Due March 2008-New trimester, new thread

[turtle23]

I'll start one!

My bump is more prominent to the left when I look down at it. Although its not much of a bump, more a case of my stomach fat, being pushed out a bit more!!

e14-The nhs classes are free and at the hospital, usually big groups. NCT classes cost and are usually small.

Turtle 23, I am convinced my (very small) bump is bigger at night, but it also may be gas).

Prisci - many thanks for the suggestions! I am also looking forward to eating cheese and wine (just a small glass I promise) and not getting stares.

MerryBerry - congrats and Purly Queen, throw out your home scale!

Good afternoon, ladies. I am Irma, and I was born in Hungary. Now I came out, too. I am afraid I cannot join you this weekend, as it is simply too far from Newcastle just for a day. But hope you'll all enjoy it.

I do have quite a bump, and I feel very self-conscious about it. But this morning I went to aqua-natal and it was great to see other Moms!!! Although the class was cancelled, we still had a good swim. Yesterday my DH and I also had a several-hour walk in the Wallington castle park. It was heaven! Is it the second trimester energy boost?

IKWYM about the sharp pains. I also get them sometimes. If I massage it a bit, baby sometimes starts snuggle up to my hands. It is so sweet! (Of course, I might just be making this up as a first-timer)

Am tring to go for the hospital classes, and will try to join NCT classes for Jan and Feb, but they have not been announced yet.

Yes! Bump is bigger at night. So glad I'm not the only one. e x

Hello ladies.

Well, I don't have to 'come out', cos most unoriginally, my name is actually Derah!

For those of you meeting up on Sat, would any of you be interested in a cloth nappy demo? I could bring some along to show you.

I'm stuck at home today cos we used DH's car over the weekend and he left for work this morning with DD's car seat still in the back! Aren't men idiots? We had swimming lessons this morning and she was saying "shwimmin, shwimmin" all morning, and was so sad when we got to the car and then had to turn right back around again! I can't even take her for a swim tomorrow instead cos my car is going in for its MOT.

Right, enough time on MN, DD is asleep and the house is a wreck so I need to do something constructive...

Derah...yes please! By the way, after much research have settled on Diddy Diapers for first ones, maybe bambinex next. I am slightly less confused, as know I want a shaped one, but still...
I decided to spend this afternoon reading people's homebirth and waterbirth stories on the internet. As a result I have small, red, puffy eyes and am feeling extremely emotional(in a good way.) I can't wait!

Turtle I did the same. As a result I realised I cannot have waterbirth. Bath is just too hot for me at the mo. Any bath.

Hi all -

Merryberry et al: Thanks for the tips on pillows - I'm very uncomfortable at night now when I toss and turn but just assumed those pillows were for when you're about 8 months pregnant and really really can't sleep... I'm going to buy one now.

My bump is very odd at the moment - when I stand up, I barely have one so need my jeans/trousers buttoned up but when I sit down it suddenly appears so I have to completely undo zips and buttons. So at work last Friday there was an almost hilarious incident (almost in that if anyone had been around they would have wet themselves but fortunately I was alone) where I stood up, forgetting to fasten my trousers first and they fell down. Ooops.

My friend on Sat hugged me and said "Ooh I can feel a baby tummy - not as squidgy as a normal one" which made me feel fab as it was the first official confirmation from someone else that I'm not just fat but actually pregnant. She also gave me all her maternity clothes to try so have acquired 4 skirts, 5 tops and a dress. I love my friend!

By the way I'm feeling brave enough to come out too - feels a bit like an AA meeting like you see on telly: "I'm Kirsty and I'm pregnant..." Still not sure if I can make it on Sat - lunch with friends of Dh but may be able to sneak away early depending on times and locations

Oh and as for tummy pains - get them whenever I twist funnily or cough or sneeze(stabbing pain) and have general rumbling and discomfort in the evenings and at night. So relieved that I'm not the only one as I have had these symptoms throughout my pregnancy but none of the books and websites mention it.

Sorry for long post, but still not finished
On antenatal classes - I'm doing NCT in Ealing in Feb, but also thinking of going to a couple of the Queen Charlotte's classes as some of them sound quite interesting (they do 4 different sessions)

Turtle/Ginger, have you been on the homebirth.org.uk website? It's really helpful.

Ginger - I don't understand what hot baths have got to do with waterbirths?! You've confused me (easily done at the moment!)

As for classes, I did NCT ones at my local GP clinic last time, and they were pretty good. We met once a week for about 6 weeks or so. It was quite a small group, and we all carried on meeting up at people's houses for coffee until well after the babies were born. It's a wonderful way to make friends with new mums as well as learning how to deal with birth/new baby.

I'm not going to go this time around since it's on a day that I work and taking a whole afternoon off when I only work 3 days is just slightly taking the piss! I've thought about doing NCT instead to meet more new mums, but I can't really justify the expense just for the social aspect of it!!

derah-yes, have now read pretty much everything there is! am thoroughly enthralled with the idea! Don't want to wish the pregnancy away but am so looking forward to next March!

derah - my local NCT seems to do something specifically for second time mums. think they do a short refresher but it's more for the social side of things. imagine that will be a lot cheaper than the usual antenatal classes. Might be worth calling your local branch to see if they do something similar.

The bathroom scales have been banished to the back of the wardrobe!

Sorry I won't be able to come to the meet-up on Saturday. I'll be checking in at Heathrow airport for my last holiday as a non-Mum.

If we're coming out of the closet, then my name is Ronke (honest!)

Opinions please, ladies...DH has just offered me a holiday in a 5 star enclosed resort on the Red Sea for my 30th week. Do we think that this is a) safe to fly b)safe to go to Egypt and c) will it be too tiring? I want to jump up and down and say yes, but am unsure...
(have checked, relevant airline allows you to fly up to 32 weeks with dr's note)

Turtle - HAH! First-timer! While I hope this birth will go better than last time (ie, at home in a pool instead of on my back in hospital) I'm still NOT looking forward to it!!! Birth HURTS! Not too keen on newborns either (noisy and annoying) and am more looking forward to about August next year when new dc starts to get interersting!! Oooh, am I going to get into trouble for saying that!?!

Well done you on doing your own research though and not just trusting 'the professionals'.

Derah... Please don't think that I am under any illusions that birth is a pain-free lovely paradise! lol! I know it hurts, but I also have been waiting for this baby for a long time and am desperate to meet it. As for newborns...yeah, they're loud, explosive, irritating and exhausting. But I do it for a living I like it so much!! Best job I ever had was maternity nurse for triplets. It never gets old for me, and this time I GET TO KEEP IT! lol!

I was just saying that to my mum over the phone. She is in Brazil and we were talking about when would be the best time for her to come over, I said babies are boring in the first few month it's all about sleeping (if you are lucky), crying, poo and eating. So we decided it would be better for her to come in August adn look after the grandchild when I go back to work, that way we get to spend 4 days together and she gets dgc to herself 3 days.

HolidaysQueen - your trouser story really made me laugh after a generally grumpy day, I hope you have recovered! I have the same thing with sitting down in trousers, I have put an elastic band through the button hole and round the button to allow for some extra space! Not sure how long this will work and the trousers undone look isn't really a good one.

Forgot to add... and I get to save loads of money on childcare.

Turtle 23 - SAY YES. I am going to Turkey Week 30 and throughly researched it, should be OK as long as you are on normal track. Take your notes, identify english speaking dr and get pg travel insurance - the only one who does it til 30 weeks is Greenbee Insurance. If you are tired, worse case scenario you get to hang out in warm weather with your DH and rest - what could be better?

turtle - Is it Sharm-el-Sheikh you are going to? We've just booked to go there when I think I'm 28 weeks (Boxing Day to New Year's Day)instead of a two week tour round Mexico which we had planned ages ago but now think will be way too much for me. I've been to Sharm before at the same time of year and really like it and think it will be fine when I'm heavily pregnant - would definitely recommend it. it's a great place to relax and get some sunshine in the winter.

If it isn't Sharm then sorry cos the rest of this isn't that helpful as it's too specific, but if it is then here's the lowdown:

There is a modern international hospital there with English speaking doctors, even if they are probably more used to diving accidents than pregnant women... The hotels are generally of a very good quality (we're treating ourselves to a swish resort too), there are loads of nice restaurants with lots of choice of food (including a great Chinese) and it's very cosmopolitan (loads of Brits, Italians, Scandinavians and Russians!). Although you can't dive while pregnant (I'm very sad about this!), the snorkelling from the beach is amazing and you can do snorkelling boat trips as well. The temperature in winter is lovely - high 20s maybe low 30s so not too hot, but nice temperature water for swimming. There are also day trips to various bits of the Sinai desert and lots of activities although quad bike racing and camel riding may not appeal

I'm planning to take lots of books, relax on loungers, swim and snorkel, enjoy some sunshine and get to bed early every night!

Basically, although it is Egypt you should think of it as more like a European resort really so if you'd be happy in say the Canaries at 30 weeks then you would be fine there. Last time we did a day trip to Dahab which has loads of cool restaurants and is a bit funkier/low key (Sharm is more polished/glitzy and apparently has some casinos now as well) as well so would consider staying there. Not sure about other Red Sea resorts though.

I would say on the health front that there is no need to worry - bottled water freely available, and we didn't suffer any problems with the food. On flights, check carefully what coverage your travel insurance gives you as some may only cover you to 28 weeks and some may only cover you to a certain number of weeks even if you gave birth early (so e.g. if you were covered until 32 weeks but had baby and had to stay abroad after 32 weeks then you might not be covered for expenses after that date). It's about a 5 hour flight so not brilliant but not as bad as New York etc. You'll just have to walk along the aisle loads annoying the air hostesses and showing off some sexy support socks...

Hope that helps.

Oh and book a final check-up a few days before with doctor/midwife as if they don't want you to go at last minute then they will give you a letter which will allow you to claim back on travel insurance - so you wouldn't lose out financially if stopped for medical reasons anyway

Can you tell that holidays are my obsession? We're already planning our first trip abroad with the bambino...