Due April 2009 - Sod the thread title, we will need a new one in a week.

[PuzzleRocks]

Welcome new joiners, lurkers, occasional updaters, prolific posters, and Nutty and Springy .
I say this one wont last a full 10 days.

Oh welcome phdlife - sorry am not so miserable! Oooh I would have loved to find out at 18 weeks, would have made the past 3 months so much more bearable!

Springy that sounds doubly scary Have a hug and a cuppa. Kidney infections can be soooo painful...you have my sympathy. Lots of fluids and hot water bottle xx

BB, sounds like stretching pains They're rubbish & make it feel like the baby's going to rip through the skin. You have much sympathy for that.

& how can they not be a bit alarmed at your 80 hour week? Really? I'm actually really & Outrageous... Definitely have words.

The car's not too damaged - they picked the lock, so it's just a bit scratched. It's really annoying though, because we were looking to sell it ASAP & obviously that's not going to help. But as I said to DP, at least they didn't smash a window or anything.

BB I know exactly how you feel, I work for a 'feminist' boss who is lovely in many ways but I'm not allowed to mention being PG at work..so I just soldier on. It's rotten when people don't cut you any extra slack. I'd be the first to say 'it's not an illness' if I got half a chance

Join the cups of tea and sympathy table. Oooh and I'm making Shepherd's Pie (the only theing I can cook half-decently) xx

Thanks, mathsmummy. I'm feeling a bit sorry for myself at the moment. I can barely move & feel like I need to pee all the time. The worst bit is I was okay last night - it's obviously been brewing, but I had no chance to cut it off at the pass

& I just saw loads of picture of DP's night in the pub from last night on Facebook. Men are so stupid. I say men, he was out with students. Boys. Boys are stupid. Most of the photos of of various combinations of people snogging - there was one (slapper) girl & five boys. Luckily DP appears to be the only one not participating. But it gives you an idea of the sort of thing. I'm probably mostly just , but I'm not in the mood. Want to cry

Special post to Springy:

I'm having such a bad day. It started okay (despite very, very little sleep) in that I went into uni, handed in my assignment on time & then went for lunch with DP.

You are a lot more together than some of my students. They are still trying to give in essays even though the deadline was 12 January. I think you sound like a super student and I would love to have you on my course (there are a lot of student parents on it and they would look after you, apart from anything else).

But then I started being in increasing amounts of discomfort / pain with what turns out to have been Braxton Hicks. I finally had a MW appointment this afternoon anyway (turns out the MW I've been chasing to no avail has moved to Cornwall )

Polite of her to let you know, wasn't it?

so waited it out. Got in & found that I have a serious kidney infection, which triggered the BH (& explains my terrible back pain & high temp that have developed throughout the day).

Aha, always good to know what's wrong; easily sorted now.

Get back from the MW to find that our car's been broken into & the Sat Nav stolen. They've also touched (but not taken, luckily) all of the baby clothes in the boot

Fucking bastards. Esp defiling the baby clothes. Bastards. They will surely go to hell now. Wash baby clothes in lovely fabric conditioner and cleanse them of defiling hands.

There have been good bits of the day - the MW & her assistant (there were two of them & one was 'just' a nurse, I think) were fab - the best experience of the NHS I've had so far. The kind of women that I'd totally want at the birth. She took DP's hands & showed him where the baby's head / back & bum are, & then let us listen to the heartbeat, etc.

Very nice, like the olden days. Did he like that then? Is he feeling a bit more involved?

& BH have scared me about real labour now - I was totally calm before

Labour is different - OK, it hurts, but that is a functional pain, not a warning pain. Get thee to ante-natal classes and to a doula sharpish!! And beg/borrow/scrounge TENS machine and birthing pool!!

You seem like you're in a good mood, Nutty Good day? I shall remember the talc related tips

& that's the impression I was getting, about the BH - I was making way more of a deal of it than the woman that I saw in the maternity triage room who was in proper labour. I got really panicked that I just wasn't going to be able to cope at all when it came to it. I shall trust you that they're worse than the actual start of labour, mostly because I think I have to

Announcement: NHS have finally rallied to my aid!!! I am going into hospital tomorrow morning for up to a few days, to see all the pain people and possibly have big things injected into me and so on. I am a bit worried, but pleased they are taking me seriously at last, and trying to help. I am not expecting miracles but hopefully I won't be quite so incapacitated when I come out.

Thank you, Boffin. You're so lovely

I'm really annoyed with my original MW, to be honest - not a word (not even a generic message on her voicemail to the phone that's now never on) & as such I've waited for ages for this appointment which could've picked up problems in my urine before it got this bad. But yeah, that's in the past now

& yes, I said that I thought that that's what the old school NHS must've been like - not this generally harassed, terribly-run business type thing that's going on now. It was really nice. & DP loved feeling the baby's position (which is head down, not engaged).

My antenatal classes start at the beginning of next month, so that's something.

How are you, lovely?

Ooh, cross posts! Excellent! It's about time! I really hope that they can help you.

NHS wasn't perfect 20 years ago by any means, but the midwives saw you once a month up to week 28, often at home if you wanted that, then once a fortnight up to week 36, then weekly up to week 40, then daily. They came twice a day for the first 4 or 5 days after the birth, then once a day for 5 or so days, and a couple of times a week after that for the caesarian mums up until day 28. They always did the heartbeat for you and made a bit of a nice fuss about how you were doing. They also talked quite a lot of bollocks half the time but we all just ignored that.

Nutty, that'd be great, actually. I was wavering as to whether or not to buy one, but it'd be lovely to borrow one. I'll pay postage, obviously. Will CAT you my address, if that's okay?

& Boffin, I wish it was still like that I would have only heard the heartbeat for the first time today if I'd not been a panicky first-time mum already. At 28 weeks, I think that's a bit strange. There's very little personal about the whole experience now.

Am going to try to get into the bath for a bit. Will be back later xxx

Nutty, shall I try to get you a BOGOF on the pain relief????

Springy, you can ask them to do the heartbeat every time - they are supposed to do it on maternal request only. I do actually think the NHS has improved a lot over the past decade, despite my recent experiences - you have to have seen it before to have any appreciation of how utterly shit it was in parts. 24 hour waits in A and E, massive mixed wards where young women were put next to dying old tramps, shit all over the toilets, doctors so knackered they mistreated you ... it's now pretty good considering how many people use all the facilities.

Boffin- yeah! relief (hopefully) at last. fingers crosed
Springy- poor girl, car broken into and things stolen and touched... what is it with people really?!
BB- oh not another one of those days! Girl, you must talk to your bosses.
Nutty-Lush is such lovely stuff

In other news (about myself) DH is on the verge of being slaughtered quite violently with a very blunt object in a mannner most painful...

How do you be open and understanding about someone's thoughts, fears, feelings, and yet express yours so that issues can actually be resolved?

I often start sentences with 'humour me a minute, but it looks like this to me' when I am trying to talk to DH. Nutty's approach sounds good though.

Hello all. I have been to see my friend today who has a son the same age as DD and a 10 week old. It was lovely to see how DD reacted to a little baby. She couldn't stop kissing him. And OMG my friend looked amazing. Just 10 weeks after giving birth she said she only has 3 pounds to lose. I guess having two chldren to care for makes the weight drop off quicker. Fingers crossed.

Phdlife - I have a friend who did not know she was pg until 26 weeks!! I have guessed both times just two weeks after conception. It is not fun, you didn't miss anything pleasant.

Nutty - Lucky for you we don't live in the commune. I'd have snaffled half your lush goodies by now.

Springy - Bloody hell, what a shitty day. Have they given you anythng for the infection. As for the scumbags who broke into your car, they better have some really bad karma coming their way, bastards.

BB - I hope tomorrow is better for you. I had one of those days recently. I had such greasy hair but just brushed a load of talcum powder through it rather than wash it. It worked quite well.
I agree 80 hours is not on.

Boff - Glad they are finally pulling their finger out. Lets hope you get the service you are entitled to now.

Bleu - stay away from the knife draw. I need to put DD to bed and I don't want to come back and find you have been carted off by the police.