December 2011- over halfway there!

[sevendwarves]

Welcome to the new thread ladies!

msbuggy that is a great point... never even thought of that. I will put it in mine too.

Also... to repeat jomouse... can we have the bf book recommendation... again

Tyelperion is it very bad that it makes my heart a little lighter to hear that you've got lots to do too? Think I'd rather assume that others are being super-organised rather than I'm being disorganised

Noooo msbuggy you can't have written your birth plan, I'm due 11 days before you That's it, I've decided to delegate...you can do all my knitting & seven if you're there; I'm sending you my washing

Seriously though, I may just have to crack the whip with DP; he's very old school...doesn't cook or do housework & as I've mentioned before he hates painting. But he may just have to learn to love it because I'm starting to realise I can't do everything!

I am impressed with the amount of organisation msbuggy!
I'm not worried about it anymore, I was worried last week, but now I have a cot with a mattress, and a couple of fancy clothes, a few babygrows, and 12 muslin cloths, and a Johnsons toolbox-looking thing with stuff in (It was a gift, I haven't looked at what potent chemicals lie therein.)
So... all I need is... bedding for the cot, some newborn nappies, newborn babygrows, a car seat, a pram, a sling, a thing for the bath or baby bath.
At some point I may want a breast pump, and bottles, and maybe even a sterilising unit (a pan and water???) (jomouse the book recommendation from msbuggy was The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding - from La Leche league - available from Amazon).
What more do I need? There's loads of things that I'd like, and that will be needed later, and will buy no doubt, but the shops will still be open when el bambino is here. And online shopping brings it to your door. So I will not panic.
I want to move house and prepare the lovely nursery with the new furniture and decor... but I don't need it. El bambino doesn't need it. He needs me to hold him close and protect him and feed him, and I need my DH to do the same for me. And we're all going to be just fine and happy and hunky dory. See. no panic. :)

...And on Saturday, I'm going to the Babyshow in Manchester and will probably sign away any savings we have for a new house on all kinds of unnecessary baby tat!

LOL @ your positive affirmations OiMissus very zen of you :)

Silly question to those who have washed everything already; are you storing them somewhere dust free (like a vacuum bag) until use, or are you going to wash them again before baby comes?
I WANT to get everything washed and ready, but cba doing it if I'll have to do it again in 3 months (3 MONTHS! ).

Has anyone else gone from feeling 'this pregnancy is dragging', to 'WTF! When did I get so big, and why the heck is time flying so fast'?

Tyelperion & Honey, we've got alot of home stuff to do before Dec; new flooring & paint in hallway, repaint our bedroom & buy new wardrobes (currently our clothes are stored in ant hill style mounds, as the wardrobe broke last month), clear the spare room of all junk (home to all the junk that used to live ontop of wardrobe)..so buying big bulky baby stuff isn't really a good idea atm.

OiMissus, I bought a manual Tomme Tippe breast pump in Tesco (they were doing it half price in July), opened up the box today & it's got a microwave sterliser box in it (a sandwich box with a release valve in the lid), which I didn't realise!
As for baby bath, we're buying a washing up bowl & when it grows out of that...sink baths! (we're low on storage space so bulky bits of plastic aren't really a good idea).

We're going to the Baby Show on Sunday, didn't realise parking was £9, so on top of the tickets, fuel & food we'll need on the day I'll have to buy LOADS to justify the cost of going there....they better have some decent freebies

My birth plan is done. It's very simple.

"Please can we avoid anything involving needles unless it is absolutely medically necessary?"

Gas and air is wonderful stuff. If they try to get me to lie down I will go for a walk until they get bored of asking. I'm not permitted a home birth, nor to use the midwife led unit (though that appears to be closing) so I will damn well make sure that I at least get to labour as comfortably as I can. I had an eight hour turnaround with my last baby, from admit to discharge. Hoping for less this time. just have to time it so that I don't just miss the peadiatrician doing the rounds this time!

Feeling less mopey today. I got a bunch of things written down and although I can't change the circumstances of where I am right now, I at least have my thoughts assembled in a more organised manner.

Preparations: I can't find anything I like:/ I like babygros, and all the ones I have seen are either garishly evil or poor quality. I may have to pop to asda which is miles away, as I seem to remember their plain white stuff washed and wore well.

I have bought some yarn, and I am going to knit a few bits. Probably a couple of cardigans and hats. Going with soft creams and browns, with a bit of moss green here and there as I find lemon to be a really daft colour to keep clean, especially in winter >_<

The main thing I need to do is gut my room. Hate that job. Might just hire a skip and throw it all away and start again. The only furniture I have in there is a bed and a bookcase. I'm sure the boxes of stuff don't contain anything good or useful if I haven't used it in nearly two years. Right?

I got free tickets to the babyshow via my aquanatal class. :) But I like the idea of buying loads to make the expense worth it! My kind of argument!
Aw! "Buying food" - when we are seasoned parents, we'll be seasoned picnic packers. No more of the incredible expense of lunches for day trips!

I missed one thing off my list, I'm going to buy one of those plastic storage drawer unit thingies. This will hold all baby clothes, cleaning and baby matter until the nursery is complete. (So anything I get, that then get's washed, will go in that. which should keep it clean, fresh and dust free.)

Oh and I lied. i also have a changing mat. I got an ex-display one from mamas and papas. :)

Oh, and I am torn between buying a couple of bottles or not. I breastfed my other two, but nothing is guaranteed to work all the time, and my supply went balls up a few months in with the boy. But with my mental issues around it all I keep telling myself it would be tempting fate to have them. I might just tell a friend to buy some just in case. And have her on standby if everything goes dramatically tits down... If you'll pardon the dreadful pun.

If any of you are thinking of using bottles, the tommy tippee ones that look like hourglasses have the boobiest shaped teats, and when my son decided that he needed his milk in more quantities than I could produce, he took to those swimmingly.

AWCH babyshow - if I get any decent freebies on saturday, I'll point you in the right direction for your visit on Sunday.

Oi

Those plastic drawer units have gaps wide enough to get an army of dust bunnies in, and the static of the plastic serves to call them to them. I would truly ask you to beware.

Not that I have had five of the sodding arsing things over the last eight years. Oh no. Not at all!

Oimissus and AWCH Please report back re all goodies, freebies and complete waste of time areas post the baby show! I am relying on it being fantastic... so I can buy everything there!

So far I have... a cot (but no mattress) and a changing table (yet to be put together!) and I have painted the nursery green... but am currently using it as storage for bikes, and all the cardboard and other packing materials that we used when moving house !!!

Yes.. thats it :)

honeylovescakes and Tyelperion the are just super organised, we are most certainly not disorganised...

LittleMissFlustered my MIL has knitted a couple of things in various colours from the Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino line which are really pretty - we asked for gender neutral colours so she has gone with moss and grass green, sea greens and blues and granite/stone greys. She says she is knitting in the colours of the Cornish coast I hope those colours will be easy to keep clean too.

Green and brown hide more baby mess, which tends toward beige, green and brown That's a rictus grin from memory...

Tyelperion can we swap MIL's mine's not a knitter? I'm in love with the Debbie Bliss patterns, I have her Simply Baby & Baby Knits for Beginners books but I've knitted nothing yet. I was going to go for blues, greens & greys so I guess the Cornish coast must be inspiring me too :)

on a totally different topic... can anyone recommend some hypno birthing CDs? I don't really have the time to make it to any classes... but I thought it might be good to listen to... to reduce my paranoia.

My MIL has knitted BIN BAGS full of stuff. Mainly white. Some yellow. Most "traditional" patterns. I reckon if I change El bambinos clothes 7 times a day, and he wears "traditional" knitwear exclusively, he may get the chance to wear everything before he outgrows it.
My mum is feeling a little put out as she is a champion knitter, but was waiting - so as not to be unlucky. Methinks I'll have a wee looky at Debbie Bliss, and perhaps point her in the direction of classier stuff that I will actually allow him to wear in public.
Ditto please re: hypnobirthing CDs.

With the knitting, I've gone for either earthy colours or rainbow stripes! I do love the Debbie Bliss cashmerino grass green, have quite a bit that I knitted for DD1 in that colour!

Yes, the book is 'The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding', if you buy it from www.llgbooks.co.uk you are supporting La Leche directly too...

Out of impartial BFC mode, if anyone is going to be doing a lot of expressing I think the Medela Swing is a brilliant pump.

For the odd occasion, hand expressing works brilliantly (some mothers find they can only express milk if they hand express!) and if you pm me your address I can post you the leaflet that shows you how.

had to check i was on the right thread - birth plans eh??? no idea what is supposed to go in one. anyone tell me where i can at least get some pointers. had a no option elcs last time so am more like a first time mum on this one!

anyway can i join please - due 22nd december

Bloody heck busy day today on here.

My birth plan is to get out as quickly safely and painlessly as possible .......... Done

I admit to being super-organised, but if she arrives as early as DS I have 11 weeks left, I was also assuming I'll be extra knackered in the last few weeks running around after DS as well, I'd rather be organised now while I can be bothered, then I'll be putting my feet up preparing for Christmas instead.

I'm not sure whether to bother with a birth-plan. I done one for DS stating that I wanted no pain relief, by the time I was admitted to the delivery suite I was practically begging for drugs and the plan never left my hospital bag!

I got raised eyebrows from the midwife last time with my birth plan.

It read as follows:

1. Live mother, live baby.
2. whatever's needed to achieve 1).

One of my friends was recently told in antenatal classes to relabel the birth plan "birth Wishlist" as that's more realistic and leads to less guilt/regret on the part of mum if events end up totally different to the "plan".

Oooh hawthers, we're due the same day (and don't worry, I've not had the birthing plan chat with MW yet either)!

OiMissus, cheers! Will be great to know which stands to direct overexcited (first grandchild) & wealthy MIL too
lalababy, will let you know how Sunday is!
Hoping to get our reusable nappies there (although forgot about the London real nappies voucher until just now so don't have time to get my £50 off, bugger; realnappiesforlondon if anyone in London wants it).

aethelfleda, that's my kinda birthing plan!

Love the birthing plan aethel.
i've seen templates online, but they seem very long winded and detailed. I haven't had the chat with the MW yet, but I guess mine is going to be: "In a room with a birthing pool. I want the freedom to move around and to give birth with as little intervention as possible. ...Big, hard drugs on standby."

I tend to use the templates to make sure I cover everything I want to cover, as I'll be home birthing again I need things like a list of who is allowed in the house (to make sure that everyone knows MIL is to be sent away if she turns up!). But, I turn it into bullet points as there is no way a mw is going to wade through all the waffle. It also means I have lots of warnings about only one person speaking to me at one time (I'm hearing impaired) and not putting drugs anywhere near me...I had pethadine and G&A for DD1. G&A made me throw up, pethadine made me hallucinate and I hated it.