Graduated Elderberries (numero 3)

[BraveLilBear]

Welcome back oh graduated elderberries. Let us discuss the delights of being over-30 first-timers with google obsessions

Also, coke and chemicals aside, I'm reading about hazle Kate Middleton buying a blue bagaboo - £1,200 though, expensive! MIL has offered to buy us a pram but I should go more modest than that price-wise shouldn't I?! janey I remember you got a better deal.

Cross post brave ha!

I got the icandy strawberry - simply because it's relatively light, v.easy to push and v. easy to fold (without taking apart) and I'm seemingly an imbecile and couldn't master the bugaboo 'flip' fold, despite DP and EVERYONE else I know thinking it's easy as pie

I got the icandy, with red 'soft furnishings' (but the more expensive wipe clean covers), with a carrycot, matching nappy bag, car seat adaptors, handbag clip, hot drink clip (essential!), maxi cosi seat and the maxi cosi base that works with isofix and seatbelts, all for £1000. In John lewis I think it was more like £1200-£1300 for the exact ones we chose. Still a small fortune!! It's this one.

Love you crying over the cat - hormones are crazy, hey. I cried yesterday as I'm so huge and don't want to go to a really good friend's wedding in a fortnight as I look disgusting in EVERYTHING!

How many weeks are you again brave? 10 weeks to go at work? Either you're further behind me that I thought (thought we were about the same) or you're hazle wonderwoman in disguise and planning to work impressively late!

What do you think of the grey colour? If I like that brand, I think we'd look silly with matching prams so would need a different colour - like the purple a lot but if I have a boy, it's a bit girly isn't it? I'm not sure what ones other friends have, better do some research, would be good to have a recommendation - tried and tested!

Ah it's lovely you're getting a cat brave I love my cat sooo much, it was in bed with DH last night cuddling up, so cute. Will clearly get demoted when the baby comes along though in terms of where it's allowed to be and when! Although it's never in its life scratched us so I'm hoping I can be relaxed about them bonding.

janey I bet you don't look disgusting at all! What dress are you wearing?

alex if you go to john lewis in westfield early one saturday they're brilliant - they talk you through everything you need, ask what you're looking for, you can push them around and practice collapsing them etc. I really wanted one that could face me for when the baby is teeny, for example, so they talked through which could do that... Basically we narrowed it down with each 'requirement' I listed. Once you know what you want, you can either try to negotiate them down, or go to an independent retailer nearby who might be more keen to negotiate. The grey is nice, but I wouldn't worry about having the same as me - wouldn't worry me in the slightest!

No idea what I'm going to wear. A sack?! Trying not to spend much, as it's SUCH a waste of money, but struggling to find anything at all that is suitable... and fits...

Ah I don't envy you, I was thinking it's lucky I don't have any other weddings before my due date as it's expensive for a dress you can only wear preggers! Although could you get it taken in after depending on the cut so you can use it again non-pregnant maybe?? Your mum is good with things like that! You will look lovely! I'd def prefer going to glam things when I'm properly pregnant like you are rather than earlier on when people might mistake it for just being a bit porkier than usual! (oh actually, that's probably how I'll look!)

Definitely want the baby facing me in the pram, I thought they usually did! And like the idea of the ones where you can put the baby into the car in the same seat that goes into the pram.

Lol - great minds Alex

Janey I'm 28 weeks today, planning to stop at 37+4. This is more down to finances than any notions of superhumanity!

I totally understand the dress angst - I have a wedding in 4 weeks and have no idea what I'll be wearing for the same reason. ASOS do have quite a good range though (not all that expensive either, considering).

Or try ebay...

I was in floods of tears on Friday for pretty much everything, but included in there was the fact that my lovely dad got me a large voucher amount for Outfit. I have yet to find ANY mat clothes in any Outfit stores or online (am not counting the DP maternity offering of 5 pairs of skinny jeans in the sale, all size 6) and, although I can obviously wait til after baby is born, it's realistically going to be at least 5 months or so til I fit normal clothes again.

Very much a first world problem, but was feeling tragically sorry for myself because I'm a bit skint at the mo and am down to about 6 tops, one pair work trousers, two pairs leggings and a mat dress. And my bras are killing me (digging into ribs).

The cat hunt was a very welcome distraction

Aww hugs for Bear, I do know what you mean, the clothes thing really does grind you down, I am so sick of wearing the same few clothes over and over again and no idea what I'm going to wear now the weather is getting better as everything I've got has long sleeves and I don't really want to buy much just for another few weeks.

Had my midwife appt at lunch time, they're still none the wiser really with my liver and are sending off more blood and can't tell me much really until they come back in ten days. Oddly my bump has gone from the very bottom line if the growth chart to right in the middle in the space of two weeks, so I now have an average sized bump. Now they're saying if it keeps going up that much that fast they'll refer me for a scan, can't win either way, last time it was too small!

37+4, wow. I hope I can make it until then. But the hour on the tube each way is already becoming a drag - rush hour sucks. Wish I could drive as I think I would last longer! I think I will probably finish at around 36 weeks, but will see how I get on...

I too am down to about six jumpers (just as we're entering summer), non-pg mini skirts (that are indecent without tights), one pair of jeans, one knee length dress and two maxi dresses (one non-maternity that I'm just ruining by stretching it!). I used to wear such lovely clothes to work. Now I just rotate the same jumpers, day in, day out.

Brave we I got the Bugaboo Cameleon, in Sahara.

Aww kittens! If you are actually considering kittens and not adult cats, I would certainly take 2. Especially if they are from the same litter, they will keep each other busy and won't get bored.

Janey while I've been in maternity trousers since Christmas, I'm actually still wearing normal dresses, just went up a size - cheaper and way more selection as well. As long as they are stretchy and have some ruching on the sides, they accommodate the belly quite fine and will be wearable afterwards too.

I'm not due to finish work until I'm nearly 38 weeks either, can't say I'd be attempting that if I was having to use public transport though.

One pair of jeans, one pair of black work trousers, five long sleeved tops, a sleeveless blouse to go over and a cardigan. All in shades of grey or black. I am soooooo sick of the clothes. The rest of the time I've commandeered a massive grey hoodie and a grey t-shirt that belongs to OH and I'm just wearing that everywhere except work. One day I'll wear colours again!

I've got 5 weddings to go to this summer/autumn!

Oh no Quod! That's going to be...challenging

Brave have you tried those bra extenders? Cheaper than buying loads of new bras if you need more space round the back...

Yep and basically they are pretty much one a month so I possibly won't be the same size for any of them and won't be able to recycle things, unless I plan very carefully!

FIVE?? Lordy. I love a wedding when I can get smashed but have to say am not loving the prospect of this one. Dreading doing a reading looking like a proper heffalump at the front of the church! Think I will have to be limited to a maxi dress too, due to recent cankles. Will add pic of them on Friday (when they weren't as bad as they were on Sat) so you can all be sick feel my pain.

hazle I bought a lovely non-maternity dress from zara yesterday - thought it would be fine as was size large and the queue to try on was huge. Got home and it fits over bump fine - but no matter what I did, I literally couldn't even squeeze my boobs in. They can't be that big - I think it's a faulty dress

I bought a couple of nice dresses in H&M on Sat for £8 and they're nice colours and stretchy so reckon I can wear it for a few months, then because it's so cheap just buy that type of thing in a bigger size for the last trimester.

5 weddings quod! If they're different groups of friends, you could reuse the same outfit/s maybe?

it's Zara, not you, Janey. Their clothes are made for straight up and down beanpoles only, no boobs allowed.

No hips allowed either. Same with Mango.

Some great tips here - on both kittens and clothes front... Ithankyou.

And is it wrong of me to be really relieved that it's not just me with no clothes left?

Quod 5 weddings! you poor thing! We had two last year and that was traumatic enough - I was fortunate that they were two different sets of people so could recycle bridesmaid dress from sister's wedding at the other one.

Interesting, I was looking at pics from my sister's wedding last week and there was a very heavily pregnant lady there, in a really nice black wrap-type dress, that was below the knee. Looked fab, very glam. Although I was a bit shocked when I asked how far gone she was and my sis said baby was born 8 weeks later. I thought she looked more gone than that!

Definitely no boobs allowed at Zara - I used to live in stuff from there!

Janey, sorry to ask because I know I'm rubbish, but how many weeks am I tomorrow? Is it 31 or 32? I've lost count again and I know you always know because you're exactly a week different to me they just asked me when I phoned to book my whooping cough jab and I went all blank!

I keep forgetting as well, so I use one of the online calculators, as I remember the last AF date.
Like this one:
www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy-due-date-calculator

Glad I'm not the only one, unfortunately I don't know my dates as mine was somewhat complicated by not actually having a period to date from so on the odd occasion I've lost track I've just relied on Janey's endless patience with me my due date is based entirely on what they came up with at my 12 week scan so I hope they were right.