Jue in June 2011....... third trimesters here we come!!!!!

[Clarkiee]

Hello,
Started a new thread ladies, fingers crossed it works xx

P.S also v jealous of lovely bump pics! DH took some photos of me at weekend and I look horrendous. Massive bags under my eyes, terrible hair and a double chin. I had to delete them

Morning everyone, I think today is going to be hard, I am really not sleeping (2-4 hours and night) and work is becoming incredibly difficult. Most of the time I just can't think and want to have a nap. I think I might have to go in and talk to the boss about working from home a for bit so I can be more flexible about my hours. I hope he says okay or I don't know what i'm going to do!
GoodVibrations I know what you mean I don't feel exactly photogenic at the moment either...might be something to do with all the cheese I can't seem to help eating!
But one small celebration - i'm 29 weeks today! Time to tick another week off the count down. I know I haven't known about the baby that long, but i'm not good at waiting for things and this third trimester feels like puberty combined with an epic hangover!

morning everyone......just want to let you know that Florence continues to be a little star.....she has been moved into HDU and is breathing completely on her own. The only tube she has is her feeding tube. We can cuddle as we like and she certainly seems to settle when shes in our arms :)
The nurses put her in her first vest yesterday and it made me cry.......its so small yet it still swamped her lol, but she looked so gorgeous.
I am home, as she is doing so well it hasnt been too bad but i know if she has a blip it will be so hard to leave her.......we are about a 30min drive away.
Expressing is going ok but i do feel a slave to the machine....:( my life is revolving around expressing times.
Great bump photos.....am very jealous, i miss my bump. I now just look a bit flabby and back in my pre pregnancy jeans etc.

Oh you poor thing Joanne. Working from home sounds like a good plan to me. I went through a little phase of nor sleeping a couple of weeks ago and have found a warm bath and hot chocolate before bed seems to have helped. Also, I found that getting some rest during the day helps too, I suppose so that I'm not too over tired at bedtime. Hope it gets better door you soon.
almighty I had the glucose intolerance test a couple of weeks ago and found that it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

Sorry x posts moomin. That's wonderful news. I'm so glad little Florence is doing well

(I'm getting married in 2 days ! )

moomin thats lovely news, well done, sounds like you are all well on the way to getting home and you can have your cuddles on demand!

Mummy I thought it must be pretty close to your big day - are you fully organised? How exciting, hope its a lovely day for you.

I had a bad night last night too - very uncomfortable and had a full on proper nightmare...mind you I woke up on my back so I was probably oxygen deprived. I also got up for a wee and gave myself a fright at the colour of it, kind of flourescent green which I think was the pea soup I made...but since I have a MW apt this morning and had to prepare a wee sample I am wondering what kind of condition she is going to think I have!

Had to get up early because a skip was due to be delivered at 7.30...well, its 8.30 now and its not flippin here, grrrrr.

Have a good day all x

morning ladies
jealous of all the bump pics - DH fancies himself as an am photographer so might have a pop at the weekend (when there's time for plenty of make-up to hide the bags etc!!)

Moomin, so pleased that florence is doing well, hugs to you all.

Just a heads up in case anyone needs to buy a car seat and base - if you buy them together on mothercare site at the moment you get half off the base, and can then use code A9S and you get further money off. Took our purchase of maxi-cosi cabrio iso fix (or something!) and iso fix base from £245 down to £160 incl. free delivery...

Visited my friend yesterday who had her baby at 35 weeks, 2 weeks ago. He is absolutely adorable - about 5lb now but home and doing well. Spends a lot of time gurning and farting, which is hilarious now but hopefully won't last into adulthood!! She's very calm which seems to have rubbed off on me - feeling a lot less 'aaarrrgghh' than I was..

Leroy are your iron levels ok? the reason I ask is that I make a grab for any kind of rubbish energy giving food when my iron levels are low. I also crave fizzy things and crunchy things....fizzy cola bottles and crisps if I'm being bad, fizzy water and ice cubes if Im being good. Ive only recently noticed this and the MW has confirmed it is quite a comon response to low hb levels.

Just typed up a longish post and then MN went down for "5 minutes maintenance"... anyhow.

Moomin - so nice to hear about Florence doing well, really happy for you and lots of good wishes being sent your way.

Sasamaxx - brilliant photo!

Goodvibrations - have you tried turning off the flash? If you're using a point and shoot, they do no favours to anyone, it's not your fault. Try some indoor no flash shots, use a table/pile of books etc to keep the camera steady, experiment with adding light by using lamps from around the house to put next to you etc. You can get some nice results that way.

31 weeks today - definitely feeling a bit surreal that she will be here in around 9 weeks. Getting pretty fed up with being knackered, breathless and needing a wee every 30 minutes though, so I'm ready for the next stage!

Now back to waiting for my ASOS goodies...

Moomin, Im so delighted to hear that Florence is doing so well. I was worrying when we hadnt heard from you for a while (completely unreasonable of course as obviously you have more than enough to do right now that thinking of us on Mumsnet and your very kind to keep us updated). I cant believe shes breathing all on here own!! . It just sounds amazing. I cant imagine how teeny she must be - the smallest baby I ever saw was 4lbs something and I was shocked!!.

I think you are amazing to be expressing, Im sure its really difficult and it must be hard to be home without Florence. Also, very, very, very at you being back in your pre pregnancy jeans!!!!!! what? not 2 weeks after giving birth (it took me at least six months ). How are you feeling yourself though? Do you feel your recovering well/ sleeping etc?

Morning ladies.

Thanks Almightycitrus and nursesunshine - that article was fantastic btw

Moomin things are sounding great - what a star breathing on her own already. You're doing a brilliant job with all that pumping - did the hospital give you a fancy machine? You aren't having to do it on a hand pump are you?
Can't believe you are back in your pre-pregnancy jeans - it usually takes me a full year to get back into them.

Mummyno2 cannot believe you are getting married on Saturday - our very own antenatal club wedding . You have GOT to post photos so that we can all pretend we were there.

Jasmine how annoying about the stupid skip. That makes sense about being on your back when you woke up - I'm sure in my pregnancy nightmares I usually wake up on my back too!

Joannezipan that must be murder. I'm not sleeping great but am definitely getting a lot more than that. Hope it settles down for you - try not to dwell too much on it. One of the hardest things about babies is getting obsessed with how much sleep you've had and getting stressed about it. Hopefully if you try to ignore it, your sleep patterns will get back to normal (for a few weeks anyway)

Goodvibrations I have lots of horrible horrible pregnancy snaps too - don't ever let anyone take a picture of you from lower down than you - that is the best way to get you looking horrific. Semi-turned towards camera is most flattering and never in harsh light. Always raise your chin a tiny bit too to minimise double chin (I should know I have about 3 chins just now - even when slim I always have one). Bet if you get the angles right, you'll have a gorgeous bump photo to look back on

I got quite a lot of 'oh you've really sprouted' type comments this morning at nursery and playgroup - guess I now have an excuse for dressing appallingly every day. My ensemble today is particularly stylish - raspberry shapeless top with purple leggings, socks and brown shoes. All topped off with a lovely man's grey fleece. My hair is also greasy. Must try harder.

Oops - missed new posts...

Leroy yes I now have a stock of sugary fizzy drinks. Sometimes they are the only things that will do. It's a nightmare when the kids spot them though.
Jasmine that's really interesting as I'm suspecting low iron too.

nomoreheels - thanks! It's shamelessly copied from yours - although not quite right yet - I need to sort out the clothes, and increase the power from the flash - it's shooting through an umbrella too so might try without to see if it cranks up the contrast a bit. I used your settings with ISO 100 and think they've done a good job.

Jealous of Barbie too now - back in jeans at 6 months

Sasamaxx mine is 100 ISO too, forgot to say. A bit more light & I think yours will be perfect, I like the clothes!

Short version: Well, I went for my test, sat there for 30 minutes, thought sod this for a lark and buggered off for a fry up!

Long version: Had to get up early to get kids to school for pre-school club, and pay for it. I'd not eaten a thing since 9pm last night so I was bloody starving anyway. Got to the clinic had to walk up 2 huge flights of stairs which nearly killed me (lift not working), and booked in. Waited 15 minutes and a midwife/nurse came past and I asked how long it would be and she said just a couple of minutes. Waited another 15, by which time it was gone 9am. By the time they'd finished mucking around and I'd waited 2 hours for the next test it would be midday before I ate anything, and to be frank I don't think that is healthy. I'd already felt a bit "funny" when I got out of the car earlier.
Anyway, enough was enough and off I went.

I can sort of understand having to wait if the appointment is later on in the day, but I think if it's the first appointment, then they should at least be on time.

As my DH said. "What can they do if you don't have the test? Say you can't have a baby"?

Almighty I had a rotten time at my GTT test too. I ate a mini meal at 10 PM before the cut off point, then dragged myself across town on 2 buses at rush hour without so much as a coffee in me for a 9 AM appt. I wasn't seen by the nurse until 10 AM which pissed me off. I then had to wait 2 hours for the second test.

In between I waited nearly 2 hours for my AntiD jab but the clinic was hugely busy with booking in appointments and I think they forgot about me. I had a (polite but firm) moan and was seen shortly afterwards, but they were still late and I was 15 mins late for my second glucose. By this point I was nearly falling over with hungry and was in a FOUL mood. She also took the final bloods from my lower arm which hurt a lot, and left a massive bruise.

I do appreciate hospitals are juggling a lot, but you'd think they'd look at GTT tests and how to at least run those as efficiently as possible due to very hungry, faint and quite pregnant women!

Then again I'd say the same thing about my scans - told to drink 1.5 L of water and then running an hour late was another bad one! I just said sod it, went to the toilet and figured they could shout at me for not having a full bladder if they wanted to - I was past caring.

My GTT was (supposed to be ) at a health centre, not the hospital. I have a newly modernised HC on the next street, but no, they can only do the test at another HC miles away. I might of been a bit more forgiving for an emergency, but as the midwife/nursey woman was making a cup of tea when I walked in, I reckon she could of seen me sooner. She was stood chatting to the receptionist, brew in hand when I flounced walked out!

I had a similar scan experience with DD2, and after waiting for far too long I went to the toilet. Scan lady did mention it, but the "my appointment was an hour ago" growl soon shut her up!

I hate being faffed about with!

Already forgottten who posted about bright green pee, sorry, but who ever it was Thank You!, you've reminded me to take a wee sample to the MW this afternoon. Yay MW day again, at last.

Good on you walking out AC. No pregnant woman should be made to go with out food for so long just because someone can't get their arse into gear in the morning! Hope the fry up was good. (mmm Hash browns..)

Moomin brilliant news about Florence. You're doing a great job.

I'm guessing my LO is head down, as the last couple of evenings it has taken to putting a foot under my rib cage and kicking. It's not painful, but not far off it.

Thanks for all your kind words......

I am shattered but sleeping well. Expressing is hard work, i have an electric pump from the hospital.......i cant double pump though else i do feel like a cow.
Being home is strange, as she is doing so well its ok but if she has a little dip i know it will be hard. The staff are wonderful and i know she is being cared for in our absence........
I cant believe she is already 11 days old.
:)

11 days? my God, moomin, where did that time go?. Tell me again, how many weeks gestation when she was born?

Moomin good to hear from you, and good to hear that Florence is doing so well... great work on the expressing front, it is such hard work, with or without an electric pump!

Nurse the blog you linked has made my giggle a lot on my lunchbreak today

Sasamaxx I didn't think I'd be able to get a stretchy one coverted, but you never know, so thought I'd ask! I can see myself getting properly into slings, there are some lovely ones around. Am going to get onto Ebay tonight and start hunting some out.

Goodvibrations sounds like you're having a hard time of it at the moment with pain, thinking of you

Joanne I had a s* night's sleep too, lots of tossing and turning, which then wakes my partner up. He then has a terrible habit of chatting to me then so I fully wake up and can't get back to sleep. My hips are killing me at night, that is the main thing waking me up. I get comfy by switching sides but then my hips start aching again within 2 minutes, so the whole rigmarole starts again.

Mummy your wedding has come around really quickly! How are you looking forward to it? Really looking forward to a full report on here.

Thornykate I picked up a lovely swaddling blanket in Pumpkin Patch. It was about a fiver but a lovely pattern (no pink), and is a stretchy T-shirt type material with velcro to secure it shut.

I also can't stand baby pink! I think babies look so much better in white or nice bright colours rather than pastels, and I hate the connotations of force-feeding little girls pinkpinkpink from the moment they are born, and little boys blueblueblue. It really winds me up when I go to the shops and struggle to find anything that isn't pink or blue. We are trying to tell everyone that if they buy presents we would prefer no pink, in a lighthearted way, but we know from experience we'll still be swamped with it (we tried to ask people to avoid blue for ds, but 75% of the stuff we were bought for him was baby blue anyway). Rant over .

barbie Florence was born at 29weeks exactly. My waters broke at 28+6...........

Moomin - lovely news about Florence, sounds like she is coming along in leaps and bounds! You are a star for doing all that expressing How long do you think before they start suggesting you try and feed from the breast?

Almightycitrus - grrrr that is so crap, don't blame you at all for walking out! I hope you enjoyed your fry up!

Jasmine - what time did your skip turn up in the end (I assuming it has...)

Bottom feeling a bit less sore now...

Link stolen from the blog Nurse posted earlier.... this is bloody hilarious! www.lets-panic.com/pregnancy/

kara the skip turned up about 10 minutes after the builders left! They discovered that the inside lining of the porch they are demolishing is asbestos and scattered like frightened rabbits. I tried to explain that it is inert asbestos derived fibre board (I'm a surveyor in a past life) but they werent in the mood to listen to a mere woman let alone one with a space hopper up her jumper. Anyway, stern words with their boss and a google article proof about the board means they will be back tomorrow...poor scared little lambs!

Just come back from my MW apt. She did laugh at the colour of my pee but only did the regular tests, not the one to see if it did really glow in the dark that I wanted her to do. Bump is fine, head down backside up as usual and I found I can tickle his feet which is funny.

Oo, I learned a funny bump trick the other day - get your DH to put his head on the bump on one side then shine a bright torch onto your bump on the other and he'll get kicked in the ear! I tried it yesterday (no DH to geta kicking but I wanted to see if it prompts a sudden movement) and it works...wicked and funny.