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May 2011 - The Home Stretch!

927 replies

sesamesmith · 16/03/2011 18:14

Old thread here: The Rosy Glow Before the Storm

Stats thread here: Due May 2011

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
QwertyQueen · 07/04/2011 04:46

gotart - love the picking up rubbish arm idea....
DS has a little pretend robot arm "picky uppy thing" as he calls it!
Yayyyy going to try it tomorrow - hilarious...
Not sure I should leave the house with it though!

It is blowing gales here today - been up since 5am can't sleep with all the banging and whipping about - it even blew our webber BQ over. HATE the wind

Having another scan today - hope I can get a good view of the monkey :D

BizzeeBee · 07/04/2011 07:29

elf and goart if I start finding I can reach stuff off the floor soon I might have to steal the arm extension grabber thingy from the car. We've got a British car in France, and DH sometimes has to swipe his badge to get a barrier to open to get into his work site, but steering wheel is on wrong side to do that easily. It's quite hard to lean over so he got one of those arms and has modified it with some industrial strength velcro and sticks his badge on the end.

qwerty hope you get a good view at your scan today.

I had the famous midwife appointment yesterday. I can stay at work another week! :) And everything else was OK.

Right must go to work now...

juneau · 07/04/2011 07:40

Oooooh those Hot Milk nursing bras are cute! I don't know where to get measured either. Last time we were living in the US, so I'm like a clueless first-timer in terms in where to go for things here.

runningmonkey · 07/04/2011 09:52

Morning all, just got out of a Lush bath and am now sitting in the garden with laptop and a cuppa :) Really didn't realise how stressed I was at work.

I can also recommend the hotmilk bras although they are a bit pricey (I look out for them on the figleaves sale/outlet site). Just treated myself to a pair of their pyjamas as DH had a one day 15% figleaves code. I was saving them until after baby arrives but ran out of clean pj's last week so had to try them - ooh they are lovely. The top is really supportive but comfy - have been changing into them pretty much as soon as DD is in bed. DH likes them too Wink. As for bra measuring omnom I can really recommend John Lewis - they measure in the same way as bravissimo (who I also really like) and the one here has a pretty good selection of nursing bras for all different sizes.

Loving the talk about rubbish grabbers, I've been trying to train DD to pick things up for me which works quite well most of the time :o

Right going to do a bit of knitting now, have a good day all x

Bonkerz · 07/04/2011 10:56

Good morning ladies........I have less than 725 hours of my last ever pregnancy left......eeeeeek that sounds weird!
So onwards and upwards im not going to complain ;0)
I will embrace my 10 fat toes, 2 fat ankles, sore ribs, tiny bladder caused by big head sat on it, painful knackered hips, swollen road map of a belly, over emotional state of mind and i will aim to smile every day and treasure every moment i have left ........(who am i kidding!)

Am trying to study today. I watched jezza this morning and ate my brekky and have told myself i need to do some study but all i can think of is getting in my new car, opening the sun roofs (it has 2!) popping my pink cd in the stereo and driving around taking in the sights BUT NO i will sit here looking at my larger than normal feet and ankles and will do my uni work......I will.......HONEST GOV!..........

Bonkerz · 07/04/2011 10:56

NOW WHERE IS THAT CHOCOLATE!

sesamesmith · 07/04/2011 11:36

Hi All! Having fun here trying to turn breech baby (35 weeks, eek!). Has anyone tried/heard of moxibustion? Done it twice, and baby definitely very wriggly, so cross fingers. Zita West says not to do it if you're rh-neg, but I reckon it's such a small risk, especially having had the anti-D injection...

Juneau: I've had various allergy problems and researched what I can take. I took loratadine after much research, including the US Drugs Administration, and just one dose made enough difference that I could cope. I also use beconaise nasal inhaler under doc's advice, as it is very local.
Re: bras I am theoretically a bra size that doesn't exist! Having gone from a 34B to a 36D with extensions, I'm now a 38A! I can highly recommend the bra extenders £1.25+ from John Lewis - you can get the right cup size without cutting the circulation. Marvellous!

trash picking up tool Just contemplating the barbeque tongs for use with the moxibustion, as it's hard enough reaching one's feet, without having to hold something a cm from the toe for 20 minutes...

Aren't we sooooooooooooooo lucky to be having our babies at this time of year?! Hadn't appreciated it until now - maternity leave + sun = bliss :)

OP posts:
BizzeeBee · 07/04/2011 11:54

Mmmmm.... chocolate, Mini Eggs in fact :) Have you found your chocolate Bonkerz?

Got to go with DH to garage after lunch because car is poorly and is our only car (new one not arriving until May). I have to look like I'm about to have baby so they are sympathetic!

Hope the nice weather holds out until I go on maternity leave - thermometer says it's 20 degrees outside.

brillopads · 07/04/2011 11:56

running what Lush bath did you have? I love their stuff- DH is Vegan so that gives me a legitimate excuse to purchase lots of their products Smile

hmm, Hotmilk bras huh? I had a look online & there's a stockist very nearby me- actually it's a knicker shop that I walk past on the way to work which amuses me as it has a mannequin in the window that's preggers!

sesame my ma keeps on going on about how this/May is the best time of year to have a LO; yesterday was gorgeous, DH & I took the dog for a walk in the evening & the dog was so clearly full of the joys of Spring, prancing about! It made me feel all happy to think 'not too long now' and there'll be another addition

Perpetuallypregnant · 07/04/2011 12:14

running and brillo i spend an absolute fortune in Lush at the minute. Im obsessed with their bubble bars especially the fluffy clouds purple one and its twin pink one.

Trouble is, everytime i place an order all the DCs go mental and i end up getting a laod of bath bombs too which they then have the audacity to use! Even 14 year old DS loves them and he hates baths! Tis very annoying but we all smell lovely :)

I finally ordered a double pushchair :) it should arrive this week sometime. Its the Chicco syria and i got the car seat to go with it half price so I can use it as a travel system for the new baby. Im crap at choosing stuff but this seemed to fit the bill and was very reasonably priced at around £300 compared to the posh ones which were over £500! i figured im not buyimg much for this baby and ive never ever had a brand new pushchair (aside from a cheapy stroller or 2) so it was quite nice to treat myself and the babies.

Ive stopped being sick for now and dd3 is well again so she's being a little treasure. Shes almost 11 months now and is such a sunny, pleasant little girl i just adore her. I feel a bit guilty that she is going to be a big sister before she is one although I doubt it will phase her... Hope this one is as lovely (only a better sleeper please)!

ElfOnTheTopShelf · 07/04/2011 13:40

I cant buy stuff from lush, as DH buys and sells very similar stuff, so he treats Lush as the enemy Grin. On the plus side, he does come home all the time with soap and bath bombs etc free of charge.

Am very tired at the moment, just getting through our year end. Been long nights early starts and I burst into tears when I couldn't get something to balance. Bloody hormones.

Rollercoasteryears · 07/04/2011 18:42

HotMilk bras are lovely - I wore them a lot during my last pg, but found that once I was BF, most of them didn't go up to my then enormous cup size - I found a couple that did, but they weren't that supportive sadly. I found both John Lewis and Bravissimo were the way forward in terms of places to get measured.

Perpetually glad you and DD3 are feeling better - crikey you're going to have your hands full though Grin Re names, I think we've decided on one but I'm not 100% convinced it's "the one" like I was with DS - his name just felt completely right from about 20 weeks onwards. DH doesn't like my first choice and I don't like his, we have agreed on a name we both like but I haven't got the same conviction about it. I couldn't find your lists on the baby names threads (I'm not v good at searching!) but I also love Elizabeth and Francesca ( cowboy mentioned those ones). Elizabeth was on our shortlist (and Francesca would have been, except that we're having Frances as her middle name).

Sesame/Brillo I agree this is a gorgeous time of year to be having a baby - it was intentional on my part (not that these things are ever guaranteed of course, but I did plan for a spring baby!) as DS was a late October baby and the sleepless nights seemed to go on forever...

Brillo I got that oxytocin question right too and got very excited! I remember watching university challenge when I was doing my A'levels thinking I would know lots of stuff when I got to university - sadly I so didn't!

loopy how's the MW-induced stress? I'm glad you complained - you said before you were mainly doing it for the woman after you, but if you're feeling this stressed about it, it's good that you've done it for yourself too.

Cowboy glad you had a great wedding anniversary. What did you go for as a present in the end (and did you get a nice one in return?)?

Cowboy/Elf re dropping things, I am definitely dropping things more and being really clumsy! I think it must be a hormonal thing - I do the same when I'm pre-menstrual/menstrual and I have read somewhere that it is a common effect of the "time of the month".

My excitement of the day was a positive appointment with the consultant (after my very negative one with the registrar last week). Baby is now head down (though not engaged, so she needs to make sure she stays there please!) so that's a very good start. Cons wasn't concerned about her above average growth (she pointed out that with me and DH as the parents (5'10 and 6'4 respectively) you wouldn't expect to have a small baby!) or the increased amniotic fluid, which she said was "borderline" and only to be expected with an above average baby. I asked about her view on homebirth in the circs and she said that so long as the head is properly engaged, she doesn't see any reason not to go for it, and has written as much in my notes Grin. Have got a MW appointment next Thursday when she's visiting the house to discuss homebirth - I had thought I'd might as well cancel it, but not now! So long as baby stays head down and engages, looks like it could all be ok after all... (F firmly X)

BizzeeBee · 07/04/2011 19:01

Second panic of the week turned out to be second unnecessary panic this week. The massive mess of grease up the side of the car is apparently something that we've driven through and splashed up the side of the car and not something like the shock absorber leaking before having an expensive failure. However it took a trip to the garage with the car up on the ramp for everybody to be convinced that it wasn't something leaking. :o

Got to magic up a delicious, nutritionally balanced dinner now

jbells · 07/04/2011 19:05

Just popping into say hello

ive got no energy as only had a few broken hours sleep last nute :(

I cant believe this time 2 yeats ago my contravtions had started and 25 hrs later dd was botn. Csnt believe my baby girl is 2 tomoro.

Promise to catch up when ive got a spare min need to start wrapping presents even tho i can bRely keep my eyes open

jbells · 07/04/2011 19:06

Sorry for terrible typos on my fone and cant see lol

gingerwench · 07/04/2011 20:28

Hello everyone!

Only 4 days at work since I have to look after DS tomorrow (he's had a tummy bug so excluded from nursery for another day). Everything is aching, ankles swelling, and I am definitely switching off from work and have had my first pregnancy brain lapse! Normally I drive DS to nursery, park on a bus route and get bus to work. This morning I took a different bus all the way to work since I didnt have to do the nursery run. All was fine until I came home on my normal bus route and then couldn't find the car. I even bgan to wonder if I'd driven all the way into work and parked in town. I had to get a taxi home in the end and I felt v stupid.

I may put my hospital bag together next weekend. It's all feeling a lot more real now.

Rollercoasteryears · 07/04/2011 21:03

ginger sorry but hehehe Grin

jbells hope you and DD have a lovely day tomorrow and you don't have to stay up too late wrapping. Remember it doesn't have to be beautifully wrapped, she won't care, just cover it all up loosely so she can pull it all off! (I found that v hard, kept wanting to do it nicely!)

pistachio · 07/04/2011 22:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

GotArt · 08/04/2011 01:27

Bizeebee LOL at DH's badge arm swipey stick!

DD was born in December and we got snowed in on the mountain, so I didn't leave the house for almost 2 weeks... cabin fever mania! I'm glad DC2 is coming this time of the year because to be snowed in with a NB and toddler would be hell. Grin

Yes, must get homebirthing stuff together too, as DD came 3 weeks early and we were not even remotely prepared... DH put the crib together while I had a bath. lol. At least we had diapers.

Waves to all

QwertyQueen · 08/04/2011 03:38

hi all
I also should start doing my hospital bag! Maybe I can make it my challenge for the weekend.
So I saw the baby on the scan yesterday - she was sucking her thumb and then did a Biiiig yawn - it was really cute! And my doctor said that she definitely has Angelina Jolie lips Grin
BUT doctor very concerned about me as I have only put on 2 pounds.... baby's measurements all good - slightly above 50th percentile, but she is worried and has asked me to have a protein shake every day for the next 3 weeks, and if I haven't put on weight she wants to check my liver function...
will resist googling.

Have a friend staying with a 6 month old, and I am having my normal 4:30am insomnia and can hear the baby making disgruntled sounds, waiting for her parents to wake up. That will be us soon!

I think my baby has definitely dropped during the night - it is very stretchy way down below and my nice neat bump looks more tear drop shape...uh oh I REALLY do not want an early birth.

Oh, the other good news is although I had been told earlier that I couldn't give birth in the water, my doctor said I can be in the pool until she crowns, and then they let the water out, but I stay in the bath whist she is delivered. 2nd stage with DS was only 4 mins, so I think this should be fine whew.

jbells - hope DD has a wonderful birthday and things with you are OK? I am doing the "killing with kindness" routine which means that things at home are fairly pleasant but DH being an iceberg, so frustrating.

Hope you are all doing well. Can you believe we are having babies next month!!!

Loopymumsy · 08/04/2011 06:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

juneau · 08/04/2011 07:46

Not Mothercare - right. So is M&S or John Lewis any good? I've been measured for a normal bra at M&S before and wasn't impressed. Are there any specialist shops in London?

So the good news is that baby's head is engaged - yay!

The bad news is that I think I've got a cracked rib from coughing so much. It's agony and I do hope it's healed up by the time I have to give birth.

Rollercoasteryears · 08/04/2011 08:55

juneau hard luck about the rib - ouch! I've never got on with M&S fittings or their bras - they just never seem to fit me properly. John Lewis are v good at measuring in my experience but have a limited range of feeding bras and they're quite functional looking. Depending on how well endowed you are, I would highly recommend Bravissimo - there's a shop in Covent Garden and one just off Regent Street.

Thanks Loopy. Glad you asked the question and are feeling a bit clearer about things. Will your conversation with DH be difficult or he is generally good about that sort of thing? Do you not have shared money for things like baby purchases?

brillopads · 08/04/2011 09:14

juneau oof my ribs hurt enough as it is

Pram-gate continues here. The reason why we have not ordered that package (so far) from the Ladybugs site is because they advise 6 weeks delivery = now taking us to 20th May (EDD 18th May!). I did call & they said they could send the car seat part on ahead so baby could be taken home from hospital (if I go into hospital for birth)... unable to get other places to Price Match as this is only available on In Stock items...

Furthermore, DH was speaking to FIL last night, touched on the subject of the pram and FIL was like "well I'm paying for that aren't I?" ... I'm not sure he knows how expensive these things are? I know I'm complaining about everyone being nice (AIBU? heheh) and (finally?) offering to pay for stuff for us/baby but why oh why didn't they pipe up earlier :P

OTOH I ordered a Mobywrap from

www.baby-bean.com/index.php?osCsid=f3eb164c8c232c21d5ce078eabaaf57c on Wed & it arrived yesterday. Must resist the temptation to try it out on the cat or dog Grin

cowboylover · 08/04/2011 09:59

Question for the experienced people out there: When is a good time toget measured?

Rollercoaster Thanks! After finding out the 'symbol' was paper and the washing machine conked out we decided just to get nice cards with the restricted budget! I moonpiged it and he also got me some flowers!
Great news with the HB Smile

Loopy Glad your feeling a little better. I know what you mean about the spending stuff, he pays for half of what I ask for eg the big stuff but I am spending lots on all the little bits that are really mounting up!

Juneau Owwwww on the rib! Hope you feel better soon.

Brillo Wrap looks good. I know what you mean about the shnice offers as my MIL keeps asking can she buy us X or do we need Y and we have already got the big stuff so she is now upset she has not got us anything and that my Mum paid for some of the pram but its not like I have been shopping on the sly, I mention it every Sunday at dinner! Hmm

MW yesterday went well and baby is on the bigger side but she is not concerned as apparently only smaller makes her worry. Head not engaged yet but plenty of time.

Ante-natal was good last night, covered the basics of the different stages of labour and the hospital midwives pitched it really well more to the birth partners as most of the Mums to be knew it so DH really enjoyed it and got a lot of out it asking some questions and how did I feel about...? Ect

Feel like im under house arrest today as washing machine is coming and got a 11 hour time window for delivery and I have just ran out of milk Sad Its not like I had plans to go anywhere but still the fact I cant is bugging me!