Due May 2008 - the floodgates have opened!!!

[thefortbuilder]

Pleased to be able to start the new thread with our birth announcement!

Samuel arrived at 1923 on thursday 20th March, weighing in at 4lb 10oz! After a fraught day of trying to find a hospital with a NNU with a cot (our hospital NNU was closed just as we were about to go to theatre), we finally ended up at Epsom General!

Sam is still in NNU but should be coming off his last little bit of oxygen this evening, is off CPAP, and having a go at bf'ing whenever he can (he's being fed by a tube).

I'm home and feeling a whole lot better than I did last time around, although very sore - TAKE THE PAINKILLERS THEY OFFER!!!!!

Jacob not sure about the new arrival although is smitten with his new scooter

will catch up with posts later but thanks for all your thoughts, prayers and good wishes over the last few days

xxx

pinacolada sorry you had such a bad night and are feeling so low. Hope things pick up today. Just try and focus on...not TOO much longer now, light at the end of the tunnel.

sweetbean I really don't think you need to worry about your weight. Average weight gain in pregnancy is between 2 and 2.5 stone, so it sounds as if you are well within normal limits. Just for the record, I am counting it from when I got pregnant, not after morning sickness stopped (although I was never sick, just had nausea).
Also, do you actually have to write a letter to DH's employers about paternity leave?? I wouldn't have thought it was necessary, I think they just need a copy of the matB1 form. Do it soon though, I'm sure with my DH it had to be in by a certain number of weeks pregnant, I think 26?????

Having a quiet day today. DH on 12 hr shift. Just me and DD, who didn't wake up til 8:30am, what a dream!!!

Hello everyone

I'm lying in bed wondering whether I should go and meet my friend for lunch and an afternoon at the pool/spa ... haven't seen her in ages and would love to go, but the thing is I'm a bit of a gorilla in the nether regions and not sure how good a job I can do with a razor given that I can't see anything!!!

Probably shouldn't worry about it - it's not like anyone is going to be looking anywhere other than my incredibly huge bump anyway. Or at my very attractive friend in a bikini more like

am also feeling a bit tired cos I only got 2 hours sleep last night ... but pool would probably wake me up and help the circulation

Please someone encourage me to shake my lethargy and inertia!!!

erm my brain turns to mush when I try and remember everything thats been said!

Hiya Wendyjk

Pina/pregnabrain - sorry to hear your suffering so much! sending you get better (i.e. stop hurtinf/keeping people up) vibes!

GCG - good to hear that you had a nice time at your pamper party and the house is done!!!

Podglet - how cute!!!!!! i'm so , my friend gave birth last night as well so am now super broody...

DH's on the lash - mine had his last drink till she arrives/ we get out (ok the next 18 years...) and only because my friend was up so he felt he could do... having said that hes got a stag do coming up in early june that he cant really get out of as hes the best man...

thanks for that sweetbean... might pass on the castor oil though - ugh looks nasty!!

Podglet - your two are a-dor-able!!! soooo cute!!!

am chomping roast beef slices and a chocolate eclair for breakfast! who's gonna stop me?!

Morning all!

haven't been on all weekend as we've been knee deep in flatpack after trip to IKEA! The study was impassable so I couldn't get to the computer

Pina so sorry to hear about the crap nights and weepy days... Being so tired is just the pits. Have you been to the doc/ talked to the MW about your pains? sounds awful if it's preventing you sleeping like that. Big hug.

Re. nerves - I'm quite nervous too - guess it's inevitable. I read in 'What To Expect When You're Expecting' that if you had a straighforward birth the first time round, the odds are very good for the same happening the second time. HTH Pina! I am certainly clinging to this...

Podglet aww! Well done you. Pics are gorgeous.

Everyone who is sleeping badly - I'm another one who's sleeping much better now I'm 38 weeks so hang on in there.

Pazza respect to the bonkers breakfast! Re. spa - get out there, sounds lovely... PMSL at gorilla - know the feeling - I saw someone recommending 'shorts-style' bikini bottoms for precisely this reason so I guess we are not alone! Does remind me of a really funny sketch on Smack the Pony ages ago though... Are you keeping up with the Green Wing watching? We're charging through it I'm sorry to say - 'just another episode'! No patience... Had delicious dreams about Dr Mac the last two nights, long may that continue it was the party episode that did it...

asics - oh yes still on the green wing!!! Have watched most episodes twice again now! not sure the vomitty snog is my favourite Mac bit tho ...

"join us next week on 'makes no fucking sense' when I'll be waxing an owl" just cracks me up every time

and obviously when he's riding his Ducatti naked through the corridors!!!

by the way anyone who's got swollen feet, I got some disgusting tan old ladies support tights from M&S, and they have TOTALLY sorted it out. Put the tights on first thing while still in bed. Yeah I know, it's a struggle!

I had to slice open the waistband this week as they are not shaped for preggers ladies with low-lying bumps ... they were starting to cut in a bit ... and they're LARGE size

similar things sold in chemists too (and they come in black, no idea why I got the hideous tan ones!!)

hope this helps

right I'm off to sort the topiary and get to the pool

xx

Pazza - it's 'Funkehhh!' 'Funkeee!' that gets me every time. Do like the foxy biking too of course... and that shirt open to the navel... oh dear I'm starting to sound like one of those fansite posters. During party episode I suddenly found myself thinking 'God! He doesn't actually like Caroline at all! He's just doing it to stay even with Guy! He's a cold-hearted shell of a man since Holly!' Sad to say this thesis doesn't make him any less beddable, heh.

Enjoy your trim 'n' swim and try not to think of Sue White ('I am COMPLETELY shaved!')
Pina in fact DH has been doing most of the flatpacking with DS transfixed by his DIY skills (especially anything involving drilling, where DS gets to wear DH's 'ear offenders'). I've been moving books off bookshelves and back on again, and going 'Ooh look at these photos of me at college! THAT's what people looked like in the 80s!' (getting irritated at inaccurate-to-my-eyes portrayal of 80's 'style' in Ashes to Ashes').

AAAAHHHHHHHHH

IVE GOT NO MOTIVATION MY HOUSE LOOKS LIKE A BOMBS GONE OFF AND I CAN'T FACE IT I JUST CAN'T !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

this has to be the speediest thread on MN - I can't keep up!! -
To all the new arivals - CONGRATULATIONS !!!! - so exciting!
I have 2 weeks to go and I have to say that I am definitely over being pregnant despite not really suffering of anything too much (except piles - lovely!) I just feel big and fat and tired and want to meet my new baby!!

My lovely girlfriends threw me a baby shower/ birthday party yesterday which was very sweet and it was great to catch up as I have a feeling I won't be up to much entertaining after the baby is born. I am going to be very strict this time about visiting etc (was to a certain extent last time) and it did make a huge difference and if anyone gets upset about it, well tough!

I have to go and finish packing baby's bag for the hospital, then have one final growth scan tomorrow and order my breast pump and then that's it -just waiting, waiting, and more waiting....

pazzaplustwo How was your swim?? And your trim??!! . I did get a bit concerned at a lady heavily pg with twins brandeshing a razor down near her ladybits, without being able to see ! That's gonna get enough abuse soon without you slicing it to bits too!!! Hope all is well in the lady garden .
All this talk of Green Wing is making me desperately want to get my box set out, but as I said, DH has about 10 things to watch on sky plus planner (we are down to 24% free recordable time !). I will just have to wait my turn. Maybe during those early morning breast feeds.....

coolmama If you think this thread is bad for speed, good job you weren't due in April (my mate Denny is on April thread). They easily do about 5 or 6 pages A DAY...although, less since all the babies started arriving .

pinacolada I'm afraid my DD IS an angel....to the point where I often hold back on just how good she is as I don't wanna appear smug. She was always good, from the minute she was born. I can remember me and DH saying it was the calm before the storm when she slept loads as a newborn, but the storm never came . We are dying to find out how much of it is luck and how much of it is down to how we have brought her up, we're kind of expecting this baby to be a nightmare, cos we can't be that lucky twice!!

Had a really nice day today in the end. I drove to the Old Town (normally an easy 15 min walk which I love) and took a bag of stuff to the charity shop, then decided to take DD to the park as I was in the car (even remembered to take an old towel to wipe the dirty wet slide ). I managed to lift her on a few bits at the park without too many problems, and she loved being at the park. I just don't want her to think Mummy is boring (compared to 'fun' daddy) cos I can't do much at the moment. We had lunch together then she went for a long sleep (2.5 hrs!) and I did a bit of sorting out of my wardrobe. I was a bit optimistic and got my old clothes out from under the bed and put them back in the wardrobe, and left myself with a very limited maternity wardrobe (hoping not to need it for too much longer!!). Now that I can see all my old clothes in the wardrobe, it's my incentive for losing baby weight.

Just had dinner, unfortunately DH has obviously got another late job as he hasn't left work yet and was due to finish an hour ago . Poor guy, as if a 12 hour shift isn't long enough without a late job!!!

Feeling a bit tired and achey from my day's activity but happy .

Oh, and I too am sleeping better at 38 weeks+, so maybe it does get better towards the end, hang on in there girls!!

GCG xxx

Hi girls,

Sort of hanging about with you until there are more of us to start a post natal thread (feel I may be talking to myself if I start one now) - not sure about joining the April one as I have been through the pg with you lot - is that ok?

GCG - wow, my "normal" clothes are still well and truly locked in the loft. I am living in my mat jeans and comfy trousers at the mo, until my scar heals, then we'll see! I have the incentive to lose some of the weight, we've been invited to a wedding on 14th June...

Thanks for all the lovely comments, we think DD is scrummy too! Looking forward to seeing all your bundles when they arrive.

Podglet - stay with us!!! Pleeeeezzz!!!

GCG the swim was great. I did about 8 lengths of a short pool ha ha ha. I am well impressed with myself! Is it you who does 60 lengths normally?

Re topiary trimming, I used a combo of about 3 mirrors to see what I was doing, can't say I'm going to win any prizes for neatness or symmetry (I BET there are prizes for that kinda thing out there somewhere ... but no I'm not googling it to confirm my suspicions!) but wasn't too much of a scene from Psycho either

TMI! TMI! TMI!

there was a guy in the spa with proper shoulder and back carpets - made me wonder why I bothered anyway!

Pina and Sweetbean ... I am with you on the Tesco-induced emotional rollercoaster, although unfortunately I am more aggressive than teary at the mo. We were driving to Tesco's on Sat and some dude scraped the side of his car against ours round a corner, then insisted we wait for the police ... I coulda killed him And all the millions of people in Tesco's And Tesco's for not having the eco nappies I was after And and and ...

I couldn't sleep for hours that night thinking 'but if he'd just not drifted over into our lane we wouldn't have all this crap to deal with' ... as if that was going to change anything!

this is why I quarantine myself indoors unless I'm feeling particularly perky and chilled!

pina / coolmama - how do you go about this visitors rota thing? what's best/realistic? tell everyone to sod off for a week or two ... or just see one lot a day and for a relatively short time? is it boring to get people to come when bubba's asleep ... don't particularly want an audience while BF in the early days

re ladygarden - didn't think I would bother for the delivery, but I remember thinking when we had the forceps/ventouse bit in antenatal class, might be best not to be too bushy down there!

Hi all

Managed to get the house work done in the end but what a mission

WE have just realised that DH won't qualify for paternity leave as he has not worked there for long enough, and am now in a total flat spin as i can't imagine what im going to be like if he can't get time of or is only allowed a week !! i need him home for 2 weeks!!

I NEED HIM HOME !!!! i can't cope with a new baby and dd without him home to help me, and what if im in hospital who will look after dd if he has to go to work, i can't cope at all with this and am going out of my mind worrying about it, i feel so miserable i can't stop crying !!!! (whats new !!!! )

What the hell am i going to do ???

Sweetbean,

Sounds like it has the potential to be a nightmare, but most employers would be reasonable though? I thought the requirement was that fathers had to be with their employers "26 weeks by the end of 15 weeks before the due date" to be entitled to the 2 weeks paternity leave. Which if my maths is right - basically means the week before you are pregnant? Did he join the co while you were pregnant?

Don't know if the link below is any use?

www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/WorkAndFamilies/DG_10029398

re ladygardens - i will be leaving mine well alone for the time being... i cant see it therefore its not bothering me too much, DH treats my lady bits like a no-go zone at the moment and i'm sure the midwifes have seen it all before...

sweetbean - poor you!! what a nightmare... is there family/friend who can come and pitch in if you need it? I know its not the same but it might ease the pressure a little...

visitors rota - we are trying (and im sure i will PML at this afterwards) to tell people they can come see us in hospital, we want a week off on our own and then they can come visit for 1/2 hours at most... I wanted 2 weeks peace but my MIL looked like I'd just told her I kicked puppies....

right this bit might be TMI but i had a show this morning, hardly slept last night due to back pain and have periodly pain... however im not (and haven't had any) painful contractions. to be honest even what i think are braxton hicks feel more like baby shifting/ bump tightning... any ideas? also still have sodding pain and DH was very unsympathetic...git.