July 2016 Babies (9) - let the babies commence!

[Ellizardo]

Nearly there folks.

Oh! And Gx I think most of my friends have pooped during birth! I think it's just one of those things. They whip it away pretty quickly. And I think they fish it out of the birthing pool with a net! Heehee!

Morning all X

Beautician- can ur folks not look after ur other children if u wer to labour at the wkend ? I can imagine it being slightly fm stressful having them all at the hospital x yay to maternity leave !!
I feel ur hip/ pelvic pain , I can't walk far at all and pushing myself only sparks my sciatica ! Along with sharp cervix jabs life at the moment is very uncomfortable ! X
Great to know the finish line is like 37 days away !
Juflin - haha men r outrageous sometimes eh ! I know it would probably traumatise a few , and i have known a lot of guys to pass out so probably wise just to keep them up at the head end just incase ! X
Becks - high five for ur busy day with work friends and all the children ! Sounds like it went very well ! X
Photography - hats off to u for getting all the exercise in , I'm taking the car everywhere at the moment bcoz I'm scared if I walk to far il b too sore to come home ! It really is getting that bad !
I came out the shower last night and caught a glimpse of myself naked and wow I'm so much bigger than I thought and the whole bump hangs out the front , my stretch marks r getting pretty bad too , was quite upset by it so just not going to look again I think X
Anna - great news ur mums being discharged today ! X
Ellizardo - hope midwife appointment goes well ! X

I've never pooped in labour haha. But my first sign of labour is always going to the loo it's like my body has a good clear out. Sorry tmi.

Bluebell I really like the name Reuben. Roo for short when he's younger is cute .
Lemon yogurts are divine I've been having the lemon wedges with my water too.
Thanks for asking about the photos I think they went well. The nursery said that he was posing away and was one of the first to have his taken so hopefully his nicely styled hair stayed looking good.
Wow what have you packed food wise? So far we have dried apricots, cashew nuts, jelly babies and some eat natural bars.

Gx91 my family live down south (where I'm from) and DHs mum has stage 4 cancer and is undergoing chemo. His dad & step mum have never looked after the children and live a bit too far out to get to. If I go into labour in the week I'm hoping the children will be in school/ childcare. If it's a late evening or weekend I'm going to have to ask the childminder. I dread to think how much it will cost . I have sharp cervix jabs too. It feels like he's trying to escape but it's not eviction time just yet.

We have been to the local carnival today it was lovely. Although ds3 is still being a pain in the bum. He screams all the time. Tonight we are going out for a meal just DH and I as on Monday it's our Wedding Anniversary. I can't wait to spend some time together.

It's my wedding anniversary on Monday well Beautician! How many years have you been married? It's 7 years for us this year.

YouandMe ooh what a coincidence only 2 years for us and together 6. DH was my knight after a crappy previous relationship

Bluebell20 what type of food you packing. I was thinking dried fruit, oat bars and hobnobs. Its hard to think about what to take as last time it was so hard to eat between gas and air (was addicted to it).

YouAndMeAreGoingToFallOut have a lovely anniversary!

Morning! Anyone else find that their sleep has changed. I was sleeping for Britain the last two months and now I am lucky if I get 5 hours. I am sofa bound as its the only place I feel comfortable (resting my legs over the edge). I guess my body is just getting ready as I know when baby is here I am going to be on the napping every two hours but no real sleep mode. Love the cuddles through so worth it.

Morning all, sorry for not joining in for a while, but between work, being too hot & tired and everything else that goes on in my head, it just hasn't happened. Sounds like everyone is feeling similar!

Anna Am glad to hear that your mum is feeling better, you're going through so much and I hope you're getting all the support you need. A friend's mum was very ill a few years back and Macmillan were a huge help to her and the whole family.

Youandme and Beautician - It's our wedding anniversary tomorrow too! First one and looking forward to going out for the day and for a meal to celebrate.

photographer that's pretty much what I've packed too, but digestives instead of hobnobs, I always crave really plain good when not feeling 100%.

bluebell am really impressed with your blanket dedication, would love to see a picture.

Completely sympathise with the rib pain, baby is 4/5 engaged apparently, but ribs still sore after sitting down for more than 20 mins, so hoping he moves down/changes position soon.

Am currently half way through knitting a cardigan, trying to sew curtains, the bathroom has looked like a building site for two months as DH has been working so hard at work and house needs scrubbing... Roll on next Friday and mat leave starting, work is well and truly off the list of priorities.

Congrats Ruby! 13 June clearly a good day to get married! I can't believe we've been married 7 years already. We've taken a while to get going on Project Baby.

bluebell - totally sympathize with babyname-itis. it's a total minefield. fwiw i really like Reuben too..but there's no harm in continuing the search albeit spontaneously vs. making a big deal of it.

love that you went to Glasto for raspberry leaf tea...so true. did you see that C4 documentary about Ivan Massow and his brother who lives in a lay-by right by Glasto? a very sad portrait of two parallel lives.

I also really want to see these bloomin' hexagons before long!
Ruby - is the cardigan for you or for baby?

36 week appointment went well yesterday (yet another new midwife). She is still breech. Apparently if I go into labour before 6 July they'll just do a c section as opposed to vbac. Also found out that we can try for a private room in recovery but it's gone up from £30/night to £75 since last year! NHS clearly need the £. Think it's still worth it though as getting peace & quiet is invaluable in the first two days or so.

photographer - sleep takes ages to come due to bump discomfort/feeling massively hot/leg cramp and pee breaks. Then Ted can occasionally throw a massive spanner in the works and wakes at 2am etc just as I've dropped off. Also find my mind is racing. Convinced I've forgotten something crucial regards baby stuff..or maybe just leaving the gas on etc.

I have been a bit quiet on the thread as a) we have moved house & d) I was admitted to hospital last week. To cut a very long story short my consultant raised concerns on Tuesday, hoped things would improved but they got worse. Still didn't think I was going to be admitted so came as a big shock!
The number one lesson I have learnt is not to leave packing your hospital bag until the last minute.... I ended up bringing dirty pjs by mistake, no pants, toothbrush or toothpaste! I remembered the bio oil but not most of my medication! My OH & mother have had to go out and get something everyday! They have been amazing. The latest request is a wash bag, the sainsburys carrier bag looks a bit tired... I have now been moved to the labour ward but as I am only just 33 weeks keep all your fingers crossed that the baby doesn't come early!
Thank you for the bag tips from everyone. This has helped me prepare for my hospital bag via my OH & mum! I still haven't got anything for the baby because I don't want to tempt fate. Might change my mind now and buy a few things. Will post separately on other bits and bobs! Xx

Thinking of you Thom, hoping baby stays put for a few more weeks yet. Glad OH and mum are being supportive.

thom - thinking of you, your little one, and your hilarious hospital bag. am packing mine today. all that talk of cashew nuts and eat natural bars got me ravenous! seriously though, are you ok? and do you think you'll be there until baby comes?

Beautician glad the photo went well! Hope you had a lovely night out with DH. How funny that so many of you on here have the same anniversary!

Okay, so for Beaut and photographer, here is the embarrassing list of food we have packed:

4 x packets of crisps
A bag of apple rings
2 x packs of wholemeal flatbreads
1 x pack of multiseed pitta breads
4 x pouches of Jamie Oliver meals that you can eat cold
4 x instant porridge Oat So Simple pots
1 x instant noodle pot
2 x tins of pears
1 x pack of Dr Karg pumpkin seed crackers (these got me through the first trimester!)
1 x bag of chocolate orange energy bites
1 x packet of sesame seed bars
A few funsize Mars bars
A few funsize Flakes
6 x mini cartons of juice with straws
4 x Options hot chocolate sachets
Bottles of water with sports caps
Lucozade
Mint tea bags (neither of us drink caffeine)

I do recognise that this is a ridiculous amount of food!!! It's mostly in case I'm in for ages so that DH doesn't have to go off to find food for himself, as the cafe provision at the hospital is pretty limited - you can only rely on vending machines.

Ruby I will definitely post a pic of the blanket when I'm done! I am almost at the joining stage now, so hoping to start that today. What cardigan are you knitting?

Ellizardo YES I saw that documentary! It made my heart hurt for both of them, to be honest. I thought it was rather off that Ivan didn't stay in the van, and also that he didn't help out with the building work. And yes, names are a nightmare. We also both feel that a middle name should mean something, but we can't think of one that is meaningful to us!

Thom I am crossing my fingers that the babe stays put for a while longer. Hope you're not finding it too stressful in hospital, and that you are being looked after well.

DH is getting terribly impatient to meet the baby now... He made me a cup of raspberry leaf tea earlier! I didn't want to drink it though... I would prefer to wait till 38 weeks before I start on that.

I am now almost constantly thinking about chocolate and cakes and sponge puddings and sweet things. Mmmm, sweet things. I wasn't like this at all earlier on in pregnancy! Not sure why it's happening now?!

Oh Thom that's a bit of a shock! Hope you're feeling a bit more settled in now you've got less of a comedy bag of tricks! Glad your OH and mum are looking after you! So pretty certain you'll be there until delivery? What concerns did your consultant have (if you're ok talking about it)?

Happy anniversary, Beaut, Youandme and Ruby

Ruby sounds like my life right now - halfway (errr, more like an eighth) through a blanket, no kitchen and planning a homebirth. With no pool organised. Or tens. Or emergency bags packed. Or curtains in the living room, actually - that's another thing on my list!

Bluebell tough call on the hex joining. I think I'd go for whichever option gave the most drape? As hexagons might be quite rigid, it'd be nice to soften the whole thing up? But also I'd go for whatever I felt most proficient in! Making up and weaving in ends is my least favourite bit! The bamboo I'm using for the blanket is really annoying 50g balls so only about 10cm of knitting before a join, rar. Reuben is on our long-but-not-nearly-bloody-long-enough boys list too! I'm keener than DP I think, but it was there for DC1, too. I properly LOLed at your DH wanting you to give birth in a layby! For two reasons, one is that's what I keep saying will happen to me if I don't choose a homebirth (but presumably not by your DH ) but also because that's such a lovely indication of his mindset - bless him haha! Also yesterday you were the same gestation that I delivered DD at

Iron levels...gah, who knows? Nurse said that blood form didn't indicate who to send results to (ie midwife or consultant at hosp) so that they'd 'probably' go back to the surgery. And that someone would call if there was a problem. Now I'm a big NHS fan but I don't always feel confident that they'll call when they say, so I said I'd call on Fri. My GP has an option on the phone thing for test results, so I selected it and the receptionist just gave me the rage. Yes I know you're not medically trained and I'm not asking you to diagnose me, but you're clearly not effing blind or illiterate so why can you not just tell me the effing number NEXT TO WHERE IT SAYS HB FOR CHRISSAKES? Apparently I can call in to get a print out of the results. Ok and then I have to make an appt to see a GP and/or pick up a prescription and then another trip to the pharmacy for the pills. I am struggling to walk and there's nowhere to park nearby, it's so unhelpful! #rantymcrantface

Elliz my hosp charges £130 for a private room I can see the appeal, though. As I had DD at 8pm, but wasn't stitched up etc until hours after, they very kindly gave DP a mattress thing and let us all stay in the ensuite delivery room overnight, so I was massively grateful about that.

Sleep mostly crap here, too. I wake up every time I turn over but lately I wake up and I'm wide awake. Horrible. I'm prob getting one decentish night in four I think. Could be worse.

35w today. And unlike everyone else want to keep my legs crossed as long as poss because I'm just not ready!!! Am I really the only one who wants to slow these weeks down??!

dats

Thom I hope you are as comfortable as you can be and they have explained everything well to you, I sometimes get lost in the jargon.

I really need to finish getting ready I keep thinking I am but in reality I am absolutely not, I did buy a refurbished dyson handheld from the eBay store yesterday though (which while it will be useful will in no way help with labour!) I know someone was talking about them on here and I am tragically very excited about its arriving! Saved about £100 off the normal price and still comes with a warranty so worth looking at it if people don't mind refurbished.

I am 35 weeks tomorrow and DH has been away since Thursday and back tomorrow these things don't normally bother me but I have been really uncomfortable about him being away. He plays in a band and they have two gigs close to my due date I am hoping baby come similar to his big sister around 37 weeks but if he still in there I think I may have to say I don't want him to go. Which I know he will be fine with but is a very alien concept to me!

Heat sent me funny last week and I took two days off work - it's all gone a bit mental (more work not less) and I am struggling with the stress abit so going to play it by ear and may finish a week before I originally thought.

Happy Sunday we went to our village street party today as DD had to help out with brownies and got a free hog roast bonus!!

Oh goodness thom I hope all is ok and you're comfortable and have enough stuff. You've really given me a kick up the bum. Not to ask a million questions but are you in until the end now? Will be thinking of you and baby.

Happy Anniversary all! How funny there are 3 on one day! June is a good month for a wedding. beaut hope you and hubby had a lovely evening out

bluebell if you don't have much there then you'll be glad you have extra. I've not even put any food in mine yet.. Oops. Raspberry leaf tea only intensifies contractions, I'm pretty sure it doesn't start them. I've taken a turn to sweet things as well! Despite not wanting chocolate I now do?! I think it's blood sugar levels but now I just feel like I'm making it worse by consuming the sugar?! I like Rueben :) stick with it! Don't let that worry you . Also with regards to DH I'm sure once you've gone through labour you will be more than in a position to get your way my DH told me yesterday he didn't like our name and wants to call him a name I really don't like.

mrsrolly well done on the dyson! What a good idea! I hope it brings you lots of happiness

dats that's really annoying about your iron levels! Doctors receptionists often annoy me too. You rant away!!!

Some friends threw me a low key baby shower yesterday - was so lovely. They held it at my mums and my handful of closest friends were there and we had all my favourite foods and it was the most thoughtful thing EVER! Made me so emotional - especially as this is #3 I really didn't expect anything! Honestly I got so many lovely things- I've had to do so much washing today to get it all ready, and now we have so much one friend bought me a full body post natal massage so I'm counting down until I can use it!! And another is taking me to John Lewis to choose a changing bag... honestly I keep welling up, so generous and thoughtful

Have just binged on a load of left over cake and caramel shortbread.. And made myself feel sick.. Oops..

Excited for tomorrow to be join the 'full term' party ! Really must finish my hospital bag!!!!

Happy Anniversary for tomorrow ruby, beaut and you hope you all managed to do something nice!

thom I'm so sorry to hear you're having a crap time. You poor thing. It sounds like your mum and DH are on it though. I hope you're being well looked after and feeling ok? How did the house move go?

blue that is an epic amount of food! Love it. I didn't eat anything in labour last time, all I wanted was cold Ribena from the vending machine and that was for a good 30 hours! I was quite unlucky though and spent a lot of labour being sick. I don't think I ate for about 42 hours in the end as they wouldn't let me eat until I could could keep fluid down. All I wanted then was Subway salad lol! Classy! I had some of those cereal bars and flapjack bites which I found good though.

eliz that's still really reasonable! I got a private room as was unwell but think out hospital charged £120 a night but you're not allowed your partner to stay. I wish you were.

g I'm the same re c section and VBAC. I'll give it a go if I go into labour before my elective but they've said I've got to go straight in and they'd only really let me try for 4 hours. I know some people are passionate about VBAC and say you can for as long as you want but I don't see the point in ignoring medical advice and I don't have this overwhelming desire to give birth naturally!

Thank you all for thinking of my lovely mum. We got her home on Friday and she burst into tears when she saw her bedroom. They discovered she had septicaemia!! No wonder she was so ill. Anyway she's up and down but prefers to be home and we will find out more on the cancer in the coming weeks. Trying to just be glad she's home for now!
We were due to exchange on Friday but buyers at the last minute are demanding we get a gas and electricity safety inspection carried out. We are supposed to be moving in 2.5 weeks. See what comes of it tomorrow but DH was fuming. I think we just get it done so we can bloody move soon!

Well done on hospital bags. I've loosely packed mine, literally pants,nipple cream, vests for baby lol. I'll add to it as we go along and aim to have it sorted soon as we move!

Hope you've all had good Sundays

Ellizardo baby brain is getting to me too at the moment. I must have left the hob on twice now in the last week. Always leaving the house without my wallet. List goes on.

Thom80 sounds like a bit of a tough time. Sorry to hear.

Bluebell20 I like your buffet. I mean food list hehe. I know DH is probably going to stop at the M&S on the way to the birthing centre every visit. Thats what he did last time. I was veggie in my last pregnancy and the crappy hospital I was at could offer me nothing in the way of food.

MrsRolly I hear Hayou on the work stress hope it dies down soon.

Had a stressful day. DH and DD woke up an hour before her football class so I was rushing to pack everything and get there. DH moves so slow I was so cross with him. Then cried a few times as I am a hormonal mess. Then traveled to Bath for a softplay party for an old NCT buddy. All the kids are turning 3. Basically ended up with a stop halfway and had the first McDonalds I have had in year. DD is nearly 3 and enjoyed some chips and a happy meal toy. My DH took the mick out of me for being so pregnant and allowed such a brown lunch (I am usually quite strict but being so pregnant we have all had a few lazy meals as of late).

thom sorry to hear you're having a rough time. Sounds like you're being looked after though and that you've got plenty of runners to fetch anything you don't have!

Happy anniversary to ruby, beaut and you.

Love the food list blubell! You've made me feel a bit better about ours. Sounds a bit healthier than what we've packed though (mainly cereal bars, flapjacks, raisins and juice).

anna so pleased to hear that your mum is home where she wants to be. Septicaemia is awful so glad she's feeling a bit better. Move sounds like it's stalling so hope it gets moving again soon.

Ellizardo and Bluebell that made me laugh, cardigan is definitely for the baby, at my rate of knitting an adult sized one would probably take 2 years! It's a little hooded cardigan that I saw in a book and though I'd give myself a challenge, because you know, not a lot else on at the mo...

Sorry to hear you're in hospital Thom, hope you're managing to get some rest. Maybe you could get started on a little list of things to buy, so that it's ready to give to your helpers when you feel like having stuff ready.

Anna good to hear that your mum is home.

dats that was an excellent rant, get it all out!! It's so frustrating when something that seems so simple take so long. You're definitely not the only one who wants the weeks to slow down - my SIL reminded me yesterday that the one thing she forgot to do in time was read the chapter in her book on labour... ...erm 'may' be guilty of this too...

cookies what a lovely thing for your friends to do, lucky lady.

Have a good week all

dats in the end I've gone for a single crochet join. It's not the drapiest, but it is neat and tidy and, most importantly, easy to do! Today I've joined all the individual hexagons into strips, and I've just started joining the strips together to form the blanket. It looks all right so far! I know exactly what you mean about joining and weaving in; I hate it. I'm trying to work in the ends as I go to avoid a hideous weaving-in session at the end. It's a bit slow but I think it's worth it!

REALLY annoying that they won't give you the iron results over the phone when they are happy to give you a print out! It is all such a hassle! My surgery offers telephone appointments with GPs - might that be possible for you to get the results that way, rather than dropping in?

MrsRolly I think it's pretty understandable to not want DH away as your due date nears, particularly if you gave birth early last time! I have some friends whose partners are in the military and they have had a really hard time with them being away around the due date. I feel pretty lucky that my husband's work is a) very local and b) very flexible.

Cookies awh damnit, I was kinda hoping the raspberry leaf tea would be a magical labour-starter. Not sure I want my contractions intensified!!!!! I think DH is coming round to Reuben again. Now for that tricky middle name... Oh, and your baby shower sounds LOVELY! Hooray for having super friends.

Anna and tams, cereal bars sound good - might have to add those to my larder-bag! Anna, fingers crossed for your mum's results, and fingers crossed for your move as well.

photographer I am veggie too and this is partially why I have The Fear about ending up in hospital without food that I can eat! That and I am naturally a big greedy toad :) How I haven't packed on more weight than I have in this pregnancy is a total mystery to me. For example, you talking about Maccy D's now has me craving salty fries... Grargh!

Ruby that sounds cute! I have been saving loads of lovely jumper and cardigan patterns, but mostly for 6 months + as I just know that I won't get anything ready in time for newborn stage!

Baby is pretty active at the moment. I think actually he's probably just as active as he always was, but he's so big now that it's impossible to ignore! I'm sure he's dropped a bit as well as I've suddenly got a big squashy sproingy space under my ribs, where once there were hard little baby feet!

As it gets closer to the due date, I am getting more freaked out, though. I have realised that I am quite scared of having a Caesarean (I am terrible, terrible, terrible with all things needles and blood), I am scared of tearing (have been doing some perineal massage to try and avoid this - quite interesting to carry out with swollen hands and carpal tunnel syndrome, let me tell you!!!), and I am absolutely bloody terrified of bringing home a newborn baby that I have to, you know, keep alive and shit. How the hell I'm ever going to relax enough to sleep again is beyond me!

Hi,
Feeling so much more positive about things. I am hoping everything settles down & I can go home being closely monitored. They are worried that my placenta is starting to fail. Apparently it is hard to determine that. I am being excellently looked after by both family & MW / Drs. I can't complain other than the lack of sleep. My OH is sleeping at home so nights are lonely & he is going to have to go to work tomorrow.
anna - I am s

anna - I am so pleased that your mum is out. Ee

Sorry people keep texting me & it posts the message!
One more try!
anna we had the same issue with our buyers. We didn't have the documentation they wanted & in the end it came down to whether they wanted to go ahead or not, it is stressful. Hope it all sorts itself out.
jem we are trying to decide betwer

jem we are trying to choose between the Joolz & bugaboo chameleon. What do you think of the Joolz? Which one did you go for?
Thank you for all your kind wisjes