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

<a class="break-all" href="http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/www.berr.gov.uk/files/file34286.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">This tells you the minimum requirements for any UK employer with pregnant women, they absolutely must follow procedures or they can end up in a tribunal. Take it with you to any discussions if you think you are being treated unfairly. I'm going to get off my soap box and have a bath now!

GP was very good. Gave me the once over but couldn't find anything obvious. Said that sometimes white cells are elevated in pregnancy without any real reason but understood why I was anxious. Has given me an antibiotic cream for the bite on my leg and we'll just see how I go. I'll ask the hospital to do another blood test to see how it is next week I think...

Said the feeling bleugh and sicky again is probably due to being anaemic. Got my iron tablets now though so hopefully will pick up again in the next few days.

Exciting news this morning though - Santander have finally sent their donation to Sands in Anabelle's name; they've sent £3500 which takes her overall total to a MASSIVE £9320.74!!! I'm beaming, so proud of my little girl and what she's inspired. Hope it helps lots of other angel families and contributes to research to stop babies dying.

Cep hope yr hanging in there!
I've been for my anti-d and boy does that sting! Am a wuss when it comes to needles anyways but ouch! Oh joys another 2 of them, one in a few weeks I think and then one on delivery which Ive had before and never really noticed!

I would be on ssp if I went sick now. Think I'd be due a few weeks at half pay but that's it.

Hope everyone's doing better today and drs/hospitals all goes well :-)

Lizzy I worked in HR for 6 years :) They only have to pay what they'd normally pay for illness - no special treatment for pregnant ladies in that regard.

As a teacher, you'll have a different contract than a mere low admin temp who've worked for the company for less than 6 months... Yes, thank your unionised contracts and tax payers for some awesome benefits!

Hi all, sorry to hear that some of you are feeling low. I don't know how you are coping with work stress & being pg.

SSP - When I had my mc in feb I was only paid for 5 days out of the 8 I actually took off work, so 3 days were un-paid. Not a great thing to go back to :(

caz - That's a fantastic amount of money, well done, you must be so proud!

28 week bloods - Will I get my results at my mw app next wk? Not heard from apart from my GTT was normal?!

PMA - Have all next week off to start decorating the nursery! Going for light green paint, with this furniture www.preciouslittleone.com/product-information/51/7710/east-coast-langham-oak-cot-bed/, which is all in the garage still in boxes :)

Sorry, I hadn't realised that not everyone gets full pay as sick pay for 6 months, I stand corrected Cali! I guess I'm in a very fortunate position, I always assumed it was the same for everyone, I don't think its fair at all that you weren't paid when off for a miscarriage Hils Maybe these benefits are part of the problem of teachers going off with stress....

Anyway... cutee cot bed Hils, and congratulations to Caz and Belle for all the money you have raised together

Yeh I think the whole maternity pay and leave is an over complicated mess. It could do with simplifying.

I'm definitely not complaining about my lot as I will do ok (not the best package and not the worst) but as a perm employee with a large bluechip it is world's apart from the self employed and contract employees.

Lizzy you said that "The earliest an employer can force you to start maternity leave is 36 weeks". I think that only applies if you are absent due to a reason connected to your pregnancy. If you are off because you have 2 broken legs (as an example) they can't force your maternity date - that would be as per your application or your due date. I've checked this at work as my gallstones are not considered pregnancy related they are under a surgical consultant. For many things this could be a moot point as an employee would have to prove non-connection.

www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Moneyandworkentitlements/WorkAndFamilies/Pregnancyandmaternityrights/DG_10039631

Hey I'm still here thanks for the concern :) sorry to hear so many are having rough times... I'm off work this week so been busy with house stuff hence no comments I have been lurking though. My sister also has been diagnosised with agoraphobia which has been difficult as she has 3 children off school and has mean the majority of the week I have been taxi driver and spent a lot of time trying to convince her that she can do stuff we have made some great steps forward and thankfully for me mum is off today so she has taken over my role.

Had a day of balling my eyes out about my boob issues so phoned the consultant for clarification and he basically confirmed that all tests so far are inconclusive and that on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being they are 100% sure I havent got cancer and 5 being they are 100% sure I have got a tumour currently I am at 3. Which has actually made me a little calmer about things as previously the way they were wording it I thought meant they were saying they was nothing there which I found frustrating as I can see and feel something. So plan of action at the moment is to repeat tests in 2 weeks and compare with first test and make decision based on that. Consultant said to say optimistic and he is convinced that a diagnosis will be made eventually.

On a more positive note we now have a Moses basket and a cot :) feeling much more organised which is making me feel better about things, still working on the kitten haha

hi all, completely new to ALL of this - i.e. being pregnant, posting on a website etc and also have no idea what the acronyms mean yet so please bear with me! :) due on 16th nov and feeling totally unprepared and am BRICKING it (to put it mildly). it is really nice to see how open everyone is with each other on here and am looking forward to joining in. really sorry to hear that people are feeling down etc - these hormones are killing me too! also, as someone else mentioned, going back to the first few months of feeling sick/hungry all the time and never really knowing which it actually is..

also wondering whether anyone recommends the NCT classes -i haven't really been given any info on antenatal classes or anything by midwife ( who i've only seen twice since being pregnant).... very very nervous....

right - better get up and do something productive... :)

Caz Spatone this is good if you find iron tablets hard to take - I managed to bring my iron back up with this and 3 dried apricots a day with pg1 as the iron tablets made me feel horrid

nells welcome and congratulations. it is very nervewracking when pg especially 1st time. Feel free to worry and stress on here, we're all doing the same. NCT classes i haven't done them, i just did the nhs ones last time. prices seem to vary some have spent an awful amount of money on them, experience seem to vary from what i've heard, some seem to make friends for life and others haven't. that's about all i know unfortunately. sorry

hils it's called the 3 day waiting period and is normal unfortunately. Not quite sure why but it is across the board. When a person isn't entitled to ssp for whatever reason and they claim benefit they do the same. But it only happens once in a sickness period so if you are off for a long time and use up your ssp, before claiming esa, esa couldn't then do it again.

caz i can understand you being worried, i hope you feel a bit better after the gp.

h007 glad you're feeling calmer, hope the next lot of tests bring an answer which settles your mind once and for all.

well what a horrible morning that orange gloop is disgusting, then i was told i couldn't even have any water which i thought i could so i hadn't even had a drink before i went as had had no time. Found myself nearly passing out about 30-40 mins before the second lot of tests. ended up lying on the bathroom floor trying not to pass out, then about 10 mins later was lying on a bench outside again trying not to pass out. when i got over that one went in and spoke to the head nurse in office said i was feeling bad, and i was portered down to the maternity outpatients for blood pressure, rest of bloods taken and then tea and toast. sooo embarrassing.

Oh no Cep! Welcome Nells, join in the stressing!
H007 i really hope u get some answers soon.

Have had a horrid day, fell out with OH massively, he's stormed off somewhere and isn't talking to me, which is fun. So am just pottering around feeling a bit miffed and a bit hard done by too! As he's took the car am also stuck in the house with two fractious kids. Had took router out to stop the 13 year old from playing xbox non stop and it's also in the car so am limited on Internet access too! Ah not a good day! Don't know if it's my hormones or what but this is pretty indicative of how little he and I are getting on at the moment. Just adding to my stress levels as well. Sorry for the rant guys :-(

Oh Voodoo, poor you. Don't these fellas realise they are supposed to support and agree with us unconditionally while pregnant?

Welcome to the mad house Nells, feel free to let anything out here, we all have good and bad days (some worse than others, I have been reasonably lucky since the first trimester). How have you been feeling?

I swear I don't know what comes over h

I swear I don't know what comes over him sometimes (sorry mad phone deciding to post messages!). Dd is in a strop too. I may head back to bed!

Ah no Cep that doesn't bode well for me I drink continuously to stop myself feeling sick and I have my GTT on Tuesday :-S

Voodoo I would head back to bed, that's always my hiding place when I am feeling down, angry or any other manner of negative thought haha... Hopefully your OH will realise on his escape what arse he is being and coming back with a big bunch of flowers and some chocolate.

Ooooh and welcome Nells

cep your GTT sounds like a nightmare, not sure why you weren't allowed water, I was! I drank loads before & during just so my stomach wasn't completely empty

welcome nells

voodoo i agree with h007, defo go back to bed :)

Just had hot chocolate and curled up on settee with a book. Tis miserable weather outside so am hibernating for the rest of the day! Long soak in the bath and early night should do the trick!

Welcome Nells hope you like it here, I get more support here than even from mw

H007 just take a big old bottle of water with you! I was allowed to drink during mine but I hadn't been told I had to stay so had beg for water. I reckon your body doesn't work as well if dehydrated so you'd get atypical results. Fingers crossed for you cep and your results.

voodoo :( rubbish day you are having, hugs. We won't strop with you.

I've come home early got dizzy in work and a runny bottom (sorry tmi), pain seems to be in the gall bladder area so going to sleep a bit. Night night all.

Night pam, hope you are feeling better tomorrow.

Does anyone know about being in contact with things like chicken pox? I've had it and so have the 2 dc's but as am going to a friends wedding reception tomorrow night my dd is going to stay at her dads tomorrow night, only his other children appear to have chicken pox...... He hasn't told me as of yet, my poor dd has found out via the wonderful median of Facebook. So if it is chicken pox what do I do?!?!!?

Just a quick post as on phone - will do proper catch up when can get on comp!!

voodoo if you & your DCs have had chicken pox then you are all likely to be immune therefore no issue at all for you whilst pregnant. If you have had it more than once then you may not be fully immune but this doesn't happen very often. Hope that helps x x

On GTT, I wasn't allowed to drink water either, and when I fasted from midnight the night before, I was told this included water too. Particularly difficult actually as I have been gasping with thirst all day every day for about the past two months.......which with hindsight was obviously a symptom of the gestational diabetes. Doh! My MIL irritated me today too, by telling me that cutting out 'sweet stuff' shouldn't be a problem because 'its bad for you, and none of us should be eating it anyway'. This from a woman who nearly forces biscuits and cake on you as soon as you step through the door!! Now, I have been very disciplined and have totally cut out sugary stuff (and have had to cut out my beloved baking habit too, as the temptation would just be too much. DH is very ) and that's fine, I can do it for the sake of me and the baby, but honestly woman, don't sit there pretending to me that its easy, because its not!

hils i assume it's cause they worry it'll dilute the sugary gloop, when i was on the mat outpatients they were nodding away when i was saying about not being able to drink. ironically the letter said i could drink water beforehand, i had just been so busy before i got there, i did have a half plastic cup she gave which i sipped but had gone in 10 mins.

h007 goodluck hon, the gloop is really thick and very sweet.

snoozle my mil is rather holier than thou it's really annoying, you just end up nodding and not saying anything.

voodoo sorry you had an argument yesterday, i really do know how you feel, dh and i are having a bad time at the moment, i'm really hoping it's cause we're all stressed about work and money, we're off together this week, and i'm wondering if we'll be talking to each other by the end of it. I hope you're feeling better today.

Hi all,

Re gtt v glad I only had to drink lucozade. Had mw appointment between bloods who told me off for not drinking water.

Measured bump myself last night and looks like I m now measuring 3 cm over. Worried dates are out and baby Christopher will make appearance soon as just not ready. Have fear that he will come before nct classes.

Have a wedding this weekend so going as large pink elephant! Dh is best man so can't hide behind him. He is going to shave my legs and paint my toe nails....this will be interesting!!