December 2011 - Support tights time!

[BeeMyBaby]

Had no idea what to call it, sorry. Just googled third trimester and that was the recommendation...

Dr Who scares me. I like it, but it makes me jump every time!
seven lovely / sad story about your nan meeting your baby.

Thanks for asking seven. He saw the oncologist at the end of last week, he was offered radiotherapy but has decided to just have palliative care as he is likely to have a good quality of life for the next year, then have a fatal brain haemorrhage. Feel quite stoic about it really, am very glad he'll meet DD3 who has his name as one of her middle names but it makes me sad that she won't remember him.

Hee hee seven, don't worry, we strictly vet Dr Who as dD1 loves watching the non scary episodes- so we do show her the fluffy adipose episode, Most of Sarah Jane, and we just watched the Shakespeare one... But won't go near the gas mask "are you my mummy" episode or the scary Vashta Nerada one for some time! What boggles me is the nunber of parents who sit down to the "live" episodes with their 5 and 6 year olds. Last weeks one with dolls was creepy beyond belief, if they are watching live it's uneditable!

Glad your grandad has more of a "plan" now, most palliative care support is fab (it is a bit area dependant sadly) and is all about good quality of life, doing the important things, etc. Take lots of photos when you meet so when the DDs are older you can talk about Great Grandad, and keep a picture up at home so you can talk about him to them.

Sorry seven I missed out your name... You knew I meant you, right?

Aarg, I meant msbuggy! fried brain!!!

DD loves Dr Who but not the scary ones lol.

She got herself up & dressed this morning and Is now playing in her room, whilst watching a DVD.
Another chillout day for us.

Yep, I knew! The palliative care here is ace, DP's Nan has been having it for a while (erm, is it a bit morbid that DD3 will have her name as well!?!)

Darcies You're lucky! I can't put even a non-scary Dr Who on around DD1 as she has it in her head that it is scary so she won't try it and totally freaks out if I try to watch it, or even mention it. The joys of an ADHD child!

I've only just got up, DP gave the DDs breakfast etc this morning so I've had a lovely lie in with my book. Today we are making butterfly wings for the DDs, then spending the afternoon at PIL's house, where they will fill the DDs with chocolate and crisps but I do usually get lots of time to sit and knit!

Morning ladies - have been lurking for a while and posted once or twice but might start being more proactive. I am due in December (12th) with my second. Have been so busy with life recently that have not had much chance to focus on this pregnancy and impending arrival. 13 weeks to go and the nursery is still a study! We bought this house last year and are mid renovation - we are rather slow at it as don't want to spend all our time on it but have realised we need to get the nursery sorted!

I also started a new job last week - only part time but I have not worked much for the last couple of years so bit of a shock to our systems (not great timing but this is how things always seem to work. I plan to work until the end of Nov and return next Sep)

Also been trying to get builders to start our kitchen extension since the summer - now looks like we will be starting in October - so Christmas with a new baby and no kitchen is entirely possible!!

As a result of all this I think I need to be reminded I am pregnant sometimes and hear from others in the same position!

Your house sounds like ours jigglebum, so much to do but no motivation to do it. Our nursery is decorated but doesn't have a door on it as that door had a fist hole in it when we moved in!

Afternoon Ladies.

Apart from living in a war zone this morning, the day is starting to get better apart from a shouty DD whenever she doesn't get her way :(
Had a lovely roast dinner cooked by DP and now has an apple pie in the oven which I will pour evaporated milk all over the top yummy!

Watching the F1 now - come on Button. then prop watch the 9/11 thing.

Good afternoon ladies, i'm having a great weekend. No pains!!
It started with a really good night's sleep on Friday - in bed at 9:30! We spent Saturday breaking down a big chest of drawers and putting the crib in it's place by the bed. :) we also did lots of cleaning which chilled me out. Another early night and good sleep.
Aquanatal this morning for some good mum-to-be chattery, then visited a sleep granddad. Mum and dad have said that they'll contribute to the pram - hurrah! I've already paid for it, but the cash will be put toward the nursery furniture.
and then I came home to find that DH had made some delicious parsnip soup and cumin bread rolls! Mmmm! ( out of this month's Good Food. I am a lucky lady!
Now chilled out reading my breastfeeding book and dreaming about GingerBaby.

Quick question, am planning to breastfeed, but am told that I'll still need a steriliser - for water bottles between feeds - is this true? Will the baby want water between feeds in the first 4 months, or is this what older generations did? Advice please!

Hi - you lot have some nice DP/DHs! Mine rarely cooks and is not great at it - although he makes quite a good curry. We have spent the day taking it in turns sanding/cleaning walls and painting and playing with DS. We took him to fly his kite as was windy here. It is the first time he has managed it really (he is 3) - it was really sweet. Unfortunately it is also a dog walking area and some dog came charging over the hill at him (owner no where in sight) and rather upset him and we had to go home. I know the dog was only being friendly but it does annoy me.

Oimissus even if you plan to breastfeed I think it is worth having bottles as back up just in case. It also means you can express and OH can feed them - we did this for the 10pmish feed and means you can go to bed earlier! Although we actually used formula at this time as my ability to express was terrible! I also had a couple of formula cartons around just in case when I came home from the hospital after a friend of mine could not get their new born to latch on and they had a night with a crying baby until her DH could find somewhere open to sell formula!!

Sounds like you're all having a nice w/e. My husband made a lovely roast for lunch and is making dinner as well - yay! He also put up the new bookcase, the spare room looks SO much better now without my folders and books piled everywhere, it's great. I finished sewing a Christmas angel doll I started last year (! ), well I still have to do the wings, but finished most of it - there is a pair of dolls so I still have to finish the other one. I have sewed the bodies, legs, arms, dress but need to stitch it all together. I think they are sweet but my husband says they look scary .

Re: water for breastfeeding babies: someone on MN linked me to this article a long time ago, and I have saved it carefully:

here. Johns Hopkins is an extremely well-respected hospital and research institution, so I am happy to accept their counsel not to give undiluted water to little ones.

If you can't access the link, the crucial bit of the article is:

"Too much water dilutes sodium in the blood and flushes it out of the body, thus altering brain activity, which can lead to a seizure. Infants under 1 year of age may be more prone to these types of seizures than older children because a young infant?s diet does not contain enough food sources to replenish the lost sodium. Also, an infant?s immature kidneys cannot flush out excess water fast enough, causing a dangerous buildup of water in the body.

"Breast milk and formula are the best way to keep a child under 1 year of age who is not eating solid foods hydrated, Walker says..."

Terrifying!

FWIW, when DS was about 2 m, we took him somewhere very hot, and he was feeding like a little madman (on advice of my HVs and so on), and didn't require any of the bloody tea and water the relatives kept pushing him to have. (eejits - the tea is just an obsession with them; we had manky left-over camomile tea all over the effing house). He hopped up a whole centile line! And I lost at least half a stone in two weeks !

Thanks for the info, ladies! very much appreciated!

oi - regarding back-up-formula supply - I'd recommend buying two 4oz bottles plus newborn teats (whatever brand you like) and 3 cartons of pre-made-up-formula (they are about 60p each so not too pricey). Any brand you'll find easy to get will do (eg look at what your local 7-11 stocks). If you're planning to breastfeed then you don't need to pay ££ in advance for a steriliser - you can steam sterilise in a tupperware tub filled with water temporarily in the microwave or use a cold water sterilising tablet system like Milton tablets (£3 a packet). The pre-made formula is pre-sterilised so you just sterilise the bottle and pour it in from the carton - my stuff went out of date before I needed to use it but it felt reassuring having it there in the cupboard just in case (and when I was run over when DD1 was 4 months old, having the formula cartons at home meant grandad could feed her a bottle while I was busy being checked over in hospital).

Can I just add that if formula-feeding most babies will need some cool boiled water occasionally, DS had severe constipation before we discovered this [terrible mother emoticon]. Switching from powder to cartons for a couple of days can also help though.

jigglebum there's a very viscous sounding red setter round the corner from us that always stands at the gate barking when we go past. DS is now terrified of dogs :(

oimissus glad you're having such a good weekend :)

If you're a first time mum it's handy to have at least some of the steribottles and ready made milk, or some of those wee bottle/teat systems you can get just in case. A friend of mine tried in vain to feed and was beside herself when it became obvious (after several hours, two midwives and the dedicated breastfeeding counsellor) that she had no supply. Her husband had to do a mad dash to the nearest supermarket and buy everything as they had nothing ready for that eventuality at all:( When she had her second, the same happened, but htis time they were prepared. She is fine about it now, and jokes that her boobs are enormous, but ought to be taken to trading standards for false advertising.

If you're planning on getting a breast pump, most come with a bottle, and the tommee tippee one comes with a micro sarnie-box type steriliser too, which is also handy for all sorts of other sterilising needs (dummies, breast shields etc.):)

From what I've read, your milk may not come in properly for a few days, just a little collostrum - but it's nothing to worry about, the baby is fine for a day without... But it would be worrying. But if the baby is latching, it will help stimulate milk production - so it's better to stick with it, and not turn to formula too early.

Tis a minefield of info!

I've been sent two natural teat type bottles free so far.

Free stuff rocks.

I haven;t signed up for anything that dishes the free stuff yet though, as Tesco no longer do their wee funky box thing, and Boots refuse to let me have another go on the baby and toddler carousel. I might joint he Sainsbury's group when I find my nectar card, as they have a thing they give away apparently. Any other freebies on offer?

That's good to know about the period of milk coming in, OiMissus. I had a lot of trouble feeding DS at the start (and it didn't help that the poor mite was under lamps for neonatal jaundice, so I was topping him up from a cup so he wouldn't get confused) and didn't breastfeed properly till about the end of week 2, so really don't know what to expect about doing it from the very beginning! I have full confidence that I will have loads of milk (have already had colostrum in pregnancy! ), but think I would freak out if I appeared not to at the outset! It's good to know the baby will survive!

Hi all! I had a nice relaxing day, met up with a friend for lunch and hot chocolate, and was given some Sanctuary mum to be bath stuff, which I used this evening - lovely!

I can't recall who it was that was talking about using those pelvic floor ball things from Lovehoney, but did you find out if they are safe to use in pregnancy?

Sanctuary stuff is delicious. I get a box set each Christmas from a friend. I eke it out and it lasts all year for treats

Heads up to those who might not know, Boots.com have a mahoosive 3for2 on in the parenting section - loads on offer. I shall be placing a whopping order next week, and getting my pram and moses basket:) All with points too. I like points, though I never tend to do anything with them...

Anyone seem to be getting a new symptom every day? Felt amazing from about 15-25 weeks, then this week, I feel like i've aged: getting the most attractive bloody red snots and bleeding gums, look like Ive been beaten up

Anyone doing a video diary? DH and I have discussed video'ing bits and bobs before the baby arrives, such as "this is your bedroom...here's the snake we were looking after who stayed in your room for a couple of months before yu came along.....here's our living room NOT covered in baby paraphenalia....this is you in the belly"

Naff? I know most people video the baby and beyond but anyone start before arrival? Dont worry, we wontbe PFB and showing it to anyone, necessarily, just think it might be a nice record.