October 2013: Almost halfway!

[cherrycherry41]

Thread 8 of 1,000

Cross post! Congratulations MON that's wonderful newa! Will keep everything crossed until the 6th for you!

I'm a software engineer Nat so it's all desk work...

Yay, good news day on the thread! Congratulations to Jelly Soup and MON you must be so relieved!

I'm planning to go back for a week or 2 after summer hols so be gone by 35 weeks. Don't think I'll be twiddling my thumbs, I'm getting uncomfortable enough on my 1.5 hr commute on London transport already, knackered by the time I get to work! GT baby are you sure your summer hols counts towards mat leave if you don't go back in sept?? Here, it starts from the first day back from term when you should be at work- same as a friend I know that went on leave at the beginning of Xmas hols and leave started in Jan.

New name idea- Raphael. DPs favourite turtle (I'm not joking). I used to laugh whenever he mentioned it, now I'm warming to it. Although- has anyone considere possible difficulties if the baby ends up not being able to pronounce their 'r's? Someone mentioned it today, had never crossed my mind

Finally started looking into things we need/want for baby's arrival. As we don't know flavour and I'm not fussed about total blue/pink takeover I've been looking at unisex stuff. Especially a swing, but even the unisex ones I'm finding quite boyish? Same with clothes!

Congrats MoN still have everything crossed!

really like Raphael feminist sounds very delicate and sophisticated. Also never thought about "r"s! I suppose Raphael would sound more like waffle? :-) what are the odds though!

sparkeleigh a female software engineer yay!! I work with hundreds of soft engineers so appreciate it's a rarity! And I know a lot of women who worked right up to their due date. My VP actually sent me a note after giving birth saying "sorry I sounded so short on our last conference call but my contractions started so I was in a bit of pain". she still finished the call. crazy!

Congrats jelly, soup, and mon! Fingers crossed for good news only from now on!

I have to use my annual leave before I go on mat leave because I'm not allowed to carry any over to the next year. I'm hoping to take four weeks annual leave and start mat leave as late as possible. I expect you need to plan your mat leave to start no later than your due date, so that's what I'll aim for. Mat leave starts automatically if you give birth so I see no point in scheduling it to end early if I'm off work anyway. Starting it as late as possible gives me more time with the baby! I'll also have another year's annual leave allowance to add to the end. We're planning baby's first trip to Canada for June 2014 when my friend is getting married and I need to still be off work for that.

DH has invited friends over for dinner tonight and all I want to do is relax with a hot water bottle on my back and neck. Our friends are lovely and fun but I'm in more of a hibernating mood these days and cleaning and cooking for them last night (to reduce the work for tonight) was not fun.

Such good news from jelly, soup and MoN!

I'm starting to get excited/nervous about my scan tomorrow - baby has been kicking the crap out of me all the way home this afternoon (and is still wiggling about now) so hopefully that's a sign that all is well

Great news soup jelly and MoN* so chuffed for you all

With DS i started maternity leave at 36 weeks and loved it, pottering at home, trips to ikea, meeting friends, out for lunch, I had the best relax, so I would encourage people if you can to take a bit of time to relax, not had a second to myself since he was born nearly 3 years ago! He was born 39 + 4 so was ready for him by then. Going to do the same this time

Wonderful news MoN! I'll keep my fingers crossed until the 6th for you.

I can't quite relax yet, but thankfully don't have long to wait. Because it was my HCG levels which were out (10X normal), that can indicate a placenta that isn't functioning so they'll check all at out tomorrow and, fingers tightly crossed, I can then relax a little and enjoy being pregnant!

Re maternity leave, my current thought is to finish work at 38 weeks but take a week's holiday before that, so I'd be finishing at 37 weeks. My work have said that I can bring it forward or move it back when I see how I'm doing nearer the time. I would like a proper handover with my cover though - and as they haven't advertised yet and many people are on 3 month notice period, that could be tricky!

Brilliant news MoN! Will continue to keep these fingers crossed for you.

I am finding problems with unisex stuff too haylebop! The girls stuff is all pink, boys stuff is all blue, and the unisex stuff seems to be boyish too. Have you felt baby moving again today?

Thanks for all of your advice regarding mat leave. I am going to try to leave it as late as possible, and hope that work will allow me to work from home for a week or so. I would be happiest to officially start my mat leave at around 38 weeks, but with a relaxed couple of weeks from 36 weeks. Or maybe I'll take that time as holiday or something.

Congratulations soup and MoN so brilliant to hear good news from you both, will keep my fingers crossed until both scans are done but so happy for you both.
feminist my DS is called Rory and only thought of the R problem after wed decided on the name. I made sure he had a none R middle name just in case... then he could use that, luckily at 2.4 his R's are all ok.

Also a friend of mine has a little boy called Raphael and he is so gorgeous and the most chilled out baby Ive ever met. Just in case that helps
Feeling for those of you dealing with maternity leave I got signed off at 34 weeks last pregnancy and was bored stiff when DS finally arrived but a few weeks would definitely have been perfect.

Yes thanks roxvox it seems the more I do the quieter it is as today I have been quite lazy and had some strong movements

I think I'll just wait to buy anything until I know. I don't want a dead Girly pink wardrobe if its a girl but similarily I don't want her to be mistook for a boy!

Great news mon !

Fingers crossed for scan soup

Huge congrats jelly, soup and MoN.
Wow MoN it must be really unusual to have your early results and then completely clear full amnio results (I hope you don't mind me saying). I will be using your case as an example forever more as a positive story if my friends or I have any scary scans. I am so pleased for you and your family.

I am knackered today and was really ratty with my class. They have been monkeys this week, unsettled by SATs keeping us inside and quiet, me being out on a course then antenatal appointment. They were horrible today and I wasn't in the mood for it. All I did was daydream about maternity leave! I will be going back in September for as long as possible if I can but the summer holidays should be a good break and time to get things ready. I haven't given an official date I plan to leave yet but as I won't be given a class I can slot in easily for as long as I want.

I just won a vegan cake cookbook from MN. Mmm!

Ladies thank you all so much for all your good wishes and sorry for short post earlier. Scan was great consultant showed us toes, fingers and even got to see up babies nose!

Went pram shopping after scan and have no idea where to start so I came home with a ball of wool.

MoN and soup so glad your amnio results are clear will keep everything crossed till your scans are over.

Great news Soup, Jelly, MoN - you must be so relieved!
Natalie I don't know about ms starting at 18 weeks, but mine is still going strong ever since week 6. I'm still throwing up several times a week although the nausea has improved. The worst time seems to be at the end of the day, on my way home from work. My current trick is to walk into the supermarket, pick up two items, drop them at the door, run back to the car and be sick in a plastic bag. Nice!
warlin I'm finding afternoons really tough too. I try and get anything difficult done in the morning and save my easy jobs for after lunch! I'm a lawyer so am hoping to start working at home one day a week to see if that helps. Mat leave seems a long way away!

Not at all Orange I know how unusual a case like ours is. Maybe more babies would survive having such a big hygroma but so many women choose to teterminate without even having the amnio. I was prepared to do the same myself a few weeks ago. Thank goodness the consultant talked me out if it.

Don't feel like you've got much of a pregnancy bump? Follow my simple 3 step plan:

1. Scramble 4 eggs and toast 1 slice of bread
2. Scoff the lot whilst it is still painfully hot for your mouth
3. Admire your pregnancy bump (aka huge bloat)

Such great news mon, soup and jelly! Such a relief for you.
I planned to work up until 38 weeks with ds but then everything got complicated and I had him at 36 weeks in the end. Don't forget you have holidays and bank holidays you can use and then also next year when you're on mat leave you still get hols and bank hols so you can tag a bit of extra time off by using them up before you go back. This time I don't need to worry as wont be going back
Poorly dog is home from vets with a big bandage and a cone on his head. He may have to have his toe amputated if the infection doesn't clear up

shooting sorry to hear about your dog, I hope he's ok and that the infection clears up.

Random question, but has anyone else's stomach become more hairy?! I noticed it a few weeks ago now, but I am sure it is getting worse! It's only fine hair like I have on the rest of my body, but there is definitely more and it is longer than before, but only on my stomach near my belly button...

Congrats to soup, jelly & mon. Excellent news all round! What a relief for you all.

I phoned about my scan today & yep,they'd forgotten. Amazing. However I got an appt for next Fri the 24th,day after my birthday & three years exactly since i had an early scan to check William was still there after bleeding! Fingers crossed for a good one!

Tonight at work my colleague got some glass in her eye & as i rushed off to get her an eye wash,i caught my trousers on a piece of broken & jagged perspex some fool had left sticking out from a shelf too narrow to accommodate it. I looked down expecting to have an annoying catch in the fabric,but no - the hem of my only maternity work trousers had ripped from hip to knee! Horrendous in front of a crowded bar! I had to staple the bloody things together. Classy. Am so annoyed,it took me ages to find these trews last pregnancy & now I'll have to buy some new ones of i can't sew them up to be decent again.

At least the customers got a laugh eyeful

Oh & colleagues eye is ok!

Roxvox my tummy is getting hairy too

Oh no tucking fits!

Mine too :( I don't like it! Starting to look chimp like, it's darker too (I'm blonde). Old wives tale is your having a boy.