February 2014 - the one where we start to find out if we're team pink or blue!

[jazzcat28]

So I used the magic 1000th post in the last thread... ooops

Lol gnitting worry not - I think I may have thrush too so your comments are much appreciated

Eeyore - the cakes sound yummy. You'll have to let is know how the courgette one goes and post the recipe if it turns out well.

Nooo I have woken up with a sore throat and start of a cold. No surprise after being back at school with geeky kids and an exhausting week with long days gonna take some echinacea and live on honey and lemon today with maybe some smoothies thrown in. Have had a look online and most places say echinacea is probably okay, they just say no as pharmaceutical companies don't wanna test it on preggos as they can't make money from it as it's a herb. At least I tidied the lounge last night so I can spend most of the day in there.

Apparently we have a doc martens store in Manchester tho so I'm hoping to drag myself in to town to hopefully buy some boots as well.

Have a lovely Saturday preggos!

Just checking in to say hello and congratulations on all the scans. Zazou I'm sorry to hear you have some uncertainties. I hope they tell you soon. I had a gtt this week due to sugar in sample and it was fine. They'll tell you on the day if it's anything to worry about. I haven't heard so assuming all is fine. Keep pestering them for answers.

Re bottles - I tried to introduce an bottle of expressed at 6 wks with my first. He refused point blank. I tried everything over a few months - different teats, formula and expressed, me going out so he couldn't see / smell me, waiting til he was almost starving, swapping from breast to bottle mid feed. Nothing worked and eventually I gave up.
With the second I introduced one bottle a day in the first week and he took it no bother but the result was that he found the bottle so much easier and by 5-6 months was refusing the breast. So neither worked out well for me. This time I'm not going to introduce a bottle until I feel it's the right time for the baby and maybe not at all.

Thingy - it will be lovely to have three boys. Your older ones will no doubt make great big brothers. I'm sick of people saying ' I bet you want a girl' ( after two boys). I feel like a walking cliche saying I just want a healthy baby and I'm so lucky that I've been able to conceive three children with no problems. I also say, I'd love to have a girl but I'd love to have a boy too. Six more days til my scan.

Harlem. They will be movements. Your bump has really grown this week!

Missk - I read that our immune systems are less effective
When pregnant so that the baby is not treated as a foreign object.

I don't want to frighten breatfeeders off using the occasional bottle but I have just had my first experience of a nipple confused baby as a peer supporter. It was heart breaking as so little I could do (but I did refer them to a lactation consultant!). The dad gave baby bottles through the night over the weekend to give mum a break and baby just would not latch back on the breast. (4 weeks old). Mum had been trying really hard to bf and it was finally feeling established for her.

My own ds took the occasional bottle in the first couple of months and then just refused any more bottles from about 4 months.

On a brighter note, I am having a lie in this morning (woke up at 8 - woohoo!) and dh is down stairs with ds. Just about to text him my breakfast order

thingy my dh is one of 3 boys and they all say they couldn't imagine life if the youngest had been a girl - they fit together so well as a family and are all such different personalities, they aren't 'missing' anything. Their food consumption when they're all home is one of the only negative things about it I think!!

I haven't felt any definite kicks yet but got some little flutters and feelings of light pressure this week. I had a long coach journey yday and about half way through after chocolate and caffeine started to feel stronger pressure almost like the baby rolling around from side to side and to the bottom. Does that sound realistic? - think I'm reading into anything and everything at the moment. Or I might need to hit the branflakes a bit harder this week...

Thanks for the replies about gender reactions, it helps to hear I'm not the only one getting these comments. Yes, I think I'm going to love being the mum to 3 boys. I feel like I have a little tribe. And they are so different I definitely don't feel like I'm missing anything. Just this morning my 10 yo walked in giving me a necklace he had made out of K'nex and snuggled up for hugs. The food bills are massive but its all worth it. Luckily we are moving to a house with a second bathroom and one will be all for me.
Good luck to poppy and everyone with scans next week. Hope the time flies by until then.
Let me know how the courgette cake goes eeyore. I keep seeing the recipe in books but skip past it as I'm not sure. I made my favourite lemon drizzle cake last night but took it out 5 mins too early so it's a bit gooey in the middle but as you can imagine nothing goes to waste in this house.

The making of the courgette cake was disrupted by finding a family of spiders living in our cooker hood I have recovered my composure enough to carry on the baking but the kitchen deep clean might need to wait until DH returns!

Oh my god Eeyore you are brave! I bloody hate spiders - always try and get the cats to deal with them but they are usually too stupid!

Booo the dr martens shop doesn't have the boots I want in but yaaaah managed to order online and I am so excited about having comfy feet! I'm now getting tempted to try and make a roast chicken today. I've never made one so a bit daunted and probably shouldn't bother if I'm feeling ill as ill probably give up half way and have a cooked chicken and nothing to go with it! Gonna drag my self out to look at the next sale to see if there is any cheap baby stuff left now. Then it's sofa day!

Got sent an email about this website today as loads of money off baby monitors

www.babymonitorsdirect.co.uk

Any experienced mums have any views on monitors / movement sensors? We have a three storey house and our bedroom is on the third floor, nursery is going to be 2nd, baby will be in with us initially but just wondering for later... Particularly when we have the money at the moment (due to timely summer school pay I have received), which no doubt will rapidly go once I start buying baby clothes!

Well cake baked and lemon curd made, but we're supposed to be at our friends' house now and DH is missing in action. Well, the bugger is on the golf course, so not entirely MIA as I know exactly where he is. Doesn't he know there's a grumpy pregnant woman at home waiting to have lunch with friends

He is going to be in so much trouble when he gets home!

eeyore that's the stuff of nightmares! (the spiders, not the cake)

cubano that website looks great! I have no idea what the general consensus is re monitor, but I've had my eye on the Angelcare sound and movement monitor. It's been hovering around £70-80 since I got my BFP but have noticed it's currently £66.66 in John Lewis here Would be interested in experienced mummy advice!

I had a terrible sleep last night. Went to bed at 8.45pm as couldn't keep eyes open. Wide awake at midnight. Drifted off until 2am when I woke with leg cramps (for the 4th consecutive night) then slept until 4am which appears to be my time to wake up at the moment. Presume this is my body getting me ready for February?!

Nonetheless, have vac packed away most of spare room so I have more drawers to fill with baby stuff I can now start to declutter the nursery. Shattered already and still have a trip to the shops with MIL this afternoon to find some energy for!

missk Delia Smith is your answer there for timings for chickens/temperatures, and all you need is a lemon cut in half and stuck inside it. Not very sophisticated, but hard to muck up (which is the baseline for my cooking in a nutshell really!).

We've just come back from our first NCT sale, and have three newborn all-in-ones for 50p, two nice maternity tops for me for 4 quid and a Moby wrap for 12. Very tempted to try to put one of the cats in the wrap, but they might like it a little too much....one is spending all day under the duvet in denial about the weather turning cool again.

Jazzcat - I've got the angelcare sound and monitor. I'd recommend it.

Ooooooh gnitting well done on your bargains! I have bought a chicken so will be attempting it later - i'm quite excited. I've plumped for aunt bessies roasties tho as am probably waaaay too knackered to make my own, even tho they are fab (i add semolina when shaking em up after reading a nigella recipe and they are so yummy and crispy!).

Bloody knackered after going to some shops (and did buy some baby things despite DH telling me "no more" when i showed him the two things i had bought yesterday oops).

Jazzcat, hope you manage to get through the afternoon without feeling too shattered and get some better sleep tonight x

Just watched last night's Corrie episodes - not advisable for hormonal pregnant ladies - I've just been in floods of tears watching Roy watching Hayley do karaoke!

I was thinking of the angelcare one, as like the idea of sound and movement... Although also like the look of tommie tippee closer to nature but seems rather excessive amount of money, just to add picture as well...

It's crazy expensive but in all the reviews (I did a lot of research!) it seems luvion grand elite (!) monitor comes out best so I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a second hand one... please don't bid against me on eBay though! Def want one with a good night vision video to stop me going in every minute to check he's breathing... (I'm a tad neurotic)

Hello ladies.

Sorry about the scary scan zazou really hope all is ok at the next one.

Had my 20wk scan on Monday which confirmed we're team blue. I do have to have an extra scan at 32weeks now tho as they noticed there is a little excess fluid on one of his kidneys. Apparently common with boys and may have cleared by next scan so keeping fx. Baby will then be scanned at birth and may need to be put on antibiotics for upto a yr if still a problem. Was bit of a shock but guess they could have said a lot worse. At least I get to see the boy again.

Can't wait to find out who else is team blue/pink

Fingers crossed zazou. I'm sure baby will be absolutely fine and is just beginning the worry for you a little early!

I'm just filling out a nursery registration form as I will be going back to work part time after Easter and they have a 6 month waiting list! Seriously though, it's hard filling it out for an unborn child! How am I meant to know his date of birth, his hair and eye colour and his injection dates! And I'm definitely not putting his name on there yet!

I've just been told by a friend that she is putting her baby into full time nursery at 6 weeks old... Was a bit she is due feb so don't wAnna say too much in case she reads here but it's not for work, could be put off for 6 months and even if it wasn't could be done part time... I just really feel for her.

I unfortunately have no choice about going back to work. As a single parent and only on full pay for 6 weeks maternity it won't be possible. I'm going to have to beg my boss to let me bring him with me for a few weeks as I can't see me being able to leave him at 12 weeks old! I'm sobbing about it already and he's not even here yet! My mum is having him two days and two mornings so it's only two afternoons at nursery but he will be too small to leave with anybody else

My dd is just so cute. She's playing with some stickers from in the night garden magazine and put an oopsy daisy one on my bump and said one for my baby sister! Now I don't know whether its a boy or girl yet but she only refers to it as a baby sister - should be interesting if its a boy!!!

Cubano - I know everyone has to parent in their own way but I feel sad to think of a 6 week old baby in full time childcare unless there's a good work/financial reason. It's such an amazing time, the thought of handing your precious newborn to a stranger so early on is . Understand if you don't want to say any more on here but she must have her reasons. Does she worry she won't be able to cope? Most people don't regret time with their baby if they have the choice.

Laura - sounds like you'll be handing in a blank form! It's good you're being prepared though!

I was in the supermarket today and an old lady noticed my bump and asked when I was due. I had to say not 'until Feb and she looked a little taken aback, as if she thought I was going to say November or something! And that was this morning, by the evening I feel like it's doubled in size! I think it's just trying to do lots of growing in prep for the scan next week!

DH and I have had a bit of a clear out today of some old junk sat in our spare bedrooms fitted wardrobes, we're clearing space for when DD goes in that room in a few months. We've only been in this house for 2 years so don't know how we ended up bringing so much we didn't want! But feels good to make a start on 'sorting' the house in prep for new baby!

Hope everyone else is enjoying their Sat (spiders aside...!)

I completely feel for you Laura, must be so difficult, but this friend really doesn't have to do it, other than it doesn't go with her previous plans, at least you know your mum will have him for a bit and will be able to give you more details about what he has been up to and take lots of pics and videos.

Little panda - completely agree with you, think she may have some coping issues (in that unplanned, although had previously decided to try next year) but not the main reason, her and oh are also not buying anything at all until baby arrives either, not even somewhere to sleep, think it can all be bought once baby arrives by oh (and it is certainly not for financial reasons).

I'm a little bit worried for them to be honest as I don't think they have processed it all properly? I suppose they still have time to get used to it and may change their minds...

hello everyone! !

sorry that you are under stress again from your scan Zazou, it is hard coming away with no real answers. Good luck with all your next steps and hope that it's nothing major.