Due Aug 08 - And the Signs of Labor ARE....

[TwilightSurfer]

This is it!! Some of us have already started the descent into new BABYDOM. Best to arm ourselves with the facts. Here you will find the Signs of Labor. Just don't panic. Remember women around the world have been giving birth for ages. You are not alone nor will you be alone throughout this entire process. We are all here for each other no matter what. So let us go forward with heads high and bellies low.

This little quiz might also be helpful. Remember we are in this TOGETHER!!

DUE AUGUST 2008 STATS
[TSupdate04JUL08]

GROUP TOTAL: 57

DELIVERIES [BOYS (0) vs. GIRLS (0)]
sample23JUL via VB SOMEBODY delivered Jenny Sue, 8lbs 3oz & 55cm [EDD 08AUG]
sample24JUL via CS SOMEBODYELSE delivered Timmy, 6lbs & 43cm [EDD 31JUL]

WAITING ROOM [BOYS (12) vs. GIRLS (15)]
21JUL IlanaK is 35 and lives in Central London. She has 2DSs, 6y & 3y. Expecting DC#3 via CSec (EDD was 24JUL), a BOY to be named Saul.
23JUL Voodoococonut is 29 and lives in Manchester but moving to West Midlands asap. She has a DD, 19M. Expecting DC#2, a SURPRISE.
24JUL Alittlebitshy is 28 and lives in East London/Essex. She has a DD, 5y. Expecting DC#2 via CSec (EDD was 03AUG), a SURPRISE.
29JUL Miamla is 32 and lives in North London. Expecting DC#1, a BOY to maybe be named Theodore.
29JUL Bigboydiditandranaway is 36 and lives in Midlands. She has a DS, 26m. Expecting DC#2.
30JUL Dizzydixies is 32 and lives in Fife. She has 2DDs, 4y & 2y. Expecting DC#3 via VBac or CSec, guesses it's a girl.
31JUL SassyLou is 33 and lives in Cheshire. She has 2DDs, 7y & 5y. Expecting DC#3.
01AUG PhilB is 31 and lives in SE London. Expecting DC#1, a SURPRISE.
01AUG Pertelote is 30 and lives in East London. Expecting DC#1, a SURPRISE.
02AUG Vintagegardenia is 35 and lives in Ireland. She has a DS, 9y. Expecting DC#2, a SURPRISE.
02AUG Mum2b1 is expecting DC#1.
02AUG Shazza2002 is 27 and lives in West London. She has a DD, 5y. Expecting DC#2, a SURPRISE.
04AUG SKYTVADDICT is 40 and lives in Lincolnshire. She has a DS, 13m, and 2DDs, 8y & 12y. Expecting DC#4 via CSec (EDD was 08AUG), a SURPRISE.
05AUG ChaCha is 32 and lives in Oxford. She has 2DCs, 2y & 10m, Expecting DC#3 via CSEC, guesses it's a boy.
07AUG BraveNewWorld is 31 and lives in London. Expecting DC#1, a GIRL.
08AUG LadyOfWaffle is 22 and lives in Berkshire. She has a DS, 2y. Expecting DC#2, a SURPRISE.
08AUG Mummypud is 28 and lives in Wiltshire. She has a DD, 2y. Expecting DC#2, a GIRL.
08AUG Bealcain is 21 and lives in Kent, She has 2DSs 2y & 1y. Expecting DC#3, a GIRL to be named Delilah.
09AUG BirthdayBaby is expecting DC#1.
10AUG Lcy is 30 and lives in Wales. Expecting DC#1, guesses it's a boy.
11AUG Sarahnh is 32 and lives in West Midlands. She has a DD, 2y. Expecting DC#2, a GIRL to maybe be named Tess Alexandra.
11AUG Foghornleghorn is 23 and lives in Northampton. She has 2DDs, 3y & 1y. Expecting DC#3, guesses it's a girl.
11AUG Sibh has 2DCs, DS 5y & DD 2y. She is expecting DC#3.
12AUG Buckets is 31 and lives in Southampton. She has a DD, 4y, & a DS, 3. Expecting DC#3 via CSec (01-07AUG?), a BOY to maybe be named Kurt.
14AUG Hardygirl is 36 and lives in SW London. Expecting DC#1, a SURPRISE.
14AUG HazieDazieandBaby is 26 and lives in Aberdeen. Expecting DC#1, a GIRL to be named Gabriella.
14AUG Gigglegirl is 32 and lives in Stockport. She has a DD, 4y, and 2DSs, 2y & 1y. Expecting DC#4, a GIRL to be named Imogen.
16AUG Longwayfromhome is 29 and lives in Argentina. Expecting DC#1, a BOY to named Tomas.
16AUG Pregnancy1 is 31 and lives in London. Expecting DC#1, a GIRL.
17AUG CaptainCaveman is 35 and lives in Nottingham. She has a DS, 3.11y. Expecting DC#2 via VBac, a BOY.
17AUG Iliketosleep is 24 and lives in Wolverhampton. She has 2DDs, 7y & 6y and a DS, 4y. Expecting DC#4.
17AUG Poppysocks is 30 and lives in St Andrews. She has a DD, 2.4y. Expecting DC#2 via CSec or maybe VBAC, a GIRL.
17AUG Warthog has a DD, 2y. Expecting DC#2, a GIRL.
17AUG Jennylee is 30 and lives in West Lothian. She has a DS, 9y. Expecting DC#2, a GIRL.
18AUG Kezza7779 is expecting DC#1, guesses it's a boy.
18AUG Expectant is 32 and lives in Singapore. Expecting DC#1, a SURPRISE.
18AUG Cheerfulvicky is 24 and lives in Cornwall. Expecting DC#1, a BOY.
19AUG SazzlesA is 35 and lives in Cheltenham. She has a DD, 18m. Expecting DC#2 via VBAC or CSec, a GIRL to maybe be named Emma.
19AUG Karney is 39 and lives in Glasgow.
19AUG TwilightSurfer is 37 and lives in Tennessee, USA. She has a DD, 4y. Expecting DC#2 via VB, a GIRL to maybe be named Maggie Ethelyn.
19AUG Daisy26 is expecting DC#1, a GIRL.
20AUG Ejesmum is 38 and lives in Exeter. She has a DS, 4y. Expecting DC#2.
20AUG Stillhere is 36 and lives in Yorkshire. She has a DS, 2.5y. Expecting DC#2, a SURPRISE.
21AUG Pinchypants is 34 and lives in Guildford. She has a DD, 20m. Expecting DC#2.
21AUG Musm2go is 35 and lives in B'ham Solihull. She has a DD, 6y. Expecting DC#2, a BOY.
23AUG Stickybean is 27 and lives in North London. Expecting DC#1, guesses it's a girl.
24AUG Libbyssister is 34 and lives in Oxfordshire. She has a DS, 2.11y. Expecting DC#2, a BOY.
24AUG Cyteen is 32 and lives in Leicester. Expecting DC#1, a BOY.
24AUG SausageAndMash is 37 and lives in London. She has a DD, 3y. Expecting DC#2.
25AUG Petitfilou is 36 and lives in S Oxfordshire. She has a DS, 4.4y, & a DD, 2.10y. Expecting DC#3, a BOY.
25AUG Oopsacoconut is 32 and lives in Wiltshire. Expecting DC#1, a GIRL to be named Poppaea Anna.
26AUG Ellasmum1 is 30 and lives in North Staffs-Newcastle under Lyme. She has a DD, 5y. Expecting DC#2, a BOY.
26AUG Dancerandprancer is 31 and lives in Devon. She has a DD, 28m. Expecting DC#2, a BOY.
26AUG No1putsbabyinthecorner is 30 and lives in South Yorkshire. She as a DD, 1y. Expecting DC#2.
28AUG Ataraxis formerly Readyforbed has 2 DSs, 5y & 3y, and is expecting DC#3, a GIRL.
29AUG Waytoomuchchocolate is expecting DC#1, guesses it's a girl.
30AUG AnnVan lives in Kent and is expecting DC#1, guesses it's a boy.

dizzy have a look at the Dyson animal - vg buy - 'tho expensive

CC Like the coat and it is a bargain
Annoyingly was hardly anything in the sale for ds - usually get truck loads!

£130?!?!??!oh no no no I can think of much more worthy things to be spending £130 than a handheld hoover for keeping in boot of a car

can spend £30 on one in the sale and put the other £100 towards my airfare to wherever we decide we're having our meet up - am thinking we head for either TS, Expectant or Longwayfromhome's houses lol

thank you though

Morning chatty ladies It's valiantly attempting to be sunny here, so not quite as bad as yesterday when it pissed down all day and all night...I'm sure that contributed to me feeling so awful, I couldn't even get out of the house as would have been instantly drenched.

Very glad to report that I feel back to my old self today and much more positive and purposeful. A little wobble now and again is only natural, after all, so in a minute I am going to go and pick up my sling from the post office, then settle down and do some writing. DP has tasked me with ringing up some local garages to find out how much a service for our car will cost, but for some reason it's making me really bashful because I know bugger all about cars What a betrayal of my hairy-legged feminist roots that I've become one of those stammering ladies who has the piss taken out of them by mechanics

DP and I both woke up for a couple of hours in the middle of the night last night, during which time the baby went absolutely crazy and was shifting about all over the place. Whisper it but I think he might have turned - I can lean forward now without heaving for breath quite as much. Then again, after watching some of that freebirthing programme I'm not sure I'm so keen on this whole vaginal delivery thing - accidentally flicked over during one of the birth scenes and couldn't look away, we were both glued to the screen in the manner of a horror film, like this

ah fark, just got reminder in for MOT for shiteheap mazda and of course end of the month - pants arse pants [harumph]

cyteen am exactly the same, had a bit of a bump in the car and need it fixed, dh has gone in and been quoted £250 but wants me to go and look all pregnant and pathetic - now I had no problem when I was 18/19 had great boobs and nice figure and long blonde hair but not these days

cyteen I'm not too far up the road from up in Nottingham and so far, apart from a few spits and spots, the rain is holding off. Hope you are right and that bubs has turned (if that is what you wanted - I'm not so sure I want ds2 to turn....)

LOL at dizzy doing her best to fulfill every Scottish stereotype - you forgot the "I've seen the Loch Ness Monster" t-shirt though gal

I have to admit to feeling a little less clued up on which way round bubs is currently lying. Pretty sure he ain't head down but there are two round orbs, both of which feel like heads to me, palpable within the bump. Maybe he has got 'buns of steel' and one of them is his ass . Oh well, we'll find out in a couple of hours! Kicks are mainly all still in the fanjo area, with the odd foot creeping up the left of my abdomen (last time he was in a frank breech with his feet up by his ears...so it must have been his fingers 'tickling' my pelvic floor )

I KNEW IT IT KNEW IT I KNEW IT WAS TOO GOOD TO BE FARKING TRUE [harumph[wild eyes celtic temper and nostril flaring]

dh, AGAINST ALL ODDS, managed to set and alarm and actually got up at 11am

got everything ready (with my help) to go to haridressers/bank take dd1 to gymnastics so I could stay in the house and either

a. get on with something useful (my choice)
b. have a nap - HIS suggestions

he was having to go to the garage and store as he's lost all his kit for tonight (he's working at T in the Park from now till Monday) and there is NO way he will manage without his waterproofs as after today, even if it does dry up, the campsite and arena are going to be like boggy marshes and can do this after dropping dd1 at the sports centre as they are right next to each other

so, he's not long away, I'm nicely lulled into a false sense of security and then phone rings............................

dh - 'can you bring my warrant card? I need it to get into the garage/stores'

not even a fecking PLEASE

FFS so much for me having a nap or doing something useful

well I suppose two steps forward one step back is a start

if am not swept away into the North Sea (and NO I'm not being my usual melodramatic self here ) I shall hopefully speak to you all later

PF Can't find the post now but I'm sure you mentioned your DS was back to his usual self and therefore hard work. Wondered what his usual self was or whether he'd just been poorly or something.

I've got nothing to do today except antenatal appt at 2.30 - what's the bet they are late and I have to cancel to go collect DD from school? I only really need a quick blood sample taken for rhesus antibodies in time for consultant appt on Tuesday so maybe I'll just offer to skip all the BP, urine etc if things are tight.

Oh yes pre-washing new nappies, general consensus is you pre-wash any absorbent fabric thing (eg new bath towels) 3 times to wash off the teflon coating and fluff up the fibres for maximum absorbency first time. Although with newborn nappies you're changing every couple of hours anyway so absorbency's not too much of an issue and you'll have washed every one within a couple of days.

What I don't get is all this ironing of baby clothes all you people are doing.

Hello all. Hope everyone ishaving a good day. I'm knackered. Went to bed at 1.30. Was still lying awake at 4.30. not too sure what time Ieventually fell asleep. Have also woken up with headache, and now have to shower, do hair etc to look presentable for antenatal class at 2. Think I'd better hurry. Back later!

Buckets - on the subject of cloth nappies, do you recommend using disposables for the first couple of days, or do you think starting with cloth from day one is fine? I've heard conflicting advice on this one.

Dizzy, I've sent you a message on email and figure you can work something out on Facebook....?? It will be nice to share some pics when these beans start popping out

My day 'off': got DS dressed, did pile of laundry, hung it out on line, did an hour of heavy gardening, i.e. removing brambles and pruning huge shrubs (cut hands and arms to bits and have made my one and only pair of mat trousers muddy in the process), MW appt at 3.40pm so I can see NOTHING getting organised today...

Still plenty of time
Still plenty of time
Still plenty of time

I'm going to keep saying this so I know it's true.

Buckets I think it was me with the DS back to himself. He's been doing a slightly freaky pre-baby regression thing, where he's been asking to go in baby swings and shopping trolleys, wailing, weeping sulking and generally being a bit of a twit. He had his baby panic before DD instead of after too so I'm hoping we've got it out of the way in advance this time too. He's actually very excited about the baby, but he's starting school in September too and has just finished playgroup so it's been a general wobble. According to him, 'When you're five, it feels like you're standing still but really you're on a slope and you're moving up it really fast.' The child thinks too much!

So getting back to his 5 year-old self is a good thing as he is normally great company, but it seemed a bit unfair yesterday when he was being nice to be giving him less attention than he was getting for being a pain. Mr Bump is on ice today as the whole swelling thing has eased off for a bit so we've been able to do nice things in the sunshine together and might even get to nip to the beach later if DD wakes up in time.

On the nappy thing, I think I prewashed my Totsbots last time because it said to do in on the leaflet, but I just bunged them in at 30 and hit start when each wash stopped so they had three washes with no work involved. I found that they started to be really properly absorbent after about 2 weeks when they'd been through the wash a few more times. I still have no clothes dug out for the new baby ... I must get on to that.

Just wondering if Dizzy hightailed it out the door still wearing her kilt, ginger wig and tammy.

AnnVan - will stick my two penneth in... You can use the washables from day 1 and I have heard of women taking in nappy buckets to the hospital wards so they can do that....

But really...?

I have bought 2 packs of NatureBaby disposables for the first days/weeks. With DS I started using the washables from about 3/4 weeks when everything had calmed down (a bit). So I'll be doing that again, I think.

The ONLY thing is, that I know a lot of people who have bought the washables and then never used them because they started out with disposables for the 'early days' and never got round to washables in the end. Depends on you and your motivation...?

My motivation for washables is prob 75% financial and 25% environmental. We haven't got much spare cash and if I don't have to buy nappies it will help.

Hello - this time not at stupid o'clock in the morning. Still v v tired. got a bit more sleep, felt awful when I got up, then planned to go back to bed after taken dd to school and had meeting there (MET HER YEAR 1 TEACHER) oops sorry caps lock. But when i got home my new Close baby carrier (sorry bealcain, I just went for it and ordered it online ) had arrived so I had a play with it. Not quite sure how I'm meant to get all the fabric straight and nice looking, but I'll keep practicting. Had a rest for hour or so. Just did some chores, had lunch and think I might go and have a nother quick lie down. COnstatntly feel crap atm .

dizzy grr at your murderous thought inducing dh.

yay for all the turned babies.

cc how is it 4 weeks since you were in hospital?

miamla and pgcy1 not sure I'll make tomorrow. Really wanted to but need to go to tescos and do some chores and get ready for having some people stay over on sat night - plus i'll need a nap ( sounds pathetic but i know that I can't get through a day without one at the moment) and need to have done all that before i collect dd...

annvan yuck at insomnia. I know a couple of people who had real pgncy insomnia ie barely slept at all throughout the whole time. argh!!!

I agree with libbysssister that taking them into hospital is a bit enthusiastic. I just bought a bag of newborn disposables for DD and then started on the totsbots when they had run out, which chimed nicely with when the evil black/green nappies eased off.

The other thing I ditched quite early was the soaking in the buckets, because draining them (even in those net bags) was the worst bit of the whole thing for me. Paper liners and a second wash for any that didn't come out right worked fine and they are all still white and shiny).

Thanks Buckets, now I've got the Beastie Boys in my head.....thanks.

Pregnancy1......controlled and orderly...say bye-bye to that.

Bigboy & Cyteen, cool about the turns!!

Captain, Happy ANNIVERSARY and have a grand scan.

I would just like to quickly remark that I curled up on the couch at 10PM last night and woke at 7:30AM this morning, in the same position. WOW!! I almost feel refreshed at the moment.

dizzy and sazzles didn't realise the hoover would just be for the boot of the car. I use my for stairs, kitchen, car etc agree bit expensive just for the car !

Buckets I get you now! Ds had tonsillitis so was really unwell for a few days - but fine now. He's been on his second school visit this morning - full of beans and bouncing off the walls as usual... He looks very sweet in his school uniform.

My news for today is I think ds2 has started to engage- seems a bit early but bump is definitely lower this morning. Will find out from mw on Tues...

pregnancy1 I stand corrected on the nappies thing! Sorry.

I bought reusables and then had PND and never used them. Sold them back to someone on MN! It was just more than I could deal with at the time.

Annvan, depends on whether your hospital is happy for you to bring in real nappies. Mine isn't so I've got 1 pack of Tesco newborn disps in my bag and the real nappies ready to use at home. DS was born at a different hospital that (at the time) provided prefolds so he was in cloth from the day he was born. I would say they would take up lots of room in a hospital bag and if you ended up with a longer stay for some reason, you might run out of clean nappies at an inconvenient time and cursing a clueless DP for bringing the wrong bits or melting your wraps. I think it's probably better to try cloth at home anyway, with nobody watching, no pressure or seeing any initial cockups you might make. And there's no law against using both anyway - eg cloth at home, disps when out&about.

Buckets who on earth is ironing their baby clothes? I'm happy to report that I haven't touched the iron since we moved in 6 weeks ago, and don't intend to ever again if possible. Rumpled children are the best

Re. nappies, we're also using disposables for the first few weeks with the intention of switching to cloth once we've vaguely got a handle on the basics of babycare. I figure I'll have enough occupying my mind trying to keep the baby clean/fed/alive and remembering to take him with me when I leave the house for those first few weeks! Plus I can pick up tips from my NCT pals about what's working for them - most of them seem to be going for reusables, and they also seem to have started popping already, so am hoping to get round for some gratuitous newborn snuggles at some point.

My friend who was very overdue finally had her little girl as well...nearly 2 weeks past her due date, she was not happy Apparently the baby is totally gorgeous though, so I can't wait to see her.