TTC 6 mths+ GRADS THREAD

[Biscuitsandtea]

Afternoon.

I thought I'd start a Grads thread for those of us previously on the TTC 6 mths+ thread. I've been lurking on the ttc thread recently to see how everyone is getting on (having only very recently qualified to move off it!) and a few people were saying what a nice idea it would be if there was a grads thread so we don't lose each other.

Anyway, would be lovely to hear from other lovely ladies that were on that thread - or even if you were never on the ttc thread but had a sticky time of it getting your bfp then come and settle down with a decaf cuppa for a chat.

doll they rang me today and it was normal apparently, phew! You do have my sympathies - just contemplating 3 months sans sugar, cake, biscuits etc was terrifying. Ironically the growth scan is to check the baby isn't small because of the potential blood flow issue. It's a good job you are a chilled person - I'd be mental if they kept shit records/didn't properly monitor me! D-day must be fairly near now?

Btw you are totally right re growth scans being bollocks. I had a Google the other day and there were lots of people who'd been told they had a monster baby onboard only to discover it was small when born and vice versa.

Evening all :)

Glad to hear you're all doing so well.

Teu lovely, lovely name. I've never heard it before but it's great :) Hope all is going well with the new little 10 plusser babe.

Gin phew re your GTT that's great that it was normal. Mine was slightly elevated and I had a complete freak out melt down. Not cool like Doll at all. If it makes you feel better I put on 3.5 stone-ish possibly more as I didn't weigh myself much beyond 7 months!! I actually weighed more than Mr P who lost sooo much weight doing the house. Anyway, 3 months on and I've only got a stone to shift to get to pre-preggo weight and therefore don't feel too bad. I'm v jel of your ensuite. Hope it's looking gorgeous.

doll I too at ferel mini doll I hope all is well and you're settling into your new life.

Ele hello there! Glad to hear you had a lovely holiday. Mini princess is still up there on the 95th for weight and is very, very long although we haven't measured her recently. I keep meaning to get the tape measure out. We've had an uncharacteristically rough couple of days with a cold and jabs yesterday. I'm running on about 5 hours sleep in 48 hours . Mr P is napping as we had to take it in turns to do shifts with Madame cranky. Other than that she's laughed, rolled over, found her hands, picks up toys and splashes a lot in the bath. She's very cute but I'm looking forward to my nap turn, bath, dinner and small rest. We bought a pump and bottles today so that I can hopefully get a bit more down time in the evening. So far, bottle has not gone down well and we get the wide eyed indignant stare + shrieking. Hey ho!

Well big waves and loves to all. Bit of a crud catch up but phone is irritating me and I'm tired and the mini Tudor is awake and champing down on the boob quite manically!!

Happy Friday :) xxxx

princess it sounds as though you're managing brilliantly with a very hungry little creature. I hope I can be as much of a breastfeeding champ, I've heard that it's not easy! Five hour sleep does not sound fun, I hope you got some rest last night and that the little lady gets used to taking breastmilk from a bottle soon so you can have a break. She does sound incredibly cute as well, how lovely that she laughs and splashes in the bath. Is in that your awesome freestanding bathtub that you were installing or did I imagine that? I totally think of you having some gorgeous place that the two of you built together during your pregnancy, somewhere really pretty. Do you have a garden where you can sit outside?

eleth so glad you had a nice holiday, I love the Scottish borders. My family have a house around there in the south west of Scotland and it's my favourite favourite place in the whole world. I haven't been back all year since January, but am hoping to go in the spring after the baby arrives for a couple of weeks, if I can get the time away. Hope Hamish's cradle cap is better, poor you! I always get rashes so am sure my poor kid is going to inherit that, just hoping he or she gets MrC's skin instead of mine!

Speaking of skin, has anyone else broken out during pregnancy? I have PCOS (hence IVFing and my fertility woes) so my skin has always been a bit crap and it's has gone crazy in the past few weeks, lots of hormonal cysts. I thought I was meant to bloom! Wondering whether cutting out sugar and drinking more water will help .

gin so glad the test came back ok and that you're in the clear, I did at the Twix! Your bathroom sounds gorgeous, and we aren't redecorating our spare room/nursery either as like you, I'd like to move at some stage - maybe when the baby is a year or two old. We only bought two years ago so I don't want to move too quickly as our flat is basically our savings and it costs money to move if you don't make enough money back in the sale - but we don't have a garden and have a very noise-sensitive batshit crazy downstairs/next-door neighbour whose bedroom is right below the room we're hoping to put the baby in. Have you been waking up a lot in the night, by the way? Every other night I seem to wake at 4:30 and then not be able to get back to sleep until 7 ish.
I guess baby number two for you guys is one of those future issues that you won't know what to do about until you get to that stage. It must be stressful, but I guess all you can do is truly enjoy gorgeous little ginster now and think about ginster II later - you will know when the right time is to circle back to thinking about it. I am a massive one for stressing about things in advance, and my mum always tells me I am 'meeting trouble halfway' by worrying about things before they happen, when things could change. Maybe something in your circumstances may be different two or three years down the line.
On the mat leave - they are still buggering about. Work is crazy and my boss is travelling so I am biding my time before bringing it up again... I think they think it's really far away, as I'm not due for 4 months. The thing is that 14 weeks in the US is considered to be good here! I think a lot of American women pump their breastmilk and keep going that way. Hey ho, it'll be ok one way or another.

doll you sound amazingly chilled out, thank goodness you did measure your weight! I suppose it must be hard when you're travelling - I honestly don't know how you have managed a transnational move while pregnant with a toddler and working and kept your sanity intact. Very interesting on the GD... I am sorry you're going through this. Can you get another test? Seems odd that your weight hasn't massively changed but you still got this diagnosis. Also, how totally shit that you got zero mat leave with little doll. That is unbelievable. It makes me angry that adoptive parents don't get the same courtesy of time to bond with their children as they would otherwise. Bloody unfair. Are they going to give you some leave with this baby?

Everything else is good here. My bump has fully emerged in the past two weeks and I now look noticeably pregnant, especially in tight things. It's a relief to not just be in the awkward stage any more! Ooh, also, am knitting a cardigan for the baby. So fun to be able to do it - I've made things for other people's children in the past but it's a whole different ball game making things for your own, it literally makes me so happy. I forgot how long it takes to knit something on tiny needles, but it's a great activity for early morning sleeplessness!

How are our other new mums, teu and mellow?

sar hope all is well with you lovely girl, and that your work has eased off a little. Don't go running yourself into the ground!

Right, going to trot back to bed and try to sleep for a bit longer. Love and tail feather waggles to all!

gin I too have heard that about the growth scans also it depends on your body shape and how you carry the baby, glad your GTT was clear

ele glad you had a nice holiday away, we have been discussing hols and when we would take minibee overseas etc, obviously not while she is small, when we would take her home well my home

doll you must be getting close now, love the description of little doll, I hope you are getting settled into the new place.

critter snap at the knitting I am getting my baby box out of MILs loft tomorrow, I am also crocheting but I am a bit cack handed at it
I have had spots on my arms and legs could be my shower gel though. 14 weeks isn't really that long, 3 months, you barely have time to do anything, get a routine sorted out etc, I take it Mr C won't get any paternity leave. When are you planning to work up to??

princess lovely to hear from and to hear about madame cranky

art I hope all is well with you, haven't seen any new photos of baby art lately

mellow and teu I hope all is well with you two. Oh and teu surely its burger rings over hula hoops

Well I am still sick as a dog, do have new drugs to help with the sickness, I'm knackered all the time now, heck knows what I'll be like when the baby comes I have been enjoying afternoon naps with the cat

oooh forgot to add that I am now feeling movement, not alot but still something is going on in there :) not just trapped gas

Hello lovelies

princess - wow, you two are doing brilliantly. Hope I can master bf as well as you. Love the thought of smiles and bath splashes. Hope bottles and sleeps get sorted soon, that must be difficult. You sound like you are losing weight at the rate of nots. How long do you have on mat leave?

Gin - hoorah for a clear sugar test. Onwards and upwards to the scan. The rrrriot girl is growing perfectly, why else would she have all that energy. Hear you on the weight gain and need for twixes. I have gained 1,5 stone and I know most of that is bum, hip and thigh as my bump is relatively small and boobs not grown. I expect to look and feel chubby post birth but hoping bf will help sort that out.

critter - sorry you have broken out in spots. It wil just be hormones in overdrive, I think plenty of water is all you can do. Hoorah for a bump. You sound a lot like me in that I just had a thick waist for ages and its a relief to actually look a bit pregnant. respect on the knitting front, your baby will look gorgeous. I have had phases of early morning sleeplessness, kintting sounds like a good plan. Really sorry about the poor mat leave terms. Can you take some unpaid leave?

Buzz- oh honey im sorry you still feel grotty, you have my full sympathies. Are you off work? Or could you consider being off work? Especially if you are fatigued too .
Well done with the crocheting, what a nice thing to do for your baby. Glad you are getting movements, it is comforting.

eleth - glad you had a fabulous holiday.

I am having my best week so far for sickness levels although it is always there in the background. I wonder if it is linked to going in to the third trimester. Last week I went for a swim and after 10- 15 of moderate/gentle swimming I had to stop due to moderate and very noticable period pain which seemed to peak and troughin in intensity. It lasted about an hour. I rang the midwives who were really lovely. They told me to monitor kicks and come in if it happens again - which it didnt, thankfully. The midwife and my mum both seem to think I over did it with swimming and gave the muscles a bit if a work out, but my gut is telling me that I truely didnt over do it and the cramps were disproportionate to the mild exercise especially as I am active in my job most days. This wasnt ligamenty type stretchy pains. It radiated in to my lower back and thighs. Anyone else had this? Im not worried but going to make a mental note that I might have a slightly irritable uterus.

sar I have had extreme hip/thigh and back pain, I know it usually gets painful if I have walked or done too much, I have been off work for about 9 days already, i'm not sure when I will get back, soon I hope as my my physio and OT leave this week

buzzy I am so sorry you're in such pain, that sounds absolutely awful you poor thing. I love that you are knitting too! I don't crochet but would love to learn at some stage - I think I tried it once as a child but have just forgotten how to do it. Lovely that you have a baby box. It's going to be really nice to take minibee back to your friends and family at home and show her off when she arrives. So glad you're feeling movement, it's reassuring for sure!

Luckily MrC's employer is based in the UK and very flexible so that's going to be a relief. Not sure how much help he will be with a tiny baby, as he hates loud noises and is already making dark remarks about wearing headphones to drown out crying... but it's really nice to know he'll be around. I need to ask about unpaid leave... I'm worried if that my (and MrC's and the baby's) healthcare won't be covered if I do take it though. I need to find out what the deal is.

sar I have an anterior placenta like you and I think that makes for a less showy bump and less sensation of movement. Your swimming story sounds terrifying, I can only imagine how worried you must have felt. I have had some lower back pain and wonder whether having the placenta at the front might affect things, as there isn't as much of a cushion between the baby and spine.

All well here, up very early again fretting about doulas. Has anyone else had one of these? They look expensive but as am planning on going all hippie and drug free, I'm a bit nervous about not having one, as the midwife practice I'm going to recommends them.

Mmmm critter I'm interested that your midwife practice recommends having a doula, I would have guessed that alot of midwifes would draw the conclusion that the offerings of a doula was within a service that a midwife would provide to you anyway, particularly in a private medical setting. I'm totally guessing though. I have been toying with the idea and am not getting a doula having come to the conclusion that it might be a 'too many cooks' situation and getting hold of someone that I get along with well enough just feels like another thing to do and another personality to accommodate. This is likely all very influenced by my circumstances and having to deal with new and changing contexts but having turned it into 'another thing to worry about' I can't get back to feeling postive about it. I'm not 100% sure that I will get a good chance at the birth I would prefer but equally I haven't been convinced that, as a non-medical person, a doula will make the difference in the face a push for unwanted medical intervention.

Saying all this I know people with very postive experiences. As far as support during labour, I would advise that you and MrC unserstand what you want from her (or him, if there are any male doulas?) vis a vis your own relationship and expectations at the birth. I say this because one friend of mine had a doula mainly because there was a good chance her husband was not going to make the birth. He got there though and it was very much 'three's a crowd' from his perspective, and he was less than thrilled. Again likely due to a very specific set of circumstances but worth keeping in mind to make sure and break all this down, so you both understand what's what?

critter also you asked me up thread about mat leave with number two? I had to leave my job when we moved as it was attached to the location so I'm destined never to have any kind of baby leave! We all have shit but massively expensive health insurance through Ken's job and I've put my professional life on hold at the moment. You also asked about a repeat GD test? I begged for this back in my 'in denial' phase. Anyway, I test my blood 5 times a day, it's clear to me that there is something up. I don't eat cake or drink a coke or whatever to see what would happen/how bad it would get as it would somewhat defeat the purpose but I can clearly see the difference between different types of meals. My Dr here did say that he thought I would have remained undiagnosed had I been living somewhere without universal screening, he also at one point got concerned that I was over disciplined but I'm sure this bump has been growing all along even if for a few weeks he nicked a bit from my arse. I put on 0 in the first tri, 6kg in the second, 3kg so far in the third so I will likely reach the lower end on a normal range by the end. Gin I'm so glad yours was clear.

buzzy you are right, I'm about to get into to final stretch, I'm almost 36 weeks so relocating for the birth next weekend. So sorry you are not feeling well, you seem to have have far more than your fair share of health problems, you too sar. Hope you both feel better soon.

Loves to all. x

doll on the doula front, they are really popular here in DC. Two out of the three women I know well here who gave birth in the past year had them! I know what you mean about it not being necessary with a midwife - I think it's a bit of arse-covering on the midwife practice front. My guess is they recommend it for two reasons - first, because you're more likely to labour at home for longer if you have the security of someone who has seen it all before and isn't panicking, and second, because it means the midwife can go off while you're in labour and there'll still be someone with you keeping an eye on things if something goes wrong. They are bloody pricey though. And I totally agree with the 'one more thing to sort out, one more personality to deal with' thought process... which is why I haven't done it yet. That and the thought of coughing up a thousand dollars, which pains me greatly. On the other hand, I don't want to a) get into trouble with the midwife and b) freak out because it's all too scary and I can't handle it alone. Ack. I've found two who look nice - one is very crunchy (placenta encapsulation is offered, eek!) but less expensive, and the other one, who looks jolly and lovely, is really pricey. Hmm. I don't know what to do. My friend who had a doula said it was handy for her DH as the doula was able to tell him when he could rest and where to go in the hospital to get food etc. Anyway, I have my first Bradley Method class on Thursday so will ask them for their opinion then!

On the mat leave - that totally stinks that you had to change jobs so aren't getting any. You have masses of awesome experience though, so I'm sure when you're ready, you'll be able to pick up where you left off professionally. I think working full-time with a toddler and a baby would be incredibly stressful although I know plenty of people manage it. The expensive health insurance thing sucks too.

Scary that you had GD even though you haven't put on much weight. Blood sugar is a weird, weird thing. I'm sorry you're on this rotten diet, I guess the home stretch is the only consolation!

Yes critter I think your guesses make sense so it's totally down to whether you think it will significantly help you and MrC. I think the possiblity of staying at home longer would be an advantage, that's something that I would like (I'd have a home birth if I could though). Anyway in my view you would need to (1) identify clear advantage(s) and (2) meet someone you could realistically recognize that possiblity in. A thousand is to much just to point the way to buy a sandwich, whatever the midwives think, it's not their money is it?

The doulas around these parts are mostly American too. It's certainly not part of a local culture of birth (which pretty much goes by the name c- section) The biggest question mark I have in my situation is where is Little Doll during this event? Not quite figured this out. Perhaps he could do a practice run being my doula then I could pop him on a plane to you (he was seen movies of births on you tube so he has the basics down). His fee would be new lunch bag with wheels and a superman birthday cake.

Hi all

Good to hear from everyone and exciting that all these 10+ pregnancies are progressing well. I'm a bit behind, mini art is quite demanding and doesn't like to be put down whether awake or not so I do a lot of slow typing with one hand. I've had mixed success with the sling, sometimes she'll sleep happily in it so I at least have use of both hands but at others she just screams until taken out. But at 6 weeks she's getting more interested in the world around her which is lovely to see.

Sar how are you getting on at work and with your 'take it easier' regime? Hope you are getting some more rest. In answer to your question my waters broke on my due date but I didn't have any contractions until they induced me 36 hours later. It should have been done after 24 but they were busy and under staffed as per normal. You are absolutely right about the BFing position as well, if I hold her under my arm like a football it fools her into thinking she's on the preferred side clearly babies aren't very bright

Gin good news on the GTT result. Don't worry too much about weight gain, mine was uneven, I think I put most on in the first and second tris then it slowed down, probably because the reflux meant I couldn't overeat even if I wanted to! I've got about half a stone to shift now but am relaxed about it, as long as I fit back into my work clothes by April I'm not worried. Exercise normally does it for me, the challenge will be finding time.

Princess how are you getting on with expressing and bottle feeding? I need to get started on that so that I can get back to an evening hobby for a few hours a fortnight and so me and Mr A might manage a night out occasionally but have put it off so far due to ongoing BFing problems catalogued below. You sound to be doing brilliantly, I love to picture the 3 of you in your gorgeous new house after all the pain and effort it took you to get there.

Teu how was your cranio bod? Did it help with the neck lump and/or BFing? Mini Art had a big haematoma (posh lump) on her head from the birth, it lasted a good few weeks but then seemed to disappear virtually overnight. Cranial osteopathy was suggested but Mr A is pretty anti woo and a massive tightarse so we never acted on it but I'm still curious to know if it would help as she definitely goes to one side when feeding and sleeping.

Critter glad all went well with the scan. Have you got an agreement on your ML? The doula dilemma is interesting. $1000 is a lot of money! Like Doll I'd be wary of the three's a crowd thing. You shouldn't have to shell out that money to cover the MW's back. I think the key would be to find someone you like and trust and who would work together with Mr C as a team. You definitely need whoever supports you to know your wishes in different circumstances. I didn't want an epidural beforehand but at 7cm dilated I would have do be anything to stop the pain. Mr A and the midwife conspired to stall and delay so in the end I managed without, and am immensely grateful to them as the pushing stage was extraordinary and I'm glad I experienced that. And friends who did have epidurals all ended up with forceps and much more severe perineal trauma than I had. Maybe it's all the pelvic floor exercises but I'm relieved to say I don't fear a sneeze

Doll well done on managing the GD, truly a shitty hand to have been dealt. Hope all goes well with the next move. at Little Doll's feral 'fro. Mini Art is sporting a fetching bout of acne at the moment, people peer in the pram and go 'aww' and then recoil slightly. Apparently it means she's more likely to suffer acne as a teenager. That's something for us all to look forward to

Buzz how are you doing? Are you back at work? Apparently pregnancy yoga is good for joint pains but I guess it depends on what's causing it. I haven't been putting pictures on FB, I'm wary of overloading people but Mr A does and tags me so they'll be on my page. We must have about 100 photos of him with her and approximately 2 of me!

Mini Art is a grouch today. Maybe it's the badly fitting knitted cardigan I have made her wear shouldn't have puked all over the nicer outfit the second it went on. I am still struggling with BFing, can't believe it's so hard. One side is absolutely fine but on the other side feeding is seriously painful, I've had 2 bouts of mastitis and yesterday was totally freaked out when Mini A puked blood after a feed... GP's verdict was the blood must have come from me but there's no visible cause. It hasn't happened again and all the advice is to continue feeding but I would like to know what might have caused it. However the GP wasn't remotely interested and just told me to stop BFing and bottle feed instead. Bollocks to that . I'm a regular at baby cafe for the moral support as well as practical advice but they are fighting a losing battle against other health professionals such as GPs and paediatricians who tell women to give up rather than offer help.

10% battery remaining so I shall post and run before this one-handed effort disappears! Apologies for typos and autocorrect nonsense. Waves to all

Just a quick one whilst mini princess is napping. I have so much to say and brevity isn't my strongest point!

critter I considered a doula as my wonderful pregnancy yoga teacher has just trained and was offering her services for free. In the end we decided against as Hypnobirthing trained Mr P as a very proficient birthing partner. I know it's not for everyone but if you can get to Hypnobirthing classes with Mr C, they'll teach him how to support you, make decisions on your behalf and deal with medical staff, plus help with Hypnobirthing itself. It's a lot of responsibly for the birthing partner but all my friends who've done it have found their partners get right on board. I bet that's cheaper than a doula, our classes cost £200 incl CDs, notes and book. From my experience, I wouldn't have wanted a doula as Mr P and the dedicated midwife were enough. Here in the UK if you have the birthing pool you have to have a midwife with you all the time because of extra safety stuff like temperature and heart monitoring. You usually get the same person throughout. I do have a friend who had a home birth with doula who also stayed to look after her and baby for 6 weeks post birth (they have a lot of cash!) and she said it was the best decision she ever made. For me it was a really private and without sounding too woo-tastic an almost spiritual event and I would have hated another person getting in on the act! The only thing I would have liked was a bit of acupuncture or reflexology when my back was hurting in the first stages at home (all 50 hours!!) but I would have had to have really liked the person and someone who understands my weird needs for constant chatting and joking one minute and complete silence the next!

As you can probably tell, mini princess is napping well today!

Art I'm sorry about the bf woes :( The bottle isn't going great. I got her to take just under an ounce on Mon. It took shaking of her favourite toy, tricking by starting with real boobs then on to the bottle and finishing with a boob feed. I'm going to try some nuk latex teats next week if she's still not interested. As these are supposed to be better for bf babies. However, we have to find out how to get her tested for latex allergy as Mr P's Nan has a horrific latex allergy which merits wearing a permanent warning wrist band. My friend who I saw yesterday who has a 5 week old is starting to introduce 1 bottle and it's going well. I think we've left it too late. I'm not overly bothered it's really just for my convenience. I can do all of my hobbies from home and it's a 5 mile round trip to walk to our train station, which I'm trying to do at least once a week with shorter walks around the village every day. That's really lovely of you to think about us! I quite often think back to our meet last year and think how far so many have come; I also love being in the house and having my own freedom / space back :) I am getting niggled about things not being finished though and nagging of Mr P has resumed!!

Right must take this opportunity to make lunch!

Loves and waves. Think of you all often and quite jealous that many of you are still preggo...is it possible to have a 3 month old and be broody again ???

princess at feeling broody already! Mini P sounds just gorgeous, even if she won't take the bottle. I hope you have managed to get some rest and aren't too tired out.

Sorry to hear to gp is being so rubbish re BF advice art. I can't believe they just told you to give up! How helpful... A lot of my friends struggled to start with, but with some guidance from various BF specialists got through it and now love it!

I am super impressed at how much weight both you and princess have lost already! Good to hear it does come off, although I'm a lazy cow, who loves biscuits which won't help...

Haha doll at mini doll doula. Love it. I can't believe how expensive the real thing is. And I'm surprised the MWs have recommended critter. I am sure you will be able to handle it critter and you won't be alone - the MW will be there, but I guess if you find someone who makes you feel confident and secure, it might be worth it?! I don't know anyone who's had one over here, but an sure the trend will be here soon.

critter oh yes to the insomnia. About 50% of the time when I get up for my nightly wee, I just can't get back to sleep. It's sooo annoying as I generally feel knackered.

doll good luck with the relocation. Baby doll is so well travelled already!

sar those pains sound scary. Could they have been braxton hicks or are they meant to be painless? I find an irritated bowel can give me period type pains. Hurrah for the sickness not being so bad. Fingers crossed this continues through the 3 rd trimester.

buzz sorry you are still feeling so poorly. I hope like sar the 3rd tri brings you some relief. 14 weeks of MS was more than enough for me!

Waves to everyone else.

We had our growth scan and all is well, hurrah! The ginster is average size, with long legs and the blood flow is fine. We also saw a rather pornographic shot of her bits and she's def a girl! Thank you so much for your info and reassurance about the blood flow ele - I learnt far more from you than the hospital! And Mondays scanner said it had only been borderline anyway. I have to have another scan at 36 weeks and are still talking about inducting by week 41...

I've just had a call from the MW, as apparently they picked up some bacteria (one of the strep ones) in my wee. It might only cause problems once my waters have gone and isnt a problem for pregnancy, so they'll give me antibiotics when I'm in labour and I have to take some now. I know it's v common and not surprising as I've had utis ever since my first hideous egg collection, but , yet another thing.

I've taken the afternoon off work as feeling knackered and have horribly swollen ankles. Did anyone else feel just shattered around 29 weeks?? Bring on the weekend!

art I am not sure how Mr A can think cranial osteo is woo, I had it for my migraines and it made a big difference it worked alot better than any drugs or acu I had. Tell him to stop being a tight arse its also nice to have a young man give me a neck and head massage
I'd like to do yoga but wouldn't have the energy to go to a class, they said if it gets worse they will refer me to a physio who will give me a sexy belt and so exercises

doll and critter Doulas are becoming more popular here in the UK due to midwives finding it hard to find financial insurance to work privately, the government isn't offering them much support, for us its the cost, it can get quite expensive

gin I hope you are ok,

princess if I you could be pregnant for me I would happily let you, I'm not enjoying it at all wish I was near the end

Gah, a busy week means I've been meaning to post for ages and haven't had a sec. The joy of pregnancy insomnia (gin I totally feel your pain) means I'm awake now so going to have a shot at catching up.

buzzy at the hunky cranial osteopath. I'm so sorry your pregnancy is so rough, you deserve it to be easy peasy. Four months to go, and I've heard that the last part of pregnancy speeds up - the first tri seemed to last forever. Are you in a lot of pain from your hip still? I hope you aren't still feeling sick. Dr Critter prescribes lots of rest when you can and massages and tasty snacks. I know Barry will be doing a wonderful job of looking after you but try to take it easy if possible - although I'm sure that is easier said than done. I will be thinking of you later today as my mum's visiting and we're off to Ikea, I like to think you're the queen of the place!

gin hello my lovely fellow insomniac friend - I saw on the other thread about the strep - oh what a worry for you, I am so sorry that you have that to stress about on top of things. I guess it's good that they picked it up now and they will be keeping an extra special eye on you and the little poppet. It's good to know that it's common and manageable, but I am sure that is not much consolation. Hooray for a pornographic scan - I am sure it was lovely to see your tiny daughter again. I'm also glad you're not going to work right up until D Day, your commute sounds really rough. Someone offered me a seat on the bus the other day for the first time. It was so nice!

doll I love the thought of little doll as a doula! He sounds like such a sweetie. Are you settled now in the place where you're going to have the baby? I really am in awe of how you're doing all this. I hope you're keeping a diary - you should totally write a book about your experiences. You're such a funny writer and what you're doing and experiencing is so interesting and exotic to me!

princess thanks so much for your doula thoughts. I have the hypnobirthing book and will get round to listening to the CD soon (although I don't have a full course - I did look at that, I think it's called hypnobabies in the US and it's meant to be brilliant). I think if I was in the UK I would definitely skip the doula. I love the sound of a spiritual experience and Mr C is generally very cool calm and collected so I think he'll be a great 'birth partner'. I'm also a wuss who's scared of my very tough chief midwife (I think she has to be scary to lead the practice) and don't want to be booted out to a doctor if I don't hire one... so I think I'm going to talk to a few different doulas and see if there's one I can afford and gel with. One good thing is that they help you with breastfeeding afterwards. Basically giving birth in the US makes you realise how generally good our healthcare system is in the UK - it's more geared towards prevention and it just seems more sensible to me. Here it seems to be either super medicalised or super militant earth hippy. As I lean more to the earth hippy side, that's what I'm going for... I will think of you and how you gave birth to such a big baby with no drugs and thought of it as a generally good experience - it gives me reassurance and hope. Sorry about the breastfeeding woes - I hope it isn't too painful. How amazing that you're growing her all on your own milk though!

teu and eleth how are your little chaps doing?

art I did at your description of mini art, she sounds so cute. I can't believe she's six weeks already!
Gah - planning a longer post but I hear my mother stirring upstairs. More later.

So much to read. We're good here. Adair is packing on the pounds and now smiles and gurgles.
buzzy Hula Hoops all the way. Sorry you are still sick and in pain. I had a very fetching support belt and support stockings too Aren't the movements so exciting? Good on you for the knitting and crochet. I had good intentions but didn't manage anything. Too knackered from work. Sewing machine still sitting on the dining table.
art the cranio has helped. He will now turn his head, although not all the way. It's a muscle imbalance but we are working on that even though it makes him very upset. The cranio bod did say that the poor wee mites often end up a bit tight in their necks and he worked on that with Adair. If she is favouring one side sleeping do try and turn her head once she's asleep. I feel for you on the bfing; been blessed with sensitive nipples . Excruciating doesn't go close to describing one side for me too. We seem to have figured out a routine for the less good side inverted nipple, takes a bit more work but it is still quite uncomfortable and since he sucks like a sewer truck it all gets painful when he's on hourly or 2 hourly feeds. So sorry the GP was so unhelpful. Does your local hospital do a bfing support group?
Gin Great news about the scan. 29wks is when I ran out of energy. Take it easy. Ask for help and accept it if it's offered.
sarlat Take it easy. Remember that everything is softening and loosening so 'moderate' may not be quite so moderate now.
critter Scotland, homesick. We're planning a trip this Christmas. Might have to have a bit of a tanty to get Christmas at my folks place though. They are trying to be so terribly helpful and accommodating to the other side of the family but I want Christmas at home.
Waves to everyone. Doll good luck with the home straight. How fabulous.

teu I would love to go home for Christmas too, will be holed up in DC though as too large to fly - but my family are coming out, which will be lovely and will drive MrC crackers. We had Christmas in Scotland last year and it was just lovely. Sorry about the really painful breastfeeding, I'm really not looking forward to that - sounds awful. I hope you get to go home to your family and to show your little man off!

art was going to say earlier that I laughed out loud at the people peering into little art's pram and recoiling - but only because it's clearly untrue. That is one absolutely gorgeous little girl you have there. Seriously, she is totally beautiful. All that soft dark hair! And so tiny and dainty. Sorry to hear that breastfeeding is so painful, it's rotten, I hope you can get some support. You're a total champ for sticking it out!

I met with a doula when my mum was here this weekend - she was really expensive but very nice. As part of her fee, she offered monthly four hour workshops - as we're already doing classes, I could imagine MrC understandably putting his foot down on this, so I don't think we're going to hire her. But another friend has recommended her doula who was half the price, so I think we might cough up for that too scared of ferocious midwife not to. I reckon the key is going to be to ask if the doula can involve MrC as much as possible and get him to help me where possible so he isn't standing there like a lemon.

Was SO nice having my mum here. We went through a ton of baby stuff that people have given me and she waxed lyrical about lots of memories of having little children. This baby is going to bring so much joy, I feel so ridiculously lucky. Everyone is commenting on how happy I seem at work now. I can feel the baby moving and lovely check out girls say nice things at the supermarket. It's so awesome and I feel so bloody grateful.

Waves to other ten plussers, hoping we can get some more grads over here soon!

a bit quiet on here. . . .

doll you must be due any minute now unless it has already :)

critter did you meet with the other doula, must be lovely to your mum there, will she come over for the birth

teu I can understand wanting to have xmas at home

hello to everyone else, I am feeling rather pathetic as I am totally exhausted, unable to work at the moment as I need to sleep every few hours. I'm having some blood tests but still have about 11 weeks of work which is difficult, I feel terrible that I have been off work so much

Buzzy I know, this thread is so quiet! I miss having a chat with everyone. I guess it's because our record of BFPs on the ten plusser thread is so slow and hard. .

Hope you're feeling ok, it is tiring and it sounds as though you've had a particularly rough time of things. So sorry!

I found a cheaper doula so am hoping to book her. All fine with me except might have a uti and got told off by the midwife for gaining weight too fast. So am off the cake which is very sad. Still, I don't fancy the sound of poor doll's gestational diabetes diet. Speaking of which, doll I am thinking of you, you must be really close now. Hope everyone else is doing well with their little ones or bumps.

I'm here! Bump still too. Despite the modern and pretty functional city I'm living in, I don't know it or the language and have a just-turned-four-year-old in toe topped with surprisingly shit internet. The contrast to where I have come from is remarkable but still. I say all this because I just got in with sore feet, generally I'm in a better mood earlier in the day.. So still waiting to see how all this plays out after having to be retested for GD and seeing another diet dr, interesting because despite happily taking 6 hours of my time and a few extra hundred dollars they are completely chilled 'bout the GD in reference to the birth here. I'm pretty sure I'd be fighting off an induction by now in the UK. But I was, 10 days ago, pronounced "too old" to give birth through the hole nature intended by one of the regions "natural birth" specialists. FFS. This was before an exam where she backtracked a bit and mentioned my "good pelvis" a number of times, I thought of you critter, you think roomy is what she meant? Hope to go into labour and stay out of the hospital til established but we will see if this actually happens. I actually lost the mucus plug last night but this two days after a painful exam which could have affected things. I read this morning that it can "rebuild" over a few days, and is not always a sign that things are moving, we will see......

I guess most people use 'in tow' rather than 'in toe' - that kept me awake last night

critter I'm not sure why some cultures and some individuals are so into this limiting weight gain thing. It was a big deal in Beirut which seemed to be based around the fact that vanity diets tended to be thrown aside with gay abandon by local women in pregnancy so doctors tended to warn against. My current Dr is very impressed by limited weight gain for reasons unknown, and gave someone I met here a hard time about her 16kg total (she looked great and had a great birth too). Is anything evidence based? I'm starting to lose hope.
Did the doula work out?

Doll I'm at your toe /tow internal debate. I can't believe you lost your mucus plug! Surely that must mean labour is imminent? I just think it's amazing how you've leapt from country to country during all this. You could wrote a very funny book. The weight gain thing is because the midwives put all women with them on a strict diet which I've basically ignored. I gained 7 pounds between 20 and 25 weeks and I think they were worried I might produce a massive baby. They say if you follow their diet (basically low gi and nothing processed) you'll produce a baby that's naturally exactly the right size for your body to naturally give birth to. I don't know. I'm 25 weeks and 2 days and am up by about 17 pounds. Seems ok to me. I did find a doula who was much cheaper and who a couple of pals have used, so hoping to use her, although she hasn't got back to my last two emails... Guessing she's busy.

critter the mucus plug thing is very mixed as it turns out, can be hours, days or weeks after... Another one of those things that one minute you know nothing about and the next you've done a couple of hours of reading. Ridiculous. On the weight, I don't think your midwives theory is terrible, at least they have a damn theory and you know what it is but I do think that their monitoring is a little excessive. I just checked and I put on more than you over the same time period, one of the periods that I gained a fair bit. I think it was art that mentioned that weight gain tends not to be even. I regularly have observers comment that I won't go into labour anytime soon because I look too "small" "compact" "high" and my favourite "comfortable" cue punch in the face, glad I look comfortable... I got my bump measured for the first time ever this week, that was amusing and looks really scientific On the doula, indeed availablity and contact does seem does seem to be a problem. I have recently been given another recommendation for one here but she is rumoured to be unavailable, and I had problems on my initial search. I hope she gets back to you. oh, and thank you for your kind words on our adventures.
Hi to everyone else. x