Flying mattress graduates - dock here!

[festiemum]

Hey chaps! Here's the space for us to witter on incessantly about our pregnancies!

20 week scan today and it was soooo fantastic! I'll post some pics on my profile later. The sonographer wasn't 100% sure, but thought that it was probably a girl, due to lack of visible meat and two veg!

Hope everyone's doing well! xxx

[festiemum]

flour - sorry to hear you've had more spotting. I had two bleeds when I was pg with dd1 - one at 6 weeks and one at 11 weeks. I think it was basically breakthrough bleeding. How many weeks are you now?

Sure it'll be fine, but empathise- it's very scary. As rus says, it could also be sex related too....

[Lilliana]

I'm here!

Scan went well and they got someone from gynae in to have a look at my uterus - he was happy all was ok, thinks it has shrunk now one is busy playing home for baby. But (isn't there always a but with me?) I am RH negative = more injections and checking bloods for antibodies :( Oh well, maybe it will get me over my fear of needles :)

Will check in later - was swimming earlier thinking of thread names and came up with the same one Festie

[festiemum]

Ha ha! Great minds and all that lil

Glad your scan was all good. Isn't the body amazing?! Sorry to hear about the rh- thing, particularly as you're not keen on needles. That does seem a bit unfair!

[Lilliana]

Congrats on the +ve scan festie, so glad all is ok and yay for the she-bean. (did you want a partcular 'flavour' or didn't you mind?)

My head risk assessed me yesterday, he is obsessive about RA and it is pages long with an action plan attached!!! On the plus side I don't have to take a class in sept, just cover our new NQT's occasionally and take a couple of intervention groups, minimal marking, planning, assessing and stress!!

[coveredinflour]

Hello!

Am excited about the new thread and loving the name, let's hope the others join us here soon. I just posted on the old one to let people know that everything is OK (so far). Thankfully the bleed has stopped. Had a scan yesterday and the bean looks healthy with a good strong heartbeat. They couldn't see any reason for the bleed or to be concerned so fingers crossed it was just a one off.

And no, sadly there's been no DTD - Ru it was me that had the bleed after that last time about a month ago so I've been keeping my legs firmly crossed ever since. Poor DH.

They also re-dated me yesterday so am a bit further along than I thought at 8weeks 3 days. Bring on the end of the 1st trimester, that's what I say!!! Mind you, am finally managing to get DH to bring me breakfast in bed, which is a result! :-)

Festie - congratulations on your scan. And how exciting to be having a girl (although it sounds like there's a bit of room for doubt?).

Lil - boo to RA and being RH+. Did you know that was in your family? At least they can sort it out now. I hate needles too. Am NOT looking forward to my booking in appointment on Monday with the midwife when I'll have to give many vials of blood. Always makes me pass out.

Will try to check in later.

[chipsandmushypeas]

Good morning Grads! Great idea! Didn't feel comfortable talking about regency stuff as I know I found it hard to read when ttc and especially after the recent losses :(

Glad the scans went well festie and Lil

Im nearly 9 weeks now and still no appointment for midwife?! I've got a private scan tomorrow! Also heard the heartbeat on my Doppler the other day :)

[chipsandmushypeas]

Obv I meant *pregnancy not regency!

[Rusulka]

Yeah yeah Chips whatever, I had you down as a royalist this whole time, lol.

I have to say I do feel less guilty talking on here, know I'm not putting any noses out of joint.

Lil my SiL is RH-, so she will have all the fun and joys that you do, so if nothing else, you have to be the guinea pig so I can tell her what to expect- she's only 24 and a little naive, so it will really be useful.
Also, score on the September work! When are you due? I wouldn't have thought you'd be in work then... unless you're working as late as poss to get as much time with your baba as you can?

Flour there is a light at the end of the tunnel re: sex after conception, as me and DH have been doing the old horizontal mambo a few times since the bleed scare, and every time it's been fine. I think mainly it was a case of waiting to get out of the first tri, but let me check my pregnancy diary (squizzes...)

10+6, me on top
18+6, me on top
20+1, DH on top
20+6, DH on top
24+0, DH on top

We started off with me on top so I could control his ahem, thrusting, and that way when he had his ta-dah! I could pull back and stop him ramming my cervix... after a few non- problematic goes at that, we reverted to our usual position, (which is so much more satisfying for me) and so far no probs.
Like I said, I think it's just a case of getting out of the first trimester and giving things a chance to settle down, although DH said he's been being more careful as well.

Festie congrats on scan! Our belligerent sonographer was adamant she was right (she would be, wouldn't she), and said 3 lines between the legs meant a girl. But then I wouldn't put it past her to deliberately say the wrong thing to spite people- just the vibe I got!
I've bought maybe a handful of dresses, but all the babygrows are gender neutral, they've got nice multi packs in Asda, M&S and Sainsburys that aren't too bad. I think if you join the Sainsburys little ones club, you get a voucher for £10 off children's clothing- that's how I bought their babygrows anyway.
The asda ones are quite nice, neutral ones, and M&S has brightly coloured stripes, but they're a bit more expensive- I think £8-10 for 5 bodysuits or something, whereas Asda is about half that.

My back is killing me after gardening yesterday, and Peanut kicked me all day, probably for wearing jeans for the first time since being pg, but I was using the strimmer, and didn't want bits of grass and weed going up my skirt and into my hoo ha. The jeans are comfy, but the waistband is a little snug on bending over- I expect she was complaining.

Well, guess I'd better go do something productive before it rains.

[Lilliana]

I love it, first page and we have detailed knowledge of Rus's sex life!! That will put anyone else off

Rusulka glad to be of some use will let you know what happens when I find out a bit more from the mw. I can wait to feel movements but have found I need to undo my trousers already

Chips our booking in appointment was between 8-10 weeks but know there were some people on the a-n thread I tried for a while whose area only saw their mw after the first scan so maybe your area is different. You would have thought they would have told you though.

Flour Mums comment was 'have you always been rh-?' - umm I presume so! She then went on to say dad's dad had 'funny blood' so blame Dad!! I used to give blood so knew I was A but never really twigged to a +/- aspect. My mw was lovely with the blood taking, had DH holding my hand and she was good and quick. Hope it goes ok with you. How did you get DH to play breakfast maid? Could do with some tips!

[festiemum]

Ha ha! You're so right lil - rus, I have to say, I'm very impressed with your dedication - dates and position - that's either impressive or a bit scary, not sure which! :o

Definitely room for doubt on the boy/girl front I think. At first she said, "not sure whether it's an over-developed girl, or an under-developed boy", to which I thought, so he takes after his Dad :o Then she had another look and said, " I'm going to say it's probably a girl, because I would have expected to see something more obvious by now if it was a boy"! So hardly definitive! I don't think I'll be going mental with pink stuff anyway! We've got quite a bit already, so I can dress either sex. And I am partial to a stripe, which will do for either.

Don't know if any of you have seen this website. It may be one of you that directed me there! It's bloody expensive, but does some quite nice unisex clothes.

Good luck with your scan today chips. xxx

[Rusulka]

Lil that's not detailed. I didn't mention the amount of foreplay, the face DH pulled, or how much 'o' gel I used!
DH is O-, I'm O+, so we're ok. I think.

Festie in my defence, the only reason I'm recording with such diligence is so that if anything goes wrong, I've noted whether I've had sex, worked in the garden, fallen over, carried something heavy or eaten something different, and I know what caused it.
Since this is my first pregnancy, and I have nothing to go on (so spent most of the first few months shitting myself because I thought I was going to have a miscarriage due to lack of symptoms), I've been keeping a diary so I can look back next time and say, ok, I know what to expect and when.

I can't believe I'm 6 months on Sunday (according to NHS) and I'm STILL in my own clothes. I could have still kept it a bloody secret!

Had a good rummage in some charity shops today, found some more stuff for Peanut. I seem to have found plenty of dresses and fleecy hoodies, but not much else. I managed to get some babygrows in the RSPCA today for 25p each! (which I totally didn't need). You just can't get bargains like that on eBay... although I did get a nice little Hallowe'en top with a skeleton on for £1.01 on there, so it's not all bad. Wish there was a jumble sale on nearby at some point so I could have a proper rummage!
I found a nice crocheted blanket that looks like um, pie lattice, and I let myself have it because let's face it, it'll be a miracle if I work out how to crochet in 3 months, never mind graduate beyond those granny sqares!

[chipsandmushypeas]

Morning all :) had my scan yesterday, it was amazing! Private clinic so everything was so clear, I could see baby's nose, heart beating. My DP was in awe!

Everything measuring perfect, heartbeat was 164bpm. Here's a pic:

my pudding

Hope everyone is glowing today :)

[festiemum]

Fantastic chips and a lovely picture! You must feel reassured!

Sorry for teasing you rus - I am actually admiring at your diligence and organisation actually! I think is is amazing that you're still in your own clothes. I am enormo-woman! Ds's tiny teacher who is 2 weeks ahead of me still isn't showing. She must look and me and be horrified!

Hope everyone else is doing ok. I have a consultant's appointment this week on thursday which I am busy getting myself into a tizz about! I have to convince him to let me have a home birth... Dreading it!

Oh and still having trouble allowing myself to buy baby stuff despite the lovely reassuring scan last week. Someone give me a slap and tell me to get a grip of myself please?! :o

[Lilliana]

Morning all.

Chips glad everything is ok, it's great to finally see this tiny little person in your first scan.

Festie are they likely to not want you to have a home birth? I have to admit I think I would be too scared to have one but maybe as my first it's the unknown and I will feel differently for the next one (if we have another)

I'm trying to stop people buying things but know we will have to get sorted after 20 week scan so get on with it girl!

Wow Rusulka I can't believe your still in your own clothes at 6 months!!!! I'm 3 1/2 and already have the top button of my trousers undone and thinking that I'm going to have to do something soon . Very impressed with the dedicated record keeping, I kept meaning to do the same but wasn't sure what I would write except 'feeling sick' every day which was somewhat depressing!

Have had 2 days sickness free and only a little nausea this morning so am hoping I am coming through it now and will be full of energy. Need to be as DH is on the isle of man for the TT over half term and I am painting the baby room and my office as well as writing reports.

Had a lovely weekend, went to Devon County Show, had the eve in plymouth, accidently saw the olympic flame and generally chilled out. As we have the flame coming though the town I work in today the children don't have to come to school until 11.15 so hopefully will have a nice quiet morning :)

Flour hope you are ok

[chipsandmushypeas]

Thanks festie and Lil :)

I still hadn't received a letter about my booking appointment and 12 week scan from hospital, so I called and booking is on Friday and my 12 w scan is 14th June. Not too long to go!

How is everyone x

[festiemum]

Yay chips! That's excellent! It's all happening now!

Where do you teach lil? Only asking cos the torch goes through my home town this morning!

I need to convince the consultant to let me have a home birth for a number of reasons. Firstly, I had a c section with dd1 because I had pre-eclampsia and she was breech. Despite the fact that I have since had two uncomplicated pregnancies and vaginal deliveries, some doctors still insist on a 'trial by labour' for every subsequent delivery!

The other possible complication is the fact that we are an hour away from the nearest hospital, which could prove tricky if I needed to transfer. The trouble is, this works both ways: with dd2 (my last labour), I had a 5 min journey to the hospital and she was born within 30 minutes of getting there. It doesn't take a mathematical genius to work out that at an hour away, I wouldn't have made it to hospital from here! I really don't want to give birth in a lay by!

Still, we'll have to wait and see what he says!

Glad your sickness seems to have abated lil, it's so debilitating! Thanks for the kick up the arse re buying stuff as well! Needed that! :o

Hope everyone else is well! :)

[chipsandmushypeas]

Hope you get your home birth festie I heard they're pushing people to have them now. I was thinking about a birth centre which is situated right next to the hospital. What do you guys think for a first timer? Or should I stick to hospital?

Can everyone post their edd as I get confused!

chipsandmushypeas - edd 24/12/2012

[Lilliana]

Lilliana - 31 #1 edd 17/11/12
chipsandmushypeas - edd 24/12/2012

Good plan Chips I was thinking this the other day, especially as we are all at quite different stages. I've added a bit more info on (not sure what you put before the #1 as I cant put ttc!) Glad you have finally got some dates to look forward to.

Festie I'm working in Bideford. The convoy ahead of the flame filled the children with coke, blue lollies and gave out flags etc - you can imagine hyped they were when they came in . Classical music and a bit of project work this pm I think!!

Def sounds like you have a good case for a home birth, hope you don't have too many problems convincing them.

Our hospital mat ward has a good reputation so haven't really thought about looking into any other options, maybe I should!

[chipsandmushypeas]

Lil I think we put 'ttc #3' or whatever it was. Good idea.

I've only thought about the birth centre as my hospital has a very good one attached to the main hospital so if anything went wrong we would be right by it anyway. Just worried as you can't have an epidural but I would rather use other pain relief methods and relaxation.

[chipsandmushypeas]

Lilliana - 31 #1 edd 17/11/12
chipsandmushypeas - 25 #1 edd - 24/12/2012

[festiemum]

I think a mat led unit right next door to the hospital sounds ideal chips! Transfer will be a piece of piss if you decide you need an epidural or whatever, and if not you get the relaxing surroundings of a slightly less hospitally environment!

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against hospital births - I had three very positive experiences in hospital. I'm purely keen for the home birth this time as I reckon it's probably gonna be quick and I don't think I'll get there in time! Also, last time, I got to hospital, gave birth and then waited around for 4 hours while they sorted the paperwork out to discharge us! The idea of popping a baby out, having a bath and then getting back into my own bed is just too appealing!

lil - I'm a Barnstaple girl, born and bred! Weirdly, dh went to school in Bideford (many moons ago!), but we met on the internet and he was living here in Cornwall.

Stats updated too:

Festiemum - 38 #4 edd 29/09/12
Lilliana - 31 #1 edd 17/11/12
chipsandmushypeas - 25 #1 edd - 24/12/2012

[chipsandmushypeas]

That sounds amazing festie! I would love a home birth one day, but not with my first I'm too worried about everything!

[festiemum]

God no, I wouldn't have done it with my first!!! No way! I know some women do, but I was more comfortable putting myself in the hands of the professionals! Now I'm an old hand, it should be (as some old lady who had 6 kids once told me) like shelling peas!!! :o

[Rusulka]

Rusulka - 30 - exp#1 - edd 28/08/12
Festiemum - 38 - exp#4 - edd 29/09/12
Lilliana - 31 - exp#1 - edd 17/11/12
chipsandmushypeas - 25 - exp#1 - edd - 24/12/2012

How about that ladies?

I can beat your birth centre Chips- the midwife led unit here is not only in the hospital, but NEXT DOOR to the delivery suite, and they're STILL saying I can't use it.
Twats.

Had my 2nd consultant appt today and came out feeling overwhelmed with all the appointments I've got lined up over the next few months-

28/05- 3rd midwife appt
14/06- Glucose test
03/07- 1st antenatal class
09/07- 3rd consultant appt (and weigh in, boo)
10/07- 2nd antenatal class
30/07- Anaesthetist appt

And another to be arranged for a growth scan at 36 weeks to make sure I haven't grown a ginormo-baby.
And various midwife appts I expect will crop up in between.

The one that really pissed me off was the anaesthetist appt. I have to meet with them so they are 'aware I exist and will be coming in' and then if there's an emergency or I pop early, presumably forewarned is forearmed, and they'll have elephant-sized doses in stock and ready. It's all so humiliating and unnecessary.

Depending on how you judge it, since getting my BFP I've either put on a pound or lost 3, so I don't know why they're still wittering on at me...

My sister's friend ate for two hundred when she was pregnant, and I bet they didn't treat her like they're treating me.
I would much rather be at home!!!



Rant over. God, I'm such a grump.

[Lilliana]

Rus I can't believe they are still singing that song - you are still in your own clothes fgs!! That means basically you have been losing weight - ie the baby is gaining weight while you lose it = you're staying the same. Was going to ask about why you are seeing an anaesthetist but what an rediculous waste of time. Grr. Also the mat unit is 1 door away? - seriously how much harm an come to someone going through 1 door? You would prob have to go through more than that if the worst happened and you did need c section etc. I'm now annoyed for you!!

Festie How weird, I was born in Barnstaple too. Lived in a tiny place between the 2 but was more of a Bideford girl (and sadly still here!) We live in the middle of nowhere now though and love it (although not as rural as it sounds you are!)

My friend had a quick birth, the second time she had no time at all. Her DH (now ex) was upstairs as he had been drinking and was pretty passed out and by the time people got there she opened the door to them while crowning. I would suggest planning it at home would have been better, especially with how far away you are! When do you have to tell them this is the plan?

Chips your birth centre sounds perfect, close enough but not a hospital. I wouldn't go for a homebirth first time either.

Hay fever has hit in the last few days. Was told by many people that they didn't get it when pg - well apparently I still do :( Just as I'm getting over sickness I'm feeling rough again. Anyone know what I can take? Think I might have to call the docs today and see. I know antihistamines (sp??) are out, I'm hoping I can at least have eye drops and my inhaler and will see if they can suggest anything else.