JS viroids are here in their 28th outing complete with exploding belly buttons. There's royal foofs and jiffy bag gifts, but most certainly NOT x-rated colouring books at the VAGINA party HQ!

[ChatEnOeuf]

Welcome, welcome, welcome to the 28th grads thread... celebrating the success of Just Shagging in getting us viroids upduffed!

For those that don't know, a 'viroid' is from the original JSing thread 1, where someone was trying to type ladies (in reference to all the JSing ladies), but their phone decided to call us all viroids instead!

The name stuck and we've been the JSing viroids ever since.

The thread we have graduated from is here in its 46th outing. WARNING: they're all a bit kerazy not to mention randy!

There is also a Just Mumming thread in postnatal clubs here for once your babies come along, or to keep up with the graduated graduates!

There is also a private facebook group (so it doesn't give the game away in your news feed!)... if you want to join to see photos of new babies etc, just ask in-thread!

Here is the stats list, please update your own spot with any updates: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1oLJqpadAb2givKYq8OJfGCti3s6xzsTGlI-GoaBfM_M/edit?pli=1#gid=0

If you download the Amazon toolbar then you can add to it from any website, not just Amazon

No idea Jelly, may be an option, see I hadn't thought of that either, really need to get head out of arse area lol! In fact that's a really good idea and I think I'll have a look into it after the BH.
In other news just dtd after 3 weeks of nothing! OH got like this last time I was pregnant. I found it really difficult and felt all ugly and fat ?? apparently he was just scared of harming baby and found the whole thing weird to do.

3 weeks is good going Pixie

I've just bought a baby car seat mirror off the local FB site for £3
There are loads of baby play mat things on there too but I think we are being given one. I'm now thinking if it can be washed and won't get used for long then it doesn't have to be brand new

Oh pixie what a horrible few days for you, sorry things have been crap. I second phoning the CAB for advice, and prescribe cake for you. Seriously though, look after yourself and try to give yourself time to grieve for your grandad if you can.

I also dtd today, can't remember how long it's been but pretty sure we've only done it 5 times in the last 4 months. Felt all uncomfortable down below since though, like extra pressure and achey in my pelvis/lower bump area, and shooty fanjo pains. Though bit sure if it's dtd that brought it on, or straight after when DH pushed straight down on my bump, right over my baby area (he was measuring the width of my pelvis with his hand.. Yeah don't ask..) He obviously didn't mean to hurt me (silly boy didn't stop to think it's not actually just squishyness but there is a small baby in there)- it made me yelp! A bit disconcerting, hope it feels back to normal tomorrow.

Tee and before, pom-poms out for you both! Come on babies!

La, has mr la behaved himself today? Did you have a talk with him?

Jelly! Hiiiiii

That went wrong... Should have said waves wildly!

Aw pixie big 'ol jiffy for you and a hug. Xx

jelly our biggest expense was the travel system which was £400 ish. All the other bits and pieces we started to pick up one or two a month and kept addding a couple of packs of wipes and sudocreme to shopping, and it made it a bit more manageable.

So! When I posted earlier I had got back from shopping and I laid on the sofa for a little nap. I woke up after about 30 minutes because I was having really quite strong period pain again, so I got a wheat bag and laid with it, but it didn't go off. Then Mr tee got in and it eased again. Went out to collect a thing from b&q and on the drive back they started again, really strongly, thought my jeans might be a bit tight, they weren't coming and going, just constantly strong pains in lower bump back and thighs. They went off again when we got home. Nothing else has happened but they make me feel a bit peculiar, I've had plenty of fluids and something to eat.. And Dr Google reckons this could be bh (if this is the case then what I was feeling as BH before this are really different) or latent labour or just 'one of those things'. I can say it really bloody hurt and I've not had anything like it so far.

This is totally getting me out of dinner tomorrow. :)

Tee I had similar with my pay - mat pay is calculated weekly whereas my salary was monthly. My mat leave started on the payroll cut off date so I ended up being paid twice for the same four days and having it deducted at the same time. Made for a very confusing payslip. Also my pension contributions dropped to zero - bit miffed as I wanted to carry on and I've also lost the 15% my employer pays in. Not convinced that's in keeping with the 'keeping contractual benefits' bit of mat leave/pay law so need to look into that.

Hi Jelly and congratulations! Babies are as expensive as you let them be. I done DS on an absolute shoestring and was pretty frugal this time too. Who was it that said recently they'd spent something like £3 in total? Was it Splodge?

I tried nipple twiddling - but with a breast pump. There's nowt a heavily pregnant woman wants to do less than be sat on a gym ball twiddling her nips for hours at a time (speaking for myself - you might love it). It is proven to work but you do have to commit hours to it. My waters went after a weekend of relentless twiddling but I was a week overdue so was bound to go into labour sooner or later!

Pixie do you get tax credits? If you do they'll go up when the baby is born and if not you may become entitled to them. I think the household income threshold increases to £32,000 with two children. Apply now though - if you get turned down on the basis of your household income breaching the one child threshold (£26,000?) then it's easier to have your details on the system, report the change when the baby is born and have it recalculated there and then rather than apply from scratch. Plus you'll get a little extra child benefit but only £55 a month or so.

What a minefield pixie! Hope someone can guide you through it, CAB might be a good shout. Fell asleep before I could invite you to the massive virtual JS grad bed with all it's pillows but you are welcome of course, sounds like you could use a place to hibernate!

At NCT on Weds we learnt that not all ladies have contractions like you expect tee. Some do get it as a constant ache and pressure rather than in waves like we are used to hearing about. Maybe that's you! If not, totally worth it to avoid the dinner right?

What a silly boy toast! Hope it's not too painful. Was it hard enough to need a chat with MW about anti-d if you are negative blood type? If you aren't, don't worry! Just checking!

Hey pis! How's it going over there?!

That's interesting *pis; I think that the calculation has been based on how the stat payment is made and then the additional may leave on top is thrown in for good measure, rather than someone thinking it would be sensible to perhaps tweak the payroll cycle so it matches the 'normal' one. I do know that the payroll vendor we use is a total nightmare and we've had various people in our office with issues not massively dissimilar to this. I also know what a bloody nightmare getting out of cycle payments is so I'm not holding my breath, but I have got hold of my payment schedule until my stat mat runs out so I at least have some idea of what to expect.

Started making a small note of these pains, just in case there's a pattern or anything. Don't think there is, but man, if I didn't know better I'd say that the witch was parked up and polishing the shiny red convertible. Just had a couple of painkillers and they've subsided again... This is typical that is have this today when we are supposed to be going out for the day to something I've been looking forward to for weeks and now I'm not sure if I should, and I know if I don't, it'll amount to nothing.

Also can I get in on this sexy communal bed? I can bring a body pillow, box of eclairs and a hot wheat pack.
Just reading about the nipple twiddling which is weird as the last hours sleep I've just woken up from I dreamt that I was having some kind of pumping race with chat to see who could express the fastest. Bloody weird , esp as I've never been near a pump in my life!! (You won chat my boob kept making slurping noises).

Hey ind waves excitedly

I'm 4 weeks today!

Lol tee that is hilarious! Potential labour is exciting though, puuuuuuuuuuush!!!

Yey for 4 weeks Jelly! Exhaustion is a pregnancy thing. I have never been so horizontal in my whole life. I come in from work, eat my dinner and then go to bed! Starting to feel slightly better (I think) this week. I have a book about how to be pregnant and the author says that she used to get in from work and go to sleep at the bottom of the stairs as she was too tired to walk up them!! So take it easy!

Thanks pud I am sleeping lots! I've got a party today with my uni mates for Eurovision (yeh we are that cool) but I don't know how long I'll last. At least it's at mine so I can just sleep if I'm tired haha.

tee gx that the baby doesn't keep you waiting too long!!

Pud I suggest a long afternoon nap or you'll never make it

Happy 4 weeks Jelly

Pis nice to see you

Tee hope it's the start of something.

SMP is usually paid weekly based on number of Saturday's in the month assuming it starts on a Sunday. This often doesn't fit right with a monthly pay period. It can be paid on a daily basis which usually works better but not all payroll software can handle it.

Occupational maternity pay is contractual and there are no statutory rules about it. It tends to follow SMP ones though.

Morning all! My hips don't lie - I'm definitely feeling the strain now

Jelly I have a spreadsheet where I made list of everything I needed or wanted. In one column I have retail price of buying item new and other is what I paid. Total if new would have been £3k. Total I've paid is £1,300. Bear in mind there are things on there that you don't 'need' eg I treated myself to posh changing bag. The essentials for 1st baby probably add up to £1k. That's with looking for bargains and buying some stuff 2nd hand. I like to challenge myself to find what I want as cheap as possible.

If I'd not splashed out on a few things I could present have don't it for under a grand.

2nd baby will be loads less as all the staples are bought already. Most expensive purchase was my travel system which was £598. Doesn't have to be that expensive but that's the one I wanted.

Ga I'm totally laughing at the bear nightmare! Having it taste your food and make you sit on the flood- it's like the worlds rudest house guest! It'll be pissing on the bathroom floor next.

Off to nct in a bit. Quite looking forward to it.

Pixie sending you a hug. I know nothing about any of the stuff you mention so I'm afraid I'm no help. Would you like some cake though? I can do that!

Can I get in on this bed thing please? I could do with a bit more sleep and perhaps watching a movie in bed. Can someone give me a foot rub?

?

Anyone?

Tee - bounce bounce twiddle twiddle!

Me and before just discovered we live in the same small town :). Going to meet for coffee with babies - other viroids very welcome!

Thanks la that's helpful. Mr Jelly has already started putting a SS together lol.

Hope your hips are ok

PS when I say I could have done it for under a grand I'm still meaning with expensive buggy etc. It's absolutely possible I could've done whole thing for a couple of hundred getting everything 2nd hand. As folk have said it is as expensive as you make it!

You can get in la, and we can watch a film but I'm not rubbing feet! Maybe some of you can get a massage rota together. Enjoy NCT! Hope you have a nice group.

You can bring eclairs tee, but has anyone got a handheld Hoover for crumbs? I have wipes for sticky hands and faces! Loving your pregnancy dreams, sorry you didn't win but chat probably has the advantage having had one before.

Yay 4 weeks jelly!

Agree, it can be as cheap or expensive as you like. If you BF, co-sleep, do EC and get all your clothes and a buggy from freecycle you could pay nothing

We're on number two and apart from a new stretchy wrap (having sold the first one) nappies and a couple of extra sleepsuits, we've not spent anything. However, DD has a new bed and furniture so we could reuse her stuff for the newbie.

Pixie that sucks. Agree, CAB might help. I presume you've looked at the gov.uk website.

My pay while on mat leave was confusing - even though I told payroll to spread out the contractual element to make it as easy as possible to budget, I still got a different amount every month!

Yay for 4 weeks Jelly!

Oh I posted and it seems to have gone.. The gist of it was:

Dulcet I'm rh positive so no worries about that. Feel back to 'normal' today.
Other than a 4.30am acid reflux wake up call again! This is a new one on me.

Jelly get as much sleep as you need/can manage. It does get a bit better in second tri (though you will get fed up with people telling you that when it feels never-ending).

Tee hope you have a good day...

I'm missing Eurovision tonight but going out for dinner and will get an epic burger so swings and roundabouts as they say!

We're not going to do very well on a shoestring budget but trying to look after the pennies and not get 'sucked in' to buying all the stuff the magazines/shops tell us we 'need'. We'll buy second hand where possible too. I find it is hard to establish what you will actually need, what will be a nice useful extra that is worth spending money on, and what is really an unnecessary luxury, when there is so much choice around.

toast
Pointless purchases/gifts for me were:
Door bouncer
Pram parasol
Proper outfits for under 3m
Swivel bath chair
Baby socks
Scratch mitts
Cot bumper
Dummies
Nasal bulb
Baby hair brush
High chair the size of a tank
Baby booties

That's just me though, but its always good to canvass opinion. Anyone else care to share their purchases that you didn't find useful?

Happy four weeks jelly xx