Due Fab Feb 2009 - here comes the easy peasy (?!) wee-wee sneezy third trimester (if you please, no baby arrivals on this thread)

[dinkystinky]

Here's our sparkling new thread and the latest list - have stuck Munteria at the end (Munteria, just put in your details)

TinkerbellesMum DC3 (3rd baby. Lily-Hope born 20 weeks 28-29/9/05, Tink born 31 weeks 17/7/06, age 27, Birmingham) Official due date 01/02/09 but expected from early December
florrieandme DC2 26/01/2009
laidback DC4 27/01/2009 (age 34, North Devon)
nkweto DC2 30/01/2009 (age 34, West London)
oooggs DC4 30/01/2009 (age 34, Cornwall)
MamaGoose DC3 30/01/2009 (age 32, Spain)
MissMitford 31/01/2009
Plethora 31/01/2009 (age 37, East London but moving soon)
Ethelredtheunready (age 40, 2nd Baby, Tilly born 19/2/06, DC2 01/02/2009- Currently Chichester, soon to be Epping)
AngelDoll DC1 01/02/2009 (age 31, Sheffield)
Supersteph DC2 01/02/2009 (age 24, Torbay)
jenandbean DC2 02/02/2009
ruthmollymummy 02/02/2009
plantsitter 02/02/2009
idontbelieveit DC2 02/02/2009 (age 31, Leeds)
Tummytrouble 03/02/2009
Questionkid DC1 3/2/09 (age 33, living in Wallington, Surrey)
jamescagney 03/02/2009 (aged 33,Clare, Rep of Ireland)
Pregnantpopcornprincess DC3 04/02/2009 (pregnant with twins)(age 31, West Sussex)
MsLucy Boy 04/02/2009 (age 38, North London)
PinkTulips DC3 04/02/2009 (age 24, Roscommon, Ireland)
Davidsmom DC2 04/02/2009 (age 39, Cheshire)
MissDelighted DC1 05/02/2009
m2alyssa DC2 05/02/2009 (age 30, Isle of Man)
Jelliebelly DC2 06/02/2009 (age 37)
Swampster (HasAWarmFuzzy) 06/02/09 (age 40, south London)
Gettingbigger 06/02/08
Guitargirl DC2 07/02/2009
Aila DC2 07/02/2009
Littlemissnorty DC2 08/02/09 (age 39, Kent)
Biscuitytrousers 08/02/2009 (age 31, Thames Ditton)
MarkStretch DC2 07/02/2009 (age 29, Norfolk)
KT1983 09/02/2009
Tinasan DC2 09/02/2009
Herbgarden 09-11/02/09 (age 38 Berkshire)
Ewemoo 07/02/2009
Singingintherain DC3 10/02/2009
KazzaL DC2 10/02/2009 approx (age 34, Ciren, Gloucs)
littleboyblue DC2 due early-mid Feb (age 27, Surrey)
Jenniferturkington DC2 11/02/2009
thehouseofmirth DC2 11/02/09 (age 38, Wimbledon)
Clarabumps DC2 12/02/2009 (age 27, Glasgow)
BumpVLump 12/02/09 (age 29, Surrey)
Louisebunny 13-15/02/09
Mapleleaf 13/02/2009 (age 38, Cambridge)
Nadssss 13/2/9 (age 29, living w. london)
Jelliebaby DC2 14/02/2009 (AGE 29, Cheshire)
Loopylula DC2 14/02/2009 (age 28, Sussex)
Dinkymum DC2 14/02/2009 (age 28, Notts)
Francesrivis 15/02/2009 (age 38, Devon)
onwardandupward DC2 second week of Feb (age 35, south west)
Americas 16/02/2009 (age 32, London)
MrsThreads DC1 16/02/2009 (age 36, Cheshire)
shubiedoo DC3 17/02/2009 (age 37, Canada)
Pluto DC2 18/02/09 (age 38, Kent)
CassandraB DC1 18/02/09 (age 35, Hampshire)
Catstar DC2 18/02/09 (age 35, Surrey)
Ugg first baby due 18/02/09 (32, Cheshire)
Fruitstick DC2 19/02/2009 (age 32, London)
Imaginewittynamehere DC2 19/02/2009 (age 32, Cambs)
McDreamy DC3 19/02/2009 (age 37, Cyprus but will give birth in Bucks)
Dinkystinky DS2 19/2/09 (age 31, London)
DizzyBrummie DC2 17/02/2009 (age 36, Berks)
Rachrox DC3 20/02/2009 (age 28, Glos also!)
Calico1 DC2 21/02/2009 (age 40, West Herts)
Mentalpup DC2 21/02/09 (age 30, Glos)
Rosieposey DC4 21/02/09 (age 36, Wilts)
mrsy first baby due 22/02/09 (24, Maidstone, Kent)
scubagroover 22/02/09 (31, London)
Winemakesmummyclever 23/0/09 (age 34, Lancs)
Neeerly3 DC3 23/02/09 (age 32, Mansfield)
Mirry71 DC1 23/02/09 (london)
LardyBump 24/02/09
Spottyshoes DC2 24/02/09 (aged 28)
Chilledmama DC2 25/02/2009 (age 31, Hampshire
dd1ofcolandgerry DC2 25/02/2009
Cocodrillo DC3 26/02/2009 (age 34, south london)
MrsBick DC2 26/02/2009 (Age 25, living in Surrey)
charlie7 DC2 28/02/2009 (Age 33, living in the Inner Hebrides)
Babyignoramus DC1 27/02/2009 (age 27, Brighton)
Mumoverseas DC4 28/2/2009 (age 40, Saudi Arabia/West Sussex)
Blinamouse
Elkiedee
Nellstar TBC
zikel DC2 TBC (23, Coventry)
theSuburbanDryad DC2 (age 26, living in South Bucks)
Munteria DC2 (38,London)

Anyway the feelings of terror have prompted me to ring the hypnobirthing lady I found. I am just going to send dd up chimneys cleaning for the money needed for the course

Morning ladies. Had lovely evening last night - went to see Rambert Dance company at Sadlers Wells with DH and they were amazing... does mean had a lot of MN to catch up on this morning though...

Markstretch - glad all good with you and little man. Dont worry about what you heard in the delivery suite - every birth is different! Am doing hypnobirthing (course in 2 weekends time) this time round - more to do with distancing this pregnancy and birth from last one than coping with labour strategies but read the book and listened to the CD, and it really did all make sense to me.

Calico - snap; my DH (and now my DS!) likes to have everything nice and tidy at home, while I like a cosy mess to relax in. Fingers crossed this baby is a hoarding nester like me or I will be well and truly outnumbered. Sorry to hear about your DS teething (my DS is like that when teething - is miserable): try bonjela teething gel (found it worked brilliantly on DS when molar teething - still got some to come through so am waiting for it with the bonjela ready) and calpol and nurofen infants can be combined if you need to give meds(GP told us this - nurofen infants slightly better for child with cold as helps abit more with breathing but they must have eaten something first).

THOM - bet your house isnt as bad as you think it is. Make a list (lists always help put things into perspective) of what you think needs doing then sit down and discuss, over a glass of wine/fruit juice/whatever you fancy, with DH the list and split out responsibility over the key things that need doing before no 2 arrives. Our house isnt in a brilliant state, and there are a million and one things I'd love to change about it, but with the current economic climate we've decided to just go for the priorities (new windows in bedroom plus blinds and fixing doors that wont shut properly) before little one arrives. If indigestion doesnt get better with Gaviscon/Rennies, do speak to your GP to see if they can give you anything that is safe in pregnancy to help.

Mumoverseas - my DS is also on a sausage kick at the moment (last night he ate TWO whole sausages for dinner - more than he's eaten the rest of the week put together): fortunately we all like sausages in our house...

MsLucy - have been resisting the lure of the mince pies so far, but love them this time of year - especially M&S mini ones... yum

All those discussing birth plans and perception of pain - keeping an open mind is key when it comes to birth plan (you really can cope with much more than you think you can when you know you have a beautiful baby waiting at the end of it) and understanding the physiology of labour really helps. Was induced and managed without pain relief for 4 hours until midwives changed and new midwife told me that it was 10x more painful than normal labour and about to get 10x worse - as soon as she said that, I started really feeling the pain and demanded an epidural and it all went downhill from there. This time round am having a doula with strict instructions to gag any midwives who take me out of my PMA zone...

THOM, your house sounds just like mine. But my DH is ace with housework when he gets a moment.

Calico, at 4 and 2 my DSs only seem to tidy up when they visit other people's houses, little show-offs, they bask in the 'aren't they good's and 'lucky you's that I get. Then come home and throw their toys all over the place!

Nkweto, if you hadn't already planned to use one, I strongly recommend a TENS machine - mine kept me going for several days of painful, irregular contractions then 24 hours in hospital with DS2 pre-CS. It was when I inadvertently turned it off a couple of times that I realised just how effective it was.

I STILL have an exploding tummy but I don't want to go to GP cause I know they will just tell me to take it easy (yeah right) and drink lots of liquids.

Back to the hunt for the ultimate nappy (hi Herb!)

Calico at your dh - if I have to pick up another pair of socks from our sofa which dh pulls off whilst in front of the TV I might scream !!.....I've told him so many times now I give up !....I'm sure there must be a happy medium between our dh's?!

On the Medised thing...I've always used Medised for teething and for colds and we've never had a lot of disturbance during the night as a result and it makes them so much less cranky in the day as a result of a good nights sleep. Calico - please don't worry - I've been using it since ds was little and he's fine (well for now anyway!) - I would go to a different chemist and tell them it was for my 5 year old who's at school - what can they do then. I'm sure you would sensibly administer it. On a similar issue - in Tesco when I needed to buy a bottle of calpol and some paracetemol for me the other day - the till started bleeping as I was in the "overdose" zone (!).....FGS. The till operator said that I could put them through as separate transactions. If I really wanted to overdose I'd trawl around the local chemists stockpiling the drugs til I had enough wouldn't I????....GGRRRRR - rant over...

On a lighter note, ds has gone to my mums to sleep tonight so that I get another night and hopefully a lie in to myself. DH is languishing at home with manflu so I plan on a quick and easy dinner, catchup with sky+ and then a proper adult bedtime (ie post 9pm) with hopefully sleeping through til past 7 ? The reality is I'll prob be asleep on sofa at 8.30pm, go to bed and will be ping wide awake at 5am. (anyone noticed my sleep obsession here ??!!!!)

Just finished a lovely Greggs donut yum yum....I had forgotten (til I'd finished it) that last time I had a donut I got horrendous heartburn all afternoon - that'll teach me

Dinky, I had the pretty much the same thing happen with pain!

Induced - it is a slippery slope: "We'll just give you the gels, that may be enough..." "a bit more gel..." "a little syntocynon drip..."

Before I knew it, they were pumping me full of as much as they could get into me.

Sixteen hours after they began the whole sorry process, DH decided he had to have a sandwich or he would expire, and left. At which point my WONDERFUL Spanish midwife who had kept me going over the worst came to the end of her 12-hour shift and left me in the tender care of a very nice-but-harrassed midwife who had two other labouring women to run between.

I was on my own and lost the plot, realised I REALLY WAS IN PAIN, and that I never planned to have this kind of birth anyway. So I had an epidural.

Glad I did though as I had to have an emergency CS about 10 hours later so would have had to have an epidural anyway...

My only slight regret is I let them start the whole sorry induction process in the first place - surely DS1 would have come on his own accord eventually? But maybe the CS really was for the best as his cord was wrapped round his neck twice.

Oh he-erb! Don't you think these are even slightly cute?

or these?

Swampster,

I had forgotten all about TENS machines ! will try and get one this time round.. good call. re inductions.. mine was not an induction (but I was due one later that day).. but the labour was very, very similar to my friends were induced..so it may have been the same.. so it may not have made any difference in the long run.

Herbgarden/Swampster, I keep reading about the great nappy hunt and I want really want to go with real nappies next time BUT I am still scared of managing washing, drying, storage of dirty nappies ! maybe i am just a coward

Swampy stop provoking herb! She will karate kick you in the eye!

It's not so bad, nkwto (dry) bucket to washing machine to line/machine dry... I am coming to the conclusion that the newer all-in-ones/pocket nappies like itti bittis and BumGenius could be the solution to my horror of changing washables when out and about.

MS, herb is a pussycat. Nkweto, please don't tell your mate Penny-the-pedant that I spelled/spelt??? your name wrong .

Swampy I found this to wear for the next time I play cops. What do you think? Shall I order you one too?

MarkStretch, I am sitting in front of my computer dressed in mine already!

swampy - I ordered a bumgenius the other day to try on your rec for DS and just ordered the itti bitti too - will let you know what I think of both after some trials

I'm still not listening - Cute Cute ??? Don't be ridiculous

LOL ! so true...swampy.

Going to see her soon.. so will pass on your regards..

Hugs to her - now I've got kids we might as well be living on different continents again!

THOM - have you tried peppermint tea for indigestion? I find that it works quite well. Ref your house don't worry about a little bit of untidiness, no one really wants to live in a showhome. And at least your DH knows where the dishwasher is, I'm pretty sure mine wouldn't have a clue!
MS - so glad all ok with your little one
dinky - damm you reminded me of sausages again! Have been trying to block out the thought! My DD loves them and all we can get out here are really nasty chicken ones which usually have dodgy lumps in or little tins of frankfurter type ones which DD thankfully loves. Can't beat a proper banger though or those lovely little M & S cocktail sausages!

Swampster - am more or less convinced I will go overdue with this one as well (despite allegedly looking full term already - I swear my belly button is ready to pop out!) and I will be refusing an induction unless there is a good medical reason for it.

I want some mince pies.... I love them. And Christmas pudding - I just made my secret recepe pud at the weekend and it is busy soaking up half a bottle of brandy (YUM!) but I want to eat it now!

Am very jealous of your Sandlers Wells thing dinky - my husband would run a mile if I suggested it. Actually love the fact we're expecting a girl because I can take her to ballet and stuff, like my mum did for my sister and I when we were young. Having said that, John wants lo to be a drummer and create Led Zepplin for the 21st century so could be an interesting combo...

swampy - you're like a nappy pusher you'll be giving the first one out for free "just to see if you like it" and get the whole thread addicted... You just want someone to share your vice with !

Our house is slowly getting there - we have done the downstairs, and now just have to finish our bedroom (and do the nursary and the bathroom and the spare room) before baby arrives. It's more a case of too much stuff not enough room with us, so each time we do a room, we go through everything and chuck out/recycle/give away etc. everything we no longer need. It's ridiculous really, 5 years ago we were living in one room each in our respective parental homes - how did we accumulate so much crap?

Hi Ladies!

Interesting reading about coping with pain here. I'm afraid I didn't do very well with the pain last time and felt almost traumatised by the memory afterwards. DD was back to back and my waters broke 28 hours before she was born so I'm doing all I can to avoid this second time round (not that there's much you can do!). I had a very positive experience once I had the epidural though which wore off for the pushing bit so I felt quite in control. Am quite excited about this one. Only thing is, the gas and air made me vomit last time so not sure about trying it this time. I had a TENS machine, but I don;t know if that did anything or not.

My DH reckons he is blessed with a "high tolerance threshold" when it comes to housework and tidying up. I discovered this soon after we moved in together and at the time, it was a real issue for me - almost a deal breaker. I now genuinely believe he doesn;t see the grime in the bathroom, or the fact that he has been using the same towel for 2 weeks, or that the bin needs emptying. I have conducted many experiments and have now resigned myself to the fact that I just have to get on with it . Not easy working 4 days a week, being pregnant and looking after a 16 month old. But hey ho ...

For the teething, we find that Nurofen works wonders - I think because it reduces any imflammation in the gums too. And you can combine at intervals with Calpol if things get really bad.

My DH is away mountain biking in Spain at the moment and I'm quite enjoying having the evenings to myself, and not feeling too lonely now that I've discovered Facebook!!

By the way, do any of you find that your bump gets bigger during the day? When I wake up, mine is tiny and I really have to stick it out on the train to get a seat, but on the way home it's huge and I can't do my coat up!!! Is it gravity? Or perhaps the amount I'm eating during the day ....

Have a nice day!

I am so cold I am wearing a scarf inside my house.

I thought babies were supposed to keep you warm.

Brrrrr.

I've just spent my lunch hour ordering a new sink & tap for the kitchen from screwfix and asking all the chaps in my dept for advice about what all the details mean - hopefully I've ordered the right things and it will fit & work when the plumber comes next week to fit them. Our current sink is one of those white plastic things that I end up bleaching every other day and as more water comes out of the bottom of the tap now than the top, I made the executive decis to replace the sink too. DH is not a DIY enthusiast and so I am able to call the professionals in most of the time rather than spends weeks bullying him to do somehting.

MS - glad everyhting is ok after your horrible day yesterday

THOM - very jealous of a DH who empties the dishwasher - I'm the dishwasher in my house - haven't managed to convince DH to let me rip out a cupboard and put one in yet even though he grew up with one.

Lots of empathy mrsy on the house front - the alterations to our roof to do our loft conversion have been rejected by the local council, so I tihnk we going to have to convert the loft without meeting building regs as we need to have s pare room for the grannies when they come - need to get on though as only 13 weeks till No2 is due (13 weeks to go soudns so much better than saying I'm only 27 weeks PG - so much less to go) once the loft is done DS's room and the nursery and the study and the hall will need decoartaing and we're also thinking of having our ensuite extended and redone as more water comes out the side of the shower than goes down the plughole

catstar - my bump definitely grows as the day goes on. I wake up every morning wondering where it's gone and remembering the fact that I looked 9 months gone when I went to bed the night before, and then by about mid-afternoon there it is again. I put it down to the volume of food that I cram in my mouth.

Markstretch - eat more food! Best way to warm up. I'm just getting through some Thai Chicken and rice soup (would love to say I made it...it's from Pret) and I'm all toasty. You must eat everything you can lay your hands on in the name of warming up.