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

Also lurking and Facebook stalking.

Still absolutely shattered and full of cold. On the positive side.. one week until my booking in appointment - hurrah!

Stacks, meant to say that I did laugh at your locked-into-the-doctor's story. I didn't know they shut down for lunch! MW appts are really quick - or at least, the actual medical part of them is. My MW comes to my house, has a cup of tea, blethers for a while, strokes the dog, plays with M and then finally goes right! Let's get to it! and starts doing bp, hb etc.

I get to go see a 2 week old baby tomorrow! Newborn cuddles, squee!

Lurking too, surely sunbeam must be hear by now?!

lurk lurk lurk

I am so, so sorry ladies! Our little man was born Tuesday 25th at 12.39pm via a forceps delivery after quite a tough labour ending with a third degree tear (ouchie). It was almost a Caesarian a he was back to back. We were only discharged from the hospital late last night as he was on antibiotics! Sorry again for taking so long to update xx

Well done Solars. So glad to hear from you! Congratulations to you all! Hope he's doing ok now. Will keep an eye on FB for photos.

Congratulations Solars! I hope you're recovering well (ouch to the tear..) and that your snuggly newborn is doing well :)

Enjoy being home from hospital..!

Solars you're here!! I wish we had a brooker version of the bat signal so I could let everyone know to stop worrying about you!!

Congratulations of your sons arrival and enjoy settling in to your new life as a family of three

Congratulations, Solars and welcome to Sunbeam! Sounds like you both had a tough time - hope you cannow relax into newborn snuggles and be pampered a bit.

PS: name?

Oh well done lovely Solars. Can't wait to see a photo. Hope you are recovering well xxx

Brilliant news :):) congratulations to you both on your lovely new son. Enjoy being back home. Xx

Congratulations Sorlars!! Lovely news! Hope you're recovering well x

congratulations lovely solars enjoy your first days as a family at home. must have been tough yo stay in. can't wait for more news xxxx

Congrats solars hope you are recovering well. Can't wait to hear more details.

Nothing to report here, all quiet. Same old.

Hope everyone is keeping well and having a nice weekend.

Congratulations solars and mr solars, lovely news! Hope you are settling in at home with your son and brooking that you are all healed up asap! Can't wait to hear name and see some pics! And a birth story when you're up to it please?!

Congratulations solars!

congratulations Solars lovely to hear you are all home. Hope you are settling in ok and doing well. Cannot wait to see some photos too.

Good morning, Brookers! Hope everyone is doing well this morning. The sun is shining here, and I only have to work until 1.45 because I have my consultant appt at 2.30, so hurray for an early finish! It is now striking me that the consultant will want to listen to the hb and I am wearing a longish dress with my pants on over my tights to stop them falling down - going to be really dignified when I have to hoik dress up and pants/tights down to access my tummy! Why did I not think before I got dressed this morning? At least these are decent pants (black, lacy, fairly new) and not my giant post-CS black M&S granny pants which are the comfiest pants I own and I wear all the time.

Bahahaha Too that's brilliant knicker skills

Soooo who's next

Excellent dressing skills there Too :-D

How exciting Maybe! No hiding now..!

Haha too, good work on the short day!

I saw my consultant this am, she seemed overjoyed to see me again (maybe its easy when its the same plan third time round?!). I persuaded her to use the doppler on me and she found a heartbeat so am feeling

I was complaining about my tights falling down all the time and a friend recommended putting pants on over the tights - it works! All you pants-first plebs are just jealous. Might nip into the toilets and swap before the appt, though.

Yay for a hb, Pomme! What is your plan? Induction at 38 weeks, wasn't it?

Am looking for some advice, o Brookers. Have just rung for an ante-natal physio appt at the local hospital. Voicemail said that there are so many women looking for ante-natal appts that they don't phone them back - it said to leave full name, date of birth & reason for appt on the answer machine and they would post me the first available appt, which would be in roughly 3 weeks. Not very friendly! However, I went to a pilates class last Thurs and the v nice and knowledgeable-seeming instructor said that she could see my pelvis wobbling as I moved and that she would recommend a physio appt, and gave me details of a private physio she knows. She said this woman is v good and might be able to help me, but she's a bit pricey (thought it was about £37 per appt - which in itself is not bad but would mount up if I had to have an appt every week, for example). Would you a) wait for the NHS appt and see what happens or b) phone for a private appt and be assessed and then c) cancel the NHS appt or go to it anyway? I'm concerned that the NHS will give me the most basic treatment and tell me to suck it up, but on the other hand the private one might prove to be prohibitively expensive. Maybe I should phone and enquire about prices.

The pilates in itself made me ache a bit that evening, but then I had already been aching before I got there so I'm not sure it made it worse, iyswim. The instructor was lovely and modified 70% of the moves for me, so I want to persevere. I've been sore ever since, but then I carried heavy bags to work, sat in a car for 2.5 hrs without a break, slept in a v hard bed that made my hips agony on Friday, walked on the beach on loose sand on Saturday and sat in the car for 3.5 hrs on Sunday, so I've not exactly been helping myself this weekend.

Pomme, how fabulous that you heard the heartbeat! Is your scan on Wednesday?

Good luck for yours Purple - tomorrow is it?

Too, that's a tricky one. I've had experience of physio on the NHS and it was very good - but it did take ages to get through to it after all the assessment stages (this wasn't when pregnant, but for my back problem). I found it better than the private physio other people I knew went for. However... if I were you I'd probably go for a private appointment while waiting, whilst really pushing for the NHS physio too. The private ones are so pricey if you have to go lots it'll be very expensive. It may also be that once you've had a private assessment you'll know more and can find another angle to tackle the NHS physio from?