Due Sept 08: Come on babies, 'cause we are running out of space.

[kiskidee]

New thread here.

Daft name cause we only have 4 more before we hit 1000.

They are getting ahead of themselves SL. We are too talkative to start a final countdown. We'll probably need a new thread by the end of the week.

yeah, we're definitely going to need a new thread very soon!

everyone, check the meet up thread and make sure to confirm if you haven't!

Any of you London girls live near Crouch End? I'm taking my enormous belly to the aqua natal at Park Road Pools tomorrow night for the first time this pregnancy. Bit of a longshot but wondered if anyone else going?

Still got another 3 weeks work so unfortunately can't make the London meet-up have a great time though ladies - can't wait to see a couple of photos of 15 or so enormous pregnant bellies around a table at pizza express!

A question for kiskidee & starlight and other bf experts... apologies if we've discussed this before. I'm going to try breastfeeding exclusively for 6 months but am under no illusions as to how difficult this could be at the start. Do you think it's important to buy a breast pump now... am wondering if baby is sleepy or sick right at the beginning and I need to express and feed with a cup? One friend has said to wait as it's quite a big expense and I may have no problems and not need one for months, and the shops will still be open... but another has said it's good to get to grips with assembling the thing and having a practice before you actually need it. I'm hoping a couple of months in to use one for dh to do some night feeds and possibly later for the odd night out without baby. Also any thoughts on manual vs electric for this type of use?

i'm not doing anything tomorrow night. and i am sort of dying to get into a pool.

i'll check to see how far i am from crouch end.

if i do come, i'm the one babysitting a 17 yr old girl who will probably be making flashcards. (she's my baby sister).

Sorry to hear of all the painful stories of SPD and unhelpful partners, it's small consolation but it'll all be more than worth it in the end, and none of you are bad mothers or slipping into depression, you should never think that - you are just in pain and hormonal and quite frankly, bloody knackered! We are all on the home straight now, it will all be over soon. And if some of us do get a bit depressed everyone else is going to be here to listen to our worries, and anyway it's natural to get a bit down, nothing to worry or feel embarrassed about.

Is anyone else looking forwards to watching the Olympics? I always find it really inspiring and I intend to watch as much as possible to get fired up for labour, positive mental attitude and all that!

Oh, and I am disgusted () at you all for not instantly wanting to iron your baby clothes, what's WRONG with you all! (It's you non-ironers that have something wrong with you, not me, I'm sure of it!!)

You can all send me parcels of your baby ironing if you want, I can't stop myself from ironing ironing ironing! You would be feeding a serious addiction - it'd save me from re-washing and re-ironing, which is what I'm contemplating at the moment

I have also done something I've never even contemplated before - I bought some small fabric-sided boxes from Ikea and have put them inside the draw, and then I've catagorised the baby clothes into long arms and leg suits, bodysuits, t.shirts, trousers, cardigans and then newborn. I have actually gone completely mental, it's like that film Sleeping with the enemy! It does look bloody good though!

Thanks for all the info i'm going to have a good look at the threads you suggested and research myself somemore. I'm determined to turn this little monkey even if it does involve cleaning floors....they could do with a good scrub

I agree cheeky october people....but think we'll be needing more than one more thread before sept....chat chat chat!!!

Have a good day, mine has started fraught supposed to be visiting a friend today but my ds decided he didn't want to get dressed so we've already fallen out!! Hope he doesn't kick off later in front of friends!!

i don't iron. EVER. and I never ever plan on it.

(but thats because i'm bad with irons). no one has donated baby clothes to me so all the stuff i have is stretchy. does that still need to be ironed?

if so, give me your address, i'll post some ironing your way.

morning all!!

the only time i iron in this house is when that item of clothing is getting worn on the day. Whats the point of putting it in the wardrobe/chest of drawers and it gonna be crease again to iron again.

ooooooh i had a baby dream that i had my baby and it was a girl but she was a huge baby with teeth - ie she looks like she was a 6months old baby but i just given birth to her!..i hope i wont be that overdue !!!!

Ironing baby clothes is obsessive, imo. I have ironed little dresses for special occasions because they were all cotton but dd spent 99.8 precent of the first few months in babygros. Some people think that is shameful, I think it is practical, time and money saving. [sticky tongue emoticon]

littleconnie There is no point having a breast pump for at least the first 3 days (ie until your milk at least comes in). Colostrum is produced in such small amounts it is better to hand express it and collect in a little syringe and syringe feed. Here is a great link if you ever need to hand expressing colostrum express colostrum. I would bookmark it, just in case.

If you need a good pump, I truly recommend a site called expressyourselfmums who have excellent customer service.

Hello all - sympathy to those suffering in the last weeks of pregnancy.

I had a night all to myself last night - dp in Africa, and the girls were with my MIL escaping our kitchen building works for a few days. Of course all I did was watch a bit of TV and go to bed really early. Still, what a treat. I can't honestly remember the last time I had a night all to myself - probably 6 years ago, pre-children!

I have a midwife's appt this Friday. Last time the baby was breech, so it will be interesting to see which way up it is now. Hopefully head down by now.

Morning all
Just caught up with the thread.
carrieon Im sorry to here you are sufferring in the final stages. Please let me know if I can be of any help at all. I am at a loose end tomorrow and ds is at nursery. If you fancy a coffee chat and moan I can pop round to see you. Or if you fancy that pizza date to take your mind off things let me know. You can contact me on facebook.

Gosh I am unsure which way round this baby is now. I am getting lots of fango kicks and rib hickups . The midwife thought the babe had a very pert bum but I am now thinking its the head. How easy is it to tell? Not due to see midwife for another two weeks now, might start scrubbing the floor (if I can get down there).

morning all

had another bad night last night it's the cramp that does it - now i know that you are suppsed to to get rid of calf cramp by putting your foot flat on the floor and to avoid it if you stretch to not point your toes.... but now i am getting cramp like down my shin and it;s awful and takes ages to go any advice??

i have no idea what position my baby is in he was head down but not engaged the last time i saw anyone so assuming he hasn;t moved all should be well - although i may have had had himby the time i get to see anyone!

packed bag last night so feeling more organanised and am going to brave the shopping cente with kids from hell to gt some miniture toiletries and pads etc
plus may have to visit argos for a moses basket stand!!

mama- the biggest lump in your belly is the babys head. i can feel mine.

morning all, hope everyone is well.so sorry for the people with this spd problem,sounds terrible! i dont actually know what it is,so off to have a read about it on another mumsnet thread after this.i was talking to my neighbour yesterday who was telling me babies should wear all in one type things at night only and ''proper clothes'' during the day. !!! i have to admit i was totally thinking for the first 2/3 months baby would wear nice comfy all in one suits.anyway am i wrong in my thinking? what are you all thinking of doing....shirt and tie or pj's !!!

it's up to you really notsoslim ds and dd spent theirfirst couple of days it might have been a weekin fact in all in one baby grows or ojs as their newborn clothes were still wuite big even though they weren't particularly small babesi think they do tend to look comfier and it's easier if they are a bit sickie or have a constant leaky nappy (ds) to just change a sleepsuit than an outfit!!but i think that if we go out anywhere we might stick an outfit on just depends really i always hated dungerees with ds and wondered why anyone would design such a thing to stick your baby in when you are burpring the bib bit at the front covers the face etc and they are just awful to get on and off (although that may just be me!)

morning everyone, sorry to hear about all the pain inthese last few weeks. i know exactly how you are feeling! my baby hs been head down since 24weeks and at brim for four weeks. hopefully engaged when i see dr on friday - then might consider induction due to previous fast labours. finally have hospital bag packed, though hve unpacked an re packed it once or twice to make sure ive not forgtten anything. my memory seems to be failing me a lot. anyone else found that happening to them? as for ironong, i used to do it, but not since my ds and dd decided thier freshly ironed clothes looked better thrown in wardrobe thus needing re-ironing. have sorted baby clothes though, very organised on that front. just playing the waiting game now. every time i get those bh's which was all day yesterday i think the baby is coming, then they just go away. my patience is running out

My ds lived in babygros/sleepsuits til he was about 9 months!!!!! (About 4 in a day!)

He was very small and I thought he looked ridiculous dressed in "adult" outfits...I like babies to look like babies for a while!

And I hate to see very young babies in denim

I think I may be a bit odd

My PIL have taken my ds out for the day so off to do some light housework....so much to do, so little inclination to do it....

mustsleep - I'm having the same problem with cramp at night waking me up, and I leap out of bed in agony and stomp up and down. Last night it took ages to go away. But I'm afraid I don't have any magic cure. Other than trying to walk it off. I'm going to ask my midwife on Friday if there's anything to be done to avoid it.

yes my dd was in her babygros till she was about 6 months as before that you are forever changing them! due to little accidents.

ive just looked at my notes and my baby is now 5lb 9oz and 14 ins long at 34 weeks. i wonder whats in yours as i am expecting a big baby.