We will brook no argument for a boring, uneventful, blooming pregnancy; followed by a perfectly-timed pain-free sneeze birth; vol 5

[ScreamIfYouWantToMeetSanta]

Hi No Brookers! I do hope this has worked and is in the right place...

I've added a few extra sofas so we have plenty of space for all the Rat Smackers who will be joining us soon. There's also a nice long table filled with mince pies, yule logs, gingerbread snowmen and xmas puds! Plus some non-alcoholic mulled wine. I've strategically positioned a few clean glittery vom buckets under the table, just in case it's still a bit too early for xmas munchies for some people!

As you were...

I agree with all those comments btw re:screams fibroid. I really think they wouldn't not scan you scream if it was necessary, but you most definitely need to hear why it is such a low risk of IUGR if they said there's a risk and exactly why they aren't going to repeat growth scans. I hope your next scan and appointment are informative. Doctors are there to look after their patients, they haven't cancelled or cut down my scans because mine are growing normally so far as the risk is still there. So try not to panic, and I hope you feel much happier after your next scan.

Dream I would have been a bit at the mention of sedation too!! And if she is doing a lot of growling and raspberry blowing that is an improvement on flat out crying? I know she's not necessarily asleep any earlier but it still sounds like a small step in the right direction? At least she is calmer and it will just take her a wee while to get her body clock used to going to sleep earlier. She will get there - we're all brooking about so she literally has no choice .

I know you're all right that one wee accident isn't the end of the world and I'm oddly less worried about it coupled with the subsequent meltdown (if that doesn't sound odd?) I wasn't worried about the one at the weekend on the basis that they're bound to have accidents. What worried me earlier was the almost 'couldn't be bothered' about it all. And I hadn't really thought much of that and the clingyness earlier. But adding it all up with a frankly out of character total humdinger meltdown makes me wonder if the accident was more to do with what followed if that makes sense. Generally he isn't really tantrummy so this was really out of character. I mean he has his moments, don't get me wrong, but proper sobbing and almost screaming is just not his style. Maybe he's a bit under the weather or something - we'll see how he is tomorrow....

Anyway, I'm rambling away - I'll shut up

I've forgotten what else I wanted to say....

Oh yes Dream at first I read your post as that your DH didn't get you pg, but then I understood that you meant he didn't 'get' you pg. Quite different......

lol, imagine biscuits!!! An illicit affair with the postie!!! No, this is definitely all DH's fault . I think you're right- my friend's 3 year old has accidents when he's tired and upset and just not on top form. I hope he gets a good nights sleep and wkes up much chirpier.

DD finally asleep. Thank goodness.

oh- and our postie is regularly to be found in our porch- if he has a parcel he just opens the front door and comes in. Our porch isn't one where there's a lock to the house, I'm just no good at remembering to lock the front door. It does make me wonder how many people know our house is usually open...

Well, more than an illicit affair it was the fact that your DH said he didn't get you pregnant - I was actually wondering about the quality of his medical training . But then I re-read it and it all became clear....

Our postie is pretty friendly too, although we don't leave the house unlocked (and for the record he is nothing to do with my being pg! In fact he has a Thai wife who DH and I think he might have ordered off t'interweb)

Although I do remember him leaving a parcel with us for a neighbour and then coming back for it because he'd found their door open . Maybe this is new Royal Mail training?

Scarlet, I don't think you're being unreasonable. I would feel the same if it were my parents. It's one of those daft things where something is unlikely to go wrong - especially with a CO detector too - but one of those things that you'll constantly obsess and worry about, and is always a fear. Hopefully, as you've said, the fact you mentioned it yesterday will mean they get it done! It might just be that although it's on their to do list, they've never got round to it - and hopefully this will be the push they need?

Biscuits, I hope today's accident (and subsequent bits!) is just a one off :(

Dream, glad DD's got to sleep at a reasonable time. Also, to reply to your post much earlier today - I don't think it's bad not caring about being an hour late ;) I'd definitely be the same in your position!

Little glad the weeks are going quickly for you :) You'll have your scan and feel more PG soon I'm sure! I still have moments when I feel un-PG, and I remember how stressful I found the first trimester. Hang on in there! :)

I think I've got more snappy during PG. I wonder what DH thinks.. will have to ask! And.. keys shouldn't be in the room where there's most likely a fire? Oops... they never used to be in previous houses, but it's the most sensible room in our current place. Hmm...

Got in a little while ago from bell ringing - not sure how long I should keep doing that for during pregnancy? Anyway.. had real bra issues today, so think I'll need to do some shopping in the near future. Now enjoying a cup of tea and OBEM :) DH is out tonight - in Bristol for work tomorrow. Don't like it when he's not here, but on the plus side I can make the bed into a huge pillow fort...!

checking the locks in the job description?! I knew they were dodgy, all that zipping round in red vans acting busy. Well, DH's mother obviously wonders about his medical training, seeing as she asked me whether this pg was planned (does she really think DH could not know about contraception?!)

DH has a colleague who's dad has retired as an ENT surgeon, and moved to Thailand and married a Thai bride I also think he got her on t'internet

Dream - Did he possibly skive off on the day they covered the reproductive system?

Musical I've no idea how long you could do bell ringing for - I guess it is fairly strenuous isn't it. Hope you get your bras sorted though - I've had some new 'uns arrive from Bravissimo today and am much happier for them this evening!

yes- it was the point the fireman was most clear on musical. he said it's no good being able to get to your front door if you can't get out of it, and in any house the kitchen is most likely place for a fire to start. He says shut downstairs doors overnight to contain smoke/fire for a little bit at least every night, just in case, and get a spare key cut and hide it in porch, or near the door if you don't have a porch, so it's never moved and always there, just in case. I have done this now! It had never occured to be before, but it's true, if there was a raging fire we'd be stuck!! (though think we could get out sitting room windw, but in a panic, I'd just want to get out the door)

and musical, I'm not counting 9pm as reasonable for a 16 month old... better than 10pm but still... Little tike gets so tired so fast after these late nights... I will beat her down eventually.

Gosh our keys are in the kitchen too - might get one cut to keep by the door - must remember to mention it to DH tomorrow when he's home.

And I never shut the downstairs doors at night either.....

maybe I should confess my pregnancy misdemeanors now... I seem to be lapsing recently. In the last 2 weeks I have

1. eaten prawns- uncooked- twice
2. Helped DH lift and move our new changing table he'd stupidly built in the middle of the lounge (not up the stairs but still)
3. sit DD on my bump and vacuum (as shes terrified and screams otherwise) and vacuumed til I physically couldn't carry on (wasn't actually epic like that sounds, but did make me hurt!)
4. lift and try and get DD's vast car seat out the car at an awkward angle not helped by the bump- even DH did his nut over that one....

i keep forgetting to shut the doors too biscuits, but did get the key done. It makes sense. The fireman says it can make a difference to getting out safely, so i should. Not that I expect a fire but who does? And have had a kitchen fire in her new kitchen didn't she?

oh, and purple and pomme, so sorry you're suffering so much... I'm kind of relieved I get 2 in 1 and DH is already putting his foot down about more as the thought of never being pg again, with the sickness, pains and the worries makes me . My ribs are killing me now (I mean every day, as opposed to a one-ff right now). DH helpfully says it'll get a lot worse . It fades though i find... I remember having rib pain last time, but it's only now its back I've remembered just how bad it is... So you may find yourselves wading back into the thick of it for DC 3!!

Dream - I meant more reasonable than it has been in the past! (or am I wrong there?).

Our keys are just inside the kitchen door, which is right next to the front door - so if there were a fire we'd probably be scuppered anyway. Having said that, we should therefore move the back keys to a more sensible place...

Biscuits, at the moment I'm thinking of continuing until I go on maternity leave. As long as I do it right, I feel completely fine - it's only if I do it badly (which obviously I should try not to do anyway!) that I feel it pulling me in a way it shouldn't. Some people ring right up until when their children are born, so.. we'll see! Lovely people though - which is one of the main reasons I go.

Would you recommend Bravissimo? I thought I was doing ok, but have had a few bra-related incidents while working that's made me think maybe I ought to think about some new ones..

I always shut one door downstairs, but never the other. Our downstairs is one huge loop though - so I'm guessing that really wouldn't help anyway! Can't shut both because of the cats...

Scream, agreeing with everyone with regard to the crutches. Personally I'd rather put up with the crutches than put up with potentially increased pain later :(

In terms of pregnancy misdemeanors - Dream, why were you eating raw prawns anyway? Is it a sushi-type thing? I've eaten parma ham and Parmesan - I'm sure one of those you're not supposed to eat? No idea. I've also had pate (by accident), and goats cheese that I'm not sure I should have had (but it was so tasty). Having said that, all these were after I'd managed to get food poisoning anyway despite how good I'd been! Sent samples off today, so hopefully I'll hear back soon as to what's going on. I wrote a few extra notes on the form saying I was now 22 weeks pregnant just to make it clear I wasn't 12, as the doctor said -just in case that makes a difference to anything.

not raw prawns, but cold not cooked til hot- or was that not a bad thing?!

Interesting to hear about you all keeping your keys in the kitchen, I can honestly say that has never even occurred to me. I am totally paranoid about that sort of thing. Every night when we lock the front door (the proper lock not the little latch) the keys are then left in the door. This means that not only are the keys exactly where you need them to be if you're running outside because of a fire, but also if some random scary person had managed to get hold of another set of your keys somehow they STILL wouldn't be able to unlock your door in the middle of the night because the key on the inside of the door would jam the lock. I mean if a workman copied your key, or if one of us left our keys on the train without realising.

I'm just a worrier like that though. We have three locks on the front door and three on the back door as well. Plus I convinced DH to put a serious lock on the bedroom door as well, because on the rare occasions when he's away for a night I'm always convinced I can hear someone coming up the stairs...

I know I know - paranoid.

I'm glad all the LOs finally went to sleep tonight, and I hope tomorrow is easier for you all.

As for feeling un-pregnant, I noticed today that my stomach doesn't feel anywhere near as rock hard as it did a couple of weeks ago. I think that's because 2 or 3 weeks ago I had a big growth spurt and for a while my stomach skin was totally stretched to the max. It must have caught up to the size of my uterus again now and is clearly not an indication that the baby has stopped growing So at the moment my stomach is both big AND soft - a sexy combo! poor DH...

just popping in to wave.

you're all going so fast this week, by the time I'm caught up i don't have time to post as i should be sleeping/working etc.

nothing to report anyway. :)

On the crutches point Musical DH has made me promise to speak to the physio at my appt next week to see about getting these sooner rather than later. I think he may be sick of half carrying me everywhere and having to fetch things for me while I loll about on the sofa!

My house is 200 years old and the furnishings are all wood, plus the only door downstairs is the one to the kitchen, and the kitchen itself is right at the bottom of our stairs which would doubtless cut us off from getting out the staircase in the event of a kitchen fire. So it really doesn't matter where we keep our keys

Although if you really want an insight into how paranoid I am, I made DH buy an extra ladder which lives up in our loft for the sole reason that if we were trapped upstairs during a fire we could still access the loft from our bedroom and the ladder would enable us to escape out of the bedroom window. I don't know why my brain thinks these crazy plans are normal...

p.s. Dream and Musical I don't think your pg misdemeanours sound unreasonable, I can imagine doing all of those things! (Except eating the cheese - yuck yuck yuck ). I'm sooooooooooooooo tempted to have just a little bit of pate. I actually looked up the health authority guidelines in France for pregnant women, just to see if the NHS is being paranoid, but no it turns out that both France and the US also advocate no pate for pregnant women meanies

It's hard to llive your life wrapped in cotton wool for 9 months tho, and the risks from these things are so small. Don't make yourselves feel guilty for being human!

Scream - keys in the door is a good idea - until you have a toddler .

I can't keep my keys in the door because DS would just be able to stroll out .

To be fair he can actually reach them where they are in the kitchen, although he'd have to get the right one for the front door. So if he was really determined he could still get out, but on the rare occasion that a key has been left in the door he can just turn it and out he goes. He's only ever done that when we were all going to leave the house anyway, so I don't know if he'd do it other times but I can't really chance it.

But the door would be my preferred place to leave them overnight. Perhaps once DS and this bean are older.

scream you're not the only paranoid one on here. I would also consider myself paranoid. Although I can't leave my keys in the door because of DS, they are on a shelf right next to the front door. My downstairs doors are all closed every night. Bizarrely that was one of the first things I was advised by the health visitor.

My confession is to having soft boiled eggs and soldiers every now and again. Sometimes I just can't get the thought of them out of my head so I just give in and have it. The eggs are lion stamped so I don't think there's much of a risk, but I'm aware it's something that's not recommended.

dream re the boiler, yes it's Carbon Monoxide poisoning I'm worried about. I know it's unlikely given that they have a detector, but even so. I guess it just irritates me a bit that I bought it for them 3 years ago because I was concerned then, and if I hadn't I know they wouldn't have bothered with that either. The boiler's upstairs and never been serviced in 4 years and the detector's downstairs. It's advisable to have a service every year, but I know a lot of people do it every couple of years which probably isn't so bad. But 4+? It just seems irresponsible to me. I'm reluctant to let DS stay over on the provision that they'll get it done soon, because I know that once he has stayed they'll think I'm not bothered about it any more and won't get it done at all. So although it might seem harsh I think I'm prepared to put my foot down over it and say we'll make other arrangements for him until they get it done But hopefully it won't come to that.

Ok I now promise to stop the boiler rant. I'll just let you know the next installment as and when.

Oh my goodness, since typing the last sentence, DS has just done his first poo on the potty! I could see he was about to do it in his pants, so I offered chocolate buttons if he did it on the potty and he did! Cue phone call to Daddy at work, he's so proud of himself

Yay for a poo on the potty Scarlet - awesome news and great use of chocolate buttons

I generally have my keys in the bedroom with us where I take them out of my pocket at night - ditto for DH (we have spares in the kitchen too). I still might get a spare one cut to go in the cupboard by the door though I think.

Like Musical our house is a loop downstairs and I sometimes shut some of the doors but not all of them. Must make more of an effort there I think.

What a helpful HV you had Scarlet - mine never told me anything that useful. Mind you at least my HV wasn't the one who told me at a clinic that I was starving DS and I should be formula feeding him. I wasn't for the record.