We're handholding for the newly graduated viroids and handing out hooyahs to badly behaved miroids. Between womble pains and boobs with veins, some of us are still managing to shag! It's JS Grads 47!

[fruitlovingmonkey]

Welcome, welcome, welcome to the 47th grads thread... celebrating the success of Just Shagging in getting us viroids upduffed!

For those that don't know, a 'viroid' is from the original JSing thread 1, where someone was trying to type ladies (in reference to all the JSing ladies), but their phone decided to call us all viroids instead!

The name stuck and we've been the JSing viroids ever since.

The 46th grads thread is here

The thread we have graduated from is here in its 60th outing. WARNING: they're all a bit kerazy not to mention randy!

There is also a Just Mumming thread here for once your babies come along, or to keep up with the graduated graduates!

There is also a private facebook group (so it doesn't give the game away in your news feed!)... if you want to join to see photos of new babies etc, just ask in-thread!

Here is the stats list, please update your own spot with any updates.

Chat Yay for more good scan news!

Great news Chat

So pleased for the good scan news, Chat! Good luck with the booking in.

Went to hospital antenatal clinic today, but the consultant wasn't there so I saw the registrar (after a looooong wait, poor woman must have been overrun! Anyway, decided I might as well have a sweep, if nothing else to find out if there's any sign of my cervix doing anything. The answer is - something, but not much (Bishop score 6), so I'm not anticipating anything happening imminently but hoping there's still time for it to get a bit more ready...

Great news chat

I'm booked for nct classes but not til end of October, not doing nhs ones as they are weekly on a Thursday and I join my friends at the pub on a Thursday after they have played netball didn't tell the midwife that obviously

Bought a few more things today - a bouncy chair, changing mat, some Moses basket fitted sheets, trying to space it out so not loads to do closer to due date.

Feeling fatter by the day, really noticing it now, getting more uncomfortable and still have another 3 months

Hope everyone is doing ok today.

My fundal measurement is 3cm behind expected so I am being referred for an urgent growth scan. I know the measurement is really easy to be out, but I can't help worrying now.

When is your scan? I've had family and friends referred for "urgent" growth scans and it really stressed them out (understandably) but in every case the babies were absolutely fine. One of the babies was measuring small and he was pretty small when he was born, but no health problems whatsoever.

It is next week but I am trying to take comfort from the fact that if it was really urgent and the consultant was genuinely worried, I would have been scanned straight away.

Back from another NCT class and I really don't know that we will gel. DH is fairly anti social at the best of times but even he thinks it is too big a group with hardly anyone saying anything.

Interesting feedback on your NCT group. Are you doing the Signature or Essentials course? I've been hesitating between NCT and a hypnobirthing course (which includes general antenatal content). Enquired about NCT and they've been harassing reminding me to book, but I'm leaning towards the hypnobirthing even though it's slightly more expensive. I would really like to try that approach and I think the group will be smaller too.

It's the Signature course. Our original class was cancelled as there were only three couples and then one backed out. This group has nine couples and the course leader has overrun each time, so we don't really have breaks or time afterwards to chat and get to know each other.

I think we had 7 couples and one woman who came on her own, we split up into small groups quite often to discuss things so got to know each other a little even though it was only the short course. It's hard to know when to speak up when there's an awkward silence though, without wanting to be the gobby one who answers all the questions!

Do you still stay in touch Sock?

There is one woman on my course who has clearly read in great detail about what to expect when it comes to pregnancy, labour, looking after a newborn and breastfeeding. She is very knowledgable about the theory but I think she will find the reality very different as no baby is going to act exactly how her books have told her and she doesn't seem to accept any scope for it being any other way.

We have a Whatsapp group which we have a bit of chat on, but as all but one of us are still waiting to have our babies there's not a huge amount to say just yet.

I had to be quite careful in both NHS and NCT classes, because I do know quite a lot about childbirth, especially pain relief options and operative deliveries, so I didn't want to be "teacher's pet" or push my viewpoint too hard. Did get a bit sarky with one of the dads who was very anti-intervention but apart from that people were pretty open minded.

Do you think a FB group would work better than Whatsapp Sock? How are you feeling? Any sign of the baby?

There are a couple on my course who are very anti painkillers and intervention. I can't understand wanting to put yourself through unnecessary pain and/or risking your own or your baby's life by refusing intervention.

Feeling ok, Braxton Hicks getting a bit more crampy but nothing exciting happening. It's our wedding anniversary today (5 years ) so we went out for afternoon tea, am now totally stuffed! Then we dropped in on my Brownies, who are having their first Pack Holiday this weekend - I had decided that going along and staying with them wasn't a great idea but it was good to visit them.

I think it's pretty naive of people to be able to confidently make an assessment of how much pain relief they'll "need" for what is probably going to be one of the most painful experiences of their life without having experienced it. But I have no interest in getting into arguments about it so usually just nod and smile. I will correct anything that they say that's clearly wrong about e.g. epidurals, but you can't win everyone over. As for interventions, I'm all for people making a properly informed choice and having sensible discussions if there's more than one option, but agree with you that putting your baby's life at risk seems just plain stupid.

I also think that the more you set expectations of how it's going to go and what you want in your birth, the more you're opening yourself up to disappointment if it doesn't go to plan. I have filled in the birth plan section of my antenatal notes, but most of it is "Whatever is necessary, but please discuss with me if possible." I have one or two stipulations (no pethidine, EMCS rather than high/rotational forceps) but the rest is open to discussion.

Sock Happy anniversary! Glad you got to see your Brownies before their trip.

I agree with you both about the birth. I think it's important to stay open-minded and flexible. I'm nowhere near writing a birth plan yet but I think will have a plan A and B and then a no-plan option!

PS Thanks again for NCT feedback.

Happy anniversary Sock and I am very envious of your afternoon tea, which is a favourite treat of mine. Also glad you got to see your Brownies.

My birth plan mainly consists at the moment of vitamin K injection for the baby, ideally ELCS for me but if not whatever is necessary. I've never had pethidine but have provisionally put it at the bottom of my mental list as I tend to be prone to feeling sick and don't really want nausea on top of contractions to deal with. I think that as I got to be fully dilated with DD with only a couple of paracetamol taken much earlier in the day, the pain isn't my concern and tearing or the baby being stuck is. I suppose having an EMCS last time means that anything that would happen naturally in labour that I haven't experienced is the unknown and that, along with recovery is my worry.

Is it true second labours tend to be much quicker and are often at an earlier gestation? My hospital has said I can have an ELCS at 39 weeks but will have to have a VBAC if the baby comes earlier.

I hadn't written a birth plan at all last time Name or done much more than packed a vague bag of things I didn't use in the end. DD arrived at 38 weeks and I was fully expecting her to turn up at 42 weeks.

Sock I can totally understand why you were snarky with the anti-intervention dad. I actually think that men's role in childbirth is to be supportive of their partner- period. Men who have really strong opinions about what women should or shouldn't do in child birth are actually a huge pet peeve of mine!

Completely agree London. I think that the only time I think a man/birth partner should have (or verbalise) strong opinions about what a woman should or shouldn't do in labour is when it has already been discussed and he is being her voice because she is unable to speak up or feels unable to be assertive enough.

^ YY to London and Fuzzy

Do any of you like JoJo Maman Bébé? I love their gender neutral baby clothes. They're doing 20% off sleepsuits (and other bits) until 20th September.
www.jojomamanbebe.co.uk/baby/baby-bodysuits.html
I'm not such a fan of JMB's clothes for older babies and children, as they seem to be more gendered, but some of the newborn things are lovely.

Oh NameChange, I'm trying not to spend more money but maybe a little peek at what they have on offer won't hurt...

I washed DD's old clothes for this baby today and they are tiny! So cute and adorable.

Definitely agree re: men in the delivery room. I would have bitten at the anti-interventionalists too, and I've had two intervention-free deliveries! Well, mostly. My first birth plan said three things:
Students may observe but not deliver
Dry then skin to skin
IM vit K

Everything else would be whatever is in the best interests of the baby. I don't anticipate needing significant pain relief, but I'd never close my mind to it.

Fuzzy, my second delivery was a week earlier and much quicker than my first. Six hrs at 37w then 90mins at 36w. Who knows what this one will bring.

Our bloody GP is insisting I see someone before referring me to a mw. Apparently three scans and consultant appts isn't enough

The NCT teacher today said statistically second labours are earlier and quicker so realistically I am not going to get the ELCS I fought so hard for. I'm a bit scared about a VBAC with a breech baby but will find out if she has turned later this week.

Who else do you need to see Chat and what more is your GP asking? Surely most women are the midwife without having even had one scan or consultant appointment. Hope everything is still going well for you.

They won't push you into a breech VBAC, I'm sure Fuzzy! If she hasn't turned, and you go into labour, then most likely they'll do an EMCS, but it won't be a "proper" emergency IYSWIM.

So much to catch up on...

I have nct classes booked, two Sunday's late October/Nov - I am also going to do hypnobirthing as my friend runs the course. I can't do it until my 36th week but friend has given me a book which linked to some relaxation tracks. I did the first a couple of nights ago and fell asleep book is good from what I've read so far.

Just spent the last 24 hours with friends I see 2/3 times a year, I had a little baby shower thrown for me with lots of nice gifts including a large jar of sweets which DH is very happy about.

We already have far too many clothes, it's true what people say about not needing to buy them yourselves. I've already changed some to 3-6 months, may need to move onto 6/9 months soon

I've also been buying, got the new born carrycot for pushchair I'm going to get from eBay saving £100 from brand new and ordered car seat and isofix base from John Lewis as they had price match offer on.

Hope everyone else is doing ok, it's exciting but very scary all at the same time