July 2015 - we are nearing the halfway point!

[Fattycow]

We are already nearing the halfway point! Some of us have already reached the 20 weeks, the rest will follow suit. Let the countdowns begin!

Here is the stats list, please update them with your scan dates and the sex of you baby (if you know it):
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1p3idkH2TaQYAy22I_N73k1_-G6Ezq67lAdhQvDjQkU0/edit?pli=1#gid=0

Me too Clstow

The NCT sale was rubbish ! Beautiful chocolate brownies and lovely volunteers. Bit of a let down to be honest. There is another sale coming up in a couple of weeks which i'm going to. I hold out more hope for the upcoming one. One of the volunteers at the NCT one actually recommended it :)

Been enjoying the lovely weather here in Scotland. Hope you all have been enjoying it too.

Glad it went well clstow.

What do you do for a living that requires 48 hour shifts wildfire?! Is that on call or actually working?

The weather here is very grey today. I am however very much enjoying the fact that you can see the outside of my belly moving when baby kicks. Really odd but lovely to see!

The sunshine is out again here Fattyc still a nip in the air though. My stomach has went into odd shapes recently and her movements are so much more pronounced too. DH felt a really hard kick last night that made him grin from ear to ear. She is also moving around a lot more often and I too am really enjoying it :)

Had my 25 week midwife appointment today (at 24+4) and all is nice and average; bang on the 50th percentile for bump size.

Totally forgot to ask for my MATB1 certificate but it's getting posted to me!

Hooray for average, zampa! Great news

Yep my 24 wk check was all good too! Lo is sat in a breech position and seems quite happy there for now!!

Good to hear jmojo

Never wanted to be average before broody and now it's the best thing ever!

BBF had her second child today, a 7lb 13 boy called Ted. Ordering him a Steiff teddy bear as a birthday present first thing tomorrow.

Zampa - glad your appointment went well!
Im a trainee doctor, and weekend shifts are 48 hours. The paperwork says they are 'on-call' and I can be offsite (in the oncall room!) during the night, but the reality is that you are working all day 8am til about 11-12pm then to bed, wake up for a few phone calls over night, perhaps come in to see a pt, then repeat the next day. On the monday you do a ward round before going home so its more like 52 hours total with about 8-10 hours sleep the whole weekend. Great training for once the baby arrives though!!

Thought you might be a doctor, wildfire. My BIL and SIL are both consultants and have issues when on call, trying to deal with childcare.

Don't know how two-doctor couples manage Zampa, I had to give up my job-with-a-commute as it was so incompatible with DH's (also a doctor) work demands.

This makes me glad my DH has a boring old desk job which means he is home at 5pm every day!

Me too fatty! (Although my dh does do weird shifts, including one that starts at 415am and another that finishes at 1040pm! He works in the betting industry in an office an hour away from our house).

Hurrah for dull desk jobs!

I desperately want some salami ... Think I might be more excited about the prospect of rare steak and Stilton than I am about the arrival of baby.

Does anyone know if they actually wear your own clothes during labour? I'm thinking of getting something like these:
www.nctshop.co.uk/Womama-Organic-Birthing-Wrap/productinfo/2555/
or
www.nctshop.co.uk/Bamboo-Birthing-Shirt/productinfo/2508/

Hi all, I'm dreaming of pate Zampa!

Charlie you can wear whatever you like during labour (unless C-section I presume), seriously don't spend a lot of money though because it's likely to get wrecked! Last time I had a long strappy vest from Primark and comfy leggings. They were binned afterwards! Just make sure it's comfy and as we'll be labouring in July in a probably tropically heated hospital, something cool!

I just want a GIANT glass of red wine. I really miss unwinding with a glass at the end of the day.

I agree re birthing clothes - a new outfit sounds lovely but in brutal honesty, it will be pointless. Much better to spend money on other stuff that won't get wrecked or bled on and will last longer. An old tshirt or nightie is just perfect for labour, but choose something comfy for the ward (I wore my maternity joggers and a loose tshirt or vest). You'll lose all dignity once those contractions start and docs are prodding regularly at your bits so IMO, it's not worth getting dressed up.

I had a cheap nighty from primark for birthing in last time. I was fully prepared to bin it but it stayed clean somehow so will reuse this time. I would find something cheap or you are prepared to bin. But definitely something cool as hospitals aren't known for their air con!!

Might check out Primark then. Thanks team!

Mmm, red wine and pâté!

I was planning on wearing a nightie with a button up front, in an attempt not to get naked whilst in labour whilst still allowing skin on skin/breast feeding post birth.

I'm sure nudity will be the least of my worries but the prude in me must cater for an attempt at modesty.

For DS I had summer pjs (strappy top & shorts) with a light dressing gown to protect my modesty (ha!) when things got critical, he was a July baby. However, pjs lasted about half an hour then I couldn't tolerate clothes so was starkers the rest of the time it was useful to have the dressing gown for after and I was glad of shorts rather than nightie as they helped keep the huuuuge maternity pads in place, not so good for c-section though I guess. I do like the look of that bamboo shirt though, but a bit pricey for half an hour's use if I'm the same as last time!

I bought a massive pot of pate just before DS's due date so i could have some as soon as he was out! Only problem was the short shelf life, so DS had instructions to come out before the pate use by date, which he dutifully did

Zampa that was exactly what I got from Primark. I didn't use it in the end as had a c-section but did use it in the hospital afterwards, with a light dressing gown. It was October though, not sure if I will need something lighter this time.

I've found some beauties on camille.co.uk purple. Proper old lady clobber but you can't go wrong with button through nighties for £7.50 (which will more than likely be binned after use).

I'll be wearing a stunning NHS couture gown... ??