Due March 2008-We're nearly halfway there!

[turtle23]

New thread for you!

I also get the stitches and I walk at least 30 minutes both in the morning and the evening. Stopping and stroking seem to work

yep i get the pulling stichy feeling if i do too much,have been blitzing the boys room and the spare bedroom and my bump def started to complain a bit, i think it may have been the heavy boxes i carried down the stairs dp was not impressed with that, still i left the three bin bags of rubbish and and the two bin bags of stuff for the charity shop upstairs for him to deal with

bump is VERY wriggly, and occasionally moves into an akward position under my ribcage that doesnt feel too great. i am love how my belly moves around when i am lying down tho and dp has been feeling him kick

I've been madly cleaning the house today (must be nesting instinct - I don't usually clean much) and now have serious pain down below; more like period pain than the usual stitch. Very annoying, and a definite sign not to overdo the housework !

Please somebody help me! I have such a scratchy throat and a hacking cough. Is there anything I can do? Baby goes bananas every time I cough. Top this off with police helicopters waking me up at 245 this morning(and couldn't get back to sleep) and you'll see me...curled up in a heap wishing for the end. sniff

Oh poor you turtle. Make yourself some nice warm lemon, orange and honey drink. Or better still have DH make it.

Wow I wonder will the nesting instinct hit me? I just can't ever imagine cleaning madly just out of enthusiasm.

My sympathies turtle... I had a hacking cough a couple months ago- before I could feel the baby, but just the thought of it freaking out every time I coughed made me v. sad! Try Ricola cough drops (I think that's what they're called, the natural ones in a yellow bag?) and I second the honey and lemon suggestion as well.

Hope you find something that helps, Turtle. Honey and lemon tea would be all I could think of.

Skidoodle, if you knew me and my housekeeping skills you'd be shocked by this sudden spate of cleaning. My mum certainly was! So if it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone!

ooh, another for the honey and lemon, but try to get manuka honey 10+ or stronger. It's pricey but worth it, you can almost taste the antiseptic effect if you eat it off the spoon!
I don't really like honey, but make an exception for this since it works so well as a natural cure-all

@ derah fantastic, that means there's hope for me yet. wow.

Is it evil to be really reassured to find out about those belly pains/stitches you've all been having? I was starting to get a little worried about those pains.

Did anyone see the report on the news this morning that the latest study on drinking in pregnancy has found that occasional binge drinking doesn't harm the baby? I don't think I'll be suddenly downing the WKD on Saturday nights, but hopefully that provides comfort to people like me who have been having the occasional glass.

turtle - hope you're feeling better after all the honey and lemon. I make that a lot when under the weather and it's very comforting! Another thing is to just eat honey by the spoonful - that gives good sore throat/cough relief, at least temporarily.

I've just discovered the joys of eBay shopping for baby clothes. I really love some of the funky stuff on here but don't like the prices as much... Anyway, there are a few things on eBay like this, some never worn, so I'm in a bidding frenzy at the moment

And last night we finally picked our girl's name - hurray!!! Just need to find out what flavour we're having - still 8 days to go...

Scan tonight! SO excited! Eeeeeeeeeeeek. Also feeling rather nervous.

Strawberry strepsils are yummy turtle and good for your throat.

HQ, I saw that this morning too. I don't really know why they go and say things like that as, IMO, it would just encourage the minority of the population who already do it to do it even more. Surely its best just to stick with avoicing alcohol altogether if possible or keeping to a bare minimum/occasional drink.

CL, good luck for tonight. Do you want to find out what you are having? I had my scan yesterday. It was a bit worrying for a while as baby was not cooperative with its position and they couldn't scan its heart properly. But after lots of bouncing, jiggling, lying on side, walking round, cup of tea, etc, they decided they were happy and everything looks OK. They have also said they are pretty sure it is a girl! Am off to add this fact to the March stats thread now.....

Congrates feedmenow! How exciting, another little girlie. I am hoping to find out.

By the way, did anyone else have to have an internal at scan? Is this standard practice? I only know that this happend because I happened to find the leaflet on 22-24 week scan last night!

CL, I've not known of an internal scan at this stage of a pg!! SOunds a bit odd to me. How on earth can they see the body parts at the top of the uterus from down there?????

They do an internal and the main scan is external. Apparently the reason they do a brief internal is to see how "ripe" the cervix is and to assess risk of premature birth! Very odd!

I've never heard of that either... is it optional? Do you want to have it?

Hi Lauren - not heard of an internal as well as external scan, but sounds like a good thing as they'll be checking your cervix is nice and tight! I think premature birth is often caused by an incompetent cervix and if they discover it then they can usually put a stitch in it to keep the baby in place for as long as possible. I think they'd then remove the stitch once you reached full term (37 weeks).

good look for tonight CL !!!! Have no experience of the internal thingy at this stage thou

I'm sure it's as optional as any scan and I know they're a big research hospital so maybe it's a new thing they are trying. My appointment is at 6:45pm and they have just called me asking me to come in at 4pm!!! Unbelievably annoying. I can't make it but have told them I will get there for 5pm.

Hi all!Good luck with your scan tonight CL - hope baby cooperates! At my 20wk there was lots of pressing and shoving as he doesn't stop moving, ever! I've never heard of an internal either, i thought they only did internal exams when ur in labour?!
RE the report on alcohol-since i've been pregnant its changed loads-first they said none at all, then i heard a few weeks ago you could safely drink about half the normal amount, but now the occasional binge is ok??thats mad. I have had a glass of red here and there, and the odd bottle of lager (during a hen night and wedding at 8 and 9 wks-i hadnt told anyone and ppl can be v suspicious!)but i'd never go out and get hammered!besides, if you did, imagine all the disapproving looks you'd get as you stagger out of the pub in your stylish flat shoes clutching your bump!!

Sorry, this might get long...just to add my two cents (or pence) in:

1. I hate the way the media reports things in the UK. Drives me up the wall.

1. I think it's far safer for "guidelines" to be published on the safer/stricter side in this issue so that most people, esp those who may be more at risk of harming their unborns due to alcohol/smoking/drugs, etc... will hear the advice than to have contradicting media reports published all the time of research that is actually all saying similar things!

1. There are a lot of things is pregnancy that you have to read up on and make up your own mind (ie. anyone else eating peanuts? I've done some research, I'm happy to now.). The amount you choose to drink based on informed choice is surely one of these, isn't it? And if one isn't able to make an informed choice, best let the recommendations stand, imo (and err on the side of caution!).

Phew!

btw... just had a peek on April's thread- lots of boys appearing there too!

oh, and forgot to add that I think the occasional drink is perfectly fine!

Right - I'm off to get some Manuka honey as I have a stinking cold.
I never pay any attention to health stories I'd rather get the info from a medical professional. I work on a newspaper and those 'stories' are just there to give people something to worry about.

Does anyone else's bump change shape? Some days I definitely look pregnant - on others my bump looks more like a beer gut (to me )

e14mum,

[rant]I know what you mean about the way the media report any healthy or science stories. They often twist findings to make things seem like a big breakthrough when it's just part of ongoing research and nobody really knows for sure yet. There are far too many reporters working in science journalism who don't appear to even have a rudimentary understanding of science and its methods. I took 2 science subjects to leaving-school level (so not even a degree) and I can't believe the shit I'm expected to swallow. Of course the way research gets funding means that press releases send out encourage this way of looking at science stories, so unless a reporter really knows their stuff it is easy for them to be fooled into reporting nonsense.

I actually disagree with you on the guidelines being published on the stricter/safer side. Adults should be treated as such and any official guidelines that need to be released should not be drawn up until there is solid evidence that what they are recommending is necessary. Having "experts" drawing up spurious guidelines that then become official government recommendations is pernicious in that it hectors (and often confuses) those that are trying their best, and has sod all effect on those that ignore any such guidelines anyway.

wrt to pregnancy this stuff gets into the realms of the truly psychotic, with us being essentially told that most food is poison.

The peanuts issue is a particular case in point. I was recommended by my midwife not to eat peanuts in pregnancy even though she couldn't even tell me why not, other than that there might possibly be some link to kids getting allergies. I know other women who've been advised by medical professionals not to eat any nuts at all!

Basically at this stage, other than only drinking the odd glass of wine I have now given up on all other food bans. [/rant]

Whew, nearly lost the run of myself there. Hope the scan went well Lauren

Ah phew, I didn't kill the thread. Hope the scan is going well CL!

Skidoodle, I guess what I mean is that I can see why the blanket ban on drinking was promoted, in hopes it would reach at risk and not-so-much at risk groups of people. I do agree that advice without evidence is ineffective as it then makes people not follow anything at all!

Right... DH has just emailed me that he might have free tickets to Wicked tonight! I hope I can catch him in time to get them...