Spring is sprung, the grass is ris, I wonder where my toenails is - Due June 2010

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Ok, here it is ladies. Nice new thread for us all to enjoy

Sorry I'm going to have to have another moan/vent so feel free to skip this post.

Shouldn't have bothered getting out of bed this morning as today has already started off as being one of those days!

Firstly kids drove me round the bend as they don't do a bloody thing they are told. I asked DD to come down for her breakfast at 7.45 she doesn't come down until gone 8 despite me keep shouting up the stairs for her
When I asked DS to get dressed he said "no, I don't want to" . My kids never do as they are told first time, I might as well be talking to a brick wall for all the good it does me.

Secondly, DH took my car keys to work with him , so had to hunt for spare key. I'm sure he did it on purpose, can't really see how he could accidentally take them when they are hung up

And thirdly, just to top off my crap start, I've just had a phone call to say that my MW appointment has been cancelled again. Apparently it's because all the MW's were out on home births last night . Does that seem a bit odd to you??

And it gets even better........I can't get an appointment now until the 1st April I haven't had my 28 week bloods taken yet and I'm nearly 30 weeks, by the 1st April I'll be nearly 32 weeks!!

Maybe I'm being unreasonable but it seems like the antenatal care in this area is sh*t.

Hi mampam it really does sound like you are having a shocker. Hope you found the spare set of car keys. I've only got a 3 yo to deal w but she can bring me to the brink of rage when simple requests to get dressed etc. are ignored (and my CM hates it when I drop off late).
I'm amazed that you have had another mw appointment cancelled. Can you speak to the Pracice Manager at your surgery because it does seem that this is the last straw? I have not seen the same mw twice at my surgery, but that has not bothered me as much as it would have if my appointments had been cancelled. My surgery seems to have a cover arrangement with other surgeries in the area. Hope you're able to get something sorted out earlier than beg. April. Maybe there's a clinic you could attend at your hospital?

Mampam - I really hope that day ofyours is getting better!

MadameFreckle - I didn't really mean any kind of criticism, andI hope you didn't take it that way. We did do CC with DD when she was 10 months old because the way we had been getting her to sleep was driving us all frantic. She actually cried much less with CC than with our former way. I was absolutely on my knees at the time as had gastric flu and my mother had just died and we just had to sort out DD's sleep before I collapsed. It was a really good thing for us at that time. I was very against it before that. Now I'm pretty flexible about it as I am with most things.

I DO INSIST on a nap in the afternoon. It's my one iron rule. Yesterday she objected, but afetr visiting her a few times and being nice to her, patting etc I gave her a final warning that I was going to get cross if I had to come again, and she lay down and slept

High glucose for the first time at 25 week check. At the time, I put it down to a sugary breakfast (uneaten pastry from guests yesterday). Then I got home and realised I took the sample beofre breakfast. Have left a message for MW. I guess she'll get back if she's worried.

Off to pick up DD now from nursery. New shoes time!

Play I can never get an appointment at my local surgery, which is just down the road, I have to travel into the local town and go to appointments at the Childrens Centre. Unfortunately the hospital is nearly an hour away and doesn't cover this area (it's complicated) so no hope of seeing a MW there.

LaT unfortunately my day is not getting any better.....I'm even more fuming with DH now. Part of the row last night was about him having to do all the housework/washing etc. I still do the cooking but I'm not allowed/can't physically do the housework and he does the washing because the smell of washing powder makes me feel sick.

DH at the moment only works 2 and a half days per week so when I was working I was working more hours than he does now, doing all the housework, washing and cooking so I'm wondering/winding myself up why he feels like he's so bloody hard done by

Anyway, have done some washing today and taken it to the garage to put into the tumble dryer. Low and behold the filters were filthy and don't look like they've been cleaned for months even though I asked him at the weekend if he'd done it recently and he said 'yes'. So he lied.

Also even more worrying, a couple of weeks ago DS came in from the garage and said that he had knocked over a demi-john (sp?) and it had smashed on the floor. The glass is still all over the floor as DH hasn't bothered to clear it up but he's let DC's go to the garage to get their toys/bikes out. They also skateboard/go-cart down our steep drive and end up in the garage. I'm so surprised there hasn't been a nasty accident. I'm so with DH.

Luckily DC's are with their dad tonight because I think there are going to be a few heated words when DH comes home from work.

How could he be so irresponsible???

Oh Mampam, that sucks. I really feel for you. at the broken glass and massaging your legs while you're asleep! That's such a man-can't-do-right-for-doing-wrong thing to do...

Not being able to do housework while being housebound has got to be the worst type of torture... Big hugs from oop north. I hope it gets better soon and you can have a reasonable conversation rather than a row tonight.

Mampam All that after being awake at 3.30am?! Anyone would go loopy. Hope you're feeling a bit better.

LaT I had my MW appointment this morning too and they also found glucose for the first time. After dinner last night I was craving something sweet so ended up having a (I'm so embarassed to be even typing this) syrup sandwich which she said was probably to blame. Did you have anything sweet last night? She said they'll test me again at my 32 week appointment and if it shows up on two consecutive tests then they'll refer me for a glucose blood test.

MonkeyM Happy birthday!

Thanks for all the BW info. I'm going to try and give it a go, but in an open-minded, flexible way. See how positive I can be about it all before reality strikes

Sorry Mampam x posts. I'm fuming here for you.

Regarding the baby books, I'm another one who didn't read a thing before hand. Possibly naively, I didn't realise there were such things available. I inherited a "What to expect in the first 12 months" from my SIL which was great for trouble spotting and answering questions. It helped me diagnose that DD had reflux when she was about 4 weeks and once we got her on the gaviscon (at 4 weeks! poor lamb) things did seem better, athough she was sick a million times a day until she was weaned and could sit up on her own...

One of my new mum friends had a few books and I remember being bemused when she'd say what the book said shuld be happening. How can anyone else know what your baby needs?

I'll be in the making-it-up-as-I-go-along camp again this time, I think. New baby and new challenges, I'll just have a bit more experience this time. Like others have said, in every other aspect of my life, I think I'd be classed as a control freak, but I just don't think you can control a newborn baby.

The thing I dread most is the sleep deprivation - it makes DH and I into very argumentative monsters. I remember for several months thinking my marriage was falling apart, but we just needed more sleep!

God I love syrup sandwiches. Has to be white bread though, with butter. Used to have them for school lunches when I was a child.
Eating it last night shouldn't really give you high glucose this morning though, as your body should have produced enough insulin to deal with it unless you have GD. I would ask for a GTT now tbh. I know it's not the nicest of tests, but better that you find out now if you have it than leave it uncontrolled for another few weeks.

on your behalf mampam. Do let your dh know that the majority of house fires are caused by tumble driers that haven't had their filters cleaned (was told this by fire brigade after our big fire last year).

Right, going to go and have a lie down, as had a bad night and would like not to be the one falling asleep in her dinner when we meet up tonight!

Thanks for all the BW and general routine for babies advice. Have found it very interesting. Think I will be doing the same as you meggymegs. Will have to compare notes.

Sorry to hear Mampam and MadameFreckle still having such bad times with their AP. Hope it improves sometime soon.

Got a massive pile of baby clothes from a friend this morning so looking forward to sorting through them all and getting them in their drawers. Such fun . She also lent me her monitor for listening to the babies heartbeat so now I dont need to worry when he seems to have stopped moving (was awake for quite some time last night worrying about this).

Have a great meal tonight London people

I hadn't felt baby move at all today (which is very rare) so I just had a glass of cold water and now baby won't stop wriggling! I think that was the pregnant equivalent of poking a new born who is too deeply asleep

I have just eaten two creme eggs and could quite happily have another one - WHY did i buy a six pack?!

Sorry to hear you're having such a crap time at the mo mampam

I've got my 28 week check this afternoon so will be like a pin cushion after they've attempted to get some blood out of me and had my Anti D injection - Joy!

A friend of mine lent me the BW book. I did read it but didn't actually try and get DD into the routine. She just fell into her own routine fairly early on. Don't suppose we'll be so lucky second time round!

Those of you going to the London meet - have a fab time!

hi All havent had a chance to read up on thread for the few days ive missed.

had a busy few days had (late@24 wks) Anomoly scan monday.
baby seems fine apart from fluid on one kidney which will need further scans and checks even after baby is born/ possible anti-b's.
DH is trying not to let it worry me as he knows its hasnt been as easy pg on me this time. So im not going to over think and google too much and just wait and see how it is at next scan in a few weeks time.

Have just phoned dh to remind him (again!!!) that he has to be home early tonight....very of CSWS getting a rest in before dinner - I'm desperate to go back to bed today but have waaaay too much work on!

Going back to bed sounds like the best way to deal with your day mampam.... So sorry its all being shit all at once. I just wonder whether rather than going ballistic at your dh when he gets home (which, I admit, is what I would do ), it might not be more constructive to write out a list about the things that are bothering/upsetting you, and get him to sit down and work through them with you to agree some 'solutions'. Obviously the solutions are basically that he does more and moans less, but it might be a way of discussing it without giving him the opportunity to lose his temper and start shouting at you? No point in mentioning the keys, I think - if he did it on purpose, then its really childish and not worth rising to the bait, and if he genuinely did it by mistake then he'll get all hurt and defensive about that instead of focussing on the big stuff....does that help at all?

Re the BW crying/not crying & sleeping/not sleeping thing...I'd just like to say that we never had to do any controlled crying with either DS or DD using the BW. Yes, at about 10 weeks I stopped going running in at the very first sound and started waiting up 4-5 mins to see if they would settle, but only when I knew they weren't hungry and when the crying was the 'wah wah wah I wonder if anyone is around' type noise not the 'WAH WAH WAH I'M SO HUNGRY HELP!!' version that I was pretty well able to spot by then...and because I was so focussed on giving them full feeds every 2-3 hours during the day (allowing for cluster feeding) it did mean that they slept from 7-7 with just a dream feed at 11 by 10/11 weeks each (and only fed once a night in between before that from weeks 1 or 2) which made a huge difference to my overall sanity. I do not cope well on limited sleep.....

Watch me now as dc3 proceeds to buck the trend, be totally BW-proof and never sleep until its about 6 months old....then laugh and point at the crazy smug lady who had 2 good dcs and thought she could do it again

I should ad on the CC front that DD was only such a terrible sleeper because we had to wake her up every two hours for three months. For several months after that I staggered along thinking, 'It's not fair to punish her for something that we did to her.' The CC was a last resort in a dark place. IMO, although it did help us it's not an ideal and came out of a crappy situation.

Oh you are all so wise. Unfortunately there will be another row because DH cannot discuss anything.

Oh wise and wonderful filly think you may be right about the keys, not gonna give him the satisfaction of knowing how annoying it was having to unlock the car properly (no battery in the clicker) and then walk around the other side to get my crutches out, then walk back to lock the door!!

goodname don't think AP quite covers it with my DH right now. Maybe WP,SP or PITAP!! I'll leave you to work them out!

Think the main issue I'm going to have to raise is the broken glass.

Enjoy your London meet up. Wish I was there to eat lots of yummy food, that would be just what I need right now.

Hmm, rather concerned now about the glucose csws, could have also been down to the crunchie nut cornflakes this morning (check out my healthy diet! ) but I will ask my sister for some advice tonight (she's a MW) and report back.

Filly Good to hear such positive BW results. I like the sound of sleeping 7-7

Back from Midwife with a hole in my arm and the same amount of blood in me as before I went in!

She couldn't hit a vein, got another nurse in to try who also couldn't find one. So have to go back tomorrow to see phlebotomist (sp?) and again next week as she wouldn't give me the Anti D injection before having my blood taken.

Mentioned about the pain I'm getting in hips and pelvis and was told its just one of those things you have to put up with - Grrrrr!

On the upside did get my health in pregnancy form so just have to decide what to spend it on now

I'm a bit concerned about the glucose too, as the only thing I'd eaten before bed was a yoghurt. I did have a Weetabox at 3am too. I just feel really ropey and sick today. I'd like to know what your sister says Meggymegs.

Ok it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I said my piece, he didn't shout or get stroppy. Think he's feeling quite bad about the broken glass and is out in the garage now sweeping it up!!

On the glucose subject, I haven't heard anything about my GTT. I guess no news is good news?

Cantsleepwontsleep - Yikes!! at your scary tumble dryer fact!

Phew, mampam. Glad the air has been cleared a bit and that you were able to say your bit without precipitating a further argument. I'm liking PITAP and will surely be using it!

LaT - I didn't take your comment as criticism at all. Everyone just feels their way don't they, especially with their first baby. Even if you do 'do it by the book' or try to follow some particular routine, you'll always end up finding something that works for you all which will almost doubtless not be exactly what you initially intended! I was NEVER sure whether I was doing the 'right' thing and was constantly questionning myself and wondering what the eventual upshot of x or y might be. Less worrying / thinking would probably be a good start for me!!!
Filly - I might have to give BW a read - for a start I could never distinguish between DS's cries. From what I could deduce, he very rarely cried from hunger, more often from collicky pain afterwards (which was odd as he was never bottle-fed). Also, I feel that I would've gone insane through sleep deprivation if I hadn't used a certain amount of CC. I would love to find another way that works!

MrsAlwaysRight - at MW telling you the pain is just 'one of those things'. My MW amazed me by saying she'd refer me to physio straight away and she hadn't even seen me, just spoken on the phone. If it's seriously hampering your daily activities, ask directly for a referal, if not from your MW then from your doctor. Where I am, in Gloucestershire, you can self-refer directly to the physio dept at the hospital. When I did it a few years ago for a shoulder problem, I was given my first appointment within 2 days. Definitely worth a go.

Hope London Ladies are having a great night!

Just been to my first pregnancy yoga class and it was great. Got lots of tips and stretches to reduce pelvic pain and optimise baby's position etc.

However now confused again about whether to go for planned section or not (yoga teacher was pointing out all the advantages of natural labor). Had pretty much made up my mind to just go for the elective section but now I'm not sure again. Will probably just stick my head in the sand for the next few weeks and see if the babies position forces the decision for me. Nothing like ignoring all the big decisions!

Sorry to hear some of you are having a rough time with partners and midwives and blood tests and stuff. Hope it all sorts out soon.

Just back from the London meetup - it was so lovely to meet some of the other London (and not so London, CSWS!) bumps and to have an entire evening of baby/pregnancy conversation without having to feel guilty about it!

We'll definitely do another one in April/early May so those of you who couldn't make it this time can have another chance Chestnut, hope you're ok, and that you just didn't come due to tiredness/forgetting/other commitments?

Far too full but its definitely time for bed...hope everyone got home ok

Having a late night, watching my home town on Question time! Hope you're all ok tonight.

Let me tell you about my hideous appointment yesterday, bear with me or skip this as it is a long one!

I now have to have fortnightly scans and reviews, where they check growth, liquor volume and placental blood flow due to my previous FDIU. Sat waiting for ages- scan was fine. Then I have to see my consultant- except I am called by a female dr instead.

She was really distracted- perhaps thinking about her lunch as I was last patient. Said she would call consultant back for me bu didn't. Had to ask me what my BP was because she had forgotten it from 30 seconds previously. Then said she would send urine sample off but start me on antib's before it came back- obv was not keen to do this. THEN realised I had not been booked in for 28 wk bloods and my anti-D injection, which they apparently could not do there and then despite me being exactly 28 weeks. THEN randomly decides/announces I need a GTT due to my BMI. She gives me about 6 different appointment cards and forms to hand in, most of which she fucks up filling in. Then just does one! Leaving me sitting there, wondering if I can go.

My mum was with me, as she works at the hospital- ironically for the general manager for Women and Children. I walked out to her and she was practically grey as I had been in the room for an hour- most of which on my back as said dr did not bother to raise the bed after examining me, so was v dizzy. I did move on my side but thought there was a reason for her leaving me down there so didn't ask to move- she mumbled about monitoring or doppler, which didn't happen. So I burst into angry, frustrated tears and had to sit down. Went to book in my appts and the receptionist, obv clocking that he doesn't usually book people in every fortnight at this stage says really loudly, peering at my form: "OH MY GOD, what's going on here then?!" I refrained from punching his lights out and said "I need to see Mr W every 2 weeks", then when he had finally made the appts I said will Mr W be here on those dates? Only I was supposed to see him today and didn't, hence the stony face!

Later my mum rang me, she had collected the ABs for me as pharmacy was miles away from maternity and by this point I just wanted to get out, I cried all the way home Anyway, these ABs state that they must not be taken if being tested for GTT! FFS.

I managed to speak to my bereavement support midwife today, who has put a rocket in my notes, so to speak. And I know one of the HCAs who chased my urine results, guess what- no infection. So they would have had me on unnecessary ABs

Phew! Sorry about that, am still cross. And didn't get chance to speak to consultant about my section date, which I was all geared up to do. On a lighter note I think I have picked names- just got to tell DH! At the moment I am liking Gabriel for a boy and Orla for a girl