Due April 2008 - Spring Lambs and April Fools

[PortAndLemon]

Previous thread here.

Scampmum, the news is so depressing today. Am worried about my dh's job, it would be terrible timing with me just about to finish work. Lots of layoffs and long faces in Canary Wharf, and more to follow, no doubt.

Molly, I got a black knee length nightdress, thin straps in H&M, it was about £6, I think. Not button down but easy to slip off.

Molly - here is another nightie - drop down feeding clips so I guess that makes skin to skin easier?

I'm due on 2nd April - and it seams ages away

The midwife did advise what got it in should get it out but the dynamics of it all make it difficult and sometimes I think I might laugh it out from getting into all the manageable positions(much to hubby's deflated ego)

2 April is close!! I'm the 29th April and that IS ages away!!

I was told something really sweet this weekend - a hicupping baby is a sign of a happy baby! This from a little old lady that got talking to me! My LO is either wriggling or hicupping (sometimes at the same time which makes for very interesting viewing!)

Are you lot trying to make me cry?? That song is beautiful; i recognise it and its going on my birthing CD!!

Hi V1KK1M, if you are having your 'show' it doesnt necessarily need to be bloody, sometimes they are and sometimes not. You dont need to stop sex or taking Raspberry leaf either. The show doesnt mean labour is imminent, but it does mean your uterus is getting ready and is just a sign things will happen, probably in the next 2 or 3 weeks?
Call your MW and let her/him know though. It's important they are informed.
It's all very excitng isnt it?!

Music wise I have my chillout tunes, my rain and thunder new age soundtrack..(so relaxing) and a bit of Royksopp - In Space. I find it so soothing.
I keep playing it and imagining the labour.

You can play a clip of it here
If you are interested.

Oh.. that doesnt mean you won't go into labour any day now though.. its always possible, its the waters breaking and the regular contractions you need to watch for.
Hopefully the rest of the mums to be on here would agree with me?

xxxx

SuzeM & Scamp: the news is indeed depressing. I used to be a broker, glad I'm not doing it anymore although sometimes miss the buzz. Hope your DH's job is secure SuzeM.

Thanks for the link Mum2b, looks like a good nursing nightie even if I didn't use it for the skin to skin.

I'm presuming when they pop the baby up skin to skin it won't be washed and will be all gooey and so whatever I'm wearing will just get wrecked won't it?

Nice to hear that about hiccuping baby, mine hiccups all the time!

Shouldn't say because I've slagged work off so much but I worked () for The One Wot Bought Bear. I have been worried for ages but must admit I didn't see it all spiralling so rapidly. Suze, what does your husband do? There are plenty of jobs that should be relatively safe. Big hugs anyway, last thing you need is a worried DH right now.

Molly, baby definitely won't be washed! You will not notice in the slightest at the time but if you were wearing antique cream lace you might regret it later.

Obviously I've only been in labour once and they are all different, but for me the first contraction was so markedly different from the BH (just really different sensation) that I was pretty sure instantly it was The Real Deal.

Hi ladies, just thought id let you know how it going. Honestly its really hard!!! Ashton has thankfully improved with his breathing and came off c pap but the rest is proving less straight forward. He has been suffering with dips in his heart rate which they were treating with caffeine, he is still loosing weight and they now think he has reflux. I could just cry. All they keep saying is aim for his due date to get him home, well that seems like a life time away. I can hold him now which is fantastic,but i never want to put him down and then i feel so guilty as i know my 3 girls are missing me and they need me too. I never thought it was this possible to feel so torn. My husband is due back at work next tues and we now have no childcare as my mil had a fall and cant walk now.Sorry im havin a moan, just needed to put it all down to get it out..

-hugs gemprincess-

oh, sweetheart! Is there anyone close by who can help?

Does anyone have the number for Mary Poppins?

Gemp: Sound really tough. Sounds like ages away to the due date but Ashton will be a lot better soon. Have you anyone in your extended family / friends who could help you?

Scamp: Do you plan to go back to work? I don't think they can fire anyone on maternity leave and by the time you do go back the markets could be completely different... kind of sounds like you don't care that much right now anyway...

SuzeM: Hopefully your DH's job is ok. My DH works in the city too.

Scamp I work for a bank as well - one that has just been bought out by a Scottish bank... I am hoping and praying that they make me redundant while I'm off on maternity leave!

GemPrincess, no advice really, just empathy. I remember how hard it was with DD, she was born 24th nov, came home on the 20th dec so was in for a few weeks.

It was horrid, every second I wasn't with her I felt guilty, but the one thing I can remember the nurses saying was that she had no clue what was going on, and she wouldn't remember it, so don't feel guilty, Ashton is in the best place and right now, the ones who need you are the bigger children.

The fact that he is off the cpap bodes well, DD was on the full ventilator for about 2weeks and then cpap for another week. Then I went in one day and they said 'Danni-Ella can go home tomorrow' I was so shocked! They said that they didn't want to tell me before incase things got worse, but seriously, you'll get there one day and they'll tell you he can come home, once home it's likely he'll be perfectly fine, with Dd I was petrified and treated her like a china doll, but you'd never know she was born early now.

Easier said than done I know, but try to focus on your bigger DC's and the fact that he will be coming home.

{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}

That's my plan too, M2B2BR! I can't see it happening, though, as I work in a relatively safe bit (fund management) and I don't want to wish ill winds on everyone else.

Molly, no, don't plan on going back. Never meant to do it for long (initial rationale as graduate was to earn more than temping whilst I decided what I really wanted to do - seven years later... ), but then got a lock-in and then knew we wanted babies, made sense to go back between DC1 and DC2, but it was always the plan to stop now. What do you do now, if you don't mind me asking? Why did you give up broking? I'm itching to do something a bit more fulfilling/noble (though I have found the credit crunch etc. pretty fascinating).

I only have my in laws up here as i moved 300 miles from the south for my husbands work. My husband is just on his way to the hospital to sit with Ashton for an hour or so and im sat on the setee with my 3 year old who cant sleep. Tryin to express but even that seems impossible at the moment.Anyway enough about me i hope all you ladies are keeping well. I am going to read thru the posts to catch up.I cant believe how many pages there are.

Gemprincess, that sounds tough, hopefully someone can help you out at home.

Scamp (that's great you've finished, btw, you must be so happy!) & Molly, he is a quants developer so I would have thought pretty safe, but they have already cut his department here and in NY last week and more to follow. There are rumours that the bank he works for could head the same way as Bear Stearns. He said there said is no point worrying as it is out of our hands, he's right, I guess. I feel bad about finishing work now but I can always go back sooner than planned if I have to.

Gem, I found expressing really hard too, have you been able to put him to the breast? Apparently even a little suckle can help get your milk going. You should speak to sparklygothkat, her LO was in SCBU for a while and she expressed/mix fed and has finally been able to start feeding him completely herself.
She may have some advice for you.

xx

Gem - you poor thing. Can FIL do the childcare? Are any of the kids at school? Are you allowed to bring them to hospital? VS is right, as horrible and wrenching and counterintuitive as it may seem, Ashton won't know you're not there all the time. He's probably sleeping a lot, isn't he? Please try and be easy on yourself. Anything any of us can do to help (sending stuff etc) please just say.

Big hugs.

Suze - I'm over the moon to have finished. Really feels like my life is beginning here. Just in time for my 30th in (eek) 11 days.

gemprincess, hang in there! Ds3 was born at 32 weeks and I was told that he would be in till close ti his due date. As it turned out, he came home after 15 days! Do try to put him to the breast when you're with him, he may not do much but it is good stimulation and definitely helps with supply. That is bad timing that MIL broke her hip at just the worst time! Is there anyone else who could be called on?

Scamp: I worked in banking pretty much since college, hoping to give it up one day to work on what I really love which is music. I finally got the courage to ditch broking and music is what I'm doing now but that's another story...

SuzeM: If your DH works for the same bank that plummeted today I understand your worry but I would say he is pretty safe especially if they have already done the cuts in his department. Are you in banking too if you don't mind me asking?

GemP: Hope things get better soon but the others are all spot on in what they're saying. He doesn't realise anything and will be fine in a few weeks. Please come back and vent to us whenever you need to.

hehe Scampmum.. I just turned 30 on the 25th Feb. It's a crazy time. I managed to ignore my bday mostly by thinking about baby coming, not telling anyone and when I had to confess saying it was only the anniversary of my 29th :P
If you are not like me though.. (probably a GOOD thing) I hope you party it up and have a wonderful day planned.