December 2013 - creeping closer but no more hospital stays please god!

[LadyMedea]

We are a chatty lot!

whisper, I think itsliz is right - try speaking to CAB. Can you look at surestart grants or things? In the past I've earnt rent money by writing commissions, tutoring and review writing, if any of those are helpful? Can you also ask friends/family to visit you? Or ask for pre-birth outings as xmas presents?

itliz I love my pregnancy yoga, I always feel better afterwards and in less pelvic pain. In regards to socialising, I know that if I withdraw, that's bad for anxiety.

Wk36 appt all gone well - still birth centre bound . LO is 3/5 palpable, dead on measurements and still anterior, swinging merrily from side to side.

I've also done a very bad thing of buying a new winter coat (non maternity too!) - it's a fit and flare so the newly dropped bump fits in the flare section nicely. It's also the first time I have paid full price for a winter coat. I was just so cold with my regular coat half open to let the bump through and it was so nice being able to button up a coat fully again.

I was just told they do the strep b test automatically for everyone here, since about 30% of the population do have the bacteria. is that not the same in the UK?

Well christmas will just be me and hubby, either cuddling our LO, or waiting impatiently for her, most likely sitting on the couch playing mario kart ;) I love spending time with him, so I don't really care it's just the two of us.

due on the 21st. My parents arrive on the 31st (which i still think it's too early but that's the latest I could push them). Thankfully they are not staying with me. Dr will let me go to 42 weeks if everything is looking ok, and as much as possible, I'd rather let nature do her thing. Although at 34 + 4 I'm starting to be ready for her to make an appearance. Sleeping on my tummy sounds like a fairytale...

anyone heard from chelsea?

alyssa I don't have pain down there like you, but it feels strange. the kind of feeling you get in a muscle when you just had a big workout and it's sort of swollen? maybe more like what nom is feeling. If it continues to hurt that way you may want to see someone?

Yesterday in the evening, my BH got a bit more intense, accompanied by some pain in the pelvis. It's all gone now, but i wonder what that means.
do you actually notice when the baby engages? i don't really understand this 'drop' they talk about. I don't know if i will notice it or not...

I don't have masses of wool as I've been using most of the end bits up making a baby blanket. My step mum knits loads though, so I could probably nab some wool off her.

Nabbing wool is a plan Do you have patterns etc? Although there's always raveley!

rose I'm due 21st too! And thouroughly had enough now.
Is it bad that I'd be happy for dd to make an appearance now?
I hope chelsea is ok!?

I'd buy a couple of those lavender heart things you made whisper they'd make good Xmas presents!

I love ravelry. I go on it most days. My wishlist of patterns is so long haha.

ooh those hearts were dead easy to make and only took an hour or two.

Ah sorry about that Whisper, although I do think speaking to the bank about the overdraft is a plan. There's no way they can be seen to be hassling a young pregnant lady for student overdraft money.. It ought to be frozen until you're in a position to pay back..

Good luck x

whisper you could check out local Xmas craft fairs/markets. Some don't charge much for a stall, them sell your knitted stuff. ESP if you can do any gifts or Xmas themed stuff? I had great plans to make and sell stuff this Xmas but it's come to nothing. I've even got the material and lavender to make hearts- I may try to do them and at least give to friends!

Fb me your address and I will send you the wool I have. I am crap at knitting. My craft of choice is quilling. So better my wool goes to a good home than sit in a bag looking at me, begging for me to learn!

rose I only noticed I'd dropped because of my coat buttons - two weeks ago I could only do up one button, now I can do the top two.

whisper as I am lousy at knitting, I would jump at the chance of a knitted blanket for LO.

We have only had this thread for less than two weeks and it is already almost full :)

chelsea we are thinking of you. Hope all is ok.

I don't have to pay it back in full, but I get charged interest for every month it is over £500 I think and then I have until end of jan to get it to nothing. I have already been having interest charges on it which were only small amounts, but now it's ramped up and I really need to reduce my overdraft amount because I can't afford to pay interest on it each month and then £50 in bank fees because I have gone over the agreed limit.

FB'd you pink or at least I think I have

I can't believe how quick this thread has gone either. We've all been so chatty. Probably because everyone is on or starting maternity leave, we have more time to moan discuss the joys of pregnancy

Hope chelsea is ok. Been checking back to see if she has updated anything.

Whisper I'm pretty sure you should qualify for the surestart grant which is 500 if you get tax credits but I know it has to be over a certain amount. Check online and make sure you apply for it. I wouldn't have applied for MA if it wasn't for a thread on here.

My bump dropped about a week or so ago at about 35+5. Not a massive change just a bit more room on top and rather than have a proper shelf at the bottom its more slopey. More pressure on bladder but no bowling ball feeling. Lovely midwife at consultant clinic (I want her at the birth, she was so lovely and seemed so much more with it) confirmed that baby is well engaged. I could tell from the scan too as to scan the head I practically had to take my jeans off. Midwife also said she reckons baby will be here before next consultant appointment at 40+5. Yippee!

Had night of worst and just frankly grimmest diarrhea of my life. Obviously this gastro bug is not gone yet. Day 6 and counting. So dehydrated my wee is like lucozade despite drinking all day.

whisper so sorry to hear how hard things are for you. Just talk to your bank, they can't take money you don't have, hopefully they can just freeze your overdraft.

People will also pay silly money for booties. Relatively pricy cotton (DMC natura) at 3€50/ball makes at least 5 pairs of newborn size booties and people will pay 5€ the pair.

rose that's exactly the feeling I have. I vaguely remember it right at the end with DS when he was sitting very low so hopefully it's a sign that baby is engaged.

Feel like I'm going to be pregnant forever....

Lady i hear you get diarrhea when you get closer to labour?!
Good news about baby being there soon though :) Hope you feel better

nom i really hope that you're right!!

I have already tried to apply for the surestart grant frouby we don't qualify for it. infact we don't qualify for anything until baby is here. It's ridiculous that we are penalised because DP works. He earns no where near enough to live off but is over the limit for benefits.

rose... This was definitely not just a clear out, it was truly the work of the devil .

Out of interest does your hospital offer gas and air, I've read its not common in the states?

Trying to start a new thread but I can't figure out how to do it

So sorry to hear of your money troubles whisper definately go talk to the bank.
After I had ds1 I was overdrawn by a couple grand as dick ex had left and I had everything to buy myself and was living alone too, I also had a loan to pay back and I was just drowning.
I went to the bank and they gave me a new loan to pay off the existing loan and the overdraft and left me with an extra £500 so I didn't go directly back under and the new loan was just slightly bigger payment than the last one.
I was returning to work around 2 months after this though but could your dp maybe not get a loan to help you out and you pay that back instead of monthly charges etc.

I'm sorry I'm not much help hunny, I hope you get something sorted soon.

bohemian so jealous of new coat, I'm wearing dp's fleece as none of mine fit, but I have a nearly new one I will get into once bump is born so I'm trying not to splash out

rose it was quite painful earlier, kinda like someone has slipped jellybaby a knife and he's trying to cut a way out of my cervix
I'm going to ask mw next week about it. I knew bump had dropped as it was lower down and I feel lots of pressure down there when he moves his head.

tmi alert had to buy some bloody pile cream thanks to the constant trips to the loo the past week, thought I wouldn't need any until after I'd pushed jellybaby out.
The woman in boots asked if it was for me and then asked if I was allowed to use it, I said I don't care but I am using it, I'm in bloody agony. Can't buy anything in that damn shop without a comment now lol.

Don't worry alyssa I'll do it when we are out of room... Got another 50 or so to go. I like feeling useful

That's brill lady I'm a bit useless when it comes to threads and such lol
I don't know why I try lol xx

Just don't jinx us with the title this time lady! Something nice and innocent and fluffy, possibly involving kittens that is in no way related to pregnancy or labour!

Alyssa I was nearly crying with happiness when I realised that the 'skirt' of the coat would fit over bump with room to spare. I have always scrimpted and saved on a coat, going for the cheaper options, waiting for the sales etc

If the Boots woman objects again tell her you won't use it unless she tastes it first, that includes the pile cream.

lady - "December 2013 - The one where we talk about kittens and not labour"