**AUGUST 2010** happy days as 3rd trimester comes our way

[CherryPie3]

New thread

We really are getting through a thread a month lol!!

Morning

This baby is head down now and i have a knee (i think) above my belly button and a foot somewhere up under my right boob DD was in the same position towards the end too.

Congratulations Pample I see you are in Herts? I am originally from Stevenage/Hitchin and lots of family and friends still there. Funy place really.....

Still having to rest, but i am starting to gradually do a bit more, simply because i am bored and fed up! Taking things slowly though.

Woke up drenched in sweat last night. Wasn't hot at all, so my first thought was that everything was leaking

Hi everyone,

Sorry I've been quiet for a week or two. It's been absolutely hectic here. I seem to have had a billion things to do, and then DS got a throat infection at the weekend which has caused us no end of trouble. First, I didn't realise he was ill , because we were away at ILs at the weekend and they were playing with him all day, and then when I got him home he had a raging temperature and threw up everywhere. And since then, although he's much better, he's completely lost his desire to eat (I think because his throat hurts), so he's permanently operating at stupidly low levels of blood sugar, which makes him incredibly grumpy. He's basically subsisted on nothing but yoghurt and jelly for a week.

We've also just put him into his big boys' bed (yes, probably mad when he's ill, but he was so looking forward to it ). First two nights were absolutely wonderful, though last night he did wake up several times, I think because he'd kicked his covers off and was cold. Still, at least it doesn't occur to him to actually get out of the bed, which is brilliant - when he wakes up in the morning, he still just lies there for a while and then shouts for mummy . I think I'm going to try tucking him in with a sheet today to keep him warm.

Got another hectic weekend as well, because my whole family are descending for a couple of days. When I arranged it, it didn't really occur to me that it might all be a bit much for me by now. In fact, after all the stuff going on in the last week, I'm now absolutely bone tired, and I'm rather dreading the weekend. Still, this is the last big thing in the diary before the baby comes (apart from the builders starting ). So I'm just telling myself that if I can make it through this weekend, it's all easier from here. Plus DS starts at pre-school next week, so I'll actually have a couple of mornings to myself to get things done and/or sleep. To be honest, I'm not sure I've ever been as tired as I am at the moment. Even though I was working at this stage of pregnancy last time round, in a very demanding job, there were still always times in the day when I could chill out for a few minutes. But with DS around, there's just no let-up.

On the plus side, my HIP got paid into the bank today - yay!!

I have read everyone's news, but to be perfectly honest I simply haven't got the energy to do lots of replies today. I've got a few more things to sort while DS is asleep (watering my newly planted vegetables, bringing in the washing, filling in my tax credits form and sorting out my mortgage application - phew). Then off for a mammoth supermarket shop this afternoon - oh, and I think we're going to Ikea tomorrow . Blimey, roll on Tuesday morning when everyone goes home and DH is on half term to look after me.........

Much love to everyone xxx

ps On baby positions, this one conveniently turned head down in time for me to see the MW last week, then turned breech again last night. Cheeky little bugger. It's funny, I don't remember being able to tell the position as clearly last time, but this pregnancy it's really obvious to me from the location of the kicks which way up he is. Still, plenty of time for him to turn again before the birth.

Afternoon girls,

I posted this link once before I think, but it gives an idea of position of baby depending on where you're being prodded pregnancy.thefuntimesguide.com/2008/09/baby_position_in_womb.php

Am nearly 31 weeks now and at last midwife appt (28 weeks) baby was head down with back facing outwards. I can definately feel a little bum moving from side to side, and heels sticking out randomly particularly when I lie flat on my back resting.

Hoping to get the cot bed up this weekend, now kitchen is finished and the dust has settled (physically and metaphorically).

My old friend procrastination is raising it's ugly head again - I have bought the Michelle Mongan (sp?) Hypnobirthing book and the full set of Hypnobirthing CD's but I just can't bring myself to start listening to them... It's like, once I start it I'm admitting it's going to happen (labour/birth) and there's no going back - tell me I'm not the only one

Dibby, your mention of the Hypnobirthing book reminds me - can anyone recommend any other good books about birth specifically? Because I'm not doing antenatal classes this time (and because the birth did not exactly go to plan last time), I'd like to read up a bit before the big event. I'm sure people have mentioned books before, but any reminders very welcome. Thanks!

Do Drs really know anything at all?!! The consultant we paid £120 today was just as vague as the GP has been, and he is supposed to be a specialist!! A 15 minute consultation cost £120!!!! So anyway, if we stump up another £160 DH can have nerve conduction tests privately which would be another 15 weeks away at least on NHS. These tests will decide if what he is experiencing is severe bilateral (which is unusual) carpel tunnel syndrome, if it does turn out to be that then there is a 9 month waiting list at least on the NHS for an operation.

However the other alternative that is suggested by consultant and been mentioned by GP is that this is a neurological problem - nobody seems to know which specialist he really should be seeing or what the real issue it - clutching at straws I get the feeling... Just to further add to my stress - DH continues to lose function in hands and in the last couple of days (although he has only told me today) he is starting to have problems with focussing his left eye. He's been to optitions this afternoon who has said the muscles and the eye itself are fine but that the problem appears to be a signal issue - this therefore suggests neurological rather than othopedic. Optition has written letter to GP to ask for a urgent neurological referal to be made. God knows that they consider urgent though when the last letter which was also supposedly urgent came back at least 10 weeks for initial appointment. (Hence why we paid privately today....)

Ahhh we could really do without all this now - DH is upset this evening getting stressed about me and baby and all this going on when baby is arriving soon.... I just don't know what to do anymore....

Sorry for the rant girls. I'm just feeling exasperated.

On a positive note its half term! Yay! and I'm 30 weeks tomorrow! Yay! Its feels like another milestone has been reached!!

I keep prodding and poking my bump but I really can't make out what I'm poking! I sometimes feel like I may be poking a knee/elbow/foot as it wriggles away from me! But I can't really tell the difference between head and bottom - and scan Monday showed she is head down so I know which one should be which but I can't tell the difference! Haha!

Right going out for some fresh air somewhere! Enjoy some cooler but still lovely weather!

Gosh Caz - hang in there. Hopefully the letter from the optician might be the jump start you need to get the GP moving at the pace you want/need. Will keep my fingers crossed for you and your DH.

Aww Caz I shall keep my fingers and toes crossed that your DH's problems get sorted ASAP.
In the meantime try to have a relaxing half term.... and congrats on the nearly-30-weeks. I think I'm going to freak when I get to 30 (!) it sounds so nearly there!!!
xxx

Oh and Alice I'm in Hitchin. We've only been here for about seven months, and I commute into London and my DH works from home / is in Nottingham one day a week.... We really like it though, apart from the occasional excessive snobbiness!!

Morning girls - I'm sorry for my absence, ds still ill .

Thankfully he loves his medicine - says it tastes like raspberries, bless him!

I haven't read through the posts so if I've missed anything important I'm very sorry.

I'm exactly 7 months pregnant today

Have a lovely Saturday everyone

Oh caz honey - you and your dh are really having a rough time of it at the moment Why will no-one take you seriously and get their arses in gear?!? So for you - you must be so frustrated. Feel free to come here and vent anytime - better out than in I say. Surely the letter from the optician will add some weight? Otherwise you may need to step up the theatrical hystrionics act and stage a sit-in at the hospital until something is done. Do you have a good local MP? Is it worth contacting them????

Absolutely shattered today after the wedding yesterday. Spent all morning running round like lunatics then drove down to the wedding - which was lovely. Very chilled relaxed affair and lots of yummy food (ds scoffed 3 portions of chocolate brownie for dessert!). Lasted til 7pm in my heels (well, wedges!) then we left around 8pm. Didn't want to be driving home in the dark on the motorway. So it was 10pm before we got home, tidied up and scoffed some tea and toast (not that we needed any the amount we ate at the wedding!).

Poor ds is so exhausted too. He danced his socks off and faced his first rejection - he was desperate to dance with 2 lovely little girls (about 2 and 4 years) but they just wouldn't entertain the idea! Poor ds couldn't understand why! Bless him. So I had to drag myself onto the dancefloor instead - not a pretty site!

Right, better go and do something consructive. dh and ds are due back from the library very soon and I promised I'd have lunch ready for them!

caz sorry it's still so bad, I can't believe how shoddy the NHS is where you are, it's disgraceful! Not a bad idea on the MP...

Got the ILs round in a few mins, not looking forward to it at all. FIL's going to be going on about his stupid plane he bought last week and getting offended cos we didn't respond in effusive terms to the email he sent boasting about it...sigh...my dad's so much easier!

Hello ladies

CAZ lets hope you can finally start getting somewhere.

Pample funnily enough i have heard that about Hitchin, but having grown up there i must have been completely oblivious! (especially going to the rough school ) The funny thing is that it is just next to Stevenage which is a complete dive and full of the usual rough area stereotypes.

Have taken DD to the cinema this morning and for lunch and it was nice to do something together that doesn't involve me having to put on my 'best' parenting or run around

Grrrrrrr! Warning: unrelated rant alert!

Sorry girls, but I need to vent before I explode. This will probably be long and boring so feel free to skip this post.

OK, so, 2 years ago we had just put ds down for his afternoon nap when we heard an almighty crash. Rushed into his bedroom to discover the ceiling had collapses, narrowly missing his cot. We live in a ground floor flat so immediately so immediately contacted our upstairs neighbours to find out where all the water had come from to cause the ceiling to collapse. Turns out it was all due to shoddy plumbing and the leak had probably been slowing building for months if not years.

So ds moved back into our bedroom while we endured months of crap from insurance companies trying to sort the problems out, get the ceiling replaced (whole lot had to be pulled down and replaced), carpet replaced and paintwork repaired. Eventually, ds did end up with a lovely newly decorated bedroom, but in the process our insurance premiums rocketed and we were left to stump-up the excess on both insurance policies (our contents insurance excess and the freeholder's building insurance excess).

Anyway, fast forward to 2 nights ago when dh discovered a patch of water stain on ds ceiling. Aaaaargh! Told upstairs, who checked their shower only to discover the seal had gone and was leaking significantly. They sorted the problem but displaced a load more water in the process - cue more water staining on our ceiling.

So....just asked them to pay to remedy the damage (we'll do it, so just asking them to buy the materials) and get a long-winded text back droning on about how they've shouldered potentially divisable expenses in the past and not bothered us with them...blah blah blah.

We probably are being a little petty, but they won't even re-deliver our post when the postman pops it through their letterbox by mistake - they send it back "not known at this address"

Anyway, they're moving soon, fingers crossed. They wind me up so much! They've hated us ever since we stopped them making a roof garden on top of our flat roof (that the deeds clearly show is our property - as it is a single story extension to the ground floor portion of the property and has nothing to do with the first floor, which has not been extended).

Sorry - rant over. As you were ladies. Off to compose a text that takes a holier than thou tone and reveals nothing of my anger or frustration.

Blueberries, poor you, they sound like absolute morons. Neighbours can be such a nightmare. When we first moved here our next door neighbour was a borderline psychopath for a year (until he moved away, thank god). Even though we didn't see him that much and it didn't actually directly affect us, it's amazing how constantly stressful it is to live next door to (or underneath!) someone difficult. So I really sympathise. Hope you get it sorted .

Caz, you poor thing too, and your poor DH. I can't believe how badly you're being treated . Hope the optician's letter manages to kick some butt.

Well, I've had a fun day . Even though I've got all my family coming tomorrow, I still decided to head over to Ikea this morning to get a couple of bits. First DS behaved like an absolute horror, and then while chasing after him I twisted my ankle and measured my length on the floor. Felt an immediate gush of liquid in my jeans, so completely panicked. Called the hospital, who told me to come straight in. An hour's very tearful drive later, went into the delivery ward, by now feeling basically fine (though distressed). They hooked me up to a monitor for an hour and did a swab to check for amniotic fluid. All completely normal. Turns out the liquid was just the result of stress incontinence , and baby and I are both totally fine (just one sore ankle). Feel like a bit of a prat now, but I guess always better to get yourself checked out.

Very tired now (feeling quite emotionally drained), so off to bed. Night night all.

Rubbish saturdays all round

Blueberries have you tried contacting CAB for advice on the matter? Have found them very useful in the past.

Moose Poor you. Sounds like a nightmare. But if you are mad brave enough to go to Ikea on a bank holiday weekend! Hope you are not too sore, and at least you know to crack on with the pelvic floor exercises Sorry, i am not being mean, the same thing happened to my sister a couple of times and it is no fun.

This baby has pretty much stopped 'kicking' just feel it constantly shifting about, feels like it has run out of room and my bump doesn't seemed to have grown much recently. If i wear a dark coloured loose polo shirt you can't actually tell i am pg. Bear in mind that at 20weeks DH and all my friends were telling me how big i was

Have started getting constipation and trapped wind now - it is just fun, fun, fun isn't it? Anyone have any remedies? Please?

elusive yesterday must have been pretty scary for you. I did chuckle a bit once I read the end, sorry That's one of my fears - completely wetting myself in public. Definitely better to go in and get checked out though for sure, don't feel a prat, I'm sure lots of ladies do the same thing.

alice I'd recommend seeing your GP and getting some Lactulose. I left it ages when I was constipated and got piles They were agony last weekend - don't leave it!

blueberries that sounds crap, I'd try CAB too - better than living on tenterhooks waiting for the roof to cave in

I meant to go to the baby sale today and look for a bouncy chair but I was too tired after DD was up a lot during the night. Still need one though, hopefully there'll be another one before this little one is due.

I spent most of Wednesday morning at the hospital because I thought I was leaking amniotic fluid too! I didn't think my waters had broken but just that I was leaking - I won't go into detail here as its way TMI. Also spent the morning hooked up to a monitor, had a swab test and was given the all clear but told to take it easier because I have definitely been overworking lately. The staff were amazing and so lovely, but going to the hospital just confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt that I will be happier with a home birth. The Leicester Royal infirmary felt really shabby and unfriendly, and not the kind of place I want to welcome this little one into the world from!

Sorry I haven't posted much, I am lurking daily but never seem to find the time to post anymore Went out cot shopping today and bought almost everything we need from Mamas and Papas Coastline and Made with Love range. It is all so beautiful I can't wait to get the nursery set up in a few weeks, we have to wait for the cot to be delivered and DH needs to lay floor and paint walls of nursery.

Hope everyone is well x

vix and elusive... so sorry to hear about the hospital dramas. At least all seems well and hoping you'll be holding on to your LOs through June and July!

vix the made with love stuff is lovely isn't it? We're trying to wait to get our cot bedding and bits (we've a moses basket to be going on with...)

I still seem to have a ridiculous amount of things to do in the baby's room before it comes along though!! In my defense we only moved in six months ago and so the room has been a bit of a dumping ground while we've been sorting the rest of the house....

1. Paint room, 1 light grey feature wall and rest white.
2. Floating shelves from shelfbar.co.uk with rounded edges.
3. Book ends
4. Make bunting
5. Construct (!) cot
6. Make cover to convert filing cabinet to table (has to be done I'm afraid, the one bit of my office that I can't move anywhere else....)
7. Knit blanket
8. Buy toy box and basket for bath bits
9. Make 3 drawstring bags for nappies / cotton wool / nappy bags to put on....

10. Hooks next to changing unit. 11. Sort out handle on door which keeps mysteriously falling off and locking whoever is in there inside!

Blueberries if you do go to the CAB please please book an appointment rather than going to one of their drop-in sessions. I went to find out about tax credit entitlement as my DH and my situation is v atypical (we're both students and get paid a stipend rather than a wage).... Now I don't really have an issue with waiting except 1. it was hot and I'd forgotten to take water so got v dehydrated and then an incredibly smelly man came in..... urg....

Elusive & Vix Slow down you two or you'll end up on the Worry List as well. But good on you for being proactive & getting things checked out. Big cheer for you too as well, CazEm, it must be so worrying for you not to know what's wrong with your hubby...and then your mind must be running riot to all the potential worst case scenarios when fingers crossed, it could be something really minor. But, however frustrating, it sounds like you're doing everything possible to make sure things are progressed ASAP. Well done you..just keep going with it.

Bouncing Firebomb the f**kers next door. I mean, assuming you've got no form, you'd totally get away with it. When it comes to the house, I'm going nuts that the fridge is making a funny noise intermittantly so hell, I'm sure hormones could mitigate anything. Nothing should get in the way of a preggers woman's nesting.

I've had a lovely afternoon watching Mona Lisa Smile with a big pot of tea and a homemade sponge cake with jam, cream and strawberrries.
I've got dough in the breadmaker just now and I'm going to make pizzas & have a few Becks Blue in front of another as yet to be decided film after I've had a big bath. I'm also going to to a bit of a baby list audit whilst I'm in the tub...'blankets & swaddling' is my current favourite category (btw Vix I adore that 'Made with Love' bundle thingy blanket but am worried its a bit girly for Baby Weehector) but even I know that its ridiculous to have a short list of 6 blankets (at well over £100). DH has been reminding me of the girl I was at the beginning of this pregnancy...'it's crazy to spend money on a baby when they're so small...a packet of Asda babygros & an Ikea cot will do just as well'. Is there a mother-to-be equivalent of a bridezilla? If so, I have definitely become that woman in terms of baby purchases and I need to have a word with myself again.

I mean, is it normal to still be awake at 3am because you can't sleep for wondering if Baby Weehector's first babygro should be a Green Baby one or an Organics for Kids one? Thought so...I think I'll just keep blaming the restless legs & endless peeing for the insomnia.

Thanks for the support girls [girls] seriously considering your firebombing suggestion weehector . well, the Knobface from upstairs came down this morning and gave us cash to pay for the damage and did actually apologise. He also assured us that the leak is fixed, so there's not much more we can ask. The freaks now close their blinds every time they hear us in the garden though. Idiots. Be so glad when they sell up and move away.

vix and alice you poor things - slow down! Please take care or you WILL be on the worry list!

I had awful insomnia last night. The realization suddenly struck me that I'm going to have to birth this baby and actually deal with the aftermath etc! I know!!!!! How come it's taken me so long! It's not like I've not been here before I spent hours lying awake worrying about it - how will we cope?? What will happen?? Aaaaaaaaaaargh! I think it was the realization that if this babe comes at the same time as ds did, I'll be giving birth in just over 5 weeks! that is not funny.

dh and I both feel like the bump has doubled in size overnight - which I think is why I panicked last night. Bit calmer today - especially following a wee shopping spree in BabiesRus and dh having a good spring clean of our bedroom. Then mum and dad arrived with a wee bag full of babygros and vests

Thank goodness it's bank holiday tomorrow - dh killed our hoover in his mad cleaning spree so we need to go shopping for one tomorrow. With a bit of luck, the bank holiday sales will deliver a good deal!

Hope everyone else is having a stress-free weekend.

Hi ladies - is it too late to join? Here's a plate of warm homemade choc chip cookies ... fresh from the oven.

I've been following since the beginning of the first thread - expecting number 2 on 22nd August, team surprise, north London.

Thing that finally prompted me was the fear of leaking amniotic fluid too! Had a lengthy 5.5 hour wait for a dr to check me out a couple of Monday nights ago on the ante-natal ward, by the time it got to 11pm without an appearance by the dr I gave up and went home.

Lovely midwife managed to bring my 28 wk scan forward so I got checked out last Thursday and all was well.

So happy for second Sunday tomorrow ...! Feels like Saturday night all over again.

Welcome Poncherello - CherryPie is the guru of our list, and I'm sure she'll have your details up in a jiffy.

Elusive hope you're feeling ok after the mad Ikea dash.

Blueberries glad the neighbours scenario has worked out okay (even if they're still annoying weirdos).

Weehector - thank goodness! I was totally the same way myself. Planned to keep things cheap and cheerful for the baby's first few months... Today, just dropped £100 on the Organics for Kids website. Would have spent the same on Green Baby as well, had they not been out of a few things that I want. I think it's cos our move and everything has prevented us buying any big baby stuff - nursery furniture etc. Either that, or I am just an incorrigable spendthrift.

Happy Bank Holiday weekend everyone!

Evening girls! Super long post coming up!!

Elusive and Vix - hope your feeling ok after your scary experiences.

Bouncing - your neighbours sound very unreasonable. Surely it is their responsibility to maintain their property to a standard which doesn't affect the structure of yours. What pricks they sound refusing to pay for water damage, especially as this is the 2nd time!! Defo go and see CAB and see where you stand.

Welcome to Poncherello - never too late to join.

Thank you for all your lovely supportive comments as always... I'm feeling much calmer today after being completely unbearable all of friday evening and yesterday, to the point where I had the full on weepies and a headache yesterday... weehector - I am running through worse case senarios but trying to keep the hysterics and whats ifs under control again now!! We'll just have to keep going with nagging the NHS for some attention and hope we at least get some answers before Belle makes an appearance!

Anyway have felt much better today, DH treated me to new shoes yesterday as a surprised and a new dress today while we were out and about shopping! (yay for him, but I think his alterior motive is a new game for Xbox he's been hinting going on about all weekend!!)

Remember the friend I fell out with a couple of weeks ago with baby/wedding issues and clashes. Well anyway, we sorta sorted things out a couple of weeks ago, both apologised and agreed to let it go. (Well I held out the olive branch cuz I caved and felt it couldnt go on and there must be something to salvage from the mess.) Today me and DH went down to Carmarthen to meet up with everyone for her birthday meal (much to his disgust, as he still isn't impressed by the whole situation, and only agreed cuz he didn't want me to go on my own).

I sorta wish I hadn't gone, friend hardly spoke to me, only one not to comment on bump (its been 10 weeks since we've seen most of this group, so most people commented on my hugeness in comparison to last time), didn't bother asking how I'd been feeling. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think I'm anything special or that I deserve lots of attention just cuz I'm pregnant, but general politeness or interest about it wouldn't go amiss either. Felt quite uncomfortable and out of it today.

Its just highlighted how bitter things really are and that things really are clinging on; another of our friends (a bridesmaid of hers next year) has announced she is pregnant, it is very early days and she is due in January. I'm thrilled for her, recently married and its all lovely because I knew they were keen to start a family quickly! But if your remember me telling you that when we announced we were pregnant I got the whole 'Congratulations but look how this is going to affect us' lark from friend and fiance and obvious bitchiness and just general not very enthusiastic or welcoming about our baby at all. Well today I've watched them coo and be all excited, enthusiastic and over the moon for Lucy, making a huge fuss of her - which is fine, because that is lovely for Luce, and exactly how it should be when a pregnancy is announced - but doesn't it just show how differently they've treated us and our pregnancy?!!! and really goes to show there is very little 'friendship' left there at all and the extent of the jealousy and obvious contempt there must be for me and my marriage, life, etc. Oh how sad it all is - such a shame but looks like this is it now, and won't be long before we're at a completely natural end. Once baby is born we'll have even less to do with them, as baby has been made to feel like an inconveniance/unwelcome already, we'll be invited to wedding out of feeling of obligation and I wouldn't be surprised if that is then completely it.

Oh well - happier things, there is nothing aobut my life I would change, and nothing I should be made to feel bad about! My DH, baby and our family happiness is the most important thing. Not worrying about jealous 'friends'.

Think we're going to buy nursery furniture tomorrow!!! Yay! Got the cot from Mothercare in the January sales (that feels like a million years ago now!!), but going to get chest of drawers and wardrobe from Ikea tomorrow and order my lovely nursing chair online too!!! Ooo excited!

Hope everyone is planning lovely bank holidays!