August 2016 (3) - scans fast approaching, teeny tiny bumps appearing, and sickness easing....we hope!

[FourForYouGlenCoco]

Well we filled the last thread up fast! Seems we talk a lot round these parts

lovely scan clara !!!

SMP is - 39 week's Statutory Maternity Pay, made up of 6 weeks at 90% and a further 33 weeks at £139.58 or 90% of my AWE (whichever is lower).

To qualify for SMP you must:

• earn on average at least £112 a week
• give the correct notice
• give proof you’re pregnant
• have worked for your employer continuously for at least 26 weeks up to the ‘qualifying week’ - the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth

Some companies offer enhancements and it can also be based upon how long you have been employed.

lily I work for a very small agency so no benefits sadly. If you work for a large organisation and you want to go back after baby then I would def ask them for something more. How are you feeling today??

mslg congratulations, so pleased all went well for you and lovely pics of your little babe.

thanks, bear! great SMP info too - are you planning on leaving quite early? (think you mentioned april somewhere but might be hallucinating...) i know what you mean about being keen to escape the anxiety-inducing workplace, but you're completely right about keeping it all in perspective too. my mantra for the next 6 months!

mslg what beautiful pics! you must be on cloud nine. bless your DH - it is pretty surreal to see when you can't yet feel anything much, really!

also, sorry somnambulator and bearhuggy, forgot to reply to earlier questions. would love to have a home birth and hear that hackney's a great place to have one (apparently the team is really lovely and all your antenatal visits are at home!) but i'm a bit cautious given it's my first... at the moment thinking birthing centre like you, bear, for the lower key approach but still deliberating. have either of you guys looked at NCT classes yet?

and santa, love the head shave - you're far braver than me! can you remind us to sponsor you again next week after payday?

Congrats Clara and mslg!

Ok ok I'll stay! tbh it would be a game now as I know a few names and it's so nice to be ahead! The July group are further on! I've looked at October GlenCo! I love all the bfp's and excitement!

Shame not game!

Is it ok to tell people after the scan? I still feel like I might jinx things even though that's probably silly?

Well I'm telling everyone!

Hurray mslg and clara! Fab pics, both of you!
Yes Jw that's why I like it, they are all just finding out on the October thread and it gives me the warm fuzzies and makes me very grateful that we're at the stage where the sickness is receding rather than coming on!
I've told everyone now mslg but know what you mean about jinxing, it's def not going on FB or anything, probably til baby's actually here!
Well I put my big girl pants on and braved the loft, maternity stuff waiting to be put in the dryer as we speak! Very excited, can't wait to be comfy again. And the loft experience was fine, except for one bit where I couldn't figure out how to get back onto the ladder so I could get down, and thought I might be stuck up there forever. DH told me off for going up there though. I was painting ceilings at 7mo with DD, you'd think he'd expect a bit of attic clambering at this point!

So lovely seeing all these scan pics. Mine is still two weeks away and the suspense is awful!

Lovely pictures, making me very excited for next Friday. Keep wondering if all my work colleagues have guessed yet. I'm so chunky I'm sure they must have realised! However, people are usually more interested in themselves than others so maybe not. All will be revealed next week I guess.

Ahhh all these beautiful scan pictures are wonderful!!! I'm so jealous but so happy for you all!!! Keep them coming!!!

jw really hope that one of your brothers are the match for your sister x

Can anyone feel their uterus yet? I am 12+3 and because of horrible reflux last night I went to bed without tea. This morning I wake up and can feel an actual bulge between lower pooch area-it doesn't feel like flab, it's hard and round and feels so weird!!

I can fly-I actually have a proper bump-slightly concerned there's more than one in there! I look at least 20weeks!

Proper bump here too at 11+3, I do get worried there will be more than 1 in there. DP is a twin and both his parent have twins history in every generation! So it's proven the 'skip a generation' clearly doesn't work. Scan on Monday, fingers crossed everything will be ok. Me this morning...

I can too fly its usually most noticeable first thing in the morning when I'm not so bloated lol.

Thats a lovely little bump M2B

Nice bump m2b, theres twins in my family too. Here's my bump, excuse the concentrating face, I'm not good at selfies

Wow Santa you weren't exaggerating! What number baby is this again? That's a proper bump, gorgeous!
Yours is so cute too M2B!
I'm in maternity trousers today and the comfort is out of this world! I'm never going back into real clothes. Soooo nice to not have buttons digging in everywhere! Still in normal tops but I think their days are numbered.

Nice bumps ladies!! Mrs that is very impressive!!! Do you think it is all baby? I am waaay behind

I'm in my maternity leggings already but am not showing I don't think. Midwife weighed me yesterday and I weighed 1.5kg less than at my booking in. Putting that down to no wine calories though!

After feeling great for a week, albeit tired, my nausea is like 'I'm back bitches!!'

Morning ladies!

Wow girls with bumps...very impressive indeed!!
Mine only seems to show at the end of the day, but mainly due to water and bloating

coco well done for getting down your bits from the loft, how good are the trousers! I went and bought two other pairs in different colours yesterday as I am now addicted. I have a friend who's baby is 6 months old and she is still wearing her mat pants and says she will never take them off!! ha.

Was just looking through my scan pics again this morning and noticed this one which I had originally missed...baby is casually sitting there with its hands behind its head! what a little chiller.

wow, m2b816 and mrssantaclause, you guys look fantastic! i can't wait to have a bump like that instead of the extra all-over chunk i've accumulated...

mslg i feel you on the nausea. i haven't actually had it that badly, but the past few days i've been feeling pretty green around the gills at night. weird!

bear, what a brilliant little one, just hanging out in there...! fingers crossed he/ she will be that chilled after arriving here!

That's great bear!

Congrats Bear!

Here's my bump! 13+5

Very jealous of everyone's bumps! I thought I had one, but turns out it was bloating and that went, although I feel like underneath the bloating a little one was appearing, definitely feels like there's something there

Not doing a bump pic, still just looks like flab, although I know there is definitely baby bump there, given I've lost so much weight but belly still the same size!

I freaked DH out yesterday, finally spoke to him about our finances. Based on SMP, child benefit and my disability benefit, we will be £450 short each month I am on maternity. I've screwed up so badly, I have no idea how we are going to make it up. DH only works 14 hours a week so doesn't qualify for tax credits, and my salary is too high for child benefit (although not sure if they will take into account the drop in salary while I'm off). I'm going to spend the weekend finding as much as I can to sell, and DH is trying to find some new income sources, but I feel so bad for getting us in this mess, I deal with all the finance stuff and told him we could afford a baby.

Sorry, this ended up a bit long, just panicking