Sept 08: How do we like our eggs in the morning? Fertilised, or completely and most definitely unfertilised?

[ILikeToMoveItMoveIt]

A brand spanking new thread where we can chat about the state of our eggs, SWI, our veg patches and any other topic we fancy

I hope dd is back home in no time at all Fanny.

Can you call your mum and ask her to arrive earlier? Don't be afraid to ask her, she would want you to feel able to call her. She may be able to transfer her ticket at no extra cost.

In the short term, could you afford to hire a maternity nurse for a few evenings to look after dd? Or ask a trusted friend to stay over?

I know you are worrying about your dh, but remember that he can more than look after himself. I'm sure you feel guilty that he seems to be doing everything at the moment, but that is what a relationship is all about - you help eachother out when needed. There will come a time when the shoe is on the other foot.

And you need to look after yourself too. You are going to have a major operation soon, and you need to have the strength to recover and to look after a newborn.

Have you got your hospital bag packed with things for you and the baby?

As long as you've got nappies, babygro's, vests, blankets and somewhere for the baby to sleep if you're not co-sleeping. You really don't need anything else, so don't worry about that. You can ask your mum to help with other stuff when she arrives.

This sounds really silly, but have you made lists of things to do? I find it really helpful to make lists, transferring all of those thoughts that are whizzing around in my head onto paper.

Thanks ILTMIMI, you are very kind.

Mum and Dad have an epic multi day journey from the antipodes, so they're pretty much already heading to the airport as we speak.

Yes, I have a very good list. It's a great comfort to me to know exactly what I haven't done yet! No seriously, we've enough prepared for the baby to survive just fine until Super-mum sorts out any loose ends next week.

DH has phoned and said it's going really well and he's quite hopeful they'll let her home tonight based on her progress. They both had 2.5 hours sleep this afternoon which has to be a good thing for all.

fanny Oh no! Poor dd, poor you and poor dh Hope she is home very soon. Take care of yourself x

Fanny poor you, what a tough time you're having. I hope your DD is better soon and it all goes well with the birth.

Thinking of you fanny, what awful timing. It sounds like DD and DH will be back soon. If she's anything like Diego shell be fine in a couple of days. He literally was nebulized for two days, then running around as normal. They are amazing creatures.

Thank you everyone. They're back home now. DD is sleeping (almost) peacefully upstairs and we're about to do the same. Zzzz.

Fanny Poor you and DD. I was terrified when Robyn was in hospital with wheezing. Like Pacita says they bounce back from these things really quickly

Star I wanted another DC for DD1 for years. I used to say I had a girl and an autistic boy and deep down I wanted a normal boy, well one that could say my name and liked football not Polly Pocket. I do feel a bit guilty for robyn having another one so soon and I am worried she will be pushed out a bit by the constant demands of a newborn.
Her relationship with DS sounds the sames as yours, she loves him to bits and follows him around and he takes things off her, makes her cry and annoys her.

Just checking in and catching up. Bloody relieved to know that your DD is ok FP and your DP isn't redundant Hopefully. FP Will you be able to get a private room in the hospital so you can recover from the cs? That way your DH & your mum can look after DD and sort out the house? I slept much better in a private room and it was more like a holiday than the gruelling post-natal ward I had first time round. I was quite happy reading the weekend papers, X Factor on the TV and my herb tea without the hustle and bustle of a ward.

The sad news is that I've spent the last few days going back and forth to the hospice for dad. He went downhill on Friday and now his kidneys are packing up as the cancer is in his lymph nodes (?) which affects the supply to the kidneys, so the consultant has said it's just a matter of days / weeks before it's over . He's semi-concious but drugged up on painkillers so we're just being there for him and helping him sit up / lie down / take sips of water etc. My sister and stepmum are sleeping at the hospice and I'm helping in the day time so they can get home and shower & have a break. I should be asleep but can't relax as I know at some point in the not too distant future I'm going to get a phone call from them with bad news. Better turn the computer off really.

Meglet, my heart goes out to you. This must be so terribly heart wrenching for you all. I hope the last days allow you and your family to say good bye and be with him.

meglet So sorry about your dad.

Thanks for your thoughts about the private room - I absolutely agree. We had a private room last time and it worked really well with the wheelchair, disability equipment, and ensuite disabled loo. Unfortunatley the hospital will no longer allow c-section patients to have a private room as 'the rules have changed for safety reasons'. I am actually finding the prospect of the busy ward with my condition quite distressing, but there's nothing I can do about it now.

DD slept really well and is almost her usual self today, just a bit more clingy but still tearing around and singing. Adults tend to have a dignified recovery period after being ill, but apparently kids ignore this!

I'm so sorry to hear about your dad Meglet, I hope youare able to make memories and cherish the time you have left with your dad.

fanny - have you asked if they will compromise on the private room? For example for 12 hours post op you stay on the open ward so they can easily observe you (no doubt their health and safety issue), then you transfer to a private room after that? If you enter into a discussion about it you can often come to a compromise. And if in doubt, cry

Glad to hear dd is home and feeling better

Meglet am so sorry about your dad.

meglet so so sorry to hear about your father. Thinking of you and your family at this time

fanny what a drama, glad to hear dd is back and running around. I've just caught up on all the posts and saw that youwere interested in swaddling. I have to recommend this blanket that my friend from Canada sent to me. I'm not sure if they sell it here, but it is definitely worth ordering for the summer. It's basically a huge muslin, so it's light and airy. But you can fold it up and swaddle you baby really easily as the weave has an element of stretch to it. Kept DS nice and cosy at night and for naps, and then it doubled up as a breastfeeding shawl for when I was still struggling to get him to latch in public. Has been used as a blanket, a buggy shade, a tablecloth, a wipe, a bib and a headrest. I plan to order more if I ever manage to get pg again.

mrsA thanks for your photo comments! I didn't think DS was that tall, as he seems to be on a par with all his NCT buddies - but I think we're actually a 'tall babies' group.
That sudocrem routine made me laugh. During that really hot weekend, I started putting the fan on in the bedroom during DS's bedtime. Within two nights, it became part of the routine and he started demanding it every night. It got cold again and I told him it wasn't working and he soon forgot.

He also occasionally goes for his willy (which is what we call it) during nappy changes. And if I've already cleaned up then I don't say anything...apart from when he does this gross thing of putting his figner up his foreskin and it looks like he's pushed his willy inside out. Apart from it looking weird, it can't be good to poking around your foreskin (so DH says, but then what would he know). As for erections, if I change his nappy in his sleep I will be faced with one without fail. He's obviously very relaxed.

hopefully glad to hear DP isn't being made redundant. I also second the Sep/Oct wedding idea. We married in October, it drizzled a little in the morning but stopped in time for the photos and was actually very pleasant. I had a strapless dress and didn't need my shawl at all that day.

DS has also been tantrumming. I realise now that his behaviour in December and January was actually down to his molars coming through. And now we're actually dealing with terrible twos. It's fine though, these tantrums are a lot shorter-lived than the ones he used to have. Ignoring works best. He usually gets over it and then distracts himself with something else. The funniest tantrums are usually over food. He tends to eat his favourite item on the plate first (at the moment he's really into mushrooms) once that runs out he asks for more, has a tantrum then goes onto eat his second favourite item, asks for more etc etc.

He's picking up new words every day, it's so sweet. And the other day he pointed to oen of our wedding photos and said 'Daddy and Mum' which made my heart melt.

I think he might have a funnel chest. Has anyone had any experience of this? I posted on the child's health board but didn't really get a response. (too scared to google and not sure it's bad enough for a visit to the gp just yet)

In TTC news. I am still awaiting my first period after the last miscarriage. It took me ages to ovulate (not that unusual for me, think I have PCO). But thanks to lessons learnt from TCOYF and some help from an OPK I think I'm now about 9dpo. Was feeling a lot more crampy over the weekend than I am now, so despite very well timed swi we may not have got lucky this time.

fanny found the UK site of that swaddling blanket for you but I think Amazon also sell these

back again with 2 lots of bad news..

Dad died around 7am this morning. My sister and stepmum were with him which makes it more bearable. Not sure what else to say really... We're trying to sort out his funeral which in a way should be easy as he had loads of interests and I think a lot of people will want to come. My dad loved motorbikes, formula 1, gardening, country pubs and cheese (any kind!), so sad he won't get to see the dc's grow up but the time he was with them was good.

My other crap news is that DS had skin prick allergy tests at the hospital this morning (with his mummy trying to keep composed and not cry while it was all happening) and he is now allergic to kiwi, pine nuts and peanuts. The consultant was baffled as to why it has suddenly started as he's had 2 lots of skin prick tests in the past (at 1yo and 3yo) and we got the all clear, the only thing we could think of is that his pre-school jabs have buggered up his immune system. But I've got piles of info on epi-pens & allergies so I think it's manageable. And there is always the possibility that he might grow out of it, I think research is showing that desensitisation (sp?) might be the way forward anyway.

FP I'm quite annoyed on your behalf about the hospital not allowing cs mums to have a private room. Do they expect you to use a wheelchair in a busy ward, surely that is going to be impossible. And yes, cry... and cry a bit more, and pester them.

Meglet am so sorry to hear about your dad.

meglet

Oh meglet Am so very sorry. First the awful news about your dad and then the allergy test results......wish I knew what to say but dont so will push off before I say the wrong thing, OK?

Thinking of you xx

Oh Meglet, I'm so sorry.

It's true when they say the good one's go too soon.

{{{hugs}}}

Thank you for being so sweet all of you .

I was bearing up ok until I had to go on Amazon and order a couple of books on bereavement for toddlers, then I crumbled . I've told DS that Grandpops has died and he just said "Is he in a box?", so I've told him that he will be in a box at his goodbye party next week.

I'm doing ok all things considered, I hope when my time comes (which had better be in about 100 years ) then I'd better be in a hospice, they are amazing places.

On a lighter note, I have noticed that DD is babbling away and I can sort of understand her 'sentences' now. That means I will now have 2 chattering toddlers in the house .

Really sorry to read your news meglet, glad to read that you were happy with the hospice care though.

Hope your dd is fully recovered now too fanny

We've suddenly started getting sentences too now here from ds2, sometimes quite long ones.

And I've discovered that I'm allergic to apples, pears, nectarines, peaches, plums, apricots & cherries (and maybe some others that I haven't thought of). Thought it was very odd but apparantly is quite common.

debi I've not heard of those allergies either, thats a long list! Do you 'just' come up in hives / itching if you accidentally eat them?

debi my sis is allergic to thin skinned fruit too. And apparently now bread. Brings her out in hives. But she doesn't have the healthiest of lifestyles so am sure her body is just rebelling all the toxins.

meglet so very thoughtful of you to order those books. I can't imagine what you're going through. Dh's father is in his 90s so we'll have to deal with it sooner or later.

Oh my good friend (and Digi's) is allergic to those fruit too.

digi These are the books that both the hospice and the dc's nursery recommended. Nursery were fab, they said they often have to help the children when a member of the family dies so they are going to be good 'back up' to help me through this. My motto when it come to parenting is when in doubt ask nursery or MN .

Badgers parting gifts

Granpa

I've never heard of an allergy to thin skinned fruit. Must do some googling and research on allergies in case any others are going to rear their head.