Due November 2009 - who is going to go 'pop' first?

[BeckyBendyLegs]

Here it is!

longway what advice for your dh! I'll need to get mine trained up soon as his only contribution to the idea of the birth so far is randomly bellowing 'breathe woman!'
I'm definitely standing over him until he reads all of the Ina May book (once he finishes his last Jack Reacher that is...)

becky fabulous poem, you must keep it up!

scarlotti I'll be taking in a killer sudoku book I think. And something to read, too. Mind you, when MIL was having DH she had been told to have last 100 pages of a really interesting book left for the labour to make it pass better. As it was she took another year to finish it.

Wayhay! Welcome to the world Baby Lukas and well done Broodzilla! We have all been so excited to hear from you. I hope you're managing to get a bit of rest now in the hospital - make the most of it while you can. Marie Claire this month has a yummy bar of Divine chocolate on the front - send DH down to the hospital shop asap for some light reading and sugar fix, if he hasn't been already!

wizzywoo I got them from the Pre-school Alliance in Gateshead - not sure if that's too far for you? There used to be an amazing place in Newcastle city centre, but it closed down a couple of years ago through lack of funding. The one I went to was quite a small shop, but I could've spent a fortune. Have to go and hide everything now before DD gets back.

skorpion you will love Christmas with a child! I always loved the magical bits anyway, but once you have a child to get excited about everything it is about a million times better . I agree with wizzy: wine, mince pies, cheesy christmas tunes are the way to go. If I can watch Miracle on 34th Street, so much the better. I Believe

scarlotti not sure about reading while in labour, but my mum bought me some magazines and chocolates for afterwards on the ward, and it was amazing to feel really self-indulgent for a while. Having said that, DH has bought me a waterproof book of short stories, to take in the birthing pool with me, so I will have to try it out! I think the pages must be plastic, but it looks like a normal book - on sale in Poundland now!

Oh, I'm so excited about Broodzilla and Lukas...!

Hi stormfly, welcome. You'll notice that this is a thread of extremes: on one side babies are popping out, on the other some of us are still in denial [excuse the sand-spitting]

skorpion - thanks! I am definitely in the denial group but at least the moses basket is down from the attic now (must get a mattress for it...)

Lissy You poor thing. Sorry to hear you're having such a bad day. I hope it's a pregnancy related appointment you're going to so you can mention your leg, as they might be able to recommend something to help. Sending e-hugs

welcome stormfly, that it the one job i have left to get dh to do this evening when he gets home. he actually gave me permission to nag him to do it.

Aargh, gremlins! My post appeared before I'd finished somehow...

Thanks for the shop name, Laugs. I think I'll try and find time for a mosey on over there sometime before baby is born.

Hello to Stormfly (waves) Always nice to hear from a new person. I'm sitting on the fence at the moment in the style of an overfed fat robin, perilously perched between having bought nearly everything I need but then not wanting to look at all the stuff in the baby's room because it means I have to accept it's coming soon!!

wizzy let me know if you do, it's very near where I live.

lissy sorry you're having such a rubbish day

• I've sent you both an email

Oh wow, congratulations Broodzilla and welcome to the world baby Lukas.

Will do, Laugs. Just looked for your email but it hasn't arrived yet. Only one in my inbox was offering me a penis enlargement

Just had the biggest hormonal strop of my pregnancy. Tesco arrived with our weekly shop, which I stupidly left DH to do online last night since I was exhausted. He's forgotten to order loads of essentials that we desperately need so I'm going to have to go out especially and buy them now.

The delivery man practically threw the stuff on the doorstep then dashed off before I could ask if he would mind bringing the heavier bags through to the kitchen for me. So I lugged everything through bit by bit since I can't carry much at the moment, then had to spend ages on hands and knees scrubbing the floor near the fridge because I dropped the eggs. To add insult to injury, I opened a cupboard and a pack of half-eaten chocolate snackajacks (my snackajacks which I haven't even had any of yet might I add!) to land on my head. I was so cross, I flung them at the wall, only for the pack to explode and bits of snackajack to fly all over the kitchen floor. As I crawled round the floor picking bits up, I burst into tears!! The worst thing is I could really eat a chocolate snackajack now and if I hadn't been so bloody silly, I could have had one!

Anyone else feeling ridiculously hormonal today??

yes, wizzywoo, my hormonalness is over tesco too and that dh's present still hasnt arrived nearly a month after dispatch. and me emailing them.

I did have an enormous strop last week because the tesco delivery only brought one pack of Magnums, even though it was buy one get one free. I have a serious ice cream addiction at the moment. I don't know why they make a big deal on the website about how they deliver right to your fridge door. The man who delivered ours brought nothing up and asked DH to go out to the van to collect it himself.

...er, when I said I'd sent you an email, I meant I was going to send one!

And yes, my hormones are all at sea. Up and down like a rollercoaster at the moment.

Congrats Broodzilla and welcome Baby!!! It's time!!

I cannot read all you ladies write, dd won't let me....at the moment, she is stomping around in a pink leopard-suit and black farm wellies, picking up all the shoes that are lying around. Very nice.

I had contractions last night, am still in shock. I'd seriously forgotten how much they hurt. Eventually they petered out and BH took over. Plus, had fight with unsympathetic DH, who is annoyed every time I have a new pain, as if I'm making them up to amuse myself.

WizzyWoo am in the same boat...I'm sorry for your strop..Just when you don't need one...

Just eat more choc..it helps.

hi stormfly welcome to the thread and denial camp!

also feeling hormal as its not long til the babba arrives and i know my dad cant come see her as he lives in Tasmania with wife and her boys. tried to talk to him online a couple of minutes ago, but his wife was on too, and for some reason im feeling really annoyed talking to her, perhaps its cos she's always telling me how 'perfect' 'her' family is.

Congratulatons and hello to baby lukas (love the name it was on my list but the french don't pronounce it correctly)

Have decided on a new birth plan...basically i'm staying at home 'till the last minute that way they can give me an epidural just for the final stages (well fingers crossed as last time my waters broke 24hrs before contractions started)

Just going down the list of hospital bag stuff I got from the hospital and apparently i need 9 towels (4 for me, 4 for the baby and 1 for the table (? presumably changing table) Surely thats way to many???I mean I'll have to take an extra bag just for towels

Congratulations Broodzilla!!

Re Swine flu, I was under the impression that 3rd trimester pregnant women would be more susceptible to complications or being pretty seriously unwell if they contract swine flu, or any flu, due to lungs being compressed etc. My major concern is that this isn't a tried and tested vaccine, but I too have asthma and usually get the flu jab... I just have concerns about this being 'new'.

Have a MW appointment this afternoon so will ask their opinion while I'm in. Also keen to know if any immunity would pass on to baby so I'll let you know what they have to say.

Sooooooo many posts! Haven't had a chance to read them all but just wanted to say a massive congrats to Broodzilla and welcome to the world baby Lukas!!! Hope you are both well and look forward to hearing all about it and seeing the pictures when you are ready. Well done, this is so exciting

Welcome stormfly! (due date twin!)

I'm a bit frustrated that we haven't gotten a timeline on when the swine flu vaccine will be available here, or how we get it. One page on the NHS site indicated that high-priority patients (== us, as pregnant women) would get a letter from their GP encouraging them to come in. Seems a bit slow to me.

As far as safety is concerned, they absolutely are testing the vaccine (on pregnant women) and have been for a couple months now. Chemically it's no different from any other flu vaccine. If the timing had been different they would have simply included H1N1 in the seasonal flu jab.

Immunity does pass on to the baby, and much more effectively if you get the jab while you're still pregnant, as you share blood with the baby. BFing will pass on antibodies as well but it's less direct, plus the baby has a whole world of germs & things to deal with once it's outside your belly.

Don't mean to sound like some kind of crazed vaccine crusader - it's a personal decision and one I don't take lightly - but I hope some of this information will be useful to people.

Broodzilla congratulation all round to you and yours.

Do you think this will be a wednesday baby thread? Best watch out for October 14th.

Koumak are you on line? I have envelope stamped and ready to go. Will put my e-mail up if you are about so you can send me a possting address.

Skorps I love Killer. I'm very upset the guardian are not doing it every day anymore . Might have to invest in a book also.
(do you think it's a scorpio thing?)

Laugs lovely present idea.

Lissy big huggs

Wizzy big hugs

Sorry if I missed any one. Can't keep up.

Welcome Stormfly

I feel rubbish I am really 'heady' - lightheaded and faint, exhausted etc etc. Hoping it's just a virus that I will get over quickly. Paracetamol is doing nothing and since there is nothing else we can take (there isn't is there?) I guess I'll continue to feel like this til it goes. And the weather is awful so going to get DD from school is not a fun prospect.

Sorry for me me me post

welcome stormfly and any other newbies I've yet to officially welcome

Wizzy yeah, did wonder if this might be a pre-labour clear out as don't really have any tummy pains but DS had a similar thing over the weekend so I suspect it's just that.

Getting to near my lethargic time now - madness, pretty much around 3pm every day I get a wave of fatigue wash over me. Normally I haven't done anything for dinner by then either and it seems like a mountain to climb!

Hadn't realised we'd get offered the vaccine so haven't thought about it at all. Will ask mw about it tomorrow.

Soooo glad to see it isn't just me suffering from hormones at the moment. Thanks for the hugs and support - very much needed this afternoon for some reason!

Laugs Got your email thanks - was getting a bit worried in case you thought I needed a bigger appendage!

Comma Your DD sounds so cute! My DD likes to either pair her Upsy Daisy wellies with everything or try to get out of the house in my pre-pregnancy green stilettos!

Maman Goodness me, I've never heard of needing so many towels - have the hospital never heard of washing machines or partners/husbands bringing fresh ones in if you need them?? I'd just take a couple of dark coloured or old ones and if you need more, get your DH/DP to bring some more for you.

Ninja Will watch Wednesday 14th with baited breath... bets on who's going to pop next, anyone?

I think my baby is trying to hammer his way out with his fists. Getting very uncomfortable so I'm going to have a wander to the post office to try and waddle him to sleep. Will check back later if DH doesn't hog the pc - only way I can keep up with all this chat!

Oh no, cross-posted yet again - Southernbelle make sure you drink loads of water. When I was in hospital on Sunday, I was feeling exactly the same and had a slight raised temperature (still don't know where that came from). The midwives and doctor said that at this stage of pregnancy, we should be drinking as much as possible as it's so easy to get dehydrated. Hope you feel much better soon x