April 2011 - towards motherhood boucing on yoda balls, eating coc pops and riding frozen surfboards we are

[SnapFrakkleAndPop]

Raspberry leaf and all round.

Continuation from here. No Mofo C bombs yet been dropped in the delivery room although our first 2 babies have arrived. Congrats to gormers and Jo, we hope your little ones are still doing great.

I'm 37 weeks today so officially full term! Cue the curries, the rasperry leaf tea, the hot bath- and lets not forget the sex. Then cue baby still being overdue by five day s like two of her siblings :)

I've tried it all Punk and am 39+5 with no joy!

Pineapple was recommended by my mw.

Fingers crossed we both get what we want Arch, ooh, am having a BH as I type!

Arch am also in the home birth dilemma of wanting baby out but not being officially allowed home birth until Wednesday, when I'm 38 weeks. Some parts of the UK seem to be ok with 37 weeks but it seems a bit random.

With DD1 I was trying everything I could to start labour from 36 weeks but have been too scared incase it actually bloody works this time and I have to go into hospital. Also means I should really have 2 separate bags packed, one for emergency hospital and one for home, when actually I've just got random crap in vague piles in the spare bedroom. Plus am leaving it until last minute to order the birthing pool. I know the minute I hit the order button my waters will break.

So very much hoping it's not me having the Mothers Day Baby but I managed not to get an April Fool so I should be grateful for that.

And on the bump patting front just return the gesture and pat them back. If random folk think it's ok to have a grope then surely it's fine for us to have one too.

Thanks for the reminder about the Pineapple. I read about it yesterday but forgot today (Typically!). I guess I'll have to send DH out to buy me a tin of Del Monte in the morning :)

And dont even start me with the BH's. Tey are little TEASES aren't they?!

Jaylar I'm loving your return-grope idea. It might freak out those annoying wee women I keep meeting on buses!

Husband still not home. Grrr

Jaylar if i remember right you're in the borders. Did you know that the pregnancy and parenting centre in edinburgh rent out birth pools?

You might be able to send your other half to go collect one on Wednesday...

Fresh is best when it comes to pineapple apparently so get your other half slicing and dicing!

Love the return grope, I used to know a guy who thought it was ok to pinch his female friends' boobs (we were about 17 at the time). He tried it on me once and was most put out when I grabbed his balls

I think the Aldi up the road sells fresh pineapple. I might take a walk up and get one. Walking's supposed to help too, right?! Sheesht... walking, sex, pineapple... and a partridge and a pear tree!

Last night I was in bed upset that my pregnancy was nearing it's end (It's GOT my last, we already have three others under 5!) and today I'm quickly shooing her to the exit!

Can have a home birth from 37 weeks here, annoying that it's inconsistent.

Definite achy pelvis here + BHs, sure nothing will come of it though.

It's 37 weeks here too. I was originally going to have a HB but my iron is too low now for them to let me. Suits me fine I supopse. At least I won't have to empty the pool or clean the mess :)

Arch no didn't know that so thanks for the tip. That would mean I'd have to clean the damn thing and get it back to them though.

Punk Do you mind if I ask what your blood results were? Mine were 10.1 but I am prone to anemia. Was going to request a 2nd blood test at my next MW visit on Tuesday but I won't if there is any risk of them turning me down for a HB. Especially as it was their cock up ignoring the results for 4 weeks.

8.9 was my last test about a month ago. They put me on tripple iron and took more blood last week to re-test. I hope it's went up. I may need iron injections but they sound awful!

If it's quite low they might not want you having a HB incase you need a blood transfusion. That was the reason tey gave me.

Thanks Punk. You must feel wiped. I'm on a double dose of iron and eating spinach like its going out of fashion so I hope that does the trick. My levels got down to 6 this time last year after a particularly horrible miscarriage but I didn't feel as tired as I should have and 2 transfusions got my levels up to normal pretty quickly. You're really unlikely to need one home birth or not.

Right off to bed to not asleep again. At least I've got mothers day brekkie in bed to look forward to. Though 3 yr old DD is quite excited about making it so I may well be getting said brekkie at 6.30am.

My bump has seriously dropped today... mum & sis came round earlier to help shift furniture & just stood there staring at bump and talking to it... not me. Then DH came home & got slightly freaked by how much it has dropped.. and then apologised for acting so freaked out!!!!! I need him to be the calm one. Don't think anything's going to happen quite yet (only 37+1) but actually started packing hospital bag today just in case. Still not remotely ready...

anyway - sleep time, another rock'n'roll saturday night.

Quick question incase there are any night owls about.. I've had a headache that I cant't shiift since yesterday afternoon..it's not getting any better and although I managed to get to sleep it's woken me up again now. As I'm 39 weeks obviously I'm aware of the fact that it could be a sign of preeclampsia. Nothing has shown up in my urine tests so far and blood pressure but my last appointment was at 36 weeks as couldn't get one for this week. I think I should probably get it checked just to be on the safe side, but as it's Sunday who would I call? Am I over-reacting??

should day blood pressure has been fine too. Also have felt pretty unwell today (breathless and lightheaded)

Well hello everyone I've been lurking for the past few days as reading on phone rather than laptop and too lazy to type with my fat little fingers!

CONGRATULATIONS to the new baby mamas, how exciting! And now we're officially in April I guess they'll start popping even more quickly.

No action from here yet, though. 37+5 and have absolutely LOVED my first week of mat leave. Am slowly working my way through a long list of chores (freezer defrosting, cleaning my manky house, building a chest of drawers for the baby's clothes...). I, too, would like the skirting boards to be clean but I think that's a far off dream.

Also have a list of admin-y things to do which are quite freaking me out like getting life assurance and writing a will in case I die in childbirth (I am a cheerful soul, me ). Suddenly obsessed with the fact that I will have a small being completely dependent on me and WHAT IF I GET HIT BY A BUS??? Doesn't help that I am the main breadwinner and DP would struggle hugely financially as a single parent. And that's not even counting what to do about who to ask to look after the baby in case we both perish in a car crash. DO YOU SEE HOW CHEERFUL I AM?! Actually I don't think any of these things are likely to happen, obviously, but it's the sort of thing that's on my slightly OCD list of things to do before the baby arrives. Alongside such other necessities as getting my lady-garden waxed (dear god, it is a FOREST down there).

I am not yet sick of pregnancy, and whilst I am looking foward to meeting the baby I have actually been thinking for the last few days that I am quite enjoying pottering around doing little household chores and that a baby might quite cramp my style . Not feeling anything that could be construed as 'signs' that labour is imminent and anyway, this little one has to stay inside until at least the 10th (yikes, that's only a week today!) as my best friend is getting married next Saturday and I am DETERMINED to be there. Albeit I will look like a ship in full sail. It's an indian wedding, and she's having the traditional mendhi henna party on the Friday night, and I'm sorely tempted to get one of her aunties to do me some belly art like [[http://www.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&safe=active&biw=1366&bih=653&tbm=isch&aq=f&aqi=g1&oq=&q=henna%20pregnant%20belly
this]], which I think is beautiful, but then I just showed DP the link and he thinks it's 'ridiculous hippy nonsense'. So, charming.

Also, is anyone else starting to mourn the bump? Having always been a bit of a chubber, I have to say these past few months have been amongst the more body positive of my life. I'm not entirely looking forward to being back to having a flabby belly!

Still being monitored twice-weekly at the fetal medecine unit at the hospital because of the pregnancy-induced hypertension but, happily, the medication has brought it right down to normal, and I have no other signs of pre-eclampsia or anything sinister so hopefully all is well on that score. The consultant says as long as the BP remains controlled I don't have to go on the 'high risk' list, which means I should be OK for MLU and waterbirth still (fingers crossed). But I've got my 38-week regular antenatal check on Tuesday when I think we do the birth assessment, so I guess I should know more then. I probably shouldn't pin as much hope as I have on the water birth but, hey ho.

Anyway, should go back to bed. Sleeping patterns getting all messed up since I've been off work, have been up late and then sleeping late. Then went out this afternoon for a friend's birthday drinks. DP had 4 pints then we came home for a big old fish supper and fell asleep at 8pm straight after it. So of course we were awake again at 11pm and couldn't get back to sleep! Been up for a few hours contemplating flatpack furniture and checking out MN, now I think I'm going to try for some sleep again.

Got a Sainsbury's delivery coming tomorrow morning to bring me things for freezer cooking. I'm doing a cottage pie, a 5-bean chilli, portions of quorn bolognese, a fish pie and a sausage and spinach risotto. Possibly not all in one day...

Right, I think I've wittered on enough. This is what happens when you let a woman loose on MN at 3 in the morning...

Goodnight, all!

Happy Mothers Day!

I have been instructed to stay in bed, to await my surprise. Although dd is not very good a keeping a secret, when you are 3 yrs old its pretty impossible. Yesterday she and DH made me a mothers day cake, and she also told me "It's a secret we have got you some flowers" bless her, and also DH.

lucieloo I have just seen your post from the early hours this morning. I would get checked out today. Certainly if you have not had your BP or urine checked for a few weeks. if your headache is still present. Do you have any swelling or abdominal pain? These could also be signs of pre-eclampsia. If it was me I would give maternity triage a ring, or labour ward if you don't have a contact for maternity triage. I'm sure they would want to check you and probably stick you on the ctg monitor too ,to check baby seems ok.

Ecuse wow you have been busy. Glad your BP is behaving.

Sorry to miss everyone else out. Will pop back later. I can hear dd coming up the stairs. I wonder what this cake will look like. Its perfectly acceptable to eat cake for breakfast at 8:00am on a Sunday isnt it?

Happy Mother's Day everyone. Feels funny for me that this will be the last one that I'm only celebrating my mother.. .next year I'll be one!!! And huge congratulations again to everyone who is a mother for the first time!

ecuse I'm with you on the admin... have my Will to write which I have just sitting there, panicking about getting it done in time and another pile of filing I'm determined to put away....somehow it's not getting done though.

Well have a lovely sunday everyone.

Morning all, and happy Mothering Sunday to the Mummys.

Doesn't look like I'll be having the Mother's Day baby, it's all pretty much tailed off after 24hrs of regular contractions, on the plus I got some sleep last night which was much appreciated!

Lucie go get checked out, if only for your own peace of mind, if you're unsure who to contact I'd just call whichever number for Maternity/Delivery ward/MW's you have, if they aren't the right dept I'm sure they will know who is. Hope everything is ok.

ecuse the admin stuff you have to do/done just puts me to shame, I'm very bad at that sort of thing (don't even open envelopes from the pensions people, just hand them to DH!). My DGran called round all the family last week to tell us that we didn't need to worry as she'd gone and sorted out her funeral (she's nearly 87 but fit and well considering). No one was really sure of what to say so my DMum just asks "Well, what songs are we singing?"

Beetle realises her family are just as bizarre as she thought<

Jen yes cake for breakfast is perfectly acceptable, especially when it's a special Mother's Day cake! Hope you and all the other's with LO's have a lovely day and are sufficiently spoilt!

Cake for breakfast is ALWAYS ok!

Happy mummies day everyone! Am off to church with my mum in a minute, got her a book for the long wait and a gorgeous mini apron with dinosaurs on it for when baby learns to cook with nana :@)

Lucieloo def call your midwife. If you're not sure of the number then ring the labour ward. Feeling unwell and lightheaded can be a sign of high blood pressure so you're right to get it checked. The odds are it will be nothing and you'll spend the next week twiddling your thumbs with me, but the midwives would probably be quite cross if you didn't call them. Let us know how you get on.

Morning all.. thanks for your replies. Took a paracetamol and went back to bed at 5.00 and slept ok sleeping upright (head hurt lying down) and it's gone away now thankfully.. please excuse my panic-up! Think it's just that I'd also felt so odd all day anyway. I guess as it's gone away now it's probably that I need to drink more water. Still good to know that it's ok to ring the labour ward about these things as theres is the only number that I have (mw only answers phone on tues/weds) I've got my next antenatal on monday with GP so can get checked properly then.

So Happy Mothers Day everyone! I saw they had cards in the card shops for 'Mum to Be'.. don't miss a trick do they!!!

Lucie - glad you're feeling a bit better.

Happy Mother's Day to all :) (even if it's your first DC you're almost a Mum now!).

Not much doing here, had breakfast in bed, been swimming/floating, DH getting roast ready for later :)

Glad you feel better lucie but if you are worried at any point it's better to check!

Happy Mothers Day to all who are Mummies :) cake for breakfast is encouraged!

ecuse I can't believe how active you are. I spent the first week of ML stretched out doing bugger all. Today's grand plan is change the bedsheets....