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]

Think had hormone burst sore boobs, spots again which I never normally get and bit random icky feeling again when tired. Still got some gardening done today and spent all day at kids theme park sat so nice to have energy back more. Hope everyone else feels bit better soon. Still battling the nightly windy whale feeling though regardless of what I eat :o

Manda so very sorry to hear about your loss. Will be thinking of you and sending positive thoughts your way.

Take care

Big virtual hug

Manda - very sorry to hear you sad news. My thoughts are with you at this difficult time.

Visited my Mum for Mother's day today, sister says 'ooh you're showing', I just think I'm looking fat though!

Saw MW on Friday for 16 wk check up, all appears well, plus heard baby's heartbeat for the first time, which was reassuring.

Thankfully no migraines here, just the odd headache a few times a week. My gums bled when I brushed my teeth yesterday morning which wasn't too nice (not since though). Don't fancy that happening too often.

Roll on week 17!

Xmasevie, wouldn't wish it on anyone!!! Consider osteopathy or physio to look over your posture. Two weeks of yoga everyday, osteopath, vitamins, and keeping moving and I'm hopeful they're on their way out. Second morning without one! Good luck. Hope you're feeling better too feralgirl.

Manda, still sending hugs your way through the ether xxx

Still got headaches and feeling pretty rubbish but I've had a couple of days this week where I've felt reasonable. RL, I think you're much better at looking after yourself than me! I spent the weekend at my parents' house and chasing round after my toddler and as a result I am absolutely knackered and feeling deathly today.

lxr, you could try corsodyl for your gums, it's always worked for me in the past. Dunno whether the dentist can prescribe it for you for free, might be worth a try as it's quite expensive.

Ah but feralgirl, I don't have a toddler to run round after and so have a lot more time to look after myself. You poor thing!!! You need to work a little bit of you time, even if it is half an hour!

I went back to work and felt fine until about four pm. Headache came on so I left and walked home. My colleague swore blind to me that I'd start to feel better by week 20. That's in 17 days and counting!

Good to hear that you made it through most of a day of work redlaura, but less good that it caused a headache though. 20 weeks eh? I've got 13 more crap days then.

Today I went for a job interview (?!) and then saw the MW which was lovely as I heard the heartbeat and got lots of sympathy for feeling so rubbish. I had to wait ages for my appt though because the woman with the appt before me went into labour in the surgery

hello everyone ! new to the group...well actually new to the country and first time new mum-to-be too ! highly unnerving and stressful so really happy to find a group like this...my baby is due in sept too...just needed some advice...we live in chiswick, would you'll recommend queens charlotte hospital or chelsea & westminister ?

Back online at last!

Feralgirl I'm in Gunnislake, so just on the border with Devon.

Meerkat Have you tried the bra Camisoles from Uniqlo? They do wonders for me without the constriction.
Manda So sorry to hear about your loss. My thoughts are with you.
The headaches are gone now, I've been doing pregnancy yoga and I got some herbs from the acupuncturist, not sure which helped. Now I've got lower back pain. Seems to be one thing after another, but at least it lets me know I'm still pregnant. Has anyone felt any movement yet? This is my first, so I've got no idea what it feels like. Have an appointment with the new MW tomorrow so hopefully she'll tell me everything's ok. Feels a bit as if my bump has stopped growing.

I've decided to get a doula. Anyone had any experience of this? All my friends who've had babies have recommended it.

sumi, welcome. Maybe you could start a thread with your question so more people will see it. But I suppose you will get very opposite advice anyway. Those two were amongst my choices and I had googled a lot. I found people having been in one of them and having had a great experience and others had a horrible one. At the end of the day, the kind of care you will receive depends on the actual day/night, how many staff will be available, how many other births are in progress, how well you get along with the actual midwife,...

Maybe you should find out what facilities they have and what you find personally important for you, for example, do they have a birth centre (if you wanted to have a natural birth), how easily can you get there,...
Queen Charlotte seems to be the best option in London if you are experiencing a high risk pregnancy which I hope you don't.
I hope you will be soon able to make up your mind and to have a great experience with whatever hospital you will choose.

Hi - I am very pleased with myself as just finished making a peppapig cake for my DD 4th Birthday tom (is this a tad Alpha mummy???) lots of people told me I could buy one from Tesco but my DD is quite sensitive to various foods makes her hypo easily so I made one using beetroot juice to make all the pink icing. Just hope all the little darlings at preschool like it tom expect it will be destroyed in 5 minutes but hey ho I got a kick out of making it :o

On the bump side think I keep feeling little flutters I am 18 wks+5d and I remember with DD feeling her at 19wks so hoping thats what it is. I am expanding well though with itchy tum most evenings as skin stretches again. Pulled my old work maternity trousers out the loft and they were SO much more comfortable at work today as there was no central button / zip it was all at the side. Wish Id found them sooner!

Sumi I can answer some of your questions. I had both of my children at Queen Charlottes as I am high risk and they were c-sections. First time around I was on the private ward and it was amazing, bit like a hotel. Second time I didnt have the same degree of luxury but it was still a great experience. I was in on both occasions for 5 days after the birth and I must admit that I opted for sole occupancy rooms on both occasions which I was glad I did because the main ward was very noisy and crowded and it was luck of the draw as to who you were with (same as any hospital though I guess). The midwives were a mixed bag second time around - many were amazing but you always get a few that should have done a different job! The hospital is a very safe pair of hands and a centre of excellence too. The downsides were that the car parking is a nightmare - both for the antenatal appointments and when you are giving birth. Its a very busy hospital and you can wait for ages for antenatal appointments. I know that they have a natural birthing centre there that you can if you have no complications but I dont think they do all the drug options (may need to check this) it looked really great when we visited it though and I would have been really keen to go there had I been able. The benefit is if there are complications they can easily transfer you upstairs. They also have so many medical experts on hand that you feel very cared for. Friends also have had good experiences at Chelsea and Westminster so I think whichever you decide to choose you will be lucky. Hope it becomes an easier choice!

ferralgirl - thanks for the corsodyl tip. Hasn't happened again, so fingers crossed!

Saw osteopath again yesterday. Back has improved slightly, however over the past week or so I've been getting a pain in the heel and arch of my right foot, which she says is the beginings of plantar fasciitis - it's more painful than the back...if it's not one thing it's another...

I'll be telling work later today about being pregnant when I meet with the boss to discuss completing my 3 month probation, so am currently feeling a bit nervous...

I've def felt movement ssmile and we're both due at about the same time I think (I'm 18 + 4 today). Being reminded that there is someone in there after all has made me a bit less irritated with the discomforts of pregnancy!

Bumpy, you're quite a long way away from me (in Cornish terms anyway!) as we're a long way west. Hope you're settling in well.

Ursigurke & Minkyjj : Thanks a ton for your inputs...being new to the country and the health system is hard !

feralgirl yes its nice to feel a few little wiggles going. At work on thursday felt lots but then was also very bloated so not sure what was wiggles and what was wind. But do find when I am sitting down I feel more. If I put my hand on my tum cant feel a thing though its like the baby stops moving! Didnt realise you were in Cornwall. Arhh I miss it. I lived on the Lizard for 4yrs had fab time, now live in East Devon due to job and met my DH, but still dream of moving back to West Cornwall again sometime.

lxr hope the thing at work goes ok. Its always funny telling them. With my first DD I was on contract had done 8mths of 3yr contract and my boss joked the week before hope both you ladies dont get preg on me. Opps the other lady was also preg just as I went on maternity leave, he wasnt a happy boss. But you cant stop life going on, I hadnt planned it quite like that but I was 33 at the time so it cant have been too much of a suprise to him.

Afternoon all. Thought I'd check in to let you know that I think I've figured out what has been causing my headaches. I normally eat dinner around 8pm and then generally have no appetite at all in the mornings. I have to make myself eat two slices of toast and then feel quite queasy until 11am. But if you think about it I'm only eating two slices of toast in a 15 hour period. So i decided to make myself eat a muller rice when I wake p in fhe night to go to pay my nightly visit. And what happened is that I didn't find I had tk force my breakfast down at half seven. Then I eat another little something when I get to work too. it's all about keeping blood sugars up because even when we sleep we're still making baby right? And since I've done it no headaches!!! Only been a couple of days but i feel like my old self again! Try it those of you with headaches!

Feeling wiggles and tugs too. Makes it all worthwhile.

Anyone got any tips for hayfever given we can't take anything for it?

redlaura Glad you seem to have found a way to help headaches. Have you tried that vaseline like stuff, its called Haymax but it stops the pollen going up your nose won awards simple but effective and I think ok for preg ladies but you would need to check or just put vaseline under you nose supposed to help.

[peeps round door]

Sorry to interrupt, Ladies. Do delete me if I'm typing out of turn...

The sun is shining - and I've just listed rather a lot of summer maternity clothes on the Adult clothes and shoes for sale board. Some of you may be interested!

Wishing you all happy and healthy pregnancies, Lemonsole.

redlaura, great that you have found something to stop those headaches.
As for the hayfever, I think there are some things you could take if it is really bad but obviously you need to ask a GP about it.
I've heard that vaseline under your nose and around the eyes helps as it catches the pollen. Also, washing your hair and taking a shower in the evening, fresh cloths when you come home,....
Oh, and apparently it helps if you reduce dairy but I'm not sure if we should do that during pregnancy.

sumi I know how you feel. I had the same in my first pregnancy. I hadn't even been registered to a GP. And that's when I found mumsnet where all my questions would be answered. And I also thought that some things are actually better here than in my homecountry. I hope you will find the same positive experiences.

redlaura agree with your blood sugar tip but also try this as it seems to help. Sit on one hand (Palm facing down so you are sitting on the back side of your hand with your inside wrist facing out away from your body.) Now stretch your neck as far as you can in the opposite direction (ie try and get your ear to get as close to your opposite shoulder tip as you can while keeping your shoulders unmoving - also do the same stretch to the front and back too. Try the same for the other hand - it releases pressure in your neck and upper back and seems to be working a treat for me - great idea from my physio. Hope it helps.

Ooh, good tips, cheers all. For hayfever I use opticrom which the dr will prescribe and works brilliantly for the eyes. Interestingly, my hayfever seems much less severe when I'm pregnant and BFing (usually it's pretty grim).

I guess that it's hard to tell what is congestion from the oestrogen and what is from the hayfever so maybe doing the head over the steaming olbas oil might help too.

Thanks lemonsole, just gonna go and check out the mat clothes as I reckon I'll have popped by the time DH has got his arse up into the loft to find mine!

ursigurke i know...this forum is so helpful..atleast dont feel alone :) im still battling between queen charlotte hospital and chelsea and westminister...im going private and while c&w is way posh and looks def more comfortable, qc had such a warm homely feel...confused as ever !

Just sticking my head in to get this back on my active threads list.

Haven't caught up fully yet but will hopefully do so later.

Really sorry to hear Manda's news. Hope you are doing ok, and we will miss you.

Having a rare kilt day today while dc are with fil, so can't stay long, but I will try and get back on later and see what you are all up to.

Haven't posted for a while....so sorry to hear Manda's news :( hope you're doing ok x

So I'm 19weeks today! Halfway (as in my 20th week now) and still yet to feel any proper movement. I know it's normal not to until 20-22 weeks, but I'm getting impatient! My friend is 4wks ahead of me and she's been feeling movement and kicks for weeks now. I've definitely felt the odd tap and twitch sort of feeling, but I'm guessing it'll get stronger. It's my first too.
Feeling a bit crud today - really sore throat and just a bit out of it, dizzy and the like. First time I've been ill this pregnancy though, so counting myself lucky (not including the heartburn and ms of course!).

We've got the 20wk scan on Friday afternoon and, after a long period of my OH not wanting to know the sex, he's changed his mind and we'll hopefully find out on Friday :)

Was wondering, is anyone else a student/studying whilst pregnant? I'm doing my doctorate (clin psych) and finding it VERY hard to focus on writing up my dissertation - which is due in 5 weeks. Eek. Anyone else in same boat? I work Mon-Thurs too... Any tips?!

Hope all us Sept mummies are well, and enjoyed the sun recently - although it gave me a taster of what's to come in summer re: feeling big and hot! My bump has really popped this last week and I feel big already!