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

[Veggiemummy]

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

Oh my word, June 09! That's amazing and they must think of anyone due in 08 as err, really near to their due date!

Olipop that's so sweet, your little one sounds adorable. And your SIL is so right, I feel much less isolated this time around already having a group of mum friends and an established round of toddler/baby stuff to go to - last time around we hardly spent any time where we lived and had no real family and friends for miles, we just went away for weekends or had friends up all the time -so it was a bit of a shock being at home all day. I think once you start going out to baby stuff it all gets easier tho.

daisydora good luck with the position, I have a funny feeling my baby is breech too but I guess it has more room to move. I feel so sorry now for my twins last time around, they must have been sooooo cramped by this stage! Good luck with the potty training, it's all worth it!

Really really random question - but when did London phone numbers start with 0203? I grew up in London and we only left there in 2003, but I didn't know they had a new prefix?

Have finally succumbed and taken a day off sick . Was trying not to as I don't want anyone to think it's the pg making me less effective - but I'm no better and I think enough's enough! Time for me to be tucked up in bed with some cocoa I think.

How's everyone else doing? It's amazing that there's a due in June thread: makes everything seem much closer... has everyone got everything ready yet? We still have some bits and pieces to do but I think we're nearly there.

LadyT how did your driving course go? Are you back yet?

I work in London and don't know of any 0203 numbers (our posts crossed I think). 0208 and 0207 though (were 081 and 071 first (?) and before that 01).

Verso hugs to you and well done for staying in bed. Ho[pe you feel better soon.

I remember 0207 and 0208,and I still have some address labels tucked away with 01 on them from when I was little!Maybe 0203 is really really new then?

I'm doing lots of work with London companies and it seems to be around the city etc that 0203 is being used...you would have thought I'd have so many better things to think about with a baby on the way!

Am pretty certain there's no 0203 numbers in London, as Verso says its 0208 (Greater London) and 0207 (Central London).

Verso, glad you're finally taking a day off, you need to rest!

The only thing I've done so far is get ds's baby clothes out & put them away in the drawer!! We'll probably sort out the nursery in the next couple of weeks.

x-posts, maybe so then, its been a couple of years since I've worked in London!

Okay, baby related question from me.

I'm still getting panicky over childcare if I go into labour early. My mum comes up when I am 38+5 and stays until nearly the New Year - and can't really come up any earlier.

DH's poor parents really can't help at all with all their health problems. We've lived here a year and I've made friends, but I still feel a bit nervous about suddenly dumping the girls on them - even if they've said they're happy. I work 3 days per week and so do most of my friends, so if we have lunch etc with friends it tends to be once a month or every 6 weeks so the DD's aren't hugely familiar with their houses.

I desperately want DD's to be happy as well and for me to just to be able to not worry about them whilst in labour, especially if it takes ages/gets complicate/ends up in a c-section I don't want DH to have to rush off. Hospital is a good 45 mins drive each way from us so it's hardly down the road...

I tackled DH about it all last night and his suggestion was that if I went into labour pre-39 weeks we'd take the girls with us to hospital and he'd get his parents to come and sit with them in the waiting room, whilst he popped in and out to help. Now is it just me being hormonal or is that really quite a stressful situation for all concerned? Two bored toddlers running riot, me feeling stressed about two bored toddlers running riot, DH's parents wanting to go home and have their dinner. Grrrrr.

His final suggestion as I burst into tears was to ask a friend of his mums who lives nearby to watch the girls. She is retired but very fit and active and helps her daughter with childcare - she's the lovely sort of person who gets involved with lots of charities and loves helping out and is very jolly with small children.

DH said he would feel awkward asking her and what about if she was covering childcare for her daughter that day? But I don't see why I should labour with my toddlers running past the door chased by DH just for the sake of him feeling a bit embarrassed about asking someone for help or dumping them at a friends house and driving away with them looking worried.

We'd just ask her to be on standby, make sure she spent a bit more time with DD's so they are really comfy with her -and then we'd be able to ring her and ask her to come around for the day/night if things did happen early.

DH also said that she might be covering childcare for her daughter. If she covers every week, do you think it would be unreasonable of us to ask her daughter at very short notice to make other plans for one day? She's a self-employed artist so I would have thought it not impossible to move her hours around...

Sorry for big rant - I just feel so panicky about it and I can't bear the thought of DD's being somewhere where they're stressed and so are we - and I'm almost looking at my watch trying to get the baby out as quickly as possible!

I know having typed all this, that I'll probably end up massively overdue/having a section a week before my due date etc - but I needed to get it off my chest! DH is lovely and very supportive, but I think he doesn't quite get why I need to have these things sorted at 28 weeks rather than searching through the phone book as I stagger around mid-contraction and find everyone has gone away for the weekend!

Any calm words/thoughts much appreciated!

Sorry, that's really long!

Another sicknote here! I had a dreadful week last week, but soldiered on manfully . However, I had the runs all day yesterday and was sick on the way home from the park so I decided enough was enough today. At least being sick when you are heavily pg is OK - when I was in the early days, I had a couple of incidents in public and must have just looked like some old lush. You know, pale, sweaty, a touch green, you get the picture. Sympathies to all those in the same boat. I know what you mean Verso about not wanting to let people think pg has weakened you, but sometimes we just need to be gentle on our poor old hormonal bodies....

Ladies, there are 0203 numbers out there in London. They are new switchboard nos for big cos / organisations. The Sun newspaper has one and Kings (pah!) has another. I think there are just insufficient numbers left on 0207 or 0208 for those places which give out direct dial numbers to have them. I work in central london and have a guildford number! That confuses people no end.

What's the meet up position now? Am a bit lost.

hatty from wikipedia, the source of all ahem, reliable info
"From June 2005 new local numbers in London have begun to be allocated with an initial "3" - for example, (020) 3222 1234."

I have never heard of them either! I guess there are not that many new numbers.

Re above, definitely try and persuade DH to ask her to help (retired lady). Chances are she won't be needed really? If he makes it clear she can say no, I am sure she will be flattered to be asked to be honest, after all it is just a one off, and not even that likely to happen? But definitely check the childcare for her daughter situation. Would she not be able to do both - ie look after your DDs and her daughters at the same time?

Am also a sicknote...am on annual leave today but have a really awful cold, and cough which has kept me up most of night along with pregnancy insomnia which has come on in past few weeks. I only work Mon, Tues Weds but DH has said to phone in sick next two days and have some quality duvet time. DD will be in nursery so I can really rest. Feel exhausted all the time at mo. It was so much easier first time around not having a two yr old to look after/amuse all the time.

Hatty - huge sympathies to you, I know how stressful it is having to make childcare arrangements at short notice and not wanting to put people out. Men don't really get the urgency though. I would make a plan now so you are completely happy and settled with it and can relax as your due date gets nearer.

Having a baby is such a big thing (even to other people) that I don't think people mind being inconvenienced or whatever if it means they can help. If this woman is able to help, I am sure that she will be only too delighted to do so. If she has her daughter's little girl as well, she can easily do 3 children for a day or so (provided you are all walkable as I know for eg my car can't hold 3 big seats). I expect that her daughter may be able to be flexible as well.

Can you get in touch with her now, explain your predicament and ask her if she would be your back up if the baby comes early? Invite her over to lunch or something so the DDs get to know here a little and just ask. I bet she'll be fine with it. If not, then you still have a good few weeks for a plan B, but I don't expect that's likely to be needed.

You certainly do not want to labour with DDs running around and DH diving out every few minutes. I think this is your first labour - so you want the run up to be calm and measured, not stressing about the day and the childcare arrangments. I'd get the plan in place now if I were you .

My DH is off to Africa with work when I am 35w and I will have no hesitation about waking a neighbour at 2am if need be to have the DDs while I go to hospital. A few years ago, another neighbour rang me to say she needed to go to hospital, so I went and slept on her sofa til her DD woke, then took her over to my house to await the arrival of her parents in law. In a true emergency, you would put yourself out happily for friends (or even people whom you know but not well) and I expect this woman will do the same.

Now - relax, phone DH and tell him what you are planning and invite her over.

btw hatty I totally undertstand your need to have childcare sorted. I don't think men folk quite grasp how important it is and how stressful not having it sorted can be.

Baby was kicking something bad last night and I was convinced my waters were going to go, which then led me to panic about who would have DD as my parents are on hols in Egypt. Was totally mad to be thinking like that at 3am, but you can't help it sometimes.

Thanks ladies for the 0203 number confirmation! I've got a whole heap of phone calls to make today and thought it was a bit strange they were all 0203!

Summer thank you for ploughing through my novel-length post! - it feels like a good plan to me if MIL's retired friend agrees.

During the daytime I think she could help, her daughters kids are primary school age so would be out all day - so it's just the afterschool pick up etc that would be necessary. We'd have to sort out something with car seats if she was taking the girls, but she could I imagine fit two toddler seats in with two boosters in her car..

If it was nighttime I'd feel a bit cheekier asking, but less so than ringing a local friend IYKWIM, who has to work/has their own small children to look after the next day...

MIL has known her for years and years so it would seem marginally less awkward than ringing someone at 3am I've only known for 6 months..

There's so many other things to get sorted - I just feel I need to have this sorted so I don't spend weeks worrying about it!

Chutney thank you so much. I think it would be a great plan if we could ask her and I think she'd really love to help..providing she's not away .

You're right it is my first labour as the other two were section - so it does all feel a bit daunting and the experience of everyone I've spoken to has seemed to suggest that being in a good place mentally for labour is fairly helpful!

Glad you have a good arrangement if things happen whilst your DH is away. You're right, I would do it for someone else too - I'm sure most people are happy to help, but they all need some advance warning so everyone is prepared!

Daisy you're right, I think men don't quite get the urgency to have things in place! Hope your baby is being a little more gentle today!

I remember DH not quite getting why we needed to do anything for our wedding before about a week before!

hatty - good luck - sure it'll be ok. Try not to worry, as am sure she'll help out.

If the worst comes to the worst and she can't - would you perhaps, consider using an emergency nanny? I know they can work out quite pricey, but so many agencies do them and you can rest assured that your littles will be in safe hands and well looked after etc. Although I don't know how much that would cost, so it might be excessive, but hopefully not!!

Beans that's a really good idea - my only concern would be that they probably wouldn't get to meet the emergency nanny beforehand and that might be a bit difficult to leave them with someone new as they might get a bit frightened if we've disappeared off whilst they're asleep...

Meant to also say hugs and big cups of cocoa to all of you feeling poorly today.

Hello, can I ask a question re nurseries?

What is essential to have in a childs nursery? Am just thinking in terms of space and storage and stuff, is a changing table essential/useful? Or is one of the ones that goes on top of the cot a better use of space and just as easy to use?

Also what about the "child specific" wardrobes with extra rails? My thought is I can't be bothered with hanging up baby clothes, this just seems bonkers, so maybe bit chest of drawers is a better plan?

Yes, that's true, hatty - I know what you mean and it could be tough. Perhaps a contingent if an emergency comes up - BUT I'm sure it'll be fine and you won't need to worry at all.

Poor everyone feeling rough - I had it a few weeks ago, so know how rank it is - plus mine is only just going now, so I'm afraid it might be a bit lingering. I hope not though. I even took a whole week off work and I've still got a bit of a remnant from 5th September. Fingers crossed that doesn't happen though. Make sure you all rest and get some sleep if you can.

xx

Hi Summer - this is my first as well, and all we're having is: a single bed so I can go and sleep in there if necessary (our bedroom is too small to have the baby in with us and I'm not keen on co-sleeping - I sleep really heavily and might squish it!) and can breastfeed in bed with the baby, without disturbing DH too much when he's back at work.

Plus a cot and a waist-high chest of drawers, which I'll be using as a changing unit - with a mat on top. And that's it! Our rooms upstairs are so small that we can't fit much in. I'd like to get a little table in there to put a few bits and bobs on, but there isn't room! Oh dear. But we are literally going for the basics and no more. I guess when we get a bigger place we'll have more stuff in there! Toy box etc is downstairs as think we'll spend the most time there. Our single bed has drawers under it as well, which is useful. But think hanging up baby clothes might be a little excessive - I agree with you! Doesn't matter if they're wrinkled, they're only going to get poo and sick on anyway!

Cheers Beans it feels so much better just to talk it over with other females!

Summer our DD's nursery had a big cot (they shared for a while once they went into the nursery), a chest of drawers and a changing unit. Changing unit had shelves underneath which had all nappies, wipes etc on. All clothes went in chest of drawers. And also a single bed as it was also our guest room. Not much room for anything else!

I wouldn't personally buy a wardrobe - most baby clothes won't get creased that badly if folded away - you could always get one as they get older?

Changing units seem to have divided opinions but I found ours invaluable. If I changed one of the babies on the bed, it would always end up being a really runny nappy especially when they start wriggling around and getting poo on the covers means so much extra washing!

Maybe it's being married to a physio, but it also really helped our backs having a changing table at a good height to do all the nappy changes. We got this one, loads of storage space and it's been worth every penny, doubling up as shelves in our kitchen for the last couple of years!

www.johnlewis.com/230208946/Product.aspx

Hatty if DH is embarassed about asking would your MIL ask or could you at least get assurance from your MIL that this women would be fine with it. i think it is a great idea as she is clearly good with kids and has a flexible childcare arrangement with her daughter and it is only a just in case thing anyway. Where do you live Hatty?

Veggie that's a good plan - MIL feels bad that she can't help, even though we wouldn't possibly expect her to - so I think she'd like to feel she was helping somehow by providing a surrogate granny!

We are up North in Yorkshire.

We had/using again a cot top changer (from M&P's I think) was great as just the right height so no bad backs from bending over. I also had and am having again a chair for feeding in the night once baby is in own room. But if you have a bed in there already no need.