Due Dec 08 - Braxton hicks, baby kicks and leaking nips!

[Veggiemummy]

that was Disenchanted's idea for a great title not mine

I haven't posted for so long that this thread had dropped off my list. Whoops.
Does anyone know where you can buy one of those skirt things for a moses basket? I don't need any other bedding, just the bit to go over the sides, but noone seems to sell these separately. If I can't find one to buy,I may have to attempt to make one, and I am definitely no seamstress.

Kimberly someone recommended "Spatone" on here to me as an iron supplement which doesn't affect your tummy - and it's been good - it's little sachets of VERY mineral-y mineral water, which feels like a rip-off when you first buy it but it works. I sometimes take Floradix instead (which tastes foul btw) but again helps perk you up if you're anaemic.

So much to catch up on! I won't manage it, I'm afraid - but congratulations on the house, kayz. Your wine gum incident sounds really scary, btw. I wanted to do baby first aid with DD but never managed to get it booked. I count myself very lucky that she was quite an un-curious toddler as she never got into any scrapes - but your post has made me think maybe I won't be so lucky this time and I really ought to do a course. On a different note, I didn't realise your DH has muscular dystrophy. Does he work? Was he diagnosed before you got married? My DH has multiple sclerosis and it's sometimes very difficult. I don't know much about your DH's condition but I'm very glad you got the house!

wg arti is right when she says about first babies engaging really early. I've never quite understood why though - because surely you have no stomach muscles left after the first one to hold it out of your pelvis? >mystified< Anyway - it's true what she says!

reban it sounds like things are all happening at once for you - starting a new job this late in pregnancy is a huge undertaking. I feel bad now because I finish next week and you're only just starting! If you want any tips about being feisty on the commute, let me know as I'm getting quite practiced .

jam love the Boden snapshot . I had my spotty wellies on at the weekend doing a bit of gardening and they always make me think of Boden even though they're from B&Q .

enchanted yes - it definitely hits me from time to time that TIME IS RUNNING OUT! Exciting on the one hand, but also aaaaargh!

I was loving the name thread, btw, when I was on my packed trains today. We've chosen both already - girl was harder than boy though (same problem we had with DD). I had an unusual maiden name, which DH adopted (we both took each other's when we married and hyphenated them) and I can't tell you my heritage without semi-'outing' myself (!) but we went for a slightly unusual name for DD which kind-of matches the surname, so wanted to do the same for this one. For a boy, we've gone for my uncle on my Dad's side - who I never met because he disappeared during the 2nd World War - and for a girl we FINALLY came up with a name about two weeks ago. Phew!

LadyT I was thinking Florian, then realised you're having a girl... (just because I knew someone postnatally who called her baby Florian). I have also known a Crispin and by acquaintance a Quentin... which is making me sound like I move in very elevated circles but I can assure you I don't! Girlwise, I am not so sure of any 'poncetastic' names... and don't want to start throwing any out in case I stumble upon the one you've chosen! Oh and I never said - I've no idea who your late DH was either so your secret is safe with me.

Verso Yeah DH does work. At the minute he isn't too bad. His main problem is stairs which is why being in a first floor flat has been so hard. He has had it since he was born but was only diagnosed when he was 9. Some doctors called him lazy, told his mum he would grow out of walking on his tiptoes. It can be hard sometimes, like when we ordered the cotbed a few weeks ago. I couldn't get it upstairs and he couldn't so my brother came round to do it. My MIL reckons DH should quit work and live on benefits while I work full time but he doesn't want to do that.

The move was wonderful yesterday but now I'm a bit terrified!!! DH doesn't really want me to do much packing(even of dvds!!) so I feel useless. Plus I need to find a colour for the living room carpet.

I hope everyone is ok.

Congratulations on the house Kayz. When is your moving date? I know it must be daunting to move so late in pregnancy but it will be great to have a big new place.

Am running off to a meeting so not much time to post. I am having a little panic this morning. Last week the test may have indicated the beginning of pre-eclampsia but I felt fine. Then last night I went to a Radio 4 recording of a new comedy show that an old friend has written and was performing. The studio was hot and crowded and I started to get a really bad headache. By the end of the show my feet had swelled massively and so had my fingers (up to now I have had very little swelling). I felt awful and paniced I would have to go straight from the recording to hospital. I didn't, I went home to bed, and TBH if I had never had pre-e before and had not had the scare last week, I probably would have thought it was a normal pregnancy reaction. But I still feel a bit swollen and headachy this morning.

Its a shame. The comedy was fab and it should have been a fab night out (one of my last for years no doubt). How lucky I am to have recovered enough to go to this morning's meeting...

kayz fantastic news about the move

SL re the MLBU, according to our doula who is on the Rosie patient liaison committee apparently they've recruited all the MWs necessary to meet their aim of keeping it open 24/7, but of course there's always a delay between people being appointed and actually starting the job, so the guarantee isn't actually there yet . It may be different come December, but it's certainly easy to plan for a home birth and then make the decision on the day - you can always phone the MLBU if you want to go in and see if they've got space. My main concern was less it being closed due to shortages, as there already being 2 mums in labour which would mean they can't take any more in.

Anyway - to avoid boring everyone else to tears we can take this conversation to (eeek) RL...

We are getting the keys on Monday so anytime after that really. I have next week off work so I can hopefully clean the house. I'd like to be moved within 2 weeks so everything is ready just incase Baby comes early.

We moved here when I was about the same amount of weeks with DS, so I'm not too worried about that. I'll just make the tea!!

Thanks Verso I'll see if I can find either of those.

Kayz Congratulations on the house!!!

I can't even get my head round the fact that it's October yet let alone November in a couple of weeks. Think a wish list buying expedition is required this weekend to get a few more items

That is great news Kayz - good luck with the move, I am sure it will be worth it. At least you have an overlap of time to do it by the sounds of things, so you don't have to move everything in a day or anything.

kimberley I also use the spatone that Verso recommends. I have no idea if it works really, I do feel less tired but that may be coincidence (only been taking it for a week)

re time running out, I went through the book that waitinggirl recommended a while back last night and wrote a list of what i need to buy! I now have a list as long as my arm! (that book is really good btw). The book says that on average people spend 2.5K on stuff for a new baby. I scoffed at this, but now I have written the list I can see how it COULD add up to this much. I don't intend to spend that much though...eek.

jj, yes see you tonight! I would quite like the option of a water birth or at least labour, and it seems homebirth is the only way to guarantee this as well. So that coupled with midwife advising us to may mean we go down that route...eeek!

arti hope you are feeling better. Hopefully just one of those pregnancy "things" and nothing to worry about! What was the comedy show?

Hello everyone,

Congrats on getting a house kayz! You must be so excited.

arti It might just be normal swelling but you could always pop into see your midwife and get your blood pressure checked if you are worried.

LadyT I hope the driving improves. I was absolutely rubbish and it took me three goes to pass (although I swear that I had ample time to pass the bus on the hill and it did not deserve a dangerous fault and automatic failure on my first test ), but all the practice has paid off and I'm much better at reverse parking etc than DH who passed first time . Every cloud and all that!

Hi all thanks for all the messages of support i am a bit more in control of emotions today. Me and Dp had a talk last night and he doesnt want me to take the job if its gonna make me feel so bad ... but i am going to do it, just probably not until 39 weeks. I will start on monday and warn them it is more likely i will have to finsih at 37 weeks which will be end of nov. So even though those few weeks will be hard at least i will have a job to go back to afterwards .. and also a few more rights with negotiating flexible hours.

kimberley i have just bought spatone from boots as my iron is low .. its on 3 for 2 at the mo so good time to stock up.

kayz your wine gum experience sounds very scary. We had similar incident last year with ds1 when he was just 2. He was playing with a two pence coin when i lay him dowm to change his nappy. It was only when he started gagging i realised he had put the coin in his mouth without me noticing and it was lodged. I reached in and realised it was stuck so panicked. DP was taking DD to school and i didnt know what to do so i phoned an ambulance. Luckily that turned out to be the best thing, because a two pence coin is the exact size of a toddler's windpipe, the ambulance was with us within three minutes. In the end it must have been stuck at an angle because he gagged and kind of vomitted it back up. He burst lots of blood vessle in his face (looked like he had freckles for a few days) and had a sore throat but apart from that no long term ill-effects .. apart from my paranoia about leaving coins around the house now (probably not a bad thing!)

Oh kayz - that's ace news - hurray!

Gosh, all these scary incidents make me want to do a first aid course - what a good idea! How terrifying for you all.

Hurray kayz great news on the new house

Am also at these stories of choking - must find a first aid course ASAP.

i think St Johns ambulance do one where you can get a group of mums together and the will do a group. Also there are some companies that specialize in infant & child emergency first aid. Def worth doing, choking s so common in kids as they want to put everything in their mouth as much as you can keep your household environment as clear of these things as possible it is difficult to be completely sure they won't get something stuck in there. Most important though is whatever happens call an ambulance before you do anything else even if whatever it is becomes dislodged they always come v.fast for child emergencies, and also in some cases while the ambulance is on the way the operator can tell you what to do.

hatty glad you're feeling a little better and a bit more organised. Try to take it a little easy, which is easier said than done I know!

beans you're not being spoilt at all! Ikwym about seeming to row a lot. Dh & I are arguing more than usual as well. I think its a mixture of us being emotional & them being worried about the baby coming, it just comes out as other stuff if that makes sense. We just try to make sure we say sorry & not to go to bed angry or upset.

mibbes happy belated birthday! It was mean of your SIL to say something like that. I don't understand why pregnant women seem to be fair game for rude comments!

zj glad you found your scan pictures!

missmama nice of you to pop in, hope you're ok

sl you're right about clothes with labels & no receipts. We changed lots of ds's stuff for larger sizes or got vouchers so we could get clothes later in the year

chutney sorry to hear about your dd, is she any better now?

veggie how are you getting on without dh? Ikwym about worrying about something happening, I worry when dh takes ds to his mum's and they're only about 1hr away!

kayz I like the name you've chosen, that's lovely! Congratulations on the house as well, that's fantastic news!

Arti we're finding it harder this time around to choose a name as well. We've got a girl's name, Erin Theresa, but cannot choose a boy's name at all other than the middle name (James).

reban glad to hear the scan went well. It's understandable that you feel so wobbly given you've got so much on atm. You know you can always come & moan to us!

ladyt I have indeed been lurking but am feeling much better, thanks! I feel for you with 3hr driving lessons, I had the same. Left me exhausted & I wasn't even pg! But that was my fourth set of lessons & I passed!

Finally had to give in & see the midwife yesterday re SPD. Its got so much worse as the baby's moved down, I can't roll over at night and my pelvis keeps clicking. So I now have this incredibly sexy tube bandage to wear at night to help support my pelvis! Dh thinks I look like a mummy wrapped up in it! But hopefully it will help.

Last night I decided to get a mirror out and do something about my bikini line. Apparently I have no labia. Instead I have purple cauliflowers. Dontcha just love being pg? Dh saw them too. "Fcking hell Indith get to the Dr, God if my bits looked like that I'd want to see a Dr, Fck me keep it away, do you think it's catching?" pause "you are beautiful you know"

Think I should tell him they are varicose veins or leave him thinking I have a purple monster taking over my nether regions?

Off to read and catch up now, if I don't return send out a search party to around a gazillion posts back

Kmp, Jolly etc with sections. How terrifying yet really exciting to have date confirmation already/looming!

Oli you must have finished work now no? Hope you are enjoying the mat leave.

NHS classes- mine were crap last time, heard great things about NCT ones, would have loved to have had the chance to do them.

Beans your sister is being way too gloomy. Anyway first months can be so sociable, tis when babies get big enough to get bored of sitting in cafes while mums eat cake that it gets harder!

ZJ your dh will be a fine birth partner. Mine is so squeamish but he was great.

perineal massage. I did some half heartedly and didn't tear...don't know if that is relevant at all

WG can I have your dh please? I want breakfast and papers in bed!

Mibbles, hope the baby turns. Depending on the experience of your MW though breech doesn't always have to end in section.

Kayz I forbid all counting down of weeks.

LT wonderful to have the bursary and something so lasting in your dh's honour, you must be so happy and proud of him.

Rosmerta glad you are feeling better about things now.

Arti take care of yourself, glad results were ok from the scare you had but do take care

Indith by the way is the name of a bat from a Robin Jarvis book. I have never encountered another one online so if you meet one elsewhere, tis probably me.

Hatty glad you have concrete answers and can be prepared and that emergency measures for childcare etc are falling into place. You sound positive

Jam I want to see the rest of the bag contents. Hair straightners! Bless you

Rosmerta am very of Ina May Gaskin.

Kim hope the shower is sorted!

Veggie yay for sling finding

at nesters. There is so much left to do in this house and I really want it done but need help from dh for big things.

Seem slike we are all much in the same place re emotional outbursts, worries about money, space etc. Nice to know in a way.

Mibbles you are never ready to be a parent, just bumble along.

X mas outfit tempting but with ds being 2 weeks late I fear it wouldn't get used.

Nursing bras fitted at 37 weeks, go somewhere good with experience at guessing how much space you will need. You'll prob find though that after a couplk eof months things settle and you may want to get fitted again.

LT you are so brave learning to drive! With my pg brain I hate doing it at the moment I keep doing daft things. Not dangerous yet but it scares me.

Chutney hope dd1 is ok

Reban growth scan is good, hope you are feeling ok

Kayz yay for house!

SL Homebirht rocks, go for it!

Enchanted read what I said to Kayz about counting down weeks!

Is that it? HAve I missed anything major?

Love to all. Off to get changed for Rainbows and Guides.

indith - priceless quote from your dh on seeing down below. laughed lots. thanks

Oh indith! What a thing for your DH to say.

for indith and rosmerta's massive posts!

Oh and a belated happy birthday to mibbes. Sorry I forgot to say before Bad Jollybear.

Hello everyone,

I got into a gloom last night. I just feel like I need more emotional support from DP than I am getting. He's not really the emotional type and I know he does his best, but being on my own in the week, I just need him to step it up a bit. Anyway, he must have got the message because he is driving down to see me tonight for a night out in London. And to fix my broken bed. I don't want him talking about work though, as he has just been given a brief to defend someone for death by dangerous driving which is not what I want to hear about. (Driving was a bit better today, thanks for all the support!)

Anyhoo - enough about me.

Kayz - HURRAH! What smashing news!
Arti - what was the show? (nosey emoticon)
JollyB - thank you for your kind words
Rosmerta - glad you are a tad brighter but sorry you are struggling with the SPD
Indith - I don't look too clever down there either but it's just here and there. I am hoping they go away afterwards. Er...that' what the books say but I am a little sceptical.

wow indith incredible post!

Hi girls (and bumps) ...I haven't read anything at all since last Friday and need to catch up but I just wanted to say hello. I'll try and catch up at work tomorrow...hope you are all ok x

Hiya everybody,

Been keeping up with you all but not had chance to post for ages - was hoping to do an Indith/rosmerta-style megapost, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to abandon as I wouldn't know where to start. Did want to say quickly welcome back kayz & LadyT (and everyone else who hasn't been around for a while). Also sorry to hear about all the various hassles, health-related or otherwise, that a lot of us are having to be putting up with lately - it's turning into a bit of a bumpy ride for some isn't it? Hope you're all getting the support you need from here & elsewhere.

Okay well just before I pop off again having contributed precisely nothing to the conversation, just wanted to see if there is still any interest in meeting up this Friday. I'm up for it but not sure if many of us have signed up ... this way to the thread.

Rosmerta - sorry to hear about your SPD. Not what you need when you are feeling down. I hope it starts to ease soon. I was referred to a physio when I started to get pelvic pain and she has helped soo much.

Indith - and at your DH's comments about your lady bits. I would have given him a good slap!

LadyT - sorry to hear you are feeling undersupported. I hope your DP gives you a lovely night out. The recording I was at was nothing high profile and nobody famous -it was for a new R4 show doing based on the idea of music therapy (its funnier than it sounds!)

I bow down to Indith and Rosmerta's posting ability. I just can't compete. DH is at pilates tonight (he is such a girl!) so I am off to boil some pasta and choose some crappy TV.

"Purple cauliflowers" YIKES! - I haven't looked so far and I'm definitely not going to now!!!!

Quick post to say I'm seeing the consultant tomorrow and should get my c/s date. Very spooky. I'm 33 weeks tomorrow and given that they usually do them around 39 weeks it means I ONLY HAVE SIX WEEKS LEFT!!!