April 07 - role call for the hormonally unstable !!

[AndAKaty44InAPearTree]

Thanks Chilli

This site all looks different! Or is it just my computer? Or am I just going mad with Christmas and work and builders??!

Glad to hear everyone sounding happy - I only pop in every now and again because keeping up here would take all my time!

Just have a question for all of you - have you been told what my work told me, and what I'm sure must be wrong, that if I start my maternity leave before 1st April then I'm only entitled to 26 not 39 weeks off! Since baby is due on the 2nd, that's really pushing it...

What do I do? It's a bit difficult, as my post is grant-funded, but my m. pay has to be paid directly by my employer - a nasty shock for them - and I'm nervous about pushing too hard...

Hope any remaining scans went well - time is flying here, 24+4 today!

No no no no no no no.....

If your baby is due on or after the 1st of April then you are entitled to 39 weeks off. Regardless of when you start maternity leave, when the baby comes, what colour hair you have etc etc....

Littlefrog - as long as your due date is after the 1st april it does not matter when you start your leave - tell them to get their facts right.

I hate it when employers don't know what they're doing - if they are unsure direct them to the direct.gov website!!!!

ps even if baby is born before the 1st it does not matter - as it is your DUE DATE and not the ACTUAL date you give birth that counts.....................

thank you all of you - that's what i thought! I don't know what they're doing - it's all really complicated by my contract situation and the fact that the university I work for is broke!

Must say I could do without this, it feels very stressful because I can't make plans for next year - or for going back to work - until I know what I'm entitled to.

Hurray it's the weekend tomorrow!

Hello everyone - hope have all had good day and the move is going well CD

I finish work on 15 Feb but do not start maternity leave until 4 March due to Half term etc - so get an extra couple of weeks on full pay which is cool. There was some confusion over the start date though - I know it has always been the sunday but thought it was changing to the actual leave date - doesn't really matter to me - so left it as a sunday! Get maternity allowance rather than SMP so my HR aren't too fussy either. I have finished work now til 11th Jan YIIPPPPEEEEEEEEE!

Must go do tea xoxoxoxoxox

Hellooooo. Back from scan, baby looked great, call me silly, but HER profile looked just like dd's! Yes another pinkie to add to the tally. DD, DH and I are sooooo thrilled to be having another girl as that's what we secretly wanted (well dd never made any secret of her longing for a sister). Dh keeps hugging me and talking about 'his girls'. Get to dig out all of dd's cute clothes (broke my heart every time we put something cute away in the loft).

Only small downside - appear to have a low-lying placenta. Sonographer reckons that in most cases it moves to where it should be by the tim the baby is due, but have to have another scan at 32 weeks just to make sure (awwww what a shame, another scan!).

Am I allowed a glass of champagne?

EmmyMummy - champagne virtually compulsory for having such a nice result, I think But then I am very much of the opinion that if you fancy an occasional glass of wine, then why not have it.

CD - thinking of you in your move situation! Is this your first proper house together as a family?

Oh damn, I know I had LOADS of posts to comment on, but blimming PG brain has kicked in again. Love to all x

NB - isn't it a relief that this thread is about five million times nicer than MN as a whole? Not that there isn't good advice, nice people, blah blah elsewhere, but we have none of the horridness that I keep seeing on other threads

Boo! Just nipping in quickly to say two rooms semi-stripped and house gleaming - Hurrah!! We're moving in slowly over a week (should be completely in by next Friday) Mainly cos we can't afford removalists, so we are doing it all ourselves!! Thank you for your well wishes - keep 'em coming - still hoping for lots of nice people to come and give us a hand and also for the DD's who are poorly to get better quickly - especially DD1 who had to come home from nursery early with high temp.

Oh dear!!

Wonderful news about the great scan emmy - Congratulations on your Pink Bean - I currently have two girls and can thoroughly recommend it, they are scrummy and completely adore each other!! What will your age gap be??

Nutty - If you cannot afford NCT classes, then please tell them - They won't make you pay the full amount if you can afford it!!

....and yes, this is our very 1st house!!!! Very exciting!!

CD - oh, how lovely: new home, new baby, new start. What a fanastic 2007 you should have

CD - fab, new house, how wonderful. It's so nice to be able to decorate as you please, and enjoy choosing things to your own taste. Shame we don't live closer or I'd offer to help with the dds.

Will be almost 5 years between the dds, which is another good reason that they're the same sex as, at least they'll have something in common! Am hoping dd will mother the baby!

Nutty, I can totally concur with CD's comments about NCT classes - they were very worthwhile, but the best part was meeting other parents-to-be. It is so wonderful to know other parents with newborn babies, and we've stayed in touch and, it's been great to watch all the children growing up together. Have just booked refresher classes with the NCT, not to go over the gorey details again, but purely to meet some other 2nd-time+ mums.

Helo ladies!!!

Dooby - Am so glad your ok!! What a fright you must have gotten.

Weeonion - I nearly fell off my chair at your weight loss! That is AMAZING - well done you - as someone who has once managed to lose 4 stone I can't imagine what a mountain it must have felt like to climb... I am still struggling with gaining weightin this pregnancy but just keep thinking...I've done it before.... and as for fitting twins into size 10 jeans....I am ridiculously jelous as I sit here looking like a big pink blob (got too tight track suit on as slobbing out - DH has just gone to buy emergency Chocolate supplies! lol

CD - Congratulations on the house move, really do not envy you all that hard work right now - hope you manage to get sorted soon.

Emmymummy - hurray for your little pink beanie - fab news!!

My mind has now gone blank of everything I wanted to say...had a tiring few days...wondering if may be a bit anaemic....just cannot tolerate iron tablets - even pregnacare makes me terribly sickly...may try the liquid stuff to see how I fare. Also today my pelvis has been aching like mad - very sore to walk so think SPD is rearing head again....must just take it a bit easier...

Managed to not do anything ridiculously embarrasing for a few days now...which is always good.

Busy weekend - visitng friends and family this weekend and really want to finish of the xmas shopping tomorrow....roll on this time next week when I'll have finished work.

Love to all

MIAM 22 weeks today!

Morning all.

Emmy, many congrats on the pink bean - 2 girlies like me!

CD, congrats on the house move - hope you are settled soon.

Had our night out last night which was really good. Managed to dance for about 20 minutes before coming home. Knackered today! It was soooo smoky as well - eughhhhh!

Got the hoardes coming for lunch today and really am dreading it. Also have bil and sil staying at the mo, so am hoping they will muck in with dd whist I can get on with stuff!

Anyway, better go. Hope you are all well.

Hugs xxxx

Morning SORL - am still grinning from ear to ear this morning! Nightmare for you having loads for lunch today - hope they all help with everything and allow you to get some much needed rest. Have to admit, we've just avoided inviting lots of people over generally as I just couldn't face it. Have 2 very lovely close friends coming over for Christmas Eve, but that will be a v. casual affair lolling around in front of the fire, eating & drinking yummy things.

CD - hope all the house stuff is going well today. How are you managing to move house and do Christmas all within the space of 10 days or so?

Am popping over to see my mum this morning and she is absolutely bursting the know the sex of the baby - and we're not going to tell her . It'll drive her nuts!!!

Littlefrog, don't know whether anyone else has said but your employer will probably claim back some or all of your maternity pay from dear old Inland Revenue anyway, so don't feel afraid to tell them what's what! If you want to read up on what you are allowed go to this website, www.dti.gov.uk/employment/workandfamilies/maternity-leave-pay/index.html

hope link works!!

Hello there!

Thank you for your continued messages of support - means a lot, is v.mad here!! Sepcial thanks to emmymummy - Awwww, bless you sweetheart - saying you would help if you lived closer - That is soooo lovely, brought a tear to my overly hormonal eyes!! Awwww! Believe me, DD will definitely mother new baby - there's only 15 months between mine and DD1 is such a mummy figure to DD2!!!!! Bless!!!!

DD1 has been in our bed with v.high temp all night. She has had a tiny bit of Calpol and some toast this morning and seems brighter. Praying this continues cos we've got no idea what to do if she is poorly sick!!!!

How's everyone else today?????

Best get on ..............

Emmy - Christmas is pretty much sorted and fortunately, DD's are to young to be too upset if we dont' have tree / decs etc so we can get away without doing all that this year! () So we're just concentrating on the move - We're quite blessed to be living in in-laws house, so we can move slowly and do a wee bit of decorating too!!

ho ho ho ho
good morning folks and how are we all??

had my latest antenatal appt on thursday - all seems ok but a bit of a lazy baby. have to go back in 2 weeks to see if there is more movement. of course that has started the worries off but trying to keep it in perspective. also got my referral thru for the antenatal depression. have to go see monday - gulp. planning on a chilled weekend .

wont get through all yr posts and my replies as dashing out on santa runs to old folks homes for dp's grannies but will b back later.

maveta - we have already booked our NCT classes to strat at the end of jan for 10 weeks. decided to do it to memt other new parnts but also as i was told by the midwive that the ones at the hospital are basic to say the least!

dooby - yr ds request fro xmas made me but also a little

littlefrog - yr work is having a laugh! mine hs actually ended up being erally good with me and said that i was entitled to a full year off (even tho alot of that unpaid!) it is yr due date not birth date

[[hugs]] to you merryonion - I am sure the AD appointment will be fine - you are v.brave for making it!! Hope the Santa Dash goes well - Bless those grannies!!

hello all you lovely pregnant ladies!

CD - big hugs and virtual meals, boxes lifted, dd's taken out for a bit etc etc. Hoping the move's all going ok and that all your RL people are rallying round.

hugs to WO as well. Hope the app on mon is good and a step forward for you (((hugs))).

Can't remember what else I read/missed. Err.. Glad Katy's feeling some movement now, had been wondering about how you were getting on. Congrats on scan Emmy!

Well we had a lovely time in London and the ballet (nutcracker) was amazing! And dh had luckily got seats right by the exit so I had fast access to the loos! Really feeling Christmassy now! And managed the whole trip without any embarassing accidents! Was nearly sick on the train on the way home, but I think the sheer humiliation of puking in a sick bag (no chance of gettin to the loos!) while sitting next to a complete stranger on a packed train of commuters made me hold it down!!

I had thought i'd get all my xmas shopping finished, but didn't get a thing! Too busy looking at maternity/baby clothes in all the big stores, don't usually have so much choice! Got some mat jeans and a nursing vest top to sleep in. Someone said they'd got some mat jeans for £15. Very . Mine were £36 , but just what I wanted!

Must say i hate buying regular stuff at this time of year knowing that it will prob be halfprice in a couple of weeks.

hope everyone's having a nice weekend. We're off to get xmas tree now! Hurrah!

Hi all

Ds is finally better so able to try and catch up after 4 nights with very little sleep.

CD - hope the move goes well remember we are here to listen if you need to have a rant

Emmy - congrats on your pink one

WO - easier said than done, but try not to worry too much about the movements. And agree with CD, you are a brave women getting your AD sorted Totally in awae of your weight loss. My sister lost 6 stone over a year ago, and has kept it all off. Totally admire her willpower and sheer determination.

Sorry if I've missed anyone, but lots of love to you all.

Got my MATB1 form from mw this week, so having been planning my maternity leave Have worked out that I'm only work for 10 weeks after Christmas, and am not planning on going back until 2nd Jan 2008!!!!!

My nesting instinct must be kicking in, because I am now feeling the need to get loads of things done.

take care all

xx

23+4

Just a quick post as DS2 is sitting on my lap.

WO - well done on following up the AD. I think I am ok as I am happy more often than sad at the mo but if I wasn't I would be seeing the GP like a shot.

Congrats on pink bean Emmymummy!

Keep going on the move CD and hope your DD is carrying on getting better.

And hi to SORL, RHITS (who???) and everyone else!

Well we are treed up, decorated and MIL's here and has agreed to babysit for us tonight while we go to a Christmas party! Need to find a sparkly top....

Prob won't be back till Monday so have a good weekend everyone.

Just a bit of a rant from me while DH wraps my xmas pressies....

Last time I had my hair cut, I had it cut short & spiky. Anyway found the spikyness abit much to manage (I'm crap at styling my hair!!!) so took in 3 pics of kinda flat texturised cuts to show what I liked. Anyway my old hairdresser has left the salon and the new guy I was meant to have had phoned in sick so had to have this other new guy. HE WAS SHIT.

First he forgot the robe thing until after my hair had been washed. When I showed him the pics he said "No no...no do flat" (he was a bit italian). I explained I'd had problems styling it and it was a bit long and I wanted somethiing quick and easy to do cos I'm pregnant. So he said he'd make it shorter...which he certainly did (imagine 10 year old schoolboy ). Halfway through he paused and said "You have a lot of dandruff" (was too shocked to reply...i don't normally have dandruff and can only assume it's either cos i'm pg or from the styling products i've been using to make it spiky). Later he brought me some shampoo to use to get rid of the dandruff telling me "If you don't sort out the dandruff now your hair will be very bad when the baby is born and it will all fall out" . Then to top it all off he styled it all spiky like it was when i went in....ARGH. Have made sure my next appointment is with someone else. but v p'd off cos it's DHs xmas party tonight and i feel self conscious anyway being pg.

Aww Nutty, I feel for you hon - its awful having shit hair and just makes you feel horrid. Have had similar experiences with crap, over-enthusiastic hairdressers and you feel like you have to explain to everyone the whole time that this wasn't the haircut you actually asked for. Hope you manage to style it in a way that makes you feel good.

WO - good luck & hugs for Monday. You're doing brilliantly by even seeing someone about the AD, so hang in there coz you will start to feel better. And booking the NCT classes is a great move as those other mums will be an absolute lifeline to sanity once the baby arrives.

CD - hope things are going well today and that DD has improved. Your comments nearly set me off too, daft old hormonal wotsits we are .

Deca - you are one brave lady venturing anywhere near the shops in London at this time of the year, but very of you going to see The Nutcracker - I've dreamt of going since I was a little girl, but still never made it.

Well I think DD let the cat out of the bag to my parents today (re. the flavour of bean). My Dad was looking at the scan photos and he said to DD 'so is this your baby brother then', to which DD replied, 'No it's my sssssss.....' and just stopped herself in time. Cue knowing looks between my parents. Bah, oh well, but now my mum will deffo. blub to all and sundry. It doesn't matter really, I just wanted an element of surprise when the baby was born .

Ok here it goes...
WO - Hugs for Monday
Congrats EmmyMummy on the pink bean
Nuttygirl I'm sure you'll look lovely tonight anyway, Enjoy yourself. (PS i didn't know dandruff caused your hair to fall out?)
Also to HollyAMF - have a lovely time at the christmas party. My employers have said they are having a hard time this year so no funded Christmas festivities this year - bab humbug!
Eca - Mothercare was doing buy one get one half price on all maternity bottoms and tops. Managed to get a pair of really nice jeans and a pair of black tailored trousers for £50.
CD - How do you do it? Am trying to create space and tidy up my flat, with no children, a DP who works away during the week (so no getting under my feet ) and when my mum popped in the other day she thought my place had been ransacked!