May 2017 #11 Not long to go until the first baby shows!

[PeachIcedT]

It only took us two weeks to fill up the last thread!

Link to previous thread #10:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/antenatal_clubs/2875150-may-2017-10-to-be-prepared-or-not-prepared

Link to the May data sheet: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KVJO4NGD6JrcGRGQuYnx87mLaadV5ytrP4lDfdqLrUQ/edit#gid=0

Those planning snacks- I've never known hunger like the early days of breastfeeding. Day and night. Worth stocking up on high energy snacks you can eat one handed to stop the late night mars bar runs.

(High fives) mighty - it's a total reeducation isn't it?

Barnes and sipper and can also understand how you/DH are feeling. Whilst statistically it's unlikely you're not going to come home with a baby in a few weeks I definitely get that cautious thing. And it's fine to feel that way.

Thank you esmes. So many people keep saying (in a very well meaning way) 'you must be so excited!!' And I just panic even more that I'm not feeling how I'm supposed to. Its helpful to know that other people have felt the same!

@coxsorangepippin and @Sipperskipper I am in the same place. The anxiety is not always there but I'm worried about jinxing things and I've had that all along. I thought it would get better further into my pregnancy but it's not really that much better. I think it's also because I know too much due to my job.

Been to the breastfeeding session with the nct couples, which was really quite good. My OH learned a lot, too and is feeling more mentally prepared now the course is done. We also went to the pub afterwards with everyone, and took a photo with all the bumps in order of due date. The guys get on really well as well, and half of the couples are half European, well continental: 1 Spanish husband, 1 Finnish wife, 1 French wife and 1 Belgian girlfriend (me). I couldn't believe that we were the only not yet married couple. I would have thought that there were more like us.

Brownies: The black bean one doterra.com/US/en/blog/recipe-black-bean-brownies , although I'm going to try swap out some choc chips for nuts i think.
Banana muffins: the baby led weaning cook book has a great recipe with no added sugar although i add more cinnamon,/mixed spice and some pecan nuts too.

Brownies: The black bean one doterra.com/US/en/blog/recipe-black-bean-brownies , although I'm going to try swap out some choc chips for nuts i think.
Banana muffins: the baby led weaning cook book has a great recipe with no added sugar although i add more cinnamon,/mixed spice and some pecan nuts too.

Uuuurggh that "yeah but what if it all goes wrong" feeling is shit. I also feel like that sometimes but choosing to over ride it as I may only be doing this once and I really want to enjoy it as much as possible and it's most likely that everything will be just fine :)
You guys are not alone

Snacks, like others have said think boiled eggs, houmus, avocado, nuts, seeds, tofu, yoghurt... you can make yummy egg muffins- fried up veg, herbs and beaten eggs into muffin cases and bake. Also works well wth tofu mixture. Sarah Wilson does a couple of good no sugar (yet nothing artificial) recipe books.

cox maybe see how you go but you may find it easier to cut down on animal protein once everything else babywise has settled down. You can always just eat less and choose high welfare good quality meat until then. My DH and I are vegan/ veggie but I def need more protein than he does, he's a carb monster! Whilst ttc I decided I needed to eat eggs (after 18 years!) so I found a little farm nearby and have been enjoying them ever since :)

Sipper I imagine part of how you're feeling may be a kind of self-preservation thing in case the worst did happen. I know I'm typically a 'plan for the worst, hope for the best' kind of person, so don't tend to get too excited about stuff in case it doesn't happen and then I think I won't be quite as disappointed.

Also a great spinach & cheese muffin recipe in the blw cookbook :)

Love catching up on this after a busy day!

@coxsorangepippin I'm hungry all the time, so I'm moving my teatime to about 8pm so I don't wake up starving. I was veggie all through my teens and early 20s (even vegan!) and I've really started eating meat again during this pregnancy. I plan to stop when Bub is here as I hate eating/wearing animals, but it depends on BF supply, iron levels etc. I could never maintain my iron levels as a veggie. I buy all vegan beauty products where I can.

Agreed with @mightymouse76, skyr yogurt is amazing and aldi do a version for 49p. It's so much better than the Liberte version. I love almond butter on rice cakes as well.

I wish I could eat bananas  even the smell makes me sick!

@ShiniBerry yes my lower tummy is very tender. I'm shocked I don't have them everywhere as my tummy is just itching. I bought some oil but it looks messy to apply.

Love the buggy @Barnes79!

@mightymouse76 I saw a few as a student (planned) and they were really lovely and calm which sticks in my mind as I saw a baby be born in a lift during that placement. I asked DH if he wants the screen up or down and he says up, but wants to look over if he can so he can see him pop out! This is a huge thing as he's really squeamish! I'm going to ask about skin to skin, as the CS x 3 I watched Dad held first, but my friend got to hold her baby when she had hers last year. The book I got was "Choosing Caesarean - a natural birth plan". It's so heavily biased towards CS (years of critical analysis to medical texts makes you see the holes!) but it's a very positive attitude towards it. In my circle of friends and my Mum, they are quite against it or have opinions on it. A friend of mine's husband was really rude to her about her CS saying she cheated, so I was really worried about DH's opinion towards me. Not that I give a shit TBH! DH is very supportive.

Also my antenatal classes aren't until the end of April, might be too late!

@EsmesBees @Tickyboovicki I bought a friend's little girl a book about sisters, I think it was called "what's in mummy's tummy" and it was aimed at under 3s. One of the options was pizza, which I loved!

Embarrassingly... we have bought Bub a present from the FurBabies and he's bought them some dreamies. FurBabies have bought him a Brio Birthday Train as we have been collecting Brio for Bub since we found out we were expecting. I love it, and DH had some as a kid. Also it's a joke in my family that pets buy presents; my mums dog has bought me some Mac lipstick before 

@jennymac31 my husband has 4 brothers and he turns into "one of the lads" the moment he gets with them. It's all banter banter banter and it winds me up. Have you told him that's it's so irresponsible getting that smashed while you're on the final stretch?

@Sipperskipper I'm the same. I'm convinced that have missed something, or that he isn't going to survive, or if something happens what am I going to do with his room etc. I speak to family about it and I get "it will be fine" but sometimes I need to say how scared I am. If I have my regular midwife on Wednesday, I might talk to her.

I also worry that I won't bond with him, or he won't like me, or I won't cope. My parents have made "jokey" snide comments saying I won't cope, or "there isn't a gadget to shut babies up" and I feel like the only true support I have is DH, my friend and you guys. MIL is in America currently and isn't back until end of the month. I'm so scared he will just hate me.

I don't know if this is linked, but I keep thinking about all the times that my parents were strict with me, or when I had tantrums or nasty comments my mum has made when I was an adult. I don't have the easiest relationship with them; they were very strict when I was younger, ignored me for months when I got engaged and when we got married, and I just keep thinking of the "bad times". It's easy to say, oh I won't do that with my son but what if I do and not realise? I'm a lot older than when my parents had me (nearly 14 years older) so I guess I might be different? I don't know.

Today has been lovely; washing out on the line, roast dinner and car boot. Managed to get some brand new baby converse from the car boot, and that's it. Every baby store was selling girls stuff but nothing boy related!

Just caught up!

I had to go in the hospital on Thursday night for a second bout of reduced foetal movement - all fine, but as second bout they refer me for an 'urgent' ultrasound scan. Friday they rung at 1130 am (i was in surgery so couldn't answer) - apparently all slots full, will keep trying to fit me in this week. I rang back to clarify on this - apparently they can give me no notice whatsoever!! They will ring at some point and offer an appointment that day, which could be as soon as 1-2 hours from the phone call... Is it just me who finds this preposterous?! I would really struggle to get to something in time with that short notice, even if I wasn't mid-surgery when they rang!

So I asked them if there was ANY way of booking an appt, even if it means waiting longer for scan. No. Apparently they have about four emergency slots per day and generally about 8 women need one (what's wrong with this picture...)

Her only solution was "you don't have to have a scan of you don't want to" . I want one but I am concerned if I'll manage to get to one....

It's just terrifying the amount of strain the NHS is under, the staff shouldn't have to work like that and patient care must suffer.

@1004Rise love the random question . Dogs can get morning sickness, often vomit during labour, and can be really off colour during their seasons... Female hormones are rubbish for them too!

savage bookmarked those black bean brownies for next weekend! - and thanks for the blw cookbook suggestion, I didn't know there was one. I want to try blw as some of my earliest memories are of food being a battle with my parents when I was a tiny, and I think the effects lasted a while!

badger I might get some wild rabbits when I next see my parents - v green!

I now have a fridge full of cheese and courgette flapjacks, healthier-than-kitkat banana bread, and cold roast chicken and homemade mayo. Let's see if that helps me avoid the

nurseb love the pet presents! Maybe I could blame future makeup purchases on our cat.

@Autumnsweater when I worked in US and MRI we would pull this stunt. Sometimes people could make it but I know when I'm at work, I can't drop everything and drive to get a scan! Can you ask for an emergency appointment with 24hrs notice?

nurse Cox 😂 at blaming my old cat Ken for my makeup purchases 😂 that's cheered me right up. He seems grumpy but in secret he's an online shopaholic!

@nursebickypegs That I would be fine with, but I asked this and was told no !!! I plan to ring again tomorrow and double check as it seems insane!

Autumn that's exactly what happened with my growth scan appointment. However they called at 11 one day saying no slots, then called back an hour later saying there was a slot at 3pm! I had to quickly get my afternoon patients cancelled (fortunately work were very understanding). Perhaps get them to call the surgery and speak to reception rather than your personal mobile because at least then the rest of your practice could start trying to free up your day if there was an appointment?

@Autumnsweater HAHA! Quinn and Peggy are always buying expensive shampoo, I mean what will cats do with it?!

That is ridiculous! With cancer patients on the two week wait, we would ring on the day we had cancellations or if someone cancelled the day before, then we would ring. Surely they know you're worried!

@Barnes79 was this Stepping Hill?
The person I spoke to said they wouldn't speak to reception it had to be me 🙄 but tomorrow I was going to give one of the nurses my mobile so that they could pretend to me!! Things we have to do!

Autumn yes it was Stepping hill. Is that where you are meant to be having a scan?

Barnes yes it is.

Thank you so much everyone for your reassuring words, I feel so much better knowing that other people share some of these worries. You are all lovely.

autumn that is terrible about your scan. I hope it is sorted quickly for you.

Hi all!
Due dc3 May 29th. Just reading a few posts but very late to the party 😁

Hello and welcome @JimmyChoo17

@Sipperskipper you're right, this thread is very friendly, much more so than some other threads or topics such as AIBU! I can't begin to describe how much support I feel from all of you!

Night night x

Wow, been out all day and a lot to catch up on! Too late to remember it all, but hope you are doing ok Jenny. Sipper putting stuff together (changing table, buggy) really worried me, but we do need to get a bit ready. Mum is the same - reluctant to buy clothes. I'm just trying to not think about it, or read anything sad!

Ooh who mentioned cheese and courgette flapjacks? I need to get better at healthy snacks, I just end up on the office chocolate supply.

Weirdly I don't have a growth chart in my notes. I asked the mw about size at 31 weeks and she just said I was measuring fine for that week. I don't know how they know if you've suddenly slowed down or sped up. Might ask again at my 34 week appointment this week.

Autumn that sounds very stressful!