July 2010: We’re ready to drop; Not long to go until we pop!

[DesperateHousewife21]

Possibly our last ante-natal thread ladies!

Boo my appletiser didn't arrive today! DH and I were both out at work all day but there was no card saying they'd try to deliver. Gracie what was in it again?

Caught up but stuggling to remember what I just read - total baby brain.

Glastonbury glad that your ds is on the mend - wrt your sister establishing a routine has to be a get out for avoiding her, reckon you can use that for a month or so?
tsc lol at your dh wondering where sperm comes from.

wwsw hope you are feeling OK - I fell with dd while crossing the road the other day, thankfully didn't do either of us any damage, she tripped on the kerb and dragged me down after her, is definitly a bit scary.

I too have a swollen downstairs, generally achy and waddling, bump seems to be a bit lower this last week

Everyone seems so much more organised than me - our cot is in pieces in the garage, as is the moses basket and stand, need to buy a changing table and left dd's changing bag on the bus months ago so really need a new one of those - thought I'd get a smallish backpack so that I could take lo out in the sling easily, also need a bouncy chair and a baby mat of some sort - best get on ebay! Also only have one vest in newborn and no nappies - or a car seat - eek thats quite a lot really isn't it? Need a breast pump as well but I guess that can wait until after baby comes...

Hello all...seems that we are all planning ahead and packing hospital bags etc. Mine are also in car with baby seat...although think I ought to check them again, as from the lists provided I probably ought to put more stuff in!

37 wk MW appt today. baby now 3/5, maybe 4/5 and fundal height smaller than last week as baby in pelvis so much apparently. Can feel alot of pressure 'down there' MW said I should be actively encouraging the baby to arrive and recommended reflexology and sex! Not together i don't think....! .

Hoping this means it won't be too long now.....

My Appletiser pack arrived this afternoon by Home Delivery Network, Emster. Fairly sizeable cardboard box, inside of which was a pretty green box tied with a ribbon. (I didn't notice any advertising on the green box, so I'll be saving that to reuse as packaging for a present to someone. )

Inside the green box were four of the large size bottles, well wrapped in bubble wrap and green paper strips. Appletiser, Peartiser and then Mango, Manderin and Apple flavour as well as Pomegranite and Raspberry flavour. I thought there were meant to be six smaller bottles too, but mine just had those four. There was also a little envelope containing a number of money off vouchers for yet more Appletiser. DH and I had better like it!!

Hope that's helpful. I'm sure you'll receive your pack at some point tomorrow. Home Delivery Network are normally pretty good, I find. (Citilink on the other hand........) I guess it depends on your area though.

I can hardly believe how close some of the ELCS/due dates are getting. It can't be long now until we have our first birth! It still seems quite far off for me, I'm not considered term until the beginning of July. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing at present, to be lingering at the back of the queue.

good luck with the scan tmrw dh fingers crossed for you.

emster mine didn't turn up either I've been keeping an eye on the thread and apparently they cans weren't ready in time so it's just the 4 bottles we should get. Hope mine comes tomorrow! Sods law it turns up on school run time...

wonder falling is so scary, there's just no way to right yourself once you're going. Glad you're ok. I'm aching but then IK've been achy for a good few days so no change there

Oh re the hospital bags, make sure you keep the car topped up with fuel too...

delta you're scaring me now! Last week (37 wks) baby measured 35 and was 3/5ths, this week FH was 38.5 and 2/5ths! Eeek I'm having a giant!!

OOh four big bottles sounds good anyway! We get a crate of wine delivered once a quarter by HDN and they normally leave it with a neighbour if we're not in, so they'll hopefully do that. I'm off work tomorrow anyway.

I'll stick a note on my door when I go out and hope for the best!

Anifersgirl- wow some pressure then! your going to be inundated!

violetbubbles-No I didnt try moxibustion, to be honest it was all very quick because I was at such a late stage, I went for a regular mw appt, was told about his position and told Id probably have to have a c/s and sent to the hospital for the ECV the next day.

kapars-If you want the boots changing bag asap I could send you my voucher, Im not using it and seems a waste to throw it away, let me know.

Jojobil-wow not long then for you now!!

had another pretty lazy day today, making the most of no children 9-1 lol

my appletiser box arrived! Im sat drinking the mandarin, mango and apple one, its really nice. Was impressed with the packaging and the size of the bottles, thought theyd be tiny little tasters but theyre not.

my hospital bag, so far I have-

pack 27 nappies
3 vests
3 sleepsuits
2 muslins
2 hats
1 small blanket
grobag swaddle wrap
pack soothers
travel pack wet wipes
baby jacket

2 pairs breast pads
2 packs maternity towels
2 packs earplugs
kendal mint cake(mint sugar bar for anyone not heard of it, used mainly by hikers for energy)
2 nighties
old pants
socks
clothes to go home in
note pad and pen
plastic bag
camera
change for tv card
unscented wipes
toiletry/makeup bag

quite abit but to be fair we live an hour away from the hospital and dp hasnt passed his test yet so he will have to depend on others to get him there if I have to stay overnight. Not planning on staying but depends on babys time of arrival.

rang work today and turns our theyve lost my matb1 cert and still havent produced my official wageslips back from last april(long story) am fuming, have rang surgery and left a msg for the MW who can hopefuly supply me with another, but still grrr about my wageslips. Ive 4 weeks till DD and am panicing about sending off my MA application. Will have to ring them everyday and chase them until theyve sorted it grr

hope everyone has a comfy and uneventful night xx

Evening all, preparations are go this week. My pram and car seat have to be picked up on sunday. The cots in bits so needs to be built as does her drawers. Moses basket needs picked up from my aunts and house still needs a top to bottom clean. Wow i have lots to do too. Elective should be 2nd july will find out for defo tomorrow as i'm getting another growth scan.

Like everyone else i need to check out my hospital bags. The pram came with a changing bag but i may get the free one from boots or the on gracie suggested from aldis.

On a sad note friends mum was diagnosed with breast and bone cancer, not sure of treatment or time left yet. So sad.

Good to see everyone is progressing nicely lol x

glaston are you having a girl? Or is dd due date?

This thread is growing so fast! Another night for me of tossing and turning and pain.... Sorry about your friends mum stac I hope she gets better if possible...

me too jojo to warm, restless legs, trips to the loo. By the time lo gets here we will be conditioned to be awake all night lol. I'm not sure regarding friends mum if they can do something. Think when its in the bones its terminal, so sad. How are you keeping occupied during the night? X

Hi all, I need some advice...(37 weeks tomorrow). Due to the sudden lack of obstatricians in my area I need to spend up to three weeks (two weeks before and a week after) in another hospital.

I have to choose between
Option A - a nice small hospital three hours away, in a town which I like but have no friends in, staying in a B&B on my own or
Option B - a big impersonal hospital 6 hrs away in a city which I don't like but where all the other pregnant people I know are also going to be staying in the same hospital housing facility at the time.

My gut feeling is Option A, but the sensible half of my head says that if I am alone in a B & B for three weeks then I may chew my own arm off with boredom and creation of negative thoughts.

What do you think? Do I opt for the eventual personal touch of option A or the sanity saver but eventual production line of Option B. When it comes down to it will I care? How bad are big hospitals? Will I be so sick of the sight of my fellow first time Mums after spending three weeks in a Ronald McDonald house with them that I will never want to see them again!

Stac my friends husband had two bone marrow transplants and he is fine now... It really depends on the case and person. Athrawes no idea... I would have chosen the closer one. 6 hours is a long way...

Spirael, I wasn't taking credit for that list just in case you think I was . I had copied and pasted it into a Word doc when I read it as I thought it was incredibly comprehensive and clearly came from a very organised mind! Thanks for the updates to it - very handy.

LO's clothes are all washed now and waiting to be ironed. I usually hate ironing but this time will be different. I'm guessing the novelty wears off soon. Indeed, I'm guessing I won't be ironing LO's clothes soon or anyone's clothes for that matter. This is one time in my life when people will probably forgive me a few creases .

It's no problem, DeeLite. I was just surprised to see the list again, though I am glad it was useful. I was a bit worried it was a little too over-prepared! I did try and fit the kitchen sink in my bag, but DH refused to carry it...

Another minor alteration that I think has been mentioned is that apparently hospitals tend to not like baby wipes being used on the baby. I threw them in anyway because I figured I can use them on me for a quick clean! For the LO I've put in a handful of cotton pads. Apparently they're slightly better than cotton balls as they don't fall apart quite so fast.

I didn't bother ironing any of the clothes for LO. They seemed pretty much ok after drying on the line. However I did spend way too much time ironing all the muslin squares, then folding and rolling them into a basket on the changing desk for easy access.

Not sure what to advise, Athrawes... I guess it depends on your personality! I'm a bit of a loner myself and I'd be quite happy to spend the time in relative privacy - as long as I had a laptop, some good books and my Nintendo DS or such to keep myself entertained. I think I'd go insane being surrounded by people the whole time!

However I can see how some people might go equally insane being left by themselves for that amount of time. If I did have to go for the option of having lots of people around, I'd probably make sure to take some board games or packs of cards and rope them into that! (With the added advantage that they'd avoid me some of the time because they'd know I was preparing to drag them in to yet another board game. )

Morning,
stac jojo and athrawes just realised the times you were all posting! Did you all wake up then or had you not gone to bed yet?

athrawes i really don't know! sounds like a hard decision- will anyone be visiting you at all? both seem so far away.

stac so sad about your friends mum, fingers crossed they can get some effective treatment.

DH and violet hope you both get on well at scans today, let us know how they go.

deelite i was wondering whether or not to iron LOs clothes, now all washed and dried. I'm so lazy with ironing and always avoid it but this feels different as its all so cute!

I had GP app this morning and can't find my sample pot to take in my urine sample- don't think i got one back last time! feel a bit flustered about it as really don't like the toilets at the health centre.

Going to a breast feeding workshop at the hospital this afternoon- had a wierd dream about BF lo last night, left me quite unsettled, must be feeling anxious about it!

Got a call yesterday to say pram has arrived into shop so need to make arrangements to pick it up, MIL cam over last night to give me last of money towards it (DH i didn't even need to ask )
I asked SIL if she could store it in her big cupboard as she lives close by and has loads of cupboard space! anyway she said sorry she didn't think there was enough room and her DP would just moan! i'm feeling really annoyed about it esp as we always store their "santa" christmas shopping every year so kids can't find it- we have never moaned about it and enjoy helping! it seems really odd as i know they have loads of space!

Anyway, looking forward to another nice day- fingers crossed

Morning,
stac jojo and athrawes just realised the times you were all posting! Did you all wake up then or had you not gone to bed yet?

athrawes i really don't know! sounds like a hard decision- will anyone be visiting you at all? both seem so far away.

stac so sad about your friends mum, fingers crossed they can get some effective treatment.

DH and violet hope you both get on well at scans today, let us know how they go.

deelite i was wondering whether or not to iron LOs clothes, now all washed and dried. I'm so lazy with ironing and always avoid it but this feels different as its all so cute!

I had GP app this morning and can't find my sample pot to take in my urine sample- don't think i got one back last time! feel a bit flustered about it as really don't like the toilets at the health centre.

Going to a breast feeding workshop at the hospital this afternoon- had a wierd dream about BF lo last night, left me quite unsettled, must be feeling anxious about it!

Got a call yesterday to say pram has arrived into shop so need to make arrangements to pick it up, MIL cam over last night to give me last of money towards it (DH i didn't even need to ask )
I asked SIL if she could store it in her big cupboard as she lives close by and has loads of cupboard space! anyway she said sorry she didn't think there was enough room and her DP would just moan! i'm feeling really annoyed about it esp as we always store their "santa" christmas shopping every year so kids can't find it- we have never moaned about it and enjoy helping! it seems really odd as i know they have loads of space!

Anyway, looking forward to another nice day- fingers crossed

wooo! scan today really really excited about it.

Also getting a new car, well second hand which we're swapping with our car but still, 5 door a bigger boot!

I have a feeling my baby is going to be long and thin just like me lol. Id be surprised if he is chubby/round.

Hope everyone has a good day today, will post scan pic later if they give me one

don't know why that came up twice

Nab, I am a Brit currently living on the Wild West Coast of New Zealands South Island and awaiting the NZ franchise of Mumsnet!
Think we have decided that the big hospital 6 hrs away is best - solitude is good but an occasional cup of coffee with a vague aquaintance is better than nothing. No, noone will be visiting. I may take up knitting - how hard can it be!
Greatest concern now is that having left DH in the house alone for three weeks I will return with our PFB to a grubby midden, no food and a mountain of laundry. I may email a request/hint to a friend to nip in and do a vaccuum whilst DH is collecting me!

athrawes wow makes me realise how lucky we are here, i had a choice of 3 hospitals furthest being 40 mins away closest 10 mins away! i would prefer to talk to people as i think i would get cabin fever all alone for that long while heavily pregnant!
dh hope scan goes ok, i would have loved another scan! our hospital dont give out pics after 32 weeks as they are to cramped up in there! lol at long and thin my sis had 2 boys ones fat and round and the other long and thin!
becky thats a bit harsh about storing pushchair i want our pushchair here but everyone keeps saying its bad luck, i told fil if i go into labour in the night im collecting it b4 i go into hospital and even that didnt sway them to let me have it here!
spireal i may sound stupid but what would you use muslin squeares for? would it be burp clothes? my mums bought me some and im clueless!
stac sorry about your friends mum, must be such a horrible time. restless legs are awful! are you getting cramps too? i stretch and then end up with cramp!
having a lazy day at home today spent 2 days at my mums surrounded my plumbers and builders drilling!

WickedWitchSouthWest Can you tell me what you mean by the 3/5ths and 2/5ths measurements?
My MW is a little dippy and doesn't keep me very informed. I went last week at 36 weeks and she just said 'it's in the right place, have you got your bag packed?' which I assume means LO is locked and loaded but not really sure?!

glaston thanks for the kind offer. I'm all signed up now so should get my voucher around my due date so that should be ok as there is a Boots a few mins from my house.

Is anyone else feeling a bit weepy hormonal? I've been on a high for weeks and still am kind of but also feel weepy for no real reason. I had nightmares the other night which made me cry when I woke up!