Summer holidays are over, the PESH are bringing their bumps and baybees back to school

[TheOriginalWinkly]

Pack your giant pants in your satchel and maternity pads in your pencil case, it's the antenatal thread 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 - pink one arrived 12th January 2014
Frankel - large pink one arrived 10th March 2014
Merks - pink one landed safe and sound 21st March 2014
Sinky - Stubborn blue one arrived 26th March 2014
Driz - blue one arrived 12th June 2014
Kat - pink one arrived 21st June 2014
draf - pink calf on 1st July 2014
winks - a pink one dragged out kicking and screaming on 4th July 2014
euro - a pink one in a hurry to see the world, born on 17th July 2014
dor - a pink one born at speed on 28th July 2014
ginge - completing the ESH Summer of Pink on 23rd August 2014

PESH
Buggerlugs - Buglet due 20th October
Fankle - ESHlet expected 4th January
Cunty - Minichops expected 7th February

I've thought about this pregnancy as my baby for less than a day so that's probably why I'm a bit miffed about other people laying claim already

That would piss me right off. Can't you respond 'oh should I put down this gin then?' But then I suppose you may start getting used to hearing everyone's opinions on everything. DM got quite vexed with me for planning to wean at 6 months (despite not being able to give me a good reason to wean earlier when pressed). She's also badgering me about DC2 now

Anyway. Yay for being diffed, out and proud MissH :) And boo to the instadiffers and their merry obliviousness.

MissH, that would piss me off. But pregnancy and babies do seem to be viewed as public property. I generally don't mind a bit of pass the baby, but today she was passed around my parents and their friends for hours. I wanted her back after a while!

Fankle, my ttc experience has definitely changed me. I shocked myself with some of the bitter thoughts that rose up at time. It is such a visceral thing.

Yup to public property! I'm so difficult, 50% of me wants a massive fuss and the other 50% wants everyone to fuck off!!

They're already talking about Christmas 2015 and having a grandchild to spoil

It's funny how even well-meaning comments can get your back up, eh? You know FIL meant that the baby is very special to PILs, not that you've been careless before, but it's easy to see it that way. I reckon FILs are good at that - on the day we got our BFP (ILs knew because IVF etc) I got told I must not do anything strenuous including shoving the sofa two inches for the carpet man. I took that to mean that if I'd miscarried FIL would have considered it my fault, which is very definitely not what he was trying to say. They mean well, try to see it in the best light. You know that saying: "if I say something that can be interpreted two ways, and one way upsets you, I meant the other one". It's a good way to respond to pregnancy comments and advice, I found :)

That said, my ILs are coming over today (again), and I'm a bit miffed. I was a grumpy bitch yesterday so would like a day to be cheerful rather than enforced sociable, but never mind. It will pay off when we need babysitters

And YES re getting sucked into "it was harder for me" competitive misery thinking. One of my NCT women said something along the lines of it taking them ages; it later transpired that it was about two years with no assistance. It really pissed me off because it took us the best part of four years, plus surgery and IVF. My baybee is cuter than hers, though, so I definitely win

Wow! I've been grumpy and out of sorts because of that all day and you've just made me feel 100% better! You've helped me see reason! Thankyou!

I luffs the BESH! You understood why I felt that way and didn't make me feel stupid about it which I'm sure others would, it being unreasonable and all! and helped me see it in a much better way!

I can't believe how from one moment to the next I can go from really shitty to much better!

Glad it was helpful, MissH! It is funny how easily your mood can change at the whim of pregnancy hormones, eh?

Glad you're feeling better too, bugs :)

Ahh Bugs - I hope this is the light at the end of the tunnel! You're doing brilliantly!

Sexy? What's that then?

Ours lived in the living room until L was 11 weeks, but tbh it was mainly somewhere to lie her when she was awake, she's always been a big fan of sleeping on my lap too. Now I put her on the playmat and she still sleeps on my lap

Yup, our carrycot was entertainment/containment for awake time too, as well as transport. It got moved into the loft yesterday, as the calf is getting irritated with the restricted view. Now we use her bouncy chair for awake time and the car seat for the buggy (the pushchair seat is still too deep for her).

She's hardly ever napped in a non-cuddling fashion and we're currently cosleeping overnight before we try to get her to sleep in her crib again - that is next weekend/week's challenge...

C still sleep quite happily in her carrycot in the living room during the days at 14 weeks.

Cosleeping is having the baby in bed with you. Baby sleeps nearest the edge of the bed so they aren't in between their parents (if they were in the middle there'd be a bigger chance of smothering). Obviously if there's only one parent in the bed then baby can go in the middle of the bed. The other big thing is to make sure duvet/pillows can't cover or smother the baby. I tuck the end of the duvet under my waist so it stays still and wear a long sleeved pyjama top to keep my arms and chest warm.

Cosleeping was the only answer when the calf was newborn, it was like a miracle cure that got all three of us asleep at the same time. We did manage to get her in her own bed for a while, but over the last month or so she's been really unsettled in the crib so we are cosleeping again for the minute.

Other cosleepers - any recommendations on bed rails? Now the calf is bigger and starting to roll occasionally we'd like to put rails on our bed just in case getting her in her own bed takes a long time...

No idea but I'll need to buy a bedrail myself for when the bednest goes. draf it feels like MiniWink has gone backwards with sleep too. Put her down last night at 7.30, she was up at 9.45 and it took an hour to settle her, then up again at midnight, 3 & 5. Then I missed the window for her first nap, cue miserable screaming baby for an hour before she finally gave in :(

Maybe it's the "four-month sleep regression"? Though the calf is just turning four months and seems to be coming out the other side (fingers crossed). She was just the same as miniwink - difficult to settle and waking lots, but for the last few nights she's only woken once, hurrah! We were thinking we'd not even try with the crib for a while to be sure she'd slept well before we try to get her in it again. This weekend we will be trying again.

Although she has a cold at the minute, so all I want to do is cuddle her, poor little snotty mite :(

Morning Hags, sorry for the absence, had a busy week or so here. We were at my parents last week, then E started teething (first tooth popped through on Sunday ) and yesterday E had her first taster session at nursery before her first full day (and my return to work, gulp!) next Monday. She seemed to enjoy it, didn't notice us leave and apparently had a fab time. She was only there for an hour and goes back for bout 2 hours tomorrow afternoon. The staff are lovely and we had a chat with her key worker and told them about her sleeping/feeding habits. They took some photos of her playing to show us, which was really nice.

Oops, hit post too soon.

Winks that does sound like good old sleep regression. I found the Sleep Lady website really useful in terms of understanding what the fark is going on!

Oh poor calf, its rubbish seeing them suffer. Glad her sleep has picked up again, it gives me hope. If this is a 4 month sleep regression it can kiss my arse. I suppose if she was born on her due date she would be over 4 months now. This sleeping pattern is like having a newborn again!

Cross posted there. Good morning frank :) Glad the settling in session went well. Back to work already? Scary! Hasn't that flown. (Reminds me I need to call HR. I had told them I'd be back in January but sod it, I'll take until the end of March.) Is HWHNN settled back into being home again?

He's settling in very well thanks, still has another 2 weeks before he goes back to work. I'm only going back 1 day a week to use up my KIT days as my maternity cover has found a permanent job and left! They've decided not to hire a replacement just to cover a few months so I'm back 1 day a week to cover the important stuff then will go back 3 days a week in February. It's actually a nice way of easing E, and me, back into things!

I'm pretty sure you only need to give 28 days notice of your intention to return, or not!