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

[GrouchyKiwi]

Here's the next thread!

Welcome everything :)

I fed DD until she self weaned about 3 months ago (22ish months olds). The first week was hell, one moment sticks in my mind when I was in too much pain to feed her so we both just sat and cried for ages! But after that it became incredibly easy. She was a forceps delivery and apparently that can make their palate higher and make it more painful at first. Lansinoh was amazing, I'm stocking up on it already for this one!

Ahhhh I have never felt sweeter relief than lansinoh on my nips about 3 days in with a constantly latched newborn. Literally heaven in a tube! I have already bought some too!

I think our previous house was too cold for Lansinoh. I am hopeful that this one keeps it at a usable temperature! Thanks, Scotland.

Oh I do like red prams cant, nearly went for a red one but chose a petrol blue in the end.

Welcome everything :) sounds scary with the bh's.

Glad your ds seems a bit better odog shame you missed out on you nct catch up though, glad you had a good day still.

I have also invested in some lanisoh, although have no idea what to expect with this being baby number one, feeling a bit nervous!

Welcome everything! We've got the same due date! Your BHs don't sound very nice, I think I've only had a couple and they felt very very unusual.

All of you are putting me to shame with your organisation again... Adding lanisoh to my shopping list.

Just made the decision to buy a house after being left enough money for a small house deposit. I'm a mixture of petrified and incredibly grateful/excited. Just wish I could estimate my childcare outgoings once I go back to work! I'm spending so much time worrying about not being able to afford bills or food when I go back to work.

Hope everyone had nice weekends and got to enjoy a bit of sunshine.

parsnip - these things have a way of working themselves out. I remember being worried too but your whole lifestyle changes so I find we spend less money on going out/eating out/clothes etc.

On another note, has anyone started finding sex a bit painful and uncomfortable. DH and I dtd for the first time in a while ages last night and we had to stop because it just felt so uncomfortable and almost painful. I don't remember that last time until after .

parsnip v exciting about the impending house purchase! I am freaking out about finances too especially as DP just spent all his savings doing some major renovation work on (his) flat, but hoping that things will work themselves out.
And Odog hahahaha did you say sex? What's that? Poor DP...seriously I think we DTD more in the week I conceived than we have done since. It has been AGES now and I just can't imagine even trying now...I'm bloody massive and always tired and always hurting somewhere in my body. Le sigh....
Talking of being tired, just spent the whole night waking up but on and off dreaming I was in labour...that's what you get for spending Sunday doing NCT and then reading a live labour thread on MN before bed I suppose?! They told us about the "purple line" which I had never heard of before, anyone actually experienced this during labour?
Just packed DP off to yoga and going to try and rest a bit before I get up to face the week. He is now super excited about the baby coming - after we finished NCT last night he won't stop saying they he can't wait to meet him or her, so when I told him about my dream I think he was wishing it was time for the baby to come now! I'm SO not ready yet though!!

I feel like I'm ready to meet baby (or at least not be pregnant anymore!) but I'm probably not, really. Trying to enjoy the last few months alone with DD but mostly just feeling guilty as I'm so tired and achy that we're not doing much.

That's exciting Parsnip! Hope it all goes well.

What's the purple line cant? I'm intrigued.

ODog, Last time we dtd I found the same thing I was so uncomfortable, I just couldn't seem to find a position that didn't either hurt my back, or make me feel like my belly or lungs were being crushed. Week before everything was fine (except I felt like a big unattractive whale). Tbh I'm so tired that I'm not really in the mood anyway, I keep just thinking that once we get started I'll change my mind.

Purple line apparently happens in about 70-80% of women according to our NCT teacher but despite many months of obsessively trawling MN reading around the subject I have never heard of it before!
Apparently as the musculature steadily moves down with the contractions a purple line appears between your buttocks which correlates with how many cm dilated your are. It starts just above your "back passage" as our NCT lady nicely referred to it and can be helpful to have an idea how labour is progressing (unless you are one of those it doesn't appear on!)
Anyone else heard of this?

Thanks everyone!

Grouchy what is the fetal fibronectin test? not heard of that one?

Gunshot My first DS was also forcep delivery, hadn't heard that it may effect breast feeding! looking back now I really wish I had actually give it a proper go because DS now has eczema and I know it can reduce their chances! I have got a tube of Lansinoh (although thought it was Laniosh? ) ready for the hospital bag pack!

Due Date twins Parsnip....is this your first? Congratulations on the house, we bought ours 2 years ago and it was the best thing we ever did!

ODog we haven't had sex now for about 3 months.....and its DP that doesn't want to not me! I finally pulled him on this last week only to be told being pregnant freaks him out....fab thanks for that...sent my self esteem through the roof

What is the purple line cant? another thing I haven't heard of lots to learn on a Monday morning!

Well busy weekend started off with spending Saturday in Hospital being monitored for reduced movement, obviously the second I got on the monitor he started kicking away but I have to go for a scan this week as his whole pattern of movement has changed so just waiting on a call for an appointment. (He has the hiccups as I am typing!)

Hope everyone had a good weekend! We spent the weekend getting practical stuff sorted, getting my name changed to my married name on various bank accounts/documents. Went to the NCT Nearly New Sale on Saturday and bought far too many clothes and continued with the baby shopping and putting the finishing touches to the nursery by putting up the wall stickers. Feels like we are slowly getting there!

No dtd here either. Im 33+1 now and it's the last thing I feel like doing, though I did say to DH that if I go overdue we'll have to dtd to try and get baby out!

Welcome Everything hope everything is ok with the scan and the pattern of movement changing. My baby seems to have a lot of episodes of hiccups at the moment. I think she takes after me as I only have to look at a fizzy drink and I get them!

They haven't mentioned the purple line at my NCT classes Can't. I've never heard of it before! We've got class 4 of 6 tonight, I think we've covered labour now and this one will be about breastfeeding/looking after a newborn. I've got the NHS antenatal class all day on Saturday. Will be interesting to see how it compares/differs to NCT.

3 weeks left at work although I'm feeling surprisingly energetic at the moment. I'm wondering whether going at 36 weeks is too early and I should cancel the weeks annual leave and take it at the end and leave at 37 weeks instead. It's so difficult to know how I'll be feeling in 3 weeks!

Hi Frozen I wonder if its just being around this time in the pregnancy that the hiccups are normal and more frequent! awww a little girl how lovely is this your first?

I already feel like leaving work, I will be 36+3 when I finish but then have 2 weeks of annual leave booked so technically will be 38+3.....I would be going now if it wasn't for money! (only entitled to SMP) but you are right its impossible to say how you will feel in 3 weeks. Are you work flexible?

Glad other people aren't really dtd. Sometimes I feel like it's just us.

everything - DH didn't like dtd when I was bigger last time either but I don't think he realises how long it would be until he got some afterwards so he is more open to it this time. It's just really quite uncomfortable with all the pressure down there as it is. Think we might leave it now.

Sorry to hear about needing to be monitored everything. This baby (and DS actually) have had no real pattern of movement which I think is helpful as one less thing to worry about.

Everything this is my first, exciting and petrifying! I hope your scan goes well. I'm always freaking out about reduced movements because I just forget if I've felt much while I'm on my feet at work. Glad that he started kicking around once you were being monitored.

Frozen I wish there was a crystal ball so you could predict how you'd feel. Making the choice about when to take maternity leave is a tricky one. I'm finishing at 36 weeks and everyone at work thinks I'm insane for sticking around that long.

Is anyone else completely ravenous all the time at the moment? I actually feel like I could eat 10 meals a day, I just spend all day feeling grouchy because I'm so hungry.

everything Hope you're managing to relax with all that's going on. A foetal fibronectin test shows whether there's an enzyme present during labour in your cervix. If the hormone is there then you're almost definitely going to give birth within two weeks. The problem is that the test has a high false positive rate but it's almost 100% accurate when negative. Mine was positive so they had to treat it like labour was soon for me. It wasn't; DD1 was eventually born on her due date!

ODog DH and I are having a good run for sex. My libido has skyrocketed of late. It took a bit of time to find comfortable positions but we've worked it out now. I hope it stays around as we're having our first break away together in over 4 years at Easter. Just DH, me and a hotel room.

Parsnip that's exciting about the house! All the best.

Our baby is big on hiccups too at the moment. Poor wee thing. I guess they must gulp a bit of the amniotic fluid every now and then.

Grouchy that must have been a scary experience not knowing when baby was coming! Also jealous about your sex life haha enjoy your break!

Scan was fine yesterday, hes measuring 2 days behind in growth but apparently they give a 2 week window so 2 days is nothing, he is only on 10th percentile but im only small and my DS was too! Hes gone from being 3 5ths engaged 3 weeks ago to now being breech!

Parsnip yes I could eat constantly!! I put a lot of weight on in my first pregnancy so trying to be good this time and actually following slimming world, not doing a very good job of it might I add I find I have a few days of non stop eating then a few days im fine, are you the same?

That's strange ODog I feel like ive had it drummed into me that baby will have pattern of movement, they never say some babies might not do they! suppose you are right though, you wont be waiting for baby to start moving at a certain time!

Frozen have you decided what to do about work?

Everything Glad your scan was ok. I've still not decided what do about work! I have a pretty sedentary office job but have a 30 min walk to work each way so worried that I might start struggling with that if I leave it past 36 weeks. I had a bad nights sleep last night too so now back to feeling tired again. It's my first baby so not really sure how it feels in the later weeks! Also I was born at 34 weeks so have it in the back of my mind that she might come early too and I would like a bit of break before she arrives. One of the women in another team is due 2 weeks before me and is planning to work until 39 weeks!

It would be great to have a crystal ball Parsnip how are you finding work and the shifts? I can't imagine what it must be like being on your feet all the time! I also find I don't feel much movement when I'm rushing around and not concentrating on it and then start freaking out!

How do you know when it's hiccoughs? I've felt movements that have similar intervals to my pulse but they never quite match exactly to the pulse I can feel in my arm. Are these hiccoughs?

it almost feels like the baby is jumping slightly in a steady pattern

frozen It's a big decision. IME 36 weeks is probably a good time to stop. You get very tired in the last few weeks and need a lot of short rests.

I only worked out the rhythmic jumping Everything describes was hiccups when DD1 was born and used to hiccup in that exact rhythm.

I finished at 35wks last time and really appreciated it. I had an easy pregnancy and did a sedentary job but I look back on those weeks very fondly. It's your last chance to do stuff purely for yourself and spend time really taking your time getting ready for life's biggest change. If you can afford to I would always recommend having a month to yourself.

On another note, I slipped down the last few stairs carrying DS earlier. Didn't fall as such as I managed to stay upright and not drop DS. But I think I have jarred my back a bit and maybe strained my side. I have a very achy bump and suddenly feel a bit hot. Babies movements have been normal and no bleeding or anything so not too worried but I think I'm going to ache in the morning. Been making DS come down the stairs himself the rest of the day (he is more than capable he just likes to jump off the top step into my arms and be carried).

Hope you're feeling OK, ODog and not too sore tomorrow. I'd be inclined to go into triage just to be checked out - or at least phone to ask what they think.

so sorry to hear about your fall ODog, ouchy!
I have had some crappy sleep the fast few days and then on Monday somehow lost my phone...what a massive pain. I was either pickpocketed or just did a stoopid pregnant thing and lost it, I was sleep deprived and literally have no idea what happened to it (I had it when I went out for lunch, but not when I came back to work). Luckily am insured but will be without a phone for a week at least and £100 excess...aagghh!

Ahhh losing your phone is so annoying.

Feel fine this morning, nothing a good nights sleep couldn't fix!