Due in October 2012 - Part 5

[Kyyria]

Just starting us off on a new thread

Christ almighty am I thick??????!!!!! Maybe fingers swelling overnight?!!!

Well I am ranting anyhow, am sure no one interested!!!! I rationally understand our situation and we are si lucky to have a home, even if not the new one just yet.

Londonmrss horrible to hear about ankle, glad bean ok. Hope you get lots of help!

So confuddled by my posting cannot remember anyone else's posts!! I am officially a nobber too!!!!!!

Have a nice Sunday all!! X

Just a question ladies. I too am v interested in hypnotherapy CDs to help. I am not good with pain but strangely unafraid of birth and hoping I can rely on years of yoga inc pregnancy yoga to focus me!! Just been reading on the link someone made (sorry no idea who........) to Natal hypnobirthing CDs. Think I will invest! But!!!! Anyone used before in hospital?? Is it ok to play during labour when people in delivery suite other than selves?? Assuming most useful on early stages when mind relying on learned triggers to induce relaxation and speed things up. But wondering if will feel like a plonker if playing when midwives in and surely not ideal to hav headphones? Am sure u get my meaning!! X

hi all. Huffle, i feel your pain. We have been rennovating since Jan with b/f doing most of the work to save money and there is no way it will be done before the bean arrives. I am just trying to psych myself into accepting it - it would have been ideal to get it all done before, but I am sure our little team of 3 can manage through the difficulties and support each other. Baby just needs love, milk, warmth, to be dry, cuddles, stimulation and sleep, and I'm sure we can still give him/her that in the midst of the mess and noise.

Why can none of us sleep?? I blame the light -i was up late last nite naughtily watching a movie but still couldn't sleep in and am tired.
Yomping, i am jealous of your normal stomach capacity!! Bean was going crazy on saturday, moving constantly - i think he/she was just proving a point that i must not overeat like i did friday nite as he/she is there, and reminding me of this :) He/she was much quieter yesterday and hopefully had some sleep. Daily movement is defintely variable for me, as is my love/hate relationship with the appearance of my bump. I lust after the pert 'basketball under your jupmer look' rather than 'ball on legs' or 'saggy bump' look, but i have experienced feeling like i look like all 3 at different times.
Missing b/f dreadfuly this weekend - am all alone as he has gone to the grandprix, and feel quite vulnerable and lonley when home alone. I am counting my lucky stars i chose not to go, though, as it sounds like a hideous place for someone in our condition to be! Rainy, wet, no seats, lots of walking and long bus journeys with no toilets! Have been v. busy this weekend shopping, seeng friends, yogaing and beauty saloning as the house feels empty without him. Poor londonmrs, i really feel for u being on your own after a nasty fall.
Angelico, i was a 14-16 pre pregnancy and am LOVING my h&m mama trousers in size L. I wear them to yoga, they come over the bump, but they are 7/8 length, stopping at the ankle. So comfy!!! And the pink ones are on sale now so i bought 2nd pair yesterday :)

Huffle, you phone-posting nobber . Good point about the CDs in hospital, but I'm sure people do use them there, and if you write it into your birthing plan, isn't is the law that is has to be done?

Beccus, poor you being by yourself, that's no fun, but I'm sure you're dead right about Silverstone being the last place on earth you'd want to be right now.

Hi girls, sorry to those who couldn't sleep, welcome back milk.
Thanks for the injury sympathy, I can put a wee bit of weight on it today to I can hobble around the flat (yesterday I had to crawl on my hands and knees because I couldn't even limp). Am not normally so pathetic, but it makes me realise that London isn't like where I grew up- I can't just call a neighbour to help me because I don't know them, plus most of my friends are at least a half hour on the tube. Grrr. Still, at least it's improving slightly.
I'll discuss playing in CDs in advance, but I think I'd like to play things on headphones as it will help me shut out whatever else is going on and internalise the experience.
I'm definitely still enjoying those natal hypnotherapy ones the best, although would also recommend reading the Morgan book because it goes into the theory in more depth.

Glad you are feeling a bit better today london.

beccus silver stone would be vile today, pregnant or not. You had a lucky escape.

huffle you nobber.

I've just had the most gorgeous fillet steak. Planned in advance so I had time to freeze it to kill the toxoplasmosis and eat it rare. Oh my god it was do delicious I nearly fainted. Just had to share that. I think I am a tad anaemic so it was for medicinal purposes.

Now googled self to death and it says freezing kills most of the toxi. Bugger and arse. I was convinced I'd played a good one there but actually I am a nobber.

midgetm you nobber too!!! Don't wind yourself up, worse things you could do!!! Was getting my hopes up there, was thinking you had given me a solution to a fab dinner!!!!!!

Thanks Huffle. Food and drink advice really gets on my tits. If you read enough about it Toxi has not been found in beef here, freezing kills most of it anyway and listeria is killed by a good hot sear. So why the bloody hell do they day don't eat it. Is it just because they want us to go mental and feel guilty or is there a real risk. Same with booze. Tell me the bloody facts - not just don't do it. Really gets on my tits. did I already mention that bit. There endeth today's rant.

'Blunt razor' - - good tip LondonMrsS and thanks for the feedback on the CDs, very useful. So sorry about your ankle. Glad all's ok but sprains can be super painful. I had a bad one in my left ankle 4 years ago and it still swells terribly (even before my pregnancy) sporadically. Bummer . I'm also tempted by a 4D scan (only saw orbs/spheres on the last scan as gynae measured top of head etc) but luckily budget constraints won't allow it at the moment. ShellweDance - any chance of seeing photos of yours? :) Dying to see my little girl's face as my scan pic shows quite a pointy little nose (it's up on my profile if anyone's interested...that was 20 weeks). Beccus - hover over username and if you can click on it, go through to profile then photos :). Anyone who's name you can click has something up there...

Congrats to your DP WantanOrange - glad to hear you're so relaxed about the hairy stuff. It's what you're used to I guess. I didn't used to worry about my 'ladygarden' at all in my 20's but once you start...

Zoeplankton - Iceland! . Well jel (as they say or something...I'm old...). Empathise with the unexpected need for blackout. Have got rather used to the 'non-nights' even here, in relatively southern Norway but have got black out on the bedroom window. Slept very badly last summer without it. Hope you had a great time despite the olds.

Angelico - nice to see you :). I don't find waxing agony at all except one little spot. Does this mean I'm weird or may it even mean (oh joy of joys tell me yes) that I might have a super-tough pain threshold that will make labour a doddle? . I do see myself as having a good pain threshold though I've been doubting it recently as I've even been saying 'Ow!' at baby's kicks sometimes :-\

Lisbeth - I think the creche's action was rather unreasonable. I'd go with the short letter expressing how you feel, requesting your money back and indicating that you're taking legal advice. I think a lot of businesses would be keen not to draw out any issues like that and then perhaps you can put it behind you. Pretty much agree with what Zoeplankton says.

Midget - have also been getting borderline neurotic about meat. Have had to monch my way with a smile through slightly pink barbequed pork chops for several weekends now at the in-laws but have thankfully survived . (Oh and fjordmamma's fine by me ).

Been busy buying/organising baby kit but still 'allergic' to buying any clothes. Couldn't even bring myself to pick up 3 newborn bodysuits for the equivalent of a tenner (that's very cheap in Norwegian terms). Am hopefully picking up secondhand (American) Pottery Barn cot (converts to toddler bed too) and matching changing table tomorrw; bought a travel cot for like £30 yesterday (my Mum insisted - all she cares about is that we will visit) and have been hmming and haaaing over car seats that will also fit on our Stokke Xplory chassis in various shops round Stavanger. Hopefully we'll knab a used Baby Bjorn bouncer this week, FIL has a Tripp Trapp we're having (everyone has them here since like 1950 or something daft!) and I've a used 'newborn set' on the way for it. Problem is we'll have to store the cot and changing table until we move as there's no room for them here (borrowing a Moses basket from a friend and planning to use our dining table with a changing mat...). Have a 5 page wishlist of clothes . Hope I get over my funk about it soon...not that I have any money until the flat sells (all this gear is being bought with 'gift baby money' from DP's grandmother/my aunt/very nice relatives).

Re rare meat and things we are not supposed to eat:

I may have said this before, but I figure we have a bigger chance of being in a car accident than we do from eating meat rare that makes us ill.

Re stomach capacity:
I.m still eating like a champ, especially at noon, but smaller amounts at dinner

Giggling at all the nobbers!

Finally broke down and we bought our travel system. A graco stylus. Put it all together. It's now sitting at the in laws until go time.

Slowly adding touches to the nursery. Put up the drapes and valance..

And having a bit of a freak out..... SSHOULD I KNOW ABOUT SENSORY PLAY

Thanks Fjord, he's of to the job centre today, now that he is a proper grown up, bet they die of shock when he goes in asking for an actual job, our local job centre are not used to such things!

RE hair, um, the reason I let it go au natural is because I cannot stand the re-growth, how do you cope with this?

Beeblebear What do you want to know about play? (I'm a chilminder, and doing a degree, showing off....)

Hello all! Hope everyone had a good weekend and enjoyed the tennis - such a shame for Murray but I do quite like a bit of Rog. And his twins were gorgeous!

Beeble why should you know about sensory play? Should I know about sensory play?!

Fjord sounds like you're getting well organised. We've got a tripp trapp highchair - having had 2 others, and neither came close. LOVE our tripp trapp. Got it 2nd hand off ebay. LOVE ebay.

We've also gone ahead and bought a double buggy (also off ebay!) - we've gone for the mountain buggy duet side by side. It's great, and 2nd hand is as good as new. Vair chuffed. Now have to see if the kids'll actually go in it... AND we've just picked up our shiny new (2nd hand) car! It's huge! I drive a very little car usually, and this one's an estate. Parking is going to be challenging

WantanOrange what are you studying? You're the boffin couple!!

midget hope you enjoyed the steak! Sounds amazing. A little rare meat once in a while will be fine, I'm sure...think of the French!

huffle I did enjoy your multiple posts. Kind of lost track of what you were actually trying to communicate, but was very entertained nevertheless

We drove all the way up north and back over the weekend (4hrs there, with a 1hr break, and 3hrs back) and it was fine. It helped that my Dad came with us and sat in the backseat the whole way (a new word for DS - gbumpba = grandpa!), keeping DS entertained. It meant that DS didn't actually sleep...which meant that by 7pm that day he was mental, and couldn't sleep. We shared the hotel room with him, having not shared a room with him since he was 6m old, and gawd he's a noisy sleeper. He finally dropped off at 9pm , then woke at 4.30am for a noisy sing-song until 6am which meant we were shattered yesterday! The wedding itself was utterly surreal. Officially the Weirdest Wedding I have Ever Been To.

Any fellow second-timers out there feeling huge? I am seriously, seriously huge. Is it because my stomach muscles are that crap (seriously. They can't be THAT crap?!), or is it that I am going to give birth to a fully-grown 5yr old child? Cos that's what it feels & looks like! Help me!

How is everyone's hair?? On your head this time, not lady gardens!!! (I am a trimmer only there, how the heck do you put up with discomfort of regrowth??!!)

I had been delighted that my thin fine lank hair which fell out in bunches has been thick, shiny and not falling out at all!! Told myself I'd do 5 pregnancies just to have lovely hair!! (yeah, if I was in my 20's.....!)
BUT I am now a slave to FRIZZ. And no amount of straightening or serums helping!!!! BOO HISS. Anyone else having this new beautiful symptom of pregnancy??!

And do not get me started on my varicose veins.......

Dameflatyoulent LOL!! Think I lost the gist myself!!! Generally losing plot a lot lately!!!!

Oh yes... Forgot to weigh in on lady gardens!!!! I.m a total shaver...but think I got my last hair cut down there un-aided last week. The prickle is driving me crazyy. Dh said he won.t help me take care of it....i hope he knows what he isin for.

Orange... I don.t jnow what I want to know yet... I.m on addicted to Pinterest and.i keep seeing posts of people designing sensory rooms for their kids... And bins full of rice with burried toys and such.... And looks to be very messy shaving xream painting etc etc....

Hi all,

Haven't been on here for a while and it's taken me ages to catch up!
Had a nice but busy weekend - work and gym/swimming on Saturday, then a day with DH and MIL doing baby stuff on Sunday. First a very early start for a special ceremony/blessing thing a shrine asking for a safe and easy pregnancy/labour. I think.
Then, on to DH's colleague's house to pick up a cot they've very kindly lent us.
Next was a long, posh Italian lunch - delicious, but my bump was twice the size afterwards.
After that we went to Babies R Us, where I had a bit of freak out about all the stuff I have no clue about. I mean seriously, how are we ever going to choose a pram/buggy/whatever they're called?! There're so many!
However, managed to buy cot mattress, matress protector and sheets etc. so feel like I'm getting somewhere. MIL insisted on buying expensive, organic cotton vests and grows for the early weeks. Whatever makes her happy. She was paying and it's her first grandchild.
Finally, went to meet some of MIL's family friends, as the oldest daughter is about my age and has just had her third baby at the maternity hospital I'm using. In fact, I think the dad might own it or something. Got lots of good advice and made my first "mummy friend".

Beeble, yes, I get a scan every time, but my doctor doesn't seem to be great with the machine so I haven't had a good, share-worthy one yet. Last time I went I'd built up the courage to politely ask if she could try and get a decent one for me to scan and send to my parents. Then she told me she had a brand new machine, so I thought that could've been the problem and this might mean the picture would be much better this time. Found out a few minutes later that they'd JUST got the new machine, and I was the first person she'd used it on. She had no idea what she was doing and the picture was just as bad as ever.

Smiley, you should definitely visit Japan! Though, if you're anything like me, you're probably wondering when the next decent holiday to far flung places will be...

Angelico, sorry I don't have much to add about maternity wear - I'm stuck in a kind of limbo between normal clothes and maternity clothes. I have got some kind of black jersey harem pants from H&M that are great for yoga and really comfortable. I wear them low, but because of the baggy arse, you could probably wear them over the bump. Unfortunately, I bought them a long time ago, they might have something similar though.

Londonmrs, hope you're on the mend after your fall. Sounds crappy. Before being pregnant, I didn't think twice about these things. Now, every time I trip over my own feet or lose my balance (which happens far too frequently these days) I worry about what could have happened if it had been worse. Glad your bub is fine!

Re: The Bush. So far I can still see mine, but getting worried. Had to stop half way through a laser hair removal course as I got pregnant. Have been shaving since - itchy and grows back to quickly. I keep meaning to wax, which I did before the laser, but haven't got round to it yet .
Hoping I'll be able to keep waxing for a while with a few strategically placed mirrors. Is that too optimistic?!
I've already told DH he'll have to paint my toenails eventually, not sure I trust him with my depilation though!

I'm sure there's much more to comment on and many more people to reply to, but you might kick me off the thread if I write any more!

Have a good day

Oh, and Dame, please tell us how the wedding was weird, I love a good wedding story! Your DS sounds so cute, singing in the morning. Bet you didn't think so at the time, though.

I think my centre of gravity has taken a sudden shift this weekend, my back is really sore and I can't seem to get comfortable sitting or lying or standing. Weird! The bump was pumelling DH in bed this morning too (had to remind him that each of those kicks had come through me, so he shouldn't complain too loud...). We seem to alternate wriggly days with quiet days, not sure how to factor that into counting movements (if we're meant to be doing that yet??).

On the downstairs grooming debate, having been natural for many years I now usually Veet (can't stand shaving, too itchy) but have also suddenly realised I can't see past bump any more, so will be relying on mirrors. I'm weirdly unkeen on going back to my previously forrested state. Not sure whether I'm happy for DH to get in on the act, although having watched me contorting myself to try to paint my toenails on Sunday, he has offered to help with that next time. Bless. Suddenly I can see ahead to the point where even getting socks on is a challenge.... yikes!

huffle on my upstairs hair, ditto I've gone from lank greasy fluff to thick mane which hardly ever seems to need washing - hurrah - but it also seems to be regrowing from the front, and doing so curly so I'm now sporting a kind of kiss-curl on my forehead, and a ring of fuzzy bits, which isn't quite my normal style .

You've all got me worried now with how much stuff you've already bought/assembled/researched . I have a list of what I reckon we need before the birth, and have a few things promised from friends/family but not many definite pick up dates yet. I know we also need a new car (current 3 door rustbucket really won't do if I need to get baby seat in and out) which we really ought to get on with as they won't get any cheaper but other than getting my old moses basket from my parents, we've pretty much got nothing in the 'nursery' as yet. Poor kid.

Okay, sensory play is simply put, playing, exploring and learning through your senses (I don't believe it's possible to play without using senses tbh ).

Play should ALWAYS be child led. Messy play is vital for all sorts of learning and builds the foundations for langauge, reading, writing, maths, problem solving, science, reasoning, knowledge and understanding of the world, EVERYTHING!

Plastic toys from ELC actually offer very little in the way of educational or play value, although they have their place.

Some ideas are:

messy: sand, water, gloop (cornflour and water), pasta (dried or cooked), rice, shaving foam, ice, instant snow, jelly, baked beans.

malleable: play dough, clay, plasticine.

Heuristic: treasure baskets, cardboard boxes, tubes and tunnels, pots and pans, wooden spoons, scarves, hats, beads.

Smells: plant herbs and various flowers in the garden, explore food, smelly socks (stuff socks with cotton wool and put a drop of scented oil in), I put whole oranges, lemons and limes in my treasure basket.

Music: nursery rhymes, pop music, singing, dancing, scarves, actions, instruments (real ones as well as toy ones).

Of course you have to make it all age appropriate.

Dame I am doing a degree in Early Years Education, it's all I actually know anything about!

Had a bit of a pants day tbh, Landlady is refusing to do maintainence that is needed so we have to move, only there is not a lot out there. Plus it seems cruel to move DS when he is also about to move school and have a baby sister. How much change can I throw at him at once?

This sensory stuff is interesting- I guess it's what I did when I was little- sandpits, finger painting.
Not for a newborn though, right? I mean I know you can stimulate them with colours, sounds, shapes... but they're not that dextrous, are they. It's a few months before we need to start thinking about sand pits and musical instruments, isn't it? Can you tell I'm a first-timer?

Wow Wantanorange, that is such useful information! Lots to think about.

4D scan was OK. Baby had arms and legs over face a lot and it was good to see but I was expecting a bit more. Will try and post some pics for you all to see.

Hope everyone else is feeling OK. On phone so can't properly namecheck at the mo.

It's exactly what we did as kids Londomrss, just common sense really. For a newborn, play is all about your face and touch, and the sound of your voice. She/he will want to stare at you, listen to you chat or sing, and feel you touch and cuddle (baby massage is great). She/he will start mimicking your facial expressions straight away (hours of amusment for mum ). They can only see about the distance from your breast to your eyes though so its really important to hold him/her there even if you don't BF. My Thrive trainer called it "the bubble of love".

I do do messy play with my youngest babies, but not quite newborn. Crawlers are the most fun. At a nursery I worked at we used to cover the floor in paper, put down big blobs of paint, then strip them to their nappies and let them crawl! It was chaos....

Treasure baskets are perfect for when they are able to sit with support, so that's quite young too.

There is some information about Treasure Baskets Here.

Hii everyone, as usual i have read all the posts and they have all left my brain without the slightest trace of any meaning behind... Sorry!! My baby brain is terrible. I keep forgetting how to answer the phone at work, I have to think what time of day it is, who I work for and what my own name is... That's far too much to think about at once
Londonmrss Yes I think its a few months- newborns can't really do much. Bless them.

My cousin's second baby is due tomorrow- she is HUGE. She's so fed up! Her first was about 10 days late so she isn't holding out much hope that this one will be on its way any time soon!! She's tried everything to bring on labour and nothing has worked. I feel so sorry for her (also dreading the fact that I might have mine late too... We are all a family of late babies.)

Found some very interesting advice on colic ladies, that I have until now forgotten to share with you. Supposedly colic is all linked to the bones in the skull forming and hardening, and osteopathic/cranial head massages supposed to be very good at relieving colic. Someone remind me of this when I actually need the advice....

Bought two incredibly cute very expensive toys for the baby last week. A rabbit to hang on the cot which plays gentle music, and we bought a soft puppy dog toy for it too- the baby will be too small for a while to play with the real thing!! We also bought some baby vests that have jungle animals all over them; so incredibly excited about this. All brightly coloured and unisex slightly boyish hooray! :o

Hope you are all well- sympathies to Londonmrss on the ankle :( Hope you are back on it soon.

Consultant appointment tomorrow which I am feeling slightly nervous about now. Although am pretty sure there will be nothing to worry about I know how guilty I will feel if the baby has the same problem as I did... Which sounds silly but still. Hopefully I will have a special scan to prepare us both. :)

20 (not for long), 22+4, #1