The PESH Deli - The drinks might be virginal, but that's about all...

[CurlyCasper]

Come in, come in to the new haven for diffed BESHies. I think a group effort is needed here (and I'm being a lazy preggo), so please add to the deli whatever you crave/love/can stomach.

Nominations are also open for sexy fathers we can hijack to serve our mouldy cheese and cured ham

And the best mocktail recipe wins...well, bugger all to be honest

well, I am finally booked in with the Midwives. I don't have AIDs of Siphilus (sp), have A+ blood and should be able to push for a water birth! Turns out there is a MW unit attached (by a mere set of double doors) to the Cons. unit, so I could be easily transferred if there are any probs. Can transfer back to local MW unit and stay for up to 10 days if i want, until I have got over The Fear . All in all, a good outcome, methinks.
Hope you're all having a good Saturday.

Oh purllllease Cossie - you'll get bored of waiting around and just push it out for the hell of it! July sheep tsk! That was some night out eh ladies?

Curly Imagine my disappointment when I realised you said Midwives and not Maldives. Congrats on not being a skank - it seems none of us are. That's really great about you being able to go MW led! Stay for 10 days? Why are you planning on that? After the "thing" you mean?

I got to ride out yesterday which was wonderful and I didn't feel "pregnant" the entire time which was a real blessing. It was all very relaxing, a beautiful winter's morning and it was nice to get a little speed with a good long gallop uphill. Lost a stirrup though eeep! It wouldn't normally bother me but I pulled her up until my foot was good again.

ah the Maldives, now wouldn't that be good. [hopeful face]

Well, the MW says I should push for the waterbirth, but warned me it may be a battle against the consultants. I'm willing to fight though. The unit is happy to have you stay to get breastfeeding, bathing etc sorted after the birth. Basically, you go home whenever you feel ready to face the big, bad world. It might be within 48 hours, or it might be 10 days. It's just nice to have the option, say, if baby took a while to latch on properly. Partners are allowed free access to the unit.

YOur ride sounds great - a day of not feeling pregnant would be just what the doctor ordered.

cheggs I have just checked your link to the nursery furniture. I'm afraid I'm going to have to withdraw my offer as that is far too nice!! Not sure if I've got sufficient elan to pretend that I am the sort of person who would actually have such a stylish nursery. Nah, don't worry, I'll go and look this week and report back. Have you already got the chandelier, btw?

God, I am so sorry I am taking the piss - obviously just very jealous that anyone's nursery could actually look like that photo!

ski So glad your ride went well.

My big outing yesterday was to the supermarket. It had to wait until Saturday so MrP could escort me, as last week when I tried to do the shopping on my own my back went and I ended up weeping when I got home and crawling on my hands and knees to get into bed. A very bad sign, and based on last time a worrying precursor to the SPD. Apparently pushing a supermarket trolley triggers something. It's all very well living in the beautiful remote countryside but not much use when the supermarket won't deliver here. Hmmph.

RE telling people:

So far just told DH (he did not give me a manly punch on the shoulder).

Might tell parents/siblings in a month or so. I always said I'd only announce a pregnancy after my first scan, but people will know the minute I stop drinking.

I did wented out on my bicycle today

It was comedy, we went up to nidderdale and got to the top of hideously hideous road climb and found the track totally unpassable with over the knee snow - just the wrong texture so it didn't bear any weight at all, but neither was it powdery enough to just cut through. So a bit of a disaster really, ended up doing a weird shortened route and about 3 miles of the stupid snow, which took forever. still it was a "proper" ride, with people who didn't know about the diffing, so a success I think.

Fecking knackered now though.

blimey pone don't be going to no shops on my account if your hips are separating

take care of yourself woman!!

i've done my own shopping this weekend. have bought a pram. i still honestly don't feel grown up enough to own a pram, so am eyeing it suspiciously as it sits in the living room.

i know this probably breaks all the baby superstition rules but they actually had the thing we wanted in the shop there and then rather than telling us it will take 15 weeks for delivery.

one big tick of the list so progress at last.

well done cos and ski on your sport billy pregnancies. i gave up to couch a long time ago ....

cheggs Didn't mean to frighten you - the supermarket thing was a one off but MrP forbade me from pushing a trolley any more as a result (he is not keen on reacquainting himself with Disabled Wife so soon). Weird thing is, the reaction is really specific to pushing a supermarket trolley and several SPD expert type people have warned me about this. On Saturday I still "did" the shop, i.e. walked around the whole supermarket, but MrP pushed the trolley. No problem whatsoever. And it doesn't happen from pushing the buggy either. Weird.

So what pram did you get?

cossy Nidderdale is lovely, and it is home to my favourite restaurant, The Yorke Arms at Ramsgill. Are you nearby?

Pone, we went right past the Yorke Arms, turned left past a farm there.

I am in that there large town south of Nidderdale, you know the big one.

Cossie Your ride sounds absolutely lovely!

cheggers I am so proud of you for manning up and buying "basic equipment"! I told jailbait this morning that you didn't want to be a grown-up and he said "I don't either". Bit late for that isn't it? For all of us I mean.

I'm just back from the midwife this morning - I heard my little person's heartbeat woohooo! My blood pressure is very low - but that's normal for me. In the past being hugely overweight, smoking, being on the pill etc. has kept it within the realms of normal. "Low" blood pressure is great of course (supposedly) but it's not doing me any favours energy wise. I've got to book my 20 week scan later - she did warn me that it wasn't a "fun" one and the whole point is that they're going to be looking for anomolies. At least though I'll be having it done at the cool place my colleague did - a private practice rather than a hospital which is great - and kind of funny because my colleague was just telling me how lovely this place was last week.

Curly The ride was even better than just forgetting about being pregnant. We were just clip-clopping down the road gabbing about rubbish when a man on a bike passed us and said "morning girls" - which set off streams of giggles. It's been a while since I've been referred to as a "girl". I'm a pregnant-LAYDEE fankuvehmuch! I did have to undo the button on my breeches though...

Morning chaps.

I has been away from internets... as ever at the weekend...

Would love to go riding...

At least am still dog walking - which must count as a tiny bit of exercise... Going to start swimming this wek tho - now am finally recoverd from the terrible plague .

Bloke asked me when it might be safe to start buying things... I said not yet... Not sure when it will be safe - but I know it isn't yet

Hi ladies - haven't caught up here or at the Palace since last logged on so apologies if I have missed something enormous. Just a flying visit to ask:

a) insomnia - argh - is it just me? I am feeling totally wiped out and yet can't sleep at night. This morning I feel as if I have a hangover.

b) (related) does anyone wear a bra to sleep in? I have never felt the need (despite officially beign an E cup mine look more like a B-C (normally)) but at the moment they are sore and flopping about which probably doesn't help. Quick google reveals they sell them in the US and us Brits haven't caught on, but some link it to breast cancer. Will google properly later, just wondered if any experience about?

Me update: TSF has decided that if we are to move house we should try to do it beforehand. I think that this is unlikely (we took a year to decide on a pair of curtains, we do not make faast decisions) and also have spent ages getting our house nice and moving would mean starting again. Also moving away from familiar things. Met best friends and managed not to tell them news but feel really horrible keeping it from them. Want a nap now. Grrr.

VAG I felt like I had a hangover alot too am better now tho - so it prob won't last...

We are moving soon too...

VAG I'm still waking up before 6am every morning - which is not surprising given that I'm rarely awake after 9pm. I tend to just get up and get on with it, during the week I just haul "ass" and get to work - I work flexi so it doesn't matter when I come in. At the weekend I get up and have a potter and usually grab an hour on the sofa in the afternoon. My manager is totally cool with me coming and going as I need to. E.g., when ms was really bad I wasn't coming in before 10...

I think I'd find a bra very uncomfortable to sleep in but I have spent a few nights resting "them" on a pillow. They are now beyond the realms of comedy and becoming Lolo Ferrari.

As far as house moving goes, we're staying put for the moment for sure - it was of course sod's law that we moved in to a 1-bed place the week I conceived... but it's all irrelevant really as the baby will sleep in our room for at least the first 6 months anyway. Long term we don't know whether we will remain in NL - definitely not whether we'll remain here, we'd both like to move closer to Amsterdam at some point. (I'd actually like to move to Groningen as there are more horsey activities going on... )

VAG I have exactly the same, am exhausted during the day and then can't sleep till about 2 in the morning. Then get up at 6.30, exhausted, and it all starts again. I do feel hungover as well. I remember this happening last time. I also remember that although it got easier to get to sleep, little noises (expecially kids next door crying) in the night used to wake me up and then I couldn't get back to sleep again. So it got a bit better, but not much. But at least then your body is ready for not much sleep when bubba comes.

Hi all,

Not gonna try to catch up (against normal policy, sorry) as too much and no time, but hope all is well.

Feeling pretty shit here as I've hurt my neck (again), this time vacuuming the house. No, seriously. I wouldn't have minded if I'd been doing a triathlon. Feeling like my useless bloody body is laughing at me. I know I'm not alone in this so bear with me while I sink into a pit of self pity for a while. It will stop shortly. It's just a pathetic neck and I'm seriously considering a transplant. I was going through physio to try to strengthen it and obviously it's not yet worked. I have a really high pain threshold yet two nights running I've been actually crying in pain which is not good as the effort of sobbing jerks the bloody thing and makes it worse. On Saturday night I gave up at 1.30am and googled "co-codamol and pregnancy" which told me that it was ok to take as long as I didn't get myself addicted to the codeine as otherwise my baby would get addicted too, which is unlikely really, so I took it and AAHHHHHH blessed relief. I generally have an avoid-drugs policy but I'm thinking of changing it.

OK, that's enough of that. I'm off to see the osteopath in a few minutes so I'm sure it will all be fixed soon enough.

Right, winge over. Sorry about that and mucho sympathy to the likes of pony whose pain is unlikely to pass as fast as mine and of course casper who doesn't ever complain, bless her, but I was thinking of a lot in bed the last few nights . Because of the pain, obviously.

Good on you cosmo and ski for the riding (if different things).

ski my mum always used to warn people that the 20 week scan is there to check for problemos, in case there was one and they were totally shocked as it hadn't crossed their mind. But at that point it would generally be stuff that is really useful to know. For instance, my little bro was born with massive bowel problems which he nearly died from as it wasn't diagnosed until 2 weeks after birth. If he'd been scanned they would have know and operated when he was born - traumatic - but he wouldn't have suffered for the rest of his life from the fact that it was missed for so long and much more damage was done.

The point being, it will be lovely as you will see your baby again, and if anything is wrong, it's a positive thing that they've found it and will be able to deal with it, so relax about it and enjoy it when it comes.

carrots I think I know why your neck hurts. It's a combination of your willowy model-like physique and your giant cranium (big brains)! It's the only plausible explanation.

OHMYGOD you're addicted to painkillers, your baybee will be born with no feed and a morphine dependency!

As far as drucks go, I've been generally taking the anti-nausea/paracetamol about 3x a week each for the last 2 weeks or so.

iggy did lots of riding too according to up there. But not a bicycle of a horse. No wonder she's in the state she's in.

carrots I can see the sense in warning us that it's not all fun and games - I mean obviously we'll be delighted to see Julian again but I do understand that there's a more serious element to it. Although I know he's got two very active little jazz-hands!

ski what's wrong with your pony? I know you'd mentioned something but have I missed the details?

And of course, you're right about my brains/willowy figure/etc . That's exactly what it is.

I am going to be addicted to pain killers - hurrah - not been addicted to anything before!

OK, despite saying otherwise I did catch up on the last few pages.

skater hurrah and welcome!

Sex - yes please. I mean, at 20 weeks. Yes we will. Find out. ski we did the heartbeat thing (girl) with LC AND I put my wedding ring on a string and let it rotate over my belly which said it was a girl, so on those two absolute scientific FACTS we only chose a girl's name and were both CONVINCED he was a girl. I've mentioned it before but I went through some trauma for a couple of weeks after my girl was born with a willy as I felt I'd actually lost my daughter. It really interfered with the bonding with LC. Now I'd love to have a girl for the balance, but I also know how gorgeous boys are so I'm not concerned about that as I was before (I only saw boys as naughty and noisy - turns out they can be sweet and loving, too).

oh, bless you carrots. Though I am in the process of very much complaining. My body if getting worse, so I am trying to get an appointment with a rheumatologist asap. Ny neck and shoulders are as sore by 10am as they usually are after a long day of mousework (graphic design). And I;m waking up with bad fingers. [anger]

Moan over. We are now definitely going to find out the sex, but not till after the 20-week anomaly scan. And we're going to do it at the private clinic with better machines.

skater managed to miss your bit about telling people. we could not keep quiet so had an early scan to make sure all was ok before blabbing at 8 weeks. Don't know how I would have lasted another month! Think you've just got to do what feels right for you.

We are convinced it is a boy... as I've just started keeping a "I'm pregnant with you" journal I suppose it's best to be non-gender specific lest the poor wee mite read the diary aged 18, slam the door and never return - living the rest of their miserable life in a squat in Plumstead and turning tricks for smack.

Did anyone catch the thing on BBC breakfast this morning about the SAHD who does all the cooking with his little boy? That's how we see jailbait's/julian's future.

Speaking of willowy figures et al - the bloody newsreader on BBC breakfast looks bizarre... she has the tiniest little body - like a little girl's, but an enormous cranium. cry yersel' tae sleep oan yer giant piller

I need to watch So I married an axe-murderer tonight in lieu of a real Burn's night. Tut.

My horse is fine carrots, the problem is the girl who was supposed to be riding for me whilst I'm diffed isn't very good. Or rather, not as good as me - and is finding the nag a "challenge". Jailbait said this morning "when's this ODE?" - early October I replied, "right, you can go then". I did try to explain that 10 weeks after childbirth might be a bit soon to ride a x-country course? On the other hand, it's totally flat and it's only 2.2km or so... what do you think? I'll selloptape pads to my saddle if I wee.

Skater You're back and diffed! Well done you!

I fancy a really really big bit of chocolate cake. Now. And some tea.

Damn you VAG now I want chocolate cake

Maybe I will bake tonight.

ski that's me on the telly. I do BBC breakfast telly then go into the office to sell organic cotton baby clothes.

at girl rider - always a problemo, eh. Had to ROFL at JB's giving you permission to ride the ODE. Bless him. Tell him to lend you his bladder and then you'll go. But seriously, personally I would book in and drop out if you don't want to/can't do it. Don't be disappointed if you can't but don't miss out if you can.

casper actually it's a relief to hear you moan. I thought you must be some stoic stiff upper lip type laybee and I wondered what I was doing wrong. SO sorry you're struggling sweetie. It's all in perspective, eh. These diff problems pass... yours doesn't... like you don't know that. I'll shut up now as I'm just not doing anyone any good

PS ski don't write off girl rider. Can you give her some lessons? If she Just Not Coping that's one thing but a bit of a challenge is good for a rider. Sometimes.