Due in June - you toucha my bump, I smasha your face!

[bumperlicious]

Just thought I'd better kick a new one off...
Another day, another tearful outburst at work! It's getting very embarrassing Is it just me who feels like crying at the drop of a hat? Maybe it's lack of sleep, just not dealing very well with things that would not normally bother me, then something really small sets me off. cried in the toilets for 20 minutes today! Can't even explain why. Is this normal still at this stage?

Sounds like a good evening to me foxy (except I'll have a v&t!).

I do like those recliner chairs, but I have no room for one ! I'm sure the cheap ones can't be that different from the expensive ones. I suppose the fabric might be better and the rocking mechanism might be more sturdy, but you won't need it to last that long. Kiddicare do a design your own one! You send in your fabric and they cover the chair for you! A Cath Kidston one might be nice !!

Lilkel, my mum has already bought a seeksucker set from The White Company! She just can't help herself!!

That shop does look pretty evil lilkel! I'm glad I don't live in The States, I'd never have any money!

Hiya

Sorry to gate crash this thread but I am looking for input from pregnant women...this is not meant as a promo or market research but really a "have I the wrong end of the stick? - are people not that interested"

I have just developed an antenatal with a difference that covers the stuff AFTER birth; I plan on discussing things like:
1)What the immediate post-birth experience will be like; physically, practically and emotionally
2)How your relationships will be impacted with the arrival of baby and what you can you do about it
3) What your new self will be like - how your body recovers and your self image changes
4) Breastfeeding the ups and downs.
5) How to cope with crying babies
etc. etc.

Is this all just too much to take in when you are due to give birth and you figure you will deal with it all once the baby is there or do you think it might be something you would be interested in?

Any comments greatly appreciated. Really sorry if I have annoyed any one with this request - just feeling a little anxious that I have put a lot of work into a bad idea.
Thanks
Helen

Helen, you've developed an antenatal what? Do you mean postnatal? Sorry, am a bit confused!

Oh yes the great glider chair debate. First time I saw them I thought 'ew hideous' but then I sat on one and yes, I was hooked. Went on and on to DH till he caved in and let me buy one. And sooo glad. Believe me when you feel subhuman in the early days and all you do is sit & feed or stand & change, you will be happy to glide away some of the discomfort!

Seriously Important Note: I first bought a cheap one off Ebay in an effort to appease DH and my own guilt. It arrived broken, I never got a refund, and it was about half as wide as it should have been anyway!! Finally went for the more costly (but v reliable!) John Lewis and that (blue) Dutalier one has been delighting us ever since. The fabric is seriously magical - all those sick stains never seem to set. TG for that.

As for the postnatal class idea - me personally I could never see past the due date when I was pg first time round. I took postnatal classes later though and was happy for them. The topics were too commonsense (don't drop your baby! duh...) so maybe a more thoughtful approach would go down well.

Sorry foxybrown- missed out a word there it should read Antenatal class- It is a course to go on BEFORE you have the baby that covers how having a baby also means that you are becoming a mother and everything that goes with that (the guilt, the leaky boobs, the grumpy husband who wants to sleep in on a Sunday etc.)Also how lack of sleep affects you and what you can do about it and what to do if breast feeding isn't working - all the stuff that you have to work out when you are really stressed. The idea is to prepare mums for what it will be like once there are 3 (or more) in the house. I think my problem with getting it going is that the first time round mums can't see past their bumps (I was like that)so what can I do to convince them?

tx

Helen,

I think you are right, it will be hard getting people to see past their bumps. The thing is pregnancy is so abstract until the baby is out and you are dealing with mother/fatherhood. All the antenatal classes in the world can't prepare you for motherhood, they can only arm you with the facts, but can't put them into any context (by that I mean with the onslaught of emotions/hormones/sleep deprivation etc).

I also think that pregnancy prepares you for one thing, and thats giving birth. I don't think anything can prepare you for what comes next.

My concern with this idea is that antenatally there will be TOO much information and it will to some extent fall on deaf ears. BUT saying that, I think there could well be a market for an ante/postnatal cross over. For example a class or two could be ante-natal and three and four could be post. Depending on how long you envisage a course. It would give new parents alot of support just knowing that other people are feeling/experiencing the same. Something like this could really come into its own then, but you'd have to have them sign up before having a baby because otherwise it could be one thing more to do.

Have you spoken to any doulas on here? They could give you an idea of what parents want postnatally from a professional viewpoint.

How are you doing Holly? Any better?

Gorgeous little girl, BTW.

Evening everyone

Hi Helen

I think that does sound interestting, as long as it's delivered in the right spirit. Personally I am starting to get a bit anxious about the stuff afterwards, e.g. how does it actually feel to go from having a baby inside you to having a big empty space? How do you deal with no longer being pg and just being fat?! How will my husband feel getting jiggy with someone who has pushed the equvilent of a large grapefruit out of someing the size of a nostril?! More to the point how will I feel about it? When does the baby's crying go from normal to not so normal.

I think Foxy is right, some of it may fall on deaf ears, but as I get closer I find I am thinking about these things more. I want to be more prepared. But also it has to be delivered in a non-patronising, non-telling-you-what-to-do way. I know that at the moment I am sick of people saying "oh wait till it's born, you'll be XYZ, etc etc." so more in a constructive it helps to be even a little bit prepared kinda way. Does that make sense? Good luck anyway.

Btw, happy and painless thoughts to seansgirl and H&A. Don't worry, you certainly aren't the only one who is on an emotional rollercoaster. I have had to take days of work recently because there were tears before breakfast and I've just been good for nothing. Hope you feel better soon. Are you going to let the people come and view the house? No wonder you are stressed with all that going on. Don't under estimate what a strain even normal things are at the moment.

H&A, sympathy ouch to you. Hope it's not SPD. Don't know what you can do for the sort of pain that you are in. Don't know what it feels like but I am finding walking a real strain on the front of my uterus/pelvis at the moment too. What with that and my sacroiliac ligaments in constant agony I've decided screw the cost, I need to sleep and go to work, so I'm going to go and see an osteopath. I've found one who will do cranial osteopath on babies to, so will be good to check him out.

Happy days everyone

Thanks for your concern everyone! Am feeling a bit better, a nice warm bath certainly helped. Still really hurts though and I'm hobbling like a cripple, hopefully the mw will be able to give me some tips tomorrow.

I think the postnatal classes are a good idea, but I think you have to aim it at the right people. Most women I know have a great support network around them, so probably wouldn't feel the need to go to these classes. For example I would never have gone because I feel that my mum was able to give me all the support and advice I needed.

Hope you are feeling less emotional seansgirl and your cough's better. It's horrible when you feel rough, esp when you've got a LO to look after as well as being pg!

When are you going to the osteopath Bumper? Let us know how you get on.

Haven't booked it yet, waiting for the chap's details, but have have a couple of good recommendations. Apparently he is a HUUUGE bloke, and this woman I spoke to at work took her 2 week old baby to him and his hands were nearly bigger than her! Apparently she wasn't feeding properly, and she looked a bit like a frog because she didn't seem to have a neck (her words!) but she apparently came away all unsquished! Defo going to give it a go.

Be careful in the bath. Early in my pg when my ligaments were excrciatingly bad and I was on a course in a hotel, I tried to have a bath and got stuck because I was in so much pain I could get myself out. Though I was going to have to call a member of staff or a bloke from my course to come and rescue me! Eventually deciding would rather pass out with the pain than have the humiliation of having ot be rescued naked from the bath! Not such a problem you are at home though, but just take it easy!

Not normally a pedant but what awful typing!

Be careful in the bath. Early in my pg when my ligaments were excruciatingly bad and I was on a course in a hotel, I tried to have a bath and got stuck because I was in so much pain I couldn't get myself out. Thought I was going to have to call a member of staff or a bloke from my course to come and rescue me! Eventually decided would rather pass out with the pain than have the humiliation of having to be rescued naked from the bath! Not such a problem if you are at home though, but just take it easy!

...in case you wondered what that was supoosed to say!

And that was meant to be supposed!

hi everyone, know i've not posted for ages but i've been very lazy - no other excuse available!! H&A - i sympethise - i was having posterior pelvic pain 2 weeks ago - F*!!! it was sore, got referred to a physio who said the left side of my pelvis was sitting 2 inches lower than the right hence the pain. She kindly manipulated it back into place and now i can skip about (well sort of with a bump this big) and feel like a new woman!!! - so good luck.
off to read further back in this thread to see what else has been going on.... ps has anyone tried the impossible quiz?!! www.kontraband.com/show/show.asp?ID=5870&rtn=index-topten (can't do that fancy link thing - i obviously don't have enough brain cells left due to this 3rd pregnancy!!!) found this on another thread - it's addictive. if you have a life i STRONGLY advise you to avoid this.

lol bumperlicious! sympathise with your pains, but getting stuck in bath lol!

I got stuck in bath, but that's cos my arse was soooo big when pg with no2!

Delor I have been trying to do that bloody quiz for ages!! I have got to about 96 I think! It is really pissing me off! Anyone who hasn't tried it yet, don't. It's sooo annoying!

I did nearly get stuck in the bath, managed to get out though! Phew!

delor - 2 inches sounds like alot! must've been agony.

I went to the British School of Osteopathy (based in Southwark, London) and highly recommend. Bit cheaper too.

Being a bit of of a skinflint, did you know you can hire trainee maternity nurses for a fraction of the price and give a trainee nanny at your local college work experience? I probably wouldn't do it first time round, but I'm thinking about taking the nanny option to help with the older ones (cheap labour er, I mean childcare, in the school holiday?)

Yum, Fru lemon cheesecake, what a delicious pud!

oh dear just had meltdown at dinner. Dh mentioned this silly bikini he thinks I should wear once the next LO has arrived & I've recovered - all so very sweet - but the thought of baring my 2nd-baby-flabbiness just made me break down in tears. I really feel as ugly as I have ever in my whole life right now. The sight of my thighs alone right now makes me cringe. And that's in the semidarkness of my WC...!!! Yeah I know it's just hormones blah blah but seriously, I've never been this big before and even with DS, I didn't get this big

sorry for wallowing in self pity. hope your osteo appt works out Holly!

oh sweetie! Our bodies aren't our own at the moment, are they? Either physically or emotionally, they are ruled by these tiny aliens stamping on our bladders and sending our hormones raging.

A bikini? Tell him only if he wears a speedo thong.
(O God, he doesn't does he??)

Perhaps he's planning to take you on an exotic beach holiday (with all inclusive childcare) when lo is born?

In which case I suggest a glamorous halterneck 1950's style 'hold it in' swimsuit for the early days.

lilkel, sorry to hear about your meltdown. I know this doesn't help much but the fact that DH is going on about you in a bikini is probably because he thinks you look so fab Even pregnant!

I know my DH can't get enough of me pregnant even though I think I look like a teletubby with thighs like cottage cheese and an arse to rival my bump!

Wallow away anyway

Hi all - just a quickie...foxy, I had the day from hell today. After boasting to you that the mice stayed in the skirting boards, I feel very foolish. Dh tripped over one on his way to the loo at 3am. Cue a sleepless night and the whole day spent clearing out the airing cupboard (no mouse but a little nest) and setting (humane - I am a softie) traps. And lots of Polyfilla-ing pipes. I can't believe how tired I am. How is your resident Mickey doing?

H&A, hope you don't have SPD, but with you and bumper on pelvic pain which began today. It really hurts doesn't it?! Mine feels like it's in my lower back rather than fanjo region, but I still have the 'dropping' sensation. Charming.

Likel - I am with bumper on your dh and Bikingate. My dh woudn't even suggest a bikini as he knows how crap it would look. My solution - a tankini. Covers your tum, and can be rolled up for more tanning.

Marylou - I tried the glider in John Lewis and LOVED it. I am not buying it however as I already have a hideous reclining granny chair after slipping a couple of discs last year.

Have set a humane trap too. It'd better bloody well get in it, or ... SNAP!

Am suffering from gym yesterday more than anything, but my real ailment is that my stomach must be getting squashed because I don't seem to be able to stuff myself anymore!

And I realised today that I'm WADDLING!

With you on the mouse - it gets a week of humanity! Btw their fave food is chocolate apparently so I have used half a Mini Egg (and eaten the rest, every cloud...).

I am waddling too, never fear. I caught sight of myself in a mirror in B&Q and I looked like an overgrown weeble.