Getting ready for baby challenge

[TheresAlwaysTimeForTea]

Hi all, we are planning on TTC in the new year. Before that I want to get a bit healthier lose three stone and generally be in the best shape possible to get pregnant and run around after a baby. Is anyone else in the same boat? Would you be up for a little thread to keep us all on track? Planning on doing a dry January as a kick start and then will be dragging my arse to the gym after Christmas as well. Very open to suggestion and ideas to shift the bulge. Would be good to have a few buddies though. Anyone fancy joining in?

Hi to all newbies!!
Really interesting discussion re breastfeeding. I've always wanted to but have felt a bit torn as would love DP to be able to feed too. Have heard expressing is hard work but would definitely give it a go or perhaps try combination feeding?

Last night my DP came over super broody and tempted me into unprotected sex! It was so hard to say no but I keep thinking about my wedding dress and how I will have to buy a new one. Also have a boozy hen do planned so that's difficult too. June feels like so far away! How on earth are we going to wait that long?! I'm just wishing the months away until we can start trying.

Good luck to all who are weighing in tomorrow. I did fairly well this weekend except for the bottle of wine I shared with DP last night!

Hey jupiter & buzzmoon

You've all been busy bees whilst i've been off the radar... defo up for breast feeding... my sis has a one year old so breastfed for a lot of last year, i feel like she's broken down any barriers/awkwardness already so i shall pick up where she left off!

wiggly totally thought i was preggo for a month last summer (wedding was in Oct) & was shitting myself! Then when i thought about it, the only issue was the dress so wouldn't have been the end of the world! (Glad i wasnt in the end cos I LOVED MY DRESS, & defo wouldn't have fitted a 5 month bump in!)

I lost ONE, MEASLY, POUND for all my hard work... annoying!

Hb a pound better than nothing!! Keep it up and you'll get to where you want to be!

hb well done, a pound in the right direction so good for you! I loved my dress too, so sad looking at it now hanging there, I think I'm going to sell it, was never going to but realistically what the hell will I do with it otherwise!

Thank you! I'm very excited! Making my invitations this weekend although ran out of card so waiting to finish them off!

Wiggly my goodness exactly the same as me! I'm so paranoid about dtd in case! Boozey Hen do in Majorca in May but so desperate to start! When are you starting?
Sorry, I haven't got round to reading the whole thread yet so apologies! Will catch up on my commute to work tomorrow!

deffo up for bf although would like to do both so dp can do some too, as said above!

mrs my dress is on the bed in my dressing room in a very sad state (for the last 3 months! I'm defo going to sell it but dry cleaning is £150 so need to save my pennies!

So weighed in this morning and I'm down 5lbs so I'm happy with that! I'm aiming to lose 10lbs this month so another 5 to go. Think it always comes off quicker the first week anyway but a good start. Will do my measurements next week!

On the breastfeeding front prepares to be flamed... I've decided to formula feed. I am really uncomfortable with breastfeeding and I just know I will hate it. Also being in the Middle East, there is no way I will be able to breastfeed outside of the home so I will effectively be housebound. I'm happier with formula. Think it's a great choice to breastfeed though for those who want to do it. It's just not for me. Please don't hate me!

Oh gosh tea there's no flaming here! That's totally understandable - I would not feel comfortable either in your situation. Having been to both Dubai & Qatar I know what it's like and yep it would be pretty impossible outside of the house!

Weigh in.. 61kg! That's 2kg (5lbs) of bloating and Xmas food so should lose that quickly as I'm making an effort with diet from now - low carb and no bread no chocolate etc. I'm normally 59kg but want to get to 57kg (9 stone).

Thanks Grumpy! Ah 5lbs will come off quick enough I'm sure. That's not too bad for a decent Christmas! I'm finding drinking water helps and cutting out wine.

Wow Grumpy and Tea you smashed it this week! Make sure you reward yourself! Maybe a new pair of trousers to put your skinny ass self in?

Buzzmoon we are ttc twins! Hen do is also in May so can start June at the earliest. Keep reminding myself the time will fly by hopefully.

Thanks yeah will be drinking lots of water and strictly no alcohol from now! Had 1 beer last night and actually feel hungover this morning

5lbs in a week is incredible theres !

It's all worth it when you see results like that!!

I'm sure it's mostly water HB but I'll take that! I feel a lot less bloated which is good. I'm going to get measured up for a Saree tomorrow for my friends wedding. Never worn one before! And still need to get a dress for the evening. If I can trim a few inches off before then I'll be happy!

Wow! Well done Theres. Also, definitely no flaming/hating for your choices re breastfeeding! Such a personal decision.

Convinced myself to weigh in, and in spite of my truly dreadful weekend, I've lost two pounds.

Awesome, well done!

MrsC - Really interesting about the bloods, I guess they are looking for LH and FSH levels and things? I had that done a few years ago when my periods mysteriously vanished. Good you can carry on TTC though as the waiting game is hard.

As for wedding dresses, weirdly I was thinking the same last week. I was recommended this website called “Love, Keep, Create” where they will make your dress into a baby blanket (or adult blanket… or other keepsakes) which I thought sounded gorgeous. Would depend on whether you mind it being cut up or not (mine was only from debenhams so don’t mind too much.)

Confused - we can symptom spot together. Ovulation day here!

Grumpy - we got to point where felt like we were endlessly waiting (to move house, to get to certain point in career, to lose weight) and accepted that it’s never going to be the perfect time and also somehow we’ve found ourselves in our early-mid 30s and probably need to get cracking. Hope GP appt goes well :)

Ugh FIL seeing my boobs. Feeling haunted by this prospect. Luckily we don’t see him that much…bleugh

Hi buzz, congrats on the upcoming wedding, how exciting!!

Hb - Still a lb in the right direction! And Timefortea that’s bloody fantastic!! (oh and no flaming at all about formula feeding, always up to the individual and culturally sounds more realistic for you!) Well done both. Grumpy the 5lb will come off really quickly after a few days of being good. I haven’t dared weigh myself since christmas but am going to wait until ovulation over as I always bloat up horribly around that time. Normally that extra water weight falls off just afterwards (wonder if will be the same if I have conceived this month?)

DancingUnicorn - well done to you too!

Well done Unicorn! We'll all be skinny Minnies Mummies in no time!

Well done to the ladies that lost weight! I am being very honest and i put on 1lb but considering we had 4 take outs!!! Over the last week im more than happy with that!

Anyone else on here doing 30 day shred? I start tonight

theres bf is a personal choice! I keep swaying between it but ultimately i would like to try but might do night feeds with formula for sake of ease... especially with those tomee tippee bottle maker machines they are amazing! But we would never judge you on your decision to avoid bf!

Ooo my wedding dress is worth a small fortune and is still currently sat in my mum and dads cupboard under the stairs as i can't afford to clean it! If you ladies did get preggo you could always sell your dresses to get new ones!

What's 30 day shred like? I'm doing slimming world but I find that all too often real life gets in the way! I ate a pizza on Friday night (a very thin artisan one with pumpkin, butternut squash and broccoli on!) And at work on Saturday despite telling my boss I was on slimming world the options were pizza or pizza. So I had three slices of a small pizza express cook yourself pizza with a bucket load of fruit.

If I could have one wish, it would be to wake up slim but the thought of actually having to be motivated to do it myself is very very boring for me :(

I'm with you on that one nick. Very hard to find motivation. How much do you want to lose? It's all the prep planning and organization that's required as well - it takes so much time!!

Welcome jupiter & buzzmoon

Well done everyone on weightloss, even 1lb is in the right direction! I am weighing fortnightly, so my next weigh in is on Friday.

I completed the most grueling cross country race ever yesterday, 10 miles of unrelenting mud and massive hills. Hell! But i felt so good afterwards!

Then i was up at 5am to get horses done and do my first ever circuit training class in my works gym before i started work! I WILL be slim!

As for breastfeeding, i'm going against the grain, it's not for me. It freaks me out and the thought horrifies me plus i would never do it in front of anyone. So i think i am going to express if i can. I have to think that i still have 3 horses to do twice daily, so other people may need to help feed if i am riding or down the field, or if i am competing. The easiest way is to express so that my DP, DM or friends can do it if need be. (My brothers and i were bottle fed expressed milk for the same reason, & its also what other horsey friends do successfully)

It's possible to exclusively express (I have!) But it's the hardest way to feed your baby by far. You still have all the faff washing and sterilising bottles and you need to find time to express every few hours to maintain supply and then wash up all that kit too. Going out for the day is a hassle because you need to find somewhere to express. And if the idea of breastfeeding freaks you out, wait until you feel like a dairy cow hooked up to a machine, watching your nipples being sucked into a sausage shape.
Like I said, it's definitely possible but be prepared for it to be tough.