Jan 2013 Part 5: Once we pop (on time!), we just won't stop!

[BuntyCollocks]

New thread! I've lost my lovely spreadsheet so if someone can add in the stats and update, that would be wonderful; I'm sure someone else had a spreadsheet that was as anally organised as me

This thread is never going to last until we produce a baby ...

No it won't spring, once people are on mat leave it will speed up even more.

I had a hospital appointment yesterday and they have now booked me in for 2 sweeps and already booked my overdue c section date scary

Just back from work and can't believe there is so much to catch up on. Pregnancy would be a million times harder without you lot. You are all fab. See I'm mushy too!

Boutique how terrifying. So glad you are both ok but what a horrible thing to happen. Friend of mine tripped and fell off a London bus about same stage in pregnancy a couple of years ago. And bus driver just drove off leaving friend in street. Shocking. Anyway point if this story is that baby was fine and is now a strapping strong two year old boy. Big gentle hug.

has anyone been to an anti natal class yet, we have first one on thursday and wondering waht to expect x

Boutique that sounds like a horrible experience and I hope you are recovering well. I am comforted by what the consultant said about how well protected our babies are though, especially as my three year old spends most of the day launching himself onto me from great heights.

mrsbugsywugsy this is the site I am thinking of using here. It is £80 for a five week hire (37 - 42 weeks). I was thinking of buying but then I realised that I would just have to then store it all somewhere or deal with selling it afterwards and I frankly cba. I like the idea of someone coming and taking it away afterwards! Having said that I am watching a birth in a box on ebay that is very local to me, so will get if it stays bargainous.

salt1 ours is next monday, let us know what happens! is it the nhs one?

boutique, how scary, glad you are ok. Is pregnancy supposed to make your balance worse? Mine seems terrible.

I'm supposed to play the cello in a concert next week but it'll mean lugging it on three buses minimum that evening, plus the tube the next morning. But i really want to go :(

We're just back from the "Labour Part 1" class. It's NHS. Was ok but don't know that I learnt anything that new. Was all a bit awkward but then hubby and I find anything like that awkward!! Learnt some massaging techniques for hubby to do in early labour and when to actually go in to hospital but apart from that, it was mostly common sense. Thursday is "Labour Part 2" which is more about what happens in hospital and all the pain relief options etc so I think that will be more useful.

Don't think Baby likes all the coughing I'm doing... Keep getting a good punch/kick after every coughing fit!! My stomach muscles are properly sore though! More so than when I'm not pregnant and coughing lots.

Hello - I've just found this thread, can I join you? I am due DC2 on 8th Jan, DS1 was a month early so getting a bit anxious incase I have another prem baby. Looking forward to finishing work as I'm out the house 60hrs a week and it is killing me! 13 working days left and counting!

Hope everyone is well and hope I can catch up on the thread.....

Hi hazel. A few of us Jan people had our dates moved to end of December and so belong to both groups, feel free to do the same if you would like. I bet you are counting down the days, that's not fun.

im a bit worried about not being booked ito an antenatal class yet. there was talk of a parenting craft at the sure start but thats not what im after is it?!? only 7 weeks and no clue what to expect appart from reading other peoples experiences.

so i no u push like your pushing a poo and i know that out of all pain relief if i have any il just ask for epidural.

ive got to go hospital in a minute for highish bp yesterday and protein AND another growth scan so i will ask them... no doubt i will be fobbed off and told to ask the midwife who i wont see til theres only SIX weeks left. yes im stressing....

Does your nhs trust offer them? Ours does and there's no need to book. They have them every month so I may go to the ones in January once I'm on maternity leave.

I'm also doing nct and you may still find spaces if you fancy that and don't mind paying. Mine don't start until December, but I'm not due until late Jan. When I was looking they had some compressed courses, eg just a few long sessions at weekends.

yes they are offered here but other than mention their excistence on the website theres no info on booking in for them or who to see.

Not sure i could pay out for nct so i may just have to wing it (labour :-D)

That's a bit rubbish. My midwife mentions them and explains when they are and where every single appointment.

well my mums coming hospital with me now cos shes angry ive not got it sorted and i havent asked to look around the delivery rooms either. :-D but she did say that she only went to one class with all three of us so maybe i wont be missing out on anything

It seems to be very different at each hospital. However, you can request to look round any hospital's antenatal facilities - I did this when I was expecting ds1 and saw 4 London hospitals.

My friend who's at St Thomas' has had a total of 2.5 days of antenatal classes! Homerton seem to provide a few evening sessions (they may have improved, but they were pretty rubbish last time I went - plastic baby doll being forced through a plastic pelvis!).

I only managed one class with DH last time and the tour of the unit. I would say the tour was most important for us so DH knew where to take me and how to get in etc.

I picked up a birth pool in a box from a local NCT sale for £25, I checked it for air leaks and its fine. I do have to go and buy a liner and filling kit now though which will add another £47. It still adds up but not as much as a new one. TBH, if DH hadn't spotted it nestling under a table I may not have bothered with one at all because of the whole time it takes to set it up and fill it (Anywhere between half an hour and 2.5 hours to fill depending on our water pressure, apparently) Might have had the baby by then...

I'm St Thomas'. There are about 3 daytime sessions and they really encourage you to go.

I did not go to ante natal classes with DS and I do not feel I missed out on anything. I felt from friends experiences that they were so focused on the birth and nothing else that the fact you end up with a baby was a bit of a shock afterwards. Whereas I wanted to focus on the birth being a tiny, small stage of an incredibly long (well, life long!) journey I was about to undertake and get my head in the right place for that.

Thats not to say I didn't prepare myself for birth - I read about it ferociously, and once I was off work discovered hours of childbirth programs on various Sky channels. I would say you can prepare yourself excellently if you need to, although this reminds me I actually need to start listening to the hypnobirthing cd I have for this birth.

We attended first NHS parent craft last Sat and got another one this Sat. It was a packed class. We did tour of delivery suite which was really useful as I now feel much happier about things. Room was much more modern and clean than I thought it would be. Hospital is old and run down. We then discussed pain relief and signs of labour and when to ring up Labour Ward. We found it useful. Not sure what we will learn in next class. But a few people had already attended NCT classes (ours start in couple ok wks time) and got told off for taking up spaces on course. Thought that was out of order as when book class they don't tell you not to attend if doing NCT classes. And don't get tour of hospital in NCT class which is the most useful bit, but course instructor said you can't just attend to see labour ward. Think she was having a bad day! Great to meet other equally clueless parents to be.

The last class I went to (last time) was for all about breastfeeding. I guess it was the most useful of them. A real live mother and baby came and breastfed in front of us all, and talked about her experience.

However I feel with hindsight that the difficulties of breastfeeding are glossed over in antenatal classes

Afternoon ladies! I'm looking for one of you to tell me that my house will not fall down if I sit and do nothing at all this afternoon! I'm off work (I don't work wednesdays anyway) and have a busy thursday and friday as I'm travelling to the south of england for my grandad's funeral.

I'm in such a bad mood today too, every little thing is irritating me!

And another thing, has Kevin Bacon always looked as hot as he does in the advert he's currently in or is it my pregnant brain?!

Hope everyone is well!

haha creepy i hate to say it but that may be the baby brain!!??...and yes, sit relax do nothing :)

I did the NCT weekend classes, to be honest i dont think anything was covered that i didnt already know from reading books/speaking to friends with babies....but I did it more to meet people as dont know any mums in my area.

Im getting a bit stressed about people who keep telling me Im small for 32 weeks.....sure they dont mean anything but as I was measuring 2cm under at my last appointment Im now getting paranoid that the baby isnt growing properly.....which is stupid Im sure. Have got 2 more weeks till my next midwife appointment too :(

Thanks, I spent yesterday afternoon in bed. Today i had booked a day off work (study not relaxation!) so I am sitting on the sofa on MN working.

Welcome Hazel

Chutes, thanks for the link, it's actually really useful info on the different types of pool. It does look cheaper to buy on ebay though. I have a loft so could store it up there for future births, or sell it on.

Mama plenty of people have told me not to worry about the birth, and that the real difficult bits are afterwards - lack of sleep, breastfeeding. But even though I believe them on an objective level, somehow none of those can conjure up the same level as terror in my mind as the idea of squeezing a large baby's head out of my fanjo

Brug good luck with the GTT. Had you eaten anything sugary before the last blood test? As apparently that can make your sugar levels high even if you don't have GD.

Katollacan you get someone to go with you to carry your Cello for you?

Lora hope you are OK. I think most people go to antenatal classes to meet others whose babies are due at the same time, all of the information you need is easily available on the web/in a book/on MN.

I've been given no information on NHS antenatal classes either, although I did tell the midwife I am booked on a private one so maybe that's why. I would go to the NHS one for the hospital tour, except I've been told they don't do tours at our hospital. Maybe I am odd but the idea of going somewhere to give birth that I've never been to before makes me feel very anxious; that was one of my reasons for wanting a homebirth. Of course there is always a chance I will need to transfer in, which is why I would still do the tour anyway if it was on offer.

x-posted with allchik (see I am working as well as posting, honest)

I measured 24 weeks at 25, then I measured 30 weeks at 29. Either it's not an exact science, or babies just have growth spurts at different rates or I stuffed myself with cake for the last month

Creepy definitely baby brain .

Welcome Hazel.

I have had no info on NHS antenatal classes either but have booked in for labour ward/MLBU visit on 20 November and NCT classes so hopefully that will be it covered....

allchick please remember the fundal measurements are rough guides only, your LO is probably growing fine and dandy in there. If you are measuring really small they will send you for a scan but try not to worry to much until then and be sure you eating enough etc. (especially if exercising) (no problems on that front here ).

My neighbour gave me a breast feeding DVD yesterday - that'll be fun viewing......DH is amazed that such things exist. May have to bring out the popcorn this evening .