November 2011. Bumps, kicks and less feeling sick.

[Missyraines]

Thought I'd take the plunge and go for it.

Morning ladies,

Just read the news and seen that Lily Allen is pregnant and around 16 weeks. I'm not a big celeb gossip fan, but do think this is lovely news. Fingers crossed for her this time. :)

juststarting have you tried any alternative methods for managing anxiety? I am booked into hypnobirthing because I've heard this really gets you in control so anxiety doesn't dare rear it's head.

I can appreciate this is a horrid situation and not easily fixed but it maybe worth considering?

I had a pain free day yesterday, 1st day without painkillers for 3 weeks. I think grape and complan diet must be working, fingers crossed, touch wood, and not speaking to soon.

Hope everyone is feeling chipper today, chin up ladies.

Well, some hrs later am finally cought up. And bed bound by a slumbering infant. One way to get a lie in. Pamco, i'm so impressed by your displaying ANY pma right now. I'm sorry to those of you in so much pain. I hope things improve.
So, 16 weeks. I think i've started lactating a little. Eek.

pooky, it made my evening last night when I read that! I so want everything to go well for her this time!

Oh goodness I hope I'm going to be lactating again soon. I'm still feeding DS (22 months) and know my supply has gone right through the floor, and I have also gone from nipple soreness almost from the minute the pregnancy test dried to utter agony. I remember getting a horrid few weeks where my boobs were agony while pregnant with DS, but at least then I wasn't feeding three times a day. Literally right now it feels like I've lost the skin and he's gnawing deep on tissue. Awful, yet emotionally it still means so much to him that I'm not prepared to wean him, I had thought at two so in a couple of months but I have to accept now he won't be ready, so I'm stuck complaining, occasionally hissing 'keep still at him' - exactly the sort of behaviour that a breast feed isn't about, and listening to my husband repeat for the 100th time, 'just wean him' as if that will be as simple as getting his haircut. Just five more months....

Okay on the plus side, Bunny always kicks loads and gets really active when i do BF DS especially at bedtime when i sing the same lullabies I always sing. I'm loving that the wee one is learning them already and seems to like them.
Another plus, removing whichever dinky toy cars are in DS's sleepy fists and popping him in his cot fast asleep, with that gorgeous perfect look that all sleepy wee ones have, is one of my favourite times of the day. I'm not ready to lose that yet, no matter how much it hurts.

hi all, hope everyone is ok.

pam hope the drink doesn't cause any problems pain wise.

That's nice to hear about Lily Allen, i really hope it all goes to plan for the poor lady.

PamSco hope the pain-free-ness (you know what I mean) continues!

Well, I went shopping for my first few bits of maternity clothing yesterday. Mothercare's 3 for 2 was useful - even if I shop on ebay from now on, I wanted to try on things to know what size fits. So I've ended up with a pair of jeggings (I hate that word, makes me think of Jedward!), a pair of black yoga pants and a pair of black trousers for work. All the same size, so how is it the jeans and the yoga pants have plenty space for growing into, and the trousers are already nearly too small?!? Grr...

I also bought a tankini - now just to find an aquanatal class...

buffy The recommendation is to buy at your normal size. so if your clothes tend to differ per shop they still will. it is very annoying.

Ladies, can i ask your opinion? for those of you who have dc's already, did any of you use slings or wraps? Can i ask your thoughts on them what you thought of them, did you regret any of them. I've been having a look at this and it has been very helpful, i'm liking the look of either ring sling or mei tai, but have a couple of questions. can you put new borns in the cradle hold or does it have to be tummy2tummy in which case when can they go in at cradle? The clips seem to show 6 weeks, before then they do the t2t. The mei tai they only show from 3months+ so can you use it before then. Any advice would be great. Thanks

Hello all,

Just a wee question: cot or cot bed? what's your thinking? I don't see the point in cot bed if we're thinking about hopefully having another in the next few years but then people are telling me about wriggly babies needing more room than a cot provides.

Folic we had a cot bed for ds1 and he slept in it till he was 5! We ended up getting a second cot for ds2, mainly because the two of them shared quite a small bedroom and the cot and cot-bed took up far less space. We then moved to a bigger house where space wasn't so much of an issue.

Folic DS and DD were just 18 months apart and so we ended up with 2 cots. My thinking was they would go straight from cot to full size bed but in the end we have used a junior bed as a stepping stone (mainly because they are lower to the ground).

Both of mine loved their cots and never found them too small - we kept them in cots as long as possible - I think DS was about 2.5 and DD about 2 when they moved out - I was lucky neither of mine ever tried to climb out.

One of my cots is a bedside cot and if you can fit one by your bed I would strongly recommend for those early months - most of the benefits of co-sleeping but with none of the fear that you might roll over and squash or smother a little one. Particularly good for as I had a caesarian so I didn't have to do too much getting in and out of bed or lifting (I was lucky that DD didn't do a lot of overnight pooing so feeding didn't always mean changing)

Well I really need to get back to coming on here everyday, leave it more than 2 days and takes a good couple of hours to catch up!

Jealous of everyone having 20 week scans already, mine was booked for 29th of June, but had to reschedule due to a course at work, so now waiting till 4th July, when I'll be over 21 weeks! :-(

Can't wait to find out the flavour/colour/whatever you call it!

At the end of two weeks off work now and back in tomorrow, so not too excited! Have lost all motivation at work now, as it just doesn't seem a) as important or b) as exciting as having a baby!

Most exciting news is that I felt baby move on Tuesday evening when in the bath! If hadn't have read on here, probably wouldn't have realised it was baby moving, and still wasn't completely sure, but then Weds eve I felt it again and DH put his hand on my belly and felt it too!

MAde good use of 2 weeks off, decorated the guest room and moved DHs study/office into it, so now becomes study/guest guest room with sofa bed, rather than king size bed. Thus freeing up the small bedroom for baby's room! Next job is to decorate that, which I think well start next weekend. Though will only go as far as a lick of paint and new carpet untill we know if were going for peter rabbit or jemima puddleduck!

Love the PMA that everyone has been having, especially considering some of you seem to be having pretty tough times. Hope things smooth out soon!

LK, good luck for your wedding! Hope the sun shines for you! You must be so excited!

Poppet, I wonder if the lactating so early is because it was only a couple of months between stopping feeding my son and getting pregnant. My boobs were killing me for a few days, I was getting kind of worried. Now I know whats going on, somehow they hurt less too!
I did buy a sling but I never used it, we just couldnt make it work. It was a kind of over one shoulder one. I may try again this time with a different sort. One of my friends used one and she had one of the freakily settled, calm babies. Cause or effect, i dont know!
We used a cot bed from the start, never did the moses basket or anything. He does move around ALL the space in there though, i wouldnt like to have him in anything smaller, he'd wake himself up all the time! I was thinking to transfer him to a toddler bed and use the cot bed for the new one, but now I am reminded of that bedside cot thing, I may look into that first.
How is it work tomorrow already? How?

juststarting, I remember my breasts being really sore when pg with ds4 and it had only been a couple of months since I had stopped feeding ds3. This time they are sorer than ever, I actually get a darting pain in the left one and it was ages since I stopped feeding ds4. But I do think once you have lactated once, it kicks in again very quickly.

Morning!

Cannot believe how much I've missed over the weekend.

Pam so sorry to hear about your being in sooo much pain. I really hope it gets better soon.

Had a good weekend, went shopping for some clothes to fit over my ever expanding belly. Ended up buying a long vest from Primark, as I'm not sure whether it's worth getting anything 'expensive' before the autumn when I will be BIIG! What's everyone else doing?

Embarrasingly I had to sit down a few times because I was feeling dizzy and faint. Absolutely mortified!

Hope everyone is feeling great today.

PMA:

Feeling good in my new top :)

I started leaking little drops at 19 weeks when I was pregnant with Belle and its started again at 16 weeks with this one - only clear at the moment though. My flow after Belle was born was horrendous - (well as in wonderful if there had actually been a baby who needed it - isn't the body cruel...) - I soaked through loads of things for a fortnight and then it started to ease off.

Blood flow scan this morning to review asprin dose and check Xander is getting everything he needs.

caz good luck for the scan.

folic we had a moses basket right next to my side of the bed till he was about 6 months when he was getting a little big in it, then he went straight into a cot bed. in the next few months ds will be moving bed rooms (which i feel a bit guilty about) and will be in a bunk bed shared at weekend with dss (bottom bunk obviously) we'e borrowing the moses basket again and this one will do the same and go into the cot bed.

i bought a ring sling off ebay last night. as it was for my size and that's rare. i'm rather excited for it to get here so i can try it with ds's teddy bears.

oh zigg i meant to say i ordered mat clothes off next last week, they're a bit baggy but i don't mind cause i know i'll soon fill them.

Morning! Only a quick post from me as I am working today.

I am wondering about the whole cot thing. My dilemma is that we will cosleep in some way, shape or form but our mattress is memory foam which isn't good for small babies. So I am thinking about getting a cheap ikea cot and taking one side off and attaching it to our bed. I am wondering if I will really remember to move the baby back or if I will fall asleep with the baby on the memory foam mattress - defeating the object of having a cot.

Cep - Slings, I know lots! I never mastered cradle carry and it was around the time that those bag slings got recalled for lack of safety (they held babies in a similar hold). It put me right off so I stuck with t2t. You can use it from newborn but you just tuck baby's legs in (froggy style) rather than flexing them out around your body for the first few weeks.

Watch this: - that's the idea but you don't have to have a ring sling. I have a pouch which is similar to this and has been great for a toddler but wouldn't have been great for long carries - all that weight on one shoulder. I'd still look for a two shoulder. How long do you plan to carry for (months/years) and how long do you expect to wear it at each time.

I had to post the clip though because how gorgeous is that baby? So tiny - we'll have one of those in a few months

I also have a soft structured carrier called a Beco Butterfly II which has been marvellous. I probably won't use it for the first couple of months - although it comes with a newborn insery so you could. I prefer something more snug for a tiny baby in November/December.

I have another fab vid to post but I can't access the website at the moment. I shall pop back later and link it.

All the sling chat is very tempting. But there are so many choices! I like the idea of the soft woven ones that go around both shoulders.

Thanks you all for your kind comments. I've managed 2 days with no painkillers and seem to be ok though I'm still not on full meals. Surviving on soft fruit - thank goodness for the season. Just taking it easy.

We are off for 2 weeks tomorrow for our long awaited holiday so fingers are treble crossed that both liver and amnio blood tests come in ok as I don't really want to fly back - though I will.

Bought myself 2 Bravada nursing bras as I'm not comfy in my bras, they are so great. Bought them from here www.nursingbra-shop.co.uk/ excellent service they arrived in 2 days well packaged.

The bras themselves are great, though I don't quite get the sizes. I am a 44DD and probably a 42E now I've lost weight - well I seem to measure at that. So I bought the XL which ranges upto 46F. I best not grow much bigger as they are a bit snug as it is. Ho hum. I got the silk seemless and the extra support (which has more room). They are very comfy now and the clasp isn't noticable.

smilingcl - I also have a massive spreadsheet of all stuff I want to do before the birth! And I bought a sofa last weekend and felt all pleased about being able to cross something out on it. I am in Copenhagen, are you Danish too, or just your boyfriend?

lktoday5 - your wedding outfit sounds gorgeous. I got married at 36 weeks and wore a kind relaxed sundress and bolero but I wish I had something a bit more dressed up. We swore we would renew our vows in Jamaica one day, so hopefully I can get a bit more glam at some point but really, who does the renewal thing?

zigamajiggi- I also had a dizzy spell on the metro yesterday and almost had to ask for a seat but managed with a lean over the stroller. My eating habits are sooo bad this pg. I really need to sort it out and eat regularly and healthily. With my dd pg, I had a food diary and would snack on broccoli and hummus!

Today is a public holiday here in Denmark and its a really nice day but I am so knackered. We are trying to break a little "sleeping in our bed" habit with DD as it doesn't work and we are all exhausted but she was screaming the house down from 4am. We kept taking her back into her room and settling her but she is one determined lady and when i woke up this morning she was next to me anyway.
So I am just doing laundry and packing for my work trips coming up. I am in Germany this week and New York next week but my company doesn't want me to tell the client yet (there is another woman on the same account that is pregnant and they have a strategic meeting in a couple of weeks where they want to do the announcements) but how the hell can I look incogprego for the next two weeks - I am really showing now!

This video:

jeportemonbebe.com/

About 1 minute in onwards.

I am not vouching for these slings, I have no idea what they're like but everything you can do with one of these as shown in the video you can do with a woven wrap in exactly the same way and it would last longer. I think that's what I am going to do tbh.

Hello PamSco - I hope this week is much better for you and you keep as pain free as possible, I'm so sorry you're having such a dreaful time.

Hello CazandBelleandxander good luck today, I hope all is well. It's great you are been so well monitored.

All work and a bit of play here. Work horrible - fighting for the survival of our entire dept of 250 people, only myself and boss man know about it. Vile.

Still DD instantly takes away any work stress, she's too lovely to worry about work when she's about.

Re baby carriers 3 years back I was limited to something with very strong back support due to my back injury so we bought the Baby Bjorn synergy which as great for me and fortunately DD loved it. I tried a friends sling one day and really missed the back "plate" on the Baby Bjorn!!!

We inherited a cot from my sister so we invested in a toddler bed but if I had chossen from scratch I would have a cot bed just so you skip the need for a toddler bed too.

20 weeks today, 1/2 way!!!!

Scan tomorrow, after the stress of DD's and the whole brain thing at 20 weeks (which turned out to be nothing but a bloody scary time) I'm much more on the nervous side than excited. Bobblehat is kicking regularly now which is lovely.

Braved the scales yesterday - just under 8lbs on already - oops......

cep I've slinged all my children and yes I have good ones and regretful purchases - but sling comfort I've found to be very personal so you may want to look into sling clubs in your area to try them on. Personally, neither me or my husband could get on with the ring sling (and has since become the sling the kids carry theirs in), but we both adore out mei-tai. I also have a pouch sling for the really early days which is warm and fuzzy. I use it for baby's first outing and have a picture of each in it.

Newborns typically go in the cradle hold, I don't typically do tummy-to-tummy until a few months to make sure they have confident head/neck control (though you can get mei-tais with 'newborn cushions' to help this - babyhawk slings are quite good for this, I'm planning on buying one soon as my mei-tai has seen better days after going through 3 kids!). Mei-tai's can be used before 3 months, if you get a good, snug hold as long as you or the baby can support their head (or have a newborn cushion to do it).