Due Sept 05 - Thread 8

[franch]

Here it is.

Oh yes - having been quite exccited about wearing my new maternity clothes a couple of months ago I am now getting utterly fed up of mostly wearing white and black, why aren't there more interesting clothes on the high street? My local Top Shop, Next and H&M are all too small to have maternity sections Am lucky (I guess) that I haven't got issues with bras yet - was hoping for some serious expansion but its not happening yet, just slightly more cleavage. I bought a couple of M&S maternity bras v early because they had such soft linings which was v appealing! and they are still fitting. New moan this morning though - my hay fever has kicked in with a vengeance and is even more attracive as I also have a bit of a nose-bleed, am sitting at my desk sneezing, sniffling and trying not to end up with blood smeared across my face! Blooming gorgeous!

I've got some lovely stuff from Zara - not maternity just in a bigger size and with elasticated waists.

Different topic entirely - are any of you booked in for any more scans? I've got to go back at 28 weeks and 32 weeks.

No more scans for me, I hope. With DD I had to have one every fortnight from 32 weeks because of suspected growth retardation.

For what reason are your extra ones?

Add me to the list of people sick of maternity clothes. Now, which white t-shirt should I wear today?!

You'd think they would be getting it right by now. I long to wear a nice summery skirt but don't long to pay £30 for it - and what would I wear it with? A nice white t-shirt?!

Does anyone else get big differences in the amount of movement they feel on a daily basis? Am sitting at work winding myself up as on Monday the baby was the most active that it's been and was moving all day. Movement was less on Tuesday, but probably more 'normal' than Monday (normal being what I generally feel), but the last 2 days I've had fairly minimal movement - had a little bit this morning (more flutters than the definite kicks I had been getting), but none since. Am 24 + 4, so figure there's still a lot of room to move in there, and maybe baby is facing a different way, where I wouldn't feel as much? Am in an all day workshop (that I'm running), so am thinking I'll call the hospital after work if movements haven't picked up by the end of the day. Should I be worrying, or am I just winding myself up?

I get big differences too kiwifruit, it does depend on how they are positioned I think. A couple of days ago it was the evening before I felt any kicks, but I had been doing a lot of walking so probably lulled him into a nice quiet mood.
If you are worried though give your midwife / hospital a call and I'm sure you can go in and listen to the heartbeat for reassurance.

Same here - huge variety of movement, sometimes hardly anything in the day, sometimes massive big kicks/punches and whole belly ripples! Always get it when I lie in bed in morning and at night, cos if there's no movement I give it a bit of a nudge!I read on a couple of other threads that you can either put something cold on your bump (frozen peas?) or shine a light at it and you might get a response!!!!

I find movements vary with what I'm doing - if I'm quite active then babe will be quiet. Just like zubb, think it gets lulled to sleep with all that slooshing around in there. Also find it depends on what I've eaten. I get a really big reaction if I have chocolate, for example...well who am I to deny my unborn child ?

So, basically KF, looks like the advice is to jump around a bit with a bag of frozen peas and a torch strapped to your belly whilst eating a bar of chocolate....
Hope little one picks up movements soon.

I always get frantic movement after eating ice cream or drinking iced water. You could give that a go and see what happens.

KF - Same here with movements. Managed to get really worried yesterday as no movement by 1pm. Actually drove home(over hour drive) and lay down for an hour. Got some flutters so didnt call hospital but worried ++ all afternoon and evening.(I was moving around a lot again) By time DH got home I was v worried. Of course after unloading my anxieties the floor show started with wiggles and kicks that were clearly visoble from across the room. I had just had some jelly bellys so will stock up
LOL at your description JM!
I know you can hire sonicaids - wondering if this will allay my worries or is a bad idea? Anyone got an opinion?

Hayfever getting me down - really swollen bloodshot eyes - look like Ive been crying for days. Great as I still have to see patients

No more scans for me - wish I did have - I like seeing my baby on tv!

I'm finding that junior's movements vary a lot too - generally don't get anything til lunchtime (lazy baby!) then quite active after lunch and again in the evening, but today's been a really quiet day. Some days I haven't really felt very much at all, got myself in a complete state, then been kicked all the next day. I've not had any really vigorous movement yet at all (nothing you can see or even really feel from the outside). Why not try eating some chocolate - that seems to get mine moving and if not, well at least you've enjoyed the chocolate....

I've got to be scanned at 28 weeks because the sonographer was concerned about the blood flow to the placenta. The baby's measurements are all fine at the moment so I think they're just being over-cautious - she did say it was nothing to worry about. At least it gives me another opportunity to find out the sex (IF junior cooperates this time!)

I resorted to wearing the top part of my tankini swimsuit instead of a bra today as all my maternity bras seem to squish my boobs out in a very unusual oblong shape. I'm at 36F now - according to M&S but the boobs are so heavy that I don't think anything less than a suspension bridge would hold them up.

Incidentally, I was looking for maternity bras in the states last week and all the so-called "maternity" bras out there have underwire. And no one out there had heard of underwire bras not being a good idea because they can cause mastitis. Weird. Not taking any chances though and didn't buy one.

Yes, in my fruitless quest for a bra that fits I came across lots of maternity ranges that have underwire - think Miriam Stoppard does one. The sales staff couldn't understand why I didn't want underwire.

I am another sufferer with comedy boobs - have gone from 36D or DD to 38F. Have to admit that I have just been wearing normal underwired bras (though making sure thay they fit properly - think it's only a problem if you wear badly fitting ones) as I find non wired ones really uncomfortable and itchy. Also, I find that all the non-wired ones I have tried push them together, and make a really unattractive mono-boob effect.
Perhaps a civil engineering company would be more help than a lingerie company !

So - does anyone know where the information re not using underwired bras comes from - or is it just a rumour/over zealous old wives?

According to my bra lady, it's a matter of making sure that the underwire section is in complete contact with the top of your rib cage instead of lifting to squash the breast tissue. I have Anita underwired bras that are specially designed for maternity and that have a "soft" underwire rather than the hard metal type.

Okay - this is Miriam Stoppards take on the issue. Dont know how to do link so cut and pasted - sorry its v long!!
"It's fine to wear underwired bras during pregnancy as long as they are specially designed to take account of the increasing size of your breasts.With maternity bras, you should ensure that:The underwiring uses new, technically advanced, softer and wider underwires to give you the extra support you need.The tips of the underwires are specially designed to be soft and flexible.The underwire is particularly wide so the whole breast is cupped within it, avoiding any pressure on the breast.
I really believe it's worth looking after your breasts in pregnancy. They don't sag because of breastfeeding - that's a myth - but because they grow so rapidly in preparation for lactation. The only way to ensure sagging doesn't follow is to wear a really good supporting bra, and underwires are the best way to achieve this.I think your mum is harking back to some press coverage a couple of years ago that suggest underwiring could interfere with the lymph drainage of the breast. This was nonsense.In fact they help lymph drainage by holding the breast up - and that goes for milk gland development too.Just make sure, when you have your maternity bras fitted, you go to a store with trained, experienced fitters who will advise you and make sure your entire breast sits within the underwired cup.Make sure, too, that your maternity bras have wide, super-soft straps for comfort and are made of breathable cotton to protect the delicate skin.You'll find expert fitters at all branches of Debenhams and Selfridges throughout the country."

I get a huge difference in movement from one day to the next depending on what i am up to however it appears the more stressed i get the less jnr moves which really didn't help the other day when i rang my community midwife etc (7th June's post earlier in the thread cause) i got well wound up!!!!

Where can i get underwire matternity bras am sick of the monoboob?

I am going to have to go and spend on new matternity clothes all my stuff is geared for winter as dd is a feb baby and i am struggling in all this heat. Just trying to decide where is the least expensive but may have a reasonable range of stuff or is it all white Tshirts this year? May resort to being really mumsy and wearing dresses if i can find any good ones.

No more scans booked but have to go for at least two more antenatal appointments at the hospital as well as the usual ones at the gp as they want to make sure thyroid is well under control which means having my blood taken at least once every 4 weeks as we get closer to B day. Yipee lucky me the phlebotomist tries to run a mile when she sees me as my veins are apparently the worst she has ever come accross and she has been in the job for 15 years!!!! The midwives won't even attempt to draw blood and the consultant just gets p**d off and rams a needle in the back of my hand and tells me to stop crying it doesn't hurt that much at which point i could quite cheerfully grap a second needle and ram it up his A*E. DH threatened to knock one of the doctors out at one point in my previous pregnancy for being unsympathetic towards a frieghtened first time mum who has a phobia of needles. Doctor was not impressed.

I dare not try it as i allways seem to mess it up but are we due a new thread?

Thanks Boompi am off (as soon as i get paid) to the bullring in birmingham city centre to find an expert bra fitter at selfridges!!

Piccalilli - i've got anothe scan at 28weeks, have absolutely no idea why though. It was booked at my 12 week scan in person, and my 23 week one was sent out some weeks later...really bizarre. don't know if it;s got anything to do with age, they sometimes like to give young mums (under 25) an extra one because our bodies are apparently less resillient.

Kiwi - My movements vary loads day by day, the only time it's constant is at night...from 11 til 2 he's awake, very awake and then from 4til about 7 it's not major footballing skills but it's enough for me to remember he's there!

Mummyhill - they couldn't find big enough veins in my arms so went for the back of the leg the first time i was due some bloods, and the second time they went straight for boob as my veins are getting rather prominent there...now that's pain. I won;t be saying that in September i'm sure! lol

Thanks ladies - am feeling reassured now. Am off to buy some chocolate... and some frozen peas... and a torch

Actually, did get some movements during a meeting I've just been in (think the baby was a bored as me!!).

I have a severe case of preggy brain at the moment, and find concentrating on complex tasks incredibly difficult (even more difficult that before ). Unfortunately am working on a complex project at the moment, and really struggling to keep up - luckily they will be rolling it out after I go on maternity leave, so someone else will have to clean up all my mistakes after me!!!

Cool, so maybe with the help of underwire our boobs can look nice again?

My movements are really variable too. She was jumping all over the place on the whole flight back from America but hardly anything at all for the next 2 days. Maybe she was tired out from all the excitement of that first class upgrade?

If they tried to draw blood from my boobs i would knock them out flat that is a deffinate no go area at the moment as they are so sore however I can't see any veins there either!!!DH thinks i would be great in a kinfe fight as they wouldn't be able to find any veins then either.

Defo also getting big range in movement. Just have to remember that with ds1 I didn't feel ANYTHING unti 22 wks, so I try not to worry. Often I think babe is kicking 'inside' ie towards organs, so just get uncomfortable twinges.

My best movements so far have been at ds1's piano lesson (on a grand piano!) and at the Royal Ballet on Tues night (my first time, v exciting!) when they did comtemporary dance to Jimi Hendrix!! Baby is presumably going to be a concert pianist or a rock chick!!

Oh, and caffeinated coffee has a definite effect - prob much like chocolate! Maybe baby senses my excitement at the 'naughty but nice' syndrome!

Morning girls,

had a bit of scare last night. kept getting really bad sharp pains in my stomach and back, just thought it was normal, spoke to mum who said i should ring mw, i did and she reckons it was braxton Hicks, is it normal for them at 25 weeks?