Due in June 13 - the epic continues!!

[katzguk]

new thread - so my home computer can cope!

LOL KVG - I was just nodding thinking '9 weeks yup, getting close now' when I worked out I've actually got 5 weeks 4 days!

Blimey Tea! Not long now...

Uwila is first I think, isn't she? Lua is also very early June.

OMG, we are all going to have babies soon!!!!

Berolina - good luck with your lounger thingy! Have you considered a wheelchair too?

MrsW - are you sure you don't have a touch of cystitis? - all that small weeing sounds like such a nightmare. did you get stretchmarks last time? the area around my belly button sometimes looks ever so slightly bruised...?

I feel so sorry for all you insomniacs - I woke up at 4.15 Sunday morning and had to get up as there was no way I could back to sleep. I felt 3 quarters dead by about 1pm and fell asleep on the settee for about 2 hours (managed to take my coat off this time though!). Gawd knows what I'd've done had I had to be in work or something.

KVG - Aw you were a teeny babe - how sweet! Of course you and your baby can come jump in my suitcase! Hope we can go - not had chance to check prices out yet though because I my very demanding dog made me take him out on one of his mammoth walks again. That bloody dog - he's dragged off the bed to go for a full half hour run with dp in the morning, if dp isn't here or do a run, he'll stay on the bed snoring until I take him out for 1 or 2 hours midday/early afternoon. Then our lovely next door neighbours take him for another long walk for over an hour with their two at about 5. He eats fresh chicken every day, he begs at the table and we feed him (a considered selection of our dinner),sleeps on the bed and gets his tummy tickled whenever he likes. I think he might be in for a bit of a shock when Pod arrives Which thread with the placenta is it? That's the Lotus Birth - I know I'm delaying my cord cutting but that stuff's a bit extreme even for me.

Lippy - I've experienced the block thing before when I was using explorer I think. I changed browser and it disappeared and stopped happening.
Do you think "genuine" Grobags (TM) are that much better than other cheaper makes? Is it worth buying the original? If you have good carpenter, stick with him - it'll be worth it! Good tradespeople are rarer than a singing caterpillar. you can get little speakers for your ipod - the ones I looked at were about £40 but supposed to be good - they fold out (like a book) and you can balance them on your bump if you so wish! I thought it was a bit pricey though, so might have a look at cheaper generics - knowing us, we'll only lose or break them anyway. Pmsl at your dp's distate of Corrie - haven't you trained him to like it yet?? He loves it now (well, tolerates it and finds Norris funny). Keeping my fingers crossed for you that the end is nigh re your builders!

Tea Blimey - that's only 40 days!!!

Hi Ladies

Just been lurking/visiting from the May thread.

Regarding the grobags, they are expensive from most places but try this grobags

Only £15 for most of the newborn sizes plus free p&p. They also come with a room therometer so you know if the baby requires any additional layers.

Hope thats of some help to somebody. Will get back to my own thread now

Hi Ladies,

I've not been about for a week or so, so I'm afraid that I can't catch up with all these threads however, 2 things I have gleaned....

Sweetheart, I am SO delighted for you!!!! Thank you for sharing your news with us all!!!! I was obviousy far too stupid to understand the QC refs.

Trib, I believe you've been offered the job in leeds. Congrats, my girl. Yeh, another northerner in the making !

Well, I spend a long weekend in Brighton with my family, which was, for the main part, lovely. I saw all my nieces/nephews/young cousins which was great. All the little boys told me I was having a boy and the little girls told me it was definitely a girl . A slight lack of objectivity there, I think. I was also laughed at for the size of my bump, which I thought was a bit mean (I know this is an ongoing complaint with us Junies). MY SIL even made me have a photo taken of me sideways on as she couldn't believe i have 7 weeks to go . I have also acquired a load more baby stuff from SIL (a different, slightly more helpful one), once again saving me a small fortune.

Can I ask 2 qtns. I saw talk about Grobags. I thought you couldn't use them for newborns. Am I wrong? Also, has anyone used those changing tables which you put across your cot? How much use can you get out of them? Are they a waste of money, as babies quickly learn to roll off them?

ps, It's good to be "back"

Helloooooo, Here I am. Thanks for missing me! I ahve had a manic manic day so no time to be online. I was banished to the spare room last night (actually my idea) so DH could sleep because of my cough. Doc says it seems to be allergy related (hay fever) and has told me to use my inhaler. It is the wee leaking thing that is beginning to get me down. I am alright during the day but by the eve my pelvic floor had given up completely.
I have scanned the threads, you have been busy.
Congratulations to TRIB YAY on the job front. Fab news, and glad your nephew is so gorgeous too.
I just have white stuff for the baby and just 9 vests and 7 sleepsuits (babygros). I want to get some wrap vests too but they are expensive compared with Tesco and Asda and so I am waiting till I know what sex this baby is before I get some.
I love grobags too. We have a 0.5 tog one and a 2.5 tog one for the winter (in different sizes) They are brill. We were always told to check the temperature by feeling the back of the neck. This is a bit easier when they are dressed. We just had a sheet and a cellular blanket to start with until dd was old enough for a grobag. DD generally wore a vest and sleepsuit. I loved her in sleepsuits and she rarely wore the 'outfits' people bought her as they seemed so uncomfortable riding up when we picked her up or fed her etc.
Pink - You can buy vest extenders for use with cloth nappies. I found these really useful. DD wore a vest aged 9-12 months with one of these last week and she is 2! The vest was big to start but even so it made them last so much longer and fit over her big cloth bum.
Bero - Sorry you have so much on your mind. I think you have reached a very sensible comprimise. Try and keep that baby in as long as poss as people have differing amoounts of fluid and size placentas etc so judging weight is hard. I am sure that your doc know what he is talking about (and certainly knows more than me) but feet up if that is what he is saying. Good Luck.
Glad I am not the only one not to use any of my labour bag stuff. The CD went on but that was it and I only noticed it after dd was born. We had a TV in our first room and I vaguely remeber the Oscars were on (over night labour) but DH turned it off I think.
Good tip from Lippy about hydration for babies. DD was 5 months when we moved here and totally bf and it was Aug, v hot. It is amazing though that after a few days my breast milk changed in consistency and produced a lot more thirst quenching fore milk (you can tell when you express) and the HV said our bodies adjust. Amazing huh. DD did feed alot more in the first few days though of course so remember to drink loads more yourself if you are in a hot place or you will get dehydrated and ill and be no good to anyone. DD coped with the heat a lot better than DH or I and just slept in a nappy and vest and lived in a t-shirt and nappy during the days. She would have been topless but our bodies stuck to each other!
I have gone from having nothing for this baby to feeling very organised. We went and bought a new moses basket mattress today and so I feel sorted now. Have prewashed all the nappies too. DH was nearly in the dog house as he didn't tell me about outbid notices from ebay on our email despite being asked quite specifically. Thankfully for him the nappies and wraps went for a much higher price than I was prepared to pay and so he is off the hook. I would rather pay an extra £1 (that is about all the saving was per nappy after postage) and get new.... More good news on the ebay is that the pop up cribs I was tracking went for about the same amount I paid for mine so I didn't pay too much after all. Anyway enough waffling! I am sure you are bored now. See I did miss you all and had loads to say!
By the way this baby is poking down below too. My poor bladder feels bruised. It is very odd isn't it?

ick it is getting far too soon

I put a water spray in the fridge. Will you actually want to eat in labour? or is it more for afterwards? I can't really envisage being hot sweaty and wanting to eat but I know I'll want to drink alot. I am sick of eating now as it makes me feel ill all the time. Also I have grown hugely fat of late and I am limping from a bad back as I have never been able to carry extra weight. I have always had problems with my knees and back if I put on a bit of weight because my muscles are so weak from past wasting. I'm just glad I've been refered to a physio now as I literally can't walk around the flat without pain, so I am stuck in agony mainly. I don't see how I can keep carrying this baby, my body is going to break if it goes on much longer.

I need to burn some CD's. Oh and I don't need a portible tv as they have tv's in the hospital. So I don't have to worry about missing wimbledon.

coop - what are vest extenders?? and where do you get them?

Jonah - I didn't use a grobag from newborn last time. I think they do make special ones now for newborns though. I won't buy one this time though...sheets and and blanket were fine for us to begin with and this baby won't need covers out here...
Also cot top changers. We nearly got one but I am glad we didn't as in addition to space for the baby you need a surface for the cotton wool, water, wipes, bags, clean nappy, cream, etc and I couldn't have reached all that stuff from our cot. I still change dd on a high surface and although she went through a rolling phase she never fell off as I never left her and it is SOOO much better for your back. I do struggle to change dd unless she is lying across with her feet to the left though. What I mean is you get used to ways of doing things. I struggle to do dd if she is facing me...Hope that makes some sense...[confused smiley]

Pink - Water spray is a GREAT idea. I took snack size choc bars too. Great for DH and for me after not during (I was sick). I will find a link for vest extenders. Basically piece of cloth with poppers at each end. V easy to make I imagine but having no talent in that area I bought mine and have used them all the time.

vest extenders . Hope this works

evening all

had a lovely dau with lots of visitors and just been out for a quick drink with some old uni friends whihc was really nice.

For those of you on the hunt for growbags heres a link to some for £6 but they are winter weight, also dunelm mill has cheap gro bags too.

cheapgrowbag

Cheers ordered some of those extenders they look handy

I wasn't aware that growbags were just sleeping bags! I already have one I got it a while ago because it was on the must have list of baby items in the mumsnet pregnancy book.

Do health visitors give you like a chart thingy or something about baby clothes and all that stuff? I think its really confusing the whole temperature thing and have never really bothered. I just looked and saw summer or winter. My pea sized brain can't cope with adding up items. Can't you just get a thermometer and keep sticking it in bubba's ear?

Hi again

I have managed to borrow some portable speakers from a friend, so that's the music sorted without me having to do very much at all - for a change Thanks for the tips though.

I didn't use a Grobag (TM) for dd when she was born. It was a very hot summer 2 years ago and we wouldn't have needed it, just had cotton sheets and cellular blankets, like Coop. I'm afraid Charley, I'm a sucker for 'originals' and don't know if the Grobag take-offs are as good or not. I'm sure they are, but I'm a snob and generally go for the 'real thing'

Pink, it's very hard to know what you'll want to eat in labour, if anything. I was sick during the day and couldn't cope with anything, I think I threw up the half sandwich I ate. Pack fruit if you've had time to get some that is still edible. Fruit drinks, or ummm those energy drinks (I don't know if they are recommended or not, but seem like a good idea) I had some salty crackers too which I remember nibling on. I would take some mini choc bars too, maybe some 'Celebrations' to cater for your every whim!! That way, you have the salty, the sweet and the healthy all covered. It's a bit of a lottery tbh, I'm not sure many women are scoffing much while labouring, but it's you do need snacks to keep up your energy.

Coop, sorry to hear about your pelvic floor and the wee You're definitely not alone. As a second timer I am much more 'leaky' this time round, it's most embarrassing and uncomfortable, I hate it

Charley, I don't believe we've discussed placenta's on here yet have we?? [evil grin emoticon] I didn't let mine and dd's drop off naturally (???) last time. But, we did keep it We planted it with a lovely tree

Time for some ironing and a soap!!! Dp wouldn't dare tell me to switch off when I am slogging away with a huge pile of ironing, never has, never will.

I have some Candide sleeping bags and the original grobags. I prefer the original as they state the tog value and are bigger in size too. Don't worry about the togs of things too much though. I think the rule is newborns wear just one more layer than you would to begin with and I guess this applies to sleepng too. And I heard the too cold is better than too hot thing too.

Lippy - Thanks for the moral support regarding leaks....
It is my own fault as I was so smug I had no problems last time. Def worse second time round.
LADIES REMEMBER YOUR PELVIC FLOOR EXERCISES. DO THEM NOW!!!
We should have someone in charge of reminding us on here every day.

They do those lazy bastard machine things for pelvic floors too. You know like the zapper machines you get to tone your abs. I am going to get one afterwards. I am bored of the exercises I did them quite alot until it became mainly uncomfortable because Bubba is so heavy now and ontop of my bladder.

Do you think its pushing it to get tickets for the Tori amos concert on the 4th June?? I am dying to see her and I'd hate to miss out. I could stay with my brother and take my hospital bag to london. I would be willing to risk it. I don't mind about bubba making an unexpected arrival at a tori concert just not in cardiff. I know it sounds silly but I just hate cardiff for the memories etc... but have no problem with going to a tori concert in london.

Evening ladies, still trying to play catch-up. I think there is good news about Lippy's loft, and berolina seems to have written a sun lounger into her contract, which seems like a very good idea for all.

Pink, if the concert is of the sitting down type, should be okay I think? I forget when you are due though.

Thanks for all the good wishes, I haven't decided yet whether to take the job. I probably will, though - we'd move to Leeds when bubs is c. 4-5 months old, so I will be calling on my fellow Junies as the only area of Leeds I know about living in is Leeds 6. (Shockingly, am not planning on moving back there).

Weirdly the job people seem very keen that I start before the baby comes. I have no idea why. Yet I have to wait for a medical questionnaire to be approved and also on references. I can't work after week 35 even if they want me to as I have to be at home every Thursday for the parenting classes. So I think at most I will manage about 3 weeks' work. Not ideal but I would like to get an idea of the job before we decamp to Leeds, so probably worth it - not sure what anyone else makes of this plan, though, I haven't worked since about week 7

I've been having a look at changing table thingies, I think the important thing is that they are higher than desk height so easier on the back?

Coop, I am doing my pelvic floor exercises right now (Possibly a bit too much information).

Food and hospital poses a much bigger problem for dh than for me, as he can always get me a sarnie from the shop but can't eat one himself. Will have to think about that carefully. I was thinking about asking for gluten free food in the hospital (it ain't great, we already know that).

Sorry, still don't feel I have caught up properly so apols for anything important I have forgotten!

evening,
trib-if its any help we've ordered the gina dresser which is a changing unit from the mamas and papas shop which looks great and even has a built in bath and soap tray.i also liked the fact that i wouldnt have to bend when bathing/changing the baby as its waist height.also it comes in ivory which we found hard to get anywhere else as everything seems to be pine! its being delivered on monday along with the cot so im really excited about that
know what you mean about the gluten free stuff-i'll also have to order free from meals for me at the hospital

Oh I found this thread late, didn't I?

Can I crash? I'm due June 21st

Pink, I'm planning to rock my way through U2 on June 14th, so I think Tori Amos should be manageable!

Isn't it exciting when your furniture arrives!!

Hmmmm Pelvic floor exercises, ok I'll do 10 now [bored face emoticon] I don't have any problems when I'm not preggers, thank God!

Am watching Supernanny, made me cry last week, it was too harrowing!