December 2011 - She Canna Take Much More, Cap'n...

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Betwee 8 and 12 weeks to go...and we're giving it all we've got!

Nice! I might even keep this after Halloween :)

I've had an incredibly lazy day today. I called some friends, wrote my birth plan, and that's about it. I'm going to listen to the natal hypno cd and try my best to stay awake, and maybe I'll tidy up a bit. Probably won't, though.

figgy I bought a tin of roses last week for Christmas, most of them have now gone.

cheaptrick sorry you're having a tough tine, but glad that you're otherwise ok. 6 weeks I'm just under 30 weeks but realised it's 6 weeks today until the point when I had DS.

Glad everyone is getting organised. I think I've got pretty much everything for my hospital bag but lack the motivation to actually get it packed and type my birth plan.

Sorry you are finding things tough cheaptrick. I am not looking forward to the terrible twos!

Right, I need to buy a cot and am thinking cheap cot but good mattress. What I want to know is, should I get one with a drop rail or is it necessary? Don't think will bother with one which converts to bed as (hopefully) will be having a second so would just move baby 1 into a bed and new baby into old cot when time comes. If it works out, obvs. But think might as well move straight from cot to bed. So is there a particular size of cot I need - how long can they stay in a bog-standard cot? I can't really see the point of an expensive cot, the really expensive ones don't seem to do anything the cheaper ones do. Any advice welcome!

I hate all this shopping, it's so tedious. I am totally excited about my baby but I must say, the paraphernalia leaves me cold!

Cheeptrick, do you want to put off the potty training? I've always heard that it's best not to try when there's been about to be some upheaval in the child's life, like moving house or a new baby, so I didn't try with my DS till he was nearly 3. It could just give you one less thing to worry about, and one less thing to fight with DS about. I've had an up and down relationship with my own, so know it's very hard in those periods when we are at loggerheads. DS had a really bad period when he was about 19months, and I thought the Terrible Twos might last a year , but then he had one of those language leaps, was much less frustrated, and was much better again until about 2.6, when there was some new frustration (can't remember what). At about 2.9/10, he was very ill for a week or so, and seemed so grateful to me for nursing him through that we were all sweet again, so I ruthlessly took advantage of that to potty train him then!

You sound very organised, by the way. We had a HV come round recently (new housemove), and she was smilingly telling me I ought to have my bag packed now (whereupon I thought "piss off"). I hope your lot are not trying to make you feel guilty, but if they are, just think about how they would look at someone like me, without enough maternity pads, or TENS machine, or . I haven't even bought any baby nappies, so if DD comes now, it's "real nappies" (folded muslin + bin liner )! However, the Homestart volunteer should hopefully be doing some cleaning for you, which sounds great!

ZombiesAteMySorelip, that username is reeeeeally disgusting - well done!

Mopsytop - when you have another baby the HV will tell you to get a new mattress, so i would go for a desent cot and a medium mattress as you will need to replace the mattress for second child.

We had a wooden crib for son but he hated it and within 4 months was too big for it - he spent most of the time in his carry cot in the livingroom with DH sleeping on the sofa . We are getting a mosses basket this time. We have a cot bed that was about £300 from mama and papa's and then a £149 hand made organic mattress and organic fitted sheet and sleep bag which worked well for us.

As its all only two years old and has not been used that much (son co-sleeps) we have chosen not to get a new mattress but i have got a new mattress protector and fitted sheets and sleep bags/swaddle robes and a new mosses basket when we buy it!

Hmm, I know that's the advice they give Cheep but I think so long as your baby isn't too sicky, and you are confident the mattress is okay, it's not a problem. So I guess I'd need to wait and see what my baby is like! If my baby doesn't sick up too much, I am pretty sure I'd be happy using the same mattress again. Guess will have to wait and see on that one. For me, £300 for a cot is way too expensive. I am a poor student! I was thinking around £150 on the mattress and £100 max on the cot. I mean what advantage does a more expensive cot have except for looks? Are there advantages I am not aware of?

Pulpervert - Son spends most of the time taking his clothes off and pull up off and running round living room naked and running off and screaming if i try to put clothes or pants on him. I have the duck potty in living room and we have laminated flooring so easy to clean and babygates to keep him in the room. I dont want to potty train him but he has desided its time . On Thursday he did a wee in the potty in nursary so i'm very pleased with him and on out wall chart the potty is winning over the floor so not too bad

He has also stop breastfeeding a month ago and has stoped his afternoon naps and is started to talk more. It always seems to have a few advancments in the space of a week and its me that is running to catch up with him . At 8 months old in the space of 4 days he learned to sit u craw and then stand up . Then walking at 10 months and running at 1 years old.

I find it easyer to follow his lead in most things but i'm so not looking forward to tonight as its the first night in his own room and his own bed and we are doing the rapid return method as we really need him in his own bed now

Regarding the SS and HV it is very annoying sometimes. My son is well cared for, has all his needs meet, well socialised and is happy and safe and well looked after by me, DH and his GP's but that does not seem to matter to these people

No one has any problems with my son, its just cos i had PND/Depression (it does not matter that it is controled by medication) and that they just see my DH as disabled instead of asking him how he copes and what help he needs. Most of the meeting and interventions completly ignore him even tho he has 50% parent respoisability and lives in our home and is home from work every day at 4.30pm so he can be with us

I think they just have a budget that needs spending and as we cooperate fully its easy to spend it on us

We got the cheapest mothercare cot, and a reasonable mattress. Worked fine. Expense is about aesthetics for the mst part:)

Cheep It's appalling that they treat you husband so impersonally. I hope that can be resolved:)

Mopsy - just in the quality in the cot. My son could stand and jump in his cot at 8 months old and then when teething he would bite the top of the wooden cot. My son is going to be 3 in Feb and is climbing on the cot bed that is set up for newbaby - so it has to be pretty strong. (saying that my son has just broke the fire guard by pulling it and bent the metal clip , something else to put on the need to buy list)

Have you asked friends about a second hand cot? When i had son 3 people offered me their cot and then i just got the mattress until i could afford a new cot bed. As most are wooden its easy to clean and disinfect them.

Note: my eldest was in her own bed at fifteen months so the cot didn't have to be toddler proof

Toddlers are great fun - today son learned how to climb on to the window still and tried to open the window in his new room ( i had already locked and remove the key just in case). Last week he showed me he could unlock the front dor and open it using the handle as well as the back door. Yeasterday it was opening the fridge and taking out the milk as he wanted a drink of milk .

As he is my first i do not know if all toddlers are like this but most days i think he is too clever for his own good

When the newbaby is here i'm sure i will have to up my game with him or he will take over the world in a few days

mopsy we bought this cot for DS, he was in it until 2.5 and it's still going strong, it will easily do at least one more child. It says it has fixed sides though and ours has a dropside so not sure whether they've changed it or just got the web info wrong. We just use a basic £35 foam wipe clean mattress, it seemed perfectly good enough for DS. I personally wouldn't use a second-hand mattress though so thought it seemed daft buying an expensive one.

Not sure whether my link doesn't work or if it's because I'm on my phone. Anyway it's the takeley cot and it's £99.

It works fine seven :)

cheep, my friend had a home start volunteer with her new baby (for vaguely similar reasons) and she was fab- it could have felt intrusive but actually it felt very low key yet supportive. She started off coming round just for a cup of tea each day (which she made and cleared up) but also helped with physical stuff my friend found hard due to the birth circumstances, and provided very sensible advice and a kindly ear. They got on really well and it effectively removed the need for more formal SS contact, which was a huge relief. I hope your experience is as positive.

mopsy: the most important aspect for a cot from a mum's point of view is a two-level floor so that when they are little you have the floor up high so you don't strain your back putting them down, and when they stand up you can lower the floor to stop em climbing out. I had a drop rail on mine but never needed it.

Hope people had a good weekend: another week beckons! Everyone ready?

ah, if it is his choice to do it, that's a different matter, cheep. He does sound like the ambitious sort! Maybe he will be the baby's guardian and a great help! I've got my fingers crossed for something like that here...

Thanks everyone!

I bought a cheap cot and moved DS into a bed at 2.4, which leaves the cot free for the new baby.

All cots have to meet safety standards and mine seems plenty sturdy enough. It has a drop side which I see as essential and came with two sets of holes to set the base at different heights. We have jst made a third set of holes so it will be level with our bed which has worked well.

The only dsadvantage has been that moving into a bed involved 3 weeks of upset where DS was very unsettled. Friends who had the larger cot beds were able to simply remove one side when climbing out became an issue and that seemed to cause less upset. By the time they need to move to a bed they will probably be old enough to understand and not be unsettled by the move.

When we moved DD2 into a toddler bed, we put it up next to the cot and put her to sleep in the bed so she could still "see" the bars as she went off to sleep... Ten minutes later we heard an almighty thump, ran upstairs to see DD2, thumb in mouth, bum in air, fast asleep back in the cot that she'd just climbed INTO! Still don't know how she managed it....

All the talk of sleeping arrangements...I think we're going to be five in the bed! DD1 flits between our room and her own, although she's spending more time in our bed at the moment probably because we're having another one. DD2 isn't ready for her own bed yet. Good job we have a giant bed really!

Had a couple of dreadful nights sleep over the weekend...DD1 going to sleep very late, DD2 being up very early but all was normal last night so I feel like a different woman! Planning on doing some baby-related stuff today, typing my birth plan and doing the shopping list for my freezer meals, maybe collecting my birth stuff into a box too.

Managed some bargains this weekend, got 15 more cloth nappies for £30 including postage on another forum and a friend is digging out long sleeved tops for me, which are the last bits of clothes I need!

Morning all, ny you have been productive this weekend- I had to read through three pages to catch up! So here goes:
bluebells Good luck for the job interview soon, and yep, I think we'll find somewhere to rent first - for stability - rather than rush with house buying - more later...
Tyel and hawthers yep, pregnancy hormones/whatever having a negative effect at work. Had an horrendous week a couple of weeks ago, then got paranoid that I am now an inconvenience being pregnant and they wanted rid. Am now calmer and on good behaviour.
Am massive, but still no stretchmarks and the bellybutton has not popped. Fingers crossed it stays that way.
Figgy good chocolate finger work!
cheeptrick glad to hear you're ok-ish after the mucus plug scare, but it sounds like you're doing an awful lot of work. take your time, and take it easy! No more scares please!

Question - at what time do we buy/hire tens machines? Any advice would be welcome please!

Update on house situ: Went to see the 4 fave houses, and a new one, discounted all but Springfield - the one I shared with you. But it needs a lot more work that I thought. This doesn't scare me (apart from money of course), but scares DH as he thinks it's not right for a baby to be amongst building work. DH is also not handy at all, so it would be me and outside help getting stuff done. It's an exciting project - normally one that I would relish, just don't know how it's going to work with a baby in tow. Anyway, it looks like it's been rented out. No one in yet, but "let agreed" via a different agent. So need to get some answers today from the estate agent. Also there was water, and a water pump in the cellar, which doesn't bode well.
So depending on the answers, we will probably start looking to rent something, to be settled in time for the birth. It'll also give us chance to save up more for a deposit - or to do the work on Springfield.
Got my 32 week appt later today. have a great day everyone. :)

Son sleeped all night in his own bed ........ So did my DH

It was nice to have the double bed to myself but i couldn't sleep as i was waiting for son to cry or get up but he was happy to sleep in his own bed with his Dad all night. DH got up for work at 5.30 am and then at 6.30am son came into our room and i asked if he wanted to come in bed with me and he said "No, my room" and went back to his room and got into his bed

I'm so proud of him

I need to shop for the other two this week. They both need some sturdy not-school shoes and winter tops. For shoes I'm heading to the chavvy sport shop in town as they have walking boots and shoes at reasonable prices according to a friend. Not planning on buying much else for the baby as I have no idea what weight it is going to be. I have a wee stash of vests and babygros and a lovely jumper. I am making hats and a cardi. All I definitely need is a snowsuit:) The benefit of my due date is that it coincides nicely with the sales so I should be able to get the other odds and ends I need quite cheaply after the event. I'll finish off my labour bag shopping this week too. Need breast and maternity pads, pants and a pair of pyjamas.

I might cave and buy myself some black leggings. I found a couple of really long tops in the wardrobe the other day, and I have unearthed my doc marten's so I should be well covered if naught else. Jeans are uncomfortable at the minute, even though they fit. I just want things that give when I try to bend

Morning everyone! Anyone else finding it harder and harder to bend? Sometimes it actually hurts! Ugh.

I have decided to buy this cardy from Mamas and Papas instead of a coat:

Mamas and Papa's cardy
can wear it under my coat and leave my coat open. Tried on some swingy style coats and I just looked even more like a weeble. Plus, I think I'll actually be able to wear this cardy after baby comes, even though it's maternity, as it isn't too full of material.

This is the dress I got for the wedding:
Mamas and Papa's dress

Right, work. Loads to do, have a good day y'all!