Due Fab Feb 2009: crossed fingers (and legs) we'll get through another thread without welcoming any early arrivals!

[MarkStretch]

Welcome.

Please feel free to add yourself to the list.

TinkerBellesMum - DC3 (girl), due: 01.02.09 (not expected to get far into December) (age 27, Birmingham)
Laidbackinengland - DC4, due: 23.01.09 (age 34, North Devon)
Nkweto - DC2, due: 30.01.09 (age 35, West London)
Mamagoose - DC3, due: 31.01.09 (age 32, Spain)
Questionkid - DC1, due: 03.02.09 (age 33, Wallington, Surrey)
PinkTulips - DC3, due; 04.02.09 (age 24, Roscommon, Ireland)
MsLucy - DC2 (a boy), due: 4/2/09 (CS a few days early)(age 38, North London)
Swampster - DC3, (a boy), due: 06.02.09 (age 40 , London)
Rosieposey - DC4, (a boy) due: 06.02.09 (age 36,Swindon,Wiltshire)
MarkStretch - DC2, (a boy) due: 07.02.09 (age 29, Norwich)
onwardandoutward - DC2, due: 07.02.09 (age 35 South West)
LittleMissNorty - DC2, due: 08.02.09 (age 40 in a couple of weeks, Kent).
KT1983 - DC1, due: 09.02.09 (age 25, London)
KazzaL - DC2 (suprise flavour), due 10.02.09 (age 35, Cirencester, Gloucs)
herbgarden - DC2, due: 11.02.09 (CS 02.02.09) (age 38, Berkshire)
TheHouseofMirth - DC2, (a boy) due: 12.02.09 (age 38, Wimbledon)
Littlesez ? DC1 (a girl) due: 15.02.09 (age 28, Manchester)
America - DC2, (a boy) due: 16.02.09 (age 32, London)
Rachrox - DC4, (a boy) due: 18.02.09 (age 28, Cheltenham)
Catstar - DC2, (a boy) due: 18.02.09 (age 36, Chessington)
Dinkystinky - DC2, (a boy) due: 19.02.09 (age 32, London)
Pluto DC2 (gender unknown), due 19.02.09 (Age 38, Kent)
DizzyBrummie - DC2, due: 20.02.09 (age 36, Berkshire)
Calico1 - DC2 due: 21.02.09 (age 40, West Herts)
mrsy - DC1, (a girl) due: 22.02.09 (age 24, Maidstone, Kent
Scubagroover - DC1 (a boy), due: 22.02.09 (age 31, London/ Kent)
Winemakesmummyclever - DC2 (a boy), due: 23.02.09. (age 35, Manchester) expecting cs @ 39 weeks.
Spottyshoes - DC2, due: 24.02.09 (age 28)
Lardybump - DC2, due: 24.02.09 (age 34)
Chilledmama - DC2 (a girl), due: 25.02.09 (age 32, Southsea)
Cocodrillo - DC3, due 26.02.09 (age 34 at the mo, London) expecting a CS at 38-39 weeks.
mumoverseas - DC4 (a boy), due: 28.02.09 (CS 2 to 3 weeks early) (age almost 41 Arabia/Crawley West Sussex)

Was only joking. He wouldn't dare!

Evening all

Sorry, a me, me, me post coming up ......got a dreadful cold and feeling very sorry for myself....but what is bothering me is my bump is so sore. Skin is very tight now (I'm big to start with, so it takes a while), but every time I get up, the bump cramps and hurts....almost like I have a tummy bug, but the pains are on the outside of my bump IYKWIM? Is that BH that are just painful do you think? (certainly not contractions - I will never forget what they feel like). I can't bring myself to eat or drink anything which probably isn't helping....and I was very sick earlier as it was hurting so much .

Well hopefully I'll get some sleep tonight and feel better tomorrow, if not, off the GPs!

Hope everyone is ok. will catch up properly now before bed. PT, so sorry about your kitten

Hi everyone - mind if I pull up a sofa and join you again?

I've had enough of crying and sleeping! I've lurked a bit and will try and catch up with posts, but I'm sorry if I ignore any big things:

TBM - glad you're still with us

PT - so sorry about your kitten

chilledmama - chill you've got time, and there's always the jan sales, plus more people will start putting stuff on ebay in the run up to Christmas...

littleboyblue - John's pretty much given up as he knows it's not gonna happen. The one time we did try recently madam started kicking and I had to call an end to it! TMI: My sex drive hasn't gone down noticeably, but I've been off sex so I was just going through more batteries than normal - ! Not at the moment though, John's been very cuddly and attentive recently.

Well, our situation is just wait and see, won't know for sure until she has a scan when she's about a month old, but it's not life threatening and as far as they've said, we'll still be okay for a Home Birth, all other things being well. Just have to sit tight for about 4 months, hope for the best and try not to worry ...

MrsYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

I'm so glad you're back! Have been thinking about you and hoping you were ok.

It's lovely to have you here with us again.

These pesky babies are causing us some worry! Hope you're coping ok with things and that we can be of some support to you xx

And talking of sex (which got us into this mess in the first place...) I am now unable to find a position which does the job.

[beached whale]

Sorry you're not feeling well Naughty, don't know what to say about bump stuff, not heard that before.

Hi MrsY Good to see you back. Xxx

MS you big loon! Did chear me up, though!

Thanks lbb, is hubby back yet?

Not yet, he called to say he's on his way back to depo. He works for Network Rail on the track. A train had done something that ripped up a load of something that had to be fixed and tested blah blah blah. I go to my happy place when he starts talking about work so wasn't actually listening. He gets tomoz off for it though, so that's nice.

MYYYYYYY TUUUUURN!

So glad your feeling up to joining us again we've missed you Hope everything will be ok xxxxxx

Hope you feel better soon LMN and you get a cot Chilled. I love ebay but it can be a pain in the arse!

Going to bed now as have a looong day at work tomorrow - boo hoo

P.S - Baby Bottom butter is good for stretch marks (never bought into the whole miracle face cream drama) and only £2.49!!! I use bio oil too and it has really improved my CS scar. Fraid it is you skin type/genetics though

My sister used bio oil for her scars on her leg when she had a metal pin put in - started using the oil about 5 years after the op and it improved noticeably. I use olivella oilve oil lotion, haven't got a stretchmark yet, but don't think I'm prone to them. The lotions more a massage aid than anything else, and John likes to help

LMN - sorry to hear that you're not a happy bunny ... tackle the cold first, and only eat little morsels every now and then. I'd try some lotion for relaxing the skin and keep chilled and in a comfy position as much as poosible...

LBB, I'm glad your friend is doing well, it's worrying when you don't know what this one will do.

BBA = Born Before Arrival it's an unassisted birth because you didn't get to hospital in time.

Sorry your OH is being difficult. We're the opposite, I want to do it but he's worried about hurting me, so when we do do it he takes the pressure off my bump and puts it on my pubic bone instead

Funny sex (sort of) story. The doctor wanted to do a fibronectin test on me and the MW asked if we'd had sex in the last 24 hours. Normally I can cope with those questions but Mum was in the room too and I couldn't remember if it was Thursday or Wednesday. I looked at TBD who was equally and he looked at Mum and said "I don't know, when was it?"!!!

Went to a delivery room and the new MW said to Mum and TBD "Who are you?" "I'm Mum" and "I'm Dad"!!! Mum quickly added "I'm Claire's Mum and he's Baby's dad!"

PT, last time they kept me in for four weeks for reassurance, I'd gladly go in now and stay till she was born the way I'm feeling now. I know of a woman who was kept in from her BFP because she had a stillbirth. But I guess it's something my doctor has to decide on at clinic rather than being decided on when I'm on the antenatal ward.

KT, I put my lack of stretchmarks down to how many scans I've had! last time it was three a week, this time every 1-2 weeks. Bio-oil is supposed to be brilliant.

morning all,
Mrsy, so glad to see you are back. I don't know what the possible problem with your little one is but surely if they are still saying you may be able to have a home birth it can't be that serious? I would have thought that if they were really concerned they would be insisting on you being in the hospital for the birth so they could check little one out immediately? Hope you can try to relax a little over the next few months and try not to worry. xxx
chilled, I only discovered ebay last year and we don't use it often as very rarely in the country. We have however been lucky and pretty much got everything we bid for (mainly to do with the fact that DH makes it a challenge to sit at the computer for the last few minutes of the auction!) I got a nice cot bed last week and picked it up Saturday and was a real bargain for 65! I've given up buying new (apart from new mattress) as I keep buying new, having baby, giving stuff away, having baby, buying new, giving stuff away, having baby..... Ref sex, there WILL BE NO MORE IN MY HOUSE! (unless DH has the snip! - I was on the pill when I fell this time!)I'm too old/tired for babies! (I'm the daft cow who went to her gp in June saying the menopause had started!) 'no dear, you are pregnant' was something of a shock!
What sort of crib are you after chilled? I was looking at some in mothercare, really nice wooden cribs that are bigger than moses baskets and they are 69.99 for a swinging crib and are suitable for up to 6 months. Have a look there maybe?

ref stretchmarks, I used some coconut palm butter last time and I guess it may have worked as I haven't got too many stretch marks.

Morning all.....LittleMissNorty - You have my sympathy.....I too have a streaming crappy cold which I got off ds - spent all night in the spare room making my way through a box of tissues. It's freezing cold outside this morning and I had to battle with ds in buggy/bus/raincover and brolly (don't have sensible outdoor coat with hood for work) and my head feels like cotton wool - am now in the warm in work but may try to see what I have on, do a bit of work and then go home and slob on my sofa.

We're going away for our first weekend away without ds this weekend so I really hope I'm feeling better by then.

Just skim read everyone elses posts....mrsy welcome back to us.

ps on the subject of stretch marks - are they a genetic thing? I've never had a flat tummy and am quite "squishy" - didn't get any stretch marks with ds and can't see any coming this time. I just use a good moisturiser as I have very dry skin and the stretching just adds to that dry itching thing. Those tubs from the Body Shop are quite nice (although they can be quite chilly when you first apply !).

ppsss - I really will shut up in a minute - Chilled - sorry if I'm teaching grandma to suck eggs so to speak - but I've always found with e-bay that if you bid a weird amount like, say, x pounds and 27p rather than a rounded up or down amount then you are more likely to win. Keep refreshing your screen and add funny amounts as it gets near to countdown....or were you saying that even the amounts they are going for on ebay were expensive ??? I love that last few minutes of bidding !

Morning all. Sorry - mega post coming up.

Pinktulips - sorry to hear how about your kitten sending you and your little ones big hugs.

Mrsy - welcome back hon. Hasnt been the same without you around. Hope all will be ok with your little one.

LMN - ooh, that doesnt sound good. There are a lot of D&V bugs doing the rounds at the moment so may be that - or it may just be round ligament stretching pains (which can be bloody painful). Doesnt sound massively like Braxton hicks to me - but then I think everyone suffers BHs in a different way anyway. Make sure you're drinking lots of fluids (particularly with your cold) as dehydration can make BH worse.

ChilledMama - have you tried freecycle for bedside cribs (then all you'd need to do is get a new mattress)? Maybe worth a go. Never fear - your crib bid time will come And as someone else said, the Jan sales will probably be monster sales this year so hopefully you'll be able to pick one up then for a good price if all else fails.

KT - I used Neals Yard Mother to be massage oil last pregnancy - didnt get any stretch marks until I hit 40 weeks (was enormous) and then went to 42 weeks (and was even more enormous) and had lots. This time I've been using Mama Mio tummy rub oil (like the smell more this pregnancy) - none yet (and am rather space hopper like already) though probably will have some by the end. Dont forget to do your hips, back, upper buttocks and around your boobs too as you can end up with stretch marks in the most unusual of places! Bio-oil is fab - we use it on DS for his after bath massage (is doing wonders in fading his chicken pox scars from over a year ago) - and a lot cheaper than the Mama Mio stuff (I figure as I'm not spending any money on other cosmetics at present I may as well spend it on stretchmark oil).

Herbgarden - hope the meeting of the inlaws to be went ok. DS was a petal scatterer at cousin's wedding in march (at 1.11 months) and ringbearer at SIL's wedding in September (at 2.4 months) and did ok - raisins appear to be the way forward to getting them to do what you want them to do

LBB - we have a sex drought too; just feel like for DH it'd be bonking a space hopper, which is not conducive to getting me in the mood! As long as your DH is feeling loved in other ways am sure he'll come round.

TBM - glad you're with us still (though suspect Fifi will be making an appearance soon and in time for xmas).

Apologies if I missed anyone else off the round up of replies.

Drove back from Brighton yesterday - through rain, snow (just for Questionkid!), freezing fog and hail to go see Santa at Selfridge - DS was terrified by the train ride in the grotto (he normally loves trains but is scared by the dark and was quite dark in there) but loved seeing santa, which was really lovely as he was terrified of Santa last year. And last night, he slept in his big boy bed for the first time too - fingers crossed we get him back into it again today.

Morning Everyone,

Hope your all feeling ok...ish for a monday morning.
Its bloody cold today, bit icy near me, so if you havent been out already, be careful of the blackice on the pavements/roads etc.

ooohhh....I wanted to ask....BellyButtons!
Whos has popped out? Sorry, really had to ask...
This is my first baby & I never really thought much about it until last night in the bath...my belly button is starting to look a little odd - I think its going to pop out

Also, When do the babies change to the correct position for labour? Or do they twist & turn right up until 40weeks? She has been Breech for ages...i can feel her kicking me 'downthere'its like little electric shocks all the time.

Morning all and welcome back MrsY - it has been a quieter place without you ! I agree that it's a good sign that they are still saying you have a home birth.

I am slow and sleep deprived this morning and DS3 was sick in the night. My mum is here so has taken DS2 to school and after a quick wizz on here I fully intend to go back to bed for an hour.

Am already an outie KT - popped a couple of weeks ago. Dont think I popped till around 30 weeks with DS. Some people dont pop at all.

Not sure when babies move into position. You could try optimal foetal positioning to encourage her out of being breech if the kicks are getting too painful - go on spinningbabies website and has got loads of info about it on there.

Thanks dinkystink - il have a look at that site.

Morning all,

Glad to see you back mrsy, as you'll have seen everyone's been thinking about you and sending you positive vibes.

Dinky - I didn't see any snow in Brighton, but we did wake up to some yesterday morning (which lasted about 5 minutes as soon as the rain started) so I got my snow fix. It's so cold today that I wouldn't be surprised if we get more.

I have 'mother' guilt today. To explain, my Mum and Dad stayed with us this weekend, and although I love my mum LOADS, think she's fab and a huge support to me, I do have a tolerance threshold with her and tend to get a bit snappy with her after a while. It looks like being pregnant has made that a whole lot worse. On Saturday evening she was literally driving me mad. Basically, she NEVER stops asking questions. We had a night in front of the tv doing a Strictly, X-Factor and I'm a Celebrity marathon (don't you just love Saturday nights?!) and I'm telling you, if I had £1 for every time I answered the question 'Who's that?' I would be VERY rich right now. The thing is, half the time, I could tell her who it is but it'd mean nothing to her as she still wouldn't know who they were e.g. Dani Behr, Carly Zucker. In the end I was saying 'I don't know' even when I did as I couldn't be BOTHERED to explain yet again who some z-list celebrity is, but then she'd just ask again about 5 minutes later. I was really snapping by the end of the evening and losing my patience with her. She was then a bit quiet on Sunday morning so I think I hurt her feelings and I'm now feeling really guilty!! Oh well.

Hope everyone's feeling a bit more alive and with it than I am this morning. I'm going to tuck into one of the banana and chocolate muffins I made yesterday, that should help!

morning all, thanks for all the kind comments yesterday.

think losing scruffy might just have been the straw that broke the camels back as i'm feeling quite stressed and anxious now and have that weird out of control sensation i always get when i'm sinking into depression. dp is being a star minding me and trying to make me feel better but i just don't seem to be able to snap myself out of it.

chilledmama.... the trick really is to hover in the final moments of an auction and swoop in at the last minute with a bid. try and find one that's ending at a strange time so that you stand a good chance of being the only one there at the last minute.

sorry your ds is sick laidback..... i hope it's nothing too serious and he's back to himself soon.

KT, dd went head down at 27 weeks (she got stuck halfway for about 3 hours so i think she was afraid to switch again after that! and ds was definitely head down by 30 although i'm not sure exactly when. this lo has been head down for a few weeks now and seems inclined to stay like that... has his foot wedged in my ribs as we speak! i think some babies leave it quite late but the later they leave it the bigger they are and the more awkward it is to turn. try kneeling on the floor with your bum above your head as much as possible to see can you convince her to flip round.

Hi all - thanks again for the welcome messages. Has cheered me up nicely on this cold grey morning.

Re: belly buttons - don't think mine will pop out, but it looks like a crator as has got deeper and wider - weird! KT - my midwife said they don't mind about position until 35 weeks, and a friend of mine who is due end of this week has only just got into position after having a turn-around thingy at hospital. There are opptimum positions to be in (on hands and feet with bum in air for example) which gives baby enough room to move around. Plus, there's things you can burn under a toe and different alternative stuff which have really good success rates.

MOS it's a cardio thing, there'sa family history of dramas, but the severity doesn't become apparant until babies are about a month, so I'm sort of asuming all is well until told otherwise...

Wondered if anyone had stumbled accross this whilst browsing? Interesting article on rates of Down's syndrome babies...

Hi. Not on for a matter of hours and missed loads.
mrsy my bellybutton doesn't come out either but looks like a masive black hole that ds likes to put his finger in! Ouch!

PT Sorry you're not feeling too great at the moment. Hope you get better soon, damn those nasty hormaones making everything worse.

QK I have the opposite prob with my mum, she hardly ever says anything and it drives me crazy, and the more I try to have a convo and the more she gives one word answers the more stressed and nervous I get and the more I talk and the more she rolls her eyes! Mum's are funny creatures aren't they? (not us though)

dinky we're gonna take ds to see santa prob next week, I took him last year but he was only 4 months, so will be interesting to see how he'll react this time.
We're putting ds in a big bed after xmas (hoping they go down in sales) as we want the cot for new baby.

TBM Can't imagine what it's like to have the extra worry, pregnancy's hard enough when everything goes smoothly. Thanx for letting me know what BBA means.

Not much happening here, ds is in bed, dp is on the wii. He got today off coz he didn't finish work til 7:30 last night. You should have seen the state of him, filthy.

Thanks for the ebay comments- you all right about the timing issue but all 3 times the auction has been due to end at like 0030 and I really need my sleep!or while I'm at work (ebay is blocked)!!

The kind of crib I need want is bedside crib
and as you can see they are pretty pricey new. Mothercare do a bedside cot for £180 but I don't need anything that big...however, if it is in the sales at a good price, I'll get over it

Glad everyone is feeling on the up especially considering we all usually moan on Monday's.

DinkyStinky
On the subject of Freecycle...feeling slightly blonde on this one...I tried to get into the Portsmouth Freecycle group. It appears to be a Yahoo group so I joined (I think) and I still can't get in and when I have the time/energy to feck about (at work) I can't do anything as Yahoo is also blocked by my work!! Maybe I should check my area for a camera before they block mumsnet too
Any ideas how I can improve my freecycle performance??

IWe bought a new 3 piece suit on Saturday. I would add the link to show you all but I can't actaully find it on their website today
Anyway...I now need to get rid of current 3 seater and thought of using freecycle as easier on me than taking it to the dump!!
Next job is to start co-locating all the stuff we are putting into storage so that we can contiue to fit in our home with a new addition!! I asked for boxes so that I could get on with it buy (not so) DH doesn't want to buy boxes until he knows how many we need??? I said, just let me have a few to be getting on with but NNNNNOOOOO! Almost as bad as BBQ time!!