September 2011 - a Happy non-alcoholic New Year!

[Louplet]

Hi

Still whispering the good news but is there anyone else out there wishing they had made the most of the Stilton this Christmas? [Wink]

That's great Redlaura - it's nice to hear of something working out. I've had a sore pelvis particularly at the back for the last few days and I see there is a physio anti-natal class coming up soon near here so might go and see if they have any useful tips.

Climbed a hill at the weekend. Ds1 (3) walked all the way up, and we were so impressed. Kept waiting for him to ask to be carried but he just kept going. Think that's what started the pelvis thing back off though.

It?s great to hear about all of these positive scans although I?m sorry for those of you who aren?t well. I hope things resolve themselves soon. I?ve not been at all well this week. After having my scan on Tuesday and finally being able to tell everyone our good news, I woke up the next day feeling terrible and spent the whole morning being sick. This is so unlike me so I rang the midwife who advised me to see a doctor. I managed to get an emergency appointment but I almost fainted whilst in the waiting room and caused quite a scene! The doctor gave me an injection to stop me being sick and told me to rest. So I?ve had a very quiet weekend! I?ve also already had my 20 week scan appointment through for the last week in April!

Glad to hear about your scans greedy, minky and ali. Sorry about the ovary cyst though minky - glad the midwife was able to reassure you, and fingers crossed that it goes ok in the long run.
Pleased to hear you're also feeling much better redlaura.
Hope all the others that aren't feeling well manage to get back to 'normal' soon.
Nothing to report at this end particularly, though amused to see my bump coming along (and getting gradually bigger as day goes on, only to have shrunk again by morning!).
Take care all.

Congratulations on the scans!
Minky, see! I told you so ;) Glad to hear that the midwife could reassure you. I am sure everything will be fine.
Meerkat, I know what you mean. I'm 4 months pregnant in the morning and about 6 in the evening.

Re - bumps. I'm never sure if it's appearing just cause I cant be bothered holding my tummy in . Is much easier when it's a definite no questions asked pg bump. Can definitely feel the hard bit now though.

Had a bad afternoon with suppliers mucking me about. So annoying cause I quoted a friend a reasonable but cheaper than normal price for their wedding in a few weeks time, and with two suppliers mucking me about, I'm going to end up making practically no profit at all. Don't mind really since they are friends but annoying anyway.

Was thinking that there are quite a few regular posters now, but don't know that much about any of you. Since we are all starting to tell people now in rl, does anybody fancy revealing a little more about themselves, or do you prefer the anonymity?

Well so happy to hear all your news.
redlaura - so glad that you had the osteopath and migraine relief - I see the physio next week too. Good news is the hospital are really pulling out all the stops to help me - only had my scan last week but now seeing my Consultant in a week so will be able to chat and find out more then. Had such a brilliant screening test result call with the midwife today too, very low risk so what a relief as I was convinced with my age that it would be borderline.
Good idea about sharing more details so I will happily be first:-
Age 38, live in Poole Dorset with husband and two children (Girl aged 8.5 and boy nearly 6). Moved here two years ago from Ealing West London. Currently mainly a stay at home mum but used to work for a national newspaper as a recuitment and training consultant and project manager. Have two cats and many fish!

alibaba really feeling sorry for you feeling so ill - do you think it could have been a stomach virus? Hope that you feel better very soon

Was just popping by to mark my spot and haven't even back-read yet... but minkyjj you used to live pretty close to where I am! I live in SW14 on the border with Richmond. POstcode wise, it sounds miles away, but you'll know it's very close, really. What made you give up the Big Smoke?

MandaHugNKisses yes it was really close, spent alot of time in Richmond,its lovely especially in the summer. I used to practically live at Kew Gardens with the kiddies all summer when they were tiny and we still have friends all around the area
We moved because I grew up down here in Poole and all my family are here. My husband runs his own business and so it was relatively easy to go for it while the children were still small. We now live a mile from the beach (very close to Sandbanks which is beautiful), have so much more space and a wonderful garden and family on the doorstep. I still really miss my old friends in London but it was definitely the right move for us and I am so glad we did it.
So, do you have your hospital appointments at Ealing or somewhere else? I had my last two babies at Queen Charlottes which was because of my medical complications but Ealing was our local hospital.

Hello everyone, my goodness what an active thread I've been missing out on and only not logged in for 1.5 weeks! So many interesting discussions going on.
Redlaura I am glad that you are feeling better and the headaches have gone.
Everyone who had scans - congratulations! I have also had my 20 week scan date through for the 19 April. I am so excited.
Re the discussion on NCT, we joined, live in Chippenham, just new to the area so hoping to meet lots of likeminded people. They are delivered as evening sessions starting the 23 June - I am really looking forward to them and hope that they are value for money.
Had a great time telling friends family and colleagues too. Just had my pregnancy risk assessment at work.
Also just invested in some bio oil to try to avoid stretch marks, has anyone else done this? 3 for 2 in boots just now. I will need to start googling free baby clubs.
Best wishes to all you ladies

Thanks Minky, yes I think it might have been a stomach virus but it?s so unlike me to be ill like that. I?m normally very fit and healthy and manage to avoid bugs and colds etc!

I?m happy to divulge more information! I?m 30 and live near Newport in South Wales with my husband. I?m originally from Sussex and moved to Wales with DH 6 years ago due to his work. Our families are stretched across the UK with mine still down south and his in Manchester so we seem to be constantly having visitors or travelling up and down the M4, M5 and M6! I?m guessing we won?t be doing that for much longer!

Has anyone started thinking about baby names yet? It seems really early to be thinking about it but DH and I bought a book at the weekend and ended up reading it from cover to cover ? we couldn?t stop ourselves! We?re now in deep negotiations about names!

alibaba - we've bought a baby names book too, though DH keeps saying he will only know the name when baby is born, so isn't being very constructive in helping to produce a list of potential names. Though he's happy to turn his nose up at most of the names I've suggested so far

A bit more info about me - I'm 35, and live in Letchworth, Herts. We moved here from Stratford, East London 18 months ago.
Been with my DH for 11 years and married for 4 years this April.
I work as an IT consultant, mainly from home, but travel to the office in Oxford once a week - still waiting to tell them I'm pregnant, but holding off until I've reached my 3mth probation in April.
This is our first baby, though we do currently have two cats - I wonder how they'll take the new arrival?

Hi folks. Been stuck in bed all day with a vomiting bug that the dc and dh had already, I seem to have got it worse than them though. Very luckily, dh had it overnight so didn't want to infect people at work and so he could stay at home with the dc. S relieved to be able to lie in bed in between vomiting sessions.

Anyway on to a pleasanter note. Xmasevie - didn't use bio oil but might do this time just to see if it works. Got some stretch marks with both boys, but they went away again after the births so I wasn't too bothered.

Alibaba - think the names chat is one of the best bits about being pg. I loved making big long lists of everything we would consider, and then cutting it down. But when we chose ds1s names, it was definite from about two days after it was first suggested.

This time, we need to decide on something that goes with the other two as well which could be harder, but I'm sure we'll find something that we love.

Keep forgetting to do my own information .

I'm 29, originally from the north east of Scotland, but now live a bit north of Glasgow. Been married to dh for 6 1/2 years, and we have ds1 who is 3.7 and ds2 who is 1.10. I used to be a solicitor but stopped after ds2 was born, and now have my own wee business making kilts. Its going well, but needing to think now about how to take maternity leave without losing too much of the momentum that I have built up over the last two years.

Hi all - if we're giving info away. I'm Cath aged 30, first baby. From glasgow but moved to Chippenham 9 months ago with hubby. He is working in Bristol and I work in Swindon. Due on 12 sep. Feeling soooooooo excited but apprehensive that we have no family or friends here. Alot of hope on the nct group. Any of you ladies in Wiltshire?

A bit more info than my profile gives? Well, I'm a sahm, have been for about 3 years now. But immediately before that I was working for a film festival (horror films, mind - I've been a huge fan of them all my life so it was a perfect fit) and before that I was a prison officer at Holloway working with young offenders mostly (although also spent time on the adult wings/detox/mother and baby unit - which isn't as depressing as it sounds!). I've already blabbed my whereabouts (SWLondon/Surrey border) and I've lived here pretty much all my life.

DP and I have been together 2 and half years - yes, second baby in such short space of time. However, we'd known each other for about 12 years when we got together and so bypassed that whole 'getting to know each other and each others family' that goes on as we'd already done that. So, it became intense quite quickly and with my age in mind we just jumped right in to procreation! He already has a DD of almost 14 so between us this will be child five. I truly, madly am so in love with him (I believe it's mutual!) and we'd be married if it wasn't for the fact I'm technically not divorced from my exDH (my first two kids father - we were married 12 years before seperating)

Ok, I'll shut up for now before you have my complete background/future hopes and fears!

Hello all.also living in London Currently living in holloway, just round the corner from the prison manda but two weeks on Friday we're moving to bemondsey, just down the road from tower bridge.

No prizes for guessing that my name is Laura, I'm thirty-five and work in social housing looking after gas stafety, asbestos and fire risk in 55000 homes. God knows what lead me to this but here I am, and if wasn't I would never have met dave. We've been together two years but knew pretty much straight away he was the one for a me. He comes complete with backbone which is very refreshing after some of my relationships. Last night at 4am he was holding my hair back as I was throwing up (migraines are back ) while telling me as was beautiful despite my hair looking like a birds nest.

I grew up in Belgium and moved back to the Uk to go to university in hull, then came down to the big smoke. We'll be leaving London on a couple of years and interested in hearing more from anyone who's already done it. Think it will take some adjusting for me. Well, that's my sharing for the day. It's nice to know more about each other I think

Hi all,
Lost track of people's illnesses, but hope you're all feeling better, and I hope your migraine hasn't lasted too long laura.

I'm not using bio oil, but I started using 'mama bee belly butter' (from burt's bees) this week, seems fine, although sounds to me like stretch marks are a genetic thing... who knows?! Guess we'll all find out in a few months anyway!

I am booking onto NCT, though missing the 1st session as we're on hols, oops.

Names - well, we have a longer list for girls than boys, but still not very long - borrowed a couple of books from friends, but not that inspiring, think we may have to get hold of another one. Talking of books, I have been reading 'The best friend's guide to pregnancy' - has anyone else? It has made me laugh quite a bit, though not sure I share all her views, it's still an amusing, easy, read. Bought hubby a pregnancy guide for men too today, so we'll see whether that's entertaining too when it arrives tomorrow!

Bumps - having mentioned mine getting bigger over course of the day, I was feeling rather insignificant on the bump stakes the other night when surrounded by 8 other pregnant women at yoga- they were all ~36 weeks and had big bumps - eeek!!

More info about me: I live in a lovely little town in Fife - across the water from Edinburgh, and with amazing views across to it! I commute over there every day (ugh), and work at the university doing mapping/database/geek stuff :-). I'm originally from just near York though, so don't go imagining me with a Scottish accent ;-). My hubby grew up in Edinburgh, but his parents moved to York a few years ago, so now both our families are down there, so will make trips down with a wee one, erm, interesting!

Sorry this is another long one ;-)

Yay another one living in Scotland. Hi Meerkat [waves]. Sounds like we have a London/South England contingent, a Scotland contingent, and a Wales so far - have I missed anyone out?

That's funny that your dh's parents ended up near your parents Meerkat. Was it just coincidence?

Lots of interesting jobs too. A horror film festival? That's got to be one of the best.

So glad it's a lovely day for a change. Off to enjoy it.

hi all

I don't post that often, but keep up with the thread (mostly as a welcome distraction to doing my dissertation!) regularly.

A bit about me then: I'm Jose, 30 years old and living in Basingstoke, Hampshire. DH is 33 and commutes to London for work as a software engineer. I'm currently training to be a clinical psychologist and should qualify before going off on mat leave in August. Plan is to then move to near Norwich as that's where DH's family all are. Mine are spread out, mum in Spain and rest in London and Bristol (where I grew up). Hopefully will be stay at home mum for couple of years and can't wait to finally buy a house and properly settle down. Been a long journey on this career path and moved house 10 times in last 8 years! Oh, and we've been together just over 3yrs and got married last Christmas - when I was unknowingly pregnant with this, our first :)

Just over 16wks now and had my antenatal appt yesterday; not a lot happened and I don't see her again now until 28wks!! Does anyone else feel we don't get a lot of care until the last trimester? Bump is growing well but I'm the 4th pregnant one on my course and also felt a bit out-bumped with a 34wk one around :D
Starting to feel lots of stretching and growing pains, so I might be in for a growth spurt soon... 3 wks on Friday until 20wk scan - can't believe how quickly it's going!
Hope all others are well, and sickness is on its way out? My heartburn rears its ugly head when I forget to manage it with chewing gum after meals and keeping off certain foods.

Phew that's long! Have a good Thursday everyone :)

Good morning ladies. I write to you from my bed as I have been signed off sick until a week on Monday! Thank god!!! Rapidly getting over my guilt about letting the side down at a busy time but my boss has been brilliant and he says he'll square the whole thing off with HR! Basically the doc said that as my migraines have come back despite this medication she wants to give my body time to "reset" and adjust to the hormones, changing posture etc. I'll keep up with the osteopathy too.

It's great to hear more about everyone, and think that horror film festival organiser sounds soooo much better than compliance manager. Been having a long hard think about what to do when I come to the end of maternity leave as I just can't see myself wanting to carry on with what I'm doing now. I've had all sorts of roles in the past from PR consultant, sports coach to helpline manager and have always found something somewhere that's different from before. This job is just too stressful and demanding and I want to give my best to my kids, not to work. Anyone else out there having similar thoughts?

Would also like to hear from people who worked full time and then became stay at home mums. Did you miss work, the social interaction and the financial independence?

Enjoy the weather all

redlaura, I hope your body will soon adjust. Glad that not only the GP signed you off but that you also have a supporting boss.
I am a SAHM after having worked full time. It is a bit strange and I did miss work in the beginning (I would still want to work at least a bit), mainly for the social interaction. But I did find new friends too, I think that is just what happens.

Right, now I'm 34, live in West London, I am originally from Austria (DH too), we moved here 4 years ago, will stay for another couple but eventually go back as I really miss my growing family (the children, as they change so much, not so much the adults). We are married since 2 years but together since ages. We already have one DD, aged 16 months. I am a qualified teacher for secondary but when I came to England I started to manage a café which I found very interesting as it has always been a dream to have my own business. So I could try without investing my own money.

Hello everyone,

Hope you don't mind that I'm joining so late. I've been lurking for a while and didn't want to start posting until past the 3 month mark and then didn't get around to it until now. I'm due on September 10. I'm 36, first pregnancy and been married to DH for 11 years. I'm living in SE London and moving to Cornwall this Saturday. I'm originally from Singapore and Australia and have lived in the UK for 7 years. Currently doing a PhD, but used to be a charity worker in Africa and southeast Asia. DH is a geologist.

Redlaura, I can sympathise with you as I've been having headaches every day for about a month now. I've booked an appointment with an osteopath tomorrow, hope that helps. I'm also going to see an acupuncturist. Will let you know if it works. You seem to be in very good spirits, unlike me. I've been getting terrible mood swings this week. Has anyone else had them? How do you cope?

Has anyone thought about their birth plan yet? I'm seriously considering a homebirth and would be keen to hear from anyone who's had one.

Great to hear a bit more about everyone. And hello to bumpy - great name .

Sorry to hear that the headaches are still happening Redlaura but good that you are signed off for a bit - hope that helps to sort them out.

I was full time as a solicitor until ds1, then three days a week until ds2 (21 month age gap and I started mat leave in March and he was born in May, so had only been back at work for a year). Then sahm but also running a wee business. I am lucky at dh can take at least one day off during the week (he works some evenings and sometimes at a weekend) so thats one definite day for the kilts, and pil can usually come once a week too.

I must admit, given where we live (wee village - have to drive to most things), I think I would go a little crazy if I didn't have the business, and so a couple of set days a week that I do something that isn't child related. I always thought I would love to be a sahm, and I absolutely do, but I'm very glad I kept something else going as well. I think it can be easy to forget that you had a life before being a mum - I think it's all about finding the right balance. If you live somewhere with lots to do and lots of friends around, it may be different.

Always forget something despite my long posts

Bumpy - think I might have considered a home birth if our house wasn't right on the street and no obvious room to have it in. Don't have a bad relationship with hospitals though (as I know some people do) so was very relaxed in hospital too, knowing that if things did go wrong, I was in the right place.

To be honest, the draw this time will be knowing that the gas and air is wired into the building. I'm sure it very rarely runs out, but I'd be nervous of that happening at home.