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

[Ellizardo]

Nearly there folks.

Thanks Juflin, bird, and Beautician - I'm sure everything will be fine and eventually these hormones will calm down. As for the name, well, DH is Spanish and we've decided to go with our fathers' names. Very traditional, I know, but DH feels very, very strongly about using his dad's name, especially as his dad passed.. wow.. 2 years ago. That went fast. Anyway, it's a pretty common Spanish name, so it's not super unique or unpronounceable, but it is very Spanish.

Holy crap hormones! I'm sitting here, listening to James Taylor and singing to the bump and now I'm crying?!?!! I made it through this whole pregnancy without doing the weepy thing and this past week I think I've gotten more weepy/teary than I thought possible. Time to get a grip... and a strong cuppa.

Pulpi the most popular boy in ds2s class and also his best friend has Spanish parents. His name is Joseba. I really like it.

Spanish Canuck, bloody love it - heritage to be proud of

Congrats jem vicky and becky I hope you and your gorgeous bubs are doing well!

I'm really struggling to keep up with this thread but I do read it as often as possible. I'm having one of those weeks where I will look back and wonder how the fuck I managed to get out of bed every day. We found out Friday there is nothing else for them to do to help mum. She is now in a hospice being made to feel comfortable. It's been really tough as she's in pain and we are very sadly approaching the end. We all hoped she could hold on for the baby but that won't happen now, so I'm just trying to stay strong and keep my sense of humour for mum. My family are so close that we are pulling each other through it. I'm constantly going to see her which is draining but I have to make the most of the time. DD has decided to stop sleeping so I'm beyond shattered now. Baby is breech and it's head is right in my rib which means I can't really lean forward or Bend over. My fun continues as I move house tomorrow. I'm trying to get excited but honestly nothing seems to matter. I mean seriously. I know we all die and I'm ok with that, but the timing on this is pretty dire!! I'm keeping calm for baby though.

To all those struggling it's hard but you're almost there. And you soon forget about it to be honest. Just rest as much as possible.

That sweep photo is brilliant and has proper made me giggle.

Good luck to all of us as we approach the end. I'll Keep reading even if I don't get chance to post. X

Oh anna im so sorry :( what awful awful news at such an already incredibly stressful time have you finished work at least? You sound like a real trooper! Although in these situations i guess its either carry on or crumble..

Oh Anna, you couldn't invent what you're going through, in terms of timing. I can only try to imagine how utterly sad and exhausting all this is - but like you say it's all probably so unreal that you couldn't possibly feel the way you 'should' about any of the conflicting elements.

I'm so glad your family is close and you all have each other. I hope you get as much help and support as poss. Hope the move goes smoothly tomorrow.

Be however you need to be, it's all you can do. Sending lots of love.
dats xxx

Anna I'm so sorry. I'll be thinking of you and sending love. Glad that you have such a close family. Xx

So so sorry Anna, thinking of you and your whole family.

Anna, so sorry to hear this. You are right, time is so precious and I'm sure your mum and family are so proud with how your are handling things. It's hard to always be the strong one though. I know you've got no choice but to keep busy and the distraction isn't a bad thing but please take time to look after yourself and let others look after you. xx

Oh Anna I'm so sorry. Gosh, you are going through so much. Thinking of you and sending hugs xo

Anna, am so very sorry to hear your news. Awful at any time but particularly cruel and poignant timing right now.

Sounds like you are doing incredibly well to get through it, particularly with house move looming. Do cherish the time you have left with your mum, and well done for keeping on keeping on.

Thinking of you and your mum and all your family. Big hugs.

Anna I'm so sorry.

So I think I have been scammed. I had curry, went for an hour walk, bounced on the ball and even did yesterday. Where are you baby! All I had last night is cramps in my dreams about going into labour. Oh well. we are off to the beach today to walk, build sand castles and hit the splash park with the DD.

I'm so sorry to hear that anna. You sound like you're bearing up remarkably well. I'm glad you've got family around you to support each other. Try to make the most of the time you have with your mum. I hope they're able to keep her comfortable in the hospice. Good luck with the move today too. Everything seems to be coming at once for you. Thinking of you.

Anna so sorry to hear that. I hope you get to spend as much time as possible with your mum. Thinking of you lots...terrible timing with the move and the baby. You sound very strong but lean on others too - and us on the thread of course

Hello again ladies,

Am going to try and post for a change!

Belated congrats to Becks, Jem, YouandMe and Vicky! Hope little ones are doing well. Thanks for all the gorgeous pics.

Fifi, Speak and Thom, hope your bubs are getting bigger and bolder every day and you are recovering from your exhausting experiences.

Like others, I've just about managed to keep up with reading the thread (just!) but can't quite manage to post much, by the time I get around to responding to all your comments what I want to say seems totally out of date... Will persevere.

I am 39 weeks now and not feeling v prepared. Happy for baby to stay in a bit longer. Am feeling relatively comfortable physically although still have shit days (yesterday was one) where I'm tired, achey, sick, anxious and everything seems overwhelming. Have packed hospital bag but still have lots to do at home to get ready for baby. Think worrying about all the sick family members in May and June delayed and exhausted me. Not to mind the cursed referendum!

Second week of mat leave but my mum was here for all of last week so it really only feels like the first. Had a lovely time, but probably relaxed too much and did nice things like pedicures instead of laundry, clearing and cleaning! Oh well, I'm sure that was important too

I'm finding this humid weather very hard to deal with. It makes my asthma and allergies worse, and since I can't take my usual antihistamines, my ears end up getting congested and I feel dizzy and sick. Poor me

Am very impressed at the efforts lots of you have been making to encourage baby. I'm almost afraid to sit on birth ball or have sex in case it induces labour. I'm not ready! DH is very anxious atm which is not helping - seems as though he's not the only one, from reading the thread.

Whoever was asking about TENS machine: I bought mine from John Lewis a couple of weeks ago after a new NCT friend swore by it during her labour. Elle Bodyworks or something. Has a v effective boost button apparently! But pricier than Amazon but we got it within 24 hours, you can bring it back if you don't use it, and it's a good investment if you might have more children or have back problems - DH definitely has his eye on it.

Right am going to post now before I delete any of this by accident.

Happy Thursday folks!

39+1

Anna - thinking of you. I can't imagine the pressure of the maelstrom around you right now. Any time for a walk in the park? Chance to breathe? Lots of love. x

Thinking of you and your family Anna at this difficult and testing time. So glad you have a supportive family. Hoping the hospice get on top of your mums pain and that she's comfortable soon.

Trivial but woken up today with stretch marks suddenly! Managed to avoid until 38+4 after religious application of bio oil. Darn it!

Going to go through and reply to everyone in a minute but first I just wanted to say Anna, I am so sorry to hear about your mum. Having lost my own mum to cancer in a very sudden decline, I know something of how you might be feeling, but I can't imagine how mixed your emotions must be with your new baby on the horizon as well.

As you have said, you just need to focus on making the most of the time you have now. Please make the most of any offers of help you get from friends, particularly around moving house. Don't feel you have to try and be superwoman - although as primary said upthread, sometimes it does feel like crack on or crumble are your only two options, and I know that when I lost my mum I found cracking on at uni (against everyone's advice) extremely helpful.

Look after yourself, allow yourself to be looked after, and say everything you want to say to your mum while you can. Wishing you strength and support. xxx

Oh Anna, I'm so sorry about your mom. I cannot even imagine how you must be feeling. Sending you hugs.

More batch cooking today and resting up for the weekend (baby shower on Saturday and brunch on Sunday). Question: when going out for the day to another town about 10 miles from home, do you take your hospital bags in the car? Or is that just ridiculous?

37 weeks today.

Anna so so sorry about your mum. It must be so difficult but you will get through it. The baby is probably going to help more than you think as you will have to be strong for them. I hope the house move goes as well as it can do today.
Sending lots of love and you will stay in my thoughts.

Photographer I've been scammed too. Nothing is working Although I'm happy for him to stay put over the weekend as childcare is difficult. I still have a feeling I will hit my due date DHs birthday or the Monday or Tuesday after.

Gnat the first week of your maternity leave sounds perfect. Pampering is always more important than house work. Sorry hayfever is getting you down. Hope baby stays put a while longer for you.

Cheery Grr they are a pain aren't they. Unfortunately I don't believe it makes a bit of difference what you use on your skin if you are going to get stretch marks your going to get them. I've been using the Sanctuary mum to be oil throughout. I have no new ones and I didn't get any last time but I have some from my second pregnancy as I was at my biggest. I still have a little loose flabby skin under my bump this time (so attractive) so I guess my skin hasn't stretched as far as it has previously.

Last night was interesting I must have gone for a wee about 15 times. You would think going so often that it would be a trickle but no. So I'm presuming baby has engaged now as I have a permanent urge to go to the loo. This of course doesn't mean much as they can bob in and out of position after your first.
I also felt when standing yesterday that he was going to fall out. So much pressure in my foof it's quite painful at times.

38+6

primary yup, I too have been Googling everything... I think my sharp crampy pain was probably baby elbowing me in the bladder.

becks lovely name, and lovely photo - Benjamin is on our list too!

pulpi please, please keep the name; don't be put off. I have high hopes that this xenophobic crap will die down fairly quickly. DH said last night that he wishes he'd been on the tram in Manchester where the teenage boys abused the university lecturer, because he'd have broken their noses for them. Perhaps not the most helpful response, and would only have got him into trouble himself, but I do think that people are so outraged by the behaviour of their fellow Brits that they are speaking out about it more and more, and hopefully that will mean that things quieten down again. On a less violent note, my MIL has decided that she is going to start specifically smiling at people in her local supermarket who she hears speaking a different language, and telling them how glad she is that they have chosen to come to England. She lived in Ethiopia for a while and she says that's what the Ethiopians do - go out of their way to welcome foreigners.

julfin sounds like there is real progress with DH, hooray! I'm so glad. Ironically I had a furious argument with my DH a few hours after I posted that, because he was being totally unreasonable about something, so no bump kissing that evening, haha! Yeah, I've been meeting up with the mums from my NCT class - they've all had their babies now, so it's just me left. We've set up a WhatsApp chat which has been quite helpful - one girl was texting us through labour for advice, and there has been lots of breastfeeding chat! They're not all people I would necessarily spend time with if it weren't for what we have in common - I don't think I've made any friends for life - but they are really nice and it does feel like a real support.

Beaut I'm not too sure about the virtues of expending precious energy on the birthing ball either, as I think it's for getting the baby into the right position (?), and mine already is! Also, I'm so sad that you get crap off people for DS1's autism - that is so horrid. And I think people - particularly the older generation - sometimes just don't know how to talk about race without being offensive, even when they don't mean to be. Down here, loads of people say 'coloured' without realising how offensive it is, and it sets my teeth on edge - I correct them wherever possible!

gnat the allergy situation sounds very frustrating. I'm relieved that my hayfever hasn't really hit this year, which I assume is something to do with the pregnancy. I've been a bit bunged up when I wake up, but no eye-itching-madness or urge to keep all the windows shut and wash the pollen out of my hair every five minutes.

Cheery I have heard a lot of people say that they got their stretch marks right at the end of the pregnancy, when the baby dropped. I have been (touch wood) fairly lucky so far and don't have any standard-looking angry ones. I do have a couple of bits of skin around my belly button that have gone shiny and very pale lilac though, which are clearly stretch marks of some sort, so I've not escaped!

Well girlies, I'm driving off for my sweep a bit later this morning - I shall try not to think of Sweep of Sooty fame while it's going on, as that would just seem incredibly wrong. Had a lovely long lie-in this morning just in case I'm up all night giving birth - fat chance, I'm sure, but a great excuse for wallowing in bed regardless!

40 + 2

Good luck Bluebell! Izzy wizzy, let's get BUSY!

I'm just off to have my eyes de-pigletted...

anna - I am so sorry, I don't know what to say, other than I am thinking of you and your family and sending lots of love & best wishes. I have been thinking of you loads over the last days, weeks and had been hoping for better news. My SIL went through something similar two years and I saw how hard it is. It is nice that you are such a close family and can rely on each other. You have so much on your plate as well with DD, new house and new baby. Sending much love xxxx
cookies - fingers crossed delivery soon
julfin - I am pleased tgat your OH is being more supportive and things are improving. It is a strange time for them as nothing has changed and they can continue as is. I had a massive go at OH one evening, when I had been to several hospital apts that day & week and he hadn't bothered to ask me about any of them but was not happy that I was uninterested in some tale he was telling. He has been super supportive in the last part, but I think at the beginning he just wanted to go to the pub with his friends and me and couldn't understand why I wasn't interested.
beautician - yeah that you are feeling better. I really fancy coffee & walnut cake, I am going to put a request in. All the talk of beauty and hair cuts is inspiring me to get my mum's hairdresser to come to the house at some point. I don't know how you do it with four children. I am in awe of you. I have told OH that after every thing this is are one and only!
Bluebell - your DH's reaction made me chuckle. Partners can be so funny in their responses to things & incredibly literal. Keep on bouncing on the ball - I am willing it to work!
dats - omg you are super woman!!! Or crazy Or both. I love the fact that you went from one end of the spectrum - beauty treatments - to the other - DIY. I am in awe. My excuse for my house being in disarray & no batch cooking is the baby came unexpectedly early & we had only just moved. I am not sure how much cooking I would have done. Are wardrobe & chest of drawers were meant to arrive before the baby but now it is going to be next week, that will really help.
becks - he is gorgeous and I really like the name. It is a family name on both sides & also the name of DH's dog!
elliz - I hope you had a lovely lunch. You deserve to be treated to a fancy meal.
Photographer - yeah that the consultation went well!! Good luck!
primary - my OH is Welsh so haven't had any hystrionics about the football, to be fair to him he has missed every game as we have been in hospital & hasn't complained. Not that I would have any sympathy! I think it would be different if if was the rugby.
Pulpi - I would definitely take the bag with you, if you take it you won't need it, if you don't you will. I agree with everyone else about the name. We should as a nation be respectful of all cultures, race and nations. It disgusts and makes me ashamed of our country. Brexit has really brought he worse out in people, but I guess that it was there all a long in most and it has made it for some reason expectable to come out.
speak - hope that you are well and things are going smoothly at home.
vikki - congratulations!!! I can't remember if I posted or not, but he is lovely and great name.
I hope that everyone is bouncing, eating curry, having sex like rabbits and going for long walks. I want to see more babies!!!
Xx

Hahaha dats, thanks for that!!! Hope the de-pigletting goes well.

Thom thanks for the moral support! You sound like things are going well, despite the house being in chaos?

So, I've had my sweep (I've been swept?!?) and things seem to be heading in the right direction. Midwife said at least three times that the baby is 'sooo far down', although because of that I was expecting her to say he's at 0/5 and actually he's at 2/5. Cervix is apparently softening and 1cm dilated, but hasn't started effacing yet. Anyway, I was very cheered by the fact that things seem to be progressing. Next step for me would be a trip to the hospital for monitoring in a week's time, followed by an induction two days later, but I'm hopeful that he might arrive before then.

And ladies, my midwife said to keep trying everything, but to definitely have lots of sex - she said that works best.