We're now halfway and it's PMA all the way - Nov 2011

[cep]

Halfway there now ladies. on the countdown.

I've always been a bit confused by pelvic floor muscles. I know I can do them as bump said have a wee and stop it very briefly as a test. I can hold tight for ages and release slowly, apparently the release is as important. I can do about 20 fast flutters. BUT when I need a wee I better be near a toilet!!!

I try do them often but forget, maybe do them 3 times a day.

We've got a wee kitten staying with us for 4 days and the poor mite has sat under the chair and is refusing to eat (2 days). Getting a bit worried now.

bump Thanks for the pelvic floor advice! I have been doing them when I remember but must do more, can't hold for more than 3 secs and can't stop per mid flow at all! Must make more of an effort!

Still not feeling much regular movement but felt baby kick from the outside last night woo hop. Unfortunately dp wasn't about but hopefully will have a few more soon!

Pelvic Floor Exercises This explains the pelvic floor and why certain exercises are better than others. It's written by a physiotherapist who specialises in body mechanics, and she writes a lot on the pelvic floor. In short - kegels are not enough, they only develop part of the muscle system, and you need to have the whole system working well. Squats are far more effective at dealing with the area.

MrsA About loving the next baby. A lot of people worry about this, particularly going from 1 who seems to take up everything to 2. I can assure though that your love will grow to take in the new addition. I've best heard it described like candles - one light can seem to shine the whole the room, but add the next candle and the light will shine even brighter. Same with love. You'll love the new baby as an individual, as well as love how they are when they're together. I have 3 + bump, and I've never felt that I've run out of love (though running out of like can depend on the day ).

I'm getting a lot of movement now - the other night it felt like baby was barrel rolling down my front. My 3 are very entertained by this, though my youngest on the outside (who is turning 2 in just over a week!) keeps getting kicked by baby during her daily 'I must cuddle/poke/pat/lean on the belly' sessions. Baby does not like anything infringing on their space, it seems. My abdomen muscles feel so sore sometimes and I'm not always sure if it's just me adjusting to the new weight on my frame or all the activity going on from the inside!

Notjust my stomache muscles go really tight when the baby moves up to the front as well! I worry there's not enough room for her as I struggle to see how my bellly can stretch any more!

Caz it's culverhouse cross were going to tomorrow, we haven't beeen before though! If you're in Newport do you know the joojomama baby shop? Is it any good? Aparently a colleague can get me discount there, wondering if its worth a look?

MrsA don't worry about secret stuff on fb, it's a secret group so non e of your other friends will see whats posted there!

bump I'll probably find this out on my shopping trip tomorrow, but do the prams with car seats not go 100% flat then? Or are there some that do?

Re Pelvic floor exercises... I'm rubbish! I like the idea of doing them after everytime you pee or something though, I may try that as I forget! I'm also not sure if doing them right, so off to check out that link above!

About to go fish my enchiladas out of the oven, then sitting down to a film (already in my pjs!) night all! Happy Friday! xx

The jojomamabebe shop in Newport is a little shack off the side of factory... I went there once when I was pregnant with Belle but they didn't have a huge range in it then and I didn't come away with anything. I've not been there since so not sure what it is like now. There is a proper jojomamabebe shop in St Davids 2 in Cardiff though...

Cep my lovely, my MW said there's nothing wrong with sleeping on the right side - I'm antsy because my placenta is stuck on the left and it pulses when I lie on it - she just said the left is better because it helps the baby get into the optimal position.
Not much news here other than went for a chiropractors appt yesterday. I really wanted to check my pelvic alignment so I can feel confident about a VBAC as a lot of people have told me that a duff pelvis could have caused DS to get stuck in deep transverse arrest. I'll admit I was getting a bit smirksome and cynical watching the worthy DVD intro but was amazed at what I was told. Saw just how twisted my spine is, and taht I carry about 3kgs more weight over one leg than the other - one of which is also half a cm shorter. Hmmm I'm currently sounding like Quasimodo . And the weirdest thing was when he noted: "all of this points at a breech birth" to which I said "no no DS was occipital transverse" but then he added: "no you, were you a breech birth?" I'll admit my gob was smacked because he was spot on! He also said no wonder DS didn't sleep much if he had that much of a difficult birth too. I think that hugely affects early temperament. I was the most laid back critter during DS's pregnancy but after a horrid birth which I think resulted in a fair amount of pain for him he quickly turned into a very colicky baby. I've been more stressed this pregnancy but know I'm prepared for a good, bad or god awful birth so think DD might actually fare better. Anyway I'm currently in agony after the chiropractor tweaked me around and I'm due for more treatment as I do indeed have a twisty baby trapping pelvis. Arse. Hopefully it will do some good though.

Poppet your post fascinated me but I'm too exhausted to post tonight. My placenta on left too (think I commented on your thread about it after starting my own to ask about it).

Will chat tomorrow

Oh I've name changed again..

staceroo lots of prams that also allow car seats to attach to chassis lay flat when used with the pram seat (not all though) but a lot of people just use the car seat rather than the pram seat.

Had an additional MW appt today to discuss pain in groin as I am high risk of spd & have been in agony recently (couldn't even walk upstairs last night!!). Well my MW is on hols & so I had another, who I wasn't impressed with last time I saw her. She was lovely & checked bp, baby etc - baby kept kicking & moving whilst she was trying to measure & find heartbeat. When I mentioned pain she cut me short & said "oh that's norm ligament pain" when I explained how bad it is her response was "get used to it & take pain relief - GP can give you stronger if paracetamol not enough" she mentioned physio but wouldn't refer & got stroppy at me when i said I was aware of posture etc. So wasn't very helpful!! She then read in my notes 'discussed antenatal depression' & said "do you think you have that then" umm no my GP & MW think I do and I can see why and then the most helpful nugget "well pain won't help your mood & your mood will make your pain threshold less" as if I hadn't noticed this already!!

Sorry about rant but on a good note have GP appt next week & if she doesn't refer me to physio then I will call my MW!!

Hope everyone has a good weekend x x

Hi ladies, I am up stupidly early again today but luckily now at my parents so will hopefully be able to go back to sleep for a bit.

bump what an aggravating mw appointment. I hate that dismissive attitude.

I am not sure about SPD but yesterday I went to peppa pig world which was great, but now aching like hell in my lower pelvis and pubic bone too. but have to admit, I haven't done all the yoga and chiropractor stuff I did last pg. Did order some DVDs on amazon last night though so hope some pilates and yoga will help.

not just Your words about loving the new baby came at the right time for me, as have been thinking about it myself. That is a great metaphor too, will tell my mum. She had two kids so does know that she will love her new granddaughter but she is so besotted with my dd, it's incredible.

I just can't believe how soft my parents are with her! They were and still are amazing parents to my brother and I; loving, generous but also firm and didn't tolerate bad behaviour when we were young but with Elodie, they just can't say no to anything! I am the only 'bad cop' when we stay here. It's incredible, though how joyful the grandchild/grandparent relationship can be. I had no idea because I didn't see much of my grandparents in the caribbean and my English ones were prejudiced and weird.

Have nice Saturday's everyone!

Oh bump I can completely understand why you feel let down by your midwife. No, you shouldn't have to get used to pain. It's a warning sign to do something. Can you call your Supervisor of Midwives (ours is lovely) and ask about a referral?

Please don't put up with it, pregnancy takes it's toll physically and mentally. You're changing all the time and anxious to meet your healthy baby and not to mention that almost everyone I know suddenly draws up a list of 50 DIY jobs decides to move house when pregnant.

Some hospitals let pregnant women directly refer themselves to physio - have you got a number?

In my world at the moment, I am doing some things from the spinning babies website- inversion and pelvic floor release.

Poppet - still no time to post about your message yesterday - just getting breakfast ready and then off to antenatal class. I'm looking forward to stretching today, my hips feel like they need it.

Morning everyone else (I was DIV & HH)

Oooh bump my hand is itching to slap that mw! We have self referral physio here which I have requested. 4 weeks for an appt! That's not exactly catching it early.

Off to the East Fortune Airshow today so taking all comforts, blankets and chair.

Kitten has finally eaten woohoo!

Bump so sorry your midwife let you down. I do worry once I am in labour I will get a poor midwife and have warned dh that I will ask for another one if I am unhappy. Dh nows thinks I am going to become lord sugar ... You're fired!! Could be the hormones but I feel quite vulnerable being pregnant.

Wish I had videoed my bump last night as he is very active at night and my belly was moving around by him.

What's everyone's plans for the weekend?

Tjuice the relationship between grandparents/children is a great one! As a child I was soooooo lucky in that I had 3 sets of grandparents :) Dad's parents spilt up re-married and started new families before I was born. Each set were totally different with me but I totally loved spending time with them. I just wished we lived closer to them so I wouldnhave spent more time with them. When I was very little we all lived very close so saw them all the time, but then we moved an hour or so away. I am a bit worried about how my parents will treat my baby as that she'll miss out on that as even though we live in the same town they don't see much of my niece and nephews. My mum finds my nephew difficult to handle (he's very cheeky and boisterous) an because of this she avoids spending too much time with them. I want her to openly want to spend time with my new baby.

bump i'm sorry mw visit didn't go well. i would definately mention it to the gp when you see them, if you are in that much pain you need to see the physio.

hoo7 I really hope your parents are great when she gets here. What are your oh's parents like? I have to admit, i find it a strange concept to avoid spending time with a grandchild. my 3 yr old is very boisterous (and is as we talk climbing across the back of the sofa to the chair) he can also be very naughty and very cheeky but my parents wouldn't avoid him. They just tell him off if he needs it.

The grandparent relationship can be fantastic. I feel a bit deprived on that front, as I didn't have much of it myself. My dad's parents died long before I was born. (In fact, my grandmother died in the 1930s (yes, you read that right!) which is a bit mindblowing when I think about it!) My mums parents were alive when I was born, although I don't remember my Granny much, and my Granda died when I was 8.

I am very concious of the fact that since my parents are edging up towards the age of 80 now (although still in reasonably good health for their age) that if they remember them at all, it will be as very elderly, which is a shame. DHs parents are a bit younger, although his dad is frail and in poor health, and his mum likes to moan a lot about her health (although there is nothing wrong with her), so ironically they 'feel' older than my parents.

But the close grandparent relationship is the main reason why we live where we do - I've always yearned to leave Northern Ireland (for obvious reasons!) but since having DD, I wouldn't want to uproot her from the grandparents who love her so much, and who she brings such happiness to. And my parents have 10 grandchildren, and they were still over the moon to be told there was another on the way, so there is no problem stretching the love!

Sorry, epic post.

Sorry, to clarify, I meant that if my children remember my parents in later years, it will be as very elderly. When I read my post back, it didn't really make sense!

Afternoon all,

hope you had a good time at East Fortune pam, DH has gone to it with my uncle, am home alone with the mutts and the chores, although he has said not to do anything, I think if I really did nothing DH would be very surprised when he got home!!!

Thank goodness the weather has improved, am going to potter in the garden on and off today and enjoy the sunshine :)

Have been into Perth and started getting a few things for the bump, now have a reasonable number of baby gro's etc for Nov, have bought 0-3 months rather than newborn just incase it's a bruiser, thought that it's better if things are too big rather than too small. Also bought a snow suit for coming home after birth, found it in TK Maxx, one of my favourite shops, its adorable, has ears on the hood and the feet have embroidery like paws on the feet, so cute!!!! Will run out of things to buy very shortly I think!!!

Hello I'm back from my seriously soggy Cornish hol! Suffering from SPD I think - MW referred me for physio which is on 10th. Pain pretty bad after holiday exertions so rang up while away and managed to secure a specialist ante-natal chiro appt for tomorrow.

Will take me forever to catch up...

TwoJack East Fortune basked in sun it was a lovely day. Though a huge mistake on my part, I used (well attempted to) the portaloo on the exit gate at 5pm on a hot day. So after a 30 minute delay while I recreated the scene from the Exorcist we managed home safely!

Ali welcome back! I have the same date for physio for SPD. So much for catching it early eh? Good to see you will see a chiro earlier. I'm tempted to stump up private.

I hope everyone with connections to Norway is ok and no sad news. For everyone else I hope the horror of this act does not upset too much - I hope the world will move towards tolerance and rid us of people who act like this.

bump I'm sorry you had such a crap mw apt. I've had bad back pain too and while I know it's now spd, being told, it's bcs I'm pg and it's my hormones really doesn't help when I'm in agony in the evening and can't sit and can't lie. My nw wouldn't refer me either so I think I'm going to go for physio private. I'm in a health plan can claim back 2/3 of the cost. Could you do this? Or maybe see you gp?

alicat sorry Cornwall was soggy! We're also going in 4 weeks in a vw camper so I'm praying for some sunshine.

pamsco I know the events in Norway are horrific. So sad and shocking. But the media sensationalising dies no good IMO.

Hope everyone has nice Sunday plans? I'm off to buy our buggy

Morning all...(or afternoon for those of you who have been up since 5am!!)

We had a mamoth shopping trip yesterday, but didn't buy anything for baby! Just a maternity swimming costume for me! We did lots of research and relly know what we want in terms of pussh chair/carseat/bedroom furniture.

Also done a bit of research on reusable nappies to, but need to do some costing now as it's hard to compare prices, as some packs go from birth to potty, others you need different sizes, and they all come in different quantities so youcan't easily tell which is cheapest!

Now have lots of online comparison to do with all the baby stuff aswell. Caz we also made it across to the mamas and papas by the city stadium, which was really good, and much better value for money than mothercare. And we went to Eddershaws around the corner. It's useful to know that they are closing down in Aug/Sept, so I reckon if we go there in August we'll be able to name our price for most things!

Does anyone else have a really itchy belly? I've got a spotty rash all over mine and not sure if it's normal or worth worrying about. I know it's apparently normal to have an itchy belly, but not sure about the rash?

staceroo I came out in a rash on my tummy last week. Only lasted a day, no idea what it was. Freaked out for a mo thinking it could be measles but the glass test made them disappear!!

Hello All,

Saw my physio sister this weekend and she really echoed your advice Bump. She gave me a poke about and we basically realised that I have zero power over my pelvic floor and that I need to get to grips with it quick! She recommended keeping my pelvis in balance and not under stress so take it easy on exercise - and keep my knees together - no lunging or breaststroke etc.

Was nice to be pampered a bit this weekend, think OH appreciates that my body is under some duress now he's started carrying my bags and stuff :)

Sad news about the shootings in Norway, can't believe how crazy some people are.

Wow, what a weekend.
Being Scandinavian, with quite a few friends spread in Norway, and an active Labour party member when I lived over there, I've barely been able to sleep. I had a friend on the island, Utoya, who luckily got in the water at the right time, but the stories are just... almost unbearable.

If you compare the number in percentage of population, just to show the scale and shock for us, it's as if 500 people died in the London bombings, or 7000 in the Twin Towers.

Other than that - I've got an appointment Mon, Tues AND Wed, GTT on Wednesday (sigh)

Cali that's a relief about your friend - hope he/she recovers from the trauma though, it must be horrendous. I don't have any connections in Norway but it's still been difficult to think about anything else.

It puts my crappy weekend into perspective. I've had a week of enforced early nights and had really started to feel better (exhaustion and then days of round ligament pain had really been getting me down). Then our delightful new neighbours decided to have a party last night. I kid you not they were still playing really crappy dance music at top volume in their back garden at 2am. They obviously don't understand they're in suburbia now. They must have kept the entire street up

Next time I'm calling the cops...

PMA: our blue bump is kicking for England! The feelings have been getting more definite over the last week or so. The only downside is the moment either I or DH put a hand on my belly, he stops! It's really funny, but frustrating because DH hasn't been able to feel anything yet. He must be shy... :o