Graduated Elerberries - 30+ and expecting DC1 (thread no 4)

[HazleNutt]

Welcome old and new graduates and everybody else who wants to join us, elderly primigravidas aka Elderberries.

Someone just told him - apparently he was quite shocked! So perhaps he will bother to say goodbye to me before I leave...
Everyone has buggered off to the pub to get pissed as they do every Friday lunch and I am sat here pulling reports and spreadsheets together for a colleague to save her a load of work. It's not even my job, just helping her out. Is going to be weird to totally let go of all this stuff, I honestly thought I'd be less square by my last day!
Still, this time next week I'll be on a virtual sofa next to cavort watching daytime TV

janey I think it will be like the last day before a holiday - I always have loads to get done and am trying to be as organised as poss and working my butt off - then the minute the holiday starts, suddenly it all seems very far away and insignificant!

My bosses are taking me for lunch next week - official line is "oh it's just nice to catch up", truth is they want to panic talk about maternity cover and my plans etc. I think they're hoping to change the structure and use freelancers so I'm not sure how that quite affects things and whether they might get used to that and make my role redundant. I don't think they can though but that's only if I want to go back full time which I'm not sure I could. Oh well, it will all work out how it's going to work out!

Funny your boss didn't even realise!!

Well I think I'll be on the virtual sofa with janey & cavort soon. About 6 months earlier than expected but I've accepted an additional £10k to the previous offer & agreed to leave.

Could be heading into the longest maternity leave ever! I'm also going to end up telling people about the baby sooner too so as to explain why I can't get a new permanent job. Have suggested to DP that we tell SS & his parents now we've had a strong heartbeat at 8 weeks.

Oh that's good they increased the offer by 10k frog! So how does that work out in terms of your usual salary and mat leave as a pay out - when would that have seen you through to as salary/mat pay?

Still not exactly great news when you're pregnant Frog but at least the increased offer is some consolation. And you will be able to claim £135/week MA instead of SMP for 39 weeks from 26 or 29 weeks I think.

I'm so excited, I think I can feel my baby kicking! Still not 100% but I think it might be! (I know this is old news and not that exciting for the ladies about to pop )

That's a pretty good consolation offer Frog - they probably shat themselves a little bit when you brought the pregnancy thing up.

Alex that is VERY exciting. What does it feel like please? I have felt little things a couple of times but I think I am probably imagining it, 12.5 weeks is too early, right?

quod I felt very light little butterfly-in-belly sensations from very early on so I googled and apparently you can feel it then, and it could be that sensation! However today, first thing morning, I felt quite a sharp twang, and just now a funny sensation like trapped wind almost?!

I do appreciate this could well be trapped wind

What does yours feel like?

I may be ready to pop but am still VERY excited for you feeling first movements! I didn't feel anything until about 16 weeks but everyone is different.

Yep, like being brushed very lightly from inside. Only when I am very very still and this morning when drinking tea. Who knows? Is exciting though!

My first movements felt exactly like trapped wind Alex. I think that was about 16/17 weeks . It really is a lovely feeling and is the ONLY thing I will miss about being sodding pregnant.

Oh my! Cavort, I only just saw your newest bump pic, you're still so little!

Ooh so exciting! I can't wait for that stage.

Financially alex I should be slightly better off than if I'd stayed at work & taken mat pay etc but without having to work & provided I don't splurge it all on baby stuff. As Cavort says I'll be able to claim MA from 29 weeks & that is tax free. And I must be able to get some kind of work for the next 6 months even if its just office temping or paralegal like I did when I graduated.

I'm a bit jealous of your pay out frog! I wouldn't mind that at all as I'm not sure I'll be able to go back to work full time on my hours after mat leave. And like you say, you can do temping/freelancing etc in the next few months so you could end up better off for now? How do you feel about it?

I got a bit anxious earlier thinking about my savings and how tight things might be for me next year (bit of a lifestyle change especially as I won't want to splash out on DH's money) but now the baby's kicked or I had wind I'm remembering that's the important thing and not to worry tooooo much about work/money and the lifestyle change!

After the initial shock on Mon I'm very chilled about it all. Must be the hormones or something not letting me stress the baby. There is no way I would be this calm if I wasn't pg. It's a relief in a way as the job would have been a nightmare with a baby. I'm thinking of maybe starting my own business or something. Get it all ready to go now & then launch 6m after baby's born perhaps.

Oh, first movements, how bloody exciting I was nearer 19 weeks I think, gosh, it only seems like yesterday, how did that happen?!

So I left work. Took it upon myself to say goodbye to the boss who made no effort whatsoever to say goodbye to me. Idiot. Felt oddly sad to leave - what's that all about?!

Just before I left the office I got a call from a midwife, to book me in for my c section (which hasn't been confirmed yet). Looking like three weeks today, on 28th June. Suddenly feeling very, very real now!!

DH just got home, starting singing and talking to bump up close, he'd had a couple of drinks at the pub and I swear at I felt it again, same sensation!! Amazing!

3 weeks janey...so exciting! x

I also felt sad to leave work last Friday Janey. It lasted for the duration of the drive home.

28th June. Eeek, that's really close! In denial about it being for me also. I suspect you'll beat me to it!

If I haven't had the baby yet, I'll most probably be induced on 28th.

Feeling like a proper pregnant woman today. Had the company summer party and I came home after just a few hours, as I was tired, my back was aching and had very annoying sharpish pains in my stomach. Normal, I guess. Better now but might work a bit shorter days next week.

I think I'll find it hard leaving work as well but I'm guessing you get over it fairly quickly when your alarm isn't going off in the morning!

Janey, that's exciting news but sort of cheating, I'm not sure I can race with those dates! Could be a busy time for Berry baby arrivals though!

Oh and a lady at work today was saying how well I've done working so late into my pregnancy and how I've been lucky to have such an easy pregnancy that I've been so healthy all the way through...I took it as a great compliment that I obviously don't moan nearly as much as I thought! apart from at all if you

Oh and frog so sorry I missed your post. Well done you getting more money, that's brilliant news. Sorry that this has happened, what crappy timing. Really hope you managed to get some work for the next few months if that's what you want...

Just started sorting out the paint in what will be the babies room, exciting times. Patch test of colour on the wall and it looks fab

Oh how exciting! I bought a tin of paint ages ago but unfortunately due to living in a building site still I don't think it's going to make it anywhere near the walls for quite some time so I'm very envious!

Oh no purple, at least it will make it all the more special when you do get to use it.

On a different note we were doing some finances last night working out how to pay for a new car, even with my premium bond money, the money from selling my shares and my OH cashing in his sharesave we are a little short. I then made the mistake of asking if his uncle had made any sounds about offering us some money. It turns out that me thinking we might be offered some help after losing the money, when BiL has been bought a MacBook Air and MiL an iPad, (plus the uncle is also looking and paying the deposit on a mortgage for them to buy a house) is me being money grabbing. I just think it looks a bit like my OH is being singled out? Maybe I am in the wrong, but in my family if my folks did something big or expensive for me they made sure they did something for my brother also. Even my nan who gave some money to my cousin when she bought her first house made a point of doing the same for us when we bought ours, even though we never knew she had helped my cousin in the first place. I guess we just work differently to my OHs family? Am I being a hormonal monster?