March Babies #4

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New thread ladies :)

Has to be the most active thread on MN!

Feel free to state how far you are/EDD in your first post here so we have a reminder of who is where :)

Happy 2nd trimester to everyone now I think!

I’m 13+6 and due March 26th ❤️

If I was anaemic this time round I'd just refuse the tablets and eat broccoli every day or something. I hate them.

@barnyb I am it feels more real now. @yvonne1988 you can have 2 a choices on slimming world when your pregnant as you need extra calcium I'm not following it 100 percent but it's helping keep my weight gain lower than I know it would be otherwise as I gain weight so easily

@barnyb Those memories I will forever laugh about, you lose all dignity when 6 people witness you weeing 😂 I'm quite a private person but I just gave up during labour haha

@Dinosauraddict
My age gap is 19 years between 1 and 2 and then 2 years between 2 and 3!

Advice:
Breastfeeding: my first was born and aged obviously read the manual and just knew how to do it. My second needed time to learn what to do over two weeks, I didn't realise the baby sometimes needs to practise. It gets easier and then it gets that you LITERALLY can do it in your sleep lol!

Older generations can sometimes think that sleeping through the night is a thing you have control over and will
Ask why isn't your baby doing it yet. Just smile and grit your teeth through these outdated comments.

In the beginning you may feel overwhelmed. By a few weeks you will be on your way to being a pro!

No one is perfect but your baby will love you anyway. X

This should've said:

Advice:
Breastfeeding: my first was born and she'd obviously read the manual and just knew how to do it.

Thanks for the truth non-first timers. I think we all need to be prepared! @MissPepper8 I'm so worried about labour/loss of privacy, I take my privacy to unusual levels and it was only last month during pregnancy that I got my first ever bra fitting, as I'm that uncomfortable with strangers, so labour will be great fun rolls eyes...

4.5 year gap here.
My tips would be - read up on the fourth trimester, totally normal for baby not to want to be put down and you can’t spoil them with cuddles.
Slings are lifesavers.
At some point the baby will have been crying for so long you’ll want to put them in the bin. This is an entirely normal feeling and will pass. Pop them in a safe place and take a few mins to get your head together. Everything passed eventually.

@munchymunchkin put them in the bin hahaha. We had my friends 7 month old a few weeks back and he screamed by house down so I felt a bit like that just after 2 hours lol. I was told yesterday I've got an anterior placentor which would explain the lack of movement felt. Has anyone else got this as I'm not really sure what else it means x

@jesskir89 anterior placenta just describes where your placenta implanted so on the front for you. Apart from quieter movements to start with it doesnt mean anything else!

@Dinosauraddict I'm the same, when you're on wards it's fine. But when I was in labour I didn't mind as much as you want to be as comfortable as possible. You can take big nighties (take a few), or if you use a pool definitely take several bikini tops or those boob type tubes x

@Jesskir89 I have an anterior placenta and its really hard for me to feel anything at all in terms of movement (even at 19+3). Thanks for your well wishes for my scan tomorrow, really hope baby boy is doing ok in there!

I love the advice from all the second and third timers - thank you! Definitely do want to know the truth about these things. Keep it coming please! Has anyone had a water birth and is it really gross? Thoughts on pain meds?

Also was following the convo on buying things for baby with interest, I've been too scared to buy anything yet, but might work up the courage if scan goes well tomorrow. I've been looking at baby booties for ages! And wondering if black friday might be a good time for larger items like sleeping cot. But I still can't think about this just yet.

As for maternity coats, I'm still just (barely) able to button my winter coat, but I doubt that will last much longer. I've been layering underneath and leaving the jacket upon mostly. Seraphine does have some really cute three way jackets and hoodies, but not sure I want to invest in something like that right now. What is everyone else doing?

open* (stupid spell check!)

Has anyone got any advice on how to dress their newborn for nighttime? Swaddle or sleeping bag?! I'm not sure what to get!

@maria94 when I had my first I never swaddled. Always used a sleeping bag. Loved them. Will be doing the same this time.

@sadtoday21 I thought about a coat with the pocket for the baby as I call it lol but I won't be nursing and I'll be using a sling to just got a normal maternity coat.

I had been scared to buy stuff. The biggest thing I bought was a prep manchine. Only 23 quid second hand so couldn't say no when you see the full price! I have to wait til after Xmas to buy the cot and the buggy I think. But I'm going clothes shopping as soon as iv had my scan :D

@sadtoday21 thank you and please post a pic tomorrow x

Girls can anyone tell me here which is his penis? I don't know what I'm look at I know it sounds silly but I just don't see it.....

@maria94 sleeping bags are ace! Some babies like swaddling others hate it. The gro swaddle things are a good inbetween. Some sleeping bags are only safe from 3.5 or 4kg so I used blankets for first 2 weeks or so. We used a swaddle sleeping bag when he was young as he used to startle Loads and wake himself up. It was Brill!

@munchymunkin YES the 4th trimester. Explaining exactly that to a friend with a 4 week old today. It's so important.

@maria94 @threegreensheep I did the same with a light blanket for the first few weeks as baby was tiny.

Can you swaddle now? I remember doing this 2 years ago and getting told off by mw. I swaddled if it was a nap (didn't tell her this) as I was watching him but at night I put blankets on until DS was big enough for a grobag x

@misspepper8 yes swaddling is okay but we advise light layers only, so use a muslin or thin sheet only, then layer blanket on top. Risk of overheating if you swaddle baby in thick blanket (the tog rating become quadrupled so a blanket becomes 8 tog etc). That's what I advise anyway. Lullaby trust is good for up to date safe sleeping advice.

@sadtoday21 I had a water birth first time and loved it. Total relief until transition when I need a bit of gas and air as well.
Wasn’t too gross and you don’t focus on that bit too much. Planning to do the same again this time if the pool is free as our unit only has one!

I used light blankets for the first few weeks as even my 9lb 3oz baby was too small for a sleeping bag as the head holes were massive. Actually used a gro swaddle but as a thin blanket as the little madam wouldn’t be swaddled. They are very good if you wants to swaddle as nice and thin.

There is a good guide to layers on the gro website but don’t take it as gospel. Some babies are too hot in the recommended layers and some too cold! You will soon get a feel for it and not worry.

@threegreensheep Yeah I always used Muslins. If I recall I used modern burlap muslin swaddles, as they're light and quite large. Also doubled up for DS as a light sheet over him in the summer.

I don't think I put anything over him then though as he was a summer baby and it was quite hot when he was born. x

Today I went to the Baby Show at Olympia. It was fantastic!! I got some serious bargains, and managed to tick nearly everything off my list (failed on the Moses basket). Also got a fabulous deal on a lovely iCandy, and really enjoyed pushing it round the pram track with hills etc. If anyone's considering going to a baby show I would definitely recommend it, particularly for larger or slightly more expensive items.

Sorry for the late reply to everyone who tagged me had such a busy Sunday!

@threegreensheep I bought a maternity coat from ASOS and then sold it the next winter on EBay for more or less the same price. Don't know whether that's any help.

@Dinosauraddict I am sorry to hear that, hope everything is okay. I am under consultant care but later on in pregnancy because I have Low Papp-a and a dodgy cervix due to a previous LLETZ . I also have my anomaly scan on Wednesday , please let me know how you get on .