May O7ers - W/C 26th Feb

[Frenchsmallfry]

Morning...............

lg&t, > The advice from soh and tyg is fab, there is not much more I can add. I could come and stay with Gran, I could be on call then, your's is bound to arrive before mine. lol. Infact you could call Gran, I'm sure she'd be fine with 5 lovely dc's Seriously though, it is a worrying situation for you but I'm sure it will all smooth out in the end, the idea of a different family member for a week or so is a good one, if they would be willing to do that, as long as they didn't expect you to entertain? Hopefully it wont be quite as quick as hugs and you'll have time to act before. [fingers crossed emotion].

TYG you are bloody mad brrrrrr, Irish sea, 9° (urr nutter alert)

Thanks for all the idea for the lemmons, I will endeavour to do something with them this week.

I hope everyone else is well and babies are beating you all,
Here's to a great week for all............

When on honeymoon we went swimming off the north coast of Scotland. And it was snowing...

Ah, fond memories, had our love to keep us warm.

[nauseating]

Love the sea, colder the better...

[freak]

Why am I at work today? Feel like a train wreck in slow motion.

Morning all, thank you for the advice. It is a hairy situation. Chances are it will all be ok, Neil will be home and the kids fast asleep in bed and the baby will be a tiny 8lb. It is only the what if that is killing me, the more you have just means the more you worry about all others as well as yourself and unborn baby.

He cracked a joke about me being odd for worrying and i got a little tetchy, " i will get you some chocolate " he said.....

I can have DH's mum to stay at 38 weeks if she can get time off work and DH will be back when im 39 weeks. I have been in and spoken to the twins head teacher who was very nice. I could take them out of school if necessary. I speak to DD and DS #3's head tomorrow.

Really i would like to stay at home and have the baby in a birth in a box pool. The midwife said she would assess the baby size next time i see her at 34 weeks and i see the consultant at 36 weeks, i may ask to be induced on my due date or earlier if they think the baby is massive. Not ideal but if the baby is big at least i would be able to get it out naturally if it was under 9lb, the later it goes the bigger it gets! I would be able to organise child care then too. Think i will wait and see till then.

This baby feels huge but is only measuring a week over my dates at the moment. He is right under my ribs most of the time. Always the right hand side, im sure it's a head. I have started getting some mega braxton hicks too, they just get worse from now! I feel like it's flying by now, how bout all of you?

TYG what do you do if you cant get a replacement for your job? Have the baby on the table at work?! Your numpty dh needs a kick up the backside, shall i come and stay?

SOH the Ina May Gaskin yurt sounds fab, lets do it. We need more recruits though, anyone else interested?

AM you will have to let us know which mag your lovely room is going to be in so we can all have our claim to fame. " we know her " hee, heee

Am off to eat my flake

I used to surf in the very cold weather, but i was wearing a wetsuit, you are seriously crazy....

Mexico was nice, water felt like a bath, was very odd.

FSF poor granny, think she may not survive all 5! I cant most days.....all back at school today. Jonah has his school age jabs today, a stab in both arms and some yuk sugar lump full of polio vaccine. Im not looking forward to it, its when they come back for the second stab in the arm, i cant bear it. Have got him some luminous silly putty as a reward, think it will work?

I know the twins were early lg&t but what about the others, I'm sure you've told me I just can't remember sorry.

It will all work out, good to speak to the teachers i'm sure they'll understand that things might get a bit tricky for a while near due date.

Poor jonah, The silly putty will be a great distraction.

SOH, you too are joining the list of nutters in cold water and I have no sympathy for you at work today, SORRY but I told you yesterday not to go.
btw, did you ever get an explanation for the p&t or were you joking? I'll trade you the answer for that one if you tell me what this Ina may Gaskin yurke is all about?

For me time is not flying, bored, bored, bored, I really need something to do, maybe I should take up cooking and crochet and then could join your club.

Ah, it's all going to be FINE, I tell you. You'll have a very well behaved baby, who will be about 8lbs and will come three days after N gets home. I've decided.

Ah, that's a good point FSF. Twins almost always come early don't they? The standard gestation goes down to 36 or 38 weeks or summat, because they run out of growing room.

TYG - Would you have gone Mad being off work all that time before? When I had ds I left wk 3 weeks before my d date. To me it signaled that thing were going to start, you know the whole thats it, left work, nursery ready, everyone waiting it can all go go go now. I actually think looking back that they were the longest 5 weeks of my pg'cy in the end.

I know what you mean though, it the feeling of god this is so crap and I can't believe I am now choosing to be here, I don't have to be.

Have just eaten a whole box of jaffa cakes, I am now the biffa. Mrs jaffa biffa.

Ina May Gaskin is a natural childbirth expert/midwife. In the late 60s/early 70s her and her husband and a lot of hippies took their campers, mobile homes etc and started The Caravan. Basically they travelled around in convoy, practising their own way of life (think psychedelic, far-out, getting high kind of anti-Vietnam vibe en masse) and eventually settled in Tennessee and started a rural community called The Farm. Ina May and others trained as midwives during this time and offered natural births to their own community and women who did not want to battle the hospital/overly medicalised American birth norms. They also offered a place for women who did not want to keep their child to give birth and give up the child to the community- no strings attached, the mother could claim the child back at any time. It's a big hippy commune, famous for vegan eco-living and natural childbirth.

Now, I'm not saying that we need to necessarily recreate all of the facets of The Farm, but I like the community/crafty/natural/eco-friendly aspect. I think it could work so I'm suggesting Devon as a location. Nice and scenic and some sea to jump in on cold days. I'll count you all in.

And I want some sympathy. I'm stuck at work with flu and it doesn't matter how many people tell me that I should be at home, I am pathologically incapable of calling in sick. I feel guilty enough as it is going on maternity leave. DH suggested we have another baby and start trying when Mathilda's about 7 months. The only reason I could come up with not to was 'what would work say?'. I'm a pregnant wuss.

Jaffa cakes are very good for you. Very little fat comparatively and the England Football Team eat them at half-time.

SOH, that sounds good, like the idea of leaving the kids, no strings attatched and claiming them back when you feel like it. I'm in and ds is the first on the list to be left. He's making lovely music (his words) with a pen along the fire guard. Grrrrr

I used to be a bit like you when I was managing the ski centre, I never phoned in sick, would go in whenever, whatever, until one day I realised that it actually gains you nothing. No one really cares and I decided to become a lamb and bloody have time off when I was sick.

Love the new name Mrsjaffabiffa.

I don't know why I can't call in sick. I'm such a wuss about everything. The bank, for example, took £200 out of my account for no reason. In private I fumed, ranted and moaned and then phoned them up with my pathetic 'I'm really sorry to bother you' line. I'm hoping motherhood can make me a bit more forthright.

I'm very good on paper though. Letters of complaint I can do, it's just in person that I turn into a complete twonk.

Thanks I like it too. I could be known as MrsJB, but seeing as we all friends on here, we could drop the formal Mrs bit and JB would suit me fine.

If you ever need to complain in person, you usually get further by being calm and polite, but only up until the point where you are getting no where and then you have to switch. Thats when the line "Well, I'm very Sorry but I've tried to be understanding and you are the ones that do not seem to understand. I think it's time I spoke to a manager if you are unable to help me. " comes in very useful. The manager arrives on the phone having been briefed that you started off really nice and that they thought they would be able to fob you off, but then you started sounding very authoritive and actually they are going to have to satisfy your complaint. You will have manager right where you want them. The line "this is not acceptable" used in the right places goes down well too.

Can you tell I'm an avid complainer.

Hi all

Sorry about your worries LG&T it must be difficult to think you may be on your own - hopefully as the others have said it won't happen.

Just got back from my 31 week midwife appointment where I told her I wanted to tranfer from a midwife led delivery to the hospital which she happily filled in the form for and said I would get a consultant appointment in a few weeks just so I can see him. Everything else was ok until she came to measure bump! Her exact words were "how many weeks did you say you were? How big were your other two?" (with raised eyebrows). I now have an appointment with the consultant next Tuesday at his hospital venue so he can scan as I am apparently big for dates! She did say not to worry too much as she had to refer me because she had measured me big for dates and big babies are sometimes easier to deliver than small babies anyway! She didn't even take my blood pressure I think she forgot in all the excitement of trying to get me an appointment. Since then my trousers won't stay up, think the baby has taken it to heart and is proving he is big! They were ok until she said that.

I'm a bit like that SOH - more of a wuss in person. I always break into a sweat when I call in sick, even if I really am sick. Actually, I usually email my boss becuase I can't bear the thought of having to speak to them! How sweet that your DH is already thinking of baby #2.

I'm in for the Devon plan. Close enough to London so I could sneak off for a pedicure if it all got a bit to groovy for me.

Love your new name Mrsjaffabiffa. I am singing it in my head to the tune of "Mr Loverman" - you know the rap bit at the start when some dude is going, "Mr Lovah-Lovah".

I know what you mean about the end being boring. It was when I had DD, mainly becuase my mum insisted I came to work with her every sodding day for about 8 weeks after I had to give up school (for health and safety reasons). She worked about 40 mins from our house and she seemed to think I was incabable of calling an ambulance if I needed it. Anyway, this time I think I'd rather be off becuase with having moved into a new house, I'd really have liked the time to get things sorted out in it and potter about. I realised yesterday (and actually started crying becuase I was so disappointed - feckin' eegit) that I really am getting tired again. Everything seems to take longer to do and I feel like a need a sit down after a couple of hours whereas in the "magical second trimester" I could work like b'ggery for hours on end and get things done.

That's the only thing really. I feel like my time could be well spent at home, rather than sitting here trying to ignore the HUGE pile of work which I have allowed to accumulate. Too much Mumsnetting, she says, posting yet another epic...

Ooh, am laughing all over again now. "Jaffa" in Northern Ireland is a derogatory term for a Loyalist (Orangeman).

Have Ian Paisley/ Mrsjaffabiffa thing in my head now. "Ulster says 'NO, it's not a cake it's a biscuit'".

Ignore me. I need help.

Oh I'm measuring 2 weeks bigger than I should SkyTV- although my midwife isn't remotely phased by this. I am slightly wobbly about it but my Mum measured enormous for dates with me and I weighed 5lb at term! I am my mother's clone too and the more I read about how fundal heights are inaccurate, the less I try and worry.

Sounds like a good appointment otherwise.

JB I can't complain in person. I can't, even when I'm furious. For example, caught bus home one night not so long ago, bus took an odd detour and pulled up behind a deserted warehouse. I stumbled down from the top deck to ask what was happening to find the bus driver, porno magazine in lap, doing well, you know. He hastily stuffed magazine back in bag, appendages back in clothing and mumbled 'thought everybody had got off'. I ran off the bus shame-faced, walked 3 miles home and phoned bus company to complain. I actually found myself saying 'I probably shouldn't have sat on the top deck- how was he to know', now why was I making excuses for this man? I'm a twonk I tell you.

TYG I am feeling exhausted too. It seemed to happen overnight and the blooming stage is well and truly over. You have my sympathy.

DH is sweet and gets more sweet as the pregnancy progresses. He bought the baby a teddy bear last week and has named it Dexter (pug ugly blardy thing that it is). He's more excited than I am and was asking last night how early I could express milk so that I could have a day off and go and take some photos/shop/have tea and cake and he could look after Mathilda on his own. He's also started a list of places to take her in her first year and places that are baby friendly in our local area. Plus, he's started a pile of leaflets about baby groups/coffee mornings/free stuff for new Mums on our coffee table. He's really very good. And on Saturday commented that 'he can't find a baby book good enough, I think I'll make one'. DH can't make anything apart from a mess, so this is a real surprise.

Man you lot can talk for...well England I guess.

SOH can't believe you were making excuses for the trouser fiddling bus man. That is hilarious!!

Morning all - nice to have everyone back (pretty much I think)

Hi all,

SOH You little beast, I think you have given me your illness over the airwaves.I feel lousy today and am stuck here till 7 tonight in meetings and things.Have staff meeting to hold at two at which I really need to tell all my staff off but I just dont have the energy at all..

Did some homwork last night however against all the odds, but have looked it over just now and its mostly rubbish so will have to be redone.Think I was delirious when I was doing it..Im really tired again now as well..Had about a week of feeling more normal and now back to this corpse on legs look I seem to be channelling alot this pregnancy.

FIL has had some more cancerous skin removed today and they are testing to see how far, if at all, its spread.But things seem quite hopeful thus far, fingers crossed.

dd is teething again and was up alot in the night.DH is working from home today..Good luck with that-she is so clingy when teething he will get nothing done.(Our cm is ill so he had to stay off with her).He called earlier to say that he had had to exit a conference call because no one could hear anything but dd screaming bloody murder in the background.

April-love that mural.SOH-Oi you, I have pink gingham in dds room, mixed with a contemporary floral motif and it looks fab.That said someone gave dd a lilac cardy with white polka dots on it for Christmas and I like it so much am thinking of redecorating the nursery to match it.Your green idea is lovely too TYG.We had apple green in our old bedroom and it was so fresh to wake up to..

Estate agent has been round to photograph the house this morn.So we are now officially on the market.Cant help suspecting that this may be total insanity what with everything else we have on but in for a penny in for a pound, thats what I say...

Been thinking about the mile for Maud thing.I know a few of you said you wouldnt mind meeting me on Hampstead heath for it..but I wonder if we ought to do it a bit earlier, ie sometime in April when there is less chance of going into labour mid way through?(though I guess if its warmish we could all jsut dive into the ladies swimming pond, right up your street SOH, as its ruddy freezing-and have some sort of record breaking communal water birth in there)(eeuughh, sorry-that might be a bit gross)..Or would that defeat the point of it to not do it on the allotted day?

Meeting now.Cannot be bothered at all...

rofl, at all the singing. I say NO! tyg.

SKY, Try not to panic, measurements are not accurate, I think it depends alot on presentation of baby too. I'm the other way round I always measure 2/3 weeks small for dates on the tape, but ds was 7lb 10 ad dd was 7lb 7, both at 41+4 not big babies I know but you can hardly say small either. I suppose had they been born at 39/40 weeks they may have been a little teenier.

I have a friend like that SOH, she used to work for me and even though we were best of friends out side of work and she would and could say anything to me. In work she was a bundle of nerves if she needed time off or wanted to request a holiday etc..... probably stemmed from the time she was late a few mornings and I was not impressed. I think I said something along the lines of, we may be friends out side of work L but now I am your boss and I will treat you the same as the other staff, I do not expect them to be late and therefore, do not think you can be either. Evil JB.

I can't believe that about the bus driver, blimey I hope he got coming to him what he deserved. My brother and FIL are both bus drivers, they get severly scolded if they take a road not on there route let alone pull of to have a fiddle. gee I'm repulsed, poor you having to see that. Good job it wasn't me, I would have had a field day with that complaint. What an idiot!!!

Oh how lovely of your DH, SOH.

at the bus driver. How very dare he! And poor little easily-shocked you!

SKYTV - I agree, try not to worry about the measurements and even the scans. Notoriously inaccurate. Bet you could even see a different midwife who would tell you another date.

Yes, easily-shocked that's me. Honestly, I'm a grown woman but the sight of that frankly odious, slightly sweaty bus driver, eyes screwed shut, doing that for all he was worth nearly killed me. When I eventually got home DH had to make me a very strong earl grey while I recovered from the shock. I'm a librarian fgs, I shouldn't have to encounter willies on my journey home.

JB you sound scary.