PART 3!! Sept-2012 Baby Bus!! Christmas-and-New-Year-Shaggers-all-aboard!

[TinkerMaloo]

Cant see another one anywhere on the board and part 2 is full up (finally) so here is part 3! (unless I'm just being a moron and missed it?)

Chat more please ladies, we are too fat and useless to do anything else! ;)

Hi all just checking in, been reading all the posts but never seem to find time to update! I'm on my last week at work with 4+5 to go, scarily close

Started NCT and found the breast feeding classes really helpful, met some nice girls too - hope everyone else is enjoying NCT too (if doing it).

Thanks for all the hospital bag tips I have part packed but am away on hols for 10 day next week so hoping baby stays put until 38 weeks.....

Glad to hear everyone is doing well, home straight, we're nearly there xx

Welcome firsttimemum . I'm 32 weeks plus so you're about the same due date as me. I love the name Amelia, it was on my list but dp vetoed it. If I didn't have ds to keep me occupied I would be filling my time lazing about and enjoying the precious final moments to myself. Working my way through The Game of Thrones boxset atm. Would be reading a lot only ds broke my kindle the other day. Not impressed.

Good luck with your move Rachel . I'm meant to be moving next week and haven't packed anything bar the odd bit of clothes that no longer fit anyway. Not overly worried as there's no rush to get out of my place so can do it slowly bit by bit.

Meant to be seeing Batman tomorrow so glad it's got good reports although I was worried about sitting for that length of time as my coccyx gives me jip at the best of times.

Got some of the baby stuff washed so can finally finish off packing my hospital bag tomorrow. Have to as we are heading away tomorrow night a few hours drive away so want to take it with me just incase.

Thanks for the comments on the name, really appreciate it! Glad you like it. Im due September 20th ballroomblitz when are you due? Went out and bought even more pretty dresses today, just can't seem to stop lol! Also taking the little one down to England in october to visit family, kind of dreading having to take all of the things down for a newborn but ohwell! Would any of you recommend hiring the Tens machine? I'm hoping for a water birth but thought that the Tens would be good for early labour and up till about 5 or 6cm?

Am yet to start packing my hospital bag. I said I'll make a start soon few weeks ago but every time when I look at the list I decided to leave it till later... (coz the list looks so long...) Will try to make a start tmr!

Stretch marks - are you getting any? I used bio oil once a day from 3 months and twice a day from 5 months, but now patches of stretch marks are starting to appear

Hi Everyone. Macaroons - no stretch marks yet, but last time I didn't get any until a few days after the delivery. Which was a bit weird! I thought I'd got away with it.

FirstTime - I hired a tens machine last time from Mothercare - excellent service, I'd recommend them. Only thing is I forgot all about it when I was in labour so I never used it! Funny how the brain shuts down at times like that. I also forgot to ask for a water birth when we got to the hospital (doh!) so this time DH will be primed to say something and it will be in big letters on my notes.

My hospital bags have been half packed for ages. Hoping to get them finished except for last minute stuff in the next few days. I'm doing a small one for labour and a bigger one for the ward afterwards. Last time I packed a huge bag with everything in it and it was a pain as it had a load of stuff I didn't need, whether I was in labour or on the ward, and I couldn't find anything I did need in it's cavenous interior!

I might have mentioned this before, can't remember, but I'm doing a list of what is in which cupboard etc for DH as last time he couldn't find anything when I sent ihm back from the hospital for more baby clothes etc ad we ended up buying a load of stuff instead.

ballroom I'm the same were moving from my boyfriends parents house to one of our own so were I'm no rush. But Oh thinks everything has to be shifted straight away and I can't get it into his head we need help and I'm not lifting a double bed frame. He's driving me nuts.

Yes I really enjoyed that batman movie, though my Oh didn't. But he not into that sort of movie. Hopefully ballroom you'll be okay during the show and you'll not be too sore or stiff getting up.

macaroons no stretch marks here yet :) I'm just waiting for them though but I haven't bothered with any cream or lotions, couldn't face buying them incase they were useless.

madmonkey I'm forcing my Oh to help put baby stuff away once I get round to washing and drying it then he will have no excuse,

I still have to sort through all my baby clothes I received and I have boxes and bags everywhere atm, and all ages are in through each other so it's gonna be a fun few weeks, although I have no living room furniture yet so have a big room to sort it out in. :) not looking forward to this..

X

Hi if any of u r part of bounty club,there's a good offer today I've just bought a universal miracle changing bag for £20.96 including delivery instead of £44.99! Got free boots one yesterday but its not big enough for all stuff I'll carry. X

Anyone else gettin cramp in night, when I stretch I get horrible cramp in my calves!

Re the tens machine my DH uses one for his back so I am going to buy a new one from Lloyds pharmacy (just under £10) and then he can have it once I'm done - I'm no expert but a lot of the machines seem overpriced fas they are linked to "maternity" whereas I think these standard Tens do just the same.... correct me if I'm wrong though!

Just had 32 week check and scan to see if placenta has moved up. It hasn't and baby is breach; that coupled with pelvic disproportion means a cs. I knew I would have to have one but now it's official and booked in for 7th of sept. 6 weeks to go. Baby is also a big boy and his head is measuring 35 weeks and I'm 32!!! So kind of glad not going to have to push that out. Explains all the weird movements in my ribs and lungs, his hands apparently as his head is on the tight just under my rib cage. Happy to be having a big baby after such a teeny weeny one last time

Looks like not many people are getting stretch marks... Gutted as I've made the effort to apply bio oil ...

Cramps... I get lots of them too, usually on my calves but last weekend I got them on my thigh!!!! So painful and i couldnt stretch it out that I almost cried...

macaroons I have stretch marks despite bio oil! All under bump so I can't see them if I look down! I got the first one around 14 weeks but I lost a stone on weight early on as bump developed so put it down to that!

A glass of tonic water before bed seems to keep the dreaded cramp away. I got it terribly last time round and started this time too, but a glass of this seems to hold it at bay.

loup23 you really need a pregnancy tens machine. My mom has used a normal tens for years and i've used it before on my back too. The pregnancy ones have a boost button though, which gives an instant ramp up in the strength, idea being that you press boost when get a contraction then take the boost off when its fading. I bought one last time, as DS was our first and we hope to have 4 children in total so seemed no point renting unless we were just going to have 1 child. There is no way i would be able to tolerate the strength of the boost button in normal life, but i used it a lot in labour with DS, it was the only pain relief i used until was somewhere between 9-10cm dialated (had a cervical lip so that complicated matters and led to arguments over whether i was fully dialated or not!). From memory it cost me about £52.

in fact here you go, this is the site i used, although looks like you have to buy via amazon rather than their own site now...

www.expressyourselfmums.co.uk/Obstetric-TENS-machines/elle-tens-maternity-tens-obstetric-tens-machine.htm

I also noticed stretch marks last time after DD was born which was very unfair but they were all under my bump so I couldn't see them. Happily they've all faded away now though I could be in for a nasty surprise when this LO is born. I don't think lotions and oils can necessarily prevent stretch marks, isn't it all in the genes?

I also bought a pregnancy TENS machine, it was about £35 but I'd need to dig it out to see what brand it is. It was half price so the same cost as hiring one. I hired one from Boots last time.

32 weeks now, suppose I better start thinking about a hospital bag! We're off to Wilderness Festival next weekend, let's see how my hips hold up on an inflatable mattress!

I've managed to get stretch marks everywhere except the bump so far . So thighs and hips have a lovely pattern on them (purple over the teen growth spurt silver)! I hope bio oil works on the aftermath though, as otherwise I will look permanently look like I've been involved in a frenzied snail attack!

Hospital bag is nearly done, but do need to wash all the baby stuff before packing, and I need to order my tens machine (will probably buy as we plan to hopefully have more than one dc). Presumably a pregnancy tens can be used for other stuff as well in the future (aches and pains,etc.)?

I am hoping to use a TENS machine - borrowing from a friend who didn't get to use the one she bought as her labour was so quick! Though I have to go to her place in north Essex to collect it at some point and since she now has a newborn as well as a toddler, that could be interesting timing-wise...

I haven't got any stretch marks yet (apart from the squillions I had pre-pregnancy) but I KNOW they are going to appear on the bottom half of bump at some point...this has happened to loads of my friends at 34 weeks onwards and I'm at 32+5. Grr.

I also get cramps in my calves though they have calmed down recently. Embarrassingly got cramp in my bum today during a (currently rare) "intimate moment" with DH! (sorry if TMI!)

Yoikes it's now August which officially means we are due NEXT MONTH!

turquoisecat yes my TENS can be used when not pregnant too, but it would be a brave person who would dare to use the boost button unless in labour! I found that mine had more settings on it than my moms, although hers is quite old anyhow! but mine definitely was more powerful even ignoring the boost bit. I think the only rules are to not use them before 37 weeks as they can bring on labour, which is why lots of places that rent them don't send them out any earlier. I will never know if linked or not, but i have always had a back back and SPD, and so from 37th week with DS i started using it as pain relief on my back, and waters broke at 38+5 and he was born 38+6....although i wasn't using it when my waters broke, they went whilst i was having an afternoon nap, and contractions started within an hour of me waking up....so may be no link at all, but if anyone is desperate to evict them rather than go overdue, might be worth trying!

*should read always had a bad back...

I have never tried a TENS machine... Not sure whether to try it this time round or not!?..

And Yay for it being August! Only one month (ish) to go now! :D

I spotted and bagged a bargain today (and I love a bargain!), so thought I would share... Hotmilk nursing bras and knicks from Zulilly

I got a £51 set for £14.50! Zulilly (postage is 3.95)

ooh those look great tinker I just have no idea what size I am - did you buy your normal size?

Hi all, thought I'd check in as it's been a while and as it's the 1st August, I am due exactly 1 month today! Thanks to everyone who wrote their lists for what to take in their hospital bags, I found those really useful(for shopping - I've not actually packed yet!). I have had a couple of achy weeks backache wise but as of yesterday I have felt more comfortable and have had a bit more energy. Long may it continue! I am really excited to start hearing about some of us having babies in the new few weeks, how exciting and what a journey!
I've not really considered getting a TENS machine so I might now that some of you think they're a good idea. They spoke about them at NCT but I kind of thought 'how good can they be?' worth a try and not that expensive. I'm really hoping to have a natural birth with only gas and air and water (I'm hoping to deliver in water) so maybe this is a good addition to the plan. Also, my friend has offered to lend me her breast pump so I am going to save money there so might just invest in the TENS.
I am still working (am 36 weeks this Saturday) I have 2 weeks left and today that feels OK but last week I was thinking I'd totally over stretched myself and couldn't imagine being able to stay for that amount of time. I am very jealous of people who've finished already.
To join in with the conversation, I don't have any stretch marks as yet but I'm watching the bump daily to see if they appear. I've been using Bio oil nightly since about 10 weeks so that's made it feel moisturised and not tight but I don't know if it really stops them? I think it's in the genes. My Mum didn't get them until her 3rd pregnancy when my brother was so big it just ruined her skin (and everything else!) eek.
Has anyone started doing the perineal massage? Is it worth doing? I tried it the other night (quite difficult to reach) but it felt quite uncomfortable so gave up quickly?

bakeroo no I haven't done any perineal massage - I tried it a bit last time but like you, found it difficult and uncomfortable so quickly gave up. I did have a waterbirth though and need a few stitches for superficial grazes afterwards so not sure if the water helped - DD was 8 lbs 3 and came fast!

I feel like you - 32 weeks now and working til 38 - also feel I've perhaps pushed myself and can't really imagine another long 6 weeks of commuting and sitting at a desk. Very low energy here today!

Did anyone watch Midwives on BBC last night? Bawled my eyes out!

Bakeroo my birth plan is going to be very similar to yours - gas and air and water only if possible (though obviously I might change my mind...but will try not to unless complications make it impossible).

Just went on zulily and ordered a dress (sadly the very large size of boulder holder I need had sold out with Hot Milk but the discounts on their stuff are EXCELLENT - thanks for the tip tinker.

firsttimemumma welcome and we are both due on the same day - fingers crossed babies is vaguely on time for everyone! I can't wait to hear about the stream of new arrivals...not long now!