Due in June - Creme eggs are long gone and our own eggs have started to hatch. Who will be next?

[Upsidedowncake]

We are two down and have another 30-40 to go. Makecakes and Gemma have probably popped by now, then G43! It's all happening!!!!!

TGF - hope you got those files OK, I emailed one and sent the other two through that website. Just read your recent post, typical that would be the one I sent last, and it was the biggest so took ages!
How did your midwife appointment go?

poppy - my mum has rung to say she has found a bag of my old baby clothes and is bringing them this afternoon, I'm quite intrigued to see what they are like, not sure what state they will be in or whether they will be useable, she also has some teething rings that were my dads when he was a baby, and that I used as well, now that sounds a bit dodgy!

KatyJo - she is absolutely gorgeous!

Essie - most of our stuff is secondhand from friends or ebay too. We are too skint to be fussy! Have washed everything and it's all come up lovely.

josey - happy birthday!

Thanks for all the kind words everyone. We did get an internal at my midwife appt - unfortunately I'm not dilated at all so almost 24 hours of contractions has accomplished nothing. On top of it though the baby has engaged further and is now pinching a nerve in my hip so we have an appointment with the consultant on Thursday to talk about induction if the nerve is still hurting.

Ideally we wont need the appointment, but my body is really struggling to move into established labour so I'm not too hopeful. Anyways, it looks like something will probably happen on Friday regardless. I'm nervous about induction as my cervix is so unfavourable, but maybe things will have changed by then, or a c-section wouldn't break my heart.

(am peeved at my midwife though who wrote in my notes that 'aberdeenhiker feels unable to cope with the hip pain and contractions'. Bloody hell. I would have thought agreeing to wait to see the consultant until Thursday, which means nothing happening until Friday was coping pretty well (ie this could continue for 4 days before they'd intervene). Is a little empathy too much to expect from the midwives? should I be demanding to see a physio in the meantime?)

ktpie Just downloading the last file now. I'm so grateful to you for sending them - it really is so kind of you.
MW appt went pretty well, I seem to be all clear to try for natural birth now, and MW was pleased I'm willing to progress straight to CS if there appears to be any significant problem.
Just back from a 45 min walk with DH to try to get things moving. LO definitely feels like she moves down a bit when I wander around for more than about half an hour. But I don't exactly feel at 'bursting point' (eek). Just hope I don't go overdue as then the pressure for elective CS will ramp up again.

re secondhand I'll take anything as long as it's in good nick. Anything I've received I've not been keen on has gone to the charity shop to save an awkward moment, or on freecycle. Our lovely cot was from freecycle and we're spending the money we saved on a super luxury mattress for LO and some nice bedding

UDC - ouch! not the news you wanted from your midwife! I've heard that second babies often don't engage until right before birth - hope that's true for you and that this baby does some turning soon!

greenfairy - eating yoghurt is good for thrush too so it's not like you're wasting it. I tend to eat tons as it prevents infections for me.

Mia is beautiful (both the name and the photo)

Thanks for the chocolate and courgette cake recipe Dylansmum. Maybe I will have a baking sesh tomorrow now that all the carrot cake is gone.

Just back from NCT lunch. Down to 4 of us: one just had prem baby; one with high BP; one just poorly; one busy. Nice though to talk to RL pg people. However I have to keep on checking myself as I assume that they read this thread too, but I don't think they do. Keep on thinking that if I mention "the Green Fairy" or "Spongebob" they will know who I am talking about. Infact they will probably just think that I am on drugs!

UDC, sorry to hear you have UTI and ur baby is OP . At least we can all keep each other company as we trudge into July - my LO is not engaged either, thought suppose as I'm on my 1st shouldn't really expect an early arrival.

DQ, are you 4/5ths engaged already? Aren't you due same day as me (22nd)? Now I'm sure LO is not coming til July!!

alipalli, on the cake rules! Cake is not going to do their teeth any harm as long as it's not every day and they clean them properly! I eat sweets/sugar/cakes like they're going out of fashion and have never had to have any dental work ever cos I keep toothies clean! Love the idea that carrot cake is healthy too just cos it mentions a vegetable in the title!!

Essie, not sure I like the idea of chocolate courgette cake but everyone else seems keen?!! Your FIL does sound like a piece of work (too posh to eat a sausage?! ) and know what you mean about not wanting to make it too difficult for dh. Love the idea of FIL giving you advice on BF btw - cos he would be such an expert!!

katyjo, love the name Mia, very pretty, and what a gorgeous little girl - your DS is a cutie too!

Peartart - at your FIL!! Your thumb will stop growing if you suck it! Really? My sister is 37 and still sucks her thumb at times, but it looks a perfectly normal size!

AH, sorry to hear you're having such a hard time with labour not starting and sorry to hear your MW was so critical - some of them seem to be like that but it really doesn't help .

AH sorry to hear about your midwife's note - v insensitive. Hang in there lady.

Having some back ache and period type pain so hoping for some action this evening, but I suspect it's just more practice as LO is just 4/5 engaged (ie a teeny bit)

Hi everyone,

Yep, spongebrain I'm 4/5ths and due on 22nd. MW said that was usual at this stage, as it's barely engaged could pop back out.

Re:second hand - I hope no-one thinks I was being snooty about 2nd hand stuff as I'm not at all!!! Was just empathising with (?? I cant remember who!!!) about people trying to give unwanted handouts. The bag of things (including playmats with baby vomit) my friend gave us was really in a bit of a state and hadn't been washed when she dug it out but I was caught on the hop and couldn't really say no. I dont think there is anything wrong with getting 2nd hand stuff in good nick from friends/family/ebay etc .

AH really sorry to hear about your mw notes. I had something put in my notes last year (when I was being treated for a nasty post-mc and getting conflicting information about treatment from veryone I saw!) about being 'a bit emotional' when I refused to start a course of antibiotics without getting tested to see if the infection had cleared yet on a nurses say so. I was of course later proved to be correct and didn't need the antibiotics.

Katyjo - lovely pics!

So much for a few days' relaxing maternity leave - to add to dp's pleurisy, ds has now gone down with tonsillitis. I had to pick him up from nursery today with a high temp, poor little mite! He's not too bad, just very droopy and hot when his meds wear off, so as long as I keep him dosed up with Calpol and Nurofen he is OK (though we just had the biggest tantrum ever at bedtime); but it does complicate matters for if I go into labour. I don't want to send him to my friend with the 2 year old if he's not well, it's not really fair on her to have to deal with a sick child on top of her own. Another friend is happy to babysit but doesn't have massive experience with small kids and I feel it's too much responsibility when he's ill. I do have one good friend and colleague with no current small children and lots of experience who has offered to help, but she is preparing for a big job interview this Friday ... So everyone please keep fingers crossed that this baby goes overdue by at least a few days, hopefully by next week everyone will be better and / or free to help with ds!

fingers crossed systemsaddict - really sorry to hear about your home health traumas.

systemsaddict souunds like all happenign at your end . hope things ease up a bit

dq was me that started secondhand thing..its the source that worries me rather than secondhand per se (have already got some bits from another friend that dead happy with). how can i put this nicely but my dm is erm...slightly bohemian in her tendencies re clean as is relative i am getting stuff from so need to see it to take first. plus dm also insisting on giving a bunch of stuff we've already got or dont want. but then again am grumpy as spent most of day working and was meant to be first day of ml and somehow have ended up with even more to do

curious about courgette/choc cake -has any one tried recipe yet?

Hi there

Ladies, where is Debs????!!!!

And where is Josey????!!!!

Aberdeen, rude midwife! It's not that you're not able to cope at all - in fact you're coping for Canada! In one sense, it's good that the fact that you're having a tough time is recorded, but she could have put it better! I'd heard that babies don't engage until right before as well - which is why I got so excited with my faux labour symptoms ...

Greenfairy, v glad that you're back on the natural birth route and that you can stay in Bristol. Also, thanks re soda water. You reminded me that bicarb is supposed to be good for cystitis, that's all. It's also very good for raising blood pressure though, so it's out! Am waiting to hear what bug it is, and therefore whether I need antibiotics.

Spongebrain, DQ, glad we can all keep each other company! DS started to engage at about 37 weeks, I think.

Systems addict, fingers crossed that DS will get better soon. Some bugs (not sure about tonsillitis)can be over very quickly for small people, so I'm hoping that's true for you. Sorry your DP is still not well.

SA, sorry to hear about all your illnesses. Fingers crossed that everyone feels better soon and that you don't get any of it!

The whole being engaged thing confuses me, and this is my third! Am I right in thinking that 4/5 is the least engaged and 1/5 is the most? In which case my baby has gone from 3/5 last week to 2/5 this week and so is more engaged than he was? My first only ever got to 3/5 before labour and the second engaged during labour so I don't have a lot of experience with it. Hopefully the fact he is working down the pelvis means he won't go overdue though.

think you're right sybil that 1/5 most engaged and 4/5 least. am fed up as stuck at 5/5 and pretty sure madam not moved for last few weeks - am starting to get a bit concerned now as 37 weeks on thursday

Poppy, I really wouldn't worry. My dd didn't engage at all before labour and I had a really good labour/birth experience with her. She was also only three days overdue, whereas ds, who was engaged from 36 weeks was 11 days overdue.

It's really unusual not to hear from Deb, I wonder if all that diy has started her off...

thanks sybil for reassurance. and agree most undeblike not to appear at some point.
also wonder what happened to gemma...

SA - it never rains but it pours doesn't it.

TGF - hope you are ok with that compromise and good luck with getting your natural birth.

AH - poor you and what an insensitive midwife.

Yes where is Debs and Josey?

Well that was my last MW appointment before birth she is so lovely that I am going to miss being pregnant because I don't get to see her except for a couple of weeks after birth. Everything is OK, have a pre booking in session in hospital in a couple of weeks and the section in 3. Did start panicking this afternoon when I had some viscious BH, stomach cramps, back ache and clearing of bowels (sorry for TMI, who was going to look after DD and cook breakfast. But things seem to have settled down now.

It's getting silly now - just had a call from FIL and MIL, who you may remember took a couple of weeks off work in case we needed her, today fell over and severely fractured her arm! They are an hour or so away but were our fallback option for ds - at this rate ds will be coming to delivery suite with us!! Perhaps I can pretend not to be in labour for long enough to get a home birth ... More worried about her than about us though, it sounded v. nasty.

Yes I have been wondering about Deb too ... I check this thread many times a day now, all getting v. exciting!

TGF - glad to help, hope it downloaded OK.
We got a lovely cot from a friend of a friend, it's a really nice John Lewis one, not one we would ever be able to afford (about £300), can now spend a bit more on a nice mattress for it too!

Alipalli - I don't suppose you have that carrot cake recipe do you? Had a look through my books and couldn't find one.
That made me laugh about referring to people on here at your NCT group. I keep finding myself wanting to refer to DH as DH in real life! People will think I'm barmy.

AH - Good luck with going into labour before the induction.

SA - Hope everyone gets better soon and that things hang on for you!

Sybil - I'm totally confused about the being engaged thing as well, seems backwards to me, surely 5/5 is more than 1/5 or is that my mathematical brain taking over! All I know is mine is not engaged at all yet.

My mum never turned up today, she rang to say she was setting off then 10 minutes later rang back to say she was turning back as the car was making a funny noise. She was upset that she wasn't going to make it here. I'm sure it's genuine but this happens a lot (funny car noises or other excuses not to come) so wasn't surprised. I guess it must be the journey that is putting her off.

Debs was on first thing, but she normally posts more than once a day. She's been having quite a few BH

And it's Josey's birthday, and she was having massages and things, but she went into early labour this morning.

have looked back through thread and last we heard from Deb was 730 this am, when she said her contractions were tailing off... wonder if they ramped up again!?

will keep fingers crossed for all those with contractions etc at the moment... \i'm not expecting much for weeks yet, with being due right at the end of June and it being my first. not even on Mat leave yet... my cousin was due today though with her third and no sign yet, she's feeling terrible and really fed up, looks like our GPs are going to have two great grandchildren within a few weeks of each other though!

SA - your poor MIL, hope her arm is OK.

Good luck to Debs and Josey if they are in labour!

ktpie for your mathematical brain, the 5/5 thing means the midwife can feel 5/5 of the head - they may also write 'palp' on your notes short for 'palpable' - which is why it seems backwards. Doesn't seem to mean that much anyway - I've been '2/5 palp' for weeks now and it's my second baby. A lot of websites say '2nd time the head often engages just before labour', so I got all excited to start off with, but I think really there's no definite relationship between engagement and labour starting, it varies enormously for different people.

Oh and he is big about 8lbs at 35+4 and measuring 38 weeks, MW in two minds about going for a scan and would of if going for VBAC, but fingers crossed. DD was titchy compared to this one.