To those verging on your due date, how do you deal with people who...

[SamWidgiz]

...keep asking "any signs yet?!!"

I know they mean well, but some are asking every other day and it's getting annoying!

I'm inclined to ignore them but this will probably make them assume I'm in labour. Plus I don't intend to inform anyone apart from our parents when things start kicking off.

Sorry to be a grump but my tolerance levels are low atm!

Direct them to
www.haveyouhadthatbabyyet.com

My DD is only 3 weeks old, and this used to really annoy me. I used to just smile sweetly and say "I'll let you know when anything happens".

i love your link moggle

Lighten up ladies. People are just being friendly. The alternative is that everyone ignores you in the last couple of weeks for fear of irritating you, so no texts/emails/calls at all. Would you prefer that? When you're talking to a pregnant women who is days off her due date, it seems pretty rude not to refer to it at all. Wouldn't you agree?

They are probably obsessing about it a bit less than you imagine. Perhaps they're just making a passing comment before going on with their lives...you never know.

Umm stupid question probably... (I'm 29 weeks myself) - but have two friends in late stages (less than a few weeks)...

Any suggestions on what the best thing to say is?

Want to show them I'm thinking of them, but without unleashing the rage... :)

I am 39+6 so not even late, but am serioulsy thinking about not going out.

Or going out but with flashcards

"Tomorrow"

"No - no sign yet"

"Yes - he is high up"

"Yes - he is big"

"No - I am fine"

That sort of thing

Ah, yer grumpy lot. People are just being polite. Here, drink some rasp leaf tea and get over yourselves. Anyhow, you're public property - now you're pregnant with high up, huge, bet it's a girl, boy, babies, and all.

two4one - your alternative sounds lovely.

I just want to get on with the pregnancy without it being referred to every 5 seconds.
It's sooooooo nice when a customer comes in and talks about something else
and it has got to the stage where when people say "how's it going?" I don't know whether they're asking about the baby, or me, in which case, do I ask it back? (ie if it's about the baby, asking them how it's going sounds very strange, but if it's life in general m then it's okay)

I never knew how annoying this was until I was the pregnant lady. I knew people went well but a week of texts (Have you had the baby yet) and statements of the obvious ("I see you haven't had the baby yet." "Yes, I know.") Or, and I was guilty of this one before I had DS- "So when are you due again?" for the umpteenth time.

change answerphone to .. no baby news yet,

then screen calls!

I think it's lovely that people are so excited, although I do find it very odd when it's my MiL asking 'any news?' as of course she will be one of the first people to know when anything happens

I'm 39+3 today so am expecting it will only increase as we get past my due date. I think it's frustrating if you are fed up with being pregnant and want the baby out, but thankfully I'm ok on that front for now. I'll revisit that in a week or 2 though I'm sure. My problem is that I am late for everything so can't really expect different from my child

To be fair it IS nice. Everyone smiles at you....everyone is happy for you

It gets a bit repetitive but I think I will miss it when its gone (although I can replace it by showing off my baby!)

one thing I found annoying yesterday was at church, the speculation from certain people about when it would all happen.
according to one member of the choir, he wants me to have it at about 8o'clock on advent sunday. so that I don't miss the advent carol service
He's a dad, so he knows (although it was a long time ago, so maybe he doesn't!) what happens in childbirth.
How exactly he expects me to sing at the advent carol service and give birth once it's over, I cannot fathom.

i'm just enjoying my last few weeks (days/hours) of my last preg and once I got to 39 weeks I just accepted it'll be another three weeks. I am amused by my MIL who keeps ringing to check if there's any news. As someone said before, she's my child care option so if I am in hospital having the baby I've misplaced my other two kids!!
Even when well meaning friends ask if there's any sign, I'm not sure they really want to hear about the mucus plug I've been losing for the last week!!!

I'm officailly due on Thursday so that may be when the real trouble starts re texts and phone calls!!! Despite the fact I've always answered "due date?" with "Mid November, so I'll have baby at least a few weeks before Xmas at least!" before being pushed for a specific date!

I do feel a bit of a sleb at school and loads of people have started chatting to me so i guess it's an easy way to make new friends! (dc2 only started school in sept so we're all still trying to make small talk in the playground)

Oh ladies, I feel your pain but I'm still jealous. Although I love my little beansprout to pieces I do miss being pregnant, my bump and not caring about how big my stomach is.

But I won't waffle on about how you should enjoy the last weeks as I don't have a death wish. Just think how much you can eat over Christmas without feeling guilty

I've had a relatively easy pregnancy MyDog and very few of the horrid side effects some women experience, but I am looking forward to going back to normal sex (without the bump in the way!) and turning over in bed without the accompanying grunts to shift myself around (not to mention a night out on the beers once we're back to earth after the baby arrives)

What I hated whilst pregnant was not the 'any signs?' or 'are you still here?!' questions, more the 'have you had the baby yet?' texts and phone calls. I eventually started answering "Oh yes, ages ago! I just forgot to tell you. But I got hungry so I ate her. Thats why I'm still this huge."

Then there was the 'Ooooooh, christmas baby eh? nudge nudge'. Fuck off, I was due on the 14th of Dec... but she did arrive on Christmas Day. Bastards, jinxing everything.

heehee [grin

mine's an advent baby, which is FOUR weeks before christmas, and I've still got people saying "won't it be lovely if it's born on christmas day?"

and many offers to borrow it for the nativity scene.

I was 12 days "overdue" and by the end I just said "no, I've had the baby, we just didn't bother telling you". That stopped most people.
With MIL when I heard her voice on the phone I preempted it by saying "no, no signs". I actually said that while I was in labour
And on FB I went into a massive rant about being overdue which knocked that on the head.

I had the opposite, 'What do you mean you've had the baby?!' (and how dare you not ask us for permission?) when I had mine early at 38/39 weeks .

moggle I've posted your link on my fb status! Hopiung that will shut a few people up!

I appreciate it that people care and the texts from friends I don't see regularly are nice (albeit they don't text everyday like some family do!).

MIL texts everyday, which is daft, as they would be the first to know along with my mum of course! I am waiting for the calls and texts that come whilst i'm in labour though, as we will be forced to lie to people, as we're planning a home birth and don't want anyone to know until she has arrived and we've had however long we need to get ourselves sorted out! - They will of course then know that we lied to them! (well that's their fault for being so nosy!)