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.

biglips yeah when i was in it was red hot!!

maybe taking a pillow in is a good idea too as the pillows there are like rocks (when i went in for the braxton hicks thing i heard the midwife telling someone that they have started getting really hard pillow as they are fed up of people nicking them )

just put the bedroom doors in on the kids rooms but couldn't do ours as they only had one door frame left in b and q yesterday (typical) so no privacy yet

must buy some bio oil am quite worried at how bad the stretch marks will be this time,i got off quite lightly the 2 times so think they are making up for it now!!

Do I need a dressing gown in hospital, do people think? I'm taking large T-shirts for labouring and button-front nightshirts for after, but hospitals seem so hot...
Have flip-flops rather than slippers.

I'm very sleepy - we've been looking after SIL2's baby this weekend. He's increasingly lovely (10 weeks) and it's been great getting more baby-handling practice, especially as he's a mainly-placid baby and more robust than a newborn.

Lessons learnt: the cotbed with a side down, and plastic-wrapped mattress on it, makes an excellent changing area. Except unlike SIL2's futon, an adult sitting on it breaks it...
Old flannels make great baby-wipe cloths, and old teatowels work for drool-cloths. I suppose proper cloth wipes and muslins take up less space in the washing machine and dry faster, but it's good to know we have backup.
I swear I only washed a few baby clothes, but there's about 50 all over the house taking forever to dry (well over 24 hours). They were a mix of newborn (for me to take to hospital) and 0-3 months (for SIL2ds). Turned out that he's wearing 3-6 month clothes already! So we just pulled out clothes that didn't smell of icky detergent from that bag, and he was happy.
Ran out of reusable nappies so used about 3 disposables - took a while to get one out of the packet and get it the right way round, while using one arm to hold SIL2ds upright and thus not screaming.
Must remember the sling next time as he really wants to be upright and held much of the time. Especially when he gets impressive hiccups! He loved the bouncer, though.

Defrosting and warming expressed breastmilk and then cooling it to the right temp takes ages. Especially when you're trying to placate baby at the same time...

Most importantly, get some plastic bowls or spoons for people's breakfast. Baby slept very well and was only gurgling most of the morning - but I got woken twice by family chinking spoons while eating cereal!

I must make it to the Backs & Babes class at the hospital this week, as recommended by both midwife and physio - my hips are aching a lot, partly from getting up and down with a 15-pound baby. Didn't want to be off my face on codeine while looking after him, either. At least when Squirmy is that size I won't have an unergonomic bump in the way...

im off to bed as i feel comfy in bed as im sooo out of breath and its so tight on my belly too.

notcitrus glad to hear you had a successful practice weekend of babylookingaftering.
I took a cheap dressing gown from Asda into hosp last time but this time I'm not going to bother as it is too hot to need it.
I got a pair of slippers for £1 from Primark, a couple of vesty tops and a pair of black (dark colours good for hiding blood stains) thin pj trousers all for in the hosp and that will do.

My hips are soooo sore in the mornings when I wake up, it's so annoying, I love my lie ins but just can't stay in bed as its too uncomfy on my back and I can't face staying on my sides any longer.

Who is it who's our sling expert? Have you had any experience of the Premaxx one? It seems to be in a lot of shops and I've seen a few second hand ones on ebay that look like they might be quite cheap but it's not had great reviews on here. I've got a babyborn which I didn't use a huge amount with ds (dh used it more than me, he found it comfier than I did) but I was thinking of maybe getting a premaxx style one this time as it seems better for a small baby and looks easier to sit down with. ONly thing is I'm not sure if having all the weight on one shoulder will be comfy esp when it gets bigger (and I'm not expecting it to ever be a tiny baby). I might not get it now, might wait to see if this baby turns out to be one that needs/wants held lots and how ds reacts to it but I am thinking it might be handy sometimes to have it attached to me to make playing with and dealing with ds easier.

eh, i think starlight and kiskidsee are the sling experts.

for what it's worth, i just bought a calin bleau gauze wrap sling... i just really liked the look of it to be honest, but am wondering if the purchase was foolish.

Hi all
Completely knackered today after making it through a whole day of hen party activities yesterday... was great fun but am definitely suffering for it today. Definitely running out of breathing space and I no longer walk but waddle at a snail's pace.

Also not bothering with dressing gown - got a couple of dark button down nightshirts (£3 each!) from Primark for labouring and thin dark pjs for afterwards...

Went for a tour of the new birth centre at St Mary's today... wow it was seriously impressive. Looked more like a boutique hotel than an NHS birthing centre! All wood panelling hiding the medical equipment, enormous birthing pools, hammock-type contraptions for supporting squats and other positions... and a lovely fold-away double bed in each room for afterwards. Midwives hugely geared towards supporting active labour and natural pain relief. Maybe I'm being a big optimistic but would like to at least give it a try.

Also had a scan on Friday and thankfully my placenta has moved up away from the cervix. lo is head down and spine to the right... and just a little above average size. Also got a lovely picture of lo's face (didn't manage to get any at previous scans) although my sister is convinced it looks like a smurf

Calin Bleu is an excellent choice. It may be slightly fussier in the beginning to get a hang of than a stretchy wrap but that only means a day or 2. It will however outlast a stretchy for functionality as most people seem to find stretchies uncomfortable when the baby starts to get heavy.

I would not go with a premaxx or babybjorn, deb.

will do some links for newborn carries in wraps later.

oooh little connie,
i meant to fb you and ask you out to coffee whnen you have the time. i think there was another one on our thread who lives in london who may not be making it to the meet up...

thanks eandz that's really thoughtful of you - I'd love to meet for coffee. Sundays are good for me until the end of Aug, or any day in early Sept as will have finished work by then

ok i'll message you on fb.

Taken me ages to just about catch up with what everyone has done.
Feeling fed up now. Only 33 weeks!! Wish time would pass a bit more quickly.
And I've done nothing to get ready for the baby's arrival either. Oh, I bought some nappies! Forgot about that. Should get a move on really. you never know, it might come earlier. (I wish!)
Off to bed now, sleep well everyone. If you can!

Oo me too just can't wait! Have to learn to contain my impatience, it's only just the beginning of my mat leave and I want the baby to come NOW.... still 5 weeks to go....

Also bought my first nappies yesterday - eco disposables. Will try reuseables after a few weeks but not decided which ones yet, prob going to try a few different types.

Hate to bring up the prams/pushchairs questions again.. (I imagine you're all far more organised than me and have yours already!) but if anyone has found something like Bugaboo Chameleon that doesn't take up the entire boot I'd love to hear about it. Mamas and Papas Pramette? Can't tell whether that one is a proper lie flat pram or not. We're fairly restricted as DH is 6'5 so it has to have decent height handles. I've heard iCandy break alot. We have a Peugeot 205- looks like new car is required sooner rather than later! Crikey this baby business ain't simple.

I've got a baba sling which I love the look of, seems really easy and comfortable. Can't tell you what it's like in practice yet though.

eandz Seconding Kiskidee, the Calin Bleu wraps are excellent.

Debithescott I'd steer clear of the Premaxx and any other "bag" type slings - there are a few safety concerns that babies may not be able to breathe properly in them, more information here:
babyslingsafety.blogspot.com/2008/05/concerns-about-bag-slings.html
If you want a one-shouldered sling I'd go for a ring sling or shallow pouch like a coorie pouch

Oo me too just can't wait! Have to learn to contain my impatience, it's only just the beginning of my mat leave and I want the baby to come NOW.... still 5 weeks to go....

Also bought my first nappies yesterday - eco disposables. Will try reuseables after a few weeks but not decided which ones yet, prob going to try a few different types.

Hate to bring up the prams/pushchairs questions again.. (I imagine you're all far more organised than me and have yours already!) but if anyone has found something like Bugaboo Chameleon that doesn't take up the entire boot I'd love to hear about it. Mamas and Papas Pramette? Can't tell whether that one is a proper lie flat pram or not. We're fairly restricted as DH is 6'5 so it has to have decent height handles. I've heard iCandy break alot. We have a Peugeot 205- looks like new car is required sooner rather than later! Crikey this baby business ain't simple.

I've got a baba sling which I love the look of, seems really easy and comfortable. Can't tell you what it's like in practice yet though.

Morning all

Another monday morning. Surely I got a pliko pramette last time. I found it fantastic and loved the umbrella fold. The only thing I did not like (and this was quite major for me) was that once the baby outgrew the prammette and went into the buggy style bit he was facing away from me. . This is the reason I have brought the bug chameleon this time.
I got a celeb ring sling to see if I can bf in it. I also plan to buy a wrap one too! Otherwise I am all sorted and have nothing else to buy. I was given a bumbo seat and bath over the weekend.
Have a nice day guys x

Thanks mama. Umbrella fold is a big plus, I'll take a look. Does your chameleon work for you? It has great reviews. Pram/pushchair debate seems to be a puzzle without a solution for us!

morning all,
my god i had an awful evening with my ds last night....feeling such a failure as a mum this morning i really hope things calm down after the baby is born, i'm supposed to be enjoying my short time left alone with him...he's also pushing the boundaries big time at the mo...he's nearly 3. sorry to moan!

I'm nearly sorted now as got my baby bits out of the loft and packed my bags yesterday....thought something was happening on sat eve as really strong and intense bh...but it all stopped! i'm just gonna get my pram out and give it the once over as it looks like we're in for a nice day

Have a good day xx

mumi - yes i remembered when my DD was nearly 3 and was pushing the boundaries which is all part of the norm im afraid. ive just hoovered and im out of breath!!

Thank you to everyone for the warm welcome! Yes, this is my first. It's a boy!! We're naming him James William after our granddads. So excited for him to get here!!

charitygirl, eandz, nellyonthetelly,and notsoslimnow are you all not completely excited for next month?? That's great to have people on here due the same time.

I'm actually hoping to go early, fingers crossed for the 20th because it's my little brother's birthday and he's really excited to be an uncle.

Has anyone's bump dropped yet? I'm feeling like I can't even breath anymore, or keep anything in my poor stomach so I'm really looking forward to having a much less crowded feeling!

My bump as dropped quite noticeably. The head is engaged but only a little which is to be expected as it's my second. The lady in our corner shop asked me if I'm having twins today =) I guess I not only feel huge, I look it too.

great newborn wrap. Plus good for hot weather as only 1 layer of cloth is over the baby. Then when you want to bf in it, untie the tie, jiggle baby down a bit and retie. You can then widen the 'vertical' portions like a little privacy curtain too for bfing or sleeping.

same carry here but she puts the wrap around the baby rather than putting the wrap on then the baby. It may give you ideas or time to break out a teddy or baby Annabelle.

she does the forward wrap cross carry (FWCC) v. v. slowly which is the idiot proof way of putting on a wrap.

so does that mean if the bump had dropped..its why i cant breathe?? or it is still high up??

Hello all,

I'm liking the pram/sling discussion because I cannot make sense of things either. LIke pitufina all I've really bought yet is nappies!

I have heard people swearing by the tricotti sling, which is a bit like a pouch that you wear over both shoulders. Anybody familiar with it who can comment?

Also feeling super crowded, out of breath and sore around the ribcage (which gets regular kickings). When is the baby supposed to drop? I'm just starting my 34th week and look ginormous and pointy.

it usually dropped about 36 weeks. i think in second pgs is not till nearer the due date or when in labour.