Anybody else due in NOVEMBER 2009 :-) PART 2

[Koumak]

Ladies, it seems that we do not know when to stop!
Here is another thread. Let?s hope it?s just not the tread that moves that fast - let the weeks fly!
I jsut have to work out how to link the old one now!

Oh, and just wanted to wish you luck, iggypiggy and pedalmonster for your scans. And katster37 you're not lazy, your pg!

Wow, I haven't a hope of catching up with you guys !

I've steered clear of the laptop recently because it makes me feel ill. In fact, since I had my 'I've no MS' panic, the sickness has returned. Not quite with a vengeance - the 100% can't get off the sofa, the world is spinning, my innards are in turmoil, don't-even-speak-to-me sickness has, thankfully disappeared on the whole, but I still have nausea with less debilitating symptoms. Although, somehow, it still manages to debilitate me

I'm finding that it's much worse if I'm doing nothing and allowing myself to feel sorry for myself. I've had mid-morning surprise vomiting, but only at the weekends or during the Easter hols! The only things that help me are apples (and keeping busy) at the mo - and I don't usually like them very much. The keeping busy thing is hard, though, when on hols and the sofa calls...
The MS is much more manageable with this pg than it was with my last - I didn't manage dinner for 3 months, and had to eat breakfast at 3am and DH turning over in bed made me want to throw up. Thank goodness!

Anyhoo, enough about me. I hope you're all doing ok. I've got my booking in appointment tomorrow, and really hoping that they manage to get me a scan date reasonably close to 12 weeks. I heard a horrible story this week about a girl who had her 12 week scan at 16 weeks, only to find out that the virus she had at 12 weeks had caused spina bifida-type deformities and could have been picked up/dealt with much earlier had she ahd her scan on time. She miscarried.

Belgian Bun What are the two circles?!!! on the scan I mean-I thought it would be bigger and only one!!
Good luck iggypiggy got my fingers, toes and eyes crossed!!! And good luck to pedalmonster!!
I was retching y'day-first proper nausea but its alright today luckily! And I know what some of you mean by the spit!! Gross!! But apparently mouthwash and lots of water helps with that!
Kaster wave to me as you pass Truro on your way to Penzance!! And if you are in Truro-my shop is United Colors of Benetton come and say hi if you pass!

Good luck with your scans iggypiggy and pedalmonster, hope it's good news for you iggypiggy.

Thanks for the website link belgianbun Isn't it facinating seeing how our little beans will develop!

katster don't be too jealous of my scan picture, it is literally a blob! The 12 week scan pictures are much better. When I was being scanned my dh was saying things like, wow look at the head and it's little arms waving and I was thinking all I can see is a blob

Just told my best friend the news and she is really excited for me, can't wait to tell the rest of the world! Also, spoke to my midwife and she is arranging my next scan, feel like things are starting to happen now, so exciting!

forgot to say to all those who are feeling freezing - I had this really bad with my mmc last time and promptly went out and bought a woollen knitted cardi-coat. It has been a godsend this time - I'm never out of it!

Sorry belgianbun I should have really thought before I posted that. I'm just a bit preoccupied by it. Thanks for the link - it's brilliant to see things in 3D.

About looking for a job while pregnant - hmmm, tough one. Employers should not discriminate against you but to be honest they probably will "invent" a reason why someone else is better suited if they do know! I don't think you are being unethical if you hide your pregnancy - until you have an offer. Once you are negotiating your offer - theoretically thats when you would tll them. I think you have to tell the employer 15 weeks before you go on maternity leave.
I think there are laws about this but I dont know - try googling it?
You will not qualify for statutory benefit though - for that you have to be employed at the time you fall pregnant. So you should be able to still get the "benfit" variation of statutory maternity pay which is the same amount.

But the employer may not ask you about if you are pregnant /etc. that is illegal. If they do, you dont have to answer, just ask how it relates to being able to do the job. (they may have valid reasons - eg if you are applying to be a loader / farmer etc)

hey - has anyone seen this?

campaigns.direct.gov.uk/money4mum2be/index.html

apparently it is a grant of £190 that we are entitled to after 25weeks prg. woohoo - just signed up for the reminder!

I know two people who got new jobs while pregnant, they both told the interviewer during the interview and still got the jobs! I am sure an employer is not allowed to discriminate against pregnant candidates.

I need to think about SMP as I am freelance but not yet...wait until after 12 weeks I think.

That grant sounds good! Yeah! I like that. I did some freelance work writing some of these sorts of web pages for directgov a couple of years ago. Ask me anything about claiming your state pension and I can tell you all!

Anyway, better do some more work . I felt quite sick this morning but not so bad after lunch.

I find apples work for me too! I have a ginger nut and an apple every morning when I wake up.

Thank you for the link Pedalmonster. I just signed up for the reminder too. Thank you for your thoughts on the job situation too. I have been googling it a lot and it seems quite a few women have had the same problem and there's a strong feeling of a woman's right to work and not to be discriminated against. Part of me agrees (especially since it's just early days in the pg at the moment) but part also feels like a fraud.

Hey-ho, I'll carry on applying until at least I'm after 12 weeks and more sure about things. I'm working from home at the moment, so all is not lost, but really wanted to get back into 'normal' office work.

Thanks again.

I have my first scan tomorrow. Can't wait.

What a gorgeous day it is today! I'm off to see a friend's baby soon. I have no idea about babies hahah (never been around them at all!), so will try to observe carefully without giving too much away

Wow BeckyBendyLegs, they really said that during the interview! How brilliant that they were still employed. Why not? I'm feeling less guilty now

katster - I don't know yet when the scan will be, I think the midwife will book that when we (finally) meet on the 17th. I don't really mind to have to pay for the scan in Austria as I used to have a private gynaecologist in Vienna who I saw about twice a year (she was recommended to me so I preferred seeing her). I was very determined to wait for my offical scan and not go for an earlier one (to give the NHS system a chance) but I guess, having a scan after 11 weeks is not a nerveous early one anymore. And I really want to have a scan before telling everyone. The only thing that I am a bit scared of is to discover at a very late scan that I actually had a mmc, like that terrible story that hobnob has shared with us.
Btw, I too find my symptoms usually worse if I am not busy and have time to "suffer" like today.
brightonbaby - I guess you shouldn't tell them in the first interview but it is better if you continue to look for a job. After the birth, would you like to go back to work as soon as possible or do you consider to stay at home with the child? In that case you could try to just get a short-term contract. I think it would be better for you to be a bit busy during your pregnancy otherwise those 9 months will get even longer.

Hi all I haven't been on here in a few weeks cause I've been toilet training my DS and fingers crossed everything is going well with it, he's dry through the day and night now, although the other day he took himself off to the toilet did a wee through this trousers so that still needs a bit of work.
Love and hugs to everyone having a bad time at the moment.
MS arrives in the afternoons about 4pm, not been sick but just feel like I could chuck, I made 3 batches of cakes on friday for a cake sale the next day and how I didn't throw up in them I really don't know. I saw the midwife on the 25th and I have a scan booked for the 27th so that will make me 13 weeks then and because I have problems with my blood pressure I am classed as non low risk. DH goes back to the UK on the 19th for a week so will be back just in time for the scan.

brightonbaby they were both just about 12 weeks if I remember. One was applying for a job where I used to work and I remember her 'future' boss saying that he thought she was the best person for the job and that he'd just have to find maternity cover when the time came. But as ursigurke suggests perhaps you could look for short-term contracts: such as maternity cover perhaps? Kind of ironic I guess!

Interesting posts about looking for work etc.
I am freelance, for want of a better way of describing it. I work on short term contracts and my current contract ends at the end of May. I'm hoping that I'll get extended as the work is there but I am slightly worried about what might happen if I'm not. I'd certainly look pregnant by then!
When I was expecting dd (15 years ago) I went for the first day at a new job, told my boss then got sent straight home again! I was covering maternity leave as a dental assistant and his words were "Oh, I'm not doing all that again" Am sure there are laws against it but it takes a long time to prove it. Plus I was only 19 then.

SMP is only payable if you are working for an employer when you fall pregnant. Maternity allowance is paid otherwise as that's through the government.

Beckybendylegs are you self employed or do you have your own company? I ask as I work through my own ltd co. and can pay myself smp. It's something you need to think about fairly soon though as the qualifying weeks that work out the money you can pay are fairly early on in the pregnancy.

Homeinthesun congrats to your ds with his toilet training clever boy!
I think our ds' are around the same age? Mine's is 3.4... he's dry in the day but nowhere near ready to be dry at night. No doubt that joy will come just as I'm bringing this baby home!!

wooohooo back from scan and dates are spot on, according to my own calculations, 6+4. I got to the unit and had to throw up twice while I was waiting - had people running around bringing water and tissues - how embarressing but I guess they are used to that.

And the good news is that there is (one) tiny embryo, with a tiny heat beat, and just over half a centimeter big. Its so amazing to see - and the sonographer even gave me pictures (put in your bag so they don't see..) so I shall be staring at them now for the next 6 weeks while I wait for the next scan!

Excuse me for gushing all over the place but I'm ecstatic.

About the job - YES - go for a contract role, what a good idea - you will earn more than you would in permanent work, and will still qualify for Maternity Benefit.

For statutory pay, it is your pay during weeks 17 - 25 that are used to calculate your statutory payment. If you have a salary sacrifice (such as child care vouchers, or holiday scheme) that comes off your salary before tax, this may reduce your statutory pay entitlement, so you should either speak to payroll or work out if you should cancel those salary sacrifices for that time period.

on an entirely different note - not that I've just teleported from the middle ages or anything, but how does one make oven chips? tried to make some (according to instructions) and they are hard, not very nice. Any ideas? Do they need to cook longer / shorter / hotter / cooler... McCains.

Scarlotti I meant MA not SMP. Pregnancy brain again... I am self-employed / freelance so do not have my own company. I received MA when I had DS2.

Yeah pedalmonster! Sorry you were sick while waiting. Poor, poor you Morning sickness is complete shite there is no other way to say it. So pleased for you though Gushing is allowed, even encouraged!

pedalmonster lol!!! Don't they have instructions on the packet? Usually about 20-25 mins 220 degrees aren't they?

Sorry, you said there were instructions. Perhaps your oven is hotter than normal? If they were hard perhaps they were too hot? I don't know, I'm no oven chip expert either!

Ooooh chips! I might have to have some cheesy chips for dinner tonight. DH is away so something quick and easy for me!! Are your chips hard hot, or hard cold?!

Congrats on the scan btw! Thats fab news.

I'm suffering with MS again. Last night I was throwing up at 2am which wasn't nice and then today while we have been out! Not fun but good at the same time!

Good luck with your scan iggypiggy

yeah... they just dont taste right. (DH says they're fine!) Oh well I shall just have to eat another jar of sun dried tomatoes and a wedge of cheese (cheese? did someone mention cheese? can't get enough of it either!)