Due september thread 9

[pooka]

Blimey already at No.9

Oops, I've really started something here, haven't I? We haven't got much organised for the baby yet, have ordered the pram and cot and we've bought some clothes and sheets but that's it. I was planning on leaving it all til I go on mat leave (8 weeks and counting...) but dh is panicking a bit.

4weeks and four days yay!! can't wait. I've got everything sorted and up just going to sort through all the clothes again so i can be fully aware of everything i;ve got and so i don;t miss clothes people have bought me when they come round!!

8 weeks for me too, and 1 of those weeks is Annual Leave, so only 7 weeks in the office. YAY!!

Andif - think you mentioned that you were knitting some Debbie Bliss things? I found one of her books the other day, and love clothes, but seems that you need to use her yarns? I can't knit at all, but my Mum does, and was thinking about sending her a book so she can knit some bits for me, but don't think you can get Debbie Bliss wool in NZ - do the patterns give alternatives (i.e. tell you which ply to use) in terms of wool?

Oh, STM - I remember I was like that with DD - no stone left unturned (!). Don't know what's happened to me this time, actually I do - she's about knee high, full of energy and doesn't stop for a second! Wouldn't have her any other way

Zubb, seem to be in the same position as you with builders. We've just had planning permission granted for an extension and are waiting on a builder confirming if he can start in a month. If not, then it'll be after October! Have visions of going into labour with a houseful of brickies! There's a chance we will have a make shift kitchen set up in the dining room when the baby arrives as they are pulling ours down. Oh what fun!

How organised are you all with your bags!!! Think I shall leave all that lot until start maternity leave - fourteen working days for me ...hee hee!!

Andif - good tip re Birkenstocks - will look on ebay. I am also hunting a chest of drawers - may look at Ikea though if can convince dh to take me! Want one that can double as change table if need be. The change tables in Mothercare etc are exorbatant!

Packing bags already - that is so organised. Was going to leave mine till 36 weeks One tip I was told is get your birth partner to actually pack the bag. That way they know where to find things/recogise stuff when you are in labour. Think I saw that somewhere on MNet but sounds like good idea especially if you are in pool/agony/spaced out!

Boompi, I recommend the DIKTAD changing table/chest of drawers. You can get shelves that convert the top bit into a bookcase when they're too big and mobile for the changing table. (Ours is of course about to be un-converted )

Andif, I just did the same, bought brand new Birkenstocks on eBay (from someone called ja*am - they arrived almost instantly) - they're lovely but see my Birkenstocks thread re. comfort - I guess I just have to wear them in.

Bag packing a bit more complicated with the whole homebirth thing - obviously if I did give birth in the next few weeks it would definitely be a hospital job, but I don't think I'll pack/prepare for either till we're back from our holiday till the end of July. The idea of an early birth is unthinkable till we're home!

My god, I don't check in here for a couple of days, and when I come back everyone is talking about packing hospital bags!!! I hadn't even thought about it! I have bought some clothes for baby, but that's about it. Have considered vaguely what sort of pushchair I want, but haven't really looked properly. Haven't looked at cots at all. Starting to feel totally unprepared now!!!

While we're in the list-making mood, does anyone have a 'list' for what you need for new baby? I can kind of guess some things (babygrows, hats, socks, nappies, wipes, baby bath, breast pads, baby monitor, change mat) but any other things I may have not have thought about would be greatly received!

LadyL, if you're passing John Lewis pick up a copy of their baby buys list - it does have a few frivolities on it but is generally useful - we used it as our starting point last time

PS re: Birkenstocks, I love them, and have worn them in the summer for years. Just treated myself to a new pair of purple ones! I don't recall them being particularly uncomfortable mind...

LadyL - the most useful thing to do is buy loads more maternity pads and breast pads than you think you need - I was always running out with ds1! You don't really need wipes at the beginning - just cotton wool and water to start. And lots of bedding as you may need to change it a lot.
Sarahhal - thats exactly where we are! And as I'm having a homebirth and have had 2 babies very quickly they will be on 30 minutes noticce to get out unless they want to end up delivering the baby!

hello all, our internet connection has been down for the last week so just catching up. Also went away for a long weekend to the Isel of wight whihc was lovely. Lovely hotel, staff bent over backwards to help and fussed over DS. After months of feeling crap with no energy, went on two cycle rides and generally dashed about (well compared to my recent snail pace)At last I've got some energy back.

Had the day off work today as had to supervise a gardener! spent most of it doing householdy things but feel a bit less chaotic than before and even managed a sneaky pedicure.

Only problem at the moment is DS who keeps taking is sleeping bag and/or pyjamas and nappy off at night and then pooing/peeing everywhere!! I'm doing tonnes of washing! He's out of nappies when he's awake but not always great so I have to watch him like a hawk. Hence haven't even started thinking about hospital bags/baby things.

Do remember the NCT class midwife suggesting a hand mirror so you can see baby being born but seeing the doctor with pair of scissors in one hand (episiotomy) and the ventouse thingy in the other was enough to not want to see any more details!! Also was amazed quite how many sets of clothes they get through in a day.

Loving this weather. Spent Thursday sitting in our shady garden with friends while the kids amused themselves in the paddeling pool. Office is airconned too so that makes a difference.

night night!

Hi Rhumba, glad you had a good time.
Ds1 (3.5) won't wear pyjamas at the moment, but can't say I blame him in this heat. We've had more bed wetting than usual as well but I think it's cos of the amount of water that he's been drinking.
With ds2 (19 months) I've got him just in short pyjamas so that he doesn't take his nappy off and luckily it seems to work.

Just wondering, should I have applied for child benefit by now? how do you go about applying for it?

Hope everyone's not melting too much in the heat... much hotter here than in Newcastle where I just came back from!

LadyL - you'll get the forms for child benefit when you have the baby. IIRC you need to send the birth certificate as well so you can't do it until you have registered the birth.

LadyL - you can fill out the forms and send them online too at www.direct.gov.uk - sorry I can't do links. Remember to apply for child tax credit at the same time. I always thought DH & I earned too much for the latter but only very recently found out that we should have been claiming for the last 17 months!

Zubb - So how much bedding do you need? Our flat will prob still be over 21C in Sept so thinking just sheets or a grobag will suffice at first? And clothing - how many changes a day can we expect?
Franch - still have your link re Ikea drawers thanks. When I can convince dh will go. Usually have to remind him of hotdogs and ice cream at the checkout! At least he is good with flat pack!
People keep on telling me now Im carrying 'like a girl' - think it may be code for 'your butt is growing by the day' but really need to consider that may be girl - have convinced myself that its a boy!

Boompi - both my kids so far have been quite sicky, so when I put them down after a feed would be sick even after I had winded them. I have a moses basket for them and used to turn them round so that I could use the bottom sheet for longer, but still ended up going through lots of bottom sheets. It's a pain to have to keep washing them so I made sure I had enough for 3 days or so so I have about 9 bottom sheets for the basket - borrowed from various people as they don't go through them so fast after a while. Also nappies leak sometimes so that goes onto the sheets.
I use grobags as well but not straight away - can't remember the weight they start at, so at first it will be a top sheet as well if needed.

As for clothing - god thats a difficult one, at his worse ds1 went through 3 - 4 baby gros a day, but as I said mine were sicky babies.

I have the diktad changing table as well - can highly recommend it. We got wooden baskets to hold all the nappy stuff under the changing top so its all at hand.

People were convinced that ds1 would be a girl - I remeber people at work going on at great lenght about how the shape of the bump indicated it - this was after I had found out it was a boy!

Top tip I got for moses baskets was not to spend a fortune on tonnes of sheets but to get some cheap pillow cases - perfect size and means that mattress is reversible too!
I found that DD didn't need a grobag when really small as they don't wriggle much when asleep so sheets/blankets will stay on quite well.

We swaddled DD to start with - an absolute godsend and transformed her sleeping. Brilliant tip re. pillowcases - thanks jessysmummy - we didn't use a moses basket last time - DD slept in her cot from the start - but we're borrowing one this time and have no bedding so will def do the pillowcases thing

hi everyone, i agree, the tip about the pillowcases is great jessysmummy. i only have about 3 sleepsuits in size 0-3 so i think i will need a few more

KF - just checked the Debbie Bliss book and it does give lots of blurb about the yarns you can use- weights etc, so should be fine for your Mum - they have stockists of their yarns in Aus, but no mention of New Zealand.
Have been picking up bargains on ebay! Bought a baby bath that fits on top of the normal bath - thought would be good for bathing all 3 kids at once -the boys can help while they're getting clean, and it will save my back. With ds2 we had one of those sponges for him to lie on, but could never have much water in bath, and was back-breaking.
Also bought carrycot for the pushchair we intend to buy - decided to get new pushchair as more to go wrong with it, but pregnant brain can't decide on colour!!!
Have come out in some sort of rash all over arms and legs (v. attractive ) It's itchy, but I think it's just a heat rash - I've never had one before though. Maybe I'll get it checked out if it's still there tomorrow... Will definitely effect wedding outfit! Can't remember if I said that I have a dress to wear that a friend lent me. It's lovely, but not sure if it has 6 weeks growth left in it as it's non-maternity. I can see me dashing around the shops the week before, desperately trying to find an alternative!
Anyway, off sales shopping in Kingston now!

Morning everyone,

just catching up with yesterdays postings. Had a 28week scan yesterday and saw my consultant, they've finally put me onto midwife led care which is alot better for me. Consultant did say i have a small pelvis, (but mighty great big hips) so he's asked mw to keep an eye on growth of dbs and maybe will have to c-section. Not going to worry for the moment i'll leave that for when i have moret time!

Hope everyone else is ok.

STM

Talking of wedding outfits andif, I found a nice dress on the Tiffany Rose website but then suddenly thought agh - what if I end up with elephant ankles from the flight??? So I'm now starting from scratch looking at trouser suits - there's a nice one on FunMum so will order that and keep everything crossed. And here was me thinking that the epic search was over .....

Hi all,

Well it has been at least two months since I last posted, maybe longer. Have been very busy moving house, then renting another while waiting to complete on dream house. At last we are finally in and unpacked and I have just got broadband so feel very connected.

I have just spent the last hour catching up and it feels good to be back.

Just to refresh - my stats: I am considered an old mum (41 years) and I have one son aged 12. EDD 23 Sept - Harlow hospital.

Ladyl - I had vertigo last week and my Dr. sent me for blood test, which unfortunatly showed that I am aneamic. If yours continues it might be worth seeing your doctor. The doctor also suggested it could have been high pollution combined with heat exhaustion. Anyway feeling better now.

As for packing, I haven't even thought of it, nor have I bought anything for sprog or decorated the "nursery". Maybe its because I feel like I am going to be pregnant indefinately or it could be just plain denial!!