August 2016 number 5 - waddling towards the third trimester!

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For the August 2016 ladies and babies!

Fizzy - I'm sure the pushchair bit will be fine; certainly if you give it a good wipe down. As for overnight sleeping in the carrycot - if you have a new cot mattress and it's suitable for overnight zzzz then why not?

I'd second whoever said don't buy too much in the way of baby clothes in advance. You'll be astonished at what comes your way once baby arrives. Also, sizing is so erratic in baby clothes.

But yes, we did wash brand new stuff initially. I can't remember how long for, but certainly for the first month or so. And I've just re-washed the new baby stuff - but won't be re-washing everything forever more. If it went away clean and is stored in a dry place then I don't see the need long term.

Nursing bras - I got some Bravado silk seamless bras this time which are maternity & nursing bras. Their sizing means that a medium (for example) covers a wide range of bra sizes. Quite pricey but uber comfy and have coped with my boobs growing and growing and growing. Last time I got one 'good' one (Hotmilk) which I was measured for c2 days before my due date, and then some from John Lewis which were okay too. I'd not get too many until you know that breast feeding is a go-er and milk has come in. Internet shopping will be your friend.

I was about to order the strep b test but spoke to my midwife she'll do it for free, she said you say to me you've got odd discharge at 36 weeks and I'll do it 😊

Whooping cough used to be recommended 28-32 weeks but many people were still not booking it so my midwife said the plan is eventually to allow all midwifes to administer it or hospital to do it whilst you're there for your 20 week scan.
In terms of mattresses, I'm buying a new one for the baby for reasons outlined by others. There was some research to say it's ok within the same family but I'm buying new Moses basket and carrycot mattress. Toddler will keen his cot bed mattress fornhisncot bed and will buy a new one for new baby once he/she moves onto that cot

Just a note about buying bras online - keep an eye on the returns policy as I've just made an expensive mistake... Bought one from Seraphine and now I can't return it. It's my size but not my shape really - boo. It was £25 - that's so silly of me. Going to put it on eBay I think... Can share the link with you guys if anyone is interested!

hgleslie I went to try and buy nursing bras at M&S and the lady told me to wait till at least 36 weeks as size will change drastically when milk comes in. Just have to hope little man doesn't arrive before then. Got a couple of wireless t-shirt bras to tide me over.

Is there something wrong with underwire if you plan on breastfeeding? I'm still in normal (all be it huge) bras

Oh boo, stranded! What a pain! And such a pricey shop, you'd have thought their returns would be decent...

I'm being a bit relaxed about mattresses because our 1st child is still in the cot, the gap between our 2 is small & everything's been in our house in the meantime. But that said, I think we're going to get a snuzpod rather than the bassinet we used last time, & we're getting a new buggy, so will need a new mattresses for those bits anyway...

Breastfeeding bras are a headache, at least they were for me. Definitely not worth buying any yet, as things are likely to get a lot larger in the last few weeks, & then enormous once milk comes in. I've never been back to my pre-first-pregnancy size (but was still breastfeeding when I got pregnant again), so have a bit of a bra library. I wish that looked as glamorous as it sounds.

I am melting in this heat. MELTING. Vastly prefer winter pregnancies to summer ones, my word! Nothing for it to but to eat ice cream for dinner...

Christine, I think the idea is if they're not really properly fitted, underwire bras run a higher chance of blocking off a bit of milk duct & causing problems like mastitis. I don't know how well evidenced that is. I just found underwire really uncomfortable after a certain point anyway! Though they do make things look a lot better than (often shapeless) nursing bras...

Christine underwires are a bit of a nono for pregnancy and bf because they can give you mastitis if they don't fit right as the wire can press on your milk ducts and block them. I got my nursing bras from fig leaves last time. Their returns policy is really good.

I got my nursing bras / pregnacy ones from mothercare. 2 for £30 they are really comfy and I have big boobs , I went to a 40J breastfeeding last time 🙈

I've stocked up on more of those ones.

Yep, apparently lingerie is non refundable. My fault for not reading the small print better!

Oh no! Do nursing/pregnancy bras that actually hold your boobs up exist?

For the lady asking about w vaccine...I've got my whooping vaccine tomorrow and I'm 28 weeks

Got my scan tomorrow at 9am to find out if my placenta has moved away from my cervix I think the options are either:

a) it's moved! All set for vaginal delivery unless another reason for a C-Section comes up
b) it's placenta previa and I'll need to be scanned again at 36 weeks to find out if it's moved and if I can have a vaginal birth

If it's the latter, I think there's also the possibility I'll be admitted early to hospital in case I have a bleed. Touch wood, I've had no bleeding so far and at 20 weeks my placenta was 'reaching' the cervix not covering it, so hopefully this won't apply. I've made peace with the idea that I may need a C-section, but it's more the waiting and the potential bleeding and having to rush to hospital that is freaking me out. We live in the middle of nowhere, so don't fancy having to do this!

I'm really, really nervous. Got quite a lot of other life stress going on at minute, and specifically this week :-( I do feel like being pregnant has made me a bit more zen and 'whatever will be, will be', but it's still not fun being this worried!

Christine if the bra is well fitting and underwired it is fine. There are now some underwired nursing bras available. Just don't wear anything that doesn't fit properly! I hate nursing bras, they make me feel frumpy and squash my boobs together into a big sweaty shelf. I'm going to do some more online research to try and source underwired ones in my stupid size. (Small back, big cup size - think I was a 32 J last time...)

I'm also using mothercare soft cup bras just now, I couldn't bear the underwire. They are actually v supportive. I tried some on at m and s and they were rubbish I thought. Tried to be sexy support bras when I was really just dying for more support!

Re: whooping cough, they recommend by 32 weeks because then they can guarantee you've made enough antibodies, if you have it later you will still make them - just maybe not as many so still worth getting I would say!

I'm not sure about getting the bacteria test - hadn't really thought about it before.

sophia good luck with your scan tomorrow - I hope you get the result you want.

Also melting over here, 25 degrees in my room today, I had all the fans on in an attempt to not pass out while teaching!

sophia I had that with ds1 but wasn't scanned after 20 weeks until 36 weeks when it had moved. It was an internal scan though, I wasn't told before I walked into the scan room!

I'm using M&S maternity/nursing bras just now, I know they'll be far too small at the beginning of BF, but after a couple of months I'll deflate and they might be ok for the last couple of months when I'm just doing a night feed. I had underwired bf bras last time, I was a 32 H and the non wired just weren't doing much to help! I think the 'Anita' brand ones were good. I did get mastitis once, but I think that was because the baby was in hospital with norovirus and hence not eating much...and I was too stressed to express every two hours.

Fx crossed for you sophia

fizzyboo ta I shall look at jojo online and get my ass down to the lanes in the next few weeks.

sophia all the best!

I have been in those stretchy vest JML (large) bras the whole pregnancy- super sexy! Ive just bought some nursing versions from Amazon- in large. So there is room to grow. I thought i wanted big boobs but actually miss my 34bs!

Placenta has shifted- hurrah!

Congratulations!!!! Sophia

Hurray Sophia that's fab news!! Congrats

Yay! Well done to your well behaved placenta sophia !

Hi ladies,

Hope everyone is enjoying the sunshine :) Just been catching up on all, was away organising a hen this weekend...great fun but feeling rather exhausted now!!

soph great news re. placenta, you must be relieved.

bras I have been living in these comfy sleep bras from Emma Jane - www.asos.com/emma-jane/emma-jane-sleep-bra/prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=3478143&clr=Black&SearchQuery=Emma+Jane+Sleep+Bra&pgesize=2&pge=0&totalstyles=2&gridsize=3&gridrow=1&gridcolumn=2 Not sure how versatile for feeding once baby is here, but they are soft and supportive and can just be pulled down I would imagine. I was a 32C before, not sure of size at the moment but the 34 from ASOS fits nicely.

plimsoles great you picked up a spiky ball! Hope it helps with the discomfort...if you find it too hard to roll onto (which I did as my spiky ball is quite firm) then def swap to a tennis ball as they offer some rubbery give and spread the pressure so it's a bit more gentle. I live East, just next to Victoria Park, what about you? We should def arrange a London meet up once the babies have all arrived.

Our house chain fell through last week, so we are staying put for the time being...things may change post referendum but I am just planning to get nesting where we are and start to sort the nursery and last bits out. Husband seems to still think we will have moved and be settled in a new house before the baby, I don't quite think he understands we only have a matter of weeks left !! Trying not to get stressed about it as we have a lovely home with plenty of space and a garden, so really everything is fine and it's nice I can start to get things ready now.

mattress I have bought the babybay co-sleeper and this little green sheep mattress - www.thelittlegreensheep.co.uk/the-little-green-sheep/natural-crib-mattress-babybay-81x42cm/ undecided on the main cot / mattress as we didn't know where we will be and what size to go for...suppose I need to start thinking about it now !

Great news, Sophia!