Due April 2006

[MrsQ]

Hello... Technically I'm due on 30 March, but the March list is already quite long and if DS was anything to go by, we'll be well into April by the time this shrimp makes an appearance (fingers crossed, touch wood, etc etc! - still at the early superstitious stage!!). Shall I start with some stats? I'm 34 (will be 35 just after birth), DH is 33. We've got one DS just turned 2.

Hope to have some thread partners soon, I'm v friendly, honest

I ended up being pretty set on having a boy with DD. And then she was a girl. It did make the first day or so a bit odd, as I really had to adjust to who she actually was reather than whom I'd imagined her to be. But perhaps that would have happened anyway. Anyway MrsQ, I think you are quite right, get the feelings out the way before the baby is born. You know he will be a completely different boy from any previous boy who has ever existed before anyway!

I find I would quite like a boy again, but after the DD experience, and finding that actually I quite like her as a girl I won't feel odd this time if it isn't. Am I the only one whose baby had its damn' legs crossed?

LOL at hamburger. Presume hot dog is the equivalent - or perhaps chipolata more appropriate for babies.

spots - my scan is Monday and I am fully expecting the baby to be coy!!!

Hopefully s/he won't be though because I am wanting to know the sex (at this precise moment in time that is, in half-an-hour I'll have changed my mind....)

Had my scan this morning, SHE's fine!!

I was quite nervous that they might find something wrong, and of course fully expecting it to be a boy, so now I'm feeling ever so relieved and pleased!

Also had an appointment with a consultant to discuss birth options after a previous c-section, seems they're very pro-VBAC here, which (at the moment!) is what I want to go for anyway. However, he did say that if I went more than 1 week overdue, they would induce or do a scheduled c-section. As DS was 10 days overdue, I can imagine that happening again... But perhaps Mia Juniper (as she is currently known) won't be quite so keen on staying put as he was!

oh wow Homsa a DD!! it's what you wanted isn't it? Am over the moon for you, really.

Is Mia Juniper likely to stick or are you just using it as a stopgap?

Roll on Monday for my scan.

Just as a matter of interest, could you see she was a she, or did you have to have it pointed out to you? I am always crap at seeing things on scans. The head is about my limit

My midwife friend tells me the code is Hamburgers and Snails...! Nice.
I'm moving hospitals as 2 midwives I spoke to recommended the new place as having a really great, motivated midwife team. Whereas current one is quite under-staffed with low morale. Currently thinking of VBAC but will wait & see what obstetrician says. If I ever see one...knowing my luck all notes will be lost between hospital moves...and the emergency cs was at a 3rd hospital!

Thanks allyco! Same situation here as Ponka, we (well, more I, actually) thought we'd stop at two, so I'm very pleased to have one of each... Plus I always, always imagined I'd have a daughter one day.

Hamburgerwise I couldn't see anything on the scan, but I was keeping half an eye on DS at the time as well, as DH was just staring at the screen and wouldn't have noticed if DS went walkabouts! Did notice the sonographer spending an awful lot of time looking at the baby's heart, which got me rather worried, but all was fine in the end.

The names might still change, but right now I'm really fond of Mia, and Juniper, well I dreamt it, so it must be a sign... Won't tell anyone in RL yet, though!

Hope you get more sleep tonight allyco!!!

Hi all
Now many of seem to know whether we are having boys or girls can someone clever than me do one of those update list with who we are, when we are due and add the boys/girls bits. I do wonder how accurate it is, I had a friend who was told it was a boy, had blue nursery, blue babygrows, little dungarees etc and then out popped a girl! When I asked the sonagrapher at my scan I thought she was going to say something in medical terms and she said cheerfully "yep, there's the balls and there's the willy"
I seem to be huge - had spent £50 on black materinity trousers for work (including getting them shortened as I am only 5ft2) and they are now on their loosest adjustment and starting to feel too tight !! I come straight out at an angle under my boobs, the midwife said that was my stomach muscles that had been pushed up (wasnt aware I had any before).
Babe has learnt the hokey kokey, quickstep and tango this week, very significant movements now when I am in bed (23 weeks now). Its lovely.
Also feel tired all the time again.
What is everyone doing re alcohol ?
I had not had a drop for the first 12 weeks and then had maybe a glass of red wine a week, but someone told me they had seen something on TV that said even one glass of wine could damage the baby !! Midwife advice was up to 4 units a week was fine. Mmm. more conflicting advice

Hi Firstimer 40, I am feeling pretty big too and have been in maternity wear since 10 weeks (am now 20 weeks). Got most of my stuff from Next and I'm ashamed to say have used very little from last time around - it just seemed a bit 'past it'. I have also got a couple of bargains off Ebay, am particularly pleased with a dressy shirt I got this week which will look great on Xmas day.

Regarding alcohol, I have taken the current advice of 1 to 2 units once or twice a week. Haven't managed to cut it out completely but I do keep track of what I consume. This isn't a pregnancy thing, it's actually something I've done for years now just so I can keep check on how much wine I drink. (I'm not an alcoholic I swear, it's a habit initiated by a friend who one day wondered aloud how many units a week we drank so we decided to keep a tally - funny habit I have stuck with)!

Feeling bit rough today with severe backache. Helps if I keep mobile and I am determined not to let it get me down. Will see physio hopefully early next week which will help. I can take paracetamol but am reluctant to take the full dosage. Hope everyone else all ok and enjoying your weekends.

Are we all ready for Christmas? Not here I'm afraid, still scrabbling around for the perfect pressie for dh. Aren't men difficult to buy for?!

allyco, how was your scan? Hope everything went well.

I think the current advice re. alcohol units is just guesswork, nobody really knows how even a tiny bit of alcohol affects the baby, so I'm playing it safe and not having any. I'm being very inconsistent here, though - if I really wanted to be on the safe side, I'd cut out things like hairspray, face creams, deodorants, household cleaners... I'm not convinced they're entirely harmless, but I can't resign myself to a smelly, limp-haired existence for 9 months!

I'm not drinking - well, have had a couple if I'm honest. Had a small lager on saturday and loved it!!
Off to a black tie work do tonight and have borrowed my sister's (non-maternity) dress that's a bit loose at the middle. Will look like a big red sdausage roll I should think! Especilly with the terrible blow dry I've just had...a sort of bedraggled shirly-temple, big red sausage roll...
Met a lovely doula on Friday who is very experienced and very pro home births for vbacs. But I've thought about it and I just do want to be in hospital. Especially as DH may be in the States until 2 days before my due date.

morning all.

Well, I had my scan yesterday and all was well. The sonographer spent AGES looking at the heart and was getting me to roll this way and that and I was getting pretty worried I can tell you. Eventually though he said it was alright! All the measurements seem to be coming out exactly in the average which is good because I just want a medium-sized baby.

Then I got seen in the clinic and they tried to browbeat me again into accepting a c-section which I REALLY REALLY do not want. Instead of acting the mature professional woman that I am I cried afterwards. Hormones....

hi - that last message was me. DD has been playing on computer and put a n MSN chatname on my MN stuff "for a larf"

Did you decide not to find out the sex in the end then, Allyco, or was baby as shy as Spots'?

Did you find out the sex allyco? I thought you were going to, or did you change your mind at the last minute?

Re alcohol, there is so much conflicting stuff out there that I think you just have to do what's right for you. With dd they told me 3-5 units spread over the week was fine, but just beer or wine - no spirits, and I pretty much followed that, although most weeks I probably had less than that and some weeks none at all. I just went with how I felt and dd turned out fine (so far!!). My sisters have 3 each,they did the same and all is well with their kids aged 1-12 too, so I'm thinking that at that level, you're fine. I think some people see 3-5 units a week though and then have all 5 in one night, which I think might get you into trouble done regularly. I know loads of people who would rather be safe than sorry and don't bother at all, and if you can happily do that then maybe that's the best way. Who knows? Like everything with this parenting lark, there is no right answer, and no solution that works for everyone, you've got to just go with your instincts (unless your instints tell you to drink tequila for breakfast, obviously !).

Well I had a bad weekend. I got stomach flu and threw up for 14 hrs straight with the other end competing for toilet time too . I couldn't even take a sip of water without puking for almost a day and didn't eat for 48 hours either. No fun at all, especially when pg. On the mend now though, just super tired.

Hope everyone else is well. I will attempt a fancy list of everyone if you like with sex known or not when I have a little more energy in a day or so, but if anyone has the energy before that please go ahead!

yep we found out the sex. Do you want to know ?

Congratulations Allyco! I read your thread in Pregnancy, so pleased for you.

Mrs Evs, sorry to hear you've been poorly, hope you're on the mend.

I have had severe back probs again over the weekend, managed to get a physio appt. Monday and I'm pleased to say I'm feeling much better. Really proud of myself actually as even though I was hobbling around on Saturday I refused to cancel my plans to see friends and had a thoroughly lovely day. Physio reckons the pain is sacroilliac pain common to pregancy, tomorrow I will be fitted with a belt to help prevent it happening again.

Hope all well with you all,

OMG allyco - how funny!! I just read your thread in pregnancy too - that is so exciting , so pleased for you.

Hope your back feels better pacinofan, it really is miserable to suffer with your back, there is just no relief from it, but good for you for not letting it slow you down. Luckily my back is used to carrying plenty of weight (I am a shocking 34J boob size ), so I didn't suffer with my back last pregnancy and fingers crossed that will be true this time.

We are all feeling pretty much back to normal today thankfully. Just got that stack of Christmas cards to get to now.......

thank you ladies (am still in shock though as thought it was DDs all the way even though have seen the little willy on the screen!!)

Bought something blue last night when Xmas shopping even though got better things to be spending money on right now!

AND my sickness theory is right out of the window because I still have puky moments and always thought you would breeze through prengnancy with a boy .

Names I like are Daniel, Patrick, Sebastian (although DH has already vetoed that!)any other ideas gratefully received.

Any sign of the updated who's having what and when list???

Met a lovely doula last night. She's not hugely experienced - 5 births to her name. But she was lovely. I much preferred her to the very experienced and apparentkly well-known doula I met last week. She was just too pro-home births for me. I want my vbac in a hopistal just with someone there on my side to keep me calm(ish!).

Hello, new to all this tho this is No 2 on the way - April 12th. We had our scan on Tue and DH had to leave the room! Fat lot of good he'll be this time round, he did stay in the room tho he did look at the ceiling the whole time with DS - already asked if he can pace the corridor this time "as it's more him". Doh.
Anyway the reason I've posted this is to ask if anyone else on no 2 finds they forget they're pg most of the time? Feeling slightly guilty about it really (though obviously not for long as I forget....) Just seem to be too busy - couldn't even tell a friend what size fruit the baby was the equivalent of - last time had helpful book read every week to tell me if we'd reached grapefruit size etc.
Just re-read this, clearly going mad, clearly bedtime.

welcome Amanda - did you find out the sex of the baby (if you read this thread you will realise I am sex mad!!)How old is your DS?

Well, I'm onto my 5th and completely understand about forgetting you are pg. I don't think "forgetting" is the word I mean, it's more that you are so busy with everything else that there isn't any time to think about what is going on inside. Like yesterday I hardly felt the baby move but when I went to bed he started and then I was just starting to enjoy it and DD went and had massive tantrum 'cos she'd woken up and couldn't get back off again and that was it as far as enjoying the baby went.

Does this make sense??

Tongey - when I had my scan I was seen in clinic afterwards and they went on and on and on about having another c-section insted of a VBAC. Went on about the dangers of uterine rupture, blah blah blah. When I go in from work last nigh there was an appointment for another scan at 36 weeks waiting for me, and I reckon they'll use that to try and trump up another reason for browbeating me.... they never said at clinic I needed another scan. Ooh it does make me

Hi, DS is 18 months, and no, I didn't find out sex of baby - was VERY tempted to ask while DH in corridor fainting but would just never have been able to keep it a secret.
Bizarrely I did have a crystal reading last week(now you'll think I'm crazy but was hi-jacked at a Craft Fayre) which said it was a girl. I know. 50/50 chance of being right, but now that's in my brain I guess I'm hoping for a pink one, though blue would be much cheaper!

Gosh Allyco, they are very keen aren't they!! I had my 21 week sacn today and she told me I definitely wouldn't need another scan.
I'm changing hospitals though and seeing the head midwife at the new one when I'm 24 weeks. Assuming they'll be ok about vbac. Have to say, I'm not madly keen on vbac myself - apparently my baby girl has a rather big head! And my cs scar is so nice and neat...and my private parts so intact!! But I sort of feel i should give it a go.

Welcome amanada, you're due on the same day as me! I'm terribly squeamish myself, but it's never even occurred to me to feel faint at the sight of a scan picture... your DH must be in a league of his own here

Congrats allyco, had a quick look at your thread, you must be so chuffed! Can only echo what one poster said about having boys being like keeping a pair of greyhounds, that is so true! Can't believe how different the attitudes to VBAC are. I was told the risk of uterine rupture was absolutely tiny. What puts me off another c-section is the thought of being separated from DS for several days, and that overwhelming feeling of helplessness when you can't even change your newborn's nappy and have to rely on some grumpy, overworked mw to do it for you. But I'm also terrified of tearing and incontinence that you might get with a natural birth! In the end, it comes down to luck...

I've now caught myself several times reaching for the liver paté or ibuprofen or some other thing you're not allowed to have, and only remembered in the nick of time that I'm pg. Couldn't tell what size fruit either... I'm looking forward to doing some antenatal yoga and having a couple of hours a week to concentrate on the baby.

Amanada - will your DH be there for the birth or it that a silly question .

Mine has always been very good. For my c-section he was there looking over the sheet thing that they pull over you (yuk) and for the "normal" deliveries he was there down the business end doing a running commentary (yuk, yuk, YUK).

If your DH isn't there will you have someone else?