All those online for NZ timezone!

[buzzybee]

Hi all. Used to be a regular on MN when I lived in London but since moving back to NZ have found it harder to make the connections due to all the brits being asleep when us down under are online! So if anyone is keen to start a thread for those of us in this predicament please reply! My DD has just turned 5 and started school last week (scary). Have just found out I'm expecting number 2 - due roughly Xmas day...

Cold better I think (a bit). Test will be in the morning if I wake up completely clogged again!

MW just left. LO not really engaged (maybe 1/5) but in optimal position so I guess that's good. Fundal height measuring 37cm so that's bang-on and circumference hasn't changed from 30 weeks which doesn't surprise me as I haven't gained any weight. All in all quite positive - fluid levels seem to have leveled off or possibly reduced a bit.

DD being so sweet ATM. Think she's almost as bad as my Mum worrying that her sister will arrive when she's not around. Keeps asking how I know when she's coming ("when she wants"!) and today said she wished she could stay with me "for 5 weeks and then go to daddy's for 1 week" (she has quite a mathematical brain!) However seemed happy enough when I said I'd see her on Friday so she can't believe its quite that imminent yet.

37 weeks that did go quickly

yes, DS is 8.5 months and utterly gorgeous - other than the fact his sleeping has suffered terribly due to teething and I am knackered all the time. He is such a lovely baby though and generally very easy going and chirpy. He and DD are getting on beautifully and really starting to play together now.

Awww that's so sweet! How old is your DD? I'm guessing your DS is crawling now? Such a lovely age - apart from the teeth! Amazing to think that when I started this thread he was only 7 weeks old (and I was 7 weeks PG)

Funnily enough I got PG almost exactly on DD's birthday so she is now 5 years + 35 weeks!

Hope the tonic helps Shells! Re your neighbour, my "plan B" is to take DD with me to hospital if needs be and call someone from there to come and pick her up. I have a friend in Lyall Bay who's offered and others a bit further away but who I know would help out, and are a bit closer than my Mum who's in Lowry Bay. Of course Plan A is to call my mum with time to spare before I set off for the hospital...(assuming she's even here and not with her Dad that is).

he's not crawling quite yet, very annoyed that he can't! He rolls and drags himself about though so he is pretty mobile. He is mostly expending energy on talking, he can more or less say DD's name, and is saying 'mama' and 'dada', quite often to the right people. And 'hello'. DD was a very late talker so this is quite radical.

THe teeth - let's draw a veil over that side of things, it's a bit of a nightmare.

Still can't believe you're about to give birth. So exciting!

WEllliemum, I didn't acknowledge you at all re. ChCH - that's a shame it's all such a rush. I do intend to make it to Wellington some time; originally I wanted to do it just with DS whilst he was still portable and easy, but funds just aren't permitting that at the moment. Maybe soon, I really want to see my sister's new house

He sounds just like my friend's little DS, who's 11 months. Dragging himself around, she doesn't think he'll ever "crawl" as such just launch into walking.

Goodness real words at 9 months that's pretty impressive. DD had grommets put in at 18months, up to that point her vocab was only only about 20 words. Seem to remember "duck" (as in any bird) was quite prominent!!

How're you going Anna? Has the video arrived yet? Hope you found it cathartic. Has the c/s scar settled down now?

I'm good thanks. Just finished feeding and am watching Outrageous Fortune. DVD hasn't arrived yet, it was being posted at the end of last week so may be a few days yet.

Buzzy, we're very happy to entertain dd1 while you labour - let me know if you want us to be on the rota!

Tres impressed with MrsJC's ds. And last time I saw him (which feels like about 2 weeks ago) he was a tiny little thing sleeping peacefully while we had a coffee...

I'd forgotten I was ranting about ChCh visits. Know what you mean about air fares - it's a racket. We're hoping that having more competition might bring the prices down, but no sign so far. Humph.

We're major trade me fans here too - have found loads of stuff for renovations and some lovely children's clothes.

oh forgot to say, DD is 3 on DEc 7th.

he only woke once last night so am feeling almost human

Afternoon kiwis.
Have you tried Pacific Blue for flights. They're bound to go up at some point, but we got some bargains for xmas even though when you're paying for kids its a killer. My parents flew up on them from chch to wellie a few weeks ago and apart from the inevitable delay and the lack of nice cup of coffee (but who has time anyway) they said it was fine.
Buzzy - happy to do the same for DD as well. We're quite near the hospital so remember to call if you need to.

Actually I did try to book Pacific Blue last time I had an appointment in Christchurch, but they only seemed to have 2 flights that day and neither of them was at the right time.

I didn't stress about this tooo much though, as the govt pays my airfares for these trips....

Good to hear that they're OK though - I'm sure we'll make use of them for a holiday sometime.

Thanks so much for the offers!! Hopefully won't come close to needing Plan B anyway

Think I might go and see doc about this cold. Seems really lodged in my sinuses and "looks" infected IYKWIM! (sorry TMI!) I know they don't like prescribing antibiotics but may have to remind them that last time DD ended up with a cold aged 1 week which was even less than ideal. Does seem to be slowly improving tho...

For some reason I thought you had a bigger age-gap MrsJC. Maybe that was Sibble? Happy birthday to your DD for next week!!

Buzzy, is MW going to drive you to hospital? And yes - think it is good idea to get doctor to look at cold. poor you. doesn't sound good. mine is very low level and now that i'm sleeping on the sofa half the night, i'm actually getting quite a lot of sleep.
the news this morning is hilarious about kicking mums out of hospital in six hours! what a PR disaster. and giving them $100. what are they thinking???

A friend of mine had her first at Wellington hospital and said she felt quite pressured to leave - she was home within about 8 hours - had a 2 day labour and third degree tear - she now looks back and says she should never have left that early (though it is tempting to be back in your home surroundings - after 10 days in hosp I was desparate to be at home again).

$100 groceries voucher is terrible - people will take it cos they need it, when what they really need is a bit more rest and support. It's a shame there's such a mw shortage that they're having to think up stuff like this.

That is OUTRAGEOUS.

As it happens, we left hospital about 2 hours after the birth both times, but that was from choice after an uncomplicated delivery.

I'm a great fan of keeping hospital stay to a minimum in a normal birth - for me it was brilliant to do everything except the actual birth at home - but this mad scheme is going to harm someone sooner or later.

They didn't force her out - she was very keen to leave at the time - and they certainly didn't discourage her, she felt they were keen to get the bed free! But looking back she says it was way too early.

It's great if people have a straightforward delivery and can get home soon - but obviously no one should feel they have to leave before they are ready.

oh I've just been reading the $100 thingy

they run a lot of outraged stories in the paper here about 'farming' out women and newborns to the units at outlying hospitals within a few hours of giving birth at ChCH Women's (which suited me fine - I had a lovely 2 days with just me and DS - I'd have gone straight home if that option hadn't been available)

this is worse isn't it. And $100 grocery vouchers - doesn't buy you much anyway does it TBH

Do they have the option that they have here where you can go to one of the smaller hospitals for a few days, even if you didn't give birth in the midwife led unit?

I don't think so Mrs JC. Well I haven't heard about it. Sounds lovely to me. I'm a bit reluctant to go straight home, even if birth is normal (cross fingers) as DS1 & 2 are so demanding and always want mummy first and I can't imagine it being peaceful. I agree about the vouchers. Terrible bribery. And mothers who are financially pushed are much more likely to take it and then not establish feeding properly etc.

In Auckland if you have an uncomplicated birth you go to Birthcare within aboiut 6 hours of delivery, for 3 days - postnatal recovery place - v nice - dh calls it the "baby hotel". is only about 5 mins drive frm the hospital. Even with a c/s I could have gone there after a couple of days but you share room with one other there and i had my own room at hospital so didn't see point of moving

(This typing with one finger while feeding takes aaaaaages!)

'baby hotel' is a v.good description! And it was lovely having some time alone with DS before getting home to DD in full on stroppy 2 year old mode

I'm off to Akaroa tomorrow for a 2 night stay organised and paid for by DH's work. We have to do some sort of 'activities' on Saturday but I am still looking forward to it, all meals paid for by the company etc. Only bad bit is going to be just how badly DS manages to sleep away from home...

Buzzy, are you feeling any better?

Mmmm... "baby hotel" does sound nice! As long as room service includes wine, pate, runny cheese and all the other lovely stuff you've been avoiding for months...

Good luck with the sleep MrsJC!

Actually, by the sound of it, everyone on this thread is sleep deprived - not a good club to belong to. (In my case, because dd2 is going to sleep really late and often waking in the night for a feed at 17 months )

welliemum - poor you. a friend of mine has got 18 month old who still wakes at least 3 times for a feed. awful.
all the UK mumsnetters are moaning about having to get up in the cold so at least I guess its warm here!

Shells - had to restrain myself from chipping in as those poor UK mums were desperately looking for positives about having a baby in the depths of winter!!

Cold is a little better I think. No time to go to doc with work at the mo. Once this week's over will ease off a little. Gone to my sinuses so was up at 6am today having a bath with tea tree oil added to try and clear them. Worked OK but come back now. Absolutely zonked as awake since 4.30am so off to bed very soon!

However on a positive note, think I have found a nanny! Actually a trainee nanny from the Wellington College of Nannies. She's 18 and just leaving school and coming down to Wellie from Rotorua to start the 6 month course next Feb. Will be live-in which will be interesting but hopefully will take a lot of the pressure off me re housework etc and also give me time to do stuff just with DD (5) while she looks after LO and vice versa. My plan is to go back to work about 20 hours per week from Term 2 of school so she would cover that too until the course ends in July. Cost is $175 pw plus her costs of board (food electricity etc) in return for which I get 40 "free" hours. Can't imagine really needing 40 hours pw to start with tho so if you know of anyone who might like to share a bit of her time??

Oops yes meant to say that's the plan - for MW to drive me to hosp. I have bag packed and ready in boot of car so that can swap it from the there to her car even if she's picking me up from work (I have a work carpark). Only wee problem could be that she's got quite a heavy workload in Dec - not that many MWs are working so she's got more clients than usual - so there's a chance she will be busy with someone else when I call!! However I'm sure she would pull out all stops to find someone else if that happened. Another good reason to hope LO decides to make an early rather than late appearance

Saw my midwife this afternoon and she reckons baby is fully engaged. she was having a good feel and said 'oh, i think thats the shoulders down there'. which was weird!
however none of this means anything. it still could be days off and i've got 6 days before due date. i'm starting to feel a bit scared again, after weeks of feeling positive.

Great news Shells. Last night when I got home from work I felt so uncomfortable had to go to bed - was absolutely sure she'd moved down majorly. Not so sure today but think she's trying her best to!! She now has my full blessing to come any time

Might start eating some pineapple and investigating that clary sage bath bomb at Lush (if they have it at the one here).

Tomorrow I'm going on a Xmas pressie shopping trip for me - Mum's buying me a washing line!!! Very practical especially as my step-dad will put it up so all ready to go for the washable naps!