Due August 2009 - It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine!

[becksydee]

thought i'd better start the new thread off before we completely filled up the old one!

link back to the previous thread here

Hey MrsThePoint

I tried:

Motherease AIO and Sandys - worked well but massive, only used at night as they were v absorbant but just so big
Bumgenius - great at first but then started to smell/be less absorbant - nothing I tried worked
Fuzzibunz - leaked everywhere
slinki minkis - some leaked/some ok
totsbots bamboo - great but too too long to try
totsbots fluffle - great but childminder wouldn't use 2 parters (gave her BG instead)
There were others but this is going back over a year ago, I forget which ones now.

Plus the fact that DH hated them, plus I found it hard to get clothes that fitted, then after a few months DS went to nursery where they provided nappies, it all just seemed too much hard work.

Having said that, I DID love using them, and had I not worked full time from DS being 10 weeks old and various factors I probably would have carried on using them - but it was a lack of time/support.

totsbots bamboo - too long to DRY even

kitkat- where did you manage to find 75x75 nappies? They're perfect if you use the kite fold method, no need to cut them down to 60cm!

No, not kite fold! This method, whose name I can't recall. It looks a little complicated but it's not when you know how.

It's rather soothing watching people fold nappies. I have ordered a few small itti bitti delish to try out as they looked so beautiful. [shallow]

Mrsthepoint You put forward some very good points, so much so that I think I will look into it again like you say I can do both and still save money.
Have you got any tips on how to find a cloth "expert" in my area?

I do think babies look lovely in cloth nappies

Evening all, Not been on a while but have been lurking, just nothing major interesting to report except that baby is definitely lower hence waddling, I am getting some horrid bladder punches, and some small stretchmarks have just appeared underneath my bump (grhhhh...thought I'd got away with it...but this happened with DS too at this time just hope they aren;t that deep). I have DS's 2nd bday next week to plan for and Grandparents will descend on us for a few days. Mum is also staying from then until the baby comes, so only a couple more days of 'holding out' as I am a bit worried about childcare if I go into labour now .

Becksydee fab news re DH, woohoo
oonagh well done, and home quite early to for CS hope things are going well.

Arrgh when the 1st ones are born it does make everything very very close. With DS at this stage I couldn;t wait to get him out as I 'dropped' quite early and was big. This time around it is strange half of me is so fed up with being pg, the other half is aware of the impending chaos about to hit

On the cloth nappy debate. I used half cloth, half disposable last time and it worked well (cloth at home, disposable out), the main reason was that DS was prone to nappy rashes and cloth seemed to help. Although I did have a very chunky and tall DS which meant getting clothes to fit was difficult (as I didn;t want to spend a fortune and quite liked asda etc ranges), I used the bamboo nappies which were the slimmest fitting ones possible. But given his size he started to grow out of all wraps at about 18mths and clothes became practically impossible to find so we stopped using them. It is a shame but having a big DS did make it more difficult with the cloth. Out of all my friends and mums locally the only other people I knew who used cloth were my SIL and a lady from playgroup so this debate ain't half interesting.

HellHathNoFury wow you did try a lot. I must say that Motherease were best for us, and we too never got on with Tots Bots. I don?t like one-piece like Bumgenius, Fuzzibunz and Minkis as much, as they do leak more, IMO. I fully appreciate that without your DH support it would be difficult. I totally respect people who, like yourself, try things out before saying ?too much effort? like many people I know! Many people dismiss them out of hand without trying them. Will you go disposables straight away again, or did you keep your cloth nappies? Just curious (well, nosey really!).

readyfornumber2and3 Here's a start - it's the official nappy finder website, but the problem with this site is that it used to be free for agents to put their details up, now there is a charge, and I for one don?t make enough money being an agent to afford to pay them, so the number of local agents on there is so much lower then before. I would say contact the most popular companies, but bear in mind Lollipop sell their own products. An independent company selling a variety of brands is what you need. Off the top of my head, Babykind, Bumdiddybaby, cuddlebabes, twinkleontheweb. Also try your local council website, like glos and nofolk have a list of local suppliers. And there?s a great chat board here on MN ? nappies, potty training, etc. HTH.

cairns what wraps did you use when your DS grew out of them? I found when my DS grew out of large Motherease he grew into the large Junior Joy ones. Do you plan to use some cloth this time again then? I must say, I agree that clothes for cloth nappy bottoms difficult. Cloth bottoms are bigger (as it?s cloth not desiccant chemicals that absorb water) and most manufacturers make clothes for the much slimmer disposables. I just brought the next size trousers/shorts up (from Primark, Asda and other supermarkets) and turned up the trouser legs. Tops were ok though.

Hello again MrsThePoint!

Yes, we did try, and try and try, and bless my DH he did put in the effort but I could see he hated it, especially the constant leaks with the AIO's, as our son had just started sleeping through but then waking because he was wet!

This time going straight for disposables - I get them cheap wholesale and tbh I just don't want to fork out money AGAIN for a system I had little joy with last time - I sold all my old stuff .

I would like to say though - all you ladies going for cloth, it IS lovely, I really enjoyed it (when it worked for us) and it was a tough and sad decision to give up. I hope you have better luck than me!

HellHath - I agree that pockets aren't as reliable, though if you do find one that works then it's great (bumgenius and fuzzis were no good on dd either...did find wonderoos fab on her but only just before she potty trained!). Shame your childminder wouldn't use 2 parters.

MrsThePoint - I stopped listing on that site when they started charging. Afaik I hadn't actually had a sale or a demo from anyone finding me through there in the year I was listed.

Think I was quite lucky with dd cos she was so skinny she fit her size in a lot of shops even with her cloth bum . In shops that were slightly smaller fitting we looked for trousers where the bottoms turned up iykwim and got the next size up. Also easier with a girl cos you can buy skirts & dresses.

All this nappy info is brill , I bought 24 terry napies yesterday and 12 outers, then rang the midwife to see if she could show me how to fold them when she's next out. Since then I have googled away and looked at your fab links and think I've cracked it. I'm glad I've made the decision now and can't wait to get on with it .

Jo Fold is what we always used with our terries.

thanks for the all the congrats on DP's new job. it's a big relief to think we won't have to struggle for money any more, and we've got a hope in hell of actually getting a mortgage now, so once the baby's here we'll be able to start househunting (currently in a small 1 bedroom flat, trying to rationalise our possessions as much as possible to make room for our LO).

just back from my appointment at the diabetes clinic to get all my blood monitoring equipment etc. feeling rather because the first thing the midwife said to me when she looked in my notes was that i absolutely wouldn't be accepted to use the birth centre as they're not accepting women with any risks at all.

so i guess i'll go back to UCH (haven't sent my notes back or cancelled any appointments yet, so haven't cut any ties there) and see if they'll accept me into their birthing centre instead. dammit, it wasn't supposed to work out like this

Belated congrats from me too becksydee, I only know too well how stressful it is having a DH out of work, my DH is now 2 weeks into his new job. Oh NO what a nightmare about the birthing unit rejecting you now and at this late stage too

Trying not to worry here, but the man DH has been sitting next to at work has been signed off with swine flu Spoke to GP who said DH should just carry on as normal and continue going into the office. I've armed him with anti bac hand gel and we're just keeping our fingers crossed. SUCH mixed info about the effects of swine flu at this late stage of pregnancy.

Kitkat, I'm not sure how my MIL is getting on with the sling tbh. I'm well and truly avoiding any contact from their house at the moment. LONG story but FIL is the FIL from hell, I actually hate him, properly hate him and I don't care who knows it!! Am dreading him visiting with his little shit of a dog (who he allows to 'go for' my DD) when this baby arrives. He's a complete and utter twat/bastard. God I'm getting stressed now even thinking about it!

How's everyone feeling? I too have that, I can't wait for this to be over BUT only know too well the chaos that will ensue feeling!!

Oh Heinz! What a nightmare on both counts!

You're right about mixed messages, but tbh I worry as much about the kids getting it or my dp as me getting it. I kept thinking that at least ds still being breastfed might help him if we all get swine flu, but poor little man I haven't been able to feed him since I started getting all the strong contractions for fear of really setting somthing off. Now Im on amoxicillin so I need to check its compatible with bfing.

At the moment I don't feel that uncomfortable tbh so I'm quite happy for bubs to stay put as long as possible, I'm 35 weeks now and I guess i'll change my mind sooner or later I actually dared to weigh myself the other day and got a major shock to find that i'm 2 1/2 stone lighter than last time I knew I was not in my bigger maternity stuff yet but didn't realise just how much difference there was

Dp came home from work last night having drilled a big hole in the palm of his hand with an 8mm drill bit. Obviously being a bloke he hasn't been to hospital and is sure that a bottle of tcp being poured in it will have solved any probs

He keeps apologising for not being able to do stuff to help me.

Thanks for that fold duchesse, I will give it a try. The nappies seem really absorbant they are made by popolini and are seconds because of the stitching at the edges not being 100% in the odd place. Doesn't bother me because I'm quite happy to restitch them if needed and they were only a quid each I'm stitching 2 of the sides myself anyway as I cut them down I probably sound like the most terrible tightass, but its almost like a competition to me to see how cheaply I can get things. I'm hoping that a quid each is cheap. If I cut them down I can get 2 bosters out of the excess of each one and as I don't need 40 boosters I can used the excess as core material for pads too.

Congrats to becksydees dp fab news!!

oonagh can't wait to hear about your gorgeous boy!

beckysdee sorry to hear about the birth centre - that sucks, hopefully the birth centre at UCH works instead

Heinz shock about your FIL, I had not thought about MIL coming 4 days after due date for a while, today she e-mailed and even reading the e-mail my blood started to boil - uh oh ! At least she was asking for local hotel details so she knows she is not staying in our 1 bed flat.

KKQ at your DP - sounds awful

DH and I are off away for our "last" weekend tomorrow - staying in a nice B&B in Kent and going to Leeds Castle and the beach - it will be raining but I don't care - lots of chilling out and the B&B has a pool so some nice floating. Need to make up with him before then, ignoring him after he came home drunk last night and kept me awake all night with his snoring.

Becksydee, can't you opt for a homebirth?

No-one can MAKE you do anything. You're not employed by them.
If you want an intervention-free birth, have it at home. What are they going to do, send in the heavies?

Oh Becksy- I'm sorry to hear about the birthing centre ban. UCH might not be so bad though, if you don't want to go the home birth route. I really think labour wards have come a long way since I had my boys 10 years ago. Low lights and birth pools and the like are all the rage now. Can you do a tour to reassure yourself a bit maybe?

Arrgh at the swine flu and your horrible sounding FIL, Heinz. Unbelievable that he thinks it's ok for his dog to go for your dd . Can't your husband/partner control him and tell him his dog isn't welcome around your children? I would be utterly livid if a dog went for my kids but I do know that my partner would be even more livid and would never let the dog in the house again...

Ouch ouch triple ouch @dh's hole in the hand, kkq! Poor man.

This thread's moving so much faster now people are stopping work! Sorry to hear about people's troubles. I am getting to the stage where interference from relatives will lead to harsh words - you must all be more patient than me!

Bit of a stressful day today. An old friend of the family has died suddenly, and some stress with the DSDs, not anything malicious, just a difficult situation. Going to spoil all the girls a bit this weekend!

Got the crib down and set it up in the room as DP wants to get used to not walking into it in the night! It's all a bit surreal.

Am trying very hard to pack bags, but so far all I have packed are a pair of scruffy pyjamas and a pair of only-wear-if-it's-so-hot-you-will-flake-out pyjamas. I have, however, managed to put my paper/plastic sheet in the same place as the three spare shower curtains.

I'm trying to embrace my BHs. Some just pull, some feel like period cramps and some, when combined with baby stretching out, bloody hurt. It's all a means to an end. Oh, also getting jelly at least once a day now - yuck, but fascinating.

Fab news about your DH's job, not so fab on the birth centre ban becksy . It's rotten being told this at this stage if you've been thinking that's where you would go all this time.

My head is spinning with all the reusable nappy conversation. I've been committed to trying them since the beginning, but there is just so much information to wade through! I tried the nappy lady website and got a recommendation for what I should have for my circumstances which seemed helpful, but I can't afford the giant outlay of cash right now. Am going to take advantage of the council's offer of a starter trial set for reduced price, plus they give you a month free with a local nappy laundering service and I've had their brochures, prices seem reasonable. Maybe once I've got my head around using them, I'll be able to face laundering them myself?

Baby's room has been painted in the lovely Dulux Mineral Mist, and it is exactly what I wanted. We did the skirting board/door frames this morning. I can't wait to start moving stuff in there, I'm so sick of it all piling up in the dining room/living room/everywhere!

Starting to feel more tired, can't get comfy at night at all, hips killing. If they write in your notes something about 3/5, does that mean his head is engaged? Certainly feels like it, I am waddling more, feeling period-like cramps, and fullness and pressure in my pelvis. Someone please tell me this means he'll be a bit early? I can't do this for 5-7 more weeks!

Yes- that sounds like his head has started to engage, yank. But that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be early, I'm afraid! I don't know what your ethnic origin is but I read here that one study shows that first time caucasian mums should have 15 days added to their EDD whereas black and asian women tend to have slightly shorter gestastion times.

Oh ScummyMummy that's just want I didn't need to hear - LOL!

It is so hot here sleeping is a nightmare and I'm terrified of going into labour already exhausted from lack of sleep. I sort of fall apart when I'm exhausted and I imagine if I'm well rested labour will be easier (could be a silly first timer thought though as well!)

I'm 37 weeks tomorrow and starting to have a few "funny feelings". Like slight period cramps but they are few and far between and I'm convinced I'm going to be late.

I just keep thinking that within the next 5 weeks our daughter will be here which is so surreal and as the 37 weeks has pretty much flown by I'm sure the next 5 will be a combination of scarily fast and tortuously slow!

So what's everyone got left to do?

Sorry, bb2b! I am white uk and was about 11 days overdue with my twins. Then my waters broke but no contractions till I was induced with pessaries a couple of days later. It was a real bummer as I'd been told that it was as good as certain that they'd be v early and I really really wasn't expecting to get to 42 weeks. I didn't really enjoy the whole induction thing and feel in retrospect that it may have been the first step in a spiralling pattern of intervention. So I know I will be very antsy if this one goes overdue but realistically also know that it might well do given that the boys were so late. Mind you, 2 weeks ago I was worried about it making a premature and unsafe entry into the world so things could be worse!

I need to finish painting our bedroom ceiling and pack my hospital bag v soon...

Hi all, im new!!!!
Having a c section on the 10th Aug (DS2).
DS1 is 18 months old so feeling nervous about the small ish gap!

Just recieved my new bedside cot today so that should help after the c section, I had an emergancy section last time after a 30 hour labour and 2hrs of pushing!

I have really bad spd and have had it since 27 weeks .

Its great to read what others at this stage are up too.

Hi Snala,
My friend has a 16month gap between her two and she is still coping so you should be fine

Nice for you to have a definite date you get to meet your LO

Scummymummy I went to 43+2 with DS1. I feel your pain.

I have TERRIBLE SPD and can hardly walk these days, the thought that I have another 4-6 weeks to go makes me want to cry, actually.

I have a MW appt next week, I am going to beg and plead to be induced early or something! I am in agony.