With disbelief and minimal drama, the PESH are ambling into springtime diffedness!

[SinkyMalinks]

Antenatal fred fun for BESH graduates

CRESH

Faith - pinky faithlet arrived 14th April 2013
Pinkr - suitably pinky one arrived 25th August 2013
Jethro - blue one arrived 23rd September 2013
Noks - a surprisingly breechy pink one arrived 12th January 2014

PESH

Frankel - EDD 4th March
Sinky - EDD 18th March
Merks - EDD 21st March
Driz - EDD 7th June
Draf - EDD 19th June
Kat - EDD 20th June
Winks - EDD 26th June
Dor - EDD 18th August
Ginger - 20th August
Euro - 28th August

Pleasantly busy here, isn't it?

In case anyone is interested, Holland & Barrett are doing Raspberry Leaf capsules in their penny sale. A bottle of 100 capsules is normally £1.95, so it's £1.96 for 200

We were discussing Raspberry Leaf tea last night at my ante natal class and our teacher had some research info she had dug out. She said there is no evidence to suggest that it brings labour on early (though they don't recommend taking high doses until 30wks+) but there is evidence to suggest that it can shorten labour, decrease the risk of post-partum haemorhage and help with milk supply.

Some women drink the Raspberry Leaf tea all through pregnancy but the tea is a much lower dose than the capsules.

Anything's worth a crack I figure!

Looks good. frankelstein when did your heartburn kick in properly plz?

First bout was around 16 weeks and lasted till about 24 weeks. It then went away completely until last week (34 weeks) when it returned with a fiery vengeance Thankfully it only seems to affect me after eating, so I just take a few spoonfuls of Gavisvon or take a tablet after each meal and before I go to bed.

I am not keen on heartburn, though it appears that today's was caused, or at least exacerbated, by the ludicrous heat in the office. When I left for the day and sat in the car (windows open) it vanished pretty fast.

If it starts up again go and get a prescription for Gaviscon from your GP. Far cheaper than shelling out £4 for a small bottle!

If I gave another baby I won't be raspberry leafing again. I took it with Faithlet and it was too effective!

Sympathies on the heartburn. Mine was terrific!

I'm a rennies fan (orange flavour). Gaviscon is evil stuff! Omeprazole is amazeballs though if your reflux is bad and other stuff not helping

Frank, did you mention a daisy birthing stretch that helps stretch the perineum? (I will be mortified if I've just dreamt this! )

@ Sinks, yes I did mention it previously you're not having very weird dreams about me . Do you want me to write it up again?

Oh and original Gaviscon is vile but the peppermint one us significantly better.

Yes, the minty one is bareable!

So glad I wasn't imaging it! Was it hands and feet on the floor and bring your foot up to your hand?

That's the one. The key is to make sure your foot is pointing forwards so that you don't open your hips too wide, then just gently rock forward and back as far as you can manage. Our teacher said if you can feel the stretch in your thighs you are doing it right.

Morning all, hope everyone is feeling good.

Can the grads talk to me about itchy boobs - the sides of my boobs keep feeling really itchy. I'm oiling my bump and boobs every day but the itchiness just won't go away in my boobs. It's driving me nuts!

I'm also starting to get worried that a turnip may decide to put in an early appearance and how will I know when I'm in early labour? Can those of you who went into spontaneous labour reassure me that you really do just "know" when it's the real thing?

Hands AND feet on the floor?! I couldn't do that even before I was diffed. I have all the flexibility of a short length of two-by-four...

Well, frank, I am nowhere near you, but have been incredibly itchy all over for weeks now. Been going for increasingly oily stuff, but it just makes our bed sheets icky... So no advice for you, let alone on the giving birth part .

Incidentally, it is okay to get a really tight belly during/after sechsing, right? It felt a little freaky (and lembie stopped his protests completely...)

Frank you really will know when you are in labour. I mean it took me about an hour to convince myself that I was but then you really know!

Frank it might be worth seeing your doc about the itchy.

Labour - well my waters went so that's how I knew. I had loads of Braxton Hicks. Difference between them and labour pains - BH are erratic, twingy but not painful. Go off when you sit and relax. Proper contractions are regular and come thicker and faster. They also hurt and you can't really relax/concentrate on much else (I watched Pride and prejudice because it was familiar and I didn't need to concentrate much but it distracted me!).

Oh I'd forgotten that but yes drizz I got the post-sechs tight bump. She would often have a kicking frenzy afterwards too,

Draf it's hands and knees on floor

I'll mention the itching when I see the midwife next week, it's only on my boobs so I'm not worried about liver failure

Ta for the labour reassurance as well. I think it's finally sinking in that in having a baybee and need to get it out somehow

Oh... I was trying hands and feet... .

To be fair, it did feel like my bump was trying to pop as I did it

again.

Seriously impressed at your yoga skillz, sinks. All my tendons/ligaments have always been really short - touching the floor with my fingertips is impossible unless I bend my knees. People who can put their whole palm on the floor while keep straight legs baffle me, it's like they're a different species or something.

I'd be impressed if you could do that when not diffed Sinks, never mind with a bump too !

Oh. Can definitely do it when not diffed. Didn't really think that others might not!

I realised in the shower this morning tha I can't see my feet unless I lean forward - eek! And, if we're in a chatty mood, I've been getting in growing hairs < boke> at the top of my bikini line - I think below bump trousers rub there and cause them... But I now can't see to sort them out - even if I lean forward/pull bump in etc...

< hums Nelly the Elephant to self>

The office is empty so I just tried :) I can get my hands on the floor fairly easily but my feet don't want to go anywhere after that!

I'm quite looking forward to not being able to see my bikini line. Diffment has made me extremely hairy, I appear to be a woman-gorilla hybrid from the waist down.

My bikini line has been very neglected for some time I shall get the Immac out in the next week or so to save embarrassment in the delivery room.

Bizarrely, despite being a normally hairy person (thanks genes) my leg hair has been very minimal during diffment, I'm getting away with shaving once every 10 days or so. Shame my armpits and eyebrows aren't equally as slow growing

Jealous of your relative hairlessness frank We're going to a naice hotel with a swimming pool next week and I think the only way I can be presentable is a trip to the waxers. Oh no.

Is less hair not meant to be a girl baby thing? (And vice versa, hairy = boy, eh winks?). Can't say much is different with me... Hairy as ever (thanks pcos) but less bothered about leg shaving!