Expecting in Oxford in 2011 anyone?

[Jer79]

Wondering if anyone else is having a baby in Oxford this year (2011)? I am due in the summer and would love to meet other mothers-to-be who live around.

Hi MsBossy and welcome. That's a wonderful list. There are just so many 'This Is The Only Book You'll Need' books out there, and this is great stuff for whittling them down to one or two that actually will work for you.

I completely understand why at 39 weeks with a toddler you might be loathe to venture much beyond Abingdon until it all settles down.

One of the reasons for the group really is to have lovely people on the other side of things, once the initial chaos has a routine to it. That's my thinking anyway, that we'll all fall away and come back when we have ourselves and our babies at Jemima's level of calm and sociability!

So please do come out and join us with your little newborn and toddler, we'd love to meet them. I'm thinking when the weather is nice we could meet in University Parks and just lay out loads of blankets and let the babies loll and the toddlers run around a bit. Then again, do babies loll? Or do they just cry a lot when left down? Oooh the fun ahead.

Sounds good for the next one, Jer - you lot have a top time today and make sure you demolish those lovely cakes they have on the counter

I think I'm working (should really check that) next Friday morning - the joys of non-fixed hours - having said that I'm normally free on Fridays. Will double check and get back to you all. It would be lovely to meet you all, hopefully before the baby arrives!

Hello ladies,

I'd like to join your ever-growing group, if that's OK! I've been living in Oxford (Jericho) for 2 years. My first, a boy, is due on 31st of July. It would be great to meet some of you next Friday, I should be able to come at any time you decide on.

The updated list, including myself and MsBossy:

Toomuchteaching - daughter Jemima born 17th January 2011 - North Oxon
EvaLongoria - 18th March 2011 - Witney (Mystery Gender) 2nd Baby
Ms Bossy - 19th March - Abingdon - 2nd baby
Steph28uk - 21st March 2011 - Abingdon (Girl) 3rd Baby
Bubbablubber - 24th March 2011 - East Oxford -(Girl) 1st Baby
Itmar - 29th March 2011 - Moving to Oxford (Boy) 2nd Baby
BeetleBaby - 7 April 2011 (though the 2 April by my dates!) - North Oxford - (gender still a mystery) 1st Baby.
CaringForPod - 29th April 2011 - Botley - (Boy) - 1st Baby
MrsGraham - 25th May 2011 - Iffley Village - (Girl) 1st Baby
Kittubb - June 7th 2011 - Kennington (South Oxford) - (Boy) 1st Baby
Pipcarrier - 11th June 2011 - North Oxford (don't know gender) 2nd Baby
Jasmine51 -16th June 2011 (Boy) 1st baby
Jer79 - 22nd June 2011 - Jericho (Girl) 1st baby
MsTilly - 31st July - Jericho - (boy) - 1st baby
Owlbooty - 7th August 2011 - Kennington (probably) (Boy) 1st Baby
Jemski72 - 18th August 2011 - Reading, 2nd Baby, No idea if boy or girl!
AgBag - 20th October 2011 - Banbury 1st Baby

That was such helpful stuff yesterday Toomuch. We really did bombard you, as our first actual mother. Thanks for all the tips. Stuff like bras and elasticated baby nightgowns for middle-of-the-night changes are things you just can't find out in books.

What's so funny about our group is how all of us will start crossing to the other side - this week we're bombarding Toomuch with questions, then in about three weeks it'll be Beetle, Bubba and the lovely two NCT ladies with all your labour stories being asked everything under the sun, and by the time we get around to AgBag in October, we'll just be this flurry of nappies and babies.

We were saying that Summertown Wine Cafe is all very civilised when it's just bumps and baby Jemima, but by the time we all give birth we'll need Port Meadow to hold us. Portabello might well suit, and any ideas are really welcome on where could possibly accommodate all our buggies over the summer. A proper Baby Cafe would go down a treat in Oxford.

The next one is on Friday the 1st of April at 10.30am I think, and there's at least one other baby coming then as far as I know. But who knows what will happen in the next week! We might have two, three or four more...

Take care of yourselves, and I hope you continue loving the cheese Bubba. Good luck to everyone due over the next ten days, will be thinking about you.

Welcome MsTilly!

Anyone know if EvaLongoria, MsBossy or Steph28 have had their babies? Bubba was still holding hers in on Wednesday, but not sure about the rest of our due-daters.

Hi All

Was looking for this thread because I didnt have it on my watch list. Just a quick update.

Zara was born via C-section on Monday, 21st March at 17:39pm. Weighing 8lb 14oz and 3/4. She was 3 days overdue but weighed exactly the same as her sister who was born 15 days after her due date.

Was a lovely surprise as we had no idea of the sex. She is absolutely gorgeous. We were discharged on Wednesday and just finding our feet and making sure we give DD1 as much time as we can whilst still looking after DD2. It is so different but so lovely. Would not change it for the world.

I would love to meet up soon with you ladies but now that it has been a c-section I will have to heal a little first and then try and find my feet. I dont drive but there are loads of buses running into Oxford and will be able to find my way. I am very tempted to get DH to drop me off next Friday morning. DD will be back in nursery and he will still be at home and it therefore should not be a problem. It might also be my first trip out. Fingers cross the weather is good and I have the energy to.

I have the midwife coming out tomorrow to remove my stitch but am about 90% sure that my wound reopened again like the last time. And am praying that I am not being sent back to hospital again. Will be devastated if I am. Fingers cross it was not the case.

Good luck to anyone else that is expecting soon and hopefully hear more baby news soon

CONGRATUATIONS EVA!! Our first birth! Such a lovely name, and it's amazing you are up and about already after a C-section, well done. It wil be wonderful to meet Zara, really can't wait.

Take care of yourself and those stitches, and massive Congratulations!

Next Meet-up: 10.30am, Friday April 1st 2011, Summertown Wine Cafe, North Oxford)

Next Meet-up: 10.30am, Friday April 1st 2011, Summertown Wine Cafe, North Oxford

Congratulations Eva ! Looking forward to seeing you when you're up and about.

This is also just a little bump as the meet up is the day after tomorrow :)

Congratulations Eva!

Can you let me know when the meet up after this one is? Hopefully I'll be able to make it. I'm a bit worried about meeting people once the baby is born, so would be lovely to know a few faces beforehand .

Congratuations to Bubba! who had her little girl very early this morning. So now we have a club of three Oxford MN 2011 babies - Bubba's little one, Eva's little girl Zara, and Toomuch's gorgeous little Jemima.

The next Meet-Up is tomorrow morning (Friday April 1st 2011) at 10.30am, in the Summertown Wine Cafe, North Oxford. Everyone is extremely welcome to come, it'll be lovely to meet new faces. They do a great hot chocolate at SWC and appear to be very bemused by all us pregnant ladies having a laugh on their lovely comfy sofas.

See you soon hopefully, and Congratuations again Bubba.

Yay, congratulations Bubba hope you're all doing well.

Sorry I've not made it to this weeks meet up (I'm missing my hot chocolate fix!) I have a friend popping round for lunch so that I can provide some pre-theory driving test moral support

still No news on the baby front here just really horrid BH

Hope you have fun and have a hot chocolate for me!

Thisis the French babies club I mentioned at the meet-up today.

Next Meet-up is Friday 8th April at Summertown Wine Cafe at 2.30pm (back to the old time).

I had such a nice morning, though it wasn't until brie sandwiches and glasses of white wine started going past that I realised morning coffee time was loooong past.

Apologies that J broke her previous good as gold run... needless to say the wailing stopped and she went to sleep in the sling by the end of South Parade, but I then looked like a loon pushing my handbag around in the buggy.

Lovely to meet you MsTilly, I do look forward to hearing more about your travels.

There were some conspicuous absences today... I wonder if we're about to gain a few more babies. Hope so!

Have a lovely weekend all.

Lovely to meet three of you, too! And looking forward hopefully to meeting some more next time.

And little J was divine, and good as gold for only having been out in this world for 10 weeks!

Enjoy the weekend.

Jemima was fabulous, Toomuch - her little stripey outfit was so cute too. It's so nice the way she doesn't get bothered being held by other people, and she was just gorgeous. Her little moan at the very end was well-earned given she'd given up her morning snooze to come out and play. Your handbag got home in great comfort though, that was very funny. Amazing though how the sling calmed her instantly - I might adopt that approach - bring the pram and the sling when we go out.

MsTilly it was brilliant to meet you, and to discover we live so close together. And OwlBooty, so cool that you heard the heartbeat loud and clear, it's such a lovely sound.

Babies are a-coming I think - none of the four due-daters from last week were around yesterday, and we do know Bubba's had hers.

See you all next Friday. Newbies extremely welcome!

Hi ladies, sorry I missed the meet-up yesterday - especially after you changed the time to accomodate us. We ended up with a bit of a hectic Friday after being ill in the week and getting out of routine and having loads to catch up on. Glad to hear you had another lovely time and hope to meet you all soon.

Hi Everyone,

Just a brief message from South London.

Baby Edward arrived on the 29th March at 10:39am weighing 9 lb 14 oz. (thank goodness I had a C-section). We are now all back at home, settling in and enjoying the good weather! Touchwood - he seems a fairly contented relaxed baby - although its early days yet.

I've now got to tackle putting the house on the market and finishing my MSC in the next 2 months - nothing like a little bit of pressure :o.

Hope to see you soon in Summertown!

Itmar.

CONGRATULATIONS ITMAR!

Thanks a lot for coming and giving us the good news - I was wondering how you were getting on. I really hope the house sale and degree happen without too much trouble and we get you up this direction soon. You sound so calm as the mother of a newborn! I love the name too, it has real old-school classiness about it.

How was the c-section? I am not averse to them and would be fine if told it was going to happen, but I understand they are all really different and the time after it can be hard. How are you finding it? I hope it's all going fantastically for you.

Congratulations again. I hope you are flying high and are very, very proud.

Aha! I didn't catch your MN name MsTilly - was v.nice to meet you :)

Jer thank god I didn't spot the brie sandwiches, I would have fallen upon them open-mouthed. Mmmm, forbidden runny cheese.

itmar Congratulations! Looking forward to meeting you and baby Edward when you are out and about again.

beetle and pip sorry you couldn't make it, I've got a feeling there's going to be plenty more meetups in the future though :)

Owlbooty, I think when we have all had our babies this year we should have a big MN Oxford get-together involving lots of brie, camembert, roquefort, red wine, cava and everything else anybody's been denying themselves all pregnancy long.

Having said an entirely different time previously, I wanted to check if 12pm on Friday the 8th would suit anyone? I can't make the later time now due to a new appointment, but if everyone else can then we can stick to the original time of 2.30.

I had to take two of my three rings off today, the hand thing is getting too bizarre. I noticed Beetle that you wear your wedding ring around a gold chain on your neck, a habit I may have to start quite soon. At what point did you take yours off? My wedding ring is the biggest one and is still just about able to hang on in. I of course thought I had pre-eclampsia brewing when my hands went weird this weekend, but the books say it is all part of the pregnancy glamour.

Congratulations Itmar! Looking forward to meeting you, and Edward, when you make the move to Oxford!

Jer I agree a great big foody blow out once everyone has had their babies sounds like bliss! My 'I will do/eat when no longer pregnant' list is getting longer by the day.

As for the rings I can't remember when I stopped attempting to wear them! I didn't admit defeat stop wearing them for quite a while, instead I carried a tube of hand cream with me all the time so that if my hands did swell I could work my rings off using the cream as a lubricant. I did suddenly realise that rather than being uncomfy it was painful to wear them, which made me very as my hands feel very naked without my rings!

Big YES to the camembert and wine meet up

12 is fine for me.