Due Jan 2010 - watching our beans grow into bumps :-)

[sazlocks]

As we all talk so fast the last thread is nearly full so thought I would start us off on a new one

Hello I haven't been here in a long time (MIL visitation nearly punched her in the face...ehem) anyway, am back! Haven't caught up with thread have decided to leave that til I am at work and can waste their time (they're still not even paying me my basic starting salary, have been there years and had a huge paycut.. arrrgh) anyway..!!

Alibobins I am so sorry to have read about your DD, poor thing, and poor you, it's very stressful having an ill child. I can reassure you though, about her comments re the baby. That is totally normal. She's 9 right? My half-sister was born when I was 10 and I found it really difficult. Iwas going through a hard time myself, as she is I was unwell, and I think I felt very rejected and pushed out by this new cute small package of loveliness that I just could not compare to. She may have worries that you won't spend much time with her, that you'll love the baby much more than her, and she is probably angry about what's happening with her right now. Do be reassured, it won't be permanent. I didnt murder my sister (wish I had sometimes!!! ) but I did find it very upsetting. In a way, it is good that she is vocalising her feelings about it now. If you have some quiet time with her at some point, ask her to talk to you about how she feels about the baby and listen to her, without making her feel she is being stupid or unreasonable. If you start to communicate honestly about the baby and her other worries, she will probably be the best little helper you could wish for once baby arrives.

As for baby sleeping arrangements, when I had DD I had a cot and moses basket. She never slept in the moses basket, slept in the cot only very very briefly, so in the end we co-slept for 9 months (was bfing, she never woke up in the night, used a fold up bed side on my bed so she couldn't roll out). After that, she used to go to sleep on her own in her own cot and then wake up at about 4 or so and I'd bring her into my bed. A bedside cot would be the best of both worlds, I think.

and londonlottie I have to say, icandy peach or pear buggies look fabulous for twins. I have double buggy envy, check them out

Also, I have terrible carpal tunnel syndrome, it has already started and my wrists are killing me, so painful. When I was pregnant before, it only got bad later on at about 6 or 7 months. It's so bad sometimes I want to cry! I found those tubigrip bandages useful for some extra support but I think you can get more specialised wrist supports too

Quirky thanks for that reassurance, maybe they do not let you know about the spina bifida results unless there is a problem. it has not bene marked on my papaerwork though i did request it! i guess that i will relax as i am sure they will spot anomilies in scan if there is a problem.

OK I have returned and have to confess I beat you all with totally shocking weight gain...

here goes... 13kg weight gain

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

seriously, have gone from 8stone to 10 and only on week, 18 or 19. I have been eating tons though, if I dont eat rubbish, mega carbs, cheese, butter, I feel sick, oddly, so Ive just kept on scoffing..

sigh....

I have a midwife appointment next week, my first since my booking in appointment...

I am dreading being weighed!

You might be ok crumpette, I was never weighed again after booking in last time!

Hi everyone have been at the pil for the weekend. So have just been cathcing up with the threads.
Am a bit worried that I am almost 5 months and have been told by everyone this weekend I don't look pregnant in fact mil thinks I have lost weight - hmm are we supposed to be obviously pregnant by now?

Thankyou what you all wrote kind of put things into perspective
She does find it hard to vocalise her feelings she always has.

I've planned a girly day in town at build a bear factory she has always wanted to go.
The nurse is coming out tomorrow so we'll see what she has to say although she wasn't too helpfull telling dd if she didn't have her injection she would go blind

crumpette Don't worry about weight gain I seem to be starving this weekend and can't stop eating lol

Timmette... It will happen. With my first I stayed normal looking for quite a while, then suddenly Boom!
I did stay quite small but probably only cos he was back to back.
DH is still in denial about the whole pregnancy thing. He is planning on ignoring it for as long as posssible I think, although this morning he suggested stock piling nappies while Morrisons have them on offer

That's what I thought sockmoney it's a bit strange because with ds I was already looking heavily pregnant at 5 months. I guess I will see what the gynae says next week.

timmette i have stayed relatively flat stomached up until last week when hit the 18 week mark and boom i have exploded though i thik alot is water retention as on a morning it is barely there then just grows throughout the day! you are lucky. i am trying ot avoid work finding out and am glued to the desk!

biccy and verycherry I too am booked in for a homebirth...I did consider a waterbirth, but the concept of having to fill the thing and place it on a non water resistant laminate seemed all too much hassle. I think DH is thinking I'm having it in the bedroom, but I'm leaning towards the living room, big TV, music, roaring fire...plus we have a new cream carpet in the bedroom

Went to see the in laws yesterday... SiL just had a baby, MiL asks what I think of her, "it's a baby" I reply. Couldn't believe when she then said "are you sure your ready to be a mother?" (she wasn't joking)...wtf! Am I freak for not finding babies cute ...I prefer kids when they get older develop personality and don't just lie there looking ornamental and just a little bit flaky.

I don't think you are a freak somewhathorrified, that is my reaction to babies too. I told my mum that it was fine if she and my dad went to Australia for a few weeks in March next year - because babies are boring for visitors until at least 6 months! She had a fit!!! I am a secondary teacher and love children when they hit 11 - I am much better with those ones! I am sure that with my own things will be fine - or at least I hope they will!! I am the least maternal person in the world.

hi all, so moses basket is worth it for in our room? Not going to co-sleep - DH far too scared he'd roll on the baby...

Still feeling a little unprepared re birth etc - we still haven't moved house and so feel it's pointless making decisions as I don't know what my options are in the new area...

On the upside, Topshop maternity is great! After trapsing round sooo many maternity clothes ranges which are great for weekend wear but selling nothing you can wear to the office (really, most woman can't go to work in jeans ) they at least are selling things like smart dresses and black trousers, yay!

Oh, and agree that newborns are a bit boring... (Of course mine will be amazing! )

Yes, newborns are boring but your own will be magnificent - just wait till those hormones kick in. I always said that they became interesting at 3 (I taught nursery for a while) and they do! I did go and see a friends 6wk old on Fri and I think I have the mummy hormones already I had him asleep on my shoulder, ahhh. Funny how you remember the rocking/shushing from before.

My problem with some of my maternity clothes is that a lot were work clothes, whereas now I am a SAHM. I also found the black, linen maternity trousers from last time were well worn in the crotch I obviously must have lived in them at work last time! I actually need some more maternity jeans, sent off for some from Jojomamanbebe but they were sold out - and they had been reduced to £5. I will have to start looking again.

Just thought I'd say I treated myself to maternity jeans from Gap, and while it was a bit of a splurge (£40), I LOVE them! Feel fab, and sexy, and comfy etc... only take them off when it's too hot for them. So, for me, worth the money.

Oh god, jeans that make your bum look good and are comfy are worth it at any time!

The funny bit was the shop assistant who said, 'ooh, those'll take you right through to September - then you'll need to get some in whatever colour is in for winter'... ha ha, does she really think I'm planning on buying another pair of maternity jeans?

Off to my 16 week midwife appt this afternoon, with rather embarrassing urine sample - I ate rather a lot of beetroot yesterday, and gave myself an awful fright when my wee was pink.... took me a good 5 mintues to remember the beetroot and make the connection, but now I've got to turn up with pink wee! Still, will make a change for her I suppose. Can't believe that if all is going well I will see her today then not again until 2 November (with 20 week scan in between)...

Biccy lol at pink wee! Beetroot is lovely but it can make you pink, can make poo pink too ! Unfortunately we don't have maternity stuff in our Gap, or Baby/Kids Gap (perhaps it's just as well!) I live in Gap jeans normally...

Agreed that the Gap maternity jeans are fab. Still struggling to find anything appropriate for work though - have a few pairs of black trousers but there's not much else around.

Have a family birthday party to go to at the weekend and really struggling to find anything 'smart casual'! Luckily, a few of my 'ordinary' trousers and so on just still fit, so as long as I stay off the cake will be OK!

Wish I 'did' dresses, but not planning to change the habit of a lifetime now (have very 'practical and sturdy' (as my DH calls them) legs, so look awful in dresses)!

If anyone else is v short, I found some nice shorter length maternity jeans in the Red Herring maternity range in Debenhams. I got bootcut, but they had several different cuts available and are sooo comfy. Cost £30.

I'm in maternity bottoms and normal tops so far. Need some extra stuff for our holiday in a few weeks and some new gear for the gym. Want something 'slimming' for the flight so I don't get any hastle, I think I look further along. After 10 days in US will probably be huge on the return flight. We're going to Vermont, home of Ben and Jerry's ice cream

Just got back from MW appt. Heard a nice little heartbeat. Hurray.
Had the boys with me... they thought the little pot of wee was the best thing about the whole visit. DS2 was a bit concerned about me having my blood pressure taken. Good job he wasn't at the booking in one where they take 650 million tubes of blood.

sockmonkey kids are funny aren't they? When dd had her x-ray she had to stay with the nurse (obviously I couldn't be present) and apparently she said "cheese" as he took her special photo/x-ray! I have my mw appointment on Fri but dp is looking after dd as she doesn't know yet, although we have been talking a lot about babies. I had to have my bloods done twice as booked in with the hosptial antenatal clinic and had the bloods taken and then went to see the community mw the forms hadn't been filled in properly so I had to have them done again .

For those who have 2 children already, what advice have you got about preparing dc1 for coming dc2?

Quirky i have 2 but my eldest is only 2.5 so getting him to understand is hard though i point to my belly and he says baby but really it is just a matter of waiting, he was fine when my dd appeared 10 months ago and hopoing he will be fine again. i just have to supply him with lots of pens and paper etc as he loves drawing! or just stick on Nemo! but talking about it is good and i hear that alot of mums buy a gift from the baby once it is born for the older children?

off ot vets this morning as my dog could not get up this morning, he could not even get up and when he did he was walking on his front two legs so does not look too good. he also had terrible poos since yesterday and this morning it was up the walls and all over the floor! not the nicest thing to bring the kids downstairs to! he is old at 9 years so suspect he could have cancer in there somewhere as he has lost alot of weight too. been sobbing all morning.