Due June - 'I can't remember my own name, let alone where I put the creme eggs...'

[PregnantPenguin]

For those of us with 3 months to go or less....

sophie I think that girl was in my shop the other day, when people say I'm huge at the moment it really annoys me I think well I am nearly 8 months pregnant. Some woman I know even said 'Are you sure its not twins' - well yes, the mw would have to be really dumb to miss that one - honestly how rude!

makecakes just measure yourself, I was trying on my nursing bras today I had forgotten how crap they were. I was measured in M&s at 36 weeks and the bras were too small by the time my milk came in. I think you are best to buy the general sizes rather than specifics IYKWIM and then get measured again once you are feeding. My bbobs went up and down in size alot!!

Glad scan went well rolf

Just read your post alipalli had totally forgotten about the naked in the jungle show, it was just weird. LOL thinking of a naked cheggers in the delivery suite....I feel a new thread title coming on!

Hello everyone again! Welcome alipalli!

Sorry to hear about everyone who's got various problems - thinking of you.

Can I just some advice about breast pumps? I've been thinking that manual pumps sound like way too much effort, but they are sooo much cheaper than electric, and I just read a review in a baby magazine which rated a couple of manual ones highly, and said that it took only 15 mins to express with the two particular manual ones reviewed, compared to 30-40 mins with the electric ones reviewed. So now I'm not too sure.

Any views for a firstimer from those who have Been Here Before?

On a completely different subject, has anyone else read "Can Any Mother Help Me"? It's this book about a group of women who set up an amateur magazine in the 1930s in which they all wrote about their lives and it's basically just like Mumsnet!!! They even all have pseudonyms like us! Anyway, a good read.

(by the way - I once saw Cheggers, with a group of kids, at Blackfriars train station in London - I must have been about eight (still traumatised) - anyone else actually seen the man himself in the flesh?!)

Thanks for any breast pump advice you can offer!

Morning all, up early today as I just can't sleep.

Wigeon - I used an Avent breast pump and I found this worked brilliantly. On a good day when I had a reasonable milk supply it used to take me about 15 mins to express 4/5 oz. Other times it would take me 20 mins to express a couple of ounces but I really think this was down to my milk supply rather than the pump itself. Expressing is a bit of a pain so I can see the attraction in an electric one but I decided they were just too expensive.

morning all. Am knackered. working till 12.30 this morning, then up at 7, even tho all the boys have got the day off school today, groan. And ds1 has invited friend so have 4 boys today to look after as well as move preparation.

Feel unbelievably stressed out about house sale (or lack thereof).

Re breats pumps. I think I used an electric on in the hospital, but don't remember being dazzled by it. I got an avent one at home. I think expressing is a difficult topic. Some women find it easier than others and it really has a lot to do with emotions and hormones as well, some days I could get nearly a full bottle really quickly, other hardly anything.

Here, you can hire electric pumps at chemists reasonably cheaply. Is that a possibility in UK?

But saying all that, I'd just stick with the Avent.

Morning everyone, hope all is well today

Ernest - it will happen please try not to stress, does you nor the baby no good.

Josie - I know how you feel about the non sleeping, a pain isn't it.

Wigeon I had an avent pump with dd2 and could barely manage to get out a couple of ounces, even that took alot of effort. I bought a Medela electric pump this time round as I would really like to be able to express a decent amount, they are 20% off in Boots at the moment. In all honesty I'm not really sure it will be any better than the manual pump especially as the avent ones are so good.

Morning everyone

Rolf, glad that scan went well.

Hello again, Wigeon. I loved 'Can any mother help me?'. I was given it for my birthday last year and reread it again last week. I enjoy the fact that the women write to each other over a period of 40 years so you see them conceiving, as new mums, then looking after their children and then dealing with cancer and so on.

Re breast pumps, I have both an electric and a hand pump, and I found expressing a very good way to maximise my milk supply in the early days. The Avent hand pump was pretty good but the let-down took longer than with the Medela electric pump. You ought to be able to hire breast pumps from the NCT or from your local SureStart centre / Children's centre

Ernest, hope things cheer up.

Omg, naked keith Chegwin.

Right, off to the doctors to have my BP checked again. And then my project should come in about lunchtime.

Morning everyone

I remember watching the naked jungle with disbelief! Not a nice sight!

I picked up a Tommee Tippee breast pump for 99p during my ebay shopping spree last week. It's in really good condition, came with all the bits, half a box of breast pads and some milk storage bags (unused obviously). No idea how it rates to the others but decided if I don't get on with it I won't feel too put out forking out for another one!

Only 16 more days at work! I keep counting them off. I am finishing fairly early (week 34) but at the moment can't wait!

Morning all

Put the Moses basket in our room today so that the dog gets used to it. Feels very strange.

I got an Avent IQ Uno on Ebay for £30, comes with manual adapter, on the advice of a friend with big boobs who said that the cups were best for the well-endowed. Obviously have no idea whether it'll be any good, as have never done it before. Have also been reading Claire Byam-Cooks book...

BTW- read GF book last night (gasp) which I have had since my maternity nurse days and found myself getting really irate when she started writing about what temp to wash baby's clothes at....irrational anger? I ,must be pregnant.

And is anyone else waking with hunger in the middle of the night? I had it up to 20 weeks and its back!

My BP is back up again so the plan is to work at home today and tomorrow and assess again on Friday. If it's still up, I'm off sick ... probably for good, which is a bit weird.

Good morning (Deb slopes in at the back mumbling excuses)

I have just got up - 10.00 am here
Yesterday I had a rough day and had 2 sleeps in the day, so I didn't go to bed until midnight as I wasn't tired, didn't get to sleep until 1.30, then awake at 4.00 for the loo, couldn't get back to sleep so read until some silly time and just fell asleep as the alarm was going off. Thankfully dh got the boys up, and took them to school and I've only just woken up

Wigeon, I like the sound of that book.
I had a pump I borrowed from the health visitor last time and it was OK but on reading I've done now I don't think I expressed at the right time,it was always a struggle, then Tristan would never take the bottle anyway so it was quite soul destroying. This time I am determined that this baby will get used to taking the odd bottle so that when we have family out dh and I will be able to escape for an odd night out. So, this time I got an Avent manual from Ebay with lots of bits for £6 - Thought it was a bargain until I read Ktpie's 99p one!!

Josie - sorry you couldn't sleep too

Ernest - sorry to hear you're getting stressed re the sale, are you also buying in Munich or renting?
I hope it's a fine day and you can throw the boys outside whilst you get on, or this afternoon you could do a cinema afternoon with popcorn and ice lollies in front of a dvd to get them out of your hair.
Oh, I found Vaseline - remind me what to do with it re the meconium?

Sophie/Makecakes - how are you feeling today?

Wigeon I also loved 'Can any mother help me'. So much so that I sent it to my SIL in Australia, for her to enjoy and pass on (kind of like they did with the magazine).

thanks for the tips on breast pumps - this is something I am just starting to look at too. We should be getting our pushchair/car seat in the next day or two... v. excited.

I've been given explicit instructions from MIL that we can't have the cot delivered until a couple of weeks before Bug is due, as it is bad luck, but I have started to wrroy about delivering early and not having anywhere for him/her to sleep... does any one have any thoughts on this superstition? Is it just an old wives tale?

BTW - think I may kill DP - he's on holiday this week and the house is a tip... it appears to be getting messier and messier each day, and he isn't doing anything except making diagrams of the rooms on graph paper to figure out where the cot can go... which I've already decided anyway! grrrr

Morning all, wigeon the advice I was given was to think about a manual first off. You wont really know until the time comes if you're going to express often/hardly at all so best waiting to find out if expensive electric ones worth it.

Sorry about your upsidedowncake and makecakes you're so virtuous reading all these books. I'm starting to feel quite disorganised .

Makecakes - read that as though the dog was in the Moses basket!! As you've been a Maternity nurse do you feel more prepared for the first few weeks or do you think you'll be wishing you had a maternity nurse? Just curious!

Upside down - sorry to hear about your BP but at least it means you can stay at home so even though you still have work to do you don't even have to get dressed if you don't want to!!

Morning.

Just got back from a rather rainy Aberdeen where we have been holidaying for a week. Was lovely, but occasionally had to remind DH that long walks in the rain at break neck speed aren't great for either toddlers or lumbering 7.5 month pregnant women. Amazing that I have to keep reminding him - it's as if my pregnancy bump is invisible this time round.

Can't believe we have almost reached the end of 37 pages of chat - we'll run out of room soon and need a new title.

Must do some work so haven't had a chance to catch-up on all the chat, but hi to everyone - newbies and oldies.

M

Oh yes, and please don't put me off the rest of the day's meals by mentioning a naked cheggers - euch.

HI Nettie - I should be getting car seat today and pushchair next week but still no cot here either, not due to superstition just haven't got it yet from neighbours. With ds1 I had pushchair , cot etc much earlier than this, his nursery was all ready for him about 8 weeks before his due date so I wouldn't worry about having things in the house.

Great idea sending the book off to your sil - cheeky request -anyone got a spare they'd like to send here?I'll pay postage

deb - vaseline - smear thickly on bum (baby's not yours) before 1st nappy(ies) so meconium just glides right off, rather than needing half an hour of scrubbing. I'm working this morning in house & we're going to an indoor playbit this pm, where I intend to sit in a semi-comatose state.

House sale, valuation (crap) ds1 teacher arrrgggghhhhhhh again all really doing my head in.

makescakes, I woke up starving last night too. I couldn't be bothered to go downstairs to get food so just had 2 rennies as they were on my bedside table. I really should have got up as I feel really tired today and I have a huge list of things to do before 12.

Upsidedown, sorry your bp is up. Hopefully working from home will be relaxing.

nettiehay, I'm putting our cot up this weekend. I put it up around this time with both dd's. I've heard people being told not to have any baby stuff until the baby has been born and that it should be stored at someone elses house or bought by the husband when the mother and baby are still in hospital - it's an old wives tale and totlly impractical!!!

ernest you poor thing you are so stressed at the moment. Hopefully it will ease when you are in your new home.

Morning

We are clearly all far too stressed this week.

Ernest - breeeeeeathe. It will be okay.

Nettiehay - can you go out for the day and leave DP to fend for himself? DH only realised everything I did around the house (eg picking up his wet towels from the floor) after I went into hospital for a few days for a knee op.
When he came into see me on about day three he seemed v agitated and annoyed.
I asked him what was wrong and he said: "The house is a bloody tip, there are towels on the floor everywhere, I can't find any clean boxers and we haven't got any food."
I nearly PMSL! Needless to say, it helped him realise just how much he took for granted. Leaving him to fend for himself turned out to be a real bonus. Not a towel on the floor since!

btw, just added bump picture to prove I really am pg. Please excuse the lairy top. tis comfy.

Thanks for the tips on cots - I think MIL is being a bit impractical... baby can arrive any time it wants, and I really would like somewhere for it to sleep! As well as the fact that DP will need to move furniture around once it arrives - I don't fancy that happening with a LO at home!

I think DP will realise today that he needs to tidy up a bit... considering the length of the list I left for him. I moaned to my colleague this morning about the situation and she was shocked - apart from the fact that it is his house too, I am 7.5 months pregnant! I think, like mellymel's DH, he keeps forgetting!

Hi Debs - over did it yesterday so now have finsihed ironing and breakfast am going to lie down and rest for a while, DH was not well yetsreday otherwise he would have cleaned rooms, a few more days nad then it quietens down except for weekends and the May half term.

My one indulgence for this baby has turned up.www.pinklining.co.uk/product_info.php/cPath/38/products_id/129/