The We Will Brook No Argument for a totally boring and uneventful pregnancy, in which we shall bloom, and a pain-free birth thread, part 3!

[dreamfeeder]

Hands around a mixture of V-shaped pillows, pregnancy pillows, and re-arranges the glittery vom buckets ready.

Gets the jelly snakes going, along with some Cadburys for good measure, and a strategically placed fruit bowl to disguise the unhealthy choices.

Flicks the duster round, sinks down into a comfy sofa and awaits the rest...

this keyboard situation is a pain in the ass. I've found a replacement keyboard for my laptop online so I'm going to have to order it as this is driving me mad.

fishcake I think your MIL is talking out of her arse. How on earth does bonding with your baby depend on how it's delivered? I also hate it when people say one way is so much harder than another. Surely you're only entitled to an opinion on that if you've experienced both? Sensible people know that the baby being delivered the safest way possible in that individual situation is the only thing that matters.

I'm knackered and grumpy today. I could have divorced DH in the middle of the night. His mouth breathing is getting right on my t**s.

Hello everyone!
Congratulations Real!
Ninja symptoms come and go, please remember. I am still worrying now that I am 25 weeks so it is very normal to.
Dream I hope you have a great time away and DD sleeps well.
Biscuits I have bought thisbra and it is fab! I am much bigger already and I am worried. I am the size I was when my milk first came in until I had settled a bit a couple of months later. I can confirm that there is lots of support for those with big boobs.
Sorry I have been a bit absent, I have been reading just find myself not posting as I go I will do it later as it is nice to reply to people. :)

Sorry, just realised my whole post was one big rant!

Hope you are all good and having a lovely weekend

Oo okay thanks Biscuits - I thought underwire was a mono. I like that bra too Purple and good to hear another second timer has gone bigger than milk coming in big with first one. I'm going to need a wheelbarrow for them when my milk does come in!
I like that bra too...
Your post made me laugh Scarlet!

Hello Purple!

Missed you!

That bra looks good - I'm a bit dubious whether a H/I would accommodate me but even if it was ok after they'd settled down it would be so nice to have a bra that was supportive. I know it sounds vain but looking back at pics when DS is small, I look awful around the boobages!

I must remember all these tips though - there's that one and another one that someone suggested for an almost sports bra fit that's supposed to be good for night time - I couldn't find anything comfortable enough to sleep in last time for those early days.

I think I might have to email myself all those links!

Scarlet hope you get your keyboard sorted. And I hear you re annoying DH sleeping habits - Gah!!!

Oh and I agree re the comments about CS v VB. there isn't one 'better' than the other - and I know loads of CS mums and no one has had any bonding issues - that sounds a load of rubbish if you ask me!

Erm, forgotten everything else. I'm currently v cross as ocado are an hour late with my shopping which has my tea in it, or in fact has the ingredients for my tea which I will still need to cook

Aww Biscuits I just didn't think anyone would miss me!

I am sporting a H/I and I have growing room, I am wearing my 34 f/g bravado tanks too but it is a bit of a squash. I have their sports back bra to whihc is recommended for sleeping in.
Out of my BF peer support buddies many of them have had c sections and have bonded and breastfed exclusively. Good to know your rights though as you can still have skin to skin in the theatre and I would strongly recommend that.

Scarlet I hear you, my DH keeps rolling over and putting his elbows on me and if he farts and it stinks I could actually kill him!

Buscuits Having a takeaway here, but it isn't due for another hour! Could you do a takeaway?

I'm in a J cup already so who knows where they'll end up . Last time I got some from the NCT shop, but that was all I could find. Am hoping that the wealth of MN research / experience will see me right this time!

Think I'd have to wait another hour for that so Ocado just better flipping turn up soon. According to their text saying they were running late they're due in 1 minute....

I mean I'd have to wait another hour for a take away.

I think Bravado do custom sizes, you have to message them but I have two custom bras, although they are bit old now. Also the cups are generous, I fit an F in bravado when I can't fit G cup (at all) in mothercare or M&S! So could be worth checking measurements? This bra comes in a J/K? I love the bravado bras btw if you hadn't noticed.

What a f~@k-wit I am.

Granted ocado were like over an hour late but, I had forgotten to update our address. It is a year since our last ocado delivery, which was at our old house.....

So, they tried to deliver it, an hour late, but not here.... And they can't redeliver until tomorrow morning (Although I guess I'm lucky they can reliever at all?)

Needless to say, we're now waiting for a takeaway

Poor hungry Biscuits! Hope the takeaway comes quickly. What sort did you go for?

Purple, I like those Bravado bras - they aren't as frumpy looking as a lot of maternity bras. Have just introduced DH to the concept of Hot Milk bras for a Christmas present. The sizing chart on the website made me laugh - according to them I'm a 38B. Yeah, right. I know for a fact I'm a 34FF (or possibly G by now). Hopefully DH will buy me some and they will actually fit.

Oh poor biscuits! Baby brain that is!

Too I didn't think hot milk went up that far? I have the bliss in chai and it is super comfy and moulded cups. DD picked it up and puzzledly handed it to me going 'Mummy's boobs' even though she usually calls my boobs, booboos poor sausage.

I had pizza and my terrible craving donor kebab, they are small kebabs if that is any excuse!

Curry consumed.

Phew

Sorry Biscuits but I did have a little giggle at your error. Mean of me I know, but it sounds like something I'd do. Sit there seething and preparing to let rip at someone, then realising it's my fault actually.

I had a lovely tasty steak and homemade chips for dinner with flat mushrooms, tomato, onion rings and watercress. I can't get enough watercress at the moment. I've had my Harry Judd Strictly Come Dancing fix so feeling a lot happier now.

Oh, it's totally fine to laugh at this one Scarlet!!! I'm such a muppet!

They were late, but I don't really have a leg to stand on . Still they were very accommodating, and we'll be having tonight's fajitas tomorrow night

Jealous of your steak actually Scarlett - hope you enjoyed

Biscuits, I had a similar problem with where we used to live (that NO delivery drivers could find) and me having changed my phone number - oops! Hope your takeaway was good :)

I had my first completly baby brain moment yesterday. DH was paid, and I manage the accounts - I usually pay off the credit card (which we use for every day spending), put some money into some savings, put some aside for tax etc. The money came in as usual and I got very excited about just how much was in the account, despite the fact I hadn't been paid yet, and paid off the whole of the CC balance, lots into various other accounts etc, leaving some money for bills and cash as always..

And completely forgot that I'd left NO money to pay the rent. Oops! Luckily I managed to rectify my mistake by the end of the day, but it was almost too late!

Can't believe how long I spent being so happy that we magically had more money to play with for a month, just because I forgot about the biggest and most important payment.. d'oh!

Oh and you might also have giggled then at the moment of realisation as I'm on the phone to ocado customer services, and then the penny drops, and in the next split second the driver calls my mobile before I can confess to the customer services man! So the CS man is hearing one side of a conversation with the driver who now knows I'm not at the address that he's at (not sure what the new residents would have thought of my shopping order )

Oh well, I am pregnant after all...

Fortunately DH does lots of stupid stuff too so he can't be mad at me

We've just watched Bad Teacher - quite enjoyed it!

Breaking news - there have been kicks in the Biscuit house!

Finally.

At 22+5 I could actually feel proper kicks over night - ones that I could feel (a bit) from the outside too.

I woke DH up 3 times to try to feel them but he couldn't, but it seemed that the wee biscuit crumb knew when it was daddy and didn't do any big pokes then, and I guess it is easier for me to feel it from the outside as I can feel it from the inside too.

So now I need to start thinking about this count the kicks thing? Does anyone have any tips or anything? What do you all do? What counts as a kick, and if they do say 3 together maybe a few seconds apart but in the same place, does that count as 1 or 3?

Any tips gratefully received.....

Hope everyone else is well xx

Woop Woop!! Excellent news Biscuits!

I was always confused about the 3 right at the same time/place thing.

My mw said don't worry about a pattern until 28 weeks. Then try to learn baby's own pattern.

Up until now as long as I had 2/3 incidences of movement in the day and then lots in the evening I was happy but currently getting more in the day so I guess that won't be her 'final' pattern.

Hurray for the wriggly Biscuit crumb!! Hope your DH manages to feel something soon. My DH now seems to want to spend the majority of every evening with his hand on my stomach trying to feel something. I've explained he's unlikely to feel anything for at least a couple of weeks, but he's still trying...

I'm also curious about the Count The Kicks thing as well. We all had a conversation about it recently, and as so many of you felt so strongly about it I wanted to give it some serious consideration. Having looked into it a bit more though it looks as though it's not actually a NHS campaign? According to the website it's just based on one line in the NICE guidelines which says "Any changes in fetal movements should be reported to a midwife or healthcare professional for further assessment."

I fully understand why it's important to deliberately and consciously monitor your baby's movement. I can see the huge benefits of becoming familiar with your baby's pattern of movement following different stimuli or at specific times of the day. I would certainly call my mw if I felt the baby was being unusually still, or even just moving around significantly less than normal. My doubts aren't about any of that. My doubts are about the usefulness of actually counting the kicks? I am convinced that actually counting the number of kicks would be very difficult to do and would lead me to get unnecessarily anxious whenever the number is slightly lower than the day before.

I'm not saying all this to annoy anyone or to be negative. I love the fact that everyone approaches their pregnancy differently and finds their own way of managing it. I fully support everyone who wants to participate in the count the kicks campaign, and if you feel it would benefit you I'm all for it. My concern is that I feel like it's been mentioned as though it's one of the essentials of pregnancy. Like not getting drunk for example, that's not so much a "choice" in pregnancy, it's an essential for being a responsible mother. People talk about the count the kicks as if it's not just one of several options for monitoring movement, it's actually essential as part of being a responsible mother.

Now I could just be reading too much into this, so if you think it's not essential please say (and I can stop feeling so guilty! :) ). Alternatively if you do think it's essential to actually count the number of kicks I would appreciate finding out why?

I see what you're saying Scream and for what it's worth I agree that simply counting the kicks I don't think is enough. I think you need to work out the pattern. For me I'd like some way of recording that pattern as I'd find that easier to notice any changes.

Yay for kicks, Biscuits! Finally! On the Count the Kicks front, I spent most of one Saturday on the sofa writing down every little twitch in a Word document. I haven't done that again since - I thought I would leave it a few weeks and then see how much it had changed. I have noticed the kicks getting stronger and bigger since. Scream, I agree that simply counting the kicks probably wouldn't work and would cause you to stress unnecessarily. I have noticed a quieter period at about 8/9 o'clock most night, and then she starts up again, so I think she might be sleeping in that time. I don't know at what point the baby really establishes a routine, though. Is it meant to be 28 weeks? If I had an iPhone I'd try one of the apps, but I haven't.

Purple, I think Hot Milk go up to a G...they do on the Figleaves website, anyway.

Scarlet, your steak sounds delicious. I had lasagna (home made by DH, frozen and microwaved) - mmm.

Musical, arf at the baby brain no-rent moment!

Yay Biscuits that's wonderful news. Very, very excited for you. I've also been feeling a lot more movement the last few days. More like wriggling though still rather than full on jabs. Seems to be getting stronger and stronger by the day.

scream I didn't count the kicks at all when I was pg with DS and I get where you're coming from. Monitoring the patterns and knowing your baby's usual routine I agree is the most important factor. I guess I'm just more paranoid this time round, for reasons I've not gone into much detail about on here because it concerns a close friend's experience rather than my own.

I don't think anyone would mean to imply you'd be an irresponsible mother for choosing not to and I certainly don't think there's any reason for you to feel guilty. I think in my original post about it I made reference to counting the kicks when what I meant was monitoring the pattern. That's the downside of forum posting I guess, things can be taken literally whereas if I was having a proper conversation about it I would have explained myself better. I think we're all in agreement that monitoring the pattern is the important thing and that counting the kicks is just a small part of that.

Biscuits and Dumbledore I was also under the impression it's 28 weeks onwards.

Oooh I might have a look for some iPhone apps...

Or maybe I'll ask the MN massive to tap into research that has already undoubtedly been done