In the Company of Pregnant Ladies (No1 Babies Detective Agency pt6)

[nomoremagnolia]

Thought it was time we had a new home, seeing as we've almost outgrown the old one. So in honour to Scorpio, Sybil, BB and toomuch (hope I didn't forget anyone ) here we are - in the company of pregnant (and cheerful) ladies

Hey Kensgirl yes... the Bug is the only one for me

Went shopping yesterday girls and saw a couple of xplorys... and dh said "not as nice as the Bug are they?" So looks like we are set on the pram... just need the baby to plonk in it

DH and I went to mothercare to look at the prams and as we were looking at the bug a lady with one came by with the car seat on it - I said to DH "that's it with the car seat" and the lady stopped and said to us that she'd not recommend it. I asked why and she said it was heavy and expensive and that she was already looking at a cheap stroller. (I'd guess her baby was under 3 months) She also said all the extras add up and that you'd easily spend £1000 on it all. She said given her time again she wouldn't have bought it. Just passing on her comments.

I'm still tempted although DH and I did have a chat about how much money it costs (for a buggy)

Millie is still waiting to come out

What are people's thoughts on this?

I agree Gilly we should move on from prams... until nearer the time

money for nothing IMHO

Aww, Gilly you are a star!!

Can I unload please, girls? I think my dh is being an arse and I could just sit here and have a good cry and a big bar of Cadburys, I'm feeling so sorry for myself. I have had a rubbish week, work are being a bit awkward with me because I had time off for the slapped cheek prevention thing, my mum is being a bit of a baby-know-all, and treating me like a silly kid ("you don't need a changing mat, just do it on your knee with a hand towel..." "don't get any newborn clothes, they are a waste of money, just get the next size as they grow so quick", "What do you need a baby bath for, just use a washing up bowl"[ffs???]" I didn't waste money on maternity lothes, I just wore your dads shirts..." blah blah blah . Dh has been out with his mates 4 times in the last 8 days, spent all day at Twickenham yesterday rolling in steaming at 1am , and has now gonw to watch the football!! I, on the other hand , have also workd full time, done the shopping, cleaned , cooked, washed etc all week, done the shopping, met, fed, watered and entertained dh's Canadian relatives[he is out with them now...} and now i'm tying, without any support from him , to write my application form to beg to work less hours on my return from mat leave. I told dh he wasn't pulling his weight, we had a huge row, I cried, and all he has done is take the empties to the bottle bank. I asked him to make our bed and put his stuff away, which he hasn't and if he thinks he's coming home to dinner on the table I'd rather starve. AAARRGGH!!!

On the good side, bump has been wiggling!

Wow, Gilly hope the clomid and IUI go well, all of you here are at the top of the list of deserving mums to be. Have all good vibes going your way.

Hmm, I looked at the ambi nest too, and couldn't decide what I thought about it, Ready. I decided it needed to be in one room, and that I wanted something more mobile for the first weeks, but what confused me was the advice to lie neworns flat to help their spines, but the Ambi holds them more curved, so...? Tricky one, but I do notice we seem to be drawn to the same products

Hi there nomore [waves]. I still like the bug, and didn't pay anywhere near that, inc some of the extras.

Right, now I feel much more in control of my sanity, I'm off to look at Gillys cots...

Hurry up, Miliie, you've made your mummy wait long enough..

I don't think so (re amby nature's nest) - BF had one and it was the best thing she bought. I want one!!

Kensgirl, I am sorry you are feeling so at the moment... my advice, for what it is worth, is to smile sweetly at your mum, nod and then just ignore the bits you are not interested in. I call it filtering, I try, but usually fail to do it with my MIL - but it works well with my own mum.
Good point about the spinal thing with the nest

Scorpio, funnily enough that is what dh said

Love all your cots Gilly... I personally prefer lighter wood, but found the Stokke Sleepi and it comes in walnut as well as light wood Love it.

More reasonably priced and yet I still love it Anyone shocked?

Ooooh... just when I am about to be moved gently away from a product, in swoops Nomore ... tell me some more

kensgirl - can I ask where you got your from then?

Where we live right now, if we end up still being here when we have a baby, our bedroom is big enough that we could have the cot next to the bed, so this appeals to me

how are all you lovely ladies? I am lurking for news from scorpio....

kensgirl - it's only in the last 15 years that we have been advised to lie babies on their backs, before that it was on their fronts, plus in loads of other cultures it is routine to carry babies everywhere in a sling for however long, but most of our spines seem to be fine!!! I worried about this because we can't ;ie DS on his front, reflux makes it too uncomfortable, until someone pointed out the above.

I'll put BF on to tell you about it...here she is...

Hi all, the amby nest is great - get it off ebay though! DS slept really well from quite young, and it packs a lot smaller and lighter than a travel cot if you have to do a tour of relatives.
As far as keeping their spines flat goes - think of the shape they've been for the last few months. Flat is not natural, they kind of uncurl over the first few months. Even as an adult I can't sleep flat on my back. I think being supported in a gentle curve makes it more comfortable as well as the rocking bouncing motion.
The only downside to me was that you can't see baby through the sides as well as you can through cot bars but thats pretty minor.
Hope that helps

Having jusr reread your post - I thought the advice about laying newborns on their backs was to prevent cot death, never heard of it being for spinal development before?

I thought I read that the nest was good for babies with reflux? Bella?

some people say so and I've had two offers of one!(thanks again nomore), but we've ended up co-sleeping with DS on his side and it's going quite well.

Although the hammock-good-for-reflux idea was refuted by my GP and by a reflux expert I contacted so who knows? My cousin absolutely swears by hers and I know that if we could do the last three months again I would get something I could rock DS in (so hammock or curved moses basket stand)

Glad it is going well, Bella

five hours in a row last night! (ignores mums of younger babies who sleep 8 hours plus on their backs and in their cots)

last time he slept five hours in a row we had a horrible time the next night though....

I love this, and again, so reasonable

Always ignore other's tales of what their babies do and don't do... people lie

sybil here the same BF with her experience of homebirth...
Very lovely home water birth, waters went at 630am while lying in bed talking to DH getting ready for work, was only a little bit - no big gush so didn't say anything to him. Smelt the sheets after he'd gone to make sure it wasn't a pelvic floor moment!
Not a lot seemed to be happening and didn't wnt to ring hospital as thought they'd start the clock on me, if nothing happens within 48hrs of water going they start interfering and I didn't want that.
So I rang my mum, 3hrs away and no practical use. conversation "I think my waters have gone" "Oh!"
Nothing was happening by 10am so I drove 1.5hrs to have lunch with DH grandma! I did put my tens machine in the car in case I was uncomfy on the way back! Left there at about 3pm after a couple of mild twinges but nothing interesting of painful. Decided not to go to my parents for the night (about the same distance from gramdma's!)
Had a lovely meal out with some contractors DH was supposed to be meeting the next day for work and went to bed. Admitted to DH that I thought waters had gone that am and hadn't said anything cos I thought he'd flap!
Went to bed and woke at 3am needing loo, very normal. Thought, that's more like what I expected it to feel like, and went back to bed but not to sleep. Very relieved that body was getting going all by itself. Woke DH at 6 to ask him to get TENS out of car, then he went into work to put on his out of office email (4 min walk away) I told him its a first so will take ages you can probably work a half day if you need, good thing he didn't as it turned out. So I spent the morning on the loo (with Dh following me aroud like a bridesmaid holding the tens machine so I could do my own trousers and not drop the machine down the loo), waddling round coffee table, tried to watch massage in childbrith video but couldn't get comfy! went for a walk round the block - it had snowed overnight! DH tried to time contractions on a dodgy stopwatch - couldn't just look at a clock, not technical enough so only very rough timings, rang labour ward and they said when contactions are five minutes apart and lasting about a minute call us back, and we didn't know when that was! Community midwife (by luck of the draw one from our village surgery) arrived at 1130 as I was leaning on DH saying I don't want to puuuush! I had done a completely classic textbook transition stage, the whole "I can't do this for much longer" and neither of us had recognised it!
She examined me and I was 10cm I had sooo been dreading her saying I was only about 4cms so was scared when I got the urge to push and didn't know if it was ok. I'd heard about sometimes there being a lip of the cervix not quite open and if you push too early it gets swollen and hurts.
So off with the tens machine and into the pool to push. It was great (sounds odd I know) to be able to do something proactive, rather than just let my body do its own thing. At first I was doing the whole grunty TV brth thing but once she'd told me to use all the energy pushing not making noise it was ok. She was great, calm and reassuring and used a mirror to check what was going on and checking babys heart after each contraction/push. I remember putting my hand down and feeling his head. How frustrating when I felt him moving back up a little bit between contractions! The second midwife arrived at 1210, stood in the dining room doorway and said I recognise you, did you go to the NHS antenatal class? then went to get something out of the car. When she got back I was holding DS!
Lucky I know, but I'd recommend it to anyone!