July 2016 (7) We're halfway to meeting our little bubs

[allthegoodnamesalreadytaken]

Hi all started a new thread as the old one was getting almost to 1000. We're a very chatty bunch! Happy Friday

Becks - sorry to hear about your DD. My nieces had it recently and it is nasty.
Is anyone else having very strange vivid dreams?!!? My dreams are getting stranger and stranger.

Afternoon all, congrats on the scans and prams, and hope your dd feels better soon becks.

I'm having a bad day as I've just reviewed my company's mat policy and they've changed it since I got pg so I'll now be £3000 worse off

Has anyone thought about when you'll start mat leave? I think I have to notify my intention by 25 weeks. As a first timer I have no idea what is reasonable. Want to leave it as late as possible to have more time with the baby, without breaking myself! I have a 30min train journey (usually get a seat these days) and a 15 min walk to get to the office, and a desk job, and can prob wfh 1-2d a week towards the end. Any advice from those who've done this before?!

23+1

PS don't forget your pelvic floor exercises ladies!

Hey foobio I'm a first timer too but I'm taking a month off before my due date (2 weeks Annual leave then 2 weeks maternity). It'll probably be too much but I can always not take the annual leave when the time comes if I'm feeling well. But since I can't work from home I'd prefer not to be waddling around too much. It's also going to be summer and I'm looking forward to chilling out in the garden in the few weeks before the baby arrives.

Random question but has anyone thought about hiring a Doula for their birth? I will have my husband, but since it is our first time I'm wondering if the extra support and calming influence would be beneficial (worth the expense)...

Thanks Thom and foobio I've given her calpol and having a quiet day at home.

Thom my dreams have seemed very real lately and usually quite disturbing/nightmare-ish. I'm not sleeping particularly well but I'm not having to get up to pee anymore!

Sunny this is second time for me. Last time I was planning to go at 34 weeks with 3 weeks annual leave and 3 weeks mat leave. I was signed off at 32 weeks with Pelvic girdle pain and started mat leave at 36 weeks. Plan this time is to work until 37 weeks (if my hips hold out). I'm part time 2 shift a week but they are 13+ hour shifts often without a break or the chance to sit down. I'm not taking annual leave before baby arrives so hopefully I can take it all at the end.

Sorry sunny the stuff about mat leave was for foobio.

Hope everyone is well! Haven't had a chance to read all messages but will do a little later..

indians great bargain!! Is that the colour you have too? It's lovely! Been thinking about a cream pram but how on earth will I keep it clean?!

allthegoodnames thanks for the useful chart find it so hard to work out exactly how many months I am also people don't quite understand what 22 weeks means but I think they understand 6months clear enough!!

Congrats on scan Vickie & welcome to team blue-there's a few of us now :-)

foobio I'm doing something similar to SunnyScot89 and
Taking a month of before due date. So 2 weeks holiday and 2 weeks mat so effectively last day in office will be end of May. Do you have any annual leave to take so you could do something similar?

By the way Mothercare & M&S have baby sales on at the mo, bought a few things during lunch today :-)

Sunny - re doula. I wouldn't bother personally. Between your husband and the midwives, I think you'll have most of the support you need. I also haven't heard of any life-changing pro doula stories and you'd need to get on spectacularly well with them in so many different ways pre-birth to be sure they'd be useful/lovely/VFM during labour which is such a complex and unique situation for every woman ... but what do i know?!

And I'm freelance so no official maternity leave here but I did start lying down a lot all day long around 37 weeks if that helps!

Congrats vickie on the scan...so pleased it all went well.

How are everyone else's American Guinea Pigs today?!

We're off to a pub quiz tonight. I have to say I am not feeling particularly brainy. OH will have to compensate for my baby brain.

I had a doula last time, she was great and I'm glad I had the extra support. I hired her because my DP is phobic of medical things, and the last thing I wanted was for him to faint, be sick or have to leave the room whilst I was trying to concentrate on labouring. I also didn't have a huge amount of trust in medical professionals due to previous experiences (non-maternity) and wanted an impartial observer present. Just for my own ability to relax.

As it turned out, I had to have an epidural and my DP had to leave the room, so the doula supported me whilst that was done. She also kept comprehensive notes of what happened when which she went through with me afterwards. It was useful to have a trained person to talk it all through with afterwards. During contractions she helped me with breathing exercises, and helped me discuss options with the midwives. Also, it meant my DP could go and grab some food without leaving me alone - I was labouring for 30 hours before I had the EMCS so it was useful to have another person there. Of course that could be a Mum/MIL/sister rather than a doula, but for various reasons I didn't want a relative there.

As it happens, I'm not going to have a doula this time I don't think, because I know more about the process and how I can cope with any possible interventions. But if it was my first time again, I think I would still choose to have one, if I could afford it. The doula I hired had had 4 children of her own, and also helped her own daughters through their labours - she was a calm, reassuring presence throughout!

We bought our pram ages ago. A bugaboo Cameleon like Indians we did have purple covers but I've sold them as I felt they were perhaps a bit girlie. But it came with a spare bright orange set which will be fab in the summer. We got the pushchair, carrycot and car seat for £250.

My tummy is still a little soft in places which I like as plenty of room to fill out. My legs are so chunky I have cankles

Goodness Kaytee my non pregnant belly looks like yours. Very neat bump.

Vickie glad the scan went well. Congratulations on a boy.

Foobio I will be taking maternity leave at 36 weeks. Although I get Maternity Allowance as I'm self employed. With regards to previous pregnancies;
Ds1 left work at 38 weeks. I was utterly exhausted & had no time to relax as there was so much to do.

Ds2 left work at 35 weeks. Much nicer. I got to enjoy some relaxation time before baby arrived & booked lots of pampering & shopping trips.

Ds3 left work at 32 weeks. Due to severe spd. I just couldn't keep going.

22+4

Foobio I did comment earlier but it's disappeared I will finish at 36 weeks, use 4 weeks of my remaining annual leave then start maternity leave from due date. I'm dreaming of relaxing in the garden with a book and ice lolly... Most likely rain every day of those 4 weeks lol.
Beautician your comment has given me a real boost as I feel a bit disgusting and huge at the moment. A few people have commented how huge I am so that's really not helped. One of the 'friends' that said I was massive was defo bigger than I am at 20 weeks... sometimes I think people just like to be mean
Im obviously a novice as this is my first but I didn't expect to feel uncomfortable until later in pregnancy. Had to start off the night in bed sitting up last night due to heartburn then as I don't have a pregnancy pillow I made my husband lie with his arm supporting my tummy. I should have just gone to get a spare pillow but my heartburn had only just gone and didn't want to anger it again by moving

Oh forgot to add random sore left boob today - feels bruised

Sunny - I would suggest a doula might make things a bit crowded. It is hard to predict how you will feel at the time but I am sure you will be fine with your mw and hubby. That is the same audience I had with DS and it was enough. Obviously they could have crammed me in a room full of people of there was need to. But thankfully it was all smooth.

I tried a buggy board with my two year old and his buddy yesterday on my uppababy (2012) and they were too cute playing hide and seek with the hood and giggling away.

The steering was heavy but all doable. I did push them uphill with my gym stuff in the bbasket. So we were fully loaded. I am confident with a combination of buggy board, sling, basinet, toddler seat we will be fine! Here is to hoping...

I feel so far behind everyone as technically I am still only 19 weeks (20 on Thursday) and my scan is next week. But I know I am not alone.

I have been working out my mat leave and think I have it sussed. I am going to take annual leave for July,mat leave until feb (march but use keeping in touch days to go back to work) and then start back properly in April.

I can't afford any more time off. Last time crippled me taking 8 months!

Last time I was signed off at 29 weeks following two hemorrhages and a long comute to a stressful job. So my plans to work to 38 went to pot. Good job really because DS came at 38+4 just two weeks after being signed off from the consultant. I had only just got my pool stuff when he made an appearance.

I've just submitted my MAT B1 today. My plan is to start maternity leave at 39 weeks, and take a week of annual leave before that, so finishing up at 38 weeks. I was planning to use a few days of annual leave to work two short weeks of 3 or 4 days before that. I figured that if it turns out I'm really struggling I can take a bit more annual leave.

I'm now thinking this sounds like a bit late compared to others. However, I have a not desperately stressful office job, with very flexible hours thanks to flexi time. Crucially I also have no commute: I live about a 5-10 minute walk from the office, depending on how long I have to wait at the traffic lights! I really don't want to be off for ages before the baby if I can help it.

I'm going off at 35 weeks (1 week annual leave followed by maternity leave). Saving the rest of my annual leave until the end so once I leave in June I won't be going back to work until August 2017. Between now and 35 weeks I'm working from home two days a week which helps massively with the long commute and means I only have to figure out an outfit for 3 days a week. I'm running out of wardrobe options fast - it doesn't help that I've been soooooo hungry the last two weeks. I've put on 8 pounds so far this pregnancy but can see that rising very quickly if I keep eating at this rate

Speaking of dreams mine consisted of going all over the place to find cake, everywhere I went I was unsuccessful and it was rather stressful! Waiting to go into yoga, missed last week due to stupid cold!

I know there are other teachers on here... what are your leave plans? Im think of working up to 39 weeks which is week of the 4th july... leaves them with 3 weeks to find cover for? Sound reasonable? Dont really know what protocol is so close to summer hols! (Hopefully i will go overdue and finish later so i can get paid for summer )

mascara that sounds like my kind of dream!

Thanks everyone, I think I'll take leave from 36 or 37weeks, and book in some days off in the last few weeks too so I'm not commuting 5dpw.

Apparently caveat: third hand info, not even Google info the only real indicator of whether your baby is early or late is when your mum had you. Me and my sister were 2d late, so I don't want to be at work too close to d-day! My mum also had 4 and 2hr labours so fingers crossed I have those genes too!

allthegoodnames - I have put on 8kg so your 8lb seems quite respectable to me! I just see it as important baby nourishment and insulation but have started swimming and aqua to make sure it's not all cake

Blimey, just reading back and seems I am 6 months preg already as 24 weeks now. Eek! I am getting excited about new born cuddles tho.

I'm self employed this time so hoping I can manage work to 38 weeks but realistically it'll be 36 weeks like last time when I was desperate to leave. I remember saying this before but do not underestimate how tiring late pregnancy is!!

Can't advise re Doula but I will say that dh and midwife were just the right amount of people in the room for me!

I have gained 7lbs but ALL of that has been in the past 6 weeks. Ive been starving since about 18 weeks and eating more than usual, trying not to worry about weight gain however I don't want to gain anymore than 25lbs in total as I'm worried about GD. I need to make a real effort to stop eating so much chocolate, I've been terrible past couple of weeks.

Hi- I need to sort out my mat leave. They have already started recruiting for my replacement. My dream would be for the person to start in July and then I leave mid July, taking leave until my due date of 28th, if I have saved enough. I might be being unrealistic. My job is pretty stressful and with some travel, but my boss is accommodating. When do you have to decide by? My HR department are rubbish.

Hi everyone!

I have been rubbish at keeping up with these threads - and in fact managed to miss one all together. I'm sorry to miss peoples' updates and will try better to keep track.

I'm now 20+4 by my own dates and 21+2 by the 'official' ones. I had my 20 wk scan last week, and all is well. We are having a boy! DH and I were convinced it was a girl, but the sonographer said definitely a boy. All looks well with him - he is going to be tall, as the femur length is on the long side but all others are around average.

I have been feeling movement for around 3 weeks now. I really wasn't sure to start with but it is now unmistakable. I keep trying to get DH to feel, but everytime he puts his hand on my stomach baby stops moving! I don't think he really believes what I am feeling.

My bump has been really obvious for nearly two weeks now- the staff at an organisation I visit regularly keep congratulating me without me having said anything.

I'm managing to keep up the swimming without feeling too much difference. I just have to be a bit careful coming out of the pool as I have been feeling a bit light headed for a couple of minutes. I enjoyed my shorter cycle commute (18 mile round trip) last week on a gloriously sunny day, and felt great on the bike. However, an hour or so after I got home my pelvis was quite sore. I had a snooze for an hour and it was fine after that, but I am very aware that I will have to watch it and not overdo things.

Right - I'm off to catch up on some of the chat on this thread and will try to keep more involved.

Thom for me I have to let them know by 15 weeks before EDD - ie before 25 weeks pregnant. I have to hand in the MATB1 form at the same time too, which I think you get from the midwife at the 24 week appointment.