Due August '07 Part 5 - Whizzing into our third Trimester !

[tokentotty]

Hellooooo !!

Oh poor Mr Kite !! I had to take DH's in when we were having tests - he just couldn't face it !!!

My midwife comes round, reminds me I need to do a sample as I always forget then I provide it in the pot, she pops a stick thing in it that goes diff colours and she tells me all's well. That's it !! Then I just empty it down the sink and pop it in the dishwasher. Is this an approved sterilisation method ?

You all live in an entirely different pregnant world to me. I have seen one midwife, once, and given one urine sample for testing, once, precisely two weeks ago.
I am honestly beginning to feel blessed by this benign neglect that I raged against back when we were all six and seven weeks pregnant.

at your poor BF's treatment Kite.

I'm starting to feel a bit left out - am I the only one who doesn't get to take my urine sample home with me??

I don't take mine home with me either. My community midwife is a bid dotty I'm sure. Whenever I've seen her (4 times now) she always has the little pots of urine and tester strips on her desk from all the woman you have been before you - luckily I usually manage to get early appointments (my last 9.40 am appointment there were 4 pots os wee on her desk when i arrived). I dred to think what it's going to be like for my next one as that's not till 11.20.

It is kind of funny as well though [evil smirk through tears of sympathy for BF]

I found fertility specialists and clinics were all pretty insensitive to the fact that THAT kind of sample involves an entirely different and very personal process to other kinds. It seemed that to them it was just a cog in a medical procedure. Hated all that medicalisation/depersonalisation. Possibly why I have gone very yogic and earth mother since being pregnant.

I've never taken one home either - everyone (GP, MW, consultant, cat's mother, passing stanger etc) dips, reads, recaps and bins...

and they all want my blood all the time
Am losing about 50ml every 3weeks...

Oh god - just made the mistake of looking at Bananabumps picture...... nearly PMSL !! has no-one else noticed that baby is breech?! my LO is now expanding sideways, so i have feet and stuff sticking out from all sorts of funny angles.

Had fab day at work yesterday -wore too small maternity trousers with velcro fastenning - every time i ast down the velcro came undone and then whn I stood up, my trousers fell down! It loses something in translation, but we did laugh.

had first 1/2 day working from home - was very virtuous and did lots - even rang my manager to tell her what I'd done! sad hey? Only 3.5 weeks of work left

Wrote to HR aswell, to moan about losing 4 weeks of A/l coz of when my mat leave starts - it crosses the financial year and they won't let me carry it. This means I'm forced to go back to work when LO is 8 months old instead of my preferred 9. We'll see if they can come up with anything constructive.

lol.... don't look at the 35 week pic then! huuuuge!

Good grief - book me in for an epidural right now.

Eyes already starting to water.

yes - but at least its the right way up!!

Having had a 9lb 4oz 1st baby I can tell you I KNOW they come out - tho god knows how!

I don't know how one does a scientific survey on whether large babies are REALLY easier to give birth to but mine was a fairly easy labour so.... not sure if that's comforting or not?

Very envious of you only having 3.5 weeks of work left growingbagpuss. I've got 7.5 weeks to go but then you are due 2 weeks before me so I shouldn't complain. Would your company not let you take your annual leave before your mat leave starts? I think that's very unfair that you have to lose it. Let's hope they can sort something out.

It's true Kite that a lot of medical staff seem to be very practical about things and some are a bit detached from their emotions - I suppose if you do that sort of work day in day out, it becomes normal to you and you don't realise how big a deal certain things are to patients...

Growingbagpuss there really is no way to look professional in maternity clothes is there? I seem to constantly spend my time pulling trousers up (and I've given up trying to be discreet!!). Could you not finish up at work now and take all your AL until your ML starts? Surely your work could pay you for AL that you haven't taken? Oops - think I may have read your post incorrectly - when does your new financial year start?

MrsB - ouch! to having blood taken all the time (you know how pants I am about having blood taken from my disappearing veins...)

Ow! Just looked at the 35-week pic Bananabump. Surely that can't be in proportion??? Have you seen how big the baby's head is in comparison to the "birth canal"? I know we stretch but......

I'm already taking 4 weeks A/L b4 mat leave starts - I'm NHS so we get stupid amounts of holiday (not thta I'm complaining) - and I've got 10 years service. I couldn't have taken it all b4 birth and our policy says mat leave kicks as soon as you have babe - irrespective of what A/L u have booked.

Our financial yr is April - if I take 9 month's I'm due back in mid april, but that means i lose all the a/l. If I take all the A/l in march - i automatically forfeit the end of my Mat leave so although i'll be a bit better off, I'll still have to go back in April.

the few weeks left is nice - but I am determind to do it right this time, as last time I was tooing and froing from my parents seeing my dying father..... I am SOOOO doing the baby thing this time. I WILL NOT BE DEPRESSED!!!!!

Poor MrsB - why so much blood? Hope you take chocolate with you...

Growingbagpuss - ask to take it beforehand. You are supposed to be entitled to accumulate annual leave as though you are in the office. Being forced to lose it because of absence is discriminatory.

Also, for both your and Babyloves' benefit: I have bought some of those weird trouser -holder-uppers that attach to your bra. I will try them out tomorrow and tell you if they are worth the fifteen pound investment (they certainly don't look much to the eye). I was starting to pull up my trousers (which by the way are mostly over bump) wherever I was and realise it isn't a good look in the office. Worse was the day I wore a belly belt with normal trousers and had to tuck the flap back in while hiding behind my door!

crossed posts sorry

Hi everyone.

FAR too hot today. 21 degrees and polyester stretch trousers a bad combination.

Will have to rethink my wardrobe if this continues!

Sounds like a nightmare growingbagpuss. I'm sure you will be able to enjoy your baby this time round

Growingbagpuss I'm sorry that things were tough for you last time round - as if it's not hard enough having your first baby, it must have been even more difficult with your father being ill. At least you'll have all the other August MNetters to let off steam to this time round if things get tough. From the sounds of your attitude, you're already determined to handle things differently this time round!

Which reminds me... I wonder who'll be first to start our Postnatal thread?!!

Conker I suspect

Hmmm... yes you're like me Kite, not due until the end of the month... Oh well, we'll still be kicking about on this thread for a little while longer I guess!!

it's the 'high risk' thing - they are obsessed with charting as many numbers as possible .
Luckily both my regular phlebotomists are fab and the blood room is next to the tea shop

me please!! Id love to start the post natal thread!!!!!! DS judt squashed the bump by trying to climb on me.... blimey it hurt!! I think its got bones in it....

Growing, you have my vote of confidence - you clearly want to lead the pack. Babyloves, I have an instinct my LO will arrive some time in the first week of September so I suspect I will be last (although I think some more of us end-Augusters are also first time mums so we might all become September mums)