Due March 2008 - for our early arrivals and the loooooong 3rd trimesters

[merryberry]

Hello all.

ooh we are using fuzzis on the twins- we have swaddlebees as well but they are still too big the fuzzis are great but you do need to read up on them first so that you know how to look after them/boost them etc if need be- but ask away- i think they are fab!

I'M BACK IN MY JEANS!!!!! admitedly they are next maternity ones- but i grew out of them at about 16 weeks so its a bit of a milestone i've been wearing black trousers/yoga pants/tracksuit bottoms/pj's for the last few months so putting on jeans has made me feel a bit yummy-mummy like!!

mumofmonsters - yay on the placenta moving

Morning everyone... Prisci good to have you back.

Can anyone give me convincing arguments for buying a separate diaper bag? Can't I just use one of the many bags I already own? Or do the special bottle compartments etc... really come in handy?

Derah: "mental health day"? "general unwellness"? "exhaustion and dizzy spells"? "insomnia-related exhaustion"?

it depends- sometimes i like the structured layout of changing bags- but i have a lovely mulberry that dh bought as a push pressie which i shove little things in for a quick trip to the supermarket - but i always have a fully stocked changing bag in the car and another on the pram if i am going out for any length of time.

I guess i have to carry around twice as much though! so its difficult- bear in mind what nappies you are planning on using- washables take up more room therefore bigger bag, bottle feeding needs all manner of bits and bobs, breast-feeding- well you don't put your norks in a bag and carry them around

boots give away a free changing bag if you join the baby club iirc- comes with a changing mat as well i think!

e14-Afraid as is the case with 80% of baby things, you don't really need one. The only bit I ever found useful (sometimes) was the thermal bit for keeping bottle of water warm for formula. You can get seperate ones! Sorry for being cynical, but it's a bit like putting the word "wedding" into the equation...they will try and charge you extra and convince you you need more..Having said that, they can be quite cute.

Oh...but if you use a nice bag, be assured that the bottle of water /tub of sudocrem lid WILL COME OFF at some point!

Thanks girls...

Have you read tthis one?

Derah - in my company any pregnancy related sick leave in the four weeks before your maternity is due to start, automatically triggers your maternity. So maybe better to put something non-pregnancy related in the form.

I am exhausted and counting the days but have to stick with it till 5 February. Have maternity cover starting next week so hopefully will be able to pass everything to her and just MN all day.

Turtle - thanks for the link. very interesting and worrying that my trust (Lewisham) is considered Least Well.

I think that pretty much all the London trusts are "least well" due to sheer numbers.

Yup, except for UCLH and we all know how well that's doing in our books these days...

Phew, glad to see that the Trust I'm booked into if home birth doesn't work out is a Good. Not surprised to see Trust where I had DD is a Least Well.

And very grateful not to be in London!

Guys & St Thomas is also good. I considered it but having to come into central London to give birth would be a bit of a pain (literally)

and to think tommy's where i had ds1 and uclh are supposed to be better...gawd help us all.

not sure how they are spending their 122m quid. hopefully on the MWs.

derah...depends what you are looking for. There's a Discovery Planet not too far away. Not a million miles away from Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green...

oops...meant to post that on meetup thread. Obviously pressed back before responding. Confused. Sorry.

HQ I'll add to recommending gargling salt water for a sore throat. I do it non pregnancy aswell.

Had to cope with a power cut to our local area this morning. Thank goodness Junior woke me up at his usual time (around 5am). Looked at the clock just to check and found it was working. A quick looksy outside and it was pitch black. Went and got the mobile and set that alarm instead. Power came back around 8ish in the end. Dsd2 wanted to know if that meant the TV wouldn't work either!

A friend from work was telling me about child tax credit. She got about £78 while she was on maternity leave. She didn't know she was entitled to this until the baby was 3 months and they don't backdate it.

You have to have a combined income below a certain amount to be entitled to receive the money and should apply for it as soon as the baby arrives. They will then calculate how much you are entitled to. Combined income is not very high (between £53k-60k per year) so a lot of us will prob not be entitled. But worth a try.

You can call their helpline 08453 003 900 and they will send you a pack with the forms to be completed once the baby is born.

Was just in lloyd's chemist and they have a babycare tens unit for sale for £49.99. I found a hire place for £25, but if you want to buy one that seems quite cheap!
Thanks for reminding me, Brazilianmum, got the forms through today and knew there was something I was supposed to be doing!!

Also... www.entitledto.com will tell you if yu get any extra help.

Hi all - how is everyone feeling?
One week to go before I go on maternity leave, and I am really feeling it now. Also feel like the most enormous woman in the world, waddling around the office like some sort of hippo-woman, whose only constructive action today has been to make herself some tea...
I've given myself four weeks from finishing work until due date, but I think at the moment I would be happy with just a fortnight's peace before Bump makes an appearance.
Is anyone going to be working past 36 weeks?

spacehopper by name and nature heh? get your rest in while you can!

derah did you come up with excuse? otherwise you can borrow my 'lunged for falling cereal packet, strained a shoulder muscle, couldn't sleep a wink last night' excuse for feeling so rough.

everyone thank you for contributing to one of my happiest days and birthdays ever, yesterday. I had a truly lovely day (despite shoulder!).

Somewhat odd experience in the supermarket this afternoon: while buying a very eclectic mix things like chocolate eclairs (yum!) and baby rattles (half the price of mothercare) some lady approached me and started telling me her birth stories... Fortunately it was of the "I was in labour for 19 hours but it was the best 19 hours of my life" variety rather than the "Ohmigod it was agony". She even enjoyed it so much that she ended up being a surrogate 2 years later!

Anyone else experienced a random stranger chatting with you solely because of your belly? I live in London, where nobody talks to anybody, so it was all a bit strange. But thinking about it, it was also very sweet that she was so bursting with enthusiasm that she had to share

What's going on? I can only get as far as page 18 but not on to page 19! Odd

Frannie I think you'll just have to be honest. I have told my mother that I would rather they came to stay after 2 weeks when DH has gone back. They are 5 hours away so quick visits aren't an option (I am v sad about this). I have said that this way I'll have more help for longer etc. She keeps saying things like 'I could just look in through the window' and am not entirely sure that she won't just appear anyway. I'd love her to be here but I know that if she was DH will end up being a bit left out and I really want him to be fully involved from the start. I am a bit worried that I may not want to share LO even with him, so I hope the first days are going to be really important - and precious. (haven't told mother that bit!).