Due in Dec 2007. Enough already, bring on the babies!

[suey2]

hellloooooo?

buzzy - meant to be going on a spa day on fri, any advice for good treatment to go for? I wanted to get the 'bump' package but I left it to my friend to book it all and they were fully booked and for her leaving it so long to book we planned date ages ago... everything else says may not be suitable for pg so am waiting for a call back, fancied a massage so will see what they can do

Hi everyone

Skidd - well I don't think I look too much like Orla whatsit but I did always want to be a foreign correspondant when I was younger so perhaps it's a premonition (although I am probably a little too long in the tooth to pursue a completely new career now!).

Mixedmama - hey, YOU shouldn't be on the sofa, your dh should be. Kick him out when he snores!!!

Shells - welcome, whereabouts in NZ are you? I lived there for a while (9 months) back nearly 10 years ago and loved it! Spent 6 months in Auckland then 3 months touring the country. Would love to go back one day....

Glad I am not the only one with a sore right rib!

Have finally started Christmas shopping today - got a present for DD and a present from DD for the baby. Only about 350 more presents to go then....Am off to yoga now to see if I can get rid of some of these aches.

hello all,

I can't believe how many messages there are since I last looked on Friday night...and I'm supposed to be working!

Neuro - my understanding is that the iron tablets prescribed by your GP are pretty rubbish and therefore it may be no surprise they're making no difference. Iron, is one of the minerals most poorly absorbed from food, and e.g. you'd need to eat 8lbs of broccoli (in a day) to get your recommended RDA as so little of it is absorbed. My iron has been low for years and was 11.9 when tested at week 12, but at my midwife check yesterday she said it had dropped to 11.3 and we discussed supplements (so makes sense what everyone is saying about normal levels being 11.4 upwards). I actually feel not too bad, though have other aches and pains but not yet feeling totally exhauseted, but I think the idea is to try and not let them drop any further as I have a couple of friends who needed transfusions in the days after they gave birth which was quite upsetting for them.

Anyway to get to the point...my midwife explained that the iron tablets prescribed by the GP are pretty poor quality as they're cheap and likely to cause constipation & stomach cramps but more importantly they're actually not very well absorbed (only 5% will be absorbed). So she recommended buying Spatone (which someone else mentioned earlier), which is a natural water, high in iron, from Wales. 40% of Spatone is absorbed by your body, so much more efficient than iron tablets and without the side effects. It's available from Boots and Holland & Barrat. I went to Boots and bought some yesterday £6.49 for 28 days worth, so is probably a much better option for any of you with low iron, if you can afford it (typical only the poor quality stuff is available on the NHS). Calcium also inhibits the absorption of iron so it's important not to have calcium supplements within 2 hours, which I didn't know so had been taking my pregnacare tablet and some calcium tablets in the morning with my orange juice, before reading this on the Spatone leaflet last nigh

Ref slings - I have no experience of using them, but we also went to the Baby Show in London on Sunday with one of the main reasons being to try different slings out. I personally didn't like the styles which went over one shoulder as I didn't feel there was any support for my back, so in the end I went for the Close Baby Carrier Sling, which crosses over the back and can also be worn in such a way that the baby is lieing down so you can use it to breastfeed etc and it's adjustable so fits anyone.

www.closebabycarrier.com/

It's not cheap, £49.99, but we've got a borrowed pram and am intending to use the sling more than a pram to start with so seemed like a good investment.

I also have very sore ribs on the right side and just this morning woke up felling really sick so couldn't eat breakfast (unlike me!)

Must go and do some work now!

poppy - the closer sling is the one from the bring up baby prog on channel 4 - I looked at that one because the couples using the CC method seemed to get on with it ok, worth it if you use it more/instead of pram

loving the welcome distraction of MN today

Neuro - I would check that they have tested your B12 levels too..I have pernicious anaemia, and have injections now, as i cant absorb from food or tablets? worth a check xx

Sore right ribs are a good thing, means the baby is in the right position for labour-it's the bum pushing up against them that hurts.

Lots of people seem to get the icecubes/ice lolly craving but I never did with dd and certainly don't this time-am too cold!

Thelady-sorry you're having a crap time. And 90th percentile-ouch! Lets hope bubs doesnt get to be quite as big as daddy was!

Insy for a second there i thought you meant the controlled crying method and was all confused! With you now...

MM - You should get your dh to sleep on the sofa, thats what i'll be resorting too soon. Dp snores really badly when he sleeps on his back and im forever kicking him and pushing him on his side.

Lizzer- Good luck with the move, it was bad enough for me moving at 18 weeks, couldnt possibly be doing it now.

Hope everyone else is ok?
I had another m/w appointment yesterday.
She said she thinks ds2 will be between 7 7 1/2 lb, but she said that with ds1 and he was only 6lb 5oz 2 weeks late
Ive got my next iron transfusion on friday, dp has took the day off work to come with me and then that means we get a nice long weekend together

glad to hear you are ok thelady . well, not fabulous but I was imagining somewhat worse.

Claireybee - am afraid that I had the same pain with dd and she was breech - I think it was her head pushing against my right rib!

It's very quiet on here today....

it is, isn't it? Perhaps our respective bosses have cottoned on to the fact we are all winding down

My "boss" is a two-year-old who is currently at the childminder I have done some shopping this morning then been to preggy yoga, now have a spare hour to kill. Can no longer sit comfortably on our sofas to read or watch tv, am too knackered for housework and can't engage my brain enough to write intelligent emails to some friends. So am wittling away the time until I pick up dd by playing on mumsnet! Have recently discovered "active conversations" button so can actually join in with people who are on-line....

Hi everyone,

thelady - so sorry to hear about the GD and everything. Think you should really be resting as much as possible and as everyone else says you absolutely MUST go on your holidays!!

poppy - thanks for the link to that sling - seems exactly what I am looking for - good back support and good for breastfeeding. Might splash out and get one

fifi - do you feel any better after your first transfusion? Hopefully the second one will perk you up even more

Poor you MM with your DH snoring. I have to cope with both DH AND DD snoring most nights as she usually comes in with us at about 3am when she gets up for a wee - DD is often worse than DH and at least I can give DH a sharp kick to shut him up!!

claraq - what's your pg yoga like? I went to a couple of classes last time round but found them really annoying as you couldn't do anything even remotely strenuous. A friend of mine told me heer yoga made her have a perfect, relaxed and close to pain-free birth 2nd time round though so I am tempted..

Afternoon Skidaddle.
My dd came in with me last after she woke up (nightmare?) - after about half an hour of us both lying there awake I told her firmly she had to go back to bed, as there was no way I was going to sleep well with her tossing and turning beside me. Luckily she seemed to think this was a reasonable request as toddled off back to her bed; I read her one round of "I Want My Tooth" and she went back to sleep.
A Miracle!
Are you nervous about what the nights are going to be like once we have the new babies to think about as well? DD won't sleep in bed with DH, it has to be me. Hmmm. Not sure how that is going to work out.

X-post...
I really enjoy the yoga as it stretches out my back and is also very relaxing. However, I am not sure it will help me during the actual birth itself!
I have to say by this point in my pregnancy I wouldn't want to do anything very strenous. But I have never been particularly bendy - I used to like pilates more as it worked on my stomach muscles...

claraq - yes v. worried about what will happen with sleeping when no.2 arrives as dd usually comes in with us and needs me to be there so she can twiddle my hair which puts her to sleep. DH is bald/shaven so he can be of no help in that department!!

We might just get a bigger bed as I think the worst thing to do would be to start banning her from the bed as soon as the new baby arrives. Am just hoping new baby will be happy to sleep in a moses basket/cot and then we'll all fit

pg yoga sounds quite nice. I'm still going to the gym now and again and stretch a lot there (can't do much else anymore) - think I was thinking about breathing techniques etc for labour but certainly last time I found that all went out the window once the contractions got really strong..

Have you had any more thoughts about VBAC? Was that support thread any good?

Ha my dh is bald/shaven too - perhaps its our hair our dd's like!!!
Bigger bed sounds like a good idea. Sometimes I dream of a bed as big as the bedrooom so I can cuddle up to DH when I want to, but sleep with a few feet between us when he is getting on my nerves....
Not sure that the yoga has helped with breathing - will let you know in 5-7 weeks time!!!
I am holding off discussing too much about VBAC until my consultants appointment next week. I need to make sure this baby is head down, then I can start to think properly about the birth! But I have had loads of helpful tips from the VBAC threads about things like continuous monitoring (or not) during labour. And about the possible dangers of epidurals during a VBAC. All food for thought - and for discussion with the consultant.

Skidaddle - I dont feel any different tbh, i think it might take a couple of sessions to get into me, although the midwife said yesterday that i looked like i had a bit more colour in me so who knows

i am really going to start some work next week now that i have wound things down at the practice.
Moving thursday and will be blowing up my swiss ball, starting perineal massage, going swimming etc.

suey2 - you are so organised, I should be getting on with that stuff as well. Have bought some raspberry leaf tea though..

fifi- I suppose your iron count is so low it might take a few sessions until you start feeling better (and then the baby will be born anyway!)

claraq - how spooky that you DH is also bald/shaven - I also wanted to be a foreign correspondent when I was younger - do you think we're the same person?!

OMG Suey - I forgot about the massage. I should start doing that too. Yuk! Don't want to .

but i haven't packed my hospital bag yet!
I bet i don't do half the things i plan. Looking forward to playing with the bugaboo when it arrives next week and figuring our th car seat

Another baldy DH here - but I am far too scared to be a foreign correspondent! I wanted to be a journalist for Jackie magazine ha ha!

I have the midwife this week for my 32 week check even though I will be 33wks when I go! So will ask re the right rib thing and see if she can tell which way the baby is lying, she couldn't be sure when I was there at 28wks.

Does anyone else feel like their baby is squirming more than kicking now?! I think the poor wee mite must be squashed, it just seems to squidge about in what feels like a confined space!