June 2013 - thread 6 - will this thread see any early arrivals?

[AlohaMama]

Welcome back all June-ers, just realised we were about to run out of space on the old thread.

Sunny I have had extra pigmentation for the last couple of months, although I am naturally fairly freckled anyway. I also have some itchy red spots on my bump and so on.

I have to get the bus to the hospital - I don't have a car and it's too far to walk. I used to cycle, but it's too up hill for my present state! The bus is £2.80 with an oyster card (bloody Boris putting the price up every 5 minutes!) but last time I parked there it was at least £3. Although there are nearby streets which are unrestricted. Bus fares in London are at least capped so that after the 4th bus you don't pay anymore.

I am torn between wishing I had a job to finish from and go back to and being glad that I can enjoy my house! It is annoying that being unemployed means I have the time to do lots of things I have been meaning to get around to, but also not having the money (or now, the energy) to do any of them.

Yep, with a bus and a tube journey each way, I guess the hospital appts cost closer to a tenner. Insane.

Re: baths, as they don't need bathing every day for a while, we plan on bathing New Human in the kitchen sink for a long as he will fit! We've bough one of those blue and white Angelcare bath chair thingies to use afterwards, till he can sit up on his own.

Can I ask if anyone knows why they don't recommend you use a used cot mattress? We've been given one that goes with the cot we were also given, and it looks immaculate, as do the sheets and mattress protector that came with it. Seems mad not to use it all....

Oli thanks for that info. I have noticed that various hospitals have their C sections info sheets online. Barnet of course doesn?t. Have hospital app next week so hoping will find out more then. I have nothing to confirm my 7th June date other than the fact it was written in a diary in front of me. I have this fear it will suddenly be either changed or they will decide I don?t need one. I read somewhere that women with the same issues as me (perianal Chrons disease) have a 1 in 10 change of ending up with permanent faecal incontinence post vaginal birth, and 50% chance of needing reconstructive anal surgery so much as I hate the section idea it probably is for the best!

Am very jealous of the 14lbs, or 7Kgs weight gains! I have gained 16kgs so far. With 7 to go and 0.5 kgs a week recommended that puts me on for a just shy of 20kgs gain. No one has told me off, but I think thats cos I hold it relatively well, am tall with good posture. I had previously kept my weight in check with a concentrated programme of quite heavy exercise ? 10 mile runs, mountain climbing, 25 mile return cycle to work. I don?t think I would be able to lose the weight without such activity, but I?m not likely to have the time or inclination. I look at photos from our September holiday and think who on earth was that skinny girl!

Mondays blow. I have only two more of them at work though!

Oh and the hospital car park at Barnet is a flat 8 quid regardless of how long you stay. And most of it is being dug up at the moment. We may well be coming home from hospital with the baby on a bus.

I'm afraid we totally plan to black cab it both ways. Parking in Chelsea is RIDICULOUS.

Sarah - hope you get your CSection info soon. It is good - and weird - to have the date sorted, assuming nothing happens to bring it on earlier. I am reassured by fact that unless lots of emergencies happen on labour ward that we won't be waiting beyond midday for the whole thing. If nothing else I'd get massively starving and cranky-faced.

Here in Edinburgh they built the hospital under PFI conditions. This means if you park in the car park it goes up incrementally depending how long you stay - think its up to £7 per day. There is no bus for us (we live in the country) and a taxi would cost £30 return so we'll end up doing the car option plus DH is a car nut and can't be separated from his motor. The thought of contracting in the back of a taxi makes me scared -is it like when you're drunk if you get any mess inside the cab they make you pay?

It is weird knowing. I'm sure we won't sleep the night before. That morning I think it's probably best if we don't speak to each other as I will just get wound up. I plan to take my ipad in and watch some utter trash until its time!

Olimoss the advice about matresses is to do with the increased risk of cot death. It is one of the recomendations of FSIDS that a new matress is used for every baby.

Oli have lovely image of you stood on the Kings Road trying to hail a cab :-)

cycle ah ok thanks, so not worth messing around with, then.....shame, seems a waste! Maybe it is a good dog bed instead....

Sarah - think we will just use teh Hailo app - It's like magic, that thing!

I read that too, cycle. No-one knows quite why, but there is increased risk of cot death if the baby is sleeping on a used mattress. Even a mattress used only by a sibling is not recommended. Not worth the risk. It's the one thing you do HAVE TO buy new.

Probably going against the grain here but think reason they recommend new mattress is to do with bacteria from previous baby's vomit multiplying in foam interior so if mattress has waterproof cover on and nothing has got to the foam interior then I would probably reuse. In hospital they don't have a new one for each baby.

The one I was given (is a John Lewis one, goes with the cot) has been used but always had a fabric plastic-backed mattress protector, which I've also been given....so confused!

Can't do links on phone v well but hopefully here's the fsid advice.

www.lullabytrust.org.uk/page.aspx?pid=410

Thank you!

Just been given a massive bag of reusable nappies from one of my colleagues at work. This means we now have all our nappies until potty training.

So far I've been the cheapest future mummy in the world - I've bought 1 set of sleep suits, some wall paper, a breast pump, a cot mattress and that is it. Flipping ace being a cheapskate and being willing to accept cast offs from everyone!

I don't know Sunny. I haven't actually bought anything for my baby at all. I have plans to buy a mattress and a bike trailer new and that might be it! And my father in law has contributed towards the latter of those. . Oh hang on, I did buy a thing of baby wash/shampoo at the hippy shop so that's one thing .

I think our hospital is about 8 quid per day, on a sliding scale. You can buy a weekly pass for about 12 quid, so if I have to stay in more than a day, that will be the best option.

Had my check up today. All good. Baby B is lying on the left, head down (though his bony bum caused confusion to start with, but his heartbeat was low down, so that means he's head down). His limbs are all waving about too! Good heartbeat of mid-140s and my BP is managing to stay normal, thankfully. :-)

I'm measuring 2 weeks ahead, but that's fine as 3 either way is when you get a scan.

DH is stupidly happy with everything, bless him! Discussed birth options too. Feeling a bit real now!

See if that was me Mrs Bri I would buy a weekly pass up front to jinx it in my favour and ensure a straightforward delivery and discharge six hours later. If you pay as you go you will end up being in for a week!

For the sake of 4 quid, you have something there! :-)

Our hospital has a policy for NICU parents where you pay the first hour but no more, given when we got a pparent room we would have had to pay three days straight and its a fair whack every day. Wonder of that policy applies to any other long term parking.

I found the CS info useful too, so far been told nothing except the date, haven't even been told the time we need to be on the ward yet!

I'll be baxk later re mattresses. Terrible toddler requiring food!

When I had my CS, I had to call the delivery suite at 6am to make sure they hadn't had loads of emergencies come in, and then go in at 7.

I was first ( thank god!) and walked to theatre at 9.15 with DD being born at 9.58.

It was such a good experience :)

glad your out of hospital oli, sorry you're so busy, all sounds a bit stressful.

happy to join the 'not buying anything for baby' camp though to be fair that is because we have most of it from ds. hardly ever bought him clothes though, we had so many hand-me-downs it was great. this time all i've bought is a new bottle brush & nipples, a few baby gros, and new pump tubing. and that's it. but then finally bit the bullet and decided to splash out on a new double buggy - phil and teds navigator. Well I say splash out but actually by the time we sell our existing jogger, and double (which we bought for our childminder) and probably gift cards from people at my baby shower, there probably won't be much left to pay.

on mattresses, i heard was to do with sids risk but it seemed a bit uncertain as to exact link other than something being absorbed by the mattress. saying that we're using our same one for new baby, it has a plastic cover on the mattress itself plus we've always had waterproof mattress protector. i did buy new moses basket mattress though as they have no protection and ds has been using it as his 'surfboard' so it's not exactly clean...

I haven't weighed myself (or been weighed at any appointments) so I have no idea how much I've put on. I'm still in the same size clothes as I've only put weight on my bump (I've been told I don't look pregnant from behind), so I'm not worrying too much. I'm still being told that my bump looks small though (it's measuring perfectly according to the midwife).

My leg hair growth has really slowed down too - and I'm having a girl! I haven't had any pigmentation.

I finish work in a couple of days

Olimoss, I had a leaflet from Mothercare that if I remember correctly said a used mattress can increase the risk of cot death (I've forgotten what reason it gave - maybe due to risk of mould spores, or I could be making that up!).

At our hospital, if you tell the car park attendant you're in labour then you get to park for 24hrs at a much reduced rate (£3 I think).