Graduated elderberries - 30+ and looking forward to DC1! (Thread 5)

[Alexandra6]

Hi everyone, hope you had good wkends, I'm looking forward to my holiday next Saturday (although won't be the usual sunbathing with wine flowing!), still can't wait just to relax especially as I'm feeling a bit rough and sick today! Work are piling on the pressure ahead of my hols but who cares, in one week I will be off for two weeks woop!

Just wondered when the really preggers people started to get lightning crotch/cervix pangs? So I can be prepared and not go into cervix panic!

Quod I will get a picture up as soon as I can take one which doesn't also have my boob in it. Honestly, she is like a baby bird, always rooting for food! She let me get to bed at 7am this morning from 8pm last night.

So glad you've made it out Purple and you no longer look like a Smurf.

Know the feeling cavort. DP's nipples have even been attacked a couple of times...

Purple - really glad you're allowed to go home I'd say that I hope you managed to get some sleep, bit it doesn't sound much like it with that old boot on your ward.

Last night, in a desperate attempt to bring forward cluster feeding from 2am I did lots of waking Miles up. I even resorted to giving him a bath at 9.30pm! Seemed to work though, he slept from 10-12.30, 1.30-2.30 and 3.45-7.45. Four unbroken hours of sleep!! Amazing!

Morning all, woop for homeward bound pink-looking Purple and something approaching sleep elsewhere.

I'm off to the docs soon hoping to finally find out if BabyBear is engaged or not (still bugged by crappy 36week mw) have had niggles and twinges all weekend so hoping it's had some purpose. Also feel like I'm needing a number 2 every few hours (ahem tmi).

Acquired and assembled pram this weekend and packed our bags (mainly) so obviously been too productive and tempted fate. Rats.

Hi everyone, I'm back from my hols and had a brilliant time! Managed to totally relax and not stress about things - I even enjoyed a ridiculously weak spritzer now and again and swam in the pool every day! Also slept for around 10/11 hours each night thanks to dark shutters, getting the sleep in now while I can

Congratulations on the new babies cavort, purple and hazle!! Janey updated me yesterday when I met her gorgeous little boy!

brave hope the app goes well. I've had weird twinges since Sat night, like a stabbing pain on one side in a particular spot, it comes and goes. Am thinking mine is just round ligament pain although it's not when I move, in fact weirdly it's comes more often when I lie down. Am refusing to start worrying and googling appendicitis and ovary issues (it's the same side as the ovary that looked enlarged/filled with fluid on my 8 week scan). I'll mention it at my 20 week scan tomorrow, excited to get that one done.

Glad you had a nice holiday Alex, are you going to find out the sex of the baby tomorrow or do you want a surprise?

I've always said surprise but now of course I'm getting tempted to find out as I'm so impatient curious, DH would find out if he could but says I can decide so I'm 99% sure we'll go surprise! What I don't get, is can't you tell anyway just by looking at the scan on the day or is it hard to tell unless you're a trained sonographer?

purple how did your building work go and did you get it sorted in the end in time?

Well I'm very impressed by anyone that is patient enough for a surprise!

Building work isn't even nearly done I'm afraid and no idea when it is ever going to get finished with the current rate of progress (none - he's not even touched it in about a month)

So, first day home alone in charge of a small person, OH gone back to work so does anyone know what I'm actually supposed to DO all day? It's only 10am and I'm bored already.

purple I can't wait to be off on mat leave with the baby so please say it's not too boring! Maybe I'm ridiculously lazy but I'd probably watch some box sets, daytime tv, maybe do some bits and pieces around the house, go for a walk, sit on the garden? (In between looking after the little one of course!)

The one row DH and I had on hols was about building work as he really wants to do the loft extension now so I think I'm just going to say fine but get it booked in ASAP. He turns into a bit of a child about it and strops when I say it will be a hassle and worry about it. Have to say he was a complete star on holiday otherwise, really lovely and I didn't lift a finger literally, he did everything from washing up to cooking meals and luckily he loved seeing the big bump in a bikini even though I looked a bit whale-like! Lots of brownie points for him. The bump's really grown, will upload a pic when I get a chance.

now if I could only have one thing for both christmas and birthday this year then I'd ask for Vic to keep his nightly schedule. This night again he fed about 20 min-half an hour at midnight, 4am and sleeps til 7.

As for mat leave - days seem to consist of feeding and breaks between feeds. Besides that, so far have managed to have breakfast, shower, do some laundry, wash one of the dogs who managed to roll around in something massively stinky. Now waiting for the baby to wake up. might check some work emails, just to keep an eye on things..

Oh, regarding laundry, I'm very glad we're not living in Switzerland any more. The little guy manages to create quite an amount or washing, mostly because he enjoys peeing on stuff. In Switzerland, most people live in apartments, not houses, and most apartments don't have their own washing machine, but a shared launderette. In a bigger house, you could easily have only one washing day in 2 weeks. I have no idea how parents manage - and toddlers must create 10 times the amount of washing a newborn does.

Welcome back Alex! Am very jealous of your lovely holiday but delighted you had fun. There are literally 3thousand things that cause twinges in pregnancy but good idea to check tomorrow. What time is the scan?

All good at GP appt, junior is apparently 'about half' engaged which is better than nowt I guess :)

Also, nice doc got me a fresh sample pot to bring home such small pleasures

Baby and no laundry Hazle? What a nightmare! Washed all our new born stuff on Sat and managed to get the lot in one wash quite comfortably!

First day of mat leave here and currently sat in a coffee shop after a quick mothercare stop. Won't be a daily routine I'm sure, but trying to walk as much as possible to encourage bubs to get down and start things off... my DP is nagging me to get him his two weeks holiday!

Good news babybear is getting into position (well half in position!) And congrats on the fresh pee pot We get new ones every time at mine, didn't realise I was being spoilt there Just checked and your due date is 22nd July isn't it? Exciting!

My scan is early tomorrow, half eight, I like having them early.

I'm also very glad we have a washing machine in the house after hearing that!

Hazle I am SO jealous of your night schedule. Miles was a nightmare last night, awake and feeding non stop from 12.30-5am. Lordy. Google tells me this could well be the growth spurt that occurs day 7-10. He fed all day too, I have very sore boobs! As a result of all the feeding I seem to be producing loads more milk - woke up with my nightie and the sheets soaked this morning for the first time. My broken boobs work -a bit too well it would seem

Good news about being half engaged - going in the right direction!

I haven't reached that soaking stage yet, but indeed leaking through bra and top. Sexy.
A friend recommend to put one of those disposable changing mats on the bed for leaky boobs, sounds like a good idea.

Oooh we've come out to the pub bad parents for lunch today. Is VERY exciting to be out and about and drinking a half of cider. Have hooter hider with me in case he demands feeding, but fed for an hour and a half before daring to leave the house, so hoping all is ok!

Mmmmmmm booze......

Enjoy janey! How many drinks is it fine to have when breastfeeding by the way? Am just aware my little one will be here just in time for xmas/NY but not sure what's acceptable booze-wise! Would 2/3 glasses of wine be too much for example?

I think the nhs say a drink once or twice a week. At NCT they said it was all about spreading it out - so have a drink immediately feeding to give it chance to work it's way out if your system by the next feed. I guess you could have a couple of glasses across the course if the day? If you want more you have to 'pump and dump' your milk as it will have booze in it!

I mean immediately after feeding...

Mmmm pub.... I will be there just as soon as I can stop walking like I have lost my horse.

I thought the issue with booze and BF was that it affects the milk let down reflex if you have too much booze so you might not have enough rather than it getting into the milk? If you have 1-2 units during or just after a feed it should be fine.

Elodie fed from 11.30pm until 6am last night. We obviously have a faulty one. How do I apply for a refund/exchange?

During feeding? The mental image of me with a glass of wine in one hand, breastfeeding with the other, is making me laugh!

cavort how was the birth itself for you? Love hearing birth stories, I'm my own worst enemy Elodie is a nice name, I hadn't heard it before this thread.

Alex, yep once he looked for the sex it was glaringly obvious it was a boy, I guess maybe they just don't look if you don't want to know? If they have checked everything else is healthy then I guess they will be happy to leave that bit of the scan out?

My friend Katie was telling me at the weekend how she went to a concert when her LO was about 6 weeks old and had a fair few drinks, came back and bubs woke up wanting feeding and her OH had already used all of the expressed milk so she had to breastfeed her, she said she slept for hours after that feed.

Yeah Alex I am not currently tempted to drink while feeding! Welcome back from holiday, glad you had a nice time and good luck with your scan tomorrow.

The actual birth itself was absolutely fine. I think that's mostly down to the epidural though, but I absolutely LOVED LOVED LOVED the epidural and will definitely be having another one if DC2 is ever on the cards. I had a small episiotomy during pushing but it really is fine. The 4/5 days of latent labour before the birth were however not quite so enjoyable.

Elodie had potential health complications (turns out she is absolutely fine) so I ended up giving birth in the CLU, which went much better than I expected. I had a one-on-one Midwife care the whole time and a lovely lady Doctor who kept popping in and then came to do the delivery itself. They also had a Paediatricion present at the birth just in case. I really did feel very well looked after and can't praise the NHS enough. Everyone I had dealings with was absolutely lovely and took time to explain everything thoroughly.

Apologies for the delay, I have added a photo of a very stern-looking Elodie if anyone would like to admire mine and DH's handiwork. Cute as they are, these newborns aren't very good at posing for photographs.

Aww she's lovely cavort!

Aww Cavort she is a sweety!
You lot have talked me out of Doppling I think. I would only freak out if I couldn't find a heartbeat.
Alex, I am so glad you had a relaxing holiday. Sounds lush. Knuckling down to the loft conversion, not so lush...

Oh cavort, she's just lovely!!