December 2011: We've got big bumps and we cannot lie (down comfortably)

[LittleMissFlustered]

:o

Shake those bumps ladies.

And squeeeeeeeze

I can see that it might be easier with the baby here as i can then take them swimming and out and he will not be cooped up indoors for most of the week.

I just feel strange feeding him now that i got my head around stopping feeding him. He is only 2.10 years but he is 98cm and 15.6kg he is as tall as some 4 yo's, so it seems strang to feed him again - even thou we only stopped in July

I'm also scared of putting baby in a sling in case she falls out or she can't breath!

I think i'm going to let Air try to feed and hope he choices not too

So far i have said that its like a cup and he drank all his milk so now when the baby comes it will be her milk and she will have to drink it all. Then he said "Mine all gone", so i dont know if he gets it or not.

seven you were the predictor! Really good to hear from you. Gosh what a day you've had though. Hope you're feeling OK and your stay in hospital goes well.

Scan was OK thank goodness, just looks like the baby is on the small side - it has a teeny tummy and little legs (at the lower end of the 'normal' scale) so it sounds like it's going to take after me (I'm on the small side myself). Apparently it weighs just under 5lb at the mo so am guessing it will need those 3 extra weeks of cooking time to fatten it up. Has anyone else on this thread ever had a smaller baby? It's nothing to worry about is it?

It's DIY central here today but I've collapsed in a heap on the sofa and am catching up on MN - it's good preparation for when the baba comes after all

cheep I know the feeling with the naps too. DD seems to be changing her pattern at the moment. Some days she'll have one late morning and one late afternoon, other days she'll just have one, and the length of the naps is very variable. It seems to be on the days that I most need a break and a rest that she decides not to sleep or not to sleep for very long

When my waters went I ended up walking round in dresses with an old beach towel between my legs and no knickers on I spent 2.5 days with waters leaking and that ended up being easiest as I kept soaking through pads, knickers and clothes. I also lined the bed with old towels.

I totally get the feeling odd about feeding them feeding...DD1 wants to start again when the baby is born, she stopped nursing in July too, a week or so before she turned 5. Her being older means we can negotiate more easily though!

So difficult to know wether they have understood at 2. I have only met one child who started nursing again after weaning during pregnancy (& he only nursed a few times a week for a couple of months) most just try it a couple of times, as though to make sure that they are allowed to do it as well! Have you read 'adventures in tandem nursing' by Hillary Flower? It has a good couple of chapters about it.

Oh, and forgot to add that it was so amazing to see the baby's little face! It has the sweetest little mouth and it kept licking it's lips and sticking it's tongue out at us. And flexing it's teeny tiny fingers. Can't wait to meet him or her now!

pully will pm you re little babies - how many weeks are you now? i can't find you on the stats thread

Thanks Hawthers I'm 36.3 today.

pully I'm sorry I forgot about your scan, listen to me going on about myself! Sorry the baby is a little small but glad everything is otherwise ok.

Sorry for all of the me posts!

pully my brother was 5 lb 10 when he was born at term and he never had any problems and is now 6 ft 3 and very athletic.

and forgot to say that my brother was 5lb 10 when he was born, my nieces were only just 6lb when they were born and DH's niece & nephew were under 6lb when born and all no probs at all.

Pullly Glad to hear the scan went well, other than baby being on the small side. At least there's less to push out! My half brother and sister (twins) were born at 34 weeks and were 5 lb 2 oz and 3 lb 8 oz. They had a short stay in SCBU but were fine and are now healthy 16 year-olds who you'd never know were so tiny when born.

DD was a little bigger at 6lbs. She started off on the 9th percentile on growth charts and is now between 50th and 75th percentile at 19 months old.

pully, glad all was ok at the scan. DH was 5lbs when born (at 37wks) he's now 6'2 & wasn't a sickly child/not a sickly adult (I don't think I can blame his bald patch on being an early baby)!

seven, sorry I missed all the action, hope LO makes her mind up one way or another soon, hope you're comfortable in hospital.

Washed all the towels & sheets we're likely to use during home birth, making it feel all a bit more real!

Pully I was only 3lbs at birth, spent several weeks in an incubator and have been as right as rain my whole life!

pullyglad the scan went well, both of my DDs were small for gestation but they are both incredibly healthy (tiny!) people.

Tonight I am trying a different tactic with sleeping. I am going to use sex and Masterchef (not at the same time!) to keep me awake until at least 11, in the hope that I then sleep until a sensible hour rather than waking up at 4am.

Gosh so much info about small babies - ours is heading firmly in the opposite direction! Considering I have just found out I was nearly 9lbs, DH was pushing 10, my DB was over 10 and my uncle was over 13lb I will be lucky to get away with anything under 9lbs I think.

mrsbuggy I'm jealous - I'll just say that the only one of your two tactics available to me is Masterchef. DH and I had a longish chat after the other night's promising activities came to nothing...he says he knows sex is a potential way of getting things started but it's just not on the cards (and hasn't been throughout most of the pregnancy really). I know he is worried about hurting me/the baby - I am the size of a whale and moan a lot about how uncomfortable I am which is not really conducive to anything amorous so I can't blame him, I'm not sure I'd want to have sex with me either - but it's still pretty demoralising because no matter how many times I tell myself I'm being unreasonable I just keep thinking it's a reflection on me and my attractiveness and of course...will it still be like this afterwards

I feel ungrateful and mean to be upset and posting about this because we've had a really lovely long weekend and he is the best man in the world.

Well, it sounds as though everyone is massively busy, whether at work or at home. Maybe these babies are just stunned! Sooner or later, they will get bolshy with us, but external circumstances might have their effect. Last time, I was in the West Country not long before due date (was I in lalaland or what?!) and changed my plans to come home early as I couldn't stand my DF and stepmother arguing. Got home Saturday. Bang. Popped on Monday. T'was a bit disconcerting to imagine I was (a) driven across the country by my hormones or (b) DS was driven out by a sudden feeling of comfort-at-home!

Thanks for the update, seven. I hope you manage to cram in some sleep over the next few days. At least you can put a short-term birth-plan into place (everyone on proper standby, etc.). Good luck!

PullyWoolOver, that is very sweet. Babies are all head and body, so don't worry about the little tummy and legs to start with. I remember how surprised I was to see how very short DS's arms were - they wouldn't go past his ear! His legs were skinny and looked short as well (making his feet look massive). Compare that to the post-adolescent limbs of a grownup, and I feel like a spider in comparison. There's so much growing they can do out of the womb.

Oh, yes, indeed, I've already got a child's bedwetting sheet in my mat bag, for the car! Valeting fees for minicabs seem to run to about £50, so it seemed a very cheap precaution!

cheeptrick, sorry things are getting tougher with Air.... Is he at all susceptible to flattery, being a "big boy", showing the baby what's what, etc.?

Thanks for the cranberry juice reminder, OiMissus!

Ugh I can't believe I just posted that, sorry everyone to be such a downer. It has made me cry but I can't bring it up again without making him feel pressured or inadequate and a negative spiral of recriminations ensuing. I wouldn't want more of something if it wasn't absolutely lovely when it does happen!

I suppose this is wrapped up with how I know my body won't be the same again after I give birth (and not for the better) - my belly and thighs look like I've had a duel with edward scissorhands and the bump is definitely not all baby.

I know I shouldn't rely on DH for validation about my appearance but I now realise I do, more than I ever thought I did

tyel we were exactly the same first time around, DP reluctant, me feeling rubbish about myself. It is, I think really weird for some men to relate to a pregnant woman and someone who is going to be a mother in a sexual way. However, time passes, once you're both out of the newborn fug stage and get the hang of relating to each other as parents as well as partners (and I happily admit that we found it harder than most people do!) it does come back.

Our attitude now is that we are making the most of having children who sleep through while we can, we did find it difficult to get here but we have as good a sex life now as we did pre-DDs.

Incidentally, not talking about it is what caused our problems to go on for longer than necessary. He needs to know that you're worried about it, you might need to pick more at why he doesn't like the idea.

Now if DD1 would only go to bloody sleep!

It's OK tyel, everyone is different post-baby but believe me you will still be attractive to your DP afterwards. It's surprising how even the "badges Of motherhood" (stretch marks, cuddly bits, pigment changes) can be seen as something you loved them enough to get, which a lot of men actually find a turn on. I do six week new mum checks and we always mention contraception: about 80% of mums laugh like a drain and say "already? You have to be joking!!" and the other 20% are back getting it on. It's so normal at this stage (esp first time around) to be disturbed by your body changes, part of this is your hormones. It will all work out.

In other news, like lala , I've spent most of the day with a large lump pushing up my ribs. I suspect your beeb hasn't turned lala, that's what a bum feels like! Really hope it gets lower overnight, I hate feeling unable to breathe!

Tyelperion, don't worry about the moan. If it makes you feel better (though I'm not entirely sure it will), DH and I didn't have sex from about month 6 of pg with DS to month 8 after he was born. Once. Then it was about 11 months before anything happened again. I was extremely frustrated, as you might imagine. HOWEVER, a lot of that had to do with his stupid habits, his not coming to bed for ages, his having been made redundant and then working away, etc.... This time, though, I have realised it is possible to attack him in the morning when his defences are down (hahaha), and basically I do a lot of the initiating now, notably in the morning, as it's still hard so to get "hold" of him at the end of the day! By waking him up, there will be no "recriminations" and no pressure because no discussion. You can discuss things afterwards, and by then what is there to reproach him for?

Hope this helps.

Oh you guys are the best. The BEST. I knew you would understand and have good advice.

plu month 6 is right around when it completely dried up and I haven't said anything till now really because there was no reason other than me wanting it. I think there is definitely a motherhood transition thing he is grappling with mrsbuggy and he is definitely noticing changes aethel - this morning he pointed out that the edge of one of my aureolas has gone all fuzzy and indistinct and the pigment is extending outwards.

I will bring it up one more time if nothing happens in the next few days - he knows it's on my mind because this morning when he reminded me to take RLT tablets and passed me the clary sage, I said (with an attempt at a seductive laugh) "there's something else you could do..." and he muttered "i know i know i know" and beat a hasty retreat to the kitchen.

If that doesn't work (or equally if it makes things worse) I will take comfort from your experiences and just wait it out and hope things improve on their own, and concentrate on getting back into shape post-baby (for my own self-esteem at least).

I shall take myself off to bed - everything looks better after a night's sleep, I can't remember who said it on this thread recently but it's true.

I second the jumping on him first thing before everything has woken up properly idea:o

Oh, and don't mind the new name. Am just mentally preparing

And I second Tyel - you guys are the best! Thanks for all your advice and understanding on the small baby front, I'm feeling much better about things after reading your posts. As you say Kate a little less to push out is most probably a good thing :)

Hawthers you're a superstar xxx

Sleep well everyone.

Hey tyel, DH went off sex a couple of months ago. But now he's keen again. I gave him a bit of space to first forget the topic, and then initiated things. I tend to wear a nice vest - to take the emphasis off the baby bump. That seemed to work.
Your DH will adore you again, don't worry.

We havent been able to have sex in either pregnancy due to complications and it took me about 6 months after ds was born to get up the courage (and energy) to try again. But i can honestly say that sex was actually better after having ds, not sure why. And after being so big and pregnant the wobbly bits that might have seemed a big deal pre-pregnancy just arent any more.

By the way, on a slightly different topic i found those belly bands for pregnancy really useful when bfeeding to cover up your tummy if you lift your top to feed. Dont have to worry about mummy tummy being on show then!

Hope everyone gets a good nights sleep.