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...

Good luck for the scan tomorrow Buzzybee.

Did you know that in this week's Listener you were voted the most iconic item of Kiwiana EVER. That should brighten up your evening.

thanks for you thoughts buzzybee. Things are getting very exciting for you now, hey, good luck with getting your scan appointment have you got a preference for what sex the baby is, quess it would be handy for another girl for your Dd's old baby clothes but I'm sure you don't mind either way!
We're on the plane tomorrow, Ds knows it's only one more sleep, should be fun trying to get him to sleep tonight, he is very excited!
When I get back (21st Sept)let's see what the weather is doing and organise a picnic at the botanical gardens, it'd be fun

oops just reread your thread and realised your scan is today, hope it goes well

Had scan today and the good news is that its a girl!

However they spotted 2 soft markers for Down Syndrome (dilated kidney - renal pelvis diltatation to be precise and slightly less pronounced nasal bone). I said that the nasal bone was fine at 13 weeks and they said yes that can be the case or they think they see it but actually its something else...

So am back to having to decide whether or not to have the amnio - except they want to know by tomorrow since its illegal to terminate after 20 weeks and I'm 19+5 already!!

Neither are very strong predictors of Downs Syndrome but they are associated, and the Ob was really pushing me to have the amnio given the 1:21 nuchal fold result. They didn't seem to place much reliance on the maternal serum results - I guess partly because its not routine in Wellington.

My instinct is not to since I really can't imagine terminating at this point and they didn't find any really bad abnormalities like heart defects...

A friend came with me which was nice. She has a 7 week old baby. I will call her tonight for a chat I think.

Sorry to hear about this Buzzybee.

I know that soft markers can be nothing but can also be something - so hard to know what to do. I suppose an amnio would tell you for sure but then you're back to the risk of miscarriage issue again. I didn't even know termination was only legal till 20 weeks in NZ...

I was told with my tests that the nuchal fold test alone is about 70% accurate but with the maternal serum is 90% accurate - but I really think it depends on who you're talking to as to how they rate the efficiency of various tests.

Sorry I don't really have any advice but am thinking of you

Hi Anna. Thanks for your support!
Unfortunately they were not able to combine the results of the serum and nuchal tests. So am kind of thinking that if nuchal was 1:21 and serum was 1:660 but now we have some soft markers perhaps we're back around the 5% mark? Anyway not point on dwelling on that too much - just want to get on and look forward to welcoming a lovely little girl into the world in 20 weeks time
All these scans and things are really a mixed blessing aren't they? I'm beginning to dread them - seems like they're now determined to find problems! But I guess after all the point of scans is not to let you see your baby waving, but to check for problems.

I'm off to Queenstown next week anyway (conference) which will be a nice change and have another MW appointment on the 13th.

How are things going for you? Are you having trouble sleeping yet? I think by about 7 months last time I was pretty restless at night.

Glad you're feeling positive about everything and many many congratulations on the baby being a girl too .

I know what you mean about the tests and scans - I have seriously thought about not having any if I have another pg - just seem to add stress to my life and in a way I'd rather just take my chances. Though there are always those conditions (e.g. where the baby wouldn't live after birth) where you would want to know earlier. Too many decisions sometimes...

AH, sleep, well I go to sleep fine but I worked out the other day I haven't had an unbroken nights sleep for 20 weeks - I always wake up in the middle of the night at some stage, have done since I was 6 wks pg. I usually get back to sleep within half an hour but sometimes longer (which is why I'm on MN at 5.38am)

Apart from that I feel fab, the second trimester has been lovely. Finishing work in 2 weeks and I can't wait - it's been a bit stressful (due to people at work, not due to being pg) and I'm looking forward to dossing round the house watching DVDs, umm, I mean, preparing myself for the important role of motherhood...

Anna have you bought much in the sales?
I bought a preggy skirt a few weeks ago from Just Kids and they gave me a $20 voucher to spend on baby stuff which I used today. Had to buy $50 worth to get the $20 off (so cost $30) but because everything was 50% off I bought loads, couldn't believe it! Of course didn't really need to as have quite a bit still from DD but lovely to get some new things.

Have you been thinking about names? I'm thinking Elinor / Ellie. My DD is Isobel / Issy.

Have you tried reading Harry Potter at 2am? Might help send you off again - but on the other hand you might still be reading at 6am!

I finished Harry Potter two days after I got it! Am usually not quite awake enough to read at 2am but am OK going on internet so read MN/UK papers/emails etc online. Some nights it's not so bad and I go back to sleep in about half an hour. Other times I get up and do stuff.

I've bought quite a few bits in Farmers sales, they have pretty good bargains, I got a load of Osh Kosh trousers for $5 each. I've also got a few P Patch things. Then one of the mums where I work phoned up this week and asked if I wanted "a few bits and pieces" her daughters have grown out of. I said yes and she turned up with a huge box with over a hundred items of baby clothes, aged 0-18 months. A few bits and pieces! I work in a very affluent bit of Auckland so it's all really nice stuff too. So I figure the baby has way more clothes than me and needs no more! So I'm concentrating on getting some toys and other bits and pieces instead.

I seriously think I'll have to get a new chest of drawers to fit all the clothes in as the one I had for the baby is now full!

Ooh and we have thought of Eleanor/Elena too! But we have a list of about 30 names and no clear favourite, so it's just one of many possibles at the moment.

My other names were Amelia, Abigail and Eva but think Elinor works best with my surname and my DD (who is Isobel) likes it so it must be OK!
I'm lucky in that I already have most of that stuff. Today I took the cover of the old carseat for a wash. I'd like to get a Moses basket again as gave the other away and it was great for first 6 weeks. Also need new changing mat, gro-bags and will get another Tripp Trapp type chair in due course as DD still uses hers. However I do need to retrieve a few things from friends which are on loan!
Let me know if you see anything on sale that you think is a bargain. I wouldn't mind getting one of those bouncer-swings things - but might just keep at eye out on Trade-me later in the year.

Oh yes a definitely another chest of drawers too!

Names are quite tricky as over the years I have looked after hundreds of children and pretty much any name you can think of, I will have looked after a child with that name.

They're all lovely children but I want a name that is MY child's name and doesn't remind me of anyone else.

But I don't want to pick something so obscure the poor child has to spend their entire life spelling/explaining it. We've been looking at some Welsh and Scottish names (Dh is half-Welsh and my family Scottish a few generations back)

hi folks, i've been off-line for ages, but finally here in wellington and getting the kids sorted at school/kindy. i'm now 22 weeks pregnant (i think) and finally feeling better after what seems like months of sick/tired/back pain. don't know what gender i'm having and am having mental blocks about names. dh is irish so we usually go along that route, but i kind of want something different this time, but that still goes with the irish surname. sorry to have missed the meet up. that sounded good.

Anna, maybe a name which is not that uncommon but can be spelt in a more celtic or scots type way? We settled on Isobel last time as fairly unusual to spell with an "o" here in NZ but that seems to be the most common way to spell it in Scotland (I have scottish heritage too). I don't know about you but whenever I say someone's name I always see it in my mind as well so a Zoe is quite different from a Zoey! Or maybe go for something with strong family connections so that you tend to think of Aunty Zoe rather than the little girl Zoe you taught a couple of years ago?

Hi Shells. Anyone fancy meeting up at this zoo this saturday (11 August)? Maybe meet in the cafe at about 11.30 aiming to enter the zoo around midday?

Sorry but can't do this weekend. Still too much to do in the house. Does unpacking ever end? But maybe the one after?

Afraid I only have my DD every second weekend (custody arrangement with her father) so would have to make it Aug 25/26 if that works for you?

Oh dear, that might not work either, as DS1s birthday and we haven't made a plan yet. Everyone else go ahead if you want to meet up. Otherwise its looking like September.
By the way, does anyone know what the situation is for maternity benefit here if you're not working (sahm). I'm presuming its nothing. But i did get something in the UK, so just in case I'm missing a trick....

I think the maternity benefit is nothing unless you've been working for 6 months beforehand.

Sucks, doesn't it. I believe it's paid for 9 months now in the UK, just 14 weeks here!

crap isn't it. i've been away for a long time and i really thought things would be more enlightened here. a long way to go though.

Apparently there is still no compulsory maternity pay in Oz so at least it's better than there!

Sorry about that Shells - my custody arrangement re DD is a pain sometimes! Email me if you have further ideas. We are off to the Gold Coast on 15 Sept for 10 days but the weekend before (8 Sept) might work?

Buzzybee My son who is nearly 8 months now has dilated renal pelvises and he is fine. I know I panicked a bit when I read up about it being a sign for DS but I just wanted to let you know so maybe you feel a bit better. Hope everythings going ok for you. I've got the pregnancy bug again but keep having to tell myself we can't afford another baby!!!

Hi all, just checking into the Nz threads from my Uk visit.
Buzzybee my thoughts are with you.
I get home on the 21st Sept and will be well up for meeting everyone once the jet lag has gone.
In the meantime I'm having a lovely chilled out time with my mum, just what I needed! The sun is shining here and mum just took me for some retail therapy in the summer sales .