Where's that bloomin' Carol Vorderman when you need her as the August '07 Countdown begins....

[tokentotty]

Whaddyathink ???

oooh cripes Itchy - I'm suprised they only picked up the extra fluid now..... at least you know they are taking action. I'm 38 weeks today...not sure I would like the idea of a section..... but how nice would it be to be snuggling this little thing -rather than feeling her constantly kicking and squirming. I just want to count all those little fingers and toes!!

I think people in London are strange sometimes, how could anyone enjoy sitting down watching a heavily pregnant woman swaying on her feet in front of them?
It is hard to ask for a seat when people are obviously indifferent. I've said to people "I'm so sorry but I think I'll collapse if I don't sit down immediately!"

Growingbp- the fluid was picked up at 31wks so had to cut out sugars and rest more, it had gone down slightly at 33wks. luckily the dr agreed not to mention it on my fit to fly letter or I'd still be in Tanzania right now. Still trying to keep out obvious sugars but realy craving fruit and sandwiches

I must admit I shake my head in awe every post i read from you all with young kids to cope with, you must be frazzled sometimes

morning folks - still no poppers yet from the regulars. Keep coming on thinking I will be hit with a list of those who have popped.

Every twinge I get just now has me wondering - had pinkish knickers yesterday too (sorry if tmi) but not really mucousy so dont know if that counts for anything.

am getting either a sweep or something like a sweep a week today if it hasn't arrived (will be one day off my due date then). she said she would do an internal which might help it along if its nearly ready - but is not quite a sweep so dont really know what it is.

still getting crampy pains and bump tightenings on and off but not regularly enough for me to start counting them.

Am having the same slight panics of really want it to come soon so dh will be around for longer before going on his zambia trip, but then thinking - am i actually ready? Am on the verge of tears quite often just now but am telling myself its just the hormones. anyone else feeling tearful a lot?

came down to help dh with his work today to try and get him in a position that if the lo comes this week, he can hand his projects on to somebody else (he is a youth worker and is right in the middle of organising a big summer of events for the area), but he keeps disappearing off, so think i will go into town, have a wander round the shops, read some harry potter and go to the cinema.

Am cross with him anyway for staying up drinking last night with one of our friends. He had said he wouldnt have more than one glass so if he had to drive, he could, but that went out the window pretty early on.

sorry conkertree, when's your dh off to zambia?

oh no parcel just arrived from blooming marvellous and not impressed, nightdress huge and matching baby things a bit cheapy looking. I knew I should stick to JL and mamasnpapas

he is off for 3 weeks at the very end of august - think its the 29th he is going.

so would like the lo to come asap

thats annoying itchy - are you going to return them?

oh dear 3 weeks will be a very long time, who will help you while he's away?
I'm going to have to return some things, very annoying, I'll think twice before paying £4.95 postage online again

am going to go to my parents for a week and a bit i think, then to purplerabbits for a week or so (will either be lots of fun with her ds and two new babies or neither of us will get any sleep at all - will have to see how it goes). Not sure about staying at home on my own - will see how my confidence is by then and decide at the time, but i suspect i will prefer company.

it is very annoying when postage etc means that things cost a lot more than they look like initially online - particulary if they end up being returned.

Hi guys, glad to hear everyone's ok.

Aaw conkertree your post about feeling apprehensive and tearful- half wanting baby to come and half not feeling ready- that was SO me the other day. I think it's probably a natural fight or flight reaction, I mean it's going to be such a big change and right now it's all so uncertain.

I can't offer any words of advice but I really do know how you feel. I've never felt so daunted in my life, and so unprepared, but I'm sure all first timers feel that way in the last week or so. We're all in the same boat, that's for sure!

I'm coping by eating copious amounts of chocolate, and furious nesting, how 'bout you?

Ive discovered another comfort food - sorbet... sainsbury's do a rather nice lemon, and a raspberry and blueberry swirl. perfect for midnight energy needs, and cool and yummy. Funny - I always useed to be a chocolate person.....

Antcipation is a rotten thing isn't it - it'll work wonders when you actually go into labour - because it wil work the right way, and all that adrenaline should keep you going - but right now, it is saying "RUN!!!!!! run as far away as you can"

Try not to be put off my other people's children - I was never remotely interested in other people's babies (but I am now) - nd people used to pass me thier children with a "here, you're pregnant" look. Whatever, whenever and however our LO's arrive, there is just that amazing moment of "oh my god, i made you, you are real, you are here"

I remember the M/w handing me DS, and showing me that he had all his bits.. and all I could think was, give him to me, I can count his flaming fingers myself....

sorry... that should say BY other people's children.....

Hi everyone, I have been lurking just in case there are any birth announcements.

Still no news on baby front here either I'm afraid....Only 1 week and 1 day until my due date though and am hoping this one will not be late!

Am currently relaxing on sofa with chocolate hobnobs and strawberry milk whilst DS' naps after a busy day out with friends (I should go and wake him up now really I suppose)

I have to agree with GrowingBagpuss about other people's children, I was not remotely interested in them (well am still not actually ) and really felt uncomfortable if someone thrusted their baby at me to hold.

Conkertree - I'm not sure I would cope if DH had to go away for 3 weeks with DS(2), nevermind with a newborn .
It is good that you have family who you can go and stay with.

My mum is living in Florida at the moment -she said she will come back to help if I need her to, but that seems like a BIG ask!

My DH has got a business trip to Scotland planned for the 9th - 3 days afer I'm due he keeps asking me what the chances are that the LO will have arrived by then....

He's going to Leicester tomorrow... so you can guarantee that's when things will kick off - and he's on his m/bike so I can't even ring him en route...!!

My Mum has said we can up sticks and stay with her if the going gets tough... in BRISTOL....

You will survive - call in every favour you have with every friend, you will be ok. But still scary, and I do understand how you feel!

oh dear I just watched last night's dispatches programme and have been reading up on the hospital here. After initial panic, I think it's good to at least be aware of how poor labour and post-natal care might be in hospital. I'm making lists now of things to explain to dp and ds.
Growingbp- will dh still have to go on trip if lo has arrived early? do you have back up?

and I'm so jealous of you all with your sweet things to eat! I'm waiting on sainsbury's delivery tomorrow, so eating all the boring things in the fridge today.. celery sticks, tomatoes anyone? we've even run out of cheese, how dull!!

we have known about the trip for a while so its not been sprung on us - i think its just now with all the hormones flying around that it seems more daunting than it did a few months ago.

and yes bananabump - chocolate is featuring heavily in my diet at the moment. probably not the best thing for the lo, but definately good for me. have done some nesting but dont seem to have had much time at home since starting ml - i have to wait in for the pram to be delivered on thursday, so will get some cleaning done then.

how far is leicester from you growing?

Hi everyone - still cant belive that none of us have popped yet! saying that where is TT - maybe?

Well i have had a busy day, had my ofsted inspection today that came out as "good' which apparently is great as only 1% of the whole of the country including nurserys,pre schools get outstanding so im chuffted to bits!

Will now get on and sort out the text numbers tomorrow!

Hi everyone, can't believe none of us have popped yet either! I went to my third NCT class yesterday and one of the girls had her baby last week, 3 1/2 weeks early! All's well and he's absolutely gorgeous, but was a bit of a reality check, I'm 36 weeks on Thurs. Having a bit of a last-minute panic too I think.

What did Dispatches say about the Whittington? Not booked in there but it's my nearest hospital and I was thinking of changing from Barnet to there if lo is definitely breech (find out on Thurs).

Thanks for the sorbet tip bagpuss, I love the Sainsbury's mango one. Have to get some on the way home tonight .

Mrs B, love the dress in that pic!

Annie, sorry for making you wet yourself...

Katybird, the general gist of the prog about the whittington was that they were pretty much chronically understaffed and the staff they did have were so stretched they didn't seem to know that the woman in question had had a section and expected her to go and get her own breakfast.

The day before she had only had a couple of pieces of toast the whole day. Also they left her sitting in blood for a while as they were busy, and at one point her drip bag full of unknown fluids ran out and her husband traipsed round the wards three times before he got an answer on whether she needed the bag replacing or whether she should just drink water. No-one told her when to get up and move around so she didn't, and then they came in and said "why haven't you got up yet?"

Also, at one point her baby was coughing/gagging due to amniotic fluid retained in his lungs, and brought up some yucky looking matter (possibly meconium, I missed that bit as the phone rang) and again it took a while to find someone to tell them everything was ok. In the end I think they spoke to a healthcare assistant who was just passing through.

The woman said that her care during the section etc was fine, it was just the postnatal ward where she was left hungry, thirsty and in pain for quite a while. But remember that she could have asked her husband to bring her food, drinks, or paracetamol, but for the purposes of the programme she did nothing for herself, to illustrate how long it would take the nurses to get round to things.

Also, just prior to the elective c section she was due to have because of a previous traumatic birth at the whittington, the doctor who came in to get her consent seemed to try to talk her out of it and go for a natural birth, which seemed a little odd as the lady had obviously made up her mind and had her reasons.

Nothing was horrific, nothing looked dirty, she wasn't mistreated, but the care was sparse and the staff seemed vague and misinformed, they obviously had dozens of women to look after at once. I think the ratio of midwives to women was 1:9.

Hi everyone

Have my last 4 hours at work today, can't wait for it to be over! Have developed really sore hips and pelvis this last week and feeling very stiff. Guess everything is loosening up in preparation for the birth but a month of this could be hard to take...

Feeling a bit anxious and fragile about all the changes to come and birth, not feeling remotely ready so reassuring to know I'm not the only one. Not helped by DH trying to intellectualize it when all I really want is a hug and to be told I'll be fine! I think this is the time when I miss my mother not being nearby rather than back in NZ.

Hoping we get some news of LO's arriving soon...

morning all - been trying to catch up with all the posts but given up.

can't believe that no-one has had their baby yet (apart from those that don't post - maybe they don't know that this thread is here though??).

i'm feeling tired and a bit tearful today (so going to go out and do some retail therapy in a wee while for exciting things such as new oven dishes and light shades).

DD didn't got to sleep till 9.30pm last night (normally she's asleep by 7.45 and i go to bed straight after her . unfortunately it doesn't mean that she sleeps any later so was shouting on us at 6.10am 'everybody are you sleeping'?!

take care

Hope you enjoy your last day pengy, do you have any other DC? I have 2 jobs, i have finished one last week but am chidminding up until end of next week so will be glad when thats over but of course Ds has finished pre-school ( last day today) so god knows what i will be doing with him for the next 6 weeks!!!!

Feel like crap this morning, was suffering really bad heartburn yesterday, not to glout or anything but first time i have had it all pg and thsi morning i have got up with a bad headache and backache - i cant wait for it to be over now!!!

Thats my moan ( sorry)

Hope everyone else is well! x

Morning all. I had a great night's sleep - 6 hours with only a couple of stirrings and not having to get up for the loo or for something to eat. Consequently I found it difficult to get out of bed.

I'm lucky I can still take dd to my mum's this week but she's on holiday (at home) for the next two weeks. Like you pink, I have no idea how I'm going to amuse her. It's lovely to be able to stay at home on my own and get things done. I'm washing all the moses basket bedding today and doing some more filing. We've got years worth of bank statements etc that have just been piling up.

I think the aftercare in hospitals in pretty much the same everywhere. You get loads of attention (in most places) while you're actually having the baby but once you've delivered they've got other women to see to. My stay in hospital was ok but they didn't tell me anything. I got told off for pressing the 'nurse' button when I was up on my feet even though no one had told me that I should be going to the nurses station. I didn't even know there was a nurses station. I was also told off for changing my baby on my bed (I got meconium on the sheets). No one had told me that there was a set of changing tables. I was just taken to my bed and left to get on with it. I think the key is to make sure you ask lots of questions and get your dh/dp to do as much as they can for you while they're visiting.