April 2023 - We’re nearly half way! ✨ 🍼

[Cuppasoupmonster]

New thread! Hopefully this one will see us through 20 week scans and crossing the halfway point! 💕

As ever if you’re missing from the list give me a shout and I will add you:

Cuppasoupmonster second baby 7th (induction 37w) 💖
Milkandfenty third baby 1st 💛
Searchingtheskies second baby 2nd 💛
Biscuitsplease first baby 2nd 💖
Chocolat first baby 3rd 💛
Bluebubbles12 second baby 4th 💛
Erber third baby 4th 💛
CariadBB first baby 5th 💛
Skylark1990 second baby 7th 💛
Melissa2023 first baby 8th 💙
Tubbytele second baby 14th (CS 39w) 💛
Alwaysseeingstars first baby 9th 💛
Lj2022 first baby 10th 💖
Emeal123 second baby 11th 💙
DBS94 first baby 11th 💙
tattlytote second baby 12th 💛
Bernesemum first baby 12th 💛
Lid88 second baby 13th 💛
Ncbn first baby 14th 💙
Kennadams fourth baby 16th 💛
Margo34 second baby 16th💛
Aliceinslumberland first baby 16th (CS 39w) 💙
Appleandcheese first baby 18th 💛
Xalexandra first baby 20th 💛
Piggybean first baby 20th 💛
Tropicana1 second baby 20th 💛
Puddingbear 27th (CS 39w) 💛
Springblooms08 first baby 21st 💛
Hannah223344 first baby 21st 💙
Gilm0reGirl second baby 21st 💛
Pommy1 first baby 22nd 💖
Deek88 second baby 24th 💛
Marshmallowmountain first baby 25th 💖
LauraA31 first baby 26th 💛
Peachesthecat third baby 26th 💛
Allfurcoatnoknickers second baby 28th 💖
Limoncelloo 29th March second baby 💖
MamaMenna second baby 30th 💖

@ancienthouse that's a good point! And yes it's good to remember most don't. I do actually have a dairy allergy/intolerance myself and inherited it from my dad, so I'm glad DD doesn't have it. She seems to have DH 's constitution which I am grateful for!
My dairy allergy/ intolerance got milder as I got older but I definitely can't have too much or I get symptoms!
Can definitely understand worrying more if a previous child has an allergy, hopefully it doesn't happen again! Did you have to cut out dairy and soya from your diet too while bf? X

@Skylark1990 i do keep telling myself the GP wouldn’t prescribe before and monday didn’t even hesitate so something must have developed for them to give me something! I will do what you said for the good bacteria 😅 x

Has anybody started to buy bigger items yet? I’m 17 weeks friday and debating whether to start buying bits because some of the sales are amazing! I’m torn between it’s too early and don’t miss out on a fantastic deal 🤦🏼‍♀️
Our 20 week scan is 7th December and i know we have the christmas sales but for example the moses basket we are going to get is £40 from £120 and i just don’t feel i can pass on that saving haha!

I have bought a few bundles of clothes on the next sale, it’s actually exciting me now to start shopping as we know she is a little girl and it feels more personal to be able to buy things for her!

@LauraA31 which moses basket are you getting? That's a good deal!
I think we are going to wait for the January sales, purely so it's sitting around in the house unused for less time! I'm hoping they're as good as black Fri sales.... The only thing we really need is a moses basket though. And I want the little green sheep one 💚 🐑

I’m leaving the crib and bouncer until after the 20 week scan - the crib will be second hand Next2me but will buy a new mattress, and I’m hoping to get a bouncer, bfing pillow, steriliser and bottle set in the January sales. Also need a couple of changing mats, nappies, baby toiletries and some more muslins as DD’s have been doubling up as kitchen cloths 😬

I bought some travel minis and a wash bag for my hospital bag the other day, also some enormous knickers as mine are getting tight plus they’re not pure cotton which is aggravating the thrush 😳 I think I’m pretty much done for maternity wear, but I would like a nice top for a Christmas meal I’m going to.

Is anyone keen on aromatherapy? I’m thinking of a room spray for my hospital bag as I found it so relaxing in my yoga class that I almost fell asleep!

Hi all, just stopping by to say hi. I am due my second baby on 28/04/23.

My daughter turns 7 on the 27th of this month so a bit of a gap :) I unfortunately had one loss in 2014 before I had my daughter so I’m forever on edge.

I am keen to seek support from others who are due at the same time as me.

Im rubbish on my phone but will dip in and out and offer any advice as and when I can.

I’m 16w6d tomorrow and for my fiancés birthday I’ve booked in a gender scan :) I’m keen to know but my fiancé can’t keep his mouth shut, so I’m going to ask I’m told and he’s not as he’s told me he can’t keep it a secret and won’t be able to!

Have a wonderful day all xx

@Skylark1990 yeah DS reacted through my milk so I was dairy and soya free for 3 years! I'm looking forward to eating allllll the cheese this Christmas (except brie 😪😪) because I'm pretty sure I'll have to give it all up again.
Soya is a really annoying one because soya flour and soya protein is creeping into so many products.

We have the little green sheep moses basket, it really is lovely!! Hoping I get more use out of it this time around!

Thanks all for the reassurance around the antibiotics - I absolutely will take them if needed, my cut off is this weekend as we're at Centre Parcs next week and don't want to be unwell for it!

@ancienthouse That's so good to hear that your DS is doing well on the ladders - we've tried and failed far too many times now so we're taking a break. She has immediate reactions to soya, even soya letchin which most can tolerate, and delayed reactions to dairy - we can't pass step 1 of the ladder as she reacts on half a malted milk biscuit. She was formula fed so was diagnosed at 8 weeks as her face was swelling up with each feed, pretty scary! she still gets prescription formula now (she was 2 in July) as the dietitian said we can continue until she's 3. I heard the chances of the next baby being an allergy baby is like 50:50 but I'm going to attempt to BF this time to be more in control of it all. Fingers crossed for no allergy but I feel like I read packets etc with my eyes shut now so I guess really it wouldn't make too much difference having 2 the same - different allergy however would be a mare!

@Skylark1990 @LauraA31 I've not yet bought any bigger items but we have friends one who has offered us a next to me and another offered a Moses basket. I have a very big family too so my aunt has offered buying a cot monitor and my mum, dad and mother in law are buying a pram for us. I can't help but feel so thankful and lucky. Had another few people offer to buy bits a pieces. Think all I'll need to get out of bigger things is a cot and furniture for the nursery which I'll do after Christmas.

I have ordered and bought things like baby toiletries, changing Matt etc. we sadly recently lost my niece at birth so sister in law and her partner have kindly given us one or two smaller things too that were pink so very sad circumstances for getting those things but we didn't want anything big off them and only took the 2 they couldn't return.

I also feel a bit lost on buying clothes etc as I know we will get loads from other people. Almost feel a little redundant in the buying department

Back to maternity wear chat, I've ordered a dress and some underwear from Skims, Kim Kardashian's clothes. I've heard a lot of good things for pregnancy wear. The dress isn't what I'd usually go for (basically a body con maxi dress) but will try it on with some different shoes and accessories and see how it goes. It actually looks perfect as nightdress/loungewear hybrid.

Hi @RackJussells - I also dip in and out as can't keep up with my phone very well. Congratulations on your pregnancy.

@Cuppasoupmonster I'm into aromatherapy! Taking a room spray is an excellent idea. I still need to look into which oils are safe in pregnancy. I believe clary sage should be avoided.

@Lid88 DS is/was the same - immediate to soya and delayed for dairy. We failed the milk ladder a few times but started again at 3 and he's whizzed through most of it - he can now have cheese and yoghurt which is so weird to me! He reacted once when I accidentally ate something that had milk powder in so it's crazy that I can now just give him a bowl of cow yoghurt!
We started the soya ladder under his dietitian and he's fine with soya lecithin now and getting there with soya flour.

Trying breastfeeding this time might make it easier for sure. I was so grateful I could breastfeed and just control what was in my milk as DS also couldn't have coconut so it ruled out almost all of the prescription formulas! And with us both having to give up the same things it kind of made mealtimes easier in a way.
I am also now an expert label reader! And I'm much more confident at demanding allergen information when eating out if the restaurant is being non-compliant with allergy laws!

@lj2022 that’s really good that you have got most things sorted, im sorry to hear about your niece too.

I’m also very lucky that my parents have bought us our pram, so that is a massive thing taken care of already and won’t be delivered until March. I feel like i might just take the plunge and order some bits, because it’s our first we feel so overwhelmed with what we need to get and i think getting that list down gradually might help me 😂

We are going to hold off doing the nursery until the baby is here and almost ready to go in the room.. i know the baby will stay with us for months and i am terrible at changing my mind about rooms and furniture so we decided that instead of setting it all up and me changing my mind we will wait 😂
Thankfully the nursery has full fitted wardrobes which will be used to store all her things and clothes etc even when she is in with us.

I think ive gone a bit overboard on clothes to be fair, holding off buying anything else now because like you say so many people will buy clothes!

Has anyone at all felt like they've been getting early braxton hicks?

Past few days my little bump feels hard and uncomfortable for a couple mins then goes back to feeling normal. I didn't think you could get BH this early.

@Skylark1990 oops sorry missed your post! I shall do a google and find the one we are thinking of getting (let the boyfriend use my phone last night to look for some baby bite and he has closed the blinking tab!)

I like the little green sheep one too!

Thanks for all the clothing suggestions seems like there’s a lot more variety than I thought which is good 😊

@MamaMenna @PiggyBean thank you 🥰

@Skylark1990 i didn’t mention any worries but did see if they could measure NT but they said they don’t at 30 weeks. No specific markers but babies nasal bone was nice and big and no issues with heart or bowel so that was enough for me :)

I haven't posted here for a while but have been keeping up with the thread. Not much has been going on but we've got our 20 week scan today at 3.20pm and I'm so excited! We last had one at 13 weeks so it feels like a long time we've been waiting to see baby again.

Good luck @Erber I hope it goes well.

@LauraA31 Thankyou it's been a tough time but their wee boy is thriving and thankfully was okay so keeping everyone going.

I'm the same with the nursery however the fitted wardrobe in there is mines but it's a massive room so some drawers and a wardrobe will fit in no bother with still a lot of space. I'm the same I plan to get it decorated end of feb/March so it's all done just in time even though baby will be in with us.

Yea I've started getting small things because it makes my list look better when I tick them off. I never wanted a baby shower but everyone has basically said I'd be getting one anyway so that really is helping as people ask what we need 😂🙈 your first is definitely overwhelming isn't it starting from scratch. Planning to reuse everything near enough if we have another so that should make life easier than this time haha

@Jexi I've had that too but I just assumed it's movement as it's only happened 3 times and I think it must be when she's doing a big flip in my belly. My movements are feeling quite strong now so that's why I just thought it was that but maybe it is braxton hicks. Who knows 😂

@IvyAurora thanks! Everything seemed fine. Sonographer said they obviously don't know for sure until they're here but everything looked good to her. I also had whooping cough vaccine and covid booster. I already had the flu vaccine after my last scan. Back at 28 weeks for a growth scan, then all going well I probably won't have another one until they're here. Its crazy to think how quickly it's going in. I've never made it past 38 weeks in previous pregnancies.

Thank you @IvyAurora :)

I just enjoy reading what everyone else is saying, I haven’t told all my friends yet, literally only ones knows, bar that just my family know.

So I am enjoying reading this thread and seeing how everyone is getting on being at the same stage as me!

Hey @LauraA31 just seen me and you are at the exact same dates, I’m 17 weeks Friday too 💕

@RackJussells How exciting! It’s nice to have people on the same day isn’t it! X

Does anyone have any stretch mark prevention tips or advice on exercise?

I've registered for a free trial with the Studio Bloom app so am about to start that. I just get so breathless and disheartened since reading that it's impossible to maintain muscle tone.

Has anyone any experience of being glad they exercised in pregnancy? Surely some is better than none, even if you're not actively building 💪 muscle.

Sorry for the TMI, but wanted to see if anyone was in the same boat re: bowel movements!! .... I've been quite constipated in the first trimester, even my IBS cleared up. I'm 18 weeks Friday, and have found my movements this week are more like pre-pregnancy and a bit more frequent - is this to be expected? I was expecting the constipation to stick around all pregnancy tbh

@IvyAurora I've been exercising 3 times a week. Enjoying it much more now and not feeling so crap afterwards. Just having to make sure I'm taking on enough water and food 😊

Hey guys :)
Catching up on the thread so lovely to see so many 20 week scans coming up!

a quick question because I don’t know if I’m just feeling ultra emotional and a bit vunerable or what but is anyone else just struggling with work?

Im only 17 weeks and literally counting down the minutes until I can break for maternity leave. Even though I can’t start it early for financial pressures, I’m debating just finishing up asap and dealing with being skint for the sake of my mental health.
Im so overwhelmed, my boss is stressed and passing that on to me, there’s no HR, no one I can speak to confidentially, no way to express just how pressured I’m feeling but I am so close to handing in my notice and leaving it’s unreal. I’ve also found out this week that there are 2 new hires starting in January, one above me (the role I had been promised when I started) and one at the same level (basically my job) so the chances of being able to return after mat leave are slim anyway.

I just don’t know what to do. No one will take me on halfway through a pregnancy, I have 2 other kids to support and literally bought my house a month before falling pregnant. I feel utterly hopeless 😞

sorry for the Debbie downer rant.