March 2016 #6, we're just breeding here!

[MyNameIsSuz]

New thread, whoop whoop. Come on over!

I agree with Rhubarb, I did loads of reading and then when DD came along just went with the flow. Even having had DD I still think I am going to be a bit clueless this time round and I expect DD2 will be completely different (I'm counting on it with regards to sleep haha!)

I would also say to anyone planning to bf to definitely not get hung up on how often your baby feeds, frequent feeding is very common/normal and says nothing about your supply. some newborns feed all the time and I mean like every hour. Not all newborns, but it is within the normal range!

Basically, you'll be fine, though it helps to have a decent support network around you! As Rhubarb says you're basically flying by the seat of your pants at the beginning, I wondered when that would change but turns out it doesn't! As soon as you get used to something and feel like you know what you're doing, it all changes!

Bit stressed here today. After bleeding last time I had been holding off from a certain activity (external masturbation) Well I gave in today and for two wipes afterwards I bled again (pink blood). None since. Have used my home Doppler and found babies heartbeat easily although I know that doesn't mean all is well. I have noticed that down their feels a bit sore afterwards each time and for about two wees afterwards I sting and then it goes away. This has happened three times now during my pregnancy but I've also had plenty of orgasms without problems and have had inter course where I've bled sometimes and sometimes not. I'm going to hold off now until my 25 week midwife appointment which is 3rd December so not to long away now. I think I've felt baby move since as well so I know she is alive in their.
Just a tad (well a lot actually) concerned about an incompetent cervix they used a speculum to check dilation at 18 weeks and it was fully shut but I can't shake the awful thought out of my head that I'll loose this baby due to that condition as I heard vaginal spotting can be a symptom of it in the 2nd trimester. Any advice would be great, I've left a message in midwives anaswering machine but last time I did this she never got back to me, I also phoned triage but as I've stopped bleeding and its minimal they won't see me and just to rest up and if it starts again to come in (which it won't) the orgasm causes it. So I'm a bit lost. I've been off today as I saw my gp for something else before this happened so I can't take anymore time off work as they've been so good allready. I just want my cervix checked to see if it's shortening but I don't feel like they take me seriously. Last time I explained the bleeding was during external masturbation but found my self to embarrassed to mention orgasm and they mentioned increased blood flow but I thought this was only true in the 1st trimester. I'm 20+5 today. Also I have a fundal placenta so I know a low lying placenta is not the cause as at 20 week scan they said it was way out of the way up their.

Anyway on a different note we rent a two bed place in the South east for 695 a month. Plan is to have baby in with us at first but eventually move her into the current spare room. I haven't even begun to think about a nursery yet though. We have a second hand Moses basket and cot from oh sister and they have also bought as a baby bath although not sure how useful or necessary these are?
Also been having strong thoughts about a home birth these last couple of days. Going to mention it to oh later when his from work and see what he thinks.
Anyone with not much of a bump at near 21 weeks. First baby here and am tiny anyway but bit disappointed. Tummy still quite soft some days and hard other days. People say they can feel their uterus online but I've no idea

Ex cause the pjs but this is bump photo

Scan went very well - I'm so relieved that everything is ok. And this baby is currently measuring pretty much bang on average so I hope this means I will be having a slightly smaller newborn this time round!

And...I'm having a boy! They did mean to leave that bit until last but but its little boy bits were veey clear to see from the start so there was no big reveal; dh just said 'its a boy, isn't it?' Very hard to then concentrate on all the serious stuff because we were both so excited! I think MiL is a bit gutted that she won't have a granddaughter but I'm sure she'll get over it .

I'm also happy to report that the atuff about heart rate and baby's sex is a load of crap. My baby BOY had a heart rate of 152 bpm .

Wow, all these low house prices, I'm starting to feel a bit less inadequate for being in a tiny two bed flat compared to all these nice big houses now! We're in the SE, our closest city has the highest house prices outside of London. Flats like mine go for about £200k, and a very small house would be at least 260. For a decent three bed we'd have to pay over £300k .

Good news on all the scans and baby boys, I think we're definitely a boy-heavy group!

Nothing wrong with a 2 bed flat Suz. We loved ours with DS1. No need for a monitor as he was always so close and easy to get to changing table/ bath when needed. In the early days we used to put his pram in the bathroom with the extractor fan on and he slept straight away. When he was crawling we didn't have to worry about stairs and he was never far away.
DS really struggles to sleep in this house now and I'm sure it's because he feels so far away from us. Really have fond memories of our flat except for the lack of garden.

I agree on all the good points rhubarb, but it's not very family friendly. No space for a table so we can't eat together, no storage so piles of stuff everywhere, and no room for a tumble dryer so we have to wait for things to dry on an airer in the bathroom - with babies around laundry mountain just grows as it can't dry fast enough to put the next load on. It just feels sometimes like we're not living like proper grown ups, you know? Like I would totally have my shit together if I had the means to do so.

I also have fond memories of my flat, Suz! Just me and DS and a damp problem but the landlord let me do what I wanted with it and it was my first home.

Congrats, Trinpy! What do you already have, I can't remember?

That does sound hard, Suz. I didn't have a dining set or a tumble dryer for a very long time and they are still luxuries to me, I feel very lucky!

I already have a boy Beautiful. Dh is very pleased to be escaping all the pink girly stuff!

Suz I live in a house but its tiny so we don't have space for a dryer inside or a washing line outside. I bought a washer/dryer before ds was born though and it's been amazing. Or is there a laundrette near you that you could use?

Had my 20 week scan yesterday and all looked good, awkward baby was jiggling about all over the place and making it hard to measure though, except he has a large tunmy measurement. Sonographer and midwives yesterday didnt seem concerned but I got a call today for a growth scan in a month's time and then we see a dr afterwards. Anyone had anything like this before? No one seemed overly concerned (sonographer yesterday just mentioned they might give me a GTT) but its just worrying me a little bit. Googling (I know, I know!) doesn't turn up anything sinister other than possible link with gestational diabetes.

Sorry everyone, I'm just feeling moany and sorry for myself! And no unfortunately not trinpy, nothing like that in our town at all.

That doesn't sound like too much to worry about tappity, if they were worried about something they wouldn't be leaving it for a month. I'd guess maybe they have to follow up on anything that falls outside of a certain range.

Wow the thread has been busy today! Congrats on the successful scans tappity, Trinpy and Crispy! More boys for team blue

Dh and I are lucky to have a large 4 bed detached house in the SE. We have good jobs and have also bought and sold at the right times so made money on previous houses. Dh uses the smallest room as an office as he works from home a lot, then there's a spare room for guests and now the baby's room (previously a dumping ground and/or used for drying laundry!)

However our first home together was a studio flat so I know what it's like to live in a small space! We were there for 2 years. When we first moved out of there into our next house, I found it so strange when he was upstairs and I was downstairs because I was so used to being in the same room as him, all the time!

Hi Tappity, my baby's tummy is measuring big too. The notes said to check again in 2 weeks but I haven't heard anything. I have an appointment with the midwife on Monday though so will check with her then.

Tappity growth scans are quite common, I think. I had one in my last pregnancy and I remember quite a few of the posters on the antenatal thread I was on then had them too and with all of us everything was fine.

My ds also had a large abdominal circumference and was fine. This baby was measuring on the 50th centile for everything today apart from ac which again was right up at the 90-something-th centile. I think I must just grow them like that.

I'm going for a gtt too due to a family history of diabetes but they are no big deal and you get the reaults back quickly. They have to be very careful to pick up on any little thing which could signal a problem so if there is then they can do something about it asap, but that doesn't mean there is something wrong iyswim.

Q and Rosie what's worrying you about birth? It was the best bit for me last time. And it's over in a blink (or so it appears afterwards!).

I recommend Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth. I found it really reassuring. There is a section on complications but it goes through how these can be avoided and mitigated. It's very hippy! But I liked that kind of positivity!

I had no idea about babies still don't, but IIRC it starts off straightforward (feed it & change it) and gradually increases in complexity!

Hello Crispy! Congratulations on your good scan!

Q don't tell them. When you go for interview it might well be obvious, but they can't legally ask you about it. You might decide to reassure them at the end of the interview of your enthusiasm for the role.

Trinpy! Great news about your scan!

Glad the majority of your scan was good, Tappity. Hopefully not GD, the GTT is not the most fun but it's not too bad!

To join in the house conversation: Ours is (was) a new 3 bed in a cheap bit of the west country bought at £170k (hasn't gained anything). We only managed to buy on one of the first time buyer schemes. We'd like a 4 bed and could probably manage the mortgage, but have no savings for deposit/fees. We were lucky to get this place, we shouldn't complain!

There is a cheaper town nearby, but we like it here! We'd like to move closer to the coast but for a comparable house the prices are double!

One day...!

Oh, when I say birth was the best not for me, I mean that of course it hurt, and I whinged all the way through but I'd felt so rotten during pregnancy I was pleased the end was in sight!

The experience of time was odd. It was a 13 hour labour but I wasn't aware that it took that long. (And then I had to have a spinal block for repairs after, but that was ok too).

I had a Natal Hypnotherapy cd that might have helped. I definitely felt in control the whole time. It was good.

Thanks Trinpy and Rhubarb. I was little when I was born (5lb odd) but DH was a 10lb baby - perhaps our son is taking after him!

Hello everyone!

Wow lots going on yesterday! Suz hope you have a better day today & Ginger sorry to hear about the spotting. It sounds like you have a good plan in place though and if you do get worried again go to docs/drop in centre, they might be able to out your mind at ease and you can always make time up at work.

trinpy congrats on your baby boy! !! It's a can day for me today - think I'm the last one? And I'm so excited to see if boy or girl but feeling quite nervous. Just hoping all ok. OH coming it's first scan he's been to so he can't wait!

On the housing front. We've got an offer accepted on a house, at survey stage at the mo. It's a really nice size three bed BUT it needs gutting and putting back together again! ! So much needs doing I'm wondering if we are slightly mad to be taking it on. However we would never have been able to afford a 3 bed on outskirts of london otherwise. Luckily my dad is a tradesman and he's going to help massively, dont think we would have considered otherwise. Fingers crossed will be moving in around Xmas and then have a couple of months to get stuff done before baby arrives - timing is pretty tight!

On the work front, I was head hunted & offered my dream job literally 2 weeks after I found out I was unexpectedly pregnant! Talk about everything happening at once! I chatted it through with new company and they were really appreciative of honesty and did everything they could to accomodate my benefits and so on. I worked my notch period and started there last week. It's been busy, I'm v.tired & aware it's a lot to manage but I think it was so worth me having a few months to settle, set projects up and get to know everyone before maternity leave. So it can be done!

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Right, scan time nearly here! Will update later on ....

Excuse all typos in last post!

Good luck today neh!

I think there's still a few more scans to come next week?

Good Luck neh I'd love a project house, one day intend to find one at auction which is a shell and completely renovate it and make it mine.

thanks for all the advice on the interview, I have accepted but will let them know about the pregnancy in interview just for my own moral peace of mind.

suz I was in a 2 bed flat when I met DP, he kind of moved in within about a month of us being together. I loved my flat, if I hadn't met DP I'd have definitely looked into buying it by myself. After the mmc a few years ago we decided buying was a main priority for us and his dad let us move in with him rent free for a year to save. Even in our house we don't have a tumble drier though haha.

trinpy I think the worry is I've never had to pass anything baby sized through my nether regions before, it's the lack of knowing what to expect and the fact noon can tell me because everyone birth is different. I'm scared and excited in equal measures.

Indo I'm worried about not being able to push baby out, if my body can't handle or If anything goes wrong during birth :( I'm so scared, 17 weeks + 2 days to go!

neh good luck with your scan

Me I find it weird too when DP is upstairs and I'm downstairs, we lived with his parents for a year to save our deposit and we were always together, now we have a 3 bed semi detached house so there's definitely more space, I'm sure I'll appreciate the space once my baby girl starts crawling around and her 4 year old half brother is playing with her :)

Trinpy congrats with your scan :) same here the nub theory was right for me and the heartbeat theory was a load of crap haha I'm having a girl and at my 16 week appointment her heartbeat was 137bpm! So definitely a load of crap!! haha

Ginger I hope everything's okay hun try not to stress but if I was you I'd go again and see my gp work will understand

wow neh that is very brave! our first house was a doer upper, the existing owners had started a loft conversion but then ran out of money and then got a divorce! I wouldn't ever buy a doer upper again to be honest, I think if you are an organised type of person it's great, but me and DP are too laid back, and it took us ages to do it, and it was pretty stressful. Our second house (the one we live in now) is an old Victorian property, it didn't need anything major doing but quite a lot of little jobs and we've been living there two years and are still working through the jobs slowly, but it's been harder to get stuff done with DD around! Moving in Xmas sounds pretty quick though - I assume there is no chain?

Here's my bump this morning, excuse the underwear and messy bedroom! I'm 22+3 and my god I'm massive. I look ridiculous. Glad I haven't put weight on anywhere else but seriously this bump growth needs to slow down

Indomitable I'm reading Ina May's Guide at the moment. I do like it though some of it is a bit, um, 'out there', I guess! I'm a little bit uptight I guess so some of her suggestions (clitoral stimulation during labour!) have me a bit and haha, but I do like the positively of it and it has been a real eye opener for me in terms of making me realise why I had such a difficult birth with DD, as just felt stressed! Definitely want a home birth this time.

Q to be honest I wouldn't worry about the actual pushing the baby out bit. I found that the easiest bit to deal with. Very strange feeling though and I can very clearly remember how it felt! Even though it was really hard pushing (I had a long labour, and an epidural in the end so pushing was a bit difficult even though the epidural had worn off, as I was on my back), it was the bit of my labour where I felt like I was achieving something - that might sound a bit weird, but it felt like the end and the pain felt constructive. You'd be amazed at what you can accomodate coming out of your foof!

Christ just realised I've written an essay and a half, sorry!

This thread is a big commitment, you go away for a couple of days and have to schedule a few hours to catch up haha!

Wow, lovely bump marmite! Good luck on the scan neh, you're not last I still have a week to wait! Will be 20+5 when I have mine.

I think it's strange if you're not at least a bit apprehensive / anxious about birth first time round, I still am 3rd time round. The baby has to come out though...! I'm mainly worried as had unplanned home birth last time as was so quick. Worried this one might pop out when I'm walking around the supermarket or something.