Due Jan 2010....watching our beans grow into babes!

[dal21]

Hello all! Thought I would start this off as our existing thread is full!

dal well dont know about blooming! only if it is spots and greasy hair!

All this advice is great! Totally new to all of this.

We live in a flat so i will definitely be looking to save space and noit add too much to our clutter.

I have ruled out reusable nappies for two reasons - we don't have a drier and no facilities to dry things outside so it would be like living in a chinese laundry and my SIL works for Proctor and Gamble and can get us nappies on the cheap, whoo hoo!

Bethoo, fantastic news about the scan. Does that mean like me you are now due on the 3rd? I got moved on at my scan.

Crumpette, glad things are quietening down on the fanjo front ;)

Congratulations on your scan Bethoo

haha thanks for praise on 'the fanjo front', what an excellent column title.. anyway yeah things not bad. What is bad is that I have just got in from work and consumed the following: 2 bagels with cream cheese and salmon and lemon juice, and .. 2 mars ice creams... and am now plotting what to eat next!

oh deary me, no nice neat bump for me this time...

Btw anyone who's on their 1st (or first 2!) and worried about stretch marks, last time I didn't get any stretch marks at all but twice a day I massaged oil into my bump, I used vitamin e oil from a health food shop mixed with almond oil I think, or coconut oil. Not sure it mkes much difference, I will undoubtedly get them this time with my current run of luck and mars ice cream scoffing, but may be worth a go

ps yay for scan bethoo!!

Bethoo - brilliant news!!

Crumpette - I'm applying clarins tonic oil at the moment... once that runs out I'm down grading to bio oil!!

Hello everyone else x

Hi All

I had a 12 week scan today too. Last night in-between looking after my DD who was up most of night with tummy bug, I was really worried. But all is ok one healthy wriggler!

Sonographer wouldn't tell me sex of baby, but kept going near region slowly and one moment I thought I saw something, next minute I thought I could see two lines.

My date is now 11th not 10th, I've updated Bethoo and Vivclicot (Katy) too, hope this is ok and I'm really sorry if I've missed any changes, first time I've changed a list:

? londonlottie - early cos it's twins! (1st baby) - London SE5/SE22
1 singalongamumum (DS 18mth)
1 pepa (DS 3.5, DD 18mth) Toronto, Canada
1 Alibobins (DS5 DD9)
1 ClaireDB (1st baby)
2 Lisylou1980
3 salvadory (1st Baby)
3 liny
3 sunshinejanuary 1st Baby - South London
3 Bethoo (DS 2 DD 8 mon)- Wiltshire
5 Dizzyclarebear (1st baby) - SE london
5 timmette (DS 3)
6 oomska (DD 13mo)
6 crumpette (2nd DC)
6 gizzy1973 (1st baby)
8 STA1mum (DS15mth)
10 Zen1980 (1st baby)
10 lizzylu (DS 14mths)
10 Somewhathorrified
10 kittykat765 (DS 19mth) Bristol
11 Katiei (DS)
11 anastaisia (dd b2005)
11 lilacpink (DD 3)
12 roastbeef
13 skidoodle (DD 13mo)
13 LessThenIdeal
13 Sleepingalot, Sheffield
15 lynchy09 (DS14mth)
15 Sersi (DS1 6, DS2 4) HERTS
15 Worriedunfortunately (DD 4y)
16 DesertFairy (DD3)
16 ampster (DS 11mo)
16 ILoveDolly
17 slightlybonkers (DS 3yo)
17 MrsStripey (DS15mo)
17 Liskey (1st baby)
18 alfiesmadmother (DS1 7,DS2 5 and DS3 3)
18 dal21 (DS 20 mths)
18 Southwestwhippet (First baby)
20 sooooexcited (DS 2)
20 showmethemummy (2 DCs)
20 verytiredmummy (DS)
21 quirkychick (DD 3.5) Norfolk
23 AutumnAir (1st baby)
23 Sazlocks (DS 17mo), Shropshire
24 Blocka (DD 32mo), North East
24 totalmisfit (DD 3.3), Norfolk
24 Laura233
24 coffeeicecream (DS 9mo), NW London
24 MamaLazarou (1st baby)
25 FlightofFancy (1st baby), Surrey
25 Noodlesforbreakfast
25 Iateallthecreameggsyummy
26 Biccy (DD 3)
29 helenabeth (DS1 4.5, DS2 20mths)
29 Mowmi (1st baby) Surrey
30 nervoussara, Brighton
30 (or thereabouts!) anniemac (DD 4)
31 laurawantsababy (DD 11mo)
31 IrrationalMother (DS 18mo)
[?] Miss Chatterbox (DD1 4 DD2 2)
[?] Beanz2 (DS 13mo)
[?] Fififorgot, South

The ones that have lost their little ones:
VivClicqot
beanieb
coffeeandcarrotcake
Rainbowdays
EsmeandDante
bluespix77
AmyLou32
st arshaker
Th eKurgan

thanks ladies!
i used normal baby oil morning and night and have not got a stretch mark from either pregnancies even though my tummy used to itch and had little red dots (like heat rash) and my friend with a cheshire cat grin told me i was going to get them (as she was riddled from her only pregnancy). alot of stretch mark envy! but i think it may have ot do with what dkin type you have and how fast you gain weight, if you pile it on gradually you are reducing the risk but if you gain weight fast then your skin is being stretched faster than it can adjust. that is my theory as i always thought it ws genetic and my mum got them from her first pregnancy whereas i have not. also i think that maybe having a little bit of fat already there heklps the skin stretch rather than a thin skinned fat free tummy iykwim or am i waffling a lot of crap here?

cant adjust i meant!

Hi Lilacpink,

So glad the scan went well.

I am such a podger i have no idea when a bump will even be visible let alone risk giving me stretch marks!

Evening all

Glad to hear all the good scan news. I have finally got a date for my 12 week scan - 23 July, when I'll actually be 13 weeks, it seems ages away, but we're on holiday next week, so I'm sure it will come round very quickly!

I am turning into a hormonal mess. I'm taking everything to heart and crying at the slightest thing. I am such a mess, my poor DH doesn't know quite what to do with me! I really don't remember being like this with DD. Oh well, I'm sure it will settle down soon (I hope!)

Katy, I am so sorry to hear your news. I hope your wedding is beautiful and you are back on the ante-natal board very soon.

Will try and catch up with all the posts now, well probably tomorrow because my eyes won't stay open!

xx

Hoorah to lilacpink also! Great news about the scan.

Am sure there are more scans this week...who else has them?

Bethoo - with DS, I was around 15 weeks when the bloom kicked in. Hair looked lush, I had heaps of energy and loved pregnancy. Hope it is the same for everyone else.

Fifi - have a fantastic holiday! Where are you off to? Am sure it will fly by - always does when you are away.

Crumpette - love the sound of your supper! Re. the stretchmark oils - I swear by the mama mio stretch mark oil - smells lovely too!

I still feel utterly drained today. Roll on scan and fingers crossed the 'bloom' time! Have great days all
xx

Fifi just wanted to mention about your emotions dont worry about them!!

DH made me the ultimate comfort food the other day, pureed non lumpy mash with sausages and the best onion gravy ever!! I sat crying into the food because it tasted so nice, then i was laughing and crying again! Poor DH just sat and laughed at me whilst the dog looked with a rather bemused expression on his face!! I've cried when songs come on the radio, things on the tv, adverts! BGT when family hugged each other and the list goes on! Although crying into my lovely food was probably the strangest...... although i cried when my boss told me i have a 20p an hour payrise!!!

Ive been told sooner or later ill stop blubbing and look back at those moments and think what the hell was that all about!!??

LOL so cry away me dears!

Bethoo and Lilac congrats on your scans! Great that all is ok!

I haven't had as many crying gags as you have coped with Yummy but the weirdest was when DH and i were on holiday in Malta. As we were walking down the street i started to bawl and had to sit down, people kept lookiing, thinking maybe it was DH's fault and i just kept saying (wailing) there is nothing wrong!

This pregnancy malarky is weird!

bethoo grats on the scan!

Has anyone tried you useing a breast pump? I've not heard anyone say anything good about them....please, please can someone say something positive. I really want to breast feed, but I also want give hubby the opportuntity to be totally involved in all of it.

i used one a manual one but to be honest if yu have loads of milk which yu usually do in the beginning, when you feed you will spray out hte other one so just put your boob in a cup! or use the breast pump when yuo are feeding as you will get loads out. i did for a while but being the lazy arse i am i just bf until 6 months when she went to a childminder so she got ff when i was away and occasionally dp would ff her if i was busy (making tea, cleaning up after them all etc! wanting a break from being a giant mammmary! )

Hi all
somewhat - I used an electric breastpump. I used one in the very first few days when DS was struggling to latch on and then again when I went back to work. They are a bit bizarre but it helped me to carry on Bfeeding til DS was 13 months old. I hoped to use it from the word go to get DH involved in feeding but the whole sterilising, expressing faff and DS reluctance to have anything but nice warm boobs ! meant that it didn't work for us.
I would recommend then but maybe wait until bfeeding is established. You can hire then from NCT and some hospitals as well.

SWH - I used the medela swing breast pump. When DS was 6 weeks old, DH started giving DS his dreamfeed (10pm feed) of EBM via bottle. (Dr. Browns bottles were the ones that worked the best for us).
Initially I would express about 8.30pm and then head to bed. Would give me much needed 4 hours sleep until DS woke for the 1am feed. But once milk supply settled (I had a lot) was able to express in morning after DS first feed and head to bed as soon as I could after the 7pm feed. 5/6 hours uninterrupted sleep made bfeeding so much easier.

But, I say this since I have read that there can be negative side effects to what I did.

Firstly - apparently milk supply can be impacted if you start missing feeds.

Secondly - introducing a bottle can cause nipple confusion with the baby, leading to the baby rejecting the breast in favour of the bottle.

With those disclaimers in mind; it worked a treat for me. Milk supply was fine. DS was fine with mix of breast / bottle. DH got his one on one time with DS. Plus I was relieved to know that DS would take a feed from a bottle.
And it gave me a much needed break. I made it to 5 1/2 months of bfeeding, dont think I would have made it so far if I hadnt expressed. HTH.

thanks guys, I have to say you've made me feel alot better about the whole expressing issue.

Oooh and phoned the hospital to see what happened to my scan date...turns out the letter was sent and never arrived here (2nd time this has happened in the last year with important info!) anyway, have got scan date for the 14th (next tues)...just have to hope it isn't going to clash with DH's Grans funeral.

hello,

I know there has been some discussion before on the subject but I was looking at the NCT antenatal classes. Is it worth the £170 they are asking for or are the NHS ones as good?
What would you recommend as this is my first baby?

Also felt really unwell this morning, being now 14 weeks I'm still waiting for my energy to come back!! ;-)
congrats on the scans!

Just a very quick post - I am at work!

Liny I joined the NCT when I had DD - it was the best £170 we ever spent! The classes were a bit hit and miss (we had a substite teacher), but the friendships have been invaluable. We still see all our group 3 years on, in fact we were all at a birthday party at the weekend. DD is great friends with all the children and we are now all on round 2! DH goes out regularly with the other dads and some of the families meet up at weekends to do things together. The NHS classes I was offered consisted of 2 afternoons and although DH and I went, it was a bit of a waste of time. The only thing I really got out of it was the hospital tour, including seeing the theatre, which is just as well, as this is where DD was born!

If you can afford it, I would join. Some people don't enjoy the pressure to be friends, but we were lucky and our group clicked.

Have a fun afternoon all.

i think nipple confusion occurs if you introduce bottle before 6 weeks so best bf excl til then and then introduce a bottle for EBM.

liny agree with Fifi - can't recommend NCT highly enough - the best money we spent with DS. Fantastic classes and we are still friends nearly 2 years on. The girls and babies get together most weeks and the boys do drinks occasionally. We all have family get togethers once a month ish. Although they are not all people that I might of thought I had a lot on common with, there is nothing like sharing the mad post natal months with people to develop a strong bond.
The classes get booked up really quickly so I suggest you get your name down sooner rather than later if you want to go along.
I didn't bother with the NHS ones which I regret in hindsight as it might have been useful to meet more local mums as I think it has taken me longer than it would have done.

Just thought I would add that I only did the NHS classes with dd, and 3 years on have a great group of friends. Not sure the classes were all that useful, but that's because where we are they assume you've read books and don't do really formal classes, more discussion forums - though the physio sessions were useful. The dads haven't bonded though...

This is in no way meant to be a 'don't do NCT' comment, just, if you can't afford it, you may find you get a good group with the NHS class - you just need someone to be a bit proactive as a social secretary to get the ball rolling really. And the great thing about my group is that they all live within walking distance, whereas I know the NCT groups are rather more spread out.

Hi just reading the above, I didn't do NCT last time, or NHS no antenatal classes at all. All I can say is 'ouch'!! Would have been good to have done some breathing exercises perhaps in advance!!

I breastfed DD until she was 13months and I had 3 different breastpumps. To be honest what I found was that the manual one I had (avent?) was just as good as (if not better) than the medela swing one, both of which were better than the boots electric pump. However I would say it's not an essential purchase if you're exclusively breastfeeding. Your milk supply matches your baby's demand and tends to a. leak out in the early days anyway and b. is quite easy to squeeze a bit out (sorry tmi!) without a pump. Breastpumps essential if you want to combine breast/bottle/cups or store your milk, but you won't need it in the first few days. That's what I found anyway

Hope all are well- I have been kicked (in my side) today (by the baby not DP!!) so I think all is well in the prego-department!!

Oops I mean 11 months, anyway yeah initially I think until you've established a routine with your baby and BFing, a manual one is more than enough, then maybe invest in a big fancy one if you will be using it frequently enough