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]

Hi glad I not the only one whose bump has had big growth spurt. I asked to see my midwife as I was worried but all ok. Plus slow digestion had made it even bigger &uncomfortable but some bean chilli helped that :o.
In the bounty magazine in the free hospital pack there is a send away for a 'free' bum genius nappy but costs £4 in p&p still cheaper than buying one normally I thought is give it a try. Hope everyone is doing ok as its been quiet on here lately all that lovely sunshine keeping us busy.

Hello ladies and nice to hear your news. All good from my end too. Got ds 6th birthday party out of the way at the weekend and breathed a sign of relief when it was all over (even although it wasnt at home it was still stressful as you feel responsible and want everyone to have a great time). Mammoth cake baking and decorating last week - two cakes, one Ben 10 and one Batman.
I am just getting into the first stage of the nesting instinct and have started to clear out everyones cupboards and junk in anticipation of the mayhem and disorder that will soon follow! Keep asking DH to get help to move the double bed out of the guest room upstairs to our other spare room but he doesnt quite get the urgency! I know I still have in theory 17 weeks till the casarean but I would like to start accumulating baby junk now and would like to enjoy setting it all up while I still have the energy and interest in doing it!
Hope you are all doing well and looking forward to reading some of your updates soon.

Hello and welcome Appley!
Have been on holiday back home, visiting both sets of grand parents which has been fairly relaxing. We even got the first evening and night off since 18 months when we went to a wedding and stayed in a hotel while DD stayed with my parents. On the other side I had quite a tough time at my in laws as I was suffering from asthma and at some point I was really worried about the oxygen supply for the baby. And in one night I got terrible cramps somewhere in my belly. I was almost certain that it was due to the terrible diet (we had been forced to eat tonnes of cake and meat) but as the cramps came and went I was a bit worried. Luckily they stopped and we went to see a gynaecologist as well. All fine and I got an extra scan too :) And I have learnt a lesson: it is better to argue with my MIL and refuse to eat more than I actually want, especially when pregnant.

Hi minkijj I too been starting nesting instinct alas hse in middle o DIY mess so got to wait till that sorted before I can start getting all the baby bits out of loft & get washing. My dh doesn't get need for urgency either but I won't be able to get in the loft in a couple wks so will be relying on him to find everything! Start 3rd trimester on sat :-) feeling more real now .......tiredness starting to kick in abit more I keep wanting afternoon naps :o

Well Ssmile, glad to hear I am not alone. One good thing though - at least you have the items in your loft so at a push just need to locate them. I am having to buy everything and trying to store it all is proving difficult without having a room ready! I have told hubby to get it sorted asap as I will be ordering furniture soon but we shall see. He is currently pressure hosing our front driveway which has so far taken about 5 mornings and is the messiest job I have ever seen - he doesnt seem to appreciate that his usual cleanup crew (ie me) are not really available to wash down the front of the house and garden and two cars that are now covered in a layer of mud that has been misplaced from the driveway! My pregnancy hormones are not best placed to deal with this situation so I am hoping the job will be finished very soon!
I am getting quite uncomfortable now - still only 23 and a bit weeks but everything hurts now and bending is getting more tricky by the day. So when does the third trimester start - some sources say 27 weeks and some say 28 - its all a bit confusing really?
Hope you all have a lovely Bank Holiday weekend - the next one in August will be very interesting for some of us I am sure!

Yes, nesting, nesting nesting here too. I am getting all obsessive over when we can have our new carpets fitted (despite this probably not being a wise thing to do, given that (a) I am about to start potty training DS and (b) I'm planning a HB).

I am also offering lots of Man Points to DH for all of the DIY jobs that need doing around the house.

My lower back is bloody murder by the end of the day and if I sit down for too long then my hips go all achey when I stand up again. I'd forgotten about all the third trim aches and pains. When I was pg last time I went for a walk late every evening which sorted it right out but it's not that simple anymore as DH often works late and DS is in bed.

Well I will be 26wks on sat, with 13wks to go as booked for c-sec at 39wks so i made that the start of my 3rd trimester tom :-) and yes all the aches and pains and stiffness are really hitting this week. Lots of achy back, but swimming and walking are helping me. Plus yoga stretches in the evening. I seemed to have got really big this last week, I certainly look properly pregnant now!! Walked my DD to preschool this morning and my jacket didnt even come close to doing up, was about 4 inches apart, need to find my reversible fleece thing which has a zip that undoes from the bottom as I used that last time as it would zip at top and have big tummy poking out at the bottom.

Hope everyone has a lovely sunny bank hols wend.

How exciting feralgirland ssmile. My csection is also booked for 39 weeks on 14th september but I never made it that far with ds1 and dd1 so am trying to make sure I am all ready way before then. It will also be more difficult getting everything sorted as my kids will be on school holidays from 22nd July so I want the majority sorted before then. I have made a list of all the little jobs I need dh to do this weekend - I tend to find I can usually get him to do at least half of them so its a good plan! Anyway, enjoy the long weekend ladies.

Oh boy have I got a lot of nesting to do. We moved yesterday/ today. I will now be living in gold and turquoise 1970s as we over time bring it up to date. Kitchen bathroom and boiler need replacing, although all livable now. We've retreated to my mum's tonight for hot baths, stew and rhubarb crumble and tomorrow we'll spend our first night in the turquoise mustiness that is our first family home.

Dave has worked his backside off. He's a total star and I'm so lucky, although I think next time he'll concede that we need removal men. Found it really hard to not help him and his brother.

26 weeks on Wednesday. Size of a house, achy legs from thighs to toes and a stiff lower back! Loving my bump though and can't wait to meet the little one!

Glad the move went OK RL. When we moved we hired a Man With a Van and DH, my dad and him had a lovely time being all manly and showing off who could lift the heaviest boxes

Talking of moving, we have new next door neighbours due to move in in the next couple of weeks. They have made my life bloody miserable for the last two months; banging, drilling and knocking down walls. I know they need to make their new home habitable but did they have to do it when I am feeling tired, crappy and in need of daytime naps ffs?

So to get my own back I have decided that I am definitely having a HB. And I'm going to do it really loudly, in the middle of the night. And then I am going to move my entire house around so that the new baby's room is on the other side of the (very thin) wall from their bedroom. That'll teach 'em

Yep definitely nesting. I have just moved and put together a futon on my own.

feralgirl, I like your revenge plan :)
And I can perfectly imagine the manly competition.
Luckily I could convince my DH already for our last move that it is worth to hire someone to help.

Sort of nesting here too. I'm much more relaxed than last time but I think certain things need to be sorted out now, mainly to allow DD to get used to it. She will have to get a new bed for example, so we better do that now and she will have 3 months to forget the cot and see that a bed is sooo much more grown up and a cot is only for babies.
We talk a lot about child vs baby, so she comments on almost every human being we see (actually animals too), if they are rather a child or a baby which is quite cute.

Ooh, that's a good plan ursigurke, I like the idea of discussing whether animals are grown ups or babies. How old is your DD?

DH is assembling DS's big-boy-bed later this week as, no matter how strong my nesting instinct is, I don't think I am up to putting together an Ikea bunk bed!

Glad the move went ok RL hope you can get settled before baby makes an appearance. My DD (4yrs) felt the baby kick her yesterday arh it was lovely. I knew baby was kicking so DD came over and put her cheek to my tum as she was talking to it and wham big whack. My DD little face was like "what was that!" My DH doesn't seem too interested at the moment though so its nice my DD is very keen. She can't wait to have a new playmate. I think she may be a little disappointed when she realises that actually they don't do much for the first 6-9mths!!! We did buy a Topsy n Tim & the Bunn Family have a new baby book which she likes reading so I think that helping her. She starts school the week after the baby is due to I think it will be lots of adjustment for her and us that first week in September. I already thinking uth oh at the thought of getting out of the house EVERY day at 8.20am to walk to school only few days post birth.... and very keen to get nesting so need to keep cracking on with the DIY now so I can start draggin stuff out the loft and get it all washed :o
Hope you enjoyed your bank hols rest.

Hi folks. Its been a while but have just been really really busy with bpselling and buying our house, with my wee business and with the boys, so a lot to catch up on.

Have read back a wee bit but will do more later. I see there are some oers moving house too. I guess babies arriving gives you a reason to look for more space.

We sell on 29th July, but so far havent bought anything. Off to see another today so fingers crossed.

Was exhibiting at the Baby Show at the SECC recently. Was great to get a decent look round everyones else stalls in the quieter times. Spoke to an interestig sleep guru woman about our ds1s sleep, and there were a couple of interesting talks about positive parenting.

Similarly to lxr1 I also got a few good bargains. Avent electronic breast pump plus loads of extras for £65. Borrowed one from my friend for ds2 but it was so good, I reckoned it was worth forking out for my own one.

Big bump now which I am trying to hide when we go for mortgage chats, as I dont want them reducing too much what we can borrow!

Will try and catch up more later. Hope everyone is well though .

We went and had a look at our local MW led birthing unit today which is just lovely and about a million times nicer (and cleaner) than the local hospital. I am now totally torn between HB and the unit and I just cannot make up my mind!

feralgirl, at least you are torn between two nice options. I'm sure you'll decide soon enough.

I had my 28 weeks appointment yesterday and it was quite a nightmare, starting with 45min waiting (and the appointment was already at 9.30), having a completely useless talk to the consultant about my blood type issue, confused midwifes about my bloods being taken, needing two midwifes and two attempts of actually getting the needle in and then my blood flowing really slowly (and we needed 5 bottles in total). And, I even had to queue up at the reception for a new appointment.
The consultant wants me to come back at 30 weeks but I think it is a mistake. Obviously they don't have an appointment left in two weeks so I will have to come and wait until they can squeeze me in, with my toddler in tow as my husband will be away.
Last time I had such a good experience in the same antenatal clinic and hospital, this time it is really different.

Anyway, sorry for the mememe-post. I should just focuss on the positive facts, all seemed well so far, I am feeling fine despite my varicose veins, I'm getting lots of kicks so the little man seems fine too.

I hope you are all fine and enjoying your pregnancy.

Glad feralgirl the mw unit was gd. Ours was lovely when I was planning our first. Alas by the time I was 10days over I had to accept I wasn't going to be allowed to go there. So just cover all your options. I did transfer there 2days post c-sec for 2more days of lovely care but had been really disappointed I couldn't give birth there so wish I had spent more time taking note on our main hospital visit where I did end up. This time around I don't get a choice.
On different note We had to go to our first parents eve at our DD new school that she starts in Sept today. My dh even polished his shoes :o he not done that for months! I nearly cried at the diddy class room feels such big step my little DD going to big school

feralgirl - you lucky little sausage - I would love to be in that position rather than a definite third csection which is already booked and will mean a minimum 4 night stay for me! I cant remember if this is your first baby or whether you have done it before? If you cant decide, maybe think about whether being at the Mw led unit will give you more or less confidence, because that is quite a good decider.
ursigurke - Really understand how you feel too - I spend all my time these days being called for appointments to see Consultants only to find that they really dont have a clue about my condition and I end up educating them. I also love the fact that all the appointments with the Consultants are at school pick up time and nobody gives a donkeys that I have two kids to pick up from two different schools and cant arrange cover ever couple of weeks for yet another appointment that I know will be a complete waste of everyones time anyway!
My news is that I have just reached 25 weeks and all is going fine. The little man jumps around non-stop and I now have chronic indigestion despite taking the maximum dose of ranitadine allowed. I have regular braxton hicks contractions about 10 or more times a day and although I am not huge I really am starting to struggle with my joints and aches and pains. Luckily though I feel good in myself and I am so excited that 14 weeks today I will hopefully be holding my new son! Take care ladies and hope that all is going well for you all,

Hi all, can I join? Due Sept 12 with DS no.3 (eek!)

...that's September 12th, not Sept 2012 which would obviously be impossible :o)

I have baby clothes coming out my ears but nowhere to put them all and the IKEA chest of drawers that needs assembling hasn't been acknowledged by DH who has shut off from my over-emotional state and totally unapproachable (long story - he's on the xbox now... nice). Do I attempt it myself?

Hi amateurcrastinator, and sorry but I did LOL a bit at your post! Right after I posted last, I turned to DH (attached to his XBox) and asked him what he thought about where I should give birth not that his opinion matters anyway and we ended up having a blazing row because (a) he wouldn't stop playing fekkin CoD to talk to me and (b) he told me that it was "stupid" of me to want to spend £200 on a home birthing pool. I accept that we have better things to spend £200 on, but it was the use of the word "stupid" that made the red mist descend...

Net result was that I shouted that I would just make the decision on my own and let him know in due course and that he is not to expect me to ask his opinion on anything else regarding the pregnancy/ birth/ raising of either of our children.

So, basically, what I'm saying is that like you, I have a DH who has resorted to his uncomplicated relationship with his XBox in order to escape from his mental wife! If I were you then I would start putting together the chest of drawers on your own and, if he's anything like my DH, yours will look up, roll his eyes, mutter "oh for fucks sake" and come over and finish it himself.

Minky, this one is no.2 and DS was a much easier delivery than I had prepared myself for - despite our being back to back and having to have an epesiotomy and ventouse - so I'm reasonably chilled about giving birth this time round, hence the possibility of HB. However, we're in very rural Cornwall and MWs are pitifully few on the ground so, if someone else is in the unit or having a HB when I go into labour, then I won't have a choice then either, it'll just be straight to the local hospital (30 mins grim drive down twisty-turny country lanes).

Welcome AmateurCrastinator! I would give him a couple of days, maybe over the weekend. Unless you really like assembling furniture and if the parts are not too heavy.

Minky, lets just hope that all these free lessons we are currently giving to our healthcare providers will be useful for them or their future patients. I agree with you, lets focuss on the good things, we are carrying a healthy baby and will be holding it in our arms in a couple of months. And actually even those pains and discomforts are just showing us that everything is going according to plan :)

Oh, and I had completely forgotten one good thing. From todays point of view I can still go to the birthing centre of the hospital (I was quite sure they wouldn't let me)

Sorry, also meant to say about minky and ursi's unsympathetic consultants. I can't imagine how crappy that must be for you both.

But I am loving the idea that in 14 weeks or so we'll all have our bambinos. I'm at that.

Hi again, thanks for the advice re the chest of drawers. I will do both... if its not by Sunday I will sigh heavily and make a big show of reading the instructions upside down and generally getting myself in a mess surrounded by screws and bits of wood in the hope that he feels sorry for me although I'm not holding my breath tbh :)

Feralgirl, everyone I have spoken to who's had a homebirth with a pool has raved how great it was. If you're thinking about it then go for it. Personally I want to be in a hospital, with access to an epidural, but that's just because I'm a bit chicken... I would love to feel positive and strong enough to have a home birth but know how pathetic I was with my other two so not kidding myself. Actually terrified about the birth and the bigger I get the more I'm panicking.