Nov 2011 - Mat B forms are in and time is flying not long now

[PamSco]

Sorry just went for a new thread as I couldn't see another.

Hope you are all well this morning

Thanks pamsco I just got the message our old thread to full to post.

H007 here is the recipe. 55g butter, 200g sugar, 250g self raising flour, pinch salt, pinch cinnamon, 1 egg, 2 ripe bananas mashed, 50 g walnuts, 100g chocolate

Cream butter and sugar. Beat egg and banana then and walnuts and chocolate. Add to egg mixture and beat. Mix in flour salt and cinnamon. Bake at 180 for 1 hour.

V happy to have dh back home. Overdid things a bit yesterday as thought the midwife was near the shopping centre but turned out to be at the other end of a very long road so ended up walking and being quite sore. Baby well and bump measuring 26 cm. Feels very big but still growing to do! Tired as woke up at 4 and couldn't get back to sleep.

Thanks Pam
I love all the getting together stories.

Today is hump day! And for me it is 2:40pm, so my day will be over soon. I am so happy.
Hope you all have a good day :)

Thanks Pam - was worried there when it said the thread was too big. We're a chatty bunch :)

Merry up Don't mind when it is - just thought it would be best for my crazy diary to have a date...what's best for people in September?

pma today - 43 working days to go until mat leave - huzzah!

Got another builder coming round to do us a quote for the loft extension so lots of tidying to do after work before he arrives, then a busy schedule of cake making (chocolate brownies and then cranachan cake). Nom nom.

I think this is possibly the chattiest group of antenatal ladies on mumsnet at the moment. There are some clubs which are giving birth on their second forum! I think we'll easily fill this one up and probably another as well by the time anyone has a baby in their arms. Good name choice Pam, and good recipe Cookie

Just pulling up a chair in the new thread :)

Thanks for the recipe cookie I'll be making that next week :) yum yum yum

glad someone started a new one, I thought I was going to have to be creative and think of a new name!

Well I now have a nice 3 days off work with nothing to do! My sister and her kids were supposed to be coming to stay so booked the time off especially and she cancelled! Not impressed!

Going to run lots of errands in the sunshine today though, then possibly back to do some more decorating this afternoon! Just a shame DH is working!

xx

Hi ladies and sincere apologies for my recent extended absence. I have been absolutely snowed under at work and barely lifting my head to do anything other than eat and sleep. This week seems to be turning a corner and I'm at home today waiting for the washing machine repair man to arrive so have a bit more breathing space to catch up!

I've not read back over all of the weeks I have missed so no name checking at the moment from me, but hope everyone is well today and pleased to be half way through the week! I'm off on Friday as it's our wedding anniversary tomorrow and we're off to Le Gavroche for lunch on Friday, so have only one more day in the office anyway - yippee. We have nothing planned at all for this weekend so am looking forward to a bit of pottering round the house and mostly relaxing my way back to sanity.

We did buy our pram / travel system last week (well, my in laws bought it for us as a gift - how lovely) as we were back in the Midlands for a family wedding and took the opportunity to take the PiLs pram shopping We've gone for the Silver Cross Surf and maxi-cosi pebble and it's living at my PiL's house for the time being. Can't wait to get back up there to have a play with it all as we got a few accessories to go with it too.

How is everyone getting on with the warm weather? In the last week I feel as if I have grown huge (although I think in context I'm not that big for 25 weeks and have been very lucky not to gain weight anywhere other than my bump just yet) and feel like I'm struggling a bit in the heat. Am conscious that I'm walking much more slowly than I normally would - although am not yet waddling, which I'm grateful for! My biggest growth area TBH is my boobs, am now in an H cup and just know they are going to get even bigger before the end - eek.

Sorry for the mammoth post, although it feels like I owed you all a good catch up after neglecting you for so long Looking forward to catching up properly and trying to be better at keeping in touch now.

Truff I'm so suffering in this heat. I don't do well with heat in my non-pregnant years and specifically tried for a winter baby yo avoid being huge at this time of year, but still feel overly melty. Last night, I ended up using a very cold 2 litre bottle as a bump and chest ice pack - so marvellous even the bump wiggled in approval.

thread title has me panicking as I have just realised my forms are NOT in!

Chip I don't have my MAT B1 yet, I assume I'll get it when I see my midwife on Monday. Luckily I work in HR so know work will be fine about having it slightly later than legally required

Does everyone know when they are planning to start maternity leave? I'm thinking of finishing on 4th November and taking 2 weeks annual leave before starting maternity leave on my due date. I've got a lot of holiday to use so might also use one day per week in October to wok shorter weeks.

Hello again, just checking in over my lunch.

I don't have my Mat B either, but will ask Mr Midwife for it next Friday.
I'm starting mat leave on 10 October, but taking the week before that as holiday. Can't wait to have a little time to nest and sit about eating cake.

Meant to say earlier if anyone else has had any birth dreams? I had one last night. It was quite reassuring really. I gave birth in a pool and it was lovely - all to plan, no screaming or anything. The only thing was, we're expecting a boy and it was a little girl...I just couldn't get my head round it in the dream!

Anyway, hope you're all well. :)

Welcome back Truff. I'm lucky in that summer is my quiet time at work, although busier than usual this year as I am planning everything that needs to happen for the next twelve months!

I haven't received my MAT B form yet either but I have a MW appt next Thursday so I will ask about it then. I'm finishing work on 31 October, two weeks before due date on 13 Nov. I hope I can last!

I am now 25 weeks and am finally being offered seats on tubes etc so must look like I have a decent sized bump!

Going to my second pregnancy yoga class tonight. I didn't really enjoy the first one but thought I should give it another chance. I prefer my regular body pump gym class that I'm still attending but not sure how many more weeks I can keep that up. And I bought an ante-natal pilates DVD that I like because you can do ten minutes a day, which I find very achievable, whereas I wouldn't find the time to do half an hour a day.

I've still put on about 1 stone 4 lbs, not sure what's normal for this stage of pregnancy? I find it amazing how much things change from week to week. This week the bump seems much bigger and I can feel the baby moving a lot more. I'm so used to only feeling it at night that it was freaking me out when I could feel it kicking away while I was at my desk on Monday.

I'm sooooo sleeeeepy could do without work today. I slept loads and woke up exhausted. It was all I could manage to do the thread - sorry it isn't a funny exciting name and that it is a bit UK-centric!

ziggi I'm starting mat leave on the 5th Nov with 2 weeks of annual leave before then. So last day of work is the 21st October. Due 12th, as you know Cake eating to carb up sounds a good plan.

Speaking of cake I'm loving the sound of bananachoc bread - will give it a try.

Has anyone got any other easy recipes (I love cooking savoury and think I'm ok but well scared of baking!) especially fresh fruity cakes? We have a load of blueberries ripening in the garden - anything other than muffins I could make?

I am due on the 19th so planning on taking two weeks ML prior to that and 38 days AL before that so should finish up around 13th September :-) I can't wait to stop my 4 hour commute everyday :) also added to that I have two and a half weeks holiday to take between now and 31st August :)

H007 I only have this to say

Bloody hell H007 hat is a lot of annual leave to take!! I just wish I could take holiday after my due date so could have less time before. My commute is 2.5 hours per day but work is so busy and there is so much going on in the next 3 months that I worry about getting to a point where I can handover effectively. We are recruiting for my cover at the moment (very strange experience!) and I'm hoping we get someone so brilliant that my concerns just disappear.

I have about 25 days to use before mat leave and have a week booked at the end of this month plus a couple of odd days for hen parties and a wedding. I might keep a week back just in case when I get further along I want to finish a week earlier as who knows how I will feel. If I'm feeling fine still then I can do the shorter week plan and just wind down into maternity leave that way.

Does anyone feel really strange about not being at work for so long? I have always been very career focussed and whilst I cannot wait to meet my baby and get to know him or her, I am also apprehensive about taking such a long time out (planning for 6-9 months) and being out the swing of things when I go back.

Of course saying all of this now, sods law says I will love being at home with the baby so much that I won't want to go back at all

afternoon ladies, yay for the new thread.

sorry truffkin i for one am looking forward to the time off work.

Hello all, thanks for new thread Pam

I haven't got my MatB1 form yet - its a real PITA as I won't get it till 28 weeks this time as thats the next time I see the MW (first time round I had appointments every 4 weeks and this time its every 6-8).

Good news is I finish work TOMORROW Yes I know its early but I want to spend lots of time with DS as I am a bit sad it won't be just us and him anymore. First stop is In the Night Garden Live on Friday and Lollibop on Sunday

With DS I worked till 38 weeks though so I don't feel too guilty

Oh Pam will have a think about recipes - I love baking!

mashpot I think its about 1/2lb a week in 1st trimester and 1lb a week in 2nd - I weigh 1/4 stone more than I did pre-pregnancy but then I lost 1/2 stone at the beginning, so not sure how much I have technically put on?

Ziggi glad your dream was nice, not had any yet this time but with DS I had one where we came home from hospital and put him to sleep on the bottom of a bookshelf, came back and he had died and I was like "oh well, never mind" - needless to say I woke feeling like a terrible parent!! Luckily he is fine and he hasn't slept on a bookcase in his life

Right - off to pick up a cake for DS's last day at the childminders tomorrow - if you don't know Beas of Bloomsbury then look it up, they are amazing cakes!

Truffkin I'm planning a year plus accrued olidays inc bank holidays so off 21st October then phasing back from Dec next year, I'll be full time by March 2013. This all sounds other worldly. My longest holiday in 21 years (since school) has been 3 weeks.

I thought I'd start to panic at the idea - especially at the no cash element at the end. But I'm actually really calm? I know my dept is going through a full restructure and likely redundancies early next year, so i'm a tad worried about that. I am protected from compulsory redundancy but don't feel I'll get a fair crack at applying for a role. Given I'm going to be off for another 6-7 months after that.

I've been so career focused over 2 decades I'm relishing the break, babying, gardening, getting fit then start afresh - probably a new role.

truff I totally understand. I am planning 6 months with baby, partly as that works for my planned nursery's admission dates (who knew?), but may come back slightly phased for the first month or two to allow myself some breathing space. A colleague advised me last week that the hardest thing will probably be leaving the baby to go into FT care, and that therefore I will need the mental space of not going cold turkey. I do plan to use my KIT days and to be in email touch with work and particularly my supervisees as necessary though, and have a ML personal development project lined up.
I remain very career-focused, and suspect I always will be, even with a family, however I know that the baby will impose new structure to my life that isn't there at the moment, e.g. not being able to work until 10pm. I welcome this, and hold out hope for DH that he will at least try to come home for bath and bedtime most days (or risk never seeing his son/daughter and wife awake!).

Yay...new thread & I managed to find you :) Thanks pam

Talked to my manager today as have put in for my mat leave to start on due date (7/11) with 3weeks AL before that; but am feeling so awful at the mo I looked into being able to afford to go off early & should just about manage another week!! This would mean I leave work 10th Oct until 3rd of Sept next year - which would be when I start my MW course :) H007 I to am very

Today has been interesting - woke up feeling awful but dragged myself to work anyway dosed up on analgesia and antibiotics (safe ones only) then ended up leaving early to go to the dentist (the joys) to realise that I can't remember feeling baby move today :( Spoke to MW & hosp and have had cold drink and something sugary to eat to try and wake baby but still only one definite baby movement - the past few days baby has been really active so slightly concerned esp as on the analgesia & antibiotics!!! Anyway due to phone hosp back again now to see what they say.

Hope everyone else is well x x

Eek! I just bought a kitchen.

Pam details please !! What sort of kitchen did you go for? I am in the process of choosing one too, we got a great quote from a man whose work I have seen first hand (he did my friend's kitchen a few months ago) and I'm so excited. Must be the nesting instinct, as I have just finished decorating the living room (or rather, DH has just finished decorating it). Am also needing to get a new boiler fitted - was so cold here last winter that our central heating froze, and we had no central heating for a fortnight of the coldest weather I have ever experienced. The fuel also froze in my car, and I was carless for over a week. I'm shivering just thinking about it. Anyway, the boiler is as old as the hills and in a bad way, so I'm not going through another winter in fear of it packing in again, so that has to be sorted before baby too. We'll be bankrupt, never mind having to buy baby stuff!

DP is getting all nesty, too - he wants to repaint the living room and spare bedroom before Sprout is here...

Today I'm making ... Truffles!
400g plain chocolate, small pot of double cream, 1 thimble of LBV Port - melt it all together, set in freezer for 3 hours... Enjoy!

Hi everyone! Found the thread by accident.... Never mind am here! Good week so far, feel like have achieved quite a bit and it's only weds! Bought some babygro's in the sale in a supermarket and although they are newborn they are flipping huge! I gave myself quite a fright at the size of them lol!
The heat is really getting to me, my OH has stolen a fanfrom his parents house to try and cool me down! Fingers crossed!