April 2013.....we're halfway there! (Part 5)

[bunnygirl80]

Our newest home!

Old thread here

Stats thread here

Evening ladies :)

So good to see new recruits here and some from a while ago. Sometimes it's hard to keep up then jump back in, I read everything but don't often get time to reply.

Since this little ones quiet spell he has certainly made up for it! Having a good old wriggle and kick session as I type! I've been showing for ages and bump seems about right size now. Severe lack of taut stomach muscles meant I was showing pretty quick. I have a very low bump. Feels like he could fall out any minute

A lady asked me yesterday if it was my first, hahahaaaa. When I said no its my 6th she actually stood there open mouthed looking like she was about to faint. I get that a lot.

Nova I'm about 15mins from Sevenoaks if you ever fancy meeting up for a coffee sometime I'm also having a 4D scan in about 4 weeks. Had them with 2 of the others and they really are amazing.

Oh meant to say if any of you are in need of a steriliser there is a fab deal on Amazon at the moment. The Tommee Tippee complete starter kit is usually £100. It's reduced to £65 at the moment but if you're an Amazon family member there's a code for an extra 25% off plus you get a £10 off £50 spend when you join! I ordered one Wednesday, it turned up an hour ago. Cost me £38 in total There's a 3 month free trial for the Amazon Family thing too so doesn't cost any extra.

25+1

lavicious So glad you made it over from your other thread Keep checking in here and chatting it will help you loads with the anxiety and make you realise that we all (no matter how many times we have done it) feel nervous and worried. If things get too much for you and you need more support don't be afraid to talk about it here and we will do whatever we can to help and support you.

Where abouts in South Africa are you from? My DH is from Zimbabwe but has relatives that live and work in SA.

Welcome phantom and welcome back Novia

I went shopping today and spent £320 in Mothercare I now have the pushchair and carrycot, changing mats, baby bath and all sorts of crap like bottles, bottle brush, powder holder and emergency dummies. I got an utter bargain on the pushchair though. The pushchair alone should have cost £375 but I got it for £202 Yay! I bloody well forgot to use the £80 of vouchers I had though

Tattooed, I am putting coco butter on mine each day when I do bump which helps, and if your clothes rub the sensitive skin making it sorer then maybe try a plaster to cover it.

For heartburn I use ranitidine from prescription which is really good I found

Hi all,

I know it's s bit late but happy new year! Can't believe how fast time is flying by.

Weehans we are due date buddies!!

Novia we are having the 4d scan tomorrow, will let you all know how it goes.

tattoo maybe speak to your midwife about your bellybutton? In the meantime try cotton wool and water, anything else might irritate it.

I have found my first stretch marks this week.. am going through so much bio oil!

tattooed have you tried sudocream? I find it brilliant for things like that (and always useful for when the nippers arrive)

i put dermamum all over bump twice a day but am going try sudacrem on the button - maybe a plaster too :,(

nottooshort I saw this on offer in kiddicare at 69 and thought was a great deal- you've stomped all over it and im going to order in morning off amazon.
would you recommend being a permanent member of the club, or just using free trial to grab everything i can until duedate?xx

obv meant you notshort xxx

Good spot NotShort! Can you please post the link to the great amazon deal?

Ooh fab steriliser deal. Does anyone know if I'll need one when I'm planning to breast feed? I have got loads of things from my sister this week. Her dd is almost 3 so she had loads just sitting around. Most of it is for later on but it's clean, good quality items so that's saved us a lot of money.
She even gave us an almost new maclaren for when baby's a bit older.

Does anyone else feel tired and worn out all the time? I am so tired I nap twice a day and honestly don't have the energy to even walk to the shops. I feel horrible watching DP do so much while I just sit or sleep. I'm also really worried that if its this bad now it's only going to get worse as the weeks go on.
I'm anaemic but have been taking iron tablets on precscription for over a year and I take b12 supplements too. I just don't know what else it could be.

The chewable gaviscon are fab! They work for around 90 mins meaning I can eat and sleep again hooray. They taste awful but that's better than heartburn. I would really recommend them, the best bit is you can get them free on prescription :).

steriliser deal

Hope it's useful to some of you.

I'm not sure if its worth staying a family member really as this has been the only useful thing for me so far. Ill keep checking though. Ill probably forget to cancel the free trial anyway!
I'm planning to BF but I know that in my case I usually stop producing enough by about 3 months so need steriliser and bottles then anyway. With my first 2 I BF them both for 15 & 16m and didn't need one at all.

Right off to the panto today so need to rally the troops. It takes a while hope you all have a lovely weekend x

Nice one Jo1984uk look forward to going through the weeks with you, and everybody else.

NCT class question. On the booking lady's advice, we signed up for classes that are on one weekend in very early March. Baby due April 4. I'm worrying now that I'll be weeks ahead of everyone in the class and will have nobody to talk to now when I have a newborn, as when I questioned the NCT woman on the wisdom of this, she said yes, the others signed up were due mid April to mid May.

In everyone's experience, if your babies are born 8 weeks apart, do you have anything in common? Or are your heads in different places?

NCT woman says we can't change classes now anyway, so I'm determined to make the most of it. I just don't like being the odd one out, I guess.

Morning!

WeeHans That is quite normal as far as I know and you will be fine. Also you need to bare in mind that most of the ladies won't give birth on their due dates so you can never guarantee getting anyone on a class who ends up having the baby at the same time as you.

I remember with DS I went to my first class 7 weeks before I was due and never went back as I had had DS before the next class

Honestly it will be nice for you to have some people slightly ahead and others slightly behind it gives you breathing space.

I'm off to Uni today to try and knock out 3000 words towards an essay. I have no idea what I am doing or if I will even be able to get it up to a passable standard but I have to try don't I? Every day I fight with myself over staying on this bloody course but I know if I defer that I will regret it as I hate wasting time but I'm just not sure I have the brain capacity at the moment to do the work to the standard required for masters level. Oh well I shall let you know how it goes.

Hope you all have lovely days.

25+2

Going to hospital coughing up blood :( nothing like being dragged off when you already feel ill to be poked and prodded! I don't feel too bad though so hoping for a flying visit !

Oh no user! I suspect you've burst a few small blood vessels from excess coughing but definitely time to be checked out! Try to take a sputum sample with you if you can. Hopefully a course of antibiotics will knock it on the head.

jacqueline I did defer my masters for a year, I may regret this as I suspect I won't want to go back back once when baby is 6 months!

I know what hard work it is, but it will be worth it and sounds like you're doing really well!

Hope all is well userand that they manage to reassure you at the hospital.

My weekend plans involve lots of rest - since starting the medication (TMI yes, DP has to put it in as I can't reach to push it to the top ) I have become exceedingly 'soggy' and did have some idea that I was leaking. Anyway, I had to wear a pad and the leaking stopped within a couple of hours so everything seems to be fine. The baby has seemed less active which is exactly what happened with DD1 when she decided to arrive early. I am seeing the MW again on Monday - although will call the hospital if anything happens over the weekend, obviously - but it has all been a bit scary as I am only 24 weeks so far.

Anyway, this has all prompted me to start thinking about getting my stuff ready for when it does happen so we bought the first items of baby clothes yesterday: white vests and white babygros. Yes, that is it but I also bought maternity pads, big knickers and breast pads so have made a start!

I have also decided to start my ML earlier than originally planned - even though the whole think is academic as I have never MADE it to maternity leave before the baby arrives and starts it automatically. I am now going to finish a week after our half term holiday so my last day at work should be 1st March. I was 'planning on staying until the end of term which is the end of March but we have decided I will just do 7 more weeks of teaching and then stop.

I will be 32+2 then and hope that the baby has not already put in an appearance. It does seem a bit like tempting fate but then, I know that this baby will just appear when it feels like it.

It does seem strange though as 7 weeks (8 including the half term holiday) is hardly any time at all!

Good luck user I'm sure everything will be fine, make sure you get lots of rest once you are home.

angel it's such a difficult decision isn't it! I am really struggling and all I want to do is pass the bloody thing I don't give two hoots about distinctions etc. Having 3 dc's at home and doing it was going to be tough enough add the pregnancy in and it just feels impossible at the moment

Novia Me! I'm your due date buddy! I don't live anywhere near Sevenoaks though so no help there! Let us know how the 4D scan goes.

Bump is moving a lot now and seems particularly lively when we sing or talk to him. It's been particularly good for DH who I think has been a bit uncertain about everything lately but when he sees my belly moving about and can feel the kicks he is clearly moved by it and keeps saying "hello my little boy!" It's so lovely!

My belly-button hasn't popped out yet though it is getting very flat. I am eagerly awaiting that development though I think it will be really weird.

A weird thing that has happened though -my ear piercings have healed up. I haven't worn earrings for about 5 months but have gone that long before without it making a difference. DH bought me some lovely new earrings for Christmas and I just can't get them in. Strange.

I have come to a standstill with baby shopping. Car seat, Moses basket and pushchair (suitable from 6 months) have been purchased secondhand through ebay and local ads. We are looking out for a cot as my parents have agreed to buy it as a present. I have found a good one in Boots that gets great reviews and is recommended by Which but it's a 'cot bed' rather than a cot. This is great as it means it will become his bed and can be suitable for a child up until they're 9 years old. However, it is a bit large and would really cramp our room (we don't have a nursery for him). What are people's experiences of cots and cot beds? Is the cot bed worth getting anyway as the cost would make more sense over the longer term? Also, is it worth spending the money on a really good mattress or would a standard cheapy foam one do?! We are on a tight budget but willing to splash out on one or two things that are worth the investment. It's just hard to know what those one or two things are.

I am also looking at getting a baby carrier or sling, possibly secondhand or maybe at this rate I will have enough Boots points to buy one outright with those!

I am also going to scan through and get your comments about nappies as I think there were a few recommendations a while back. We are going to use the re-usables with the disposable liner. It's just knowing what brand to get.

Sorry to hear about all the colds and other ailments people are suffering. I feel very fortunate to be in a healthy phase at the moment. I am sure it won't last so I will enjoy it while it's here.

Best wishes to everyone. Sorry for the mini-essay!

27+1

Empress what are your plans for further DC? Is this one likely to be an only? If so I'd probably say yes to cot bed but if you are planning on having several with a not too big gap you might not get to use it as a bed for a very long time.

We have a beautiful dark wooden cot bed but DH is very Internet savvy and we got it half price 2 yrs ago & the cot wasn't on offer at the time. DD is 20 months & has heaps of room in it still. I'm going to move her at 2.5 when DD2 is 6 months & out of the NCT babynest we are getting.

Also thinking of taking this baby to the Association of breastfeeding mothers annual conference if they accept babes in arms (baby will be 3/12 ish) always wanted to go but always working. What do you think?

27 + 1

Hi all-
Having a bit of an 'ahhhh, I'm so excited' moment!! Having a baby is going to be so amazing!

DH and I have spent, spent, spent this week- curtains, blinds, travel system, iso- fix base, baby monitor, cloth nappies not to mention the new car!! Still haven't got a stitch for it to wear when it's first born though!!

Sorry to hear lots of you are unwell. user hope you're ok. jaqueline well done- keep going!!

Back to school on Monday! dysgu I'm finishing a couple of weeks after half terms around march 18th. What are other teachers doing?
X
26+6!!!! Eeeeek! X

Finally home from hospital - was a really long day, but yeah Faith you are right they decided it was from coughing so much. Felt silly but would have felt much sillier not going then being very ill.

Had to go to labour ward for checks before being discharged, everything was fine & measuring just right with good heartbeat, had high levels of ketones but that was hospital not letting me eat! And also white blood cells in urine for 2nd week in a row so they sent sample off.

Nice to be home! going to have a restful few days now I hope.

Well definitely better being checked out! Are you on antibiotics? I was told I had low protein and albumin last time I had bloods but I had such bad stomach cramps that I couldn't eat for 24 hours! Re ketones, do you think you might be a bit dehydrated? That's usually the culprit...

Glad to hear you're out of hospital username, get plenty of rest.
Sending healing vibes to all those experiencing discomfort.

Re comments on bump size, I seem to be have the opposite problem with people commenting that bump doesn't look very big. I try not to let it worry but it does slightly, I desperately want baby to be growing normally and as this is my first I have no idea whether I'm big, small or ok.

DH and I went shopping today with some cash we'd been given for baby. Got a baby carrier, room/bath thermometer, ear thermometer, loads of muslins and some bottles. Very exciting but a little overwhelmed at how much things cost, particularly baby monitors. Does anyone have tips on which baby monitors are good but particularly expernsive?

We'll definitely be getting some things second hand now but will be buying a new mattress for the cot my sister is giving us. Empress, I'm also wondering what sort of mattress to buy. Is it worth investing in a particular kind or is a cheapy foam one ok?

Ooh another question (sorry, very green first-timer), when are people planning on taking maternity leave? I'm planning on finishing at 36 weeks, I feel fine at the moment but as it's my first time it's hard to tell whether this is over ambitious, too early or about right.