February 2014. Bodystockings at the ready. We make pregnancy sexy.

[DawnOfTheDee]

Ok we don't. We're sick a lot, cry at adverts, moan about back/hip pain and if we got a quid for each new stretchmark generated we could all give up work and employ a nanny.

In fact if you know any teenagers feel free to show them our threads...we are the most effective contraceptive since sliced bread don't ask.

Ladies...as you were....

I've got a number for booking my nhs classes in one of the leaflet things my mw gave me. They're only open 9-1 3 days a week tho so I'm yet to manage to actually book anything. If you haven't heard about yours is give your docs/mw/baby unit place a call and ask them how to go about booking them x

thanks, I'll look into it

Just wanted to say that you don't have to join the nct to make mummy friends. I didn't do nct or nhs, I read books and had a private hypnobirthing course with dh.

I met my mummy friends, the best friends I've ever had, at the sure start centre after DS was born. I also met loads of other friends at other playgroups and baby sessions. So many that I had to get really selective as I had more friends than spare time!!

So don't worry that the nct is the only option because I certainly don't regret not doing the course. I just couldn't afford it at the time.

thanks, this is reassuring. I don't think there are any NHS courses near me - I've checked in the booklet and it just says 'tours of the hospital' under that section, and there's a leaflet with various yoga and NCT classes on it (most of them out of date). I'll ask the midwife at the next appt tho, just in case.
My current worry, though, is that my husband went off to work in the Middle East yesterday morning and I still haven't heard that he arrived safely. Hopefully I'll hear by tomorrow!

I can second what Vix said. I didn't do nct with first pregnancy as left it too late to get into classes nearby! I met loads of people through postnatal group, breastfeeding cafe and baby groups. I'm really good friends with a lot of them still.

If you are on a low income, you can ask the NCT for discounted classes - I'm not sure what the threshold is, but it might be worth looking at.

We've booked them, again mostly for the social contacts as we'll (hopefully) be moving into a new area around the time Bean comes along, but am also hopeful we'll meet some interesting people at baby groups.

Just to express my relief after having said how worried I was about my husband... He'd had trouble getting through to me but just phoned and all is well!

Awww ch11 you must be so relieved, I'm glad he's safe and sound.

How did you find hypnobirthing vix? We go to our first class in a couple of weeks and I started reading the book today and am very excited about it. Hoping it helps me stay calm for whatever happens during labour.

Misskat. Honestly... Hypnobirthing gave me a calm, worry free pregnancy. Unfortunately I had unrealistic expectations in some ways, I planned a home water birth with candles and music etc. instead I went 2 weeks over, was hospitalised, induced and then had complications that made it extremely painful. I was in too much distress to call upon any of the hypnobirthing techniques, the birth I was having was too far removed from my 'plan'.

However I would recommend it as my situation wasn't typical, and as I say it gave me a calm pregnancy which was fantastic.

This time though, I'm not making any plans other than to go with the flow and try not to dwell in how awful the last experience was. And to be more assertive!!

Thanks Vix - yeah I'm trying to be "go with the flow" about it as obviously id like a calm chilled birth but I know that anything can happen on the actual day so am hoping to have a "I can deal with whatever comes" attitude and hopefully it will be a calm lovely birth

Yes that's the best thing to aim for. I just totally lost it unfortunately.

Ds2 (10 yo) just felt the baby move. Baby gave his hand a big kick. I keep on putting DP's hand on my bump but he can never feel it so it was great to see someone else experience it. He was slightly freaked out but then said it was cute because his feet must be tiny.
I'm also going to try mum and baby/toddler group instead of pregnancy classes as I really shouldn't need them with my third. Plus I need the money for the house move and baby.
Hope everyone has had a great weekend. Time is going a lot faster now I think.

Will catch up tomorrow, it has been a busy weekend with my little munchkins and friends. Completely exhausted and off to sleep now.

2 more days until my scan ooh getting very excited.

19+4

Ah! Can't sleep and so tired... Where has this weekend gone, got nothing done and really loads to do this week...cue worrying!

Wide awake at stupid o'clock thanks to the inlaws rock hard bed, my poor hips can't take it.

We move in to our new house tomorrow, and have been packing all weekend. Or rather, I've been packing while Dh has been doing useful things like wrapping furniture in bubble wrap and dismantling toilet roll holders which could easily have been chucked in a box I'm exhausted

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Up bright and early for Monday commute

Jealous of all the movement being felt. Am not feeling much other than twinges which could be wind. Hoping for a proper kick or punch soon!

Re NCT classes we are booked on them but only at £180. Also booked on NHS ones through the birthing centre attached to the maternity hospital but they clash with pretty much every single NCT one. Thankfully can still attend the 2hr water birth NHS one and the infant first aid which were ones I didn't think NCT really covered. This is our first DC and despite having a lot of friends with toddlers I wanted to meet mums who were going through the same stuff as me at roughly the same time (like this thread) so considered the fee justifiable.

Got a hellish week at work ahead followed by mini break to Rome on Sunday then scan! Can't wait!

20+2

Crap night sleep here too. Pregnancy insomnia is in full flow here. Why is it always worse before I have to work? Grr.
Good luck with the scan somany and jazz. Not long to go. I'm very jealous of your trip to Rome jazz. I would love to visit there one day. Have a lovely time.
Hope the move goes well tiny. We should be moving in a couple of weeks and I'm dreading it but it will be worth all the chaos.

jazz why are your classes so much cheaper!?

Our NCT classes are £220, but we've booked them near the new house in Herts rather than London where we currently are. If I remember rightly, there are price bands according to area.

Good luck with the move Tiny!

Good luck with all the scans today and with your move tiny

Another attractive side effect is starting to impact this week. For a few weeks I've been experiencing shallow fast breathing as I fall asleep (mw says nothing to worry about apparently). Could live with a bit of funny breathing, but now it's making me snore loudly as well Is this normal?! Going out to buy dh earplugs today...

sunflowered I'm told via "what to expect..." that snoring can be another one of those delightful things accompanying pregnancy. If I start to snore I'm going to hide all my earplugs so DH can get a taste of what it's like to try to sleep next to a snorer. Possibly only for a weekend, but still

btw the best ones are the ones with little soft fins - they block the most noise (and can be worn to thrash metal gigs / serious manufacturing as they are v good) but the squashy foam ones will do. The soft waxy ones are minging.

Thanks thingy I'm just hoping we enjoy it as we are doing the trip on a DIY basis, so will have to pay for all transport, food, visits etc and every time I think of the spending I see my baby! It will be the last break we have for a long time so guess I should enjoy it.

bare I think it's due to the price zone that we live in and the number of hours we have booked. There were two courses in my local area and I booked the slightly shorter one at 18.75hrs. I think we live in the lowest price band. The other price bands are listed here on NCT site

I keep having dreams where I am pootling around, doing my own thing, and suddenly realise I have no idea where the baby is, and when it was last fed. Last night's also involved my mum swaddling one of the cats and handing that to me instead of Bean for breastfeeding. (to forestall further nightmares, I didn't get around to actually breastfeeding the dream cat - my dream self noticed the switch, so there is some good news...)

Now in the daylight, I am clinging to the facts that a) my mum is not actually a cat-swaddling lunatic and b) babies are notorious for letting the world know they have not been fed/they want something/need Mum. Still quite weirded out though. :-(

Morning all.

Just to let you know my sad news that little puppy Betty didn't make it through the night. We are devastated, I've never seen DH cry before. It's all for the best I'm sure. Makes me want to be a really good mumma to my little baby. Think il have the dogs in bed with me tonight!!

Re NCT my DH is super tight so I've signed up for NHS classes. Not bothered about meeting 'the right kind of people' as every Tom Dick and Harry is preggo round here so Im not struggling for friends. Plus aquanatal classes are so much better for me as everyone lives in a 15 min radius of me.

I also read my maternity notes and found out I'm anterior too. Sooooo common. That's why I can't feel much. No idea why they don't mention it to you, guess it's genuinely nothing to worry about.

In other news my lovely big sister bought me a nappy bag filled with essentials which was sooo sweet, and matches perfectly with my grey and white theme, here's the link www.babymel.co.uk/product.php?shopprodid=43&varient=217 it's the vintage bows one x