Due in June 10! Longer than the Lord of the Rings!

[katzguk]

new thread 604 posts is far too many for one little thread, time to start again!!

excuse me all - non-pregnant female coming through

Just wanted to say to Nab that I'm sorry that you were upset by some of the 'bra' threads, to which I contributed. I hope you're OK today and enjoy the rest of mumsnet.

Welshie, I am definetely with you on: - Listen Kid, there is just no more space in here! I am just very cross at discovering that I have no more belly button!! is gone completely flat! I am sure you don't want to know this but I have the deepest belly button I have ever seen and it never went flat first preg. Now is flat and I have three months to go!

I decide to see what was up for development this week (28 for me...) and though I would share these nice thoughts with you all...

"Welcome to the third trimester ~ the period of leg cramps, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, itchy skin, aches and pains, swelling, heartburn, indigestion and . . . your baby's arrival!" from storknet.com...

It looks like we have a lot of fun coming up!

MTS, Berolina hasn't come by in a while...
If you are reading this Berolina, Let us know how you are doing!! Hope things have been OK!

Redhead - definitely thinking about waiting til the bean is here, except will I be capable of doing tasks like shopping, that is the question. Spoke to a friend of mine yesterday whose wife is in serious sleep deprivation mode because their tiny one is breastfeeding all hours of the day .. and night. Plus my mum will need something to take the bean out in when she is here on Granny Duty, but guess she can make do with the loathed travel system, I might tell her just not to put the straps on. I mean, where is he/she gonna go at that age?!

Pink, agree with the others. If in doubt, get it checked out. My baby's been quieter the last few days as well, even 2/3 of a bar of galaxy this morning failed to produce much of a response.

Hilariously, I'm still waiting to hear about a couple of contracts. Tell me, working mothers, is starting a new job in the third trimester good fun?!

Coop, hope dd isn't too poorly, sounds weird that it comes and goes ...

Trib- well, you might not be capable of shopping anyway! For the first couple of weeks I didn't see a shop or even think of that kind of thing but left it to Dh.

Plus there's always internet shopping - I'm a bit of a fan of this as I HATE going to the supermarket, even more so with child in tow. Intend to start doing this again when I'm home.

If you already have a pram standby, it's worth waiting. It will give you a chance to see what you do mostly with the pram ie car or walking etc

On the subject of prams, what are people on their 2nd doing? My Dd will be 2 3/4 by the time no 2 arrives...will I need a double buggy (please no...) or will buggy board be enough? What do you guys reckon?

new jobs: well I'm pretty much doing the same as you. I've started doing freelance work as this is what I want to do after maternity leave, rather than go back to 'formal' work. Means I working 'normally' and doing freelancing on top which is coming in thick and fast! It's certainly challenging....

Uwila - sorry you're not feeling great at the moment, nearest and dearest can annoy you like no one else can't they? Don't stop posting though - share! I can understand you being paranoid about the cord, it must be a worry and nothing anyone can make you feel better about this I guess after what you went through with dd x

Welshie - I like Taliesing too, but also Osian - especially it it's pronounced "ocean" - gorgeous! How do you pronounce Enlli btw (even though I just know you're having a little boy!) Pmsl at your brother's "eyes"! I've been feeling too full for a couple of weeks now after having dinner - it's so uncomfortable. Breathing's wierd too.

I can't slouch on the sofa anymore either - cant' breathe.

Lua - I'm so of your big old silver cross coach built pram - how lovely for the baby! I wish one would work for me! thanks for that nice list btw of what we can now be looking forward to Sounds like you're gonna get an "outy"!

Lynny - hope your scan goes/went well!

Redhead - hope you're enjoying your new finling acbinet - we have two, but I keep having to file stuff in the damned things What freelancing do you do? whatever it is sounds like it's in demand!

Trib - defo go to Barcelona for your Jane! Great idea! - I wonder if I can get one cheaper in Venice?

Nab - IGNORE!! that was nice of WWB and Iota to pop in like that wasn't it, especially cos WWB's been so down herself lately.

Berolina/Scraggy where are you??

Pink - poor you for last night! I felt some weird vibrations coming from there this morning, then felt nothing for an hour, I was so worried he'd had a seizure or something. I think as they get bigger, they move less cos there's just no room. How many weeks are you now? They say 28 weeks is when they really slow down.

RM, the thought of a double buggy give me vringes... I can barely manage a single one without running on peoples ankles and whaming doors...
So I'll try to avoid if I can. I figure DS will be in a sling for the first months if we go for a walk, or if it is the weekend we'll take two buggys...

I have been working hard though on convicing DD that she is a big a girl before baby arrives... I always tell her how proud I am of all the things she can do. That includes extensive praise every time she walks. It takes some patience, because it takes twice as long to get anywhere, but I figure is good for her health to walk .

If your older child can walk a bit wouldn't a buggy board work? I don't know how these things work though - don't you keep kicking them as you're walking?

Lua - yes I've been introducing more and more walking, and things like holding onto the pram as I too have the ebie jeebies when I think of double buggies. I only do local walking at the mo but it might be different when I'm home full time. Plus walking is one way to get some fitness rather than always being in the car...I'll have nursery to trog up and down to as well...

charley - freelancing: I work on disability policy, and am doing stuff around that and sign language with babies too. The filing cabinet (will it ever be filled??) is an attempt to try and organise myself on that front, but also file everything that's piled up since birth of Dd! Am sick of papers everywhere.....(all part of the obsessive nesting - shelves up tmw fingers x)

btw am rather chuffed with my delegation skills at mo. Am becoming shameless hussy and organising people to do stuff for me. Have blatantly called builder (doing shelves) to come and move my filing cabinet from car to house when I come home tonight.

Lua, that's what I'm doing too - the excessive praise, 'aren't you a big clever boy' comments all the time. Blimey it's tiring being so bloody positive all the time, must be against my nature! I am going to try and manage with the pram I bought first time (crap though it was), or a sling for the baby on short trips. Loved the third trimester update! Are we officially in the third trimester now then?

Redheadmum, I'm delaying potty training for as long as I can. DS is 2.5 and is showing signs of being ready but I just can't face it. I might consider doing it when I start maternity leave.

Oh yeah, potty training.... I might have had an easier time because girls are supposed to be easier... but I highly recommend th epants off approach. LAst summer we just picked a weekend where it was warm and we could spend the whole weekend outside with DD in the back yard and let her go without any pants or diapers.
She was surprised and upset at first, but quickly got the urge to go into th epotty. It took some practicing to get the timing right, but I think was better because she wanted to solve the problem IYSWIM....
Good luck! is not a particularly fun time, but is not too bad either!

Double buggie are forbidden from my life. No way. No how. Ain't gonna do it. DD will be 26 months when DS is born. She is going to get her little keester round the back on the buggy board, and that's all there is to it. I'm contemplating getting the buggy board that has two steps on it, as I think she won't be quite so daring as to leap off the top step. Nanny has already voiced her disapporval of my pram choice, but she needs to get through her thick skull that she works for me. Translation: I make the rules. You follow them. GRRRRRR

If anyone else is interested I can't remember where I found this buggyu board. It's not in the usual shops (Mothercare, John Lewis, etc.) But I can find it if anyone wants to know.

As for potty training, I have thus far avoided it like the plague. Part of the reason is that nanny and I are having little disputes about eating policies. And, I;m afraid she will do potty training as she deems appropriate. So I'm going to wait until maternity leave when I can control the process. Thinking of ofllowing the Gina Ford routine. That way if I do need her to join in the routine I can just throw the book at her (figuratively of course).

Okay okay, what has set me off with her is that when I have polite conversations explaining howI prefer things to be done, she informs me of her opinion, which it seems I am then to regard as the way to do it. This is a very fine line because I do try to allow her to give her own input. But, it seems that when I say no, I'd actually like x, she doen't take the hint to drop her point and do it my way. We have a struggle on the food. She won't write down each day what DD eats. So, I don't really know what does and doesn't work for getting DD to eat (which is a huge struggle). So, I have specified on three occassion now that I would like DD to have eggs for breakfast. Last night was the 3rd such occassion, and she responded telling me toast was better. It was a rather pleasant friendly chat and it didn't really occur to me what she had done until after the conversation had ended. It really ticked me off. So, thi morning I put an egg on the counter with a note that said "For DD's breakfast" I'll see when I get home how many eggs there are in the fridge. But, this seems crazy. I don't pay her so I can go round counting food items like some paranoid freak. So works for me! It's time she grasp that concept.

And then DH is leaving what I consider to be a rather unfair share of the work for me, so earlier I took my frustration out on him. He was much more deserving of than you guys anyway. In the end, I got the result I wanted, but now I feel a migraine creeping up. So, they are both in the shit for bringing it on.

I am such a happy cheery edition to this website these days.

I wonder where I can order little voo doo dolls of nanny and DH???? Just kidding.

or rather "addition". duh!

Rant away Uwila, that's what we're here for. I think you do remarkably well to keep as calm as you seem to usually, you have a lot to cope with with your DH being away so much.

Right, I'm off, no posting for me over the weekend unless Time Computers get their f*ing finger out and fix our laptop. Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

Have a good one everyone.x

Nannies: I used to be one. This is not right! By all means let her have her say but bottom line you are paying her to be you and she should do what you want her to do. Don't know how long you have had her and how you usually feel about her but I have always worried about nannies taking out their stresses of the parents out on the kids. NOT suggesting she is, just throwing a thought for you. Good luck.

I have used both types of double buggy The one in front of the other fits through doors better but with the older child sat in the front, that is where all the weight is and therefore heavier when going up kerbs, etc. Also in smaller shops you would take up the whole aisle. Side by sides don't always fit through doorways but they are more common.

Buggy boards are fab. Our DS was 2 and 4 months when DD came along so we rushed into a double buggy, big mistake. Only had 3 in shop and he only fit into 1 of them. Was v heavy and a few months later we discovered the raincover didn't do its job and both kids had very wet feet. Took it back and got a credit note for the buggy and cover. Got a buggy board off a friend and my 19 month old went on it for a few minutes today. Wouldn't rely on it though as would have to carry her if baby in the buggy. You don't tend to bang into them and they usually come with a strap to tie them up out of the way when not in use (when they do feel more in the way). I am getting a sling.

Kids shouting so have to go.

I was going to put DD in knickers when she got up but the inlaws and Great Nanny came over and I thought she would have no chnace of concentrating and I didn't want them watching what I was doing and putting their two pennyworth in.

Message deleted

Well, it appears the egg message did the trick. There is one less egg in the house tonight. There are going to be some changes to her job description anyway with the addition of Alex. I neede to review her contract and propose these changes before Alex gets here. But, the situation is rather sticky. I have applied for flexible working at my job where I would work my forty hour week Mon - Thursday (10 hours per day). So nanny won't be neede on Fridays. And I can see a bit more of my kids without giving up part of my pay. So I am waiting for my employer to respond to my request (which they should do by mid April). In this proposed duty change discussion I need to have with nanny, I am going to ask her to fill out a daily nanny diary. It is going to be required. But, in return, I shall remove her duties to do my and DH's laundry. She now does a bit more housework than a nanny normally would. We discussed this when I hired her (last September) and agreed that when we had a second child she would not really be able to do housework as well. I will still ask her to keep the kitchen clean and do the children's laundry, as I think this is fair game for a nanny.

It's just thaat my life has gotten so stressful and it's all really getting to me. I tell ya, if I had found the egg uneaten, I would have had some nasty words for nanny tonight.

BTW, nanny does have some good qaulities. Her dedication to nutrition is fantastic. She is really good at educating DD as appropriate for a toddler, and I never worry that DD might not be safe. She is an older nanny (48), has two grown children, has degrees in health, nutrition and veterinary medicine. While these experiences make her very well qualified to look after a toddler, they also make her think that she knows best sometimes. So my struggles come when we disagree. For example, she is a great believer of homeopathy. And I put more stake in medical technology.

GOd, am I rambling? I feel like I've been through so many topics here.

evenin' all

well...the filing cabinet now resides in our house, ready to be filled with all the rubbish that's floating around....

nannies: hmm..always a difficult one. I have a childminder who is wonderful...except she never gets my Dd to sleep, or for a v short time, and has completely undermined my attempts to get Dd into a cot for daytime naps. I have tried to discuss this but she won't countenence any crying. have decided to give up now and just see if we can get through to when Dd gives up daytime naps sigh

buggy boards - could you tell me where to get one from? this sounds the best bet, I dread double buggies!

evening all,
welcome lynny and glad your scan went well
nab-sorry your upset with certain mumsnetters but glad you've decided to stay
went to mothercare tonight to get some more bits for the baby and nursery-getting really excited now but i reckon he's got more clothes than me!
also bought myself 3 pairs of trousers,a top and some underwear so that was pretty good too-cant believe how big im getting!!
charley and mrsw-im exactly the same.poor dh is on serious rations-cant remember the last time we got up to anything

impressed that you are buying clothes for the baby. we're wondering what sort of stuff to buy - if he's a biggie will it be a waste to get lots of cute 0-3 months stuff?

the speed of this thread means i've had to go back to lurking for the past week or so.

so i got to really enjoy the crisps discussion, but not post - guess it may be too late to ask whether anyone knows why monster munch crisps have suddenly got so much smaller?

on a more serious note - went to mwife yesterday and my blood pressure is up - only to 120/80 but always used to be 110/70 or lower.

does anyone have any experience of this? the mwife didn't seem to think it was a problem, but she also seemed v busy.

(sorry i'm only delurking to ask a question)

I don't think 120/80 is anything to be concerned about lummox - I think mine was this before pregnancy. Personally, I'd wait to see what your next one is before worrying (could have been any number of factors for a single raised bp) but if you're worried, why not give the midwives a call and check it out?