December 2010: Our Christmas Babies are growing but our energy levels are slowing!

[WhatWillSantaBring]

With thanks to the provider of the snappy title (it wasn't me - I think it was Strix)

Link to Stats thread (I hope)

Here

congratulations PJen and I too love the name!

Any bets on who is next then?!

I'm scheduled in for the 16th November so not long now, although, I'm sure someone will beat me to it!

Feel different though the last couple of days, heavier lower down, but not sure if the breech baby keeps kicking me very low down. Scan today should give a bit more info.

Has PJen's early arrival made anyone wish they'd booked their maternity leave earlier? are we all ready?

Congratulations PJen.

Congratulations PJen and thanks so much for sharing your experience with us. You've brought tears to my eyes (damned hormones!)

Enjoy your little girl.

Congratulations pjen and welcome Sophia-Rose. Glad to hear your positive c-section experience, make sure you don't over do it though. You don't get medals for being up and running around the next day Enjoy these precious first days together.

I'm working from home today (yay) as I have a mw appt this afternoon. Hoping she'll tell me baby's turned...fingers crossed.

C&G climbing stiles - are you mad??!

DF glad your pain has settled.

lavita good luck with your scan today. Despite being convinced my LO will be the last to arrive there is a bit of me wishing my ML started a bit earlier, but that's more down to exhaustion than lack of readiness (on a practical level as least!)

i am glad that i've got annual leave owed to me, made a list of things to do and started first thing after PJen's excitement. Did more itti bitti washing, realised i have ran out of pegs, will need to add that to the list.

My belly button is doing the hokey cokey and it feels like a couple of bee stings! Ouch!

MW this morning, 4kg weight gain so far, now 34 weeks and that's since the start. MW suggested that i should cut down portion sizes and get some more exercise. Just checked online and that's a normal amount to gain. I must admit 1.5 kg has been gained in the last 2 months, should i be worried?

When are you due Maxpower? Am also convinced I'll be last to drop. Due on 31 Dec with my first LO, so knowing my luck I'll still be pg mid Jan and everyone else will already be enjoying their babies.

MrsC snap - due 31st Dec but it's my second. By rights that means I should beat you to it but DD was 2 weeks late (only arrived after emcs following failed induction - so she was clearly in no rush to make her entrance into the world). I'll race you

You're on Maxpower. However, DH and I were both late, so I'll be betting on you to win!

Anyone got any tips for staying sane in the last few weeks?!?! Normally I would resort to chocolate, retail therapy and a glass of wine to cheer myself up. But I've got heartburn and have already spent a bloody fortune on forthcoming LO, so those options are all out

Congrats to PJen - glad that her LO has made its way into the world safely and seems healthy. Starting to feel very real now that LOs are starting to arrive! Presumably there's a birthclub page somewhere for us to graduate to when the time comes?

kellestar - I'd have told my MW to F* off if she'd said that to me. 4kg sounds like nothing so I wouldn't worry about it too much. I've put on 10kg so far and as I can still get into size 12 trousers (OK, can't do them up, but I can get them on) I'm not worried about it - particularly as I reckon that at least 4kgs of my weight gain has been in the boobs

Apart from nappy rash creamm, a babynomade wrap and a carseat, we've got everything for LO now. Pleased that we haven't reached the £3k average spend before a child is born, but still at how much it all costs - £100 in boots just to fill the hospital bag!!

Had another total panic attack last night at the thought of becoming a mother. Really hard to explain what it is that terrifies me but is it normal to be quite so scared? :(

Are you kidding Kellestar? Any midwife who thinks 8 lbs is a lot to gain by week 34 is... well.. an idiot quite frankly.

I have gained about 20 lbs... oh jeez, that's depressing. Here's hoping this babby is REALLY fat and it's not me.

(Strix does ostrich impression with head blissfully in sand)

Congrats Pjen! Love the name.

kellestar - huh, I've gained 6kg and that's on the low side of recommended weight gain for my gestation and pre-pregnancy BMI according to Gurgle's calculator. I've even dropped a dress size in maternity trousers ffs! Would be very at your MW about that TBH. My latest emails have all said that weight gain can be as much as 500g a week at this stage.

We're nearly ready. My bag is packed and the LO's stuff is all ready & just needs to be put in a bag. The nursery is so nearly finished - just need to buy curtains (have got a blind tho), put up 2 shelves and put a lampshade up. I've been washing clothes and bedding so should have it all done soon. The only nursery thing that's not ready is my glider chair - we took the crappy Tutti Bambini one back & ordered a Dutalier and they can take up to 4 weeks to arrive so fingers crossed it'll be here before baba!

Still haven't got a changing bag, Bug-in-a-rug wrap or toys but will probably be getting them as Christmas gifts (figured I won't need a swanky bag or many/any toys in the first few weeks!).

When are you all (with cars) putting the carseat in? I figured 36 weeks would be good?

Has anyone else done a birth plan? I've done my first proper draft and have my 34 week MW appointment on Wednesday to discuss it. It's all very different to how it was as we've gone from planning a HWB to being booked for the CLU possibly with induction!

I still have some work stuff to finish though - baba had better not try to arrive in the next 2 weeks!

I really should pack my hospital bag properly!

And the birth plan!

My leg is better today.

Just heard the sad news about Lily Allen losing her baby :( Life is so unfair sometimes.

Kellestar, 4kgs is sod all. I don't know how much I have put on (I don't own scales) but I am positive it is more than 4kgs! I put on 10kgs overall with DD and that's on the low end of normal I think. It is also normal to stack it on more at the end than at the beginning - that's how it happened for me with DD. (This time around it has been pretty constant due to less morning sickness at the start.)

WWSB it is totally normal to feel scared about becoming a mum - and to be honest with you I think it is really great that you are thinking that far ahead - with DD I was totally consumed with the birth and really didn't think about the fact that birth is not the end - it is only the beginning! I am sure that had I thought more about actually becoming a mum (rather than just the issue of - how the hell will I get through labour?) I probably would have handled it better in the early days. I still get the occasional panic attack about the responsibility of being a mum - it seems so bizarre that I am the whole world to someone else - such a responsibility that DD's whole sense of security comes from me (and obviously from DH too - but it is me she runs to when she's ill, hurt, scared, sad etc). And I've been at this for 3 years now. Ultimately it just means you're already aware of the awesome responsibility of being a mum - which means you'll be fantastic!!!

WWSB I remember being totaly unphased about motherhood when I was pg last time. But when DD was 3 months old, I was walking down our stairs one day and can remember being hit with the thought 'OMG what have we done?! What on earth were we thinking that we could manage to look after a baby??!!!' I had to calm myself down by thinking well, we've managed to look after her so far without any catastrophies

japh I genuinely can't remember when we put the car seat in last time. We had one that had a fixed base in the car so you just had to lift the chair in and out, so it might have been that we put the base in a few weeks before. TBH I'm a bit of a one for leaving things to the last minute. I didn't pack a hospital bag last time 'til after 37 weeks . I have actually started writing a birth plan this time round though.

DD's moving into her new bedroom on Weds so I'll be able to start getting things sorted for me and baby after that.

Japh if your carseat is the one most people seem to have (maxicosi) or similar, you won't have it strapped in the car when you put LO in it - part of the seatbelt goes over the top so bubs goes in it first. You (or actually, your DH) just need to be proficient at getting it strapped in. The midwives tend to come down and watch you do it so make sure your DH is good with buckles and straps under pressure.

duh, forgot that some have isofix base. I'm 36 weeks now and if I had an isofix I think I'd have it in the car right now. Nice to be able to tick things off the list in any case!

Had visit from health visitor today. Is anyone else getting antenatal visits like that? Thought it was a bit bizarre because she told me that due to low staffing levels I will probably will only get one follow up visit after the birth, instead of the 3 or 4 which was normal when I had DD. Can't help wondering why they're visiting before the baby has even been born in that case - surely it would be more sensible to allocate the resources to the baby??? Presumably they could have put the pamphlets and the little red book in the post (since she really only seemed to come around in order to give them to me in person)...

Huge congrats PJen!! How exciting (:

I have started my count down to my mat leave - I am struggling on until 30th Nov so am hoping the next month goes by very quickly as getting so tired - this weekend I basically was asleep more than I was awake!

also seen news on Lily Allen - am so sorry for her loss and cant help but feel a twinge of anxiousness - I am on day 3 of week 35 (eg 34 weeks + 3) and just want to get to the end.

Went in for monitoring today and all seemed fine, the bile acid results weren't back yet so I'm going back again on Thursday for those and more monitoring. My iron levels are lower though 8.6 apparently so I'll have to start doing more about that.

slightly I was on my feet for a couple of hours for the party and walking about lots so it could have been that, have decided to take things a lot easier now espeically in light of my low iron. Can't believe you were climbing stiles!

Pjen massive congratulations and I love her name! So glad everything went well. My dd was 15lb 14 and a half when she was born so very nearly the same amount! She was a 36 weeker. So pleased for you :o

Strix I'm also slightly too

DF how's the leg today?

Lavita not long left for you now either then.

maxpower wasn't me climbing stiles it was slightly, I'm not quite that mad :o

kelle I would have laughed at her, 4 kilos?? Lol. I think she must have misread it, I'd hope so because if not then she's just plain stupid. That amount will barely cover the baby, amniotic fluid, placenta, extra blood etc.

MrsChris I'm worried about going over now too, due on Dec 23rd and having visions of being last left on the thread.

Whatwill santa I haven't been worried about being a mother (already have 3) but I have been totally terrified about going into labour again, the thought it scaring the life out of me.

japh I'm just going to buy the car seat but not put it in the car until she's born, too much juggling about with the other children in the car otherwise.

Hello everyone,

Been a while since I been on so thought I would catch up with the five pages or so that I have missed !!

Congrats Pjen - enjoy this precious time

I called the hosp last week and said that I had bad stomach pains and inside leg pains, they asked me if I had leaked any water, I said I had slightly. They called me in so I left work and went in and they monitored me and then did a check down there or a speculum as its called, very uncomfortable and they said that my cervix had not dilated. Thank god. I was in a panic as they had convinced me that labour had started.

But the whole experience of going into hospital and being monitored has just freaked me out big time. They have figured that I have SPD as well as the sciatica. And this is all that remains in this pregnancy on a long list of problems I have had since the beginning. I was a healthy fairly fit person with no problems beforehand !!!

So the SPD has kicked in and it feels like I have had about 200 hundred rounds in the gym doing sqats. Thankfully physio gave me a belt to wear its brilliant and I would recommend it to anyone who has sciatica/pelvic girdle pain (as SPD is now called)

Ok so has anyone heard of women taking Arnica to get over the healing post birth? I went into boots yesterday and the pharmacist said I cannot take Arnica even if its the weaker version if I plan to breastfeed. I am sure that I have seen posts on here of women taking Arnica, and this is where I got the idea of buying some from. In the panic of getting things ready now as well as buying stuff for hospital bag. Is anyone taking rasberry leaf tea/evening primrose tablets yet? when is the recommended start time for them?

I have put up changing table unit together with changing mat, toys, nappies everything organised, have also put up moses basket and bought new drawers to wash and put all babys things. I cannot wait.

I have another three weeks left at work which are going to drag by I know it !!!

I am now wishing the weeks away DD is 10 Dec but at the same time am really scared, esp after being in hospital for hours last week. They told me I had mild uterus contractions/irritations. If that pain was mild ? What is the real thing going to be like ?!!!!!!! Arrgghhh

lol C&G my apologies of couse

Back from mw appt, baby is head down now (yay!). It's fascinating to see that in the last 4 years, the hospital antenatal services have made absolutely no improvement whatsoever. It turns out I was supposed to have seen a specialist mw at the hospital between 28-30 weeks - erm, 31+3 today . Thankfully the community mw I saw today is on the ball - she called them to check if any appts had been made and that's when we found out they hadn't. So I left the mw appt with a further 3 appts booked . I don't think I'm going to be too popular at work

I think we might put the carseat base in the car this weekend and work it all out. I'm only 34 weeks but am trying to be prepared for a 38 week due date because of the OC.

C&G - make sure you find out what your bile acid levels actually are. What is considered okay varies from hospital to hospotal and even if this test is negative, if you then have another one done and it's significantly higher, that can be a sign of OC even before the results go positive.

Assume you meant your DD was 5lb? 15lb sounds like a lot, lol!

NidsC - what people would've been taking is homeopathic Arnica which actually contains no Arnica at all.

You can't actually ingest real/herbal Arnica (it's toxic) but it's available as a gel for topical use. However, as you're not supposed to use it on broken skin and it's anti-inflammatory (like Ibuprofen gel really so can't be used in pregnancy) it's hard to see how you could use it for birth.

Some people swear by homeopathy but there's little to no evidence it works as anything other than a placebo - if you want to spend money on sugar pills to try it, feel free of course, but it's not something to ask a pharmacist about as it doesn't contain active ingredients and isn't based on medical science so pharmacists of course get no training in it. The different doses are an indication of how dilute the preparation is (homeopaths saying that more dilute = more effective) but even the least dilute won't contain a single molecule of Arnica. So it's safe to take when breastfeeding - it's safe to take any time as long as you can have sugar!

Where's everyone finding raspberry leaf tea? I'm thinking I'm going to have to order it from the NCT.

Okay, off to do my Natal Hypnotherapy to keep me relaxed about labour!

Yo ladeez
First proper day of mat leave for me, and unfortunately spent it stressing about being expected to visit my family in Norwich to drop off Christmas presents, involving a 230 mile 5 hour round trip on public transport on my own (DH will be at work).

Obviously I won't be able to do the usual trek round the UK with Mr Miffster this year to see various family memebrs, but it's also our last Christmas in the UK before we move abroad for a few years so felt I ought to make effort.

Inlaws have been perfectly reasonable about coming to London for Christmassy visits pre- birth but my dad seemed to expect me to visit him (Mum RIP) and my bro is recovering from cancer and he and SiL have infant twins and a 4 year old, so were always unlikely to be visiting London.

Spoke to midwife and said I had reservations about travelling on trains with no mobile reception across country at 35- 37 weeks, on my own, and she said, just don't go.

So I told family medical advice was not to travel about on my own on trains when close top full term and that was that.

Feel much better now.:) Have said they can come up and visit for the day after Christmas when baby is here and we will have an extended festive season and if people get presents at Epiphany (6th Jan) that's still perfectly fine and we'll just pretend we are Spanish.

34 weeks tomorrow (or 34+6 by my reckoning) and walking a mile up a hill to a butchers shop and a mile back carrying 10kg of meat and veg was quite an effort.

NidsC Am taking raspberry leaf tea from Neal's Yard, the dried herbs so quite strong. Have 2 cups a day, sometimes more - it doesn't bring on labour, it tones the uterus Will do evening primrose from 37 weeks as it does bring on labour and am not ready for that yet!

I try to do the perineum stretching thing but am lacking in commitment. Failed to do yoga and natal hynotherapy CD today, boo, despite promise to self to do it every day of mat leave.

DF glad the leg is deflating and feels better

Kelle is your mw a complete plank who can't tell the difference between stones and kilos?

Hi ladies,

34 week scan went well one baby up, one baby down as before, but there is more of a difference in weights one is 2.2kilo (just under 5lbs) the other 2.7kilo's (about 6lbs) but she said that's nothing to worry about and they were still growing well. When she was scanning the head circumference's she asked if I could see the fuzzy bits at the side. She said that is because they both have a good head of hair I think there is an old wives tale about heartburn = hairy babies and i've had really bad heartburn and DP is Italian so it was bound to happen

DF Glad your leg is feeling better, I think i've pulled a muscle on my inner thigh, ouch! I also heard about Lily Allen, how incredibly sad for her, and awful to be dealing with it, in the public eye

MrsC i've been staying sane watching lots of rubbish tv, cooking, and nesting. This week I am planning on putting everything in my loft space on ebay to cover some of the costs of having these 2 little bundles of joy if i'm really bored I play on sporcle I've now learnt all the countries in the world and mumsnet of course!

Kellestar your midwife sounds like a loon, I've put on 2 stone (approx 14 kilo's I think!) and I just look the same as before from the back but have a huge comedy bump

WWSB I am scared too, I think it's perfectly normal, just hoping I'll be a good mum and don't fall to pieces. I think Slightly's advice is sound.

Japh Glad you've managed to get the chair you want, I ordered one in the sale but it won't be delivered until a few weeks after they get here. I love it though it swivels side to side and is purple so a big splash of colour for the nursery.

Spanishlady Can you cut down your hours at work or get a good rest at lunchtime, they are supposed to provide you with somewhere to lie down

C&G Naughty but I have to recommend guiness for the iron levels, it is also one of the only things that really helps my heartburn. It is my guilty twice weekly pleasure

Huge post, hi to Nidsc, miffster, maxpower, Strix too, haven't heard from Aimee in a long time or littleB are they ok?

Japh I did indeed mean 5lbs, lol, 15lbs would have been very ouch! Ah that reminds me I need to start drinking that tea, I bought mine from Holland and Barratt.

NidsC Sounds like you've been having a rough time of it lately, hope you start to feel better soon. I've heard of the arnica but didn't know it interfered with breastfeeding, I'm sure that can't be right.

maxpower Hehe. What are the other appointments for? Not very good that they missed them!