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!

longtailedtit I've been looking at those Bjorn bouncers too. I watched some YouTube videos babies really can make them bounce!
I've been umming and ahhing over buying an Ergo but it seems the most practical for babywearing so I can see buying it at some point too.

I get quite addicted to ebay baby buying but of made some great bargains for brand new baby items that I wouldn't have managed had I not started so early.

The only thing I've bought so far is a few sleepsuits! Am hoping we'll get some bits in the January sales.

Is anyone else hiring a NCT cosleeper? I think we might.

Gosh you ladies are making me feel bad, I havent bought anything for this baby

I did keep things like the moses basket so only need to buy new matress and other bits if its a boy as I kept a lot of my 3 year old girls clothes. If scan shows a voy though I will probably spend a fortune!

I love being pregnant, ive got a proper baby bump and had a seat given to me on the train Saturday and a free bottle of water with the lid on (they take it off normally at the O2) given to me by a guy working the bar and 30 seconds to mars absolutely destroyed the O2!

Those of you who said before that you like 30STM HAVE to go and see them live if you havent already, Jared can truly sing and sounded amazing, better than recorded cd.

I've not bought anything for this one yet. I need to buy bunk beds so I can turf at least one of the babies out of the cots. No idea what an NCT co-sleeper is but I always leave one side of the cot off and push it up against the bed. (I'm not mad keen on anything with the NCT label tbh, I think they're responsible for an awful lot of 'birth guilt')

I have seens some adorable little animal 3 piece sets in H&M with I MUST have for this one.

I didn't realise you could hire co sleepers from the NCT I would have considered that over buying the Amby.

mumof2 my aim is to buy good quality stuff for this baby to hopefully last a few babies so I won't have to buy in subsequence pregnancies.
That being said if I have any trouble with my cervix or a very early premature baby then we will probably stop at one.

Thanks for the link moomin. They are so cute, think we'll have to get some!

Does anyone have any experience of baby slings? I really want to use one but have no idea which are good makes.

I haven't bought anything for the baby yet, just a few things for me to make pregnancy a bit more comfortable! Going to wait until the gender scan, then I might pick up a few things in the sales after Christmas.

We're reusing pretty much all of DD's things and I bought gender neutral clothes for the first six months or so, so we're not going to need to get that much. I might get a proper breastfeeding pillow this time, I just improvised last time and something a bit firmer and better shaped might be more comfortable.

Highly recommend the Baby Bjorn Bouncer for those considering it. DD got so much use out of that. It sits up higher than some for when she was awake and curious, but she'd fall right asleep if it was laid back and bounced with a foot for her.

I haven't had any of the bingo comments suggested, but then I've been married a long time, bought a bigger house last year, always talked about having two (or maybe three) children and DD is 3 YO. No-one has been even remotely surprised.

I had a wrap to use with DD, mrsmummytobe. I must admit it didn't get used much... I think it depends on what nature of baby you end up with! DD hated being restrained in any way, she liked space to move and wave her arms around.

Still got it for this time around, so we'll see what DC2 thinks of it.

Another bingo one - I shouldn't complain about morning sickness, because there are women out there who'd do anything to have a baby.

It just smacks of the whole "eat your dinner, there are children starving in Africa" attitude. I was also made to feel guilty for not knowing what to do because the baby is unplanned, unexpected and because I considered abortion at one point - again, because some women would do anything to be in my position.

Why is it fine for outsiders - usually people who are neither pregnant nor TTC! - to say "Well you should be grateful, they'd give anything to be where you are", but it's unacceptable for me to have said what was true in the first few days after finding out - that I would've given anything to not be pregnant?

It can be unfair on both sides, I just wish outsiders would be a bit more sensitive to that

moomin ah I hate the whole attitude of being 'greatful' we are greatful but it's still ok to moan and be upset.
I used to get this a lot in my first pregancy when I had hypermisser of course the culprits had almost never had bad normal MS never mind anything worse.

Mrs I believe hamandcheese babywears and I thinks few others have too.

I now of NaturalMamas forum it's great for sling knowledge and many of the mothers babywear full time.

Personally I find YouTube the noblest lace for this type of research if you search for Mei Tia, Erog or SSC babywearing, Ring sling, woven wraps, stretchy wraps.

Like anything else it can be as expensive or cheap as you want it to be, I have an Oscha Ring sling but I could have bought cheaper.

Some Brands to search
SSC Ergo, Boba 3G, Connecta
Woven (and Ring slings) Oscha, Didymos, Girasol.
Mei Tia Babyhawk
Stretchy Moby

www.naturalnursery.co.uk/baby-carriers-and-slings.html

www.lovetobenatural.co.uk/baby-carriers/woven-wraps/girasol-wraps.html

This should give you an idea of prices.

Scan tomorrow at 8:35 eep!

Blimey, you lot are organised! The only things we've bought are a couple of maternity tops and a soft bra for me. However my parents are coming to visit (from abroad) on Wednesday evening and we plan to announce the good news to them straightaway (no choice really as my mother will spot the bump in no time). Chances are my mother will be dragging me around baby shops by Thursday morning - she's been waiting for this for a long time and who am I to deny her the pleasure!

moomin & LB I often see a great phrase on here when people are giving it all that "...at least you're able to have DC/have a roof over your head/he doesn't beat you" etc -

Your broken leg doesn't mean my stubbed toe hurts less.

Always makes me smile! There's always someone worse off, but it's not a bloody competition! Whinge away, at least we'll listen!

And honestly on that theory, none of us would ever be allowed to complain about any shit things in life, because after all, we're still all better off than a starving refugee widow at risk of gawd-knows-what subsisting with her surviving DC in a shanty town in war-torn Eritrea etc etc (and there's prob someone worse off than her)

Good luck randdom, at least it's an early appointment so not much waiting around beforehand.

We've been really lucky and given quite a bit of stuff from my sister like buggy, Moses basket, cot - so all the big things really. Only think we've bought so far is a car seat which attaches to the buggy chassis which we got for a quarter of the price of new ones from eBay, and also bought a bundle of baby clothes from eBay. 22 outfits in total, all from jasper conrad J from Debenhams or from next and we got it all for £14 including delivery. lt looks really nice too. So I'm pleased with my bargains so far.

Want to do a bit of research into slings as I really want one of them.

Excellent bargains impatiently!

The only reason I've been eBaying like mad is that I know what I need this time, and to get it cheap I have to start early and be organised. If I was buying retail I could leave it all til the last month!

With DS we borrowed a travel system, carseat, walkers, all sorts off DHs brothers, and my DSis had been saving what she called 'The Baby Shop' in her attic for me, so we had tons of good stuff from her too - tons of GroBags in all sizes etc.

We just discovered that carseats have an expiry date - who knew!!
SIL was going to lend us their Maxi Cosi Stage 0+ carseat again, but it seems it's reached the end of its life - something to do with the tensile strength of the plastic degrading with age. I've looked it up online and they only last 5-6 years.
So that's £100 we need to spend, we bought the base unit it clicks into in the car, so have to get the same one.

long that's a great phrase I've taken note.

randdom hope all goes well with the scan and baby gives you a wave.

LB I like the alternative when someone is whingeing completely unnecessarily too - "Aw, are your diamond shoes too tight?"

Slings yay! I'd say the best thing you can do is buy a stretchy wrap (Kari me or moby are two brands, they're all the same though) and practice before LO comes. A good lot of people are put off by learning to use a wrap, and I get that, but do it a handful of times and you get the hang of it and the pay off is ridiculous comfort, instant soothing for the baby and being able to do things while the baby is settled, rather than being stuck under a sleeping baby or stuck with an inconsolable one. Also if you have a baby who is colicky or refluxy it will literally save your sanity.

Other structured carriers are good too, especially when they get bigger.

Go forth to sling meet people and try them out, it all makes sense once you see them in action.

Does anyone have a trick to stay asleep on their left side? I'm trying to get into the habit of sleeping on the left ready for later on. However, I go to sleep on the left, but usually wake up on my right (its more comfortable). Any ideas welcome :)

I don't believe the right is any worse more of a case not to sleep on your back. I usually role/squish duvet up behind my back for support.
I should add DH and I have our own duvets, weird but oh so wonderful cant reccomend it enough.

long yes car seats have an expiry, also for anyone considering buying one second hand be very careful, according to a friend with kids, if they have previously been involved in an accident they can become dangerous and won't offer as much protection. Apparently if you were to have an accident you should replace the car seat even if it doesn't look outwardly damaged, obviously buying things on eBay you may not know the history... It's the one thing I 100% will be buying from new, the rest I'm not so worried about.

I'm having a hard time of it at the mo. I've taken today off work as am finding it very stressful right now and feel I have no support at work. My company see my pregnancy as a general inconvenience really. I texted my manager early this morning to say I wouldn't be in (this is normal practice for my office) and he hasn't even bothered to reply. I think I may have taken 2 or 3 days off since I've been pregnant so not exactly milking the sick days... I feel pretty tearful most days at work and have left work in tears a few times in the last couple of weeks. It's horrible :-(

Had result from quad test couple of weeks ago back, low risk for Downs :)

Hey Hobb my employers are total dicks too. I keep feeling like they're trying to push me out now that I'm pregnant. They hate it when people are pregnant.
I have to have a monthly review meeting with one of the directors this week instead of my normal manager. I'm feeling the pressure, i just know they'll start bitching at me for something or other. I also think they're downright discriminating against me for being pregnant. Sigh.
Just what you want when you're pregnant, lots of stress.

Yay moomin same here, got my letter on Friday, 1/10000 I think.

HobbJobb I'm sorry you're having such a shitty time at work, there may be nothing we can do to help but we're here to listen if you want to unload about it.
My old CEO used to literally groan whenever told a staff member was pregnant...