Due in September 2009: we are now officially blooming!

[StealthPolarBear]

Even if it doesn't seem like it most of the time

Welcome Minshu!!

My advice on maternity leave is not to set anything in stone - I thought 6months off with dd would be enough but she woke 6-8 times a night until she was 4months old, then at least twice a night until she was 7 months - so going back to work was NOT an option!! And besides - the time goes so fast, before you know it your 12 months is up!! I went back to do 1 night shift a week and that left dd with her dad for a day while I slept, but now I'm on 'light duties' and working in the day time, she has to go to nursery -she only goes 1 morning a week and she started going at around her 1st birthday - to be honest - wouldn't reccommend it! Between 12 & 18 months is a really clingy age apparently and evidently! She is really sociable so thats not the problem, but 1 day a week at nursery isn't enough for her to get used to it - they're actually better off going for at least 2 full days and starting sooner rather than later - by 12months she really understands the whole 'stranger danger' and is sooooooo clingy at the moment!

So just play it by ear would be my advice - tell work your taking the whole year, then you can always go back earlier if you feel up to it - most companies would rather hear your coming back sooner than asking for more time off eh?!

Hope that all makes sense!?!?!?!

..........And although the maternity pay is SHITE and you wonder now how on earth your gonna survive - you kinda just get used to it after a while, even if you go back to work the same hours as before your still forking out for childcare, so make the most of your full time wages now girls!! spend spend spend hee hee!!

Poor you Blue that sounds rough

How lovely that we are still gettng newbies , hello to you.

I am getting an extra scan next week - a super detailed one by an expert in foetal anomalies - after my triple test result came back with a high risk of DS . I was offered an amnio but have refused it for now, if the scan doesn't show any obvious problems with the baby then I won't be taking the risk. THere's a 1% miscarriage risk with amnios which isn't much I know but is still too high for me. I'm being sent to Queen's in Nottingham rather than staying with our local maternity unit so I'm hoping they may be able to reassure me. FIngers crossed.

Maternity leave - I had 6 months off with dd an in all honesty I wasn't ready to go back but we had run out of money so I had to. I was working full time and commuting and I hated it. Now I work three days a week and I think I will find that far easier to deal with. I'll probably stay off for as long as I'm still being paid (only stat maternity pay but better than nothing) so that's 9 months. I worked until 37 weeks with dd and am hoping to go that long again, so that takes me to mid-late August.

TigOeuf, i hope for you that the detailed scan shows that everything is ok. i think i would be the same about amnio - the risk seems quite high.

I have stayed at home with ds since he was born. I'm lucky enough to have the choice to do that just on dh's wages. I did try to start him at nursery at 18 months, but it just really really wasn't working, so I got a good babysitter instead and ds is quite happy spending time with her. I figure he'll start a preschool kind of thing at 3 or 3 1/2 and that's probably soon enough for both of us!

TigOeufFeet AKA Tigerfeet ?!?

Is that you ?

Hello BE yes it's me

The one who was too stupid to refuse the triple test.

I got the results on Monday, saw the cons today, I think he wanted me to do the amnio but no way, regardless of where we are I would never terminate so why risk it?

I will give you a call tomorrow, dd permitting

The risk is 1:75 so probably no need to worry at all, but I have been ridiculously hormonal upset. I feel better now that they have said I can have a scan instead of an amnio.

Oh Honey, I have everything crossed for you, hope your scan goes well.

Of course ring whenever you want.

Thanks babe x

This moves fast. I agree with what was said about the pink/blue clothes. We really struggled to find neutral colours for DS. In the States it seemed like 'everyone' found out the sex and bought clothes/equipment and decorated the nursery to suit with no thought about the gender of subsequent babies. Expensive way to do it.

One young couple in our antenatal class had been told they were definitely having a girl. The baby was born prem and she came back in to show us pictures of their little boy. They were madly repainting the pink nursery.

Oh no Tiger - so sorry you are going through this stress, esp. after all your stress with dh's illness I don't blame you for not wanting to take the risk re amnio - I'd have been the same tbh. Hope all goes well with the scan. Fingers crossed. The screening tests seem to be very unreliable from what I've read - the error for margin seems to be about 30 percent which is very high imo.

Hang in there Tiger.

The accuracy of the test shocked me tbh, and really helped with my decision to refuse the amnio, at least for now. If the scan shows anything of concern we may well reconsider. Roll on next Wednesday, in a way I'm looking forward to seeing my baby again, I might be able to see the gender

Will you be looking for a winky Hope you can try and distract yourelf a bit between now and next wednesday

I think DH would like to see a willy, DD has expressed a preference for a little brother and FIL has put in a request for a grandson named Thomas

I feel much better now than I did yesterday, I think I'll be fine, I've jsut eaten an extremely large cream cake which has helped enormously!

Good for you

Good morning. Hang in there TigOeufeet- I refused the blood tests and the amnio because I got a 1.5 nuchal fold result on both babies. What could I do if one had it and the other didn't? The blood test on two can make you more worried so I just took the results as a positive. Will try to put pics of bunnies etc on my profile.
ps welcome all newbies

Welcome newbies!

Ah thank you all for your kind words - I've wound my neck in and calmed down now...got the driest hands from washing all the dishes tho!! Haha. Although someone did give me a tip for dry hands which really works - loads of handcream, put rubber gloves on and wash the dishes - baby soft mitts!!

Re maternity leave...I haven't decided between 6 and 9 months yet. When I do go back I'm going part-time. DP is as well and we are going to share the childcare...

Good plan blue and glad your hands are baby soft despite being over-worked

TigOeufeet - cream cake....one with a bit of jam on the top?! Will be thinking of you weds,x x

Maternity leave is a big 'grrrr' for me, not sure if will be able to afford 6 months, my wage pays the mortgage so is really needed. Would love to go part time, but with less pay and childcare to pay for as well thats not an option either . Poor bubs is going to be in nursery 9-5.30 three days a week and 1.30 - 5.30 two days, I finish at 6 as well every night! Guilt kicking in already...

Hi everyone. I've been away fo a few days ... phew lots of posts to get thorough.

Here's my fourpenneth on the buggy matleave front etc.
We have a micralite fastfold and would reccommend them, very light, big wheels great for mild offroading (mainly National trust properties and local woodland)light for urban use. The newish Toro looks great.

I originally had a Silver cross 3D which I would also recommend but it is heavy and I have since sold that on. We have the carry cot for the micralite and hope to use that. With a buggy board for DD ( although it does not seem to be on the list of approved buggies)I found someone in the internet who tells you how to fix it on. I will try with a friends first, then if I am not happy I will look at getting a cheap 2nd hand buggy off Ebay.
I also used a sling quite alot. A baby Bjorn and a coorie. I also have a babyhawk mei tei.

Last time I took about 5 months mat leave (DD born in feb) then went back to work full time for 3 weeks to get my full time summer holiday pay (3 weeks work for 8 weeks pay) Dh had DD for this time and I expressed every lunchtime in the sensory room Then after the hols I went back three days a week. This time I will probably take about 6 months off and go back 3 days again, although redunancy is hanging over Dh so if that happens it will be 8 weeks and back full time.

I saw the midwife at the surgery on tuesday and she seemed very nice and interested in me agreeing that it was quite likely that D had got herself stuck in the breech position. She did not seem concerned (like the booking in midwife) about dd's birth weight (5lb 9) saying at my size 4'11 I was unlikely to grow a big baby. I asked her if she went by the old wives tale about foot size and pelvis size and she said yes, I only take a size 2, but she did make me feel better about the prospect of a VBAC.
Sorry I couldn't tell if it was a train of a horse.

Apologies about the length of the post too

hi everyone
been away for ages - just keep losing this thread of the list so loads of catching up to do

hi everyne
Congratulations TickList
Sorry you're having a hard time blue. Hope your DP's arm heals before the next time the cast comes off.
Welcome to the new people!

oh and have just bought one of the boy/girl predicotr things from ebay...will let you know.

Well apparently I have an 80% chance of having a girl.
We'll see, hopefully a week on Wednesday!
Would love a little girl, otoh would love to be the mum of two boys - think someone else has said that further down