Due in July Part FOUR - gather here!

[Cyee]

Can't believe we need more space... again...

Message withdrawn

Justbeme - Lets hope your little one arrives in June and then you can come and boast over on the July thread!

Firststar - I have never thought about food as much as I do now! Luckily I don't own a set of scales (and not tempted to go and buy any either!!!!)
Just ate a raspberry Jelly from M&S and baby is kicking and jumping around...Not sure if it likes it or not!

When is the sunshine going to return? Its so dull and miserable out there right now! That said, when it does get too hot I complain! Hey ho, I'm allowed because I'm pregnant!!!!!

Hi all,

re; tens machine.
I hired mine from our local health centre for £10 for 2 weeks plus £10 deposit which you get back once it's returned.

H.T.H.

Message withdrawn

Hi again everyone. I saw my midwife yesterday, after a rather stressful wait (they were running nearly an hour late and the whole family were waiting in the car for me! If I'd known they would be so late I would have taken them home first!). However they were very apologetic, and very very nice - so much more professional and knowledgable than my previous one. In fact it really highlighted to me what poor care I had been getting before - some of the things she had written in my notes didn't even make sense to the new midwife (wrong words used etc) .

Today I went to look round the maternity unit at the hospital - absolutely lovely, really nice staff, very friendly, all the facilities I could want (except a pool unfortunately). Dh and I have decided that I shall probably go up to the hospital alone for the birth as having just moved house we haven't got anyone to take care of the other children. I'm quite happy about that, particularly having seen the unit now and it is one to one care throughout labour as well. All starting to feel a bit real now!

I have finally caught up with all your posts - lovely to hear how you are all getting on. Weddingcake, I am planning on going to parentcraft classes simply to meet some local people, I don't expect to learn anything! So you definitely aren't missing anything. Not with us lot here to tell you what to do anyway

I bought a TENS machine last time (ex-rental) and it was really useful as I had 30 hours of contractions every 10 mins at home, so really helped. As I'm booked in for a section this time, if anyone in the Sheffield area (I'm S10) wants to borrow it, they are more than welcome- I have some spare pads too.

The only thing about testing it is that it is recommended to wait until you are 37 weeks, as it could bring on early labour. So don't hire one too soon...

Weddingcake- don't worry about not attending ante-natal classes. I didn't learn much on my NHS one-dayer but learnt more on NCT ones, but they cost £90. We missed the tour of the hospital as my midwife told me the wrong time, and we were OK! The main advice I can offer is:

1. Breathing- this really helps with contractions- long breaths in through nose and out through mouth. If you have any practice BH contractions have a go and it will feel much better. If you have any good relaxation techniques (e.g. imagining yourself in your favourite place) then that will help too.

2. Have a birth plan written down and make sure your DH knows it too, as there may be a time when you can't speak clearly and he can then discuss things with the midwife, such as pain relief options.

3. Tell DH he should just do whatever you want him to during labour- I found it really useful to lean on DH during contractions, and he was great at fetching me water to drink. Also warn him about "transition"- this happens I think when you are fully dilated, and you may swear a lot, want baby out NOW or feel like you can't get baby out (too tired). Again, he should just be supportive and encouraging (or keep quiet!) and it should pass quickly, although not sure when mine started or ended!

4. The hospital should advise/show you how to dress baby, change a nappy, bath baby, feed baby etc, so don't worry too much about all that.

Message withdrawn

Thanks for that pulapula - everyone's made me feel so much better about not being able to go - I think my biggest worry now is that I'll get to the hospital and the only midwife in sight will be the nasty one I saw yesterday - Surely I can't be that unlucky though?!

I'm also a bit gutted not to be meeting local new mums - don't want my baby to be a total billy no mates but hopefully I'll meet people once I'm out and about once the baby's actually here and even if they've all palled up before the birth hopefully they'll have room for one more!

Will practice my best 'non desperate but please be my friend' smile....

Message withdrawn

Shame ABgirl (where is abgirl) can't draw a map of the UK and put everyone's name on their approximate location..... as if she hasn't enough to do. Some people might find they are round the corner from others on this thread.

Have packed my overnight bag, put clothes into Splodge's wardrobe. Even got the pram off my friend (It is still in my house - I know it is bad luck but i'm waiting for MIL to offer to take it) I'm slowly getting there.

Does anyone else have a pain under their ribs. I used to get it at night but now it is all thru the day. Really Annoying!

Sorry I can't remember who mentioned not going to ante-natal classes - but my advice on it would be to go if you can, not for the advice which was rubbish, but for meeting other people. I hated the classes when I went a couple of years ago but at the end they gave us a list of everyone's names and addresses and numbers, and I now have several of the best friends I've ever had through it. It's really good to be able to compare notes with them and to swap tips. And now our babies are 20 months, they really enjoy seeing eachother too.

Good tips pulapula, I agree with them all. I've been doing my birthplan this week and quite apart from being useful for the actual birth, concentrating on it has really helped me prepare mentally for what will happen.

(Waves at Weddingcake) Don't forget about me, I'm just over the bridge in Fulham. I'll be your friend!

Im back....and waxed It was all ok, wasnt as painfull as i thought, thank goodness as i forgot to take the painkillers!! Under arms were fine,legs were fine, bikini line a bit sore along with the eye brows...but all worth it

Has anyone else noticed a slowdown in movements recently? I was having huge movements (as in visible from the other side of the room) several times a day plus a few smaller ones pretty frequently. For the past few days I've hardly felt anything till about lunchtime then a few small ones for the rest of the day. I'm still getting 10 individual movements but there's been a marked slowdown in frequency and size. Not sure whether it's just that baby has now gone fully headdown etc or whether I should be really worried (growth was a bit slow too last week). Seeing midwife tomorrow afternoon anyway but becoming paranoid!

(Oh and just as I was about to press 'post message' I got the biggest movement for days...typical!)

Hi Caroline, am still here and reading the posts daily to catch up but have a really bad back and it hurts to sit too long, am OK when standing or lying down but not really ideal positions for typing! Am also getting quite tired now and after looking after DS for the day it's all I can do to lie down on the sofa and stay awake till big brother's on!

I never went to ante-natal classes before as DS arrived too early but met plenty of other new mums at a post-natal group and at a bumps n' babes club, some of whom have now become extremely good friends - still see them weekly and met up with our DHs once a month.

Hope everyone's getting on well and will post stats tomorrow!

btw, don't think my computer or art skills are up to posting maps of the UK yet!

oh and to make you all our baby's nursery is now totally ready with all baby clothes down from the loft and packed away in drawers...just need to make up the moses basket and repack my hospital bag (again) and will be totally ready!

Well done abgirl for staying up for Big Brother; I keep trying but the next day I am so tired/emotional/ratty it is unbearable! I am trying to ban myself from watching it so that I get earlier nights but as dh watches it I keep getting sucked back in!

hi all, i'm really sorry as I know this has been mentioned earlier in the thread but i have had the worst headache for the last 2 days and its making it worse trying to scroll through the answers sorry....

basically i have been feeling really really tired recently, i mean like chronic tiredness. I'm vegetarian and try really really hard to eat the right stuff but sometimes it just doesnt happen . Anyway I had a full blood count done 6 weeks ago at my GTT and all they wrote down was that the reaults were 11.1. What is this? If I was anaemic would this figure have anything to do with it? I remember seeing someones answer in here about 11 but like i said i'm finding it hard to find the answer! My midwife today looked at the 11 figure and said that i'm not anaemic as the result was 11.1, but i dont think she realised this was 6 weeks ago and it might have changed, she really is very dizzy, i'm not being horrible its just that we've had no end of problems with her . Also i was informed by my midwife today that they have lost ALL my notes Anyway would be grateful if anyone could give me any advice as i'm really struggling with this tiredness

Groveregg have had to sky+ it as a back up as I keep falling asleep, thought I may as well start watching it as will no doubt be up at that time still once this LO arrives! Definitely watching tonight though as someone has been chucked out (won't say who in case someone on here doesn't know already..) Bit sad really isn't it....

huskygirl make an appointment with your gp and explain the problem re tiredness to them - they can do the blood test and send it off for you. I would ring the community midwives office and have a moan about the lost notes... what a pain and doesn't really inspire confidence! Have learnt the hard way that being quite forthright is normally the best way to get results with midwives...

My movements have definitely slowed right down and I'm sure this must be to do with running out of room.

I've been told that if I'm worried to drink a glass of ice cold water or to eat something sugary and see if that helps. When I was in hospital all wired up on Monday the lovely midwives there said that they'd rather a mum who was concerned came in 30 times to have it checked out than sit at home stressing about it. I guess this is just the start of a lifetime of worrying about our LO's isn't it?!

Divaskychick - thankyou for offering to be my first 'new mum friend'. I have visions of us sitting by the river with a glass of something chilled while our perfect textbook babies coo happily in their prams - obviously we've pinged back to our pre pregnancy figures (and I've even lost the extra stone that was there before I conceived) and are the ultimate in 'SW London Yummy Mummies'....Then I wonder what the reality will be like!!!

thanks abgirl, i think the doc is going to be the best way to ind out why i feel like this its hard being in a small village with one midwife but i've got a consultants appointment next week at hosp so i might just ask if i can have my last few appointments at the hosp instead.

on another point i had a major meltdown today! poor DH! think he finally realised how petrified i am about forthcoming birth!

Really sorry to hear you're feeling so rough huskygirl and hope you can get it sorted. As for losing your notes I know these things happen but they should definitely be trying to rectify it asap because it certainly shouldn't be something you have to stress about.