Support thread for women who are pregnant or TTC after a termination for abnormalities 2

[LittlePoot]

Dear all lovely ladies past, present and future. Welcome to support thread number two, to help us through the anxious TTC waiting, early scary weeks of pregnancy, nasty scans and tests, growing bumps and babies and everything in between. May this thread bring luck and (eventual) joy to us all and at least we'll all be here to hold eachothers' hands along the way. x

Wow, congratulations Gina, well done! First thread baby of the year, so exciting, and great that it all went well! xxxx

Congratulations Gina!!! That's great news. So much for your rest Love to you all xxxx

CONGRATS GINA!!!!!! What a lovely way to bring in the new year, and a lovely name

Happy new year to everyone else too - looking forward to the many impending arrivals! xxx

Hellooooo there! Sorry for the massive silence. December was ridiculous in the crazycat household and we all ended up with the most horrid flu for 3 weeks over Christmas. I think it might have been swine, but either way it pretty much ruined Christmas!

I really didn't expect to see baby news on checking in. Huge congratulations Gina, I'm so so happy to hear that your little boy is here and all went well. I hope your first few days being Alexander's mum are going well.

I haven't read the rest of the thread for about a month so am massively behind on everyone's news, I hope you're all well and had lovely Christmas breaks.

Other than the flu, all good here. I am almost 34 weeks and have done absolutely nothing to prepare for this baby's arrival! Time to get organised...

And DD turns 2 this weekend so I'm trying to get my head round baking an egg-free Peppa Pig cake!

lots of love xx

Congratulations Gina, lovely news to start the year with!

Huge congratulations Gina! Wasn't expecting to see the arrival of any 2011 babies just yet - I guess he was a bit keen to come and meet you! Wish you a speedy recovery and enogh sleep to get through the coming weeks.

I hope everyone else is well. Catlady, hope you are all feeling back to normal soon. Good luck with the cake - I wish I could offer advice but I am still yet to (successfully) back a cake at all...!

We all had bugs, viruses, colds etc but managed to enjoy a lovely family Christmas. My sister had her baby boy on the 29th, so has been a lovely festive season over here. Fingers crossed my little sticks are going to bring us some happy news this month (2 weeks to go till testing day)

Best wishes to all xx

Oops typo - enough, not enogh

Congratulations Gina. Really lovely news. :)

So does this mean Poot is next? Really lovely to see this.

Arghhhh - long message swallowed. Will retype again when on laptop and not phone.

Wow - congratulations Gina! No last minute worrying for you then All the best to you, your OH and Alexander - and I do hope you manage to catch some sleep over the next wee while to recover from your surprise. Try to enjoy the strange snuffles and squeaks of newborns, they disappear before you know it. Can't believe it but BabyJ is already 6mo and starting her adventure with food... xx to your lovely new family.

So does this mean that Catlady is officially next, followed by Poot, then Coffee, then Drama? Have I missed anyone?

Hope all is well for everyone else TTC, here's hoping the new year brings good SWI (hopefully the 'with intent' rather than 'without interest' version!!) and little blue sticks...

Ooh Happy Weaning Numpty! We have some brilliant photos of DD trying new flavours for the first time, the faces she pulled... so much fun.

Babycatlady is due 18 Feb so not long now. Am I really next? I think it might be Poot first? I am convinced this baby is a boy by the way...

Natz I hope the next two weeks passes quickly. Lovely news of a Christmas baby in the family. I'm sure just being around newborns is good when TTC.

Hello crazycat! Lovely to hear from you but sorry you were all struck down over Christmas. You poor things. You're right about me being next - due 5th Feb. Just can't really get my head round it! I've just been so focussed on getting and staying pregnant, that the whole giving birth to a new human being part has still not really dawned on me..... I'm sure I'll work it out.

Hope all's well Gina - will be looking to you for tips! xxxxx

Congratulations Gina and welcome to baby Alexander! Hope everything is really well with you and the family. What a lovely start to the new year.

I am due 27th Feb so hoping to be towards the end of the group. Best wishes and good luck to all with these last few weeks. It becomes a struggle! But last time I had gestational diabetes and that was more of a struggle so everything is relative.

Looking forward to more baby news now.

Not long then Poot! To be honest I sometimes think the less you read/think about giving birth the better.

Someone (no idea who, and sadly too late for my hideous first birth) once said to me 'let your monkey do it' which is a lovely way of saying that giving birth is totally instinctual on a physical and emotional level so the less your head/brain is engaged in the process the calmer you will be and the easier you and your baby will find it.

I am planning a totally different experience this time, and have been on a hypnobirthing course to teach my brain how to switch off. If all's well I will have this baby at home, in a pool, with a glass of wine...

I have just spent the morning sorting through all the old baby stuff, getting sleepsuits out and toys organised. Exhausted now. DH gone to get burgers .

Poot I agree with Catlady. Every birth is different, you just deal with it you when get there and it's not something you can really plan for. My first birth was lovely thanks to an epidural. After pain relief I slept for much of my labour and the birth did not hurt. It meant I was relaxed and rested to meet my newborn and it was right for me as I was not dealing so well with the pain. Fingers crossed I will meet the anaesthetist early on again. I know for lots of people this level of medicalisation would be the stuff of nightmare, you just have to see how things go when the baby decides to arrive.

Catlady I did the same yesterday. I have sent DS to my parents for a week's "holiday". In the ensuing calm I went to the sales to buy a few things for the new baby (I have finally allowed myself to do this) then got all the old bags out and sorted into piles for washing. It was lovely to see some old friends and to realise how little I will need to get for this baby. All this done without any toddler confrontation, buggies, lugging of cross infant etc. Lovely.

It's impossible to get anything done with a toddler around isn't it! I tried to sort some bags of clothes over the weekend but DD just kept picking stuff up and either putting it on her head or flinging it across the room...

How lovely to have a toddler free week! We share a nanny so DD is off with her today and I'm not working until Thurs, so making the most of today...

I'm not sure its really the giving birth part that I'm worried about - I'm not thinking it'll be much fun, but I am trying to focus on the fact that its only temporary..... Its more the new human being part that scares me. Especially as they have a policy of trying to send you home after about 6 hours at our local hospital - 6 hours doesn't sound nearly long enough for me to have worked out what on earth you do with these things when they stop being bumps and start being babies.... My plan for January is to try and learn a bit more about that part.

I don't seem ever to get anything done when DS is around. And he's at that stage of "no" to everything at the moment. I seem to have to cart him around like a dead weight everywhere, because he never wants to change activities when I want him to and screams a lot! And our house has loads of stairs in it so I seem to spend half my life huffing and puffing carrying him up and down the stairs because he won't go of his own accord. I have been getting so worn out - with the crying and stamping and tantrums at every meal! I was worried it was just me, but my mum told me on the phone she finds DS a "handful" at the moment, and my mum was an infant teacher for 30 years so it's not as though she is inexperienced with children.

I am glad you have the same experience re the sorting. I tried last month but DS did the same thing. And it becomes frustrating when you are trying to create piles by size when a small guy is constantly moving them...!

Your life sounds exactly like mine Rachel! Even down to the thousands of stairs... we have a very narrow tall house which is awkward enough to manage with a toddler who only wants to walk down on her own but with you right by her side, and once you add in the bump it's quite ridiculous.

DD is going through a very bossy stage at the moment, so she's always shepherding me about the house and demanding I stand up/sit down/read this/come here/drink that etc etc... exhausting! She won't go in the buggy without being manhandled, or walk anywhere sensibly either. I have to admit she watched quite a lot of Peppa Pig over the Christmas break, just so I could get her to sit down quietly for half an hour!

Poot I knew exactly the sum total of zero about babies when DD arrived and in hindsight I probably should have read some books. The general MN consensus is that all baby books are rubbish, but actually I found when I did eventually give in and read some, that they were very useful indeed! I never followed any particular routine or parenting philosophy to the letter, but it was useful to have a handle roughly on how often she should be sleeping, eating, having dirty nappies etc and what to expect from life with a baby.

Us too, narrow and tall, 4 floors. Sitting room on second, bathroom on third. It means doing anything involves a change of floor and the ensuing drama of going up or going down.

In fact I have to force myself to get us out, as not only do we have to get down, but we then have to make it through the front door, and DS won't go in the buggy either. He wriggles and writhes shouting "no buggy" whenever we try to get out, but if I relent and let him out without being in the buggy he either tries to make off back into the house shouting "no walk" or he comes out but either a) walks along the street trying to open garages and car doors; or b) walks off in the opposite direction or c)if I try to hold his hand to get him to walk in a straight line he sits down (even if that means sitting down in a puddle or the middle of the road).

How are we going to get them out with newborn in pram?!

A quick one from me to say happy new year to all you lovely ladies, and a big wow, super congratulations and lots of love to Gina on the fabulous arrival of Alexander! I hope you and your family are enjoying every single moment. :)

To everyone else, I hope you're all well and looking forward to a wonderful 2011 for all of us.

I have nothing of interest to report apart from a burgeoning bump and a lot more movement since Christmas, which I think is down to Cub being squashed in amongst all the mince pies and chocolate orange segments.

Now that Christmas and New Year are out of the way, I'm having to face facts that I may actually be having a baby, so have been swotting up on my work's maternity policy and thinking about leave etc. Sobering stuff!

Anyway, sending you all lots of love, and look forward to hearing more exciting news over the coming weeks. :)

xxxx

I'm wondering the same rachel! Getting out of the house is just as tricky as staying in it... I think I may resort to sling for the baby and some reins for DD!

We just had a horrible 30 minutes with DD continually getting out of bed, taking her back, and repeat ad infinitum. She's only been in a proper bed for a few weeks and all been fine so far, I'm really hoping this was a one off and not the start of something... she's such a good sleeper!

How many weeks are you now Viv?

ha ha, just catching up with the thread and have enjoyed your chat rachel and crazy cat. when I had dd2 it took us 3 hours to get to the park at the end of the road! It gets better :). now i get ds in the buggy with a 'weety. not great parenting but it's the only way we get to school before lunchtime.

Congratulations Gina, it's very exciting to see a baby on the thread, I hope you are really enjoying yourself with alexander. xx

Helloeveryone just a quick hello to say Alex is doing really well. He is under a uv lamp for a bit as he is jaundiced but has started to breast feed and also has top ups as he wouldn't suck straight away so we have been syringe feeding! I'm exhausted but it's worth it he is incredible!!

Birth was very quick. I was so convinced it was BH by the time I got to the hospital I was 7cm dilated. 2hrs later he arrived!! Bit too fast really as I was in shock for a while but not too traumatic!! All in all I think it only lasted just under 6 hours!

I will pop back soon with personal messages but Alex is due a feed!

Love to all xxx

A post festive hello to everyone. I hope everyone is refreshed after the holidays.

Great to see the first 2011 thread baby has arrived too. Gina - my DD also had jaundice and was under UV lights. I was expressing and they were tube feeding and it certainly was exhausting. But as you say totally worth it.

The toddlers conversation made me smile too -DD is now 2.8 and the being bossed around stories are very familiar! We're currently potty training which is demanding every ounce of patience I have and the bribery is coming in BIG time. I remember when she was a baby and I was committed to no TV, organic healthy snacks etc. Now I've realised when they become toddlers it goes out of the window to a large extent just so you can stay sane!

I hope everyone TTC is well. I'm now a day late for AF so a bit preoccupied with that. I'm scared to go and get a test at the moment and it could easily be that my cycles are just not yet back to normal. I have had what may have been implantation pains though so a little bit hopeful albeit terrified.