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

[dinkystinky]

New thread to natter away on.

Link to waddlers and riders and stats list here

Hi Indecisive and welcome. Add your due date, stats etc to the Waddlers and riders thread (link on first post in this thread). 39 weeks sounds impressive - I went to 38 weeks with ds1 and was exhausted. With ds2 stopped at 37 weeks and he came at 38. I guess it depends on your job and how you are feeling. Have never bothered with a nursing chair - much easier to bf lying down in bed (and have always had a bed in baby's room aka the spare room).

Hi indecisive, not sure either about 39 weeks, I don't think I'll be doing that, but I work for myself so will see how it goes- remember with dd working til pretty late-I was in the neonatal intensive care unit working when started being eyed up by the ward sister who was ringing round looking for breast milk for the babies! I suppose I was looking pretty meganork.
Re feeding chair- mine was a godsend as both babies had severe reflux and needed a lot of holding upright and really helped my back and they loved the rocking. Also, used it for bedtime stories for years after. You can get them on eBay for peanuts- ours was£16.

Also be warned- although I agree with dinky bf lying down can be great, it is not a good idea for reflux babies!

I'm starting to think I'm being a bit unrealistic of I'm honest! I just don't like the idea of sitting around waiting for baby to arrive for a fortnight. .spose I can catch up on Jeremy Kyle though! am office based so not too bad but have a train commute and walk which is already becoming challenging with back probs and also bloating quite badly (does anyone else have this btw?)

I've been looking at chairs on eBay but I worry about buying second hand in case things are grubby etc. .do thr covers come off?

Indecisive it totally depends on your job and commute as Totally says. If I had a desk job and drove to work I would happily work til I went into labour!.

We don't have a nursing chair, and haven't missed it. I BF DS1 til he was 15 months.

I'm sorry I haven't done any personals, I haven't even had time to read through, I will do this later, just a quick question can anyone give me advice about claiming Maternity Allowance? I thought I could get SMP but unfortunately I'm 1 week out on being able to claim it & now worried that I can't afford the time off.

Phie I claimed MA last time due to moving jobs. Bit of a faff but fine in the end.
This calculator looks quite useful www.gov.uk/calculate-your-maternity-pay

If you are eligible for MA just download the form from the gov.uk website and send it off - you have to include Mat B1 and payslip IIRC.

It comes to the same amount as SMP - actually a bit more as oddly it isn't taxed but SMP is.

Phie you need to get a ma1 form I think it is from the job centre, you send this off with your matb1, i rang and they posted me one. I can send mine off next week when I'm 26 weeks, if you've worked/paid ni in the test period which was apr-jul last year I think it was you may be able to get ma.

You can download the form from the internet instead of calling up to get it posted.

Good point Princessllama - reclined positions not good for reflux babies!

Evening all. Just saying hello and hope you all have a good weekend ahead. Super impressed by all the organisation - bigger cars, nappy bargains, nipple cream - we're still just owners of one pair of frilly white baby socks

After seeing OBEM when the girl tested her husband on baby care- i decided i need to do some swatting up as i didn't know what temperature the bath should be etc. Any recommendations?

We both "failed" her test completely cheek - luckily DS is still here 2 years later...

(I was taught by my Mum as a kid to test a baby's bath temp with your elbow, should be slightly warm but not hot).

What to expect in the first year - the English one - is pretty good Cheek - you could borrow what to expect when you're expecting from the library as it has sections on birth and baby care in there - and a chapter for dads too.

Gah! Phone crashed, lost post but basically:

Nursing chair: love mine, from eBay, very clean. If you need a chair for nursery why not one that's comfy for bf and bedtime stories?

ML @ 39 weeks - you can try! I went into labour at 39 weeks and was v glad to have had a few weeks' rest first. But everyone's different & you can bring it forward if you need to. Worth thinking about annual leave if you have any - a couple of weeks can make all the difference towards the end.

Common sense works with bath temperatures quite well, as with many "baby care" issues. I did get a free book with one of the pregnancy mags last time that had more practical info in it than any of the popular manuals.

Your baby week by week is a really good book for first timers.

Eek, I couldn't work to 39 weeks but you may be lucky! Tried 36 last time but went off a few days early on doctor's recommendation as I was super stressed (moved house too) and getting a lot of pain.

Re nursing chair, personally I wouldn't bother with a 'comfy' chair (sofa or bed are 'comfy' options) but get a 'proper' nursing chair I.e. one designed to facilitate breast feeding (if that 's what you plan to do of course!) - low seat, straight backed etc, like the kensington feeding chair (just bought one on eBay for £60). But my views are very much influenced by the fact I have lots of difficulty establishing feeding last time and schlepping around trying to find a suitable chair with stitches and a newborn is not ideal!!

Thanks Vinegar and Persuasion for the work chat. My educational supervisor is a bit of a chocolate teapot, but college tutors are splendid so will talk to them. Aiming to give up nights after 30 weeks and on calls ?35-ish. Will see...

On a different note I think I have diastasis rectus already . If I do a sit up I can see a ridge above the belly button, and feel a gap both above and below. Is this normal so soon? Will it ever get better. Maybe this is why my bump has suddenly grown. I had a rotten cough a few weeks ago... maybe I coughed them apart .

Welcome Indecisive - I am officially going off at 39+4 (!) but have 2 weeks of leave beforehand making it more like 37. I think I'd be bored going any sooner, but by then I'll probably be on my knees outside occupational health begging to stop!

26+2

Slouching, diastasis is a necessary part of the body adapting to pregnancy isn't it?? I don't know anyone whose muscles haven't separated, but plenty who have gone back very quickly after birth. Top tip now and after pg is don't do sit ups!! Or anything that puts the same pressure on those muscles. When you move, roll over, lift with your arms and try to support your abdominals by drawing them in before you move (belly button to spine).

MiniMad is starting to kick the mattress when I lie in bed in a position he doesn't like, so I can see that sleep is going to be a negotiation from here on!!

24+4

Morning all. This is a question for those of you who've been through this before: since yesterday afternoon bubba has been really... Squirmy, like having a tummy full of eels. Is this a normal development? I didn't get much sleep and it feels really odd. I don't know if its because she's getting bigger? I didn't OD on sugar or caffeine. Thanks.

Thanks for the reassurance, MightBeMad. Be rest assured, sit ups are NOT a feature of my life... just meant doing the sit up movement eg. sitting up in the bath, getting up from lying in the sofa to reach another piece of toblerone (second example purely plucked from the air and in no way representative of what I'm doing right now. Oh no siree).

Squirrels 'tummy full of eels' sounds pretty spot on!

Tummy full of eels - what a perfect way to discribe it!

Finally!
I can do the viability dance [but am full of stinking rotten cold so may save my practiced routine for another day].
Eel tummy -yes!
24+0

Mine's been feeling like a 'tummy full of eels' for a while now! Such a good description! Plus the odd kick to my poor bladder which is never going to be the same. OH says he's practising his football kick, but my bladder certainly doesn't seem the place to do it!

Thanks for the feedback re nursing chairs all, will keep a look out on ebay. The ones I've seen so far have looked a bit grubby. Wouldn't mind if I could take the covers off and wash, but I'm not sure you can? If anyone sees any new ones on offer during their travels please let me know!

An re Mat leave, am thinking I should maybe warm my employer up to the idea of my leaving sooner and seeing how long I can last! I have annual leave, but am saving as much as poss to tag on the end of my mat leave (I only get 10 wks full pay, then SMP for another 29 wks, then nothing ) but I'll use it if I have to!

Morning all. Well I finished my morning workout pumping up my physio/birth ball. I don't ever think I will sit one the sofa again. It's comfy :)

Have a great weekend all!

Hey everyone, another weekend rolls around....

Welcome indecisive (love the name, although we've decided on our pram, that describes me pretty well about everything else ATM!!). I'm officially starting my M/L at 39 weeks too, but intend on having at least 2 weeks annual leave (maybe 3) before that, so in reality will be 36-7 weeks. Very jealous of people who are counting down in single figures of weeks now as I still have 11 or 12 to go, but judging by how quick the last 12 weeks have gone by, it'll be here in no time.

In terms of a feeding chair, I am planning on using one of those bog standard IKEA easy chairs (think they're called Klakbo or something), with foot stool. I've had it for years and it now just stands redundantly in the corner of the lounge unless we have guests, so thought I might as well give it a go. It may turn out to be a little too "slouchy" but I'm reluctant to fork out even on ebay for a proper one, when this may do the trick.

Somehow managed to spend nearly £50 in Mothercare yesterday on not very much . Still, made a start on hospital bag essentials whilst the 3 for 2 offer is on (not sure if supermarkets/Boots would still be cheaper though...) and also found THE MOST comfortable maternity PJ trousers in the sale .

I'm with others on the heartburn. Now, alongside waking up in the night for a pee, I'm also needing to munch a few Gaviscon. Good news is they're on offer at Boots right now - managed to get 64 tablets for £8. Right, so that'll last me about 2 weeks if I'm lucky....

Have a good weekend, all...

24+6

Welcome indecisive

re nursing chairs I never bothered with a proper one although I did have an armchair in the children's bedroom until we had to move it out to make room for DS3's cot. Mostly I fed mine in bed though.

re parenting books I got one free from the HV called birth to 5 I think that was good for practical advice and I had one published by dorling kindersley that I bought because I liked the pregnancy one they did.

I survived the GTT test, just waiting for the results now. Wasn't as bad as I was expecting although I ended up crying and making an idiot of myself . They didn't know they were supposed to get an anaesthetist though so they had to page one and he was very grumpy at first until he tried and realised how difficult it was. After that he was a bit more cheerful when he knew his time wasn't being wasted doing something that the midwife assistant could have done. DH has taken the boys to look at cars so it's very quiet at home. Should get on with some jobs really but I'm enjoying having the computer and tv to myself.