Due April 2009 - Farewell nausea and all things ghastly, our boobs and bumps are growing vastly.

[PuzzleRocks]

Welcome nutty -

Why don't you chase them - they may already have you booked in but not sent confirmation or something (and you are right it is the end of November!!) How many weeks are you now? (I should probably be able to work that one out!)

I am going nuts waiting for the due date - just want it to be here! can't wait for after Christmas!

mathsmummy - rofl at the waters breaking. think we are quite similar in some ways - i liked the hospital birth and bringing the baby home - and the whole pregnancy i looked forward to packing my hospital bag - bought little things for it over a few weeks and really enjoyed the ceremony of packing it.

gemzooks - do you get gas and air? i had a tens machine and wouldnt fancy doing without it - but if somebody told me I had to do without gas and air, I think I'd try and send the baby back where it came from.

hi nuttytaff. hope things are going well so far for you. i think its harder being due at the end of the month too cause everyone on here is getting their scans etc and we still have weeks to wait (mine is 2nd Dec) - buts its all a good lesson in patience i suppose. Just hope they will all still come and talk to us when its the middle of may and we are still waiting to pop

oddeyes - poor you - sounds miserable. hope the ab work soon.

I have been lurking as usual, but not posting.

Glad everyone is OK and the scans are showing little bundles of energy.

B52 I'm so pleased your results were fine!

Here the second big scan isn't until 22 weeks, so I still have a while to go (5th Dec). I'm currently trying to muster courage to phone the hospital and change from one obstetrician to another. The gynae I started off seeing didn't do half the vital things at the 12 wk scan (femur measurements, marking on the scan the points where he measured nuchal transparency, etc.) and was also v disagreeable. I asked to have all future appts at the hospital, but have been given ones with 2 different people now, one for the scan (whom I've met) and one for my next routine check-up (totally unknown, to me and everyone I've asked). I just want to find one person I trust and see them regularly, rather than trying to establish contact with new people each time.
Rant over!
It's cold here in Provence; I had DS in tropical heat, so this makes a change.
Think I'm going to have to get some new bras, too; I keep popping out of mine. People here don't measure you (I once went into the lingerie shop and asked, and the lady groped my boobs and then declared what size I was!), so I'm going to have to rely on the old tape measure...

Hi - welcome NuttyTaff. I sympathise with the waiting for scan. I was 20 weeks yesterday and where I am they seem to prefer to do it late so my scan isn't until next Thursday! I would phone up and hound them if I were you. That's what I had to do for my 12 week appointment (which they didn't want to do until I was 14 weeks - grrrr).

Haven't been on in a few days and the thread has bounded on. Took me ages to catch up last night. V. much wanting one of those hussy-with-a-bump bras that someone posted. Today I'm straining at the edges of a maternity one I bought during last pregnancy.

I must say 'ME TOO' for hospital birth.

With DS I too had the excitement of getting my hospital bag packed - putting all those little sleepsuits and vests and nappies into the bag made it feel so much more real.

Yeah....coming home 'ceremony' great feeling too! love it!

nutty

You LUCKY thing! Scan at 18 weeks! Where I am it is still done at 20 -22 weeks.

I am almost there though! Am 20 weeks on Saturday and have my scan on Monday!!!!
Only 3 days to go!

I think I prefer the idea of a hospital birth. I liked being able to walk away and leave all the mess behind. Although once I had the baby and I'd had a lie down for a bit gazing at her I was very keen to get home. I left as soon as I could (no coming home ceremony - DH was at work and I just scooped up my baby and my bag and bundled everything into a taxi and went home).

springy, there is a British shop with food but can't be bothered to go across town to get it. So will fantasise about pickled onion monster munch until UK trip on 19 Dec..

Conkertree, no gas and air here, but I'm very claustrophobic and wouldn't fancy it. I've heard the midwives here offer you a sip of water during the contraction and say it will take the pain away when you swallow it

dungungirl, I know what you mean about the coming home from hospital, but here they have you out within 2 hours if all is normal, so I'd rather stay at home. If I was luxuriating around in a private room for 5 days like in Belgium when I had DS (that was great!) then it would be worth it..

nutty, glad you have your scan soon. till then you can just guess by the old wives' tales (was right for me!) I've been spotty and greasy-haired, not looking good and with much bigger breasts, DH hasn't gained weight and I've only wanted to eat sweet things and sure enough it is a little girl! Hmm. Mind you some of this might be to do with having DS, as I don't have as much time to wash my hair and get enough sleep to look good!

I'm booked for a 30 week scan because unfortunately the placenta was partly blocking the cervix (placenta praevia), which on the internet I read corrects itself most of the time. Bloody terrified if it doesn't because that means a caesarian. So anyway. Trying to think stretchy thoughts. By the way, hope you are all starting to think about optimum foetal positioning, in other words not slouching back or lying on your back but always trying to sit forward so the baby's back doesn't end up against yours. I had back to back labour last time and it was pretty awful. Not to say slouching caused it but apparently there are many more back to back (OP) babies these days due to our Western sitting around lifestyle. So excuse me, I'll get back to grinding my millet now.. (not really)

gemzooks

I was intrigued by the old-wives tale symptoms being true for you!

I have a DS and am hoping this one is a girl...

I must say...I craved mash potato with DS and this time round I am craving fruit ! I also had bad nausea with this one and got away with hardly any with DS....As soon as I have sweets - I end up wanting to eat through the whole bag!

Doing bad bad things to my weight....

hmmmmm to read into it or not? That is the question...

Going by symptoms - old wives tales - it should be a girl!
All will hopefully be revealed on Monday!

Thanks for the good luck nutty !

I'd try for a homebirth if our house was remotely practical, but it's not. And DS was born blue, with the cord twice round his neck, so I'd be a little worried about things like that happening if I was at home.

But I hated being in hospital after the birth (they kept me in for 4 days), and am not overly keen on that aspect of things. With DS the nurses were absolutely rubbish about BF and it was only when we got home where I had books and could try different positions that he actually latched on properly. I felt really trapped: they wouldn't help me BF, but wouldn't let me go home till DS had reached their target weight. The hospital here is pro-BF so that shouldn't happen again, but I still harbour bad memories from last time.

BTW does anyone have any recommendations on how to smell good without using perfume? I have a really good non-chemical deodorant, and would like some natural type perfume. I sniffed some sprays in the organic shop the other day, but it was all full-on lavender type stuff and a bit intense for my liking

Hi AuldAlliance - I like the smell of Bergamot essential oil - you could put some on a hanky and keep it in your pocket. But I love the smell of lavender too so may not have the same taste in smells.

As for old wives tales on gender - they say you get more hairy with a boy and less hairy with a girl. I certainly know that friends of mine who have had boys have complained about hair on their tums. I haven't done my legs in a little while and although there is hair there it is v. fine and practically invisible so now I am wracking my brain to think of another girls name that I like as much as DDs.

Ooh Lulu that's got me all excited, I have a fluffier tum this time. Does that mean it will be little O and not little H?

Thanks LuLuBai, will check that out. I like lavender, and love the smell of it around the house, on linen, etc. But the sprays I smelt were a bit intense, somehow. Maybe it's just an initial effect, because they fade faster than artificial perfumes?

Re old wives' tales... one of our neighbours stunned me into silence when I was about 3 months pregnant. After dire morning sickness and a week of even worse gastric flu, I ventured outside feeling very shaky, and she said "Oh, it must be a girl, then, because they say that girls steal their mother's beauty". That made me feel really good about myself!

I can't compare, as am on my second boy, but will go along with the fuzzy tummy thing, although not with the sweet/salty theory. I ate lychees, mangoes and passion fruit galore with DS, and munched endless bags of crisps this time around. Maybe due to what's on offer, though: if I had fresh tropical fruit to hand, I might well eat that as well as the crisps!

OK so old wives tales, I have less hair growth and crave mash potato, hate fruit but try and eat it! - am so confused. Am carrying the weight out front (with a tiny bit more on hips) and fairly low - what will it be - what will it be???!!!

babybolat, have you put weight on in your face (has your nose spread?) that's supposed to be a giveaway. With DS my face got really fat and chubby like a 16 year old's, this time: not at all.

auldalliance, I had some solid perfume from Lush, it's in a tiny tin the size of a lip balm tin. Find it quite nice.

dungun, you are prob. having a girl. I also read (far too much time on the net), that the mother's gut feeling is right about 70% of the time. I really did feel that this one was a girl, but ignored it because thought it was just wishful thinking; but it wasn't!

I think for me it is a bit too early to tell by bump shape. Have a definite bump but it hasn't found it's full shape yet.

Stealing beauty was certainly true for me last time. I looked horrific and had a girl. I am not nearly as spotty this time (phew!) but when I got up this morning I did look about 150 years old (deep crevace crows feet). Can't say it that was bumps fault or DDs. DD had me sleeping in her cot with her until 1am then ended up in our bed at 5am where she fell soundly asleep - on my HEAD!. So 19 months after being born DD is still stealing my looks.

I've been eating more mash too but I'm not sure if that is just cos it's winter so I've been making pies with mash on top.

Puzzlerocks - fingers crossed the fluff works out for you. So many of my friends with boys complained about that. Apparently cos you have more testosterone coursing through your system.

Oh yes, Lush, forgot about them. Will look on the website. Thanks, NuttyTaff

I am generally quite hairy, but nothing like this fluffy belly business!

Gemzooks - no nothing on my face and I did have a very definite feeling it was a girl at the beginning but am less sure now....

Gemzooks - I think you are right about the mother's instinct. With DD I didn't find out but as the pregnancy progressed I became more and more convinced I was having a girl. This time the instinct is not so strong, but I vaguelly think it might be another girl (and DH has changed his mind again and decided he wants a boy this time - a month ago he wanted another girl!)

Hmmm- I was hugely fat with DD . Slightly less this time as I have managed to convince myself that being pregnant doesn't entitle me to eat every single cake in sight (although did just have 1 slice with a cuppa).

gemzooks

Lets hope that 70% mums instinct is true!
Ohhhh can't wait now!