January 2014 (thread 9) Pregnancy half time is over. Fast growing bumps, braxton hicks and we thought we would worry less!

[Frizz1986]

Hope its ok me setting up a new thread.
Couldnt see one, but if I am just being blind please tell me.....

Right, I'm getting out of bed! Wish me luck!

I'm off to buy new house furniture finally! Will be good to get the last bits unpacked and sorted which will then mean I can start on the nursery (it's full of unpacked stuff at the moment)! And it will be lovely to have a sorted and tidy house

Good luck tooth! Toby I have done the same....just watched Alan Carr. Justin Timberlake was hilarious (and so cooollll!) Do have a tiny crush!,

I loved JT till I got to interview him for the magazine I work for and he was totally off his face drugged up. Not so hot.

Talking of bp. At the consultant appt at 22 weeks mine was /89. He said they don't worry until its /90. That's quite high for me. I'm 24 weeks now and not seeing the mw until 28weeks. I'll have to relax more I guess. :-/

extra oh no!!! Illusion shattered!

babycakes a good excuse for a chill out me thinks!

Had a good number of kicks this morning and just felt my first wriggle under my right boob which was soooo cool!

Another one in the pj's club here. DH got up with the kids and made us all pancakes :)

Still ill so not up for much. Have managed to clean the kids room and am going to tackle the living room next when dd2 the mess maker is sleeping.

Might have a bit of a clear out this weekend too, got a bedside crib this week that needs a space in our bedroom. We never really got our flat sorted before dd2 arrived as we had building works going on just after we moved in that meant we still had no fully functioning kitchen, bathroom or toilet when I was in labour I plan to be more organised this time.

Enjoy the baby and toddler event Angel

Good luck tooth and MrsV with your DIY and sorting.

Have fun furniture buying Nature

Toby you can relax for the rest of us

Well having a lazy morning has paid off! Bubs has been super active and DH finally felt him kick for the first time today! Several kicks! He seemed a little underwhelmed by it which is disappointing, but am just glad he has finally felt him!

That's lovely Sultana, I think it is hard for men to feel too involved until that squishy newborn is in their arms, then they go all gooey.

My DH was feeling our little one kick earlier too, even though it is his third child with me (fifth in total) he still gets excited. He is a bit soppy though and got all upset the other day that dd2 was losing her baby smell.

Wow lots of stuff happening today and Yay for kicking babies!
I am having afternoon tea at a fancy farm shop with my work friend who had her first baby Jan this year. We are literally 1 yr and 9 days apart in our first baby attempts. Gonna be great to catch up, eat cakes and get the low down on all the stuff no one told her this time last year. And she should be bringing the baby too so double Yay.
Then I will be off home to attempt homemade tagliatelle in my pasta roller machine before possibly going to John Lewis tomorrow to finally look at and purchase a cot bed!

frizz pass on any tips your friend gives you!
extra your DS sounds super cute :)
In a surprise turn, today we have bought a pram/pushchair, a car seat, a crib and mattress, lots of storage boxes and our wedding rings. We only went out for the rings so I think DP is slightly in shock . At least that is all the major stuff out of the way and I'll be able to concentrate on the cute stuff when I'm on my mat leave.
Inspired by toby I am now going to change into my pjs and demolish this chelsea bun in front of me...

another how cute is your DH?

frizz have a fab time this afternoon! Sounds like an awesome weekend! We definitely need to hear tips from your friend!

Ended up going to a shopping centre I have never been to before and it was just mahoosive! Absolutely knackered now! Did get a few bits from mothercare!

book get you with all your purchases! Feels good to get the big stuff out of the way doesnt it?

It does a bit :) My dad wants to buy the big cot, so now I'll just need cute things - hurrah!
Well done on tackling Mothercare though sultana - I nearly had a panic attack in our one this morning trying out all the pushchairs. DP steered me to the exit sharpish and then fed me Haribo in the car!

Sounds like your DH knows how to look after you book.

Yeah, although to be fair it pretty much always involves Haribo and a little sit down

So afternoon tea was yum. My friend told me to start getting comfortable with my body as you leave your pride at the door when you give birth....(my sister already warned me of this)
She also said that she was adamant that she didn't want an epidural but by god she wanted one as it hurt like hell (after being induced and getting to 1cm they realised bubs was breeched and then within an hour she was 5cm and rushed for ecs where she was put under and dh had to stay outside)
She was honest and said that the whole experience was traumatic but she wants another one and would not opt for elective cs as she wants to try it naturally (she would insist on a scan to make sure bubs wasnt breech)
She said being a mum was the best thing ever.

Think she wanted just as much gossip about work tho lol.

I know i have asked this about a million times but i am still so confused and wanted to give some advice to my friend as well.......
Mat leave and pay......
So you can have up to 52 weeks off maternity leave. 26 weeks normal mat leave and 26 weeks additional mat leave.. Right.
It works out as 39 weeks paid (6 weeks @ 90% and the rest @ stat pay) then you can have 13 weeks unpaid. Am i right so far?
Now holidays..
Over 52 weeks you would accrue a minimum of 28 days due to legal hols etc so you can take these at the end of 52 weeks mat leave if say your new hol year started just after leaving for maternity. Would you get these at full pay as essentially they are fully paid hols like if you had been working normally so they arent at the same rate as mat pay??

My friend went off just before xmas last year and is therefore due back from mat leave in jan, but she isnt sure about hols as work seem to be adding pay for hols to her last pay slip (the 39th week so she is about to start her unpaid leave) but it doesnt seem to be much money and surely she should get paid for the hols she has accrued and at full pay level and she can still take them after mat leave so wouldnt have to come back til feb......

Just wanted to see if this is right or if i am completely confudled as she is thinking of asking if her accountant knows anything.

The 39 weeks paid and 13 unpaid sounds right frizz, that's what I'm getting. At my work I only accrue leave for the first 39 weeks, so with my leave allowance I'll have 20 days paid leave to take. I'm asking whether I could have that paid leave straight after all my paid mat leave and before my 13 weeks unpaid. I need to check about accruing leave during the 13 weeks unpaid though. As we're still employed by our companies during that time I would think we should do!

babycake it's so stupid how they don't monitor us more closely. I'm 3 away from 90 and your 1 away and they still seem to fob it off UNTIL it hits 90 or over and then they go into panick mode and stick you on tablets

Sarahleanne. I know it's weird. My mw in previous pgs would send me for bp checks every few days if it reached /85 but my consultant was really blaze about it with it at /89. So I have no idea if my bp is too high and there's a 6 week gap until it gets checked between those appointments (4 weeks now). I just have to relax and keep an eye on baby and movements I guess. I hope you're ok. Maybe we just need cake and a chance to put our feet up. Fat chance of that happening here there's so much going on I feel permanently stressed.

Thanks book

I think its all the holiday stuff as i dont understand if you can add them onto the end but you dont get paid so essentially another month off unpaid, or if you can add them on the end and you do get paid for them as well, or if you only get paid for them if you dont take them.

Haha cake all the way babycake probs wont help the bp but theyre high anyway so what the hell :) well in my 2nd pregnancy mw sent me straight to hospital and I was induced when it hit 90. This time no one seems bothered, great haha. Oh and im glad im not the only one stressed !

Apparently I also now have leaky boobs. Nice. Pregnajuice of varying kinds at both ends. So attractive.

So today was a fat day.....
Afternoon tea which had sandwiches, shortbread, white choc cookie, cherry flapjack, choc fudge cake and scones.
Then came home and had my homemade pasta bolognaise (really happy how it turned out) then had mini (not really that mini) cherry cheesecake that i purchased from the farm shop. It was half price as they were trying to get rid of it as they make fresh each day, then there is still a cream and fruit filled meringue left. Oh dear!!

I know its late but.....pelvic floors

Boooooo to leaky boobs!!