May be Babies - The Third Trimester

[SirCharles]

A new thread as the other one was ready to burst!
Thanks *Mikocat" for the new name.

Sympathy from me sircharles my sciatica is playing up tonight and keep yelping out when changing positions while slobbing on the couch!

harecare lovely to get compliments, another mum at playgroup the other day said I looked beautiful & it made me feel v lovely all day :) (it's more than my dh has said!!)

Oh big sympathy sircharles. I'm having some pain as well, menstrual cramp like pains. It's not braxton hicks as its a constant pain but i'm full of sympathy for anyone else suffering soreness!

Actually I put a thread up yesterday but no replies, if anyone on here has similar it'd be good to know! www.mumsnet.com/Talk/pregnancy/1435693-Period-cramps-32-weeks-UTI

I'm started knitting some little booties its a steep learning curve! My mum is helping me decipher the pattern. I've only knitted scarves before which are so much easier obviously!!

Heidi, sounds nasty. I don't know but it's definitely worth checking out uti. I'm getting braxton hicks that go right round my back like period pains or even early labour. Midwife thinks that's probably due to transverse lie of the baby.

Those suffering sciatica, fingers crossed it will pass. I had it really bad for a while and was worried it would last for the rest of pregnancy but it just lifted one day and it's fine now. I started sleeping with my leg on my lovely Theraline pillow and wearing a support band and both seemed to help a lot, but no idea if they cured it or if it just went on its own. Haven't had rib pain but I guess it's a lot to do with the position of the baby? I had a cracked rib a couple of times (from sneezing) and I've heard a well positioned baby kick can cause that too- ouch!

Ha, I got told I looked like I was blooming the other day. It was after a hard night with DS so I just replied I was blooming knackered.

SirCharles I can sympathise with the rib pain - I've got the same! Right hand side, just below my boob - I too have found the only relief is from raising my arm over my head...just can't do that when I'm driving! I'm assuming it's from feet or something pressing on it but I don't know. Do you know what position your bubba is in? My baby had been transverse, but doc reckons it's now head down so could be feet I think.

Heidi hope you get the pains sorted soon, doesn't sound nice. These things always happen at the weekend don't they so you have to wait until Monday to do anything about it!

Hope everyone's been enjoying the sunshine this weekend - it's been making me v excited about baby coming as it will (hopefully) be sunny like this when the little ones are here! MIL came round earlier armed with her mower (we don't have one at the mo) and did the lawn for us while I napped and DH continued the painting of the baby's room! Woo for MILs!

Went out for dinner with the other couples at our NCT classes yesterday which was really nice. Good to see them in a more relaxed setting! One couple couldn't make it though as the girl had gone into labour the night before and had just had a little boy 4 weeks early! Feel like I need to get myself a bit more sorted now so have written a list of things to put in my hospital bag. Any words of advice from more experienced mums? What is essential? What are silly fripperies that I will never use?!

wriggle I also had sciatica in first preg that only latest a few weeks.. this time it just seems to flare up when I do things like ironing..this weekend think its from a long drive yesterday.

dreaming how exciting u have an nct baby already! My top tips for hospital bag:
bendy straws (invaluable for drinking during labour & after when u don't want to sit up in bed every time for a sip of water)
flip flops instead of slippers cos u can wear them in the shower too ( u may get v nice bathroom but I ended up on ward with yucky shower)
dried apricots or similar for bowels!
Energy tablets/drinks for u & dh.. my dh ended up glugging red bull during labour even though he hates the stuff!

Labour bags are easy to get carried away with - when they include pillows etc, I pack 2, a mum bag and a baby bag so DH can find what he needs easily. Its also been suggested that a labour and after bag could be good - snacks and music separate from change of clothes etc. Remember your DH can bring you more things if you end up staying longer than you planned.

I am aching too, finding a comfy shape to sit isn't working atm, especially as I have been coughing like its going out of fashion since Tuesday and I have no stomach muscles left. Fortunately it does seem to be easing a bit now, so tired though as its been waking me during the nights, as a nice change from heartburn and pelvic pain. No sign of youngest coming out with chicken pox yet and its a fortnight since DD started so was expecting something soon. A friend thinks her youngest is starting with them and I can't decide whether to play at theirs and have another go at getting the pox before baby arrives, or to leave it for now. And I'd hoped the heartburn would ease now baby has started dropping, but no luck yet

We finally have our car back and working :) although it wasn't as simple as it should have been - trains yesterday am a complete shambles so ended up waiting till this afternoon

Oops, sorry, my profile wasn't accessible, I think I have sorted it. I'm just keen to show her off

Ooh gotmylittlelamb just seen your pics...Sophia is SO beautiful!!! Hope all continues to go well!

Have been shattered all weekend and now trying to sneak in a few ebay listings cince it's free listing this weekend and have a stack of stuff to get rid of, but actually feel like sleeping again at the moment (managed a nap this afternoon, but yesterday was super busy!)

ooh, GMLL - Sophia is GORGEOUS! keep well. Love the woolly hat too!

Tried to buy an Arms Reach bedside bassinet on ebay today - got beaten in the last few seconds. grrrrr.

dreaming my LO has been head down at every monthly scan we have had this year which has meant lots of pressure on my bladder & guts since mid Jan! However I think he/she switched sides the other night - there was a lot of weirdness going on with the bump and since then my back and my ribs on the right hand side have been causing me discomfort. His/her back is now on my left side with hands & feet on the right. I do hope this is not going to get any worse.... a friend was telling me how at 37 weeks she got winded by her unborn LO at Tescos and there was mild panic around her as she doubled over trying to catch her breath and passers by thought she was in labour!! I hope that is not going to be me in a few weeks....

We did have a 4D scan yesterday. DH & I agree it was a fun way to spend an hour but Baby would not play ball and spent most of the time looking the other way or putting up one/both arms in front of his / her face. Maybe thinking "No Paparazzi!!" Had a grumpy/serious look on its face (altho perhaps that is normal until baby learns to smile!) and a bit of a short arse too (like its father!) - measuring weeks ahead on head size and abdomen, whilst legs are behind. Still, ages to go so plenty of time for the legs to catch up & everything else to slow down (I hope!).

s/he allegedly weighs 2kg already (4.4lbs according to google)!!!

Back to the UK on Fri, seeing Doc on Tues so hope he signs me off as ok to fly.... should be fine but fingers crossed anyway. Had to take my engagement & Wedding ring off today as my fingers were a little swollen. hope tis not the sign of any badness to come

Have a great week everyone.

Good luck getting back to the UK Sir Charles, I don't have swollen fingers but my ankles have completely disappeared! Yesterday I couldn't get the shoes on that I'd planned to wear and ended up going out in completely non-matching ballet pumps.

Gotmylittlelamb so nice to see photos of Sophia!

We have moved house pretty much completely now, there is still some stuff in the old flat (as yet unsold) but the new (rented) house is piled high with boxes! DH is away all day and I'm under strict instructions to take it easy as I ended up over-doing it yesterday and blubbing!

I feel for those with the period-type pains as I've been getting them in the night, the midwife says that it's probably the baby laying on a nerve or something. Sleeping is so uncomfortable now, I can only lay on my left-hand side and my hips hurt even when I do that.

gotmylittlelamb lovely pictures, Sophia is adorable. I hope she continues to go from strength to strength!

Afternoon nap felt sooo good at the time but meant I couldn't get to sleep until gone midnight last night so am now shattered again!! Lots of work to keep me occupied though...and a colleague bought a tin of my favourite chocs from the quality street range for me to munch on...so loads of orange creams, orange crunch things, fudge and strawberry creams...yummy! (very lovely of him, but I had just made a pact with DH that I was going to try and cut down on cake and sweet things...d'oh!)

I sympathise with the ankles thing...mine had also vanished on Friday and I now have to prop them up each evening to help/get the swelling to go down! All good fun!

Hi - found you!
I'm off for another scan tomorrow, wish me luck that the baby is just cooking at normal speed and isn't looking too enormous, I feel like I've struck quite a nice balance with knowing that I'll be induced if I don't go into labour by 40 weeks but will be given every chance to go naturally before that - really don't want anyone starting to raise their eyebrows and talk earlier induction...
musicalmrs - rib pain, sorry not much help here, apart from just trying to pull up out of your abdomen and sit as tall as possible. Have you been re-fitted recently for new bras? Or even just loosened the strap to next hook? It's easy to stick to the old settings but it might be time for something new?
GotMy - Sophia sounds like a real trooper! Amazing weight gain and fantastic that she's on EBM. A long road before you can take her home still but it must help knowing that she's making such great progress. Lovely photos - and so very strange to think that the baby in my belly looks like that.
Miko - I keep gulping at the prospect of going from 34 weeks to 35 weeks. For some reason the difference between 6 weeks to go and 5 weeks to go just seem enormous. Rocking nursing chair sounds lovely - wish we had room for one, although I found sitting more upright was better for me with DS. I have found my breastfeeding cushion though (a my brestfriend one, brilliant). Hope bub shifts, I think DS was breech quite late but he did shift.
Wrigglebum yes! hiccups are a-go-go here, 2 even 3 times a day now. That little regular jumping feeling kicks in most often of when I'm driving for some reason.
Basse pleased that your NCT class has improved, I was going to say that the first one is normally a bit of washout but they should have a fairly set structure to work though over the weeks and hopefully will also make sure the things the class listed as important to them will be covered. My antenatal classes have finished now - think I need to send an email to the coordinator to check she has my details correct as there were a few women who were about to be due, buthaven't heard any news. Mind you, haven't heard any news from a friend yet who was due last week (trying NOT to ask about twinges...)
LittleSarah fabbo news that the placenta has shifted enough. Sending you positive, descending, rotating, progressing home birth vibes I had exactly the same problem the first time I used DPNs to do a circular hat. It did work out ok but thank goodness it was going to a forgiving friend. I found you have to make sure you hold the yarn firmly and keep things much tighter when you're moving from one needle to the next to prevent quite a big loopy look to the stitch. I don't know whether this is because I was doing it completely wrong but I did actually finish the thing.
googie yay for good positioning - about the shoulder pain, maybe just increased weight from expanding boobs? could need a more supportive or better fitting bra? Although...I do recall it being on the list of pre-eclampsia signs:
here: Abdominal (stomach area) and/or Shoulder Pain
This type of abdominal pain, often called epigastric pain or upper right quadrant (URQ) pain, is usually under the ribs on the right side. It can be confused with heartburn, gallbladder problems, flu, indigestion or pain from the baby kicking. Shoulder pain is often called ?referred pain? because it radiates from the liver under the right ribs. Lower back pain is different from muscle strain common to pregnancy, because it is usually more acute and specific. Shoulder pain can feel like someone is deeply pinching you along the bra strap or on your neck, or it can be painful to lie on your right side. All of these pain symptoms may be a sign of HELLP Syndrome or a related problem in the liver.
So, if you're worried go get checked. Wee and Blood Pressure.
Catsy those were great results the second time - even the first one was not too bad, borderline right? It can make a huge difference what you eat the night before and if you broke the fast at the wrong time then that would impact. Glad you don't have to go down the GD route at this stage.
SirCharles I think Debbie Bliss's Baby Knits for Beginners is quite good - it takes you through all the techniques and has a series of projects to start with that are quite sweet. My biggest recommendation is not to mess about with simple things too long, take a deep breath and jump into a cardi/jumper once you've got some basic confidence with the stitches - it's better incentive to keep going if you really want want the thing you're working on and if you take it slowly you'll be fine with decreasing/increasing, picking up stitches, button holes etc.
Exercise balls - mine's just a reebok one from Argos. I'm 5 4 - and am comfortable on a 65cm ball.
Not late labour - I'm investigating accupuncture/accupressure to try to ensure my body is as ready as it can be to go into labour by 40 weeks. It's not cheap though and we're on a tight budget at the moment as it is so not sure I can justify weekly session (or even more, as some practitioners are recommending - eep!)
Slings - I'd love an ergo, but they are pricey and I'm not sure how much I'll be carrying this LO versus using the buggy or even in the carseat. Think I'll delay on that til arrival.
Other prep - I have washed DS's old newborn stuff but still haven't managed to find our 0-3 size - must be lurking in a box somewhere. Soooo cute hanging on the line, it felt like a real rite of passage.
Hospital bags - for labour I think lip balm is a good idea, and straws to help drink in odd positions. Hair bands if you need to keep your hair out of your face. For after - pen and notepad, phone charge cord, moisturizing face cleanser wipes.

Gorgeous pics of Sophia littlelamb!

Good luck with your knitting Heidi, always helps to have an experienced knitter on hand!

Sorry to hear people are getting uncomfortable in various ways, it is rubbish isn't it? I don't have any serious pain but certainly sleeping is beginning to get difficult what with the weak bladder and general discomfort in bed. Actually had a horrible panic last week as breathing felt so laboured when I lay down I was freaked about stopping breathing altogether. Completely mad and irrational of course but scary all the same.

Right, really should get back in the garden.... oh, Moby sling arrived this weekend, so soft and v much liking the soft slate grey colour, now just to work out how to use it!

littlelamb the photos are lovely!

Well done Miko on being nearly moved.

SirCharles hope the doctor signs you off to fly!

ladymaybe nice to hear from you again!

Have had a really busy few days here, now am slobbed out on the sofa with belly ache, and feeling rotten - think I overdid it! Serves me right for not listening to the OT on Thursday... I have done loads of weeding over the weekend, plus working through the eBay pile, washing, and all the normal stuff with the DDs (so looking forward to the Easter hols!). Didn't really rest at all during the day since Thursday. I am now officially a wuss (how some of you are still working I can't imagine, and I take my hat off to you)!!! Think I'll have a bath and go to bed early tonight...

On the good side, I've bought a Wilkinet and a Close carrier on eBay, with the idea of seeing which will work best once the baby arrives - thanks for the advice on those. I've also got a crib and nice set of bedding (also eBay), which was really local, and which I picked up today. We were going to use our Amby for the baby, but DH reminded me DD2 never really liked it - though DD1 loved it - so again, thought I'd get the crib so we have both ready just in case. This probably sounds a bit mad, but we have so little to buy for this one, that a couple of eBay bargain extras doesn't seem too bad. And I know I can re-eBay it later!!!!

Thanks for the knitting tips. Amazon here I come!

Ooh catsy what a good idea. Slings on eBay... Shall add to my list of things to do soon

My bump has dropped over the weekend. Most odd. Even DH noticed. I now hve lots more space between my rib cage & top of the bump!
Neither of us are particularly over joyed by the lack of sleep already tho. I am awake by around 530am & cannot get back to sleep. DH says I wake him most nights around 3am and then at 4am & then at 5am.... How I do that without waking myself I don't know!! Seems cruel & unjust tho that at a time when I should be banking sleep ahead of B arriving I am robbed of it. B is very active at night tho. Unless some of the weirdness is actually BHs....

I take my hats off to all of you still working - much greater women than me!

On a different note I met up with 3 heads of department from the South African part of my employer & they seem keen to take me on if I am looking for employment out here after mat leave. It is nice to be wanted! No idea what the future brings tho. It is difficult to plan ahead with DH a contractor. How do other people manage?

catsy apologies for intrusive question but what did you end up paying for the slings?

SirCharles - that's fine - I paid £38 incl P&P for the Close, £19 incl P&P for the Wilkinet. There seemed to be very stiff competition for the Close carrier, so I decided to get one on a Buy it Now, because it was lovely and red, so I was prepared to pay a couple of pounds more! The Wilkinets seem to go for less generally, but I thought the purple one was nice, so again was prepared to pay a little bit more. There is a Close carrier on Amazon for about £44, but it has a floral pattern on it (I thought a plain one would be more versatile, esp if DH wanted a go with it!).

Just got my Chinese Dragon Trunki delivered a few minutes ago www.trunki.co.uk/categories/trunki_2/chinesedragontrunki_55 - being a bit previous getting one for the new baby, but absolutely love this one, it's so cute! Have also ordered a Gruffalo one for DD2 ready for our holiday in a couple of weeks ("Gwuffalo pweeeeease mummy!"), but it hasn't arrived yet. Two more of my eBay bargains.... DD1 already has her Tipu the Tiger one, which she loves and plays with all the time, and the grandparents got them both the Trunki toyboxes for Christmas, which are really good too (they like joining them together and turning them into a train!). It's like a slow Trunki invasion in our house!

DD2 seems to have got over her desire to go in the new crib - she walked past it this morning and just went "baby sister bed" - I think she's decided it's no longer of interest!

Off out in a minute to order the new wallpaper and fabric for the nursery www.harlequin.uk.com/anoushka-fabric.aspx (both in the first picture in the slideshow). Hope I can summon up the energy for decorating at the weekend (or convince DH he has the energy to do it while I supervise!).

Had major freak out today after my growth scan - sonographer estimated the weight currently at around 6lb 4oz. I'm nearly 35 weeks FGS and that is a weight some babies are at full term or close to!
Got plunged into despair that all the diabetic diet/insulin/blood sugar control wasn't working but actually, for once physician appt cheered me up as she showed me where it's tracking on the graph and in fact growth is slowing a bit, and abdomen in particular is fine, so even though it's unlikely to be a petite thing, neither is it any larger than we all anticipate (expecting somewhere between 8-9lbs) without allowing me to go past 40 weeks.
So feeling ok, now, but still a little freaked at how big baby is. Bump is measuring about right, 36cm, so if I wasn't under High Risk care and getting these scans generally, the MW wouldn't be referring me. But the amniotic fluid is fine and they did a doppler on the cord and that is flowing fine too.

Catsy I had a wilkinet and something similar to a close carrier - a hugabub I think it was. I felt they were both good but for me ties just didn't work, I'm better with clips, I think I'm just impatient though, as the ties are probably better for ensuring the fit is absolutely right.

LadyMaybe sounds like your baby is doing fine. I looked on my growth chart, and if my baby carries on the same curve as at the last scan, my 35 week weight would be 5lb15oz, which is within a few ounces of yours. My bump measured 36cm last week though, when I was only 31 weeks... hope it was just my fat getting in the way, not a massive growth spurt in the previous 2 weeks!!!

Oooh Catsy interested in the usefulness of trunki toyboxes as play-ins not just storage. DS got the boostapak recently and is so proud of his transformer-booster-backpack (he won't consider calling it by the shorter name!) I hadn't spent much time looking at trunkis as we're not going to be flying anywhere with them for a while so cabin baggage is neither here nor there and I think soft bags are easier to cram into the car, but do you think the toy boxes wuld fit in the ikea expedit shelving?

In other news DS2 has finally joined the ranks of the poxy spotted children so hoping he'll be cleared up before bump hatches. DH has manflu but 2/3 children are at school/nursery :)

Nice to hear of growing bumps, and fascinating to see Sophia - I can't get over how tiny she looks in the middle pic - she looks like a baby in the other 2 but when there is someone else to put things to scale its terrifying!

Hello all

Sorry I missed your post yesterday ladymaybe. I love Debbie Bliss Baby Knits for Beginners too, and I still use it. I am knitting the classic cardigan now and I might just do the raglan jumper next. Noticed one I've never done before though which is v cute, the moss stitch jacket, so I am torn. Also found this cheeky chinos sirdar pattern book which has some v sweet cable knit cardis... getting a wee bit ahead of myself now! Totally agree though (SirCharles) that you should jump up to jumper/cardi as soon as possible as decreasing/increasing and so on is really not that hard and you'll get loads of satisfaction from doing bigger bits.

Glad you've calmed down after growth scan, I totally get why you'd be freaked out. Both mine have been quite small, well dd small and ds average and I do worry about having a big baby at home. I know though that it is totally possible and actually 9Ib isn't that big really. (Someone I know gave birth naturally to an 11ib 10oz baby!)

Wish sonographer told me what this one was weighing at my scan, am just a nosy bugger. He said he was measuring right on the 50th centile which when I looked it up was something like 3Ib 3oz...? Can't be sure though really, these things don't always reflect what will emerge come 40 weeks!

That ergo looks fab. I think I may have a bit of a sling crush now, although I still love my Moby, honest. I would really like the ergo for when the baby is bigger though, will start saving those pennies...

Catsy - Sounds like you've got loads done, my nesting bug seems to have disappeared sadly! Garden is getting there though which is grand and I did manage to clean out a cupboard this morning. Not much else recently though... hope you're feeling reinvigorated after a rest.

SirCharles - Hope those slings work out for you, you'll find out soon enough! Re work it is complicated when you have kids/partner to think of. I am lucky to be able to work part time from home as that suits me/us very well but on the other hand it is not very secure and I'm never sure how long it will last. Then if I do have to get full time job it will probably be in town meaning an hour's commute and there is no before/after school care here for older children, not sure what the childminder situation is... then what about all the holidays, inservice days and so on...? I think in many ways childcare is simpler pre school as you get good nurseries open all year 8-6 whereas school is closed for a large portion of the day/year. However pre school childcare is v expensive. God knows how we will manage if/when I work full time!

Yorky, I think the Trunki toybox would be a couple of centimetres too big for Expedit width wise. It is fab - you can turn them upside down and join them together to make a train, and you can make them into a rocker as well! We never fly anywhere, but we have a VW Sharan, so no longer need to worry too much about boot space!

Sorry about the pox (or glad about it, whichever way you want to look at it). Has your DH had it? Just a thought, but several years ago I mocked my DH cruelly for having man flu, till he came out all over in blisters.... turned out he had chicken pox. We never did work out where he came into contact with it, as we didn't have children at the time.

LittleSarah, I've laid on the sofa most of the afternoon, as I've properly knackered myself the last few days - stupid CFS!!! I'm under strict instructions from DH not to touch the garden today! Glad yours is coming along!

It's certainly been a quiet few days in here, can't resist saying something, even though I don't have much to report!

Have managed to sleep through the last few days without getting up to wee! Very strange (but nice), not sure if it is because my bump has dropped a little... I'm sure last time the third trimester meant more and more nightly wees not less.

Nearly finished knitting cardi for the new wee man, forgotten how quickly you can knit things up when they are so small, it is fab!

Any exciting plans for the weekend? We have my dad and his girlfriend coming down for lunch tomorrow and possibly dh's brother and wee girl on Sunday. Will no doubt be out in the garden trying to get things sorted there, despite the predicted drop in temp, booo!

Really want to get windows washed so hopefully that will be another job ticked off this weekend.

Right, my chat will get even more banal if I continue so I will sign off for now!

Yeah where is everyone??
Well done getting your knitting finished sarah, I'm still only halfway through a hat..must buy wool for blanket this weekend! Thought of u when I saw the doula on obem, although she didn't seem like a very nice one!

My top tip of the day.. primark have their £2 stretchy camisole tops in again. These are fab for breastfeeding as u just wear one under a normal top, then u can lift the top layer up, pull the underneath layer down (with strap down your shoulder) & there u have it.. discreet feeding with tummy still covered. I bought 3 more yest so will be living in them this summer!

Hope everyone enjoys warm weekend x