Jue in June - Part 5

[milliemuffin]

2nd trimesters here we come...

Sorry about that, I felt that Russian novelists hadn't produced a sizable enough tome in a few centuries, and it was time for me to waffle on randomly for 5,000 pages.

Shit-uation, love it . Well, not that you're in it, but that you've coined it (so to speak). We've got one of our own on the housing front ... sounds like we're not alone!

banana- we r up by liverpool not sure which one it is i can ask for u tho

banana- just asked its called sleepover classic in jet sport

Lisascat you have made me laugh - I really like the look of a lot of Mamas and Papas stuff, and bought their Luna buggy with the corresponding carseat etc for ds1, but it's not really worth the money in the long run I think. Nice for posh blankies from doting grandparents and stuff, but think I'd give it a wide berth in the future for travel systems.

Bits of the pram's harness / rein type thing to keep baby strapped in snapped off before ds1's 2nd birthday, and it will cost £50 quid to fix ready for number 2. I would love to be going out and looking at a brand new travel system for this one, but sadly can't afford it .

lisacat can't believe your friend had twins at home- OMG! If I had one baby I don't think that home birth would be for me anyway but with twins its totally out of the question.

I want to start buying things! But we need to move house- bloody housing market is pissing me off very annoying ! People keep saying we'll manage in our two up two down but we had the house up for sale since April (not even started trying for a baby by then) so I've been ready to move for months! The timing is crap.

My bro lives in Stafford and my SIL says there is a Mamas and papas seconds shop in Stoke, where things are priced normally (instead of rip off prices). Tuesdays and Thursdays are the best days apparently going to go for a visit during half term

Hi all, wow today was a busy day on here!! sorry for not posting individually but I have been reading all. Huge congratulations to all scans and 16 week checks!! lovely to hear such good news.

We have loads of boys arriving on here from the sound of things. How lovely . Im convinced without a doubt that this one is a girl - Id almost start buying pink (so of course its going to be a boy too ).

In relation to hairyiness - I found with ds I was extremely hairy and also could almost shave legs twice a day it grew so quickly. I have jet black hair so this was lovely and noticible Not so much with dd though. (or this one).

Im actually quite jealous of all the shopping and browsing going on!!(not jealous of the cost but it is exciting) I literally have nothing to buy. I had the basics from dd (5) (cot, moses basket, swinger, bath etc) and bought whatever else (new travel system,grobags, bouncer, steriliser..) for ds this time last year so I really have nothing to get except a few babygros and vests closer to the time. Im tripping over baby stuff really. One big plus to the small age gap is the baby things lying around the house doesnt scare/ worry me.

Oh and I thought I would have to buy a second cot as ds will only be 16 months when this one arrives and I didnt want to chuck him out of it on top of his baby sister or brother arriving but my cousin rang (who didnt know I was even pregnant!!) and asked would I like her dds cot as shes moving into a big bed and shes definately finished her family (incase I wanted one for CMs or my mums for ds etc..).

Ill just have to get a new mattress. Its a large white mama and papas one in perfect condition also, when I told her I was pregnant she offered me her double buggy (as there was a close gap between her too girls) as she doesnt need it anymore. Im so lucky!! its gorgeous.

DH really wants a sling (which would be a great idea for using when shopping etc as ds will more than likely be in trolley so no free hand to push a buggy if on his own so sling for newborn would be great) sasamaxx, our resident expert - really enjoying her sling posts - is there anyone you'd recommend for large, burly, rugby player???

Ooh and meant to add, the one thing that we will have to buy is a new (well not new but new to us) car as this is number 3 we really need a people carrier or MPV. We're hoping to get it in the next few weeks, are looking around at the minute.

crumbletastic oh if you have a local slingmeet, then that is absolutely the best thing to do - it's a great resource and you will find out what suits you and what kind of sling appeals. It will have loads of sling addicts (like me!) keen to explain and help you out.

neenewps Re the bottle question - it's an interesting one because although it seems like a sensible option to have bottles etc ready in cse they are needed, there is a school of thought that just having formula sitting there might make you less likely to persevere at breastfeeding. I'm not really sure either way, but I've never bought bottles - it just didn't occur to me that bfing might not work out. It's not necessary to move them onto bottles later on, as they can drink from cups from 4-6mths anyway (cups are much better for their teeth than bottles).

Re car seats - they are soooooo expensive. Did you know they are supposed to be replaced every 5 years as well? - it makes the hefty price tags even harder to stomach.

We have nearly filled another thread

Barbie I am really jealous at your car shopping - I would LOVE a bigger car but our current one isn't paid off for another 2 years
Oh don't remind me about the new mattress buying - one for the cot, one for the bedside cot thing, one for the pram - it's a fortune.
Re slings for rugby players - well, men don't tend to go for the pretty things like connectas and mei tais. They prefer the 'utility' looking ones like yamos, ergos and manducas. These are really really good slings - proper seating position (babies should be in a seated position in a sling with knees above hips) BUT this type tend to work better with older babies. That said, both ergo and (I'm fairly sure) Manduca sell 'infant inserts' to make them more suitable for younger babies. Ergo also make a waist extender for men. The big problems with these is the price - an Ergo is an excellent carrier but comes in at £100. They keep their value, though, and sell 2nd hand on ebay for about £75 so it's all relative. The infant insert is about a tenner, and not sure about the waist extender - but these can all be sold on too, so the real value of the sling is a lot less than one which is much cheaper to buy but doesn't have a good resale value.
The other issue with these carriers is that they just aren't as streamlined as mei tais, wraps and slimmer buckle carriers - that's purely because of the utility-type design. That said, I can wear them no probs at all and I find them really comfy - they are particularly good for back carries when the baby gets older - so strong and robust. Here are links to ergo yamo and manduca There are UK stockists for both of these - or you could search for second hand ones on ebay (manducas and yamos don't come up very often).

Alternatively, there's no reason why big burly men can't use the slimmer types like connecta (which are better when babies are younger) but the ones I've mentioned to tend to be a bit more unisex.
Really hope I'm not bombarding you with info

Wow, I haven't posted anything since pre Christmas and seem to have missed a whole thread! Hope everyone is really well and blooming (haha who said anything about blooming!) I have just had blood results back today, low risk, woop woop and have 20 week scan on 19th exciting, oooh should I decide to know pink or blue?! Pleased to see we've moved onto some fun shopping conversation! Haven't bought anything yet although a friend emailed today offering loan of moses basket and crib which is another couple of things off the list and less expensive.
Will go back and try and catch up a bit. Take care everyone, hope your bumps are coming along nicely :) x

Barbie Sasa we have an ergo (although bought for DS when he was a bit older) and it is great - DH used it too (he's an ex rugby player as well). He doesn't need the waist extender so you might get away with it! I am thinking of buying the infant insert for this one.

Am feeling quite a lot of movement now - low down too and DH managed to feel something last night too. I was telling him when it was moving and on about the 4th attempt he said he could feel something.

Re bottles/steriliser - I did buy some and some formula before DS arrived but then never used it and ended up giving the formula to a friend. I found breastfeeding incredibly hard but DS would never take a bottle so had to persevere and it eventually got easier and we carried on till 17 months. Re bottles - I presume it's ok to use the ones I bought before but that I will just need to buy new teets as they might have perished a bit? I think some might even still be in their packing

Hi all

I'm new here. Can't believe how busy this is!

I'm EDD 7/6/11 and DS3

Re rugby players and slings...

We had a baby bjorn carrier which fit burly 6' 3'' Kiwi on loosest setting. It was brilliant to use and DS loved it, being up high with people, everyone talked to him. It was so convienint for getting on public transport and travelling. Couldn't do without one!!!

And prams...

We went mad and bought a Quinny with DS(first timers!!!), it was really easy to push around and the carry cot was great when he was little but the seat was just so small we ended up buying a good ol' Maclaren before he was even 2. And the Quinny collapsing mechanism had to be repaired. I'd go for cheap and simple evryr time now, and probably 2nd hand too, they just get trashed anyhow.

Mornin all.
Just had my MW apt. Bugger - got blood issues again, being loaded up with iron(which gives me raging stomach ache) and retest in 2 weeks. She also suspected I have an anterior placenta (that means at the front doesnt it?) and that is why my bump appears all on one side or the other (usually left) Still no sign of bounty packs either, thinks I'll get them from hosp.

Accosted a lady in the waiting room who had a fab looking buggy - Phil n Ted apparently..any experiences? It would certainly appeal enough to DH to tempt him to buy it for us as its one of those off road ones and matches the colour of our canoes!

Have a good day..nearly need another htread dont we!

jasmine sorry about your blood issues - sounds like you've had them before and all is fine? Very impressed by canoe-matching prams!

Getting a bit frightened here as the spotting has turned bright red. It was fine when I woke up and I took DH into work so I could have the car (was supposed to be driving into campus to talk to HR about my pregnancy today), but when I came back home and had a shower I went to the loo and on the tissue it was bright red when I wiped, twice.

Not sure what to do now. Have cancelled stupid HR appointment and am probably going to see if it continues. If it's any worse by lunchtime I'll go back to the hospital. Trying to remain calm and positive.

Hi everyone ? happy new year!
I have caught up on everyone?s news ? lots has been happening!!

Hi to Cep ? lovely to hear from you and good luck TTC.

Very interested in the sling talk ? I have been given a wrap ? I had a Baby Bjorn before which was okish but I don?t intend to get one this time. I have no idea how to use the wrap as it is just a huge piece of material so will have to google it up!

I have been feeling movement from 15 weeks which has been lovely (I didn?t feel anything until 22 weeks with DD) but it is only occasional and some days I feel nothing which I then start to worry about. Anyone else who has felt movement only getting it now and again?

TTL hope everything is ok - thinking about you and sending positive vibes your way.

Jasmine sorry to hear about blood issues. Remember to take orange juice when taking iron to help absorption. Re Phil n Teds the only negative I have heard is that they can be heavy.

We also had Babybjorn but I didn't think it was very good for my back as DS got bigger as it would ache a bit when I took it off but was good here because of the heat.

TTL How worrying for you, hope it either stops or you can get seen at the hosp quickly and reassured there is nothing wrong. x

On a more fun note ie shopping..I got my M&P leggings today...as long as they dont go baggy I think these are going to be worn to death, so comfortable.

re the blood issue - bloody annoying . my hb levels are fine but my mcv is way too low (number of blood cells in the overall liquid I think) - bit odd but MW seems to think guzzing iron will sort it out...and that is probably why I've been breathless. Looking forward to getting it sorted and getting that 'energy surge' I keep reading about in second trimester...yeah right!

Oh my god this thead moves so fast.......havent really been on since xmas but have been trying to keep up. Lovely to see shopping talk. DH would be out buying everything but i am the 'not yet' person. Where in Stoke is the seconds shop Clarkie.....might be worth the hours trip for me?
I have a definite bump at 18+3 and have put on about a stone ( suplemented by loads of xmas eating and chocolate)but thankfully only seems to be on tummy and no where else.
I have strange rumbly feelings very low in my tummy which i think are movements......nice feelings. I am also getting lots of stretching pains, sometimes they stop me in my tracks they hurt so much. I am also very out of breath, even the slightest exercise makes me feel like i have been for a run.....
Anyway hope everyone has a good day. Hope everything settles TTL and you get the reassurance you need

Hope everything is ok ttl, thinking of you with fingers crossed you get some reassurance quickly. Have you spoken to your midwives?

ttl Hope you are ok. Maybe call the MW and speak to her?

jasmine Sorry to hear about your iron levels. Hopefully it will all be under control quite soon. As for the leggings - yes they are sooooo comfortable. I just have regular ones but may invest in some maternity ones. Do they just come up higher?

Thanks for all the advice re sterilisers and bottles. I saw one on special offer and so that's why I was tempted to buy it now.

One other question for the experienced Mummies out there.. is a microwave necessary as we currently don't have one? I'm wondering if it is easier to have one for bottle warming (if necessary), microwave steriliser (can buy electric) and also for reheating my tea :)

neenewps leggings can be rolled right up to cover complete bump so they sit just under boobs or can be rolled down onto bump or below it. Not as thick as I was expecting them to be but they dont show the corned beefness of my thighs or my white pants so good enough!

Oh, Jasmine, and anyone else interested, I know I was slagging off m&p's yesterday, but their maternity wear is pretty good I reckon. I bought two of their vest tops when pg with ds1 and they are still going strong. They were great when nursing as pulled down over boobs really easily and are of a lovely fabric that does not go out of shape .