March 2013 Mk V: Lumpy bumpy witty knitters (patiently) await the bloom!

[Chefette]

New one marchers sorry on phone and can't link! Will post title in our old thread x

sheldon .. Amazon .. £25 reduced to £4, no joke!! Search pretty polly dark red cable.

Heard a very strong, fast heartbeat today. Ds 2 asked the midwife if she was going to take the baby out to have a look at it. Grim thought.

Also sheldon new tbbt series starts a week today in the USA. Will watch online as cannot wait for it to come here!

Tramp I was just looking at maternity coats online and saw that! Amazing!! I think what I need is a chunky cardigan / jacket thing if such a thing exists. Any suggestions?!

Ted my ds1 has said that to me before - grim!! Tonight he thought it was hilarious that the baby is weeing in my tummy...!

Haha, yes, Gummi - following Tiddley's encouragement I have been looking into this and it seems 140bmp is the divider between girl and boy and I may well be having one of each! One was around 130 and the other around 150.

Crikey, though, I have some serious lower uterus pains today, and that's where she found Baby 1's heartbeat so I wonder if he (based on bpm theory) has found a new favourite hangout? Aches a lot.

Oh, and MW was concerned I was getting hip troubles so soon and is referring me to the physiotherapist, but said that first appt will just be sitting with a group of others sufferers having a chat (?!) and then I might get therapy at later appts; instead she recommended osteopathy (which I usually have for back/neck issues) - any thoughts from those who have problematic joints in pregnancy?

Pink wow your au pair sounds good value, as well as amazing! I think there's something to be said for older women with a bit of life experience. DH wants an older nanny type who will be firm and loving with the two little rascals

Tramp really good to hear your researches into childcare. DH and I were chatting over lunch and think that ideally costs aside we would like (once I've gone back full-time) to have nanny two days and nursery two days, as a good balance. So first thing is to research nurseries and get our names down. Then will look into thornier nanny issue. If at all poss want to avoid becoming an employer as it sounds a bit too complicated! But I got some excellent advice on how to go about this on another thread I started - do you want the link?

JoJo Silly cow (her not you!) Did he give you his mobile? If not can you call again tomorrow and even if she answers ask to speak with someone more senior as you weren't satisfied with either the information given or the tone of her response? It's the kind of conversation I'm cheeky enough to have without blushing

Flowery poor little lad

ood lucky you with your ma.

Zoey woohoo for scan! Trust all is well?

Three are you feeling any better, my dear?

Shel flutter!!!!!

pink .. It gave me flashbacks to The Time Travellers Wife, if you have read this? Where the baby time travels onto the bed...? I had nightmares for a week on that one.

Osteopath pretty good for pelvic pain. If you get one that specialises in pregnancy all the better. Physio was only useful for me to get my crutches.

Yeah amanda everything was perfect- cervix is longer than before stitch which is weird but consultant said he has seen that before and everything is closed! Baby is still perfectly unaware of anything but is clearly not a morning baby as every time doctor tried to push to see gender it swung around and kicked, keeping its blinking legs shut!
Serves me right as gender scan is next Thursday and DH couldn't make today so I was just being naughty, I thought if I saw I could claim it was accidental and am so ill he couldn't shout too much!!!!
jojo I would be on the phone at 9.00am and push/ complain to get an answer this isn't fair on u- ring early to make sure hey have plenty of time to sort/ chase and then call back

Mand - yes please. I started a thread in parenting but no-one has responded, so I figured that was a no go. I can recommend looking into nanny shares, btw. Seems quite popular around here (but then it is middle class parent world) and not bad value. By the way, you know you are eligible - infact pretty much everyone on here who isn't earning over £100k a year is - for child credits. Think in terms of paying 80p for a £1 and you start to see how it helps financially. You can keep taking them up to kids being 16, so when older you use the cash towards private tutoring or summer camp - that sort of thing. Its salary sacrifice and you can be self employed and qualify for them. Here's a link: www.busybeesbenefits.com/busy-bees-childcare-vouchers/

Pinky - I reckon Donegal, rib-shawl or Merino shawl would do the trick www.celtic-sheepskin.co.uk/ladies/ladies-cardigans-1278/

I have just had a marvellous dinner, all the more marvellous because I didn't have to cook it. Hurrah!

Tramp some useful bits in 30/31 August posts: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/multiple_births/1549535-expecting-twins-and-seeking-advice-on-returning-to-work-in-first-year-is-it-possible-madness-etc?reverse=1. Haven't done anything with this info yet tho! And do check out the two other posters mentioned - male nannies, I think. I have looked them up and they really seem to know their stuff.

Yep both DH and I eligible for childcare vouchers but hadn't got our head around it yet - but thanks!

Ta Ood, will go for it. Usually I go to Oxford Brookes Univ osteopathy clinic because you get a good hour for £20. You need to be comfortable with eight students in the room looking at you in your undies! They are monitored doing manipulations, and the Profs do the more complex manoeuvres (sometimes more exciting stuff that the professional osteopaths won't do in their own practice!) I will see how that goes. (MW did mention crutches too?.!)

Brilliant Zoey!

Soz: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/multiple_births/1549535-expecting-twins-and-seeking-advice-on-returning-to-work-in-first-year-is-it-possible-madness-etc?reverse=1

Aw thanks tramp love the dept store makeover idea :)

Feeling lots better now thank you, how are rest of you? Lots of resting needed for everyone this weekend i'm thinking.
manda haven't read the thread but can imagine that going back to work in the first year of having twins or a second baby would be like a break?? :)

Thanks for that manda

Well, thanks for all the Ocado recommendations! I am very impressed with first delivery!

Three it must sound like madness, I know! Our funding council only wants to give me 6 months of maternity leave at the moment. I would like (and family-man-boss recommends) 9 months, and they've recently given a colleague on another project elsewhere 9 months - we're negotiating that. 9 months maximum is regardless of what provision my University employer would normally enable: as I'm externally funded what they say goes, unless I want the job to go to someone else, which I don't! Benefit is that end of contract is extended by period of mat. leave, which is fantastic elongation of job.

Next year I have quite a lot of major and minor publication commitments which have a schedule which pertains to a national research assessment exercise. You get points for seeing things through press, and points mean prizes for the dept and bringing those in bodes well for being offered future contracts etc.

In short, LOTS of sensible reasons for continuing to do some work through maternity. Most of the women academics I know do this - partly through necessity, but partly because we are a strange breed. Put simply, I positively want to do all the above, plus be the best mum I can be!

It's fine. I may be a novice at the mothering thing but, barring really difficult things like babies arriving super early and being poorly in hospital, I know that with the right support system me and my husb. can make this work. He's ex-academic and understands the professional pressures and personal craziness.

Morning all! Very interesting reading everyone's plans for child care I am amazed at how expensive it appears to be down south!

Got some fantastic maternity leggings from next yesterday, nice and thick, not see through at all. I would deffo recommend them. Can't do linky as I'm on my phone, sorry!

I'm off work today as we are going away for the weekend to celebrate our first wedding anniversary! We have booked what looks like a lovely hotel in Lincolnshire through secret escapes. I'm so excited!!!

Hope you all have a good Friday! Xxx

Tramp they are all fab so thank you v much indeed. I have some supremely comfortable slippers from there and all my boys sleep on their lambskins. Will probably order a couple to try.

My Ds 1 always had a very fast hb and is very much a boy so I am unconvinced by the hb theory.

JoJo I hope you get answers today, this is all v frustrating.

With childcare I think you need more than an au pair if you work because they do limited hours. Lots of friends here do nanny shares which work out well. London day nurseries where I live are £70-90 per day so not a cheap option. You get more flexibility with a nanny too. You should look at the Norland probationers. They are basically Norland nannies who have just qualified and have to do 1 years work experience. You then get a Norland Nanny at a very low price. I have friends who have done this and the girls have always been brilliant.

www.norlandagency.co.uk/nannies/probationer_nannies this tells you more

Blimey I dont envy you lot with all these childcare choices and costs - my DS1 went to nursery full time and I loved the place, I was very picky when choosing and went for one with own chef etc so everything was homemade including every pudding and even tomato sauce! The staff were amazing and all the kids had little pet names which was cute and the staff would even babysit at mine on a weekend which was great as he knew them and I knew he was safe!
If DH worked Ds2 would go there as it was amazing but he will be at home with all 3 while I get back to work - not sure he understands how hard a new born and 2 year old will be

Morning everyone. Bad nights sleep :( I spent ages awake worrying about vitamin deficiencies. DH is now insisting I go to the doctors about anxiety. He is probably right.
JoJo I'm so frustrated for you! Is there any chance you can go in there and refuse to leave until it is sorted? Hope it gets resolved today.
Flowery Poor DS. How is he today? The antibiotic allergy is difficult isn't it, my DH is allergic to them all too.
Tramp I will try to be more understanding about the cold people :) So far today it actually is cold in the office, even I have a cardigan on. Not women though - all men which is possibly why I'm less understanding with them as they don't understand me!
Thanks for the info about the tights ted, they are lovely. I'm very excited about TBBT starting again too. I still watch the repeats on E4 every day while I eat, really looking forward to some new ones.
The childcare talk is interesting. I had thought I would use a nursery but will have a look at nanny shares too I think. Nurseries here are about £55 a day which sounds better than where some of you are but I was comparing to where the rest of my family are where it is more like £30 a day. Does anyone use a childminder? How do you find a good one?
I might have felt more flutters in bed last night, still not sure though. DH spent ages with his hands on my stomach saying "please kick daddy". It was quite lovely :)

Hello all. Jojo, sorry about all the crap you're having to go through.

Today's a quiet one for me as its two years to the day since my mums funeral - which was followed the next day by my 40th birthday. So while I'm looking forward to celebrations tomorrow, today's a sad one. She would have been amazed that I'm finally properly pregnant.

To those of you who are looking to adapt your existing clothes into maternity clothes - really recommend the tutorials here: diymaternity.com/index/. I particularly like this ribbon tied maternity top which really couldn't be more simple even if your sewing skills are limited: diymaternity.com/tops/ribbon-tied-maternity-top/. Great for anyone out there like me who refuses to buy official maternity clothes or who needs a cost effective way to add a few extra bits to your maternity wardrobe.

Morning all, just up with DD watching tv, do thought it a good opp to catch up a bit.

Hope you're all ok. Sarah great news on the scan and exiting that you're the first with a confirmed gender! I am only 14+2, so will be a while before we have that news.

Jojo sorry you have got all the additional pressure of the surgery etc to think about. Totally rubbish. Sometimes it is better if they can just give you a preferred option rather than lots of choice.

em hope you are ok, and that family crises are nothing too traumatic.

It's our last full day in Dartmouth today, we are driving up to Wiltshire tomorrow and stopping overnight with different friends before we start the joyful drive back up to York on Sunday. Poor old DH is back to work straight away in Minday and then flying out to the middle east for work next week, so will be husbandless for a week or so. hoping DD behaves herself whilst DH is away! Have had a great holiday. Been pretty busy most days although yesterday was a do nothing day. Friends looked after DD for us last night so DH and I went out for a beautiful meal at a restaurant overlooking the marina. Had Dover sole and it was devine. It's a long time since we've had such a good meal, so we enjoyed it very much. Back to reality next week though.

Just on the childcare issue, DD goes to a private nursery three days per week and it costs us about £650 per month. It's a killer, but we do both draw down our full allocation of childcare vouchers each month so that helps. Luckily DD is 3 in December, so we'll at least get the 15 hours per week free then. Thank God!

Anyway, better go and get dressed! X

Pink - I'd not heard of Norlands, thank you for the link v interesting.

Shel - if all you have to stress about is a few ridges in your nails then you should stop for a sec & realise how brilliantly everything's going :) Ridges in nails is pretty common & honestly eating jelly cubes is an old remedy - something to do with one of the non vegetarian ingredients in it, I forget what now. It sounds like you're a bit anxious and the outlet is anything where you might be able to do something to exert control. Which considering how our bodies are in no way our own at the mo and doing all sorts of crazy things is perfectly understandable. Try writing down everything that's going well before you go to sleep so you're focusing on the positives perhaps? I've bought a day by day through your pregnancy and read all about what's going on with Socs for the next day each night. Weird bed time reading but incredibly reassuring.

Anyway - you're allowed to stress, it's understandable, but it's not really something to stress about & I'm sure baby would like a chilled rather than stressed Mum.

We just had our free scan. How bigs Socs is getting, almost 8cm. Long legs which were getting stretched and kicking all over shop. The hiccups in effect & then, even cuter, we got to see Socs enjoying breakfast because I had a croissant on my way there. So surreal. All this in my belly. :)

Sarah - she'd be thrilled for you I'm sure.

Tramp I know I sound ridiculous but having already lost one baby this year I find it hard to filter the crazy worries from the real ones. I was supposed to have counselling but nothing ever came on it. I will talk to my midwife on monday. Glad your scan went well, cant wait for my on the 30th.

sheld I also lost a baby in May so understand that adds additonal stress but I am refusing to worry about all the little things as I will drive myself crazy and agree with your DH. As harsh as it is I accept my MC is just part of life and not every bean was meant to be, this is a different baby and pregnacy and now I am past 12 weeks I can relax and just run with it - plus i tend to adopt the attitude that if stressing can change the situation then by all means do it, but most of the time it cant and wont and will only make you ill and things worse.

OMG people there is now a June 2013 thread - love this as it feels another step closer and further.