July 2015 (thread 10) - the one where the bumps are huge, feet become unreachable and nesting seriously kicks in.

[Fattycow]

Welcome, welcome, to the 10th thread for babies expected in July 2015.
We are all counting the days and might even see the arrival of the first babies on this thread!

Here is the stats list, please keep your own entry up to date:
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1p3idkH2TaQYAy22I_N73k1_-G6Ezq67lAdhQvDjQkU0/edit?pli=1#gid=0

A long as you and lo are ok. That's the main thing eh

Yes Sue I agree with you on the getting the hang when baby is here. My concern is sizing. Don't want to waste too much money on clothes that aren't going to fit for long. I have bought more than a few new born baby grows and I'm starting to wonder if they will even fit ! Midwife thinks my lo will be around 8lb when born

Sue worth noting is that current advice is no blankets for sleeping as baby can get stuck in/under them and have trouble breathing. It's my first so I'm no expert but I've got 2 pram blankets with the holes for when we are out and about, and I'm planning to swaddle at night so I've got a few of the big muslin swaddles from John Lewis. A friend has already promised that she will get me a couple of the shaped swaddles that she swore by.

That's the cellular blankets Charlie.
I have a couple of them too.

Yes, i heard about that chalie I was actually looking at sleeping bags for the first few months and haven't thought much about winter time yet.. but good point to keep in mind re blankets, thank you. I don't think I'll swaddle though as i spent my childhood in a USSR country though where swaddling babies really tight was common and it always hurt me to look at them fully restricted in movement. Therefore I think I will be preferring looser sleeping bags.

Welcome Sue, you can use the cellular blankets in the beginning then switch to sleeping bags when they are big enough. That's what we did last time and what we will do again.
I am also breech at the moment, at least I was at a scan on Thursday and I am 37 +2. I have a consultant appointment tomorrow to decide my mode of birth as I had a c-section last time for the same reason. I am feeling pretty nervous about it as I still haven't decided what to do if the baby turns. I really need to make up my mind!

I had to google cellular blankets..! Totally makes sense. I cant believe how much new stuff there is out there since my little brother was born 20 years ago! (and he was born in Austria, so we had all supplies needed) :)

And just as a reminder from my first post on here, I would really appreciate some insight re breast pumps and tommee tipee sterilizer sets if anyone has an idea :) Cheers

I found swaddling really good as DD would wake up when put down due to startle reflex - arms up to head. Or scratch herself in sleep. (The little mits didnt stay on)

Just did some research on the Tommee tipee sterilizer sets and found this: www.paul-lee.co.uk/reviews/tommee-tippee-closer-to-nature-complete-starter-kit/ Just in case someone else will be looking at them.
John Lewis pricing is ridiculous. Same kits half price at Mamas & Papas and also on Amazon. :)

Good luck to you Thepurplegiraffe! I guess it is a no-brainer for you if the baby stays breech. But are you considering vaginal birth if the baby turns?

My appointment has been rescheduled to Wed eve, I'll have a quick scan as well as birth plan discussion with my consultant then. Hoping for the baby to turn though!

Welcome Sue I'm an FTM so can't help with steriliser advice but just wanted to say hey!

Number sorry to hear you may not make your date now, hope you're ok

Broody Kylie was a different night, but must have been ace if she was singing neighbours!

After my hospital shut it's MLU due to lack of staff I'm off for a tour of the ward tomorrow to try and figure out what's going on... My friend gave birth there a couple of weeks ago and basically got trapped there - even though she and the baby were perfectly fine - coz they didn't have enough staff to do the discharge paperwork! I don't mind being on a labour ward but not keen on having to stay in hospital for days if I could be at home.

Eeek good luck must and shiv - keep us posted, hello again Nurse, arete, Naty and newbie Sue (good Q's!), got my fingers crossed for you too Number.

Four more working days to go for me, (although one is a cpd day on infant neuroscience!!) so only really 3! Yippee.

Can't wait for mat leave, I read my hypnobirthing book on hols 27 to 28 weeks. But not started listening to cd yet. Baby best stay put til I've practiced!! I'm.full term Thursday!!!! Wow.where did time go.

People ask me bout names but I just tell them nowt, saying not decided, will wait til born and it's the one surprise they'll get (as we found out sex and told people). I'm falling more in love with our second choice, as it has two shortened versions both I love and could be mummy n daddy's special nicknames still waiting to see what the little man suits though.

is anyone else's baby having hiccups every single days and sometimes even couple times a day?? Is this something to worry about? My book says hiccups are no problem for the baby but I imagine it must be exhausting if they come several times a day??

Yes! My baby hiccups lots and sometimes for long periods of time - perfectly normal so please don't worry

Sue, I've got a tt manual breast pump for expressing, ftm so can't say which is best sorry. But bought one yrs ago for a friend and she said it was fab.

I also got a tt micro steriliser and a few.bottles for expressed feeds later on by daddy or my mum if I have a kit day etc (although prob exclusively bf for as long as possible). Got the pump, steriliser and bottles all at half price (so bout 12.50 each), so glad got them cheap enough and ready if needed.

I know people rave bout tt perfect prep machine, are you looking at that too?

sue yes babies aren't discomforted by hiccups at all, as far as I understand. It's just part of them learning to breathe. Mine hiccups for at least 1-3 times every day. I love it!

Sue What you need depends on how much you plan to mix feed. And are you using formula when you feed from a bottle or expressed milk or a mixture? How many feeds a day of breast, expressed or formula??

I personally think even the essentials kit has too much in it. I would say you need a steriliser (steam/microwave) and 6-8 bottles of bigger size (so you can use them right through rather than having to upgrade to bigger bottles as the baby grows). Teats (which ever type you want to use). A bottle brush. That is it. You can warm bottles in a bowl of hot water. It takes a little time to get the timing right but if you keep checking it on your hand then you will know when it is just around body temperature. I personally thinK bottle warmers and formula dispensers are gimmicks, although I know some people swear by their bottle warmers. (I am the midwife btw). I just learnt to guess when a bottle is warm enough. Plus some babies actually prefer it at room temperature and not warmer at all.

The other thing is to maybe only buy a couple of bottles of one brand at first, because some babies do not agree with some brands of teat so better to have a day of having to wash a lot and then buy the rest of the bottles, than finding out your baby wont feed well from the brand you bought and wasting all that money! You may find you need to try 2 or 3 types of teat before you find the right one.

Names - Pah. You're the parents. Stuff what everyone else thinks.

Cellular blankets are perfectly safe for night time. They have the holes in them so they're breathable. We started off with them to begin with then moved to sleeping bags at about 10 weeks I think when there was no chance of it slipping up dd's body and suffocating her.

I think it's a good plan, sue, btw, not to go mental on the shopping front. There's so many crazy lists out there of things you absolutely have to have but in reality, babies only need somewhere safe and comfortable to sleep and travel in, nappies, a selection of sleepsuits and vests, cardigans and a few hats. Plus, you're absolutely right that people will buy you loads more than you need! In terms of feeding, I'm a breastfeeder so don't know much about sterilising and what you'll need but the advice is generally not to introduce combination/mixed feeding too soon so baby doesn't get nipple confusion.

That's a great point, jomo about the different bottle brands. My sister went through five or six brands before she found one that suited my nephew. He was very colicky and took a lot of sorting on the formula front too, she must've tried out every single brand of that too!

Sue - what jmojo said!

I've only had one bout of baby hiccups, so would like more!

Ladies call me weird, but our icandy received before hols (nearly 10 weeks ago) has just come out of its box to be built / investigated by MrF. Having been safely put away under the stairs cupboard for all that time. The cat is going mental about it being whizzed about or collapsed!!!! she's got a lot of new stuff to get used to including a little baby being one of them.

Thank you ladies for hiccup reassurance! :-) Im just wondering if there is something i am doing to trigger it, but i cant think of anything cause they come randomly, no matter what I am doing or eating/drinking. She's got her own thing going on in there I guess. Fine with me as long as she's fine :)

MrsFbabyNo1, have you already started using your tt manual pump? If yes, are you happy with it? I did see the prep machine online but ignored it for now. What does it do? I picture a robot arm which mixes the formula for me and shakes the bottle.... but I doubt that's what it does? :))

jmojo Good to meet you! :) I am not sure on the breastmilk/formula ratio yet as I need to see how my breast behaves. The main reason I will express rather than bf is that I had breast cancer on the left side. Treated with a lumpectomy surgery and followed by 4 weeks radiation treatment. So there'll be only milk from one side which I imagine wont be enough for exclusive breastmilk feeding. And even though my other breast is healthy and likely to function normally I am just very uncomfortable with the idea as it went through many tests, needles, etc. I was considering to do only formula feeding but decided to give my baby breastmilk for the sake of the antibodies. My consultant said if I do it for the antibodies than the first 8-12 weeks are essential. So the ratio of breastmilk and formula will largely depend on if and how much milk my healthy breast will produce. After 8-12 weeks I would like to switch to formula only.

And thank you very much for your input re kits. I was wondering myself what the point of different sized bottles is if you can go straight to bigger ones. I remember when my mom had my brother (I was 15) she mix fed as well and we never had a bottle sterilizer or a warmer. Always checked temp on my wrist. And if i remember correctly we simply filled the bottles up with boiling water (I guess most of them must have been glass bottles though). And bro is a handsome smart 21 year old now. So probably these things arent THAT essential after all :))

broodylicious Thank you! I will definitely get some of those cellular blankets, they sound like the right thing to go for at the beginning. I find this "tog" thing in the description of sleeping bags bit confusing. Will probably get some for colder season but not straight away.

Nurse I have fat feet too, in fact I am currently modeling some very attractive compression stockings!

Welcome Sue. I keep hearing the Medela Swing breast pump being recommended & I have a friend who swears by the perfect prep machine.

I've had my last hospital apt today. Hopefully will be signed off consultant led care now on the 2nd...if I make it to the 2nd!

Only 3 more days in work & doing 2 of those from home. Which is good, as my feet now only fit in trainers and flip flops!

Aren't this stocking loverly Sherbet? ! Last week at scan, placenta had moved away from os but fluid level was low,and at midwife appointment BP was a bit high and protein and Ketones in wee, they didn't call me back as they knew I had another scan today and would have BP and wee dip at hospital. Wee was fine but BP still a bit high and feet are fat so had to be put on monitor for half an hour or so and have bloods done. All seemed ok but need BP and wee dip later this week. Ho hum, may be joining you in the pre eclampsia club Number! Do you think this means weekly visits? X

Haven't posted in a while as find it easier to keep up on facebook.

Baby arrived last Thursday at 37 weeks weighing 6lb 6oz

sue, don't really know how to say this without sounding patronising so advance apologies if it does come across like that..... Bloody good for you on coming through the cancer and choosing to breastfeed your lo, even though you know it'll be tricky for you. Inspirational lady