Due June 08 - As we start nesting will the creme eggs start hatching?

[bitofadramaqueen]

Another new thread! By the time this one runs out we might have some babies!!! Although, we do chat a lot so maybe not...

Oh you scary ladies. I was feeling pretty proud of myself for being fairly up to date with my list of washing and buying ... (remember those?) And now you're all buying special hospital nighties, albeit from Primark!

Got my appraisal on Tuesday - am doing it by phone, which should make it easier.

DH has just been told by Australian boss that his company (where he is UK General Manager) is merging with another UK company, and he will be 'Joint General Manager' with the manager of the other company. We'll see how that works in practice, but we're just praying it won't mean a drop in salary. He is feeling a little disappointed but not surprised. All in all, it's not been the best year for us career-wise. As DH says, family and the house are what really matters - but unfortunately in real life, my salary and his salary are what pays for it all. And I'm about to go on maternity leave. Perhaps we should go off grid....!?

Paro - lovely photos, I love your Nursery but it makes me feel very inadequate - still haven't got a cot for this poor 3rd baby! Is that a cast of you on the wall? It's great.

Welcome Essie

Welcome back Ernest

On the nightie front - I have 2 delectable ones from Matalan - pale pastel pink which is so not me, last time I remember getting lemon, but the saving grace is that I have a lightweight,long, navy dressing gown so I'm hoping that will cover any eventuality.

Makecakes - I have a hairy bump too!!You can expect to bleed for a week or 2 but the first few days are very heavy, especially when you're bfeeding, it makes your uterus contract so shedding some more blood, so my advice is to change your pad before a feed if you remember.

Lovely photos Paro. I adore your nursery. can't believe we might have a baby or two within a week!

Your costumes remind me of when I was in Spain.

Re DH's job, I know I shouldn't whinge as he hasn't actually LOST his job, but this is essentially a demotion, at a time when it's not very easy to find a new job managing a small company!

UDC - that's too bad about your DH's work. My DH is really anxious about work at the moment and I feel as though I'm not in a good position to be much support to him.

Hoggle - awwwww. We share crap nighties

Paro - I love your nursery although it does make me realise that my poor baby so far has an empty drawer for her stuff and, er, that's about it . I have always thought how lovely it would be to prepare a room for a new baby - just as you have done - and I haven't been able to do it for any of them.

Greenfairy - keep forgetting to say I'm glad the move went well. I'd love to be uninhibited like that but sadly am thoroughly prudish. I had to be persuaded to take my knickers off when I was in labour with DS1!

I tried Primark for crap nighties but you lot must have got there first - couldn't find any, just awful pj's! Will have to keep looking. Also on the search for cheap yoga pant style trousers to keep me going through the last few weeks of pregnancy/first few weeks of baby. Every time I find some cheap ones they are not in my size. Grrrrr.

Have had a very lazy evening - put feet up on sofa and watched tv (while trying to ignore fat ankles/feet).

UDCake sorry to hear about your DHs work. Hope it all works out ok. Glad you feeling better about your appraisal.

Liking the suggestion of a bra for the pool, whoever suggested that. Not planning a water birth but thinking about pool for pain relief and not convinced I want to go topless. Silly I know! However, with all the warning about how hot the labour rooms are and knowing how unbearable I find heat I bet I strip off without even thinking about it!

Anyway, am rambling now - so back to the sofa. Lovely pics paro.

I have the blue nightie with polka dots from Primark too! I'm going to wear it during labour - I was thinking I could cut it open after the babies are born to make skin to skin contact and feeding easier.

Spent over 3 hours at the hospital today - almost got admitted but escaped that by the skin of my teeth! At MW on Tues I had raised bile acid levels (16 when normal range is up to 14) which can be a sign of liver cholestasis. But my skin isn't that itchy and she said the raised levels could just be due to it being twins but she wanted me to go to the Pregnancy Assessment Unit at the hospital today to get checked over. She took my blood again so I could get the results today. So I went in today and got hooked up to the monitor to look at the babies' heartbeats and they were both very happy - the midwife kept coming in and looking at the printout and saying 'Look at these happy babies!' Not sure exactly what made her think they were so happy but if she was pleased then I was. My bile acids were raised a little bit more (20), but she says she sees women with levels of 40 or more so she wasn't too worried. It's not dangerous anyway, though there is a slightly increased risk of stillbirth so they do like to induce you at 37 weeks if you have it.

My blood pressure was up though, 145/95. So I had to wait then for the doc. About an hour later midwife came out to say I still had to wait a while to see the doc but he had seen my BP level and wanted to admit me, but she said she'd told him that wasn't necessary cos I have no other symptoms of pre-eclampsia. But he said that at 36 weeks with twins high blood pressure meant I needed to be admitted. So I waited a while to see him and eventually another midwife came out and said I could go home (thankfully), I didn't even see the doc, but they want to take my BP again tomorrow (Thurs) and want me to go back Friday to have all the same tests done that I've had done today. Doc also said I should be induced at 37 weeks (next Thurs), but I will discuss that with the consultant tomorrow (I have a scan tomorrow to check the growth of the babies). Midwife said if I don't want to be induced they can just monitor me every few days instead. If I am healthy and the babies are healthy I would rather hang on. They might come on their own by then anyway.

So I will let you know how I get on tomorrow! (Unless I am admitted and can't get onto MN - although I saw an ad at the hospital today saying you can get TV and internet for £2.90 a day. Bargain!)

Evening all been trying to catch up and have got bits and bobs through scanning.

Had a bit of a rollercoaster going on here wont drag you all down with all the details...currently Im on as much rest as possible as I have been blown up with fluid,yesterday my feet were as wide as my thighs, so out went the cankles and in came kneekles, my knees no longer work properly which is a bugger for bending with a 2yo

Debs your not being unreasonable it probably hasnt registered with your family it never does really, I think you are being very reasonable having the wedding there and all the guests as it is a few weeks after giving birth.

Neez how worrying for you and your SIL hope she gets the help she needs now.

China glad your move has gone well and you are really happy with your house.

Aberdeen and whoever else asked
re DH being offshore I will be given an emergancy contact number and he will be flown home from a non scheduled flight ie a chopper will be sent from another rig to pick him up or they may send out one as an emergancy. He is currently in Norway so would take him aprox 2days to get home so im on my own if I go now. He will go away in May but only north sea, im affraid though for me with 2 3 hour labours under my belt unless they land in the garden even the north sea he will likely miss it he has booked holidays from my due date, they are planning having him home a week before that though and his holidays wont actually start until the day I drop (sorry very long winded)

On the weight front my scales battery has run out but I think I have put on about 4 stones so far so really I wouldnt worry any of you!!!! I am still is size 12 maternity trousers though which a few tops gone into size 14. but there isnt any point worrying just now both times before I have lost the weight and it has taken approx 9months so wont start to worry till then.

Ohmigod, I've only been absent for a few days and there have been hundreds of posts - can't keep up!

Welcome to the new members, sorry to hear of those having a difficult time (either with family, DCs, work or general health).

Well, had my MW appt on Monday to discuss my birth plan. I had written in my plan that I have a very low pain threshold and am very anxious about being in pain (and I'm not exaggerating here - I use emla (local anaesthetic cream) when I go for blood tests !).

My MW's idea of reassuring me was to say, "I'm not going to lie to you it's horrendous, the pain is awful, but it only lasts for a short while so don't worry about it".

I know she's probably right, but it really didn't help and now I feel even worse and even more anxious. I also put in a couple of things about the SPD which she completely dismissed saying, "oh the pain of the SPD will be completely obliterated bythe pain of labour so don't let it concern you. It'll all disappear after the birth anyway." This isn't what I'd heard from other sufferers, who say that labour, if not handled correctly can make it worse, and that the symptoms can last for a few months afterwards.

I also had put in my plan that I would rather not have any students in with me, as I'm very anxious about the whole thing and don't wish to be used as a teaching aide. I know this may sound harsh, but I have always been v welcoming of students in all other hospital visits (and I've had plenty with gynae issues and fertility) but on this occasion I want to be just cared for by the MW. She was v sniffy about this and said that I would need to discretely speak to the MW when I phone to say I'm in labour as it might upset the students if I ask them to leave !! Surely the student MWs have to be a little more thick-skinned than this - it's my labour shouldn't I be allowed to have who I want in the room?

Anyway, sorry for the rant. Dh is away on business again and I'm in pain and just feeling sorry for myself .

I'll leave you all in peace again!

Hello June club. Is there room to squeeze in another one? I'm due on 14th with DD2. DD1 is 19 months. I've met a few of you on other threads and shyly lurked for a couple of days.

Some stuff about me...
Pregnancy going fine, although tired and lots of chasing after DD1.
Had quick birth last time- was apparently in my own "world of pain" according to DH. Was sick a lot so he ate all my snacks. Amazingly was naked when I gave birth (I am not given to flashing or any kind of public nudity, however instinct overrid that.) The next morning I was home and had run a much wanted bath (only dared to have showers in hosp) The MW called around just as I'd got in, and it was so nice to have a bath after all that hard work that I couldn't bring myself to get out. So she did post-birth interview perched on my loo with a cuppa whist I wallowed.

hi peartart and welcome -love your birth story..has this sense of relaxation lasted?

Feeling bit bruised as slipped over in rain yesterday and generally feeling very large. Think this is definitely a message to sit down more...

can't keep up with all the posts -so many - splodgesmum hope you feel a bit better tomorrow

Welcome to all the newbies - so many in the last few days! And welcome back ernest - glad to hear the move went well.
spoldgesmum - sorry to hear about your MW being sniffy - you are right to raise it tho. My mum had a whole room ful of students for her second birth - didn't bother her at all but I know it would bug me. It's quite well documented that a lack of privacy can inhibit contractions - just say that if she gets funny again (although in my experience all my MW's off moments seem to have been forgotten about the next time I see her).
Re the whole pain issue - have you considered natal hypnotherapy? I've got some CDs I could send you. Basically it's a relaxation technique which helps you to manage pain and accept it, rather than fighting it and making it worse. no guarantee of course that it will help, but I've found it v reassuring - you just listen to a 40 minute CD every few days and you can even do it when you're nodding off to sleep. Neenz has them too and I think she's found it helpful - let me know if you want them!

I hate doing early breakfasts.

Morning all, welcome to all the newbies and big congratulations to all who have managed to move especially Ernest.

Where is everyone this morning. I can see tumbleweed outside my kitchen window

And it is slowly sinking in that nect month we are going to be Mummies

Still just me?

Its the final countdown (big guitar solo)

Can I make it to 800 posts on my own.

Oh my bags are packed I'm ready to go....

Hey Sophie! How are you this morning? You're right thought it is abnormally quiet on here today. Usually there have been loads of posts by now. I am only on briefly so will have to abandon you - ds has 5 minutes before we need to leave for school and is still wondering around with only one sock on...

p.s. - is your bag really packed? I was thinking the other day that maybe I should pack mine. Umm, wonder if many people have packed theirs...

lol Sophie!

Must get dressed (lazy mare) and get children to school.

I'm giggling at the thought of all of us in our horrid Primark nighties .

Welcome Peartart

Splodgesmum - I think that's very rude of your midwife. You're perfectly entitled to decline having students in with you.

I showed my doula my birth plan and she thought it was very good . I'll see what the midwife thinks today, and also find out if the baby is still breech.

Don't leave Sophie - I'm here, never fear! Boys are off school today so they got up and have been watching TV whilst dh and I slept on - it's 9.30 and I'm still not dressed - the decadence!! Unfortunately it's pouring down and there are all these outdoor May day celebrations today.

Sybil - think the MW was very cruel to you, hope you're feeling better today

Poppy - how are the bruises

Josey - keep those legs crossed until your due date please

Good luck for today Neenz

Welcome Peartart - love the image of MW chatting to you in the bath - I think you'll fit in well here!!

Sybil - I think Sophie had virtual bags packed to leave as we weren't around!!

I haven't packed my hospital bag yet

They are not just can't get that song and the Final Countdown out of my head.

I found a couple fo nice things in M&S yesterday to wear in the hospital, quite cheap as well.

Debs - enjoy your May Day holiday.

Morning all.

Swelling is down a bit today but joints are very painful.

Know what you mean about next month we will be having babies and its all of a sudden on us. My MW gave me a reality check the other day by telling me she had started making my oncall rota and it starts from the 22nd of May GULP

Lol at the primark pjs last time i bought a nighty out of Matalan which i will use again as it came away unharmed. Its very soft but not very pretty,best thing is it has buttons all the way down the front to rip open after delivery. I might feel different in my own home, no way would i go bollock naked in hospital you will be suprised how often the labour room door is open. If your unlucky enough to have a room near the front everyone can walk past and have a gawk. The hospital I had mine at it was big sliding doors as well so no privacy. A friend of mine who delivered the week after me during the day had to walk in full labour past the builders, building the extention to go to the toilet

greenfairy, thank you, that's a kind offer - I start my mat leave tomorrow (thank god!)so should have plenty of time to chill out with CDs.

I'll email you my address.