October 2013 - only 3 months to go!

[roxvox]

Baby due dates/sexes/name choices here

Excuse my ignorance pseudo how do u pronounce caiomhe?

James is now the bookies favourite for the royal name its over taken George

caz what u are describing sounds exactly like siatica too me. X

roxvox my mum keeps telling me I should choose Ethan for bump but I used to look after a boy at nursery Nd he's put me off it.

wicked what great name tastes we have :-) xxx

Just about to leave for scan and consultant appt :-)

cazboldy that sounds like a bit of pressure on your sciatic nerve. I have had some problems with mine, but the pain usually lasts a few days and it only starts when I over do it one day. Hopefully it will just be a one off spasm for you though!

I heard that they didn't announce William's name for a week, but that was actually quite quick and they usually wait 2 weeks. Seems an odd tradition so it would be good if the modern couple were to break it! There's probably some sort of protocol surrounding it though where the name has to go through various stages of approval or something strange.

Anyone else get days when they feel like there is minimal room in their torso for your own organs?! I feel like my lungs, heart etc are all being shoved right up to the top of my rib cage. And I am feeling lethargic and slightly (very slightly) nauseous too. I almost think it might be an illness, but to be honest it is probably just the result of a very bad nights sleep, which has left me tired and achey.

Natalie - it's pronounced key-va

Cazbildy that sounds like sciatica and you're right about it being a nerve thing. It's stopped me in in tracks a couple of times - usually in the supermarket! - and is the reason I haven't been able to wear heels since about 14 weeks!

thanks for that ladies - is there anything i can do to help it?

arghhhhh just realised that DH's cousin has called his baby Amelia, what am I going to do now?? DH has thrown Katherine in to the mix but I'm a bit meh, there's others I like, Beatrice, Felicity, Francesca (to go with Olivia and Eleanor) but none that we agree on, ho hum back to the drawing board!

Good luck with your scan Natalie.

The storm has finally reached Glasgow. I just got all my washing in on time. It's so dark outside I've had to turn the lamp on.
Linah couldn't wait to run out into the garden to stand in the rain.

oh caz that sounds painful

clap we appear to have the same family cloned....my MIL's reaction to another boy was oh well, never mind...grrr I hate that I have to put on this really positive tone of voice when I say *we're having another boy" as people assume we are disappointed. It is really bugging me now...I'm delighted with my little boy and all I want is for him to be healthy so I wish people would keep their mouths shut! Sorry for your crap work day. I have no replacement sorted yet and after being told our HR director wanted a business case from me for finishing at 37 weeks I think mine will be a stressful end too. It's not your problem though re the replacement so just do what you can in the next few weeks. I have 6 weeks left after this one :(

three grrr to your dh's cousin. How annoying. I hope we're not back to the drawing board after Kate's announcement. What about Charlotte...goes nicely with your other two?

good luck with your scan natalie

blondies Francesca was my favourite girl name before we knew it was a boy so this is where my vote would good :-) I would still go for Amelie if you really love it unless it's a very close cousin and they would grow up together / spend a lot of time together? Otherwise, I really wouldn't worry...

A question... DP needs to go to Hong Kong for work in early September... I would be 33 weeks when he leaves, 34 when he comes back... It's a really important trip and he has a new role so really should be there. Somehow I was OK with it and didn't worry until now but now feel a bit nervous as it feels a bit close to the D Day... and it's so far away... what do you think? I'm a bit torn and don't want him to pull out knowing how important this trip is... but what if something happens?

just saw your post warlin sounds like we are in a very similar situation... do they need you to justify why you want to leave at 37 weeks and not later??

Warlin we do like Charlotte but couldn't shorten it to Charlie as close cousin has a Charlie and surname is Charles (Charlie Charles lol!) and another cousin has a Lottie! The joys of big families, we shorten Eleanor to Ella and there's another Ella so I'd like to try and be a bit original!

Hi all!!!
Loving the names choices here....
We have a short list of Matthew, Adam, Joseph, Jacob, Paul and James....but I am aware my relatives can't say some of them!!!!

I did my gtt last week and I am borderline diabetic , therefore put om the list and controlling my sugar intake. Dd was 7'7 and ds was9'9 ( my youngest and 14yo). They told me I will not be allowed to go over 40 weeks and going to have extra scans as baba already is a good size for 26 weeks.
I am kind of glad as the thought of having a bigbaby scares me, but still.....and pricking my fingers 4 times a day!!!

thethreeblondies - Felicity and Francesca are both absolutely gorgeous classic names with lovely nickname possibilities. I truly love them both.

One is my DD's (and the other we can't have as it sounds daft with DP's surname) so please, please no one say anything horrid about them or I'll end up sobbing...

notso - so about the GTT results. If you are only borderline, does that mean there is a very good chance diet alone with control it? I hope it isn't too restrictive. Good that they are keeping a close eye on you too.

consultant appointment today wonder if i will actually get to meet her this time? I am going to push to get at least one growth scan and i will be check that the slow down little movements are normal for this gestation.

I bought a fisher price bouncy chair with vibrate today the forest friends one, Argos has it 12 quid off! At least that one thing off the list still need a playmat and cot mobile more wipes more nappies another blanket or 2 and my hospital bag stuff breast pads lanolin nighties big pants stuff like that. its sure is a lot of stuff!

Warlin tell them to get on their bike - you are entitled to start your maternity leave anytime after 29 weeks provided you give 4 weeks notice - cheeky bastards! I'm all for being co-operative with employeers as I know arranging cover for maternity is a pain, but seriously! I sympathise with you Clapham about not having cover arranged - while it's not your problem as such, for me it's just something to tick off the list as done and I don't have to think about anymore. Hopefully mine is finally getting confirmed today - 4 weeks 3 days left at work whoop.

Sorry to hear about the GTT notso, hope its not going to be too restrictive for you.

Good luck Natalie and Falcon with your appointments today.

Am having a girl so don't need to worry about the royal name - though I don't have a name for her yet, so should probably be worried about that! In single week countdown now - 9 weeks 5 days until due date.

good luck to those with appointments and scans today!!

how is everyone doing energy wise? I feel so tired at the moment, just dead lethargic. can't decide if its just the heat and being pg or maybe something more. I'm going the hospital on Fri for anti d injection and bloods so assuming they'll check iron levels then etc.

Warlin surely that's not legal? I don't think they can prevent you going when you want to, it's not your fault they haven't found cover for you.

I've probably another 10 weeks left, I thought I'd like to work as long as possible at the start and now all I want to do is be at home sorting out the house. Finding it very hard to concentrate in work at the min!

I love the idea of the bedrest so I'm hoping to rent it for the 6 months from the NCT...

notso I've been worrying about that since my glucose levels were up at my last appointment. If you don't mind me asking, what kind of diet do you have to stick to? I'm guessing no sugary drinks or sweet stuff, but is it more complicated than that?

claphammama Could your DH explain the situation to work and ask about emergency flight arrangements home if the baby arrives early? I guess it's unlikely to happen but it's possible, is there anyone else you'd want as a birth partner if he wasn't there?

We've got a shortlist for a girl and I'm leaning towards Aine as a favourite, I did like Aoife but I've heard of so many people calling babies that recently it's put me off a bit, much to DH's disgust... If it's a boy, we're stuck, there's only one name we can agree on and we can't agree on how to pronounce it! We love Finn, but it wouldn't work with our surname. I don't know though, I'm kind of hoping we'll see the baby and say "awh, she/he is definitely a ...."

Sorry for the massive post!

Warlin that's outrageous! So if you had the baby at 36 weeks for example they'd want a business case then? :o As long as you've told them 15 weeks before your due date then they can stick it.
It really is as simple as (from the CAB):

When can your maternity leave start
You can choose when to start your maternity leave. It can be at any time in, or after, the 11th week before your baby is due. However, your maternity leave will start automatically if you're off work for any reason to do with your pregnancy from the fourth week before your baby is due.

Telling your employer that you want to take maternity leave:
You must tell your employer, preferably in writing, by the end of the 15th week before your baby is due:

that you're pregnant
the date your baby is due
the date you want your maternity leave to start.
You must produce a medical certificate (MATB1), if your employer asks for one, showing when your baby is due. You can get your MATB1 from your midwife or GP.

Once your employer has received your notice that you want to take maternity leave, they must write to you within 28 days and tell you the date your maternity leave runs out and therefore the date when you are expected to return to work from maternity leave.

Well my plan is to take 3 weeks annual leave (to use it up) and then start my mat leave on my due date. Last time I finished at 37 weeks and my waters broke the minute I got home from work. I sent a reply saying that was my business case and there is no way I'm prepared to risk working any later...idiots. Unless of course they are prepared to provide a midwife and all the facilities on sit :)

clap it's a difficult one...when was ds born? There is nothing to say the baby will be early but as long as you aren't too tired to look after ds. How long will be away and can you insist on flexible flights so he can get home quickly? It is a bit risky but I understand if he needs to go he needs to go.

sparkleigh are you Irish? Quite a few Irish names on this thread. Both Aoife and Aine are lovely.

three ha ha Charlie Charles made me laugh :) I think both Francesca and Felicity are lovely and go with your other names

Hurry up Royal announcement...can't stand this waiting. I wonder how it will announced....?

Going for my whooping cough vaccine tmw..has anyone else had theirs? Not sure if I'm doing the right thing as I really don't like vaccines during pregnancy but also scared that DS could get whooping cough and then I'd feel guilty. Is it sore??

I was just walking (in a rush as was late off my lunch break) when i had a gush of watery stuff from down below. It has soaked the guset of my knickers and the crotch in my trousers. Please tell me this is just discharge and nothing to be concerned about. It has made me feel wet and all a bit gross. Sorry for the not so nice post.

pseudo the HR director is a childless female and I just think she either doesn't understand or doesn't care. They can't legally object so I've just sort of laughed it off.

flyer its hard to say second hand, but more discharge is common, I know I have it!! but keep an eye on it in case its waters. I'm sure one of the more experienced ladies will be able to offer more advice!!

Can you put a pad on Flyer and keep an eye in it for a couple of hours?
There was a lady in the day unit yesterday who thought her waters had gone, the midwife scanned her and gave her an internal and told her it must've been urine as the waters were still intact.

umlauf - I'm keen on Albert as it was my dad's name and I love the nn Bertie too (and there's the possibilities of bert, albie, al too). I've got my fingers crossed too that the little prince is called something else.
When I was pg with dd, Amelie was at the top of my list for a girl but dp wasn't keen (she's called Florence/florie). As yet we haven't really spoken about names as we both find it really difficult! Dd wasn't named for 3 weeks and everyone kept getting on to us about it. We just wanted to make sure we have her a name that we wouldn't regret, wasn't overly popular and we both liked!
It's bloody hard having that responsibility.
caz - I think I've got the same as you. Every now and again I get a really sharp pain at the top of my hip/bum cheek and the other day it went when I was walking down the stairs. Really sore but I'm not sure if there's anything we can do about it.
legally - fingers crossed that you bp fixes itself. I think they can be so temperamental. It's great that the twins are already 3lbs.
warlin - that comment about a business case is ridiculous! They have no rights to do that whatsoever. What a numpty!

This is really outrageous warlin. They can't tell you how you feel and when you are supposed to have the baby. Stand your ground. Can you tell them it's actually your consultant's recommendation? Or would they need an official letter? I'd done my research and read what pseudo sent earlier on our internal HR site, so I didn't even ask them, simply announced when I'm going to take off. I then sent a note to HR with my dates and copied my manager. Full stop. Sounds like we have similarly ignorant managers... at least your company doesn't claim to be top UK employer... I think it's this hypocrisy that winds me up more than anything... (and I'm really sorry I keep moaning about my work - I will stop in a few weeks I promise!!)

DS arrived at 39+1 warlin so not exactly early but no overdue either! So, in my head, I imagine this one will also arrive 1-2 weeks before due date but, saying this, this pregnancy is so different than the first one that I don't know anymore... I will talk to DP tonight. Flexible flights are a great idea although it's still a long flight if anything happens! I will also see if his mum can come and stay with me that week - we get on and she can help with DS if needed. If anything happens, I really think I would prefer to give birth on my own rather than have someone other than DP there...

I love the name Finn sparkeleigh. It was one of the names on my list but DP is not keen on it for some unspecified reason. Other names I like are Theo, Hugo, Felix (the cat), Casper (the friendly ghost), Oscar (alleged pedophile Wilde) and a couple others he also doesn't approve... The content in brackets are his responses to my name suggestions by the way! SIGH. So the only one we both agree on is still Conrad although I don't love it as much as DS's name - Leonardo. Would love to find another one I really love but struggle. And I'm not allowed another Italian name apparently!

On another topic... I've just popped out to M&S near the office to see if they had any decent swimsuits. And I saw myself in the changing room 3 way mirror. And this is all I'm going to say on this topic...