Due July 08 - Second Trimetster :)

[PaulaYatesbiggestfan]

Hello all sorry to start this without warning but feeling terribly left out as my pc is broken and dp's crashes at the sight of such a huge thread
So here we are!
Cant even get the register to do a 'roll call'!

Hi All,

SCOTTISHSUSAN - just caught up with your news. Hope it went as good as it could today. I would rather know than not too. I'm still waiting on my blood resluts but am pretty apprehensive because of age too.
In saying that my friend had all the tests and had a DS baby - total shock to her when baby was diagnosed after birth. Hope everything works out xxx

Still spewing here and feeling hellish.
Had a relatively decent day yesterday so took DH's car out to get used to it as I will need to start driving it in the next few months - getting too big to get DD in the back of my mini

Hikacked a random couple's nipper for a test drive - it was really easy to steer and felt good. They told me that the tandems were quite awkward to get up kerbs due to heavier DC being at the front - any thoughts?

Am wondering where PAULAPLUMPBOTTOM has gone? Hope she is okay.

LAZYHIPPO - how are you?

Hope you are all well and wee beanies too.xxx

Hello all, been a very difficult one this week. My best friends sister who was due the same time as me lost her baby boy at 18 weeks, her 4th MC. I feel sick at the thought of it all and realise there is nothing I can say or do other than to tell them they're in our thoughts. It makes me feel almost guilty to be pregnant not to mention nervous about going on my long haul honeymoon this week.
I hope that all of you awaiting results of bloods/scans receive good news and that all of us can enjoy as trouble free pregnancies and births as possible

Hi all

Thanks for all support.

Appointment 9.30am tomorrow.

xx fingers crossed xx

Gilly how sad Think positive things for you little one though, you don't (I hope?) have the same history of miscarriages as this poor lady. Enjoy your holiday, this middle trimester is apparently the best time to go so hope you can relax and enjoy it xxx

Glad to hear others are having pelvic floor problems and its not just me who will be a whale like, wee-smelling old hag by 40 weeks!

Hooray for the girl isaidno!

Good luck Susan, I'll be thinking of you at 9.30 xxx

Good luck ScottishSusan, I know it is an incredibly personal decision but I think I'd be like you and I'd rather know.

I seem to have ballooned a bit this week - have been in maternity clothes since week 10 ( of all you who actually weigh less than pre-pregnancy, tho not envious of the sickness where that was the case!) but just the last few days the bump seems to have risen up a bit and got rounder, like a butterball turkey.

Also have just developed the symptom of downy facial hair in the sideburns area of my face, nice. Very pale but quite fuzzy - or it was, now removed with stinky cream.

I've also been having quite a few spd-like twinges, they seem a bit random and not related to how much I've walked or lifted DS the previous day. I was going to splash out on a special SPD support belt but then I read on another thread that they can do more harm than good. My chiro did say I could get one if I wanted, but there are several different types out there so I'm a bit confused.. I guess I will have to print off some details and take them with me to the next appt.

DH is laid up with flu (genuine sort, not man flu - he's even been to the GP) but then I was expecting him to be on yet another training course this week and not around to help anyway. Of course this means I am now looking after 2.5 children instead of 1.5 and he will have to go on the course at some other point when I am even bigger and grumpier!

Last week we had to take DS to the hospital, he got a fever and went all floppy, GP told us to go as she couldn't find what was causing it. All very scary for two hours, then they gave him some Calpol and 15mins later he was all bubbly and back to normal. Kind of embarrassing except that at no point did any staff suggest we should have done anything different. He's been right as rain since, of course!

Blimey Min the hospital trip must have been a bit scary glad to hear all is well though. Sorry to hear of the Real Man Flu too, maybe you could count it as practice for when the baby is born .

We both have revolting colds here that just won't shift, normally dh would moan the loudest but my "but I'm pregnant as well as ill! " trumps any of his silly little complaints . Although he did run a half marathon yesterday so I suppose I can cut him a little bit of slack cos he must be reeeeally hurting today!

hi everyone, just catching up on everything - lots going on!

Gilly & Susan - sorry to hear of your tough time...will be thinking of you tomorrow Susan.

I seem to have got pretty big recently - but I still think it just looks like a big flabby beer belly at the mo... getting a bit more knackered walking up stairs too.

Does anyone have cats here? We have two and I was wondering if there are any extra precautions we have to take - my mum doesn't think so (I grew up surrounded by cats), but wanted to check with anyone wih more recent experience?!

Mrs Hop - don't have cats personally but I think while pregnant you should avoid their litter trays if they have them / their poo due to risk of toxoplasmosis?? I do a lot if gardening and I'm sure last time I was pregnant I read to be careful of this.

Thinking of you today Scottishsusan xx

I went to the pram shop yesterday and it was closed - so I was unable to look at the buggy I think I want. Instead I made DH get all the clothes from 0 - 6 months out of the loft! All those teeny babygros and vests! I have lots of white, a bit of yellow, and a surprisingly large amount of blue, which I can put on ebay or something.

Have a lovely holiday Gilly ; sad news about your friend's sister, but don't feel bad. My cousin lost a baby at 35 weeks, and shortly after I fell pregnant with DS2. I did feel kind of guilty at the time.

Morning.I have a cat. I use this pregnancy as an opportunity for DH to clean litter tray - He has never done it before, can you believe it?! On the odd occasion I have had to do it while he is away, but really, if you don't touch anything (ie wear gloves) and wash hands afterwards what can happen? I'm more concerned about when baby is born. How do you keep the cat away and do you need to?
Can't a girl wear blue? I like blue clothes on a girl - well pale blue anyway.

Thinking of you SS.

Hi MrsHop I too have the flabby belly! I'm hoping it'll firm up a little for the beach part of my trip in 2 weeks. We have 2 cats at home, I'm planning to have the baby here and am hoping they'll be ok, they've been around babies and toddlers before and are just very curious. DH has been cleaning out the litter (a covered tray that thankfully doesn't smell!)
Had a horrible touch of cystitis yesterday and it made the lower back pain so much worse, my osteopath swears it's one and the same thing. Anyone have any experience of this? Seeing the doc later.
ScottishSusan, thinking of you today.

Hello - sorry if this has already been covered recently, but now now coming up to 19 weeks and am not really feeling anything - bump is definitely getting bigger, as are boobs (and have depressingly started to notice first appearances of stretch marks) and have felt the occasional flutter, but generally not much..it's my first one so i don't know how usual/unusual this is but any thoughts would be most welcome!

I'm just 18 weeks and only really feel the occasional flutter too. Make sure you massage the key areas every day, I've bought some Bio Oil and do my belly, hips, thighs and boobs every morning to keep the blood flowing round. I think it may help to eat foods rich in Vit E too as it helps the elasticity of the skin. I'm sure we'll be feeling more action soon.

Morning.

ScottishSusan - thinking of you today. Gilly, have just had similar experience although my friend wasn't as far along as yours - she has just had MC and I feel so bad for her.

MrsH - think you just have to avoid emptying the litter tray - EEC sounds like she's got the right idea re getting her DH to do it!

Like a few of you here, I don't really have a proper bump and what is there does feel like flabby overindulgence. I'm meeting up with a friend this weekend who is 21/22 weeks so 2 weeks further on than me and she says that she has full-on bump now and that the little one is going mad inside!! I definitely can't wait for this to start happening!

Btw, are any of you using/thinking of using re-usable nappies? I'd really like to try and minimise our impact on the environment but have had a look at a few websites and the re-usable nappies thing looks like a minefield!

I was thinking of re-usables - in fact there might be somewhere we can go and talk to people round our neck of the woods if you fancy it, I know there was a thing on in November...I will investigate...

Luckily we have a catflap so ours are off happily doing their business in our flowerbeds - I was a bit worried about them sleeping on the baby but they will probably be terrified of the strange new noise-maker for the first few months!

How is everyone today - hope all good xxx

I'm also in two minds about reusables. Is it really that much better for environment - and which ones do you go for?

Only felt a few flutters myself (18 +2) and can't wait for more!

MrsH - that sounds like a really good idea. Could definitely do with talking to someone rather than trying to figure out what these websites are on about! Let me know if you find anything out - I will also do some investigation.

I know what you mean EEC - I don't know whether it's better to use reusables and use up more energy washing them or to use disposables and end up contributing to those awful landfills but use less energy?!! I know you can buy eco disposable nappies too which are more bio-degradable. Can't remember the name of them now. Will have a look and let you know.

www.realnappiesforlondon.org.uk/wherewhatwho/boroughs/?borough=lewisham

we just missed one! There is more going on in Lewisham than Southwark unfortunately (Southwark would work better for me too as I am on border) - I will email the woman and see what else she has going on...

can't be doing with work today - it must be the beautiful weather

Afternoon all

Susan - thinking of you today, hope everything is going OK for you x

Min912 - I have a SPD support belt from last time but I don't think it did that much good TBH. I have been reading up on the different types of back pain and believe I suffer more from Pelvic Girdle Pain or Sacro-iliac pain. With SPD most of the pain is at the front but with mine it is at the back in my hips and bum where the sacro-iliac joints are. This type of pain can be confused with sciatia but apparently pregnancy does not cause sciatia and only 1% of pregnant woman have sciatia. I think pregnancy pain in general is very misunderstood, you just get told well some back pain is normal Glad your DS is on the mend, better to be safe than sorry though and I'm sure the staff didn't mind.

MrsHop - wow theres loads of us with cats on here, I have 3 myself. Unfortunately I have to clean the litter tray in the morning as it stinks and DP has gone off to work (he does get up at 6am) he tends to feed the cats then they do their business leaving me with the smell in the morning. Theres no way I could not do it. I am just very careful and wash my hands very thoroughly after. I researched toxoplasmosis as well when pregnant with DD1 (I know I'm a scientist or was and like researching ) the risk from cats is actually

Sorry mega post

Hi All!!

Just back from hospital and feeling exhausted but much happier!!

The staff at the fetal medicine unit were fantastic.

We had detailed scan and it was brilliant and showed "absolutely no" soft markers - perfect little baby "GIRL"!!!!!

Both dh and I decided there and then not to have amnio - we both felt that my risk was quite low anyway and when we saw our little girl we knew that the risk of mc with amnio was not on!

I am so tired - just emotionally drained but so much relieved and much more positive! Going to let dh spoil me for a few days though!!

Thanks all so much for all the support and good wishes - this thread has been brilliant and I am really so grateful xxxxxx

And a little girl...... "PINK" - wow - that will even things up a bit....4 boys and 2 girls

The sun is shining here too....
Amazing how things can turn around in 24 hours.....

Oh Susan that is brilliant news and your DD will be so chuffed another girl! It's amazing how you can go from down to up in a matter of minutes when you are pregnant isn't it. Now go get spoiled

Hi All,

SCOTTISHSUSAN - fingers crossed and sending good vibes [hugs]

RE CATS - if you have had them for a long time you will be immune to toxoplasmosis (probably) but avoid poo (wear gloves). I had 4 cats when DD was born. Bought the pram net and cot net but never used the cot net. Before we moved DD and I shared a room so I just didn't allow the cats in my room. I always put her in her moses basket/cot when she was having a nap so it wasn't a problem. I had to have 1 put down after she was born as he had gone doolally and started toileting in the house. I have 2 males now (who are terrified of her) and 1 female who loves her to bits and is very tolerant. I am teaching her to be gentle with them (which is difficult as she is not a gentle girl). My big fluffy male cat can't stand her and I have to watch them like a hawk as he scratched her once. The thing is you need to teach respect and tolerance on both sides and that takes time.

REUSABLES - I bought a load of Kushies Ultras before DD was born but they didn't fit her shape (something that never occured to me). So I sold them on ebay and have:

Motherease Sandys - fab, easy to wash/dry and stay fluffy.

Little Lambs - also good.

Bamboozles - great but do take ages to dry, nice snug fit and soft.

Totsbots fluffles - my favourite. Stay fluffy, dont' take too long to dry and all you Scottish ladies can invest in Scotland (they are a Scottish company.

I have different wraps too. My favourite wraps are velcro - easy.

My fav nappies are nippa nappies or stud poppers - the velcros stick together in the wash. My fav wraps are Motherease or Nature Babies. I use biodegradeable liners and put the ditry nappies in a bucket with a few drops of tea tree oil. You need booster pads for the nappies too. I just use fleece or cotton ones. I use disposables at night and when we are out and about but I find disposables irritate LO's bum - reusables don't. in saying that though I have been using diposables the last few weeks as I have been feeling so puky. The biodegradeable disposables are a bit naff IMO.

This time around I'll probably just use muslin squares to begin with (newborns are too tiny for reusables usually) then go on to my others.

The best thing is to buy a fe different kinds and see what suits your baby's shape and what suits you. You can get them on ebay and some sellers sell 3 different kinds. There is a lady on here who specialises in nappies - FLAMESPARROW ( I think).

Feeling rough today - awoke at 1 am - insomnia is really getting me down.

GILLY - I always feel bad when I hear these things - makes me feel especially guilty for whingeing so much about feeling hellish when pg. My SIL had 2 mc the first time I fell pg and I was crying teeling her. Then I lost mine at the 12 weeks scan. Next pg she fell pg 3 months later so it was great. I just can't bear thinking about these tragedies anymore so try to just say whatever will be will be - life is really hard sometimes.

Hope everyone is fine.

FAB news SUSAN - especially for your DD - yeah!!xx