Calling The Viroids - Just Shagging Graduates!

[gormers]

Just thought I'd start a thread for all those JS graduates, whether a newbie graduate or even if you left us a while ago and are well on your way. Would be good for us to keep in touch, see if we're all staying 'sane'.

Don't know about you ladies, but I am still filled with the overwhelming urge to PIAR (that's POAS for all you older graduates - after you left us we went a little mad and started harnessing the power of the ramekin!) I think once you start the habit it doesn't leave you!

Well, it's good to know that the Just Shagging method works. Even if we did once in a while just cheat a teeny tiny little bit!

Sorry for the confusion on the name change front, yes I went from contemplating a name change to name changing. I quite like it .

I have two pairs of underbump mat trousers, one in a 14 and in a 16 (big bifta here) the 14's are red herring and dig into bottom of bump when I sit down and the 16 (M&P's) are HUGE and just fall down. I do have a M&Ps over bump skirt though and it fits like a dream. I need to get some leggings to go under them though as my non maternity stockings no longer fit.

I had my mouthful of wine last night. It was very nice, but wish I'd gone with the sav blanc rather than the chenin blanc. Actually last night for a change I had a sex related dream rather than an alcohol related dream hmmm

Where did half my sentence go?! They seem to think that just because I have a baby in my belly I must also be hiding a couple in my arse and one in each thigh, since there are all these flaps of material everywhere meaning I look all svelte up top and like a horse from my rib cage down. Still, it's the best I'm going to do and it was reduced from £55 to £13 on Asos so sod it.

I wore flats yesterday in an effort to be sensible and now my fanjo is worse than ever! I nearly just crippled myself reaching for the remote control (working from home today )

Hello!

NomoreNMCB Love the name change

TTL and everyone I have the same problem with clothes - under bump trousers are too baggy and over bump trousers need pulling up all the time... I think tunics and leggings or dresses are definitely a better option!

I have my 20 week scan in a week and squidge is squirming around loads! I got two kicks on my hand last night
I feel as if I'm much smaller than I was with my first though, but don't really know why I have that impression. There's always something to worry about isn't there

Lizzy huge congrats! hope you 'stick' around!

Vallinna I went out with DH last week for my burfday and actually had a few sips of wine. Not a glass, just a sip or two. It was lovely :)

As for sex dreams... I wake up sometimes wondering whether I have shouted the house down

I had a small glass last Wednesday. It was heaven

at you ladies and the sex dreams. Yesterday at work a student came to see me to apologise for the crapness of his essay and last night I dreamed that DH had died and the student said he was in love with me and would look after me and the baby

Thank goodness it didn't turn into a sex dream or I'd be really disturbed now.

nmcb/coaaf and milano I want to hear your dreams now!

PS anyone worried about bb? She's not come on since her 20 week scan ...

ttl I was wondering and considered being stalkery and searching her name but have resisted. I hope she's just really busy.

confessions I love it

lizzy huge congrats! You most certainly don't know me as I stopped JSing about 8 months ago. Literally, sadly. Plan to jump DH after 38 weeks to get labour going though!

I'm deeply jealous of all the sexy dreams but I do have maternity trousers which fit from Mothercare. Can't have it all I suppose

esk trust me by 36 weeks you won't be terrified of giving birth. You'll be terrified baby plans to take up permanent residence!

I am a fan of the sex dreams but Jacob from twilight has now been replaced by randoms so not as fun!

DH treated me to an iPad today so now will have more entertainment for my leave and the hospital tomorrow as the consultant is always running late, last time 3 hours!

Sorry for being AWOL. Life gets in the way sometimes I'd get the chance to read and catch up, prepare half a post then get diverted onto something else.

The 20 week scan was all fine. The actual scan itself look an hour! Partly longer because there are two to scan, and partly longer because we had a trainee on the case. She was pleasant enough though. (I'm a bit of an ogre sometimes and don't like being trained or practiced on!! But I relented! ) We didn't manage to get a decent profile look but other than that all seems fine. They are measuring bang on for our dates - twice!

Congratulations Lizzy! It's great to have a new member.

Are you guys with your wine rage abstaining totally?! In the front of my medical notes book it says it's okay to have one unit a day. I'm probably having a glass or two of wine each week. But I agree, I've gone right off nights out where I know everyone will be sloshed. It's sooooo boring.

I seem to have spent a fortune on maternity clothes, but don't have anything to show for it

Right, I'mm going to post this before something happens and it all gets lost!!

Working from home tomorrow, so hope to be around a bit

Good to hear all is well BB. I can put my away. also happy to hear you've had a lovely 20 week scan Milano

Sorry Frakkle no more sexy dreams for me, just back to waking up and reading.

Hey bb so glad all was brilliant at your scan :)

On abstaining, I think it's absolutely fine to have a couple of glasses of wine a couple of times a week, or a small glass with your dinner, etc. But I live a bit of a double life - I feel like a lot of people in academia would sort of frown on you for abstaining, as if you were being unintellectual about it and just doing what the government told you. A lot of people in the rest of my life would frown on me for drinking (as in two of my SILs, who have tried to stop me tenpin bowling, had a go at me for going ice skating, assumed I wasn't having sex because it wouldn't be right for the baby, and also assumed I wouldn't go out at all while pregnant, to any pubs or clubs, because I'm pregnant and should be putting my feet up. I love them dearly and they've never had kids so I just give them the and let it slide ).

My dad, on the other hand, is not far off alcoholism and he tries to make me drink every time I see him.

So I had two glasses of wine at Christmas/New Year (with him) and a glass at a dinner with my old PhD supervisor last week. But with everyone else I haven't ...

I am SO caving in to peer pressure!

Can you tell I'm missing wine? I've practically written an essay on it!

The problem with alcohol and pregnancy is that due to the ethics of it, no one can actually do a study of the effect of alcohol on unborn babies. So it's left up to governments to try and set these guidelines which come across as overly cautious to some people.
All I know is if I were to have a glass of wine while pregnant I'd feel like shit so am just better off not (as learnt with DS). And as I explained to DH (who is tee total on Drs orders, so feels left out if I drink) last night, if I was allowed to drink I wouldn't miss it (and dream about it all the time). It's a case of wanting to push the button that says DO NOT PUSH, type of thing.

All this coming from someone sitting with their bump exposed to the sunshine

I rarely, if ever, drink even when not pregnant. I've had a grand total of 1 glass of Bucks Fizz for this whole pregmancy!

Drinking was my hobby

CV looked like:
Brassica's Hobbies and Interests
Reading, cinema, gym DRINKING WINE!

Mine too bb

There have actually been loads of studies on alcohol and pregnancy, and a big meta-study last year compiled all the results and concluded that the odd glass of wine with dinner, etc, is safe. The precise safe limit is what is not known. It figures though - in European countries where drinking wine with meals is pretty usual during pregnancy there is no higher rate of foetal problems due to alcohol (I think it may even be lower because there's less binge drinking), and it seems obvious that getting slaughtered, which makes you feel like crap and damages your organs, will probably damage your LO! But the odd drink is fine.

Incidentally, I read somewhere that even regular binge drinking during pregnancy only gives rise to a 1/1000 chance of foetal alcohol syndrome. Not that you'd ever take that chance (and there are other issues, like premature/underweight babies).

But anyway, despite having abstained pretty much, I think nobody should worry about the odd glass of wine.

Glad the 20 weeker was good BB - two weeks tomorrow and we (hopefully) find out if it is pink or blue!

Bit :( Feeling totally irrational (and ungrateful) as off on holiday on Saturday and just been trying holiday clothes on (including bikinis) and as a result of looking like a complete huffalump I feel as depressed as anything and am having a little weep

I've been having the odd glass of wine here and there too. I'm another one caving to peer expectations though, and agree with ttl that it tends to be my "intellectual" friends and ILs who would sneer (probably nicely) at the guidelines as overcautious and the governemnt being a "nanny state" etc, and others who would have a fit at the idea of drinking in pg. So, given I drank v little anyway I'm going with the flow and never having more than a glass at a time, and always with food, it's probably once a fortnight or so.

Vallinna I'm sure you don't look like a heffalump at all. Have a fab holiday whatever you wear!

BB good to see you back and very glad the scan went well. How do they do it for twins? Do they photograph each one separately or do you get a picture with both in?

I've had a bit of a scare today. One of the kids in my class has a viral rash, which is likely to be slap cheek. She's been in school all week and only showed the rash today, but it's highly contagious for about a week before the rash shows up, so I've definitely been exposed to it. Phoned my GP surgery and actually got a GP who talked some sense (unlike Dr "well if you have the flu jab then miscarry you'd waste a dose"). I have to have a blood test tomorrow to see if I'm immune to the virus (it can be dangerous for pregnant women up to about 20 weeks - I'm 18+3 - can cause foetal abnormalities or miscarriage). I don't know how quickly the results will come back, but I doubt I should go back to school until I know if I'm immune. So best case scenario is that Squiglet is OK and I get a free day or two off school and I don't have to dress up for Comic Relief. Don't want to think about worst case, but it's relatively unlikely anyway.

I miss wine and more recently have been enjoying the odd small glass occasionally with DH!

My mum was laughing looking on our fridge and the box of wine has been on there open now for 3 weeks and thats normally a weekends worth

vallinnapod: Thats so exciting it feels so long ago we found out bump was pink but then again time is going so fast now, 8 weeks 2 days til B-day

OOooohh WINE ... mmmmmm

TTL and BB for sure I was am a good time girl and drinking and socialising was my major past time outside of work..... however I haven't had a drop since finding our about the LO and sooooooo missing it.

I dreamed of beer not too long ago .. full on dream about pouring cool lager into a massive oversized glass and downing it!!! Afterthat resorted to becks blue (non alcoholic beer) but wasnt the same..

You're now tempting me to have a wee glass of vino ... I know the government actually changed their advice as they thought it was 'confusing' for us poor stupid pregnant woman ... how insulting is that!!?

You can tell I have been spending a lot of time musing on the above

Milano glad you 20 weeks went well, its great to see the LO dancing around inside!

BB I also noticed you were missing in action and very pleased you were just busy and everything is good with the twins

Vallina glad you had a good 16 week and you don't look like a hefalump your a beautiful healthy pregnant woman!

I had my 22 week appt with midwife today and she seemed quite concerned that I have swollen feet and ankles (I though pretty standard prego woman thang..) and now has me worried. I did also have protein in urine but blood pressure spot on 120/80 and LO's heartbeat good and strong. She's told me to slow down (not something I relish or are good at) and to put my feet up as much as possible even getting foot stool for work.. [hmmm] Made me think though as I'm on call a lot for work, and work silly hours (have done 24 hours on the trot a few times since being prego) so maybe she has a point .. she even went as far to say if I don't slow down now I might end up being off sick / have to take early mat leave which I can't afford to do and am rather at the suggestion for a wee bit swelling... Had anyone else got swollen feet/ankles or had them in past pregnancies? Any words of wisdom?

Esk keeping my fingers crossed that you're immune and everything is okay :)

Dyna don't worry about the feet! It is a standard preggo thing but swollen hands and feet coupled with headaches and raised blood pressure can be indicators of pre-eclampcia which is my guess why she focused on it. I am not trying to worry you as I was told you need a combination of pretty much all of the above and even then it could just be all the side-effects of pregnancy happening at once!

I haven't had a drink since 30 Oct, I would let myself have one now but I think I have gone so long I may as well just be satisfied with inhaling DH's red wine! I am also worried I would be slightly disappointed it didn't taste as good as it smelt!

Esk hope all is OK with you xx

Sorry what I meant by no studies, is no ethics committee would allow a clinical study, involving giving various amounts of alcohol to pregnant women from start to finish. Obviously a lot of studies can and have been done on non-clinical data, which is what governments use to formulate their guidelines. See my crapness at putting forward my ideas and arguments in writing is why I did not pursue a career in academia all those years ago

Ofg course all this talk of alcohol, mixed with some much welcomed sunshine is making me want to go and sit outside with a bottle of something white and kiwi at just 10 in the morning.

Vallinna sounds like you've been attacked by a dose of pg hormones. And if you're a huffalump then I must a the goodyear blimp

Fingers crossed for you being immune Esk

So, I've been to the hospital and had a blood test. Results won't be in for, depending on you listen to, 3-4 days at best, 7-10 days at worst. So what do I do about work? Phoned school and the Head said to stay away today and have a think about it, but she can't make any decisions for me.
Part of me thinks that I'm probably immune anyway, and there's no way of knowing that any more children are infected. The other part of me thinks that there's no way on earth I want to put baby at risk, however small. The last lady at work who was pg came in I think. I might phone her later and see. I'm going down to the midwife drop-in session to wait around for 3 hours see what they advise.

I would stay away until you know for sure. But then I am a lazy bastard

Fanjo it's tipping down here, so rather than sit outside with a crisp white , I would be curling up in front of a good film with a couple of rich, tasty ales. Sigh. Instead I am enduring Cbeebies with DS and wondering what kind of lunch he will shun today.

I'd definitely talk to the midwife. Part of me says that if you've been exposed then you've been exposed but I understand the part that says you don't want to risk the baby!

We made it to most active!

I am enjoying my 1st week off on maternity and not been bored once just enjoying time to myself relaxing and doing nice things, so off to try aqua natal later.

MW check up yesterday and physio for the spd and they where both really happy with me so all the proof I need to say I have done the right thing in finishing.

Any plans for the weekend?