July 2013 - Thread 6: cankles, bumps, strangely placed lumps, the glamours of pregnancy go on and on

[dinkystinky]

New thread to natter away on.

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Hi all, lots to catch up on!

Had a lovely chilled out long weekend away over Easter, would've been perfect except for coming down with a really annoying thick head cold the day we went away, still suffering now . DS had a great time feeding the animals etc and it was minimal stress weekend. He even behaved impeccably for both 3 hour train journeys :)

Enjoying having DH off work for the school holidays, making life that bit less stressful (no early morning rush to get us all up and out the door to work/nursery at the crack of dawn!)

Feeling much bigger suddenly, and really struggling with acid reflux - munching Gaviscon tablets all day and night! Sure the chocolate isn't helping, but it's so tasty.... I'm studiously ignoring the weight gain chart as I'm off the top of where I should be - actually going to consider it a wake up call to stop eating quite as much junk, especially now I've stopped my nights.

I'm definitely going to stop at 36 weeks this time. It's a week earlier than I did last time, but I didn't have a toddler then... So just over 8 weeks to go!

Apologies for epic post and for not doing personals

27+2

NotPrincessKate Dylon Machine dye is amazingly easy to use, only requires the packet and some salt, and does nothing to mess up your washer at all. Just follow the instructions, it's pretty foolproof. Also, if you want to make the colours bright, make sure you use enough!

Just a quick pop but needed to share with someone....just painted my toe nails (as I'm going to friends wedding tomorrow) and it took be ages cos I couldn't get down to my toes for long with out needing to sit back up to take a big breath...guess I have a big bump! :-) will catch up with everyone's news over the weekend
26 weeks

My bump is feeling very big tonight... I have decided that this is enough - I don't want to be any more pregnant than this! Can I stay this size, please?

Vinegar, I hope you don't mind me asking but when you stop nights do you make up the hours/on calls in daytime? Or do you lose part of your pay banding? I have nights at 30/40 at the end of April, but will probably stop after that, but I'm not sure what's reasonable for the trust to ask me to do instead.

NotPrincessKate I have used Dylon machine dyes many times with no problems. Make sure you follow the instructions and all will be fine (IIRC you have to run an empty wash afterward to flush it all out of the machine - bit this was many years ago in my tie-dying youth...).

26+0 today... another week bites the dust!

Have had alot to catch up on as all been ill from flu.
Forgot who wad asking about chest of drawers, we bought a lovely 2nd hand one on ebay from white company for £150. V pleased. Otherwise my mum (who is an antique dealer) claims that buying an antique one is often cheaper and better quality- big antiqe fairs good for this.
Anyone else having mammoth bh contractions? Mine are v strong and make me gurn ( like being on loo with extreme constipation- sorry tmi). Am going to ring mw tomorrow to check before go on holiday to italy for a week. Am dreading ryan air flight as i am a big weeble now.
28+1

Slouching- i am feeling enormous tonight too- enough already!

Slouching no you don't lose your banding. I am probably working more hours due to "losing" my days off before/after nights tbh but not been asked to do any extra long days. Different depts seem to run it differently though, much depends on staffing I think (we have a floater reg already so he is just stepping into doing my nights). I stopped nights at 32 or 34 last time, can't quite remember. I feel like I could do a few more weeks but my next set don't fall until 30/40 and the Rota coordinator has already allocated them to the floater so I am not complaining!

The official advice is to have a "risk assessment with your line manager" but in practice both times I have just had a quick chat with ed supervisor/college tutor and they have agreed whatever I suggested, if not suggested going off earlier!

mat leave yeah let the countdown begin ladies. I am cheekily taking 5 weeks holiday at once. Please let us have some nice sunshine come June.

TotallyEggFlipped wow you are a trooper, hope work takes it easy on you in the later weeks.

bigbelly glad your hospital visit went well.

Aww princessllama and VinegarDrinker hope you are feeling better.

cutandstick and 30 children :) at first I thought it was a typo too but then remembered your a teacher

Beginningofthejourney almost time to put the DP on pedicure duty? :)

cheeseandbread wow nappy cream and nipple pads already? You are one prepared lady. I need to take a lesson out your book.

I have been buying loads of things I do not need. Because I shoot newborn portraits I've purchased dozens of little girl hats, headbands and swaddling "prop" wraps. Poor little lady is going to be so sick of flashes by week 2. I shouldn't buy them but I have no willpower. I am also sneakily purchasing a new studio light and set. DH will probably catch me red handed trying to break down shipping boxes at 9 months pregnant.

I'm on my way to work so it's just a quick note for slouching - I stopped all on calls from very early (psych so stopped due to risk and because I was so sick early on) after a telephone occupational health assessment. I'm still getting my banding, apparently they can't take it off you if risk assessment says to stop as it's gender discrimination I don't entirely understand but I'm not complaining, I particularly like seeing the 50% on the pay slip even though I'm working essentially 9-5! My on calls were just put out to locum but I don't know if you'd get an acute trust to do that

Vinegar - glad you had a good break. Sorry you're suffering so with lurgy and acid reflux - hope both go away very very soon!

Beginning - impressed at the pedi. No way I'm going anywhere near my toes for the forseeable future.

Princessllama had a good idea re ebay - also check out gumtree for antique pieces going cheap. When we redid our house we flogged loads of lovely furniture (didnt want to pay for storage and we were getting built in shelving etc put in and I was on a mission to get as much money back as I could for the build) so sold some lovely old pieces we'd had for a few years which were in great nick for not much at all via the two of those.

Photographer - all those props sound v cute. Bet your baby ends up being a child model!

Last day at work today before holiday - enjoying the calm before the storm hits...

Oooooh photographer I've now got head band envy DH hasn't wanted us to buy anything yet so by going out and getting some essentials I felt he couldn't object. I might have to buy some cutsie bits today...

Dinky hope your last day at work goes quickly.

Might be going wedding dress shopping with a friend later although her mum has gone all mumziller and wants it to be a mother daughter event- another friend went with her the other day and mumziller got all huffy saying that one if the biggest moments in her life was being ruined... (I thought it was supposed to be about the bride). The bride to be, my best friend from school, has asked me to be a bridesmaid which is exciting! Small snag is the wedding is in August... I might still look like a whale... I know it's supposed to be about the bride but would like to look nice too Ladies who are mums already- how soon does bump go down? I've heard it stays for a bit...

24+6

Cheese - I looked about 5 months pregnant for a good few weeks post birth - the bump went down after that but I was a size up from my normal size clotheswise and my boobs were enormous (bfing). So getting a dress made for August may be challenging. If however you're getting something off the peg which can be adapted nearer the time you'll be fine.

FWIW My friend was one of those annoying ones who went home in her pre-pregnancy jeans after the birth of her 3 kids - though her boobs did increase in size.

Cheeseandbread, have a look at the UppaBaby Cruz too! I was convinced that I wanted a Vista until I actually went and looked. The Cruz has no 'pretty' colour options for the carrycot - I'm shallow and I think that was my initial reason for preferring the Vista. But in real life the Cruz seems lighter and easier to maneuvre and I just preferred it...

25+2

Hi again everyone, hope all's well. Gosh, you are an organised bunch as well as chatty. I have got a few sleepsuits and muslins, and have been to gawp at prams in John Lewis - it's quite overwhelming, but I think I favour the UppaBaby Cruz.

Gotta get on to those breast pads and nipple wotsits :-/ oh and of course some photography kit, thank you photographerlady for the inspiration although I am far from professional! It will still be fun to take some photos!

25+2

cheese - i think how long the bump stay can vary a lot. my bump definitely stayed longer - couple of weeks? - second time around (ELCS) but i think that was swelling from surgery more than anything. First birth I walked out of hospital not looking at all like i'd just had a baby not even increased boobage . you should be fine by august esp if you are having something made for you.

i have some less than white muslins to dye - was going to use the dylon hand dye just because i want to do a few different bright colours, though i have used machine dye before with no troubles. oh well thats another thing to add to my to do list, thanks for the reminder!

those after nipple cream - lansinoh on offer at the moment in waitrose and tescos. down to 6.66 so im stocking up this weekend! also on my weekend shopping list are new knickers. glamourous eh?!

One thing I would say Cheese is that if you are planning on bfing, make sure there is a quiet room somewhere you can go to for about of privacy when doing it as fitted dresses and bfing are pretty tricky to combine.

Hope you get to go wedding dress shopping with your friend and mumzilla backs down abit. Lovely to have a second lovely thing for you to look forward to this summer.

haha shelley at the knickers shopping list, they are also on mine, but with the added shame of being granny knickers, as they seem to be the most comfy for not only my expanding bump but also my expanding rear . Thanks for the tip on the Lansinoh cream too, as it was on my list but kept putting it off due to the price, and that it seemed like it would be a waste of money if I didn't get to b/f, ooooh muslins all mine seem to be a funny grey colour, might try the dyeing on those first before I attempt the vests/sleepsuits, in desperate need of some brightness with the continued grey weather.
cheese you could try to steer your friend to a style of dress that could accomodate you even if you still have a bit of a bump, I brought a maxi dress yesterday in my normal size yet it fits now- although not quite how it was intended to!, also invest in a pair of spanx for smoothing bumps and lumps out, I like dinky was a size up from before even after bump went down, but have also had friends that have been back in pre-preg clothes after a week, try not to put too much pressure on your self to slim straight away, those first few weeks are hard enough.

Cheese - my bump went down in 2-3 weeks but my boobs were enormous! Assuming you'll have to get a dress pre-baby, I'd probably try empire waistline so it'll be forgiving whatever state your middle is in and make sure there's some kind of appropriate wrap/shawl involved for bf and/or extra boob coverage if they've grown!

See everyone is different re deflating bumps - I think you can help your bump go down quicker if you wear wraps around it (its what one of my Feb 09 friends did as her family from Africa do it and she swore by it). I think it also depends on how efficient your uterus is with contracting back down.

FWIW my bump with DS2 disappeared within a few weeks of birth - and I was back in my prepregnancy clothes a few weeks later with him.

re dying I've done it loads and not wrecked the washing machine. I always run an empty wash with just the washing tablets afterwards and then wipe round with a baby wipe just in case.

re slings I'm going to get one from victoria sling lady too, I like the green one with the hungry caterpillar panel.

re birth plans here we book a double appointment with the midwife at 36 weeks to discuss the birth plan

re 4d scans I've got mine next friday and I'm so excited, never had one before.

re breastfeeding I asked the HV when I had my antenatal appointment with her and she explained in a very patronizing voice that breastfeeding would be beneficial to our baby. She has referred me to the infant feeding specialist though so hopefully she will be more helpful.

Got my GTT tomorrow and I'm bricking it. Got to have my 28 week bloods and latex allergy test at the same time and I keep thinking that's a lot of needles and they usually take several attempts to get blood from me. I normally drink loads of water to help things along but if I do that while fasting I'll puke. Mind you I'll probably puke anyway. I've treated myself to a new trashy book to pass the time. Just hope they don't weigh me as we've been eating a lot of rubbish this week. DH has been rearranging the kitchen and he promises me it will be much improved when it's finished with loads of extra storage but at the moment it's a big mess with all the worktops covered with stuff. Meanwhile I've been cleaning the bathroom, dining room and living room. Just got the bedrooms to go now. Ours isn't too bad but DS2 got the urge to mix the clean washing to be put away with the dirty washing in the basket in a big heap on their bedroom floor this morning. I have no idea what's clean and what's dirty so have to wash the whole lot.

I did get some really good news today though. We are going to get a 7 seater car so we can all go out together as a family. Looking forward to taking the children to exciting places at the weekends. Mind you, even taking them to the shops will be nice, we haven't done that, just the 5 of us since our ford mondeo died last summer.

Sounds like its all go at the Elliejitny house. Hurrah for more storage in the kitchen (will be well wroth it) and the new car!

Those on the browse for mat wear, just got an email about the Seraphine mid season sale...

Re: dye in washing machine. I used to do it loads. Never bothered to rinse the machine afterwards & never had a problem. (wouldn't dare to wash best white clothing straight after though)

Re: post-baby belly. I was back in my pre-pregnancy clothes as soon as I left hospital with DD, but I think that was because I'd barely managed to gain much weight between the nausea & the fullness & worry over the pregnancy & then the hospital food didn't help. (parents bought me a large take out pizza that I demolished one evening because I couldn't stomach the hospital food). The only thing that changed was that I went from an A to a D cup over the course of a couple of hours when my milk came in (ouch!). The (relative) mega-norks lasted a couple of months. (I realise that a D isn't exactly impressive, but it is when you've spent your entire life trying to pretend you need a B!)

Feeling very glad it's Friday today. I've got a busy week at work next week though. I normally only work 30 hours a week with 1 extra hour of overtime. Next week I'm doing 44! Its not really much, but I'm not used to it and I don't have my parents around for back-up childcare.

We're going to view another house tomorrow. I'm hoping this one will be good. I'd just like to feel we have a plan, even though it's not available until June and in our second choice town.

Hi all just joining this group! It's interesting you're all starting mat leave so early as I was going to try to last til 39 wks! Am I mad even considering that? (first baby! ) tbh though I'm already getting a really bad back as carrying low so thinking 39 is ambitious. .disappointing though as I wanted as much time as poss once baby had arrived!

Question for those already Mum's - should we bother getting a nursing chair? have considered the cheap ikea versions but OH is keen on a comfy one he might be able to sleep in while baby is in our room initially!

Hi Indecisive. I was induced at 36 weeks with DD, so I've told work I hope to work until 37 weeks and see how it goes from there... I don't think 39 weeks is crazy, but it totally depends on your job, commute, pregnancy etc.
No idea about nursing chairs in afraid. Not even sure I know what one is exactly.

Indecisive- I'm planning on working until I go into hospital (am a childminder) but am high risk with high blood pressure and previous iugr and expect to be induced at 38 weeks ish. Will be cutting my workload down though before though.