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

[Ineedmorechocolatenow]

Here it is!

lucky you Dreamy what a fabulous surprise and how kind of your dds

Ineed - I'm in Hucclecote, was in Cheltenham until 2 years ago.

I'm only 34 weeks but since last week and lo seems to have dropped I feel extremely uncomfortable. Constant pelvic heaviness, bladder and bowel pressure, shooting pains at the top of my legs. TBH I'm starting to think I might deliver early - I'm sure I didn't feel like this until 2 weeks beforehand last time round. Had dd on her due date. I presume my dates are accurate, I had to go by scan dates as I really had no idea of when I'd last had a period

Need to stop moaning and use this opportunity whilst dd has her nap to plant my hanging baskets as opposed to chuffing about on mumsnet

mrsmc what's RLT?
daisy cooking is starting to be a little bit of a mission for me here too.
it aggravates swelling in ankles and SPD having to stand up chopping stuff up.

We had chicken and gravy left over and made chicken pie with it to freeze, that was really easy. We just added some mushrooms and stuck some puff pastry on top of the foil container.

bigcar and effie: redheads run in our family as well so I wouldnt be surprised if my little one is too, even though we both have dark hair.

dreamy, lol @ your shoplifting stories :D

silk I'm totally clumsy and I do hope the babybrain symptom stops as soon as I have given birth.

Yesterday we found the milk in the cupboard instead of the fridge, I must have put it there when I was tidying up . We had to throw it away. (It was neatly tidy in my defense.)

I keep having nightmares that I've left the gas on or other dangerous things like that, I hope it doesn't get worse!!

This morning I got up for breakfast and went back to bed, only just wke up again now, soooo tired.
I don't know how you guys who already have children can cope.

I keep having hot flushes, is that common too?

We prepared the "snack" bag for labour and it just looks decadent, a rethink is in order.
The midwife suggested to bring lucozade, I usually stay well away from that type of stuff.
Do you have any other suggestions?

I think I would probably actually prefer fruit to all the junk I've put in there (choc cookies, crisps, rich tea biscuits etc).
Dh was saying to bring some sweets I can suck on "to take my mind of the contractions pains"
Does that work, I didn't see it on the NHS list of labour pain management ;)

Got to go for now, it's harder and harder to get up from bed/seat/sofa and move about but I don't think my belly has dropped.

I am getting lots of BH though, freaking me out a little bit.

I'll try and catch up with more of the posts later on!
Awww, I love bank holidays and not having to worry about getting up on a monday :D

Hi Juners!

Silly question allert (I'll catch up later ): If you plan a water birth or simply have a shower at the hospital or birthing centre, do they give you towels or do you have to take your own?

I'm checking the bags for things I might have forgotten and suddenly I doubted...

naat - I seem to remember taking my own. Take your own anyway - good chance they will be too tiny or rough or threadbare (maybe not, but you will appreciate something soft).

I think I'm going to take a photo of the baby's room and my hospital bag (and I'm 35+2) just to see if anyone else's looks quite like mine

Oh, if you have a home birth you have to have towels at the ready, and you want plastic sheeting. They however bring some stuff and clear up everything afterwards, apparently. I think you can ask to keep the placenta (if you want to plant it under your favourite clematis or something), but not 100% certain.

Thanks, Daisy!!

That's what DH said but I didn't believe him, so I came to you girls .

Uhhh, great idea about the picture! We can compare and see what's missing!

Naat, I'm bringing a couple of (dark coloured) towels to the MLU with me. (and some pillows by the way, worth checking if you need to bring yours as well.)

I've got a thick dark blue cotton dressing gown which would be perfect to wear coming out of the pool to pat myself dry with.
That's if I manage to make it fit in the case :S
only thing is that the birth centre is already HOT whenever I go there now, I can imagine it'll be boiling in June.

Something else we realised today about freezing meals, we probably won't fancy chicken curry and lasagne in July....may have to rethink our strategy too!

Hey ladies

Naat ? hope you have a better night tonight hon don?t worry about the Strep B thing, pretty confused here too sounds like you had a successful shop on the towel question, it depends on the hospital. I took a towel and swimming trunks for DH, you are allowed to be naked in the birth pool of you want but he isn?t if you are taking your own towels, take dark coloured ones.

Ineedmore ? how are you feeling now, that was a bit scary for you???! I woke up all crampy this morning too and was a bit worried but luckily they have died down. I really don?t want the baby to arrive before 37 weeks and preferably not for another 2 weeks. When is Father?s Day?

Tee ? great purchases

Dreamy ? what a lovely surprise and what lovely treats! You lucky thing! Hope all goes well at Weds? scan. How awful about the baby in buggy incident whoops!!! LOL about the helmet

Silkcushion ? wow, those things you are feeling do sound like the birth might happen soon don?t they? Hope it?s not too soon though.

June ? RLT = raspberry leaf tea ? sorry! Sorry to hear you are feeling so tired, get as much rest as you can. I don?t drink energy drinks either but I found lucozade fab in the early weeks after DS was born especially as I was sleep deprived and breast feeding. I also had hot crossed buns for breakfast every day, great for energy! I have got dried fruit in my hospital bag just to keep me regular and I have got some sucky sweets, I was sick during labour last time, just once but it was nice to change the taste in my mouth.

Daisy ? can?t see your pics but that is a fab idea ? my Mum says my bags look like Malaga?s baggage hall feeling any better?

Job of the day was making sure all the baby?s sheets etc for the Moses basket and Amby are ready ? check

OK everyone - I issue a challenge to see if anyone else is less organised than me......

DAISY5'S BABY PREPARATION REVIEW

mrsmcjnr - I am starting to feel better thank you. DH just left for four days away, so am going to make sure I get to bed early the next few nights.

daisy I am about as organized as you are. I haven't even thought about my hospital bag. And the baby's room? Covered in summer clothes looking for a home that I cleared out of what will be the baby's bureau.

I do have a cot. It has no sheets.

I don't have my Amby yet.

Buggy is ordered, not at the house yet.

No baby clothes washed yet.

So, when is Tee going to do all of this stuff? In about 2 weeks when she starts her maternity leave!! Baby due in 7 weeks.

evening all hope you have had a wonderful weekend

been a bit crampy over the past few nights and have gotten a maximum of 4 hours sleep over 2 days which has not been good I have now also developed my pregnancy 'waddle' which i am very self conscience about anyhoo the thought of my LO in 6-7 weeks is keeping me going. got my next midwife appointment on friday so hopefully she will be able to tell me if baby is engaging, bump has def dropped since my last checkup 3 weeks ago and i have pressure in pelvic area feel the need to go to toilet more. I also have a scan on 13th to check the placenta, which i know is ok but don't want to pass up an opportunity to see my baby again

Had my first ante-natal class yesterday and it was ok, did get a lot of information esp about ways of getting baby to get into correct position, but some of the people there were acting as if they would have been better not going and kept interrupting the midwife and making fun of what she was saying (i hate to label people and criticise but they were like Neds or Chavs as known in England)

Going to Glasgow tomorrow with my mum, looking forward to it as not spent as much time with my mum since starting maternity leave. She is going through such a bad patch just now. my dad is an alcoholic and blaming her for his drinking. She recovered from a bad spell of depression last year caused by him and work and had to go through ECT (electric shocks into the brain) treatment last year. I try to spend as much time with her esp now as she is starting to get ill again over worry about my brother and SIL having a fourth baby in October!

Anyhoo didn't realise how long this post was and how much of a me post it is will catch up now

tee those were good purchases from IKEA good on ya

daisy I hate to say but I am so organised with baby stuff it's unreal I get a bit of a control freak when it comes to planning and organising things as i mentioned before my friends call me Monica Gellar from Friends I think the only thing I am waiting on is the cotbed to be delivered (220th may) and I need to buy trousers for baby, she has hundreds of tops but no trousers...poor thing Here's hoping you get a few nights rest x

naat on the subject of towels I will be bringing my own as not sure what state the towels given at the hospital would be in

june i haven't even thought about freezing meals, DH and MIL have taken the time off work for 2 weeks after my due date so they told me they would get bits and pieces for me and DH said he'd even COOK which I nearly fainted!

ineed I hope your feeling better the cramps I have been having are causing me some concern but will discuss these with mw on friday just take it easy and get lots of rest x

dreamy what a lovely surprise you lucky lucky lady! so of the hair cut, make over and gifts x

mrsmcjnr i have also started taking RLT been taking 1 cup a day since last week but took 2 cups today and it is actually tasting ok to me...or am i totally bizzare in liking the taste. Downside is it is only tea bags I have as everytime i go into Holland & Barratts they dont have the root tea left, fingers crossed I get some in Glasgow tomorrow

choccie I ope your feeling better and gosh at your sister giving birth to a 10lb baby, I have sworn I will not push a 10lb baby out of me but suppose I have no choice

A big hello to the rest of the Juner's

LOL Daisy ? fabulous photos and commentary hope DD behaves herself whilst DH is away and that you can get some rest. Good to hear that you are feeling better.

Lauraloo ? hope you can get the root tea tomorrow ? then you?ll know what I mean haven?t managed any today, cramps scared me too much!

Maybe we should list the things we?d like to happen before our babies arrive, here are mine:

? Get to 37 weeks (I?m 35+3)
? Get results of Strep B swab tests (test on Weds)
? MIL arrive (13 May)
? At least 15 dinners for DH & I & for DS in freezer ()
? Hear from Dr on what he thought of my birth plan ({hmm] )
? Baby monitor to arrive (won BT 150 new one on eBay last night )
? Need a nappy bin (still searching for pink one?)
? Get fairy stickers on baby?s walls so her room looks like it belongs to a little girl. (arriving with MIL)
? Get a pink bedspread ((hmm])
? Wash baby bath & top & tail bowl ({hmm]).

Then she can arrive whenever she likes as long as it is not our wedding anniversary on 2 June

hey Laura Have a nice day with your mum tomorrow, it's awful when people close to you suffer like that

I think I waddle too.
I looked at myself in the mirror naked yesterday and I can't beleive how big I am. I was kind of bending over to dry my legs after a bath (needed dh's help to get me out!!!) and I just look LAAARGE.

We were supposed to go and see Wolverine tonight but dh has been called for an emergency at work 3 hours ago and it looks like it's going to be a long one judging by the emails going back and forth

ahhh, sorry mrsmc I did try and guess "RLT" for about, oh let me think... the grand total of 2 minutes :D but my brain refused to switch on today. I would have probably figured it out if I'd tried harder ;)

daisy well, you gotta start somewhere and nappies is a good one to have :D
I think I've finished my labour bags, mainly because people keep telling me the baby will come early.
I'm 35w today and the bag might be ready but I certainly don't feel "ready"!!

We did an exercise at the AN class where we described a weekend with friends, pre-pregnancy, and it was all roughly:
"drinks at 6pm, restaurant at 10pm, clubbing at midnight, kebab after clubbing, back home 5am and a bit more drinking with friends staying over, sleeping until 1pm, breakfast at 2pm, going out for fresh air in the pm, nap and then start again with drinks at 6pm."

It was a group thing so admitedly dh and I haven't actually been clubbing for years but we still had all-nighters and get togethers with mates up until New Years.
It still made me go "awww, I'd forgotten about that!".

Followed by the shock of the other group's timetable "a day in the life of the parents of a 3 weeks old baby".
quite different.
(Although the point was to show that the needs were basically the same, food - sleep - interaction with other people).

Anyway I am going on a bit, can you tell I am bored waiting for dh to come back...

Hi Juners!

Lauraloo Oh honey, so sorry to hear about your mum It must be so hard for her and now she's not feeling well on top of that. I hope you have a great day out tomorrow with her, hon.
On a different note, your cotbed is arriving soon! I'm also like you, veeeery Monica sometimes So yes, I have almost everything ready because I can't help it!! DH smiles at me and just nods, bless him. at your ante-natal class "mates", how rude of them! Why on earth do they go if they're so not interested!?!?

Dreamy at your presents! So sweet of your DDs to do that for you! Enjoy all the pressies! LOL at your stories shopping around

Daisy LOL at the pics! Loved the comments, by the way And as June said, pampers is a good place to start
Hope you continue feeling better and that you get some good night's sleep these 4 days

Tee yay! Two more weeks to go!!! (for mat leave, that is )

MrsMC fingers crossed for LO not to arrive on your anniversary, but well, there's not much we can do with this lot, is there? They're pretty much in control
Hope your doctor emails you soon! If not, nag!!!

june I'm also waddling! DH smiles, but I know he wants to laugh sometimes hahaha. Sorry your DH was called at this time of the night Hope he can come back soon...

Hi to all the rest of the Juners!

Thanks to all for the answers/advice re. towels. Daisy, you reminded me I didn't have a bath robe/dressing gown and I just bought one from ebay. Thank you!

Our baby has no name yet, which is making me a bit nervous DH seems to like a different one every week and we're sort of running out of time!

I'll upload some pics tomorrow to share with you.

Hoping tomorrow is a sunny day!

Sleep well, Juners! No cramps, no insomnia, no weeing 6 times in the night

Morning all.

Oh yeah, naat, that's the other thing we don't have...a name!!

Have a lovely bank holiday everyone!

Morning

More uni madness here.

We get feedback on our articles which we are to use in our 'pitch' tomorrow. Pitch is small part of mark and to tutor and another journo. Anyway I saw tutor on Wed (as part of the research work I'm doing for her) and she told me my mark (72) but didn't have feedback stuff with her. So... everyone else seemed to finally get it yesterday but nothing for me although I had - like most of the class! - emailed politely to ask for it. Also, everyone has been given indicative marks as the stuff has not been second marked yet, so for example my friend got a very vague between 56 and 65! So, why did she tell me I got 72? And is this why she isn't replying? I'm getting pretty annoyed but I don't want to start fussing as I am working for her doing this research! Anyway, I can work up pitch without feedback, and I am going to see if I can get her in her office today (maybe it's just an email issue?) but it is freaking me out that I've heard nothing! Pitch is Tuesday am.

Homebirth group yesterday, very busy! Lots of suggestions to help with the breach, many of which my cynical dad laughed off! I'll try as many as I can anyway.

Sorry to be me me me, no time to catch up but will do so later!

Morning all

My parents arrived for a visit yesterday evening. My mum had bought dd a lovely summery pink dress, new baby a lovely soft pink babygro and me ........

.......... a packet of tena lady

She said she thought from what I said I needed them but would be too embarassed to buy any. Worst thing is I think I'll need to use them if lo doesn't get off my bladder!

Have a good day all

Trying to think of mess and danger free activities for DS whilst I am breastfeeding the new baby (and if she is anything like he was, I'll be there for hours). I am thinking an etch a sketch would be good, some of those aquadraw pads and maybe some lego. Any one have any thoughts??

Hi All.

Hope you are having a lovely bank holiday!! Here in the not so sunny swindon, I'm resting after my mammouth shop at the weekend!! I have now pjs, disposable knickers, doorstep sanitary towels and many more things!! I've fished out cot linen and blankets and white baby clothes to wash, back a bit of my bag and getting excited!!! Hubbys out side unloading fence pannels and DS is asking if he needs a hand---hes only 3!!!
Mrsmcjnr My dd was fab at sleeping ds still creeps into our bed most nights- but hopng when he moves into hs sisters room with her- while baby is small- then he may stay n bed all night- we have tried and failed at all different ways of him staying put ( he does 3 out of 7 nights)-- but \i need sleep and get sleep when hes with me!!! So one day we may get our bed back!!!lol x

Glad you all like my pram It should be here tomorrowYIPPEE!!!! I can't wait xxx

Might see you on FB xxxx

MrsMcJnr I had a special bag of toys for DD, when was feedng DS- and she had them only at that time!!! If I was feeding on the left side then I'd try and do colourng with her not very successfully!!! I would read stories or if really need to then good old cebebbies or whatever his fav programmes are.
I'd get a snack and a drink ready as well!!! I can't think of the others--hope that heps xx

Just popping in to wave and say hello all - DD's 11th bd party for friends on Sat, big family bbq yesterday (thank goodness we got the sunshine then!) and going out tonight so am catching up on post-visitor laundry now and not much time.

Have had a quick read - some of you are packing more stuff in your hospital bags than we take camping . If my home birth doesn't work out I'll be in there with a toothbrush and 10p for the phone...

Hi all,

just tried to mamoth catch up but can't really remeber anything to comment

Things have been improing in Devon, dd2 had her line out last wed, but I still can't get back to my earlier bedtime, have dreadful insomnia (although last night reading the baby names book helped ) I'm also waking in the night either with weird dreams, last night I was following dh as he was having and affair with a work colleague (totally NOT a possibility) and I wanted to wake him up I was so upset, he was and this morning when I told him and gave me lots of hugs but it didn't help with the sleep!!!!!

Also had the most swollen ankles so far yesterday, but I had chips with salt on them for tea which I think caused the problem. So sausage hands and sausage feet too now !

Daisy- my preparation are at about your stage although maybe not, dd2 is still in the nursery room as she will be moving in with dd1 in due course (I'm putting that off till after the baby's here). I have some stuff washed and ready to go (emptied out one of my drawers) but care plans for the dd's are only half done, and nothing sorted for their bags. The moses basket/ bouncy chair / pram etc are washed and wrapped and put back in the loft.

mrsmc- we have a big aquadraw mat which is great for non messy stuff and a thomas drawing thing (with a pen and stampers) both of which keep them occupied for a short period. I hoping this time they will occupy each other optimistic moi???

Silkcushion- at tena lady

That's all I can think of for the mo, have had 2 days out and about, took dd's to visit MIL yesterday and went to the v cold and windy beach, and then to a local jazz festival today.

Have to go and deal with a tantrumming dd2 who has just been woken up so she WILL eat tea in 10 mins!

Byeeeeexx

hya everyone hope you all enjoyed the bank holiday!

quick question is anyone else having extremely sore boobs? I am experiencing stinging/stabbing pains in my right boob only at the nipple area and was wondering what could be causing this could this be the start of milk building up, i thought this wouldn't happen to much nearer my due date any help would be appreciated juners