October 2014 #9 - Into the home straight we go, 3rd trimester here we come!

[sazzlehopes]

old threads is here

Keep up the chitter chatter ladies!

hamster that's exactly how I feel!!
puppy mr fedup and I definately got closer when preg with ds. It's that there is something growing that is a part of both of you - very special!

Starting to wonder if I should find out. If it's a girl I'm going to be so shocked! But not disappointed so maybe I can wait.
I'm so sticky in this heat - horrible clammy hands!

mum me too re reduced movement. Last week I was happy as baby was active. This week he/ she is less so. Perhaps it's the heat. I'm not sure this is the point where they start moving less is it? As this is the point (approx 28 weeks for me) that you should start monitoring their movements more. Or am I totally wrong on this?

Baby movements should not decrease. In fact babies movements will increase every week until 32 weeks where they will plateau (note not decrease!) later on in 3rd trimester movements may feel different I.e more swishes and rolls as opposed to somersaults and big kicks but they should not decrease.

Please phone your maternity unit if you are worried about movements, you are not wasting their time it is what they are there for we would much rather see 100 women and everything be fine than to mid that one woman who thought it was normal for movements to decrease and have a bad outcome. (Have seen it happen a few times) it will most likely be fine but it's worth getting advice from a medically qualified professional.

countthekicks.org.uk/mums/your-babys-movements/

Less movement from Schrodenberg, mrsthedog has commented a few times. There is movement but less of it. Reassuring that others are having this.

The gender thing is really funny - I'm not ashamed to say I cried and cried following the 20 week scan (actually starting blubbing during the scan when the baby had its legs wide open and was very obvious what it was) and found out it was not a girl but a boy. I think it is because I have about a gazillion nephews and only one niece and find the boys very trying, especially at the 2-4 year old stage plus I find the whole diggers, cars, trains thing very boring. Dinosaurs rule though!
I loved being a girl as a child and with a small child I would be into the stuff that girls like (not to be too gender biased) but arts and crafts, baking, reading lots of my books that I loved as a child, horse riding, sylvanian families etc, dolls house (realise boys do all that too but not the ones I have had most access to - my nephews - they just love crashing around, hurting each other and playing computer games :). Both DH and I were so set on it being a girl and I always saw yself with a girl first,it was quite a shock at the scan but within 24 hrs I was over it and beginning to get my head around a boy and now I cannot wait to meet him. One of my sisters always saw herself with two little girls and ended up with three boys so it just shows you cannot predict...

Sorry to hear about the stress at work bump, hope all goes OK.

I was so convinced it was a boy, and could only ever imagine myself with a boy, so found out to avoid any disappointment when it was born (even though I'm sure I wouldn't have cared by that point). Am glad I found out it was a girl as took me a few days to adjust my ideas. I was the opposite to you fedup, all dinosaurs and cars, hated 'girly' stuff. It's just made me more determined that I won't be forcing hundreds of princess toys and pink dresses on her when she's here!

mum, I was in the doctor's (for a change) all day on Tues for that reason. I'm almost 29 weeks, and she said even then it's still a little unreliable to judge kicks, but as always, if we're worried to go in. It takes 10 mins to check it out. She showed me on the scan and the poor beast has hardly any room to maneuver in there. She said they also shift position around this time which might mean reduced movements.

Mine was playing some kind of game with us - they couldn't find her heart, then she didn't move at all for the whole scan, so got sent away to eat and count her kicks. She said to eat and drink a big meal, and then count for an hour for 15 movements. I only had 4 so went back. Obviously as soon as I climbed back on to the chair she started wriggling around again and all was fine but glad I went, saved me another week of worrying!

not fedup, sorry, fatpony. I'm still half asleep here.

No worries - I never liked princesses as a child (my mum wouldn't have bought me anything princess related anyway) I think I just loved being a girl so much and always saw myself with one....anyway, next time.

Do any of you wise ladies who already have children remember whether the likes of Mamas and Papas and John Lewis have a decent summer sale? I'm almost decided on the M&P Urbo2 (or the Bugaboo Bee) but while M&P has a pushchair sale on right now, the Urbo2 is not included. Would hate to buy it full price and then it go on sale!

Jojomamanetc has a sale on at the moment. I'm actually going to make some purchases... first actual baby purchases.

So glad you've all had this gender convo today. I thought it might just be me worrying about 'my face' when they hand me the baby & it's not a boy (can't imagine anything but blue). Perhaps I should take to hubby about a gender scan to get over any disappointment. Thing is, I don't think he'll be up for it

I'm 30 wks on Saturday and bump has had it's most active week so far, I did have a quieter period a couple of weeks ago but I reckon baby was maybe facing into me so I couldn't feel as much? Now it's definitely a different kind of movement, long pronounced prods with elbows/feet etc, and slow shifting around.
Bump hope all went well at work today.
I spent the first 20 weeks wondering about having a boy, then after my anomaly scan pondering it being a girl, so I feel sorta prepared for it being either now, that said, we only have a boy's name shortlisted so far!

I'm back from work, gosh that was a hot day. Yes I went in to find out what announcement was and yes it was restructure and redundancies but not for my department thank god!!

Working from home tomorrow and Monday due to hospital appointments but just seen this heat is forecast to continue into next week and we have no air con working either!

Movement reduced for me over three days last week then came back so think it was growth spurt, she feels bigger for sure.

Fatpony John Lewis' summer sale is just finishing - it is worth considering them for stuff regardless of the sale though as they price match and have awesome customer service. We found our M&P buggy was much cheaper not at M&P bizarrely.

Me thanks for the info re kicks and plateauing. I had a night/morning of less kicks last week but back to normal now. And it wasn't less kicks so much as a different position making them feel different...

Just had a call from my midwife and I passed my mini GTT thing yesterday so no need for a full one. Plus not anaemic and baby is head down. All great! I do need my notes from DS's emcs though as they want to confirm my scar was double sutured, which I'm sure it was. So I'm just waiting for the hospital to send them - wish they'd told me before my 28 week appointment as I've now had nightmares (literally, during another crap night's rest) about them not arriving in time and not being 'allowed' a vbac as my notes don't arrive...

It's really interesting reading about gender thoughts/hopes. I loved having a son and just couldn't imagine having a girl so was shocked when dd arrived. But as soon as I held her it was instant love and it is amazing to raise a girl too. Very different but also very similar to raising a boy (I wasn't a particularly girly girl, nor was I that tom boyish, so I avoid too much stereotyped stuff and dress them bright and cheerful and dh and I have a v equal relationship in terms of cooking/cleaning/childcare even with me being home with the kids..having said that they are both addicted to frozen!). They're incredibly close too (and share a room), which is great.

I have no inkling what this baby will be. On the one hand, I'd love a girl as I am super close to my sisters and would love dd to have a sister. On the other hand, I have a boy's name I love and can't settle on a girl's one (shallow!). But I know I'll love whatever we get and the moment of meeting your baby, regardless of whether you know the gender or not, is amazing!

Must get a car seat and some baby grows and big knickers and the like. Off on hols soon for 17 days and want to get a bit sorted before we go.

Bump great news that your jobs safe!

I had my first meeting with the diabetes midwife she was lovely and ive learned so much. Dumb me thought it was just about stopping eating high sugar items but apparently not. Ive got my testing kit and have done it twice so far today my levels are strangely low so Im not sure why I failed the test yesterday

Bump glad your job is safe! One less thing to worry about....

Gun it's good your readings are low today but I'm sorry you have to go through this. But it's something that is so much safer with treatment though so glad you're getting to grips with it.

Thanks flip we went through my breakfast lunch and dinner menus and everything I eat is wrong I thought I ate reasonably healthily but apparently not its been a eye opener. The repercussions of not taking control are not worth risking for me or baby so I will be following the advice.

Gun wow, what sort of stuff is off limits? I like to think I eat healthily but I reckon I don't. I lost loads of weight on the low gi diet years ago but have mostly forgotten it all...

When is everyone stopping work?

I need to use 10 days of annual leave up before I start maternity leave and was going to use them for weeks 36 and 37 and then mat leave start when I'm 38 weeks. But if I have the baby in either week 36 and 37, I lose that annual leave pay so my HR are advising me to take it earlier.

But am reluctant to do that as it's a lot to take between now and then and have just had 10 days off but on the other hand, as I'm not going to get mat pay (applying for maternity allowance) am reluctant to lose any pay!

How likely is it that I have it earlier than 38 weeks?!?

Don't they have to pay you your holiday at the end of year anyway? Or at least accrue it so it's added on at end of mat leave? Pretty sure you don't just 'lose it'.

I've got 15 days left!!! Using my annual leave to cover September and mat leave starts on 1 oct.

I'm finishing at 39 weeks. BUT, I'm a teacher, so have got the next 6 weeks off (starting Saturday, I'm 30 weeks on Sunday), so I'll have had plenty of time to organise myself/rest/etc. I'm going back to team-teaching with my maternity replacement, and have agreed with my head that if I don't feel I can do my job some September, then I'll go off sick - which will kick in my maternity leave. I think I'll manage a fortnight or so.. we'll see. I've left things pretty tied up so that if I'm really not up for it, I won't go back.

Are you not perm staff then lulu?

I'll be a day under 37 weeks when I finish up, I have some annual leave but I'll just carry that over to next year, that sucks that you'd lose your leave Lulu

Yeah am permanent but only joined my company towards the end of March - found out I was preggers after handing in my notice at my old job! Bit of a surprise!

HR say I can carry over up to 5 days if I have my baby in those two weeks but they have to be used by end of April and I'll most likely still be on mat leave unless money situation is dire...