May 2017 #8....... Bumps, Bargains and Baby Clothes

[RasperryInAMelon]

Here goes thread #8

Hello to all! If anyone is just joining us - please add your details on the spread sheet of EDD's...

May 2017

Also a link to the last thread Thread7

lucie i bought some full cut ones from primark a size larger than my usual size. They come way up over my bump atm so I am hoping they are OK.
£2 for a pack of 4

Lucie I have the primark ones too. Buy them in a size too big to make it comfortable post birth. I still have my nice nightie from last time, but didn't wear it until after she'd been born. It's honestly not that bad, so don't worry!

Hospital bag wise the bit I didn't take enough of was clothes for me, however it's impossible to prepare them this early as we are all ready on limited wardrobes!! 36-37 weeks is the earliest I will actually put things in a bag and then use them from there if needed. If you go into pre term labour the hospital will have everying you need for a newborn until your partners can either get home or to the local supermarket for supplies! You are also far less likely to give a shit if your forget your whale music tape if it's an emergency situation!
Wierdly feels like a milestone for me that your all starting anti natel classes, means the end is in sight 😂
Pregnancy massage was wonderful, throughly recommend you all track one down! The baby loved it - was dancing away in there!

Thanks for the Primark nightie tip :)

Sorry to hear there are several people stressing over movement. I'm in exactly same boat. I had my 30 week check up and I said to the midwife that they were not consistent and thought it was because of my anterior placenta. She said that shouldn't be a problem and sent me off to have his heart rate monitored. I feel like it's just knocked my confidence as now I'm anxiously waiting his next movement

The bump measurement was also off as at 26 weeks I was 28cm and at 30 weeks I was 29cm

Counting down the next 10 weeks, because then the stress will go then right?

cinnamon have messaged you about the Facebook group!

I find it really hard to know what's normal with kicks/movement. When I'm busy I don't notice then when I try and pay attention he doesn't move !! It's just one long worry really isn't it !!

Adventure I just wish I could reassure you, but I can't. I hope this is helpful though. I've spoken to several ladies and they said their babies weren't particularly active, others said very active some days and hardly any activity other days. It was difficult for some to feel kicks when being active, just like me when I'm at work.
Take it easy for a few hours and have a nice lie down on your left side. Even with the anterior placenta I get some feeling of movement at least twice a day. Fact is definitely that around this time, your baby will have less room for movement and will be dozing most of the day. The more you worry, the less they will appear to be moving. The midwives said to me on that morning when I hadn't felt a thing:
Go to the toilet
Have a cool drink
Have some physical exercise
Then lie down or sit comfortably for about 30-60 minutes to try give baby the opportunity. You'll then become best aware of the pattern your baby moves in.
And if you are worried every day, call triage every day. They'll happily talk you through it. Again and again and again!

So as we are planning a homebirth for spud we have made decision to not pack a hospital bag. However I will have a birth box, which will have things in for me and baby incase of transfer and for the early days.

One thing I would have not been without in hospital was 2 towels, one for me and one for baby. When turnip was born she was wrapped in a purple towel from home instead of the nhs white towels and this meant so much to me. She smelt of her and our house rather than hospital. And I also loved having my first bath and getting wrapped up in a home towel. 😊

So in my birth box I will have:

Maternity pads
Nipple pads
Lanisoh
Lavender oil
Towels (water birth planned)
Baby grows & vests
Knickers
Socks
Spare nightie
Dressing gown
Slippers
Overnight bag
Nappies
Wipes
Make up wipes
Flannel
Hair bobble
Phone charger

Some things will be added closer to the day.

Towels are a great tip bean. Will make sure I pack a couple, from what I remember I had my first post baby shower with a teeny tiny NHS towel 😂

Cheers teabed

It's good to "talk" jenny :) def better out than in!

I'm gonna get a hospital bag ready just incase hb doesn't go to plan and a box of everything we'll need for the hb ready too so it's all to hand and DH can just grab what's needed. Prob not till April though, got crazy busy month coming up with work events 3 wknds throughout March!

mighty just a heads up that primark doing pretty good cheapy nightys with button fronts at mo, at least 5 to choose from.

lucie I got big cotton comfy knickers from primark, wearing them already!!

rose "the stress will go then"

After worrying this morning, met mum for lunch and baby got very active just as I sat down. It's just hard when there's no pattern, but feeling movements every day seems good.

Spent hours showing mum around the baby stuff in John Lewis. Think we've chosen the Joolz Day 2 buggy. Will probably get a maxi cosi pebble as they're cheapest and we don't own a car so it won't be heavily used. Mum also bought a few newborn clothes - our first ones! I got a bra

DH just came home from the Expectant Father programme that Lewisham Hospital offers. He was reluctant to go but came home chatting about the importance of skin to skin, poos in the first few weeks, signs of postnatal depression in mothers and fathers, etc (great that he's now more informed). Then they were showed a video of a water birth which has left him completely shocked! He's also now petrified (zero reason to be) that baby will arrive early, we'll be rushed in for life saving measures, or I'll be hospitalised with postpartum psychosis. The instructor also said that £250 should cover everything the baby needs, which we have obviously exceeded a number of times over as it's our first. He's now questioning why we can't buy a used car seat on eBay! I'm so pleased he now feels more in the know, but I think we could have both done without some of this knowledge

Thanks everyone looks like primary is the way to go for the comfy knickers!

£250 for all the baby stuff KLane!!!

KLane I went over that budget with the car seat alone!
Car seat is just the one thing you really don't buy Second hand. You never know if it's been in a crash unless you get given it by a close family member or friend.
Otherwise, what a sea of knowledge!

Primark will get a visit from me this week... too soon to make a hospital bag though, as I'll be using the bag for a trip on the Eurostar before then!
The more experienced mums among you: can you buy the wrong breast pads or are they all ok? I saw some reusable ones in JoJo once so I'm wondering ...
Need another bra as well as feeling the pinch!

Rustler me too! I think I had £250 in my head for what we had left to buy, definitely not for everything!! Sounds like a good thing tho klane, good that they make the effort to do a Dad session!

I clearly need to make a trip to primark for nighties and big knickers. Since I travel a lot for work I have duplicates of most stuff (phone chargers, tiny toiletries etc) so I think I'll just transfer the stuff at the end of the week into the hospital bag and that will be me half packed... have nothing for baby yet though. More shopping when we pick up pram and car seat.

Bottle question, I want to bf but I also want at some point to have a bit of freedom (and sleep!) saw this in Mothercare http://www.mothercare.com/sets/tommee-tippee-closer-to-nature-complete-feeding-kit---white/219750.html is it worth getting or should we wait and see what baby thinks...? Don't want a whole heap of bottles that the baby doesn't like

I have a bit of a pattern for movements, but only if I'm doing the same thing at that time of day. I get a whole load of kicks at about lunchtime and at any point from 7 til about 9, but I have to be sitting to feel them... if I'm out in Tesco at the weekend at lunchtime for example I miss the lunchtime movements iyswim... I also get woken up at about 4.30 am getting kicked which is nice

MrsJW Rustler I know, I can't believe they were told that! Way to make the partners work harder I haven't seen the paperwork they were given but I'm assuming they're basically talking about nappies, a few outfits, and maybe a crib! There no way it includes a car seat as well. Or much else for that matter! I've told him that a second hand car seat isn't even an option so best to not mention it again haha.

bean looks like I xposted about the homebirth box :) your list will be handy.

klane I absolutely love the sound of the expectant fathers eve!! Wish they had one here. Not sure my oh is totally looking forward to our hypnobirthing course bless him

Talking a lot of babies movements we went for scan on Weds as wanted my big sis, nephew and mum to "see" baby as I won't see them now till she's born & they're very excited. It was wonderful!! First scan oh and me have been to that we've really looked forward to and haven't been scared (had bad experiences in past). However, baby girl of course decided to sleep through whole thing no matter how much jumping up and down I did. Typical!

Rise that's an amazing offer on Mothercare! I'd be tempted but I'm kind of determined to bf. If you buy it but leave the box sealed, you might be able to sell it on as new?

Badger hello long time no seen or chatted if they do a dad course in our area I'd be sending my Oh there as well. Great stuff about the scan, apart from baby not moving much of course. Are you going to the next pregnancy club? I gather they're near you as well with the same midwives.

rise personally I don't like tommy tippee bottles, used them with bean and he had horrendous reflux. We used MAM bottles for turnip and much preferred them. They are self sterilising too, so great for when you go away for a night. Just need access to a microwave.

This time we plan on breastfeeding and so I have only bought 1 MAM bottle so no temptation in the house. I've learnt a lot since having bean (I lasted 5 days with him) and was very self conscious I also wasn't prepared for the pain. Then with turnip I had cima exams 5 weeks after she was born so needed hubby to feed her. This time I am going to give it my best shot. I have spoken to lots of mums who have bf and they've all said the first 3 weeks are the hardest. So I am planning on staying in and around the house for this time so me and baby can fully bond and establish our feeding 😊 I am so excited for this new adventure that me and spud are going to share.

badger I feel that if I pack a hospital bag then I am already thinking of going to hospital. As I really really really want this baby at home. So will have all the Bits organised so hubby can easily find and shove in a bag. But I have mentally not packed to leave 😊👍🏼 my list is just the beginning.

However, I would recommend everyone to get lavender oil for your baths after birth. It's amazing.

Cinnamon - I have PM'd you about the Facebook group x

Bean - do you just use neat lavender essential oil or does it need a carrier oil? Thank you for the tip!
I keep thinking about hospital bag and then pushing the thought outta my mind!!! Too scary!!!

Hi rise, I'm not a fan of an electric steriliser (like empty counter tops) and looking at the pic you actually only end up with 3 bottles that are the right size past about 8-12 weeks? You don't really need a bottle warmer either jug of HW is the same.
If you plan to BF for a limit time (I intend between 3-6months only) then view it as you need bottles anyway so might aswell get them, if you plan to BF to a year all being well the I would wait and see. I have bought a 2 pack of NUK 150ml bottles and have every intention of giving an expressed feed each day from 4-6wks. Will steriles the bottles and pump stuff in a microwave bag so no clutter on my worktop as and when we switch to formula I will commit to 4-6 280ml bottles depending on what suits the baby. Much like bean I found MAM excellent for my refluxy 1st born would really recommend them. (I have only bought nuk as a pal had the best luck switching between boob and bottle with them and I want to be able to do that)

pop an old school mw told me about lavender oil when I grazed with bean and I ignored her. On day 4/5 I took a bath with 1tsp of lavender oil mixed with 20ml of milk. I wished I had done it sooner. It helped me heal more than anything else. With turnip I had a second degree tear and took a lavender bath that day, I was in much less pain with stitches with her than I was with bean! I swear it was the lavender oil.

bean I totally get where you are coming from with the packed bag mindset, good point!! I may rethink and just get stuff easy to be packed

Hey rustler, good to hear from you too, I'm on here most days :) I'm thinking of going to pregnancy club Tues but still travelling through till Mon so not made mind up yet. You going in my area? I loved it last time :)