Due April 2009: Episode 16 - BB's magical cervix dust prevents birthing. But Barbarellys Babies are here !

[SmuttyNuttyTaff]

here, that was close

Oh and Electra, my youngest is 5 too

hello hello from an excited energised frekkles. I've just been experimenting with putting mirrors around the garden and there is sunlight streaming into my living room! I'm so happy! I think i could love this flat if i can get sunlight into it, and now I have a project and am quite excited by the thought of making a reflective sparkly garden . Need as many mirrors as possible now, so if any one has any ideas of where to get them from that would be fabulous!

wow busy today, hello everybody! Hope you're all well today. Hope nutty's ok, been thinking of her lots. and barberelly, wow, good luck! can't wait for the photos. much love to everyone else. there's so many of us now, I really think there was a total shaggathon in july wasn't there?

mrs fossil, i'm a worse mother than you i think, as I already have tentatively lined up baby sitters for a couple of festivals this summer ofcourse i may want to take bambino with me, or i may not ant to go atall....but we'll see, doesn't hurt to be prepared! I'm really hoping to be able to express milk so my boyf can help with feeds and so that i can have a night out sometimes, is it problematic to do this too like you're mentioning with formula feeding? or is it ok?

I've been to the doctors this morning and everything seems dandy, baby is head down but happily the heads still free! there'll no engaging round these parts till april thank you very much! I bought a bottle of dr hanouska rose oil on my way home so it's time for the perineal massage to begin! wahey!

saw a great film last night (whilst hanging over a bean bag in optimal foetal positioning posture 1 ) anyone seen mystic river? twas totally ace! watch it ladies.

Rusks! Baby rice! Girders! All sound good. I have stopped taking the prescription iron which was making me feel digestively terrible (although I had stopped having those weird Victorian Vapoury moments, which was nice.) DP bought me a big box of Spatone last night but haven't started on that yet (to separate it from breakfast yoghurt, might have it after lunch).

Any news from Nutty? I can't believe what terrible luck she is having.

Thinking of Barbarella - ooh the excitement!

I really need to sit down and have a strategic chat with DP about Stuff and Organising, but I can't work out how to do it without putting his back up. Also in the evenings when he gets back I usually feel terrible so it might be better not to try to do it then. He is being really really lovely to me and I am being a terrible PITA (crying, no conversation, no energy, no imagination) so I have been putting off saying certain things. But I need to say them somehow or I am going to have some sort of ugly melt down.

It is so hard not to be physically able. I feel so frustrated. It is clear to me for the first time how getting other people galvanised into action is so much down to physical example - loads of the stuff I want done would be done by now if I had been able to get up and start it, DP would have joined in. Somehow just saying it needs to be done doesn't have any credibility, or meaning: I always have to physically start and finish every job that gets started and finished (DP does middle bits - starts after I have started and stops before the detail is done and things tidied up).

I have no idea how we are going to cope when we have a baby. I hope I will be fitter by then but basically over the past few months we have developed a slack tendency to be using 3 (THREE) rooms as crap rooms (things piled up, laundry drying etc). This actually, pathetically, REALLY stresses me, and he doesn't get it. I don't think we can afford the space for one crap room. I HATE things piled up in the dining room. I HATE IT. I just have this vision of me sitting with a baby permanently attached to me watching piles of crap rise around me.

(sorry, I know this is so pathetic in the grand scheme of things)

Electra

I'm in the middle of a mammoth trawl through the internet in search of a cheaper kitchen worksurface (since we first budgeted the price of the stone we want has doubled! Yikes!!!) and then if I can get a cheaper work surface (in time) am hoping to get a new pram so the other half of my computer's brain is taken up with a trawl through every children's shopping site available. Very confusing. Have to create a spreadsheet for both to ensure I get all the relevant attachments, delivery dates etc sorted. Kiddiecare comes up as cheapest for basic stroller, but NOT when you add in the extras (newborn fittings, raincovers etc)

Love the internet!

frekkles

Try a glass place. Buy sheets of it you can always decorate the edges yourself with tile or shells or something and would be loads cheaper. Wouldn't ruin any frames being outside either

Oh GS - sorry you're feeling down. It is hard.

I have had a mammoth blitz of tidying and feel much better for it but if you aren't fit that's not possible. Remind me - do you also have SPD?

I find laundry really gets to me. It seems to be permanently draped everywhere and however hard I work at it, there is never an end in sight cos we keep getting stuff dirty, washing it and then I end up just wearing things un-ironed and feeling really slatternly. (esp when I notice that other people's children are in pristine perfectly ironed clothes and mine looks like a little street urchin).

Could you and DH make the sorting a project for this weekend? It's always a hideous task but life feels so much better when everything is clean and tidy and organised. And you really want to start with a fresh clean slate when baby arrives.

i know exactly how you are feeling sarah, I felt similarly the other day. What really helped me was asking my friend to help me, i swallowed pride and asked claire to come and help me move things and a few hours of her help unpacking and i felt alot better. Have you got friends or family who can come round and blitz things with you for a day? failing that can you afford to get a cleaner for a day? it'd be £50 or so well spent if it helps you feel more in control again. or as lulu said get your hubby to spend the weekend on it with you.

thanks for the suggestion bronze. looking now. Anyone know anything about acrylic mirrors?

I'm absolutely shattered. Beginning to wonder how I'm going to survive the next couple of months let alone get things done.

Hi Lulu,

Yes, I am an SPD person. I would like to make the tidying a project for the weekend, but I have to negotiate. Strop strop sulk I don't want to NEGOTIATE I want to DO IT! Or, failing that, have it DONE!

I am now trying to think of something nice for supper: a clever wholesome tasty veggie non-dairy thing that will make him think I am still me and have not been replaced by a vacant zombie.

May I suggest red dragon pie sarah? i always put some extra veggies in too, depending on what I have lying about. and I usually put some marmite into the adzuki bean mix, and sometimes add mustard or something into the mash. yum yum...

I was going to suggest a similar pie! I do variations on the theme of veggie Shepherds pie all the time. Beans, sometimes soya mince, whatever vegetables I have that need using up (carrots, green beans, brocolli etc etc) topped with lots of lovely mash (at the moment I am very into making mash with a mixture of sweet potato and normal potato.

Or if you want something spicy you could make a veggie curry with dahl and rice. I make my curry really hot with loads of spice and fresh chillis and then contrast it with quite a sweet mild dahl (lots of coconut a dash of cinnamon, garlic and cumin & coriander powder) all topped with lots of fresh coriander leaves and rice.

Or a Mexican chilli (without the meat).

(errr - you wouldn't believe I have just eaten lunch would you)

Thanks, frekkles. Red dragon pie is a great name for a dish!

Anyway it is sunny here and there is no point in moaning - all very trivial stuff. Meanwhile, Barbarella's zero hour ticks closer...

Have just woken up from a nap (CM phoned and I'm still a bit disorientated!). I'm still catching up a bit but a couple of things that I will give you my thoughts on while I can still remember them...

Claireykitten - it is very hard (pretty impossible really) to assess blood loss in a birthing pool. I know that some midwives and obstetricians get very jittery about a water birth for this reason if you have either had a PPH in the past or if you are significantly depleted of iron before you labour. Personally, I think that this is silly because it doesn't really matter if they know how much blood you have lost because they will treat you depending on blood tests, not the amount of blood lost. The problem is that once you are anaemic, you have a significantly higher risk of bleeding. I would also argue that having a waterbirth is less traumatic and therefore could reduce your risk of bleeding. However, the sensible side of me does wonder how easy it would have been to have fished me out of a birthing pool while I was unconscious following a PPH with DD

As for mixed feeding, everyone I know who has mixed fed has tended to end their BFing fairly early on and has had problems with their supply at some point. I would suggest holding off topping up with formula and just BF more if baby is having trouble putting weight on, at least to begin with anyway. But, if it is a lifestyle choice, I do know a few people who have been very happy with their choice to mixed feed even though they all ended up exclusively bottle feeding by about 3 months. There are very few babies who would happily accept a bottle of formula just once a fortnight though (IME anyway) and you would need to give at least one bottle a day. You also tread a very fine line between not introducing a bottle too early to disrupt your supply but not so late that baby won't accept it. I've bought a breastflow bottle for this baby so that I'm not stressing about nipple confusion. I am expecting to be able to express this time as I had no problems last time.

What sort of trouble did people have expressing BM in the past? What pump were you using?

oh gosh It's so hard to keep up lately with the posts....

I'm going to moan too about being emotional and tired and feeling like things will never get done or cant get done...and the added stress of Dh searching for work and people wanting to sto over and bring 'treats' which I cannot and do not want to eat...I want my MOM! (OR someone else to take take of me for a while)

And now I have to go and try to sleep again I think because I really feel odd...
Hopefully everyone is more productive than me today!

DH just emailed saying he wants to take me away to Scotland for the weekend...but I had to tell him I just wasn't comfortable with it because of the money issues... I'm always raining on his parade lately, but I cannot help it...I'm really worried about money... It's not helping my overall emotional state at all.

I've caught up now so a few more things...

Frekkles, I second the idea of going to a glazier. We have a mirror in our bathroom that was cut to size by a glazier. It is quite big (Think about five foot by about four foot) and only cost about £30, if that. They would do special cutting to decorate the edge or frame it if you wanted. They also had a choice of thickness of mirror and safety mirrors that I think are toughened.

Oh, and Springy if you are about can you pester check in with Nutty again to see how she is?

It's less than an hour for Barbarelly now

Oh, Bleu. Can you put on a CD of your favourite music or watch a favourite film to cheer you up a bit? Or you could pop out to the shops and buy yourself a treat that you can have.

GingerSarah, sorry to hear of your woes. I too am sitting here surrounded by bathroom stuff while DH procrastinates on the repainting and reinstalling of cabinets. It is doing my head in. It does sound like you need someone to swoop in and spend half a day rescuing the situation. Have you thought of asking a doula to come in and help - post natal ones will whizz through sorting and doing laundry, bringing some semblance of order to the home whilst furnishing you with tea and home made cake and generally letting you rest. £50 well spent IMO.

News from Nutty: She is not at all well and somewhat worried. She had a very bad night. The GP has done bloods etc and I think she's getting scanned soon, but it seems like this pg is really starting to take its toll on her now. I will post later with updates.

Update from Maison Boffin. You are not going to believe this. Washing machine (John Lewis 2007) DEAD. Tumble dryer (John Lewis 2007) LIFE SUPPORT. Boiler (1997 so we will let it off) LIFE SUPPORT. Now fridge freezer (John Lewis 2007) TOTALLY FUCKED DURING THE NIGHT, ALL FOOD SPOILED INCLUDING FULLY STOCKED FREEZER READY FOR POST NATAL PERIOD, HOUSE SMELLS LIKE ABBATOIR.

My planets are in the wrong position, clearly. On the upside, the Occupational Therapy ladies came around and are bringing me loads of stuff to help everyday life; and the physio actually treated me. I know. He laid on hands and manipulated stuff.

I've just look out of the window and it looks like someone is chucking a load of those little polystyrene balls from the sky. Clearly it's hail, but it looks just like polystyrene balls!

Wow 40 minutes until the babies come....

Barbarelly will be getting ready for theatre now - it's scary I know that three babies are are much more of a change than one but knowing Barbarelly is going in today has really made me think about those moments before labour with me and the realisation that my life is going to completely change from that moment on!! How did you all feel when your labour started with your first and you knew that this was it and it really was happening?

Springy, I know re last night - when I feel sorry for myself (regularly at the moment), I have to keep myself busy or I end up in tears and in such a mood for no reason whatsoever!!! SO I decided to buck up my ideas a bit and just get on with it and it did put me in a better mood and my friend only stayed for 1.5 hours which was nice and was in a much better mood when DH came home!

Re expressing, I have a pump as part of my steraliser pack thing and bottles and it just scares me!!! People keep telling me to start expressing now which I really don't want to do - really wanted to do that as a last resort!

Now I really want chilli....

I think John Lewis need a talking to

Thanks for the update on Nutty, Boffin.

OH Boff! I cannot imagine how/why the appliances have all gone...was there a power surge or something? It's very strange.

Poor Poor Nutty. I wish there was something we could do for her...

It does rather seem like misaligned planets for many of the Aprilmums

I've decided not to try to sleep, but to lay with the computer on my lap desk. I'm hoping you ladies will help cheer/distract me some.

Am going to go and cook a huge pot of chilli in a mo!

Why are people telling you to start expressing now BB? You will only end up with tiny amounts of colostrum that you aren't likely to need unless you have a premmie. It's also not a good idea to start using a breastpump before your milk comes in. You do so much better with the skin-on-skin of hand expressing when it is colostrum that you are producing. You also produce such small amounts that most of it would be stuck in the pump.

Bleu, I can't remember, is this your first DC?