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!

Oh babies can sleep just fine in this heat...but only if they're starfished on the bed between mum and dad apparently. Moses baskets are BAD, this is expressed by screaming until you get what you want, then you can sleep serenely looking like butter wouldn't melt.

You know how cats own you and manipulate you to meet their every whim like you're their slave? Babies are worse.

Lol the free app I downloaded is called 'Contraction Timer' and is just simple - a big start button appears on the screen which you hit and press again when the contraction ends. The app then tells you the start time, duration and interval between contractions and you can edit any mistakes. The Midwife in the Birthing Centre bought me paper and pen to time contractions so I showed her the app and she seemed impressed. I haven't got a BF app, I might have a browse to see what's available.

We went for our final postnatal MW check yesterday (we're under the care of the dreaded Health Visitor from now on). She felt my stomach and said my uterus is back inside my pelvis already, which I was surprised about considering it was pumpkin-sized 10 days previous (takes 6 weeks to fully return to normal size apparently), but I am quite gutted that this big flabby belly I've been left with is ALL lard which needs shifting when I thought some of it was uterus. Dammit!!

On a positive note, Elodie was 6lb 8oz at bith and at 10 days postpartum was 6lb 13oz - well done to my boobs, turns out despite my moaning about size they do actually work quite well!

Sorry Purple I am laughing at your bed invasion.

We are achieving moses basket sleeping but only with the help of swaddling. If we don't swaddle she just hits herself in the face constantly.

Thanks for the tip cavort... have one downloaded and ready to roll... just need some obvious contractions now!

Am currently sat on ball with a mountain of ironing and crap telly in the background. Bet Kate hasn't had to resort to this!

Wrongly feels quite self indulgent... maybe this is my nesting!

Great work Cavort's boobs! Am sure the tum will go down quite quickly with the feeding but that must have been a bummer to hear that.

Am dreading the sight of my thighs and bum when there isn't a bump to balance it out... covered in cellulite and pants don't fit me- round my legs! :(

Small matter of evicting little bear first tho hope midwives don't judge jelly legs in labour

I tried swaddling and Vic does not like that at all. He either sleeps in the hammock during his daytime naps or in the co-sleeper bed at night, in a grobag (moses basket is accepted sometimes, but not too often). I thought that it would be too hot and he should sleep just in a vest, but he did not like that idea at all, but fell asleep immediately in the grobag. It's a light one though and he does not seem to be hot or sweaty.

Lol I think after you there's a bit of a gap, then Alex (21 wks?) then me (18wks) then Frog (13 wks?) then the new rush - Juicy (6 wks), Merkin and fx Thunder.

I am still in a piss today about a colleague (not known for his tact) who thought it was fine to ask me in the pub last night whether I was 'allowed' to drink (for the record I was savouring one bottle of beer to celebrate the end of our massive project and a very long working day). He claimed he was 'just asking because he didn't know if it was allowed or not'. Errr a) not really any of your business b) I am a 33 yr old woman who is doing a PhD, maybe trust me as intelligent enough to know what the safe drinking limit is and c) if you are genuinely curious, google it, don't put me in the position of defending my position in front of a table full of colleagues. Knobber.

Quod people seem to think that a woman't pregnant body is public property unfortunately. I could just be paranoid, but I was heavily pregnant in McDonalds and I felt like everyone was judging the junk food I was feeding to my unborn baby. They don't know I only resorted to fast food a handful of times in 40 weeks. I have to admit I am guilty of it when it comes to smoking, it really makes my blood boil when women don't give up while pg, but I also appreciate people's right to personal choice so would never say anything. You are right, that bloke sounds like an arse.

oh yes, the "are you supposed to be eating/drinking/doing that?" brigade. I always wonder what answer they are expecting - "oh, you're right, I should not, thanks for reminding me, I had totally forgotten"?

Ooh it's me after you lol and brave! Exciting! brave it sounds like things are starting to happen for you! It's good to hear the descriptions as I have no idea what pre-labour etc is like.

quod he should mind his own business, completely your decision! however I'm totally judgemental when it comes to smoking and still find it shocking that anyone could do that pregnant, luckily no one I know as not sure I could hold my tongue!

at purple's bed invasion! My cat, who I usually try my best to encourage to be affectionate, has suddenly decided he is a lap cat and had cuddled up to me in bed the last two nights. Just what I need in this heat - another warm body against the bump!

By the way, is everyone else weighed at their midwife apps? No one has weighed me once during the pregnancy apart from booking in. Maybe it doesn't matter but someone in my office gets weighed each time. My midwife doesn't ever listen to my baby heartbeat either.

Unfortunately it doesn't seem to end when you've had the baby, all I bloody hear now is 'you need to eat more for the baby' and 'there will be no nutrients in that milk if you don't eat enough'

After 9 months of smiling politely I'm getting very close to telling everyone to fuck off, and that includes my nearest and dearest as they're the worst offenders.

Alex - I end up with the baby one side and the cat the other! I only ever got weighed at my booking in appt, I think it depends what area you're in, they all seem I have different procedures.

I got weighed at every appt, but they only listened to the heartbeat at appts after the 20 week scan. My midwife told me that was because earlier than that they often can't find a heartbeat so it causes too much unnecessary concern! So they should start listening soon.

One bottle of beer?! He can mind his own sodding business!

I only got weighed at my booking appointnent. My MW said weight gain doesn't matter unless you put on tonnes or don't put any on at all. They are more concerned with fundal height to indicate how the pregnancy is progressing. That's obviously not an exact science either though because my fundal height indicated Elodie should have been at least a pound heavier at birth.

As for my weight gain, I put on 2 stone exactly, had lost a stone by the day after the birth and now after 11 days I am 7lbs heavier than pre-pregnancy of which a good chunk is probably boobs.

So exciting developments in the Quod abode - DP saw baby kicking last night - just little pokes but you could quite clearly see it from outside. He was thrilled!

Oh quod, that stage is lovely! Suddenly feels so much more real

Ah it's so lovely isn't it quod!! My DH hasn't seen that yet but he's felt little kicks with his hand (and with his lips when he kissed the bump and baby kicked him in the mouth ) I saw the little bumps coming through from the outside though so might ask DH to just watch next time it's happening instead of putting his hand there

How are you getting on bear?!

Yes Bear, any news?

Aww Quod, that's such a special moment for both of you. Of all the aspects of pregnancy you can moan about, of which there are many, the kicking is never one of them even at 4am it is always lovely.

I am here for a boast this morning.... 10 HOURS (count 'em) sleep last night!! Obviously not all in one go, but only 2 40 minute feeds interrupting It. I feel like a new woman this morning. I practically moonwalked out of bed.

No news!

Absolutely nothing doing. Gonna have to use my best persuasion tactics tonight and get DP to dtd I think...

Amazed at that sleep Cavort, boast away!

So lovely your DP could feel it Quod. Definitely the best stage :)

Someone in my office, who's also pregnant, says she's done lots of research and out of all the myths, she says that the only thing proven to bring on labour really effectively is tweaking your nipples! She did have a reason for why it activates labour but I've forgotten! I am not sure if this is total bullshit or not probably is but she is swearing by whatever she's researched! I figure worth a try?! Good luck with dtd persuasion anyway brave!

cavort 10 hours! That's brilliant, bet you feel great! Are there any myths tips or anything that worked for such a good sleep?!

Alex I also heard nipple tweaking does work, but my nipples were as sore at the end of pregnancy as they were at the beginning so the last thing I wanted to do was play with them, no matter how bad the latent phase was! The same with the orgasm theory... who wants to try for the Big O while contracting?

Hmm, it may just be coincidence but I had a lovely pint of shandy with some dinner in the beer garden last night so maybe that did the trick with the sleep marathon after so long on the wagon.

I heard about those nipple tweaking studies too, but apparently for it to work, you have to tweak about 5 hours per day or so.

There's a topic in pregnancy board where someone complains that she didn't get any stretch marks with DC3. Very disappointing, apparently. Interesting, I'm quite happy I didn't get any. Anybody else sad you don't have battle scars to show to DC1?

I have one long battle scar from the section - but am very glad indeed that I don't have any more. So lucky to have no stretch marks

Miles feeding non stop in this heat. My previously recovered nipples are starting to feel a bit ouchie again!

So I've spent the last two and a half hours in a puddle of my own tears.

This is why: have been restless all day which spread into boredom. Plenty of things I could do, but just don't fancy any of it.

Then started thinking that in a week or two I'm going to regret not using this wanton free time as everyone keeps telling me I'll never be able to do what I want when I want (shower/toilet/cinema/impromptu pub trip/running with DP/impromptu anything) ever again.

And then this spiralled into an 'I'm not ready to be a mum' pity party, that included at one point utter desolation at the fact that I can't even remember what I like doing as so much has had to change already.

Oh and I did some nipple twiddling (is there some recommended technique? ). No baby, but did produce some colostrum. Probably would have been more but for the sob-induced dehydration going on.

I am the most pathetically unbrave bear ever!

Poor bear! I guess if you fancied just relaxing and doing nothing, that's what you were enjoying doing at that time! On the bright side, lazing around is something you won't be doing much of either so you were using that time constructively. You'll be a great mummy bear I'm sure, you're as ready as the rest of us! I have no idea about babies or motherhood

I'm hoping not to get stretch marks so I can be smug too but too early to tell (my mum didn't get them though). If I get them, I guess I'll TRY and be positive about them, but I def won't be disappointed if I'm stretch mark free!

Oh you poor thing Bear! The idea of you weeping listlessly whilst half-heartedly twiddling your nipples is up there with Purple's dog lapping up her waters as she was trying to mop them up as incredible images of the peculiar tragi-comic woes of late pregnancy. Sorry to laugh.

I reckon now you've got all those not-very-helpful thoughts and worries out of your system somewhat they will all dissipate a bit, on the bright side.