Graduated elderberries - 30+ and looking forward to DC1! (Thread 6)

[HazleNutt]

Oh, looks like I wrote the last post! So new thread here where we will see more berry babies and hopefully loads more graduates as well.

[CatsCantFlyFast]

Marking place

[janey1234]

Also marking... And agreed about more graduates, hope we get to welcome loads more

[Quodlibet]

Hello new thread!

I am packing for a long awaited and much needed holiday, camping in Cornwall for a week. So looking forward to some quality time with DP.
We had another wedding yesterday, and aside from deciding that weddings just going on a bit too long if you aren't drinking I coped quite well. I did get kind of an achy stretched belly by the end of a night standing around (and too much food) - it's a weird feeling isn't it? Although people keep saying how small I am still, my belly is really starting to make its presence felt now, and I feel constantly like I have just eaten a Christmas dinner! By the end of the day when I am tired and letting it all hang out it is pretty unmistakeable I think.

[Cavort]

Welcome back Mother, glad you've had a nice holiday.

Hazle RE clothes, Elodie hasn't even grown into First Size yet, she is still in Tiny Baby just about. We were completely caught out by having a much smaller-than-expected baby in a heatwave when the shops are full of New Season cold weather clothes. It's been like Groundhog Day since her birth as we rotate the same few Summer clothes that fit. I can't wait for her to grow into Newborn so we have a bit more choice.

Merk can you plan to tell your IL's just as you're about to leave with an unavoidable prior engagement to get to?

Ouchie indeed Janey, I hope Elodie doesn't earn that trick!

Hi Lol, I'm good thanks! Ok, I'm really tired but lets gloss over that. I had constant dreams that my waters had gone as I approached 40 weeks. I would find myself feeling the sheets as I was coming round.

I am very jealous of your holiday Quod. I love a bit of camping, especially in this weather. We have a campervan which, despite saying we would sell it when baby came along, we still haven't managed to bring ourselves to do it. It will be a black day when it goes.

[CatsCantFlyFast]

Love the idea of telling them and hurriedly leaving but IRL its actually going to be tell them, OH leaves to play golf with the men and I get 4 hours with MIL and SIL!
I have got incredibly itchy skin this eve, am smothered in bio oil but its not helping

[janey1234]

Merkin I had that throughout pregnancy, it was really annoying. DP had to itch my back every night before bed!

Purple had it at a whole different level though, poor gal.

[BelissimaLol]

Just marking place!
Got measured for nursing bra today but still baffled as to what to get. I'm currently 40c. What's your suggestion ladies?

[HazleNutt]

lol where did you get measured? If it's Mothercare or M&S then you're not really 40C. Do you have a tape measure and can you take your underbust measurement yourself (pull the tape tight). I have bought several nursing bras, will do a review a bit later.

Cavort shall i post you some of the clothes Vic has grown out of? I have been given tons of newborn stuff and he's already using some 3 month sizes..

[Cavort]

Hazle is our bra expert Lol so I'm sure she'll be along with some pearls of wisdom for you.

I just bought one stretchy nursing bra for straight after the birth and have bought a couple more since now I know what size I am. TBH I just wore my comfy sleep crop tops for the few days after the birth until my milk came in. I wore 34B/C before pregnancy. At 38 weeks I was 34D and I am now 34D/DD. I think everyone's different but when my milk came in mine didn't get much bigger, they just went really hard and hot.

Merk I'm sure your IL's are lovely but that would really piss me off if my moral support left me for several hours just after the big reveal. No wonder you are dreading it.

[Quodlibet]

Merkin agree that does not sound fun.

Cavort oooh we have always wanted a campervan! Could you not use it with a baby? We are going camping with friends with an 18 month and they have a very basic van...On another subject, was it you with the Which subscription? We have been offered a Bebecar Ip Op by a friend of DP's mum and I have never heard of one and wanted to get the gist of what they are like. They look a bit bulky to me.

[MotherOfCleo]

Oh hi lol nice to see a new name.

Beyond chuffed for you merk, try to think positive. I dont envy you re the inlaws though, Im lucky as my MIL is nice but I found telling people terrifying.

I'm having a real issue with fidgity, itchy legs, don't know what to with myself when it hits. Sucks big time!!

Hope all berry babies are doing ok, dont envy you heavily preggo ladies in this heat, I struggled at times on holiday and I'm nowhere near as far gone.

[Cavort]

Yes Quod I am the saddo one with the subscription to Which?

Bebecar Ip-op Review

The Bebecar Ip-op pushchair is suitable from birth to 15kg, and works as a travel system in conjunction with a compatible car seat. The Ip-op pushchair also comes with a hood, foot muff, apron and carry cot - but is it a worthwhile investment? We put it to the test to find out.

The sturdy Bebecar Ip-op travel system benefits from a reversible seat unit, one-handed recline mechanism and a large shopping basket, but it's not as easy to fold as our Best Buys.

The Ip-op drives smoothly on pavements and uneven surfaces, and copes reasonably well off-road and around obstacles. It feels a little unstable on kerbs, but isn't difficult to push up and down stairs.

Fairly heavy to carry
However, at 13.9kg our female testers found it rather heavy to carry, though the male testers found it easy.

It measures 310 litres (54x100x57cm) when folded, which is huge, but it just about fits into a medium-sized car boot.

Quick release wheels
The wheels have a quick-release mechanism should you need to remove them. The storage basket holds 5kg and the items are accessible even when the seat is fully reclined.

This pushchair is suitable from birth to 15kg.

The well-padded seat and choice of recline positions ensure that baby has a warm and comfortable ride, and the adjustable handlebar makes it comfortable for the carer, too.

Fully adjustable
The backrest recline can be adjusted into one of four positions with one hand, and the leg rest is also adjustable.

The safety harness has padded straps, but they can't be lengthened to accommodate taller children.

Tricky to fold
Folding up is more complicated than for most models, but once folded the unit stands upright for easy storage.

The Ip-op comes with a hood, foot muff, apron and carry cot, and you have the option to purchase a compatible car seat.

The fabric cleans up fairly well and the covers are removable, though they're not machine-washable.

Do you already own this pushchair? If you do, click the customer views tab - above the picture - and tell us what you think of it.

Pros: Reversible seat unit, large shopping basket is easily accessible, backrest reclines with one hand

Cons: Huge, very heavy, complicated to fold


Our campervan is only small and when the bed is layed flat it takes up the whole of the back so there wouldn't be anywhere for Elodie or the dog to sleep and I also have a DSD who comes with us sometimes. There are 2 more berths in the lift-up roof and we also have an awning so we could get by I suppose if I evicted DH and the dog and had Elodie in with me. but I would rather sell it and hopefully get something bigger and more suited to our expanding family in a year or two. I feel really sad though as we've had some great holidays in it as a twosome.

Hazle how heavy is Victor now if he's already in some 0-3? I held up a 0-3 sleep suit next to Elodie earlier and it looked absolutely huge! She is looking a lot fatter in the face over the last few days so hopefully she's piling on the weight and will be in them soon.

[Cavort]

P.S. I have uploaded campervan picture

[BraveLilBear]

Hello all.



Waters appeared to go at about 2am ish. Now contracting every 5-6 mins.

[BelissimaLol]

Oh how exciting!!!!!! Go brave! Go brave!!!!
Hazle- I have measured it and it says 38 inches right underneath my boobs. Fairly tight but not uncomfortably so. I've also measured it over my nipples without wearing a bra and it says 41. Not sure what that means? I was measured twice in mothercare
What size shall I buy oh wise one??? Help!
Cavort- how the hell did u stay the same???? I was also 34c but have grown massively! At the moment I have two bras 38d and one 40c and they all fit me fine! I've only been buying cheap ones as I figured there was no point investing money.

[Cavort]

Woo hoo for waters breaking Brave, that's great! Good luck sleeping through contractions though, I never managed it. You will be holding your new baby really soon, how exciting! The very best of luck for a nice fast lovely birth and keep us posted x

I have no idea Lol - I was desperate for the big boobs to arrive as soon as I got pregnant but it just never happened until the end and then was still a bit unimpressive. Just my luck. I put 2 stone on in total but mainly on my bump, bum and thighs so my back bra measurement didn't go up. I have got DH to promise me a boob job if/when I end up with spaniel's ears after BFing.

And I am no bra expert but isn't that 38C? I also only bough cheap bras while pregnant in anticipation of my boobs growing, which sadly never happened.

[janey1234]

Oh brace how exciting. Hope you're coping ok and that it all progresses quickly for you. Newborn hugs soon - weirdly I feel jealous as Miles has grown so much already.

Good luck!

[janey1234]

Brave even

[Quodlibet]

Ooh good luck Brave! How exciting.

Thanks Cavort, that's really helpful. It does sound like it is too big and bulky really - whatever we get is going to end up cluttering up our narrow hallway, and seeing as we don't have a car and will be relying on public transport I don't want something that I can't get up and down stairs easily. Your campervan is lush - no wonder you don't want to get rid.

[HazleNutt]

Brave so exciting!

cavort I'm not sure how heavy he is, home scales claim over 4 kilos now, but those can't be too accurate. But it's mostly his height, he's getting taller by the minute.

lol then you need size 38 bra, possibly 36, as many people find they get better support when they go for a tighter band. For a change, Mothercare is not that far off though.
As for cup size, try to measure when bending over so boobs hang towards the floor - yes I know it sounds ridiculous, but it usually gives quite an accurate starting point.

However, there is no accurate way of telling what your boobs will do after the milk comes in. The usual advice is to go up a cup size, but mine certainly grew more than just 1 size. Many people also find they go down a back size after birth, but again, that's not always the case.

So I would advise getting one of those more stretchy bras that can accommodate several sizes for the first days, and getting proper maternity bras once the size has settled down.

From those, I have both this
www.nursingbra-shop.co.uk/ShowDetails.asp?id=112
and this
www.nursingbra-shop.co.uk/ShowDetails.asp?id=321
Both very comfortable, but also stretchy and won't give too much of a support, especially the first one. But nice for sleeping, hanging around the house or possibly slow walks.

Now, after your boobs have settled down, I can recommend this one:
www.nursingbra-shop.co.uk/ShowDetails.asp?id=245
Feels like wearing a normal bra, excellent support.

[janey1234]

Lol I agree with hazle that you need something soft and very flexible for the first few days. I got two of these and loved them and still wear them now all the time around the house

Emma Jane bra

[Alexandra6]

Exciting brave!!! Lots and lots of luck! I still have to learn about contraction times but sounds like it could be happening very soon, I hope it goes really well

Woke up this morning and felt a cramp in my stomach, then looked down and my bump suddenly went into a rock hard square?! Was so funny, I showed DH! Only lasted a couple of minutes but wonder what position the baby got into for it to go like that, wish I'd got a pic as it was a perfect square, looked really weird! janey I remember yours went into a funny shape once, later on, thought it was too early for mine to be cramped and doing shapes on the dance floor!

Good luck merkin, think it's today you're facing seeing the in laws!

[MotherOfCleo]

wow so exciting brave!!! Hope thing happen quickly and textbook for you and you get newborn cuddles soon!

cavort can I be a right pain in the arse and ask what the mothercare movix review is like? So far it is the only travel system I really like the look and feel of.

[Cavort]

No problem, Mother. Would you also like the Mothercare Orb review? The Movix isn't a Best Buy but the Orb is.

Mothercare Movix

The Mothercare Movix pushchair is compact and can be used as a travel system by swapping the seat for an optional Maxi-Cosi car seat. It takes bumpy and uneven surfaces in its stride, but it's tough to turn. Are there other troublesome aspects to this Mothercare pushchair? Our lab experts and parent panel have rated this pushchair so we can give you our definitive verdict below.

The Mothercare Movix compact travel system is worth considering. It is easy to use on public transport, and will fit nicely into the boot of your car. The brakes are great and the excellent suspension gives your baby a smooth ride even on rough ground. But, this Mothercare lags behind our Best Buys because it is difficult to turn, and is not straightforward to fold.

What is it?
This Mothercare travel system has a reversible seat so your child can face the world or face you - which makes it easier to check on and chat to them.

You can use the Movix seat from six months. It's roomy enough for a toddler with a good seat depth, but, like most pushchairs, the backrest is a bit short for older children. The footrest height is not adjustable and will not suit a taller child. If you buy the pack including the optional carrycot (£570) - which replaces the seat - you can use the Movix from birth.

Another option is the Maxi Cosi car seat, which swaps places with the seat and fits straight onto the chassis. You don't need adapters to fit the car seat which means you won't be worried about losing essential parts, but it's difficult to remove the seat, so you won't want to be doing this too often.

What's it great for?
The Movix handles well on pavements and it is excellent on uneven surfaces, maintaining a smooth ride for your precious passenger. There are no brake levers to get caught on kerbs and there is space for a foot on the bottom bar, which helps when you need to tip the pushchair up.

The single brake pedal is very easy to use, works well and is flip-flop friendly.

The height-adjustable handlebar makes it easy for mum and dad to take turns pushing, and both parents will find it comfortable. The generous under-seat shopping basket is accessible regardless of the seat position, and zips closed so that everything stays put.

Our parent panel were reassured by the two steps needed to open the restraint, so a little one won't be able to open the harness themselves. And we like the fact that seat cover is easy to clean.

Is the seat comfortable?
The seat is deep and soft and protected by a sturdy hood, but the bumper bar can get in the way when you are trying to get your baby into the seat.

The seat supports a good posture and you can recline the backrest to a range of heights to make your little one comfortable when they doze. This is not as easily done as on other pushchairs though, as the recline buttons are hard and heavy to operate, especially when your child is in the seat.

What's it like to push?
The Movix feels a bit heavy and turning definitely requires an effort. Its weight also means it is tough to get up stairs. The pneumatic tyres make it easy to bump down stairs though, and also provide a smooth ride on all surfaces.

Is it easy to fold and store?
The Movix is easy to carry when folded, and it stands upright on its own making it convenient to store. But folding and unfolding the pushchair is not straightforward due to the number of steps involved, and you will need both hands.

It weighs 11.3kg which makes it a heavy pushchair, but this is still lighter than the average travel system. It's compact when folded (140 litres; 74x61x31cm). We managed to fit it into the boot of a medium family car (VW Golf) with space to spare.

Is there anything I should watch out for?
While the zip on the storage bag provides security, it takes a bit of time to open and get into.

Is there anything else I should know?
The step at the front of the pushchair is handy because little ones can climb in themselves, and when you need help to lift the pushchair the person at the front has a nice smooth place to hold.

Should I buy it?
The Mothercare Movix is certainly worth considering but it isn't as good as our Best Buys which are easier to manoeuvre around obstacles and easier to fold.

Do you already own this pushchair? If you do, click the customer views tab - above the picture - and tell us what you think of it.

Pros: Easy to push, can attach a car seat, good shopping basket, great brakes, reversible seat

Cons: Not easy to fold/unfold, tough to turn, awkward to remove and recline seat

[janey1234]

Alex - sounds just like braxton hicks to me! Started getting them (well, noticing them) at around the same stage as you. Exciting! My bump did go a weird shape once but that was at 37 weeks and turns out that was when baby changed to breech - don't think you'd notice that at 20 weeks as they flip around all the time then quite easily? By 37 weeks it's a very noticeable thing... Whenever I had BH my whole bump went rock solid and stuck out in an unusual shape. They were painless until much later on too....