May 2016 babies - baby clothes, maternity leave and all the rest!

[GrouchyKiwi]

Here's the next thread!

Sorry to hear about the insomnia Cant I've been suffering too but ended up being so exhausted that for the past 2 nights I've almost slept right through. Hopefully you managed to cope ok with work today, I'm struggling with work and tiredness.

I think I'm going to go for the private step b test ODog I know there are limitations and it can only tell you if you're positive at that particular point in time, but an old school friend lost her baby to strep b a few years ago so I'd rather not take any chances.

I hope everyone sleeps better tonight!

We haven't got any further with unpacking we've got guests staying next week so it needs to be done!

Gunshot I moved in August and I still have 6 boxes unpacked. They're almost part of the furniture now.

I am having the WORST set of nightshifts this week. Last one of 4 tonight and then I can sleep all weekend. So cranky as DP woke me up 45 minutes before I needed to get up and it had taken me ages to get to sleep.

Good luck with the unpacking gunshot - I don't envy you! Had 31 wk midwife appt today and she says she will be surprised if this one makes 8lb. DS was 8lb 15oz so I'll take that. Not sure how they can really tell so early on but it's something to cling on to!

Just ordered DS's present from the baby. Little In the Night Garden bag that he can put all his snacks, drinks etc in so I'm not lugging about loads of kit with a book called I'm a new big brother that has an annoying noise button and a Jill Murphy large family book (he is big into elephants at the moment!). I also have a peppa pig toy that I bought a while ago to go in the bag too. He will defo be more excited about the stuff than the baby!

That sounds really sweet ODog! I've been trying to find DD a big sister/little brother book, but I can only find the other way round.

Hope tonight goes OK Parsnip!

I've unpacked a bit more as someone has asked for empty boxes. Got to sort as much as possible out tomorrow before going to Devon for my sister's 21st and mothers day. Taking MIL out for a meal with my B&SIL, I love them all to bits and can't wait! DM passed away 3 years ago, DSis will be hung over and I'm an overly emotional pregnancy cliché, so I'm not sure how the rest of the day will go!

On bump size, mine is now usable as a table.

Saw MW today. Didn't get whooping cough vaccine but did arrange for her to come visit on Monday to talk about home birth. So that's exciting.

The present for your DS sounds lovely, ODog.

Hope everyone gets a good sleep tonight!

31 weeks today. 9 weeks to go. Single figures. Whoop whoop!

ODog hadn't even thought of it like that - eek!! One of my pregnancy apps tells me how many days to go (as if it's that precise...!) and today says 61 - terrifying!!!

Am visiting my family for a few days and my nieces and nephew are slightly freaking me out - they are 8, 6 and 1.5 and my GOD it's exhausting. There was a cute bit yesterday when my nieces lay with their heads on my tummy trying to feel the baby and getting v excited when they did, but my nephew (he'll be 2 in June) is so non-stop I'm freaking pit slightly about what I'm getting myself into....oh well, too late to worry about that now eh?!?!

It's always different when they're your own, cant (although yesterday I admit to nearly losing it entirely and quitting for a week). When you have a tough day with someone else's children there's not necessarily anything that makes it feel better (apart from wine) but when you have a tough day with your own children all it takes is a little hug from them, or an "I love you, Mummy", or even just looking at their beautiful sleeping faces and the difficult day just melts away. Works every single time.

I am definitely envious of those of you who only have single figures to go! I'm not quite 29 weeks. Feels like forever left!

Thanks grouchy! There's also a massive backstory with my family (isn't there always) and it's always enormously chaotic with my DS and her 3 children, and I am usually left to look after them when I get here as everyone else is wrung out and exhausted, and I don't have the energy now so it causes a few issues (is it wrong that I want to be looked after a bit??). I try not to judge the way she is bringing them up that leads to the chaos but is hard not to!! My DM said last night that she wanted me to come next weekend to support my DS with the children (as my parents are going away) and I told her that not only am I not free but also I'm not able to offer support as I need to rest, still working full time and dealing with enough right now!! Not that I would ever dare post in AIBU but there is quite the story here...

Cant sometimes you need to put yourself (and the health of your baby) first. Make sure you get some rest... Although I probably need to practice what I preach. I actually had a little cry this morning because the house was such a mess, I feel like I'm doing everything on my own and haven't had more than 23hrs off work in a row for over 2 weeks.

So exciting that some of you are in single figures. Before we know it we'll be sharing baby stories not bump stories. I'm finding it very strange that at work I'm now looking after some babies who are younger than mine. Still can't really believe all the kicking is from an actual small little person.

Well done for sticking up for yourself and your baby, cant.

Do you work in a NICU, Parsnip?

We're having a birthday party for DD1 (who is now 4) and something like 16 children (plus their parents) are coming to our house! We had a lot of Maybes at the beginning so I invited a few more people and now everyone has said they can come! It's going to be chaos.

Wow parsnip I feel bad for moaning about being tired when your work is so emotionally and physically demanding (though I know it's not a competition!) but it must bring a whole new dimension to caring for early babies when your own is still cooking...I can't even imagine.
And grouchy good luck!!! Sounds crazy intense!
Just spent an hour at the local specialist baby shop with my mum looking at prams, my head is spinning now! Feels like I had more of a decision before but now I'm undecided again - between uppababy vista, Cruz and a curveball option of a last one in stock special offer on an emmalunga (spelling?!) - all based on whether it will fit in through our doors plus second-guessing an imaginary life we don't live yet with how much I'll want to use it on public transport vs parks, mud, etc etc - so hard to know!

Good luck with the party grouchy - I think I would have shopped that one out to soft play or similar.

parsnip - I don't think I would deal well with seeing such tiny babies knowing mine is still in and bigger. Way too emotional. Especially with such little time off. When to you start mat leave?

cant - pram selection is so so hard. I had a concord Neo travel system. In hindsight I would never have gone for a big travel system style pram but something like a baby jogger that can take a car seat and a carrycot but as baby gets bigger fold quickly and small in one piece. But everyone is different. Travel systems do look so lovely in the shop though just not when you need to get the bastard thing in/out of car quickly with a screaming child Gone for a Phil and Teds this time as I'm not sure how much is use it as a double and it works just as well as a single. Plus it will take a car seat (which is a handy feature to have with a newborn if you drive a lot). To be honest though I have 3 slings which I think will get more use than the buggy.

Grouchy 16 children sounds like utter chaos, but I bet your DD thinks it's awesome. Hope you get a chance to relax after.

Can't I do work on a NICU. Normally my rota isn't too bad but someone has been off sick and I've been covering lots of shifts. Need the extra money so I shouldn't really complain, but think I'll have to stop doing extra shifts now. Although it's emotional and can be crazy busy sometimes most of the time our workload is really manageable.

We've bought a Joie Chrome travel system, it's light, scarily cheap and came recommended by a friend. There is definitely too much choice!!

ODog mat leave starts end of April... 7 weeks to go!! Can't wait!

Visiting MIL today who has loads of lovely baby bits for us from an NCT sale and DP's sister. So exciting.

We've got most things now. Most big things anyway. We've bought a travel system and nursery furniture from friends, my sister has lent us a big crib that rocks, we got given a Moses basket from a friend, my sister has given us a big bag of newborn clothes and a big box of 0-3 month clothes. We've also got a nappy bin, bottle warmer, freezer full of frozen expressed milk, bouncy chair thing, bath seat, nappies, bottles. We still need all the little niggly things like cream, more nappies, nursing cloths etc.

We're moving our wardrobes out of our spare room into my craft room today, so we can arrange to get the nursery furniture into the spare room, which will be the baby's room. I know that we have until May plus 6 months but I'm starting to get antsy about it being done now.

Just have to check in to say we are on the lunch break from day 1 of NCT, want to debrief but DP cunningly planned a work call for the break so am sitting in a cafe opposite him talking on the phone...so bloody annoying!!!

Ahh go mingle and chat. Make the first move. NCT still the best baby money we ever spent!

On another note DH has made a spectacularly shit effort at Mother's Day. Let me get up with DS as he really needed a lie in, let me cook and clean up after breakfast, I have done 2 loads of washing including stripping DS's wet bed and I have cooked the whole of Mother's Day lunch. He also has the cheek to ask me to get DS out of the house for a bit as he really needs to get some work done (which clearly couldn't have been done yesterday as arsenal were on and he had to go out last night!!).

Then I found out he spent way more ok his own Mother's Day present than mine from DS, to which I got the response 'well you aren't my mum'. No but we have seen your mum once in the 2 yrs since DS was born, she never does anything for us or even calls very often. So angry!

ODog so sorry about your sucky Sunday, grrr!! No chance to mingle as the group all went their separate ways for lunch today - anyway he did get off the phone eventually but only after I'd had to order for us both via sign language with him - and then they took 15mins to bring my (already prepared) sandwich and I had a hangry attack at the staff!! DP queuing to buy me cake now to make up for it all!

ODog What a shitty start to the day. I hope it has got better for you.

Hope you enjoy the NCT thing, cant.

It ended up being 13 children yesterday and we had fun, but DH and I were shattered come 6 pm! Then DD2 slept badly through the night (I think teething issues) so we're still tired today. Just back from having a nice lunch out with friends though.

Has anyone set up their baby crib/Moses basket yet? I'm trying to decide how early to do it this time. I like to have at least a week to get used to it being beside my bed (and get the toe stubbing out of the way before there's a tiny one to wake up).

I've set our moses basket up Grouchy, mostly because I couldn't be bothered to find anywhere to store it!

I hope your day improves ODog

We've spent the weekend with family, I'm really enjoying living closer to them. Leaving in a bit to go home and tidy up as we have visitors this week. All I want to do is do is make pretty things from pinterest!

Morning all!

So NCT was great yesterday though a bit of an emotional roller coaster...while she was talking I was going wildly from one emotion to the next - excited and impatient to be in labour, anxious and panicky, about to cry thinking about meeting me baby - you name it, it all went through my head!! Feels like it just scratches the surface though and I need a hundred more days not 1 more!
Then had my 31 week midwife appointment and whooping cough jab this morning, all is well but I'm wondering - had anyone else noticed themselves REALLY slowing down around this point? Bending forwards is becoming almost impossible, I move slowly and can't seem to stand up/move/walk without groaning and grumbling! Am just slightly worried as I know there is still a lot of growing to happen and I'm wondering how I'm going to be even vaguely mobile?!

Glad you enjoyed nct cant.

I feel enormous some days and almost forget I'm pregnant on others. I think you just gradually adjust and get used to each growth spurt so you feel huge for a time, get used to it, grow again, feel huge etc etc. I remember not thinking I had any swelling or thinking I felt too uncomfortable at the end last time until after delivery. Then I was like wow laying flat is amazing and wow my ankles look so skinny. I has just got used to a new normal by the end I think.

I cannot wait to sleep on my stomach again. Cannot bloody wait.