Getting Ready For Baby Challenge Thread 5

[HopefullyDothButterNoParsnips]

The fastest moving TTC thread where we are all trying to get ourselves ready for our bundles of joys. Come and join the madness.

Sorry about AF parsnips and Laura

CD4 here and AF is almost done which is great but I am not feeling well at all, I think my digestion is messed up so will try a fruit veg and water diet for the next couple of days to get reset.

Feeling quite flabby so want to get back on the yoga routine too.

Oh yes and I love my mooncup! No changing at work only at home, don't feel it at all and no leaks ever.

Oh no sorry parsnips and laura 😔 please can we change AF to AB?? 😂 I love aunt bitch haha almost as good as nips.

Hope everyone has a happy hump day. I'm in Newcastle today for work - it's cold!

Motion carried! Aunt Bitch she is!

DH has now decided he wants us to wait until August so we have more time to save etc.

Think I'll get back on the diet graft in the meantime!

Now I'm super worried about the impact on work of a pregnancy announcement so I'm wondering if we should wait until July/August to try properly - that way I don't have to tell them before the annual reviews are completed. And then possibly only take 3-4 months off rather than 6 so only miss the quiet summer months at work. Really annoyed this has taken the excitement / happiness out of deciding to TTC.

Oh grumpy that really sucks that their questions have impacted you so much. I would add that a strong performance review will really assist you with demonstrating you were discriminated against for maternity and pregnancy (if the time came). But so awful that you have to delay a life choice because of work.

Tbh I need to demonstrate I'm performing at associate level to get my promotion and so the longer I leave it the better as mat leave will set me back really. Given they sacked a colleague last week it is probably worth thinking about.

Happy fucking international women's day!!!

Hi girls, sorry have been awol, had an immensely stressful day in work yesterday where I was basically made a scapegoat for a serious issue and I have been so upset and angry all night, I've called a meeting to discuss the failures and how it's made things end up in a shoot the messenger who received incorrect information. I don't think I have ever been so stressed so really hoping I haven't done anything to damage babs, who is but a mere poppy seed. Anyway I'm trying to be calmer, have noticed beige discharge today (sorry tmi) Google tells me it's normal but if course p now I'm worried about that, I'm only 4+4 so everything is so early even though it feels like I have known forever! Sorry I'm going to catch up properly now on everyone so apologies for a hugely selfish ranty post, I just needed to get it all out.

MrsC that really really sucks and I know the feeling, having been through something similar at the end of January. I know it's so hard not to take the stress on board but try to get some perspective and think "it's only work".. can you take a day off and relax completely? Having a good cry can help too.

Thanks parsnips happy international women's day indeed.. feeling very cynical right now! I understand why so many women opt out of this fight...

Omg MrsC poor you but soo glad you posted that! I've had beigey darkish discharge too and have been freaking out, it was even sort of brown this morning :( I've read too that it's really normal but there's the odd post that says it's how a MC started, but really it must be so common :) You stand up for yourself at work, and don't let anyone pin something on you! I work in finance and we had the same thing happen to a poor woman a couple of years ago, the director came and gave us all a massive telling off and it turned out to be nothing to do with her! They do like to find their scapegoat don't they :( Good luck

Oh and so sorry about the BFN's girls, sorry I missed them I'm so tired in the evenings I was asleep by half 8 last night! So harder to keep up on the thread (unless I secretly MN at work like I am right now )

Sorry about the BFNs girls

Sounds like rubbish work situations all round!! MrsC definitely stick up for yourself and then try to switch off and forget about it... try and find something nice to do for yourself that will help you to relax.

Happy international women's day... definitely a cynic here too! All these extra "rights" we have, just result in more pressure on us to do everything and be everything to everyone! Not possible.

I've just looked into getting a personal PA for the domestic admin so I can focus more on work, DH is useless in that regard (errands, organising) so not sure how him being at home will help.

Wow that would be so cool!!! I've had mad life admin this month (but quite like it because my job contains very little paperwork) Amazing what you can pay for these days if you need to!

Sorry for your stress MrsC Hopefully the worst is over and the actual causes will come out & you & poppyseed can chill :)

Sorry about AF Parsnips

Laura sorry about your PJ's but atleast you haven't had to wait long post-pill!! CD1 for you then, you can start learning about your personal cycle

Grumpy perhaps instead of doing the stressing like you were about TTC, you could just chill out and just have relaxed unprotected sex from now until summer. If you get upduffed then so be it, if not, start tracking your cycle from summer onwards & make more effort then? I could see how stressed you were last cycle and your manic symptom spotting, that's not good for your mental health, especially worrying about work too
Easy for me to sat maybe, i am pretty good about not stressing about things lol

I am considering only taking 5 months mat leave when the time comes, leaving 4months for DP.

Wow you girls are so much more prepared than I was with my first! Although I am going to take less time off with this one, and hopefully work right up until my due date this time, as last time I started 6 weeks early. Went back just after my little one's first birthday, but this time I will only take the paid 9 months leave (only 6 months at full pay though) and along with the accrued holiday you get to take, I think that will mean I go back when baby is 10 months? And daddy will be a SAHP :)

Sorry for all the work stresses grumpy and mrsC I'm lucky in that sense that I don't have to worry about discrimination at work regarding pregnancy and mat leave since I work in a female dominated profession. I know it's hard for our doctors as their career really suffers when they have children.

I finished work at 36+5 with DS, 1week annual leave and started mat leave at 37+5.. delivered at 41+3 and went back to work when he was 13months after a months annual leave stuck on the end (end of May until end of July off). I would probably do something similar this time, it's just the 3months unpaid after 9months which would be hard

OH wouldn't take time off as his work would suffer and he would hate it

Red that's good advice, I can't stress like that every month! However might try to avoid FW until at least May.

Mummy you are lucky in that way. I just want to be excited and happy to be pregnant not paranoid about work! I actually thought about changing career but they have me in the golden handcuffs (worlds smallest violin etc etc). I'd love to be an interior designer actually.

What's everyone's dream career if money no object?

I'd be a photographer. I'd love to do something creative.

Author - I'd love to give it all up and write stories!

Is it bad that I've only ever wanted to be a mum? 🤔

Hi everyone, so I think I just need to get this out there and DH is no use as he just says he's happy with whatever I decide lol. Anyway I seem to be really struggling to decide when to have another baby. At the beginning of the year I was all for having one as soon as possible. My youngest is 17 months so thought it would be nice for them to be close in age, you know similar age for days out and activities, someone to play with etc (although I know it won't be that harmonious and plain sailing lol) Plus my manager has said she will be leaving in the next 4/5 years and ideally I would take over. By which time both the youngest would be at school. I thought I had it all decided but then me and youngest DD have been ill for the last 2 weeks so I've been off work and it has been so hard looking after her when I've felt so ill and tired all the time. it's made me think how will I manage when pregnant (I had a really bad time during last pregnancy and terrible morning sickness) I know it all probably seems really silly but I now just can't decide whether to carry on trying or wait. How do you ever know what's best? It's so difficult plus the fact that I could decide to wait a year to start trying but it most likely won't happen straight away so then it could be a year of trying etc arggh I'm driving myself crackers. There's a 16year age gap with my DD's so it was an easy decision last time, get married and then start trying (I was pregnant 1 month after the wedding lol)

So sorry I've just realised how long and boring that probably is lol

BUZZ at 15 my teacher asked us all what we wanted to be when we were older and I replied "be a Mum" he said you can't just be a mum and I said "why not?" He rang my Mum to say I was trying to cause a scene in class to which my Mum replied that I wasn't, from a young age I had always wanted to be a mum and what was wrong with that? She said he went silent and didn't know what to say lol

Girls thanks for all the support, I had a meeting and said what I felt were failures which left me in a difficult position and nobody apologised or said anything but hopefully now it won't happen again. I can do no more i guess, doesn't help that it was my boss at fault mainly but I stood up for myself at least. Thanks for the kindness big love xx
ladyglitter there really is no right answer, it's a case of weighing up pro's and cons and there will always be both, sorry I know that's very unhelpful! Pregnancy and baby is stressful no matter when I guess, but it's just a case of knowing that u feel ready for it, and there as nothing wrong with not feeling ready for it right now either!
hb hope plan make a baby is going well!
orange sorry for your sad news re your friend xx also I wish my hubby even knew who Kate Bush was!!
parsnips sorry about AB (love that term buzz) hope u are feeling OK xx
penguin I'm itching to tell mum but want to hold off until it feels a little more real to me!
grumpy I'm outraged that u were asked that and that it's made you worry about work, international women's day and it really does feel like equality is a long way off! Good advice by red to maybe take things to chance and see how it goes!
glitters thanks lovely, glad I'm not alone with that .... I swear I've never checked my knicks more in my life!
Trying to zen out now and reduce the blood pressure back to normal!