Due June 08: S**t, it IS June, and I still haven't packed my hospital bag...

[LauraT]

well it will be June on Sunday anyway! thought I should go ahead and start this as there were several votes for this name...

Congratulations to Ernest how exciting!

DQ - I had a mild bit of carpal tunnel syndrome for the first few months of this pregnancy. Kept waking up with totally dead arms. Haven't had it for ages. I have it in my head that it is caused by fluid retention causing your nerves to get squashed so you may find that it just clears up once the fluid retention stops. Hope it feels better today.
Liking your fantasy birth ideas, mine would be sometime in the next week, before this baby gets much bigger!

Amberc - how daft that you have to wait to go into labour as they are too busy! I wouldn't be impressed by those cab fares either!

G43 - those blankets look lovely!

Debs - hope your plan works out.

LauraT - your mum can visit me if she likes! My mum brought more stuff for me to wash when she visited.

Peartart - hope your DD gets better quickly.

Rolf - everyone knows when I have just listened to my hypnosis CDs because I remain soundly asleep for another half an hour!

Fungle - I've been getting up most days when DH does, about 6.30 which for me is early!

Congratulations Ernest! I wonder what they are going to call her. Thanks for letting us know, Debs.

Debs, hope you get your fantasy labour. If we don't hear from you this afternoon, you know we'll all be gossiping, don't you????

Have been thinking about Josey and her DD a lot. Hope she gets through this soon.

Aberdeen, how are you feeling today?

Peartart, sorry that your DD still isn't better. It's very stressful when they are ill. Is she very clingy as well or are you able to get a bit of time to yourself?

Rolf, what a lovely thing to put on your notes! Mine don't have anything like that!!!!

Sophie - how's your lovely car?

Fungle - I've never had reflexology but am willing to try anything to avoid being induced this time.

Greenfairy / Makecakes / Neenz / G43 / Paro / Katyjo, how are you guys doing?

No news here - except that I feel loads better and less sore - so the cystitis antibiotics are definitely working.

Congratulations to Josey and Ernest, and all good wishes for Josey and her babe - hope there's some positive news soon.

Ditto on the early waking - but I usually manage to go back to sleep for another couple of hours.

I'm off for my first reflexology session on Sunday - tempted to knock a week off my due date to see if the therapist can hurry things up a bit!

Aberdeen - I've ordered my sling, thanks for all the advice.

Deb - did you get a camera, mine has finally arrived (Parcelforce screwed up the delivery several times!) and I'm well pleased with it.

Have a good day all!

Ooh! DS and I have just had an idea. We are going to take the P&T on the tube (for the first time). We'll put DS on the top and his dolly in the bottom bit. I think it will be quite a good learning experience - or do you think that everyone will think I am absolutely bonkers???

Morning all,

Am delighted to report that I had a fairly good nights sleep! This staying up really late tactic seems to be working so far. It was particularly impressive as DH was away overnight and usually I wake up a lot when he's away. I have a hazy recollection of waking up around 5, but went straight back to sleep, and didn't need to get up for a loo break till 6.30. Went straight back to bed and have only just got up! (To be fair, I was dozing on and off from about 8.30).

Not got much planned today, bit of a housework day I think... What's everyone else up to?

I know Josey probably wont be reading, but just to say thinking about you and your wee girl - fingers crossed that she's on the mend soon.

LO seems to be having hiccups ALL the time these days - is this happening to anyone else? Because of position of baby I feel every single one - it's like having a twitch, and its starting to wear a bit now.

Ucake, go for it, if nothing else I hope it will give you some tales to amuse us with later!

Hello Everyone,

Hope that Deb is having the dream delivery this morning and will be home in time for tea.

At home this morning whilst a man repairs my melted oven - hurray! Not much planned apart from that. Pineapple no 1 got finished last night, so will pop to Tescos to see if they are still £1 each. Turns out that DH now realises that he likes pineapple too, so was quite happy to eat a portion of it himself .

MIL rang last night to find out about the MW appointment. She is possibly even more excited than she was at the weekend. She even asked whether the baby was still kicking, and if the heartbeat was ok. As if I would be sitting and chatting to her on the phone if the MW thought there was a problem. Her intentions are good, but still...

Still thinking about Josey's little girl. Hoping she is improving.

USDC, great idea, got to try these things out!
BODQ, yep my LO has tons of hiccups now too, poor baby, It's to do with them practising swallowing in preperation for all that yummy milk! Sleeping until 8.30 sounds just fine....
Im off to my DD's new school(starts in sept) for fish and chips at midday, yum. Then to see a freinds 7 week old baby....maybe if it cries enough it may get things going???

DQ - glad you managed a good nights sleep, I've found going to bed later helps, better than waking up at 3am wide awake! Saying that we went to bed at 10.15 last night as we were both sleepy and I only got up once for the loo.
How is your arm today?
Mine seems to hiccup a lot and it is the one movement I don't like, it's a weird feeling.

Ucake - sounds like a good idea, people might not even notice it is a doll!

Glad your oven is being mended Alipalli.

I have the fun prospect of sorting out the spare room today which I used for hiding everything for the house photos on wednesday, it is piled up with stuff now.
Just got a delivery of 6 sleepsuits from ebay for 99p (plus about £2.50 postage). They are Next and Mothercare and are in perfect condition, had been having a panic that we didn't have enough sleepsuits!

Hopefully that means it'll be an expert feeder fungle I understand that they dont get the same discomfort from hiccups as we do (not that I understand how anyone would know that though?). Enjoy your fish and chips - v jealous.

Allipalli - tesco still advertising £1 pineapples last night.

Good luck on the tube UDC

I think we have finally agreed on a name - it's one of the names I've liked all along, but DH wasn't sure about. We both feel the baby can come now . We even talked about middle names - we're looking at a real mouthful as if it's our last baby we want to use all our favourite names

I'm getting my hair cut and coloured this afternoon so I will go into labour looking civilised (and not grey!) The hairdresser is very very camp and says things like "the last time I saw a vagina was when I was born" so I'm sure he'll enjoy watching to see if I go into labour whilst he's doing my hair.

Big congratulations to Ernest

No news here despite having that show 36 hours ago. Mw burst my bubble over that yesterday when she said it can be weeks for some people before they start off in labour.

My LO also been having hiccups a few times a day.

Feel like the laziest slob today as I'm sat on my backside whilst cleaning lady scrubs my house from top to bottom. I can no longer get upstairs unless I use my hands on the stairs and I can't bend over! Have this awful sense of working class guilt that I shouldn't be paying someone to do all this stuff - should be doing it myself. It would be great if my mum lived closer - I think she would give LauraT 's mum a run for her money !!!

not got time to write anything interesting - Mum has made another list of things to do today - we've been on the go since 630! (as yes, I am waking up really early too!)

have fun today everyone, I am off to sort out the kitchen cupboards!

Emotionalwreck - I had my bubble burst too with the show. Especially as it was accompanied by loads of really strong BH. Everything has gone back to perfectly normal now. Got my second sweep on Sunday so will probably have the same again!

My LO gets hiccups every day - I wonder if they count as part of the 10 movements a day we need to feel!

Had my worst ever depressed day yesterday. I hope I don't have another one as it was awful and made me cry.

Checking in - have been struggling with my bladder all night (no, not quite that bad!) because it's gone into overdrive and I need to go to the loo constantly! I was considering getting a book and just sitting there! Now I regret not doing my pelvic floor exercises...

I've just typed that and I'm not being stupid and missing a major sign like...labour or anything am I?!

Off for lunch with a friend and then I will set up my e-mail to say I'm on maternity leave!

Good luck to all those giving birth today (don't do it, Penguin or I'll be outrageously !) - they're coming thick and fast! (Hm, maybe I should say fast and not thick at all!)

Just on quickly to say sending more positive vibes to josey. Thinking about her and her DD a lot.

Congratulations ernest! Wishing you a speedy recovery and love to your first DD. How exciting!

Finally starting to feel human after CS. Had a bath this morning while DH had Storm and fell asleep for almost two hours. Helped take the pressure off poor giant boobs for a bit too.

Baby blues really badly yesterday but I found just going with the crying really helps ease it and feel ok today.

Parents coming at lunchtime with nursing bras (mine too small) and food shop. Bliss. Going to get DM to show me how to bathe Storm. Bet DD gets a bit cross! She had hiccups for half an hour this morning but stayed totally chilled.

Speaking of which, can I recommend the Chill station on DAB radio. Had it on upstairs and downstairs last night and really helped when settling her.

Ok. Must sleep now.

Good luck everyone (and hope you get your fantasy labour debs)

LauraT please can I have your mum? Mine is on hols. I wonder if I tell my MIL that I've got carpal tunnel syndrome she might come and do my ironing?

Hope we have another birth today - that would be lovely. Not me though (not before next week!).

AmberC I've had 3 attempts at sweeps and they can't get at it properly as its not open and its hiding round the back (hope not tmi). Feel like I've got a blocked chimney - maybe there's a dead pigeon up there or something.... ok, now I'm going mad.

Sod it - I'm off to the local bakery for a massive cake

I'm waiting for Ocado to deliver my cake - they have 5 minutes to still be in the time band. EW I did actually have my sweep and all was central, soft and open which is why I was p'd off that nothing happened.

Well I am officially not about to go into labour, mw attempted a sweep this morning but couldn't get in, all still tightly closed - as I expected tbh. She did say that I'd have been unlikely to go into labour with ds ill and needing me (sorry Peartart!). Booked in to discuss options with consultant next Wednesday and she thinks if I decline induction they will offer me daily monitoring, which is fine, but I am prepared for them to put me under some pressure on that front.

fungle I'm waking at 5am at the moment! which is OK as I do my hypnosis CD and ds wakes at 6 anyway (I leave him till 6.30 to chunter in his cot but it gives me time to shower and dress in peace), but it does mean I crash at some point during the day!

I have just managed to wreck my bathroom tiles with anti-mould spray which has taken the paint off them, and bleached spots on one of my favourite tops which would have done as a post-maternity top too. Nesting is overrated!

systemsaddict did your cervix behave in the same way with your DS? Mine did and I ended up with a failed induction and a c section.

Here's hoping that we open for business soon! And you before me!

Yes, it did, when I went in at 40+12 for the induction they could barely even find the cervix to put the first pessary in, nothing happened after that, then the second one actually fell out!! because they couldn't get it in the right place. After that one was replaced a couple of hours later I did start to get contractions, but it took a whole night of painful contractions to get to 2 cm, then they broke my waters the next morning, put me on the drip, and everything went incredibly slowly. Ds started showing distress at about 10.30pm that night, they gave me an hour or so to push and he was removed with forceps (the highest sort of forceps delivery they will do) at quarter to one the next morning, so I was just a shade away from a section. I am grateful that they let me go that long, I think the midwives kept the dr.s away for a while!, but don't particularly want to go through that again - I think I just gestate longer than average and definitely want to go for monitoring this time rather than straight for induction.

sorry, an essay!

EW what are your plans this time round?

systemsaddict - blimey - don't envy you that birth you poor thing!

It wasn't much fun! But I was surprised how I reacted - I felt so incredibly strong afterwards having dealt with it all, and having everyone treat me like a hero. And in a weird way it made dealing with a newborn easier because whenever things got tough I felt, well, I dealt with the birth, I can handle this. So I don't want to scare people with it! (Also once the epidural went in it all got easier, I'm now a big fan of artificial pain relief .) But on the other hand, don't want to repeat it unnecessarily either!