Due March 2007 - Heading for the third trimester

[Booboobedoo]

Thought I'd start a new thread as the other one's about to run out.

Hello all was going to post detailed and lovely constructed replies to all your posts, then I got too tired, so sorry
Went out to an accoustic ska type thing concert yesterday.
Dp was thrilled 'cos the guy from Stiff little fingers was playing and he liked them. He looked like a little fat, ugly middle aged bloke to me. Dp said he was great in his hey day.
Anyway I fell asleep after half time, just couldn't help it. How sad is that?
Got to bed at midnight then all 3 dd's spent the night waking up crying and then I had to get up at 6. 30. Hey ho

Rosydingdongmerrily, Thanks for ordering my book! That?s really great and I hope your DD loves it. We've had a great reaction from kids, anything to delay bedtime maybe?
Feeling guilty today, was on the phone to a shop in Brighton called 'Pussy' (don't worry its a gift shop!) and I forgot to go to the Doctors 24wk app for baby, and held off going to the loo and getting a drink of water all at once, really only remembered cos poor baby stated kicking away. He's getting sidelined cos I'm used to being preggers now and feel ok.
Kind receptionist is letting me come in later today, told her I had a water filled pregnancy brain and I keep forgetting, its true.

My brain is total mush. It was mushy before as it was! I have a dream of eventually becoming unchaotic and very productive. Meanwhile I have very low expectations of myself so I won't be disappointed. If the kids get fed, washed and hugged anything else is a bonus. The thought of going into a work situation and being efficient is in the same category as visiting the moon for me at the moment!

Lunar if I was in your situation I would be in bits. It sounds ridiculous! I hope you can get some sense out of someone soon!

Spongecake have you thought of getting a doula? You could find a really good nice one to protect you from crazy midwife! So you can relax knowing there's someone you trust around...very important when in labour!

Lunar - why don't you give the Maternity Alliance a call - er...google them and get their numder (spot the one who can't do links). I rang them when I had trouble with my old employers and they gave me some brilliant advice about what to do, which worked a treat.

Kity - Stiff Little Fingers??? Just say the words "Alternative Ulster" to him and watch his little face light up

Maternity Alliance apparently don't exist any more.

That's shame.

There are some other similar organsations but I can't remember the names - try googling maternity rights or maternity legal advice.

I'll see if I can find anything too.

You could try ACAS especially the maternity pages

Time off with stress is a good one and most doctors are onside, only problem is that if your co's anything like mine, you only get a certain no of paid days off sick a year. This should be in your contract, and you do have the right to ask HR this question. They can't anything even if you ask them, and then you take all these days off sick, if you have the note from the Dr and it's maternity related.

(I get ten and took them all before I realised how many I got, so now I am nervous in case I am ill again, although thankfully our year runs Jan - Dec so I can take more time off sick in the new year if I need it)

Oh, and you can print this off too & have a read

Foxy he played "alternative Ulster' as the final encore. Dp thought it was just fab and when we got home he made me listen to snippets of the songs as they were on the albums !!

Spongecake, a doula is just what you need, me , foxy and rainbow have got one, not the same one mind

Lunar, you work situation is simply crazy, time to get arsy if you ask me

Zombiebridepenny, I'll have a look for your book next time I'm in 'bags of books'

kitty thats a good idea- how do I go about finding a doula? is there a recognisd org or website? am so stressy today -woke up in tears poor dh is v worried but its not him its me hormones... must look up nutrition stuff, perhaps there is something I can eat that will help -have feeling will not be cake.. just realised how selfish I am- my posts today are me me me. sorry everyone i do hope you are all ok

Spongecake therre's an organisation called "Doula uk" they are the official Doula people
Hope you manage to destress.

Lunar... that's appalling!!

Muppet... know what you mean - I'm finding hiking the stairs at work like climbing a mountain. Our school is on three levels and I'm up and down them all day.

hormones, mushy brains, sleep deprivation... bloomin pregnancy!! Christmas shopping - Fox, I'm impressed. I haven't even thought about it. Hoping to go to a farmers market on Sunday and get a tree.

It's been interesting to read your comments about moving AWAY from London. I love living here and can only imagine doing that when we head home (although dh keeps mentioning Edinburgh since he works for a Scottish bank). My biggest concern is hubby's work - he would have a long commute or a career change.

Glad it's the weekend, bathroom's ready for a clean and intend to get my housework done this arvo so we can blob .

Rosy: try Tales On Moon Lane , a fantastic independent children's bookshop 'round the corner from me. Your book sounds great!

Lunar: don't know exactly your situation, but when my DH's job got like this (2 bosses rather than 3) he made a list of all the work he was given each day and split it up into it's elements, with a timescale estimate of how long each element would take. He then started working his contracted hours (plus a little extra now and then), keeping these records up and showing how, where and when he was falling behind. He presented these to HR and his bosses after a week or so. Left them no alternative but to hire extra help. HTH.

Went pram-shopping in Kingston with Mum yesterday. 'Fraid we're getting a Bugaboo. (I know, I know). They are fantastic though, and Mum's paying. .

Dolly: I'll text you re next week.

Hi to everyone, and I'll make a list next time!

EDD 3/3
26+5
Boy

Lunar there is a small article in Prima Baby this month about PG women being put under pressure at work and employers not making allowances for workers who are PG. It gives out two advice line numbers:

Equal Opportunities Commission: 0845-601-5901
Tommy's Pregnancy Info Line: 0870-777-3060

Boo - was Kingston crowded? I keep hearing horror stories about people having to queue for an hour ust to park . Its a fab shopping area hough. What colour Bugaboo did you choose? Just realised buga - BOO

Kiwi - Not sure what Blob means, but I suspect that's what I'll be doing later too . R U in London then? N, S, E or W?

I can't wait to get a tree and put all the lights up - feeling so nesty atm

Kitty - am managing to consume a glass of white each night this week (left over opened from the book club last Sunday). You'd be proud of me. All I need is to play Alternative Ulster really loudly and have a dance round the room

Sponge - Have a look on that website Kitty suggested. Reading about the lovely Doulas will cheer you up and make you feel a lot more confident about dealing with the midwives on the big day. Well, it did me anyway

Oh pants! Just dropped a full toilet roll down the loo. Don't you just hate it when that happens

HI Booboobedoo
Yes I tried Tales on Moon Lane but they said they were to stocked up for Christmas think I'll have to try again in the New Year.
We got a bugaboo too, I know they have a posh mummy rep, but they are great. Once I'd given it a test run in Mothercare I'm afraid I was sold. I wanted to get a second hand one at first, but have you seen the price of them?? You might as well buy a new one and get the two-year guarantee!

Sorry penny! Got confused as to whose book it was .

Foxy: Mum lives in Dorking, so we parked in Chessington World of Adventures car park and got the bus. £1.50 return - cheaper than parking!

Think I'm going for a royal blue chassis with yellow hood. Nice and bright.

I'm sitting in front of an open fire with my advent candle lit. Ahhh....

My baby is always throwing whole toilet rolls down the loo, amoungst other things

Yeay Christmassy, I am putting up my Tree this Sunday, we will ba away for Christmas and besides I'm not really going out partying so I might as well cheer myself up.
A pregnant Christmas was always one of my nightmares (before getting preggers) but think I'll cope, just means eating more.

Christmas name!

Blob... is like laze, lounge around . The funny things we say! My SA workmate was in fits today when I said something about "being up the duff" (pregnant). You forget the expressions you grew up with when you're not hearing them all around you. Mind you - dd teasing me earlier for saying 'innit'!!

Fox - we're in East London, Docklands. Feels like a world away from London.

Boo... I'm envious of your buggy I still don't know what to get. What helped decide it for you?

Kiwi: I researched obsessively . I needed a buggy that worked on grass and gravel (for walking the dog), folded small for the car-boot and had good under-buggy storage. I also wanted one that was a carry-cot/pram & forward/backward-facing push-chair. The Bugaboo was it, really!

It doesn't come with a car-seat, but the maxi-cosy fits onto it, and my friend's got one she can give me.

Bugaboos to me are a mountain range! (In Western Canada if anyone's actually interested.)

So am I the only one who will just be reusing the same stuff they had last time round? Assuming that when we get it down from the attic it's still in a serviceable state of course.

I am mostly Lunar, except I bought another double buggy from a friend who was selling. It's a nipper instep three wheeler, they are so light and narrow. My old double drove me up the wall. That's my only 'buy' this time.