October 2013 - may our labours move as fast as our threads!

[PseudoBadger]

New thread!

Congrats kelly!
And pseudo hope your bp lowers.
No news here. Had a lovely lunch with a friend over from Canada with her 10 week old, ds was lovely and gentle with her, I think he'll be a lovely big brother.
Re visits, I definitely wouldn't invite anyone to actually stay, far too much work. I plan on banning all overnight guests until after Christmas! We had loads last time and I was knackered, I want to enjoy this baby and just be a family.

I think those already of us with children have an extra job of settling existing children with the baby. I wanted visitors last time, kinda showing her off but I'm pretty sure that dd will need time to get used to baby before we're surrounded.

Our antenatal teacher was telling us that she once counted 17 visitors in one poor woman's hospital room at once. SEVENTEEN. Can you imagine?

Congratulations Kelly. I hope baby is with you soon and you both get to go home together soon

I too have flip flops in my bag rather than slippers. If I stand in something yucky, they'll wash easily and can go in the bin on the way out of the hospital.

I have already said absolutely no visitors the day baby and I come home from hospital and only very close friends and family in the first couple of weeks. When I had my first baby, I had my in laws at the house within an hour of me getting home. Dd was still only 8 hours old and it was too much, too soon. I just wanted to go straight to bed (8pm) and not have to "entertain" anyone.

Sorry to hear BP has shot up pseudo hope you manage to get some rest tonight.

and glad you got some reassurance and a sweep falcon thats exciting. also glad someone actually explained their clinical reasoning to you. Is amazing how much it can help.

Agree with you all about visitors although remember being pleasantly surprised last time about how considerate my family were. Theyre a bit of a nightmare normally and all are spread out across the country but no one expected to stay and I just let them sort themselves out in hotels etc. Unfortunately in a bigger house this time so will be putting my foot down about no overnight visits. (apart from whoever ends up looking after DS while im in labour)

Right BP has responded well to meds and I'm now on the horrendously noisy vibrant antenatal ward for overnight. BP to be checked 4 hourly. Thanks for all your support x

Just back from a walk in the park....I walk around the park/ lake dp runs around, very jealous of him. So disgusting person obviously thinks its not necessary to clean their dogs muck up and I went straight through it in ugg boots, marvellous it's caked in the grooves on the sole. Tempted to chuck them in the bin rather than clean it off yuk!! Filthy animals ( owners not the dog)

Great news, pseudo - hope you manage to get some rest

Stick to your guns about visitors everyone, its one time in your life you should worry about you and yours only. Have had a guilt trip from my dad as he suggested my mum come and stay for a few weeks when baby is born, so she can be involved (she was very ill around the time ds was born). Uh no dad, mum can come and be involved once dp is back at work and I need the help, the first few weeks are about the 4 of us. I hope I am more considerate when my dcs have children. I don't understand why people think they are more important than mother and baby .

pseudo I'm sure that's helping your bp no end! Hope you are feeling better soon.

Any progress after the sweep falcon?

badger
Glad things were a bit more positive today falcon.

I have the same feelings about visitors. Nice to know other people do (another "people on mumsnet say..." Sentence to DH) . DHs parents have told people they are meeting for lunch around our due date that they may need to cancel if I go into labour. I really don't want them rushing over and hanging about outside the delivery room/on our doorstep when we get home, so DH has agreed not to tell anyone about contractions/labour etc. until actually announcing the baby is here which gives us a few hours and avoids him having to provide regular text updates. I also am saying no visitors at hospital and keep mentioning that they don't tend to keep you infor more thank few hours so visitors not appropriate. I would like a few days at home to settle into but not sure I can hold off visitors for that long. Definitely not having anyone stay here, they will have to get a hotel and hope to invite people around 11 for tea and cake time then they will leave when they get hungry for lunch.

I don't want to hand my precious newborn around lots of people and ditto whoever was nervous about feeding in front of critical eyes. I think sharing the baby with DH will be hard enough!

Good luck next week shire. Just don't become like the primary teacher who gave birth in the classroom today!

I'm sorry to hear you're in hospital Pseudo but I suppose it's for the best.

Hopefully things will start to progress for you Falcon. At least you feel like you've been listened to.

Am I alone in quite enjoying having visitors? I hope I getn with my MIL. I've not met her yet but she's meant to be coming down from Aberdeenshire in time for Elianas arrival.

I'm meant to be meeting a friend for lunch in Wagamamas tomorrow for lunch but organised it forgetting that tumble dryer is being delivered tomorrow. I've requested that if I'm not at home that it be delivered next door but Dp reckons that they won't deliver a big item like a tumble dryer to a neighbour. What do you think?

Just waiting for my sister who is my Avon lady to deliver the pile of goodies I've ordered. I always spend far too much but she's great and has checked that I can't get some of the stuff cheaper from her reps brochure or in next months brochure.

Stabby fanjo

Stabby stabby fanjo

Ouch ouch stabby stabby fanjo

That's all!

I think they will MoN my parcel man delivered 5 giant and I say giant (they were the same size as the box the buggy came in) to my neighbour when I collected it from her she said she couldn't believe the delivery guy even asked someone to take that amount of boxes lol

orange shortly before dd was born I had intended to send a text to dh saying 'I don't want anyone coming to see the baby I don't want anyone to hold her I want to keep her to myself even though it makes me selfish' .... But as with the joy of technology I accidentally sent the text to my mum.... Lets just say she was least impressed with my attitude

blondies me too, all round Sainsburys. I had a taster of the blowing ball feeling everyone talks about, along with BH it was quite hard work!

Also just had another conversation with DH about visitors - or rather I talked and he pretended to listen. I don't think he actually took any of it on board. I know he thinks I'm getting worked up about it; well, that's because I am!!!

My mother will come and criticise on the pretence of being helpful and MIL tends to just invite herself and then turn up 3 hours before the agreed time on the basis they're not staying long and will pop back later. Aargh! If I say come at 3, I mean 3, not 12:30! She's not going to react well to limited visiting hours either.

Haha Nat epic fail with the text.

Mon I also don't mind visitors, actually quite enjoy it. However my folks are well chilled and wouldn't out stay their welcome and dp's folks are lovely too, and they'll just happily come and make food, do washing and tidy up....I'm quite happy to let someone else help with chores as I'm a lazy bitch Same with mine and dp's siblings they are all lovely. And friends also, I went to visit my best friend in hospital the say of her births (she invited me I didn't impose) maybe we are odd though.

Hope they are looking after you pseudo xx

nat love your text!
pseudo glad to hear your BP is down. Hope the noise doesn't raise it again...

re: visitors, couldn't you just say you're worried about newborn picking up bugs so come back in 6 years a few weeks time?
Luckily my ILs are in Oz. When they do descend it's for weeks, not hours, but at least that means we get good notice

I just had a wonderful yoga session (chick was it you trying to justify it with your OH? def worthwhile) The teacher was giving loads of waffly advice to ladies with PSD- in case those of you suffering haven't heard any of this before she was advising:
...tying your knees together at night with a scarf so that you keep them together when you turn over and don't wake up in pain
...keep your legs together 'like a lady' when you get into cars etc
...and squeezing pelvic muscles together along with tight knees to strengthen the pelvis.
...oh and she also said you cd give birth kneeling with baby coming out to the rear so to speak

One soppy thing I wanted to share with the 1st-timers... When I last did this pg-yoga (pre ds) I struggled to think of the 'image that makes you smile to your bones' (something to get you thru pain!) I think I thought of getting a +ve pg test. This time I just have to think of DS wiggling his naked butt at me laughing and the +ve emotion is overwhelming. Just saying- all this pg pain/life changing malarky is worth it. Honest.

Soppiness over. Hope you all sleep well tonight, wherever you are xx

Just read on one of my weekly pregnancy emails that your waters will be broken artificially before you get in the birth pool to check if there is meconim. I can't find anything else about online though. It was from Emma's diary so not the most reliable source. I will ask my midwife when I see her in a couple of weeks. Has anyone else heard of this before? I was hoping not to have my waters broken artificially but will have to weigh up that and bring able to get in the pool if it is the case (presuming my waters don't go before then - which they probably will - I am a worrier!)

They didn't break the waters of that Russian lady on Midwives before she used the pool?

Checking In. Congratulations Kelly on the birth of your little girl!

Sorry to gate crash this post with an education question (have posted on education but not much feedback yet) and I believe there may be a couple of teachers on this thread and I would appreciate your feedback if possible. Here is the thread I posted -

My dd (7) has just started junior school. She has been told by her teacher that she needs to have neater writing. DD is a young one in the class (July) and I think this does have an effect in some ways. Over the summer her spelling has improved but her handwriting often lets her down i.e h can look like an n etc. I've tried to back off from nagging her about her handwriting because before the summer hols she seemed to be reluctant about putting pen to paper and this seems to be improving.

DD has also been holding her pencil incorrectly which she has continued to do right from reception (wrapping her thumb around the pencil), despite constant verbal prompting. I have recently bought some ergonomic pencil grips which are supposed to help with this and she has only just started using these - anyone ever used these and if so did they prove useful?

I question whether I should let her hand writing improve of it own accord or should I be going back over letter formation etc with her? I don't want to put pressure on her and if it's just an age thing then so be it but if anyone has any ideas ie about practise sheets on the net etc then all suggestions would be very welcome! I feel like we're playing catch up now (particularly due to the streaming they have in schools at such a young age) and I don't want to become a pushy parent but I want to support her.

Quick question, I tried the breast pump (manual) tonight just to see what it felt like and I found it quite uncomfortable and had to stop...has anyone else tried? What's been your experience?

Absolutely desperate to breastfeed so I'm scaring myself now :(

Monkey - my DD has mild cerebral palsy which manifests itself in her having low tone. This means she struggles to hold pencil in correct grip so we use triangle shaped pencils in house that are quite chunky with a normal lead. This forces her to hold pencil better. Not sure this helps you but thought I would respond.

Had pre baby hair cut this afternoon and had almost a foot cut off hair, didn't realise it had gotten so long. Think I must have lost about half a stone although was quite sad to see all my curls lying on floor

Oh yes shire, that's right. Thanks.

Monkey, every child will have a target to work on. How bad is it? Was it a special meeting about a big concern or just that that is her target to make it a bit better? Is her work legible?
If you are going to do handwriting sheets ask for a copy of the school policy as different schools have different ways of forming letters eg z, how to join b. you.
I do think it is worth fixing pencil grip as it can make writing difficult and slow as you progress and becomes harder to change over time. However it is not something to make her miserable over. Does she enjoy writing at the moment? If the physical act of writing is too hard to make it enjoyable it would concern me more. I wouldn't want to put her off by drilling her on it at home. The school should be able to help and offer some OT support if it is a big problem.

Monkey- I'm afraid I teach further up (top end KS2-3) so I'm not much use. But, if it's any comfort, I'm no presentation/handwriting bully - content over appearance all the way.
My philosophy has always been, show me that you can, when needed, write as neatly as possible, and I'll leave you be the rest of the time. Their world is so computer-based anyway, touch typing is far more a valuable skill than beautiful cursive writing.
I hope someone else can help with the development of handwriting - there are loads of practice books, but I think you are right to be wary of 'turning her off' writing by making her feel it is a chore or she's not very good at it.

untitled what brand of pump is it? If its a medela one, you can get different sized funnel bits, that might help?