Due in June 2009: The final quarter - packing our bags and remembering to squuueeeeeeezzeeeee!..

[Ineedmorechocolatenow]

Here it is!

Hi everyone. Back from school run and having my breakfast so thought I'd log on and say hi.

Another gorgeous day weather wise here.Summer seems to have arrived

Still no news from my sis. She was admitted last night for induction. I am anxiously waiting for news. The poor pet really didn't want to have another long labour as her 1st was quite a marathon. What we all have to remember is that no matter how long our labour may be, the baby has to come out sometime and it is all so worth it when your little bundle is handed into your arms

I am being woken up at 5am each morning by nice kicks in the tummy. I felt the whole foot this morning. Cute!

I still can't seem to stop eating. Am I the only one that is like this?

Great bargains Naat.

Morning all!

I'm here to, off and on. I have a been handed a huge Power Point project at work. Its mostly graphics, but very time consuming.

Had a lovely night, including being woken at around 3:30 by very strong baby kicks! I like being woken up that way.

My DH, however, is in the dog house. I said to him last night 'Can you please take the bin out, its starting to smell and I imagine it will be pretty rank by the morning.' Did he do it? No. Did Tee throw up in the sink when she smelled it this morning? Yes.

Hi naat, insy, larua. ineed and ermintrude!

Yuk Tee.

oh tee poor you! I cannot deal with the bin since getting PG either, DH has to do it. And he sometimes does the same as yours... their excuse "oh, well... I'll do it now, there's no need to make a fuss?" Yay that you had a good night

Choccie as soon as I saw your name on the posts I said "now she'll tell us about the niece/nephew!" I guess he/she is taking his/her time You're right, though, no matter how long labour is, the end product is worth it

poor you tee I hate it when my DH doesn't do things I ask like take the bin out to be collected,to hoover the stairs (as we have a lovely wee cat the stairs get covered in so much hair), or to clean out the cat litter or food trays (now thats what makes me ill)
Hope your project isn't too time consuming!

choccie its a lovely day here too in Greenock, Greenock never gets nice weather so just waiting on it to cloud over and rain

Think I will try and start buying things for my hospital bag today...Primark here I come for cheap pants and nightdress (DH is ladieswear manager in local Primark so he can keep things back for me which are in the sale )

So I just got off the phone with MW about my iron levels. I told her I was on Pregnacare and she said it was rubbish and shouldn't be on it after 1st trimester! Better off eating right and taking an iron supplement!

Okay then!

So now I have to get my GP to prescribe some iron tablets.

Sometimes the NHS makes me batty.

choccie I'm another one who can't stop eating, I haven't had cravings this time but I think thats because I keep piling in the food, not too bothered by what it is either

naat I do pilates already, its great, started doing it after ds2 and noticed such a difference in my core strength, I used to be very sporty before ds1, well even when preg I played hockey till 22 wks and swim training till 37 wks but now I just don't have the time, I used to love hockey but its a whole saturday plus two evenings training and swim training starts at 6pm which is bed and bath time for the boys so will have to wait till they are a bit older... think I'll stick with swimming at gym as lovely to take the weight off

tee we have a waste food collection round here and chuck all left overs in food caddy in kitchen, the smell makes me retch, I make dh empty and clean it but he usually fogets, its horrible
did you have any luck about iron sups? I'm still taking preg vits, the packaging def says woth doing throughout preg but interesting mw disagrees, I'm doing it to ty and boost my system though and fight off all the bugs the boys bring home from nurserry, so far so good, just a cold at the moment...

Hiya all

wee question - I was wondering if breast pads come in different sizes. I am rather a large chested lady (38/40HH) and worried standard size ones wont protect me as much. Also wondering which brand is the best to buy, was looking at mothercare's range but then looking at tommy tippee ones just dont know what to buy!!!!

Also (sorry if TMI) but has anyone experienced any thick clear mucus when going to the ll
oo? anytime I wipe there is this clear fluid, is this normal??

laura no idea about the breast pads, but other Juners will tell us. Re. the other question, the same happens to me. Some days it's worse than others, but yes, it seems to be more than when not pg.

insy I hope I don't stop once the baby comes. I was sad to slow down last year when I left the gym, but pilates seems to work quite well and I was very satisfied with the results; as you say, your core strength builds up marvellously. I was a big change for me, though, as I used to do loads before, weights, bodypump, bodyattack, etc. My DH loves sports and running but I was never good at sports (I blame my parents ), and running bores me to death .

tee I guess you'll have to ask GP for a prescription, then. So when they cannot seem to agree on what to take and what is useless...

laura I don't know about the breast pads. I have some tommy tippee and some mothercare and when I need them I'll decide which I like better!

And the discharge is completely normal in the 3rd trimester. It even has a name that I can't recall right now!

As for me...here's the saga of the Iron Tablets:

Get Letter
Call AN clinic
Talk to Midwife who tells me to call GP
Call GP.
GP calls me back says, okay, but also want more bloods as there could be other reasons why iron is not being absorbed.

So now I have to go get more blood taken tomorrow to check my B12 or something like that. She has the 'script for me, but doesn't want me to take them until after my blood results are back next week.

Really, the price of the NHS is right, but their organization leaves something to be desired.

Glad to hear Insy that I'm not the only one .

Laura - I've been having that as well. Perfectly normal.

Hey ladies having some well earnt ball time after an exhausting time with DS at the park, he sat in a puddle of mud, under the sprinkler and was laughing his head off, sadly, he didn?t find the complete change of clothes as funny

Choccie ? any news of your sis???

Naat ? I love Vertbaudet, I got a lot of lovely things for DS (and some nice mat clothes for me) from there, well priced and so cute In particular I got a tiny cotton cross over cardigan and it was incredibly useful (for the baby that is)

Insy ? sounds like you and DH have a great relationship Placenta Pate ? not seen a recipe for that in Nigella?s Christmas book On the subject of core strength, I was quite shocked after I had DS how weak I felt. We went caving in the BVI when DS was 12 weeks and I really struggled on some of the rocks, my hips, back and thighs just didn?t feel stable whereas they had been very strong pre pregnancy. I really miss pilates, yoga and body balance, all things I regularly did in the UK.

Laura ? glad you are feeling a bit better today so far I?m with you on the cat litter, if Dh doesn?t do it often enough I get very cross. On breast pads, Lansinoh disposables are fabulous. They are expensive but so worth it. They are the only ones that held all the milk I leaked. I was a 36K when I was breastfeeding. A lot of the others you can see through clothes as they are small and padded, not a good look. Lansinoh have a lot more boob coverage too and are thinner. The increased CM is normal, don?t worry

Hi Ermintrude enjoy the concert

Tee ? that is gross about the bin, poor you throwing up! I beg to differ on the Pregnacare, I have been on it since June 2006 (when we started TTC) and my iron levels are great, never had any issues with them at all which apparently is surprising given my blood issues. I still think you?d be better with a more natural supplement like Floradix than tablets but I guess it depends how low your iron levels are. It wouldn?t do you any harm to get some Floradix pending those blood results hon.

Dear sis struggling to deliver so been given epidural. Awaiting an update. She was admitted over 18 hrs ago

Tee - has anyone mentioned Spatone to you? Not sure if will be what you need but you could ask. I needed iron with DS2 and it worked a treat. Doesn't taste very nice. Comes in sachets in a liquid form that you can drink mixed with orange juice.

Gosh, between the Anusol and the Spatone I must sound like a right old hypocondriac!

choccie thats a sin for your poor sis hopefully epidural will work and she will have her baby soon x

laura don't think pads come in diff sizes, I think the most important thing is they cover your nipples and don't slide around in your bra, boots do a slim line one that has a sticky pad on back which I found really good for keeping it in place. I think it also depends on your milk supply, I leak during pregnancy (am already wearing pads) and find that I have to change pads after each feed, I'm a 34D and I know mums with bigger boobs and plenty of milk who don't seem to have this problem, you'll prob end up trying a few till you find one that feels comfortable

naat I agree with you about running, very boring, prefer to be on my bike, got seats and trailer for ds's and can't wait till next summer when we can go out again

tee how can they make you wait till next week to take tablets? surely if your irons low now its best to get it up, do you know what the levels are? wondering if you are boarder line or need to push to have the ok to take them, would be horrible to feel run down for another week

choccie LOL at your hypochondriac comment.
Happy thoughts for your sis, hope LO comes soon

MrsMc your LO sounds lovely!!! I know when you're on the other end having to chase him and change his full outfit it's not that funny but I'd eat him up!!! When I told DH we had been talking here about the hospital bag and that we should start looking into that he said "already?" in a very surprised voice I guess 10 wks still sounds like a lot to him

Off to uni in a while to get some books from the library for the dissertation... I'm really lazy to go out these days...it all goes away once I step out, but the getting ready part is "yawn!".

mrsmcj I know I've not seen the receipe either I'm kind of ok with it if people feel the need to eat their own as its supposed to contain loads of nutrients and its what our cavemen ancestos did but serving it up for anyone else is way way behond acceptable, I did once hear of someone serving up breastmilk rice pudding too, although fine for dc I just hope it wasn't at a dinner party

I love pilates but have to go to class otherwise I don't do it, friend gave me pilates in preg dvd but I'm yet to put it on, all good intentions and then I end up vegging out in front of apprentice (anyone watching it? it makes me cringe at how bad they are)

Hello all - glad to hear that I'm not the only one who can't stop eating. It's driving me insane. I can't stop grazing.... I think it's the baby wanting more and more of my energy!

DS is well on the mend, tho it's snot central at the Ineedmorechocolate household!

Just been to the garden centre to buy more plants .. it's becoming a little bit of an obsession....

Has anyone else got dark pigmentation under their armpits? I vaguely remember it when i was pregnant with DS, but it didn't matter so much as it was into winter buy this stage last time. It looks as tho' I haven't shaved, when I can assure you, I am well-groomed!

laura - I agree that I don't think pads are differently sized and the important factor is really how much milk you like not breast size. I leaked loads last time in first 6 weeks and needed to have these breast cups in as the pads just couldn't hack it. The cups would be full sometimes in an hour there was so much milk coming out. I'm telling you there is a gap in the market here, the ones I had to use are actually supposed to be for nipple protection, there seems to be nothing specifically for milk collection. Anyway, enough on that! Most women don't leak nearly as much as I did!

Choccie - Your poor sis, hopefully it will all be over soon!

Tee - Ugh at the bin. Ugh, ugh, ugh. Definitely agree that is a job for partners whenever possible!

Naat - Good luck in the library. I've been in uni since 8.30am although it's not all work as you can tell. Hanging around for another half hour and then off into town for lunch, possible bra buying and my final interview for my final article! Wooooo

Oh, no dark pigmentation here Ineed...

And on the plants thing, we got some stuff for window boxes a while ago and a few days ago planted some seeds in seed trays (beetroot/parsley and basil, who knows why) and now shoots beginning to appear which is fab.

DS's class sang 'Supercalifragilistic etc..' and 'A Spoonful of Sugar'. And I did cry, discreetly, but I was by no means alone! . It's his Star Wars disco tonight, does the fun never end?

laura I ended up using washable breast pads which were great, although you don't want to leave them too long before washing (cheese pads anyone?). They sell them in little laundry bags now, usually 3 pairs in a box, and I got by with 6 pairs but have a few more this time round. Shaped disposables for out and about were fine and there are quite a few of them on the market. Depends on how leaky you are, which doesn't depend on size of bozoom, so you may have to try a few.

Tee what a palaver about bloods. My test results aren't back yet (from Mon) but I'm taking the Spatone anyway. Hope they get you (or you get them!) sorted soon.

Ineed do you have a linea nigra as well? The dark line down the centre of your belly - much more common the darker-skinned you are. Since I'm Celtic-bluey-white I've never had that, but I expect the other pigemntation is linked. I must confess that my armpits are au naturel and likely to remain so - they're not hugely dark or bushy and I just can't be bothered to shave at the moment

Choccie looking forward to hearing your sister's news!

insy I asked the GP that and she said that with it 10.6 its borderline (below normal, but apparently anaemic is 10.4?!?!) and she'd rather we find out for sure why I am not absorbing iron (since she knows I take Pregnancare and totally disagrees with Midwife, BTW, about its usefulness!) rather than just keep giving me more and more iron, which can be harmful for the baby.

chocci spatone has been mentioned to me, and I also asked GP about this. She would rather I start with the tablets and if I react to them, then try something like Spatone.

I actually don't feel that bad. I have been anaemic before and was exhausted. I mean, I am tired, but I am 6.5 months pregnant! I was really surprised to hear my iron levels are low!

Afternoon ladies!

Am v tired today, as baby Bunny has been kicking the stuffing out of me at night, so can't sleep, then trying to sort our house move by day. She is a sweetheart, but would appreciate a quieter night tonight so I can sleep. Its body shaking stuff!

Laura - I have been having to wear pads every day for a while now. I read its normal, too.

MrsMcJnr - your DS does sound like a darling. Our new place has a utility room, and sounds like I will become very familiar with it! Packing going OK, need to make a big push this afternoon then DH and I will finish it tonight. Or will it finish me?

Inneed and choccie - could I borrow either of your names, by any chance? Not only am I eating loads, but am really loving chocolate around about now. Not sure if its the packing, or the baby, or both. Certainly its nothing to do with me!

choccie - your LOs school concert sounds so precious! Hope you have a video camera. My DH got one as soon as we even started to think about TTC. Not for the conception, mind you

Naat - congrats on the bargains! I just found out that I won a miracle blanket on ebay, maybe I just better watch that video another few thousand times to get the hang of it . And I won't be crying, it will be something in my eye. Am v glad I am moving now, as I insisted on packing myself (clearly I am insane as well as pregnant), so wouldn't want to do it in 8 months. Please take it from me and outsource the packing! Get everyone else to do it. You just pat your tummy and take it easy!

Tee - I hear you re the NHS and the inconsistent / incomplete advice. Like you, am loving the price, but having to ensure I manage my medical care myself (ie ask 100 questions and be stubborn about getting information - am a delight ).

OK, back to packing! Hope you are having lovely afternoons!! Looking forward to the first "am at our new place" post - how sweet that will be!

Bunny Baby's keeping me up all night as well What's annoying is that the way she is at the moment dh can't actually feel her very much at all.

I had a bath today, bit of a mission to be honest. Especially since my "baby brain" decided to unplug it and let all the water out instead of switching the tap off. ???? I was really bemused when I went back to find the tap still running and all the water gone.
It was lukewarm and hard to get out of, not gonna do it again for a while.
.

Also went to the dentist today, (dh forced me cause he has to go.)
They can't do anything until they do an x-ray and won't do an xray until the baby is out so overall pretty pointless, but free :D
She told me my gums were a little inflamed, I didn't need her to tell me, I know

Have you guys sent your health in pregnancy grant form back? You have to do it within a month of the midwife signing it. Mine's been sitting in my handbag for nearly three weeks now.
I keep taking it out with me to post it and coming back home with the envelope still in my hand. I used to be so sharp!!