November 2017 #4: Bump botherers, nesting and maternity leave!

[GingerHanna]

In which we swat away unwanted hands, perform military operations every night to roll over in our sleep, clean the kitchen cupboards for the eleventy billionth time and count down the days to our maternity leave!

Previous thread here.

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@lydiangel83 I am exceptionally fortunate as I work with a small close knit team who really truly care about each other. When I got married recently they clubbed together and got me a €300 gift card for the Dutch equivalent of John Lewis. I was crying... bloody hormones!

Mat leave replacement started today. I forgot how much time it takes to onboard someone. My actual work is slipping away from me!!!

I had a dream last night that I'd been uninvited to a wedding just a week before the date but all the rest of the family were still going. I had a blazing row with the bride & insisted I was going to turn up to the church in my wedding dress. I woke up crying & it took me ages to calm down properly! I'm still feeling a bit tearful when I think about it now! Stupid hormones!

@GingerHanna ahh that’s so nice :) I miss having nice colleagues

@AGnu don’t worry I had crazy dreams too, I woke up sobbing one night as dreamt my mum was trying to kill me. I then made the mistake of telling my mum about the dream and she was really upset!

Sorry to hear that some of you are having horrible dreams :(

I’ve just got back from the Midwife, baby is still breech, if she is still breech in 2 weeks they will send me for a scan and discuss my options. It has made me realise that I am going to have an actual baby soon. I don’t know what I was thinking before, but, an Actual baby!!!

My Midwife is a lovely lady and has also arranged for me to have some physio to help with my bladder problem. Feeling much happier now.

How is everyone else? @lydiangel83 how is your maternity leave?

@theotherendofthesockportal I feel the same, 36 wks tomorrow, head 3/5ths engaged and still struggling to get my head around the fact I’m having an actual baby lol!

First coffee of mat leave today - resting on bed now before NCT tonight - life is good :)

Pregnancy dreams are very strange & so much more vivid than normal. I work in relationship management & I had a very naughty dream about one of my clients. I've got a meeting with him tomorrow, not sure I'll be able to look him in the eye!

My colleagues are all lovely. I'm going for afternoon tea with my immediate team on my last day. The wider team are doing a sweepstake on baby's name & weight so had to compile a long list of possible names for them. Just hoping DP doesn't change his mind on the name now.

I'm just back from the midwife too, baby is still head down but very low today. We had to discuss feeding & birth plans today. Lots of use of the word hoping. She also warned me that they weigh you at 36 weeks now in our area so got that to look forward to next time. It's getting scary how close it's getting now. I've potentially only got 2 midwife appointments left until the baby arrives!

@Topsyloulou that sounds lovely with Work :) my Midwife won’t discuss birth plans or pin relief options with me, says I will cover it in ante natal classes! I’m not impressed with her though, there have been a number of things where I feel she has let us down a bit.

Has anyone else heard about these Ewan the sheep toys that replicate womb sounds? I’m wondering whether to get one but not sure if suitable for newborns? I thought you weren’t meant to give them toys immediately from birth

@lydiangel83 I have one of the Ewan Dream Sheep and he is already attached to the side of the cot! Whilst they are little you can attach them to the side so they are not actually in with them but you still get the heartbeat/white noise/pink glow benefits. I have heard so many good things about them that I was adamant I wanted one in advance of Limpet's arrival.

I hear the feelings on just starting to feel like there may be an actual baby at the end of this. I made the pram up at the weekend and just looked at it today in disbelief. Still not real!

@lydiangel83 we had a Ewan for DS, it was brilliant especially in the first few days, they're not used to it being quiet so the heartbeat noise helps. I turned the glow off on mine as it kept me awake. I put it in the top of the crib / Moses basket. It has Velcro strap to keep it in place so there is no chance of baby reaching it as they'll be the other end.

I said to the midwife today that it's just dawning on me that I'll have a baby here soon & she knew exactly what the meant, it's very different being pregnant to having a baby & it makes no difference that it's second time round.

I ordered a maternity / nursing nightie & pyjamas from Asda yesterday. Suddenly dawned on me that I'll need a nightie after elcs & the one I had last time I couldn't breastfeed in. Got the pjs too as I'm not a nightie person, it will only be on as long as the catheter is in & then it will be on with the pjs. The nightie was £10 & pjs £15 if anyone is looking for any.

@lydiangel83 I really want a Ewan the dream sheep, I’ve heard lots of good reviews. Plus I personally like sheep cuddly toys and already have two of them for baby grows up. Ewan may end up being something more for mummy 😁

@Topsyloulou that’s helpful advice thanks. I was wondering how much it would disturb me when baby is in our room. I think we will get one!

Also good to hear I’m not alone in struggling to imagine baby actually being here!!

We have a Ewan - DD chose him for the baby :)

I also had a midwife appt today and all was well. I was weighed last week and have only put on 5kg since 9 weeks - the one plus side of having gestational diabetes and not being able to eat cake.

3 days left at work. My colleagues are being totally hopeless - sigh.

@Topsyloulou I am so stuck for nightwear! Can you send me the link please?

I’ve been feeling nauseous and had mild diorreah for a nearly a week now, with intermittent fever and headaches. Doctor said probably a gastric inflammation/ mild bug. Swollen face and ankles came and went and midwife checked me out and ruled out pre eclampsia. Concerned the fever / diorreah May harm baby tho, anyone else experienced similar? Gone on too long may go back to Doctors tomorrow.

Anyone been in for reduced movement, opposed to feeling no movement?

Sat waiting for my appointment at the maternal and fetal assessment unit and feeling terrible in case I’m wasting their time! Baby is moving but since last Saturday it’s only been tiny movements and nothing like the big rolls and kicks I’ve been used to in later pregnancy. Hate using the NHS if it’s not necessary!

@lydiangel83 I have had a dodgy tummy for the last week, I mentioned it yesterday at my midwife appointment and she didn’t seem over worried about it.

@Julesbegone you have done the right thing by going to the hospital. When I went the midwives were lovely and said they would rather us pregnant women went along rather than worrying at home. Good luck whilst you are there.

Ah @Julesbegone you are not wasting anyone's time, all the leaflets say don't wait or feel you are wasting time, even if you go home after being seen, and are still having doubts then go back. It is much better to be safe. Hope everything goes ok today.

I've been away from the thread for a while as we were on honeymoon and have been trying to get organised for Bubba, just been catching up on the thread and have missed you all :)

God it's feeling real. We set up our Moses basket on the weekend and my car has the car seat in now 😬 We haven't painted the nursery yet but are starting tonight and we have a big pile of baby clothes, subconsciously I have chosen lots of boyish clothes so if we have a girl she will be wearing navy stripes and dungarees, which is my preferred style any way ha!

Hope everyone is well and not feeling too tired/worried. I only have 12 days left at work! Cannot bloody wait x

@Julesbegone not wasting anyone’s time. I do worry I have not paid it enough attention as there is no pattern to my kicks and sometimes I realise things have been quiet for a while.

@theotherendofthesockportal GP said there’s a tummy bug going round and probably nothing to worry about. Just trying to eat plain food and stay hydrated.

@Hazandduck welcome back! I also have quite boyish clothes for our surprise baby but I don’t mind and also considering the number of outfits they can get through in a day don’t think it matters! Your outfit sounds nice tho and perfect for a girl too :) how was your honeymoon?

Thanks @Lydia, how are you feeling now? Hope your tummy has settled a little? And you are enjoying your maternity leave :) I've had an on and off tummy because of the iron tablets, kind of got used to it, but it's better than the constipation I had in the early days, that was excruciating!

You may well be the first thread baby, eek! I think whatever you dress them in, most babies look like little wrinkly old men any way don't they haha.

Honeymoon was so amazing, it is so miserable being back at work, but I came home to lots of appointments this week so I've actually been in and out of the office seeing midwife, GP, having the flu jab, and meeting the health worker tomorrow, which has made the week pass more quickly. Roll on the 20th! X

This time during my pregnancy with DD I was in hospital, thinking my waters had broken. She was born at 5am at bang on 33 weeks. So if I make it through to tomorrow morning, still pregnant, I'll be further on in my pregnancy than I ever got with DD.

Part excited, part anxious!

Hope that those feeling under the weather recover soon. Keep an eye on the tummy @lydiangel83. Last time, just prior to my contractions starting, my body got rid of every bodily fluid going and I was throwing up and had diarrhea. Nice!

@julesbegone Hope that you got the reassurance you needed this morning. You were quite right to go into triage.

Welcome back Haz

Just noticed a discount code for caboo carriers through their website, 20% off this week only. Code is IBW20. I've already bought mine annoyingly!

Which website is that buttery?

Thanks for all your kind words ladies! Everything find with baby: the Midwife gave me a bit of a ticking off as I’ve been working everyday and then heading to our new house to decorate. Apparently I should be taking it easy! Haha. Glad I went though.