Due Sept 08: The one where we pack our bags and write our birth plan.

[mamamufin]

I thought I would be brave

Starlight - am going to read in detail in a minute. Quick scan looks good though.

JennyL - sorry to hear about the Albany. I'm pretty sure you'll find the Brierley fully booked too, as I've heard you have to get in very early. But do give them a ring - and also ask them what they would recommend if they are full. And don't give up if they are full - last time round I had my homebirth with the King's community midwifery team and that was fine. The only slight downside is you don't get any of your antenatal care with them like you do with the Albany and Brierley. Give me a shout if you want more information.

JennyL - I'm pretty sure I have CAT switched on if you want to get hold of me that way and if I can be useful.

Huge hugs for all who are totally prepared and those who like me are rather less so! Hugs to jennylind and pidge I feel really relieved. Awe, Homage, Respect and some bowing to Meglet for the ds's bedroom and the muffins!

Starlight you are a Bright Star of preparedness and I salute your BP and will read it later!

I hit the spare room and feel a tiny bit better having made another bag for the charity shop!

Sorry you have a cold Debithescot, I twisted my ankle really badly 2 weeks ago and felt enormous self pity for days as I hobbled about! It seemed so unfair at the time!

I don't know how anyone is still working at this stage. There should be statues of you for the rest of us to come and pay homage!

Anyone else just craving carbsn'sugar?

I just want toast and cheese and toast and jam and toast and cream cheese and bananas and yoghurt and cereal and a bit of fruit and toast etc etc.

What I'd really love is tons of CAKE.

Is this typical of third trimester?

So long since my ds I can't remember although I do remember the massive tin of posh biscuits I ate b4 ds. Gluttony. Shame on me.

I got a letter from HR last week saying they are stopping my pay as I have used all my sick leave even though I had never been told what my allowance was and I have only been off for 3 weeks. I've kind of been in shock for a week trying to work out what to do. Have just got off the phone to my "boss" (aka slightly incompetent colleague who diddled me out of a promotion when I was 4 months pg). He is being very nice to me probably because he is scared of me. He agrees with my proposal to return to work next week but just muddle along from home as much as I can, basically writing handover notes and filing my epxenses claim! Not sure how I'll adjust to thinking about work again though...

eandz sorry to hear about your cold. I had a bad one 2 months ago that turned into throat then chest infections, and couldn't believe there was nothing I could take. I did paracetamol and used Vicks inhalers, but my GP said I couldn't use strepsils, just gargle hot salt water! I got so desperate at all the forbidden medication that at one point I took to gargling port - worked a treat!

We are now booked in to move house on 12 August. I am due 13 Sept (c-s pencilled in for 9 Sept). Now instead of worrying about 'have I got the right cot/car seat/breast pump?' I am worrying about 'will I need new curtains for the bedroom? will the dishwasher fit?' etc!

Ponymum you poor thing! How awful to have that thrown on you at this stage. If you want to avoid returning to work, it might be worth posting in Employment Issues to see if you can argue them stopping your pay without prior warning etc.

Ipanemagirl I have been craving cake like a crazy lady - it's pretty much all I talk about at work. instead of leaving drinks I am having a cake-fest at my desk...

Starlight I am super impressed with your birth plan. It looks v detailed. The only thing I might suggest is a 1 page summary of the major major major points, just in case you have an alarmingly quick labour and MW doesn't have time to read it thoroughly, as even if MW only has to read one plan (e.g. if there are no problems and you stay at home), it's quite a lot to digest if things move very quickly.

starlightchicken your birth plan is fab! I am definitely going to steal some of your ideas.

Have just had some deliveries: M&S granny knickers multipacks (multi buy discount at the mo) and cheap dark coloured nighties. And so fab: delivery of baby clothes from Pumpkin Patch! I was complaining to my sister about hating all the soppy baby clothes around and she told me to try Pumpkin Patch. It's expensive so I only bought things from the sale, but they are SO GREAT! Gorgeous baby dungarees in really soft fabric, etc. I told Kicky to hurry up and be born so I can see what they look like on.

Pidge - thanks for your help. I'm not sure how to CAT you and have to go to a meeting now but will try and figure it out later. Maybe I can contact you when I've heard from the Brierley (esp. if it is bad news...) I did wonder if I'd left it too late but the Albany lady did say that Kings are obliged to provide a HB if I want one. Trouble is, I want mws to come who want to come, not because they feel obliged to! (And may hate me for forcing them out of their comfy hospital

Ipanema - thanks for the hug! I am always craving carbs and sugar... And cheese. Lots and lots of cheese.

Starlight, not read all your BP yet but it looks great and I may have to steal at least some of it!

By the way Star, you'll appreciate this one but I was at a "do" at work last night with free booze (was waiting for DP to finish work so we could go for dinner). It was a Becks beer sponsored thing and all very swish so I decided to let my hair down and have one beer (fully with the intention of not necessarily finishing it if I didn't want it all). I was just having a sip when up swoops a not-so-close-colleague. "ooh, should you be drinking???" she demands, with a "concerned" look. I was quite shocked but managed to reply "Absolutely!"

Can't believe people I don't really know feel that they can come up and say stuff like that, even if they are thinking it. It's not as if they see me swaggering about with a half-empty bottle of vodka every day! My other colleagues were not impressed with her behaviour either. I was so miffed that I finished the whole bottle... And I had wine with dinner later, which was lovely. Boo to nosy old party-poopers everywhere. I don't drink much alcohol at the moment, but it is nice to have a glass of something when you really want it. I would have been quite happy with an alcohol-free beer but they didn't have any!

jennylindha yes it seems our behaviour as pregnant women is suddenly open to public scrutiny and detailed commentary!

I have been so strict about drinking, really just ignoring the fact that it exists. Then for my one special night out in months, when DH's brother came to stay, we went to a local Michelin starred restaurant. I wasn't even given a choice over having a little glass of wine... when the waiter brought the bottle he looked at me and said, so just the two glasses for the gentlemen then, as he served them and not me! It wasn't that I actually wanted to have a drink, I just wanted it to be me who said no, not the bloody pregnancy police.

I could hardly make a fuss and say, actually I would like a taste please - how would that look? Pregnant woman ignoring waiter and insisting on having a drink? What a BAD PERSON!!

JennyL - hmmm, have just seen you need to pay £5 for CAT, so you may not want to do that! Might have to think of some other way. Anyway, if the Brierley are full - the King's community midwife teams are SPECIFICALLY there to do homebirths, that's all they do, so they won't be sad to leave the hospital or anything. When I used them last time round they were fantastic and I had two lovely midwives at my birth. As I said the only downside is they tend not to do antenatal care, so you won't necessarily have met your midwife before labour (no different to hospital birth there). Whereas with the Brierley and Albany you get all your antenatal care with the team and so build up that relationship - although again, on the day or night you might end up with someone you know less well. I can heartily recommend the hospital community midwife teams though. I have such happy memories of them delivering dd2.

Right - better dash off and finish off work. This is my last day before our two weeks hols starting Saturday.

starlight your birth plan sounds perfectly reasonable to me and not stroppy might have to "borrow" it in fact!! one question what do you mean when you say keel?

have been to the midwifes this aft and am 32wks and 3 days measuring 35cms! (gulp) have low iron (10.4) she said that i must try and take the iron tabs as if my iron is below 10 they may not allow a homebirth so ihave started taking the ironshe is arranging a home visit in 3 weeks time to discuss the home birth which is excitiing
baby is ceph and the head is free

ponymum you should hve told her to f off - my neighbour is like this she'll see me having a (one) glass of wine with a bbq outside and then go on about how she doesn't mind if i drink or not erm is it anything to do with her anyway
i have a few glasses of wine here and there when pregnant with ds and dd and it hasn;t harmed them at all- some people

Hi all, it's been ages since I've mumsnetted. Good to hear how you're all doing.

Ipanema, Pidge, Debi etc - me too! This is my first and compared to some people I feel like I have done very little in preparation. Although have been thinking about baby a lot if that counts??

Partly I think because we've had a lot on our plates - DH just about coming through many months of unemployment and so I think that's put me off spending huge amounts of dosh on baby kit! But also I just haven't felt ready to start preparing....I'm a deadline kinda girl. 9 weeks to go now and so I'm starting to feel the need to get ready...finally...just can't help but think there is still plenty of time!?

Anyway that's just a random rambling. Hope everyone's well. Can't WAIT to meet my baby!!!
X

oh starlight i thought it was some special position !!

Thanks for sharing your birth plan starlight that's really helped. I've got a few ideas, but it's good to see what others are doing. Although I'd like a water birth in hospital I'd still prefer as little intervention as possible so hopefully I'll get be able to get the balance ok.

Right off home soon, want to go and relax on the sofa but have to find some energy for ante-natal class!

Oh and I am appalled at the booze stories! How dare anyone tell a pregnant lady what she should or shouldn't be drinking??? As if we don't have enough restrictions as it is!! I've been ignoring booze on the whole apart from rare occasions - which I expect to be able to enjoy in peace. Think I'll go home and have a beer in protest...

your birth plan could not have been more thorough. well done.

I haven't been ignoring booze...there seems to have been a reason to have a lovely glass of champagne every weekend since I finished the first trimester!

I had about 1/4 of a glass of wine last night, as DP made risotto and there was some left over. I felt pissed as a fart! Am a lightweight at the best of times, and have only had the odd glass of champagne throughout this pregnancy, but it was ridiculous! DP thought it was hilarious

Luckily I haven't encountered any of these anti-booze types, but I have assured people that my midwife and GP both told me to go on holiday and have a small glass of wine with dinner.
And I can rant about daft DoH guidelines which they and NICE admit there was no evidence to suggest no drinking - DoH just thought that telling women not to drink at all would help stop the heavy drinkers from drinking so much. Yeah, right.

I think my lovely GP (imagine Julian Clary as a GP) had the best advice: chill out, avoid liver, don't get food poisoning - with the last, the baby will likely be fine but you will feel extra terrible.

Antenatal class on Caesarians tonight - should be useful if not fun. Have been relieved by our tutor assuring us how little stuff and organisation we need for a small baby, especially for the first few days. Also useful getting the story of what really happens in our local hospitals (Georges+Tommies - noone in my class is using Kings). Basically good news. I'm trying to think of birthing there as visiting a Travelodge...