September 2010 - the end is in sight (even if our feet are not!)

[comixminx]

Time for a new thread to take us into the final leg of the journey!

Here's the latest version of the list that I could find - do update with your info as necessary! PickleSarnie, I've added you. Sassie, I can't spot you in the list unless you've maybe namechanged?

Jaysfourth #4 EDD 24/08/10 Nottingham, GIRL
Inzidoodle #2 EDD 26/08/10 Scotland, BOY
MerryMagpie #1 EDD 28/08/10
comixminx #1 EDD 28/08/10 Oxford SURPRISE
Foxyjbro99 #3 EDD 29/08/10 Shropshire
lilypad72 #1 EDD 30/8/10
mcfee #2 EDD 31/08/10
cinnnamongreyhound #2 EDD 31/08/10 Suffolk BOY
BooStar #1 EDD 01/09/10 New Forest
sazziej #1 EDD 01/09/10 West Lancs, GIRL
SkaterGrrrrl #1 EDD 01/09/10 London SURPRISE
Stickhasgrownup #3 EDD 02/09/10 SE London SURPRISE
NovemberAli #1 EDD 02/09/10 Nottingham
lillyfc #4 EDD 02/09/10 East Sussex
Babyshoes #2 EDD 02/09/10
ChocolateCalculator #2 02/09/10
swordfishtrombones #3 EDD 02/09/10 SE London
bananastew #2 EDD 02/09/10
flippertygibbet # EDD 03/09/10
IlariaS #1 EDD 03/09/10
jbakedbean #2 EDD 04/09/10
patito #2 EDD 04/09/10
Cakeandfinewine #2 EDD 05/09/10 Staffordshire GIRL
Mellousol #1 EDD 05/09/10
Monstermuncher #2 EDD 05/09/10 Glasgow
ciacia #2 EDD 05/09/10
Eleanora #1 EDD 06/09/10
Debs75 #4 EDD 06/09/2010
monkeymiss #2 07/09/10
EmmaLM #1 EDD 07/09/10
Heather1980 #3 EDD 07/09/10 Manchester
Eggonlegs #2 EDD 08/09/10
Catbus #4 EDD 09/09/10
TTTrouble #2 EDD 10/09/10
Surreygirl #2 EDD 10/09/10
LB1981 #1 EDD 14/09/10 NE London, Girl
Susiey #3 EDD 12/09/10 N.London
weirdbird #3 EDD 12/09/10 BOY
upsoearly #2 EDD 13/09/10
AMMG #1 EDD 14/09/10
Cityangel #2 EDD 15/09/10 London
Love2Dance #2 EDD 15/09/10 London, SURPRISE
Bonners #1 EDD 15/09/10 Scotland
MadameG #1 EDD 16/09/10 London
CathN #1 EDD 16/09/10 London
MudandRoses #2 16/09/10 Brighton Boy
ArcticFox #1 EDD 16/09/10
HellysBelles #1 EDD 16/9/10 SW London
Bloominnorah #2 EDD 17/09/10 Scotland
WhiteRoses #1 EDD 17/09/10
cazza41 #1 EDD 17/09/10
Mellymooks #2 EDD 17/09/10 BOY
Willthecatbejealous #1 EDD 17/09/10 Leeds
Lifeas3plus1 #2 EDD 17/09/10
princerhysmum #1 EDD 17/09/10
aswellasyou #1 EDD 18/09/10 Birmingham GIRL
LadyRabbit #1 EDD 18/09/10 
LucyLG #1 EDD 18/09/10 Staffs
VoilaAnotherGimlet #1 EDD 19/9/10 London
Scooby16 #1 EDD 19/09/10
lenga01 #2 EDD 20/09/10
Whammie76 #2 EDD 20/09/10 Scotland
PickleSarnie #1 EDD 20/09/10
Irishgal1 #1 EDD tbc
MammyG #3 EDD 21/09/10 Ireland
Nandos #2 and #3 EDD 22/9/10 London
caprica6 #1 EDD 22/9/10 Hampshire
DreamingAboutSleep #2 EDD 22/09/10 Herts
Muswellmummy #1 EDD 22/09/10
coppertop #4 EDD 23/9/10
ooosabeauta #2 EDD 23/9/10 GIRL
JodeyLea #1 EDD 24/9/10 Birmingham
Saoirse86 #1 EDD 24/09/10 Birmingham GIRL
Bessie123 #2 EDD 25/09/10 London BOY
StrictlyTory #2 EDD 25/09/10 SUPRISE
Sunface #3 EDD 25/09/10
Kittyonthebeam #2 EDD 25/09/10 Dubai BOY
Bellabelly #3 & #4 EDD 26/09/10 Kent 2 GIRLS
Ohfuck EDD 26/09/10
RunningGuerita #1 EDD 26/09/10
Dixiebell #1 EDD 26/09/10 BOY
Zowina #1 EDD 27/09/10
Watersprite #2 EDD 27/09/10
legallyblond #1 EDD 29/09/10
velvetjess #1 EDD 29/09/10 London, SURPRISE
MummyFifi #1 EDD 30/09/10 GIRL

love2dance massive congratulations. I'm so happy for you. When I last posted, my best friend was in labour. I'm happy to report that she gave birth via forcep delivery to a beautiful little girl who weighed 7lbs 10. I'm going to see her on Thursday and am very excited!!!

This news has made me panic a little has haven't even started the nursery yet or bought the furniture and travel system!!!!! And these little ones can come at anytime really over the next coupe of months! Got so much to do but feel frustrated that I cant go out on my own and buy all the things I need (I'm talking furniture and big things that need DH to lift and load in and out of car). Trouble is, I've broken up from work due to the school summer hols and start maternity leave on 1st Sep when the rest of the teachers go back (result & perfect timing i know), so i have lots of time to do things but DH is obviously still working so I'm feeling totally bored and frustrated at the mo as sitting here doing bugger all when I know there is lots I could be doing!!!!! How many times can I just clean the house???

I stopped reading that Gina Ford book when I got page 3 and it said "8am - It is very important that you have a breakfast of cereal, toast and a drink no later than 8am".

There's routine and then there's being dictated too. Besides, I don't even like cereal so would have failed at the first hurdle.

Jodey you could clean my house if you're feeling bored

I read Gina Ford and almost used it with dc3. We wanted some routine as dc2 is so unpredictable the idea of having a baby safely out of the way when he was home and angry seemed great. Unfortunately babies are not clockwork and I was too much in love with dc3 to shunt her out of the room when he came home from school. I spent the first few months just holding her and adapting to her routine. I didn't want some book telling me I was wrong because I wanted to include my baby in family life.
She is much more adaptable to change now as she isn't sticking to some strict routine of naps and feeding. I think the only good advice I got from the books was to put blackout blinds up.

Jodey Another house to clean here, I managed to clean a worktop, 2 cupboard doors and 1 load of pots before collapsing on the settee yesterday. I am exhausted and everything seems to bring me out in a hot flush.
Well done on the mat leave timing. Our friend organised her mat leave so it started Sept when the kids went back then she went back 1 week before summer half term so only had about 7 weeks work before the next set of holidays

dixiebell i didnt get a book,BUT if i can give you my humble opinion...
buy a sling,like a hug-a-bub (my favorite) put your baby in it,and get on with your day...babys need love and hugs and warmth,a sling will do all of this!
if you are bf,you dont even need to take them out!
i also will be co-sleeping this time,i was terrified with dd as everyone said such awfull things,but it makes bf sooo much easier,we never rolled anywhere near her,(my dp even took a film where i am sound asleep waving my arm around in the air trying to find somewhere to put it down without hitting the baby!)
the first month was hell trying to put her into her moses basket,when i gave up,we all slept through as she just took milk when she wanted,i didnt even wake up!

(i know,i know im going to get slated!)

skye, you wont get slated by me(or others here i am sure) it just echos my sentiment to do whats right for you! co-sleeping has never been on my list,i need my bed to me, but i do know lots who have, some for a short time, others for a long time.... have to say, those that did it for a long time, had a few problems trying to get their LO into their own bed eventually, but i guess you have to cross that bridge if this is your way forward!

I used a swaddling blanket for my last one and will do again for this one. It was amazing and really gave him some sense of security ( i believe) used it for the first four months or so, and they slept brilliantly, highly recommended

I put my last child into his own room at about 31/2 mths, ( my turn to be slated) but he was such a heavy sleep and sooooooo noisy, i just couldn't get my sleep when it mattered, and i had two others (under 3) to think about too! You do get a little more relaxed about it all with subsequent babies!

Jodey, my house is joining the list for a spruce up too, any time is fine with me! Perfect timing re your mat leave Dont get bored, try and enjoy it, you soon will be wishing for time on your own!

Books: Dixie, I just read "The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night" by Elizabeth Pantley

Its about establishing a routine without leaving your baby to cry alone for hours. Really good.

Also - I can no longer roll over in bed, which is part annoying, part comedy.

I don't think anyone will be slating anyone on here. It's totally a matter of preference for everything. Best thing to do is read a few baby care books and pick and choose what you think is right or works for you.
I bought DD a dummy 10 years ago and was told by mw's that 'we don't recommend dummies'! Guess what, 10 years later and they are accepted cos some study has shown that babies that have a dummy have a lesser chance of cot death. To me it's a comforter that may have no nutritional value but babies like them- much like chocolate for adults!!!
All midwives and books talk about the collective baby, but what works for one doesn't work for another. They are not individual to YOUR baby. That's the best thing to remember imho.

skater,i havent been able to rollover for about three months......i 'sleep' sitting up.....its not good

cbeebies and nick jr are a godsend in the afternoon when i am in need of a 'rest' i am in luck today as have managed to put youngest down for a nap too!

skye totally agree with you, I also had a hug a bub and loved loved loved it can't wait to have another go on it, I also co-slept, hadn't been planning to had moses basket set up and everything but discovered that bf so much easier when you don't have to wake up properly to do it she also slept really well, we did it for about the 1st 4 or 5 months then she started to get too wriggly and kept waking me up at which point I put her in the cot next to our bed but at some point in the night she would end up back with us for feeds and sometimes we would put her back other times we all just fell asleep, it was all very relaxed and unplanned and unstructured which suits the sort of family we are!!

At around 10 months or so we moved the cot to her room and gradually moved her in, she was ready by that point, seemed to like her own space in the cot and it all just happened very naturally, I just found that following my instincts and trusting my baby to let me know what she needed worked best for me.

I found everytime I picked up any books they just made me question my parenting, doubt my instincts or made me feel inadequate or all 3 so I abandoned them completely!!

It's like the whole thing or HAVING to put them down in their cots in the day for a nap, this would have driven me mad I liked getting out and about everyday and just seeing what happened being tied to having to be home for naps would have driven me mad, my DD learnt to nap wherever we were be it in the sling, buggy, car, sofa in noise, in quiet, outside, inside etc etc now at 2 and half she will sleep anywhere. But I know for others having that very set routine with fixed nap time feeding etc is what keeps them sane, I guess you just have to be honest with yourself about what you know will help you most to function and enjoy parenting and then just go with it and f* what anyone else says about your choices - not always easy but definitly the only way to approach it all!!

That co-sleeping set-up sounds so relaxed melly

we moved dd into a cot in her own room when she was about 3 months old because she didn't like her crib in our room and wasn't sleeping very well in it. We moved her from there onto our bed every night when we were going to sleep, so about 11-ish, straight after her dream feed. So she would go to sleep in her room and wake up in our room. We thought that if we weren't going to be in the room anyway, it made no difference if she was in our room for the first few hours of her sleep or not and it got her used to going to sleep in her own bedroom. I think we moved her completely into her own room at night when she was just under a year old. But like melly says, different things work for different people. We also used a bedtime routine from about 3 months of bath, feed, bed (swapped the feed for stories when she was about 15 months). She has always slept through really well at night but been terrible at having daytime naps.

park it really is, and I loved watching her sleeping away so peacefully, it was a really special bonding time for us. I couldn't have continued long term, (I have friends who are still co-sleeping now) as my girl is just too much of a fidget, but for the first few months it was wonderful and we all got a alot more sleep than we would have done any other way.

Ah it makes me all broody and excited about doing it again.

I would add though that it def helps if you have a BIG bed, ours is slightly bigger than king size so even with me, my 6ft 4 partner and the baby it still felt spacious!!

Wish I was on mat leave already - I stop on the 13th of August, which is what I decided way back when it all was pretty unreal. It'll be fine but I'm definitely looking forward to it starting!

I have a new twinge starting up - a sort of stretchmark pain on my hip, definitely feeling like it's the skin under pressure from putting on weight, not anything hip related. No stretchmarks on my belly though. And the dratted swollen feet still! Ah well, I feel refreshed enough when I get up so I can't be sleeping as badly as some, so it could be worse.

25 + 3

25+3 comixminx.......dont do that to me - or yourself, 35+3 i hope!!

I am a bit of a control freak like things to be ordered and thought I would be a very routiney mum. Was very surprised when I just went with the flow, would be tied to the house because of a nap and found that unless our day was very busy or very relaxed DS was ready to sleep at the same time after about 8 months. Before then he slept when he was tired, ate when he was hungry although always went to bed at the same time, mainly because he settled into having his last feed at 7.30 so after that was bed. I really don't see how you can leave a newborn that you know is hungry screaming because it's not TIME for them to be fed.

I breastfed DS but I got out of bed at night and fed him downstairs so DH could get his sleep as he was working and I was on maternity leave. He was in his own room from the day we bought him home and in a cot (not moses basket) much to my mum's disgust!

So much is down to how you and your baby feel, no-one else is there with your baby all the time and people will always have strong opinions- we are talking about the most precious things in our lives after all

hmmm... not sure why striking out didn't work oh well!

35

I really don't have the authority to comment as wriggler will be my first but personally speaking I wouldn't dream of critizing anybody else's choice re co-sleeping, moses basket vs cot etc, I really believe strongly that everyone should do what is best for them.

DH is now on holiday (teacher) until 1st September which is my due date...mmmm. We are spending this week trying to turn our junk spare room into a nursery. It was full of DHs books etc, all of which have now been re-homed, either to his office at school or to somewhere else in the house. It's amazing how much junk one small room can hold, we've made 3 trips to the charity shop and our wheelie bin is now full!

DH is currently painting the walls, I've been given an hour off for good behaviour. I'm hoping that if we get all the painting done today we can start assembling the furniture tomorrow, but i'm not convinved we won't need to do a second coat of paint.

I've packed and repacked my hospital bag and feel 'ready' now... or at least as ready as i'll ever be.

Afternoon all, I am looking to get a couple of cheapie nighties with button fronts for my hospital bag - anyone know where I can get some from please?

I got some from Matalan, I think they were £4 each!

Jaysforth I'd laugh if comixmix dates are something completely different, like 33+5! That's something i would do. I made that many mistakes yesterday (including scraping DP's beloved car- EEK!) I think my dd thinks i should spend the rest of the weeks lying down.

Sazziej The reason why people think they may be slated is because co-sleeping is not recommended in any book. This is because there is a risk of suffocating your baby when you are asleep. (you may already know this) I would do it with DD and i used to put her on her front (another big no no) because she had really bad colic and it used to help her. It's preference again and a judgement call.

monstermunch I'm interested to know the answer to that as well.

Thanks Sazzie, wouldn't have thought of Matalan but I'll deffo have a look!

I never did the co-sleeping thing, but dd was in her own room at just over 3 months. She has always been an excellent sleeper, in fact she was such an easy baby all round I'm sure we can't be that lucky twice...

monstermuncher, I got some from Primark. I think they were £5 each. They're not exactly sexy but I figure that having spent the last few months in big knickers and sweatpants that it's not going to make a dent in my allure!

Cripes Jaysfourth yes, you're right! 35 + 3 indeed.