November 2015 ladies! Time to feel the glow!

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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 or or . Then glow.

I'm 18+5, and I was really worried too, it was bad just before my 16 week appointment - I kept telling DH my guts were going to fall out! Luckily they haven't so far. I'd give them a call if you're worried though.

Yes that's exactly how it feels, like something is going to fall out! I'm so glad I'm not the only one though and it's a normal thing to feel! I will give her a call just so she's aware and can give her opinion, I'm a worrier as it is!

I'm a worrier too. It's another reason that puts me off VBAC. If my scar feels weak just sat on the sofa I don't know how it will feel during the pushing, I think I'd be worried the entire labour that it's going to fall out (even if that never happens), and I'm not even big yet!

Yep same here, I feel like I've definitely made the right decision! Sometimes if I sneeze or yawn I get this awful pain like I'm about to pull a muscle to the right of my scar and have to stop and sit until it passes! Like you say, if that causes discomfort, imagine what pushing could do!

Feather that's soooo funny!!!
Can you imagine having something flopping about down there!? ( willy I mean) often wonder about that!!!

Mine are usually sexy dreams often having affairs with very weird people!!!

I'm tired in the afternoons too could do with regular naps around the time of the school run!

Hungry right now didn't have a very good tea, a cup a soup, bread , quavers and cornflakes! Busy day at work and could not be arsed! Tut tut

I had a very sexy dream with Warwick from CSI Las Vegas. He looks nothing like OH!
the dream was bloody amazing

My midwives are really pushing vbac hard Poo, I see the consultant at 25 weeks so looking forward to getting that sorted hopefully. I think I'm going to have a bit of a fight on my hands though, although I've got a lot of risk factors from my last pregnancy that makes VBAC more risky than average for me (although both are risky). I'm hoping the consultant is more open to discussion than the midwives have been

Does anyone use bump bands? Want to stay in my regular jeans as long as possible but they're very snug even with the top button open. I know you can buy them in lots of places but any recommendations for which ones are best?

You have just reminded me greedyeggs about the dream I had of James Bond ( Daniel Craig!? Is that his name?) it was bloody brill! He kept changing into my husband which was fine as he's good looking too lol

I can't stay asleep at night! Keep waking up at around 4 for the loo.

Still having very vivid dreams - 2 nights ago was very mundane about work, but last night I dreamt that DH left me woke up crying

Also woke up to some blood on my pillow - I am terrible for picking at the skin on my lips so assumed it was that, but can't see where it would be, so maybe a nose bleed?! Who knows.

On the plus side - my nails are longer than I think they've ever been without breaking

flying, I don't think there's much difference in bump bands, they're just a stretchy piece of fabric. I got one from Topshop. They are handy for covering tummy too when your normal tops start to get a bit short to cover the bump!

I had a rather nice dream about the PE teacher I used to have a bit of a crush on at school . Haven't thought about him for about 20 years!!

Poo those pains when yawning/sneezing/moving suddenly are round ligament pain. I have to brace before sneezing to avoid it, and I got it the other day turning over too quickly in bed! It's a right pain (literally!) but I'm told entirely normal as they're stretching so much to accommodate all the growing!

I've got the dream genii pillow which is really helping me sleep, also got it in tk maxx (£24 instead of £46 or something I think).

Ooh yes I'm getting the round ligament pain - ouch!

Has anyone seen or got a list of basic essentials to buy? I really don't want to get too much to start with but am feeling very overwhelmed! I've tried go ogling but the lists still seem pretty long!

Basic essentials:-

Nappies
Cotton wool
Wipes
Sleepsuits
Vests
Bibs

Cellular blankets

Bottles
Formula
Steriliser

Breast pump?
Nipple cream (Lansinoh)

Muslins

Moses basket
Sheet

A few medical bits- thermometer, calpol, sudocream

Maternity pads and big pants
Breast pads

That's it! That's all we got for dd, other than car seat and pushchair. Other things like cots, mattresses, toys, bouncy chairs, slings are useful as well but not essential.

Best thing we bought last time was ergonomic bath seat so you can put newborn in regular bath. Didn't get a baby bath and just wanted her for a while with cotton wool and warm water in some Tupperware. We also loved our Tripp Trapp with baby seat so she could be at the table when we ate, but again- not essential.

I think Guybrush has it covered.
For a newborn I think break it down into areas / categories and see what you need for each. It doesn't seem so overwhelming that way!
E.g.
Somewhere to sleep
Some way of getting about (pram / sling / car seat)
Feeding
Changing
Stuff for you e.g. maternity pads
Clothes (people will buy you loads for a firstborn)
Bathing

That's it I think. Of course there's loads of choice within those categories e.g. from a 200 pound changing table to a 5 pound mat on the floor

By the way, I'm no expert as I had hardly anything ready for DS, but in a way it saved us buying too much unnecessary crap!

Great lists but I'm still baffled . I can see already we will go overboard and have too much, but at least we will have covered everything!

I too have to brace myself before coughing/sneezing etc as the RLP is super painful!!

guy that's a great list thank you! I am feverishly noting it all down.
abbey I think categories is a great idea. It's the sheer choice that overwhelms me. For example - breast pump: electric? Sleeping: crib? moses? and so on. I guess nearer the time ill just have to make choices and get on with it!!

I think I'm just not going to buy anything, it's all too intimidating, and the baby can wear one of my old t-shirts and sleep in a drawer. I had a look at some kind of cot thing on the IKEA website and got freaked out so I shut it down again.

Had a lovely few days being fussed over by family at a wedding at home (haven't seen them since Christmas so I've missed them terribly) and back to it now: managed a Pilates class this morning so it's great to be well enough to be back at the gym.

I wish I could get some proper, definitive movement, to put my mind at ease now that my symptoms have tailed off - I have a 21 week scan but that's aaaaages away.

Ah thanks for the reassurance guys, and thanks for the lists! Even though this will be DC3 it's been almost 10 years since DS so I'm a bit rusty with what essentials to buy!

The lists above have made me feel a bit calmer - they don't seem as daunting as I'm building them up to be in my head.

I don't think I've had any movement yet either (19 weeks 2 days). However I just ate 2 bags of Haribo (little bags can I add!) and about 10 mins later I felt a strange stirring in my lower abdomen? Not sure if this was the baby or just my body telling me I'd eaten too much sugar in one go!

Genni you could get a cheap hand operated pump to begin with and only invest in an electric when you know whether bfing is working out/you can/want to express/baby will take a bottle. Otherwise the investment could be a waste of money (zonked you manage to pick up a cheap second hand one in which case I recommend a medela swing).

Re sleeping: depends on your budget and space. I'd say ideally get a Moses basket as you will want to take sleeping baby around the house with you to start with (eg if you are downstairs having dinner and baby is asleep). Cribs are not at all easy to move with baby asleep in them! Then skip the crib and move straight on to cot in your room once baby outgrows the Moses basket. If budget it not an issue or space is, then you can always have a crib as an in between stage or for daytime naps downstairs when baby has outgrown the Moses basket, but generally I'd say you can do without one.

Zonked?!?!?! That should read unless

I'm using my list that I give to clients and am excited to be able to buy my favourite products.

Have decided to just get a hand pump and see how breastfeeding goes before buying and electric one. I like the ameda lactaline as its a double pump. Probably will just get a basic cot from ikea and a good quality mattress. At the moment we are not sure where we will be living but will look into a Moses basket second hand if we move house. Will invest in a baby bjorn bouncy chair as I find the simple and comfy. Bottles I'll go with MAM but not the self sterilising ones as they are fiddly. Happy to email my list to anyone if they want to look. I'm a less is more person as figure asides from the basics it's nice to have things to buy after baby.

My dreams are weird. Other night I dreamt a client wanted me to feed her baby so she took her breasts off her body and I had to squeeze them to get the milk out and give to baby. So embaressinf writing that out.

Am now with a five week old who partied from 1.30-5am last night. I'm pretty tired so looking forward to sleep catch up at weekend.

It's always good to check in and see what others are experiencing and knowing I'm not alone. Still not told many friends so have no one to talk to.

We just went for the cheapest options (apart from safety things like car seats) and then if they weren't used much it didn't matter too much. We used a Moses and then an Asda cot which I think will see DS for a while as it's quite big and the height adjusts.

My friend's baby did sleep in a drawer briefly! She had her baby whilst still at work (why I didn't learn from that I don't know as I did the same) and as they were both fine she was discharged almost straight away so it was the drawer for the first night at home