March2013 New year, new trimester, old symptoms but the finishing post is in sight!

[Oodsigma]

And confuddled has passed it!

So will this one be our last before we move to post natal?

And who is next?

Thanks sarah & jojo for the thread title. :)

stormy I too am jealous of all the additional scans! Especially as I assumed that having abdominal surgery during pregnancy would mean they'd want to keep an eye out! But I've had nothing since my 21 week mark! Even with 3 hospital trips, just traces and 'I'm sure everything is fine'!!
Pah. Perhaps if I stamp my feet hard enough? Though 39 weeks today so it's more likely if I develop more vomications they'll just induce me :/

Complications, not vomications!!

This is the first time I've had an extra scan ( checking size) and I'm always at the hospital!

I didn't get extra scans last time this time is just for placenta and they do a lovely internal scan too but I admit it is nice to see the baby but she is so big you can't see much.
They must be pretty confident everything is fine when I was in for bleeds they didn't always scan just put me on the monitors.
But 39 weeks! Wow not long at all! I was induced last time at 39 weeks so you may be.
We've been getting everything out of storage so lucky I don't need to buy anything this time

My next mw appt is at 40+2, I'm really hoping she offers me a sweep though I'm not sure if that's standard across all trusts. I just want things moving now after a couple of nights of 'oh could this be it?' I'm so fed up I feel like I'm wasting my maternity leave :) I'm sure it's normal, I just feel a bit like I'm being ungrateful and sounding like an impatient child!

Impatience seems like the only realistic option for you now though, JoJo. I'm three weeks behind you but already feeling too enormous and unwieldy to really do much beyond sitting on the sofa with the laptop, yelping at the constant thumps to my cervix, and getting the man to bring me cups of tea. Fast forward three weeks when I'll be even bigger and all the preparations will be done: there'll be nothing to do except wait. It's like Christmas, when the tree's up and the presents are all wrapped and there's nothing left to do except to wish the time away. Or get drunk, which is admittedly not really the best option right now.

It's not wasting time though. It's enjoying what may be your last opportunity to put your feet up for a very long time!

Aw Jojobella know what you mean about wasting maternity leave hope they give you a sweep and you don't have to wait too long!

Nearly 37 weeks here and at the end of week 1 of mat leave (actually still annual leave at the moment) the besting has kicked in. I'm usually a lazy bitch very laid back housekeeper but have gone crazy cleaning & clearing over the last 3 days. Still loads to do though, house was a tip with boxesc& stuff everywhere! All baby stuff now washed & nursery nearly finished. Just need to put up curtains & build cot after picking it up tomorrow. Pretty sure we've got everything we need for first few weeks.

I'm sure I should feel guilty about having this time to myself but actually I'd quite happily wait another fortnight! Give me time to make sure that everything is ready and have a bit more feet up time for the last time in a long time. Plan is to enjoy things I won't again for a while so eat slowly, have long baths and go back to bed in the middle of the day!

JoJo I'm booked for a sweep at 40+2 so hopefully you'll get yours done then too! Sure I'll be fed up by then! I've spent most of the afternoon asleep on the sofa practising my new found skill of snoring after a busy morning of nesting! Dinner out this evening, yum!

I've been off for 2 months already. Am bored & still have loads to do!

I've been so bored this weekend... Not even on mat leave yet! Can't nest anymore until the paint arrives then we can finish sorting out the spare room.

Bit worried I'll spend my entire time not at work in my nightie!

Leni - that's one of the positives! Don't view it as a bad thing! I've been living in pyjamas for months now - more comfortable than the maternity jeans when sitting down, just have to be sure to remember to put proper clothes on when leaving the house.

I suppose that's one advantage to having been a doley bum - plenty of experience at not doing much at all yet not being bored. Have a nice cup of tea and a sit down, that's half an hour killed. Then half an hour of pottering about organising things that don't technically need doing but make you feel virtuous. Then another cup of tea and a sit down. Then a really extensive snuggle with cats, then another cup of tea. Or if you don't want to divide up the day with cups of tea, books can take up hours at a time. As for the internet, I have yet to discover an upper limit to the amount of hours that can be whiled away to no constructive purpose.

Cats would make it easier for sure! If I don't get dressed I feel all yucky, but I still put it off too long. All I do is sit on the sofa and end up with backache If I can learn how to potter or do something constructive it'll be lovely!

The backache's just an occupational hazard of being pregnant though, you'd get it whatever you were doing.

Have just accidentally kicked the man's cup of tea over. In my defence, I can no longer see things on the floor next to my feet because my stomach is in the way. Now feeling tremendously guilty (although in fairness leaving cups of tea on the floor is asking for trouble). On the plus side, it all went towards the kitchen (laminate floor) rather than into the living room (carpet that I really should stop leaving the laptop on).

Jojo I hope it happens soon for you! I too am starting to get to the stir crazy/looking forward to labour stage. I'm also starting to symptom spot, which is not great for my mental wellbeing - or dp's for that matter. I feel rough today, sensitive tummy and generally knackered, and my braxton hicks are increasing in frequency/intensity, so I've decided I'm going to have this baby soon. I'm hoping when I see my midwife on weds (38 weeks) she'll tell me I'm in labour and pack me off to the hospital.

I've been on mat leave since Christmas! To be fair I flounced earlier than my agreed leaving date, but my hours were long in a physical job with no option to work from home clearly I'm not bitter. Ideally I would have liked to have been working up to a fortnight ago as I feel like I've been wasting mat leave too. But who am I kidding? I'm not going back to my job! Sitting at home with my kitty is definitely preferable to dealing with my insane manager and demanding customers, I just want my snuffly newborn to cuddle now!

My baby carrier should be arriving in tomorrow's post and then that's it, everything on our list will have arrived. Except the baby - probably.

I have everything I need for now. Have deliberately not bought the breast pump or bottles as I'm likely to give up on bfeeding if I can't get to grips with it straight away and know I have bottles!! Will get established before buying those final pieces :)
I'm definitely symptom spotting now. Every little twinge I think about, am trying not to tell OH about every single twinge as he's getting really excited and then it turns out to be nothing!
My mw sent me to the hospital at my 38 week appt with the parting words 'it's likely you'll be induced tomorrow' didn't need to be though. I'm willing my body to go into labour now!! I've never had Braxton Hicks, at least not to my knowledge! I could be having them regularly and confusing them with baby movements. Lots of recent back ache and dull period pains and increased dc now (tmi sorry!).
I've also started waking at 3 am absolutely starving! Though am not sleeping well in general anymore!!

I have had a good few scans because of my history and I really think they are using me to try out new equipment, not like I mind any excuse to see baby!!! So I may have another one or two depends on what MW says when had my last scan was told baby was breeched but
I have never had issues with babies turning so not worried but they said they want to rescan to check - ok!!!! I said, if baby doesn't turn they will consider a CS!!!!!! Never!!!!!!! I said!!!!!!
I'm also at the nesting stage right now just a few bits to get including car seat! BH are getting stronger to the point I'm frozen! Insomia is hitting hard also so really not good and if I'm going to have sleepless night I may as well have baby here!

Oooh jojo that does sound like things beginning to move towards the finish line! You must be feeling like a watched pot.
And plonko fingers crossed you are nearly there too!

I'm still hopelessly behind on the nesting/preparing front. This weekend a friend kindly passed on a huge load of clothes and bits and pieces, so theoretically that makes me a bit more prepared than I was on Friday. But given that the stuff is all in a big heap on the sofa for lack of a proper storage solution, I don't think I get any points.
Lots of nesting in my head- I keep seeing jobs that need doing- but not much nesting is happening in the real world. Maybe I need to hire a cleaner and handyman for a week and march about pointing at jobs for them to do...
DP is absolutely great, but he is already spending every hour of the day either working, or looking after me (lovely meals...) or doing housework, so insisting on him painting the skirting boards too would just be cruelty.
We'll get there, I'm sure (or the baby will beat us to it, in which case I'm sure we'll manage and priorities will shift!)

We've booked a cleaner grotty dh is already doing everything at home so can't nest for me as well. Decided it was less stressful to pay someone.

I sure hope you're right, Grotty! I spent a good chunk of last night timing what turned out to be bastard Braxton Hicks. Absolutely knackered now and so uncomfortable, staying in bed for a bit longer and praying that they turn into something. Cleaning downstairs and a trip to morrisons alone in the snow is surely enough to bring on labour, right?! Last nights ordeal has made me want to do one last check of my hospital bags and make sure we're truly ready to go if need be.

I also had an extra scan. While lovely it turned out to be totally unnecessary. Great for my piece of mind though, seeing him waking up and stretching then sticking his tongue out was lovely. Just realised that was a whole month ago! Oh my!

We've yet to come up with a proper storage solution too - so far he has a clothes rail and one drawer in our bedroom. Ho hum, it'll get sorted in due course.

I've treated myself to a jumper in the Urban Outfitters sale for when I'm no longer barrel-shaped . Looking forward to it!

plonko that's all we've done really. Dd3 doesn't even have that as she's been evicted from our drawers for baby and hers aren't ready yet!

There does need to be an easier method to convert mental nesting into physical nesting. Today I'm going to try making a list, to see if that helps. I need to: have a bath; go to the shops; do a bit of washing up; pack the hospital bag (yes, I have been saying that last for a week). What I'm probably actually going to do is: potter on here; have second breakfast; go and have a cuppa at my dad's; do the shopping on the way home; try to persuade the cats that they can wash up, really, they just haven't been trying hard enough so far, but it's time they bucked their ideas up!

We have a chest of drawers sorted (although need to mend the bottom one). Full of baby clothes already. Hoping she's not too tiny, because we have very few newborn size clothes, and masses of 0-3 months.

Grotto what a good idea getting a cleaner been trying to get DH to Hoover the stairs for 3 weeks but may give up and do it even though I'm supposed to be taking it easy.
Saw consultant today and got another scan next week if placenta hasn't moved then I'll be booked in for a section the week after eek! Will be 37 weeks part if me feels it will be great to know and meet baby but still want a natural birth which could be another 5 weeks later if I go to 42 weeks! Wish I had a crystal ball!
Just bought pressies for DS from the baby just in case I don't have time if we have ELCS at 37 weeks.
Not on mat leave yet just working from home very lucky to have the option I know!
But leave starts Monday at 36 weeks will be annoyed if go to 42 weeks as looking after DS full time is harder than working so won't be a very good resting period lol

Lovely to hear everyone enjoying these last few weeks and getting all ready for the arrivals! Must admit I feel very blessed to work from home so I can save my maternity leave until LO's arrival - not sure I could manage much longer if I had to do an actual commute and this way I can literally work until the second I go into labour. Plus I think I would be very bored and impatient if I didn't have work to keep me going! DH and I have a very equitable partnership and I personally couldn't let him be the main breadwinner (and I earn more so this wouldn't financially sensible). We pretty much share all burdens, both financial and domestic equally, and I always want to make sure it stays that way including sharing maternity leave etc. Although we both agree on one thing - we will always have a cleaner!

stormy I am finding it tricky too not knowing how big LO will be at birth in terms of clothes preparation. I have decided that I will just send someone out for smaller sizes if needs be rather than stocking up too much on newborn bits.

I'm still having growth scans every fortnight for reassurance and they are the only thing keeping me sane at the moment! Also only have 7 more daily injections to have - after having had them for over 180 days, it feels like miracle to be nearly out the other end! Yay for the finishing line being in sight!

I've had the same with clothes! I've bought 5 white baby grows and vests in 0-3 months and then about the same number of nicer patterned ones in either 0-1 or 0-3 month and 1 newborn babygrow. Quite a few people have bought newborn bits for us but then other have bought 3-6 months and I've now got a drawer full of grows and vests in various sizes but most 0-3 month. I think this will be a 9lb baby judging by bump size and family history so may completely skip the newborn ones!

Had a lovely day today, lunch with a friend who has very generously given us a lovely cotbed so I was picking that up. Now I'm baking some cupcakes (attempt at being a domestic goddess) for my last NCT class tonight. Getting very difficult to sleep now & pretty uncomfortable but very happy having the chance to potter around doing these last bits & being healthy. The waiting must be rubbish for those of you on bedrest and feeling poorly or too sore to do much.

Still haven't packed that hospital bag, must do that....

It's not everyone's preference but I got 15 vests/sleepsuits in newborn sizes for 99p on ebay

Currently lying around in a very messy flat, did go for a walk earlier but was freezing and wet - needed a wee as soon as I got halfway down the road!

Hoping the paint arrives tomorrow so OH can finish the one remaining nursery wall and things can be tidy again. He stupidly moved my piano on his own and nearly did himself a mischief...

Arms Reach co-sleeper arriving tomorrow - quite excited! Baby monitor also came today

So some of you ladies have virtually no more time to count down!