Hi ladies. Boy this thread is really flying now isn't it?
modernlove great to see you back here, and don't worry about lurking, I'm sure there's a few more people on our list who are the same - it's hard to keep up sometimes! Hope everything goes really well for the impending birth & look forward to hearing your news, how exciting!
IceCube hope things get moving for you soon, must be a bit frustrating to be having bump tightenings but not having things progress. Sending you some lovely 'get a move on baby' vibes.
GBB, PD and verso thanks for the fantastic BF links, I've copied them all down. Nice to have the reassurance that if things are tricky there are some great websites I can resort to for information/videos.
traceface hope all those prunes don't result in the runs with your DD1 Think I could do with a few prunes at the moment... I'll have to get stuck into the bag of apricots I opened the other day!
katie has perhaps had her baby by now? Bum, I missed wishing her luck kayz - I wouldn't mind being like your friend & not knowing I was having contractions (but could go without the layby and jeering construction workers bit of course). Glad you & DH have decided on the HB, don't let them try to talk you out of it, as tyv said, you can always change your mind and head to the hospital if preferred on the day. On a similar note, on behalf of catdean - that's terrible that they made you 'fight for your right' of a HB. tsk tsk!
PD if you want the GBS swab, could you arrange one yourself if you're still worried? Also for waitinggirl, I would see if your hospital can do it for you if you want one (mine said I could have one at 38wks if I wanted but they normally do it a bit earlier). Anyway Turniphead posted a great link to the place where she had hers done, it's here so perhaps just give them a call and ask how long it takes if either of you are interested but can't get it done by yr hospital?
veggie in the news here in Australia tonight on TV , there was a report about a lieutenant who died in Afghanistan being flown back into Sydney, and of course I did think of you straight away. So very sad xxx
jumpjockey, lal07 and LadyT - GREAT birth stories, thank you SO much! It's so useful to read them as it really does help me mentally prepare for the fact that every birth is unique and somewhat unpredictable - I second the call for "100 different births" thread on mumsnet... I'd even buy a book on the topic! Hope all you new mums are enjoying your time with your beautiful bubbies.
Also jump and theyoungvisiter do you have names/birth weights for your gorgeous HB bubs yet?
JB I had to look up what 'parkin' was - that means somethin you do with your car over 'ere Sounds yummy.
Verso how adorable your DD1 is! I read that to my DH and we both went "awwww". I hope the BF & sleeping continue to improve for you, you deserve it. xxx
HOORAY about baby mibbes' arrival !! Thanks for letting us know kate
arti what a PITA that you're unwell; glad to hear you're improving though, hope it continues.
Jam sounds like a bit of a nightmare with the pelvis/groin pain, hope you get it sorted soon (and that babyjam comes sooner rather than later). Have you seen a doctor about it? Sounds like you're having a really hard time of it
penny my DH is addicted to mince pies, but we are going to make our own again this year as it's not too hard, and he says they always taste better than the shop ones. You can just buy pastry & the mincemeat & do them in the oven. Might not be so practical when yr bub comes though! LOL
WG regards the maternity bras, I was surprised when the lactation consultant here said that post birth I may very well fit the bras I am in now, as she said that after the initial couple of days when your milk comes in, they then settle down and get back to a similar size. Although I'm sure there are exceptions to this, as every woman is different. So I've just got some general BF vest things and stretchy cotton tops for those days, and a few maternity bras that I fit now, and will go and get some more bras post-baby if needs be. I hate the idea on spending money on a nice bra that may not necessarily fit well when it needs to. I've always been pretty fussy about the fit & shape of my bras though. penny - I'm surprised what the John Lewis lady said though about having more room in the cup when the rib cage goes back to normal - as surely the cup size in the bra won't change from what it already is (although you may find the under-bust band will feel more roomy)? I might be getting confused though with what is meant there. I used to fit bras (not maternity though) and found that in general the same cup size in different size bands will vary, but they usually get less generous as the band diameter decreases (eg: the cup in a 34D is a slightly smaller than the cup in a 36D). It's really hard to explain, hope that is clear I think I'll just wait till baby's here to buy any more bras just in case!
kayz also wanted to say regards pools, I've heard the inflatable intex ones are good. Maybe do a bit of a search and see if you can find what people recommend for a cheap but effective birthing pool - and then afterwards you can always use it in the summer for a bit of a splash!
BTW I believe it was 31 degrees here today, just so you all know (actually I was a bit hot so it's not all that great after all if it makes y'all feel any better!)
Turnip - that intro is beautiful
and abby glad the scan was fine.
PHEW that was a lot to write out! It's pretty much time for bed for me now. I might just have to post an updated birth list before I do though...