The PESH are getting busy and looking out for a cluster diff!!

[pinkr]

blonderthanred, boy, born 26th October 2012.
FriendofDorothy, boy, born 14th December 2012.
QueenRollo, boy, born 21st January 2013.

Need dates:

Rollerbaby, No pink here, expecting boy due March 20th 2012
IveBeenExpectingYou (CockDodger), A very active baby girl, due March 28th 2012
Silver, hoping for an easier sneeze, due mid-July 2012
Starryeyedmole, regretting recently investing in scales
cakeandcava approaching walrus proportions, DC1 EDD 21/10/12

LazyMachine (38) DC1 EDD 9/2/13
CamelKnees (34) fat and fatigued DC2 EDD 22/04/2013
HaveALittleFaith (31), Faithlet arrived 14.04.13
fertilityFTW (34) date needed.
pinkr, (33), any day now!!, DC1 due 22/08/2013
Jethro (36) head in the sand Edd 071013
Frankel (32) nauseous and knackered Edd 4/3/14
Noks - info needed
Sinky - info needed

Done my best - apologies for any misinformation or omissions!

I went to three branches of M&S before I found out they didn't stock maternity in store. I was so annoyed. The one time in your life you really need to try stuff on for a sudden new shape...

I got stuff from New Look and H&M mostly (but I am poor).

I've found there is a JoJo Maman Bebe not too far away from me so I'll head there next weekend. The prices seem ok but to be honest the main thing I want is to try something on!

Jojo clothes are good. Next stuff you can order and take back to store. Quite easy then.

I'm ok thanks Sinks. Counting down the days now. Could be just over 2 weeks if I have the c-section!!

Oh Jeff getting exciting then! ! Are you all packed and ready" !

Not really sure what to take for a c section - will be longer in hospital so prob more baby stuff? I need to do a few more things at home but I'm mostly ready. I'm really suffering today, had about 3 hours sleep last night, my hips / pelvis are agony. Had friends staying & SSG was out all day at a race so couldn't just stay in bed.

How's things Pink?

Ok...Mr df goes back to work tomorrow so i'm quite down and scared. we live quite rurally and all my friends etc are a drive away and no chance of buses etc. i'm actually going to be alone with her for the first time and its scary. Plus i'm still not really recovered yet and find lifting, bending etc difficult.
I'd recommend good granny knickers and very loose and soft clothing. Ssg can always bring you anything extra although my hospital were keen to discharge me the day after my section...well actually 12 hours after...they wanted me to go to my local unit in the car but I refused. I did have to go the next day though and then chose to spend two nights in the midwife unit a bit nearer to home.

Ooh not long then jeff! Yes I'd say big pants - minis though so under your scar and lots of pjs. I bought nighties but I felt too exposed with the other Dads around. Jersey pjs and vests for me. Thin cotton vests and sleep suits for baby. I had a velour one for Faithlet but she overheated! Plenty of snacks for you. Dry shampoo!

I resisted the Big Pants at first but anything that sits under your scar is bad news. The granny pants will support your tummy too which will help as it will feel really weird for ages. And I pretend that they're actually a 1950s pin-up style rather than granny pants which helps my self esteem!

Sounds silly but a scarf tied to the end of your bed to help pull you up really helps in those first couple of days I found.

Howdy ladies. Dating scan went well, and got moved forward a week as a bonus. So now due 18th march and missed week 12 entirely - now 13 weeks - yay!

Baby was determined to do a head stand throughout, but some firm sonographer pressure got him moved (ow!)

Great news Sinks! I think "the foal" was asleep during my scan as no amount of prodding could persuade him/her to move. Thankfully he/she was lying in the perfect position

15w today and still knackered, when does the elusive glow kick in folks?!

Right PESH, talk to me about antenatal classes. They've been debating NCT classes on my March thread and a lot of second/third timers say they are expensive and a waste of money. I definitely want to do something myself as I want to a) be prepared for the birth and b) I know bugger all about baybees (never changed a nappy in my life), so figure I better find out what I'm doing in advance!

I've found a Lazy Daisy practitioner near me that runs a variety of courses/workshops. She charges £54 for a 6 week pregnancy/birth preparation class (compared to £150 for NCT) as well as a baby care workshop dealing with the first few weeks.

I know people say "Oh you'll learn what to do quickly when it's your baby" but I'm a control freak and the idea of going in to being a mum without a clue as to what I'm doing freaks me out!

Frank we're doing NCT because it was a good way for me to meet other preggo's. The classes themselves aren't a revelation but do get you thinking about stuff. I think any class would probably do the same though.

That's the other thing Jeff, I want to meet folks I can make friends with. My best friend didn't do any antenatal classes as she felt she could get all the info she needed from books/online, but the upshot is she now knows no one at the baby groups she has tried to go to and has ended up leaving them as she felt ignored by the other mums

I didn't do NCT but that was partly due to cost and partly because the hospital offeredgood classes as an alternative. I know that our local NCT offers things like Bumps and Babies which is also a good way to meet people.

I think the social aspect is as important, if not more important, as the stuff you learn.

We thought NCT were quite expensive and they demanded attendance for several weeks in a row and a daytime session which was impractical with our work. We hired a private midwife who did two sessions for £90 at our house.

Socially I've met another mnetter who moved to the area around her due date, we go out once a fortnight. Our babies are 8 days apart and we get on really well. I also have a couple of friends who have dropped recently. I've been to a BF support group but not really made proper friends from it. We're off to a baby music group when we get back off holiday which should be fun.

We just did the nhs ones...I wasnt paying to make friends! I met a girl in hospital who lives quite close so she's coming for coffee this week. Tbh the nearest nct is in the big city so I'd not likely meet anyone from our town anyway. I'm going to join done local group once i'm active again!
Have just stepped on the scales...I put 3 stone and i'm only 5 pounds over my original weight!

Well done pink! How are things going?

Erm.. Hello!

I am a BESH/PESH of olden times, and newly diffed, and I need somewhere to menkul.

Please can I come in?

Hello! !
Things are going ok...just wish I could work out how to not have her sleeping all morning and early afternoon and then being wide awake all evening and night!

Sorry Pinky but no-one knows the answer to that. It's early days, she's still getting used to life on the outside, daylight and everyfink.

I'm not going to tell you to "sleep when she does" because I could never manage it, although tis a great idea in principle. But it does get easier, and incredibly quickly too. Honest.

Hello Gin, I think you probably pre-date me as a BESH (soz about that!) but I think I've heard your name mentioned in hushed tones.

Come on in, pull up a comfy chair. How diffed are you?

Hardly at all Frank - 5 weeks - but mini-flood (presumably implantation) then feeling like shite for past week gave the game away a bit.

The problem with knowing so soon is that I don't want to tell anyone, but I do want to think/talk about it all the time. Suspect my boss will guess that something is up tho, so might tell her and wait for the news to leak out.

Re: NCT classes, we actually found them fairly useful (very little time spent around babies before our own) but NHS would probably have been just as good. And our group never really clicked enough to socialise afterwards. They do seem to vary a great deal across the UK. Ours were 2x Saturdays, and one evening, so not too onerous.

Hi gin. I'm of a similar vintage to frank, so don't think we've "met", but I'll be delighted to have you here and not be the newby anymore (I am ignoring the fact that you already have kid(s?) and so I will remain the most clueless..)

Was this a surprise rewin? (Nosy)

Pink I figured that as I'd paid to meet SSG (online dating) & paid to win a baybee, I might as well pay to meet some new friends! So far the classes have been good, it's the breast feeding session tomorrow which I'm hoping will teach me all I need to know...