The CBFM Graduates Vol 1

[StormBird]

We have got to know each other pretty well during our TTC journey's so have created this thread on Chocciechips advice (hope she doesn't mind!!) so we can all contintue to support one another through our pregnancies.

Welcome................

Congratulations Anytime! Feeding every hour - you must be exhausted!

Boba I was told my baby is in the 95th centile, so also big apparently - but she thought maybe 8lbs or thereabouts. However DH is a scientist and immediately asked probing questions about their growth charts. Did you know they are using charts that date back to Scandinavian women in the 1960s (which even the obs had to admit could be misleading)? Imagine, for example, you are a small Asian women being measured by Scandinavian standards! So you need to take their advice as a very general guide only. You and I probably do fit the Scandinavian size rule a bit better, but DH feels babies nowadays are probably generally bigger anyway because we know so much more about diet and healthy eating etc, so the 'average' should probably be scaled up.

If you are eating healthily - ignore their 'watch your diet' advice. I, on the other hand, do have to wise up because I'm packing away the Snickers bars like nobody's business! Your GD test will reveal all - but don't worry until then. And keziah is right - I've heard big babies are a good thing as well and I've also heard quite a few stories about how inaccurate the scans can be for growth.

As for me .... I've started experiencing extreme swelling in my feet (anyone else?) so I've been warned that I may need to have weekly blood pressure checks in case of pre-eclampsia. This REALLY upset me - got the shock of my life when I looked down and saw these puffy-elderly-diabetic looking feet (if you know what I mean) when I usually have the skinniest hands and feet. They blew up in the space of an afternoon.

A nurse friend has told me I need to rest at least two hours a day now with my feet up ... weep. And I'm so far behind with work - how do I manage both?!?!!! But ... looking forward this weekend to my first weekend in 8 weeks of not working. DH and I are 'punch-drunk' with tiredness now, and agreed we need a break in order to be able to manage the rest of the work.

Keziah I felt the same about my booking appointment. What I don't like about it is the way they proceed as if everything is going to be totally fine. I couldn't properly believe everything would be fine so felt very uncomfortable having committed appointments set up etc - it felt as if I was tempting fate. I can only imagine it must have felt that way for you too.

Just a quick post to say congratulations to Anytime! So glad that everything went well.

Congratulations Anytime on the birth of your son

Choccie - thanks for reassurance, to know it isn't just me that felt like that at booking appointment. I guess I had hoped for kind, reassurance and got an administrator as that is their job! A colleague has same problem with swelling, apparently the heat in July is part of problem for her! Can you have lunch with feet raised up and dinner to get your 2hrs? Hope all well xx

Hi Ladies - it's been a long time I know!

Babies sure do take over your life - as Anytime and Storm are now well aware of - massive congrats to you both xxxxxxx

...and of course, huge congrats to you to Keziah - I'm soooooooooo pleased for you.

For those of you worrying about big babies, my first ds was 8lbs 6ozs even though he was 3 weeks early and my second ds was 7lb 3ozs at over 3 weeks early. Imagine if I'd made it to 40 weeks

Well, baby Taliesin is now 4 months old and is absolutely gorgeous. He's gurgling away in his swing seat as I'm typing. Still breast feeding and it's getting better. Still doing 3 feeds a night but it's better than feeding him every three quarters of an hour as I used to do until about a month ago. He finally seems to be settling into some kind of routine. It's hard work this breast feeding lark!

Well that's it from me. I promise that I'll try to look in a bit more often from now on - I'm missing out on so much!!!!!

Lots of love to you all

Harry xxx

Congratulations anytime glad you are both well.

That's really interesting to know choccie. I got really good blood results today so glad I don't have diabetes. I've had the swelling a bit when it's warm and have had to give up on my wedding rings this week as they're getting quite tight but my blood pressure is always on the lower side. I think weekly blood pressure chcks are a good idea anyway so take them up on that and try and rest as much as you can. I know this is difficult for you atm though. Enjoy your weekend with DH!

How did things go today keziah?

Harry hi Wow I can't believe Taliesin is 4 months already! How the hell did that happen soooo fast?! I don't want to hear that about breastfeeding - am I naive in thinking it's easier than bottle feeding?

I do 'lurk' on here and have just seen the wonderful news about Keziah.
Fan bloomin' tastic. Nothing like good news to make my day.

I'm 24 weeks on Mon and feeling junior kick daily. We have chosen not to find out the flavour as it's our first so doesn't matter either way.

Can I ask what buggies/travel systems people have gone for? So far (but only online browsing) I like the bugaboo cameleon and the icandy. Have any of you bought these?

Hi missy. Glad you're keeping well. We've ordered the icandy peach with carrycot in sweetpea (took some persuading for dh to agree on that colour!) We pick it up next week. Took 12 weeks to come in at our pram shop although I think Lewis' get them quicker. I like them & hardly see any about.

I like that one too but maybe in the jogger. Not sure when it comes out though as just says 'coming soon' on the icandy web site. Do you get a car seat with it? I know you have to buy the carry cot seperatly.

great minds boba - i got the icandy peach in sweetpea too....my friend had it in blackjack and i feel in love, so had picked out my travel system before my 20 week scan! i did however decide to try and cut the price (which if you get all the bits and pieces exceeds £1000 before you have bought a car seat) by looking out on ebay to see if there was anything local before shelling out. i managed to get the pushchair part along with footmuff, umbrella, cup holder, and bits and pieces for £445. the seat looks unused and you can just see a bit of wheel wear. i was going to get carrycot in john lewis and recently having been buying a lot of stuff i thought id check out ebay: ended up getting carrycot very locally for £90; literally barely used, brilliant (and i think it retails at £180).....i have never really bought second hand stuff before and was a bit squeamish about it, but im delighted with my pushchair. i got the maxi cabriofix from kiddicare for about £100 (i think cheaper than JL) and the seller had thrown in adapters....

We got a deal for £900 at local pram centre for pushchair, footmuff, raincover, carrycot, car seat adaptors and maxicosi pebble car seat. Ready to pick up & don't know how long I can leave it, sooooo excited to play with learn how to use it!

missy i really like the grey jogger one but like you said not out yet. Also think the strawberry model looks really nice, think that comes out in October.

wow boba you did well there - good job! when are you meant to pick up? whats your due date by the way? mines sept 11 but im being induced by the 7th at the latest unless i want the NHS to accept no liabilities for any problems whatsoever....seriously, if i go against advice to induce and they cock something up in delivery they can legally wriggle out of anything so im sucking it up.

hows it going for everyone over here? will be thinking of keziah on wednesday, it will also be a year to the day since my termination for abnormalities, so im hoping the slight sadness of the day will be overshadowed by great news xxx

Ooh prams .... I look forward to, hopefully, lots of good advice in MANY months time . Bless you Ilovekitty - I will do be best for you and remember to post!

kitty I'm due 9th but hopefully before too - totally fed up now. Was kicked so hard earlier it really hurt! They will keep it until we want to pick up just have to give 2 days notice. I keep getting panicky feelings that the baby is going to come 4 weeks early or something ridiculous like that & I will have nothing washed etc so I think I will feel better if DH just picks it up next week and I know we're set.

boba - under the threat/likelihood of medical induction these are the steps i am taking to encourage matters:

evening primrose - 1000mg orally from this week, progressing to 2000mg at 37 weeks. 1 large capsule up the fanjo from week 36 (joy of joys). apparently this ripens and softens cervix which can help shorten the dilation time (NICE)

acupuncture - from week 37 hopefully to induce labour.

sex - hmmmm.

hot curries - to be honest, could probably do without curry farts and shitting the bed in the labour ward any more than nature intends so might give that one a miss too.

nipple stimulation using expressing machine - on the fence about this one. seems a bit horribly wrong, even tho reportedly reasonably effective...

what joys. i too have a phobia that he will arrive any minute. i had a dream last night that he died and i had to be induced to give birth to a dead baby. apparently those kinds of dreams are normal but hideously awful.

ps the above really does read like the obsessed rantings of someone that peed on a stick every day to get pregnant doesnt it?! you should see my vitamin collection....

All this talk of prams is bringing back fond memories . I went for the Bugaboo Cameleon in the end - I was torn between that and the iCandy, but went for the Bugaboo because it's lighter and as I knew I was having a C-section, thought I'd be able to manage it more easily. It's been absolutely fantastic so far and I love the fact that the colour can be changed - I now have covers in sand, red, bright blue and navy (this has brought the total cost up to around £1,500 with car seat though ). It's so easy to fold up too, I definitely recommend it.

Well, Tal (we're shortening Taliesin to "Tal" already) has now had all of his vaccinations until he reaches a year old. Absolutely harrowing though .

Just a word on the breast feeding as I'm afraid that I sounded a bit negative in the last post. IT IS THE BEST THING EVER!!!!!! Having only been able to breastfeed ds1 for 2/3 weeks, this was all new to me this time. It is just the most satisfying feeling ever and talk about convenient - no trying to keep bottles warm or asking for jugs of hot water everywhere you go. I did buy a bebe-au-lait bfeeding cover though as I didn't want to be flashing my boobies to everyone and I have to say it's great. If Tal is in a bit of a panic before a feed, the cover seems to calm him down - it's his own little haven! (Harry makes comparison to blinkers on a horse!)

Being pregnant now feels like a distant memory.........................

boba where did you buy your pram? We're so short of time we have to go JL for ours but I think they sometimes price-match, so am wondering if we can swing a deal?

Corstorphine pram centre choccie. I wanted to go to JL but DH refused as we'd been all over town that day - I've heard good things about Pram Centre though so Fx they turn out ok - I'm a sucker for Lewis' though

What pram are you going for choccie?

boba I can't remember the full name, but I think we've decided on the iCandy travel system (whatever that's called). Mine is going to be pushed around country lanes and on rough terrain so we wanted something robust, and it seemed more so than the Bugaboo. I'm also choosing the brightest colour available (is it 'tomato?? all the reds) so cars can see it from miles away. We've still not ordered a thing and I am beginning to panic about time and the baby potentially coming early. Funny to hear you all wanting your babies faster - if I could sandwich mine in there for another month using a cork, I swear I would. I am so broken by work now its hard to think straight. Just had a client who has had a tonne of extra work from me, without paying for it, demanding more changes and I feel like I am going to go into total meltdown.

Oh dear choccie that's not so good, I hope you manage to get it sorted out. I take it you have to stick with the old "customer's always right" mantra? Are you able to charge extra for the extra work? Or at least make clear they will have to pay for any further changes? Try and relax as much as possible. x

All this talk of prams... I have caught myself looking at other prams all the time and pointing out various points of interest to DH, "Oh, that one has a reversible seat" or "That folds flat with one hand". To which my DH casually looks in the direction I'm pointing and gives a brief nod. He's more concerned that it looks futuristic and has good car qualities, such as brakes and suspension. I can't blame him really! It's the same as me pointing out all the almost-newborns. Babies all look the same to him at the moment!

Prams are confusing but it's too early for us to make a decision, so I'm blissfully non-committed.

Kelpie - me too with prams! We will enjoy the benefit of most people here having used one by the time we need to decide

One day to go till scan ....

One day to go but feels like ten I seem to remember. Those early weeks drag don't they, but believe me Keziah it speeds up. Best of luck for tomorrow.

I still haven't seen any prams yet. Do you have to order them then? I was under the impression I could just waltz in, point and walk out with it. Guess not. Still thinking icandy peach.
Good luck to those near the end of their pregnancies. Bet you are hating the heat. I know I am and I'm only 24 weeks!

We had our scan today and saw little baby dancing around! It was amazing. I was so so nervous (I had some horrible dreams last night), so it seems a bit surreal that it all went ok. We got some lovely photos - the baby was in a good position and the sonographer seemed happy. It's so mindbending that less than 6 weeks ago it was just a little flashing heartbeat on the screen. They dated me at 13 weeks, which was a bit of a shock (and completely untrue) but I was too relieved to care! We plan to make it public at the end of the week (so far only close family know) but I'm desperate to share the good news!