Due in October 2012 Part 6 - Third Trimester Trials and Tribulations

[YompingJo]

Shiny new thread!

Ready?
Steady?
Go!

Cross posted Bella Blimey I am very [green] about you being so ready. Seriously seriously jealous. Well done though - it is very wise - I think that is why I am feeling so mentally driven to get stuff done.

Not even going to try and talk about myself today as the most interesting thing I've done is buy a nightie for labour from Primark! (£3, comfy, cute enough, and a good size - I know they're evil and unethical but still, recommended!)

Firstly YAY for CWest's appointment. I know there's still a lot to deal with but so happy today went so well on all fronts! From 28 to 32 weeks makes a HUGE amount of difference so very very glad to hear all is well.

MrsConfusion sounds like my weekend with toddlers x a hundred! You have my sympathies... I like the "have you changed your mind" question, as you say, bit bloody late! My gran (who is 90, confused and mean) said to me "so do you want a boy or a girl or neither?" and I laughed and said, "it's a bit late for neither."
I am having the nightmares too - you had tornadoes, I had floods Also had a horrible dream where I had a baby but couldn't remember anything about the labour so didn't know what had happened, couldn't find boyfriend, and suddenly realised even though baby wasn't crying I hadn't fed him since he was born! Tried to breastfeed and he was biting the skin off my nipples until they were bleeding. Lovely. Don't think you need Freud to analyse that!

(rubs bump and reassures baby I do want him/her and love him/her and don't read the above)

midgetm I was really cynical about the olympics but I put my hands up and say I really enjoyed it all! It did coincide very neatly with starting maternity leave of course... Am happy you got to see so much of it, it must have been grand. I am going to Jess Ennis's homecoming thing on Friday! Apparently we have to wear gold... dont' think I even have anything non-maternity in gold!
I agree with you about morphine, not at home.
Thanks for your experiences with epidurals, useful to know. I think they definitely have their place! I would be wary of slowing down a natural labour that was going well, but for long labours, very painful ones, exhausted mothers... not to mention inductions etc... wonderful thing, modern medicine.

crazypaving Nice one on turning your baby! ps. does anyone know if mine can now... unturn? It's not properly engaged, only 4/5, so maybe I shouldn't be so happy this early!

Thanks lisbeth for the reassurance and nice to see you here again! I absolutely agree with you about students being no substitute for qualified staff... one of the reasons I am keen on the home birth is sadly it's one of the only ways to guarantee a midwife's presence throughout the whole thing - that is not as it should be, nor the fault of midwives... ah don't get me started.
Your birth story is lovely and encouraging, thank you.

Elpis good to read your thoughts too, and yeah it should not be any sort of competition. And no one should feel guilty. My midwife friend says if you are put on the drip... get a epidural first. Well, she did pause and say SOMETIMES you get women who manage contractions very well, but that was her general advice to me. And she's a full on home birth, natural birth, hypnobirthing advocate. I don't think there should be a divide - different women do better with different types of care and labours go differently!! Anyway I hope all goes well with your scan tonight.

ps. I love the birth stories! Though I am trying to read mostly positive ones because I don't think TERROR is a massively helpful emotion...

Thanks also Elpis for the list, that's great advice! You've made me feel loads better as I have most of the stuff on the second list and nothing on the first!

smorgs big hugs and good luck with the move. I think I would struggle with the french approach to birth, yikes, but then I am a yoghurt-weaving hippie etc How do you feel about it all? Must admit epidural a lot more tempting with that scenario.

Angelico it is terrifyingly close! I am due 6 weeks today... or as I call it, 4-8 weeks!! Arrgh!

LondonMrs How lovely of your mum. My family/mates are generally very nice to me about my pregnancy size and I still feel a bit touchy sometimes! (My gran is a mean vicious old woman, but she's nearly dead so I let her off.) I'm sure you look lovely and, and, people should just fuck off.

Yomping you are SO CUTE! I am the opposite of OCD and just live in general chaos. My boyfriend would like that bag though not the price! He also requested a new bag today saying so cutely "cause I'll have to take out squid's changing stuff won't I?" and asked me to find him a "man-bag" because I'm an ebay bargain-hunter. bless!
My feet are a size 5-6 so I hope that's big enough!!!

hufflepuffle re: milk from the fridge - hah! that is kind of terrifying!

Sorry for those I have missed!! Love this thread. What is going to happen when we have our babies, can we still come here and be nobbers about that?

Oh just one thing from my end today: tell me I'm being a nobber, cause I'm suddenly feeling quite anxious about bump measuring a bit small. (31cm at 34 weeks yesterday, was 30cm at 31weeks.) Midwife was not worried and said she wasn't examining me on proper couch and is re-checking next week... (also baby is engaged and that would lower the measurement wouldn't it?) and I'm also just, kind of, a smallish person, and I was a smallish baby myself... but I got myself in a dither earlier wondering if

a) work and stress
b) occasional glasses of wine
c) too much exercise
d) etc etc

is hurting the baby... Please tell me I'm a nobber and it's probably normal and even if it's not a slightly small baby is not a disaster anyway and it's not because of what I've done and I don't have to go to bed for 6 weeks and eat cake or anything (presumably that wouldn't help!)

nobber squid

Can't remember who it was but someone posted a few days ago about whether there is such a thing as baby moving TOO much?

I'm beginning to wonder the same thing.....my princess literally hasn't stopped kicking ALL DAY. Of course, now I'm panicking that she's going to be asleep for the next few days so I won't feel anything. Poor little mite can't win.

Squid you know you are being a nobber. Firstly measuring the bump notoriously inaccurate, you are a dr and you know it. Secondly stress is just one thing that is THOUGHT to affect growth. A little bit of exercise almost certainly good for mother and baby and nothing you will have done will have affected your baby to that degree. I had a small baby. She was small and perfectly formed. I looked at thousands of reasons why she was small but in the end it mattered not. I am small, she was small. Please don't worry, you nobber.

Oh and I never got sent to bed to eat cake at any stage. Which is a bastard shame as I love bed and cake.

Squid my bump measures small too and they seemed totally ok with in hospital. I am not v good techy person and no pics posted but from what I hav seen of ur pics we are similar shape with no gain other than bump. So I am content that all is ok. U hav done nothing wrong in your lifestyle and hav lovely opportunity to slow down now, all good!!

Cwest I had an exhausted day yesterday followed by total pummelling today, has not stopped squiggling and massive hefty kicks or punches!! Grew several cm overnight!! Preparing myself for baby being exhausted and having a day off after this......! DH asked me too after dinner if such a thing as moving too much as alien tummy freaking him out!!

Working tmrw with my replacement for first time, nervously hoping I hav picked the right person!!!

We went to visit the new house last night before NCT which was the first time we?d seen it since April. Fortunately it was as I remembered it ? modern / light etc. Pretty beige and characterless but the practical, sensible decision that we needed to make. DF loves modern houses and is super excited. I just feel relieved that we?ll be out of the flat!

Since we?re all passing on NCT advice, the bits I remember from last night are :

• you don?t need a baby monitor. You?ll hear them shout from the other side of the room!
• if you have a cat, get a cat net
• prams can be helpful but non-essential (you see, squid you?re not barking)
• get baby shampoo in for the first bath. Hospitals often don?t wash them and their hair can get a bit grim (I am paraphrasing, obv!)
• baby lotion (not sudacrem) can be good for the bum in early days.

On slings, a friend has offered to lend me her Moby sling which I am going to try out.

Cwest So glad that the scan went well. That?s great news.

LondonMrsGRRR re your tactless mum. Not what anyone needs.

Smorgs ? hope someone goes for the other house soon and hope the new house is lovely.

squid I feel sure that claire?s accessories can provide some gold?
I wouldn?t worry re the sizing ? if midwife wasn?t worried then you shouldn?t be. Midget is right, you?re being a nobber How do I get told to go to bed and eat cake?

Evening all :)

LondonMrs ignore your mum - she's projecting her own 'body stuff' onto you, probably in a vaguely well-meaning way but ffs you're having a baby, it's not like you've just started gobbling for Blighty! If you were size 12 pre-bean you'll snap back in no time.

Smorgs pleased to report there was no nipple grabbing although there were deeply creepy rubber boobs and dolls :o Almost called DH in to see the show then realised he would either a) pass out or b) snigger uncontrollably :o

Lisbeth I am :o at the 'fine' girl :o Even when I was younger and slimmer I always had long legs and 'good child bearing hips' as my granny used to say lol. Oh the irony that I'm having a CS...! With you on the nappy thing too, think we'll just tie 'em up and put the stinkers straight out the door.

Yomping love that bag, great link! Showed it to DH and he liked it too plus it goes with our donated red travel system. Interesting about FreeCycle too, not a lot going on up here with it but might see if we can get rid of stuff pre-move.

Planktonette am PMSL at the 'project baby'. I was like that while at work and am back for a week or two (and a day this week) so will probably get sucked back into the madness...

CWest that is BRILL NEWS!!! Hurrah!

Bella am well impressed at your decorating. We were admiring new nursery today complete with border roll but we didn't do a bit of it . Between you and Midget up a ladder there is some serious nesting going on... :o

Squid don't worry about your bean, he / she will be grand! Your bump looked totally in proportion to your size. If it's any consolation I'm worrying about measuring big, in spite of 'passing' glucose test Not sure whether to ask for a re-test even though it means taking that utterly vile drink again.

Livvy funny you mentioning baby monitor, was just wondering today whether we needed one or not, was looking at super expensive video ones and thinking, "But will we ever use it?" Plus those scary mats that beep if the bean stops breathing, can just imagine myself lying in the dark waiting for it to go off...

So we are hopefully moving next week, the big stuff anyway. House is finally racing towards some kind of conclusion, just lots of bits to tie up - kitchen nearly finished, appliances coming tomorrow, stair bits going on tomorrow, boiler coming Thursday, stove in Friday. Can hardly believe it. So another frenzied week of cleaning, buying last minute things and pretending book edits don't exist to avoid nervous breakdown One thing at a time Angelico, one thing at a time...! Back to consultant on Thurs, hoping baby has slowed down a bit - she was measuring 33 weeks at 30+1 - chill out bean!

Oooh and another hip pain tip from other thread - acupuncture. Thank you WeeSooty! This is the first time I've had hip pain that never went away all day :( Also we live in bungalow at the minute but new house has stairs and they KILLED my hip today So if we move next week think we will be living downstairs for the first few weeks...

Sleep tight all x

Thanks for all the good wishes - scan this evening. 33 weeks today! I am mostly worried about Down's, even though my quad test was 1 in 4k+, because my 12-wk scan was a bit early and the nasal bone hadn't formed yet. By 20wks the sonographer said he was a 'perfect little boy', but to my mind his legs were short. (I am 6', DH taller). I have spent a LOT of time worrying about this. What will it be like for women when they bring in antenatal tests for all sorts of other stuff?

squid The recent research I read about linked working beyond 8 months to a slightly lower birthweight. So it just goes to show that you did the right thing to stop now and that the baby has lots of time to make up for any shortfall. IF there is one!

midgetm Agree about carrying perfumed bags around. Tesco do a pack of 500 or so which must be the cheapest things you can buy. If you throw the whiffers straight in the dustbin it's fine, but I found odour definitely escaped from an inside bin, whether you sealed them in a plastic bag or not. Nappy bins tend to use less plastic than individual bags and the cartridge bit is recyclable (in our area, anyway). Know a sling-wearing, breastfeeding, baby-led-weaning type like me should try reusables, but the washing machine is so busy already...

cwest30 So glad all is well.

Mums are strange during pregnancy. Mine used to say things like 'You're carrying very high, aren't you?', gave me a hard time about using disposables and sang the virtues of a bucket of bleach. And I do recall a 'You're not feeding that baby again, are you?' at c4wks when I was on the phone to her while breastfeeding. The ultrasound pic was a huge disappointment. 'Well, I looked at it for half an hour, Elpis, and I showed it to X, and we couldn't work out what on earth it was supposed to be. I don't know why they bother, though I expect if you're a doctor it means more.'

londonlivvy I don't have a cat, but I would definitely like a cat net if it would trap the ones that shit in our garden. Is it legal? Can I release the cat somewhere safe - say, a tube station on the other side of London which requires four changes to reach? Apologies to all the cat lovers on this thread

elpis. I am not a cat lover but my boyfriend had a cat before he met me so we are obliged to cohabit. I entirely agree with you re cats pooing in other people's gardens. Not cool. Ours poos outside (ie not in our garden) and for that I apologise to everyone. Genuinely (my parents have always had dogs and I am fine with the principle of owners picking up poo).

However, on a practical level, I'm not sure how to persuade the cat to poo at home when he has the great outdoors. I'm not sure why anyone has cats either but that's another matter altogether.

I am told the sonic repellent thing can discourage them from coming into the garden. Or get a dog?

Elpis wishing you all the best for your scan, hope all well. Xx

Planktonette I feel your pain about work and leaving baby number 1!! My work has been my baby with undivided attention for 8 yrs and leaving it is frightening hell out of me!! Hopefully everyone copes miraculously well and hav a business to go back to cos if not we are all fucked and jobless in trouble! Colleagues in similar positions tell me life changes dramatically in a good way and reality checks are big!

Angelico fingers crossed for move, all sounding positive!! Kno what u mean about bungalow.... I've lived in mine for 10 yrs and hav no stairs in work, house will be an interesting adjustment for calves!! Oh and intrigued by this home breast feeding coach, never heard that before?!

Well I hav bought a video monitor and really wanted it. Plan to move baby in to own room about 3 months and from chatting to friends gives everyone more chance to sleep! Read tons of reviews as loads are shite tho. This one has variable sensitivity and easy standby do only switches on with noise or movement to certain level, set by you. Living in a house too if baba up to bed before us will mean we can see and hear what it going instead of running up stairs every 5 mins if hear a squeak!! Again, depends on where baby sleeping and if u hav baby in room or live in an apartment. And actually it cost me nowt, I do some surveys for work related things online and get Amazon vouchers for. So saved them up and got it free!! BT 1000. Can highly reccommend if anyone is thinking of one. Amazon def best prices for such things too.

Londonmrss cannot believe your mum, sorry about that. Kicks my stupid MIL comments out of water. Well u kno she is wrong and seriously inappropriate. You are beautiful. X

Smorgs good luck with move!! Brilliant to be moving, you take it easy now!!

Londonlivvy new modern house sounds great! It will be comfortable and lived in in no time and will feel like home, all the best! X

Nappy bag debate not one for me. Will be living in house with wheelie bin outside back door so that's where nappies go! Did buy pack of 12p nappy sacks for changing bag tho, must investigate how much they stink and might change mind..........!

Feeling much more positive again, sorry for any dragging down sadness...... These hormones are a nightmare, no?

Sorry for anyone I hav missed, off to daily grind now!
Xx

31+4 ...... Has anyone else stopped counting how many wks they are and changed to how many to go?? When people ask now I say Less than 9 weeks, or so!

Morning all waves

Another crap night's sleep (nearly 4 weeks since last decent sleep) but i'm finished at 12:15pm today so original plan is cleaning/tidying around house and revised plan is to try and chill and have a snooze.

Been at work since 7:20am, don't start til 8:15am...trying to sit quietly in staff room and ejoy a cuppa. All I've had so far is staff Imoaning "thuis is crap...you want to get this sorted...this wants to be done this way...moan...moan" - think it's because New boss is on holiday this week.

Am trying to blissfully ignore it all - not my problem any more, and even of it was I'm not going to get paid extra for doing it so they can moan as much as they want «sticks fingers in ears and makes "la la la" noises»

Ahh, only 6 weeks of work left after this week, and this is my last full week...

32, 29+3, #1

Morning peeps :) Perhaps we should start a 'hip pain update', bit like the morning weather forecast. "Dry day with some sunny spells" vs "Quiet night with occasional agonising twinges, improved on rising and settled with movement." :o

Elpis good luck with scan - am sure all will be well. Good tip also on scented nappy bags, especially if we go for Yomping's groovy changing bag - don't want to put a ripe stinker into such loveliness without it being swathed in scented plastic!!!

Boo hiss to the non cat-lovers!!! I luffs my cats, one in particular who survived a car accident and who sits on my shoulder at night. The poo thing is annoying for people - have heard that those sonic repeller things are good but obviously we don't use them. My cats are freaks who actually prefer their litter tray to the great outdoors - in fact one of them goes out and runs about for a few hours, then comes home to do a big shit in the tray. Sometimes (especially in hot weather) I find myself thinking, "Why don't you find a frigging garden like a normal cat?!" The one time I saw her attempt an outdoor poop was in our garden!

Huffle stairs are gonna be a killer for both of us :o Planning to live downstairs for first week post CS anyway but wondering now if we would be better just moving into downstairs guest room. Also the breastfeeding lady was from Surestart! Where I live there is absolutely sweet FA going on for pregnant ladies or ladies with new babies - no NCT stuff, no baby massage etc - except through Surestart. And while friends in other places can use Surestart stuff and just pay for it (which helps fund it - win-win!) you can't in my area - which would be fine if there was anything else to do! The one thing they can help everyone with is breastfeeding so the lady came out - think she felt a bit sorry for me when she told me they provided the only classes etc in the whole area but I couldn't go to any of them :( Just wanted to meet some other mums with new beans when time comes - my friends here either have no kids or kids who are in teens. There are church groups though so guess that's where I'll end up in spite of being a heathen

Kyrria just sit there this morning with a massive smile on your face thinking, "Ha ha, so long suckers!!!" :o And massive sympathy on the hip pain. I googled stuff last night and found this - tried the stuff with lower leg straight and upper leg parallel (ie just used higher cushion) and am definitely better this morning - but tbh for me it seems to coincide with pelvic pressure / baby 'dropping' a bit, ligaments obviously loosening a bit more. I tend to get it badly for a couple of days and then only very mildly for a week or two afterwards. Can live with that. Yours sounds much more constant. MW recommended some fairly hardcore pelvic belt things online.

Hi girls

Elpis your DD made me chuckle!!

Thank you Plankton for advice. I found out yesterday that all the local classes are filled already which made me really People must phone up when they've only just got their bfp, for crying out loud!! Really cheesed off as a first-timer & have no idea about pain relief, breathing, breast-feeding etc. It makes me all a bit GRRRR!!

So I'm waiting impatiently for my bloods to be taken in local hospital. The doors opened at 8.30 but I was told 9 so there's already a full, cramped, overly warm waiting room full of people (at 8.50am!?!) ...so waiting in huge, empty, 'minor injuries' unit with tv on & huge fan, it's fab!! Plus it gives me a chance to catch up with you lovely people

Really pleased for you CWest

huffle at your DH. I almost wet myself at mine the other day in Asdas when we looking at packs of nappies. There was 54 & I said "well that'll last about 4 days" his face was !!!

35, 29+3, dc#1 and sweating like large person in a chip shop...which I'm neither

Would anyone be up for having some sort of secret Facebook group so we can put faces and names to nicknames, or is that a really bad idea?
Mind you, I would have no idea how to implement it...

Quick apology for being a bit flippant about the cats. We had one when I was growing up and I adored her but have since come to prefer babies. We have a sonic repellent but it doesn't work, and I don't like the toxoplasmosis risk. Still, not as bad as the fox that came into the garden, dug up our herb bed and left a lamb shank on the lawn from someone else's dustbin. It was a very clean lamb shank. But still.

Coughed up about 2ml of dark red blood this morning and now worried I have a pulmonary embolism. Christ, I'm such a hypochondriac.

Good god, would you all stop posting so much, I can't keep up and I'm not even working at the moment!

Can I have a mini rant about people not responding to things? I have emailed a nappy site with a query about a set of reusable nappies they sell - sent email Sat am, no reply. Forwarded it to them again yesterday. No reply. Do they actually want my money or not? Know I am going to have to phone today and as I am a total sanctimonious nobber about these things I won't be able to resist mentioning the lack of response to them, then I will feel crap for being so intolerant and pompous. But grr. Also my hairdresser. 10 phonecalls since Friday, 2 messages left requesting they get back to me to sort an appointment, nada. I get really cross when things don't work and these are fine examples. Businesses should get back to their customers, it's pretty simple, and it's annoying when they don't.

And breathe. Glad I listened to my "pregnancy relaxation" CD this morning, it has obviously chilled me right out

CWest it was me wondering whether too much movement is an issue - then I had a really quiet morning and like you squid started beating myself up about not doing the right things: "I drank wine again last night, oh god, I've killed the baby". DH looks at me like this: . Then yesterday it moved around so much and made me so uncomfortable - squirmy movements combined with upper cuts to the ribs and headbutts to the bladder. My facial expressions going round Tesco must have been a picture. I kept muttering "stop it" and DH kept asking "stop what?" I also read that new research has found that a low to moderate amount of wine in pregnancy does no harm, and this article from the Mail is also reassuring. Not that I'm desperate to drink all the time worried that may be how I am coming across, it's just that I really honestly believe that all this abstinance business is a bit much, and that natural substances will not harm my baby unless I have ridiculous amounts of them.

Interesting reading different ideas about nappy disposal, I will look into this more. Angelico, dirty nappies are going NOWHERE NEAR my DH's beautiful new changing bag . It might have a labelled section for dirty nappies but I will divorce DH instantly if he puts any in it! The bag is perfect and must not be spoilt by the merest hint of a dirty nappy! . On the subject of cheaper bags, Squid, bounty club have deals that are worth keeping an eye on here, they often have changing bags at half price.

Midget, bomb scare? And definitely hire a shit replacement to make you look great - unless you think that when you go back you will then have to spend ages compensating for their shitness - or unless you're not convinced you want to go back, in which case maybe hire someone great then you won't have to feel guilty? But anyway. You have experienced a bomb scare: go straight to bed and eat cake until you have recovered!

Bella, love the gingerbread man themed nursery idea. We rent so can't really decorate but we are looking for some nice really gorgeous pictures to put up. Currently love <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=www.buy-fineart.com/includes/buyfineart.asp%3Fc%3D1180%26i%3D2&imgrefurl=www.buy-fineart.com/buyfineart.asp?p%3D1180&h=300&w=272&sz=24&tbnid=DmfkFIEgIqJI8M:&tbnh=90&tbnw=82&zoom=1&usg=__1jWhi-eYNiXu383qMyh2nHNjfz4=&docid=m_qScMgYgd5BTM&sa=X&ei=YWgrUILzDYLH0QWaiIDoCg&ved=0CF8Q9QEwBg&dur=708" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Love Cats by Mackenzie Thorpe but the bugger only seems to do limited print runs so they all cost a fortune - that one is a snip at £1750 in our local framing shop

LondonLivvy, thanks for the NCT advice - interested in why baby lotion and not sudacrem though? This is completely nothing to do with the fact that I got a very cute mini tub of Sudacrem in one of the Bounty packs that I have been looking forward to housing in the changing bag Also, you must be exhausted after the NCT class. Go straight to bed and eat cake until you feel better!

Sending energetic vibes to everyone moving house, not entirely sure how you are managing this as well as all the general pregnancy stuff, lots of respect to you!

Finally, yuck, it's raining. I didn't like the heat but that's no reason for it to rain!

Ooh, PS, shall we start a new thread in the post-natal section once everyone has their babies? Then we can continue ranting and supporting and laughing there. Not sure I could cope without this thread and the knowledge that you lot are all there laughing at my OCD reassuring me that everything is OK, and it's like a soap opera, I love hearing about how everyone is doing and what is going on.

Yomping, 37, 32+5, 52 days to go according to my day-by=day pregnancy book, eek!

Cross post Elpis, could it be blood from a nosebleed that you have sniffed up then swallowed? Nosebleeds common at this stage.

yomping in brief ... the baby lotion is to help with the removal of poo, I understood (like your granny used to use pond's cold cream to remove make up). Sudacrem is very very sticky stuff and wouldn't remove any poo, but just stick to it. I am well acquainted with sudacrem as are most keen cyclists (sorry if that's tmi). Now. where's that cake?

Oh yes and another bit of NCT wisdom. When burping a baby, gently stroke upwards. Do not give hefty thwack on the back or the entire feed will come back up. Glad they clarified that. I tend to be a little, umn, vigorous.

Oh on the cake front, I am having a minor panic this morning as have actually lost a bit of weight since week 26. Not much (I was 74.5kg at wk 26 and now 74.3kg at wk 29) but we're supposed to gain 400g a week, I thought? This seems wrong, though midwife didn't comment on Friday about any concerns.

Morning all! De-lurking to weigh on the great cat-poo debate (I haven't posted for MONTHS, well 2 months anyway, but have been keeping up with you all (just about) on the quiet).

Our cat does poo in our garden - he has a little flower bed in the back corner that he digs over and, ahem, fertilizes himself (the poppies came up a treat this year!) but he is a fastidious little bugger and won't do anything in a hole less than about 2 feet deep, that he then fills in and pats down. Can definitely sypmathise with people struggling with other peoples cats though - before we got Munchkin next door's used to shit in our garden and I was seriously tempted to find exactly how much room you do need to swing a cat. Cats are just like babies - it's different when they're your own (or so I've heard)

Couple of tips from our antenatal class last night:

Jay-cloths (you know, the blue/white cleaning ones) are apparently great for wiping your sensitive bits with in the couple of days after the birth - this is because they're super-soft when damp and as they're about 30p for 10 you just chuck them straight in the bin (not down the loo, obv.) - definitely not heard of this one before!

A jar of honey as an excellent source of energy during labour (esp. when you don't feel like eating) just a spoonfull now and then to keep you going.

And I I found it inappropriately amusing when the midwife dropped the stuffed baby she was demonstrating with on it's head on the floor - other than that she was one of the nicest midwives I'd met!

Think that's all from me - all seems to be going well, although am also struggling with the night-time hip pain . Can't wait to meet my little one!

29, dc#1, 30+3

Morning all,

Yomping I am exactly the same about people not getting back to you. My particular bugbear was the passport service who suggest you ask for a call back and then NEVER call back. V frustrating.

Elpis Have you got a cold? I have a sticking one and am finding a bit of blood when I blow my nose so it could be that.

Londonmrs I was so shocked about your DM's comments. I would be devastated. And actually all our bumps are very pretty because they're housing a baby! Glad you seem to have taken it all in your stride. I am up for the FB group but also have no idea how to start it.

Loopy I'm with you on the sweating and think I bought that 54 pack in Asda yesterday to start me off. Think I'll tell DP how long it will last too to get a similar look .

Huffle Thanks for the video monitor tip, although I wonder if I would just end up watching it all the time instead of sleeping in the same way that I watch endless Friends repeats at the moment.

Elpis Hope the scan went well.

Angelico Hope the move prep isn't driving you too crazy.

Squid I was very interested in your Primark nightie story as I looked yesterday and couldn't find anything. Am now going to head to the bigger one near me as everywhere else is too expensive for something I'm never going to wear again.

That's me caught up with the first page, I hope! Not much to report, had a panic yesterday as hadn't felt much movement so sent DP out for big bag of sweets. Finally got some movement and have had loads already this morning so guess it was just a quiet day. Does freak me out though. Also my belly button looks like it's on its way out. Has gone a funny shape and is not very deep. Yikes!

32, 30+5, DC1

A note on funny husband comments: When we visited the birth centre, we were told that if I wanted to give birth in water, the midwife would need a mirror to see what is going on down there, and that we would have to provide this. My husband asked why and was told that it is for hygiene purposes.... to which he answered "Does that mean it's a 'bring-your-own-forceps' situation as well then?" It's a fair point.

londonmrs a facebook group does sound like a good idea.

I'm happy setting it up oif you like - will make it private (so moderator - (would be me if I'm setting up) approves person before ey join, rather than people joining Willy nilly).

If people ok with that can do it this afternoon (yay for half days) and post the link on here x .