transfers from the airport to our hotel took an hour despite being only 10 miles away, would recommend anyone to just jump in a taxi, although remember to agree price with driver first. Can't remember who asked me about it being child friendly, but i'd say so, loads of folk there with their kids and they all seemed to be happy enough.
  • Apparently it is highly unlikely that you will poo during labour since a common symptom of the start of labour is an upset tum.
    To make you all feel better, I had to be induced at very short notice due to my pre-eclampsia taking a very dramatic turn for the worse, and was totally unprepared. I was wearing the skimpiest of string undies and ended up waddling around knockkneed trying to keep a great big maternity pad clamped between my thighs...

    Probably a little more info than you needed, but my husband was completely p***ing himself laughing at me as due to my bump the hospital gown gave a great rear view ;o)

    Ended up having a c-section anyway, so it was all a bit pointless!!

    NB. My advice is to get some very big post-delivery pants in case you need a c-section - the ones I had were awful as they stopped right where the incision was and were not very comfortable as a result.

    Hegs x
  • maternity pads... big knickers... oh so glam

    :-)
  • How did you guys cope with working while feeling so sick? I am really struggling at work, and yet very reluctant to tell my boss yet. This time of day especially, have to go to bed when I get home. Am lucky as only work 4 days a week, I reduced my hours after my MC, but am still finding it hard going with this nausea.
  • ((Mitchie Moo)) - it's pretty difficult. At the height of my nausea, I was retching on and off all day, and I was sitting in a tiny, stuffy office in a council building in Wiltshire with 4 blokes, with a combination lock on the door that I wasn't allowed the code to. So if I went outside to retch, I had to knock to get someone to let me in again. So I just had to sit and try and retch silently, which is a bit like trying to stifle a sneeze. You can manage the first one, but it just builds up and builds up... No-one said anything - but given they were blokes, they probably didn't actually notice.

    There isn't really an easy answer to managing the nausea. If it's getting too hard, you may have to think about telling your boss, or going to the GP and getting signed off if it's so bad that you really can't work.

    Just try to keep snacking away and don't let yourself get hungry.

    Also - if you find that you feel really grim at this time of day, try sipping some lucozade sport or something similar if you can face it. It may be a dip in blood sugar levels.

    Some people find that wearing one of those wrist bands for travel sickness helps - I didn't actually try them, but if you're desperate, give it a go...
Sign In or Register to comment.