December 2010 - good-bye flat tummies (as if I had one... ha ha ha)

[Persnickety]

Right, I've done the honours. This is our new thread.

And don't forget the stats thread

here boots tens rental

I used a mama tens last time and would highly recommend

Good point, OWO - ladies, do not add "TENS machine" to your shopping lists!

I am definitely going to dress my baby in baby-grows for months

ggrrr, just lost my post.

My list is about 10 pages long already but does cover the first six months (in terms of what clothes you'll need, what accessories etc) as well as the maternity bag. But I'm trying not to think about it too much as its all way too scary

TMI alert: I'm not generally scweamish (sp??) but the thought of maternity pads makes me feel ill! I haven't used sanitary pads since my very first period as they gross me out and even the (probably minor in comparison) bleeding I had following my biopsy last year was yuk yuk yuk. OK, ladies, hit me with it. Just how much am I going to bleed in the days post birth - and for how long?

WOW slightlyTired ..... I am shocked.... Thanks! S there is so much to do. I put the list on an excel sheet to get organized too...

What is a Tens machine and why would I need it?? Okay I know, I am obviously a confused rookie..

Oh don't bother responding.... I just googled it... I am so going to get mobile peridural and am not a pain friendly person or into doing stuff in natural way. Although I may consider the TENS if I can use it prior to getting peridural... that would be nice...

slightlyTired is Lansinoh lanolin a cream for nipples? What is it good for? I need something now as they are super sensitive and dry...

WWSB, the lochia wasn't too bad for me but I think it varies. Mine was like a heavy-ish period for a little over a week.

PJen - even if you do end up with an epidural I found the TENS machine really helpful in the earlier stages of labour - when I was at home, and in the car on the way.

Yes, it is PJen - it is very rich, quite greasy, and helps with cracking, chaffing, etc.

From the list, the only things I don't have are:

?Birth plan if you have one
?TENS machine
?Something to deliver in
?Nursing bra
?Clothes for baby -
hat
something lovely and warm for transferring baby to car
?Portable change mat
?Maternity pads.
?Small bottles of water
?Snacks
?Earplugs

he he. Perhaps I am more prepared than I though.

Okay girls... Need to shop more? Haven't found a dress to love yet? I found a new website: www.asos.com/Women/Maternity/Cat/pgecategory.aspx?cid=5813

Hiya, I see you're all busy already planning everything. I just wanted to add my tuppence worth re hospital bags before I get started on dinner. So here goes...

With ds1 I packed (religiously to the letter) everything that it said on the list, nothing more, nothing less. If it said 6 of something I put six! I turned up with 2 big suitcases & a big holdall! This was packed from about 30wks. 2nd time round I packed a small rucksack when I was 40+ a few days.

I took that time an old t-shirt for giving birth. I went home in the clothes I turned up in. Some crappy pants, 1 set of clothes for baby & that was it! Oh and nappies of course.

pants - I hated the paper pants so much, they are the most uncomfortable things ever, and it was just as cheap to buy a cheap pack of pants from QS or similar that are good enough and cheap enough for the bin after one use.

maternity pads - Had them 1st time, were the most useless things going. The staff at the hospital saw I had them and snuck a load of the ones they had into my bag to take home with me! After a few days I was using normal always ultra. 2d time, I didn't bother getting any, the mw unit just had the purple always and I used them. Then onto normal ones a couple of days later.

I found a vid on youtube the other night that I will post later on. It got me all excited, but kinda freaked DP out!

Hi

Just found a comprehensive list thats printable, first page is for things at home and second page for things in hospital.

Here

Although I can't stand her at the minute I'm quite glad MIL (not actual MIL but is easier to call her that) has bought quite alot of this stuff already, all I really need is a cot and stuff for me (like pads and nighties etc) Feeling slightly more prepared now

Asos is one of my fave shops PJen. They so have some fab mat clothes, and pretty good prices too.

Hello everyone

Yay everyones talking about prams! I am definately unless I change mymind again geting a Bugaboo Cam.
With DD we had a tank of a 2 in 1 it was all we could afford, we had a Chicco Trio for DS which was ok but I really wanted the Bugaboo Frog, so this time seeing as I have saved up the money I am choosing the pram!
I am also using cloth nappies this time, though there is so much choice now I don't know which ones.
Clothing wise my best tips are one of those fleece blankets with sleeves etc rather than a snowsuit and those little night gown type things are fantastic for the hospital and for night time when you are too knackered to concentrate on poppers.

Just went to meet my mid-wife for the first time, she's about 12 years old

notso I am hoping to use cloth, though probably will use disposables for the first couple of weeks.

I managed them from day one with DS Dueling but I'm looking for something less bulky this time round, his big Tots Bots bum was too big for most of his clothes!

Lol at 12 year old midwife.

Also does anyone know about having a filling in pregnancy?
I have to have one next month, and I have read that amalgam(sp) fillings aren't advised.

Funny, I just started a hospital bag list today. Thanks for the awesome list SlightlyTired and oh that's what the muslin cloths are for!

I just spent the afternoon researching all the benefits available and produced a 5 page report for DH (in a rather sarcastic manner). Yesterday he had the bloody cheek to tell me he thought I wasn't pulling my weight at the moment! So carrying his child, setting myself up as self-employed, studying for a masters (admittedly part time), doing most of the cooking and cleaning, organising a hen do single handedly because the other bridesmaid dropped out (aaarrrgh!) - all while living with his parents - isn't quite enough for him. I was fuming and we 'had words'. I think I'm going to tell him he's not 'pulling his weight' with this pregnancy! He's very, very lucky that the hormones haven't made me mental

Anyhoo, on the plus side I am now an expert(ish) on the Health in Pregnancy Grant, Child Trust Funds, Child Tax Credits, Child Benefit, Maternity Allowance (for the self-employed) & Statutory Paternity Pay (which I discovered DH won't be getting). So if anyone wants any information on any of those feel free to ask!

oh god! hospital bags already. thats scarey stuff. i haven't bought the baby anything

df not sure if we will have same midwife, but was she nice? just in case she is the same one. i really like my old mw, she was there when i had my dd and has been my mf for all my mc's. although she did have a knack of being on hols/sick when i needed booking in.

i have my next scan on 2nd Aug. i will be 19+5, hopefully will be able to start shopping after that. poor dp, he won't know whats hit him!

Oooh GreenGeekGirl I would definitely be having words as well.

That list is great, SlightlyTired. Only thing I would add is your own pillows or breastfeeding cushion as trying to learn to BF a newborn when the hospital gives you two paper thin pillows to use is not easy. You need lots and lots of pillows to start with!

notso because we only started on cloth when DD was a few months old I don't have any wraps small enough for a newborn and I think the totsbots will be too big. I read somewhere in first few weeks you can just fold muslins as you would terries and use those with wraps. I'm still after the bumgenius though, they look amazing but they are about £14 per nappy.

My next scan is 3rd August.

I did use maternity pads to start with - they are softer and much thicker than normal STs, so I found them easier to sit on with sore perinium. Think my lochia was v heavy for about a week or so but lasted quite a long time. I did pass one or two quite alarming sized clots, but (so sorry, tmi, this is gross) as instructed by midwife kept them for her to inspect wrapped in sanitary towel in nappy sack, and it was all normal. Sorry if that is a bit grim. No-one tells you these things in advance!

Re hospital bags. First time I took everything on the list - went home when DD was 6 hours old and used hardly any of it.

Second time had a small rucksack for labour - big old t-shirt, towel, clothes etc. Changing bag with a couple of vests, sleep suit, nappies. Then a bag we left in the car with extra clothes for me and DS, pj's nappies. So much easier.

Sleep suits with built in scratch mits are a life saver and were all DS wore for the first couple of weeks (wish I'd known about them for DD). It's so much easier when they can't take them off.

Has anyone else been feeling fluttering movements pre-16/17 weeks? I was feeling quite a bit and it's stopped as of yesterday so I'm now panicking. Think I might ring my lovely midwife tomorrow and ask to come in to check the heartbeat to calm me down (history of miscarriage so I tend to think the worse - not helped by someone we know having had a miscarriage at 16 weeks last year!).

japh im sure all is fine. i was thinking today that i haven't felt as many movements lately. very worrying but i'm just going to try and stay calm, can't see mw until monday. i have history of mc too. makes it all so much harder.