February 2019 babies - onwards and almost the third trimester!

[Since2016]

New thread!

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New thread already wow we are very chatty

It's nuts how many threads we're getting through!!!

Wow almost third tri already 😱

Is this the 10th thread now? Definitely a chatty bunch but I'm also included in that with my stupid o clock posts....

It is very useful though!

Hello!

Anyone else find it really difficult to get hold of their / a midwife? Been calling all afternoon on a few different numbers and can't get through??

Glad it's not important x

I just text my midwife. They're so busy trying to get round to everyone that that way, she can get back to me when she has a moment.

I have no idea who my midwife is 🤷🏻‍♀️

I know I need to contact him/her but every appointment so far has been with a stand in while they sort out the permanent one..

No clue who to call about my matb1! 😂

@NotAsGreenAsCabbageLooking - that's why I was calling. She hasn't mentioned it yet. My last appointment was 16 weeks and my next is 28 weeks but that's not for another 3/4 weeks.

I understand they are busy but even when I've left messages before I don't get a call back 😩

@Yakadee. The number I have for my midwife constantly goes to voicemail. Don’t usually get a call back until 48 hours later. It is pretty frustrating but thankfully I’ve never had to call for anything serious x

@bubblybrit - no, me neither thankfully. X

Yep I text my midwife too. She usually gets back to me same day but takes a while.

I have two points of call for midwife. I have local midwife and when I tried to call her I had difficulty. I also have the hospital midwives (hospital I elected to give birth in is different city from where I live) and I can get through on the “emergency” number quite easily (which is good) but not so easily on other numbers.

Baby kicks have been feeling weird last night and this morning - maybe baby is just getting stronger? 🤔

I had to text my midwife to ask about coming in with shingles - I have an appointment Thursday but she agreed it would be safer for the other mums not to come in. Our last appointment was very brief due to me having a Fetal Medicine scan so I wanted a more in depth check in, especially as there was one slightly off measurement on the ultrasound and the sonographer said the midwife might request a further scan so was hoping I could ask for one.

I was just working in bed and was getting freaked out by these weird sensations in my stomach. I had totally forgotten I was pregnant and that it was the baby kicking!

Had the weirdest conversation with my mum, she just kept going on about how I wouldn't lose the weight immediately and how she went 'up' to 9.5 stone with me but put on 'loads' of weight with my sister - up to 11 stone... well that's where I started so I'm pretty fucked! In my head I was like 'I'm not worried about it, I don't give a f*'... it's hard not to get annoyed as this stuff seems to come out of nowhere and makes me assume she's just been thinking about how fat I am. On the Sunday I was really hungry for lunch (it was already 1.30pm and had a fairly early breakfast!) and she said, half joking that I was 'always' hungry and that I was like a dog sniffing for food and so I needed a clip on my nose to stop me smelling it...pretty bizarre. She has always been obsessed with her own and my sister and I's appearance so I've had to learn to let it wash over me but it is hard for it not to get to me sometimes.

On another note - I'm wondering how to deal with gifts etc... I have a big Irish family and people are apparently excitedly buying things, which is LOVELY but I don't know if there's a good way to manage it. None of this talk is directly with me, I'm getting it second hand via my parents. I really appreciate everyone wanting to help but I
a) don't want to buy things that other people have already gotten us and
b) would actually much prefer money so we can sort out what we need and don't get 10 of one thing!
I don't think I can really ask for cash (and a lot of what's on offer will be gratefully received hand-me-downs) but not sure about how to tackle A tactfully either. I wish they were technically minded so I could send round a google spreadsheet where they could mark on what they were offering us and we could write down what we'd like to get ourselves!

@powkin that sounds v odd re your mum. Tbh pregnancy weight gain is hard - I’m struggling with it and I struggled last time. It did come off in the end but i wasn’t a ‘skinny’ pregnant person - I swelled everywhere and felt hideous. Just try to ignore her and concentrate on what’s important - easier said than done I know.! I’ve found getting nails done etc makes me feel more ‘me’.

Re the other - another big Irish family ✋🏻 - tbh most of the gifts we got were clothes. And books. People love buying tiny baby things. Some of it I liked, some of it I didn’t... people won’t respond well to lists, they want to buy cute baby outfits generally so I generally let people get on with it. Hence my advice to ftms is always not to buy masses in small sizes as that’s what people buy - better to buy bigger! If you have siblings that want to buy you ‘something’ Then maybe make a small list of medium budget items that you wouldn’t mind them picking - e.g bouncer / changing mat / baby towel / changing bag etc

Place marking

Is anyone else struggling with leg cramps? Managed to get a little nap in this afternoon while my daughter slept and woke up in agony, it wouldn't go for ages to the point I was sweating with the pain! Obviously it went eventually but it's felt on the verge of coming back all afternoon.
I've heard magnesium helps but don't know how I would take it?

@powkin amazon do a baby wish list if you think people would use it. Just set it up on your account with what you want and then email family and friends with a link to it. Worked really well for my sister in law.

@IndiX I have bad cramps too but it's because I have varicose veins in my legs. I find it's worse if I'm dehydrated so make sure you keep drinking. I also wear compression stockings (glam!) if I'm on my feet a lot.

Because of my risk of thrombosis I have to inject myself daily with blood thinner from 28 weeks

@IndiX ps please watch for hot/tender areas on your legs as can be a sign of DVT.

Placemarking!

@powkin your mum sounds like mine! Told me on my 18th Birthday that I was 'going to get old and get fat' as it was in my genes, then turned around when I announced the pregnancy to let me know that she put on less than a stone during each of her pregnancies and was back in her pre-pregnancy jeans a week after giving birth!! She has yo-yo'd so badly with weight I struggled myself to get into good habits but I've been better recently.

In terms of people buying stuff I'd also appreciate tips on how to try and get people to calm down. We have family on my OHs side who have finished having children and have given us a lot of second hand stuff so there is very little that we actually need other than the big purchases. My family are just going nuts with anything they see that they think is a bargain, so amongst other things we now have two moses baskets and a selection of toys that are more suited for an 18 month old and very pink (we don't know what we're having). I'd just rather people check with us before they buy us things so we can let them know if we want it. Some of the toys are big and bulky and I don't want to have to store them for 2 years.

I've never called my midwife but I have a sheet with her mobile number on and various other numbers, so hopefully if I do ever need to call I can get through!

Jab wise my midwife told me to get the flu jab and whooping cough at my 16 week app

Has anyone started with Braxton Hicks yet? I thought it was just the baby pressing right up against the front of my stomach but after reading some bits online I think it must be BH!

@powkin Hilarious that you forgot you were preggers when you felt the baby kick.
I woke up with a jerk last night cos it felt like someone was drumming their fingers on my side. Not sure if it was the baby or my imagination. I often hear a door bell or door knock in my sleep that's so real it wakes me up and a very few of my of my dreams do use all five senses.