Due in Dec 07 - Feel them kick!!

[buzzybee]

Hi, thought I'd start a new thread. Hope ou find this OK!

Just been shopping downtown and bought a fab paid of maternity pants for work.

Also bought "The Baby Name Wizard" as Borders were having 20% off everything. Feel free anyone to ask me a question about names now!! The book categorises them into the following "style families" (chances are if you like one name in the family, you'll like a number of others - e.g. I tend to go for "Antique Charm" names for girls which include Abigail, Adeline, AMelia, Anna. Annabel, Annalise, Ava, Bella, Clara, Daisy, Eleanor, Emma, Eva, Georgia, Grace, Hannah and Isabel):
African, Androgynous, Antique Charm, Bell tones, Biblical, Brisk and Breezy, Celtic, Charms and Graces, Country and Western, English, The -ens, Exotic Traditionals, Fanciful, French, German, Greek, Guys and Dolls, Italian, Jewish, Lacy and Lissome, Ladies and Gentlemen, Last Names First, Latino, Little Darlings, Long Gone, Mid-Century, Modern Meanings, Muslim, Mythological, Namesakes, New Classics, Nickname-Proof, Place-Names, Porch-Sitters, Saints, Scandanavian, '70s and '80s, Shakespearean, Slavic, Solid Citizens, Surfer Sixties, Timeless and Why Not?

Ooh I can't wait to go on Mat Leave BeachBunni, starting mine at beginning of Dec so 4 weeks before due date. Will go back to my checkout job, is only 2 evenings, very sociable work and the money (and staff discount) will come in handy. Definitely not keeping up my day job though (answering the phone for a building contractor - work from home but some days is a very busy job and won't really fit in with a baby).
Cazzy I think it must be a combination of all 3 of those things which are making it more demanding this time. I feel guilty that I don't feel great physically because I am so grateful to be pg at all and that everything seems to be progressing well (touch wood).
Chocolate, I seem to remember talking about your house before - just keep picturing that conservatory, it will be lovely. Can't believe how much you have got done in 6 months, you are doing well!
Insy, ouch! That scar sounds painful. This baby is definitely sat low 90% of the time so that would fit in with the swollen bits, in fact s/he is currently kicking my pelvic bone! I also notice that the waddling and pain in stomach/hips gets less when s/he sits a little higher too! Buggy boards are great, you might get away with it but it depends how long you can manage the sling for! Have you looked on ebay for buggies, they usually have a fair few cheap ones, some brand new.

Insy, sorry feel a bit silly now telling you stuff you (and your DH) already know! We also have loads of stuff still but I would hate to go into labour early (like 30 weeks say) and not feel completely sorted. After 30 weeks I imagine you would spend more than a couple of weeks in the hospital and anyway you'd want to be there most of the time wouldn't you, not running around trying to find the right size bassinet mattress or whatever! (top of mind for me as my friend just dropped off a family heirloom type cane bassinet but with no mattress and looks rather an odd shape...). We're going on holiday next Saturday for 10 days and by the time I get back will be 28 weeks...

I have really popped out the last couple of weeks and my lower belly ligaments are definitely feeling the strain. Also can't lie on my back any more at night as feels very uncomfortable on my lungs, intestines etc being crushed. Oh well only 15 weeks to go!!

I'm at all you ladies having major building work - that's extreme nesting and here was me stressing about slapping some paint on the nursery walls! Hope it all goes to plan and is finished before babbas come along!
DH went back to Ikea Friday night and we now have a cot and my poang chair and foot stool - which will be MY chair and footstool for nursing babba and NO-ONE else will be allowed to sit in it!!!!
So we are going to have a fun day today rearranging things and and building furniture. I was wondering whether I should bother with a Moses basket - the cot is suitable for birth onwards and there is plenty of room in our bedroom. The Moses basket has been offered to us by DH's db and sil, so it's not as though we are having to buy one but we would need to buy a new mattress for it. I suppose I could use it for downstairs? Or as a travel cot until the baby outgrows it? What do you all think?

Bouncing, to me a Moses basket is to use in the bedroom instead of a cot until you're ready to move them too the cot so doesn't sound you need to. But I do know friends who had cot in the room with them and the cot ended up staying for about 6 months and they realised afterwards they could have moved LO into his own room (after which everyone slept better) much sooner but didn't really just because they "didn't get around to it". I think they swaddled him to increase the security factor in the bigger cot environment.

Regarding the mattress my London MW suggested putting a pillow in my DD's moses basket which had my smell on it to help her settle and it worked a dream. I was a bit "are you sure???!" thinking surely she might be at higher risk of suffocating but she said it was fine for a few weeks as LO could not move anyway so not physically able to turn her face into the pillow. I still don't think that advice would be found in any book but in the end the Moses backet mattress was never even used as I moved her into her cot about 6 weeks old.

Some people do use the Moses basket in the living room and for those who want to be ultra-safe and have LO always sleeping near to them that's probably handy - must admit I had a thing about putting her "down" always in a darkened room (aka Gina Ford...) unless we were out and about in which case she just slept in the carseat or buggy.

So I'd probably say why not take it if its essentially free but maybe don't buy a mattress just yet?

hi bouncing turtle, same dilemma. Our new house is over 5 floors (basically a room per floor) with the nursery at the top. So i reckoned having a moses basket (donated by my brother) in our basement kitchen which has a wee playroom attached would probably save my legs a bit! And a cot bed for the nursery. I understand you are not supposed to lift the baby in the moses basket?

We're doing the same. Moses basket for the bedroom (and I probably will use it downstairs) and a cotbed for the nursery.

I'm so jealous that you have an ikea bountingturtle. I'd love to go and get a chair from there as I just can't justify spending a big amount of money on one but we don't have an ikea in northern ireland. A trip over the water might be suggested to dp though.

Thanks for the advice, I think I'll take it any way but have the cot in our room, for the first couple of months.
Yes I think that is right about not picking the Moses basket up with the baby in it - I presume it is because it is not rigid, so would fold up around the baby when you lifted it.
Beachbunni - I will now stop moaning about the fact that it is a 40 min trip to Ikea because we don't have one in the retail park near where we live . You will have tell you DH to take you over to England to Ikea, delivery is very expensive here, don't even know if they would even deliver to NI!
Actually I've just had a look on their website and there is a store opening in December in Belfast! So there is hope , well depending on how far you live from there! Tha's probably a good thing - there isn't one in Liverpool, nearest one to there would be Manchester.

No IKEA here in NZ either!! Might try and visit the one in Brisbane when I'm in Australia next week but a bit restricting what can be brought back in your suitcase!! There were rumours of a store opening in Auckland (9 hours drive from me though) but that was over 6 months ago and have not heard anyhting further.

Moses Baskets are handy if you go out to someone's house in the evening - we shoved the basket in the car so could put DD down in it when (if) she settled. Not essential, as they can't roll anywhere you could just put them on a blanket on the floor, but depends if eg your friends have pets. And we used it in our room for the first few months as took up less space than a cot. If you have a travel system with a carrycot some of these are OK for sleeping in.

Not lifting in basket is because they aren't that strong - if you wanted to move sleeping baby in basket, hold basket underneath don't rely on the handles!

Not sure about the pillow advice, as have read you shouldn't use pillows under 1 year old, but you could use the pillowcase as a cover for the mattress of a basket/crib/carrycot - that would have the same effect.

Oooh look:

Hauck Seat

Still a lot of money, but I think that is cheap for that brand??

Out of our budget sadly, but I thought it might interest someone!

wow caz that is cheap not sure we have room for one but was quite fancying one of these and they have special free nursing pilloe thrown in they look comfy
www.beansbeans.co.uk/view_product.asp?pid=31&rid=14&cid=4

Even more expensive but even more bargainous....

another comfy chair

Bouncingturtle: I have a similar (but much cheaper) chair (we call it the bouncy chair!) and I had written it off as a nursing chair because it's so hard to get out of.

Is the Ikea one easy to get up from?

At the moment it takes me about 3 goes and both hands to get off my seat!

I practiced using the cat! Sadly cat wasn't too co-operative and kept trying to escape. It's not easy as you almost horizontal, but it is sooo comfy!!

Got cot and changing table assembled, cot at food of our bed! I put a couple of toys and a blanket in for now. Very excited now

beckle - we have a quinny buzz and i can't find any buggy board to fit - only looked on line...

bouncingturtle - we have a poang chair too, bought it as nursing chair for ds its fab - would recommend a moses basket for downstairs and another tip is buy a second change mat and a little basket with nappies and wipes in for downstairs too saves going up and down stairs too many times in one day!

can't remember who said about putting dc on pillow so smelt of you but I alway slept with ds's clean sheets under my pillow so they smelt of us before I put them on his cot, especially if going on hols and we'd borrowed a travel cot

don't worry bout telling me stuff i already i know, still having to work hard on dh to buy anything else!! I want to construct a list so I can bargain hunt how rather than spending a fortune at xmas

We are buying a 2nd change mat because the one I have is too big to fit the changing table!
But yes will keep box with things in downstairs as well.

We had a cheap chair from Ikea - think it's called Poang - was fine as a nursing chair and the covers are washable.

Hi, regarding pillow - not to be used as a pillow, sorry if I wasn't clear! i.e. not under the head - as a "mattress" under the whole body in the moses basket IYSWIM! Believe you're right about not using pillow in a cot under the head until at least 1 year.

Good idea about the sheets and things too. When DD was born she spent the first night sleeping on top of me then after that went into the Moses basket complete with my pillow and I'm sure having the smell of me really helped her settle.

Thanks housemym - sounds like I should be OK to wait and try the chair we've already got.

Great idea re. the pillow too!

Morning ladies

Incy, apparently the 3G buggy board fits the Buzz, I've got a buzz and posted on the "wanted" board and that's what the advice was.

Buzzybee - I think the pillow as a mattress is a great idea! When I took DD to a cranial osteopath I said she settled really well in a sling or in arms etc but not on a mattress so she said no wonder, the babies have been in soft suspension for 9 months then suddenly laid out on flat surface, most mattresses are very firm so not much comfort. I think swaddling can help the baby as at least they feel more secure.

26wks today oh fab, that's 6months! Need to get organised about things for baby and changing DD's room etc just can't decide what will work best. Got loads of clearing out to do from the room that will be a bedroom just being a bit lazy!

Too afraid to weigh myself but will ask the MW at my 28wk appointment as I am curious.

Hi Loucee, I have some quite accurate scales at home and have been weighing myself every Saturday as I was told that putting on about 1 lb per week was about right. Also that from about 8 months (32 weeks) weight gain should almost stop. I have put on about 22 lbs and I'd like to stop putting on the weight now thanks! I don't think I look any bigger from the back which is reassuring. Apparently baby is about 40% of the weight gain, the rest is fluids so if 8 lbs is an average sized baby then 20 lbs would mean zero overall weight gain - almost an impossibility for most women I'd think. (and if the baby is closer to 10 lbs, then expect to gain at least 23 lbs etc). I'm just hoping I won't put on 4 stone like last time!!!
Next week on holiday plan to eat loads of tropical fruit (we're going to Queensland in Australia)...

Hola,

I am back from my week off.

Finally, I have had my scan. Went really well. The sonographer was so nice, I had forgotten to go to the bank so couldnt get a pic but she got the perfect pose and as i left gave me the pic and said it was just too good not to give one.

Anyway, to the most important part (other than the fact that LO is healthy) is that ITS A BOY!!!

Anyway going to catch up with all the posts now.

congrats mixedmama!

Congratulations Mixedmama, glad the scan went well and fab that you know the flavour!

Buzzybee - have a great holiday. I'll keep the info in mind about weight gain, I feel fat but do look like I've got a football under my top so hopefully weight gain is mostly due to that and npt my expandin thighs!