Jue in June 2011....... labour here we come!!!!!

[Jer79]

New thread. Should last us a week.

on your behalf nomoreheels. sleeping at the moment is hard enough without neighbours to contend with... sometimes a bit of rage is just what teenagers need so maybe you'll have had the desired effect!!

I'm also feeling rough today - was away for SIL hen do at the weekend and altho I bailed at midnight on the actual night out, I didn't sleep too well in a strange bed and my energy levels are rock bottom. Had to do some food shopping and DH phoned while I was in the supermarket - he only asked me if I was ok and I burst into tears - much to the distress of the teenage boy stacking tins nearby who looked like he wanted the floor to swallow him!! Crazy emotional pregnant woman.. am hoping I'll manage to sleep tonight and re-gain some sanity.. Feel like I've hit that heavy, hard work phase at the end that my friend warned me about.. was hoping to keep it at bay for another few weeks (now 30wks).

Maybe its a monday thing and we'll all feel better tomorrow?!

What is everyone doing about cots? I saw that nice Mothercare one that was linked, and just spent ages on their website looking at options.

We have been thinking of getting a co-sleeper for the first 3-4 months right by the bed but they are so rip-off pricey (isn't the NCT shop meant to be on our side? £249 for a co-sleeper!) and on eBay the Bednests and Babybays go for about two thirds of the new price, which seems a lot. But I do love the co-sleeper idea for breast-feeding/not waking up everyone just to feed/if a c-section happens/general recovery period easiness.

Then thinking of getting an Ikea or Mothercare cot that will do for a few years once the baby is happy to sleep in the baby room.

I do love Moses baskets on a rocker stand, but not as much as the idea of just rolling over and getting the baby from the co-sleeper.

Anyone else made up their minds or thinking about a co-sleeper?

We have a Moses basket that will go next the the bed for the first little while and a cot from [http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/00115751 Ikea] We decided it is only going to be used for a few years and we could do without an expensive one plus we already spent all our money on a really expensive push chair We are also going to have a single bed in the baby's room so one of use that if the night feeding is becoming too horrific.

Just got back from a scan....my baby has 6cm feet.....! That might be normal, but it still freaked me out!

Yes it is frustrating that bedside cots are so expensive! However you can normally get a fair bit of it back if you sell it on.

Only reason why we are not getting one is that we have an awkward bed, plus we have a carpenter friend!

If anyone is umming and ahhing about a home birth, I'd say go for it! I had my DD2 at home and it was so much better than DD1 or DS.

I could watch tv, go on the computer and mooch around, rather than being "strapped to a bed" for want of a better phrase, as they hook you up to monitors (in my local hospital anyway) and moan if you move, and there is sod all to do there anyway.
DD was born on the sofa, rather than the bed. My bathroom is down stairs so it made more sense.
There was no mess. I bought a plastic backed under-sheet to cover the sofa with, and most of the goo is swept away by the midwives and taken off in yellow bags. The sheet went straight in the washer and was none the worse for wear afterwards.
I had gas and air, and I'd got a prescription for pethidine (which I didn't use in the end), so it was the same as I'd of got in hospital.

I warned the neighbours before hand, just in case the agonised screaming worried them, but both sides were old and deaf and never heard a thing!

The midwives left about an hour and a half after delivery (after drinking plenty of tea and coffee) and left a prescription for painkillers, should I need them.

About an hour or so after that I was up, dressed and on my way to the chemist! (DH offered to go but I wanted to get a bit of fresh air).

It was a much more relaxing experience than hospital, and lets face it, at the end of the day, there is nothing like your own toilet!

Jer I ordered my cot today from Mothercare, its this one plus a discount code I found online so was about £125 Cot. If anyone in my area is interested I have put the other one, the pine cotbed on freecycle today so its yours for nothing if you want it...but you can come and get it, I'm way beyond being able to lug it around!

Beautiful cot Jasmine. What is a reasonable amount to spend on a mattress do you think?

I have been told to get a sprung mattress rather than a foam one and would expect to pay between £50 to £100 but thats just me - others might have other ideas.

Evening! Have got a child-free night tonight - my Mum is having ds overnight so we can get on with turning our loft room / hell-hole into a spare room. Problem is, we have just had a massive dinner and I think I may be stranded on the sofa for a while! I am obviously extremely hormonal as well, because I cried when I got home to an empty house earlier!

MSPs I feel a bit meh about baby showers - when pg with ds a friend of mine was shocked I didn't want one organised on my behalf. It just felt a bit mercenary to demand presents off all of my friends even before the baby had turned up. If I was invited to one with a hot tub though, I'd be banging on the door with my nappy cake in one hand and cossie in the other .

I feel like a beached whale at the moment, and can't believe I'm going to get even bigger. I am also in the heartburn camp, and the crumby-bra camp, and the grump camp! So glad I'm not alone! My SPD is also getting worse pretty fast ... only ten weeks to go

Best get up in that loft and start sorting....

I'm with you all on the grumpy front tonight. I went to the hospital for an anti-natal this afternoon. Good news is they are happy for me to go back to the community midwife, which is good, they say I can take my hay-fever meds because the baby is only growing and not developing any more. So all good news, but the doctor was so annoying it's put me in a foul mood. She just didn't listen, kept talking over me and had to ask me the name of my medication 4 times to go and ask the consultant if it is okay! Grrrr. I feel bad about being in a bad mood though cause when DH got home he did the washing up and then started cooking dinner and i'm sulking while watching CSI. Oh well hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. At the moment though I just want to sleep for the next 10 weeks!

Hello girls,
Manically busy. Moving house tomorrow! Argh!!!!!!! School inspection on Wednesday- boo!
Not sure when we'll be back online again hopefully by the end of the week, so will catch up then xxx

Evening ladies,

Sorry been awol for a couple of weeks, attempting to get the study done (although not very effectively!). I've joined the iron club but have to admit I am so afraid of the horrendous constipation returning I'm only taking one of the 2 pills I should be .

I've been monitored a couple of times over the past 2 weeks as Bob has been deciding to hide behind my placenta. Very annoying to have to sit on a bed for an hour doing nothing except read with no children to look after . . . .oh no, it was actually like a small holiday ! I also have to have to growth scan on thursday to check things, quite excited to see Bob again and reckon I'll sneak a look and try to work out what it is!

Jasmine NCT classes were great for me as I met lovely people and we are still all in contact 6 years later but if you don't have a need for that then I wouldn't bother. They won't teach you anything nhs ones don't and I think there are breast feeding people available even if you aren't a member (although could be wrong!).

Sorry so many are feeling grumpy. I'm not too grumpy, just completely exhausted. Having said that, my mum appears to be able to put me in a bad mood within seconds for no reason!

Clarkiee Good luck with moving and the inspection :)

This weekend we put up the cot and started on the washing . . . oh my goodness there is tons of it . Now for all the other things on the list . . . .

Have a lovely evening :)

Clarkiee - good luck with the move and hope to see you back at the end of the week. Don't envy you one bit, just the thought of packing a suitcase would have me in tears right now!

Jasmine sorry to hear about the peanut incident (though it did make me laugh!) I agree about the NCT classes - if you already know plenty of people nearby who are in the same boat, I wouldn't worry. For me it was a great chance to make like-minded (and bodied) friends nearby. The classes were good and useful but not sure you wouldn't get that on the free classes.

knackered - don't even start talking about mothers. I think they were given to us just to make sure we're in a foul mood every so often (apart from US, obviously as we are all going to be fabulous mothers!)

Almighty great home birth story. But I'm just too chicken first time round at 41. So my plan is to stay home as long as poss, then go in.

DP in a foul mood this eve, but think he's slowly coming out of it. Phew! Bump Flump is bouncing around like zebedee and I'm knackered. Think it'll be another pre-10pm bed for me...

Oh, I forgot to say, we bought a gliding crib instead of a bedside cot for ds. It was really compact and you could see straight in whilst still led down in bed to check on baby, unlike a moses basket. You are not as physically close to baby as in one that you fit onto side of bed, and you still have to lift baby out to feed, but I thought it was a good compromise.

Clarkiee best of luck with your move

Hope everybody had a wonderful sunny weekend. I hosted a lovely bbq on saturday, and the took ds to the beach on sunday where we all got a little tan and enjoyed playing in the lovely warm sea but the weekend, as well as work yesterday have really taken it out of me. I am sore all over but looking forward to only 3 more shifts at work. So sorry for any of those additionally suffering with SPD as I'm am so uncomfortable and sore even with out it. I have now carpal tunnel syndrome as well so my hands are tingly and sore and I can't make a fist without pain, yarg, how did I forget all the bad effects of pregnancy from last time!

Good luck with the move clarkiee, it's not the most relaxing way to spend half term but bet you';ll be glad to be settled before the babies appear

[Delurks]

Who was looking at NCT bedside cots - I have just seen this for members of the NCT. If you are not a member and know someone who is there might be a deal to be done.

15% Discount over £15
1 Week only
Quote
NCTAPRMEM

Sunny we only started buying at 33 weeks last time and DS was born at 34 weeks. It was all fine as he was in SCBU and not ready to come home for a couple of weeks DH went on a shopping extravaganza. The only thing that is really important is a car seat and a lot of places have them in stock. You will be fine....

PS Am being a bit more organised now - but have most of the stuff I need.

Have started packing bag but also need to pack DS a bag as he will have to go off with someone....

Halle Brilliant. Not a member but going to look into it as 15% off £249 is decent.

Supersunnyday Your name is finally describing the weather! We are 29+5 and have only bought some little clothes, but not even the sensible babygro ones, just a few bits of silly cute stuff. Other than that, a packet of nappies to avail of our free Boots parenting bag and that is it. I'm reading about everyone's cool nurseries, builders, painting, wallpaper and thinking maybe we are being ever so slightly lax, but hopefully there'll be plenty of time.

I am thinking that for a third week in June baby, we'll start getting everything big - cot, nursery stuff - and things like maternity bras, pack the hospital bag and so on about mid-May. Moomin's experience did make me think again about this approach, but we have to clear so much crap to make room for the new stuff that we need to wait until after that 11 day royal thingy/bank holiday break to do it.

Thanks for people's tips on the bedside cots.

Anyone hear from Moomin in the last week? I hope they are getting much closer to bringing Florence home.

I've a question for all you second/third/fourth timers. On your first, how far over or under your due date did you go?

Hi everyone..

Have tried to catch up once again! Have had my MIL here all week.. phew, I'm all tired out!

We managed to get the curtains for the nursery done.. am really very pleased with them. Plus we got the crib relined with a lovely pale blue gingham so that's all ready too. So at least the LO has somewhere to sleep and it will be dark :o

Baby is really doing a lot of movement now. Rather than jabs he seems to be pushing more and stretching.. that is the best way for me to describe it!!

Anyone who has bought a maxi-cosi car seat second hand or had one given to them.. do you have ANY idea how to take the cover off?? I have had one given to me and I would like to try and wash the cover. If I can't take it off I will have to give it a clean while it is fitted in the seat shell!

I have also done all the washing.. well at least of all the clothes that have been given to us. Haven't washed the few things that we have bought yet. DH has bought a couple of cuddly toys which are really sweet.

Just need to think about packing the bag now... so far I have nipple cream to go in it!!!

clarkie hope the move goes well.

Oh and my friends that we visited last weekend live in Oxfordshire and she gave birth at the JR. She told me that the breastfeeding clinic there is really great and highly recommends it... even if you aren't going to breastfeed she said it's a really nice group to go along to.

Can't believe some of us are down into the single figure countdown now... eeeek!!

6 weeks early but am not representative. I am the oldest child and was 2 weeks late