Emmsy's ladies lets roll into spring together! Bring on some sunshine!

This rain is pants but it's nice not doing the school run ad having a break, doing what we want

I've just given blood for the first time, and I'm now enjoying lots of chocolate

4ever I am so desperate for sun - keep looking at camping trips to France but don't think I can fit in a sneaky week over the summer. Worried that as we don't want to drive far, the weather will be just like here and we'll have paid loads of money for it . Soo desperate for some sun - and definetly no sodding rain

Sadly, am looking at camping again -in 2 weeks time. I clearly have learnt nothing but am just keen to get away as soon as the school breaks up.

Great to hear the anniversary trip was lovely - you deserved it

Ah thanks for reading it ladies :)
lbm thanks, I just worry the next one would be another massive boy! (if God-willing we can even have a next one)

moon and buddha any news from 2ww??

I second that - what an amazing story, Cupcake . Don't worry about no 3 - people with only just a 3rd degree tear can deliver naturally - especially as you are so good at it now LOving the comments from ds1 - and wondering how DH explained that away!!

Aww cupcake that was amazing, thankyou for sharing

Happy birthday for all the ones I;ve missed so sorry! And happy anniversary 4ever :) I laughed so much at the pool emptying with S shouting 'poo poo!'

lbm sorry your trip was cancelled but prob for the best! Disgusting rain. We're planning camping in August (we'll be staying in ILs' caravan thankfully )

Well ladies I have finally written my birth story... so if you fancy a long boring read, here it is!!

I had an acupuncture treatment intended to help induce labour at home at 9.30am. Straight after I felt uncomfortable with general back pains for most of the morning ? I went to the park and round to a friend?s house and remember not being able to get comfortable sitting down as my back was really aching. By 1.30pm I realised the lower back pains were coming in bursts so started timing them on the contraction app I had on my phone. They were every 10 minutes for the next hour so I texted dh to let him know things might be happening. At about 3.30pm SIL came round and I told her I was having contractions. We then sat in the garden (was one of the really sunny days) chatting for the next hour and a half; I even drove down to the shop to get ice creams and the contractions were about every 8 minutes the whole time. They were painful but completely bearable.

At 5.30pm dh got home from work and by then I was having to stop what I was doing and breathe through the contractions. Dh said ?Ooh, I remember that sound!? We sent SIL home telling her we?d call her later on. (Looking back now we?re not sure why we did as it was obvious it was the real thing but I think I was a bit in denial!) Dh started putting ds1 to bed. I was leaning over the birth ball humming through the contractions. At 6.30pm I spoke to my mum and sister to tell them we were probably going into the hospital, but I was still saying stuff like ?it might not really be it, don?t get too excited!? ? no idea what planet I was on. Soon after that I called up to dh that he should hurry up getting ds1 to bed because they were getting more frequent and painful.

At 7.30pm when ds1 was in bed we called the MLU. I spoke to the midwife who said I sounded like I was in established labour and we should come in. We called SIL back who arrived about 8. I had gone up to the loo and disturbed ds1; dh went up to comfort him and later told me that ds1 heard me humming very loudly through contractions and said ?hoover? The contractions were coming so fast by now...MIL later told me that SIL was quite freaked out by the noise I was making!! (She?s only 19) I can barely remember the journey to hospital (only 10 mins drive) I just know I told dh to slow down at one point. I felt completely delirious with the pain by now. Baby was back to back again and the agony of the back contractions is just out of this world.

We parked in a little bay just outside the MLU and I honestly didn?t think I could get out of the car. As soon as one contraction ended, dh dragged me out and during the v v short walk into the MLU I had about 3 more contractions. People were walking past us and I was tugging on dh?s arm and moaning really loudly We got onto the delivery suite at 8.30pm. The pain was so intense I had to be lifted onto the bed as I could barely move.
The midwife examined me and my waters broke as she did. I already had the gas and air so I vaguely heard her saying I was fully dilated and baby would be here soon but seriously, that gas and air just made me feel I was floating somewhere above the room it?s the weirdest feeling. It honestly felt like a dream that I kept blacking out of then coming back to. I could hear things people were saying in triplicate like echoes - really trippy! I kept having to tell myself ?no, this is real, you really have to do this?. I was still fully clothed in a long skirt and two tops (all drenched in sweat and blood and amniotic fluid!) Dh kept trying to pull my tops off and I just remember shouting ?Don?t make me!!? (It?s so funny looking back to that morning; I?d put on the most random assortment of clothes as nothing really fitted & things that did were in the wash and I had no idea I?d end up giving birth in them!)

By this point my mum?s midwife friend had arrived. I?m so glad she was there as she knew my birth plan ? there was no time for anyone else to read it! They got me onto all fours which was how I wanted to deliver. I?m really glad I had told her and dh stuff about the position because there?s no way I could have got into it myself at that point. I was gripping the underside of the bed and tugging really hard on dh?s shorts with the pain and screaming my head off. I didn?t scream with ds1 just mooed through it all but this time it was so intense and fast I just couldn?t help it, I had to scream. They started saying baby wasn?t coming down in that position so moved me onto my left side and made me hold my right leg bent up to my chest. I pushed as hard as I could and felt a burning, stretching sensation so I knew he was coming. Yes it bloody hurt but it actually felt amazing too. With ds1 I pushed for so long with absolutely no result that it all felt so futile. I ended up feeling like such a failure that I?d had to have forceps. This time to push and actually get a result was just amazing; I was totally elated that I could actually feel the baby coming. The midwives were talking but literally all I can remember hearing is dh going ?Wow, you?re doing it...you?re really doing it, wow!? and it totally spurred me on.

Suddenly I realised it had gone quiet and no one was saying anything. I opened my eyes and saw about 4 more people around the bed and I just instinctively knew it was shoulder dystocia. They pulled the pillow from behind me and pushed me onto my back ? my legs were practically around my neck and someone was pushing on my tummy. I just knew I had to push as hard as I possibly could so I did, and I felt the rest of the baby deliver. He didn?t cry straight away and they took him out for a waft of oxygen but they said he was fine. They also said he looked huge and his shoulders had made me tear. So gutting really because his head had delivered with no tearing. Once the placenta was delivered I was examined by about 3 different people to determine if it was a 2nd or 3rd degree tear and they decided it was only just a 3rd degree so I?d have to go to theatre for stitching. They brought Seb back and weighed him ? 10lbs!! No wonder he got stuck really.

We called our mums and then I went to theatre for almost an hour which was actually really relaxing ? spinal block (those afterpains really are a bitch!) and music on, nice chat with the anaesthetist. I was back on the ward at midnight where dh and I consumed the BEST tasting toast and tea ever then stayed overnight in the MLU (think my mum?s friend pulled some strings to let us back on it as I shouldn?t have been allowed really with catheter, spinal block etc.) I didn?t get a wink of sleep as I literally could not stop thinking about the birth. Even though it was still not the IDEAL birth (would have loved a smaller baby and intact perineum solely for the purposes of thinking about baby no3 but am trying to put that out of my mind for now) I still think it went a REALLY long way to ?making up? for ds1?s. I?m still just soooo so chuffed that labour started spontaneously, and that I pushed him out myself ? I thought I?d never be able to do either after how the first time went. And the recovery from the tear was an absolute walk in the park compared to an episiotomy with a haematoma! I could walk and sit down straight away and I barely felt a thing while it was healing. So all in all, a positive experience and I can honestly say I?d go through that labour/delivery again tomorrow (minus the shoulder dystocia)...something I never would have said of ds1?s birth.
Sorry for the long ramble but I?m glad to have finally written it all down!

loeuy I so hear you with the weather - seriously peeded off with it. Trying to work out when I can get some sun - desperatly trying to fit in a trip somewhere warm between now and the end of the school holidays - it's not looking good mind. We bottled the camping - the weather was just too bad. The campsite we booekd ( last september) was lovely - in the woods, campfires and kids play area but with this weather seemed pointlesss - we would have spent the whole time yelling at the kids not to touch the sides of the tent..

Happy anniversary 4ever - hope you had a lovely day in London avoiding the rain :(

Rain, rain - get lost....

I am sooo fed up of this weather.....

4ever happy anniversary for tomorrow - hope the rain stays away for you! I think its supposed to be better tomorrow. I really hope so as we are intending to go to legoland. Summer will LOVE Peppa Pig - I've heard the shows are really good. Glad her 2yr check went well, not that you expected it not too!

Hope this week's birthday girls neeks and mls are recovering from all the excitement . neeko are you on hols now?

eek LBM at the camping. Really hope you don't get too soggy. I know you are hardened campers tho and so I'm sure you'll be just fine

blue ooh I love my kindle and I blame rumours for making me buy it I've got the non-3g one too. However, there is a touch screen one out now which I would probably get if I was buying one for the first time (but I'm easily seduced by gadgets) Hope things calm down a bit and that you are having a nice time in the caravan.

barbie so glad you've got some company and help!! Has Dolly's eating improved at all? And potty training too - although it does sound as though Dolly is training everyone else! We had the potette disposable potty too, was fab in emergencies.

moon I was convinced that the clomid hadn't worked the cycle I got pg with DTs. So much so that I sobbed all over DH a few days before I got my bfp. I think it can do slightly weird things to your symptoms so don't rule anything out yet. Pompoms at the ready.

buddha have things settled down with the nursery now?

monkey is it your appt today?? Hope it goes ok, I know it must be really hard and raw at the moment. Glad you are off work now and get to spend some time with DS.

cupcake wow - 9hrs sleep already, that's fab. Hope J's naps have returned. I know how precious they are to you with a newborn.

rumours no words of wisdom on the talk I'm afraid. I'm dreading it. Have you had a look on the NAS website for book ideas? They may have more visual ones. Alternatively post on the SN board?

I know I've missed loads out but I need to go and wake O up and then go and get wet again on the school run.

happy birthday and happy holidays all. another one in the end of term madness.
Off camping tomorrow - am so hoping it doesn't rain as we booked the site a year ago and are going with friends so can't back out!!

Happy birthday mls and

I've got the one with the keyboard but without the 3G, you don't need that. I LOVE it, I've had it 18 months now and have only had to charge it up about 7 times and I can hide all my rude books on it . Enjoy your hols xx

Happy birthday Neeko

Happy Birthday neeko . Hope your DH and DD's are spoiling you

Sorry for lack of postings, mad busy last week of school and work and now at the caravan.. Have been lurking when signal allows!

rumours going to treat myself to a kindle, what's the best one?

Will catch up soon, I promise xx

Happy birthday Neeko! Wishing you a very happy one.
Mum and sister arrived last night, 10 days of help, company and good times we hope.

Back soon, love to you all x

Happy birthday neeko hope you have a lovely pampering day

Last couple of weeks of school here and it's wall to wall meetings/events x2. Argh. Will do a proper post as soon as I can x

Happy birthday neeko hope you have a lovely surprise and a lovely day , here's some and from me.

Thanks lbm off to check that book out

Hi all. Sorry I didn't get chance to post before we left for holidays but was nowhere near as organised as usual! having a lovely time. currently sitting in bed waiting for DH and the dds to "surprise" me with my birthday cards. :) Going for a pedicure and head massage later as a birthday treat.

I miss strawberry's posts too...

Happy birthday to MLS for tomorrow.

will be back next week. Thinking of you all xxx

rumours Usborne do a great book on growing up - there is one for boys and one for girls , both callled what's happening to me? The boys one is on sale on either book people or redhouse for £3 I think. Or I have a copy and can send it to you - others tell me it's great.

Need to go - need to do the annual calculation of how much money the school gets from my books. Think it's about £300 this year, which will be nice

I didn't get 9 hours as it started at 7pm.. and I'm stupid enough to still be staying up til around 11pm.. but still very nice!
Think ds1 is trying to drop naps though :( been a massive battle to get him to nap the last couple of weeks & today I gave up after an hour.. rubbish :(

cupcake at the 9 hours sleep, but well done to sjay that is good

Aw I miss strawberry loads.. please come back if you're lurking strawb..

moon you never know..it's not over yet!

barbie LOL at dolly's potty antics!! Hilarious. I'm not thinking about training ds1 for another few months yet but he's seen some of his older friends using potties & says 'Jude's turn Jude's turn!' So think we'll have to get one soon!

lbm poor you cleaning up sprayed wee!! If it makes u feel better at 3am this morning dh & I were scrubbing our bedroom carpet after a projectile poo incident from sjay.. fun!!

rumours my sjay is doing v well thanks :) he slept 9 hours straight the other night! Very lovely.. so far he's been exactly the same as ds1 in feeding, sleeping habits etc. He's smiling now too which is lush :)
Enjoy your summer hols!