April 2017 #4 More baby scans, less morning sickness!

[summerskittles91]

Thought I'd start the next thread :)

I know that I do but not sure if that's standard

is anyone thinking of doing shared parental leave? OH and I work for the same employee so there is no financial difference. Part of me feels it is really important for OH to have time as the primary carer so that he has as much confidence in being hands on as me. the other half of me wants to have as much time off as I can. currently thinking that he will take a month off when mini monkey is born (annual leave carried over from this year) and then take the last month of leave so that I can get my head back into work without worrying about childcare. thoughts?

marmite, the ASOS maternity leggings were a success for me. They're a great length in the leg and they don't go see-through across my bum. They're ever so slightly too big on my thighs but I know the 10 would be too tight on me so I'm happy with these. Plus I imagine they'll shrink a little when washed.

Also, rather than having a separate maternity band stitched on, they just go all the way up like they're super high waisted so there's no horizontal seam cutting across my tummy.

@MonkeyArms we would love to do Shared Parental Leave, even to just give him an extra few weeks but we also work for the same employer & husband earns much more than me so we can't really afford it, plus they are old-fashioned about men taking time off I think it would be really frowned upon for him to take more than 2 weeks.

We're looking into shared parental leave but I am finding the rules baffling. DH's work has a very generous parental leave policy, he would be entitled to full pay for quite a while, but I don't understand how it would impact the pay I'm entitled to?

I worked until 37+2 last time and had DD on 37+5. Will probably finish when the Easter hols start as DP is a teacher so we can have a break together.

We were going to do shared leave but DP's school said we would only get statutory when he was off and he earns more than me so it didn't make sense. Not sure how he would have coped actually.

We're looking at shared parental leave. It's pretty standard in DH's job, and may be better financially if I can go back after 9 months rather than 12. We think it's really important for him to have time as sole carer, not sure if I'll want to go back though! I find the admin baffling too, hopefully our HR depts can clarify.

Really thought I had seen the back of the sickness last week but it is back (with its friend exhaustion) this week. DS is poorly as well and DH is away for the weekend so I am parenting solo - it is fair to say I am not having the most fun!

bubbinsI feel for you. My sickness also came back yesterday. I really thought it it would have gone by now. Also i stull have really sore boobs and lower back ache, its like ive got a fresh batch if hormones! I'm 14 weeks.

Monkey we're considering shared parental leave. I think I'd do 10 months and DH would do the last couple of months.

I do feel it will be helpful to share it out and even though I fancy a year off work it will be good for DH to experience what paternity leave is like.

DH is far the more naturally capable of the two of us with children, so he would be fine... need to look into the detail. I do wonder how his work would take it....

Niks I hadn't thought of that... will definitely be asking HR about accumulated holiday.

Shared parental leave sounds great if you can get it to work for you. Me and OH are both teachers... does anyone know what that means about paternity??

Had a lovely time at the wedding... by the end my boobs were bursting out of my dress and I felt huge!!! My maternity jeans are on for the first time today.... so comfy!!

I'd ideally like DH to take 2-3 months parental leave at the same time as me when the new baby is born - we're likely to have no childcare, no local family support and DH often works long hours. The idea of being on my own with a toddler and a newborn is filling me with dread (although I know plenty of people manage it!).

But I don't really want to go back before 12 months (especially as I am likely to have to start maternity leave early for childcare reasons) - am wondering if it would be possible to get 3 months unpaid 'sabbatical' at the end of my parental leave. Might put the idea to me HR department, they can only say no!

Just catching up. Lovely to see so many scan pictures of happy little babies

Really not sure what to do about maternity leave yet. With DC2 being 2 months premature I feel a bit unsure about making plans passed the stage he arrived at (which is possibly a little daft since there's nothing to suggest this baby will arrive early!). Hmm, need to have a think about this.

To continue our eventful few days we have our sexing scan tomorrow morning and all being well we'll have the keys to our new home by the end of the day ! We only viewed it on Wednesday so it feels a bit surreal atm. Very much looking forward to moving in but really not looking forward to packing, I really hope this is the last time we move for at least 10 years!

I have told my family now but not my work - going to put it off until next week as I'm out of the office most of this week.

Reeeeally dreading having to tell my line manager

We are thinking about shared leave as well - with DH taking his two weeks, and six weeks of PL, I will hopefully be going back after 11m. My theory is that it will be SO much easier for them to put me back in at the start of Feb when everyone else moves, that they won't care there's an extra two weeks... if they say no then I have no issue going back into a random job for a couple of weeks - at least I know I won't be on nights :)

Scandi that's so exciting that you're going for your sexing scan. I can't believe they are coming round now!

I've got to wait until 2 Dec for our next scan. It feels like an age away. I can't wait to find out whether it's a boy or girl.

In other news, I've ordered some maternity clothes today. I had been making do by leaving the button on my trousers undone and just looping a hair bobble through the button hole and over the button to give me extra room but even that's getting too tight and uncomfortable. I can't wait for my new purchases to arrive!

I've just been through my wardrobe and taken out everything that doesn't work as maternity wear. Now I just need DH to go into the loft and get my maternity clothes out - can't wait for the comfy maternity jeans!

Enjoy the scan Scandi and I hope you get the keys tomorrow too! I hate packing any glad I'll not have to do it again for hopefully forever!

Nausea in the morning is slowly subsiding, haven't puked since Friday morning, still feel a bit sketchy so not fully out of the woods yet. Can't wait to feel relatively normal. Getting pretty anxious as my first scan is tomorrow, so I've not been sleeping well. Didn't get like this with my DD but I suppose the naivety of the first pregnancy was there!

Have a good day!

I'm thinking about having a gender scan next week! I'll be 16+ weeks then and I've got £10 off voucher from when we had an early private scan. Plus it'll reassure me that everything is still ok in there while I'm in non nausea but non movement limbo

I had to do the hair bobble trick on Friday kitty as I had a client meeting and none of my smart trousers fit! I have ordered a pair now. Really looking forward to cracking out the maternity leggings.

It really has come round unbelievablely fast Kitty!

Just checking and double triple checking we've got all the paperwork for this afternoon. We're due to collect the keys at 1 and I have an antenatal appt at 2:30 half an hour in the other direction so don't want anything to hold things up. And I'm ridiculously disorganised even without baby brain so I'm likely to forget something!

Scan is at 9:50 so will be back with an update soon all being well

Thanks for the review sarah think I will have to check them out!

I'm really struggling now to find enough stuff that I can fit into without looking massive that's smart enough for work. Are other people embracing the beginnings of bump yet or still wearing baggy clothes like me? Over the weekend my bloated/jelly belly which I had had for last few weeks seems to have firmed up a lot and moved a bit higher and seems a lot more obvious I'm really struggling with what to wear. I guess it's with the uterus rising up out the pelvis? I just feel silly cos it must be that I've got a bit fat as internet seems to suggest a bump for a first time pregnancy would not appear this early at 13+3! I know it sounds vain but I miss my flat tummy! It's just in between limbo phase...will be fine when I have a 'proper' bump I feel I can show off.

Hope sickness buggers off soon for those still suffering

Good luck Scandi!

Good luck Scandi that's all so exciting!!

Shark glad the nausea is getting better... good luck for scan!

I didn't have a flat tummy before getting pg so I'm sure people just think I've over indulged!! However I do feel quite uncomfortable today so think I'm just going to start wearing maternity trousers to work tm and see how it goes.

Got my maternity paper work etc from work today... starting to feel very real!

I don't feel pregnant at all anymore... don't know how I can wait until the next scan!!