February 2014. The cake mix is in the mug, the microwave is on, it's slowly rising and we'll be pinging in three more months!

[Shropshiremummy2B]

Sadly my cake mix is rising too much and resulting in a serious muffin top.

My octopus knows I'm being rude about it, just got a nice little thump in the bottom left quadrant!

I have an octopus too! Can feel him kicking in the bottom left and top left! Either that or one of his legs is a lot longer than the other!!!

I've got a headbanger I think! baby certainly likes bouncing on my bladder and kicking my ribs at the same time

Once again, I've fallen behind with this thread, but here's my little update before I go back and read all the pages I've missed...

Had my flu jab and glucose tolerance test in the last week, as well as a consultant appointment (non pregnancy related) at the hospital so feel like I've spent altogether too long in medical waiting rooms over the past week or so. The consultant was funny, he glanced meaningfully from my stomach to my face several times before saying, 'Soooo....?' and was visibly relieved when I said that yes I was pregnant, before agreeing not to do any more x-rays or give my any steroid injections in my hand til the baby is here. Then (as he had ultrasounds of my hand/finger on screen) he started having a nose at my abdominal ultrasounds and getting really excited about them, pointing the baby out to the medical student who was observing!

Had a manic weekend - Ikea, lots of Christmas shopping, a Halloween party with the DC (I was in charge of the doughnuts game), fireworks, loads of fun but I was exhausted yesterday evening.

I hardly slept last night and have been worrying because I have hardly felt any movement in the past 48 hours, just the occasional nudge, but nothing like the acrobatics I've been experiencing every evening for weeks. Don't know whether to call the Community MW number with my concerns or whether I'm just being ridiculous. Maybe I'll go and drink a can of Pepsi Max to see if that has any effect...

Just a quick one ladies (as I'm a bit scared to post in the big wide world of pregnancy).

Is anyone itchy? Since last night I've been super itchy all over. It's really distracting / uncomfortable. I couldn't sleep and it's so bad that I'll have to see the doctor if it's the same tomorrow.

I think it'll just be a hormone reaction. I had to stop taking the contraceptive pill in march this year because it was making me itchy ( saw it as an opportunity!!) and I was quite itchy in the first few weeks of this pregnancy and on and off mildly itchy. But nothing as bad as this.

I'm also conscious of Obstectric cholestasis but have no experience of it and would assume that it wouldn't come on so quickly.

Any experience or views welcome.

poppy I've only had normal exzcma level itching so far. definitely worth getting it checked out today in case it is anything serious.

One of the ladies on this thread had OC (sorry I can't spell it) so might be along with some advice.

poppy I've had phases of feeling really itchy. Don't know if it's a hormonal thing - I think when I get it across my bump it's because of the skin stretching etc. If it persists, get it checked out.

Poppy it was somany who had OC, and there's a post somewhere on our FB wall about it as someone else (sorry, can't remember who!) had bad itching and thought it might be OC...

That belly mapping thing is really interesting - I've definitely now felt the spine twice but have also had the octopus effect - I figured she was lying long and kicking and punching at the same time!

One movement I can't figure out (I thought it might be hiccups but doesn't sound like it) is what feels almost like a heartbeat in my stomach, but it's much slower than my/baby's heartbeat. Maybe she is just tapping rhythmically for me...

For all the 04/02-ers THREE MONTHS TO GO!!!

It's official - I can no longer see my frou past my bump. I've just booked a wax for this afternoon, and I've never had a professional wax before (having always done it myself). Slightly terrified, though I suppose it's good practice for a shed load of people coming to have a good old look in 3 months. Just can't 'let it all go' as I already feel horrifically unattractive at the mo - I think being unkempt would tip me over the edge!

marzipanned - are you maybe feeling the pulse/flow through the placenta? Do you have an anterior one do you know?

Whoput - it might be a bit short notice but if there's any option to go with a lycon/chocolate wax that might make the process a little less painful! I had an appointment last week and at one stage she asked me to check I was happy with the results... That was when I realised how little visibility I had

Thanks sunflowered - it is indeed lycon wax and I think they have chocolate, olive oil, lavender etc. No idea what that all means, it's just a posh salon as I thought I wouldn't risk a cheaper one for my first attempt.
I can literally see nothing without the aid of a mirror!

marzi, that's me too. 3 exact months left. Dp announced it this morning. Everything seems to be going quickly all of a sudden.

whoput professional wax is lovely, don't worry! (I mean, as lovely as a wax can be..) I normally epilate at home but when I do drag myself in for a professional one it's soo much quicker and better.

I don't think it's the placenta as mine's at the back and this is right in the front of my tum. I think it's also too slow to be the placenta (compared to what I've heard with MW). Weird..it's not there all the time, just sometimes. Oh well, maybe I have a little drummer on my hands :)

thingy it still all feels rather slow for me, am hoping that all changes when we hit December and I get to start opening the advent calendar I may have bought this weekend

Thanks ladies - I remembered it was somany. Somany - are you there??

Enjoy the waxing! We must all remember to book one just before edd!

Sugar, I went in for monitoring with both of my other babies at around 26-28 weeks because of movements changing. Although they never mind you going in I'm trying to be a bit less panicky when movements change this time. Some days all the movements are inward ( or downward into my cervix) but then the next day I'll get outward again. Still get checked if you are worried.

DH and I are X Factor addicts and realised that when this year's winner is announced it'll be 1-2 weeks before Christmas and after that it's only 7 weeks until EDD! That's if the little monkey doesn't come sooner. So each Sunday night we are like "ooh, another contestant gone, another week closer to baby"

poppy I'd call the midwife just in case? Perhaps they can put your mind at ease and recommend some cream? Have you switched washing powder/shower gel recently? I'm using non-bio and sensitive stuff now.

Realised today I haven't had a single sick day due to pregnancy stuff. Thinking I might need to work the system a little bit to ease the commuting slightly. But at the same time feel guilty for calling in sick just because I'm exhausted. However, work has already started declining for me as it seems people are already giving tasks to others which would usually be given to me. So some days I'm sat here wondering why I battled my way on the motorway to MN to file stuff

whoput a professional hot wax sounds like a great idea! If it's a posh salon make sure they don't double-dip the spatula thingy, it's way more hygienic, and you'll be surprised at the end result. Let us know how it goes - I've been too much of a wuss to get one for ages and ages now, as my preferred pre-emptive painkiller is on the banned list and am feeling a little untidy.... One of my friends suggested I let DH have a go with the razor, but as he's a bearded hobbit type who shaves only for important meetings / interviews, I think I'll pass on that one!

whoput - it's a bit weird if you're used to wax strips because they put it on liquid and pull it off when it hardens - I couldn't work out what she was doing the first time I had one. Posh salon definitely the way to go - I'll go to any old place on the rare occasion I have any other treatments done, but need naice fluffy towels and twinkly relaxation music for something that personal.

On that note, the hypnobirthing book I'm reading suggested covering up any medical looking equipment with a throw when on the delivery ward to make it a more 'relaxing' environment. Is that a step too far...? I'm already priming dh to load up relaxing twinkly music onto his our ipod so am convinced midwife will be laughing at me every time she leaves the room!

Sorry Sugar I missed your worries earlier about movement. If caffeine/sugar/music/prodding/lying on left side/etc doesn't give you more movements, then absolutely call the MW. Much better to be safe than sorry. Hope your little one gets busy soon :)

Gnitting - my dh is coming nowhere near me with a razor blade - he still cuts himself while shaving and he's been doing it nearly every day for more than a decade.

Bless him, he suggested I go for the full Hollywood/all off wax. "Because you'll only have to have it shaved off before labour if you don't."

1. Nice try. February is a long way off.
2. I'm worried he seems to be getting his pregnancy information from a book published circa 1982...

Sorry I missed your post too sugar - if you've had a manic weekend hopefully it's just that you didn't have any time to stop and register the kicks? Def speak to the mw if you're worried. Hope everything's ok and the baby's just a bit shy at the moment.

the one I use at home is the veet liquid wax that you put on hot and then pull off when hard (i.e. no cotton strips) It's brilliant stuff - I never got the ready made strips to work for me, but I daren't apply it blind! Plus it'd normally take me about 3 hours locked in the bathroom and a bottle of wine when I could see down there!
Sunflowered - do whatever floats your boat I reckon - the midwives will have seen it all! though they might get a bit miffed if you keep covering up things they need access to! I am personally soothed by fancy looking machines that go beep/hi-tech looking medical equipment. Makes me feel in safe hands!
Which reminds me of this:

oops

Does anyone mind if I eat everything today?

I've not dealt with hair below the waist since I got pregnant! I was worried about flooding the fetus with all the endorphins and whatnot from epilating, which I find very painful because I'm very hairy, but do any way for much the same reasons.
So... I am now reverting to my natural fuzzy mammalian state and don't particularly care who sees me like this! Seriously, I go to the osteopath and strip down to my knickers with a full pubic beard. He has more important things to worry about. May invest in a beard trimmer to make the hairs less long soon as they are a pain in the ass (literally!) to lather up properly in the shower.
I really envy women like my mum who don't have body hair longer than their thumb in inconvenient crevices.

Oh, btw, waxing is totally fine and don't worry about exposing yourself to the waxer - they're used to it :) If it hurts a lot ask her to do smaller areas.

I have to say I've let things going a little 'au natural' down there since getting pregnant, with some trimming of course!

After all the stress of Friday I'm working at home today. I was supposed to be in London but my ribs have been hurting and I've got an 8 hour round trip to Birmingham tomorrow. It means I don't get to challenge my boss about leave just yet. But it does mean I've actually been able to get some work done without distraction/the horrible commute.