June Just around the corner now...

[petitech]

Will this be the final thread?!? I somehow think not, with more and more people starting on maternity leave, we have time for a good few more methinks!

Hi all,

Just had a message from my friend who is a photographer and he is going to do some bump photos for me and ill probably use him again in the future to capture my baby when she is 6 months old.

Anyways, I just thought that I would mention it as he is looking for others to work with. He is based in Sheffield but I think he would travel to other places (don't take my word for that tho!).

He has a website address www.jrjphotography.co.uk and he is a really good photographer and a really friendly person - He is someone I used to work with on play schemes so he is really good with kids too!

There is an offer at the minute where he will come to your house for an hour and give you 20 photos on disk for you to keep for £60.

Thanks for considering it anyone who does!! xx

Thanks Nursesunshine and Petitech - and yes, bilious is a fab word

Nappies - well, I took out an enormous stash from the storage - countless one size pockets, about 15 motherease sandies size 1, 5 tots bots size 1 and about 10 geobel along with 1 or 2 other bits. (this is NOT counting the size 2 sandies and motherease one size which are stil in storage for later.

Well, I looked at these, and they all seem so big that before I could stop myself, I ordered 4 xs airflow wraps and 10 xs sandies because they are sooooooooo cute.
It's real nappy week, so babykind are offering extra discounts too so got the lot a good bit cheaper.
I know it seems excessive,but I really will sell these nappies on at some point. If anyone ends up ordering on babykind, you have to order some out n about spray -I go through gallons of the stuff. DS and DD get 'freshened up' in their bottom areas every morning with it and it has so many uses.

neenewps I've never used pop in nappies. I think it's good she has suggested a few different types, but missing from your list is motherease airflow wraps, which IMO re second to none and I have never found another wrap that doesn't leak. Leaking wraps will really put you off, so I highly recommend you try one of these - it will fit over most shaped nappies. Lots of people don't start with washable nappies until the baby is a few weeks old, so you probably don't need to bother with xs nappies. To be honest, the only reason I am is that I did all my nappy shopping with previous babies and feel like a bit of a splurge. Most small nappies are fine for little babies anyway, and the xs will prob be outgrown really quickly.

I've perked up a little bit, and am going to have a quick bath before bed

Was the nappy lady from Lollipop, Newneeps?

I had a pop in bamboo. The only thing with that was for a BTP it was a very small fit, especially with the bamboo boosters in. I also had problem with leaky legs (mainly because DS has skinny legs).
The Tots bots bamboozles are good.
Pop n gro pockets are pretty but IMO I think they are expensive, you can get Bumgenius, Fuzzi Bunz and Wonderoos are all cheaper pockets.
I have some of the original Pop n gros and those are good and quite flexible though I found I always needed a booster with them.
Bumgenius is fab though again small fitting, DS still fit in them but only just, until he was potty trained at 3.2 but he is small for his age with a skinny butt and legs (still in 2-3yo trousers, although in 3-4 tops as he has a long torso).
My suggestion is to buy just a few to begin with and replace sposies gradually with your cloth ones to see which ones you like the best.
You may find you need to be creative with night time nappies. Best solution is to find fleece wraps or fleece pockets and use bamboo boosters. Obviously at first you will need to change them during the night when baby is tiny but there will get to a point (DS was 4mo when this happened) when you want to leave them in the same nappy all night.

Changing the subject now - according to DS the baby is coming today! He was talking about his new baby sister to preschool yesterday

I'm still not sure about cloth nappies because with all the other stuff we've been paying for recently I'm just not sure we can afford the upfront costs. No cashback scheme in Cambridge, either ... and I feel a bit bamboozled by it all.

This is the best website I've found, though - with a 20% off discount on a lot of nappies at the moment and lots of info: nappies

I am tempted by the BumGenius V4 but I think I may wait a few weeks and see how we go with the disposables.

3 days til ML!!!

Great nappy advice from Kara

I know what you mean TTL it seems like such an expense at start, but like Kara said, you could just get a few to start with - and if you try out pockets first, you won' even need to buy wraps. You can sell them on if you don't like them too

I tumbled my smallest nappies yesterday after washing them, and they are suuuuuuuper soft now. I'm in a soft water area anyway which helps

MW appt this afternoon - really hoping for good news re baby's position

Am loving the names of the real nappies

Hi all!! spent the last 3 evening catching up on all I've missed. There was loads that I wanted to respond too but I can now remember very little, sorry if I appear rude, I hope i remember the most important things. Definately wanted to say thanks a million for all the exam good wishes and 8, thank you for "looking" for me - your very kind .

HUGE congratulations to Cameli - I just cant believe we've another baby!!! The name Seren Elizabeth is really, really beautiful. Hope all is well with you and you little one. Cant believe we'll have another baby soon too - Moufflon the very best of luck. Am thinking of you.

Halle and Nomore and Sasa hope you are all feeling better .

Nurse, Im so, so sorry to hear about your grandad. .

Kara, PIL situation sounds like a nightmare, to be honest, I'd be with your sister on the "fuck off" stance. Easier said though, I know. I dont think this should ruin your decision to have a home birth, if thats what you really want so I would be inclined to get dh to have a word with them, even if kindly. You shouldnt have to worry about this now. You have small person growing to do.

Moomin delighted to hear Florence continues to thrive and Clarkee, you sound like you are doing an amazing job. No wonder your a wee bit down - with tiredness and those post pregnancy hormones combined with 2 prem babies, that your managing to breastfeed , I honestly think your wonder woman. Your girls are lucky to have you. Have a moan or cry if you need to, you certainly deserve it.

So examsthey went ok, the first one not great to be honest but Im hoping for a pass. I found it very, very difficult to study - to concentrate/ be motivated/ remember anything. I am so unbelievably happy to be finished though. Feel like a weights being lifted and now I can finally begin to prepare for poor neglected forgotton about-- number 3s arrival, particulary now that I've also finished work - YAY!! .

I literally had nothing done for this little one and usually nest in an extreme way (I mean, skirting boards are scrubbed to pristine in our house before a baby's arrival - most unusual) but I was waiting for work/ college to end before getting stuck in and now (at 38 + 3, I might add!!! ) Im wrecked and panicing as my house is a mess and its very hard to get anything done with (16 month old) ds running about (as opposed to when I was pregnant with him and dd was 4). Anyway, lots of painting, diy, plastering and cleaning going on here at the minute (thanks to the enlisted help of some fabulous relatives, I must admit ). Loving the nursery talk as my mother and I are in the process (well Im just having a break) of painting the first undercoat...

Bought a few bits for hospital bag too, just need to finish packing and have teeny vests and babygros all hanging out to dry. 10(ish) days til due date... eeek!!!

Am usually, at this stage, completely begging for the end to be in sight - for the baby to come etc. Very strangely I would love another month. I really dont feel ready at all yet. Am also very nervous about close age gap and having number 3/ coping/ attention and time and money for each (Mother help!!! 3s ok, isnt it????? its a breeze,yes? and no different to having 2? (lie to me emoction))

Jasmine I find you hilarious, even when you dont mean to be, I slightly pee myself each time I read one of your posts.

On all my catching up, has anyone noticed how we all now refer to Mother's children as the snort pigs. PML...

Sorry for such a long post but come on, you were due one of those from me....

I hope everyones well, looking forward to the last count down with you all...

Morning all :)

Off to clinic earlier than expected as am bleeding slightly.
Dh is being a star & calmed me down. He has had a listen (ear on belly) & can hear heartbeat & we have felt movement.

supersunny please take it asy - coming from one that certainly didnt!
x

Good luck mouffloncake - hope it's all OK.

All the very best to you moufflon bet you can't wait to meet your LO now.

barbie glad the exams went ok and that you are finally managing to ease up... although still sounds like you are pretty busy to me with kiddies, painting etc etc

sasa hope the mw appointment goes ok and fingers crossed that your nipper has moved into the correct position.

Thanks for all the input re nappies. I too am completely bewildered by them. I almost feel like I need to set up some kind of spreadsheet so that I can understand all the different types! I don't know what a pocket system etc is???!!! kara I don't think she is a Lollipop rep? She is a local lady that runs a nappy group. Sadly we don't get any type of funding although in Edinburgh you can buy a trial kit for £12. I don't think they will let me buy it though as I am now over in Fife and all other trial kits full price seem to be around £40-£60. sasa am going to look up the motherease airflow wraps now. DH isn't keen on borrowing nappies whereas I would be happy to until we find out which ones work best for us. He is of the opinion that we just go for it! I have contacted the Nappy Lady online too and she recommended Bumgenius V4 but the lady I saw locally yesterday doesn't deal with them and said their customer service is appalling. I try to keep my shopping with local businesses so it's a shame I can't try those through her as I can see they are quite popular.

Anyway, sorry for going on about my nappy dilema!! :)

ps re nurseries and wall stickers. I simply love this website.. great for lots of things.

wall stickers

Good luck Moufflon. Won't be long now - look forw

And wanted to say to Clarkiee - you are doing an amazing job - you are bound to have the odd down day, but hopefully today will be better. Feel proud that you are doing the very best for your lovely babies :)

On the nappy discussion - I don't have a tumble dryer - do you think this will be a nightmare with using real nappies?? I used disposables with DD1 but am considering otherwise this time.

Didn't finish my sentence - meant to say - look forward to hearing your news when you have met your baby!

Clarkie the joys of having premmie babies. Some days you think there will be in there forever and the next day they have made great strides and are home. Fingers crossed you are out of there soon. x

Morning ladies, another one in the maternity leave club here. I officially started yesterday but unfortunately have still got a few loose ends to tie up for work, so I?m not quite off the hook yet. I did get my hair done yesterday as it was way past time, and will sneak out for a cheeky pedicure at some point this week as my feet are looking pretty rough. I?m going to try to spend more time doing these little things that I won?t have time for with a newborn! Also plugging away with our NCT classes and I?m about to start childbirth preparation yoga, which I?m looking forward to.

I?m feeling pretty good about our homebirth now that I?ve got the birthpool ordered and TENS hire organised. I?ve also got the natal hypnotherapy homebirth preparation and birth music CDs, which I hope will help me get ?in the zone?. Fingers crossed that nothing happens in the next month that prevents us from being able to do this at home. I?m 35+4 today, and he?s still in the right position (although not yet starting to engage), so things are looking good.

Gillz, sorry about your fall! I?m glad your LO is okay. It?s good that they have so much cushioning in there with how clumsy their mums become during pregnancy!

Kara, I really sympathise with your situation with your ILs. I think it?s important to stand your ground as it would really interfere with the calm homebirth you had planned to have loads of extra people wandering around. This is something I?ve worried about a bit since deciding to go for a homebirth, as DH has loads of family close to us. I?m nervous about telling anyone we?re in labour in case they start just dropping by to see how things are progressing. If we do tell them that things are getting started, DH has promised to make it very clear that we want to protect our calm environment and we will let them know when we are ready for visitors after the baby is born. I?m probably going to be completely starkers in the pool downstairs (which is open plan), so will not be answering the door to let the ILs have a look! Also, step-MIL is a midwife and has made it clear she would like to be there, but I really don?t want so many people around and I suspect she?s not fully supportive of our plans for a natural birth based on conversations we?ve had about drugs, episiotomies, and the third stage. I?m already prepared to put up a fight with my own MW on these issues, and don?t want to voluntarily bring in someone else with a strong medical approach!

NMH and Merlion, good that things went well with your last check-ups. I hope you are both able to make it to closer to your due dates!

Clarkie, sorry that your girls are still in hospital, but it?s important that they are getting the care they need. You are doing the right thing with BF ? keep up the good work!

Neenewps, I?m a first-timer myself, so haven?t used them yet, but I bought a multipack of the Pop In Dream Dri (15% off at the NCT shop with the code NCT12). I?ve heard good things about them, and they seemed like a good option for us as we don?t have a tumble drier. Also, I?m pretty confident about the NCT?s recommendations, and the Pop Ins are one of only two kinds of reusable nappies they sell.

Congrats on finishing your exams Barbie! Good luck with the last-minute nesting.

Good luck moufflon, do keep us posted.

Has anyone hired a tens machine? If so which one and how much. Think it might help manage the pain as I am a wuss but didn't use one last time so not sure where to go and which ones are supposed to be be any good.

HalleLouja I have ordered a TENS from Boots. They range from between £30 and £39 from there I think. I know some of the other ladies have ordered them from other websites more cheaply though so probaboy wirth waiting for them to respond...

Moog having no tumble drier just means that you will definitely want to avoid bamboo, and probably cotton fitteds as well. Pocket nappies dry really really quickly - esp the ones with microfibre inserts

Thanks for all the good wishes re midwife - will report back.

Halle, I ordered one from Babycare TENS via the NCT shop (www.nctshop.co.uk/Babycare-TENS-35-day-Hire/productinfo/3338/). You can use code 'NCT12' to get 15 percent off the normal price of £26.95 (so the total cost would be £22.91). The NCT shop sends you an informational DVD with a voucher, and you call Babycare to arrange shipment of your TENS machine. They will dispatch it three weeks prior to your due date and you can keep it for five weeks; if your baby is later than that you can call them to keep it for an extra week.

Sasa and moog, I also don't have a tumble drier, but I bought a set of the Pop In Dream Dri, which is bamboo but is meant to dry super quick. I'll probably wash them later this week to test them; will let you know how I get on.

South London Ladies, a question for you..I think there are a few of you around Wimbledon way? Grandads funeral has been booked for a couple of weeks time to allow the kids to finish their exams..but makes it just a week before my edd. It will be in Kingston (Upon Thames). I know Kingston hospital is the nearest bolt hole in case of sudden action but is that the best option in the area?

Barbie I'm glad I make you chuckle...most of the time I just disgust myself!

Wow you guys have been BUSY on here this morning! I've just had a catch up, I think I have some of the motherease nappies in my bulk lot from the NCT sale. I need to check them all out really and see what we have in which sizes. I think I'm going to use the bio-degradable disposables for the first few weeks if they are too small for the reuseables I have and then see how we get on. I think lots of my friends think i'm being horrifically idealistic by planning to use them, one of them actually snoted and said "good luck - I don't know anyone that's used them!" But all our mums did it so it can't be impossible can it!

We tried out a tens machine at out NCT class (on the arm) and it was horrible - i couldn't get the thing off fast enough...water will have to be enough for me! I just ordered my birthpool liner off the NCT shop. DH's boss has lent us a birthpool which is lovely of him. It's nice not to have to worry about having the hire period right. We don't have all the filling hoses and that though. I asume it is possible to do it with a bucket though???

Jas don't know about kingston, but avoid St George's in Tooting - I used to live there and the whole hospital is a bit of a hole - I remember it being horribly dirty when we had to go to A&E. Can't be a good sign. I think one of my friends gave birth at Kingston though so i'll ask her if you don't get any joy on here.

Right better get back to work now - sorry to all I've missed off, but sounds like everyone is haveing a better day of it today which is good. Monday's are always a bit rubbish aren't they!

Perpetual Provocateur -I've got the natal hypnotherapy CDs aswell (box of 4 discs?) and they are good but to be honest with DD (DC2) I just had the 28 minute relaxation track that has no voice over and I just had that on repeat. It's weird hearing the track again as I have such vivid memories of me sat on my birthing ball with my headphones in and my tens machine on (DP watching X Factor final where Joe McElderry won), totally in a world of my own, too much to be honest, didn't realise that DD was within an hour of being born. I've never been very good with the other CDs but I hope you have better luck and manage to 'imagine' all the things she tells you about.

One thing to bear in mind though is I was so focused on getting through each contraction that I completely forgot that at some point a baby was going to be born! The bags were still upstairs, I didn't ring the hospital til it was too late for a MW to come out, they'd all been called to other houses. Fortunately though we got to the delivery suite, I stood against the bed, they asked me to 'part my legs and take my slippers off' as I was still standing up and then 'I can feel his head coming'! (I thought it was a boy).

Just thought I'd say that even with all the pain, you can lose sight of what's coming! xx

Hi ladies, no hope of catching up on all the posts but just saying hello and letting you know I'm still here, booked for an ELCS next week.
Congrats to all those who have had their babies and good luck to everyone else!
Stargirl x