February 2014 - all our bags are packed, we're ready to go...

[sunflowered]

Well... we're getting there at least, and definitely ready to meet the first thread baby!

dawn really hope it goes well with various appts today! Will be nice at least to get some answers about what is going on and your options. And good luck also harlem

sunflowered I would definitely get your DH to bring you some warm clothes and just go for a stroll around the hospital grounds at least. Fresh air will.work wonders and then you can go back to cuddling bubba cobweb free.

Must motivate myself to do something productive today, have had something waiting to be picked up at mothercare for ages and have been ignoring their texts...today is the day

My cold has kicked in.
Such bad timing as I have preg yoga (pre paid, of course) on thursday and the longest NCT session in the course on Sunday.
I want to go and not miss out on longest slice of course content but I don't want every other pregnant lady giving me the stink eye for coming with a cold and infecting them all!

Morning all, look forward to hearing about others appointments today.

My midwife and consultant appointments went well - I'm measuring at 37cm at 35+6 which puts me quite high up on the growth chart but I don't feel particularly huge! Who knows if it actually means anything. Head is down too which I hadn't realised.

I have a section date booked in now for 6th Feb when I'll be 39 weeks, hurrah! If baby comes earlier then they'll still do an emergency section, providing I'm not fully dilated (unlikely!). Nice to have a definite end date though of the latest that baby will come out! Can't wait to meet him.

Now - on with the hospital bag and washing stuff, and maybe a bit more buying stuff ;)

Thanks champagne it's a huge help! Will let u know what happens. Have decided to have a colleague present as well, in case I miss anything x

lovesto we moved ds out of cot into bed part of it at 20-21 months, and at the same time put a child gate across his bedroom (at that point his bedroom door opened onto top of stairs so we put double gate in).
He spent ages the first night getting in and out because it was a novelty, but when it actually came to bedtime he stayed in bed.
When he changes room very soon, he will go into a full size single, I will be reintroducing the bed side rails to this until he gets used to it, to minimise falling out options! and I guess when he is potty trained the door gate will have to come off. my god the horrors that await me then

On cloth nappies - we have bought a few bum genius 4.0 after a bit of research but have also got disposable for right away as apparently birth to potty can be too big for when they're fresh! My NCT tutor also said to make sure you allow for size of bigger nappies when buying clothes as you may find you need to size up to accommodate bigger nappies if they're the b2p ones!

I am new to all this and still boggled really though - I remain clueless on what to carry dirty nappies around in when out and about if anyone could enlighten me? Would heavy duty sandwich bags or similar suffice?!

geeymoose, if you google 'wet nappy bags' you will see a lot of bags to choose from. I have one bag that can hold 3 dirty nappies and one that holds 5-6. I think mine are the Charlie Banana tote bag and Smartipants bag. They either have drawstring ties or zips and a lot of people prefer zips. I keep mine in the changing bag with the nappies.

If you are using cloth then you might as well try washable wipes because it saves money obviously, and trying to find somewhere to dispose of them. They can just go in with the nappy wash. I use a small water spray to dampen the wipes as I need them but lots of people wet them beforehand and keep them in an air tight tub.

Back from scan and pleased to report all is ok. Baby is pretty much measuring on 50th centile for everything and current estimated weight is just over 5lbs. Apparently I just have a deceptively small bump

It was lovely to see the LO again. Baby's head is well down but currently back to back, so I need to stop lounging on the sofa so much! Any other tips to turn it round would be greatly appreciated!

Glad your appointment went well Panda, it must be so nice to have a date to work towards.

Dawn hope your appointments today go well.

Tiny also wishing you luck for your meeting with work - great idea taking a colleague in with you.

Hope the rest of you are having lovely afternoons. WFH motivation is seriously waning, MN is too much of a distraction!

In case anyone hasn't seen my fb post I'm booked in for an elcs on friday!

Growth scan estimated baby is 10lb already - as I thought pretty much. So potentially 11lb if i waited for labour to start naturally (which i don't think it would anytime soon). My main reason for choosing elcs is it looks so much like i'm heading for induction/very big baby/emcs.

Thinking about what's best for baby (to bet got out safely) and for our family (for me not to have an emcs recovery to deal with) i'm confident this is now the best choice.

Diabetic team didn't even bother seeing me in the end - my consultant was a bit [hmmm] that they did a gtt at this late stage anyway as results can often be out. My reading was just above the threshold as well. And I finally felt listened to when i raised the question of how much value me seeing a dietician at 38+5 weeks was!

DH has taken tomorrow off work for last minute preparations and I'm not having a last minute wibble on names....

I mean I AM having a last minute wibble on names...!

dawn eeeeee that's so exciting! You get to see your baby in 48hrs! I am quite jealous!

I am still worried about breech baby and have spent today researching risks of ECV vs ELCS. I am pretty much decided against the ECV if it's offered to me and on weighing up the risks I think an ELCS is more preferable. Yes there are risks too as it's major surgery but at least it's controlled and known risks which can be managed. The unknowns of moving a baby in an ECV and tangled umbilical cords and dislodged placentas is too much unknown risk for me I think.

Fingers crossed baby will turn of its own accord (still lying horizontally left to right today).

FB page has been a bit mental today! I'm guessing it's due to the amount of us already on/approaching ML!

Dawn - wow, a baby on Friday, exciting stuff. Sounds like a thoroughly sensible plan. Which names are you wibbling between?

Lastnight and Camwombat thanks for the vote of confidence on moving my DS into a bed. Will definitely consider putting a stairgate across his door but I'm hopeful that like Lastnight experienced, he might not even notice he can get out at first. One side of the toddler bed will be against a wall and I've bought an ikea guard rail for the other side so plan to tuck his duvet in nicely and hope he stays put. He's a really good boy about going to bed at the moment so I'm optimistic!

MissKat and Sunflowered hope your little ones are thriving x

Had narrowed names down to Sadie or Sally but I still can't decide which i like best...or even if i should keep looking for another name. Was wibbling even before booking in for elcs....wibble had just stepped up a gear now. Think i will be on nameberry 24/7 between now and friday while dh does all the manual jobs..

LovesTo My DD didn't realise she could get out of her big girls bed when we first put her in it (22mo). She knows she can now but generally doesn't until it's time to get up anyway. Fx this state of affairs lasts.... If your DS is already good about bedtime i think it'll be quite an easy transition.

Wow Dawn, Friday! Exciting stuff. How far gone will you be then?

I had my extra scan today - turns out it was because my fundal height measurement showed me as being 3 weeks behind, but when the sonographer measured baby today, she measures about right for gestation and current estimated weight from that is 4lb13, so another 4 weeks and she should be spot on - hopefully ELCS will be in about 4 weeks' time though will see consultant on Monday to arrange the date for that... Exciting to see baby again, and to see her blinking away at us!

I'll be 39 weeks exactly on friday.

Glad your scan went well Sugar x

Dawn - I really like Sadie. Dh didn't though it it would be on my list.

Lovestobake - when I put took side off dd's cotbed she stayed put as well. It must have been around July as did it when I found out I was pregnant so wouldn't be lifting her in and out and she was 2 yrs 3mnths. She loves it and stays put most of the time or if she gets up early tends to play in her room so works well. We've got gate on stairs but not on her door.

Sugar - we might have our elcs at similar times as mine will be in about 4 weeks too! X

Currently 34+5 GD with a breech baby. I'm going through the same ECV/ El LSCS/ vaginal breech debate. I'm going for moxibustion tomorrow and I'm quite looking forward to it! Then not back at clinic until 28th for scan, diabetic nurse and consultant, seems ages away. Baby only started going up on growth scans last appointment at 32+4, before then her growth was fine. My worry is that by 37 weeks an ECV would put extra stress on baby if she is measuring 2-3 weeks bigger and would rule out a vaginal breech but after 3 normal deliverys I really don't want a section!!

Thanks Sassy and Dawn for your comments about the transition from cot to bed, I feel really optimistic about it now. We switched him to a duvet and pillow in his cotbed just after Christmas which he loves and now when I take him up to bed in the evening or for his nap, he generally lies down, I tuck him in with his teddies and he says "Mummy downstairs" which is a total result. He is 23 months now so hopefully if we can get the spare room decorating finished in the next week and build the new furniture, he can be in there by the end of next week when I'll be 36 weeks, so cutting it a bit fine with him having to readjust so close to the baby's arrival but hopefully he'll love it. We already have a stair gate across the top of the stairs so maybe that will be sufficient but we've got another one not being used so can easily add it to his door as required. I'm excited about it now! The moment he's out, I want to touch up some of the paintwork in the nursery and fill the little cupboard in there with his old baby clothes, get the blankets out etc.

My LO is currently head down and fx she stays there but I do think I would prefer an elcs over ecv as it just seems so risky. Wouldn't forgive myself if something went wrong...

Great news harlem and sugar about the size, just shows how off fundal height can be! Growth scans are so reassuring for that - I had one also that showed I have a little chubster she was already 5lbs2 at 33 weeks so hope she pops out at 37/8 rather than hanging around too long.

I'm no help am afraid dawn as I like both! But I would just keep both in mind, add any others you like and then see when you meet her eeee that's only a day and a bit!!!

Am interested in tips on spinning baby.from back to back as well...I currently spend far too much time lounging in bed, which I'm sure doesn't help

I'm having a dense day....what's ecv please?

bugsy ECV is where they try to manually shift a baby from being breech to being head-down. From the NHS website: "external cephalic version (ECV). This is when an obstetrician tries to turn the baby into a head-down (cephalic) position by applying pressure on your abdomen. It's a safe procedure although it can be a little uncomfortable. Around 50% of breech babies can be turned using ECV, and of those, most stay head-down, allowing you to have a normal birth." Can't say as I'd fancy it, but if everything else has failed and surgery wasn't an option, I suppose it would be worth a go.

So excited for you ladies who are getting definite dates to meet your little ones! Also a little jealous - I've got a tentative induction booked, but am hoping for an earlier meeting!

bugsy full webpage here:
www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/breech-birth.aspx

Harlem Glad to hear baby is the right size! :)

Dawn that is so exciting! You get to meet your baby, so soon!

I'm with you girls on the ECV, I would much rather have ELCS if it comes to it. Just crossing my fingers baby is right way round when MW checks it in a few weeks :)

Had my consultation meeting. It felt quite positive but I felt the head of department was keeping his cards close to his chest. I'm feeling a bit more positive.

champagne I asked not to be contacted in the first two weeks after birth and that was duely noted, thanks for the tip!

I said that this was using too much of my energy and they seemed to appreciate that. Hopefully I'll get a speedy resolution.

Hoping to forget about it now for a bit. They have to offer me a replacement job and thats that!

How gorgeous is misskats baby?! And sunflowereds - are you listening baby polkadot? You can come out whenever you want now!

I also have put waterproof sheets under the bed! They are a bit crinkly but they'll do.

Good news about baby sizes and I'm excited about seeing more birth news soon.

Argh, I'm getting impatient now!