February 2014 - is there an octopus in there?

[LittlePandaBear]

Okay I don't like to run out of things, even threads, so here's the new one.

Can't remember who described their baby kicking like an octopus but it's very true :)

In other news, I think we're going to save on our heating bills this year - half an hour of ironing, in pj's and a sweater, and I'm toasty, thanks. And it's 5' outside, which is when I normally crack and put the heating on full-time. Not sure how my tropical cats feel about it though.

I'm intrigued about that because my friend who is hypoglycemic eats peanuts to help maintain her blood sugar at the right level. Plus the Peanut boffs yes I am sad and have just googled it recommend peanuts and peanut butter.
www.peanut-institute.org/health-and-nutrition/disease-prevention/diabetes-and-blood-sugar.asp
Did ready brek cause the same sort of high?

Gnitting Sorry if this is a condescending question, but did the nut butter have sugar in it? If so, you can get ones without. But yeah, definitely stick to what works for you.

Another vote for lansinoh cream here but do use it before you feed and liberally, don't wait until the damage has been done. I'll also be getting breast warming pads too this time round. Had terrible trouble with nipple vasospasm last time (related to my Raynaud's syndrome) which wasn't diagnosed by my mw or gp. Was in agony for the first three months of bf and not putting myself through that again. Just to be aware if any of you lovely ladies has Raynaud's it can happen in your nipples. The glamour of parenthood strikes again!

Choco I had forgotten about the agony of vasospasm. Good tip. I also had real problems with engorgement and oversupply (appreciate to some people this wouldn't be seen as a problem but my boobs were constantly boiling, full to bursting and uncomfortable) and found these gel pads you keep in the fridge and then pop into your bra cups was a lovely soother, as was cold Savoy cabbage leaves which did an amazing job of calming down the heat and engorgement. It really is all glamour and despite all of my issues, I loved the ease of bf, kept it up exclusively for 10.5 months and can't wait to have another crack at it!

Choco Omg, that totally happens to me! It's really unpleasant. Had it very early in preg, too, but not since. Does it happen more while breast feeding?

camwombat julietee no, I don't think it was the nut butter - this one was a mix of cashew, hazlenut and peanut and was literally ground nuts, a little oil and a smidge of salt, so nothing bad. I think it was the bread. And yes, nuts are excellent for maintaining energy without sugar spikes, so I think I'll stick to oatcakes and apple slices with the butter! And no, it wasn't a condescending question - it wasn't till I really looked at the nut butter range in Sainsbury's yesterday that I realised how much crap was in some of these butters!

choco my friend has Reynauds, and suffers from it regularly. I can't imagine getting it in your nips as well! Sounds horrible, but I am now imagining breast warming pads to be a strange cross between a plug-in bra and huge fleecey pasties...

julietee it can happen more while breast feeding because your nips are generally more sensitive (due to being champed on every few hours) and therefore they react to the cold more. Getting out of the shower was the worst for me with the change from warm to cold.

gnitting loving the idea of big fleecy baps but not so sure on being plugged in to the grid with the added likelyhood of leakage. May end up toasted baps

Gnitting Yeah, it's really unpleasant - it's like your nipples start contracting and then don't stop and it becomes really painful. They get tiny and rock hard! I've had to soak cotton pads in warm water and apply them before.

hmmmm, you're not selling breast feeding to me ladies

Off for some cake now I think. Only just had lunch. Those important bits of work can wait until I've got my daily cake fix!

lol savoy cabbage boob coolers is making me chuckle .

Holy crap I am tired today! Was awake stressing from about half three this morning about stupid work, but luckily i only had a half day due to my midwife appointment yaaaay.

I had my whooping cough jab and so far it seems fine (fingers crossed it stays that way). Bloods taken too and a bit of protein in my urine but she asked about "discharge" - lovely - and so wasn't concerned enough to send it off.

Baby is lying across my belly at the moment which is what i thought from the prods i've been getting.

House wise - I have rung the insurance company who won't cover us for fixing the leak but will cover us from water damage and fixing anything we need to do for access (floors, ceilings etc). The plumbing people we are covered with for the pipe fix though aren't allowed to pull up the floor however, so now i'm not too sure what to do. Don't know if we are allowed to try and do it ourselves or if we need to get a builder in. Ugh best call the insurance company again.

I just want a nice hot bath and a sleep. Feel tired and like i'm getting a cold and just want a loe down - stupid house!

That sounds very stressful misskat. Not helped by sleep deprivation either. Hope you manage to sleep ok tonight. Does your arm hurt after the whooping cough vaccination? Mine is very sore, worse than the flu jab.

Goodness me just tried to catch up on today's chat before I leave work for the day and it's all lovely bf gore and detail!! As a first timer I'm actually a little nervous about it all now... I have bottles and a steriliser on standby and really want to bf for the first 6 weeks if I can but all this talk of cabbages, nipple guards, engorgement and pain is making me not so sure! I have my NCT classes lined up for January though so I'm sure we will get all the info then which might ease my mind a bit.

Am really struggling with tiredness this week. It's taking me 2hrs to drive each way to work for some reason due to ridiculous traffic, meaning I'm having a 13hr day every day door to door. I'm sat here wondering if I'll actually make it home tonight without delving into the emergency stash of Haribo. Working at home tomorrow to break up the week a bit but thinking I need to start doing 2 days at home now rather than 1.

Bump is also now getting bigger by the day it seems and my maternity tights are a bit clingy today around my thighs so might have to buy some super fatty ones at the weekend.

Saw a pic of a friend on FB who is 39wks and she is enormous (usually slim size 10) so god only knows how big I'm gonna be when I get to that stage if my current size is anything to go by!

Re 28 wk appointments champagne do your notes have a page in them for 28wk appointment? My notes say I should have appointments at the following weeks from now on: 28, 31, 34, 36, 38, 40, 41. I wonder if this is because it's my first child perhaps? Or perhaps different NHS trusts do different appointment phasing?

misskat I would imagine that if the house insurance covers the works related to pulling up floors etc then you will need to phone them and ask what you should do - they might just want you to keep invoices for the work and you organise your own contractors or they might want to arrange the works themselves through their contractors. Sounds like a nightmare for you though and I wonder if that's your only bathroom perhaps you should ask them whether alternative accommodation would be covered by them whilst the work is carried out? Sounds like you might need a lovely stay in a hotel for 2 or 3 days whilst the work is done.

By the way if any of you were interested in the Angelcare movement monitor it's currently reduced to £60 on Amazon which is the cheapest I've seen it (plus Mothercare will price match Amazon if you prefer to order through them).

Next for me is to start gathering stuff for my hospital bag so it doesn't end up being a last min dash in the January sales in the snow. Any top tips? Already know MN suggest Primark granny pants and nightdresses for labour and post birth.

thanks ladies. I've rung insurance company and they say we can pull the floor up. Dunno how to do it though. My head of department is gonna pop round on the way home and have a look as he's my go to DIY person so hopefully he can give us an idea of it we can do it ourselves or if we need a builder in or something.

It seems so random this whole midwife app thing Champagne. I had 28 week one today and they have told me to come back in 3 weeks. Dunno why. Good luck on sorting the renewals. I always look for better deals with car but have never changed the home ones as they're not that pricey and I can never be arsed so just let them auto renew as I am very lazy!

Arm is okay so far - hoping it stays that way. Mine was okay after the flu jab tho as well, so hopefully i'm one of the lucky ones who doesn't have a horrid reaction.

I think i'm gonna bring my mat leave forward as well. I've said i'll do three days after chrimbo but I don't think I can face it.

champs in our area week 28 appointments are done as normal unless you need anti d, in which case it's done in hospital.

missk not surprised you had a sleepless night given work and the house. I hope it all gets sorted without too much hassle.

jazz I'm now in two days a week working from home most weeks. Last week I did three days because of rib/ligament pain. Next week I have a crazy week with two days in London and two days and night in Brussels. It was supposed to be Brussels Monday, Thursday and Friday, but I've delegated Monday's meeting to the very new guy in my team. I feel a little bad about that, but I'd be wrecked if I did go.

It's crazy busy at work at the moment, it's really hard to keep the hours and stress levels down when things I've been working in for years are suddenly moving forward.

I had the maternity leave discussion with my boss today. He tried to negotiate but I stayed firm. He's agreed I can stop work at 34 weeks, use my annual leave until 38 weeks, then maternity leave after that. That means I get to finish work before Xmas, and I don't lose the excess annual leave I've accrued. He still doesn't get that he has a duty of care, he is wholly focused on work.

I got really when at the end of the discussion he said 'Oh I suppose I'd better look at the job description for your post then'! I gave it to him on Friday after getting fed up with him not writing it for weeks. It annoys me because my team will pick up the extra work when I'm off, not him.

Rant over! pizza express for supper tonight, once I've finished my work

Champagne, those appt weeks jazz has given you are standard for a first baby with - couple fewer appts for low risk second and subsequent babies. Might be worth you checking. My mw has been really nice to me ( I've known her for a long time ) and I went two weeks ago, today and
She's booked me in again in two weeks. I'll update on my appt on fb.
Jazz- hosp bag essential, paper knickers and nappy sacks ( to dispose of paper knickers!)

champs I've just looked in my notes and there is a list of appointments and what they do at them all based on "nice recommended antenatal care for low risk women", will pop it on fb for you. I also think the individual mw decides some of them.

You know how they say SMP is paid weekly rather than monthly - does this mean it actually hits ones account on a weekly basis, or does it just refer to the 'working out'?

Good to know - thank you!

Oh that would be amazing - thank you! I work in a company of under 10 and I'm the only person to have ever gone on maternity in its history. And there's no HR! Payroll is outsourced and I don't have direct contact with them - the 'middle man' is a bit scatty and likes to ignore emails!