The maybies are keeping a close eye on their fruit - due May 14

[CbeebiesIsMyLife]

Will this do? I bet someone's beat me to it now!

Certainly looks a lot nicer on the inside! Thanks littleBairn.

I'm hoping to have another vaginal delivery. Always been straightforward for me so far but if anything crops up then I'm not against the idea. Only thing that bothers me about c section is the recovery time, unfathomable with 4 other kids and a partner who probably won't take more than a day or two off work.

5 hours from being woken up by contractions until DD arriving for me. I went from 5cm to giving birth in 20 minutes! The MW's were still getting the bags in from the car and checking my notes, so I caught DD myself. Unfortunately meant I got no pain relief either... But oh well!

I wouldn't assume everyone is noisy in labour, Moomin! I was very quiet and the MW's commented I was surprisingly polite and civil to them. I don't think I ever raised my voice, let alone shouted or screamed. Of course I do think that meant they thought I couldn't possibly be as far along as I was...

And don't worry about not knowing things! :) How could anyone know if they've not been through it all? First time around, I had no idea about anything. I didn't even know which way around a nappy went! If you, or anyone else, has any questions then do ask. I love to be able to feel helpful.

You all seem to have short labours! 18 hours with ds after induction with that bloody drip to speed up contractions the whole time. Pushing stage was only 45 minutes though. I was knackered! Gas and air made it worth it.

I'm just home and my legs are really swollen. I've been on the go since 6.30am until 11pm so that's probably why day of rest needed tomorrow I think.

Night night girls... I'll check in again soon. My thoughts are always with you xxxxx

PFJ check in whenever you want!

I have just had a run of two horribly vivid nightmares and now can't sleep. In one of them someone stole the baby and I was chafing him down the street but couldn't shout for help as I had no voice. Horrible :(

I've been given to understand that as I'm hypermobile, the whole thing could be over within 20 minutes! We live 40 minutes from the hospital so that could be very entertaining...

dits I had my first at the royal was living in the city centre at the time. DO NOT go there, its not good. My friend had hers at the southern and said it was fine but she did have a v quick stress free labour. I know there is a midwife led unit in paisley that is supposed to be fabulous, I don't know if you can ask to go there, and just be on the ball for getting there, knowing you have the southern as a back up. If I was in Glasgow I would be doing that (if I wasn't having a home birth)

little I have been told conclusively by my Indi midwife that maternity services in Lanarkshire are a lot better than Glasgow as Glasgow are much more understaffed and wishaw had a very forward thinking obstetrician called Clare willocks I think... Maybe see if you can get under her care?

I'm with you dobe not to freak anyone out but my labour was 36 hours from first contraction to DS arriving. He was back to back though so progressed very slowly. Apparently the worst thing you can do to get a back to back labour is to be curled up on the couch, which I was constantly at the end. You need to keep your knees below your hips from 36 weeks on, sitting on an upright chair or on birth ball, which needless to say I will def be doing this time. Back to back is not fun!

My hatred of the postnatal hospital environment is part of the reason for my home birth this time.

Also anterior placenta here and feeling lots of kicks, and proper ones, not just flutters.

sharp I have hypermobilty which is why i think it all so quick.

I've had leaky boobs for a week now. Fun. But yesterday, dh got a leaky nipple!

Sympathy symptom?! Hahaha!

haha dobe my DP has grown a sympathy bump I do believe

hamncheese very jealous of feeling kicks! How far along are you? I can't keep track of everyone on here, just as I think I'm catching up with someone they announce they're weeks ahead of me!! lol

I have been having a fun week of telling all our friends all very positive responses which has been nice!

Going to see a pram on monday! Very excited. It's a Jane Slalom Pro with Matrix lie-flat car seat/carrycot will be so exciting to have a piece of baby kit!

Hello! I haven't been on here in absolutely ages but wanted to check in and catch up on everyone's news! I come armed with delicious home made mince pies & slices of Christmas cake for all you lovely ladies! hands round

How is everyone? I am now 16 weeks and having a gender scan on 8th Dec. can't wait to find out although the midwife at my last scan has already predicted a boy.

Hi everyone! Lovely to hear from thePFJ. Glad to hear your scan was ok little, all things considered.

moobaloo I'd love to hear what you think of the pram. I'm really keen on the Jane Muum with matrix car seat but haven't managed to get to a shop that has them in to try yet.

Happy weekend all!

Some advice if anyone had any suggestions.

I have my scan on Tuesday so hopefully if all is well I will start telling people then. My mum isn't around any more so parent wise there is only my dad to tell. He is away until Saturday and then I would struggle to be able to tell him in person due to location etc so it looks like I will have to tell him on the phone. I genuinely don't know how he is going to react. It is always going to be an emotional thing because my mum isn't here. But I feel he feels a bit overwhelmed doing this parenting thing without her (we are all now adults but still). He still sees me as being younger than I am despite being in my late 20s, married, own a house with a secure job. I think he will feel I am too young to have a baby and I am really worried that he is not going to react positively. He is also about to move to live in another country for 2 years which will bring up mixed emotions for him.

So yeah, that is the situation and it is going to have to be on the phone. So any suggestions as to how I actually tell him.....

randdom no real experience but I would just tell him I had something exciting to tell him - we are going to have a baby! If you sound excited hopefully he will pick up on the excited vibes and react positively
hope someone more useful will be able to give you more advice xx

loopylou I haven't been able to try a Jane at all yet, never seen one in the flesh! I've done a lot of research and found this one for sale, the lady is holding it for me but has said I can try it and look it over and don't have to buy it if I don't feel it's right, which I think is very kind of her. I'm pretty sure it's exactly what I'll want, so I'll report back once I've tried it out and (hopefully) brought it home and played about with folding it and fitting it in the car. the lie flat seat is what I'm really after, I think it's a wonderful idea! I couldn't afford to buy one new if it was only going to be used for 9mo/1yr but second hand they're very reasonable and I can afford to replace it when baby outgrows it.

Lovely to see the PFJ again!

randdom - I guess I'd say something along the lines of "We've got an early Xmas present for you - we're having a baby/you're going to be a Grandad!", ie make sure you tell him it's happy news before you say it, so he doesn't feel put on the spot to make a judgement as such. Then if he's not thrilled, he'll know what reaction you want, and can take time after on his own to deal with it.
Good luck, I hope he's as happy as you are! :)

I can usually feel kicks every day now which is lovely, tend to only notice them in the evening or in bed at night as DS is rather distracting at all other times! I'm starting to feel like I need full-body armour as DS keeps wrestling me and has kicked the bump a few times - it's a bit stressy. Time outs aren't achieving the desired result, and he needs to Stop It Now!

17wks today.

On the labour topic, DS was 14hrs start to finish, and I stood the entire time except for examinations as DS was back-to-back for most of it.
My waters had broken three days beforehand at 35+5, so I'd been admitted already. (Pack your hospital bags early ladies! I did mine while on the phone to the Hosp ).
4hrs of active labour I think (from 8cm), then only 15/20 mins of pushing, tho it felt like 5 mins to me.

'Tightenings' my arse tho. Honestly could have flattened the original MW who told me my contractions were just tightenings, every time they examined me I was further along than they said I'd be!

I was fairly silent, but got quite moany/grunty towards the end. I couldn't speak tho as was concentrating too much, mostly just whispered things to DH who then talked to the MW!
She was fab, apparently I had a couple of extra bods inc a consultant standing at the door when DS arrived, but they didn't need to do anything so left before I even noticed them!

hobb thank you for your kinds words. Honestly its just a case of how helpless you are at this stage in pregancy so I'm just trying to keep calm.

Dits. I've never heard of anyone having a good experience at the Royal either especially post natal care is meant to be atrocious.

randdom could you try email that way he can compose himself before you speak?

Anyone's boobs are growing quicker than their uterus? I've gone up to cup sizes and even thought they are full cups mine keep escaping over the top. I was big boob'd before pregnacy how much bigger can I get?
I get no sympathy in my family as all the woman are flat chested they feel I should be more greatful.

Longtailedtit when did you first start feeling kicks? I'm 16 weeks & hoping to feel them any day now as the baby is always very active when we see him on a scan! A friend told me it feels like popcorn popping when you first feel it happen!

lomgtail agree about packing bag early even after all my drama lasting days. I was still packing my bag (TBF I had only got out of hospital 5 hours before) when contractions started my midwife thought the reason he delivered at home was all the running up and down the stairs.

Another thing I would reccomend early is maternity pads, I had none in the house and had to use a (clean) dish towel.
Plus when I've bleed I've always been asked to quantify it by the amount of pads used.

Hi mumtobe im 16 weeks and can feel them now, low down near pelvic bone, in the morning and when i go to bed i dont think baby likes me being on my left side

Last night i was tapping my belly saying it was a tune for baby then baby kicked back I said baby was joining in DH said baby was telling me to stop it hehehe

Exciting chip! Is this your first? Does it hurt at all
or just like flutters?

Chip

MrsMummy I felt them around 12wks with this one, but around 16/18wks with DS - I just didn't know what it was earlier!

The early ones felt like bubbles/flicks, whereas now it's more of a light prodding. :)
Everyone says it's easy to mistake for wind bubbling around which is true at first, but tbh I find the baby's movement will shift any loitering wind anyway - so what I now def know to be baby will often be followed by a trump!

Finally the day has come!!!!

30 seconds to mars at the o2 tonight, so freakin excited, I feel like a teenager again. Broken out the black eyeliner and goth/rock earrings etc, lol.