Hi, I'm almost 31 weeks pregnant with my first baby so I'm new to everything pregnancy throws at me. I would like some advice on a few things:

What is the best tip in relieving an itchy belly? Itch comes and goes and I've tried bio oil and Aveeno body lotion and neither seems to really work for me.

2nd, I've been told my legs look swollen and that this can be harmful to the baby. In my opinion they seem ok and is it worth informing my midwife about this if there is no pain?

3rdly, I need help with sleeing..baby bump is getting big and getting a good night's sleep seems to be a thing of the past!

Any advice would be highly appreciated smile

sorry, dont know about the belly, I just put up with it! Second, swollen ankles in conjunction with high blood pressure and protein in urine are signs of pre-eclampsia. Do mention it to your dr/midwife at your next appt, but they should be routinely checking that anyway. As for getting a good nights sleep at 31 weeks, as if!!! They say that it is your body getting you ready to get up all the time for your baby, but I just think its natures cruel little joke!! If you are having trouble sleeping on your side, pile up a ramp of pillows (mine used about 5-6) and you can sleep propped on that on your back. But it is best just to try and get cat naps through the day if you can because sweetie, a good nights sleep is definately NOT in your near future (sorry to be bearer of bad news ) smile

[center]Hi and congrats on the first bub!!! yay. I would say pretty much what the lady b4 me said but i used to find it comfortable on one side bent knees one pillow between your legs and one under your belly and one for the head too.
This seemed to not pull the belly down so much.
Itchy belly is just a real basted im afraid, but i was always told the more you scratch the worse the stretch marks are.
T or F i dont know but i dont have any and im pregnant with number 3 now.
Check with the doc for sure bout the fluid thing but in the meantime keep your feet higher than your belly as much as you can.
I found this out after #2 but the fluid has to make its way up so you can pee it out.! lol sounds funny i know!!
Good luck hope we could help a little xx
Bec:)[/center]

hi, im guessing just keep up with the creams being your first baby skin is streaching alot im having my 3rd baby but my skin never went back after last 2 lol
i have swallon ankles my midwife said alls fine as long as blood presures fine
as for the non sleeping well that just comes with being pregnat& you probley wont sleep for a long time to come(sorry) i have a 8 & 11 year old & i still sleep with 1 eye&ear open when you become a mum you just never sleep solid again, the men do but we dont lol , i havent had good nites sleep since around 12 weeks just seem to be up 3 times a nite peeing & getting worse so i know i wont sleep again till baby sleeps threw nite since its your first baby you have the choice if possible to have a few nanna naps during day if you dont work but over all everything thats happening is normal&i wouldnt worry if docs are happy just relax&goodluck

Mention your itchy belly to the dr at the next visit as it can be the sign
of something if it is really bad..... can't remember what though, sorry i wouldn't worry but mentioning won't hurt, keep the creams up and it moist i think helps too

Congratulations on your first bubs smile I think it might be a good idea to mention the itching and swelling to your midwife/ob as they can be signs of something more serious. Intense itching can be sign of a condition called cholestasis and the swelling can be a sign of pre-eclampsia which can both be dangerous to both Mum and baby but luckily both conditions can be easily diagnosed.
I hope the itching is just a sign of a stretching belly smile As for the sleeping issue, I find that my sleep is always a bit shocking in the 3rd trimester due to crazy dreams and getting up to pee all the time lol.
Good luck!

Congrats on your first bub, i suffer with really irrating skin adn def on my belly, i use a baby wash instead of a body wash in the shower and use johnsons baby oil for my stomach, i find it relieves the itch. i find i get swallon legs/ankles after being on my feet for a bit i try and put them up whenever i can. i cant sleep at night i get up in pain or needing to pee or just irratated i average 3-4 showers a night between the time i go to bed and wake in the morning.

hi there... well im a first timer also and when ive had an itchy belly i try to drink more water and put that cocoa stretch cream on. As for swollen legs I suggest you go to the drs for a checkup and the dr will check your bp for signs of pre-eclampsia which is serious so better to be safe rather than sorry but is a good sign that you feel fine... just rest and put your legs up when you can. Have you tried using pillows to relieve the pressure of the baby?

Hi, Congrats on your pregnancy!

In regards to the itching, to be sure as the other women mentioned, just check with your ob/midwife to ensure it's nothing serious, but at a rough guess I would say it's due to this being your first baby (especially if your a smaller person eg: size 8-10) your belly is just making room for little one, keep up with the oils/creams especially the bio oil, however you may also like to try a shower gel available from the chemist called dermaveen?(spelling) it is soap free & pH balanced with no alcohol in it, which can dry the skin out, it also has a main ingredient of oatmeal which is a great natural soother for the skin.
The swallon legs, again as the other women mentioned check it out to be sure, but it is quite common in pregnancy and generally harmless, although can be quite uncomfortable, it may be caused by fluid retention, or if you stand on your feet for long periods and can also be heat related. My first pregnancy(now pregnant with #4) I had the swollen ankles, but it was also through the middle of summer (QLD weather!!) try to keep your feet elevated above your heart when laying down, if they feel warm you can also get a cooling mist from the body shop, I found this helped.
As for the sleep...LOL well good luck with that one, try not to drink too much water in the couple of hours leading up to bedtime, maybe try a warm milo made with milk, I have heard some women like to have a bit of fun with hubby/partner to relax (also wears them out too no doubt).. who knows really as mentioend above, it's really natures way of getting you into routine for when little one arrives, but make the most of naps throughout the day where possible to ensure you are getting enough rest.

All the best smile

I used vaseline for dry skin for my belly. I also found a belly band made mostly of cotton was comforting as it's a natural material and was firm enough that it wouldn't move around too much and irritate my skin further.
As for the swelling, I would also recommend lots of rest with your feet up!
Have you tried a body pillow? They're long enough to put under your belly and between your knees and won't move around as much as numerous pillows.
Best of luck

Hi, I'm almost 31 weeks pregnant with my first baby so I'm new to everything pregnancy throws at me. I would like some advice on a few things:

What is the best tip in relieving an itchy belly? Itch comes and goes and I've tried bio oil and Aveeno body lotion and neither seems to really work for me.

2nd, I've been told my legs look swollen and that this can be harmful to the baby. In my opinion they seem ok and is it worth informing my midwife about this if there is no pain?

3rdly, I need help with sleeing..baby bump is getting big and getting a good night's sleep seems to be a thing of the past!

Any advice would be highly appreciated smile

Yes you need to let your midwife know about both the swelling and the itchy belly as these can be signs of what I had (IUCP-Intro Uterine Colestasis of Pregnancy) or pre-eclampsia, both are serious and you would need to be induced early for the health of bubs. IUCP can be hard to diagnose but can sometimes be picked up on a special blood test of your bile levels and/or swelling and/or itches. Pre-eclampsia can usually be diagnosed if they have high blood preasure and/or protein and/or swelling.
The 3rd problem have you tryed a pregnancy body pillow there great otherwise a combination of a tri-pillow to hug and/or a pillow between your knees if you lie on your side.

[color="#FF0000"][font="Verdana"][size="4"]Congrats on the bub! It must be a really exciting time for you.[/size][/color]

[color="#2E8B57"][size="3"]Itchy skin usually comes with rapid stretching of the skin. Having said that- I had chicken pox when I was 36 weeks with my little boy, so it could be worth talking to the doctor/midwife on your next check up (the least they can say is it just your skin stretching). You could try bathing in QV, Pinetarsol or something along those lines as well as the creams. My son gets really itchy skin at times and I use the Calacool skin releif lotion and it helps- its the alternative to Calamine lotion, and it doesn't dry the skin out like Calamine lotion used to.[/size][/color]

[color="#0000FF"][size="3"]Like some of the other ladies have said, Swollen feet/legs/ankles are fine unless you have high blood pressure and head aches to go with it, as that is signs of pre-eclampsia. If you go to your local chemist, they'll check your blood pressure for you for free- keep a notebook with the measurements just incase it starts to get higher.[/size][/color]
[color="#800080"]
[size="3"]Sleep from now is really not going to be all that possible I'm sorry- wish I could tell you something differnt. The only thing that I found that helped was a body pillow that I got from K-Mart. I had it under my belly and between my legs and it supported the weight a little. Hope this has helped a little bit![/size][/color]

[color="#FF0000"][size="4"]Good luck with the safe arrival of your beautiful baby.[/size][/font][/color]

Hi all,

Thank you soo much for all your advice. Its great to know how much help mothers can be for each other. I've spoken to my midwife and she said the itch is definitly nothing to worry about as it has gone away now (with the help of Calamine lotion - which i highly recommend to anyone suffering from belly itch). She also had a look at my legs and doesn't think they are swollen as some people have said as my blood/protein/sugar levels are all good.

I've always been one to worry about the little things but hearing what you all have had to say and speaking to my midwife about my concerns has put me at ease =)

Just on another note, not a great note I must say: so im currently less than 8 weeks shy from giving birth to my first baby, and I've voiced to my midwife that I would perfer to give birth at the hospital as it is there where I would feel most safe and comfortable knowing that doctors and better pain relief is nearby, but my midwife has continually for the past 2 appointments suggested that I just give birth at the birth centre. This has really annoyed me as I thought it was the mother's choice where she wants to give birth and that her midwife should respect that not make her feel bad for wanting this option. I am seriously considering changing midwife but would like to know if it is such a good idea so late in the pregnancy... I have an appointment with a new midwife tomorrow to help me decide what I should do..change now or stick with the one I have and just put my foot down and say I'm going to the hospital to give birth wheter you like it or not..what should I do??

Hi i just thought I'd pop in and mention that i had an extremely itchy belly towards the end of my pregnancy.
Hen i had my midwife appointments they used to alwasys ask if i'd been itching my belly cos i had red lines all over it (not stretch marks) it got to the point where i didn't realise i was doing it.
I then tried palmers cocoa formula for itchy skin. It's an oil in a spray bottle and it worked bloody wonders for me. i used to put it on in particular before i went to bed and it really helpped me a lot.

Great to hear that the itch is under control now smile If you would prefer to give birth in the hospital environment then you need to remind your midwife that it is your decision as to how you want to birth and that's what you're most comfortable with. After all, if you feel more secure somewhere the chances are you'll have a better experience.
I hope your new midwife apt went well smile