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

oooh books

A friend of mine has given me The Dr Sears Baby Book, which she says has been a lifesaver for her three little ones. I've only flicked through but it does look great.

I've been very much enjoying the Mumsnet guide to pregnancy (it's absolutely hilarious as well as down to earth and informative) so will definitely be investing in the baby and toddler books. I also found What To Expect in a charity shop but it is Americanised, ever so patronising and in several occasions downright incorrect if you looks to science and medical opinion (for example, it says that if you're vegetarian you have to take folic acid and B12 because it's ONLY found in meat, when Marmite is rich in both), so I won't be continuing with any of their books.

Personally, I despise everything Gina Ford stands for, would definitely resent being told what to do by someone who has never had children and am horrified by how she behaved towards mumsnet. Every child is different and I'm having an individual human baby, not a robot, plus I don't really have or like routines if I can at all avoid them anyway, so it clearly isn't for me but each to their own. As I'm aware this can be a sensitive subject, I just want to be clear that I've no problem with anyone else doing whatever works for them and good luck to you but this is about as far from my style as it's possible to get.

I've also ordered Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, the rather dubiously entitled Spiritual Midwifery also by Ina May (although I'm assured by friends that it's wonderful) and Hypnobirthing: the Mongan Method, all second hand from ebay and Amazon market. No idea what they will be like but as I'd love to have a natural birth I'm willing to give them a go.

I'll also be looking into books on elimination communication and baby-led weaning too but not just yet. If anyone has any recommendations they'd be gratefully received.

I'm not a big fan of G Ford but neither do I want to be sleeping with my baby until they are a toddler so I hope to have some kind of routine (famous last words eh!) which will get the baby used to sleeping in a cot in his/her own room some time after 6 months. We'll see though, I don't think I want to do controlled crying but can see that it does work for lots of people. I've read so much about growth spurts and sudden changes in behaviour that I am preparing myself to just be flexible about it all.

as this i my 3rd dc i wont be buying any books. not sure i like the sound of gf although i haven't read any of it.

i have a monster headache, and dp's nan died this morning. very sad .

i feel guilty being happy but, i hired a proper doppler as the one i had was a bit crap, and we heard the heartbeat loud and clear. feeling very relived.

Going back to the book discussion - Beware of books from a charity shop as they may be old & have incorrect advice, so many new things are discovered daily these days about what should & shouldnt be done during pregnancy.

And Re: Showing off your bump - I think a pregnancy bump is the most beautiful and most natural thing in the world & should be shown off proudly.

GGG you are a brave woman IMHO to even consider EC!

Dueling Despite settling into a fantastic routine all on his own with no help from two weeks old, when we moved house DS was just two and so traumatised, he has come into our room/bed almost every night since, he will be 6 in August. Sometimes thats just the way the cookie crumbles.

Mumatron sorry to hear that.
Where did you hire the doppler?

DS rode his bike without stablisers today [proud mum emoticon] we only took them off on Thursday.
I am knackered, didn't get in until two, have decided I don't like clubbing sober and pregnant.

ggg not sure about the whole ec thing but blw is great. Worked wonderfully for us, our 2 yo will eat anything and demands fruit and veg. Seeing how hard it can be with a fussy eater and how many there are I am so relieved. Try babyledweaning.com and gill rapely's book.

Just won 5 organic babygrows for £2.70 on eBay!

yay - I love a bargain. I have my eye on some babygrows too.

Pretty sure I felt baby move twice today. Last pg I was 19 weeks before I felt anything so pleased not to have waited so long this time.

I already have a collection of (largely unread) baby books from last time - the only ones I really liked were the No Cry Sleep Solution (is that the title?) though I'm not sure we ended up following any book or 'guru' with regards to sleep. DS just drifted into his own sleep patterns and does pretty well now at 2 years. I'm planning on co-sleeping with this baby though (to the extent that I'm making sure any house we buy has enough room for a kingsize bed in the bedroom!) because I don't see myself functioning very well if I'm breastfeeding all night and have my toddler all day...

I liked Dr Sears but find him quite patronising. I like where he and Martha are coming from though. Naomi Stadlen's What Mothers Do, Especially When It Looks Like Nothing (dreadful title!) is really heartening and reassuring. I can really recommend reading Kate Evans's The Food of Love if you're considering breastfeeding - great cartoons and style, very funny and well researched.

Gina Ford I bought in a charity shop, as much to keep it out of circulation as anything else but I did read it for a giggle. I'm not having anyone - Gina, my GP or DH - telling me when to get up and have my slice of toast before expressing, before waking the baby, etc.

GGG, another vote for BLW here, it was fun and very easy and DS loved it. I wish I could tell you that he's now a happy eater with no foibles, but he's a bit pickier now. Still, he's a toddler. All bets are off.

ooh - I have ordered 'the food of love'

notso thanks, was a hard day yesterday but dp isn't the type to get down over it, he knows his nan would not be happy if he did!

i hired the doppler from here but i know there are some shops on ebay that do free delivery.

def. worth it i think. i could listen all day

Fwiw, I checked the NHS Pregnancy book my MW gave me and that does contain advice on the basics such as how to bathe a baby. If you haven't been given one, maybe it's worth asking your MW? Or you can download it as a PDF here.

I got some babygros and other bits in a bundle on eBay - it worked out at about 80p per item even with postage! It's either unisex or boys stuff, but I figure baby girls can wear blue too (heck, I do). If we have a girl and I get bothered about people assuming she's a boy because she's in blue, I could always add a baby ribbon or something. DH couldn't believe the mountain of clothes I got in the bundle though! I've just washed it all in non-bio and hung it up to dry. Teeny babygros are sooo cute.

mumatron - sorry you're having a hard time!

Major sympathy for all of you suffering with headaches or migraine!

I'm definitely not going to be a Gina mum - we're not very routine set anyway and I hate a lot of her approach. It works for some Mums though I know. A friend of ours is very routine set with her 2 and it's what works for her, but she's completely different to us!

BLW seems to be the way to go. I'm hoping to exclusively breastfeed until at least 6 months so that would work well too.

notso - I love the look of the CoCo loungers but my worry would be that as they don't have a motor or a toy bar, you'd have to provide the entertainment! I want a rocker that can entertain baby while I rush around her/him doing a few things. Maybe worth getting if you're being offered one at £20 though - they're so expensive new!

Hi guys, been busy with coursework lately. Got my last deadlines tomorrow and on the 18th so hopefully I should be able to catch up again soon.

I have my next scan on Thurs. Doctor told me that they should be able to tell the sex if it is in the right position. Fingers crossed!

Started picking up a few bits and bobs, nothing big yet and it's all been unisex! Hubby surprised me the other day by getting us matching blackberries It's been tricky getting used to it but they are amazing! Anyone else have one?

Hi Ladies,

I have had a lovely holiday in Italy and am feeling very relaxed! Lots of chat on here, I'll put in my 2pennenths worth.

Constipation = hideous. I have suffered for weeks and although I eat a lot of fruit and veg the only thing I've found that's worked for me is prune juice, you can buy it from the supermarket. It tastes horrible and is very sweet but works!

Buggies - I am very keen on the i candy peach blossom. Think someone else said they like these prams.

Books - I've been reading bits of everything and a few twin books and am still pretty unsure. My friend did Gina and loved it, but I think each child is different and it doesn't work for everyone. My mum said I was like a doll, so easy to look after but my sister cried every day of her life. Then my brother was the devils child. Swings and roundabouts though, I was the worst teenager by far!

Mat wear & baby bits - I am wearing tight stuff and am loving having boobs for the first time in my life. DP thinks I'm obsessed with them have been wearing flowy stuff, maxi dresses etc too. I haven't bought anything for the babies also don't want to jinx it, think I'll wait until 24 weeks. I'm just having a deep clean of my house and e baying anything I don't wear anymore.

Can anyone reccomend a good breastfeeding chair? I'd really like a nice rocking chair and have a great space for it in the corner of the nursery to be. I might do a thread on this

Happy Sunny Sunday

DD is doing dance exams, DH has taken her, DS is legoing so thought I'd sneak on here and take a break from my pre-school holiday clean.
Must look on E-bay for babygro's my friend has offered me a nice bundle but some of it is very girly, there are some lovely frugi ones though.

Mumatron thanks for the link, which one did you go for? Glad your DP is ok.

Japh I think I will take up the Coco lounger just because it's so cheap will prob try and get a doomoo beanbag on Ebay too. Not bothered about the lack of motor DS had a motorised bouncer and loathed it, I can picture him now, screaming with his chubby cheeks juddering! I will look for a nice wooden toy bar to go over it though if I can't get one I know the washing machine is just as fascinating for a little one

Squistle Good luck with coursework and scan. Am of your blackberries, can't help I have an old Samsung that refuses to die and I won't get a new phone until it does.

Lavita Glad you had a lovely holiday, we've just booked centreparks in Sept, can't wait.
I have a the Ikea chair and footstool, Poang? or something? You know the one that everyone has. It's great as a nursing chair, it doesn't rock as such but it does kind of bounce, also you can buy different covers, very handy if you have a vomatron baby. It also looks ok to use as general furniture, I bought mine about 10 years ago, it's been in almost every room in the house.

OMG my boobs are leaking! Just felt a wierd let-down feeling and my top is wet

Well just been to a nice christening of DD godparents 2 little ones, church nice and friendly - a bit "happy clappy" for my DH. He raised a few eyebrows as we went "smart" - him in suit DD and I in dresses - got a few comments from "regulars" at the church that we're not a suit kind of church - my DH pointed out he WAS a suit kind of man

Very hot here today so have booked a later bus back to work - more time to enjoy being with my family here. Really getting fed up of the weekly commute now. Oh well at least the bus is only costing £4.65 this time! Definately worth saving the money instead of going on the train.

Hope everyone is well - will catch up in the week, going to spend time with family

went to a bbq at SIL's today for her twins 1st birthday. I did absolutely nothing all day then got home at 6pm and fell asleep for an hour

only 2 days of work this week, then we're off on hols

Woke up an hour and a half before my alarm ... hurrumph!

Don't be at blackberries notso, they're evil little inventions that are designed to ensure you work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Actually, having said that, if you're strict about not looking at the damn thing outside of working hours, they're handy for sneaking out during the working day and no-one noticing that you're not at work... (not that I'd so that, you understand.)

So, what's the deal with headaches. Why do we get them in pg? I am getting them about every other day now, and I'm curious to know why?

Haven't felt any movements yet, I don't think. I keep thinking that I have but then realise the movement is in time with my heartbeat and its therefore just a pulse...

Off to the consultant tomorrow to find out how incompetant my cervix is. I hope they're very accurate at their assessment - I'd be gutted, obviously, if they decided it didn't need a stitch and I miscarried as a result. I'd almost prefer them to put the stitch in just in case.

Oh yes, and must book my 20wk mw appt. Lots to do. And I really should get some work done too!

Wow, I've missed a lot. Been out of it the last few days - caught a vile stomach bug and spent most of the weekend in the bathroom. Quite worrying as couldn't keep anything down at all, but out of hours service said baby should be OK as long as I didn't have a temperature.

Was it emmaxmas who was freaking out about having a baby on the other side of the world from her family? I can totally relate. I am an Aussie and this will be my second baby over here away from family. NCT classes really were the saving grace for me. I met some great friends through them - such a help when all your other friends are busy at work and cannot relate to your newfound motherhood at all. So I would say, sign up to NCT in your area, sign up to active birth - sign up to anything you can and then make sure you get out there and talk to people!!

Oh, on baby bouncers - I had a motorised one last time and both DD and I hated it. All I wanted was one like I can remember my brother and sisters having - a bouncy one which requires nothing other than baby's kicks to move it - but they are surprisingly difficult to find these days. So this time around I am borrowing this one which is properly bouncy and baby can kick themselves - much more enjoyable for them! Babybjorn Bouncer

I'm having my baby in Kuwait but lucky for me my DH mum, dad and brother are living out here too. My mum is flying out just before the due date to be here for the birth so it will just be like being back at home really. You just have to get used to the different way of doing things out here...oh and the 50c heat!!

Back from a week at Centre Parcs and have missed far too much to catch up on . Great that everyone has been so chatty!... Our holiday was so so good... the boys enjoyed it so much and had a great time just messing about outside and playing on all the outdoor play areas - and of course the pool! . They are still at the non-expensive age (6 and 3 tomorrow ) so they dont want to / can't do many of the expensive activites. Except DS1 did archery and loved it... All in all though, just brilliant. And now back at work.

I've got my 20wk scan this afternoon and amnio booked in. Hopefully both will go well but I'm feeling a bit of anxiety about them both now, I'd managed to put it all to the back of my mind when we were away, but now its looming I'm starting to feel nervous.

I had a scan of the most recent page and totally agree with those that are anti-GF. It would be great for those who like a very organised daily life or for a baby who needs a very rigid routine, but I just found it ridiculously prescribed. As another poster says it even tells you when to eat your toast! I guess with a lot of advise though there are probably good bits that can be taken from it and adapted to fit what kind of mum you'll be. I found that the boys found their own routine quite easily without me having to do too much although like notso's DS, my DS2 went from angel sleeper to nightmare for 3 months after we came back from a holiday last year. He's now abck to angel again! . Besides as this is number 3 I think this baby will just have to go with the flow .

Right better go - come back to huge amount of work but as you can tell I can't be bothered!

Meant to ask - anyone else waking up in the night or in the morning with a really sore lower back? I think it might be time to start sleeping with a cushion between my knees...