First-timers Due last quarter 2007

[geekInPigtails]

After hearing a couple of people complain about the lack of it, and then experiencing it myself, I thought I'd follow nomoremagnolia's suggestion and create an ante-natal thread just for us poor scared naive first-timers

Of course I'm not saying we shouldn't also be on the normal ante-natal club threads so we can learn from people with a bit more experience, but a little newbie club might be friendly and reassuring too?

So if this is your first baby and you're due Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec 07, please join me!

Please?!

Thanks Revel, I know I should be doing my yoga video more. You are right, I'm sure it will help. I've a habit of pointing my toes and stretching when I'm half asleep. It always seems to lead to cramp.

Hi,

I'm new to mumsnet, joined yesterday and thought this thread was great as looking at the normal one for those due in Dec 2007 I was a bit scared to post as everyone seems to know what they're talking about! I also searched on "tips" and came across a recent thread where someone put a link to a list of their personal tips on a website, which everyone heavily criticised, so I felt quite intimidated to say anything as I thought some of the tips seemed quite helpful and realistic. I too am a first timer. I've just turned 38 and am due on 20 December. Do I need to add my name to a list or anything? How do I find out what all these abbreviations mean?

damn those subconscious urges...!

Revelyell - thanks for the idea - I will look into a CD

Poppy - so sorry to hear that people were so critical on the other thread - not nice.

Which abbreviations are you unsure about? I don't even know if I know what they all are!

My legs are always sore at night too - getting to sleep is getting harder every day.

Hi Stefka,

There were more on the other 2nd/3rd timer threads than here, but these are the ones here I'm not sure about:

MS,BFP, DD,DP,DH,DS, LO

Thanks

Poppy10: there's an acronym list linked at the top of every page which should help.

I saw the thread you mentioned, and frankly even though I'm a first-timer, a lot of the 'tips' that person had on her website were very obviously out-of-date and not now regarded as a good idea. The website appeared to be a way for her to make money (using ads where she gets paid if people click on them) and I think that's why people were getting critical of her.

The Dec thread is actually very friendly (there are a few of us 1st-timers there) so please pop over and introduce yourself.

Hi thelady,

Thanks for the point about the acronym list, I hadn't even noticed it and it is so helpful :-). I understand your point about some of the tips being out of date, and I can understand people being critical if she is making money from that site, which I hadn't realised. It's just that I went onto that thread as a newcomer looking for tips but what I saw instead was everyone else criticising someone elses and it makes sense for them to do that if they are wrong (which keeps me up to date)but just made it seem a bit scary to join in. I've already gone to the due Dec 07 thread too, and yes as you say it is really friendly and I have introduced myself, but it's also nice to read this one with people going through it for the first time with similar worries.

Thanks

Poppy10:
Here's a link on Top tips for Breastfeeding
and another on What to buy and when

Both are recent, and seem to be from people who are 'in the thick of it'.

Hi all!
Yes that accronym list is a godsend! Was like a foreign language until I found that!!

Has anyone on here been pram shopping? Aaaaargh!! Nightmare!!!!

helo everyone. im new on hereh so im abit lost lol x

is anyone else worryin about the birth or is it just me? x (smile)

Hi 4angel! I am worried about the birth too! I have 11 weeks to go and I still can't believe that I actually have to do it!

Not getting a pram! Decided there's no point as we have nowhere to keep it, lots of v. old spiral stairs, and a v. small car. Will probably get a Maclaren buggy - the one that's suitable from birth at about £170 - and a sling of some kind.

Birth (puts fingers in ears) - um, not thinking about it as much as I possibly can.

I'm s**tting it about the birth. I used to get mini contractions sometimes with my period and it was full-on cold sweat think I'm going to be sick pain. Thank God for this I can take heavy duty pain relief.

hi
I have just joined mumsnet and found this thread! I am due 27th Nov and first baby. Excited but getting nervous about it all! Really enjoying feeling it kicking about though xxx

Hello!
I am terrified about giving birth. I hope i am like my mum who said it was easy (she may be lying) but whenever i read about the mechanics of it all i must admit it totally freaks me out. I already feel huge and i will get MUCH larger.

Hello 4angel, I just joined yesterday too, so feeling the same.

Hi thelady, thanks for the links to the other tips...that's so useful.I've actually just sat for about 2 hours and read all the msgs from the beginning, so have a better idea what everyone else has been through.

I think I'm the oldest here, 38, but can't say I really feel that old and definetely wouldn't have been ready for it in my twenties, but it does bring it home when they put you into the high risk category for downs etc and i realise that while I might still feel young that's not how it works medically.

Just wanted to ask is anyone else still finding it a bit surreal because they haven't felt it moving yet? I'm 20 weeks tomorrow and reading the earlier threads, I had myself so convinced I'd miscarried and not noticed before the 12 week scan that I was genuinely shocked to see it moving about on the screen on the day. I don't know why as i'd miscarried 5 months earlier at 6 weeks and certainly knew when it was happenning, but just woried constantly.

I've even had another scan at 16 weeks as my hcg hormone level is 7 times higher than normal so I have to go for growth scans every 4 weeks, but as the boob tenderness has died down (though the size has increased) and the mild nausea I had has vanished, I don't really feel anything? I have just developed a bit of a bump this week, but not really noticeable to others and with not yet feeling it, it's still hard to believe it is happening. So I'm quite nervous about my next scan, next Thu at 21 weeks as I will just be hoping something appears on the screen and its moving and that it's growing ok as I keep freaking myself out thinking maybe it's not grown and thats why I can't feel it moving! Was there anyone else who didn't feel it until after 20 weeks?

Poppy I'm 26 wks now and I was feeling virtually nothing at 20 weeks - the very occasional little flutter that I wasn't even sure was the baby, it was so faint. I feel more now at 26 wks but still quite faint though more frequent. One of the mums on Nov's antenatal thread has been feeling kicks since 13 wks and I was worried I wasn't feeling enough! Everyone told me that a) you feel less with the first baby as addominal muscles are stronger and b) if the placenta is anterior (at the front) as mine is the kicks are harder to feel as they ahve to be hard enough to be felt through the placenta iyswim. Sure you'll be fine

Hi everyone,

I'm going to add myself to this first-timer thread and make Poppy10 feel a whole lot better because I'm 41 now and will be 42 when my girl arrives, due 23rd Oct. So I'm the oldest here! It has taken me and DP more than 7 years to get here, so I don't care that I'm old, just that I'm damn well pregant. Hurrah!

I have just eaten rather a lot of Maltesers and am now feeling a bit ick.

Sophus,38,Due Sept 5th
honey2theb,22,Due Sept 6th
MrsMar,36,Due Sept 19th
Holly29,33,Due Sept 19th
nh101,29,Due Sept 25th
Laska,?,Due Sept 26th
Polarmummy,29,Due Oct 4th
Stefka, ?, Oct 14th
Kittiwake,?,Due Oct 15th
Mandler,33,Due Oct 19th
PoppyField,41,Due Oct 23rd
fch,30,Due Nov 1st
geekinpigtails,28,Due Nov 4th
AnnainNZ,36,Due Nov 4th
Silkcushion,31,Due Nov 7th
revelyell,26,Due Nov 15th
Littleoldme,?,Due Nov 28th
Beachbunni,28,Due 1st Dec
Mrswizz,33,Due Dec 2nd
thelady,?,Due Dec 4th
suey2, 37, due Dec 10th
Caz10,31,Due Dec 11th or 12th (we are not sure)
fleacircus,31,Due Dec 25th
Imawurzel,28(29 Dec 11th)Due Dec 31st

Hi Poppyfield, Congratulations! Just added my name onto the list too, as hadn't done that yet. I did the same a few days ago with a family sized bag of revels and felt quite ill. I actally went off sweet things (unlike me) up to about 16 weeks and now have cravings for really sugary things like jelly babies which I don't normally go for

Sophus,38,Due Sept 5th
honey2theb,22,Due Sept 6th
MrsMar,36,Due Sept 19th
Holly29,33,Due Sept 19th
nh101,29,Due Sept 25th
Laska,?,Due Sept 26th
Polarmummy,29,Due Oct 4th
Stefka, ?, Oct 14th
Kittiwake,?,Due Oct 15th
Mandler,33,Due Oct 19th
PoppyField,41,Due Oct 23rd
fch,30,Due Nov 1st
geekinpigtails,28,Due Nov 4th
AnnainNZ,36,Due Nov 4th
Silkcushion,31,Due Nov 7th
revelyell,26,Due Nov 15th
Littleoldme,?,Due Nov 28th
Beachbunni,28,Due 1st Dec
Mrswizz,33,Due Dec 2nd
thelady,?,Due Dec 4th
suey2, 37, due Dec 10th
Caz10,31,Due Dec 11th or 12th (we are not sure)
Poppy10,38, Due Dec 20th
fleacircus,31,Due Dec 25th
Imawurzel,28(29 Dec 11th)Due Dec 31st

Hello everyone, especially the new people! Glad you've had the courage to join us, it's quite nice to be scared together Don't forget to add yourselves to the list as PoppyField has done.

4ngel, I'm pretty much in denial about the birth at the moment - not thinking about it much, but trying to convince myself it's normal and natural and will be fine! I've just bought a book called "Hypnobirthing" which sounds a bit ridiculous (I'm not normally into alternative therapies and such) but from the blurb I think it's mostly about understanding what your body is up to during the birth and having a positive attitude about it, which should make it easier both physically and mentally... Haven't actually started it yet, but I'll let you know if it's any good

Poppy10, sorry you're not feeling movement at the mo, but as Anna said, that's completely normal for 20 weeks. I started feeling the odd bubble around 19 weeks, but it's been pretty regular since around 21 weeks. I had my last ultrasound at 21 weeks, and we could see the baby stamping its feet quite vigorously, but I couldn't feel it, which made me wonder what on earth it was doing when I COULD feel it - backflips?! I'm now at 26 weeks and the kicks are getting just strong enough for DH to feel them too. Tbh, already my advice to you would be enjoy the peace while you can!

suey2, totally with you on feeling huge already. I think the baby has had a growth spurt in the past few days because although it was fairly obvious I was pregnant last week, I now feel ENORMOUS and am a bit daunted by still having 3 months worth of growing left!!!

I'm feeling quite philosophical about the birth itself. I know it will be a nightmare but its something I'll have to go through. I'm just beginning to realise that I've not even thought about how to look after the baby when it comes I've been concentrating so much on being pregnant. I can't seem to envisage myself looking after a small baby, when I think about him its always as a toddler.

hello all esp poppy10, ruth32 and suey2, and anyone else i forgot!
Having a nightmare of a time getting into an NCT class locally (Im north london), and in fact since im going the 'hippy hypnobirthing homebirth' route its not even the teaching I would be going for- ive just been told that the best thing about NCT classes is meeting local mums in the same boat so that you can all meet for coffees and general mutual support when youve got the baby but are forgetting your own name.. esp important for me as i did this a bit earlier than expected and am the first of my friends over the baby cliff...!

so i thought i would take matters into my own hands and see if anyone else is nearby (Camden, Kentish Town, Highgate, Islington) and also feeling a bit peripheral to this idyllic all-mums-together community and would like to start our own!

revel x

I am having the same problem revel - there is a class starting about the 20th of sept but I am due Oct 14th so I think it will be too late for me. I want to go for the same reason you do - I want to meet some other mums as I don't know anyone round here.

Wow, I didn't realise this thread was still going, I haven't posted since my BFP in April, must catch up (might take a while)