October 2012 Due Date?

Thanks Taurusbaby and ScottishGal4. The kicking and moving shouldn't stop although it may become less frequent as you get bigger and there is less room. If you ever become worried about less movement have a glass of cold water, this wakes the baby up! Anyway I don't mind sharing my birth story which is a bit bizarre to say the least. Just to explain the first time around I was in the UK and after a long labour of around 27 hours, the doctors decided to do an emergency c section as my baby's heart rate had been high for a while and the baby was in distress. So the second time around here in Dubai I opted for an elective c section as I had been told that if you are in labour for 10-12 hours they would want to give you a c section so I thought what's the point in waiting all that time?! I was booked in for Wednesday, a week before my due date at 9 am. I had a feeling I wouldn't make it because the pressure down below had been intense for weeks. The baby moved down at around 33 weeks whereas the first baby tends to move down around 37 weeks. I have never experienced Braxton Hicks nor contractions that start and then stop and even the first time around it was only when the labour actually started that I had my first contraction. On Sunday night I was feeling a lot of pressure down below and it was coming in waves. I just thought it was part of my body's process of getting ready for the birth. I managed very little sleep and it stopped being so regular in the morning. It was happening about 3/4 times an hour as opposed to about every 10 minutes or so. I drove my daughter to nursery and even had one of these weird motions whilst driving, dangerous when I think about it now but hey I didn't think it was anything to worry about. At about 10am I started getting them again and thought I should phone the hospital. They of course asked me to go into the emergency room. Not expecting it to be anything of concern I left my bag at home and drove to hospital (probably shouldn't have done this either). I got to the hospital at about 1040 and they put the bands around my tummy and didn't think it was contractions I was having. The doctor examined me at 1100 and said no I wasn't in labour. I had also asked her to check me on Saturday at my last antenatal check up as I was very paranoid that something was going to happen and she had said no I was going to be fine for the planned section. By about 1130 the weird motions started coming more frequently and it just happened that a nurse came to check on me whilst one was happening. She told me that I was having contractions and that she would ask the doctor as I was not in labour. That was when the fun really started. As I was having contractions but not in labour, the doctor said that the only option was an emergency c section between 1-130 and this was at 1210. I started crying as the first time ended the same way and I had hopes for a lovely planned section - yeah right! The contractions became longer and intense. They were trying to prep me for the section and kept having to stop because I kept grabbing hold of anybody near me as the contractions were coming more quickly and more intense. Before I knew it I was 7 cm dilated, screaming, begging for drugs. They told me that there was no time for drugs so I believe my words were please kill me then! In what seemed like a few minutes I was told that I was fully dilated and had the urge to push. Without meaning to I pushed twice so then my doctor said Are you going to try naturally? At this point I was beside myself, screaming and absolutely going crazy so I said no please can I have a c section because I cannot take anymore. The next thing I knew they were putting an oxygen mask over my face saying I would be asleep shortly. I woke up at 3pm and my baby was born at 120. I can't get my head around the fact that I was supposedly not in labour at 1100 and had a baby just over 2 hours later. When I saw the doctors that had been with me when I was in labour on the wards they still couldn't get over how quickly it had all happened seeing as the first time around the labour had been so slow and I was not in labour when I arrived at the hospital. I think that if I had been in control or could have had drugs I would have tried naturally but it was never going to happen with the state I was in. The doctors jokingly said to me next time I could try naturally! Not sure if I can see even envisage what is going to happen in the next hour at the moment never mind another baby! We have now been home since Thursday and it seems to be ok. My toddler is slowly adapting to the baby. I am waiting for her to ask me when the baby is going home. The baby seems to like sleeping for long periods at night which I am not complaining about but I think could be shortlived. She is still a bit jaundiced so we had to go back to hospital today and have to go again on Monday. I think she is ok, just looks tanned! I would like to meet up soon and intend to go to the Bumps and Babes Monday coffee morning soon. My mother in law is here next week so I am not sure if we will go then. I hope that you are all feeling well and are not too nervous about the next stage. I hope that you all have lovely deliveries (apparently they do happen but just not for me :-( )

Morning Ladies. Hope you are all feeling well and not too huge yet! Well I have some news for you... my princess arrived yesterday! She was supposed to arrive tomorrow by c-section but was obviously to get out into the world. Looking to hearing about other babies arriving.:)

Hi ZiGo, I find that when you are pregnant the doctors seem to tell you something and get you all worried and it generally turns out to be nothing to worry about. I think in my first pregnancy my blood pressure went up towards the end which sparked a bit of a panic where my midwife monitored me closely for a few days but it was ok and I did read that this was not unusual because of the extra weight you are carrying. I hadn't thought about genetics and I think I may have been a bigger than average baby but second babies are often bigger. I have got everything in my hospital bag from size 1 nappies to snacks but I am going to check what the hospital provides so I don't duplicate anything. There was a post on here about what ladies thought was a good idea to put in your bag. It would be worth a search. I had two separate bags the first time around, one for me and one for the baby. I came unstuck though when I went to hospital to be checked out when my waters had broken and contractions had not started because I didn't end up leaving the hospital until 5 days later. I didn't think to take the baby's bag as I thought I would be going home. Don't know about a oxigenifier - never heard of one of those. Bumps and Babes is an Expat Woman Coffee Morning for mums to be and those with babies. They meet every Monday at either Mall of The Emirates (MOE) or Dubai Mall. This Monday it is at MOE at Costa Coffee near Ski Dubai. I used to go when my daughter was smaller and not mobile. Perhaps see you there?

Hi everyone. Hope you are well and not too uncomfortable. What an eventful couple of days! My insurance company told us fibs about maternity benefits last year so as a result we did as suggested and signed up to the government hospital to lessen the potential shortfall. However, they stopped paying antenatal claims so I queried it and good job I did. They told me some more rubbish about me having double the amount I thought I had to spend on the delivery. We then queried this further through my husbands HR department and it turns out if I had chosen a hospital on the network such as City, American, Medcare etc everything would have been covered despite being more expensive than where I was. As a result I have now changed hospital at 36 weeks! and am now going to deliver at Medcare as the insurance company, despite being in the wrong would not meet the shortfall from Latifa hospital (despite it being much less than any of the private hospitals that they will now have to pay out for?!). The only issue to deal with now is the fact that Latifa has got a thing about my baby being too big so I need to repeat the sugar test without the nasty drink. Medcare are arranging this despite saying they thought the baby was a bit big. I wouldn't mind but they are talking about doing the c-section in 3 weeks time and I wonder if it is worth all the fuss but they know best! I am looking forward to not being pregnant anymore but a bit nervous about number 2 arriving. I am so uncomfortable as she has been down for a few weeks and sometimes I struggle to even walk as the pains in my legs are quite bad. My back isn't great either. Never mind not long to go now... I am going to try my best to go to MOE for Bumps and Babes on Monday. Lisa (who runs it) said that there are a few ladies at similar stages to us. bye for now