Charters Anonymous Graduates Volume 2! – No more temping!

[Iwish]

A nice cosy place to accommodate our growing bumps and little wrigglers.

How's everyone coping with the heat today? I'm sweltering!

Lady how did the move go?

I just had my 28 week midwife appointment and she told me off because the fundal height is 30cm (and apparently should be 28) and I have gained 6 lbs more over the course of the pregnancy than I should have done by this stage. Apparently I should have gained exactly 13lbs by this week, but I've gained 19lbs. How is it possible to be that precise?! She told me to stop eating cake and white carbs - which I don't anyway. I don't know how to bring it down without actually dieting, which would clearly be stupid. Argh. She's new and I don't like her. (Possibly because she's hit on my soft spot as I'm sensitive about my weight anyway.) I feel like throwing a proper, toddler tantrum!!

Oh ignore her, Pip. She's obviously a Dick. I'd put on loads more than you at 28 weeks. Have put on 4 stone at last count.

Move went well. Have done quite a lot of unpacking but we still have loads of boxes to go. Mum is coming to help tomorrow and am sure DO will do some tonight.

I have a quandary for you. The nursery is pink. I don't know what am having so shall I just leave it and repaint if a boy? Or make it neutral now?

Sorry not to name check everyone but on my phone which isn't amazing. Suffice to say hope everyone is ok and dealing with the heat.

Thanks Lady - I feel very petulant about it!

Glad the move was good. Unpacking boxes is always quite satisfying I think - it's fun to figure out where you're going to put things! (Though I always find that wherever I live the rooms end up looking exactly the same as they did in the previous house - not quite sure how I do it?!)

Is the nursery a nice pink? Would you happily leave it if you have a girl? I'd probably go in with a paint brush just because it's nice to make your mark and feel you've done everything exactly as you want, but if you like it (and lets face it, if you have a boy he's not going to care for the first months of his life!) then maybe just leave it and save yourself the work?

Pippa, tell her to piss off! NOB!
i have gained nearly 3 stone!! Must be breeding goliath :)

LAdy so glad your mvoe went smoothly.
Have made contact with a doula after my birth i am thinking it will be a good thing for me, especially as DH is miles away :) What do you think?

Am jealous, Nix. Would love a doula but have decided we can't afford it right now just having moved. Hopefully will make it a lovely experience.

The pink is ok, not what I would choose but as am now 37 + 2 time is not a luxury I have. Think am going to have to leave as is.

Thats where i was Lady. We cant afford it either.... but i have to think that DH is away and i dont have anyone really that i can take in with me. DSis and i arent that close at the min, mum i would need for DS so it would put my mind at rest and help me out mentally after my first experience i think. I wont do it if the baby is breech and i need a section, but for a natural del, i think i will!! Will see how i feel after meeting her.

Well done on fully cooked status lady XX get those feet up x
3 more days at work and thats it.... .. off down south for a week!

Hi everyone!

Lady congrats on the move, I moved last year and it was so all consuming I couldn't imagine doing it 37 weeks pg- hats off to you!! Hope you settle into your new home really well before the bub arrives. Not long now, eh?

Nix I don't know much about doulas, are they are professional birthing partners that help make it as positive experience as poss? Sounds like a really good idea. Let us know how the meeting with her goes.

Pip a total newbie at this so had no idea either that there were such specific guidelines re weight gain. Surely it depends on what weight you are to start with, what height, whether you have had sickness or not in tri 1 etc etc. Sounds like she was a bit of a cow to me!

I am 10+3 now and feeling wierd. Barely any symptoms, except tender boobs. No sickness or nausea, no extreme tiredness. Doesn't feel right, not with twins when I should surely be feeling doubly pregnant?! Have had no bleeding etc but am v worried something isn't right It is is 2.5 weeks until my next scan which will feel like an eternity.

I'm on a day off today and haven't got dressed yet. Layzeee!

Morning all,
I'm in a total daze this morning after listening to my natal hypnotherapy CD. Feel all floppy and dopey which is quite nice really. I guess it must be working!

Lady great news that your move went well. I hope you're getting some rest now! Re the nursery - I would just leave it personally. You've got enough to do in the next couple of days I'm sure with unpacking, contacting people over change of address etc, keeping the GD under control if poss and possibly being induced in a few days anyway. Presumably the baby will be in your room for a while anyway, so you've got plenty of time to redecorate if you want to before they move into it.

GetDown how are you doing? How's your hypnobirthing going?

nix the doula sounds a good solution, especially in just keeping you calm before you go into labour just by knowing you won't be alone when it happens. Just 2 more days at work for you. You can count that in hours!!

pippa I would just ignore that MW comments. The figures she is quoting are just an average, there'll be a huge range of normal. Just aim for eating mainly healthy foods and eat if you are hungry and what will be will be. We are all different.

raven hurrah for a PJ day! I'm only partly dressed myself. I tend to shower and put on clean top and pants but then back to the PJ bottoms as they are more comfy for doing yoga in. And my bras annoy me too just now, so actual trousers/bras only happen if I am going out! Around 10 weeks is when your hormones stop going mental and doubling all the time and the placenta(s) take over sustaining the pregnancy so often people reckon they start feeling less symptomy around then. I know exactly what you mean about the wait for scans seeming endless.

I got given VAST amounts of baby clothes the other day so have been washing like a mad thing. A friend was having a bit clear out. At last count I have something like 40 vests in 0-3 months and about another 12 in newborn And that's just the vests! This baby has far more clothes than I do...

Speaking of clothes, I am bursting out of some of my maternity tops now and still have 6+ weeks of growing to do. Ordered some two sizes up. It's just a bit annoying having to buy more stuff this late on as it will barely get used at all.

Raven try not to worry. Think I had similar around that time and is because the placenta is taking over hormone production from you. When is your next scan?

So exciting you are nearly done at work, Nix

Thanks for that both - that could be it - hope so. Scan on 22nd July, will be nearly 13 weeks then.

Totally interested in how those that are doing hypnobirthing are finding it. I have a friend who did it and she is the only one I have ever heard talk about how much she enjoyed labour ()- so I thought that would be worth a go! Is it something to start right at the end/ third trimester?

I have my first Hypnobirthing class tonight - am really looking forward to it and simultaneously really nervous of being all emotionally-touchy-feely with other couples there! I think they recommend starting it in the third trimester because you're supposed to practise the techniques and keep them fresh in your mind...though to be honest I don't see why you couldn't do this for longer than 3 months. But I haven't been to a class yet so I might be missing something!

Hey all!

Glad to hear the move went well Lady. I would also leave the nursery as it is, think you have enough on your plate already! We moved when I was 12 weeks and that was stressful enough. Hope your GD is still nicely under control, not long to go now.

Hi Raven, easier said than done but try not to worry too much. I remember how long it seemed to take for the scan date to come around!

Good luck with your hypnobirthing class pippa. I am reading the book at the moment and thinking that it may be the way to go so need to look at some classes.

Ooooh, only 3 days left at work nix, I'm jealous! And by now it can only be 2 days to go!

I have the week off this week and we are doing some decorating. Quite knackered but it will definitely be worth it.

Hello to everyone who I haven't mentioned.

Spilt i am glad i am not the only one who practically lives in pjs and swings free these days...poor tesco!

I've had the most frustrating evening - our class is a 10 mile, 20 minute drive away from home and was due to start at 6.30pm. Tonight was our first class so we thought we'd get there a bit early - nerves etc! We got on the road at 5.45pm. By 8.45pm we had travelled 6 miles through the most horrendous traffic jam ever...when we eventually got to a turn off it took us 10 minutes to travel the same distance to get back home. We missed the class entirely and I spent 3 hours desperate for the loo while Bean kicked me repeatedly in the bladder! Gah.

Sorry - this is very me, me, me I know! Hope everyone else has had a better evening!

Oh pippa that's rubbish I would have been so annoyed!

Hello MrsP, hows the decorating going?

Anyone seen terrys recently? She had her 20 week scan last week and I'm worried she's not been back since.

Lady any word on your GD/induction/insulin yet?

No, not seeing consultant until weds and have been avoiding the nurse. Just because I think she is going to start doing out insulin and I don't agree! Bloods have been slightly squiffy but I think due to moving house and irregular meal times etc. Might call her later.

How annoying Pip. Had there been an accident or something?

Right, I also need to rant

I was fed up of my daily deflating birth ball so decided to order a new one. Ordered from the NCT as it seemed an ok price for a 75cm ball which is what I need as I am long legged.

It arrived yesterday and is manifestly NOT a 75cm ball. It is labelled as one, but is actually only a 53cm ball. Manufacturing error I assume.

So this morning I phone the NCT to explain the problem and ask to be sent an actual 75cm ball. Apparently they haven't heard of any such problem before and said I probably am not pumping the ball up enough!! They asked me to measure it, I did and told them it was a 53cm tall ball. They said, "no, measure the diameter" ?! Which is the height for a sphere isn't it...
Then they asked me to measure the circumference which I did and is 190cm or 75 inches. They lept on the 75 inches and said "see it's the right size". I said no, it is sold as 75 cm DIAMETER. I explained that I already have a 75cm ball which has been punctured and this is to replace it, so I know what size it should be and this ball WILL NOT PUMP TO THE SIZE IT IS LABELLED AS.

Upshot is they want me to return it via Royal Mail at my expense and if it is wrong they will send me a new one and refund the shipping.
Not impressed. At all.

I have no spine on the phone and was doing my best to be persistent as it was. Very annoyed to be told that a) I can't pump it far enough and b) I don't know the difference between diameter/circumference and cm/inches.

Hoping DH will phone them for me and tell them this is bloody stupid, he's good at that.

Lol at the ranting!! My ball was six quid from t k max ;) must be quite sturdy as it takes me plus 3 stone Ds bouncing on it together lol

Pipp rubbish you missed class ;(
No not seen Terrys. Has anyone seen her on bookface?
Might have to do some stalking!!
Spilt.. Set your dh onto them xx aresholes aren't they!!

I had the most wonderful babyshower gift from my work pals last week , a huge basket full of goodies.. Blanket, sleeping bag. Outfits, teddy and lots of little things too,. Just wonderful! Have made up the Moses basket (that's all I've done- bad mummy!!) and Ds has put his teddy inside the sleeping bag, in the Moses basket together with the babies teddies;) v cute!! It's making me nervous tho, the more excited he gets the more I dread things going wrong - the thought of untelling him again fills me with horror - having said that had 36 week check today;) baby head down almost engaged and everything perfect thus far ;)

I do keep getting very shaky though, not certain am eating enough of the foods babs needs.., choc seems to sort it out ;))

I more day to get through xxx ;) xx

Oh God oh god

I am mortified and have made a total twat of myself.

Part 2 of Spilt's birth ball saga:
DH comes home and phones NCT to say exactly what I said earlier. Different person answers phone and goes "oh ok, very sorry about that, send it back and we'll issue a full refund and also refund the postage". Great .
So we thought I'd just scribble a covering note to go in the box and explain why it's going back. And to accompany said note we would stick in a pic of the new ball next to my old one just to be clear about the size discrepancy.
So DH pumps up my old ball. Yep, it's huge compared to the new one. I say "just pump the new one a bit more so it's a fair pic". He starts pumping. And pumps some more. Ball grows staggeringly. Despite having apparently no spare rubber left it somehow increases in size by a third.

Yes it is a perfectly alright 75cm ball.

Dear NCT I am very sorry for badmouthing you on here. You were right and I was a twat. But for the record, your customer service wasn't very good, and if I had been right I would still be mightily pissed off.

As it is I am ing profusely and deeply embarrassed. Sorry!

Now you can all laugh at me

nix my one consolation is that they took no details on either phonecall and we are ex directory so they can't ever find out it was me !
I go beetroot colour everytime I look at the bloody ball. I am going to have to get over this so I can actually use it!

Right, so how is everyone else?? Less pillock-y than me?

aah spilt you have made me chuckle and thanks for that.... :)

met with doula today... shes lovely. Think gonna go for it, last day at working from home and tying up loose ends today x

WHOOPP WHOOOPPPPPPPPP! [GRIN]

Congrats on finishing work, Nix

thanks been an absolute bastard of a day resulting in an official complaint about two members of staff, something happened that destroyed all my client credability as a result of their idiocy and made the company look unprofessional so getting over the destraughtness this evening.. been in tears since 4pm..TWATS! Gutted, should haveleft on a high :(

so glad to be out of there, the toddlers at home are easier to deal with thatn the toddlers at work!!!