Feb 2016 babies: Welcome to the 3rd trimester - the final stretch! (in more ways than one)

[haquoi123]

New thread! Stats in next post

All of you sound so on it! I'm panicking and then chanting 'January sales' at myself to keep calm. Money is so tight at the mo although a couple of late contracts coming in are going to help massively, but I'm finding it hard not to just buy new things and concentrate on my freecycling. Big hopes for Christmas baby gifts (hello family!) and then the sales. I'm going to make a list and then blow all money on 27th Dec - unless you think better deals will be had later on?

Breast pumps: any recommendations? I'd like an electric and double (will be going back to work early on) but don't know where to start.

rufus I had the strangest dream that you had your baby (although I pushed it out ) and luckily she (this dream is not accurate at all) was very healthy despite being so early and didn't need any support at all. You named her Kit. My strange mind!

Amazon (sorry I keep going on about deals)
Cabriofix £70!!!! Tommee Tippee perfect prep £55.

haquoi very weird dream. Wish I had some last night, been awake since 4am. I've asked everyone for stuff off my Amazon wish list for Christmas but keep on being tempted by the amazing deals. I doubt anyone will buy the big expensive things off it so when they are 50% off I can't stop myself.

Think I need to go out and get some more body suits am so behind you all on that, my DM keeps buying loads of stuff so I haven't really bought anything so far

Am at the hospital having the diabetes check, lucky me lol

I'm in the same boat maryellen, I'm leaving it all to my DM! I've been doing some knitting myself but every time I finish something I hear of someone else who has just had a baby so it goes to them, rather than keeping it for myself, d'oh! Hoping to blast through loads on maternity leave though, and I have an army of aunties knitting things as well (including amazing lace work shawls).

Finally getting organised on the pram front! We have booked a nursery advisor appointment at John Lewis this weekend for them to show us how all the different kinds work, eek!

rufus could you link the cabriofix please? i cant find it, sob.

at the hospital waiting for my scan. just pissed all over my hands trying to get it into that impossible tube. i cannot see my fanjo any more. got eye rolled when i asked for something else to pee in. ffs. no doubt get told off now for not having a sample.

arrow I can't find the deal, must be over but they have released the same deals again a few days later if there was more stock. If I see it again will post with link.

troika have inboxed you, let me know if it hasn't appeared!

I feel for you till - I hate giving the urine samples so much that I've got a bit neurotic about it and have devised a system

In the hospital where I see the midwives there's a container of clean sample jars in the waiting room. I swiped a spare one of these. Then I was one jar ahead. So every time I have to go to the GP Or the midwife I have a one jar ahead of time and just go at home into a special jug and then decant that into the sample jar. Then when I'm at the appointment I get the new jar off the receptionist anyway, for the next time.

I have spare ones too that I swiped from the hospital

When I say "special jug" I mean a designated jug! There's nothing special about it, it's a plastic yoke from the pound shop!

calypso yay for maternity leave I just counted in my diary yesterday and very excited to find out I have less then 4 weeks of teaching left it's the only thought keeping me sane at the moment I have no patience for teaching or preparing jist want to be sorting baby stuff!

Jellipi I would only buy a few of newborn/up to one month incase you jave a big baby or it grows quickly. I bought mostly 0-3 last time and when she was born and we realised she was a little baby who was growing slowly ( wore 0-3 till nearly 6 months) I asked family members who could get out to buy some more newborn size stuff so she wasn't swamped by all her clothes

arrow the cabriofix is on sale again tomorrow morning from 6.30am. It is raspberry in colour, other car seats are on today.

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00HT0Z8Y2/ref=gbmh_mob_s-1_6867_a71cfb43?dealid=a71cfb43&pf_rd_p=540546867&pf_rd_s=slot-1&pf_rd_t=35801&pf_rd_i=23&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=NGFT6TCGWDDDCVGR6N55

Re breastpumps - buy a cheap manual for expressing a little when the breasts are engorged (helped me latch DDs on) and just hire a Medela Symphony - around £50 a month from Mothercare. I spent a lot on electric pumps and they were all useless barring the Symphony. With that I was expressing 9-12oz every 3 hours!

till I've just had a look at the ardo calypso double plus which looks great. Do you have any knowledge of that? My only thing about hiring is that I'm going back to work after about 3 months so the cost would eventually be more than just buying one...

How's everyone doing?

rufus keep the links coming! They're really helpful :)

Hi ladies, I'm so sorry I've been AWOL for SO damn long. I have just been the busiest person in the whole world and haven't had a chance to check the thread.

Calypso my Maternity Leave starts 4 weeks today because of a combination of Christmas and the way my Annual Leave has worked out. Yay!!!

To be honest though that's the only thing keeping me going at the moment... Because right now I have: Piles, recurrent Thrush, SPD, swollen to hell feet and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome... And I've only just started the Third Trimester!! I am also covered in spots and have a house which is covered in wood/plaster/brick dust because of all the work still going on.

I'm going to the Physio on Tuesday to get assessed about the SPD, so hopefully will get some help with that. Trying very hard not to become a one-woman pity party... I promise to cheer up now, I just needed to tell someone how hard I am finding it at the moment.

Right all the talk of preparation has scared me into action - I have rescued a box labelled "hospital/nursing" from my parents attic - I'm hoping that's going to sort the majority of my stuff for my hospital bag. I also bought a pack of breast pads. And I have a bag of DS's smallest clothes to wash and sort at some stage. He was a summer baby so I might need to pick up cardigans and snowsuits but I'll see what I have. Feel a little better now!

I'm at home with a sick and cranky DS so that's eating up my last few days of annual leave - I was hoping to use them to have a few 4-day weeks before I finish . Ah well...

Just come back from my growth scan and delighted to say all is well. I'm 29 weeks today, baby is measuring 30 weeks and bump measuring 28 lol. I have no idea where he is hiding in there!! He is 3lb 5oz and they are not worried about anything like blood pressure, wee is clear. Oh and the placenta is now away from the cervix so I can have a VBAC 😊. Really happy, just praying everything stays good for the next 11 weeks.

whoknew great news!
Today I utterly caved and bought some completely needless baby shoes (handmade soft leather slippers). But they're completely in keeping with DH's hobby (well it's a justification). I shall slip them in the changing bag I've got (buts and bobs with hobby theme too). and hope he never checks how much

I ordered a new snuzpod mattress today and rang the shop to chase up my double buggy that I was meant to get in four weeks, seven weeks ago. They can't find the carrycot part, so they're ordering me a new one. Oh ok then

I am exhausted all the time and constantly feel as though I am walking through treacle. On the plus side, my back is still ok.

Oh, and I bought a packet of newborn nappies when I did the weekly shop earlier! Last time I had a separate hospital bag for the baby and for myself so I think I'll do the same this time and have the baby bag ready ASAP. I just need to dig out the newborn clothes and re-wash them. I'll get round to that shortly.

Haha maisie, that sounds like me! My admin day was spent in bed, I was so exhausted. I spent the evening experimenting making homemade laundry detergent (because I have nothing better to do ) and then sat and watched the washing machine go round for an hour, like I've never heard of something called a TV...! Finally got myself into bed. DH has given up raising his eyebrows at me and just accepts his wife is going doolally.

Oh and fantastic news whoknew!! I'm so pleased for you :)

Great news whoknew

Zara home is doing 20% off everything on their website with free delivery, they do loads of nursery stuff.

John Lewis is doing 25% of maxi cosi cabriofix fixes and pebbles in lots of colours incase anyone doesn't want a raspberry one off Amazon but the Amazon one is much cheaper.

I'm very wired so think I will sit up and wait for Argos deals to go online at 1am. Took me over a hr to get my currys order to go through this evening as they couldn't cope with the volume on the site.

madsaz that is a gorgeous picture! Love it. It's made me want one now!
rufus I love your bargain posts! You're amazing at finding them!

banana hang in there! I hope physio can help! Is this your first??

Wow ! To all the ladies who are getting organized. I keep meaning to buy the baby one super cute impractical special outfit (it DC3 so they will only ever get hand me downs) but everything seems so expensive. I am waiting for the sales after Christmas.... I'm worried once I start I won't stop. This is my last and all the newborn stuff is so cute...

haquoi regarding breast pumps I had the medela swing (electric single) and it works well but I would get the electric double if you can (if they weren't so expensive I would get one, but I had trouble expressing and can't really justify it). The deluxe comes with a back pack so you can walk around/ vacuum while pumping but seriously The 15 extra minutes pumping each side separately always seems soooo long!!

When it came to a pump, I just used the bog standard manual Avent one. I found unless you're actually expressing for a reason (eg for some reason baby will only accept bm from bottles or can't latch or something) you don't actually need to express that much or that often. If it's just so someone else can give a bottle then manual seemed to work fine; couldn't justify spending ££££s on a fancy one!

Have just indulged and purchased my birthday laptop in the Black Friday sales, £200 off . Had the same laptop for over four years, and simply asked everyone for contributions for my birthday this year. It was PC World/Curry's and seemed to go through OK rufus; what were you ordering?

Good news on the VBAC whoknew, really pleased for you!

Laughing at hacquoi watching the washing machine!

That's great about your scan whoknew

We've got a nursery advisor appointment at John Lewis on Sunday so here's hoping that 25% offer on the car seats is still on rufus!