Hello all
Another (brief) returner to this thread...not sure if you all remember me or not??!!?

I have lurked on here since I left the thread but had to come on and say congrats to Baffy and LL :-)

LL- My DD was born at 30+6 (although due to IUGR she was a titchy 2lb 10z!) The time on NICU is hard and the expressing can be a nightmare but it is so worth it :-) DD is 19 mths old now and still BF morning and night!! If you want any advice from someone who has been through it you can contact at myheadisspinning@yahoo.co.uk. Big hugs to you xx

I'm doing great now after a rocky few months I finally saw the light and have started divorce proceedings. Even though it's definitely the right decision and everything is pretty amicable it' still not a nice time but I am muddling through pretty well so far.

My life is FAR better than it has been for a long time . DD and I are doing just fine on our own. STBXH is very much involved in DD's upbringing and sees her at least twice a week. In fact he is more involved than when we were together and in fact bizarrely we get on much better too. I'm getting my social life back and am looking to the future with excitement and hope rather than the apprehension and fear I have had over the past 18 mths.

Just a very quick hello from me and I will try and read to catch up soon.

Things have been hectic here. Ds2 arrived safe and well on his due date - thanks for keeping everyone posted TFM. Just one hour from the first proper contraction to him being delivered!! I was in shock for a good while! Luckily I was in the hospital though!

They offered for me to go home that afternoon too! I swiftly declined that offer and asked to stay in for the night! I definitely needed some quiet time with the new little man to get my head round it all!

Anyway, Ds2 is absolutely gorgeous even though he has a good pair of lungs on him and is nothing like his chilled out laid back big brother! You get about 30 seconds warning for feed time and then all hell brakes loose!!

Things are going well though (apart from the lack of sleep of course). Ds is fantastic with the baby and dh has earnt the 'd' back with his constant help and support no matter what time of the day or night. I'd have been lost without him. Things are really good between us.

Few other things going on though - dh has been given 2 weeks notice and is being made redundant. It's come as a massive shock. So we're frantically looking at our options but I may well be going back to work next month. So once things have settled and I know what is happening from one day to the next, I will get back on MN properly!

LL I just skim read to see how you are and I was so shocked to read that your lo has arrived! CONGRATULATIONS!!!! She sounds absolutely perfect. Was there a reason why she was so early, did I miss that? I will have to read through everything properly.
Sending you lots of love and good wishes to get her home as soon as possible.

Nice to see some of the old faces too - Annie I remember you well and all of your fantastic support and advice. Good to see you too UC.

I will read properly and catch up soon xx

(p.s. I washed my phone in the washing machine!! Don't ask! Really lost my brain this time. Anyway, I've salvaged the sim card but lost everyone's numbers, so if anyone texts me just put a little note to say who it is! And apologies for not texting everyone with the news - now you know why!!!)

Lush - just tried to CAT you and you have choosen not to allow them - you can either change your options or cat me instead.

Lush - Yes hopefully mums medication is sorted now -lots of changes though.

No tips for expressing - i could have fed the whole hospital with mine when i went back to work - but ds would not take anything from a bottle so a total waste of time. I ended up feeding him at night and then he would not feed during the day - but hopefully he turned out ok - awaiting GCSE results now - just dont know where that time went.

I will cat you and then if you are happy i can either email a few of the teabags or post it on the private group on FB.

Good to hear from UC and AGYG - glad all is well with you both
HW - glad your mum is home, though sorry to hear she is not her former self. Did they sort out her medication?

Hi everyone else <waves> I don't want to say her name on mumsnet but if anyone has any ideas as to how I could let you know discreetly, then I'll be happy to fill you all in

Hope Baffy and baby are well. My teeny dd is doing well but still in Neonatal Unit. She is 32+3 and is perfect apart from needing to fatten up. She is full of character already I am finding expressing milk hard work as I don't seem to get much - any experts here?? This is why I am up at this time - in case anyone wonders if I am going mad. Expressing in the middle of the night is supposed to boost prolactin levels

Hi UC - yes i do remember you, glad things are going well.
AGYG - congrats on becoming a mil - i think i am sort of looking forward to that - but hope it is a while yet.

Ginnny - come and have mine for a day to help you get over your broodiness . After today i want to be a nun.

Have a great holiday TFM - anywhere nice? And enjoy your builder free time - i too am fed up of men in my house all the time - but i know it will be worth it when it is finished.

Hi AGYG and UC - Nice to 'see' you!!
Its great to hear you both sounding so positive and happy.
This thread has gone very quiet - I don't know about everyone else but I'm finding that MN is getting a bit rubbish again lately, don't know if that's just my miserable mood or because its the summer holidays but I don't come on here much at all atm.
Anyway I hope everyone is OK and Baffy and Lush are enjoying their lo's and managing to get some sleep .
I've just spent the afternoon with my friend and her 10 month old baby boy - he's adorable and I'm all clucky again!!
Love to everyone else

Hello everybody, I saw the thread on "active discussions" and dipped in. Don't know if you remember me. I don't think I've posted for a year either, like AGYG.

AGYG, I remember you too, good to hear things are going so well.

Congratulations on all the babies - Baffy and Ladylush!

Dior, so sorry to hear things are going badly. Like TFM says, you will get through this, I remember she told me 15 months ago to smile, pretend to smile, and soon you will be smiling for real. It takes time, but it works. And the practical advice is good too. Work out what you want and then go for it. And always remember, one day you will have a man who deserves you - if you want one that is! <<hugs>>

As for me, things only got better after the hell that was March - July last year. I am divorced now, still in what is now MY house with my boys, exH is engaged to OW, and they have a baby due later this year. All of which I take in my stride now. I realised last summer that we weren't right, and it was possible that his leaving was maybe the best thing that could have happened to me in the long run.

In November, I met a fabulous man (internet dating!), who I've been seeing ever since, we have 4 kids between us, and are seeing more and more of eachother - we call ourselves a "composite family". The kids get on, we are happy, and about to go off on our first holiday together on our own while the exes have the children. Can hardly wait.

I also want to say thank you to you all for the support last year. I felt a little guilty about leaving the thread, but I felt I had to concentrate on sorting me out. I think my story is testament to the "it can be done" and "you are strong" advice that we all get and don't believe at times. It really can be done. I know, because I am so much happier now than I think I have ever been....

Sorry if that's patronising - it isn't meant to be.

Love to you all. UC xx

I remember you AGYG!! Gosh, you have been busy yourself. It sounds like you have turned a corner now though and that you are in a good place. Long may it continue! Oh yes, Congratulations on becoming a MIL!

Hi to everyone else. Hope you are all doing ok. I'm trying to pack for our holiday but we still have a house full of workmen so it's rather challenging to say the least. As for Teabags, I', sick of the sight of 'em!! This lot drink far too much tea!

... bah, I said "guys" twice. Probably shouldn't have said it even once. Just pretend I said ladies. Or Teabags. Or amazing godlike beings.