March 2009: Beware of TMI . . . we're getting ready to give birth and there's nothing we won't share.

[MKG]

Ok so I'll start it off.

Has anyone else had a huge increase in discharge? It's gone from clear and not too much to thick and white, and copious amounts.

Meep--It is true. Well I think that some people do and some people don't. I did in the very beginning and told my sister, and she laughed and told me I didn't have to. I've been spreading the word ever since. It kinda makes sense though, because I could bfeed after running three miles, and as gross and sweaty as it would be, no one would make me boil my boobs. I've got germs, baby has germs, bottles have germs. Lord knows ds1 and ds2 have germs.

A very quiet day here. Last night I got so frustrated because I've been a terrible mom to ds1. He's 3.5 and is so tiresome right now. I've been blowing up at him so much. Last night I was putting him in his pajamas and I just started sobbing. He was so cute as he sat and cuddled me and told me everything was ok, he actually said, "Mama don't be sad, baby sister's coming soon". He really is my best friend in the whole world.

I've got similar guilts every time I tell dd or ds off, MKG.....

hormones.....I feel so bad for ds that he won't be the youngest soon

Oh don't even talk to me about ds2. I think he sense what's going on because he's become so much more clingy lately. He's always been my snuggle bug, but lately he just wants to be carried. He really is a sweet boy.

FF-you won't lose what you have right now. It actually grows and morphes a little though. I remember the day I saw ds1 after having ds2. He came to see me in the hospital, and he just looked so much bigger, his face looked so grown up. Only one day had passed, but he was just so big and differetn. He wasn't my baby anymore, he was my big boy. ds2 will continue to be my baby boy, but I know when I see him after this baby is born he's go to seem so much more grown up.

they look so big and grown up, don't they, the older one/s?

at least having a third the older two have each other as well....

Yes, but ds2 is the one with jealousy issues. ds1 could care less if I play with or hold other babies, ds2 wants no part of it.

Dinny- Have you spoken to the consultant yet?What's the word?

yeah, dd (my eldest) is not at all jealous

seeing consultant next week - am measuring ok for dates so think it'll be a vb....

How are you feeling about that. Are you more relaxed?

Captain he's 31 months now :-)

been awake since 5.30am, which is quite good for me as it is usually 4.30am - my bladder must have held out a bit longer!!! Most of my early wakings are due to the need to wee then work stress hitting me between the eyes so that I can't get back to sleep.

Only 12 days left....................

I have just given permission for my dh to go away for 4 nights on his annnual golf lads thing when the new baby will be about 5 weeks old - am I mad?!

Dd is also a clingy one. She has only now accepted that me and dh sometimes cuddle (she now runs over and says "cud cug" and flings her arms round us both for a family hug - awww) - but if I dare talk to another toddler she gets very upset and comes and pushes them away from me.

Interestingly I did hold a newborn recently and it didn't seem to phase her at all - almost as if she didn't know what it was!

slick lol at the parallel lives! Good point about warming bottles - dd had a cast iron tummy so could cope witha cold bottle - but i know plenty of other babies that it woudln't have worked with. Luckily she will eat warm food - but she is still a fussy wee thing when it comes to solids (i found all her carrots secreted away in her bib the other day !)

dinny - good news on the measuring front - hope it's the way forward that you're happy with.

MKG the diifficulty wit eth bottle guidelines here is that they exist. As a new Mum it is so hard to just say "oh sod them" because then you get struck by teh guilt that you might harm your baby - even if common sense is telling you otherwise! It was the same with medised. Dd had Medised from about 4mo - then they banned it for under 2's and she hasn't had it since!

Aye, MKG & Meep I think in the first 6 months the main reason for sterilising the bottles is that milk is such a bad harbourer for listeria and other nasties, it can just breed so fast. But other than that, I am a big believer in letting them pick up germs and nasties off the floor and putting it in their mouth if they are that way inclind (sp?) as it helps build immunity. And I do think people sterile their environment to a detremental extent too with all those horrible chemical sprays. I only use those once in a blue moon. I just think in the first 6 months it's harder for them to cope with upset stomachs and obviously serious ones, like listeria.

Minus Bloody 7 here last night. DD2 had ice on the INSIDE of her window this morning!

argghh! The computer keeps dying. Annoying thing.

I have also been awake for ages, mostly becos I couldn't stop crying this morning. And not for any reason whatsoever - bloomin pregnancy hormones.

boobz glad there was nothing serious identified at the vets. Hopefully it'll just be a short term thing that the painkillers overcome.

Really interested to hear all the experiences of non-first timers. Never really thought of the jealousy issues, will definitely have to remind myself of this if we go on to have some more after this one.

Went to a breastfeeding workshop yesterday, this is my last NHS class before having the baby and I still feel like I know nothing. EEEK.

However, I did leave determine to at least try breastfeeding, but I won't be pressuring myself if it doesn't work. I wasn't breastfed and I was allergic to both milk and formula when I was little. And I have all loads of the 'side-effects' which are often quoted ie asthma, excema, IBS etc and I lead a normal life - but as these illnesses all run in my family it probably isn't saying that much anyway (and my sister was breastfed and she has all the same illnesses plus an additional allergy to pet hair!).

Anyway enough gassing, I think I may go and relax in the bath for an hour or so and see if I can cheer myself up. This maternity leave is great.

morning ladies!

Boobz glad that Jackson has nothing seriously wrong - a little R&R should be prescribed for you both! I can also empathise with the strange toothpick like pricking sensations in the inner cervix area - I have put it down to growing fingernails......

Re jealousy from other DCs - sort of along the same lines (and having no DCs yet) I am worried about how my cat will be feeling - she has been the centre of mine and DH's attention for 9 years now, and is the most lovely little thing, but how she will react when she gets shunted down the pecking order I don't know..

A quick update on my Gestational Diabetes and induction - saw my consultant yesterday for a growth scan and assessment and the results were fantastic. Baby is only slightly over the average in all measurements, and estimated weight is 5 pounds 9 oz (I was 36 weeks yesterday). I have been controlling blood sugar very well with my diet, so my placenta shoulod not have been badly affected, and the upshot is that they will hang on til 2nd March to induce me - feeling very relieved!

Morning all. Glad everyones ok atm.

I though I was only slightly anaemic but turns out it is very severe and if my levels aren't up next week with iron tablets I have to have an iron drip. . Oh well. Will have to see what my results are next week.

Re bottles: DS was BF for about 2-3months anyway but once moved on to bottles I used to make them up and just give them as and when needed thoughout day. If I had just made some he would have a warm bottle or if they were cold he had them cold. Wasn't botherd either way as long as he was fed! Also only steralised up to about 6months before I decided it was too much hassle and not worth it as I had 2 dogs which were very hairy and DS got the hairs on his fingers and then sucked his fingers and swallowed the hairs! Not very sterile!

Re sleeping: I am up at least every 2 hours. Slightly better now I have put pillow between the knees. If I roll on my back I wake up instantly needing a wee so pillow helps keep me still! Moving was agony last night. Mainly getting into and out of bed. Burning pain across whole belly!

DS1 is looking forward to baby I think. He didn't really understand but read him purple ronnies guide to having a baby!!! and he seemed to get it a bit more then!

Wheres Emma. Has anyone heard from her???

Morning Girls

Well i am 37 weeks Today full term !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Still feel like an OAP today, but the girls are both at school/nursery today so i am gonna put my feet up!!

Boobz Please to hear that all is good for Jackson, what type of breed is he? and how old is he? We have a black lab who is getting on bless her shes almost 13, she has recently started to get a little stiff, shes not in any pain she just struggles getting in and out of her bed ect, i have recently started her on some cod liver oil a few week ago, and already we have seen some improvements and her coat is looking fab!!. She is also almost completely deaf too but we use hand signals for her (like ones used at puppy classes) and has she coped amazingly well!!

goldmother Great news!!! Well done you!! still it must be nice to know roughly when your LO will arrive

babyinbelly Fingers crossed the tablets will work no wonder you have felt so crap!! hopefully you should start and feel better soon xx

I think Emma's got very limited internet access atm, I'm sure she'll be back soon when she's got something sorted.

Update on moi mainly subscribes to the utter chaos that is my life at the moment. Ofstead never turned up - which was actually really annoying, because I was feeling really good about it. DP and I went to get a feeding chair on saturday, broke down on the M25 and due to various issues and then the masses of snow only managed to get home again yesterday!!

We've also now got no car. And no idea when we will be getting it back again. We've had to leave it in Aylesbury to be fixed. Given that we've only had it for a month it's shocking how hard it is to cope with just public transport again!

I don't know the exact conception date for baby girl, but I know it was the last week of June literally a few days before DP and I moved - possibly at my work leaving do when I drank a loooot of tequila.

Has anybody else's baby worked out the amazing art of shoving their foot under the rib cage (painful anyway) and squishing a nerve so that you get pins and needles at the top of your bump?? It's not very pleasant! I seem to spend a lot of time with my hand on top of my bump trying to push her foot down and into a different position.

Only 8 days at work left. Hooray!

Yes, I get that foot under bump thing - v. annoying!

Dog is totally out of sorts - whining all day now and got the farts like a stinker! She's crying at me right now and I don't know what's wrong! I have to go out for meetings this afternoon but I don't want to leave her poor thing! She's a Weimaraner.

Got a new car in time for Bubs arriving - a Landrover Freelander, which is good for all this snow! And I love being so high up when I drive (am a bit of a midget).

Right - got to go catch the train!

xxx

Goldmother- That's great news!
Hopefully you'll go into labor before then, and all will be perfect. (Although my indcution with ds1 was a wonderful experience, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless it was absolutely necessary)

Good news gold !

Sorry to hear about the anemia BIB and that your dog still isn't well Boobz. Also about Law's car problems.

meep - You're so right about 'because the guidelines are in place you can't help follow them just in case'. I know that doing the water in advance and adding powder when necessary didn't do dd any harm (and she was more at risk than most), that was what was recommended then. Here's hoping breastfeeding works out this time and it will take away my angst .

Been out shopping this morning to primark to get some bargain nighties and pants for hospital bag. once big interent order from mothercare arrives I will be able to pack my bags. DH will be pleased with me !!

Just had to share, saw MW today and she's perfectly happy for me to have a homebirth. I can't believe how happy I feel about it, I really do feel as if a weight has been lifted.

Even though DS1's arrival at 31w was fairly quick and painless, I've been classed as high-risk all through this pregnancy and had countless tests, scans and consultations, and haven't really been able to relax and enjoy expecting a baby. This has made me really sad, as DH and I agreed that all this stress would finish us off if we had any more kids, so this will definitely be my last pregnancy. Just being told that they're unfussed enough now that I can try giving birth at home is bliss!

Now, off to buy plastic sheets and a torch on the B&Q site....

Oh and was a bit naughty and bought DS1 and imminent DS2 matching wedding outfits for the 4 weddings we have this year! (Black trousers, white shirts and cream waistcoats)

Law Poor you what a palaver (sp?) even worse when pregnant. I would have been really peeved!

Boobz The dog probably knows your going out and cos you left her yesterday is making a fuss!

Laumiere Hooray for your HB. That must be very exciting. I would love one but after CS with DS1 I daren't even ask. A VBAC is enough to keep me happy tho. Was nearly in tears at hospital on monday as I was convinced they would try and induce me cos I'm anaemic and slight protein + slightly high BP and really swollen legs and feet. No one mentioned it tho and I was just unnessecarily working myself up.

Good news tho! We have finally got a shortlist for a boys name if we need it. Alex, Luke or maybe Oliver. Alex was favorite last night. We don't want Alexander cos DP said he didn't know how to spell it! Ha ha. Any opinions on these welcome. Also if anyone knows meanings/personalities that would be great!

pghedgewitch I was prodding bump last night to figure out which bit was what but baby went mad and kicked hell out of me! Dont think it liked it somehow!

Hi mind if I join at this very late stage?! I have been reading posts on and off when I get time and you seem to have lots of support for each other. I am due to have baby no 5 on 23 March, so am now 33 weeks but honestly feel as if I could have it now please!

On the sterilisation issue I seemed to have stopped doing it earlier and earlier with each successive baby. What you do for no 1 baby is sooo different in hindsight.

Was amused to see in my notes from the MW that my son is currently LOL (left occiput lateral). Keep giggling at the idea of him lol'ing in the bump.