September 2014 2nd thread for a chatty bunch

[TheOnlySeven]

topmammy I think it's hard to say whether you'll be ready to be a bridesmaid after roughly two months. You will be feeding a lot still at that stage, so that could be a bit stressful if you're breast feeding. I think we went to a wedding when DD was roughly 2.5 months, closer to 3, but only stayed for a few hours as it was all a bit much, but then I really struggled the first few months and you might find that you just breeze through!

Bex my scan's on the 28th! Not long to wait now.

Hmm yeah it is really hard to predict anything with any certainty. I think I'll let the bride herself decide if she wants to take the risk that I might not be able to.

That's good about your scan appt Bex. I'm having my booking appt 25th Jan so expecting scan date in Feb I guess. I had a look at private scans, only looked at one place near me mind, but it was £99 just for a reassurance scan. Bit pricey!

I just feel siiiiick right now. My pregnancy book said I may well start to feel the sickness dying off now. I wish!

Is there anyone else really burpy? I've noticed over the last two weeks I've been burping a lot more.

Can anyone recommend a good pregnancy boo, one the dh can read too. Also maybe a baby's first year book?

Rockin, I've got this book for pregnancy: Day by Day Pregnancy book Great pictures and really detailed.

And this book for baby's first year: First time Parent I like it so far, it's easy to read and understand.

Rockin I bought Expecting Better by Emily Oster. I found it really useful for reassuring me about the risks like drinking caffeine. She's an economist so has lots of graphs

Thanks girls ill try to pick one out tonight and order it

I was given the pregnancy bible which is massive but really informative!

Just beware on parenting books - they can make you feel insecure, like you're doing something wrong and they contradict each other a lot. If you find one that works for you, fab but just take advice with a pinch of salt. No one will know your baby like you do.

This blog post is a fantastic example and made me laugh out loud:
www.huffingtonpost.com/ava-neyer/i-read-all-the-baby-sleep-advice-books_b_3143253.html

I have to say I was given a few pregnancy books with my sons pregnancy and I chose not to read them. I think it's important to have your own pregnancy and not one a book tries to give you. I had few symptoms and didn't gain much weight. If I had believed the books I would have spent most of my time very scared.

I have the babycenter app on my phone and I like it because it gives a smidge of information and it's nice to know how big the baby is etc.

Sorry to hear topmammy, I had 2-3 days of horrendous sickness and now I only seem to be getting food aversion and cravings but not much sickness at all. I did have to get up to pee about 5 times last night though so I am knackered!!!
I love reading pregnancy books but I think I try to thing of miscarriage statistics in terms of "9 chances out of 10 it won't happen" and try to focus on baby development, the do's and don'ts rather than the worst case scenarios!
Maybe it's the teacher thing in me but I want to know everything about which hormone does what when and what causes such and such symptoms to happen etc hehe!

Thanks Hubby. Sickness comes and goes. Felt great this morning when I got up but after a couple of hours the same icky feeling returned! Ah well, hopefully not long left of sickness as I am 8weeks and 3 days now. (I think

Funny you say that about the teacher in you Hubby, as my mum says some teachers she has looked after in labour tend to find the lack of control a bit more difficult as they like to know exactly what is happening when and why etc hehe. Need to forget I'm a teacher and chill out a bit more I reckon I do get fed up of planning each day in such a regimented way though. Sometimes I crave some spontaneity!

I agree with LH and Sebsmammy though in terms of "you know your baby best". I am happy to follow NHS or other "serious" institutions advice but won't be having any neo New Age nonsense lol. I think if your baby cries and your instinct tells you to get up and cuddle / rock them then you should. Only if you find yourself in a "OMG now the baby is crying just to get me to come and give them a cuddle, Houston we have a problem" that you should try to see what recommendations look for ideas leading to a solution. Hubby and I are going to have lil baba in a crib / cot close to our bed but we are both against sleeping in same bed as babi (unless it happens to be the odd falling asleep together on the sofa). Not that it's bad if other people do it, just for us, our values, worries etc it's a big no-no. I think there are as many parenting ideas and techniques as there are parents. It all depends on your personality, the personality of your child and the way you want to do it really!!

topmammy I have started to make a sheet where I have written the various stages of labour, what happens in each, how long it is likely to last and what you should do and what is likely to be offered in terms of pain management. I think it is likely to make me FREAK OUT a lot more if it doesn't go as it says on the bit of paper though!!! I am going to be a nightmare :"Arrgh!!! My cervis should be dilated by x cms now and the contractions are not regular enough, what does it mean, is there a problem, sedate me I am too scared!!!!"

Well, after worrying all week about where my morning sickness had gone to and obsessively peeing on sticks again, it came back with a vengeance yesterday evening, whilst in a restaurant. Classic timing.....

Currently am obsessed with jacket potatoes with cheese and coleslaw. Just had one for lunch - it was awesome!

Am seeing midwife for the first time tomorrow (a bit earlier than I expected, as I won't even be 6 weeks, but she said that apparently they're have a lot of referrals recently seemingly a lot of people had fun over Christmas so they are trying to get ahead of themselves with the booking appointments), and I've also got a date through for my 12 scan on the 7th March. Feels a bit more real now. Still freaking out though. Only 2 days ago spent evening researching miscarriage rates at different weeks of pregnancy! Must be those hormones! Seem to be extra-irritable at the moment (poor DH bearing the brunt of it).

As for pregnancy books, I'm reading the 'Your new pregnancy bible' by Dr Anne Deans. I think it's one of those things that's interesting to read, and I really like knowing how the baby is developing and things, but I agree, every pregnancy and baby is different and I don't think getting too hung up on them is that important.

How's everyone else doing? xx

topmammy my EDD is 4th of september and I am 7 weeks 6 days, are you 8 already? Wow!!
I use my pink app to tell me how many weeks and days otherwise I would loose track of the days!!

Aww Hubby don't scare yourself (yet!) I haven't read anything about childbirth really yet. All I know is there are 3 stages of Labour, you need to be 10cm dilated before pushing and it is going to hurt but not so bad that you will die of pain otherwise I think the human race will have died out by now. I'm not reading my pregnancy book any further on than where I am actually up to in my pregnancy.

My mum said one lady's birth plan was soo detailed even down to how the midwife should talk to her and what words she is not permitted to use in front of her I.e 'pain' Lol. I'm not going to have a birth plan really as I just don't know what is going to happen or how I'll feel. Just going to go with the flow. Although I would like to try a water birth I think!

kitkat here in Newcastle midwife on the phone said same thing, there must be something in the water as lots of newly pregnant ladies are ringing them at the moment!
Hubby has just made me a usually would have found lovely soup and just smelling it makes me want to chuck it in the toilets and have carbs instead.... being French, I think I am about to go and get myself some pain au chocolat from the Co-op, green veggies are evil when you are pregnant I say, especially spring onions :s

hahaha this detailed birth plan sounds hilarious topmammy! I think mine is going to be a) let me sleep, drink sparkling water and have a snack b) give me as much pain relief as possible if I ask for it c) I will scream insults in French so as not to upset anyone. If you do speak French, please accept my apologies in advance, it's not you, it's me not really, it is!

I am sooo wanting some of that blue Stilton type cheese in the fridge boo not fair we can't have it :(

Hubby caught me eating 2 tins of sardines from a bowl and washing it with orange juice a few days ago. His reaction was "but you've not had fish for years??!" he was very confused poor thing. I almost had to be restrained at the Coop, I really, really, really wanted some sushi or some tuna.... I was good and settled for good old sardines though. Craving a lot of cheese and carbs at the moment, and hating about three quarters of the fridge contents (even the smell when you open the door).... Think I am going to go buy pain au chocolat, homemade soup anyone?? Poor hubby, think this going has been wasted on me....

Best advice I can give re birth plan is keep it simple and be prepared for it to change. Labour is an extremely individual process and you really won't know what is going on most of the time as you can't think straight whilst you are riding the contractions.

My doula went on and on about putting in to the birth plan that there should be silence and that the midwives shouldn't keep talking to me. At the time I thought she was being a mad cow and said that I liked noise and chatter. Well OMG she is absolutely right. My second midwife would not STFU, she kept asking me inane shit and I wanted to kill her. Of course my doula wasn't there to help me (whole other story) and I was left trying to answer her and deal with the contractions and eat my gas and air.

This time I'm going to get a Doula who is actually available on my due date!! (that was the story) who has a Rottweiler temperament and can keep chitter chatter away from me.

I bet if they can't shut up that must be REALLY annoying! I have read in a lot of books that you really don't "interrupt" the labour atmosphere if that makes sense, i.e. you just let the woman concentrate and be in her zone...

Ewh I hate that blue stilton cheese anyway so no problem there for me lol I call it the smelly socks cheese!

I'm counting from my LMP on 21st Nov Hubby so that's where I've got the 8weeks 3 days from. But I have a longer cycle than 28days so I have given myself EDD of 3rd Sept for our stats list lol. Medically speaking my due date is 28th August! It's all very confusing.

I like the idea of screaming insults etc in French during childbirth. I might try it, can you teach me some? I only know merde. Haha! (Jokes )

sebsmummy did you not get tempted to just scream "YOU! WILL YOU JUST SHUT THE F UP!!!!"

I have a very good understanding of how labour works, I hope lol (being a midwife!) however physically going through the experience will be something else entirely I bet.

PLEASE nobody take a laminated birth plan, it will guarantee that the opposite will happen with all your preferences (aka Sod's law)

Note 'preferences' not 'plan', we have to word things cleverly when it comes to babies, it's like superstitious OCD, and the words "Isn't it quiet" is NEVER EVER permitted on a labour ward.