April 2015 thread 6: our Christmas puddings are half cooked, now bring on the glow!

[BrixtonBunny]

We were getting perilously close to being full up, hope no one minds!

That's so sad My maternity ward definitely has the door locked to go in, I'm not sure about to go out, I can't remember. It definitely makes a noise on opening. Off the back of this story, I really hope it does.

Sorry your sickness has comeback. Hopefully it was a one off!
I cant help but think with mental health services on their knees (through no fault of their own) their will be more of these tragic stories...

That's not good Mel0Drama, hope you feel better soon!

My maternity ward is the same, you can't just walk out and the children's ward is the same when I had to go there with my friends daughter when she broke her arm while I was looking after her. Something must have been not quite right for her to be in with a 4 day old baby, no one I know has been in that long even with a cs!

Ours was the same SwuattingNeville, Dh said ds2 was his son and he could carry him and then got told off so put in back in the plastic tub and wheeled him!! That's kind of what I meant, there must a problem in some way to stay that long so you'd hope midwives would have a close eye whether it were feeding problems, poorly baby or struggling mum. It really is terribly sad.

On a brighter note, Dh is getting kicked every night now when I cuddle up behind him :) doesn't wake me but does him, he's such a light sleeper!

So sorry you're sick again, Mel!

I was feeling a bit lot miserable last night following the conversation with the Tesco woman, so I've cheered myself up by pulling out all DD's gender neutral clothes and sleeping bags and bought a couple of sleepsuits new just for him at big Tesco just now.

Struggling to think of any boy's names we both love, there's not been any we've found that we both think oh yes, that's the one.

Still, another 20 weeks to go, so still time!

Sigh, MIL has DD today so I'm clearing out the spare room. Or in reality mumsnetting...

Speak soon

Bonjour, I think your bump is lovely and it was very rude of her to pass comment, but by all accounts once you get pregnant you become public property.

I plan to just blame it on the mince pies and look offended if anyone I don't know well mentions how big I am

I know what you mean about boys' names - there are only 2 me and DH both like, and they are very similar. I'm not telling anyone what they are, even anonymously, for fear they say something to put me or him off one or both, and then we'll be well and truly beggared!

LOL! Well I'm making slow progress on the spare room, I think I'll put a load of washing on then go to the library to see if they have a book of boy's names.

Not procrastinating, oh no

(I've posted this not he FB page too so sorry for people who are on both) Ladies who might be induced early what are you doing about your hospital bags?

we've got a scan at 36+5 and I might be kept in then for steroids followed by the induction, which gives me 2-3 days before I even go into labour. Then if I'm induced baby will either go into NICU or Transitional Care depending on their size, so I may be in for a few days after, so the stuff I think I need for that is very different to what I'd need if I'm not induced and then go into labour naturally. How do you even pack for that?

my hospital bag wasn't packed properly last time for either situation so people brought me stuff in basically every day and I want to be organised properly this time. I'm reluctant to have a bag for a few days stay and a separate labour bag because there's stuff that I know DH would 'forget' to bring whether it was in the labour bag already or not, but a weeks worth of stuff plus things like tens machines and snacks probably isn't going to fit in anything other than a substantial suitcase...

bonjour what are these sleeping bags I hear about? Do babies not just sleep in moses basket with blanket or is a sleeping bag something I should be addin to my wish list?

hiding sleeping bags are great as they can't be kicked... i started using them when DD was about 6w as she was small and they need to be able to not wriggle the head down the head bit, if you see what I mean...

at nearly 3y she still prefers sleeping bags to duvets and she can walk to our room wearing one!

I like the Vertbaudet ones like this one

www.vertbaudet.co.uk/embroidered-sleep-bag-white-light-solid-with-design.htm?ProductId=702290112&FiltreCouleur=6350&t=1

Tinytear you are a lady after my own heart! I LOVE the vertbaudet ones, they're such good quality and look beautiful. AND they come in age 6 mo - 2 years so last a while (as well as 0-6 mo and 2-3 years). George at Asda also do cheap ones (£13), maybe get those when they are smaller and progress to the lovely vertbaudet ones when they outgrow the 0-6 month ones. Grobag sleeping bags can be quite pricey.

I found DD was a nightmare to put down in her moses basket with blankets, she just never took to them, she was forever kicking them off and over her head . Finally cracked the moses basket when I put her in a swaddle me. Sleeping bags were the next step up for us. Sleeping bags are supposed to be better at preventing SIDS and keep them nice and snuggly, I don't think she liked all the space around her in the moses basket at first. Now, I think she associates them with sleep or something. She loves them, anyway.

Anyway to sum up I can't recommend sleeping bags enough!

bonjour you have the clothes out?! I've not dared go through DD's stuff yet, It's sat in a cupboard brooding at me across the house! Name wise DH and I went through a baby name list and struck out what we didn't like which helped narrow down the list dramatically.

Mine went straight in grobags as they were big babies, I think the suggested minimum is 9lb? I got all mine second hand on eBay for ds1 and bought a little on 0-3m from h&m then moved him to a bigger one a bit later just because it was cute

Hi all, on the topic of sleeping bags, I loved them for DS1 though he was early and small so he was in a swaddle pod for a while (brand was Summer and they were amazing, if he was grouchy he'd calm right down once tucked into it). We found TK Maxx great for sleeping bags - they often have the grobag brand for about £17 which is around half RRP.

I'm sooooo tired this week - almost back to 1st trimester exhaustion - don't know what's wrong and I have a busy few weeks coming up (don't we all?).

Also I have a positive birth story to add for the benefit of first timers. My waters broke with a bang - and a gush! - at 1am. Started contractions about an hour later as I arrived at hospital. I was 2cm by then, they took me to delivery suite. I'd done natal hypnotherapy so used some visualization exercises and gas and air, progressed fairly well. DS was born after about 4 pushes in 20 minutes, at 8.50am.

Among the myriad emotions I felt, one of them was "wow, I hope I get to do that again one day " - I was so exhilarated and filled with a sense of achievement.

I hope I don't sound smug as it was by no means plain sailing from then on. He was born at 36 weeks and although no real problems, thank goodness, we were in SCBU then neonatal for 9 days whilst we struggled to establish bfeeding, he was treated for jaundice and feeding continued to be a struggle for the next few months ... But the actual labour aspect - which people are understandably apprehensive about - was pretty good for me.

Yes to sleeping bags they are ace. I got some nice neutral ones from bambino merino (online) that will do for no 2 as he has turned out to be a boy.

Boo like you I don't dare to go through all old clothes that are up in the loft in hundreds of different plastic bags. I thought once I knew we're having a boy it would incentivise me to get in there and get sorted but sadly I just can't be arsed. I'm blaming Christmas and hoping for a surge of energy and enthusiasm in the new year...

I went for the travel group bags because DD was a winter baby and we have a five hour drive to my parents and I wanted her to be cozy. The travel ones have a slot in the rear which you can slide a seatbelt through. they then have two zips at the front so you zip above and below the seatbelt fixing point.

I've stayed with grobags all the way. Various friends had problems with other brands when the baby learnt to stand as the shoulder poppers came undone. I've not had this problem with the grobags. NB I don't work for them!!

I'm feeling quite organised for Peanutella (new baby) as all clothes are out of my parents' attic, I've got breast pads, mat pads etc from last time. and obviously blankets and sleeping bags.

I had a shortage of babygros as we were lent loads last time. too stressful though to want to do that again (worrying about getting stains out) so I've been keeping an eye out in charity shops. I particularly want a couple of zip babygros for nights - so much quicker to change. They're v pricey new so hunting in posh areas.

I need to get nappies, obv, and a new mattress and sheets for the crib we've been given. But otherwise pretty sorted.

oh and trying to decide which white noise thing to get. it was bloody brilliant for DD. We had a prince Lionheart bear. Good cos it was motion sensitive so I didn't have to press it. The baby wriggling set it off automatically. Bad cos it was so unreliable. We went through four I think in four months. sigh.

others raved about the Ewan the Sheep. But i don't like the idea of having to press the ear all the time. And the GroHush sounds good.

any other products I don't know about?

Ooh clothes. M and S had a few lovely baby things in recently. I too borrowed lots last time so have a few gaps to fill.

Sleeping bags - we use the merino ones - they are pricey I must admit but they last from 0-2 and work in all temperatures so you only really need to buy two ever. They have the travel slot too.

I've invested in a Sleepyhead (second hand) this time! interested in a summer sleep pod too. Basically I will buy anything if it might mean this baby sleeps

london Ewan should go on for 10 minutes but seems to actually go on much longer, he always went on long enough for her to go to sleep. Though his new friend Russel the dream Sheepdog takes a 5 min recording and plays it 8 times, so you could record white noise onto him and he'd go on for freaking ever.

Oh, the lady I bought my Natal Hypnotherapy book and CD's from had a really easy birth, I'd been asking her about it and she said the teqniques kept her calm and she's used them for other non labour related things since, so anyone thinking of going for Hypnotherapy with their birth there's a success story (and the book has a success story on every. other. page.)

boo I have just discovered Russell the Dream Sheepdog - he's sooo cute! Definitely getting one if those. I love Border Collies anyway so a purple one is just fab!

wibble we're getting one for DD, either she'll get it for xmas or we'll wait till we bring bump home and she'll have him then, just need to decide what to programme into him...