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.

Click here for The List.

Oh my god @zampa that Quentin Blake wallpaper! It's beautiful!

Anyone else noticed their babies have become really squirmy and wiggly?? It's so weird and funny to feel 😄 I've started calling bump Squirmy Wormy!

@Zampa we went for a Quentin Blake wallpaper too - it goes up tomorrow Ludicrously expensive but I couldn't find anything else I liked.

I'm loving the wallpaper too! I have constant back ache does anyone else? Only relief is lying down! I had back problems before which probably doesn't help but I guess the extra 15kg are taking their toll!

And yes to squirming @Hazandduck I'm worried I am hurting baby when I bend over eg to do up shoes. My belly hurts after - anyone else feel like that?

That's really sweet @AccrualIntentions.

@Hazandduck It comes in several different colourways too and you can get coordinating fabric!

I am getting the squirmy feeling too, and some of the kicks have been so strong they have taken me by surprise.

I've walked further than usual today, 7000 steps (dying of embarrassment at how inactive I usually am) and now my spine aches and my tummy feels heavy.

I keep feeling the need to pee, then when I get to the toilet I can't feel the sensation of peeing and it's hard to push out. I think the baby is sitting in my bladder. Does anyone else have this?

@lydiangel83 @Zampa @AccrualIntentions they all look lovely and fun and bright.

We just painted as the rooms small.

I'm definitely feeling baby being squirmy - have started calling them a wriggly caterpillar because of that movement, also belly keeps becoming super firm which is a bit uncomfortable.

Have got a pillow for me for the bed rather than making do. It's so big it needed a name so have named it my white due to the whit pillow case ( plus make me chuckle that a cuddle up to mr white now rather than my hubby).

It blows my mind to look back at the size of my two friend when they were 30 weeks compared to me now. I know we all carry differently but that thought doesn't settle in till now for me particularly as this is our first.

@lydiangel83 I get the same with bending over to do up my shoes. Really uncomfortable and painful.

LO is well cushioned though so I'm not worried about him... just me!

DD just kicked me so hard it actually made me yelp with the pain! Lots of Braxton Hicks tonight & I'm just generally feeling like my entire belly is bruised so kicking as well is not pleasant! I took the DSs to their swimming lesson earlier & it nearly broke me trying to get 2 wriggly, wet children dressed in a small cubicle afterwards. I swear I said "just stay still"/"lift your leg higher"/"pick that up off the floor, I can't reach it" on repeat for about 10 minutes. Goodness only knows what the other people in the changing room thought was going on! I'm seriously considering buying them onesies & making them wear them & crocs for ease. I totally would if it weren't going to be getting colder & we didn't have a 15 minute walk to get there/home. They have a stupidly tiny car park so there's really no point in driving.

Has anyone started thinking about a hospital bag yet? It's just hit me that I'm now 30 weeks & haven't even thought about it. I guess it's the sort of thing that can usually wait until about 34 weeks to actually put together but I'm sure with previous pregnancies I've at least had a list by now. We're going shopping tomorrow for a "first" outfit. It's something we've done for each of them - one sleepsuit that we'll keep & not pass down to future DC. I've found this one which is the closest I could get to the ones we bought for the DSs. They're still available in John Lewis but there's only 2 types & we wanted something similar but not identical for each DC. I'll dig out a suitable bag & put that straight in so I feel a little like I've started collecting things! Hopefully it won't be needed because I'm planning a home birth but it's handy to have it together, just in case.

Grr ... Been awake since 0530 and want to go back to sleep. Have given up trying.

Do you think a hospital bag differs when you're having a C-section? I suppose the likelihood is that I'll be in longer so will need more things.

I woke up about 5 @Zampa & was just starting to doze off when DP's alarm went off at 6 & he is incapable of getting ready for work quietly & then we he left for work & slammed the front door he woke DS up!

I'm starting to gather things together for my hospital bags but probably won't pack them for another couple of weeks. I need to get some maternity pads but other than that I think I have everything to go in them, just need to wash the baby clothes & muslin. I've bought myself a nice handcream to take in as my hands get so dry in hospital, just need to put it away & not use it now.

I had an emcs last time, the only things I would say you need differently for a elcs are big pants, ones that come really high up. I got the biggest pants I could find from primark in a few sizes bigger than I need. They were so comfortable I wore them a few weeks longer than I needed to! It's also worth having some paracetamol & ibuprofen in your bag in case you miss the drug round so you can keep on top of the pain. Flip flops or slip on shoes for when you go home as you won't be bending over, either a maxi dress or soft over the bump yoga pants for going home in as well as you don't want anything rubbing the scar, the seatbelt is bad enough. Finally take some peppermint cordial or peppermint sweets. You can suffer with very painful trapped wind after a c section. It manifests itself in your shoulder & it was actually more painful than my scar. My hospital gives out peppermint oil tablets to relieve it but not all of them do & you'll want something to at home to continue to help. It only lasts about 5-7 days.

I'd say if you're planning to stay in hospital for more than a day or 2 it's probably best to pack a bag for the first couple of days & another for the second half of your stay that can be brought to you when needed. They don't usually have a huge amount of storage space next to the beds & can get a bit funny about you having more stuff than will fit in one little cabinet. Don't forget to pack a second bag for the baby too & make sure your DP or someone knows where to find anything else you might need.

Another thing I'd say for anyone going into hospital is to make sure you're told where everything is & ask if you forget. With both my DC I was shown to my bed & left to it. Eventually I discovered where the loos were, that there was a day room with a fridge/microwave I could use, that I could put expressed milk in said fridge if I labelled it... I was expected to change the cot sheets if they threw up on them but no-one told me where to get fresh ones from. They're usually v busy on postnatal wards & it's way too easy to be overlooked if you don't demand attention!

Also, if the Bounty rep comes round you're under no obligation to give them any personal details. Despite what some of them say, you don't need their pack to be able to claim child benefit - the packs do contain the form but it's not the only way to get a form. If you give them your details you tend to get a lot of junk mail for a while after.

Oh, & if my experiences are anything to go by, don't expect to get any sleep - there's always at least one mum on the ward who sleeps through her baby's crying & just when the baby gives up & falls asleep the mum will wake up & start making weird cooing orgasm type noises at the baby.

One last thing... You're perfectly within your rights to discharge yourself if there's no suspected health issues with either you or the baby & you feel you'd recover better in calmer, more familiar surroundings!

Definitely agree with all the excellent advice above - the only thing I'd add would be that the food can be a bit lacking on post natal wards and I got really hungry, so pack something like a few cereal bars.

Here it now seems to be a 24 hour stay after a section and no longer, unless there are any complications. I can't really decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing - on one hand it's good to get home but on the other hand it's also reassuring to have a few days in hospital after a major op.

I've picked up our pushchair today and DH has painted the nursery... It's all getting a bit real!

Is anyone else ridiculously uncomfortable? I haven't been able to sleep for ages now, but, the uncomfortable feeling is now around all the time, when I'm sitting, standing and walking. I feel so restless, I hope its not going to be like this for the next 10 weeks!

Agnu re hospital bag I haven't started. It yet or thought about it much but this week I had to see a diabetic nurse. To distract me when she pricked my finger she asked me what I had packed in my hospital bag and I thought eek I had better get on with this!

I still haven't packed anything but my dad bought me some new slippers the other day so might keep them for the hospital and it can be start of my bag :)

Zampa I'm going to have a section I think due to back problems. I didn't think of whether I would need anything different for section....topsy and agnu thank you so much for advice and tips x

I'm with everyone else with the lack of sleep in night - even when I get comfortable and finally manage to get to sleep I wake up needing to wee and then it takes me ages to get comfortable again and ignore back pain/wrist pain/ restless legs. Also when I get up and then lie back down it wakes baby up who then kicks for a while - I do like it but keeps me awake too.

Daytime defo starting to feel a bit like a whale. Standing and walking has always helped my back/ sciatica but now I get back ache higher up back and I find it sets up braxton hicks. Getting out a chair involved a few more steps and slight out of breath by time I'm up and I just keep thinking I'm going to get bigger!

Now I definitely have a noticeable bump I have noticed how kind people are. If a drop something a stranger appears and picks it up, when I order something in a cafe they insist on carrying it to my table and when I need to join a queue sometimes people let me go ahead. Restored my faith in fellow humans how thoughtful people are! X

15% discount card for JoJo attached. Just for sleepsuits and matching hats but may help.

Worst nights sleep ever last I night reckon I got 2-3 hrs max and just lay on the sofa for a while to elevate my restless legs. Am shattered. Back hurts constantly can't sleep moan moan moan! Got a terrible cold and feel dreadful with that which does not help.

Not packed hospital bag that's a job for this wk at 33 weeks!

@TreasureInMyTummy nice people are being kind i am guessing you don't live in London!?

@TreasureInMyTummy has a consultant advised a section due to back problems? Do u mind asking me what is wrong as I also have bad Back from old injuries and have consultant appt 4 wks before my due date. Didn't occur to me it would impact delivery method so now wondering if that is what appt is for!

@theotherendofthesockportal yes and I know I'm moaning about it but literally always in pain and uncomfortable now!

@lydiangel83 I have an old back injury (slipped disc) and had an appt towards the end of my first pregnancy - it was to look at whether the location of the disc problem may have been an issue for a spinal or epidural (it wasn't). I think they like to have it all checked and written into your notes in advance.

Anyone else having problems with getting dizzy spells? In the last maybe 2 weeks, I've been having episodes where my heart starts racing, I feel dizzy and out of breath 😣 it doesn't even have to be when I'm doing anything strenuous, has happened while I'm sitting at a desk at work, at home sitting on the couch 😕

Rang the midwives on fri, as had a bad episode at work and they basically said it's normal, happens to some ladies 😕 just don't know how I'm going to cope for the next 10 weeks 😞

@NerdyViking - I've not experienced that yet. Definitely talk to your work as they may want to do another risk assessment for you. Xx

@NerdyViking if I were you I'd be booking a GP appointment & getting them to give you a proper check, it could just be a pregnancy thing as the mw says but I would want them to check it's nothing else, I.e low blood pressure or sugar, anaemia, low heart rate. Is there any pattern to when the fainting happens that could help them identify a cause? Hopefully it's nothing serious.

Baby has been on the go all day today, some very strange movements. She's normally like this at night so hoping she'll fall asleep soon & let me have a peaceful night instead. I won't be long to bed tonight, think I've overdone it a bit over the weekend & it's caught up with me now.

Hi, I'm a late joiner to this thread! Hope that's o.k.

29 weeks with a much wanted first, after a long and painful journey to get here. Feeling very grateful. But my god bits of it are a slog! Struggling with a few bits and hope this is normal parr for the course??
~ the lack of sleep! I can only get a few hours at a time and I'm then tired all day. Turning over hurts which is meant to be because of PGP.
~ work. I love my job. I got a promotion just as I fell pregnant. And now I'm really struggling with the expectation and responsibility. My whole team does long hours and these days that's becoming harder and harder. I can't do anything but work and sleep and I can't keep up with doing extra work at weekends which was what I used to do to keep on top of the load.
~ bursting into tears at the smallest thing. I just cried outside of a shop because of a mildly rude shopassistant.
All I want to do is curl up on the sofa and this is so different to my pre- pregnancy personality.
I hope u are all faring better! It's been nice to rtft and read everyone's stories and hear about those in the same boat. Sending good thoughts to all those struggling.