Active discussions

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Birth clubs

Connect with mums-to-be with similar due dates to share experiences and support.

Original poster

November 2015 ladies! Time to feel the glow!

953 replies

Focusfocus · 20/05/2015 19:57

Are you expecting a babe in November this year? If so, get ready to get glowing. Breaking out in spots, or tears, or both is part of the so called glow. Feeling sick, contemplating births and having the odd good day of eating well is also all glow.

Come on then. Wee in the corner to mark your spot. Have some Brew or Cake or Wine. Then glow.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
Alittlebitofeverything · 29/05/2015 19:20

I'm glad it's not just me surrounded by doom and gloom friends. I'm slightly worried enough myself given that I have no real experience around babies, never changed a nappy, no small babies in my family to look after so I'm doing a good job of worrying without everyone else.

I'm sure everyone figures it out for themselves. I like the new car analogy I might keep that one for worried moments Smile

AbbeyRoadCrossing · 29/05/2015 19:30

I had DS too early to make it to the parenting classes, and am the youngest in my family, so is DH so we'd never looked after a baby before. The midwife showed me how to do the nappy (they do the first few if you have a section, as you can't get up), how to hold him and things like that so it was fine.
A very weird thing I found hard when getting home was remembering I had a baby. If he was asleep he'd make a noise and I'd think 'what's that' then remember. I also nearly walked away from the till in the shop without the pram once, but luckily didnt. It was only for a few minutes at a time I'd forget he was there but a very weird sensation. This passed in a few weeks luckily. I'm a great mum, honest Blush

annatha · 29/05/2015 19:58

Keep the dogs, cats, horses and whatever else you have!!! I'm sure none of you are planning on leaving the animal to babysit. Some people are idiots. My dad is convinced that my Labrador is going to attack dd. She's the friendliest dog ive ever known but of course we'd never leave them alone together in a room and took precautions introducing her to dd when we got her home. One of my friends has a horse and she didn't get out to it for a few weeks after having her dd but she just pops her daughter in a sling or her "mucky pram" when she goes to look after it. As much as I love being a mum I think its important to do my own thing too.

mrscatmad31 · 29/05/2015 20:04

I've been getting these awnings of doom aswell, I just think leave me alone to enjoy being pregnant, I've waited years for this!
I'm pretty clueless when it comes to babies and I'm normally quite a worrier so I'm enjoying my little bubble at the moment where it seems so far off still!

ch1134 · 29/05/2015 20:10

To those sufering doom n gloom stories:
In my experience, having a baby is a lot easier than going to work! I loved every minute of mat leave and couldn't understand what was supposed to be so difficult, although my baby was well and I have a lovely husband, which I know makes a lot of difference. I wrote this about 7 months in, when I had to go back to work.:

CoffeeTwo · 29/05/2015 21:18

Ignore the doom. I loved every second of having a baby and it was much more fun than pregnancy! Even the bits that were a struggle like tiredness or teething I was still happy to be dealing with. I had 12 months of maternity leave and hated having to go back to work.

gennibugs · 29/05/2015 21:24

I have had moments of panicking that I won't know how to do basic things like change a nappy! Then I think, I'll just muddle along somehow and all will be ok she says hopefully Grin

GuybrushThreepwoodMP · 29/05/2015 21:42

The basic stuff you just learn quickly.
Breastfeeding can be really really hard or really really easy and there is some luck involved with that one.
I found the newborn phase tough but mainly because we had a lot of breastfeeding problems. It can be hard on a relationship because two people who aren't sleeping enough can become resentful. But it is also amazing to sit with the person you love and look at this new little person you've created together.
Plenty of people find the newborn bit easy because they sleep so much.
Basically it's all hard. And it's all wonderful. And it's all very very worth it.
And when it's hard, you know it will pass. And when it feels easy, you know that will pass too!

Ignore the horror stories that people love to terrify you with. If it was that bloody bad, the species would have died out.

GuybrushThreepwoodMP · 29/05/2015 21:46

I get a bit sick of doom and gloom and twins.
"Wouldn't want to be you!"
"How are you going to cope?"
"Thank god I'm not having twins!"
It is tiresome. Twins isn't everyone's dream, and it sure as shit wasn't mine, but it is the situation I've found myself in and after the initial shock and terror, I am happy about it. Reactions suggesting I an the unluckiest person in the world make me feel a bit... sensitive.
As a working mum of a toddler and twin babies, I don't expect life to be easy, but I most certainly do not feel unlucky.

AbbeyRoadCrossing · 29/05/2015 21:58

I think people become weird when it comes to twins Guybrush My friend has twins and one is bigger than the other. She likes to tell people that ask why one is small that she doesn't feed that one Grin. You could have some fun with it.
I must admit I did think 'phew, there's only one' at my scan, but if there'd been twins I'd be happy. There's something very special about twins I think, it'll be lovely.

I had the opposite to doom and gloom with a premature birth. For some reason people think it's the greatest thing ever because you don't get big or get stretch marks Hmm. Still pisses me off at baby groups as it often comes up when people chat about birth (but thankfully less now the babies are older), I get a 'you're soooooo lucky not to have been overdue' quite often. I am lucky in that we're both fine but the situation wasn't lucky.
I guess people just don't think when it comes to pregnancy / babies. And during pregnancy and postpartum most of us are more sensitive and worried than usual as it is

GuybrushThreepwoodMP · 29/05/2015 22:08

I'm frightened of premature labour- strong possibility with twins. Just going I can get to 36/37 weeks. My friend just had her twins at 31 weeks.

GuybrushThreepwoodMP · 29/05/2015 22:09

I would have thought "Phew, only one!" too! And I'm probably guilty of saying all those things that I find quite negative now. I've just become a bit oversensitive about it now I am in that situation.

annatha · 29/05/2015 22:55

Abbeyroad your friend sounds hilarious Grin I wish I had the balls to say something like that. I'm getting fed up with comments about the small age gap and the assumption that this baby is an accident. Even the bloody midwives are all "oooh you're going to have your hands full!" No shit sherlock.

And off topic, but I was told that I had a beautiful little man this afternoon in the supermarket. DD was wearing a flowery dress, a powder blue lacy cardigan and tights so I can only assume she meant my 6'5 DH Grin why can't girls wear blue?!

AbbeyRoadCrossing · 29/05/2015 23:08

annatha my midwife assumed it was an accident too and circled 'unplanned' at booking. I corrected her of course. I've had few carry-on style lewd comments from friends too. If people say 'dont you have a TV at home' I say 'yeah, but there's nothing on in February' Grin

Topsy34 · 30/05/2015 06:30

DS gets called a girl,a lot as he has long hair, he is dressed in 'boy clothes' but people still say she....gah. He did say to someone i am not a girl i have a penis. They just stared at him whilst he smiled sweetly.

Alittlebitofeverything · 30/05/2015 07:40

Oh these stories a making me feel much better, maybe I'll just stop speaking to people in real life and communicate through fellow pregnant people on mumsnet.. I am meeting a friend this afternoon who is lending me the book "pregnancy for dummies" seems pretty appropriate really Grin

Ive never changed a nappy before but I think if I do it badly the worst thing to happen will be plenty of poo and wee everywhere which I'll then have to clean up, I'm pretty sure that alone with make me get good at it pretty quickly!!!

10twinkle10 · 30/05/2015 08:40

People are annoying, they are extra annoying when you're pregnant!
this is my second and there will be an eight year gap, whilst most people have been delighted others have had things to say(that they should keep to themselves!!)

Point being it doesn't matter about the age gap, animals/no animals or multiples or not, stupid people just say stupid things. Good job we are all so clever! Ha

Gr33dyeggs · 30/05/2015 09:12

twinkle there will be nearly 7 years between ours. I expected comments but haven't had any that I am aware of. We get people asking how we will manage in our 2 bed house. It'll be a squeeze but we will!

TwoBeesInTheHive · 30/05/2015 14:49

It very much depends on your baby aswell, they are all so different! Ds was such an easy baby, she slept 10hours every night by 1 month old! Shock I couldn't
figure out why people find

TwoBeesInTheHive · 30/05/2015 14:53

Oops posted too soon! I couldn't figure out why people found babies so hard! Then when ds was born a year later, by emergency c section, I started to understand! He had allergies that we didn't find out about straight away, he screamed all the time, it was really really hard.

tootsroots · 30/05/2015 15:56

I had a hen do last night In a socialite place in London -
man only so many Lemonades a girl
Can drink! Such fun to be out all glammed --so much makeup to hide the pale and bags
I looked slightly drag queen like-- had a good boogie and then was home like Cinderella at midnight!

Have had a lot of doom and gloom from mates about birth but to be honest that is max 48 hours of my life ... It's the month after I am bricking it over! The lochia , stitches , kegels , nipple pain... But then that's why they invented tea and chocolate Grin right? Dh even has promised me a cleaner for a few weeks after wards ! Winner!

We have two needy Burmese
House cats - I will be getting cat nets for whatever device the baby sleeps in for a little more peace of mind but that's the extent of my efforts above not leaving them in a room to play wrestle with the baby and not leaving baby in the litter tray! The amount of people who tell me they will suffocate it or something it strange- am not sure I am irresponsible normally so why now?

Talking of kegels- anyone being an angel and doing them ?

TakesTwoToTango · 30/05/2015 16:04

Toots desperately trying to, but sadly not enough clearly to offset the damage done by this bump's siblings. Still feel not right down there and hoping I don't need surgery after - I don't want to never be able to run again! Hmm

feathergirl1 · 30/05/2015 17:52

I'm embarrassed to say I didn't know what lochia was and had to Google it! I didn't even know I'd bleed for weeks after the birth too - how naive/uneducated?!? Blush

AbbeyRoadCrossing · 30/05/2015 18:00

I had no idea either until quite late on in pregnancy - I'm not sure what I thought happened afterwards! And a midwife told me it wasn't very much after a c section, so in my head I thought maybe like a period. 8 weeks of it! Urgh.
I couldn't have trusted a white dress like Kate Middleton. I'm still in a mixture of admiration / bafflement at that going home outfit

GuybrushThreepwoodMP · 30/05/2015 21:53

Bleeding isn't necessarily to bad. Mine was only about 3-4 weeks last time and mostly fairly light. Just horrible having to use pads!