Due Nov 2008 - PMA - our tums & bums are growing but we get an excuse to wear big knickers - now that's a stroke of luck!!! x x x

[ChocOrange05]

Hope you like the thread - minds not working so well at the moment!

Hope everyone had a good weekend. The weeks are flying by!

A home birth isn't an option for me unfortunately. Even if I could find an independent midwife to do it, it is too expensive. I think it would be the same with a doula. DH recently started his own business and I didn't go back to work after having dd so our finances are pretty tight.

Hi everyone

thanks for your good wishes yesterday. It's nice to know that other people are feeling the same when you are feeling down - it helps. Had a huge bowl of pasta this morning so feeling a bit more energised today. Long may it last.

This is baby number 3 and although I bought a new cot and moses basket mattress for number 2, I will be using the same ones for this baby. The moses basket was only used for a few weeks and the cot mattress has a washable cover so I will just wash it.

I'm too feeling apprehensive about this labour. First time round it was relative easy. Second time was horrendous with a forceps delivery and the cord wrapped round the baby's neck. In my mind that's all I remember -I seem to have blanked my first, almost text book delivery. I think that as a first-time mum the fear is the unknown whereas for us more seasoned mums it's knowning what's still to come!! I guess at the end of the day we have to listen to our bodies that are more than capable of doing what nature intended.

Thanks for help with suggestions for pain. I'v got mw later today so will ask her. Also hoping she will give me a note to fly on Thurs.

Have a good day everyone, i'm with you Suildon the weeks really are flying by

Can I make the most ridiculous complaint about Dh? He is driving me mad because he won't.................................
stop doing the washing.

I know he is trying to be helpful but he is ruining all our clothes. He just gathers everything up and loads them in. Then bungs them in the drier. As a result my whites are in various shades of blue and grey. My towels look like I mopped the floor with them and I am struggling to find anything for dd to wear because he has shrunk them all. What can I do? Firstly how do I say this to dh without sounding like the most ungrateful person on the planet? And how to I restore my towels etc to their former state?

I am a useless housewife but at least I was good at doing the washing and keeping the whites bright etc. AAARRRRGGGHHHH

Thanks, obs. Boy, am I missing sugar! I still have no idea really of what I should be doing (clinic tomorrow hopefully), but am just trying to avoi too much sugar (can't give up yoghurt and dried fruit yet tho'!). I just made some 'diabetic' flapjacks with pureed mango, bit of honey and some raisins not sure how low sugar that is, but better than 2oz of brown sugar and 4 tablespoons of golden syrup!!

obs, your boy sounds like an angel if that is the first time he's kicked you and had a mjor tantrum. Ds doesn't tantrum much but went through a VERY kicky stage (slowly improving), including kicking my belly.

suiledonn, no wonder you are stressed about the birth! Not much of a choice. Not sure what advice you got on thread, but it may be that you don't need the 'full works' but just a bit of gel to get things going...a friend of mine gave birth on her bathroom floor with her dh there - totally unexpected as her frst labour was a long one, it's really difficult to predict these things. Luckily she is only 10 mins from hospital so ambulance got there in time to cut cord and deliver placenta etc., and everyone was fine, but not sure her dh has got over it 6 years later!

suiledonn, that sounds just like me, bad housewife, but I am very particular about my washing. I won't even wash blues/ greens with yellows/ reds/ oranges! Not sure how to restore them tho, poor you. Luckily dh doesn't touch the machine, but we had a flatmate who washed loads of dh's grey socks and turned them mauve! Many washes later, they are pretty much back to normal.

I'm sure if you say it nicely, about the colours changing rather than moaning/ getting annoyed then he will not be upset. Just say you would rather do washing, and it's something you do not mind doing it...cleaning the bath and toilet on the other hand, he is welcome to.

Morning All,

How on earth have you managed to fill 4 pages already???? YIKES

Well talking aches and pains, I have not been able to walk all weekend. Woke up on Saturday morning with a pain in my lower back (not like a trapped nerve even though pain is when I actually pass weight through my right leg), so it have got progresively worse but is comfy when i sit down. I am in agony and not sure what to do. If I rest it it feels better but as soon as I walk on it I look like an 80 year old in need of a hip replacement so i am

Suiledonn I am not booked in for a homebirth but am hoping for one anyway! DS2 arrived very fast, and hoping for the same this time. I spent so much time in and out of hospitals with ds2 you could say I am almost phobic about hospital buildings and will do almost anything to stay out of one. I will definately be discussing it at my next appt as I guess alot dependins on how big this little fella is when I go for my scan in 2 weeks.

mornining ladies,

sorry to everyone who is still getting aches and pains.

lolabella hope all goes well with the MW and you get your hol, the sunshine on holiday always makes you feel better

i have just come off the phone to my MW after phoning to tell her of my private scan findings, she says when i go in for my 28wk check (next mon) she will phone the hosp and get me an appointment with the consultant to discuss everything, just so i know the best and worse case scenarios and also if baby needs to be scanned again before 34weeks so i am happy with that outcome.

thank you everyone who mentioned that.

merymarrigold lovely pics, ds is gorgeous. if it is any consolation i think your bump is tidy ,huge yes, but still all out the front!
x

pinkali, sorry you are . have you tried calling midwife? at least you can sit and mn with no guilt . i hope you have a downstairs loo, stairs must be killing you.

chocolategal - thanks for the kind word. Not sure can be huge AND tidy but is certainly all out front. wish the little mites would get comfy along the sides, i'm sure it would be more comfy for me too. glad you have reassurance from midwife about what's going to happen and didn't have to get into a big fight about it .

Morning everybody
Sorry to hear about all the aches and pains
Chocolategal Really pleased you got a positive response from the mw, that must have put your mind at rest at least a little bit. Hope you get your consultant's appt through soon.
Hanaflower Good luck with the move DH and I moved twice in one year and although we had a huge clear-out before we left the UK we still couldn't believe how much stuff we had. Then we brought back even more stuff from Holland! Good idea to do it in stages.
Question for today - does anybody have any recommendations for baby monitors? There seem to be so many on the market and I'm getting a bit confused. Are the video ones any good for example or not worth it? Any suggestions gratefully received!

Crici, I have been looking at monitors too and the prices ranges so much. We saw some for £59.99 which looked good, they had the light activated thing (with no sound), and the room temperature on them. I'm not sure whether I think that having video ones is going a bit too far, surely i'd spend the entire time looking at it???

Thanks for the kind words about my fears this time round. I must have a look at positive induction stories. It might help. It's is pointless of me to waste so much time worrying about it. Who knows what will happen. I had an easy labour with dd as she was so small but going by my size at this stage this baby could be way bigger and things might be a lot slower.

Baby Monitors We bought a Tomy one last time round, sounds like the one described. Didn't use it much though as I never let dd out of my sight long enough to need it.

baby monitor - I had a basic tomy one bought which did the job fine once DS was in his own room. www.mothercare.com/gp/product/B000KN762W/sr=1-12/qid=1219059098/ref=sr_1_12/202-2453932-8688642?ie=U TF8&mcb=core

That one is £16.99 on mothercare but I recently bought the Tixylix Baby and Child Monitor that can be powered by battery or socket and has a light from lloyds pharmacy for I think £9.99 but £7.99+£3.95 p&p on website. Seems plenty good enough. shop.lloydspharmacy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=1008&storeId=90&productId =10552&langId=-1&parentcategoryrn=14278&top=Y&top_category=14278.

suiledonn - A friend of mine had an induction with her 2nd child 6 months ago. She said the second round of Prostaglandin worked and very quickly. No problems her DS was born after about 30 mins!

If you really dont want to be induced early then say so to the doctor. It is your right! However by 38 weeks you maybe fed up of waiting or so uncomfortable you would like baby earlier. Could maybe ask for the membrane sweep to be tried first?

I had the membrane sweep with DS it didn't work for me but may for you. I ended up DS being born the day before I was due to be induced at 42 weeks.

Hi all

MM - your bump looks just fine and your DS is a real cutie

Obs - have to agree that you have done well to only have one tantrum to deal with so far and one kicking episode - it may just be a one-off and he won't do it again.

Monitors - we have the one like Pinkali described - Tomy one with a 2-way talk thing so you can talk to the baby in their room (have never used this btw as if DS is crying, I am not going to be able to calm him down by sitting in the lounge talking to him on the radio ) but the room temperature feature is very handy.

Having a good day today - tis my day off work (technically to look after DS) but DH is working from home and hasn't got much to do - so far, I have been to aerobics this morning, and now he has taken DS to MIL's for the afternoon !! How fab is that??

Need to take my car to a garage to get a quote as some dizzy woman backed into it....grrr! Not much damage really but it is a brand new car so v annoyed!

temp wise for the room I just had a room thermometer from mothercare which matched the bedding but was also only £3.99. www.mothercare.com/gp/product/B000TQCFGW/sr=1-4/qid=1219061309/ref=sr_1_4/202-2453932-8688642?ie=UTF 8&mcb=core . Can get different styles and was a lot cheaper than getting a monitor with temp built in. If you look around can probably get a "plain" room thermometer for cheaper.

Hello ladies - STOP STOP talking so much. I can't keep up

Am being a lardy watching the Olympics on the sofa whilst DS2 is actually asleep - in his own bed, at lunchtime for the first time in a long long time - yeah!!!!! DS1 is at tennis camp.......

Firstly, chocgal good news about your mW and not having to push to see the consultant, as i said yestrerday it is good to be prepared and I always err on the side of caution...which leads me nicely onto my next point.....

DO NOT SPEND SILLY AMOUNTS OF MONEY ON A BABY MONITOR, LEARN FROM DOZYMARE'S MISTAKE....who on the birth of her PFB invested something like £130 on an angel monitor (I trhnk from memory) which basically sets an alarm of everytime baby so much as snorts...and believe you me they do....It was a disaster as woke baby up and really was totally unnecessary. we ended up buying a bog standard Tomy, again with the temperature on the front and it was perfect. Also, if you are investing on grobags, then you always get a free room thermometer with each purchase...

Merrymarigold your bump IS big, but also very neat - you don't seem to be big anywhere else apart from your bump, which is a good thing...I seem to have expanded everywhere but have nobody else to blame but myself and my obsession for minstrels and magnums!

Hanaflower I love, love autumn as well!!! It is most definately the smell that does it for me!

Vbab - I appreciate what you are saying about the cheaper room thermometers - we have one of those aswell. However, the advantage of having the temperature on the monitor is that it shows on the downstairs handset so you can see what temp the room is whilst you are downstairs - so you don't have to actually go into the baby's room to check.

Dozy - am too watching the Olympics but really need to go and have a shower and get out

MM - Just looked at the pictures of your bump (firstly however, how cute is your son?!?!?!?! He is gorgeous!!!) Secondly, yep it's a good size but hey you have 2 of these little things in side of you so I think you look great for that!!

MerryMarigold - your bump looks fab - most shapely!! (Note to self to get off arse and get a photo of bump sorted).
My bump has it's own special ironing wound -which admittedly I got lots of sympathy for last week, but which is now weeping and sore . Woe is me.
I think this may have been covered previously, but could someone remind me when it is appropriate to start using grobags?

MM - more sympathy from me for your wound - ouch!

Grobags - I think babies have to be 8lb before using them - but I am not 100% certain. We started using them with DS from about 2 weeks old when it became apparent he was a little kicker and blankets were just not going to stay on - 2 years later, he is still in them and loves them!!

ceebee - arr! Just caught up with you !

Might also have a look at the grobags? The same ones that you use for tomatoes etc? We used a swaddle blanket for DS but might look into the grobags as after a couple of months DS could escape the blanket.

Could you give me a guide to grobags? Do you still use a sheet? What togs should I buy and sizes? Didn't get them with DS because I thought easy enough just to add blankets and sheets as necessary but they are so CUTE!

pinky - What about making your own version of grobags?

Grobags are fab..here is a link
www.bumpto3.com/

Hope that works!

the great thing is that you can get them in different tog sizes which a lot of the cheaper ones don't tell you what tog they are....I always get a 2.5 for winter babies then use 1 or 0.5 for summer....however, can be adjusted to the temperature of your house which is great.......don't need blankets either, just sheets on the cot!

I used them from birth for both of mine and can't rate them highly enough! also approved by SIDS which is good enough for me!