September 2013 Babies-the Glowing Trimester

[JammyTummy]

New thread! May it bring lots of good news, funny stories and happy bump mummies!

I'm stealing twatbadger too!

I'm starting maternity leave on 1st Sept, due date 14th. Having 2weeks annual leave so finish on 15th Aug. As I have to use all but 5 days before I go I'm having one day off a week from now on!! Someone suggested having Wednesdays off in the last month or so, so I'm never working more than 2 days without a break, I like the sound of that.

Team yellow and low lying placenta here too.

My maternity leave works out really well. We break up for summer in late July (48 days left, not that I'm counting...) when I'll be 30+3. I have six weeks' holiday then have to go back for a day as a token, so officially starting my maternity in the first week of sept but in reality it'll be July.

Well times baby!

Incidentally, thanks for the reassuring words the other day re my bump to my bump. I didn't contact the midwives but have had no symptons since so I reckon I'm ok. Not had definite movement yet (19+4) and ended up buying a Doppler this morning so hopefully that will ease my general anxiety that something has gone wrong every moment of the day.

Glad you're feeling better juniper I've really loved having my Doppler, it really did reassure in that gap between the 12 week scan and feeling proper kicks. I've also found that lots of family and friends love to get involved and have a listen too - my dad thought it was the best thing ever!

wincher I'm leaving on the 16th aug too due date also the 11th. going to take two weeks holiday and officially start mat leave wk com 01 Sept.

I'm not at all worried about being bored I can busy myself for hours around the house.

Looks like there is a mass exodus of us from work on 15/16 August then - the thread will be busy that day!

Maternity bra update!

I've resisted the call of the maternity bra up to now, but after measuring myself the other day and discovering I've gone up two cup sizes to an E I thought I'd better get on it! So I ordered from Figleaves the Anita underwired maternity/nursing bra, and OMG it's soooooo comfy!! Not at all attractive of course, but right now I don't care haha! It does still give a nice shape though , and no monoboob happening. The nursing straps are really easy to open one handed too which will be good (DH thinks they're hilarious obv ). So highly recommended if anyone is looking!

Kitten they do look quite nice! I've also had a nose at the Amoralia maternity bras, they look like good ones also. I think I'll try and stretch mine out for a little while longer- I always feel obliged to buy the matching knickers and also a dark set and a light set. It's like an investment every time!

Think there will def be a lot of us starting mat leave mid Aug. EDD is 9 Sept but with holidays I'm finishing 13 Aug. fx for lots of sunshine and lounging around in the garden with ice cream

Speaking of sunshine not long to our hols in Rome and Amalfi Coast at beginning of June - cannot wait!

Also stealing twatbadger to add to the insult library!

All of you are making me feel very disorganised with your talk of dates to start mat leave. I've barely given it much thought... ! EDD is 15/9 so maybe late August?

{speaks to breasts} HURRY UP AND GROW ALREADY! and catch up with the nipples
Looks like my midwife will let me know about classes, and I want to get the tour of the hosp too. It's so confusing how different it is everywhere- I wish so many of these services weren't localised! kitten husband also likes the "peekaboo bra" :-)

I'm technically still on mat leave but back at work on 21st of may for 32 days and finishing on 11th of July. Taking 5 weeks holiday then 4 weeks mat leave, due 11th of September. Going back full time so I get another 6 months full pay. I'm lucky

Quick boob survey - all those that know they are having girls, massive noob growth? I've read old wives tale that boobs grow more when you are having a girl. Certainly true here as do not remember them being this big when I had DS's

Oh squeak, may need a re-think. I was planning to start my mat leave as late as possible, is the Friday before edd on the Sunday, and two weeks of hols before that. I think I was assuming Pip would be late arriving, but no idea why. Is two weeks leave enough before arrival? I work from home so feel like i should keep working as long as possible (esp if i won't have a job to go back to!).

I think we might investigate a private scan, don't think dh can wait another 20 weeks to see Pip again!

Very much looking forwards to a week in Nice at the start of June, except i have nothing to wear. Also quite shocked to have started buying clothes from New Look, their maternity stuff is nice!

kitten - i've been looking at the anita bras on figleaves, which one did you get and does it have soft cups even though it has underwire? I can't decide between 'jacquard' 'smooth' and 'microfibre' here 'smooth' is the only one in nude but I don't fancy the moulded cups as they'll surely be really obvious and flap about if you open it for feeding? but then somebody else said that the moulded one hides breastpads better....

I'm really worried that i'm going to spend the first few months of breastfeeding in my maternity clothes.. I was previously a 12 on the bottom and 14 on top but I'm already a 16 on top and people say you are bigger in the first months of breastfeeding :( I'm worried also that my winter coats won't fit next winter :(

On the boob front, have grown from a little 32C to a 36E - having a boy.
M&S t do quite nice, very soft t-shirt bras. Can't bring myself to buy anything other than underwired with such huge boobs.

Creamtea I'm bucking the trend then as with DD my boobs didnt change at all, but this time round with a blue bump I'm up to FF cup!

badguider I got the smooth one in nude. The cups are lovely and soft & silky and I find the underwires really comfy (I only ever wear underwired anyway though so that might contribute). The cups on the smooth one aren't moulded, and they peel down and sit nicely under your boob for feeding. I had the same concerns about the moulded cups as you - surely they'd get in the way a bit? Agree that, as the material on this one is so thin, breast pads might be visible - but I figured that as I'm likely to be double-topping it for bf hopefully that would help disguise it a bit. And after not long of course the cardis/jackets will come out for autumn anyway

Kittenkatzen, did you say you measured your own boobs? How do you do that?

I went to M&S but I think they got it wrong as they said I had gone from a 34d to a 36c but I had some bras in that size and none of them fit.
Squeezing myself in at the moment but they're not very comfortable.

running bear- I wouln't panic. If you go into labour at work, your maternity leave officially starts! I also expect my baby to be late!

hetty it's easy to do at home - you just need a soft tape measure (like you get in little sewing kits).

1. Measure (in inches) around underneath your boobs where the back strap would to get you number/back size. Round down if you're in between sizes. E.g I measure almost 37", so I round down to a 36 (as I can let the back strap out a notch if needed)

1. Then measure again around and over the fullest part of your boobs and subtract your first number from this second number. E.g I measure 42" so 42-36=6

Each inch you're left over with = one cup size, so

1 = A
2 = B
3 = C
4 = D
5 = DD
6 = E

Etc....

Hope that helps! The trick is to make sure you're tape measure is straight and don't pull too tight (or too loose!)

badguider forgot to say make sure you don't get caught out like I nearly did - the Anita bras are sized in USA sizes, so you need to order a cup size up from what you think you want (I ordered a 36F which is equal to a UK 36E)

I was working at the council last time and they were adamant that if I went into labour before mat leave started the annual leave I would have used after that date (due to mat leave automatically starting instead) couldn't be paid to me or carried over to the next leave year.

I'm still not convinced this sounds legal, but I asked several times and thankfully brought finish date forward a week so was just into the mat leave period by a day when DD arrived early.

Do get confirmation from HR of what will happen if you do go into labour early when you're still on annual leave, just in case.

Zzzzz, tired today. DD has horrendous cold (possibly chest/ear infection?) and we all only got 3.5 hours sleep last night... Probably have to visit the doctors later if her temp doesn't drop...
My last day of work will be 25th July as I have 4 weeks leave and due on 28th August. Holiday at college runs from Sept - August so another well timed baby! Means that I'll accrue holiday again from September, so can officially return to work in May next year but be off on leave until the end of July and earn 8 weeks of full pay without shelling out for childcare, thank goodness!
I'm about the same boob size as last time, but don't know the sex - we'll have to add this old wives' tale to the stats list too!

Kitten - thank you! Are the sizes on figleaves US ones or UK ones do you know? Is that where you ordered yours?

I.O.N - Nurseries!!! OMG - we went to visit the two nearest us today looking for a space for two days a week from March 2014 and they've both got full waiting lists till July 2014!
We've gone on the lists just incase and we have a third very close option to see next week but I think we're going to have to start looking further afield to - I really want to have a place in walking distance as I work from home and DH walks to work :(