Sneeze births please, and we'll BROOK NO ARGUMENT

[TheLittleFriend]

Over here Brookers. I'll stick a cake in the oven

Hahaha Rubber I would, but if I did she would wheel out her favourite of all stupid useless advice which is 'ooh sick pregnancy, good labour' the reason I know this?? She proudly told me after having no ms with toddly boo that I was absolutely guaranteed to have a terrible sickly labour she has no brain to mouth filter :(

boo what about using the MN retort if 'did you mean to be that rude?'

olives I think I've heard mashed potato is good then recovering from a stomach bug? I hope you feel better soon though, emotionally and physically. There is such a lot of pressure to enjoy pregnancy, especially long awaited ones. But sometimes that's unrealistic when you're I'll and in pain. Let's face it, pregnancy is just a means to an end, it's not why we went through prolonged ttc. It's the child at the end we want!

Olives bless you, that sounds terrible :( I take back my grumpiness at eczema, I'd swap with you (errr for a few days) if it were possible! Depending on what you feel you can eat I find apples a good tummy settler... But otherwise dry plain food like biscuits might help. Sorry not really helpful

boo I think ignoring MIL is what I'd most likely do; but I think what little suggests is awesome as a comeback without being rude. You might be surprised by how long lasting the effect of a comment like that is :) My mum says some daft stuff and I do try and point out that what she just said wasn't helpful or let her know that I don't agree with whatever craziness she just said.

Well, I got a headache so Mr boo told me to stay home and rest. Not arguing with that!

Can you overdose on satsumas? If you can how many is too many? Asking for a, erm, 'friend' you see worried my 'friend' may turn orange and look like an extra on towie

No I don't think you can, boo. You can overdose on bananas though. I think Peter Andre was hospitalised due to eating so many over the course of a week that he became temporarily paralysed Potassium poisoning.

My brother once ate an entire pack of haliborange and had fluorescent green wee for a few days. Luckily the body just excretes too much vitamin c, unlike some other vitamins. Did you know that massive doses of Vitamin B6 can cause sensory nerve damage? I've been reading Oliver Sacks to DD, she's oddly fascinated!

Still pregnant.

Btw if you want to turn orange it's raw carrots you want to eat too much of!

Noooo I, erm, I mean my friend definitely does not want to turn orange! Pmsl @ your brother

Do you have any signs at all? When is your actual due date?

How spooky. I was just reading your comment about PA and then he came on the telly

boo if you have the pleasure of an irritable bladder, like moi, then loads of citric acid can be, well, irritating.

Ooh Keep that sounds awful. I don't usually like citrus, 1 or 2 satsumas at Christmas is usually my limit, this has gone up slightly at least 6 a day

My children exist on a diet of exclusively satsumas and chocolate money around Christmas and don't appear to have gone orange. Perhaps the choc has a preventive effect?

in other strange food news, I had a bit of a meltdown yesterday so MrWhim offered to get takeout. We have a big Vietnamese population locally, and hadn't tried much Vietnamese food, so opted for that. He brought home pho, which is broth with bits in. So far so promising. Except this came with a tub of bits to put in including raw meat, cooked meat, 'soft tendon' and tripe. The horror.

I picked out the wierd bits, and nuked the broth so it was at least hot again. I have to say, it was delicious, but we did then spend a slightly tense few hours until the food poisoning window closed! I did also take the precaution of drinking a small glass of whisky before bedtime to dispatch any lurking pathogens.

Hope everyone's having a good weekend? I'm knitting and looking for christmas presents online.

Boo I've had 8 satsumas today. I also drink an awful lot of orange juice. No side effects here.

Olives hope you feel better soon. I think I missed the cause of your cramps? Is it 'just' a pregnancy thing? I used to find peppermint or ginger tea good for tummy problems. Also avoid all caffeine as it speeds up digestion and can make things worse. I've not had caffeine in 4 years, except that found in chocolate which I chose to ignore .

Whim there's no way I would eat that! When we were little the whole family spent about 3 weeks with salmonella food poisoning. Including my little brothers both being hospitalised. I am now neurotic about 'pink' (raw meat) and constantly harass DH about washing hands, counters, everything! I can see the spread of 'pink' when he handles raw meat... From meat to hands to tap to soap dispenser, back onto hands from turning tap off, onto towel.... Arrrrggghhh!

I've forgotten everything else I read now.

Things are ok here, not sure when I last posted, but had guests round on Thursday, so did an epic day of tidying and now have a nice tidy house . I'd kind of like a baby soon, but still not technically ready. Going out with MIL tomorrow to buy a cot, will look to buy some sheets for it and the crib too. Then I really need to sit and take stock of what we have and what we might still need. I'm still fairly comfortable at 37+6, but want a real baby to cuddle already.

Oh, does one need a whole new wardrobe for breast feeding? You can't really stick a baby up your jumper right? So cardigans are needed for warmth? Then button down tops and vests for under? I don't like the idea of getting a cold tummy having to pull all my clothes up all the time. Do breast feeding bras pull up or down to expose boob?

Hope everyone else is doing well, and Smegs you're not too impatient for baby, or being driven insane by "any news?" Texts/phone calls etc

Stacks bf bras unhook at the shoulder and the cup comes down to uncover the boobage. You can get special bf tops but I always find they expose too much boob flesh (it would be fair to say that I have an extensive amount of boob flesh though!). Often people just wear a vest top underneath a normal top and pull the normal top up and the vest down over their boob so that just the boob is uncovered. Hence no uncovered tummies etc. My boobs are too big to pull a vest top down over them but I discovered something this time called a [[http://www.breastvest.co.uk/products.ASP Breast Vest) which is like a vest top that doesn't go over the boobs so no need to pull the vest down.

So for my money I think bf tops are not necessary, but if you were wanting to wear a dress for something you might need a specific bf style?

Stacks I've invested in some BF tops (also because the weather can easily go below -8 in the middle of the day here) because I don't want to get too cold.... But I think a combo of cardigan and wrap top might also work?? I have come across a brand here (think its Swedish) called "boob" don't know if you can get it in the UK but they have t-shirts which have a sort of overlap at boob height. I have a couple of them and find they're also very cosy but I plan to wear them under normal jumpers....

found this

Don't think I ever owned a b-f top but a nice scarf to go over cold bits is always good in the winter - eg, worn mostly around neck but great in cafes etc when b-fing. (I never owned a modesty-type cover intended to give privacy to b-fing mums because I'm far too immodest.) It depends if your clothes are normally tight well-fitting. Shirts are useful. And stretchy material. And not really minding if people are looking as you get your lactating whammers out for babster... When you get to 3-hourly feeds (about 8-12 weeks if I remember rightly) you tend to find the need to feed in public is less pressing.

Smegs - brooking for you that spider is coming soon.

Olives, so sorry to hear you are still feeling ropey and I am brooking like billio that you will be better soon. Not too long to go now, really. And Little is right - we didn't do this to experience pregnancy (especially not if it's not your first), we did it to get a baby and you are allowed to not be enjoying the pregnancy. I feel a bit guilty saying it, but I'm not really enjoying it either. I see it as a process to get my DC2!

Boo, glad you didn't have to go - she sounds like a PITA!

Stacks I am a fan of the method Biscuits described - top up, vest down. I wore maternity vests while breastfeeding as they're really stretchy and you can get them over your massive milk-filled boobs! Once you get the hang of it, you only have to flash your nipple briefly while you get baby latched on and you can cover that up while you're doing it using a muslin cloth or nice scarf a la Tock.

Smegs, brooking for you too!

My main worry around breast feeding clothes is getting cold. The last thing u want to do on a winter day, indoors or out, is pull up my jumper to my chin! The Scottish weather doesn't agree with my English blood

The Swedish tops someone linked were amazing, such a good and simple idea... Which seems not to be repeated anywhere else. Shame really, they're nice but I'm cheap careful with money, and £65 for a jumper is a bit steep for me.

MIL bought us the cot today. Lovely one from mamas and papas, plus the mattress. Gets delivered middle of next week, so plan is to feel organised by then. Job 1: get this silly hospital bag actually packed rather than distributed round the house/shops.

I've never got cold stacks especially with a vest of some sort underneath. And I've fed year round now between the two DSs. Don't forget you pull your jumper up but then you have a baby snuggling in to your tummy keeping you lovely and warm

JojoMamanBebe have similar BFing tops:

www.jojomamanbebe.co.uk/sp+breton-stripe-breastfeeding-tops-in-breastfeeding-tops-and-dresses+B4431

Their BFing vests are okay but a bit indecent with the expanded BFing bosom on their own. They are fine under clothes though for a bit of top-up-vest-down action.

whims, that sounds awful but I am so impressed that you gave it a go!

Need to go to bed, so don't have enough time to reply to everyone but will catch up properly soon. Sweet dreams!

Hello. Quick as an in phone and liable to make hilair typos and accidentally post garbage. Anyways...

Stacks try H&M maternity/nursing tops. £20 for two last time I looked. Good thick fabric, not the same system as Boob but equally easy. Basic colours but very good everyday items. Can't link (phone, boo) but easy to find on website.

Olives I really hope you're feeling better now. ((((hugs))))) . You've really been in the wars this pg. Worth it, of course, but my goodness you must be tired.

Damn, forgotten what else I was going to say. Oh well, now for the 'me me me' bit.

To everyone who's had one or more - when / if you had a show, what colour was it? I think I may have had a bit of one but it was clearish . There was a lot which is why I don't think it was normal cm. I've also been awake since 5am but think that's just general pg insomnia.

So stuff may be happening. Or not. Don't get too excited.

Go Smegs! I had multiple sweeps so there would have been lube in mine too so can't tell for sure. Sometimes I had blood in it and other times it was just clear.

Go smegs

Those boob tops look clever don't they. I've never seen them in the shops, and it doesn't seem to be a design copied anywhere else? However I did meet a mummy friend once who was wearing a top a lot like that and it looked really stretched on the over the boob bit iyswim. Now I don't know if it was made by boob or could have been a cheaper copy? Or it could have been handed down / second hand? I know a lot of her siblings had had kids so maybe it was a hand me down (didn't look v new iyswim) but I would be cautious in case they do stretch and then just look a bit like they're hanging over the boob.

As I say though, I never discussed the top with her, I just thought to myself that it looked a little shapeless . So I don't know if it was one of their tops or if it was really old or anything.

Can't help on the show smegs I don't think I had one - I just went for the 'waters break, sneeze out a baby in 4 hours' approach this time around

ooooooh smegs so very exciting!!

Im mega jealous of you all talking about bf tops!! I'd love to be that far a long!! Im just battling the 'nothing fits me, but I dont want to buy maternity stuff yet' phases