Due in June 16!! - the before we all graduate!!

[katzguk]

one new thread as requested!

hoepfully this will get those babies to start appearing again!!

Still nothing here!

have tried everything:
pineapple
raspberry leaf tea
Clary sage/Rose/Jasmine oils!!
SEX!!
White trousers

nothing!

well today might try everything all in one go!

Congratulations Katz, Noggermum, Lua and Teabelly!

Gosh that is alot of babies! More girls that we thought too

Am I the only one who doesn't want this baby out asap? I have bought raspberry leaf tea etc... however haven't started drinking it or eating chilli or anything. I don't particularly want to never sleep again and I still haven't read the book I was going to and wouldn't be impressed if Bubba turned up now at all. I don't think I'd really care if he was late. I would prefer however not to have to be induced but merely because it's supposed to take longer and carries risks of its own. Otherwise I could do with a least another month of slobbing around before I never sleep again.

Well I hope I'm going through these pains for a reason, will be mightily pissed off if this is just a false alarm

Just want to get through until DS's bed time at 7.30 then I will call the midwife I think.

Pink - I think you are a very wise woman! Much easier to look after a baby inside you than out

Fingers crossed for you, MrsW - as you say, there must be no pain without gain!

Jonah, hope things go okay today, and your family manage to behave themselves.

I am about ready to go and gun down dh's family. (And no court in the land would convict me). They are all inveterate hoarders - the MIL took back some literally 50 year old crappy lamps from us a few weeks ago "in case they still work" - and in clearing out the spare room cupboard to make room for baby stuff, I discover yet more boxes full of dh's papers which the MIL was meant to look after whilst he was working abroad but which I will now have to go through and mostly chuck out. And even worse, 8 - EIGHT - boxes of books, belonging to some old lady friend of the MIL. (Unless dh is an avid reader of The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady on the sly).

Needless to say, I can't even get one of these boxes down the stairs - or even out of the cupboard to the stairs. And I can't see me persuading a charity shop person (likely to be an Edwardian Lady) to come and get them from the second floor. So they have to stay in the cupboard til we move, and then I'll have to get the removal men to carry them down the stairs and co-ordinate with a charity shop to come and pick them up from the ground floor, or something. I am so pissed off with the amount of junk in this flat I could just cry.

Maybe I'll see if I can hire a handyman to come for the afternoon to at least get all this stuff to the garage (which is down the stairs and round the corner in another building).

So Pink, I am officially in the "it's not time for the baby to come yet" club as well now I see how much other stuff I have to try and get done before it arrives. At this rate when my mum comes on granny duty, we'll be leaving dh with the baby whilst we make multiple trips to the tip - hope I don't have to have a caesarean.

Wow Kat, Congratulations on the birth of Annalise. How exciting. I can't wait to hear your birth story. Fantastic news. No pain relief for you then if the m/w only arrived at 11.00. Must have been quick in the end.......
Trib - Oh dear about the hoarding. My MIL is the same and DH heading that way. It is SOOO annoying. When MIL moved last time my BIL went to help and had to pack three sets of garden shears, two of which were rusty!! Why??? DH just can't throw things away even if they are broken. He likes to keep things for spares. Drives me potty. That is one good thing about moving every few years. We can have a good clear out.
Pink - You will sleep again one day .
Mrs W - Hope you are doing OK. These pains will be doing something. Will be thinking of you and sending you positive vibes. Keep us posted!
Charley - Lol about your dh and the wine. I would limit his intake though....
Mrs F - Sounds like you have had a constructive time of things and glad you have chosen somewhere to live.
Bubb- Hi. I still don't know when my waters went last time. I don't think I can have had much.
Jonah - I hope things went as well as could be expected today. How hard for you. I know what you mean about being exhibit A too. Hope it was better than you expected and that your family behaved. Was thinking of you.
Thanks very much also for the recipe offer but my mum has How to Eat so I can get it from her in July. I won't be baking for a little while though as it is too damn hot here to have the oven on.
Franni - I stopped with the raspberry leaf tea on Wed after 'that' hospital visit but I am back on it today.....Repeat after me WE WILL BE FINE, WE WILL BE FINE, WE WILL BE FINE .

I have been SOOOOO bored today. I have plenty to do but all mundane household jobs, cooking, washing ironing etc. and I can't be bothered. Awful really. It is great to pop on here and get the exciting baby updates. It is really all happening! I have not arranged anything to do in the next week due to the impending new arrival and know this is a mistake as I am now bound to go overdue.... Take care all.

Congrats to the Katzguz clan, an again, lovely name!Good luck Mrs W! So much activity!
Bub, did your mum's waters break? My mum's did, don't know if it runs in the family, but mayeb it does.
Have been complete hormonal b**ch this afternoon, nearly strangled myself on bloody bead curtain, swore at DH and upset DS, ended up in floods of tears. What a mess. Never mind, down at mums now and waiting for roast lamb.

Jonah, really hope things went as ok as they could today, cant really say more that that, think others have said it.

Looking forward to logging on later/ tomorrow am for exciting updates.

trib-i feel really sorry for you.must be awful living with a hoarder-im exactly the same as your dh.
i wont throw anything out but send poor dh up in the loft with things which "might come in handy".theres so much in our loft-its unbelievable.we've 2 huge chest of drawers,4 tables,a 24" tv and a kiddies garden slide,amongst other things,so i know where your'e coming from!!

hi coop-ive also got nothing planned for next week and have started to get a bit bored during the day.dh is a diamond and has done all the housework today which i really appreciate BUT it leaves me with nothing to do tomorrow apart from coming on mn.

franni-reallyof your roast dinner,especially as your'e getting it cooked for you.ive also been really hormonal lately and keep accusing dh of neglecting me-which of course he isnt!!
btw,my mum had a c-section with me and my brother so i hope these things dont run in the family.

FANTASTIC NEWS
Congrats to Tea, Nogger and Katz too - really well done and lovely names as well. I'm so pleased that your little ones have arrived safely
Bero - please, please, if you can, try to relax a bit over the breast feeding. It sounds like it's all going well if he's gaining. I would try to ease up on the formula if that's the case. Put your feet up as often as you can and hang on in there girl - it really does get easier and easier as the days go by - please cat me if you want to talk about it some more - only too happy to help if I can.
Love to all Welshie x

Bubb - I don't think I'd mind quite so much if dh was well enough to shift all this crap into the loft or garage where I didn't need to see it! (Fortunately we live on the top floor of the building so there is actually masses of storage space if only you can get to it). I discover today that he has not one but two video cameras, not one but two film cameras. (Yet only ever takes pictures with his digital camera, he probably has two of those - I just haven't found the second one yet). I am developing a theory that every time he can't find something cos it's at the back of a cupboard, he goes and buys a new one.

It's just exhausting because everything is so difficult for us now we're both physically incapacitated.

Coop, I think you want to follow Katz's example. As far as I can recall, she wasn't planning a home birth this time - and probably not 50 mins after the midwife's arrival But I wait to hear the birth story with interest.

Just popping in to say massive congratulations to Katzguk. Well done Can't wait to see little Annalise tomorrow

Katz, a big congratulations you and welcome Annalise!!!! What a beautiful name. Can?t wait to hear the full story?.

Mrs Wed, good luck. Hope it all goes well for you.

Trib, sorry about the bad day you are having. As a like-minded non-hoarder, I have to insist the DH throws away all sorts of stuff as it drives me insane too. His thing is bits of broken wires and random broken electronic equipment, which he insists will come in useful one day.

Charley, lol at your DH?s alcohol amnesty time . My DH has stopped drinking more than a glass now as well, and you should hear how much he complains!! He?s been abstaining for all of 2 weeks and he looks at me with a totally serious face saying ?I don?t know how you do it, I would never get prgt if I had to do this for 9 months?. Lucky we aren?t depending on the males of our species for gestation purposes, I think .

Thank you all for your good wishes. Today went fine. The funeral was lovely, there was oodles of food back at my mums (always a good sign) and my relatives were quite good about not hassling me, although it goes without saying that i got advice from all sides . Now, I just need to persuade the little one to make an appearence...

Hey Ladies, Congrats for the new little arrivals. I haven't logged on for a few days, and already the stats board is becoming very colourful.

All is well with me, everybody reckons that I won't be long, I hope they're right, I am getting more and more immobile daily!

Been a bit sad this weekend. It was ds 1st anniversary/birthday today, (those of you who don't know - he was born stillborn at 24weeks)

• but it's passed relatively peacefully, my new little hope has kept me feeling positive. I have my last ante natal and last scan tomorrow at the hospital - hooray!! I can finally see an end to it all!!

Love as always, and good luck to you all

Congratulations Katz - and anyone else i have missed!!!!
Pink - you WILL get sleep when the baby comes i promise you - breastfeeding in bed was always my saving grace at night.
Am nearly ready for this baby now, hospital bag NEARLY packed, babys room NEARLY ready, psycologically prepared for labour -not at all
I read in a book yesterday that before you have the baby you should try and express a bit of colostrum occasionally to help stimulate things in advance of breast feeding - has anyone else heard of this????
With the other two i often had leaky boobs towards the end, but havnt this time -do i need to do anything (sorry for weird question!!!)

Morning Gweny - Thinking of you. It won't be long now before you have this little one in your arms. It must be such an emotional time for you.
Tessie - No, I have never heard of this expressing colustrum and I wouldn't bother. My boobs have leaked alot less this time round and I am putting it down to my body having done this before and so being better able to adjust to things. Glad you are nearly ready.
Jonah - Glad all went OK yesterday. Baby will be here soon now.
Trib - I must admit to feeling intrigued and a little about Kats seeming unplanned homebirth which is why I want details . What should I do to get one too hee hee. I would hire a handy man to shift all that stuff to the loft. It would drive me potty having to look at it too. DH has stacks of magazines by the bed (no, not that kind!!!) and all I want him to do is move them under the bed before the baby comes so I can at least hoover the floor properly but that seems too much to ask and he is not incapacitated in any way. MEN!!! Hurumph.
Right off for my shower now. Have good days all.
P.S. Come on Mrs W any news????? .

CONGRATULATIONS To all the new bubs
Tea, Lua, Katz and anyone i've missed

WOW so exciting....
My BP problems are fine today, which is good.

off to have more tea, do you reakon it works pre or in labour????
I had a strong Braxton hicks a minute ago.

Morning!

Yes there is news...we have a little boy!

He was born at 7.52pm last night, in a bit of a hurry. The midwives hadn't actually arrived, and DH was upstairs getting towels when DS2 decided to make his sudden appearance, so I delivered him on my own

He is absolutely fine, although very purple after such a speedy entrance. We were so convinced we were having a girl that we haven't got a name for him yet. He weighed 8lb 1/2oz. He's asleep now, bless him. DS1 (how strange is that) saw his brother just after he arrived and coped fantastically, wasn't upset in the slightest by any of it.

Gweny, you must have had a tough time of it over the weekend. Thinking of you.x

A big congratulations ato you Mrs Wednesday and at you delivering by yourself, you clever clever lady. Well Done

Mrs W - Wow. What an exciting birth story. Well done you. Congratulations on DS2 .
Fab news.

We have just had the midwife supervisors round for our chat and raised lots of issues. It doesn't look like any off them can be resolved in time for me but hopefully we will have helped some other mums down the line and we have been able to express our disappointment at the way the info has been passed out etc. I do feel better and kind of resigned to what is going to happen. At the mo anyway......
I have said I am worried that I will leave it too late to get to the hospital as I can't see any benefits of going there and both midwives nodded and said that they were worried I would too . Especially with what has happened with Kat and Mrs W.........

Huge congratulations Katz and MrsW ! How's that for both of you managing to be at home!

I'm sorry for your sad weekend Gweny - glad it passed peacefully for you and that you have this little one to look forward to so soon.

Jonah, glad it went as well as these things can for you too.

Coop - does that mean that the midwife centre is definitely not happening? (sorry, have not had time to catch up properly on the thread)

I will definitely join the 'not ready yet' faction with Pink and Tribpot - although we do now have the cot etc all set up and I'm frantically washing tiny tiny clothes. To my total I discovered that quite a few had been put away unwashed... mmm, four year old baby puke. I might even get my hospital bag packed this week, you never know. In any case, I'm under strict instructions from MIL to cross my legs this week as she has a lot on at work , plus dh is still working away part of the week. Bit worried about that tbh, as I'm not sure they (his work) are going to be massively sympathetic when the baby arrives - think it will be 'but she's had it now, why do you need to be there?'

BTW, Bero, if you are here at all, it sounds like you are doing really well with the breast feeding, I agree you just need to relax and try to have confidence in yourself. It's so hard to do, I do remember, when you can't see what they're taking (and I think that men have even more trouble with this than we do - far too results driven!) but if he's gaining weight and has plenty of wet/dirty nappies then he's fine. You hang in there.

Just wanted to add to the list of congrats for Katz and Mrs Wed

I'm so pleased for both of you

Mrs F - Yes the paperwork for our midwives to practice in the republic has not gone through . So the 'private' clinic (ie our UK staff in another location) is not happening in time for me. Still no dates for it. So I will be delivering at Limassol General, unless I follow Kat and Mrs W's example . Realistically I will not be attempting that as I have no m/w back up at home. Feeling oddly removed from it all at the moment. Hope it doesn't all come back to hit me.
Have discovered another prob in that I want Oral Vit K for this bump and it is now NOT available via the visiting UK midwives as I was initially assured. Limassol give a jab which I wanted to avoid and I have been stubbornly sticking to my guns as it is the only bloody choice I have been able to make!!! My midwife is investigating and will be in touch......

Wow MrsW, I'm glad all this DIY childbirth is (so far) happening to you second-timers, I really would not want to be delivering my baby based on reading the instructions from What To Expect When You're Expecting

But huge congratulations to the Wednesday clan.

All new baby stats

Gweny, what a sad/happy time for you this must be. Hope it all goes well for you at the hospital today.

Coop, glad you've managed to express some of your concerns.

Uki - fingers crossed for you!

Jonah - glad it all went okay, that must be a relief.

Tessie - no expressing is going to be happening here, there is nothing to express. I'm off for my nursing bra fitting on Wednesday, had to confess to her I am still wearing my ordinary bras, no real change in size at all. Ho hum.

Mrs Wed, congratulations!!!!!! Huge respect to you for delivering your little boy on your own, and I assume that means without any painkillers. Looking forward to hearing all the details?..

Gweny, my thoughts are with you at the moment. It can?t be easy for you or DH.

Trib, lol at the instructions in What to Expect. I read them too and sincerely hoped I would never ever be in a position where I had to use them .

CONGRATULATIONS mrs w and welcome to your little boy!!!
very impressed with the delivery-cant believe how quick they're all happening

gweny-sorry to hear of your weekend.xx

Jonah, I don't think we're v likely to need the instructions in What To Expect - I think my only risk is leaving it too late in labour that I can't get down the stairs for some reason. But to be honest, faced with delivering bubs myself I would phone and ambulance and ask a paramedic to come and help.

However, I am quite sure the need for pain relief will be enough to spur me to get to the hospital with time to spare