First-timers this year . . .

[TJuice]

I was just wondering how many are there of us . . .

I am due end of June and love my antenatal thread as there is so much good advice there but thought it may be nice to share a little with others who are new to this whole thing too.

Anyone interested?

hmm first meal, DH has already been told I expect champagne at the hospital and then I think a lovely runny brie with water biscuits and grapes. OH YES!

As a first timer I think the one thing I don't think is told to you is just how THIRSTY you would be all day. I swear in the first trimester I was drinking about 4l of water a day and even now it's about 2l (with tea, diet coke etc on top of that) and also about how much the baby moves. I knew it was supposed to kick but I feel it move the whole time when is it suppose to do it's 18 hour of sleeping!!

TJuice I agree on the retail therapy, especially whilst I still have a wage coming in, also doing the little things to make yourself feel better like getting round to epilating my legs (it had been 8 weeks my poor DH!) and today I am going to paint my nails and toes. It all seems like so much faff but I know it will make me feel better about my fairly lumpen self .

I have worries about being a mother as well but my DH is paranoid at the moment that he is going to smother the baby! He read in the newspaper a couple of weeks ago that a man was sitting down with a baby alseep on his chest and he also fell asleep and the baby fell between the armchair rest and the man and smothered at the same time I also told my DH that apparently there are times when I will bring the baby into the bed to bf and fall asleep so DH is worried he will turn over to cuddle me and smother the baby! I dont think he is going to get a wink of sleep in the first few months

Agree on the tummy sleeping thing, it took ages to get used to not being able to do that.

I am only 27+3 gone and quite tall the baby has lots of room to grow lengthwise before growing out! I don't really look pregnant, I just look fatter than usual. Also either I do them or my DH does them as I wouldn't want to inflict my feet on anyone else even if I was paying them!
In my (irrational) opinion, unpainted toenails are just wrong.

ha! i agree. i had a lovely pedicure at easter which has lasted but i need to redo them. i do my cuticles standing with one leg on the bath but to do a good smooth paint job, i need someone else and i think dp is too cack-handed. he did offer to trim and groom my minky but there's no way!!!!
unfortunately, all beauty treatments here are so expensive. i miss my £10 thai pedicure in south london.

these nail polishes are supposed to be pregnancy friendly by the way. Zoya

Hey, Libra - I'm dead thirsty but cannot get back to sleep after getting up for a wee in the night, so am reluctant to drink much after 8pm. Anyone else got this?

RE blue cheese, champagne, mousse etc: Okay, so I am being obligingly paranoid about various foodstuffs, having heard all the media scares, but I am v heartened to hear that others are much less timid and wussy! I'm off to France in a bit where they think nothing of pregnant women downing beaujolais and eating pate followed by rare steak and look at you sideways if you don't want your egg runny. Should be good for a laugh (Mais non, Madame, 'ave some more vin rouge. Eet is good for ze baby!).

However, I didn't know that nail polish is bad for fetuses!?! Gosh, isn't there a lot on the 'must not' list? How on earth are we supposed to keep track?

Anyway, I'm also going to treat myself by painting my toenails tonight. DH always looks at them and tuts as he is much better at DIY than me and doesn't botch the little toenail. I am shortsighted so I don't really care as long as they look okay to me, but apparently my feet look like a child's painting of pissed toes.

I wouldn't let my DH near my minky (ace word!) with any kind of grooming tool, TJ. Not unless he wanted his doing in his sleep . With patterns.

Is anyone else supposed to be working, btw?

Hello everyone.
Can't beleive I have only just noticed this thread - pregnancy appears to have made me blind as well as forgetful!
I'm going to be a first time mummy very shortly - infact due tomorrow! No signs of baby wanting to meet me yet though.
As far as toenails go I had to buy clippers so dp could cut mine - and as for my minky (indeed, fab work), ignornace is bliss as I haven't been able to see it for a good 5 months!

I don't think there are conclusive studies proving nail polishes are bad for pregnancy so I wouldn't worry too much.

Sorry no advice for the thirstiness I was lucky I was up 3-4 times a night but I go straight back to sleep. Howabout sucking ice-lollies or ice-cubes as they last longer and will make your mouth feel less dehydrated?

I think things like mousse from the supermarket will be fine as it will be made using pasterised eggs. Personally I would stay away from blue/runny cheese it's a bit russian roulette for my liking but I do admit to having 1 glass if wine twice a week now I am in my second trimester.

*crosses fingers for Ayomi, good luck! I presume your bag is packed and your birth plan in place? I am dreading going over my due date!

ty Libra - bag is indeed packed and house is cleaner than its ever been - even mum thinks its clean!
Birth plan is a bit shakey I must admit - more a list of what I don't want but its really hard to plan for the unknown imo..

for thirstiness i have been eating an apple before bed - helps with my constant desire to snack too and only up once in night now which is damn lucky as i'm constantly going in the day since baby engaged...

my friend says that if you drink warm ribena at night - you don't need to pee. haven't tried it though . . .

Ruth- I tried the limiting my fluid intake before bed to prevent getting up to go for a wee so often, but all I got was a thumping baby waking me up instead, raging thirst and banging headache, and I still had to go to the loo. So to be honest, I'd drink and wee and suffer. Try a banana to help you get back to sleep.

TJ- so impressed you can still do your own toenails...I have been given pedicure vouchers by DH as an alternative to him having to paint them (plus raging SPD means I couldn't do it anyway). As far as minky goes, I am still labouring to do it myself...I did take the advice of my ante-natal group and buy an electric shaver, so no cuts! There are some things I cannot allow DH to do...the man cannot hang a picture straight.

Hi Ayomi - all the best! Looking forward to hearing your baby news soon :-)

Cakes, I hear you loud and clear on the trimming front. Safety first, I think.

TJ - I will try the banana idea as I have eventually been getting up and reading for a few mins in the spare bedroom which makes me fall asleep better but I do prefer waking up in my own bed in the morning. Plus, my absence confuses DH.

Hi all, hope everyone has had a lovely weekend- have been flying round doing a friend's big birthday celebrations- away on a mini break no less... watching them all get hammered though!

RE. drinking, like Libra I've been sticking to the old guidelines- as they were apparently fine for years?!?! feeling paranoid now though- are other people having the odd drink or not?

Away to a spa soon- birthday voucher for next weekend... so toes, bikini line..it's all on the list to get sorted!

Deese20 Sorry been away for the week studying madly as I have an exam tomorrow (eeek) I saw a post but was on a friend daughters computer and the net thing would not let me look at the flippin threads on these and another message board I used or open some of my emails.

Not totally pain free no but most of the time I can live with it I do apparently go really pale when I try to push my self too had. Most of the pain I get is what I would describe as ligament pain but which comes and goes but if I over do it I get that right inguinal pain again which just makes me want to curl up and die and I am still not comfortable sitting for more than about 20 mins (how the hell am I going to cope with a 2 hr exam) Thankfully the 30/500 co codamol does not cause me constipation (I have IBS and only need to eat bread to go the other way) neither is the other one which is stronger the name of which has escaped me but only taken 10 of them since the whole thing started. I do hope you are feeling better.

carrieHD9 I am having the occasional drink too if I feel like something

Kaz- with you on the sitting front...20 mins at the most. Are yo getting any sleep? I have yet to take co-codamol as have been having issues with piles (ah the glamour!) but am getting quite desperate...if you tell me it has an effect, I might suffer the consequences. Will speak to the doc when I see him today.

Wondered if you could get special dispensation to do your exam in isolation/get extra time etc as you used to be able to at uni....you have a medical need to get up and move around....

Morning all.

I have suffered from chronic insomnia and chronic back problem so have a totally wacky sleep patten. I tent to wake up every 2 hours to turn over but for me that is normal (these days it is needing the loo as well as because turning over hurts)

Since going to see the Physio I sleep with 2 pillows between my knee (was just one because of back) and a towel rolled up under my tummy and that does help. I also If the fibroid (or stretching ligaments) are playing up I sleep lying on that side and find that that has helped too. This is one time in my life when I thank god bread (well all wheat) has what is normally a disastrous effect on my gut no constipation (yet still time LOL)

Penny did try to get me a room of my own for the exam but she did not have time to book it being college holiday last week she only got my email this morning, She said to get up and move around if I needed to just be as quiet as possible (one of the girls answered her phone twuice during the exam ). I topped up on tramadol as well as the co codamol and had a heat pad on that side just for the time of the exam not ideal but it got me through just hope what I wrote makes sense. If I have not passed looks like I can get another go without it counting or the fact I was unwell will be taken into consideration with the marking. Saying that from what half the class were saying they had done no revision or had just done it last night and there was me worrying I only had done a weeks not 2 weeks. It was not as bad as I thought it would be though hope I wrote enough to pass then it is all done.

I hope it works out OK Kaz- well done on getting through the exam!

I invested in one of those long body pillows which has really become my best friend in the last few weeks- can't sleep without it- it helps keep my pelvis level and minimises the pain. Sadly turning over is bloody painful, but as you say, by the time you've been to the loo, you have to start going to bed all over again!

I often turn over onto all 4's to turn over rather than roll onto my back it less uncomfortable.

i agree - its getting really hard to sleep these days. i try all the pillows but they annoy me and i end up kicking them out of bed. i really need the whole bed these days - maybe i should kick dp out instead.

last night i had a warm bath and a half mug of warm milk and honey and must admit that helped with the insomnia a bit. but i need my naps in the afternoon!

has anyone bought one of those swiss bouncy balls to sit on? my yoga teacher was going on and on about how brill they are so i was thinking of getting one. but i am a bit worried that it may burst and i will fall on my arse!

could do with something at work though - its hard to get comfortable at a desk.

hope you are all doing well - its really quietened down on here. where are you first timers?

Tjuice-

toatlly recommend kicking out DP. My DH took himself off to the spare room with a cold last week and it was utter bliss (haven't told him!)

Can also recommend 'birth ball' (basically a pilates ball that they can jack the price up on)- I got one weeks ago and wasn't sure, but am totally coming round to it in the last couple of weeks...you can stretch over it, rock, sit and bounce. It also helps to make sure that baby juice is the right way round pre-birth. Baby cakes is the right way round, fortunately, but she seems to enjoy the bouncing. The dog hates it though!

Man I'm tired. And it's raining so I'm going to have to struggle with socks and shoes again..why couldn't the sun stick around for a few more weeks?

By the way- three weeks to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi everyone! Sorry, have been awol for ages - lost this thread and pregnancy brain made me forget all about it until now. Hope everyone is doing okay

ruthosaurus - v of you going to France, but hope you can actually find something to eat. A colleague was there while heavily pregnant and as her husband and friends were getting stuck into their runny Brie and pate, she asked in desperation if the restaurant had anything pasteurised. After some consultation, they made a great show of presenting her with a Dairylea triangle on a plate

Ayomi - good luck for your forthcoming baby! How exciting, I really hope everything goes well and you get to meet your little one soon.

carrieHD9 I've been having the odd drink here and there as well - I honestly don't think it's too much of an issue. There was a really good article on the Guardian website that investigated a lot of the conflicting advice and found it lacking in much medical sense; it's by Zoe Williams who usually I can't stand, but she was very good with this and I found it quite reassuring.

Well, I'm 22 weeks this week and apart from neverending thrush and the tedium of constipation I'm feeling pretty fine. Am certainly starting to notice the increased heaviness of my bump though, and my baby has been moving around a lot which is v cool. Had our scan last week - everything seems fine and we are apparently having a boy

cyteen - congrats on the boy! have you thought of names yet, or are you chilling on that one?

i can't believe how quick time is going, makecakes!!!! its shocking. i know you are well-organised though, so its going to be great. have you stocked up your freezer yet? and your cupboards?? you are lucky in the uk to have access to convenience foods (although they aren't that healthy). I was just thinking about M&S tinned thai green curry the other day. When I was a student, I would make speedy dinners with that kind of thing - or those packet rosti things with potatoes and onions.
Its different here - supermarkets are quite basic and you have to really make stuff from scratch . . .

but i am going to make lush hamburgers, soups, chilli, bolognese etc etc. and if my mum comes before, she may make some dishes too (she is the best cook!)

Oh my goodness TJuice, I've just been having a nosy on your profile and am to the max of your living circumstances - Copenhagen? Write for a living? It sure beats boring old Leicester and working for a charity!

I'm quite looking forward to cooking up a big batch of meals when I'm on maternity leave, and will be able to do so as at last we'll be living in a house with a decent freezer. That's assuming I can still reach the cooker across my bump by then!

We're struggling for boy's names (typical!) but on the list so far are Alexander, Edmund and Vincent. I anticipate much happy wrangling over the next four months

Cyteen your names are lovely- we are still wrangling. I have a favourite but partner objecting strongly to it... we will see who's iron will wins out...

Tjuice, partner kicks himself out of bed some nights due to my rolling around, huffing and puffing and snoring on a grand scale- happiness all round on those days as I have a massive bed, can read at random times when I can't sleep and he actually gets to sleep!

I second makecakes on the birthball, although I don't know what they are- mine is a standard gym ball, think it's the same thing? It's sooo comfy when nothing else is, how can lying down on the sofa no longer be comfy?!?