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)

(know this question wasn't directed at me )
I had a forward facing and will again. Ds has to look at my ugly mug all day every day, he deserves a break

This one can face either way and I'm planning to use the carrycot around the house as we're not getting a moses basket.

Very nice. Good deal on the extras then. Are you keeping it at home?

Hmmmm well I just thought about that but we've had the carrycot and carseat upstairs since I was 20 weeks!

We bought ds1's pushchair when we were about 22wks and we brought it home. It was sitting under the stairs up and ready from then. The cot was up at 27wks. Dp couldn't wait to do a bit of DIY and got everything up the minute we got it through the door! I had to cover cot and pushchair with a sheet as I couldn't bare to look at them!
This time, I've done nothing yet...

my last post didn't work for some reason

MS it looks really great

I haven't sorted anything out - all i have done is talk about sorting things out!

Am going to wait for maternity leave and jan sales (luckily - or dangerously - they will co-incide for most of us!)and then go crazy for a cot, buggy, mini microwave and freezer, bath stuff, clothes etc etc

Evening all!

Good to have you back MrsY.

I don?t think I can catch up on all I've missed but:

Chilledmama have you tried an eBay sniper tool? You basically tell it your highest bid and it puts it in the last few seconds without you having to be anywhere near your computer. If you've been watching them already you'll have a good idea of what the final prices are so you'll be able to make an educated guess about what to bid and hopefully you'll be luckier! Also are you bidding on the Amby Arms Reach Co-sleepers? They do a similar job.

Nadass, personally, I'd go for a mummy facing pram (though I think most that face mummy are capable of going both ways. I have a Bugaboo for DS and a Maclaren as the Bugaboo won't go in the boot of my tiny car. Although I assumed I would, I've never turned the Bugaboo forward facing as I always enjoyed chatting with DS. I hate the Maclaren as I simply can't hear him when he's talking to me and it means you have to keep stopping and going round the front.

On a less practical level, there have been several studies recently about this which make quite thoughtful reading:here
and here

I have done nothing to get ready for this baby. Suspect I am still in serious denial. Oh no, I lie. I did buy 2 pairs of socks in BabyGap yesterday. Because we've got everything still from DS I keep thinking it's all sorted but of course I've still got to sort and wash all the clothes, the hammock, the buggy etc. And buy nappies and breast pads etc. Blimey. Better get cracking then!

Got a letter from DS's nursery to say he is going to be a shepherd in the nativity play. Had really hoped he wouldn't be involved this year as I don't think in my hormonal state there will be enough hankies in SWLondon to mop up my tears...

You lot can talk! Has anyone noticed we?re half way through the thread in ten days?

Dinky, I really think you?re right. I think the fibronectin this time is going to be right and she?ll come within the next two weeks. Feeling really positive though about her gestation! We?re all on the home stretch now!

KT, they can change position in labour, there?s no guarantee of what position they will be in from how they are in pregnancy. That?s why I don?t like the idea of an elective CS because of a breech baby; it?s not giving the baby time to turn and there?s no reason why they can?t be delivered anyway. Breech can be a pain between being used as a trampoline and the head in the ribs! I highly recommend sticking ice on baby?s head. It encourages them to move down out of your ribs if nothing else. My baby turned overnight to head down and I can see the difference.

My belly button has opened up a bit, but not turned. It didn?t last time either, but I don?t know if it would have done had I gone all the way.

Thanks LBB and no problem. In answer to your question, Tink is already living with my parents and will be there till the baby comes home. I?m hating it and I think she is, whenever she comes home she is excited to be here and gets upset about leaving , I know she loves being with her grandparents though, but there?s no place like home and no one replaces Mummy.

Glad it went well for you rosie, how does it feel to be a Mrs?

LOL QK! BTW, Tink had hiccups none stop from 22 weeks - she gave them to me because of the pressure on my diaphragm - they carried on for a week or so after she was born! Mean Grandad put a camera in her incubator because he thought the kitten like mewing of her hiccups was funny!

LOL MS I hope your baby will be better looked after when he?s born!

Nadssss when you watch nurses in the NNU changing premature babies you realise how resilient they really are! It?s self explanatory really and after a few changes you will get the hang of it. G&A is wonderful stuff! It?s a shame it?s not suitable for pregnant women or you could try it out first! It doesn?t take the pain away, but it takes your brain away from your body so you really don?t care about the pain!

LBB, I know what you mean about the difficulties of having other kids when you go into labour. Thats one thing I keep coming back to when trying to decide whether to stay here and have baby or go back to KSA. Here I have absolutely no family near by, my mother is 1 1/2 hours away and can't even look after herself, let alone DD aged 2. Also, we know it will be a CS so I won't be able to drive for weeks after and DH will only be able to come back to UK for 2 weeks. Whereas, in Saudi, DD will have her nursery (5 mins walk from our villa on compound) and will have the houseboy or friends to take her and pick her up, can have a driver if I need one and DH works 5 mins away so can pop home for my every whim! mmmmm, not difficult to see what decision we will make in the end!
I'm finding it really hard to occupy DD here as she is used to nursery 3 days a week and mums and tots etc. I took her to a fabulous ball bit place yesterday, wacky warehouse which she loved. Was very impressed, only 3 pound to get in and free tea and coffee!
Pram looks nice MS. We've ummed and aaghhed for ages about what to get. Most of the girls back in Saudi have those ridiculously expensive P & T ones. I managed to get my DH to look at one but his comment was 'f* me, my first car cost less than that'! I still have the really nice Graco one I had for DD and she will be almost 2 1/2 when DS arrives so will try to make do with that and she can use her legs. Did buy a cheap (65) umbrella folding double buggy from ebay for when her little legs won't walk that far as can't justify over 500 for the P & T's with all the extras.
Hope everyone has a good day, free from aches, pains, heartburn etc! x

TBM's right my ds turned in labour, ended up having to have a forcep delivery. And that's exactly what the g&a did, just made me not really care about the pain. I have a really low threshold for pain to, I cry in blood tests , will go for g&a again instead of an epidural I think. The idea of no pain at all is very tempting, but the thought of that big needle in my back is awful. Maybe if the pain gets really bad.

MoS Dp wanted a p&t's as well but there's no way I'm spending that amount on a pushchair.

I have to go to the dr's again today. I have been on 3 courses of anti-biotics in about 15 weeks and this urine infection still hasn't seemed to have cleared up. I really don't want to keep taking anti-b's but don't want toleave it either.

Morning Everyone,

Think we got out pram at about 22weeks, ive had it hidden in the airing cupboard since then & will not let DP get it out!
We got one from Kiddicare too. A Jane Soloman pro - Was pretty expensive, but DP's mum bought it for us along with all the accessories

I cant believe its only 8.50 - I feel like I was awake all night - my hips go really numb from laying on my side, then I wake up with cramp in my legs, then as soon as im awake i need to pee! - Its a vicious circle.

Ive just eaten all my packed lunch (money saving mission) and its no where near lunchtime Think my appetite must be starting to increase!

Morning all - KT, honestly, Mag Phos (can get from health food shops) is a miracle godsend when you get middle of the night cramps - I wake up, take 4 little pills and the cramp goes away and I can sleep again - is wonderful. Not too much can recommend for the hips though - duvet under you or a mattress topper might help cushion your hips for a bit.

LBB - that urine infection sounds nasty: hopefully Dr can give you some antibiotics to knock it into touch. Are you also drinking lots of fluids (helps flush it out your system - sadly will also mean many more loo trips) and GP friends swear by cranberry juice for helping clear up UTIs too.

Markstretch - buggy looks nice. We're going to use our old Quinny Buzz for this one for first 6 months or so - or pop baby in a sling/baby bjorn if just me and DS (who will hopefully be fully proficient with his scooter by then though may also want the buggy when tired/cold) - and after that invest in a new maclaren and buggy board combo (as DS will hopefully, fingers crossed, be starting preschool next September).

morning all

going to whinge about how much sleep i got I was up literally every hour going to the loo - i said it yesterday and i am definately going to mention about this to consultant but i cant stop weeing and its making me so tired - i cant believe that its just pregnancy related as a couple of times a night seems normal but its about 5 (4 on a good night) which seems to be nearly every hour or so.

Anyway, its freezing here - was going to venture out food shopping today but not sure i can face it - a quick run to tesco express around the corner might be in order i think and ill go tomorrow instead.

I got a Graco excursion pram from toys r us, its a three wheeler but faces away from you ( do all three wheelers? ) but i figured that for the first six months he would be in the clip in car seat that comes with it and that faces me. The only thing that i am worried about is that if i am out for a few hours with lo and he needs to be in his pram for that amount of time it isnt safe to leave him in his car seat attached to the pram is it? I thought that you are only supposed to leave them in those car seats for a max of a couple of hours or so otherwise it can hurt their spine? Oh i dunno - sort of feel like i should get another pram now but dont think that DH would appreciate that somehow after the expense of the wedding

Hi everyone - cannot believe how chatty you guys are.

Mrsy - good to see you - hope you and dh are coping ok. Hugs going out to Swampy too (if she is feeling up to lurking).

Rosie - congratulations Mrs!!

I was thinking about a P&T, but decided that it was too heavy and too big for my wee car, so have ordered a bugaboo bee instead. The seat flips either way, so will no doubt be a novelty toy for gadget-mad dh to play with for a while.

Had a crappy epidural with ds - unilateral block that meant I felt contractions down one side only, and the top up didn't work properly when I had to go for a crash cs. Ended up high as a kite on diamorphine. First pics of ds with me are hilarious as a result. Having elective cs this time so it will be a spinal block - needles don't bother me, luckily.

Can't remember who it was who was worried about bathing/changing wee babies (sorry). Try not to worry - it will come more naturally than you might think. Plus, a mw/hca should go through all that with you before you go home. My mum gave ds his first bath in the hospital as I was tied (literally) to the bed with IVI/catheter/drain. She loved it .

Could just eat curry right now. It is 09.30. That is just wrong !

Oh, and boobs have been leaking for weeks - very annoying and embarrassing in public . Am only 27 weeks now fgs!

Just marking the thread so I don't get lost again with all you chatterboxes

Thanks for the changing advice - I'm quite looking forward to getting the first couple of weeks out the way.

We are thinking of getting the stoke sleepi cot ? my DH is a bit anti second hand stuff but, being a bit more money-conscious, I?d quite like to show him how much money we could save. Just wondered if people knew the best places to pick up second hand things like that ? is it just eBay?

dinky am drinking water and cranberry juice, but nothing seems to be helping. Really annoying me now. We'll see what happens later...
I was also thinking about using a sling until ds is old enough for buggy board, but part of me doesn't want to give this baby any benefits that ds1 didn't get iyswim.

rosie I feel for you, I'm up lots through the night peeing too, but not getting rid of much.
I've heard that you shouldnt leave a baby in a car seat for longer than 2 hours max as not good for spine developement which makes sense coz they are a bit hunched in there.
Made it a pain with ds when visiting dp's family in W.Midlands, had to stop off so ds could come out of seat for a while.

wmmc that sounds awful, having contractions down one side! I had spinal block with ds when they got the forceps out but by that time I wouldn't have cared if they cut my head off!

RosiePosey

Please think carefully about using the car seat as main travel method for first 6 months!!!!! Babies should be kept lying down as close to 180 degrees as possible. The slumped position they sit in in a car seat can be dangerous. Please see articles below...I know they are not the most up to date but please read and make yourself as informed as you can be.

www.supernanny.com/Advice/-/Your-baby/-/Health-and-safety/Baby-car-seat-danger.aspx

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1526517.stm

Rosie - you poor thing with all your peeing. Hope you get it sorted.... or you could always do what one of the girls on my last antenatal thread did and get a potty (tasteful antique champerpot for under the bed !) - Mind you, I think her loo was on a different floor to her bedroom .

MS I have a Hauck Infinity from 4 years ago. It looks a bit different to your updated version, but has been very reliable and will hope fully see me through with this baby too. It has a car seat attachment and Rosie I wouldn't worry too much, I used the car seat part for the first 5 or so months and we were often out for a few hours. The thing is, if you get them out every so often for a feed or nappy change anyway, so will change position anyway.

Rosie - you could always get a sling (easy to chuck under buggy) which you could use to put the little man in for abit if you're out and about all day using the car seat attachment.

Nadsss - I have the Stokke Sleepi and love it. DS loved it when a tiny baby (and it grows with the baby which is lovely) and was great being able to wheel it from room to room while in a flat. Only just co-ercing him out of it now into big boy bed. Ebay probably best to try for it cheaper and second hand though be warned new mattresses are pretty expensive - cheapest have found is £70 for the mini mattress so if you can get a good everything included deal may be worth going for that.

LBB, unfortunately you can never make things equal for your children. Your first had a major advantage of being an only child.

The only thing you can ever make equal and control is how much you love them. You learn from the first time round (Mum used to call me the guinea pig) and do things differently second time.

When I was born only my dad worked, Mum got ill after my sister was born and was in hospital for a long time after (she'd spent most of her pregnancy in hospital too). When my sister was still quite young she went to college and eventually qualified as a social worker when my sister was 10 and I was 15. My sister had a very different childhood to me, both in having Mum around and in being better off.

rosie, I second the sling idea (there's a surprise ) when you're out for a long time it's so much easier. I can't imagine spending as much time as I used to (the only way to get her to sleep) in Birmingham with a pushchair. I could go anywhere and didn't have to fight my way around. I've never used a pushchair, even now she'll complain if I put her in one.

Just don't get a baby carrier, it'll do your back in very quickly if you spend hours in one.

BTW, I managed to end up on The Afternoon Play with Tink is a sling back in those days. I couldn't believe how obvious I was, I thought I was out the way of the camera but I must have missed one!

Yeah Chilledmama i thought that about the car seat attaching to the buggy - most travel systems have this option and to be honest i see babies in them everywhere but i did think as i had already said in my earlier post that its not good for them to stay in those seats for more than an hour or two. Will probably stick to the lying down option and wake him up when the journey is over rather than transfer him straight from car to buggy in that seat but unfortunately it means him facing away from me which is a pain.

Dinky i did think about a sling but i get such bad backache i was worried about using one again after my last DC - might give it a go anyway - any recommendations as to which are the best?

Glad it isnt just me littleboyblue - have hospital tomorrow for scan and joint consultant appt so will ask them to do a sample thingy for urine infection as i cant believe that at only 27 and a half weeks its already so bad - dont remember being this bad till right at the end and i am bloody exhausted!

Hello everyone!

Dinky - just sent you an email with contact details for Thursday. Looking forward to it!

Lots to catch up on here, but hope everyone generally ok? I've got a midwife appointment this afternoon - I think it's lots of bloods being taken so not looking forward to that. I was only pregnant last year but I've forgotten sooo much! Have signed up for a couple of ante natal refresher courses specially for 2nd babies. I'm feeling more concerned about how to deal with Little O than the newborn!!

It's Little O's first day in the toddler room today and she cried buckets when I left her. I felt sooo bad because she loved the girls in the baby room. I know she'll get used to it, but she just looked so little and confused .

Belly button status = out! Has been since about 20 weeks. TBH it had only just gone back in from being pregnant before! It looks like the end of a nose and shows through my clothes - I have a white top on today and feel quite self conscious of it!

Our new buggy arrived last week - a special off from Boots. I went for the Maclaren Twin Techno which I think will be the most practical for us and the baby can lie almost flat. I loved my Britax Vigour that I had for Little O and I will use that with the carry cot whenever I can for the new baby. We are a 3 pushchair family now!!!

Catch you all later.

Rosie
There is a carrier out there for everyone.

I started with a wilkinet is pretty good once they are in but a phaf if you want to take them in and out.
Probably best is a stretchy wrap/woven wrap...I have bought a Moby for new arrival as the idea is you put the wrap on and stick them in and out of it throught out the day as needed i.e. no need to take wrap off.
I have a beko for back carrying as soon as they are big enough. My DS loves getting carted round in it as he can see everything and have cuddles and talk to mummy etc etc.
Have a look on BigMamaSlings. The have a page about advice so could recommend which ones are good for avoiding back ache but basically, as TBM said, as long as you avoid those high street type ones, like Baby Bjorn, (which are also bad for their hips)your back should be OK.

I Love slings.