May 2017 #10 - To be prepared or not prepared

[RasperryInAMelon]

Here's a link to the last thread and photo updates just incase anyone's looking for anything!

Thread 9

Photo Page - Bump Update

I don't have access to a desktop right now though so can't post the link to the GoogleDrive spreadsheet, but it's a few posts down in the previous thread!

Happy chatting!

@savagehk I agree, but I suppose similar to the mats it alerts you if there's no breathing. So the vibration is to see if the baby responds, and then if not an alarm goes off. It's one of the only medically certified portable breathing monitors and the reviews are so good, but I'm with you, a bit sceptical! I'm generally anxious anyway, so I'm hoping this would relieve a bit of that when I'm running on minimal sleep.

Hi all!
@savagehk thank you for the links xxx really very useful! I also hope we will stay in touch after the babies are here! It's such a good platform here and I think we have a bit of a connection going!

@Nurse15 sorry to hear about the car incident, not what you could use! I'm pleased you and baby are ok!

@EsmesBees and ... I hope normal London work life can resume for you!

@RasperryInAMelon your morning sucked totally, I hope it didn't get any worse... who's addressing the hot water issue?

I've spent this morning at work and am now at Pizza Hut in Harlow before I drive home if I can resist going into mothercare before that to check out Peter Rabbit...

I'm meeting up with 2 ex colleagues tomorrow before setting off to Victoria to meet some of you! I'll also see the school colleagues and one of my favourite ex patients whom I've supported in a lengthy rehab. I may have planned too much ...
I've made an appointment for Monday to amend my gift list at John Lewis and I'm planning to buy stuff with my £60 voucher then.
To remain in the fox theme I've chosen some birth cards for the announcement as we do in Belgium. I'll try and attach the photo of the 2 contenders and the sugar beans which we traditionally give to the people visiting.

I've also had this revelation of all exciting stuff that is waiting for me but at the same time still anxious about falling over again! To avoid that the anxiety takes over, sprout has been moving well using elbows, knees and feet, and I seem to have a good idea of how sprout's position in my belly is at the moment. Head down in my left groin with its bum behind my navel and feet sticking out towards right side.
Right time to shut up and make a move x
Love to you all

Those are really cute @rustler74 :)

Re books, I was rather pleasantly surprised that a french book bought for DS (after showing a birth with doctors / hospitals / woman on back, birth is a bit more medicalised there!) showed the baby afterwards having a breastfeed :)

Beats the Tchoupi books which have baby being bottle fed and so on...

DS knows that babies get milk from their mommies though. I don't think he recalls being fed himself despite feeding till he was 2.5 (he forgot practically instantly), I can only assume he's seen others being bf when out at groups with the au pair.

@RasperryInAMelon feeding in public was something that worried me before, I was all for expressing and bottles. But now I'm a bit more, sod the rest of the world if my baby needs fed than I'll damn well feed him/her wherever I like (and I also realised how much less stuff you need to cart around if you breastfeed). I'm not saying I'll be in the middle of Sainsbury's when baby is a week old but I think if you and your baby get happy doing it then there are was to do it where no one will notice. ( My pre-pregnant self would be horrified that I'd even consider it )

@1004Rise that's such good BF advice. My main worry is doing it in public. I'm exceptionally self conscious (I wear sleeves and leggings all year round!) and I can't picture myself doing it. MIL and DM haven't been such support; DM has said she would rather I don't do it in front of her and MIL said "I'll just have my tits out all the time". DH says he will support me regardless. can anyone recommend me some BF books?! Our antenatal classes here in Nottinghamshire don't cover it

@Brightsmoke Sainsbury's and Tesco have fab swimsuits in at the moment. I wear one from sports direct which has "legs" down to my thighs.

If you've not breastfed before I wouldn't worry too much about feeding in public just yet. Just read up loads and concentrate on getting feeding established and if it does work out then you can think about what's next.

I think the main thing we can be unrealistic about is the amount of time it takes. Yes eventually it is quick and convenient and you just whip your top up but at the start there can be little time for anything else except feeding. Hours and hours on the sofa which is fine if you're being looked after but a real struggle if you're not.

@Rustler74 can't get a plumber out till tomorrow as I'm at work in the City and DH is in Telford today 😩

Cold shower it is tonight!

@1004Rise that is good advice! Thank you

@RasperryInAMelon can't decide what's worse a cold shower or having to spend a day in Telford 

@teainbed I'm making long lists of box sets specifically for that purpose!!

Just got back from my 31 midwife appointment. The first ante natal appointment where I haven't cried! She was very happy with me and baby and showed me how to find baby's body parts this however has freaked my OH out. Finally a bit of positivity

Did Mighty ever come back after her diabetic appointment?

@nursebickypegs where are you based? It's worth finding a bf support group you can attend. Here midwives run a few, and there's also the La Leche League (LLL) - they have a fabulous book but it is rather massive & I don't want to scare you off :) It can be very very easy, PROMISE!

www.laleche.org.uk/find-lll-support-group/

Thank you @savagehk! I'm in Nottingham :)

Get the massive book! You won't need to read it cover to cover but dip into the bits you need as you need them. Identify where your local groups are and if your hospital has a breastfeeding clinic. Kellymom website is good and Jack somebody (Canadian paediatrician) also very good. And prime your DH!

Blimey nurse15 that sounds scary!! Glad you're ok :)

esme it is pretty amazing isn't it sometimes tricky to remember with so much going on and not having the energy to do it. We are very lucky though aren't we :)

savage thanks for sharing that, v interesting.

Sorry brain fail..... was it lullaby who was worried about going into early labour?? Are you ok??

@1004Rise Poor DH had to do both 🙈

Hey all! Can I join? Just managed to figure out how to join and post on here. Due May 20th with our little one and can't believe how quickly the time is going!

I just saw that Rustler is around the Harlow area as am I :) ...difficult to stay away from the Mothercare store there!

Hope everyone is feeling healthy during their pregnancies xxx

Just a tad embarrassed at the meltdown I just had on the phone with the specialist midwife!
Not that I do not put trust in the midwives (a lot even) but I was just given the next clinic appointment with growth scan and what I thought would have been the endocrinologist appointment (cos I'm old and I was born without a thyroid), is instead an appointment with the midwife, although a specialist! I've not yet met the endocrinologist in the new team so I was really hoping to discuss the birth plan after the induction bombshell the registrar dropped on me 2 weeks ago.
Also I don't like that my results were out of tune but they didn't discuss with me that it's fine to have low tsh! I just broke down with a shitload of anxiety that had been building up on me with the fall and the annoying experience at last growth scan where the sonographer was making a fuss about my impossible due date !
(Wow what a rant!) Thank goodness for the lovely specialist midwife I finally managed to speak to. I know I'm lucky with the team but I don't like it when I'm left in the dark! Now to cancel the second growth scan on the same day... which they'd given me because I could then attend the specialist clinic after

Hi & welcome Hisash :)

Just back from my 34 week appointment, discussed birthing plan, which was not as in depth as I expected. Baby has grown 3cm in 2 weeks, so is already roughly 6lbs according to the chart, it's gonna be huge!!! I have +1 glucose 2 weeks in a row, but because I'm over 34 weeks, they won't do GTT, told to avoid sweet things I'm definitely not sat here eating a magnum🙈

Hope everyone has had a less stressful day today :) thanks for all the cossie advice!!

@Hisashiburi of course you can join. I'm at work in Harlow but I live 25 miles away in a dingy corner of Hertfordshire, where I feel embarrassed about the massive rant.

Gawd how getting upset gets you hungry! I don't even know why as I had some decent pizza meal earlier !!!

With breastfeeding in public, this is something I had no clue on, but met up with a mum friend and her newborn a couple of weeks ago and she made it look so easy! Made me realise all you really need is a v neck top and muslin and it's very subtle. She talked me through it and I found it encouraging.

@Nurse15 that motorway incident sounds really scary, I'm glad you're ok and you certainly did well to escape with only needing a new tire, it's easy to imagine how that could cause serious vehicle damage so thank goodness for that.

I've spent my first day off having an eye test, only to be told it's not the best time to have one during pregnancy, whoops - at least it was free! Also went swimming, which was good until the dreaded foot cramp set in! Luckily at the shallow end. @RasperryInAMelon is there anyway you could use the showers at your local pool? The thought of a cold shower is not a nice one.

Not posted in ages but still been following !
I'm still enjoying maternity leave and feel well rested from it.
DH away with work so feel quite vulnerable being on my own but bag is packed just in case and best friend down the road has house keys.
Work on new bathroom starts in 2 weeks and once that's done I'll feel much better ascant really 'nest' yet as everything will get covered in dust !!
Hope you're all ok x

I would feel more uncomfortable bottle feeding in public than bfing, I reckon. Sounds mad, but there you go.

Hi @Hisashiburi! I'm due May 22!