Due in February 2017....thread 5!

[SkyLucy]

Thread five for the chattiest bunch of preggers ladies you've ever had the pleasure of encountering. We're greeting the second trimester with excitement and apprehension, and lots of questions, humour, reassurance, empathy and advice.

Fourth thread here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/antenatal_clubs/2684139-february-2017-thread-4-are-we-the-chattiest-bunch-or-what

Congrats Dutchy and Le Bergerer!

Love all those beautiful scan photos!

We did NCT last time and it wasn't really worth it for us, but mainly because it was in the next town over and there were only 4 of us in the group. We didn't really gel and only met up once after.

Loving all the scan news! I've already signed up for NCT - starts on 12 Dec and there are about 5 sessions I think. Pricey, but we're really keen for information, and I'd love to make friends.

Button - I'm eating two breakfasts at the moment, plus snacks! Rice Krispies before I leave the house, fruit on the train, Pret cheese croissant at my desk, plus more fruit and usually some biscuits!! Piggy, but I swear it helps with the MS. I told my office this week, and some of the girls squealed that they could see my 'bump'. Didn't have the heart to tell them it's not baby....just carbs!!

Going to a wedding tomorrow with a black tie dress code....what on earth am I going to wear?!

Congratulations on all the scans, and fx for some more sleep now the scanxiety is over (for now).

I'm 13+6 today and having a duvet day as woke up with a cracking headache, nausea and dizziness. Have seen my GP and he thinks I'm anaemic. My bloods from my booking appt were borderline and I have a history of it so it's not surprising. It'll take about 2 weeks for my iron levels to go up. In the meantime I've been told that paracetamol are safe to take.

I've also been having plenty of stretching sensations down there but today there was something new, could it be baby moving?

Just checked my notes... my Edd has now been changed to 13th Feb. The measurements at back of neck was 1.7 just bloods to come back

So happy for all the good scan news. Mine is tomorrow so not long now!
With NCT it was a group of 6 plus partners of us and I think there was one full day Saturday class and 5 evening classes. It was a good opportunity to get to know people and I still see them all regularly.
I didn't meet anyone at the NHS one. DH said he found that one really embarrassing because the men were all laughing about how their babies were an accident and he was more like 'erm so we've been together 10 years, we bought a house, got married and then it felt like the right time to start a family'. He felt very out of place. Saying that I do know people who have made friends at the nhs classes so maybe it was just us. I also know people who haven't got on with their NCT group. It's just luck.
The one thing that the NHS class was useful for was telling you practical things about the hospital (eg can DH stay, where to drop off and park).

Thankfully a successful scan, was amazing hearing a heartbeat.

Mimi scanxiety - I like it!!!! You just know we'll all be the same at the 20 weeks one!!! hope you sort out that anaemia! Get on the spinach and steaks girl!
Mshepp congrats and lucky you hearing the heartbeat! There was no sound on my scan!*
Lucy* I didn't know you could book the NCT classes yet! I'll have to get online pronto!!

Those who already have DCs are you still considering the NCT classes?

I'm not sure if I'd benefit from the information but would really like to meet some more Mums in my area.

ifatfirst I've been thinking about it. I think it would be nice to know other people with newborns, esp as I hope DS will be able to stay at nursery for a couple of mornings a week (need to do the maths first!) and it would be lovely to hang out with just the baby and other mums in the same situation. It's just the cost putting me off really, it's effectively spending £240 just to buy friends!

I don't think I need the info either, but it might help put me in the right frame of mind for a VBAC.

I did NCT last time but wouldn't again. I am friendly with a couple of the mums I met there but we only meet up at birthday parties (which are all in close succession - so we see each other 3 times in 3 weeks and then not again for a year). I learnt just as much on the free nhs day. I made more friends through antenatal exercise classes, which was a much less forced way to meet others due close to me! I will definitely do them again.

What antenatal exercise classes did you do bumble? When my energy returns I'd love to do something...

I think you can do NCT refresher courses which are cheaper. I'm not going to bother this time though because it's expensive and I want a planned c-section. I also met a friend at exercise classes Sky. I did pregnancy yoga which was lovely and relaxing.
I have also ended up meeting and becoming friends with a few lovely ladies that I met on my mumsnet antenatal group

Huge congrats to everyone on their lovely scans, and a special mention to evergreen - I've been keeping everything crossed for you. Best of luck on your big day tomorrow xx

ifatfirst probably not this time around as still in touch with friends from first NCT group and many already have second babies.
I'm going to try some pregnancy yoga or aquanatal this time to meet some more people due around the same time as me. And also will be more confident at baby and toddler groups etc this time around.
I'm conscious that first time mums will want to keep their precious newborns well away from me, my newborn and my rather overexcitable, clumsy (and usually germy!) toddler! We're unlikely to be showing up to any BF groups/ baby massage etc 😂😂

Eek, more gorgeous scan pictures! I'm lurking on this thread but not posting much. Simply coz I get interrupted a lot when I try! I've name changed BTW (old username Theresa) so I will pop my scan on again, you know, just to show I'm really one of the gang. Not just to show off my gorgeous baba again or anything

Gosh that's so strange, I looked up nct classes today as my midwife had mentioned that they get booked up super quickly!
Ours are £209, I know nothing about labour or babies really and I like that they do a session on breastfeeding, plus meeting mums in my area that are due same time would be nice so I'm definitely booking them after my scan on Tuesday.

I did a class which was a mix of aerobics, resistance (weights) and yoga. 20 mins of each. As I wasn't exercising before my pregnancy it was pretty hard work, but I loved exercising knowing that I was doing so safely. I went every week from 18 weeks until 2 days before I had my daughter at full term! I can't wait to go back this time :) I would definitely recommend checking out what pregnancy exercise classes there are in your area.

I have been thinking about some antenatal exercise classes, as I've had to give up my only bit of exercise - running- after being completely floored for the last few weeks.

I like the idea of Aqua natal, and never thought about the other pregnant ladies that would be there too!

Yay! Lots of great scan news today :-) congratulations everyone....hope you're now in full bridal prep mode evergreen!

I did NCT first time round, hated the course content as it felt v. old fashioned & sexist....telling the men to help out with the chores etc (pretty insulting for my lovely DH!). But we did it to meet people & it ticked that box so would recommend for that alone. There were 8 couples on my course & we're still in contact 3 years on. The mums go out for drinks/dinner, the dads have curry nights & we have a good few family meet ups every year. We're close friends with a couple of them & their kids go to the same nursery, we babysit for each other, cover emergency pick ups etc. Whilst on Mat leave I'd say we probably saw each other up to 3 days a week...invaluable! Just take what they actually teach you with a pinch of salt! I won't do it again, but I have quite a wide circle of mum friends locally now. There is a refresher course though if you did need to meet other 2nd timers.

On the pillow front, I bought this last pg- cheap & cheerful but it does the job and I was able to use it for bf'ing afterwards. We call it 'the snake':

www.argos.co.uk/m/static/Product/partNumber/5539576.htm

SB I'm afraid I can't take credit for scanxiety, it's a term that was coined and is well used on the pg after miscarriage thread. And steak, don't tease me! I like my meat bloody so steak is off the menu for now but I'm looking forward to a lamb saag, yum!

This will be my first baby and DH have moved around a lot over the years so we don't know many people where we live so I've already booked my NCT classes for the social side. We're planning to go to NHS classes too for the practical side of things. Hopefully we'll make a friend or two along the way.

Lovely scans everyone! Really good to see all these little February babies

I didn't do NCT last time as it was over £300 where I was living. Now we have moved again and I don't really have any friends with even one baby locally, let alone two. So I might do a refresher... Not sure though because it's quite a short course so would you get to know people? I suppose it's up to you to make the effort afterwards. Might do NHS as well, as long as they're at a reasonable time. Don't like taking too much time off work for stuff like that with all the antenatal appts and scans.

Actually I won't bother with nhs just realised I probably know most of it already. But definitely agree about yoga, I loved it last time and def doing it again. Keen for any kind of exercise!

Personally I found a lot of pressure to MAKE MUM FRIENDS before I had my baby and moved from N to S London (what a traitor) and when I made precisely zero I was the loneliest I've ever been in my life by the time DD hit 6 weeks old.

But after the 6 week mark I started post partum fitness classes as well as "Rhyme Time" - saved my sanity. I finally started to make connections at the end of May. DD was born early Feb...

My NCT group are all individually great people but "real time"'support came from the friendships I made well after DD was born.

Ps: hi-5 to all scannees today. I'm so impatient for mine I may start a cross-stitch sampler or something.

Meant to say - so don't worry too much about making chums before baby is here. It's the activities you do with your baby after the magic six week mark that could be the game changer. X