Late December - Early January Thread 2!

[Bella1985]

Hi! We're on to our 2nd thread for babies due at the end of December/Early January. 3rd trimester is in sight...!

lucy the timing on the house is not ideal. It needs work, so we'd probably move at sometime when the baby is between 3-6 months old . I just keep telling myself that it will be fine & I won't have anything else to do apart from look after the baby - ha ha!!

colonel midwife should definitely be able to tell. Mine has obligingly been head down the whole way through based on th doctor feeling him - Sod's law the little bugger turns the wrong way up right at the end!

Hi all, sorry for the radio silence recently. I have been reading but not managed to reply!

Stealth - the private care sounds amazing! Just hope ministealth hangs on till at least 34 weeks so you can use it (I'm sure he will!).

Bella great news everything is ok and you can go back to midwife led care. Lucy - hope your 34 week scan also allows you to go to midwife led care!

I was referred for a growth scan at my 31week appointment due to slow growth, but scan showed everything is within the normal range, just on the small side. However, the baby is breech. The doctors didn't seem too concerned, as he has plenty of time to turn. Don't think I'll worry until a few weeks time.... does breech presentation automatically mean a C-section?

Iv been told that if breech at 36w then you are booked in for c section. Tried talking to my mum but she just dismissed it and said second/third babies don't turn until the last minute. DS was head down from 20 weeks. Apparently they try and turn them around 32w as the amniotic fluid starts to reduce at this time & space starts getting tight therefore it becomes more difficult. I'm sure this one will turn. I know it's breech as the kicks are low down and also low in my side. With DS all the kicks were up high & in my ribs.

Both DH & I have always lived in the countryside & couldn't live in a big city. We visit London often but do like coming home.

Iv got this scan & then one beg of December at 36w. They are keeping an eye on growth & the placenta in case that caused DSs prem delivery. Found it quite reassuring. Glad your scan was ok Admarks. I'm fairly sure having the baby turned is a choice thing. Iv also read they offer gas & air, pretty sure if it's that painful it's not what I want for either of us.

Evening all. Apologies for the silence. Another one who's been following but not posting . Was away last week and the last 2 days back in work have been crazy busy.
Emz thanks for mentioning the Purple Cabbage Co. I've already bought this for the car seat:
m.laredoute.co.uk/ppdp/prod-324490285?dim1=1&dim2=1&omniturecode=Google-PPC-Shopping-Children_s_Clothing-Boys_Clothing-Coats_Jackets-Coats&gclid=CMa3maiiiNACFdIW0wodiNACdw
and was also planning on getting a blanket from Morrck (not sure I need 2 but will get 2 anyway ) but the patterns from Purple Cabbage are nicer and also they look a bit more reasonably priced.
We ended up at the hospital at silly o'clock last night as I got myself in a state over reduced movement. Baby has always been very active and was ridiculously so over the weekend but then I hardly felt him at all yesterday so went in for monitoring about 10pm last night. All was well but far better safe than sorry. We didn't get to bed until 1am though so I'm completely wiped out today.
Col midwife also had a good feel of the bump whilst we were in last night and said the head was down (but no idea if that means engaged??). I'm pretty sure he must have turned in the last few days as I was feeling him in my side all last week. I've had a lot more movement today but it feels much lower down, pretty much at the bottom of my bump and is also a different sensation.
I have a consultant appointment on Thursday and I'm going to ask about being transferred back to midwife led too. They only put me consultant led because of the fibroid which they've since decided doesn't exist so no idea why I'm still under the consultant!
Still ploughing through my baby to do list. The nursery furniture is arriving on Friday but can't start putting it together until the new floor is laid in baby's room. Getting a little frustrated that I'm being held up waiting for other people to do stuff! Also need to get the hospital bag sorted this weekend. We still don't own a single nappy!
Hope everyone is well. 32 weeks tomorrow

Ooof gas and air for turning a breech baby sounds nasty - lets hope they all turn in good time for you and those of us with head down babies stay put and not come out at last minute and change positions!

Glad the scan went well for you too admarks and fingers crossed for emz tomorrow.

No idea if there's a baby boom in my area, might just be nosy and ask the mw on Thursday! Should I be contacting nurseries now for October next year or is that too soon? We want babyBella to attend a Welsh medium school so we know we'll need to put her name on the list immediately as there's high demand for that in out city, but not sure if nurseries have the same issue...I may just start researching this weekend and start contacting them just in case...

stealth the private insurance sounds amazing, fingers crossed you can get past 34 weeks to use it.

Whoever said we're having babies next month omg!!! There's a july 2017 thread on here, which really makes it very real that we're ao close to the end now!! Daunting but exciting!

Oooh also, sorry double post, lucy the testing of preschoolers sounds mad! Your stay in hospital is a good heads up too, I keep hearing about people being sent home within hours of birth and they say they weren't ready so if they kept me in I'd have been rather shocked. It's good to hear stories of both sides.

And col my baby's bum feels like a head. But the MW had a good feel at 28weeks and felt the head down low in my pelvis and the sonographer confirmed it was still so yesterday at the scan. I asked MW to check location of the head at 28 weeks because of the pressure I was feeling down below, so you might as well ask if you're curious!

Ok third and final post....glad to hear baby was well happylass definately better safe than sorry

Good luck for the scan tomorrow Emz - hope all goes well for you too!

I love that travelbag Happy, so cute. I wonder if they do adult sizes!!

Sorry to hear about the reduced movement yesterday Happy (and the late night), must have been so worrying. Like you say best to get checked out properly. Hopefully you get released from consultant care too for the lack of fibroid.

Has anyone else's baby got a regular pattern of movement?? Mine is active most nights, on my commute (and after chocolate ), but then these are the times I am resting and my brain is not engaged elsewhere. I feel bad for not knowing exactly how often he moves, I just get conscious if I haven't felt any movement after about 4 hours. I may start keeping a proper log, does anyone else do this?

I'm not keen on assistance to turn baby around, especially if it involves gas and air! Fingers crossed they are all in the correct position in the next 5 weeks (and stay there!!!)

Wow Bella, there's a July thread?!! That is scary! I should have asked about a book in my area too. I follow both the Dec and Jan threads and Facebook groups and the Jan group has 77 members, Dec only has 60. Both seem quite big!!!

You may well need 2 blanket things Happy. My DS was a really sicky baby & I was constantly washing things. Iv only bought 1 blanket from the purple cabbage co but once this one arrives & we know boy/girl I might get a second. Just in case. Can't believe how close we all are. Exciting. Sorry you ended up at hospital Happy. I am so paranoid about movement.

I hope so Bella. I was told that first time babys rarely pop out once engaged as muscles & space are tighter which keep them in place. its subsequent babies that take their time! Pardon my ignorance but is a Welsh medium school one that uses Welsh as its primary language? Are you multi lingual Bella. I wish I spoke another language. My French & German from school has been long forgotten!!

I also thought I would go home after birth Bella, but I think that's a minority of woman from my experience. I was completely unprepared for a stay & found it very traumatic suddenly being on my own with no DH or DC!

No wonder those threads are so busy. This group is very select

Yes Emz I'm bilingual (I too have forgotten my french A level and German gcse though ) DH and I speak Welsh together as its our first language. A Welsh medium primary school will teach all subjects in Welsh. In cities in Wales it was only people like us (welsh speakers) that used to send their kids to welsh medium schools but being bilingual has so many positives and there's a boom in people wanting their children to learn the language so there's high demand for spaces. Many schools in villages are naturally Welsh medium, especially in west, mid and north wales.

admarks I don't have a regular pattern or keep count either. I know baby is always active in the evening, but during the day I haven't noticed exact times, just that I do occassionaly feel movement. MW didn't really say count kicks in my last appointment. I think I may check with her tomorrow for clarification on what exactly I should be doing...

Bella I heard it's supposed to be brilliant for the brain to be multilingual and so amazing for kids to be bilingual from the beginning, so good that you can send the little one to a school like that!

That's great that he/she will be bilingual. Will you teach your baby English at home as a second language if the school is Welsh? My uncle grew up in Wales & he says he can understand Welsh but not speak it, his younger brother speaks it well & his children all speak it. I can see why the schools are in demand.

I don't know a regular pattern of movements but I try & take notice in between running around after DS. It's hard & makes me paranoid.

Just had scan & waiting for consultant. Baby is just over 4lbs. Good news is that baby has turned & is head down. I thought "she" had, it was painful yesterday & then the kicks lastnight in bed were much higher up.

bella re nurseries - I put my DD's name down in October for July the next year and didn't get a place. But mind you I'm in a part of London where nurseries are 100% full. We got a place in Sept when there was an exodus into Reception and everyone moved up to the next room in nursery. This time round I will be registering at birth for nurseries to start in January 2018.

I use the kicks count app. It's very easy to use. I don't record every movement, instead I record every session. The app is organised by 4h time periods so after a week or so record keeping i begin to identify baby's broad patterns (i.e in which 4h period is it most active). It works for me because baby doesn't move constantly but in spurts / sessions.

I got a bit irrationally emotional today as the commute into work was packed and delayed. Didn't get to sit for my journey on the tube. Completely squashed by the door of the tube so no chance of trying to get a seat even. At the moment another 5wks of this seems like a very long time .

x-post. emz good to hear baby has turned!!

We didn't think about nurseries until May time for a Septembet start. We got his name down as soon as we fell in love with his nursery & it was all fine. We have a lot of choice here though. Another mum had been told to get her baby's name down at birth as there were so many babies born. Neither of us had problems getting them in.

Still waiting for consultant. Only running an hour late. DH is getting very fidgety.

Lucy, I'm finding driving quite uncomfy at times so don't know how you are commuting via tube. I hate the tube when it's not busy. No wonder you felt emotional, I don't think it was irrational.

A friend of mine worried me a bit about nurseries and said the good ones get booked up shockingly early, so we decided on our nursery back in August, because we've got an Outstanding one within walking distance that I really wanted to look at. However I've not actually secured a place yet because I've been procrastinating about what to book, because I don't know how I'm going to feel about work after my maternity leave is up. I know I definitely don't want to go back full time, but if I go part time (if work even offer me part time, I have a feeling they might not), then I need to book him in now for at least 2 or 3 days depending on how much my mum wants to do. I have a feeling that I'm not going to want to go back at all (and find a working from home option instead). Another friend said it's a good idea, even if you don't need them to be looked after, to put a +1 year old in a nursery just for 1 day a week to get some interaction with other children. But I don't think she was a member of many social groups that would meet and play together, so if you have that, do you need to send them to nursery?! Sorry for the ramble, I have no idea if any of that makes sense.

Oh and I had my midwife appointment today and I can also join the 'head down' club!

I have only just put DS into nursery as I work a day from home (usually only half a day). DH didn't want to pay for childcare when his parents are retired & my mum works mornings & has DS sometimes. We agreed we would do 2 mornings a week once he was 2.5 as a middle ground to get him used to it before we get free funding. He loves it. It's come at the perfect time for him, plus it's before baby is here so he'll be settled already. It's hard to know what the future holds. We decided 4 months before he started. We do a couple of groups & do play dates which help socially.

I knew I didn't want to go back to work once I was on mat leave plus I knew I couldn't do my old job part time (demanding clients & hectic workload). I felt I needed to focus on being a mum & I love it (mostly!). It's a really tough decision & I was sure I was going back before I left on mat leave. Just see how you feel. Everyone is different as I have another mum friend who never leaves her DS with anyone & she prefers that.

I find that with oversubscribed nurseries it's important to get the registration form in early. They usually cannot offer you a place until 1-2 months prior to your desired start date anyway, at which point you will likely have a clearer idea of what you would like to do.
We put DD down for full time nursery, after trying it for a month we felt it wasn't for her and reduced her days to 1d/wk while having a nanny 4d/wk until she was 2yo . And at 2y+ we've moved her to preschool where she attends 5 mornings a week. what i'm trying to say is - one, you will have time to modify what you want but you do need to get a place first, and second, you will likely find yourself changing DC's childcare to accommodate their needs as they grow anyway so don't worry about getting it right to start with.

I have quite a few SAHM friends and they all find it quite useful to have some childcare (paid or unpaid - e.g. parents) so they always get some "me time" in the week to do something for themselves (hairdressers, nails, etc). in the same vein I'm keeping DD at preschool when I go on mat leave given it's her "thing" and gives me the opportunity to have 1-1 time with baby.

btw, I've packed my hospital bag somewhat. baby's bag is bigger than I thought - no way can I use my changing bag. I have nappies and 2x outfit in each age group (early baby and newborn). Because it's winter I've packed a cardigan, vest and sleepsuit - but that's 12 pieces because I'm bringing enough for 2 nights. And i've packed swaddle, blanket, hats and muslins. It's a big bag..

When I say DS is at nursery, they call it nursery but it's actually preschool so they only start taking them at 2 & i think it's more structured with routines etc which help DS as both like a good routine & he responds better with routine. Lucys right, might be better to get your child a place & then you can tweak it once you have a place.

Oh dear, I haven't packed babys bag yet, was hoping to use changing bag. Maybe I'll try & see what works. Hard when you don't know how big they will be.

Thanks very much emz and Lucy for your thoughts that's really helpful, booking and then adjusting sounds like a very sensible way to go.

So I had surgery for a missed miscarriage (2 lots as NHS ballsed it up a bit) in December & then again in Jan. My private consultant found a fibroid & removed it. Iv now been told that due to the surgery I have a higher risk for a retained placenta. Consultant mentioned that if it didn't come away then they would have to use manual removal. That sounds painful. I haven't dared google it just in case... Think I'll try and stay in blissful ignorance.

I'm sorry you went through that emz that sounds very hard. Is delivering the placenta by injection not possible in this circumstance? Manual delivery certainly doesn't sound fun - blissful ignorance sounds much nicer!