September 2019 #10.

[Karigan195]

New thread so we can leave #9 as a type of condolence book for little Roy and Twittlebee. Sleep in peace little man

I stupidly thought I’d be ok to head into the office today and feel like utter crap now I’m here - coughing and spluttering everywhere. Damn combo of cold and awful hayfever. Unfortunately I have a 90 minute commute, so not like I can just pop back home.

I too am looking forward to some rain but next week looks to be an absolute scorcher where I am - 27-30 degrees Monday through Friday. I might actually cry. Already sweating buckets in bed at night without the added heat.

@Stroan gosh yes can see why your ribs are pain free and your hips are feeling the strain! Your DD 😂. Only a few more weeks to hang in there!

I carried DD low too, but nothing at all like this. He's definitely not engaged either so no real excuse. Just a severe lack of abdominal muscles maybe?

@bridgetjonesdaiquiri hope you feel better soon. I don't envy that commute in this weather.

I've just walked the dog to meet a twin mum in the area and accept some lovely baby things she has gifted to me. She was late so I waited around a while and the walk there was longer than I anticipated. I'm now supposed to be taking DS to the park for a play date and I'm shattered, safe to say I've over done things today already!

We had the Nuba Rebl for Dd. That's a rear facing birth - 4 years seat. We loved it. We only have one car though. I had a infant carrier for her that my SIL gave us as a spare so that if DH was at work with the car I could go out with my mum etc.

DH was worried about waking Dd if she fell asleep in the car but we just got really good at moving her while asleep. Plus I'd had a c section, Dd was 8lbs 10, there was no way I was lifting her and a car seat in and out of the car for a while 😂

We've come to London for a night for our anniversary. But we did way too much walking yesterday and now I ache 🙈 more walking today too until we see a show this afternoon!

Boodles i feel like i have overdone it already too but i havent done anything i dont normally do! Sorted the dc out and done school run. Walked back with dc4 and just been nodding off watching cartoons with him

Wow @Stroan you really are carrying low! It still amazes me how we all carry so differently it really does.

So tired today as sleep seems to be a thing of the past. Between the heat / seagulls / needing to pee / pelvis being split in two every time i turn over I've not got much hope. So quiet day in the house. Might do some baking with the older two so I don't feel like I'm completely neglecting them!

Baby had a mad moment not long after the monitor was strapped on - she really didn’t like it! However, bump measurement shows I’m now above any of the percentile lines having tracked the 95th so far. Might hold off buying any clothes in newborn size!

science i am up there with you, nothing newborn bought here and i will be in for a growth scan if not slowed by 34 weeks

@fortheloveofscience always the way! Glad everything's looking ok.

We had a lovely moment last night. I was lying in bed playing some music on my phone and bump started to go really active, stretching and rolling and jiggling. Husband had his hand on my belly and felt the most movement yet, and we both sang to her till she calmed down. It was so cute.

Ooof @Stroan you are carrying low. I am desperately trying to get my baby to go down a little as he's stuffed under my ribs but I'll be careful what I wish for as I'm not sure I want pelvis pain over rib pain!

@IVEgottheDECAF and anyone waiting on a maternity allowance response - I received my confirmation letter today (exactly 6 weeks to the day since sending it off). Confusingly, I have to send a reply with some of the same box ticking that I already did but as I'm not looking to start my maternity allowance until after I finish circa 9th August that's not really an issue for me.

Ty for the update happydays I put mine to start end of June when my SSP stopped so i will be HOPEFULLY getting a back dated payment

happydays mine change from one day to the next. Yesterday was painful ribs, today it's painful pelvis. They are having a good old swim about in there, god knows how they've got any room to do that!
I really feel that boy has now become the presenting twin and shoved his sister out of the way!

@boodles101 it must be so strange to have 2 swimming about in there!!

Those of you on iron, any idea what your ferritin/Hb was?

No idea sorry Moraxella it took four weeks for them to get back to me and the letter was vague to say the least

Finished NCT last night - it was ok but nothing to write home about. I didn't rate the leader all that much. Some useful info though so not a complete waste of time but it wasn't as good as I'd have liked it to be - not helped by only being 5 couples total.

My group is all off work now (2 due late July and the other 2 teach and have finished for the Summer) already so meeting up which I can't join in with - not that I really clicked with them anyway so I don't think it's going to be a source of friendship for me sadly!

@Megan2018 not to worry if you don’t have a long-lasting relationship with the other couples, you’ll also have us for support post-baby. I was close to my NCT group in the first year of baby life but we’re all in different places work-wise/life-wise now, so don’t tend to meet up all that regularly (once every other month maybe). For various reasons I’m the first of our group to be having a second child, so I’ve found this MN group absolutely invaluable for advice, support, general sanity checking! Plus you will get to meet other mums if you do a few classes along the way - I did baby massage, baby sensory, swimming etc over the course of mat leave, with varying levels of enjoyment but at least it gets you out of the house!

That's a shame Megan, I was the same with the nhs classes I took with my eldest, had thought we would all make friends but didn't really work out like that.

30 weeks and feeling very real!! Have people started to get their hospital bags ready to go? (Fingers crossed having a home birth, but packing them anyway just in case and to get my mind prepped) seem to have bit of a block on packing a bag for myself thoygh, I start planning it, then panic and stop! Can someone hold my hand?!

Also has anyone else got a constant side lean to counterbalance the feet tucked under their left or right ribs! Ouch.

I'm lucky in that having the horse I have to leave the house at least once a day once baby is here and I have lovely friends at the stables so that'll be good - I imagine to start with getting baby up there is going to be a PITA but it gives the day some structure at least and it's not optional so I'll have to crack on with it!
There will also be lambs to play with in the Spring and we live in a beautiful area for walking so all that helps.

I will give a few of the classes a go - the idea of them makes me feel a bit ill but I'll give it a try. Also there is some sort of mum and baby/toddler coffee morning thing in the next village most months so will try that as it is really cheap I think, and you just pay as you go so no commitment.

Ah Stroan your bump is magnificent!

I met up with some friends I've not seen for a few months at the weekend. Felt like I needed stock responses on record.

"9 weeks left" (ignore shocked/ sad/ wincing faces
"Yes there's definitely only one in there"
"No, I don't expect him to be a huge baby" (everything measuring fine on 50-75th centile, DS was 6lb 12)

@DennisSkinnersMolotov I have the same. At NCT I am evidently smaller than those further ahead - yet randomers seem to think I look term. They are clearly clueless. We measure exactly at 50% centile - there is no indication she is big and I don't even feel big!

@Megan2018 I don't feel much bigger than I did with DS really, though I did show sooner this time round. I need to dig out some old photos and compare I think.

@Megan2018 you may feel completely different about your NCT group once the baby is here and you have that "thing" in common with them. There were 8 of us in my NCT, nearly 3 years on I see one or two of them fairly regularly with our DCs but have zero in common with the others (apart from a similar aged child) and have drifted apart from them. I actively avoid a couple of them but that's a whole other story.

It can be a very lonely place having a newborn and whilst horsey friends, fresh air etc are all fantastic - sometimes you just need to rant at someone about how your newborn has changed into the devil overnight, or your DH is shirking responsibilities etc etc and I found that as good a group of friends that I had around me - I felt that the NCT girls knew the right thing to say as they were going through the exact same things at pretty much the exact same time.

I always expected to hate baby groups etc and whilst I detested baby sensory, and still refuse to go to soft play, I enjoyed swimming and the more "physical" classes so I'm sure you'll find a few select groups.