Thread #8 - TTC#1 Grads - stripy bump photos ahoy!

[PotatosMum]

Welcome to yet another instalment of TTC#1 grads. Warning! This thread moves fast so blink and you may miss a page or three!

All are welcomed with open arms and TMI whether you come from our sister thread TTC#1 or just want a safe and friendly place to share your journey.

we have ladies from all stages of pregnancy from T1ers, trying to go cold turkey on their POAS addiction, to T2ers wondering where the heck their pregnancy glow got to, to T3ers wondering if that funny feeling is the start of labour or just a fart building.

So jump on the boat, join the pink or blue baby battle and enjoy TTC#1 Grads thread #8!

Team P - 8
Team B - 8
Team V - 6

August
11 Mor (Team Vanilla)
13 Bunch (Team Blue)
16 New (Team Vanilla)
27 Potato (Team Pink)
30 Pink (Team Pink)

September
1 Shelb (Team Pink)
2 Taz (Team Blue)
4 Nev (Team Blue)
8 DrWhy
12 Danni (Team Blue)
14 Soda (Team Vanilla)
28 Leonie (Team Blue)
29 Laurenrl (Team Pink)

October
3 Lisa (Team Vanilla)
6 Irregular (Team Pink)
8 Miley (Team Vanilla)
12 Indi (Team Pink)
13 Co5mo (Team Blue)
15 Planet (Team Pink)
23 Lillian (Team Pink)
26 Lara (Team Blue)
30 First

November
19 Canters (Team Blue)
20 Jam
25 Stark!!!!!
29 Elle

December
12 Feef

January 17
4 May
13 Ni (Team Vanilla)

February 17
15 Evergreen

Morning all,

Leonie that must be a relief for both of you that there is work out there. My DHs company is potentially going to have to be sold/go into administration because of Brexit so he too has started looking at recruitment agencies. We're fine until Sept/October though. We too will be aiming to move near his family. My parents would move near to wherever we go and I would like to be within an hour of his family rather than the 5 we are now.

Re change tables I have a station set up on top of the chest of drawers in the nursery and on top of a dresser in the living room.

Irregular we have put all the baby stuff in place so the dog is used to it, I.e swing, downstairs crib, high chair, cot in our room etc. We plan on DH bringing back something that smells of Pip for the dog and theb we'll let him sniff baby as much as he wants. He's a hound so big on the sniffing. He's great with kids so I know he'll be fine. We've played baby crying noises from YouTube and he hasn't batted an eye lid. Play him a doorbell sound though and he's off!!

34 week midwife appointment today and first NHS antenatal class. Both not until 4.45pm though.

Sounds like everyone's getting very organised!

In laws live near us and my parents live far away which seems ideal as in laws will have access but it'll be my parents that come to stay! I'll be right before Christmas so I'm happy their coming, we always have a big family Christmas so I think I would feel a bit left out of it was just me DH and baby.

DH is a house manager for looked after children so entirely expecting his paternity leave to be interrupted especially as it falls over Christmas so will be good to have family around.

I think we will buy a dresser with changing table on top like others have mentioned. To fit in as yet imaginary home!!

Not sure about when to go on Mat leave yet, as I'm going to take 12 months hopefully I would ideally like to go as late as possible to try and get two Christmas in a row off!

Would love to get a dog before baby arrives but recognise it's madness

leonie- so glad something has come up for your dh!

I had a hormonal breakdown on dh last night about the in laws. He's agreed they will only come for 2 weeks, they wont book flights until I give the go ahead and he will take some AL in that time too. Feeling better about it now!

Morning ladies!

That's good news Canters! 2 weeks sounds much more manageable than 3.

Pleased there are options for your OH Leonie.

I'm 32 weeks today, feels a bit scary!

We also want to get a dog, but haven't got round to it yet so we are going to wait until after baby arrives. Ultimately we want a beagle and a cocker spaniel, but will probably get the cocker first.

We had an antenatal class last night on water births. Just a few things we learnt in case they are helpful to anyone:

1. They prefer you to be 5cm dilated before you get in the pool. You are classed as being in active labour from 4cm onwards and if you go into the pool earlier, it can slow down contractions or in a worse case make them stop.

1. The water is kept at body temperature and is high enough to cover bump. They empty and refill it as necessary to get rid of any yuk bits (and have a scoop to fish out any poo )

1. You are meant to get out if you need a wee. You can basically get out at any time you want, unless baby's arrival is imminent!

1. You can eat what you want in the pool and eating is actively encouraged to keep energy up. Midwife said they often feed ladies tea and toast in the pool!

1. You can stay in the pool to deliver the placenta or get out if you prefer.

1. Partner can get in the pool with you if they are that way inclined (OH will definitely NOT be doing that!).

1. There is no maximum amount of time you can be in the pool for.

Thanks for that pink, good to know

canters I'm glad you've resolved! I couldn't have PIL staying with me for 3 weeks, I'd go nuts. MIL has taken 2 weeks off work from baby's due date to help but has said it will only be as and when we need her which is lovely.

irregular sadly not yet, though they haven't been too bad this week as my grandma has taken up some ladies gym class thing. I definitely will encourage hobbies as it appears that we are her only hobby at the moment!

OH has left the building so I have 3 days (well, nights as I'm at work) of doing absolutely bugger all. He's in a total flap about leaving me and almost didn't go, I had to force him to check in and promise him I will manage for 3 days! I have been promised gifts

Hope everyone is well, I'm suffering horrific back ache today and am overly excited that gaviscon tablets are on buy one get one half price at boots. Ahh, pregnancy! I'm also sleeping really badly, even with a maternity pillow. Still, only 13 and a bit weeks to go. Maybe. Who knows.

Lillian glad you had a nice time visiting family.

Soda hope you're having a nice day off.

Leonie glad things are looking up regarding the job situation. Sometimes these things seem like a tragedy at the time but turn out to be positive in the long run.

Irregular no exchange date yet but apparently we're now only waiting on one thing. So desperate to get moving now.

On a related subject, my buyers came around yesterday. It's a older lady and her mother (who lives around the corner but will be spending a lot of time here) the whole time they were here I kept looking at the mother and thinking that she seemed familiar, particularly her voice. It was only when they left I realised that 18 years ago she was my German teacher at school small world!

Bunch good luck with the class today.

Canters good your OH is now taking your concerns regarding his parents seriously. By the sound of it it won't be too bad now.

Pink interesting stuff about the pool. I wanted a pool birth but as I now have to have a hospital birth there's no chance.
Is everyone getting coming home outfits? I was just going to pop Potato in a baby grow and save special outfits for going out

Miley enjoy your temporary freedom I hope the pain subsides.
I'm also really struggling with sleeping. I'm constantly up and down in the night or turning over like a deranged hippo and actually getting to sleep is an absolute nightmare to begin with and then to add insult to injury, I'm shattered all day

Went off to get a haircut this morning. I didn't realise how shabby I was looking until they finished. Now I'm sat sewing Potato's cross stitch. Will post a picture of it soon.

Has anyone else got a health visitor appointment booked. Mine is coming round in Friday. I know it's nothing to worry about and it's just a meet and greet but it feels like I'm being assessed

Hi ladies!

Canters 2 weeks definitely seems a lot more reasonable than 3. Glad it's sorted now.

Miley my DH is away with work tomorrow for 2 nights, so I too have bugger all planned. I won't be getting any gifts so you're doing better than me

Pink interesting stuff about water births. I always thought I wanted one but then realised there could be poos floating about and it turned me off the idea. My friend had one though and enjoyed the experience --as much as you can when pushing a baby out of your Moo!!

Potato does everyone get a health visitor meeting? Or does it depend where you live?

Has anyone else got major baby brain?? It's so annoying. I just forget things so easily, I even sometimes forget what I'm writing about on mumsnet or think I've lost my phone when it's in my hand

I don't know who mentioned the dog situation, I have 2 little shih tzu's. They are my babies, one of them is 9 years old and the other is 2. I have just played the baby crying noise and the big one wasn't bothered but the little one was really upset and started howling! It was very funny and cute but I didn't expect it, so now I'm going to have to play it every day so she gets used to it. I've got to say it's a bloody annoying noise what have I let myself in for!

Indi I assumed everyone got a health visitor. I just got a phone call one day to set it up. I guess in some areas they may wait until baby is born though.

Yes to baby brain. I've even found myself forgetting about things like my glasses. blind as a bat without them! and putting the wrong thing back in the fridge (like the cup of tea I just made instead of the milk). I quite often forget what I'm saying half way through which is confusing.

We're planning to get a dog at some point but I think we've decided to put it off until Potato is 5 or 6 so that she can grow up with him or her. Also, by that point DSS will be off to Uni so the house will be a bit quieter.

Yes to baby brain indi, I'm absolutely ridiculous with it. I've been having to ask how to do very basic stuff at work that I could usually do in sleep! I've also mastered the art of putting things in the fridge that shouldn't be there!! We haven't had any news about a health visitor yet, but we do get them round here and as potato said, maybe they're not the norm everywhere.

We have a labrador who is incredibly laid back but we are doing the same as bunch and getting baby's scent on a pram blanket/muslin for him to use as his own. Will try the baby noise, too!

bit.ly/29r8BbT

Mamas and papas recall

Afternoon ladies

Just checking in, waves to everyone.

Baby brain here too, it's a miracle I'm still functioning.

Jesus I feel big now, the past few weeks it's really kicked in (32+1).

X

Just inflated my maternity ball thing... What followed was 10 minutes of OH running around with it pretending to be a subbuteo man.

Haha potato - best mental image ever after a really really shit day at work! I say after, I'm still here...

Good tip on the baby crying sounds to play everyone - will definitely get on that. Was thinking of the baby scent thing already but wouldn't have thought about the crying.

Evening all.
Sorry I've been quiet, I have my mum here until Thursday helping do batch cooking etc.

Had my 34 week appointment today
.... And we're booked in for a growth scan. Quite excited to see my boy again and not too concerned as it's just a tick in the box.

Class was okay but no chance for social interaction. Happy to find out that before I go into the MLU the on call midwife comes to the house to do an exam before I trek into the unit. Unfortunately found out there's 3 MLU in my county, and out of hours they only open one at a time. So if I go into labour after 5pm and another woman is already in labour in one of the other 2 units then I have to go to that unit instead of mine. My unit is 15 mins away, the other 2 are 25 and 45 mins away. So they say what the majority of people do is opt for an unplanned home birth at that point, so we all get a home check just incase. My home check is next appointment at 36 weeks. Like you Potato I feel like I'm being inspected. I'm planning on baking cookies for her arrival.

Are you batch cooking and freezing for when baby comes Bunch? I'm aiming to do that whilst on mat leave.

Is the growth scan because baby is measuring small or big?

That's frustrating re the possible other journey whilst you are in labour.

I know pre-birth health visits are carried out here, but it's not been mentioned to me yet. Got my 32 week midwife appointment tomorrow so I'll ask about it.

potato I've had a home visit from the health visitor. It was fine. They didn't look round at all. Just went straight in the living room and started asking a million questions. Expect to be asked if you and OH beat each other, if you do drugs etc.

Ooh bunch batch cooking! You are still my organisation idol. I had a growth scan a few weeks ago. All was fine, they tend to be overly cautious. It's nice to see baby again though

Yep Pink batch cooking and freezing for when baby is here, got about 10 meals worth. Pip is measuring big, he has been every measurement but he's had a growth spurt and gone way off the scale so I have a scan booked for a week Friday.

New. You should see my baby clothes organisation.....

Bunch you inspire me to get my sh*t together and get organised!

Morning ladies, how are you all today?

Bunch that MLU situation sounds very odd. How do you feel about the possibility of a home birth?
Glad I'm not the only one booked for a home visit. It's definitely nerve wracking, not sure I'm fussed enough to bake though, might just buy some biscuits
Enjoy your scan on Friday

I'm not going to bother batch cooking as OH normally does all the cooking anyway. I'll just do online shopping for a couple of weeks to make sure we have food in the house.
Also, as I'm not breast feeding I'm planning to go on a rather severe diet as soon as baby is born. Lots of salad and really boring food until I can fit into my normal clothes again!

Wow! That's a lot of baby clothes i did think I may have over done it, now I think maybe I need to do more shopping...

Pink I got my health visitor call pretty much straight after my 32 week midwife appointment.

New thanks for the heads up about the content of the health visit. I suppose these days they've got to keep trying to identify people who are a risk.

I've got a very boring day planned. Washing, cleaning, and working on Potato's cross stitch. I'm also going to try and wash the Potato's things today.

I'm getting really frustrated with my solicitor. I've asked them twice now to outline exactly what is outstanding on the conveyance and they just keep blowing me off. Our other property completes next Thursday and we want to complete on 1st August so if they don't pull their fingers out we're never going manage it, or worse, we'll be running around at the last minute. I'm quite cross about it as there's no excuse for not bothering to keep your clients in the loop.

Morning everyone! Hope you're all doing well.

Bunch - that is some serious wardrobe organisation! And you've got so much stuff! I am both envious and a little freaked out

I remember someone (Potato?) saying a while back that their belly button hadn't popped yet, but they could feel the back and of it. Whoever that was - yes! Same here, and it's very weird. Not something I'm used to feeling....

Got my parents staying this weekend, which is nice, and I'm fully expecting my Mum to think my bump is now huge. Work people keep saying it's not really that noticeable unless they look really hard, but I think that's mainly because of how I've been dressing (not to specifically hide it, but not to emphasise it either).

Morning,

Potato I think I'd prefer it than driving the 45 mins away to the other MLUs. We're considering buying a pool just incase but I will wait to see what they say after the growth scan. If for some reason I'm put forward for consultant led care then it'll have been a waste buying the pool.
That's just the 0-3 month stash but the drawer second down on the left was mostly gifted from SIL.

Potato at subbuteo

I am 8 weeks today

This health visitor thing I had no idea it existed

Bunch look at those clothes!!!!!! How many hats do you have for !!

Ereerrre I need that "future scientist" tshirt as mum is one

You have shows and everything!!!! It looks like a shop

Had to stand on the train all the way into work again. 28 weeks is pretty pregnant, right?!

Leonie, that is so crap. I'm so sorry. Are the people in your route generally not very nice? I'm feeling quite blessed with the people on Southeastern at the moment, in comparison!