Due November 2009 - Remember, remember we're due in November, but not yet quite ready to pop!

[Fruitpastels]

Hope everyone can find us!

skorpion, thanks for the tip with the boiling water. I'll try that. I guess this way you can be sure that your getting enough water, whereas if I mixed them with my muesli, it might have the opposite effect (I definitely have days when I'm not drinking enough)
And I've just realised that my bible has been written in 94 (so not that long ago) and it has been updated in 2005. But some of the information (especially about how bad some of the hospitals are, or for example: even if you usually don't wear a bra, you should (don't have to) wear a nursing bra. That sounds very 70 to me, I really don't know any woman who would not normally wear a bra. I like not wearing one sometimes at home, but I would never leave the house without, it would just feel uncomfortable). But I quite like the book because it's very complete and very positive as well. There is a very long part about the birth and especially the weeks after and what you can do. She want's you to stay in bed for a couple of days just with your baby while your family, friends or neighbours cook for you and make everything to make you feel good. That's my favourite part
There are a lot of information about homeopathy and aromatherapy and lots of examples of her own experience. The latter are usually very boring but I just skip those parts.

Morning all

Linseeds can be soaked overnight in cold water too then mixed in with anything you like. usi might be easier to stomach if you mix it in with your muesli as it's not appetising to look at.
Fingers crossed you get your flat too!

I use Fybregel which works a treat - you mix a small sachet with water twice a day and it gives a orangey drink with soluble fibre in it. As long as you drink it quickly it's not too bad!!
I use them as I get them free on prescription from the doc - saves buying linseeds or any other stuff. I still eat healthily on top but find it's the sachets that really help.

kyte great news on the car!

Bit of a lazy day here for me I think have done some chores so going to go find some lunch in a minute then settle down with a copy of Mother & Baby!

Ooh, I like the bit about staying in bed with the baby for a couple of days and being looked after by others.
But I also like the idea of it being just DH, LO and me for that period, too, to get to know each other. I have this vision of peace and quiet and wonder. With snow outside. Yeah, right...

scarlotti that's a good tip with soaking linseed overnight. Enjoy your magazine.

I'm on Fybogel too. I agree you have to drink it very quickly. If you leave it for even 1 minute it solidifies! You know how smells, tastes etc trigger really vivid memories? I have a feeling that in years to come Fybogel will be the taste trigger of this pregnancy! Still, it works.

ursi I like the sound of spending a few days in bed with the baby and doing nothing else. I wonder if that will happen?

In olden times they used to leave new mums in bed for 40 days/nights whilst the women of the family came around to help cook and clean. Gave mum and baby time to bond, and mum plenty of rest and time to heal.

My only chance of this is to stay in hospital for an extra night or two as with all the will in the world, with 2 dc's and a dh I can't see me being able to set up camp in the bedroom.

Am trying to arrange for Mum and MIL to come and stay for periods so I can get some extra help.

I quite like skorpions idea as well (and it is quite realistic in my case), just the three of us, having lazy days, my husband getting some food (cooking or defrosting, we'll see) and lots of sleeping probably (although I don't think that there is anybody able to sleep more than my husband)

my husband has just sent the offer to the estate agent. I'm soo nervous... and excited. Stupid, I never felt like this before renting a flat. But I guess, it's because we can't be sure that he will accept, though we offered at the price the estate agent said he would accept.
I want to go to IKEA now!

I love ikea! I spent way too much time and money there...

Ladies with big babies. If I am expecting 10lb baby is there any point of washing the newborn stuff or is it going straight into the 0-3months?

I'm planning a trip to Ikea, too, sometime. Combined with John Lewis - Milton Keynes I think.

We went to John Lewis in High Wycombe on Saturday to look at prams. Only to find out that 'we're the only JL that don't do nursery stock'

I think this pram hunting is going to be one of those challenges...

I ordered the Maxi cosi from John Lewis at the weekend and it arrived yesterday. Feel much more prepared that I actually am. The price was good too I wanted the plain black one and it was the lowest price I could find anywhere online and all, got the easybase as well.

Hello all!

koumak Do you know for sure its going to be 10lb ish or are you guessing? If it really is a 10lb baby I would skip the new born.
ursi keeping my fingers crossed for you.

laugs I take my iron tablet just before bed with a glass of orange juice, so about 2-3 hours after food. Also could you swap to decaff tea/coffe as caffeine can stop the iron being absorbed.

kyte and beepbeep great news about your cars

scarlotti I couldn't imagine staying in bed for 40 days and nights 1 or 2 would be nice though
I am really looking forward to having my mum around this time after the birth, as with ds1 mum went into hospital to have an op (cancer) just a few days after he was born, and with ds2 the cancer came back and she started radiotherapy when he was 10 days old.
This time though fingers crossed as she had the all clear last week for 6 months on one area, she gets her other results in October but we're hopeful they will be ok!

Have ds2's birthday cake in the oven so better go and check on it.

Ursi Fingers x-ed for the flat! Sounds perfect for you! Does your bible explain why the linseeds help with the birth? Just wondering if it's a similar thing to Raspberry Leaf? (BTW is anyone on this yet?)

Scarlotti Sounds like things are clicking into place re: work!

Laugs Thanks for the book tip - had a nosy on Amazon with the "look inside" feature and it does seem lovely. Might get that as a new-mummy present for a couple of friends!

Erika I second whoever (Trikken?) said that it sounds like the kind of text his current GF might have sent... which would still be filed under the "people are strange" category, but at least it would let him off the hook. Re: wearing bras, I think (as in the un-pregnant state) it probably depends on the size of them. Have you tried wearing sleeping bras? They're meant to be comfier.

Ninja Sorry I wasn't there for the collective hand-holding, sounds like you've had an ordeal and a half! Hope the dust is settling now? You might not feel like sharing much, which is understandable, but you know we're all here for you if you want to get it off your chest.

Sleepless and Tabby How scary with hospital visits and tests, but glad everything turned out ok in the end!

Eeyore I think at this point it's better to just think of anything work related as a count-down to Mat Leave, and try to leave the worrying for after... easier said than done, I know!

BBL Happy belated anniversary! Gosh, 9 whole years! It sounds so... grown up! Hope you had a lovely romantic day despite all the snot.

Not much going on in Broodzilla land. Just trying to get work done as best I can. Getting really, really short of breath though, to the point where just sitting or lying down makes me feel like I'm choking. (So not your usual "puffing up the stairs" stuff) called the MW yesterday, she was saying perhaps I was anemic (but I know my iron levels have been good throughout) or that I might have a chest infection (I think I'd be feeling poorly otherwise as well?) and said that if it didn't get better I should see my GP to rule out an infection...

I asked whether it was likely to harm the baby (as I really do feel like I'm not getting enough oxygen) and she said that while it may be uncomfortable for me, the baby will still get all the oxygen it needs. Calmed me down a bit, until last night when I went to bed, couldn't breathe or get comfy and decided to check my emails. I'd had one of those "things to expect at 33 weeks" emails, and guess what the first line was? To seek medical attention if you're experiencing breathlessness as "if you're not getting enough oxygen then neither is your baby". That freaked me out so much that I didn't sleep properly all night... have an apt with a GP this afternoon to check things over. I'm sure it's just the baby squashing everything, but I guess I just need to know I'm not depriving him of oxygen. Feel free to refer me to hypochondrics anonymous!

Definitely skip the newborn stuff with a 10 pounder - I got a lot of nice unused newborn stuff from a friend of mine whose newborn was too big for it! That said, most babies do drop a bit of weight in the first week.

The forty days thing sounds all right, until you consider that you were supposed to spend your confinement with the curtains drawn (fresh air was bad for you) in a musty, smelly room without washing yourself. And you'd probably be running a fever for some of that time (puerperal fever killed off more mothers than the actual delivery) due to your midwife's unwashed hands. In the Middle Ages, you were also expected to deliver on bedstraw (if it's good enough for the Blessed Virgin, it's good enough for you) and I don't imagine that was terribly hygienic either. Eurrgh.

Part of me wishes that I was going to get to spend some time just quietly cuddled up with this newborn and my husband, but with DS around, that seems highly unlikely. (He's broken the hoover AGAIN. I know he just wants to take it apart to see how it works, but ffs, who cares how it works? It doesn't NOW, does it?)

Broodzilla, she gives two reasons, they both seem logic. I guess it is one of those things that helps but if you doesn't really matter.
So firstly, it's good for all kind of mucous membranes, so for those in your bowel as well as for those in your vagina (I guess that makes the baby "slip out"). Apparently you are producing more vaginal mucus if you take it.
Secondly, as it has a good effect on your bowel, its muscels work more and they encourage the muscels of your uterus to work as well. (if you ever heard of this cocktail who can start contractions, it's the same principle but softer I think)

I've just got the cot delivered (from Mamas and Papas) I told the guy over the speaker phone it's on the fourth floor, he said ok and after 5 min, I was still waiting. So I went downstairs, saw two packets, each with a sign "Content weighs over 10kg, please be careful when lifting". Do they seriously expect a pregnant woman to carry that stuff? It's unbelievable! We even had to pay for the delivery. I didn't have to sign for it and I think it wasn't an independent delivery company but themselves. It is quite unlikely that anything gets stolen in our house but it is still incredible. What would I do without a strong husband (who will probably not enjoy carrying it upstairs). I really want to complain about it but I'll need to do that tonight, now I'm off to a leaving party.

Laugs I was horribly sick after I went on the iron tablets. I tried to take them in the morning with Grapefruit juice and it was way too acidic and I was really sick. In the end I have bought some chewable Vitamin C and take one of each in the morning with breakfast, avoiding tea, coffee or milk for an hour or so aftterwards.
Trikken thanks for being brave enough to bring up the subject of the swollen bits. I have been secretly really worried about it for weeks. I'm not sure who said something about it staying together but that is my problem at the moment. Not very attractive and quite off-putting. I am so relieved it seems to not just be me!!! And Wizzywoo my tummy is a bit hairy too, I don't realy like the look of it. And sometimes it goes a bit lopsided if the baby moves a lot.
Only two weeks of work left after tomorrow! I can't wait for a little pre-baby break. I have started knitting baby a blanket (my first ever knitting project since some aborted childhood attempts!) and I really hope I finish it before he/she arrives. It is made with the most enormous wool and kneedles so it grows quite sastisfyingly quickly.

Oh Broodzilla I didn't see your post before sending mine. Poor you with the breathlessness! That must be horrible. Good luck with your GP appointment.
And Ursigurke grrrr for you about the mamas and papas cot delivery. How ridiculous!!

Tigger32 Well I was sort of told this is going to be as at 31 weeks she was measuring 1.8kg already so I should expect 4kg birth weight isn?t that just under 10lb? But I am guessing really as haven?t got a growth scan booked. And I don?t really want to think about going 2 weeks overdue again on top of that! Ds was 3.8 when born.

A friend of mine just had her second baby last week and she said ?it took just over 2 hours from start to finish a bit like cork out of a bottle really?. Can?t see that happening to me somehow.

Broodzilla I have started taking raspberry leaf last week. I am taking the capsules from holland & barrett. It says to take 3-6 daily not that I remember to? I didn?t take them last time and maybe that?s why I was so overdue as wasn?t ?ripe? then? Anyway it?s supposed to make the 2nd stage easier we?ll see!

Also, I had breathing problems few weeks back but it has improved on its own. I couldn?t walk up the stairs or sleep laying down either. It just sort of went or I started to take it easier I don?t know. Have definitely noticed I am walking much slower than I used to.

eeyore your welcome, that was my comment too.

koumak think its 8.8 pounds so you may be lucky with the newborn baby clothes.

eeyore are you following a pattern with your blanket. I - like you - dabbled a bit as a child under my nan's guidance, but have forgotten it by now. I'd love to learn again, though. Do you think you can learn from books, or is it better to observe an expert?

Does everybody do their pelvic floors? I've noticed recently that there's more and more resistance inside. I suppose the baby pushes down so it's hard to pull everything up and hold against her. Or am I just not doing it properly...

broodzilla sorry, meant to say hope it goes well with the gp and it's just blip. I imagine it must be scary and very uncomfortable. Get better!

Nope. Thanks for reminding me Skorpion!

Yeah, well, can't say I remember them myself that often...

Koumak - DS was over 10lb, but he was pretty fat, depends a lot more on length rather than weight. I would still have some newborn stuff in, the bigger the baby the more they tend to lose too - usually allow for 10%. I think DS went straight into newborn Next, but mothercare (I think) are quite long and so he fitted in some newborn.

Koumak, cripes at the two-hour labour! I have to get DH to drive home from whatever bit of SW or SE England he's currently in, we have to wait for my mother to get here from London to take care of DS, and then it's 45 minutes to the hospital from here. If I only take two hours, I'll be having one of those motorway babies you read about. DH keeps joking that we'll sell the story to the Daily Mail: 'Immigrant Delivers Own Baby On Motorway (Mum Wanted To Have It All).

I have the raspberry leaf tea in loose form, and it tastes perfectly revolting. I drank it diligently with DS, and I don't know that it really helped at all, but at least I feel as if I'm DOING something... Will have to try the linseed in my cereal again, that used to be one of my bloated-with-PMT tricks - it's really good at bringing down water retention. I didn't know about the mucous!

We will be wanting signed copies Tamlin