Babies due in November 2016 #5

[FuzzyOwl]

New thread

Hi, is it ok to delurk and join this thread? I'm due 7th Nov and I think it's finally hitting me that soon there could be a baby around! I'm a teacher so currently not at work but hoping to go until the Oct half term. Problem is I feel tired enough just pottering around the house at the moment! Got most of the big things (cot, pram, car seat, etc) and now just need to get the little everyday things.

Welcome MissO! You'll be in good company here as there are lots of teachers

You're due a few days before me!

Welcome MissO!

Fedup, I know what you mean about inconsistent care. I've had three different midwives for all of my appointments - they've all been lovely and the actual care seems quite consistent (i.e., they seem to speak to each other and know what each is doing) but it does make it hard to develop any kind of bond/trust with one person... luckily I feel like at the moment I don't really need that BUT things are straightforward, I can imagine with any worries or complications you'd really benefit from a single, reliable person to turn to. Hope you make it to the birth centre tour and find that reassuring. Rant away whenever you need!

I ate so much sugary crap yesterday, felt horrendous come bedtime and got into a panic about gestational diabetes, so I'm trying to be better today. Just about to prepare a dinner of cous cous, roast chicken, hummus, wholewheat pitta and veggies in an attempt at a low sugar/high protein/high fat meal. I found this website pretty useful in terms of food info - www.gestationaldiabetes.co.uk/.

Hello to all the newbies

Fed up I've seen a different midwife at all my appointments! I can't even remember what my named mw is anymore! I've got my next app on Monday so god knows who I'll see this time

Bought my tiny person to be the loveliest Muslin swaddle from Bambini&Me last week. Really recommend taking a look as their stuff is super pretty. Still need to buy a car seat but most other big stuff has now been purchased

I think I've been quite lucky in that I've seen the same midwife for all my appointments. However, my 31 week appointment is with my GP for some reason I don't know if that's the same elsewhere.

We've almost finished the nursery, just need to put down the flooring then I can start sorting through everything. The travel system has been in boxes for weeks so looking forward to actually opening it up. Still feels like a long way off though but I guess 12 and a half weeks isn't that far away.

Got one last week at work, then two weeks off then my maternity leave starts. My cover starts Monday so I've only got 5 days to go through everything with them, going to be a busy week.

Thanks everyone, glad to hear I'm not the only one but obviously not ideal for any of us.

Made it to the tour, it was really, really good. I love the centre and the midwife answered all of our questions and booked in my risk assessment.

Also spoke to another midwife about my blood count, she took the time to check my notes and reviewed all of my bloods over the past year to see what was "normal for me" the high end cut off is 11, but I've aparantly never had one below 12 and the result this week was only 13.

She wasn't fussed at all, said worst case I'll maybe get a UTI this week and that the doc and other midwife were just being over cautious. I'll still go for the repeat bloods next Friday but she's happy there is no issue and reassured me this won't stop me being allowed to use the centre which is a huge relief for me.

If you have a midwife centre near you is definitely recommend checking it out.

And breathe....

Helloooo the newbies!
We've got this Calmbirth course all weekend. I booked it ages ago after my midwife raved about how it had really helped her. I think they'll go through some hypnotherapy and also physio techniques to get through the birth. Not really sure what else to expect but the thought of having to concentrate 9-6 both days sounds a bit hardcore, specially considering last Saturday I stayed in bed all day because I felt like it! I'll report back.
Poppet is wriggling like crazy at the moment and I had my first breathtaking rib-kick on Monday. Yowsers! I even videoed the movements last night and it looks like she's trying to escape. Quite freaky!

Hello newcomers!

Fedup my care has been inconsistent too. I have seen two different consultants at 12 and 24 weeks, saw a midwife at 16 weeks who told me it was too early to see me, said to book a GP appt at 25 weeks and sent me away, saw a different midwife this week (28weeks) who told me I had been referred to the wrong clinic so would be going elsewhere at 34 weeks! No mention of ante natal classes at all so I hope I haven't missed them. I also really hope I don't need a tour of the birthing centre as I'm desperate to use it but the doctors and midwives I've seen have all brushed it off as something to talk about at a later stage!

When I was pregnant with DD 8years ago I had one midwife throughout the entire pregnancy that I saw regularly. Same primary care trust, I wonder why so much has changed over the years.

Oh muffy that's horrendously inconsistent! Bolly sounds like you have a real wriggler.

Go finally rang with blood results and my iron levels are 10.5 so a bit low and I'll be starting the dreaded iron tablets next week!

Oh Muffy that sounds awful!

Sorry to hear about the iron tablets Need I've read on a few other threads that if they don't ages with you there is a drink you can buy instead which is meant to be a bit gentler on your system.

My DH is working all weekend so I'm looking forward to a couple of days of chilling out.

copper, thanks for the link to that website - even if I turn out not to have gestational diabetes, I need to start eating less sugar!

fedup like others here, I've had a similiar experience to you of completely disjointed care. My GP is great but now I'm in the hands of the midwives each time i go in it's totally random who it will be, what they will do, which parts of my previous history they'll engage with... it doesn't fill me with confidence for the experience of birth itself. like you this is my second pregnancy -- had a mmc last summer followed by surgical procedure at 13 wks and have found total variation in how this is noted, engaged with etc too.

muffy can you ring up the birth centre and ask directly when you should go for a tour / sign up to give birth there? Where I am, there's an open tour of the hospital birth area every week but for the midwife-led unit you have to phone up and make your own appointment to look round. I'm 29 weeks today and round here, this is the time to be deciding on your preferene.

I'm waiting to hear that my iron levels are low. I feel like crap and had a missed call from my mw yesterday after bloods on Wednesday.
I'm going to start taking Spatone as a stop gap as took that in my last pregnancy and it helped. Have got no energy at all and I'm feeling breathless.

Hi all,
Hope you don't mind if I join in? I'm currently 29+2 with DC2. DC1 is 8 so it's been a long time since I did this! Due on 3rd November with another boy.
Pregnancy has been pretty unremarkable (touch wood) although am beginning to struggle now with hip/pelvic pain and have been popping ranitidine since about 20 weeks 😬 due to horrible acid. 7 weeks left at work but a few off days off here and there will hopefully make it bearable!
Hope everyone is well.
Gem
X

Another newbie here, first baby, 27+2 and expecting a little boy mid November. Glad to see there are lots of teachers about! I'm due to go back to work for a few weeks in September, then sneaking off for an 'early' maternity around 34/35 weeks. I say early because I've had several raised eyebrows about not staying until I'm due to drop but to be honest I'm already really heavy and tired so God knows what I'll be like in a month's time when I'm in charge of 30 small children. Feel like I'm being a bit pathetic about the whole thing as other women seem to sail through it all!

Thank you tapis, I'm going to give that a go. I really don't want to miss out!

Hello new-newcomers! User it's been a long time for me too. All of this feels like a completely new experience!
No need to feel silly about going off "early" Kt! I'm in secondary so only need to see my classes for an hour at a time, and even then I've only been given two classes for September. If I were in your shoes I'd be going off a bit sooner too!

Thanks, that makes me feel a bit better!! And so nice that there are lots of teachers on here, which subject do you teach? I'm usually Reception but heading in to Nursery this year (agreed to this and got my BFP the next day! Luckily I'll be co teaching with a trainee so there's some consistency for the kids when I leave).

I feel a bit daft not realising how physically hard pregnancy would be - and (touchwood) I've not even had any major issues so far! is anyone else reduced almost to tears by bedtime just at the thought of having to go up the stairs?!

I'm also amazed at how physically exhausting pregnancy is, even though I sleep 8-10 hours per night! I teach teenagers with learning difficulties, autism and challenging behaviour, so if I do make it to half term I'll be amazed. Can't really afford not to though - council maternity pay is rubbish!

Are people who are planning to breastfeed still buying bottles/sterilisers etc just in case? I can't decide...

I've seen two consultants and three midwives - no continuity at all! I have had the same sonographer though, which has been nice. I've got my 28 week appointment on Tuesday - nervous about GD and iron after all the posts on here, and knowing how much cake I eat and how sleepy I am! I had to send my husband out to buy fondant fancies after reading the posts on here!

Hello to everyone new.

I am tired and totally lacking in energy. Managed to sleep well last night for the first time in ages and after a brief moment of feeling really good for it, I have crashed again. PGP is really playing up which makes moving painful and far more effort than it is worth but I am desperate to get the house sorted in the next couple of weeks and need to be mobile to do so.

The baby has become really active and movements are noticeable in the last week and I'm quite enjoying feeling her, even if it has stopped me going to sleep.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. I technically have ten days until I start maternity leave but haven't been back to the office since my last lot of maternity leave, so it has been much easier for me than for lots of you who are still struggling.

Sorry some of you are really struggling with tiredness and movement. I'm feeling ok at the moment, but if I miss my day of chilling/sleeping on the sofa with the TV each week I really feel it. I do not know how those of you with children already are coping. My nephew came to visit for an hour today and I'm exhausted now!

Rosy I wondered the same thing about buying bottles in advance even if planning to breastfeed. I've read that you shouldn't so you can't be "tempted" in the middle of the night when it's not going well but I've also read that sometimes you just have to accept its not working and if that is at 3am Sunday morning you cant feed the baby if you aren't prepared. Like everything baby related, there is no advice that doesn't conflict with something else!

Hello everyone! Hope you're all having a great Saturday.

I'm planning to breastfeed (all being well) but have the Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep steriliser thing. My friend gave birth earlier this year and tried her hardest to breastfeed but it wasn't to be, and now she swears by Perfect Prep. Grabbed it while on offer via Amazon as thought it'd be worth getting just in case, and potentially for after breastfeeding depending on how things go.

Also, for anyone still fussed about clothing, I have this wrap skirt from ASOS (www.asos.com/asos-maternity/asos-wrap-maxi-skirt-in-jersey/prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=6835794&clr=Black&SearchQuery=maternity+wrap+skirt&pgesize=3&pge=0&totalstyles=3&gridsize=3&gridrow=1&gridcolumn=1) and it is lovely! So comfortable and easy to wear with just a t-shirt, and think it'll be great in the last few months with tights and a jumper (if I haven't given up on looking nice by then!).

I had a steriliser for DS even though he was EBF and I found it useful for things like sippy cups (need to be sterile before 6 months), breast pump and bottles (for bottle feeding breast milk). So I would say a steriliser is worth it for sure (or some form of being able to sterilise). My DS ended up refusing a bottle, so we didn't really get much use out of bottles or breast pump, but I found them useful to have nonetheless.

I also had some of the ready made formula bottles in my hospital bag and at home for the first couple of months "just in case". They didn't need to be used in the end, as tempting as it was in the early days. Also worth bearing in mind that if you are breastfeeding and end up giving the occasional formula, it doesn't mean it's the end of the road and you need to stop. Lots of people mix feed, you just need to work out what's right for you.

Ps-hello new people!

Maybe I'll get a steriliser, some bottles and a ready made formula and stash it in the garage then so we know it's there but it's not to hand.

Ideally I'd like to breast feed and then introduce a bottle of expressed milk from about 6 weeks given by my DH so I can have a longer sleep and he can be more involved and share that bonding experience.

Don't forget that if it is 3am and BF is not working out, most people has 24 hours supermarkets not far away and you can get presterilised and premade bottles of formula to be used immediately which would tide you over until the morning. As said, mix feeding works well for some people and really it is just about what works for you and the baby. I have a Perfect Prep machine and have to admit to loving it.