The Brookers are ready for a 2014 sneeze-birth fest. Come and join us if you think you're hard enough...

[SantaMaybe]

Here we go brookers. At least three of us will be sneezing on this one

Dh is very happy - wasn't very keen on the fact id booked the private scan but seems to have forgotten that!

I like Finn and I too remember dreams campaign for that name with her dh!

Conveniently forgotten ay? ;)
Have you been thinking of names since? Are you happy you can do blue and green?

Ever since I got a bfp with dd1 we have planned to name a boy after Dhs grandad so boys name has been sorted for ages! I am quite excited about the new retail therapy opportunity for sure!

Are you still planning a surprise with this one?

Yes really want the reveal to be at birth otherwise I will never have that experience. it does make me wobble slightly that you know already!
that is super organised having the name picked 4 years ago ;)

Aww congratulations Pomme! That's very organised on the name front too!

I didn't know you were planning a surprise Purple. How are you both feeling?

Hope everyone else is well.. and hope things are moving Pen! :)

All ok here. Nothing much happening.. in a lot of pain (both back (SPD beginning I think?) and round ligament)... but getting there. A lot of it is stress related I think, which should fade when silly house stuff is finally sorted. Not sure whether we'll be having a surprise here - we did with DD, and I'd like to again but it's DH's call. We have lots of girls names on the list but very few boys ones (and we'd like a selection to choose from)...

Interesting you may not have a surprise this time! I have been having horrible ligament pain for a while now, surely I should just stretch and then ot stop? I have been managing with a bit of SPD now, it is ok they, consciously engaging core, not picking up DS, walking slower and good posture seem to help!

How is house stuff? sorry to hear your stressed :(

Purple, that sounds like all the stuff I should be doing back wise anyway. I've noticed more sciatica and the beginning of SPD, and the normal back stretching/lengthening exercises I was doing (Alexander technique) are feeling a bit uncomfy as it involves being on my back, which I'm struggling with. Need to make a more conscious decision to engage core - but have been doing less carrying and more conscious of posture and it seems to be helping.

I'd love another surprise, but I got my way last time, so it's up to DH!

We're being passed pillar to post with house stuff. We were supposed to hear yesterday or today, but the case has been passed to a new company who are messing us around (a government agency; we'll be doing some serious complaining when this is all over). They've told us we'll have some info by 10.30am tomorrow, so keeping fingers crossed..

Not stressed about moving itself, just the current uncertainty. The sale of our current one is progressing well and I've already had to give notice to all my students, so it would be good to move sooner rather than later... and not to lose the house, of course!

Hello!

Pomme, yay for another little boy! And thank you for saying the bit about having 2 girls and a boy. I was talking to someone at work yesterday who said 'oh, so you'll have one of each', and I was honestly stunned. This person knows my history and has always been v nice and sympathetic, but it clearly didn't cross her mind that actually, it will be two girls and a boy, not one of each. I didn't say anything, just agreed in a slightly startled tone - I think of myself as having 2 girls at the moment, not just one.

Pen, when will the induction be? Not that you'll need it because Pingu will be appearing very soon without any intervention at all!

Purple, I like Finn/Finnian - lovely names! SIL has a brother called Finn, though, so DH and I were kind of ruling it out on that basis - it's not so close a relationship that it's a definite no, but it isn't ideal. I do like Celtic names - Conn/Conor, Rhys, Felan (although my sister's boyfriend, who is Irish, pointed out that Felan is awfully close to Feeling, which put me off). Conor is probably a bit too close to my dog's name (Conan - not named by us, I hasten to add!) for practicality. I started a thread in Baby Names entitled 'could I call a baby Wolfie in RL?' and got v mixed responses! Some people thought I was mental and some said they liked it, but really the ones going 'are you insane?' probably had the right of it - as someone pointed out, the baby has to live with the name when he's at school and a young man trying to chat up girls and at job interviews and so on.

Sorry to hear about the SPD/back pain, Musical. Hope the round ligament pain at least eases off soon. Can you adapt your Alexander technique stuff so it's not so much on your back?

too - I feel indignant on your behalf for comments like that. Probably keeping stum is the best way to deal with it as any ensuing conversation would be a bit tricky.

I like Conor! Our name is Sam (Samuel) by the way. It means a lot to dh to use his grandads name and I like it and think it goes really well with Holly and Abbie now. For girls names we had Cara down as the only name we vaguely agreed on but neither of us were sure. Faye was the only other but that's been a short lister for both girls so felt like bit of a reject pile name!

Spd sounds grim and brooking for it to just go away for all brookers ASAP.

Also, the chinese predictor calendar thing has been right for me three times now! Has anyone else checked that or am I the only geeky sad do googling gender prediction tools?! I am so impatient, I could never manage to hold out till the birth. I do quite admire people who can by the way, muscial, purple and everyone else!

I'm eating Pringles while DS naps, hoping I need a pee before my MW appointment at 2, and also hoping DS wakes up in time for it, and happy. Oh, and cooking a pastry base in prep for quiche for dinner. What can you do with a tiny bit of left over short crust pastry? I was thinking of trying to make something sort of starter like out of it. Maybe a dollop of tuna, cheese and a cherry tomato and fold into a parcel?

SPD/hips are still really bothering me. Not sure if it is SPD though really, I'm ok at night turning over etc. It's more that I'll occasionally do something that makes a really sharp pain in my left hip, leaning forward makes my whole back ache terribly, and also a feeling of muscle tightness running from my neck down to my lower back. I'm managing though, thankfully, even if I do still have to keep reminding DH that I hurt! I made him feel super guilty yesterday, I just hope it lasts... I said his response to "when was the bathroom last cleaned" shouldn't be "the last time my pregnant wife with a bad back did it".

In other news, I need to decide what to do with my cat. He's cost us £500 in vet bills so far, probably has bone cancer, and needs a leg amputated. That'll be another £500. No insurance for him. He's scared of DS, and spends most of his day refusing to come into the house, or hiding somewhere hoping DS won't find him. Would getting him put down be kinder, or pay for the amputation, find a way of working in a litter tray, toddler and cat recovery, and maybe rehome him to somewhere nice and quiet?

I'll write something less mememe after app. Still don't need a pee :/

Goodness, Stacks, your poor cat! What does the vet say about the quality of his life after the amputation? Is it likely that that would stop the cancer and he could live for a fair amount of time, or would it be a temporary measure? I know dogs and cats do live with amputations quite happily, so it's not that per se, it's the possibility of the cancer coming back and him having to be put down anyway. How old is he? I think older cats are less likely to cope with being rehomed, and if you factor in a serious operation as well plus potentially ongoing cancer then honestly I'm leaning towards it being kinder to put him down. Also, £500 is a serious wodge of cash. If I were in your shoes we just wouldn't be able to pay it, sad though it would be. If you can pay it, could he recover in a room with the door shut to be sure DS couldn't get in?

It's funny you posted this right now - I have just been trying to persuade DH that the dog is really not well and needs to go to the vet. Dog has gradually eaten less and less over the last fortnight, is refusing all meals from his plate, takes some food from your hand but then last night wouldn't even take that, although DH had put gravy on it. DH is, I think, partly worried by the potential cost, but also by the possibility that the vet will say it's something v serious and dog will have to be put down, so he's being ostrich-like and saying we should wait a bit longer and see how he gets on. Dog is insured but I'm not sure quite what that covers.

Pomme, no, I haven't tried the gender predictor thingies! Might go and see if they get it right. I did see 4 magpies a couple of days before my scan, though. The magpies never lie!

He's a really lovely, unlucky and expensive cat. He got 'cat napped' when he was young (long story short) and ended up with a serious leg injury, it cost us nearly £3k back then to save his leg, and now it's the same leg with this potential cancer! We always figured his ongoing treatment would be most likely due to his leg, and so not covered as it's a 'previous injury'. The more bad luck he has the more we think he can't be the unlucky again.. And he keeps proving us wrong. I'm still pretty sure this wouldn't be covered as it's at the old injury site, but maybe I'm being unfair to the insurance companies (is that possible?).
I think we've decided to go ahead and treat. He's about 8 years old maybe, but generally a nervous cat (probably due to aforementioned ill treatment). The vet has said there will be no ongoing treatment, even if it is cancer, and that most cats with this live for many years after removal without problems. I think we can manage having him in our bedroom through the day while recovering, and downstairs overnight after DS goes to bed. Depending on how well he adjusts, we can then see what to do long term. Our garden is fairly escape proof, so he can be a house and garden cat if he manages ok with DS and baby. If he seems really stressed all the time, we'll look back into rehoming him. Maybe there's a nice little old lady out there that would love a 3 legged lap cat...

So much money though :(

Too your insurance should cover any treatment, but there'll be an excess you have to pay - which is almost guaranteed to be more than the cost of the initial consultation. Dick vets are very good though, you can give them a call and get a quote for a visit. It's about £25 for a cat, and probably the same for a dog. I think most excess is around £75-100.

Midwife was fine, but she massacred my arm taking blood! I seriously considered taking paracetamol for the pain it was that bad. Next app on 4 weeks, and hopefully no blood test.

pomme DH would make fun of me if I tried the predictors, then quite the probability math at me if they were right or wrong. I thought about having a surprise this time, but DH definitely didn't want one, and I didn't feel strongly enough to push it. I figured a surprise at 20w is similar to one at delivery time.

DS wants phone... Back in a bit to finish.

musical sorry house stuff is still being stressful. It was all meant to be sorted by now wasn't it? Hopefully everything will work out for the best, and soon! We've decided to put off moving till next summer, when bump is about a year old. I realised that having DH home at 4:30 in the evenings is better than a new house for now, if we move we'll be adding a commute and a later home time, as well as probably an earlier start.

We're terrible with names, I like quite traditional names though really. It's such a responsibility naming a baby, and thinking how that name might affect them in later life in all sorts of situations. Also, we really struggled with boys names, DH always said "I knew someone called that, didn't like them" and vetoed most names instantly and completely.

Too induction is booked for 16th. So not too long to wait but still feels ages away. Hoping something happens but I'm happy enough if I'm induced again, just hope it goes as smoothly as the first.

Sorry to hear about the cat stacks. Sounds like he has really been through a lot.

Hope your dog is okay too. Gosh it must be very stressful, I hate seeing poor animals sick.

pen fingers crossed some thing kicks off soon.
so exciting reading how everyone else is progressing, name chats etc
can I ask the mummies a question,
when did you move baby to their own room? I don't want to move N but he is getting a bit big for his Moses basket. there is still some length left but its the width every time he moves he hits the sides and since he's been suffering with wind he's managing to climb up and hit his head. he also has less room because of using gro bags but he was kicking his blankets off. would a crib last us another 3months? I don't have room for his cot bed or a travel cot unless I put it right next to the radiator which I figure is just as much of a safety issue as moving him to his own room before 6months. I know there are very mixed opinions on this. I don't particularly want to move him yet but its also not fair to squash him into his Moses basket.

Trix, I moved M into her own room at about 5 months, when she outgrew her Moses basket. We couldn't get the cot into the bedroom - even the basket was blocking the wardrobe door. It's a big old basket, though, bigger than modern ones, and M was/is (haven't measured her for a while) on about the 9th centile for length so pretty small. I know some people move their babies into their own rooms much earlier, usually for practical reasons like outgrowing the basket. If you don't want to, what about N's pram - is it bigger than your Moses basket? Could he sleep in that for a while? We had M in hers at night for a while because you could jiggle it easily and wheel it from living room to bedroom when we went to bed. Or could you turn the radiator down/off seeing as it's coming up for summer and put the cot beside it?

Stacks, hope your cat gets on okay - it's so lovely of you and DH to be willing to look after him in sickness and in health! Have discovered that my dog will eat canned meat dog food, and also that he'd lost 7lbs in approx a month, which is a lot when he only weighed 3 stone in the first place! We think it's his teeth and that he's having difficulty chewing the dried food - I was misled because I thought he was eating chew sticks, but then I discovered a cache of them behind the living room door. I still think he needs the vet to look at them, but at least he's wolfed dinner tonight and last night and I can try to persuade DH to take him to the vet. DH needs to take him because dog behaves better at the vet for DH - he'd let me hold his mouth open but not sure he would let the vet poke at his teeth even with me holding him, and DH is a) bigger and stronger than me, b) not pregnant - dog is a chauvinist and thinks I need protecting when I'm pregnant and c) DH has this sort of weird dog whisperer thing with animals. Honestly, I know that sounds hippy-dippy, but he really does. We have tried looking at the dog's teeth and poking them and we can't see anything and dog doesn't flinch, but it's hard to reach the back ones.

Pen, not long to wait either way now! Hope you're feeling ok and not too sore.

I feel like Wolfie has grown considerably in the last few days - I keep feeling incredibly full/bloated/breathless and like there is just no more space in my abdomen, which is worrying when I'm only 25 weeks. I keep wondering just how I'm going to cope with the next 13 weeks' worth of growth. Maybe it's not growth exactly and more that Wolfie has changed position - maybe he's breech or something and the bloated feeling is caused by him head-butting my tummy.

trix DS1 went into his own room at 6 weeks He was the noisiest sleeper ever - grunting and snuffling - and I literally couldn't sleep at all! Plus he was huge and filled his moses basket! His nursery was dead opposite our room so we just had both doors wide open - in fact I still struggled to sleep for all his noises! And with DS2 he went into his own room at around 4.5 months (then he was ill so moved him back in for 2 weeks or so!)- but we had his cot attached to the side of the bed - he only had a moses basket for downstairs and had outgrown it by 8 weeks. DS2 stayed in with us longer for various reasons. He had silent reflux which caused coughing and choking so I wanted him nearer and then when that improved I didn't want his crying to disturb DS1! It's a completely personal choice when you move him - the guidelines do suggest 6 months but you're his mummy so do what you think is best

Switching the radiator off and moving the cot in sounds like a good plan if you want to keep him in with you for longer

So she has arrived. All 7lb 2oz of gorgeous baby is here. Will update properly tomorrow with full details. Hoping I get some sleep now. X

ah congratulations pen! looking forward to the details.

ah congratulations pen! looking forward to the details.

Congratulations Pen! Hope you're managing to get some sleep, and that you're enjoying all the fabulous newborn snuggles

Congratulations, Pen! Well done you! How lovely.