Charters Anonymous Graduates Volume 2! – No more temping!

[Iwish]

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

Spilt, sounds like my first labour. Get as much rest as you can honey, you will need your strength xxxx Its good you are getting lots of practice contractions, every one you get is a step nearer to meeting your daughter :)

Thanks for the tips. Its been really hard. DS1 has been a right little S*d! Thanks for the tips,.. its very hard to ignore the bad when its so bad... and yes BF like mad....!! Constantly. Little monkey likes his milk. DS2 had not dropped any birthweight (other than 1%) which doesnt count after a week and is a little chunk but wont be getting him weighed for another week... dont really need to - hes filling out like crazy! My sling arrived the other day. I went for a beco in the end, clips rather than wraps, but have also ordered a mei tai wrap to see which we both prefer. The real challenge will be this week.. no mum to help out so getting out the door with two will be a real challenge :) xx

Yey for the 4D scan MrsA... not long now!
Love to all x

Nix my little guy has been a bloody nightmare as well. some days I could cheerfully strangle him. He is deliberately very naughty, on occasion destructive. He is often aggressive and rude as well. I did think last week he was settling a bit but back end of the week he was horrid again. Thankfully he is being good with the baby but his behaviour is not good. I put him in time out about 10 times a day and seems to have lost its power, I have even got so cross i have smacked him. I am NOT proud of this, is not how i want to parent but he knows how to pull my strings. I have bought How to talk so kids will listen and listen so kids will talk and hopefully this might make a difference.

I have to remember that he is only little and has had his entire little world rocked in the last two months and make more allowances. But it is very hard! I am lucky in that the baby is very "good" and sleeps a lot etc which lets me cope. And he gets his free 15 hours of nursery in Sept which will also help.

So Nix, not many practical solutions but just to let you know we are in the same boat and I am hoping that the mantra "this too shall pass" will prove to be true for this challenge as with so much else in parenting.

Must be doubly hard for you with DH away. Hugs.

Spilt am thinking of you today, as others have said try and rest as much as you possibly can. Try some painkillers and large glass of red wine and try and get your head down for a bit. Will do no harm at this stage and comes midwife recommended! Hopefully next time we hear from you you will have a little newborn to snuggle. Is so exciting.

spilt I've also heard that a large glass of red to relax does baby no harm and you the world of good! Thinking of you.

I'm very glad we're keeping DD in private nursery 3 days a wk when I'm on mat leave, cos I can only imagine how she will react in Nov. Atm we are turning a corner with behaviour. We've had a monster from about 14months and she is 3 in just under a month and (apart from wanting me to do everything, so screaming if DP tries to dress her/brush her teeth etc etc, she will let him cook for her though. Go figure!) finally she is starting to listen to us. No doubt tha will all fall apart come Nov but at least I'll have 3 days a wk with baby.

I'm quite looking forward to it tbh. I'm sooooo tired atm, every day. I know newborns are hard but physically this is damn hard. At least when DD is in nursery I can sleep when the baby sleeps!

Hello all, just surfaced from another doze. This is getting rather dull! They're now all about 1 min long and stronger, some of them have been right b*stards... Now more like 10 mins apart on average so heading in the right direction again for now.
I keep telling myself that nix - each one is one I never have to do again, and one nearer to having my baby

I'd be interested to hear how you get on with your slings. I'm tempted by one of the Moby wrap style thingys.

lady and nix sorry you're having to do battle with your eldests, no advice due to no experience, but it sounds tough. I hope things settle down for them soon.

Oooh nix really? Labour started after the head engaged? I am not too hopeful though, no real signs as yet for me. Quite happy to wait though Got so much to do still!!! . DH and I wrote a list of things we want / need to get done before baby and it came to about 25 items Ooops.

Sorry to hear about the stroppy older siblings nix and lady. I fear mine will be the same. She is already a right little madam when she wants to be. My patience wears thin at the best of times, but when I'm sleep deprived and juggling a tiny baby I suspect patience will become a rare comodity Just glad that she is starting school nursery 5 mornings a week from September, at least I will have a bit of time with just the baby, and she will also get some stimulation from school.

MrsA so glad to hear you had a good 4D scan - sounded amazing! It's good your DD will have some days in nursery too - just that bit of a breather makes all the difference doesn't it. Just wish ours did lunch, they don't unfortunately.

spilt you sound like you are doing all the right things and coping admirably. Early labour can be frustratingly boring unfortunately. Hope things speed up for you soon. Have you rung the labour ward to say what has been happening, or are you going to wait till they are a bit closer together? I've got a Moby wrap BTW (on MrsA's recommendation ) and it seems really good - have tried one of DD's dollys in it already I like it because it is very flexible and you can hold the baby in different positions depending on how old they are etc.

Spilt, good that they are happening. Remember for labour they need to be long and deep and close together... sounds like they are headed the right way. I was having 1 or 2 every 10 mins that were long and deep before the drip kicked in. Getdown, yes the head engaged then within one or two days the waters went. Supposed to be a sign of everything kicking off... :)

LAdy sorry DS being a nightmare... same here! He hates me! Loves the baby tho.... more on that later... was just checking in on spilt!

Hope things are progressing now xx

Hurrah! Just been in to get checked by a MW to see if I am getting anywhere and am 2-3cm so feeling quite encouraged. She's well engaged and hb still nice and happy. Things picking up a bit more now, 5-6 mins. I declined a sweep for now.

Yay spilt!! IMVHO I think you did right to refuse a sweep. Your body is doing ok and progressing (sounds like you are taking after your mum) and sweeps can accidentally rupture membranes, in which case the nhs turns on their stopwatch. It used to be you could go 72 hrs past waters going but NICE guidelines now say 24 hrs. Just keep positive and do what you are doing. :)

no news from spilt could this be a good sign?!!

That's what I was thinking MrsA!

Sooooo excited for spilt

Can't wait!!

Fingers crossed this is it for spilt! I am very excited indeed!

good stuff spilt hope its all progressing nicely xxx

Hi all you lovely ladies!

Fingers crossed little split is on her way into the world. Or is already here :). Xx

hi all, long time no see.

having tested every day for the last 5 days , culminating in a CBD and two others all at once today, I'm finally getting the idea that I might actually be up the duff.

so i thought i would say hello.

all the best to spilt and anyone else hatching soon.
:)

Welcome jaggy! I saw you get your bfp on the charters thread. (I have been lurking but not posting). Hope you and your little bean enjoy your new home here :)

Welcome jaggy-exciting times!

Congratulations Jaggy! I am no longer up the duff, have a gorgeous little girl though. Maybe we should start a postnatal thread as well. No rush though I reckon

Hope Spilt is snuggling up with her newborn now.

thanks :)

Hello all

Congratulations jaggy and welcome!

We have ordered our buggy and car seat now, very exciting, and added to our collection of clothes. I find it quite hard to know how much to buy and what exactly we will and won't need. We still haven't decided on nursery furniture, can't agree. Also torn between a moses basket and a crib. Keep having to remind myself that baby won't actually care as long its comfortable!

Hope everyone is well. 5 and a half weeks left of work for me and it can't come soon enough.

I have spent this evening looking up positions to be in to get Bean to turn head down-they mostly involve lying off sofas at impossible angles and getting horrid head rushes. They are also very counter intuitive as I'd have expected the opposite way up? Either way I just can't do them

Nursery designing/buying is fun MrsP we went for a cotbed for longevity's sake and then panicked at the idea of a teeny baby in such a massive space and got a Moses basket too!

Hi ladies. Spilts dp here. Just to let you all know that she gave birth to our new daughter on Monday afternoon. Both mum and baby doing well. She's staying in again tonight for some extra support with feeding, but hoping to get them both home sometime tomorrow. I'll let her fill you in with the rest when we can get her back online!

Hello spilts DP! Thank you for letting us know, and many congratulations to you both. Cant' wait to hear all about your new bundle of joy.

Waves to splits DP! Congratulations to you both!! Enjoy big cuddles with your lovely little girl

Hi everyone else. Hope you are all well!?

mrsp we have got a Moses basket for our little one. Would have loved a swinging crib as they are usually bigger than the baskets but our bedroom isn't v big. Hope you are enjoying shopping for your little one, I could look at baby stuff all day!

pippa have you tried a gym ball? I've heard they are good for getting bubba into position. I bought one from eBay for £8 to make sure my little man stays head down and it also helps my SPD.

34 weeks for me now and getting v excited. I finish work Friday next week and am looking forward to relaxing for a couple of weeks before my little man arrives.

Yey for spilt and her DP! Congrats Can't wait to hear the baby's name; hope everything continues to go well and you get home soon.

Iwish I think you and I are next...eek! (Though when is Getdown due? Also close I think?) I'm 35 weeks at the mo...I swing between feeling very ready and not at all ready! I have got a gym ball - are you supposed to just sit on it? I do do that in the evenings - might try rocking or something!