May 2014 - the Maybies get even closer to Definitely!!

[ClearlyMoo]

I've been brave and started a new thread. Hope the name is ok....

Sounds good moomin, they'll advise best for you & baby. I'm glad you're feeling like that, if they recommend vaginal birth then hopefully you'll feel better about it. And don't worry if your feelings change, that's allowed too :)

I wish obem gave a true reflection of what it's like in maternity wards

Ahh I love obem but I've recorded it as we were watching something else. Going to have to catch up tomo. It always makes me cry anyway so I bet I'll be a wreck watching it while preggers.

Hope everyone's having a good day. We've had a bit of progress on moving house, so feeling excited about that.

Baby bornin is fine! Doesn't let his mummy know he's ok but his trace was perfect. Will speak to my consultant tomorrow!!

I get the impression from the people at work that they think I'm not fit to work anymore and I should either
Go on early may leave or go on the sick! I feel they think I'm a hinderance and don't pull my weight!!

I know I'm obese and everyone is thinking of me but I'm feeling pushed out

The doctors and midwives on the maternity ward were heavily leaning towards section, they kept asking me what I'd get tatto'd on my 'new scar', and the doctor I saw seemed surprised they hadn't already decided on it.

I want to relax and go along with whatever they think is best but I don't deal well with indecision if they can just tell me when I'll go into natural labour and stick to it I'll be fine

Glad all well with baby born in, that's good news. Sorry you're feeling like that at work, is there someone you can talk to? Not sure what you do (ward based?) but wondering if there's different type of work you can do for the last few weeks

I've an amazing manager who has picked up extra so I don't have to travel or work late. In return, there's things I do to help her but my job is reasonably flexible so quite easy to do that

Moomin at least you know you have the options now!

Re those struggling with work. You have my sympathy. I'm fortunate that I can work from home two days a week now and I'm pretty much on 4 day weeks during March too which should make things easier.

OBEM might be have to be saved to watch after baby arrives... I don't think watching the nice lady who lived on my old street haemorrhage was the best way I could spend my evening!!! Cried at each birth too!

Ward based on a very busy maternity unit :-(

hey samba great you've found somewhere pro-natural birth! hope it works out for you

moomin sorry about the indecision, it maybe sounds like the consultant is pushing the c-section though, hope you can feel ok with that

bornin sorry you're feeling a little ostresised at work, I second minions that maybe there are some 'lighter' duties you can take on - anychance you can help your colleagues with their paperwork if they take on some more of the heavy work?? Hope you can find a solution

Hope everyone has a good day - am going to try hard to avoid MN until the evening as find I'm spending more time on here than writing this report I'm meant to be working on

bornin glad baby is fine! They're little buggers aren't they?

This baby was head down, in his proper position for all of a whole day. This morning I wake up and he's transverse again. GAH!

I didn't watch obem but I did record it. Going to watch it later today, if I can keep my eyes open!

Hope everyone is well. x

Hi everyone,

Had a hugely busy (but fun) weekend and, although I have kept up with reading the thread, I can't remember what anyone said! So apologies for any big news I forget to refer to.

Bornin - glad to hear all was well with baby. I'd be interested in your take on how real maternity wards and labour/births etc differ from OBEM. It's my only point of reference and, although I get that it's all edited etc to make a TV show, I'm not sure how closely it relates to the real world iyswim.

isean - sorry to hear about the OC diagnosis but glad you're receiving treatment and being monitored closely.

Sorry a couple of you are having issues with work people. My colleagues are generally fine, considerate etc so I'm lucky in that respect but also getting stressed at how much there is to do before I leave (whilst at the same time counting down the days!).

bushprincess and sambababy - glad you're both making progress on where to give birth. It must be difficult having the added stress of this to worry about.

moomin - any progress on the flat application? Hope your housemates are being less annoying. I can't imagine combining the stress of shared student accommodation with pregnancy (despite the fact I lived with people who were, and still are, my best friends - it was still infuriating at times!).

I've only got another 1000 words on this essay to do! I might actually manage it! (Although it's probably terrible )

loopy I thought the people I live with were my best friends (or two of them, anyway)... unfortunately one is a nightmare to live with and has become housemate from hell and turned everyone at the uni against her, latest is that I'm a bad friend because she wasn't the first to know I was in hospital. The other is her boyfriend, absolutely lovely and still one of my closest friends but she's very jealous of us being close friends and tries to stop us spending time with each other :(

OH has had a text this morning from the referencing people, they're in the process of getting the reference from our current landlord and his employer. The flat is on hold for us until the referencing process is done :)

Loopy! Lack of staffing. No wee break, no actual break! Do a 14.5 hour shift with only 1hr break! One doctor looking after 3 wards! One baby doc looking after 3 wards!! Sometimes u forget who us working with as only three midwives looking after 28 patients so u never see them. 56 if u include babies!!

I wish it was as rosy as one born makes it out

Bornin, glad baby is ok! Working on a maternity ward must be fascinating but extremely tiring and stressful and I can well believe you have a lack of staffing. I'd love to read a book about the 'real' side of things, but know I could never do it myself. Hats off to you! I'm sure your colleagues don't want to lose you to early mat leave and only have your best interests in mind xx

Go Moomin! You can do it! Doesn't matter how it comes out as long as they have something. I've done my best work before while tired and not trying at all, thinking it'll be rubbish and sometimes it comes out really well!

Not had much movement today or yesterday but felt kicks last night and this morning right at top right and bottom left of bump... Is baby diagonal?? He moves all over the place but I never feel him moving around, just find out when I get an unexpected kick!

28+1 and started hospital bag this week

Sounds diagonal to me, moobaloo! Can you feel a hard lump by your belly button? If so, it's likely to be a bottom.

That is DD2's favourite position, though earlier today she had her head right down in my pelvis and was stretched out vertically so her feet felt like they were wedged right into my lungs, which was a bit uncomfortable. Doesn't help that I'm short and she's long-!

Sorry to hear people are struggling with work. Things aren't great here either. I've been having the feeling of being completely sidelined, like I may as well be on maternity leave already. When I was off for a day on holiday last week my desk phone (amongst other things) was taken by someone and not returned, and lately I've been given no projects to do.

I also seem to barely get spoken to. My emails are ignored more often than not and no-one at work wished me a happy birthday last week, despite the fact that I openly brought in treats for everyone. Been a bit miserable really, ignored and unwanted for the entire working day.

Oh well. At least I've been given permission to WFH one day a week now. :) So I don't have to struggle with public buses and the bump blind public on Fridays. And, at home, the kitties will give me some attention!

Good luck with your essay, Moomin. 1000 words isn't too much, hopefully you'll get it finished off. Add a verbose introduction/conclusion, or a contents, or some subtitles or similar.

Oh fucking hell. I've just walked out of work in tears.
I had to work with our sales director today and he's the biggest cunt in existence. He was being passive aggressive about my work and me, and even talking about me in front of me on the phone to clients!
I went into the toilets and bawled my head off and told my manager I can't work with him anymore. So she's sent me out to get a tea or coffee and told me not to come back until after lunch, she'll have a word with him.
I am not working with him again. Point blank refuse. I lay awake for hours last night dreading it and now I can't believe I've been so unprofessional as to leave in the middle of the day CRYING!

I have the midwife later. My blood pressure is going to be through the roof!

Not to mention he is just going to view me as a stupid hormonal pregnant woman who can't hack it. He's such a misogynist. Honestly, earlier he said to me he wouldn't argue with a woman because he was brought up better than that.

Yes he won't argue with one but he will be a condescending, passive aggressive, fucking bastard to one!
What a sexist prick. Hope he gets hit by a train right in his stupid face.

Now I'm sat in a cafe crying. I'm so mad at myself.

Moomin do you want us gasbags to give you some words for your essay. No idea what it's about but we could all just write important sounding stuff... helpful face great news about flat progress! Here's hoping.

I'm eating a whole tub of Greek yoghurt. Don't judge me. I think baby clearly needs calcium. Hoping DH won't notice it's vanished!!

Helps with heartburn too, and is 2hrs since I took my iron tablet so won't prevent absorption. It was bad enough today that I had tea and weetabix with milk (tea and calcium supposed to inhibit iron absorption according to nhs leaflet)!

He sounds a nightmare dobe what a prick! Is this the same one that insists on going to antenatal Appts with you for 'support'?!?? He is a sexist pig who is trying to muscle in on your work and your personal life it seems!!

What a twunt

Mmmmmmm that sounds amazing clearly , I'm lactose intolerant :( which means that although I don't get super sick, I'm quite ill after eating milk etc- some things set it off worse than others (eg I seem to get away with chocolate to a degree and also hard cheese but yogurt and full fat milk and any sort of cream is out :( )

And I blardy love yogurt!!!!

Good luck on both the essay and application moomin I hated moving house- such stress ( although I was 36 weeks pregnant at the time )

Just managed to catch up with the thread. Sorry to hear alot of you are having a rubbish time of it :( I cried my way through OBEM last night whilst bouncing on my gym ball - its so comfy to sit on, I think thats where I may spend the rest of my pregnancy .

I am missing DP terribly - he's gone away to work in the Shetlands for the foreseeable future, 3 weeks on, one week off :( not an ideal time in our lives for him to start working away but needs must! I am however finding the housework much easier to cope with i.e. the house stays clean once I clean it! I'm finding I have an awful amount of time on my hands - i've been stocking up my freezer with pre-cooked dinners, washed all the duvets/pillows, organised the nursery, started packing my hospital bags and painted all the skirting boards all in the 10 days since he's been away maybe a combination of boredom and nesting?!

Big hugs, dobedobedo! I've done the embarrassing tears at work thing too. I find it insanely frustrating, which just makes it worse.

Best I can suggest is don't get mad at yourself, get mad at him! He's the jerk here. Drink your tea/coffee, eat a nice cake (chocolate is good - releases happy hormones!) and write a list of all the problems you're having with him. Then (if you're anything like me ) rewrite it in a more professional manner. If you can think of specific examples, include those too.

When you go back to work this afternoon, you can take your list of issues to your manager and state that you want these things addressing or you'll be taking the problem to HR. Alternatively, just tell your manager that you'll be taking the problems to HR, depending on how much you want to escalate at this stage. Don't be rushed, delay any meetings if you don't feel you can face them right away.

If you're not wearing contacts/makeup (or can take out/reapply) then holding a cold/wet paper towel against your eyes can bring down any tell-tale sign of tears and help freshen you up, if needed.

Above all, deep breaths and remember that he is a small, petty person and utterly beneath you and totally insignificant when compared to the health and well being of your LO. He doesn't deserve the satisfaction of upsetting you, you are much stronger than that and you will make him answer for his awful behaviour; For you and all the pregnant women that follow you-!

your colleague sounds like an idiot dobe don't be so hard on yourself, you have every right to be upset when someone treats you like that. I've been in tears due to work numerous times over the last few weeks - the way I look at it, I will appreciate mat leave so much more

Hugs Dobe. Spirael is right. That twat is in the wrong, upsetting a coworker to that extent is out of order. I'm glad you rang your boss about it.

I had my mw and doc appointment this morning. Gest diabetes test is next week. Pooh.

But the bit that worries me is that the doctor did an internal and said my cervix is soft and 2cm open. It is still high up so she isn't worried but referred me to the hosptial for checking. I have to wait to find out when that appointment will be. Most likely the next week.

Better get my hospital bag ready along with the baby's clothes out of the attic. Shitting myself that I will go into labour before full term.

Oh dobe what a prick! I offered it earlier to someone else but it still stands; would a horde of angry hormonal waddly pregnant women descending on him help? 'Rent-A-Mob: The Gestational Edition'. Have a , eat some and rest assured that everyone there probably hates him too! What a sad life he must have.

Ooh Spirael thanks for reminding me! I haven't done my intro and conclusion yet, they're dead easy, so that's another 100 words at least sorted.

Clearly it's about my directing project. So I just need a lot of important-sounding arrogant stuff about how my project was clearly vastly superior to everyone else's because I'm pregnant and if the lecturers don't agree it's discrimination should do the trick.

Still no progress with the lactulose. Doesn't help that I'm an hour and a half from the nearest supermarket likely to stock anything that might help, and not returning to civilisation until tomorrow because OH has a chest infection and so we're staying here another night. such a caring, concerned girlfriend

Aww you lot are just lovely, I could cry again! (floodgates have been opened!) thank you.

Rent a mob would be amazing.

I'm going back into work shortly. One of the other directors called me to see if I was okay. He said he totally understands why I'd be upset and that this person is well known for his attitude. He also said not to bother working with him when I go back, to do my own thing and ignore him.

It's still gonna be awkward as hell though! Dreading it. But your messages have helped a lot. Love you all!