April 2014 Thread 4 - We're almost in Trimester 3!

[LeeHandy]

Here's to fantastic 20 week scans, feeling baby move and other exciting milestones and best of all, the end of sickness!

imnotsure I am leaving on 22nd Jan but AL before that so so i have like 12 days left which is insane but im moving country so want to be settled in new flat before baby comes I have a feeling he will be early but what do i know. I sorted my mat leave and got letter through confirming it all. What I would say is that you have to give 28 days notice if you want to change the date unless baby is born before that and mat which start as soon as baby born. So if you want the option of working to due date I would put due date as the leave as the mat leave will start before hand anyway if you went to labour I would ask your HR about if you can change the date if you feel it.

oh and i forgot about putting weeks 23 + 4 weeks

Hi all,

I've handed my mat leave forms in and I'm asking for a/l from 32 weeks then mat leave.

LeeHandy- I love the uppababy vista and also need to check mammas and pappas before making a purchase. The vista sells second hand on ebay for only a bit less than it costs brand new!

We had been checking out pushchairs, same here loved the Uppababy Cruz and Vista as well....
Imnotsure I am planning to hand out my forms HR this week as well. I heard that you should ideally put leave 2 weeks in advance to your due date beyond that if you wish to work need to get letter from GP that you are fit to work.

25+3

My last working day will be feb 15th tho I have a couple days holidays to take so will finish before that! Counting down already and only been back 2 weeks!!! The 4 hours added onto my day travelling (no direct train or bus service) is too much!!

Pushchair turned up last week, not going to use it for DS1 yet will wait for DS2's arrival so it still all looks nice and new!

21+2

I have booked mat leave from 3 weeks before DD. A couple of friends had their first babies 2 weeks early, so I'm hoping it gives me a good chance of at least a few days to sort myself out. I'm pretty sure I'll be asked to stay longer when the time comes - but will see how I feel at the time.

Things are super busy here - have done 70 hour weeks the last two weeks and this one will be similar - am so ready to crash for Christmas. Am exhausted. Nausea seems to have plateaued at perfectly tolerable but annoying level, sciatica similar, plus now have a cold - joy joy joy.

Not feeling very festive yet. Managed to get tree up at the weekend but had to work some of it and decided laundry was a priority over decorating in the free time I did have, so still haven't decorated or done ANY cards.

Ho hum. Getting enough sleep, so I hope I'm not making the baby too miserable. Feel a bit guilty at what the working hours might be doing to her, but then think about all the women having babies in different countries and through the ages and I bet they didn't get much time off, so hopefully it will be OK. In the end my job is not at all physical, so as long as I don't get too wound up I'm hoping she'll be alright.

I would just so love a whole day feeling properly well.

LT xx

21+5

Hi all..

I've booked in mat leave from march 28th. My due date is 31st but I have 9 days of leave left that I need to use up before I go on mat leave so technically I will be off from march 14th. My HR is being pretty understanding in the sense that they told me that even though I am supposed to give 28 days notice to change the date of my mat leave, if I was feeling too tired to come in they would take "any reasonable notice" that i could give.

i'mnotsure, it's worth chatting with your HR to understand what options they can give you. Legally you need to tell them by 24 weeks when you are going on mat leave and then 28 days notice if you want to make a change.

The day after I gloated to a friend that I hadn't fallen ill yet this winter, I got a cold and so am sniffling all over the house and feeling sorry for myself.

cata mamas and papas are running offers on the sola & urbo2 before christmas so there are some good deals to be had if you decide to go for them.

25 weeks today.

Hi LeeHandy, the only issue would be if you have your baby before your maternity leave starts, from then on it will be counted as maternity leave. If you do not have option of carryforwarding your left over leaves to next year you will loose them. Hence i am planning to take maternity leave from 2 weeks before and another 2 weeks of my annual leave for 2013. which means i can take leave from 1st March as my due date is 28th Mar

25 + 4 days today

Hi ladies! Hope you're all feeling festive and looking forward to Christmas I've not contributed for a few weeks but I've been popping in daily to see what everyone's upto.

I'm also struggling to get a good nights sleep at the moment. I can't get comfy at all and keep waking with really achy legs.

I see the midwife tomorrow and presume I will get my MATB1 form so I can pass onto my HR department? I'm hoping to take my outstanding annual leave before I go on maternity so planning on finishing at around 33/34 weeks.

22+4

My GP actually gave me my MAT1B at my first appointment ... I'm sure she wasn't meant to but I can see why they do it to save the paperwork. It's not like realistically you're going to hand it in if you end up not being pregnant, given it should generally be pretty obvious by the time you get to that stage!

I am really showing now with a proper bump that looks definitely like baby rather than cake. Keep catching sight of myself in the mirror and being slightly surprised as I seem bigger than the last time (even though I haven't actually put any weight on for a couple of weeks ... I guess it's just dehydration linked to the cold and/or stress - but I look bigger so it must be redistributing itself somehow). I think it's because looking down I still can't see bump over boobs - once i can see it for myself rather than only in my reflection I guess I will get a bit more used to the idea! Went into New Look yesterday to look at the maternity stuff but felt a bit overwhelmed and ended up leaving without buying anything. Will have to take the plunge soon though I think, if only to get some leggings and a big jumper. Maybe I'll buy online, that might be a bit less intimidating.

Still love feeling her move inside me. Haven't found pregancy that fabulous an experience overall, but feeling her move around is the one bit I really enjoy. Just found out a friend has been diagnosed with a molar pregnancy at her 12 week scan and am now feeling I should definitely moan less and count my blessings a bit!

LT xx

22+0

25 weeks today :-) had my midwife appt,, all okay and baby very active as normal. Also got my matb1, and invites to start antenatal classes in January which I though was quite early but she says they start from 28weeks. many of my friends have said they didnt find them that helpful but i willb going anyway!

Have decided to take my 4 weeks holiday and 2 weeks maternity before baby is due so will b going off on 19th February, and I'm secretly looking forward to having this time off, I do community care and work really early mornings and between 2-4 late nights aswell so can b very exhausting!

Finally over my sickness and enjoying pregnancy and also getting a bump at last! Now in desperate need of a new wardrobe, although I did go and get measured for new bras last week and have gone from c cup to dd cup!

Prettyinpink- I'm also finding it difficult sleeping at night :-( but have ordered a by Carla pregnancy pillow hopefully it helps!

Lighttripper - I'm the same every morning i wake upand look in the mirror and think god I look bigger again, haha. So sorry to hear about ur friend :-(

Hope everyone has a lovely christmas xxx

Oh bunnybump! what you are saying makes so much sense and I didn't think that I would lose my holidays that way! but you are right. I am now wondering if I should have taken the holidays earlier or if I can wing it and hope I don't have my baby more than 2 weeks early! oh decisions!
speaking of which, has anyone heard anything about the mutsy 4rider light? it's the number 2 rated travel system on mumsnet and I've never seen one. I found a retailer quite close to me that stocks it and want to check it out.

Hi everyone. Have not been posting for a while due to RL. Just popped in to check on how everyone is doing.
Yay to looking bigger and bigger. I was not that big with DC1 and people always comment on how big my tummy is. The rest of me is super thin but stomach is sticking out.
My maternity leave is 3weeks before arrival of the baby but because my job is quite physical i am allowed to take it when i feel i have had enough. I am still working because all is well with me and honestly have no idea what to do with myself if i was to take mat leave now. Will see how it goes. The moving at work is helping a lot. I have no swelling and sleeping is good most nights,what wakes me is the baby kicking the daylights out of me and i love it and DD wanting to go to the toilet.

26+4 today

I leave my job on al next Friday. It's so close im working 8 to 8 at the moment exhausted but the end is in sight

24 + 1 weeks

Still off sick from work, this fluey thing is terrible x haven't left the house since Saturday last week for work!

Hunter is getting better tho

21+6 and have a very active baby!! Had a anterior placenta last time but this time hrs posterior and high up so can feel so much more

Leehandy I carried over all my holiday leave when I had DS and I had loads left. Work didn't mind at all. All they say in my work is to try and use it first. Best check with your boss or H.R dept forguidance.

Oh and somebody upthread said you need a doctors note to work passed 37weeks but I never needed one and I worked to 39weeks. So again that might be just employer specific.

LeeHandy - not seen mutsy 4rider myself but I have a Which? membership. I looked up the review on there for you. It scores 72% (their best buy gets 89% the uppababy cruz). Lots of positive written about it, main cons are it's heavy and bulky.

Thank you all for the maternity leave advice.i think I will put 38 weeks down and see how I go. HR was away last week so won't be able to give form in till after Xmas now.

Had my 25 week mw appointment this week, all ok. They are keeping an eye on my platelets but I won't know results for a few days. I know some people are having difficult pregnancies but sometimes just the worry that my platelets will drop further or my cyst will become a problem feels overwhelming....hoping it is just because I'm tired from work and will feel better with this time off over Xmas.

How is everyone else feeling?

24+6

Hi everyone

Just catching up on the news. Had my scan and we're expecting a girl and a boy, really delighted :)

We also have booked my ELCS and they're arriving on 1st April when I'll be 37 weeks. I've said I'd work until 36 weeks, as I did with dd1 (she ended up arriving at 42 weeks and so I had 6 weeks of nothing - waaay too long). However, twins is a different ball game and I don't know if 36 weeks isn't wildly optimistic. We'll see...

We have a mutsy, we got it second hand, it had 2 children before dd1 and its been great. I can push it with one hand. I don't find it heavy at all, tho I don't know any different. It has been a real work horse.

We're probably going to get the bugaboo donkey for the twins and dd1 (who will be 22 months). An absolute fortune, I know, and not that much cheaper second hand, but I'll need options when twins arrive. I like the idea of having the twins in the carry cot together and dd1 on a seat next to them. They don't seem to do sales either which is a pain.

23 weeks

Great news on the scan Bodeccia! Shame you don't have much choice over prams but everyone I know who's had the bugaboo donkey has liked them (apart from the price!).

I'm finally back at work tomorrow after 3 weeks sick leave. I'm a bit nervous about going back because I'm still in so much pain, but I have codeine and my maternity support belt thing, so I'm hoping it won't be too awful!

Hope everyone has a nice Christmas - next year we'll be spending it with our babies!!!

25+3

What's a matb1?

25+3

Hi all this is my first post on the site but my sister posts and recommended me to come on, I'm due 21st of April having a suprise :) when does the 3rd trimester officially begin? I should know as I have a little boy lol but he's 4 now and iv forgotten so much! X