Archives
Tips I gave out yesterday to new Mummies and Daddies which today they reported favourably on.
Before you put baby down in moses basket etc. hoping baby will stay asleep, long shot but worth a try, put a warm hot water bottle on the sheet, remove it BEFORE you put baby down or, when you are holding baby have a sheet under baby, which you keep under baby when you put her down. Could work better cos not just warm but also smells of you.
If its uncomfortable to dry your stitches after washing use a hairdryer on COLD boost. This is not research based, but I have never had poor results following this advise, the university don't like us to say things that are not research based. Although where is the research about lying on a bed in labour? Some midwives still encourage women to do it.
Another stitch thing. If very painful try feme-Pad (this is research based!)
Thats it for now tip-wise. When I got in from work yesterday, very tired and suffering from either PMT or work-related stress or simple foul temperedness pregnant one phoned to say she had swelled up and felt grotty. Oh, wonderful, Pre-Eclampsia, come round. All I wanted to do was sleep. My cats got the brunt of it. They all (3) got shouted out for asking to go out and then just sitting on the doorstep, eating each others food and sitting on the paper when I was trying to read it. None of them will come near me now. Anyway round comes the fecund one. Slight swelling, blood-pressure wonderfully normal, for her, anyone else would be on the floor in a dead faint it's so low, and urine clear. Then she didn't leave until 11pm, and then only cos I told her I was going to bed.
Later on the men-folk will return full of truly interesting tales of the golf-course. I can't wait. I'm on-call and had thought of pretending to be called out just after they arrived back so I could avoid it, but .... I have learned my lesson about deception (see 'Oh, what tangled webs we weave') and so will just appear really interested and hope that hubby is very tired and falls asleep.
This morning I decided that I should take the netting off my pond 'cos leaves have stopped falling. Oops, should have done it earlier. The frogs have been at it on top of the netting and there was frogspawn trapped through it. I rescued what I could, a truly disgusting experience even with my trusty marigolds on, but along with the spawn were the frogs. Loads of them, some in threesomes but all determined not to let me stop them. Even when two of my cats came to oversee my chore those randy frogs were not to be put off. What should have been a half hour job took two hours, the frogs have all been put in the pond and any spawn I couldn't free from the netting has been left in it, I think the birds might appreciate it.
My job-share partner phoned this morning, there's a job she's seen that she wants us to go for. Should I? Can I be bothered? It's more money but less, infact virtually no, contact with women and babies. Do I want that? Not really. Don't know. Tempting. Talking of choices, if you are pregnant this is a good site. If you're bored go here. Don't blame me if you become addicted!
So, midwives in Southend are banned from going to certain areas. For ages I've wondered why on-call Docs have escorts (not the cars) but us midwives can be sent out alone at all hours to places we don't know. Up to, in my case anyway, 40 miles from where I live. Perhaps if every area started declaring 'no-go' areas something would be done. It won't happen because 1) It would cost 2) Midwives would need to act together 3) It's not high enough priority for polititians 4) There hasn't been a fatality - yet.
The long and short of it
Once every 10 years I go to the Ideal Home exhibition (it takes my legs that long to recover), today was the day. Arrived at 11am, left at 5.30pm. Lots of things to look at. Spa's are very 'must have' this year, I would like one, my sister has one. Floor mops seem to be very popular as well, anti-static, disinfecting, anti-smear, I have one, it works so not tempted. What tempted me was the wig stand. I have very short, very, very short hair. I would love long hair but, I'm lazy. As the barnet gets longer it gets curly, and wild. With short hair I wash it, rub it with a towel and finito. If I'm feeling particularly appearance conscious I will run a little wax, paste, gel or something through it. Once it gets longer than about three inches I have to do major things like blowdrying and attempting to 'style' it. Thats when I always give up growing it and phone my hairdresser. Back to the wig stand. There it was, the lovliest head of hair. Red, with highlights. Straight and feathered at the front. I sat down and the girl fitted it. I was amazed. I looked 10 years younger, really feminine and had a curious resemblence to my eldest daughter, something never noticed before. I loved it. My friend loved it. I decided to muse on it. I phoned hubby and asked him if he had bought my birthday pressie yet. No. Well, I've seen a wig I love I'll buy that then. "No. Long hair doesn't suit you. You look like a witch, and an ugly one at that. Its fake." Yes, I retort, but so is my hair colour. "Thats different, it won't fall off." No wig then. He is probably right. When would I wear it? Still sad though. Bought a weird cooker thing instead. More difficult to get home on a train than the wig. Could have worn the wig.
Busy week at work. Nine months ago the country's bedrooms must have been very active places. Had my meeting with H of M. They are worried about me. Supposing my daughter sues me. My retort was along the lines of - Supposing anyone sues me? Supposing anyone has cause to sue me? My attitude is that every one of my women receives the same level of care and I strive toward a positive outcome for them all. I feel really pressurised at the moment. I can't please anyone.
Expectant one is 32+ weeks. Just starting to get tired. Baby is behaving though. Perfect position. Please stay like that little one. I'm starting to get excited now.
PAIN - not discomfort!
Looking for articles about symphysis pubis dysfunction and found Addenbrookes offering which seems pretty comprehensive!
Communication breakdown
Well, wash my mouth out. Having ranted about lack of care for us lone community workers our chiefs are putting together a 'policy'. I can't remember if I have grumbled about policies but we do have a policy for virtually ever aspect of our working lives, even our finger nails. I read that for the first time yesterday & I realised that I am in breach of it - nothing new there then. To be fair, I was on a study day, mandatory, moving & handling, breastfeeding and interpreting the readings from monitoring machines (CTG). I hadn't known that they would ask me to do a couple of antenatal checkups in my lunch break so still had the nail art on that was done at the Ideal Home Exhibition. The two ladies didn't seem to mind, infact they thought it was very pretty. My manager very kindly gave me the relevant policy which clearly stated that I shouldn't have varnish etc on my nails. Mental note - if they need my help again, just say No. Anyway back to lone workers. The jist seems to be we've got mobile phones so we are all right. Some of my patch is very rural and I have no reception out there. No problem, they will SELL me an attack alarm. Rural area, miles from anywhere, who is going to hear my attack alarm? Apparently it doesn't matter, because they have a policy they are covered. Bless Them. They do care.
Ever expanding one has been grumbling about her coccyx for a couple of weeks now. I've looked into it and given her the relevant advice about posture, but it's getting worse. There's poor JoJo with the front of her pelvis seperating and my daughter with the end of her spine moving around. Now these two complaints both come from a clever inclusion in the design of our bodies intended to facilitate childbirth. The front of the pelvis is deliberatly only joined by cartilidge to allow the gap to widen, so increasing the space through which baby has to pass. The coccyx is jointed to allow it to move backwards, also allowing more space for baby ( this is why lying down on your back in labour is a bad idea as it doesn't allow this to happen). Clever. In an ideal world, yes. But when it all happens too early and the hormones have relaxed bits too much then trouble ensues. Well, I have asked about what can be done for my baby, painkillers and manipulation. How is the manipulation done I wondered. Rectally. I have timidly suggested this to fecund one, the reply is unrepeatable. If I was really horrid I could jest and say that she has always been a little devil, and that this is just her tail putting in an appearance. I won't though.
Spring has sprung
What a difference a bit of sunny weather can make. Hubby went off to watch son play football whilst I busied myself in the garden. Even when it started to hail it was still lovely, I shut myself in my greenhouse and tidied. After a couple of hours I returned to my not tidied house to find that my daughters & partners had taken up residence. The kitchen was festooned with balloons, lots of cooking was going on and the Asti was on ice! A surprise lunch for me on Mummys Day, how wonderful was that? Even better news was brewing. Eldest daughter and partner are discussing having babies, they have decided that the right time is approaching so.....they are going to get married, unlike fecund one who is going to wait until she has got her figure back. No comment. Safest and most PC. Son then pipes up with the news that he and fiancee are getting married and want a baby next year. Hubby is not as ecstatic about all this as I am, frightened it may affect his golf I suspect. Still, mustn't count your grandchildren before they are born, or even conceived.
Yesterday's windy weather blew down a huge horse chestnut tree just up the road, completely blocking it. My life is so drab that I forced expectant one to walk up with me to inspect the damage. I took my camera but she confiscated it because I might embarrass her. It's not me waddling aroung with this massive, rotund, protuberance bulging out between a jumper and jeans. Well, not unless I put on much more weight!
And, another surprise. Hubby thought I was off work this week, so I pointed out that I wasn't, at which point he told me I couldn't work. Well I've got too. Well, you can't. Why? We're going away. Luckily, he has managed to reorganise everything and we go next week - to the Eden Project. It's my pressie. I am so looking forward to it. Sometimes he is so lovely.
Really angry
Did you know that G.P's get paid extra for having a pregnant woman on their list. Well they do. They don't pay the midwives, the hospital/trust do. The G.P's at my surgeries don't see the women at all for any antenatal matters so really it's money for nothing. Why am I cross? Well I've just had a phone call from one of my ladies, she's got, by the sounds of it really bad thrush. She went to old doc on Friday, so welcoming this ignorant s**t, told her she didn't need to see him, go and buy some Canestan Once. So, she did. Why didn't he 1) give her prescription for it, then she doesn't have to pay 2) Check it was thrush and do a swab? Anyway, it still hasn't cleared up and in her words she "can hardly walk". She's too frightened to see him again so I'm just lacing up my gloves to do battle with the money grabbing b*****d. Wish me luck.