May 2011 - The Home Stretch!

[sesamesmith]

Old thread here: The Rosy Glow Before the Storm

Stats thread here: Due May 2011

Hellooo!
Oooh...not long now! I'm still not organised...got so much to do but I'm so exhausted! I'm still working but finding it a massive struggle...asked to bring mat leave forward but they said no, they need 28 days notice! 20th April it is then!
I'm sick of heartburn...can hardly complain as its my only pregnancy ailment! Oh, and more recently sciatica....
Super excited about home birth...sick of people trying to put me off though...apparently I'm "brave" .
I've noticed baby is active in the day and sleeps at night so hoping she will stay that way! Doubt she can sleep at all when her big brother is shouting "wake up baby!" to my tummy...so cute.

I've also got ages to go 'til I go on mat leave - I now wish I hadn't said I'd work til 2 weeks before but at the time I thought it'd be better to have more time with the baby. But apparently if I'm off sick in my last month of pregnancy for pregnancy related reasons then work will start my leave early - which sounds like a great get-out clause to me! In the meantime I'm very envious of everyone who's on leave already. I've still got so much to do and buy that I'm really hoping the baby comes late

The one thing I have got is a second hand Stokke cot and mini-cot. It looks so cute especially with the canopy, I'm really happy with it. No way is the baby allowed to co-sleep with us

Pistachio - I got told by nursery advisor at the shop I went to that it's not a good idea to put newborns into grobags. But is that just rubbish? It'd be great if it was as I don't see the point in buying lots of bedding for just a couple of months before moving them into a grobag

hi all, just checking in.

Rough few weeks with DD but she's ok. Effectively on personal leave from work so actual start date of maternity leave not such an issue. Expecting next few weeks to be difficult, in and out of hosp so bump's room efectively done. New mattress for cotbed and that's about it. No names though... Bump still oblique so a bit worried time running out if early CS needed. That said, I bet DD will now be ok and bump late so I'll be twiddling my thumbs and endlessly cleaning bump's rm!

Thanks Loopy i hope you're right, im just so bloody uncomfortable. I also feel quite bad that i cannot do as much with ds the bigger im getting and im finding he wants to spend more time with dh instead of me which is making me a little sad. Yesterday he fell off the swing at the bottom of the garden and i initially launched myself off my chair and attempted to run down the bottom of the garden but it was more like a fast waddle. Dh had to cut my toenails too for the first time last night as i can no longer reach :o

I am not particularly looking forward to the 2.6 yr gap but im hoping at least i will have more energy for ds.

I agree with others on here about maternity leave, when you first put in your leaving date, you think you will be able to manage but as time goes on and bump grows it becomes such a strain getting up. Im counting down my days and classes left now. Just need to sleep in the day as sleep as night is becoming a rarity.

I am also as others on here planning to co sleep this time around from word go. ds was a 6 times a nighter baby and being a first time mum EVERY time he woke up, on the advice of the midwives, i took him downstairs (as dh was alseep) changed him (even if he was not really wet, breastfed him (which he took a while to get the hang of and had to use nipple shields for a few weeks), winded him (which sometimes felt like a lifetime to get up that burp) and then attempted to put him back in moses basket (he usually woke up second i put him down). This time around im going to be a little more relaxed and put dh in spare room and co sleep and hopefully feed in bed and get more sleep. I am however fully aware of the good old saying 'the best laid plans...'

Stripey cross posts there. Sorry you are having a rough time. I can't begin to imagine how difficult your situation is. Glad dd is responding well though.

Hi all,

Just back from scan - all good :) Bang on the middle lines as far as growth goes and definitely a blue one :o (mind you would have been :o either way really!). The sonographer was the one who correctly identified DD as a girl after initially being told she was a boy so I definitely believed her :o She remembered us when we mentioned the story and asked for confirmation of gender if she could tell us - said its not often wrong that way around! Talked on the way home and he is definitley going to be an Evan, just need to come up with a middle name now.

stripey glad DD is doing ok after a rough couple of weeks.

Must go cook tea

Thanks for the advise Loopy, I will give that a try.

Stripey: I hiope baby turns for you and DD is ok over the next few weeks.

running: Great name! I really like Evan. Everyone has picked such gorgeous names I cant wait to hear them all.

I think as long as we feel the same on the day our little girl is going to be Felicity and not having a middle name so its nice to think of her as that now.

Bonus day today and I think if Im up for it I will be going to celebrate with a shopping trip with my Mum tomorrow, I am in search of the perfect pair iof shoes and might take a peak at the Debenhams sale for something cute that she obviously must have

sorry for the typos earlier was typing on my fone

well what a gorgeous day it was today its amazing how a bit of sunshine and warmth can make u feel so much better. i sat in outside with DD a friend and her baby and had lunch in the sun it was lovely, and DD behaved herself and was really good which was an added bonus :)

me and DP are going to stay in a hotel tomoro nite for my birthday even tho its not till the 2nd of april, i wanted to go when DD was on her nursery days so it meant less time that my mum was looking after her and DP cudnt get nxt weds and thurs off. in one way im really looking forward to a small break but in another way im dreading levaing DD even tho its only for one nite. cant wait for my spa treatment tho.

Cowboylover enjoy your bonus money :) i picked a gorg pair of kurt geiger shoes for my bday yest looking forward to wearing them when im not 5ft by 4ft lol

Stripey fingers crossed baby will turn for you, and that things are now on the up for DD

runninmonkey glad all is good with scan and that u will now be able to have the birth u wanted

yorkstar it looks like there is a few of us with around a 2 year age gap, least we can have a good moan to each other when the time comes lol

loopy hope the dancing wears the kids out and u get a peaceful nite :)

linziluv with u on the heartburn it started about 2 weeks ago and seems to be gradually gettin worse :(

sorry if ive missed anyone just about to eat.... i am starving feel constantly hungry lately

loopy sorry in my excitement earlier I forgot to say thanks for the advice re hb. Didn't realise you could do that so will chat to me on mon when I see her.

Have a great birthday treat jbells sounds fab and I am slightly especially since I've got two hellish days of work ahead!

Jbells: what treatment are you planning on having?

It's our 1st wedding anniversary on 5th April and I would like to do something nice but not sure what to organise so ideas would be greatly received x

loopy at 'former' co sleepers. Last night both DD and DS managed to slide in. I didn't really notice .

Re: bedding. I tended to have layers of cotton blankets when sleeping with newborn which seemed to work well. DD was born in July, so cotton blankets were usually just a single layer

Anyone got a solution for hip pain at night?? I'm fine in the day but lying in bed is so painful! Had a terrible night last night coz of it...
In wales being looked after by my mum...lol...enjoying some quality time with my gorgeous boy before his sister arrives!
I like that comeback loopy! it amazes me the things people come out with...I dunno what it is with pregnancy that everyone seems to think it's acceptable to make personal comments on your appearance! Sick of looking "rough" and "fat" !
going to the seaquarium today so should be a good day!

Hi all, typing on phone so will be fairly brief.

Good day yesterday - scan confirmed that placenta is out of the way and that baby is head down. They also estimated her current weight at 6lb6oz, so if she puts on 0.5lb a week and I go to term, I'm looking at a 9lb 6oz baby - Eek! God I hope she's not late or she'll be over 10lb! (DS came at 38 weeks which would be much better and would make her 8lb6oz. Does anyone know of any statistics saying what the likelihood of a second baby being earlier than due date is, if the first one was? I've googled it to no avail)...

MW also confirmed my ferritin levels have gone up from 4 to 11 - given I'd only been taking the proper iron tablets for a week when bloods were done (and eating truck loads of broccoli and pulses), that's not bad. So next MW appt is in 3 weeks at my house so we can discuss practicalities of home birth

cowboy our first wedding anniversary is on 1st May - also the day bump is due! Am not therefore expecting to be able to celebrate, although expect we'll go out for a meal if she hasn't appeared! Have you thought about a gift? If you have any inspired ideas, let me know! Is the first one paper?

loopy re cosleeping, the duvet issue was the main reason we never did it with DS - he was a winter baby and I just couldn't get it to work. It does feel alien to have them in a Moses basket away from you however so I'm v excited about our new sidealong cot for bump. Should hopefully have many of the benefits of cosleeping without duvet traumas - and without DH waking me up in a panic having dreamed about rolling onto and squashing baby like he did with DS (even though he was next to me not him the few times we tried it!)

Ah - DS just waking up (late morning for him) so got to go. Have a lovely day in the sunshine everyone!

A quick hello from me! :)

I'm rushing off on my last (hopefully) business trip shortly, and I haven't packed yet... (I really shouldn't be sat here reading mn ) Sorry for no name checks.

Little one is very active at the moment doing lots of wiggles. I'm quite lost with what position it's in now! I'm looking forward to my scan on Friday so I will try and use that to do as a basis for monitoring the position.

Hope it's nice and sunny for everyone today! I get to see a few airports and the inside of a couple of planes...

rollercoaster First one is paper - I've heard of people giving tickets for something as a gift, might be a good idea?

Whoever was asking about why they ask if it's your first baby - maybe it's to find out if you've experienced and would allegedly recognise contractions?

Hooray It's Bonus payday. I have realised that I have not bought ONE THING for the baby yet, DH got some clothes back in December, but me- nothing.

Looking at prams online last night, thought we wanted the Mamas & Papas Sola, but the Zoom is rather appealing- carrycot included/ lower price overall... will have to go for a genuine test drive soon to make up our minds.

These past few mornings I have been stricken with really heavy feeling legs! DH & I get the bus into town together and have a brisk 10 min walk to the busstop, previously I've had pains in my shins walking but this is different- I imagine it's like when runners "hit the wall"? It only seems to occur then, perhaps I just need to slow down a little

Think we might have decided on the name "Iris" for a girl x

Hi all
Have been away at my parents for a week so havent caught up in a while and they has been so much chatting going on!
Too tired to do it now, will try again tonight.
Sciatica seems to be coming back :( and I was feeling so good last week so am gutted.
Havent even given thought to a hospital bag, I suppose I should.....
Wonder who will pop first - unlikely to be me, due end May

tired. tired. tired