Pregnancy

“Breastfeeding Welcome” places in North Hampshire – Feb 2015

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on in Breastfeeding, Cafe's, New Parents, Post Natal, Pregnancy, Restaurants, Soft Play

I’ve noticed a lot of “breastfeeding friendly” signs in the area recently.

It’s so awesome to see these signs out and about.

I’ve been meaning to try to find more details about this for ages but I only stumbled on the website below because of something that someone else mentioned on another post.

Thank you very much to Fran and Sarah for inspiring this post after our discussion on the Cafe Project post I recently published and thank you for providing the link to the website below. 

“Breastfeeding Welcome” places in North Hampshire

If you are looking for details about breastfeeding in public in Basingstoke and Deane or are a business that would like to participate, check out the following website:

http://www.basingstoke.gov.uk/breastfeeding

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SPD (PGP): My experience

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on in Health, My Experience, New Parents, Post Natal, Pregnancy 0 Comment

I was diagnosed with SPD when I was 5 months pregnant. I had actually developed SPD much earlier, but hadn’t realised. It was only when I attended my first ante-natal class and mentioned that I couldn’t lift my feet more than an inch off the ground, that the Ante-natal teacher suggested that I had SPD and would need to see a Doctor. Within a month I was on crutches.

SPD, also known as PGD, happens when the weight of the baby becomes too much for your hips. Some say the pain is also caused by the loosening of the ligaments, in preparation for giving birth. All I know is that it hurt and it was progressive. Apparently SPD is more common these days because babies are heavier due to Mum’s having better diets. My little one wasn’t that heavy when she was born, she was just under 8lbs.

The last four months of pregnancy were a blur of pain for me.

I went to physio at the hospital for a few weeks, but when I was 7 months pregnant they said there was nothing more they could do for me. I spent the last two months of my pregnancy signed off work (oh and they made me pay back a month’s wages). I could barely manage to get off the sofa.

I would get up in the morning, try to shower (which was unbearably painful as I had to try to crawl into the shower) and would spend the rest of the day recovering, waiting for my husband to come home from work to help me back up the stairs. I even tried not to drink too much as we don’t have a toilet downstairs, so I would literally crawl up the stairs to go to the toilet. It was a 20 minute process to get up and down the stairs.

I cannot describe how painful the grinding of my hips became. As my little one became heavier, as she came to full term, the more pain I was in. It was impossible to walk, let alone drive. Two years later I still have flashes of pain and still remember what that intense pain was like. I still can’t push a trolley, so if you see that Mum struggling in Sainsburys with a toddler who keeps wanting to run off, it’s probably me! 😉

The reason I am sharing this is because, if you are like me,  you may not have realised that anything was wrong. I found a great physiotherapist, Ian Harrison, who managed to keep me mobile enough so that I could get up and down the stairs in the last few months (even if it did take 20 minutes each time!). If you are pregnant and can’t lift your foot more than an inch off the ground, you need to get this checked out as there is support for you.

I also found a fantastic website: The Pelvic Partnership

However, there is some light at the end of the tunnel if you are suffering. Two days after the birth of my little one, I no longer needed crutches. Last weekend, I actually sprinted (little one likes to run off!) for the first time in 20 years. It is likely that you will get your mobility back, and possibly very quickly, but it depends on many factors.

If you suffer, or have suffered, from SPD, you have my sympathies! I urge you to get some kind of support if you are suffering with this pain.

12 Things to do when you are pregnant in Basingstoke and North Hampshire

Posted by Louise NorthHantsMum on in Basingstoke, Dads, Health, Mums, Parents, Pregnancy 2 Comments

1. Check out NorthHantsMum – obviously! 😀 Especially the newborn page and pregnancy pages. I also recommend requesting to join the secret FB NHM Pregnancy group.

2. Find out where your local baby clinic is. There is a previous post on NHM which details local baby clinic’s in the area. Click HERE for details.

3. Book up for your NCT Antenatal class early – else you not find one close by, which can become complicated (especially if you have had a cesarean) if you want to catch up with your Mummy friends and they all live miles away. NCT also do discounts on courses for those with limited funds. Or if you are looking for an alternative to NCT and live in North Hampshire, you could also try FitMama classes.

4.  Go do the “Hospital Look” round tour a few weeks before you are due. Try not to be too scared if you hear someone in labour 😉

5. Get hold of a Tumble Dryer or find out which of your family and friends have tumble dryers and start being very nice to them! Or, find out where the local laundrette is. You will be horrified by the amount of washing you suddenly have to start doing! The only laundrette details I could find in Basingstoke is the one at Elmwood Parade in Winklebury. Let me know if you have details of any others.

6. Check out the local Breastfeeding support if that’s what you want to do. Check out my previous post about Breastfeeding in Basingstoke HERE.

7. Get your maternity Bra’s from the NCT website. Much cheaper than Bravissimo and I found the selection in Bravissimo to be quite limited.

8. Find out where your local children’s centre is and see if they have a Bumps n’ Babes class you can attend, if only to meet other Mum’s in the same situation and area as you.

9.  Research what is on for Mum’s with new babies in the area. Winter is a notoriously hard time to have a baby because you are stuck inside a lot more, so you need to make more of an effort to get out and about. NHM will keep you up to date on what’s going on in Basingstoke! 😉

10.  Sign up for some of the free pregnancy “stuff” that you can get when you are pregnant. I signed up for the free Bounty Pack. When I received mine it had a bar of galaxy and a can of appletiser. I don’t think they made it out of the car park (blush)! Sainsburys and Boots used to give them out.

11. Attend a Pregnancy Exercise Class. The FitMama Studio in Stroudley Road has a number of classes that are specifically designed for Pregnant Mum’s.

12. Have a pregnancy massage.

I can probably come up with a lot more, but I think twelve (the list was originally 10!)  is a pretty round number for this kind of list! Do you have any other good suggestions for those who are pregnant?