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Mon 28 September - midwife Jenny Smith

Join us for a live webchat between 12-1pm on Monday 28th September with Babyexpert's new midwife Jenny Smith. Post your pregnancy and antenatal questions here from now onwards and Jenny will answer them once she comes online.

[Modified by: webeditor on 28 September 2009 11:28:42 ]
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  • hi jenny,

    my breasts have been leaking when I squeeze them for a good few weeks now. It looks clear liquid with bright yellow bits coming through - is this normal?

    Also i am due on the 10th december and was wondering if they try and induce you early to avoice Christmas eve/day babies?

    am also so tired! i do 12 hours days in Central London and have no flexability with work in regards to hours, my iron count is extremely good - any tips to get through the day?

    thanks!
    Curly 29+4

    [Modified by: Curlygal on September 28, 2009 11:41 AM]

  • HI Jenny,

    I am 39 weeks today and was told at 38 week appt baby had turned back to back. The naughty bab had been the right way around through the whole pregnancy. I have been doing all the advised things swimming, gym ball, hands and knees but my question is..

    How do i know when the baby has turned back the right way. It seems to spin a lot. Sometimes front of bump is flat and others round.

    I can always feel the bum at the top of the bump and most of the time what i think is spine running to the left of my bump.

    Does the spine need to be central in bump for it to be in right position?

    Thanks
    BC 39w
  • Hi Jenny

    I was just wondering whether, in your opinion, a home birth for a first pregnancy (which has been trouble free)is just as safe as a hospital birth? I would love a home birth, but my OH is adamant that i have to go to hospital. Also I am a bit worried about how well i will cope. I am doing the hypnobirthing course, but you just never know!!

    thanks

    Lisa
  • Hi Jenny
    I gave birth to my son in July this year. I was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia at 38 weeks and induced at 39 weeks. I had 3 +'s of protein in my urine and my blood pressure went up to 112 over 165 at one stage! I felt fine though!! Anyway if I wanted to have another baby, is it right that I will be deemed high risk? I really wanted to have a water birth with my son but couldn't. will it mean a water birth is out of the question in the future?
    Thanks
    Nina
  • Hi Jenny

    I am 9+3 according to early scan 10+6 according to LMP (which btw was only for 1day and then was put on noretheseron hormone) and 10wks according to withdrawal bleed so all in all a bit confused.

    However I have put on about 7lbs and look more like 6mths belly is very rounded is this normal, I know it could be bloating by I feel fine in the wind department.

    Also, I am considering having a home birth but my gp said It will have to be discussed with MW as this would be my 5th pregnancy. (May stir up son controversy here but had 2 terminations when I was a teen, 1 dd and 1mc) and this may have an effect, also dd was born at 36wks (36+6) so termed early but she weighed 8lbs 14oz so he also said that this could effect my chances. Could I ask your opinion on this and if there are certain rules that I can go armed with so to speak image

    Thank you for your advice in advance!
  • Hello everyone! Jenny here! Great to be online again. Looking forward to receiving your questions!
  • Dear Curly 29+4, it is entirely normal to see collostrum (clear liquid with white yellow bits) during pregnancy. I think often it is a sign you will have good milk production when your baby is born. There is no reason why you should be induced because it is christmas. Hospitals function 24 hours a day 365 days a year. Inductions should not be planned just because of holidays. If you cannot change your work pattern you need to make a decision about when it is best to give work up in the later weeks. If you are well i suggest that when you come home you eat high quality food, plenty of protein and fresh vegetables, and go to bed early. Some women in your situation have been known to go as early as 7.30pm! Also try deep breathing exercises where you can feel the breath at the bottom of your tummy and visualizations. Hope this helps!
  • Hi Jenny, i was just wondering if it is possible to have spd at 16 weeks? i have serviour pain in my lft leg, hip and bum. I had this with my first two but wasn't half as bad and only came when i as in my last trimester. Also what should i do if it is?

    Thanks Beck 16 weeks tomorrow
  • Hello Jenny,

    This morning when I went to the toilet there was greeny/clear discharge that looked a lot like snot. There was a big blob of it! What could this be? I've been having lots of back ache and period type aches in my tummy too. I'm 39+2 today.

    Thanks for your help,

    Gemma
  • Dear BC 39w, babies back normally lie to the side of your abdomen. You can feel the line of the back with your hand as opposed to bumpy bits which are the arms and legs. If your baby is at the back you will sometimes notice a dip at your umbilicas when you were lying down. The best way to turn the baby round is to walk around the house hands and knees position and clean the opposite side of the bath. This will help the baby move round. However some babies do not move around until labour.
    The spine should be at the side of your tummy if the baby is in the right position. As opposed to feeling lots of hands and feet at the front which would mean your baby is in the occipto posterior position. Best wishes
  • Hi Jenny.

    I have started to get pains either side of pelvis, but I feel it mainly on the left hand side. It is not excruciating pain but can get quite uncomfortable. I have not really been feeling sick up to now, just a few occasions and not really bad, just hard to stomach food now and again but now im getting worried as this might not be normal and i've been able to eat fine the past few days. My boobs have not also been overly sore up to now, when I take my bra off at night and when I wake up in the morning. My nipples are only slightly sore at the minute. Is this normal? I am wondering if I have miscarried and not bled and the pregnancy hormones are dissapearing out of my body.

    I had slight light pink spotting with a ache in my left side and a clot (sorry tmi) two weeks ago at 6 weeks pregnant. I went to a&e and the doctor said my womb was closed so everything seemed fine but I went for a vaginal scan the next morning and baby was fine. Im just really worried as these pains have been coming over the past few days
    I am now 8 weeks
  • Hi Jenny, I am getting very strong kicks from my little girl every day but am abit worried that I don't seem to be getting much larger. I grew quite big at around 8 weeks but has seemed to level off. Just wondering about the growth stages I am 24 weeks today and have quite a neat little bump. Does the baby grow larger everyday in the last trimester and I have nothing to worry about. Many thanks for your advice

  • Hi Lisa! Home births in uncomplicated straight forward pregnancies should be as safe as hospital ones. This has been shown in a recent Dutch study. It is complicated pregnancies that carry a much greater risk at home for mother and baby. To have a home birth you need skilled midwives used to birthing at home. However, i suggest, if your other half is not keen on a home birth it can be very unsettling and you may not be able to relax as much as you would if you were united in the decision. What i suggest is if you still wish for a home birth is to discuss it fully with you community midwife and your OH present. If it is not an option make the best of a home birth environment in the hospital-dim lights, burning oil, mats, labour dancing, water, hypno birthing. Have a great birth!
  • Thanks Jenny, that clears a lot up and puts my mind at rest. I can get up off my knees now lolx
  • Dear Nina, pre eclampsia is a serious disease unique to pregnancy and you did have it quite badly with your first pregnancy so you will be considered high risk in a subsequent pregnancy. However, generally in following pregnancies pre-eclampsia may not be as bad but you will need to be closely watched particularly in the later weeks. If in the later weeks your blood pressure and urine are in entirely the normal range with no symptoms in yourself, such as headaches or signs of a lot of swelling, it may be possible to have a water birth. What i suggest is, when you get pregnant, you speak to your obstitrician midwives at an early stage in pregnancy, that your wish, if possible, is to use water for labour and hopefully, if all normal, this could be an option.
  • Dear Stuck in limbo, i completely understand your dilemma as when you have little ones you always want to be at home with them. Once you have had two cesareans there is a greater risk of scar rupture and therefore obstitricians do not recommend it. I have however been with previous women who have had normal births following two cesarean sections but it is very rare due to the above risk. Perhaps the better option is to see whether or not you can go home having had only one night in hospital as the first 24 hours is the most risky. Obviously you must rest a lot at home if you do do this, but this may be a reasonable compromise for you. If you do decide to labour i suggest you labour on a labour ward with all facilities and are closely monitored for the heartbeat of your baby as one of the earliest signs of rupture is a significant change in your babies heart rate. If yourself and baby are well there is no reason for you not to go home together the following day! Good luck!
  • Dear Twinkle 81, working out the exact time your baby will be born is often confusing with approximately 2-4% of babies being born on their due date. As you have been taking a hormone as well and you have had only one day of bleeding it also confuses matters. For the time being i suggest you keep the date from the early scan as 10+6. When you've had pregnancies before your body can retain more fluid particularly if you are taking an additional hormone and your abdomen can become much more swollen in the early stages due to the other hormones whizzing around as well. When you have had a large baby before you can look bigger earlier in pregnancy. i do not see a reason why you could not have a home birth if this pregnancy is entirely normal and your baby is not thought to be bigger than your last. If babies are very big-4 and a half to 5 kilos-there is a danger that shoulders will become difficult in labour and this is when it is advisable to have your baby in hospital. It would also be a good idea to have a glucose test at 28-30 weeks of pregnancy to determine whether you are likely to have larger babies due to higher glucose. It may also be a good idea to have your baby measured for approx weight at term by ultrasound. Go calmly, state your wish for a home birth, right your questions down in advance to take in, ask for if possible for some continuity of midwifely team and finally whether in late weeks of pregnancy this would be an option. This will aid good partnerships for your decision-making. Hope this helps!
  • Dear Speckle, If the pain is all the way down-leg hip and bum-even at 16 weeks you should go to your gp or obstitritian to ensure you do not have a slipped disk. If this is not the case then physio therapy would be a good idea and definitely now buy a tummy support to support the bottom of your bump. Also keep your knees together all the time when bending or getting in the car as extending your knees can cause SPD and leg pain.
  • Thanks Jenny, i feel so much better about my desision now and will be definately making a list before i have first MW appointment

    Thank you
  • Maria I have been interested in buying the Epi-no but very expensive and did not know who to ask about it. Do not want another one of those done image
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