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.

I think nausea but no puking is the worst of both worlds (in terms of weight gain - I fully acknowledge that the actual puking part is really much worse). I have friends who have had no nausea and have gained very little and friends who have suffered terribly with sickness who have lost weight in the first tri and gained very modestly later in pregnancy. I haven't thrown up at all yet but have been able to get through some days only with the help of frequent carby snacks!

I was running and gymming (cardio and weights) before the IVF and my thighs are now huge as all the muscle has turned to fat. I now feel ready to start back to something but have absolutely zero energy in the evenings (and the nausea is still hanging around then to some extent, although it has eased a lot).

i wish i had moved myself more beforehand. too scared now to engage in running. I am sure you'll get back into it as you edge into second trimester euro

Just to add my experience too. I didn't do anything for the first 12 weeks with bleed and exhaustion. By 14 weeks I joined a pg-exercise class and been doing that, which includes running and jumping since. Still knackered so not done much more, altho SB and I go for evening walka around the block to help me with sleeping, which has been a disaster. Weight gain I didn't monitor. Not much til 20 weeks, tho and lots in the last month...

Hello all! Hope you are all well. It's been like ages since I've been on here!

euro, free and sea I have to fess up to putting on 3 stone whilst pregnant! I had non stop nausea for about 16 weeks with eating being the only thing that stopped it! I immediately lost a stone after giving birth and am working to loose the rest. I have awful stretch marks on my tummy and thighs. But it's sooo worth it Enjoy being allowed to look fat! Pregnancy was the only time I didn't worry about my pot belly!

free exciting that you will soon be telling people. Euro and Sea - have you told people generally yet?

euro hurrah for a good harmony result! I bought a lot of mat clothes from asos. Seraphine stuff is lovely. I'm now struggling clothes wise, as most of the mat stuff isn't suitable for breast feeding and I'm too fat for my normal clothes! I'm refusing to buy new stuff whilst so fat...

ele sod the housework I say and grab sleep where you can! Hope Hamish is doing ok now? I'm not looking forward to teething...

buzz how are things? Mini B looks just gorgeous on FB. Loving reading how loved up you are. It's an amazing feeling isn't it?

sar I was so sorry to read on the other thread about sick relatives and mini S's tests. Hope all is ok? I'm going to be up north soon, so was going to see if you and art are about and fancied meeting up?

Waves and luffs to everyone else.

I was wondering if anyone else has had problems with the neighbours re the baby crying? Our bitch neighbour banged on the wall about a month ago when ginster was crying, so we put a note through the door apologising and explaining we do all we can to stop her crying, and they then came round and apologised and gave us chocolate!

Well the woman is a cross shouty type and spends a lot of time shouting at her boyf. The other day I heard her going on about the 'fucking baby crying all night' and how the mother shouldn't have had it if she can't look after it. G had only cried for 5 mins at 6am during nappy change and rarely cries at night. She does cry in the evening with colic, but we keep her downstairs so the noise isn't so bad if the neighbours are in bed. I've also heard the bitch going on about my cough keeping her awake and how 'it's not even a real cough'!

I'm flipping furious but as she hasn't actually engaged with us again, am trying to ignore it. It's made me rather miz to be at home though and obsessed with keeping G quiet and whether the bitch is shouting about us :( Think I'm being more bothered by it as I'm home all day (as is the bitch neighbour most days) and rather sleep deprived, but can't snap out of it! Oh to live in a detached house.

Euro and free - It seemed like I gained lots of weight in the first trimester because I had retained a ton of water (10 lbs worth!). The water weight disappeared for me in the second trimester and I ended up gaining 14 lbs during my entire pregnancy. The total weight gain has no bearing on the size of your child, I had a 9lb 3 ounce baby! I left the hospital with less than 4 lbs to lose.
My SIL who lost weight all through her first trimester ended up gaining 50 lbs and had a 7 lb baby.
My Dr said everyone gains the weight differently and some people gain lots in the first and slow down during the rest of the pregnancy, what was most important was to monitor yourself for diabetes and high blood pressure. The amount you gain and how you gain it is partially genetic, talk to your mum, aunties and grandmothers about their experiences.

Gin - Your neighbour sounds like a jerk. I live in a detached house and could hear by neighbours baby cry at night this summer. My only thoughts were poor them, I hope she isn't too exhausted to deal with the other two during the day. I would ignore anyone who isn't sympathetic.

Mini sweets is waking up. I will catch up later.

my not by. ugh sleep deprivation doesn't help spelling.

if any 10 plussers wanted to add me to fb, just PM me.

sweet thank you for that. I will cling on to the hope that at least some of it is water retention! I just can't see that I'm eating 3500 cals more per week (which is what I "should" be to see the scales going up at this rate.

gin your neighbour has ishoos. This is her problem, not yours. A crying baby is part of normal urban noise.

free I'm also too scared to run. When I found out my first pregnancy had failed, I commenced "project eviction" to try to force a natural miscarriage as I wanted to avoid the surgical option. One of the things I did was go running and really push my body. I miscarried shortly afterwards. It is probably unrelated, but for me running is out. I'm happy to gym and want to restart swimming (I used to be a fairly handy swimmer but stopped when I started running as I didn't have time for both) but at the moment I am too bloody knackered and starving hungry after work!

drizz that's great. Hopefully in a week or two, I will have the energy to get going again.

ele we are doing a mixture of a bit of boob with nipple shield, she either falls asleep or loses interest, expressing 9 times a day and formula, if I can't increase my milk flow in the next few weeks then we'll go onto formula, I don't like to see her get upset at the boob, if its not for her then so be it. I also find with the boob juice that it never fills her up, she can be on the boob 10 mins then have 90 mls of expressed milk then be screaming to be fed 45 minutes later, it might be 'good' for them but its not satisfying

sea my highlight with the sickness was actually throwing up over my dinner you have my commiserations on the sickness mine lasted all the way through

free Not sure about the more weight bigger baby thing, I had a friend who was tiny and still had a whopper of a baby over 9 lbs, I wouldn't worry about the weight, haven't weighed myself and don't intend too anytime soon but imagine I'm looking at stones more than pounds, its not crossed my mind, you'll be too pre occupied soon enough

gin things are good, motherhood is as I thought it would be, babybee sleeps well thanks to formula at night, we have been going out most days and doing stuff, the juggling feeding and expressing has taken some
sorting out but Barry is jobless now so he can help, sorry about your neighbours, I worried about mine but Barry assured me they can't hear her scream

I would give her some earplugs and some booze to help her sleep, there isn't really anything you can do, but don't make G be quiet, babies need to 'find their voice' she will have to get used to it, if she does say anything just remind her that the noise works both ways

Well besides the boob strike all seems ok here, she is unsettled in the evenings not sure if thats due to trapped wind or being over tired, I think some sort of night routine might help, she insists on being held in the evenings so we take it in turns with the sling, gin sometimes she is inconsolable that all we can do is let her cry it out.
We start a couple of courses next week, baby massage and story and song, i'm lucky i have such a great NCT group to spend time with

sweet I'll pm you, hope all is well with you

hello to euro teu lemon free princess critter art doll mellow and anyone else I might have forgotten

Argh! The thread fell off my list! I missed you all :)

Gin stoopid neighbour. As Euro says her problem, not yours. Ignore. We live in a terrace, we can hear our neighbours coughing on one side and shagging on the other. Strange that neither admit to being able to hear mini princess even when she's teething. And bychrist she's loud! If she doesn't want to hear any noise, I'd be tempted to suggest that a flat isn't the best accomodation for her. Hope all else is ok.

Ele what's cleaning again?

I gained about 3.5 stones during pregnancy and was 3 stone down 2 months after giving birth. I'm pretty much back to pre-pregnancy shape bar massive boobies and a rounder tummy and slightly odd back flab. My legs are much thinner though as I do a lot of walking now. And my arms are toned from baby lifting I've been surprised at how quickly most of the weight came off, just 4 - 5 pounds left, but I think you need more for bfing? that's my excuse anyway!

Buzz glad it's all going well. She's a little beaut. You've got some stunning photos on the other place. Sounds like you're a natural at this mummy lark too. Very pragmatic about everything. She's a lucky little lady :) Oh and babies will want milk every 45 mins as they digest breastmilk very fast; formula has larger molecules so is digested much slower, hence being fuller longer. Sounds like you've got it all under control though :)

Sar hope all is ok with you.

Sea you have my sympathies with the sickness. I found rest and lemon squash helped most but I didn't find any magic cure. Just grinning and bearing...

Mini princess is turning into a bit of a dare devil. She's very bold and keeps taking on bigger kids (usually boys) and made her little 1 year old pal cry yesterday. She also pretended to want a cuddle from mr p in bed the other night and once up at head height slapped him repeatedly on the head, and hard too, whilst shouting like a tiny caveman. I love her to pieces and am glad she's not delicate but I'm slightly concerned that I'm raising a feral beast at the moment!

and all round xxx

thanks for the weight reassurance buzz , princess , sweet and sea I am starting pregger pilates and yoga next week and the upcoming weather is looking ok so I will try and increase my walking and stop stuffing my face with food.

I got my combined test results back and the aggregated result is - T21 chances 1 in 4653 and T13/18 chances 1 in 9315 so will not go for further tests but trust things will be ok. Today I had a scan and the heart is still going and growth is normal for 15w1d so, so far so good. MrFree came too today. I mentioned to my doctor that my skin is itching terribly and she called for an immediate test for intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP). I feel reassured that she takes it seriously.

ginestas what an unkind woman - she obviously has unhappiness and anger in her own life to react like this to the normal sounds of living in an adjoining property. I love being able to hear my neighbours occasionally. I like to know there is someone there and we are not alone. That if I shouted for help, someone would hear. I guess it is annoying if you can hear every squeak of a floorboard or toilet flush but the reaction is over the top.

buzz you sound so great and calm, and doing so wonderfully. well done on getting out of the house and feeding. you sound like a natural. really glad to hear things are going well.

Gin - Your neighbour sound most unkind. As if you can do anything about crying baby! I would just ignore her!

Free - Exercise sound like a good plan especially if you have the energy to do it! I am v glad your doc is taking your skin issues seriously! It should be checked out.

Euro - Thanks for the info about FMC. I think it's sensible to give running a miss. I use to run around 5k every other day and according to preggo books if you were a runner before getting pregnant it's okay to carry on but my clinic told me absolutely no way! I tend to agree with them. I would love to do some exercise but frankly even if I was given the okay to do it, I simply have no energy to do anything these days. I can barely walk to the end of the road without being completely out of breath these days, not to mention crazy palpitations.

Buzz - Glad you have the lovely support of your NCT group. You sound like you are really enjoying motherhood. I'm so pleased boob issues are all okay now. Please don't tell me that morning sickness can last the whole of pregnancy. I really don't think I can handle that!

Princess - I love the sound of mini Princess. She sounds like a real character. It's much better to be spirited than meek!

AFM - I have been silent because I am really struggling with morning sickness. It ranges from actually vomiting a number of times a day to nausea all day long to retching all day long. I can't deny it... it's really getting me down. The worst happened this week when I was changing tube during rush hour and vomit came up and I had to hold it in my mouth until I could make it out of the station and find a bin on the street - all this during rush hour commuter hour in central london.

Sea you have my sympathies, morning sickness is the pits. Can you do any work from home? If it really gets on top of you, get signed off work by your doctor. Resting up did help, if not just from a comfort and management perspective for me. I remember holding a sick in my mouth whilst on the phone to a client. Poor, poor you . And don't think you can't moan about it either. You absolutely can. A few of us on here had terrible ms. I seem to remember Ele suffering really badly.

Princess - I have always been told that you lose 5-10 lbs once you wean the baby. Apparently some extra fat is required for bfing.
Me and my sisters (all 4 of us) were feral beasts as young children - my parents signed us up for sports once we were 2-3 years old, it turns out we were just athletic . Mind you, we got kicked out of ribbon gymnastics - we were using the ribbons as whips .

Sea - So sorry about how sick you are. I know someone who would carry baggies with her, after an incident where she vomited in the middle of a grocery store aisle. Don't be shy to talk to your midwife or nurse about this, I know they prescribe medication here to help.

Free - Congrats on the great test results. Mr Grouch and I rested much easier after ours. I'm so happy that your healthcare practitioner is taking all your concerns seriously, it must be very reassuring.

Buzzy - Everything seems to be going really well with miniBee. I'm so happy that everything is going so smoothly.

AFM - the Grouch household is planning its first transaltlantic trip in the spring. It should be fun to enjoy the warmer weather in France.

sea that sounds awful. I really did get off pretty lightly. I was carrying a plastic bag around with me on my commute on the worst days but thankfully never needed to use it.

I can't remember if I mentioned, but Harmony doesn't work for twins apparently. I guess 3 sets of dna in the blood is too much to deal with.

I hear you on the breathlessness. In Paris at the weekend I climbed the 80 steps up from the catacombs and couldn't catch my breath at the top. It was horrible. The attendant was a bit panicked. I was quite worried myself. I struggled with stairs the next day too. I think I might be struggling with iron. I have been on the borders of anaemia all of my adult life. Add in an aversion to meat, a 3 week bleed and pregnancy and I was always likely to struggle.

free that's a great result.

Right, must dash. Sorry for the inadequate catch up!

sea honestly if its getting you down, get some meds, you want enjoy being pregnant as much as possible

grouch ooooh France sounds lovely in the spring :)

princess you made me at your description of mini p

well the feeding has taken a step back, she has now refused the boob for the last 24 hours and just cries when I try her on it, then I cry, felt like giving up today, GP has given the drug that can help increase the milk supply, but it says it can take 2-4 weeks to have an affect, I won't last that long, I have 12 days supply then I'll reassess the situation, I hate seeing her get upset about it and I can't keep expressing 10 times a day, other than that she has gained alot of weight, my chubby chops is 9lbs 4oz

Tomorrow I'm off to the hairdressers sans baby, Barry shall be on feeding duty :)

Wow - feel like I've been gone for ages - all this activity is great :-)

Sea - you have my sympathies with the m/s. I had horrible m/s with DS1 (only got through it as I kept believing all the, 'it;ll end at 12 wks, 14 wks, 16wks, it's really unusual to still have it at 20 wks..' platitudes I was given, and also it was just me and Mr E, so I could do as little as I wanted. But, it was hell, had 5 weeks off work (walking made me barf so I couldn't get out anywhere, as did reading).

Anyway, everyone told me that every pregnancy is different and i'd be really unlucky to have it that bad again (cue, Hamish....) Second time round I vomited much less (first time it was 12/13 times a day at its peak), but the nausea was a killer and it lasted much longer. Had 8 weeks off work in total - again I didn't do the meds as a lot of reviews Id said that they really focus on not vomiting but you can still feel nauseas and in all honesty, the nausea for me was much worse than the barfing.

Anyway, I can't say anything will help at all, but things I did to treat my symptoms included, always carrying a couple of freezer bags in my bag/pocket for 'emergency barfs' that snuck up on me whilst on transport or at my desk at work. I also had mints (to take away taste of said barf).

I also gave up trying to brush my teeth (couldn't do it without being sick until late in my third trimester) and just used mouthwash, twice a day.

Find something you can keep down and stick to it - don't worry about eating unhealthily for the baby, you'll have had healthy food in your body before pregnancy, and your body always prioritises the baby, so if you end up eating nothing but waffles and toast for weeks (as I did first time round) don't feel guilty about not eating fresh fruit/veg, you just have to eat what you can keep down (second time round, I ended up living on the dahl from the local curryhouse - 3-4 times a week - couldn't face it now...)

buzzy sorry about the feeding hassles but great to know that minibees fussiness isn't having a detrmintal impact on her weight gain. I think you've done amazing so far, but if minibee doesn't want to suckle, she doesn't want to suckle, you can only try your best. DS1 fed hourly during the day until he was about 4 months old - no way could I have expressed enough to have fed his appetite (he was a 99th centile baby - fat pie that he was!)

free and sea great scan/test result news - and to add the weight debate, I put on 3stone with DS1 (and when he was 4 months old I was 1.5 stone lighter than pre-pregnancy - that's what happens when you have a greedy baby who requires constant carrying and long/fast pram walks...) This time round I put on 2.5 stone and since Hamish was 4 weeks old, I've been about 7lbs above my pre-pregnancy weight and still am. I've got an underactive thyroid though, and they've still not stabilisied my meds since the birth so I blame that and not the 2 or 3 bars of choclate and biscuits that I guzzle every day

gin I can't believe your neighbour - what a cow. I'd get equally as passive aggressive and loudly bemoan what a whiny cow she is to Mr Gin - knowing she can hear it through the walls... (but then, I'd be hoping that would urge her onto a confrontation as I hate hidden conflicts and much prefer to get stuck into folk in person . Bottom line is, she's in a flat, she has to deal with noise - don't you dare start trying to stifle the noises that baby gin makes, it's your bitch of a neighbour that has to alter her behaviour not you or your baby. I have lived with hated neighbours for about 9 years (they moved out last year) it does inhibit your enjoyment of your home - you have many many sympathies from me.)

princess - mini princess sounds a proper little terror - love her 'cuddle me' lure to daddy :-). Hamish is getting very shouty just now (he's just started to roll, but wants to stand and walk (but can't) so shouts at us with lots of 'Uhs' and 'Oohs' until we do his bidding. Sadly, he also seems to be getting a bit of a mummy preference round about bedtime (usually, I do 6:45pm feed, then Mr E runs up and downstairs settling him until bedtime at 10pm) and starts bawling when Mr E picks him up at this time, reaching his arms out to me. I'm hoping this is a short phase, as he's not getting any lighter! He's still having bowel issues and farting issues so waking every 60-90 mins most nights which was bearable when we were getting tv time of an everning, but now that is going too (wee bugger).

I've got a 90 minute massage booked for tomorrow (xmas gift from my two boys). It seemed so far away when I booked it, I can't really believe its tomorrow. Never been to the woman before (it was a groupon offer so could be pants) but hopeing that even if it isn't that deep/effective (i like deep tissue massages) it shoudl still be relaxing (if I'm not worrying about hamish being okay (not that he'd be ill, but just with this little phase of wanting me more just now).

Waves to all the people I've forgotten to mention sar, sweet, doll, lemons, teu, mellow and anyone else I've omitted (sorry in advance) Hope you all have good weekends!

Free - brilliant news about the test results. Pilates sounds good and its the sort of thing I would have done had It not been for ms lasting 24 weeks although it eased in its evilness from about 16. I also put on at least 3 stone during pregnancy. I have a good stone and a half yet to lose but I haven't been moving enough and im having far too many big dinners and goodies so I guess it's not going to shift just yet.

sea - you have my full sympathies about the nausea and sickness. Do come on here and tell us about it as often as you like, it does help and we completely understand. Salty foods such as the well known nutritious snack sausage roll were my go to ms food plus full fat coke. Just eat and drink whatever is manageable and do not feel guilty. As mentioned up thread, your body has stores of the good stuff from pre pregnancy.

Buzz- feeding is so tough at about 2 to 3 weeks. For me the baby was at her highest demand. you are doing a great job and if you do need to switch to all formula then you know she had plenty of breast milk in these early weeks which will still have had a massive positive impact. So glad you are enjoying nct chats, fun groups and being a mummy.

princess -mini p sounds like an absolute doll with comedy mixed in. Really sorry that things with the in laws are a bit strained. I think you mentioned recently that your periods may be restarting? Do you mind me asking when you noticed things were starting up. Did it coincide with weaning?

Ele -ooooh I love deep tissue massage too. One of my aims is to have a mini spa day once mini sar is able to be left for a few hours. Sounds lush, enjoy. Sorry Hamish has tummy/ windy issues. Is that what wakes him up so often?

gin - bloody hell what a horrid woman you live next to, she sounds deranged!! I agree don't try and change little gins crying, its part if life. Yes yes, would love a northen meet up with you and art, please let me know when you think that might be.

euro - swimming during pregnancy is lovely. All that pressure from your body melts away as the water takes the weight. I think weight gain in pregnancy is hard to work out anda bit non sensicle. I honestly think that weight gain on pregnant women no matter where or how much always looks natural and pretty.

Still waiting for the report and follow up about baby sars kidneys. I would be lying if I said I wasnt worried. There is something wrong its just the degree ot that problem that we dont know about yet. But life is mostly good and she is a settled baby who feeds well and sleeps up to 8 hours at night. We are lucky but I know that could change in a flash. Watching her weight gain as she is not storming up the graph, actually the opposite. Oh tobe a mother, the worry nevet stops.

We are starting to look at holidays, liking grouch's plans, might have a look at something similar. Starting baby massage next month, hope she likes it and she wants to do spa trips with me when she is a teen. Maybe I won't be cool though by that point. Getting lots of smiles and cooing and funny expressions. Trying very hard to notice everything and treasure it.

hello to art, trn, kemons and everyone else.

Hi all

You've dropped off my 'threads I'm on' list! That's no good. I'm sleep obsessed at the moment mainly because we're still struggling so am haunting the sleep threads like a ghoul. Time to catch up with how everyone is doing.

Good to see new grads on here and hear of positive scan news and forays into maternity wear! Seraphine was my favourite place for maternity clothes, good quality and not too over priced. I just bought a few things I really liked and wore them to death - one advantage of self employment and not being in an office every day is that it didn't matter if i wore jeans all the time or sat in my PJs all day. On weight gain, I put on about 2.5 stone, a lot of it in the first tri. I wasn't sick but the only way i found to defeat nausea was to eat constantly. My phase of looking fat rather than pregnant lasted a long time! The good news is that 6 months in I'm now back to my pre-preg BMI and back in my normal clothes, without much effort. I swam all through pregnancy - Sar is right, it feels great - and did low impact weights until about 30 weeks. We also went for long walks. Post baby I swim when I can get out, but mainly I walk (Mini Art will only nap in the pram, so I do a lot of walking) and I put the rest down to BFing a very greedy baby. I'm going to have to watch my cake intake when I stop BFing or I'm going to get a shock! My BMI might be the same but my body is different, I need at some point to reacquaint myself with my abdominals but there's time for that. I quite like having a cleavage for the first time in my life but again that will disappear when I stop BFing!

Buzz sounds like you are doing great with the feeding. It took me at least 6 weeks to get BFing established and I was shocked at how often they need to feed - pretty much constantly during the growth spurts which seem to happen every other week. You sound like a really chilled out mama and the pictures on t'other place are just gorgeous. Enjoy your time out at the hairdressers, you've earned it!

Gin your neighbour sounds like a right bitch. We are in a terrace too and we have had awful problems with noise in the past, involving the council enviro health people on a few occasions with past tenants. Because of that I know a lot about noise nuisance and I do know that a crying baby doesn't qualify as one! As Euro says it's part of life. Babies cry no matter what, it has nothing to do with how good a parent you are. I know that our current neighbours hear mini Art when she cries, as the neighbour has mentioned it several times, but I hear their 11 year old yelling and playing video games and have his football marks on my kitchen window so she won't get very far if she ever complains!! I would love to meet up with you and Sar when you are in this neck of the woods

Princess at your feral beast! She sounds great. Mini Art can be quite the aggressor with a rattle in her hand. I've had my hair chopped because I was tired of it getting pulled all the time but I'm resigned to ending up with bald patches! Wouldn't change it though

Ele enjoy your massage! I would like to do something similar but in the limited baby-free time I have, I should really book a waxing appointment instead - mini Art is just getting better after nearly a month of various ailments and I want to take her swimming but I would be embarrassed to do that in my current state!

Sar I hope everything is OK with mini Sar's kidneys. You are right, a whole new world of worry opens up as soon as they are born. Baby massage is lovely, I do it with mini Art when she lets me. We have booked a holiday, staying in the UK this year but it's lovely to have something to look forward to during the cold winter days. Treasure those smiles, I'm trying to write things down in the baby book as the newborn days already seem a lifetime away.

Love to everyone, especially our preggos Sea Sweet Lemon Free Euro and anyone I have inevitably failed to name check (I blame sleep deprivation for everything these days!)

ele how was the massage :) babybee is in the 75th percentile but can see that changing soon

art I don't think we've reached a growth spurt, its just breast milk doesn't fill her up for more than hour, goodness knows what will happen when she does have one, she is already eating 400-500 mls more a day than they she should be

Buzzy - Lucky you! I wish I hadn't encountered so many so far. At the peak of his last growth spurt, I was feeding him every 30-45 minutes around the clock, it was exhausting. Little sweets also eats more than he should and is in the 91-97th percentile depending on what measurement you are looking at.

Sar - I hope everything is ok with her kidneys. The wait must be very stressful. Baby massage sounds so nice. I wish there were more activities out where I am.

Art - did mini-art always love the pram? I took mini-sweets out this weekend and he hated it. He was all smiles when we left the house and started screaming like a banshee three seconds into the walk. It took me ages to calm him down when I got him back into the house. I am dying to get outside walking, I was thinking to try him again in the kangaroo carrier.

Ele - The massage sounds wonderful. I will have to book one when mini-sweets gets a bit older.

Waves and hello to anyone I have missed. AFM not much is new, I am working from home during mini-sweets naps and trying to look for fun things to do while in France .

buzzy - The massage was fantastic

I told her that I liked deep massage but that I didn't mind a relaxing massage, so she proposed 45 minutes of deep massage followed by 45 minutes of relaxing massage with hot stones - it was great (never had a hot stone massage before but it was lovely). Some of my muscles are still a bit sore to the touch today - she done a really deep job on my legs (can't believe my calf/thigh muscles had so much tension in them, I always focus on my back).

Anyway, decided that I'll definitely try and get there again before I go back to work (fortunately, it's on the way to inlaws, so got dropped off, Mr E took DS1 and Hamish to grandparents, left DS1 there for the afternoon, then came back with Hamish to pick me up). Even at full price she only charges 37 quid for 90 minutes which is such a bargain (for such a good massage - she really knows her muscles).

Obviously all the relaxation has gone now, but hey, I'd need a massage everyday for that :-)

sar really hoping you get good news about baby sars kidneys (so horrible when you have something like that hanging over you :-( We think its Hamish's bowels that are waking him up - his poohs are pretty dense, no sloppiness in them at all, and he strains when he's having a trump so think he can't tell the difference between trumps and poohs (hence he wakes, feels discomfort and wants some boob to make him feel better). Not sure how long it will last - DS1 had issues with trumps until he was 2 (probably habit of waking up, but he used to have a lot of pain in his sleep, pulling his legs up etc and crying out, but after various visits to docs, they just said his digestive system was still maturing...)

I do think it'd be better if he had his own room (we only have 2 bed place, so he's in with us for a while yet) as he knows we're nearby so calls out, if we werent there, I'm not sure he'd wake as much (but i have no evidence for this!)

art so good to hear from you, sounds like mini art is still making you work for the joy of motherhood :-) Really hoping you get a few ailment free weeks so you can all catch up on some sleep (I share your pain!) I've not had a 'trim' since before I was pregnant with Hamish (I need to get some swimming shorts I think) and I feel guilty that poor Hamish has only been swimming twice, partly because our local pool has been rebuilt and we think its crap now, and mainly because DS1 doesn't really like swimming (never has) so it's hard to persuade him to go now, whereas I think Hamish would love it (he has loved his baths from day one and doesn't care if his face gets wet, whereas DS1 always hated that).

sweet Hamish can tolerate the pram for short sessions but isn't a big fan, I can get a 20 minute trip out of him, but often he'll start shouting (I had to stop my buggy fit classes as he just complained so much I ended up doing the class whilst carrying him, which was too much of a workout for me!). DS1 however, would only nap in the buggy so it was brisk hour long walks to get him to sleep (art i think mini-art reminds me of DS1 a lot!). It's such an individual thing as to whether they like stuff or not, but I think they can sometimes get used to it, and some babies take to forward facing buggies better (so they can see whats going on) even if they don't like flat lying prams (where they can only see us).

Ele - thanks so much for the advice about nausea. Much appreciated!
Your massage sounds delightful! I can't wait till I can have a massage again. I used to go once a fortnight but stopped as my ivf clinic told me no massage during stimms and def no massage until 12 weeks. I felt more relaxed just reading about your massage!

Sar - I hope baby sar's kidneys are okay. Baby massage sounds nice!

Buzzy - You sound like you are doing really well. Weight gain is a great sign.

Euro - I didn't know harmony didn't work for twins. I am sure some argc twin preggos went there. I must look into it. I think I am doing the nhs screening offered and depending on that result I will then make a decision whether or not I should do harmony.

Sweet - A break in France sounds really nice.

AFM still the same. Trying hard to feel normal and not throw up. I have figured out that if I eat every 2 hours I seem to feel better but healthy snacks doesn't seem to work. I seem to only want to eat foods I NEVER ate before getting pregnant - pizza (this was something I used to eat once a year), bread (never liked it), sandwiches (use to hate eating this!). I seem to have gone off salads and vegetables which were always my go to foods. Oh and I now NEED to have sugar in my de caf tea. I have never had a sweet tooth and hated sugar and cakes before. I seriously don't know what is going on. Am also concern about this unhealthy eating isn't good for the babies but it's the only way I can feel okay for a few hours in the day. It's all v odd. Surely at this rate I will be the size of a house by 12 weeks!

sea I might be wrong. I read that when I was reading up on the test (and thought that was one of the reasons they did the viability scan when they take the blood) but I heard someone say recently that it can be used for twins. Perhaps they have refined the test.

I've had a seriously sweet tooth in recent weeks, and developed a love of beige foods. I went everywhere with those little packs of Belvita biscuits and even cracked one open in the middle of my booking in appt. I have put on too much weight, but I figure it will all even out in the end.

sweet whereabouts in France are you going?

Ele I'm a huge fan of hot stone massages. Mmmm. And that really is a bargain!

Art I fear my fat stage is going to last a while. I definitely have a mini bump now rather than just bloat, but not anywhere near enough to fill maternity wear. But I am down to just a handful of pre-diffage clothes that just about go round me. Gah.

I'm sorry that the feeding woes continue buzz.

I'm loving all the baby chat though. It is nice to be able to read it without feeling bitter and jealous.

sea eat what you feel like, the baby will get what they need from you, I used to eat a family bag of Dorritos and beans on toast, baked potatoes, I needed the stodge

ele glad you enjoyed the massage, I need to book in my osteo, he gives me a nice massage

euro I did have a melt down about the feeding regime but I have scaled it back so babybee and I are both happy, she is now back on the boob but as and when she feels like it, as long as she is being fed

sweet ah I shall not worry to much about her weight

sar I hope things are ok with mini sar, when do you find out the results, I was told as long as there is some weight gain each week that is all that matters and that it won't always go up the same each time

art babybee will sleep in her pram too, I left her in the pram when we got home today so I have tea and toast in peace :)

We went to baby massage, babybee was pretty good, most kicked off at some point, I have to say a room of screaming babies didn't bother me,

Babybee is sleeping in her vibrating chair that I am rocking with my foot :) at least one leg is getting some exercises