Due December 07 - The end is in sight, or is it just the beginning!

[Wizzska]

Hello everyone. Will you come and join me?

wow I must be really lucky then - you'd never imagine that the best maternity/postnatal care would be in the north-east of England, would you?

AMANI - meant to say to you that I tried both the curry recipes you posted... the basic one I had from a friend but yours had one or two more ingredients i think and the chicken tikka masala was a massive success... DH actually calls me and asks me to cook curry now.... RESULT!!

Thanks for that.

No course I don't mind! Is pronounced Ky-ella, means rejoice in her (derived from Latin Caia).

Ok, for a girl the current fave (well the only one we have agreed on!) is Noeli. Christmassy without being Jesus or Mistletoe etc.

For a boy we are still thinking of Xavier.

Friends and family aren't beng told yet so you are very privileged!

Emma Jane bra here Is honestly the most comfortable bra I have ever owned!

Insy dd is also in reusables but when I had to get disposables in an emergency she was in size 4 or 4+ -she is 17 months and fairly diddy but well within the weights for those. My friends dd is a year older than dd and she is in either 4+ or 5 depending on the nappy. Hope that helps.

Housemum - yes, I'm the same with my flappy ears. Anything to pass the time when you're waiting for your name to be called.

Clairey - all lovely names. I love Xavier aswell I have a friend who called his son Xavier and one of the ladies on the Jan thread is thinking of it.... I would definitely consider it if we didnt need to consider cultural restrictions and stuff and Noeli is just so pretty.

Talking of bras, I've got to buy a nursing bra as am 38 weeks now. Do you have to go up a cupsize for when your milk comes in? Don't want to be shopping for bras when the little one has arrived.

I was advised to go and get measured at 38 weeks and buy the nursing bras based on what they say. I have no idea what size i was after DS just know it was huge and my boobs had never looked so good.

amani - did you say your baby's head was 3/5 engaged [VERY slow to catch on emotion]? Wow - that's fantastic in a 2nd pg isn;t it? Sounds like s/he might come early!

Noeli is really sweet clairey, I knew a Noemi in Mexico - wonder if they come from the same origin

oh yes please help me with bra sizes - I am 30" under boobs and 38" round boobs - what bra size does this make me? I think 34B - is that right?

wizzska - I bought my nursing bras around this time last time and they fitted me fine even when my milk came in. However some women's boobs probably increase in size more than mine did when their milk comes in so might be worth just buying two now and then when the baby is a couple of weeks old you can get fitted again

Could be-I liked Noemi for dd but dh didn't-am surprised that he now likes Noeli!

Re bras-I didnt get a size bigger last time and definitely didnt need to-although my boobs did go fairly huge for a while when my milk came in the bras were stretchy enough to accomodate it iykwim? Then within a couple of weeks a size bigger would have been way too baggy so not worth it really. Think it depends on your size anyway though-seems to be that people who are naturally well endowed grow more during pregnancy/bf than those who aren't. A friend of mine went from d to h whereas I just went from a to b.

Skidd - thick question here - is 3/5ths engaged MORE or LESS engaged than 2/5ths? I thought 2 meant the baby's head was lower as it meant only 2/5ths could still be felt???

Didn't I recall you saying your baby's head was engaged a while ago???

Re nursing bras - I don't think my boobs got much bigger after my milk came in. I haven't bought any specific new ones this time round, will try using the ones from last time and then perhaps venture out and buy a couple of new ones after a week or two. Like the sound of Emma Jane. Have heard of it before - anyone know if you can buy them anywhere except online?

This baby is REALLY strong now - it just moved and I thought it was going to push a leg out through my stomach!

clara - yes 3/5 is more engaged than 2/5 - 5/5 is completely engaged - i.e. all the baby's head is in the pelvis and you can;t feel any of it above the pelvic bone (think that's right anyway)

Yes I was told my baby's head was 4/5 engaged by a gp who saw me because the mw was booked up but I think she had no idea what she was talking about because since then a consultant and 2 mws have told me it's not engaged! AFAIK it is quite rare for the head to engage a long time before labour in 2nd+ pregnancies so this is good news for you and amani (however I may be wrong so don;t hold me to it!)

clairey - thanks for the link - says they won't dispatch them until february though - well that's no good to me!!

Yes I expect to have one night's stay in the hospital. North Tees has BF friendly status so hopefully that means I'll get plenty of support.
RE: the cord thing, my AN teacher said it is better to wait until the cord stops pulsing, and I've been reading about this in the news - apparently it boosts baby's iron stores. However, I'm sure she also said that if you are having a managed 3rd stage, they give you the injection when the baby is still coming out!
Been doing my Xmas shopping, done pretty much of all of it. Had a bit of a drama in the High Street, some silly woman walking in front of me did a very abrupt about face and walked straight into me, unfortunately there was a woman with a buggy right behind me so I ended up nearly on the floor but the woman in front managed to catch me! Knocked the wind out of me but apart from that fine, though now have a rotten head ache!

Oh no Skid! I was hoping to get more of them too!
Someone said you can get Emma Jane bras in John Lewis so I'll check that out and let you know

Outlets

Online retailers

is this it clairey - hard to recognise in a different colour!

Poppy at your boss! Glad you told him how you felt! Just think though - only 8 1/2 days until your Mat Leave starts! (mine too...).

Macdoodle, builders! Hopeless aren't they? Love the name Lily Grace but you could always turn Lily Joe into Lily Jo so it is more girly? That's nice too and will make your DD feel more involved.

Tabimum, Grace also goes with Lila and Lola too (can you tell I like the name Grace? Unfortunately it is the name of a close friend's rottveiller so don't think I could use it if my LO is a girl).

Buzzy, bet you are so proud of your DD for her reading!

Insy, talking of Christmassy boy's names, my friend's BIL was born at Christmas and they called him Yule! (although everyone calls him Loggy now he is grown up).

Dundee, glad you got some reassurance from the MW you saw, hopefully you will get even more tomorrow from the consultant. TBH those charts are tosh, based on bottle fed white babies so not exactly accurate for a very large proportion of the population!

Housemum, I also have started using the car for nearly all school runs, it is only a 10 min walk but I struggle with the hills and when it is damp outside it really makes my hips ache a lot by the evening too. As for overdue appointments, here they book it at your 20 week scan! Mine is booked for 11 days after LO is due (14 days after LMP date) and basically they check you over and book you in for a couple of days later for induction. Hoping LO will decide to arrive before that point though as appt is booked for day before DS2 does his first whole day at school.

Skid, hope your DD is okay, my boys quite often get 'non-specific viral rashes' when they are poorly.

Clairey those are really nice names! I am still struggling for girl's names although I think we are fairly settled on George for a boy.

I don't honestly think an early discharge from hospital or a HB effect how much BF support you get. When I had DS2 I was basically stuck on the ward afterwards and no-one bothered to come and see me. I asked to go home at about 10 o clock and they said I needed to be seen by a doctor first but by about 3 o clock (12 hours after DS2 was born) I had still seen no-one so they got a MW to check us over in the end and let me go home. The MW support at home was far better than anything received in the hospital.

No that's not the same one. They have it in Blooming Marvellous here
Am just ordering mine now

Oh and I have one of the lace trimmed ones and it is nowhere near as comfortable.

skidaddle - I think it is the opposite - ie 2/5th is more head in the pelvis than 3/5ths. 3/5th - the midwife can feel 3/5ths of it.

I disagree that less well endowed women don't grow as much in pg. My boobs get enormous when I am expecting and even bigger when my milk comes in! One of my friends told me I looked like I belonged in a porn mag or on a pole after I had DS2!

Unfortunately when I stop feeding they then disappear taking any firmness with them

I get all mixed up with the measurements for how far baby is engaged too! Not an issue for me at the moment though as baby does not seem to be anywhere near the exit!

Skid - I was tired myself (and that brings the grumpy me out) and I said - 'No, I'm off to sleep and I'm sorry but I can't be responsible if anything was to happen you your baby.' After that she kept the curtains on my side shut lol!
Yes 3/5 engaged - is that good for 34 weeks???? Hope it's early (after 36 weeks though) so fed up!

MM - no problem glad the curry was a success . Oh by the way looks like if we have a boy (which I think it will be) DH has chosen Daniyal.

On the subjects of bras - will go M&S wheb 38 weeks pregnant and get myself measures. Also on this subject did anyone watch that Trinny and Suzannah programme about breasts - most women in UK wear the wrong bras. There was one woman there who hadn't wore a bra for 6 yrs and her boobs looked like chicken fillets.

Bouncing - hate inconsiderate walkers too.

I love Daniyal.... have said it before but there you go.

I love Daniyal.... have said it before but there you go.