drip drip drop little april baby shower

[nicnacinoonoo]

hope i got the title right.

does anyone else think maybe rtuff has gone into labour?? her last message said that the baby was 3/5 engaged which isnt supposed to happen in 2nd or more pregnancies until right before labour! hope she's ok.

Morning all!

"Strange kind of anticipation" sums it up doesn't it? I'm torn between wanting this baby out and being anxious / scared about the birth and aftermath. All sorts of 'what ifs' going round my head about making sure DS1 is taken care of, the birth itself, how I'll recover, what if (God forbid) I have PND again, let alone the "stitched up boob monster" business!!

DS1 is being very sweet but very clingy and unsettled at the moment, and it's hard that I can't reassure him 100% that it'll all be fine because I don't know that myself. I mean, I'm sure it will all work out fine and we'll cope and hopefully it'll all go brilliantly, but he's definitely picking up on my anxiety and it's not doing him any good.

Bless him, he was crying out in his sleep last night - clearly having nightmares. I got a real insight into what 2.6 year olds have nightmares about though. "Mummy, where's my biscuit gone? WHERE'S MY ICE CREAM??!!" He was distraught! I couldn't help but laugh though, despite it being 3am and the 4th time he'd got me up....

Been to the osteopath today for the last time before little one is born. My muscles are so tight they're like steel and my ligaments are so buggered they're like "old knicker elastic" apparently. Nice eh. Bring on the post-baby pilates classes that's all I can say!

Hope everyone's feeling well, and getting those hospital bags packed....!!

4 weeks left for me. I've managed to pack my hospital back - well most of it anyway. Had to go and get a new holdall from Argos. Can't for the life of me remember what bag I used last time, but nothing we have seemed suitable. Didn't fancy wheeling a suitcase in with us.

Snowtiger - know what you mean about all the anxieties. My biggest worry at the moment is what will happen to DS when I go into labour. My parents are going to travel up from Wales, but that takes 4 hours. We have lots of friends on standby, but they all have little ones of their own too. My biggest fear is that the baby decides to come suddenly in the night and what to do with DS if this happens! I guess worst case scenario is that we have to wake one of our neighbours up to come and sit with DS until my parents or DH can take over. It's the not knowing when and how things will start that is the worst. I remember that being horrible last time too, and thought it would be better this time, as know what to expect

On a down-note, DH's sister tried to commit suicide on Friday, so we've spent all weekend worrying and stressing about that. She's been depressed for a couple of months, but we thought the medication was starting to work - obviously not. Hopefully the doctors will get their act together now and sort her treatment out properly. Just feel useless about it, as not in a position to help out much in my condition, as they live a few hours away.

Zeeky really sorry to hear about your SIL. Hope she gets the help she needs.

Zeeky that's awful news about your SIL. I really hope proper support kicks in for her now.

Also, I'd echo Neeko. I've never had anything you could call a show in three babies. I keep checking though!

Zeeky so sorry to hear about your SIL; that's awful - hope she gets the right help and support.

I didn't have a show with DS1 or my waters breaking, just contractions that gradually intensified, but I'm still knicker-checking like mad every time I go for a wee (which is quite often!!).

I think the hardest thing, as you say Zeeky, is not knowing when things are going to happen and trying to plan care for DS1 so that he's well looked after when I go into labour, and doesn't have to witness Mummy in pain (or on hands and knees, mooing for all she's worth, if last time is anything to go by! )

That's the one thing I envy people having a CS for - at least they know when it's going to happen! I'm such a control freak, I hate not being able to plan things down to the finest detail.

Loving the idea of cereal and R4 under the bedcovers, Wizbit, it sounds idyllic! I can't cope with that argumentative old git John Humphrys first thing in the morning myself, but I switch straight over from 6Music to R4 as soon as the Today show is over! Radio 4 kept me sane in the early days with DS1 - don't know how I'd have coped otherwise!

Sorry to hear about your sad weekend Zeeky.

I had my second physio appt today and she said that my left hip was 50% better than last week so she has given me another manipulation and booked me in again for Wednesday so hopefully I will feel much looser after it is all done.

I have my positional scan next Monday so will see if this baby has moved yet. I don't think it has but we'll see.

Zeeky - So sorry to hear about your sil.

I know what you mean about worrying about what will happen with ds when you go into labour. This has been making me very anxious. Il's are not too far away but they have booked a holiday when I am 38 weeks so I really hope I don't go into labour that week.

Snowtiger your ds sounds lovely. Having nightmares about losing his icecream. If only life were that simple.

I'm going to download a hypnobirthing CD from itunes in a minute. A bit late but I thought worth giving it a go.

I seem to be overcome by tiredness at the moment. I went upstairs to make the beds at 10 o clock this morning, put my head down on the pillow and woke up half an hour ago. I still have got so much to do before baby arrives, I need to stop these naps, I fell asleep yesterday afternoon too!

thedollshouse..enjoy the naps while you can get them...I get myself so stressed about not having things done (I've done my ironing by the way!!) , but it just becomes one big neverending list, cuz there's always something to add to it!!! (ie as soon as this wash loads done, I then have another load of ironing....grrrrrr!!)
I think in a way we put too much pressure on ourselves in thinking we have to have things 'just right' for when baby comes, but in reality, we're always going to have the same old chores and jobs every day, and no matter what we do, some days we will feel on top of everything cuz it's just been done, but other days we feel like we're falling behind, simply cuz the washing basket has more than a days worth of clothes in it!! Well..that's how it is for me anyway...I'm looking at my floor thinking I should get the hoover out, but in about an hour I'll be making tea and it will need doing again....I really should listen to my mum more!!
Sorry to hear about your SIL Zeeky xx

Another message of sympathy for Zeeky and your SIL and DH. How horrible. I hope it shocks her medical professionals into giving her more help.
Well, I had great plans for the first day of my maternity leave and ended up...driving to the office!! Had forgotten to sign something that needs to be in London tomorrow morning. Doh! But I went for a nice coffee and cake to make up for having to do the 60-mile round trip.
Snowtiger interesting about the nightmares, DD was up three times last night. Once she'd fallen out of bed, and was crying although she was half back in by the time I got to her. At 4am though she was completely out of bed and kind of stuck between it and her chair, screaming. I don't know if she's sleepwalking or what? She seems so excited about her brother, but maybe she is anxious? We have had some tantrummy behaviour this weekend and normally she is the calmest happiest little thing. Hmm, extra cuddles tonight perhaps.

Bettymum it's strange isn't it with these unsettled nights our toddlers are having - although DS is excited about having a little baby brother he's definitely very unsettled and clingy - unusually so, and has been for a little while now. Friends of mine who've had 2 children say their toddlers were like this too when number 2 was imminent, and that even though they don't really know what's going on, they know / intuit enough to be aware that change is coming, and they just don't know how to deal with it. The next stage is regressing to babyish behaviour apparently - something to look forward to!

The best advice I've been given is just, as you say, to reassure with lots of cuddles both before and after baby arrives - a friend said to me the other day "when it comes to dealing with a crying baby and a crying toddler, always deal with the toddler first (as long as you know the baby is essentially safe / OK). Baby won't remember being left to cry for 15 minutes but your toddler will...." They're definitely the ones who are going to need to support, I think. Oh, and us....!!

Tweetz I know just what you mean about the chores - am feeling very fortunate today though as have just arranged to have a cleaner come once a fortnight for a few months, until I 'get myself sorted' (ahem, if that ever happens!) and into a routine etc. At least that way I can just make sure we've all got clean pants to wear and occasionally whizz the hoover round, and the cleaner can tackle the bath and the loo and the other horrible bits for me! It's a real relief to know that even if it's just once a fortnight someone's coming, my house won't go entirely to rack & ruin when baby arrives.

Right, off to pick up that little boy of mine from nursery and give him lots and lots of cuddles.

Thanks for your kind wishes everyone. Hopefully she'll get the help she needs now. And maybe a new little neice/nephew will help cheer her up a bit too

I hope everything will work out fine in the end zeeky for your sil

I think I might go to the gp tomorrow cuz I don't feel well at all... Headaches, nausea, tiredness... And overall not feeling right. I hope it is only my hormones preparing for d-day...
Also I've statrted my hosp bag and the breastpads + the maternity pads are taking most of the space in the bag!!
Ok -off to bed for me, night night everybody!

Cant decide whether im in very early labour or if theres something wrong with me... will phone the midwife at 9am.
Basically i have mild headache and nausea, im feeling hot - as in permanent hot flushes - and i feel like im about to get my periods soon - but no tightenings or BH but then again not everybody get them
My DP has two interviews tomorrow afternoon so im thinking if i go into labour soon, then - by murphys law, it should be tomorrow afternoon....

Ooh crikey tostaky I hope you're OK - get yourself to the doctor and make sure you're checked out. Hopefully it's just the hormones! Good luck!

hope you and your family are ok zeeky tostaky how's your blood pressure been? i feel like that when my bp drops too low, go really hot, feel sick and dizzy and have to sit on the floor or lie down. its a horrible feeling.

i am due in for my section a week on thursday and i have still not had the paperwork through from the hospital yet or anything about my pre op appointment. getting worried about it now. i have a midwife appointment this afternoon so will ask her about it.

really hope to hear from rtuff and hoops soon i keep thinking about them.

tostaky, I have felt the same since Saturday, headache, hot and shivery and nausea and exhausted to the point of tears ( not sleeping at night due to period like crampy contractions)

I went to the GP yesterday who suspected a mild bladder infection so waiting for test results, also have slight temperature.

Good luck with the midwife.

I don't know, i was convinced it was early stages but now not so sure, will get results on Wednesday

Ditto on the restless toddler, my wee lady has been up crying the last two nights and saying she wants to get up and have cuddles, wee soul seems to be having nightmares about cats in her bed! Last night was better than night before so hopefully she will settle down, picturing two small people crying in the night, nothing like shift work!

Zeeky I am sorry - it must be very difficult x

any advise on the insomnia???

Sorry to hear you're feeling so rough too Jennysbean, I know how you feel - am also exhausted to the point of tears and have had 3 run-ins with my toddler this morning, he's been pushing his luck (hairbands down the toilet, lip balm on mummy's jumper etc) and so of course I tell him off and he dissolves into tears which makes me feel terrible.... sigh. I'm so fed up with it all, but can't imagine it getting much better when a baby arrives!

Having said that I've got 2 friends who've both had their 2nd babies in Jan / Feb and now they're past the two-month-old stage they've said life has got a lot easier, so by the summer we'll all be FINE!!! (honest)

totstaky and Jennybean sorry to hear you are both feeling rough.

I know what you mean about maternity pads and breast pads taking up so much room! I ordered mine from mothercare and it says on the box that you will need 100 breastpads for the first week and I think it said 50 maternity pads for the couple of days. First time round I didn't get through even half that amount. I'm not sure if I was just lucky but I didn't find the bleeding half as bad as expected, it wasn't as heavy as a period (I have heavy periods) and I didn't get any cramping. I'm hoping it will be the same this time.

100 breastpads??! I had pretty leaky boobs with DD but I'm sure I didn't get through that many! I've just lobbed a big handful into my bag. It'll be an improvement on last time when I didn't have any at all, I don't think I had a bra to put them in anyway, and ended up permanently sopping wet and miserable on the maternity ward. Worst bit was when the very dishy anaesthetist who'd done my epidural popped round the next morning to see how I was...sitting on the bed in tears, bare chested, colostrum pouring down my front, trying to feed a wailing baby. Oh, awful .
Hope you are both feeling a bit better tostaky and jennysbean. I've just finished the ironing and I'm off to wipe all the oven cleaning gunk off the oven. Exciting life here.

Hi all.
Hope you're feeling better Totsaky and jenny'sbean

Hope the rest of you with crying toddlers are ok too. DD has obviously been wiped out by the pox last week cos has slept really well the past few nights -unlike me who is up 90,000x for the loo and to turn over etc.

I'm due today!

But don't even have so much as a twinge

I'm planning on loads of cleaning in an attempt to get me started, although don't think it'll work if I keep having MN breaks.

What poor milk producers I obviously have. I can't imagine going through that number of breast pads ever!

Had all the windows cleaned before I took the children to school this morning. And the oven. Tomorrow will be the fridge. Isn't nesting great? It's the only time I'm even vaguely motivated around the house...

Wow, window and oven cleaning before school run is extreme nesting!
Feeling super smug and thrifty now as someone has just posted on Good Housekeeping about her lovely clean oven - but she paid £70 to get it cleaned! I think my bottle of noxious toxic chemicals cost £4.

Bettymum - I usually clean the oven myself too, but after the last time when I had to go to hospital, I think I may be paying someone else to do it from now on! I used Oven Pride like normal - great stuff and doesn't smell as toxic as some of the others. I had my apron and gloves on as per the instructions, but as I started to spread the gel around the inside of the oven, a tiny droplet splashed up into my eye . I had to get DH home from work, dump DS with a friend and dash to Eye Casualty, where they spent a couple of hours flushing my eye out. It was agony for a couple of days and had loads of different drops to put in, but was ok in the end.

So let that be a lesson to all you nesters who are cleaning ovens - WEAR GOGGLES

No cleaning here, I am as lazy as ever