Due in Oct 2012 - part 4!

[Angelico]

Back for more...!

Morning all, back from the lakes, eaten my own body weight. Tiredness not buggered off. Please make it bugger off.

Dame think shingles is fine, chicken pix more risky but only if you aren't immune (90% are). Think the first blood test checks for this so call your midwife. I had to check this out as had contact with chicken pox.

belly growing, going to have to think about outing myself at work. Only so much you can put down to pies. Also can't graduate to maternity clothes at work as just keep having to wear baggy stuff. Looking like an ommpa loompa.

sedgers found an R whites Lolly in the lakes but it was peeing down and cold so had to pass. I sulked for a day. BIL very sweetly went to M&S when we got back and got me a while packet of 16 cloudy Lemonade ones. Is it wrong to have one for breakfast? Means I won't be knocking for you after all.

happy Sunday bean bakers x

Maternity clothes shopping sucks :( . NOT a good day yesterday. I am not the right shape for most clothes - I have chunky muscular thighs and a small waist so I find that a size that fits on the hips and thighs is massive on the waist and a size that is OK on the waist is too tight on the thighs. Turns out it's the same problem with maternity clothes. I tried New Look, Gap, H&M and Next. No joy. I felt like crying. Is there anyone on here who is a similar shape and can tell me where to get clothes? I'll try online too but that's such a hassle and will entail buying likely candidates in 2 sizes and then sending one (or both) back. Oh, and black and white do not suit me and I do not want to suddenly start wearing black just because I am pregnant. I need a couple of pairs of work trousers but they were all black. . DH had to lead me gently home when I started being rude to shop assistants because I was so hacked off with the lack of choice and style. . I will post a thread about this somewhere else too but thought I'd ask you lovely people in case anyone has managed to solve this problem.

Felt very sad yesterday - motorbike sold, we picked up a new one (joint purchase) and it feels rubbish compared to my bike, I know it's just a case of getting used to it but boo hoo. Got my blood test results through the post - 1 in 1009 risk of Downs. Puts me at low risk but that 1009 seems a very small number to me compared to the 1-in-5-digit risk factors that I have seen other people get, so I'm worried about that. Got a wedding invite through the post to the evening part of a wedding - a friend who I would definitely invite to the main part of mine, so I cried a lot and blurted out to DH that it meant that I like her more than she likes me, and then I got sad because lots of my friends live far away and are crap at keeping in touch and I decided that meant that they don't like me enough to bother. Self indulgence city . Then we went into town and failed to find me any maternity clothes and I had a meltdown. DH was very patient for a long time then went out for a ride on the new bike "to scrub the tyres in". To get away from ridiculous, hormonal, self indulgent, whiny wife, more like

Regarding the vit D, Angelico, it's me who is taking part in a trial but I don't know anything about suggested amounts and it will be a double blind trial so that's not much help. Both me and DH are taking a Boots A-Z multi-vitamin as he gave up smoking a year ago and his immune system is still recovering so he gets every cold going, then passes them on to me, and I thought a multi-vitamin may help, especially as he is not too keen on fruit or veg and thinks he is doing well if he has some carrot with his dinner .

Right, report writing beckons. I hope you lot are managing to get out and enjoy the lovely weather this weekend.

Yomping, 36, 16+2, DC1

Morning all, both me and the boy are a bit under the weather today (pregnancy exhaustion/manflu) and not going to do very much I think. Was out last night saw my friend who's 26 weeks pregnant, she has a HUGE bump and has put on no weight anywhere else and is extremely sexy with it. Bump envy.

Kyyria Loving the tea towel story, exactly! And GPs are probably less OCD than most other types of doctors. I'm not wonderfully normal or anything but my personality defects are in other areas, feel out of place a lot of the time. Also agree midwives/health visitors much more up to date and informed about most aspects of normal pregnancy/birth.

Beeblebear OK OK! I will try and continue the trend and there is a bump picture under my profile now. It is extremely unimpressive. I just feel a bit chunkier, is all (I know I don't look chunky, but I just feel a bit odd in my clothes). anyone else going to join us....?

DameFlat as londonlivvy says no worries at all. You can't catch it if you've had chickenpox. I suppose there is a remote chance you could catch chickenpox (not shingles) if you weren't immune but I've never heard of it happening. I burst into tears at EVERYTHING! so I fully understand the pregnancy hormones bit...!! I've just been told by occupational health (helpfully they waited until I was pregnant) that I'm not immune to measles - I must have had the rubella not the MMR at school I guess. At least measles is rare...
Shame about the dress.

WantanOrange I dont' keep my eyes in the fridge either! I eat so many they have no chance to go off

Fjordmor fun stuff about the psychic. Never seen one myself but was pretty sure in my 20s was never going to have or want kids, funny how things change.

Angelico sounds like you're doing all the right things with eating healthy etc... I weigh more than I look so I dislike getting on scales, so I'm not sure how much I've put on. My midwife weighed me at 13 weeks and I had a BMI of 25, but I hadn't weighed myself for 2 years before that, so I don't really know if I've put any on. I'm just trying to focus on staying active and eating good food. Hopefully my body will be ok with that. I think advice about weight in pregnancy must be hard to give - lots of fluid retention as well, with some women.

londonlivvy sorry about your mum's reaction - how petty some people are. She may also be a bit shocked and just getting her head around it - a couple of my mates were like that and then were LOVELY a couple of days later.

Wow, is that everyone!
Little bit of sunshine so going for short river walk then having duvet day with the boy and the cats. xxx

WantanOrange EGGS obviously... not eyes...

HEHEHE! Eyes in the fridge even wierder.

YompingJo I am pear shaped too a HATE shopping for trousers. I always get the gap at the back. The current trend for skinny fit is not good!

I will put a bump picture on my profile when I get round to it...

squidkid hope you both feel better! And at your eyes in the fridge - imagining opening the fridge door to a pair of eyes glaring at you. Pop them in, and off you go for the day....

Lol at 'eyes in the fridge'!!

Londonlivvy I'm sure your mum will come round if she has strong views on being married first she may just need a day or so to get her head round it :) When I told one of my uncles he asked when was I getting married? some people are just old school,I wouldn't take it to heart xx

Had a sleepover with one of my besties last night as DP away we went out for dinner which was lovely then came home & watched a movie (even better) :) Another friend has been round round with her toddler this morning & given me some useful baby type things (inc breast pump) so that was really kind of her & she wouldnt have a penny for anything!!

Re;sleeping with a pillow I have done so for about 6wks now & I alternate between it being between knees & just under them I find it helps tremendously :)

Angelico - yes. A friend lent me a 'maternity pillow' however it's a long 'sausage' shaped one. I've also tried the 'v' and 'c' shaped ones which are really useful. My best advice would be just to experiment and see what's comfy with regular pillows before investing. It does seem to help.

Thanks for the clarification on 'gro bags' Orange & Dame. They seem to be the 'go to' thing to use here so I'd better get with the programme. Each passing day persuades me more that I know nothing! About time I got reading & learned a bit more...time will fly!! .

Sympathy to all with maternity wear woes. I'm very glad that I had lots of loose tops and stretchy trousers/stretchy dresses on hand already as I'm not looking forward to the inevitable. Am finding the need for a 'bump bra' though . Feels like it's falling off or something heavy is falling out of it when I suddenly stand up although I guess that's RL pains as well?

londonlivvy - sorry about your mum's reaction. I'm sure she'll come round in time. I had to remember with my mum's reaction that it was about her stuff, not mine and let her work it out for herself. Sad though 'cos I guess they're the people you want to be most excited for you. . And YES - I have Carpal tunnel!! It sucks! Comes and goes but was dreadful on my big epic drive with thumb & 1st 2 fingers of my left hand almost permanently numb. Trying to comfort self with the fact that it should dissipate once the baby is born. Do empathise on that one. If you find anything that helps do let me know!

Hey peeps racing out for lunch here so proper read and catch up later - but on whole baby bump thing you might find this website interesting:

theshapeofamother.com/

Set up by a woman who is sick of the dishonesty around celeb mums and their 'miraculous' return to pre-baby shape. She wanted women to be able to post photos of bumps, c-section scars etc and discuss how their bodies have changed. Going to have a good nosey later but some turkey is calling me! :o x

Hey Angelico - thanks for the link. As someone who has had a *very long struggle with weight (since my teens) I daren't post a picture as my bump is still very much my own!! Feeling very much a fraud and wondering at what point I can say I have a bump rather than just being fat!

Managed to get down to 14s10 Jan 2011 (was 19s8 before I got married and was down to 14s3 for wedding in Jul 2010), then I had 3 months off work with work realted stress and anxiety that moved into depression and shot up to 17s7. Was around the 16s8 point when I got upduffed and feeling horrendously sick as I'm watching the scales creep up.

Doesn't help the fact that one of the girls at work has just announced she's pregnant too (about 2 weeks behind me) and is complaining as she can't get in her size 10 trousers anymore....I think my ankle must be a size ten!!!

Still, looking forward to being mid-twenty weeks pregnant when it will definitely be a proper bump and I can enjoy sticking it out and knowing I'm pregnant rather than fat and a fraud.

Plus, am going to maim the office gossip if she says once more "you really need to be careful now you're eating for two, you know how you've always struggled with your weight". Am only going to get my bump out once it is definitely more than 50% bean!

On a positive note (feel like all I'm doing is moaning) - thanks squidkid for the eyes in the fridge typo - have been chuckling away to myself

Yeah not quite sure how I typed that...

Yeah never went on that walk... been in bed all day feeling rubbish :( Can't even quite put my finger on what, just a bit wiped out. I hope it's just baby having a growth spurt. I felt sick and couldn't eat anything most of the day, and then have just eaten two bowls of cereal... urgh... didn't go down well... bit sugary.

Gucci that's great you got so much free stuff! Breasts pumps are expensive aren't they... are manual ones ok or do you really need an electric one? People keep offering me bits and I kind of want to wait a couple of months before accumulating it all...

Fjordmor one thing I wear a lot (particularly under scrubs at work) is a bump band... I am just happier with the belly warm and feeling protected I think, it's not a practical thing! IS that what you mean by bump bra?
Carpal tunnel, what a pain. Some people find wrist splints help... Rest may also, I'm not surprised it was horrendous after your epic drive.

Kyrria I hope you don't mind me saying this as one of those "size 10 girls", but seriously sweetheart, don't repeatedly weigh yourself... of course you're going to put on weight, it's pregnancy... why torture yourself. Let the midwife do it when it needs to be done. Wear clothes that fit, eat as healthily as you can, you can't do much else! And as for your office gossip, SLAP! What a cow.

squid if you have an hour to express 5ml of breast milk, Hal
Manual ones are fine. Actually even electric ones are a pain in the arse but the manual ones are pretty rubbish. Take ages and make you feel like dairy cow.

Squid , you can definately start to see a bit of a bump there! I think mine looks a bit bigger for a couple reasons 1 a bit more padding (which I am calling cocoon) and my boobs are smaller thus belly in comparison sticks out more. I would't call ure an underachiever. Lol btw. Have you tried on a belly in a maternity store yet? I did last week and I just laughwd and laughed as I thought I looked quite rediculous. My bump envy quickly went away.

Angelico, thanks for the link. I'll have a peek

While we are on the subject... Is anyone elses belly getting hairy???

Thanks squidkid - no offence meant to any of you "size 10" girls - just would always have loved to have been one myself...

In terms of breast pumps I keep on looking at them - I'm drawn to the electric ones but blimey, I would need to remortgage the house! The hand operated ones look more realistic in terms of cost, but can't help thinking you'd have forearms the size of Arnold Schwarzenegger's by the time you've finished 6 months of pumping!!

midgetm a friend of mine said she once spent over an hour expressing about half a bottle of milk, and then dropped it coming down the stairs, and her husband said "no point crying over spilt milk" and she didn't speak to him for two days. Haha!

beeblebear yeah I'm definitely bigger than I was. but I always had a little tummy anyway. And yeah giant tits (giant pain in the arse if you ask me!) dwarf it somewhat. Trying on a belly!?? I had no idea you could do such things...! You have no padding you daft girl.

Kyrria oh no offence taken, I just know it can be irritating when someone's trying to empathise and they have no idea what it's like to be you! I haven't always been slim and I know it's hard work being stressed about your weight, let alone when other people start pitching in uninvited about how much you should be eating. I mostly want to look pregnant so people let me sit down more often :D

Beeblebear no hairy belly as yet. Here is a list of weird shit I didn't realise happened when you were pregnant

days of constipation
inability to handle raw meat (sickness has gone but boy still has to do this for me when I'm cooking)
crying at even the mention of children
leg cramp that woke me up screaming in the middle of the night, thought I was having a blood clot or something!
two weeks of aching pain in pelvis when first pregnant (very reassuring when everyone knows miscarriages present with pain and bleeding)
acutely tender CERVIX for first two weeks of pregnancy, could barely have sex
feeling like cervix was pushing its way out for first two weeks of pregnancy
reappearing disappearing belly
cramping pain just after I orgasmed (this has gone, thank fuck, was REALLY painful at first)

er... I'm sure there's more!

Squid,

Lets addd
Breaking out from my chin to my nipp le s
Chapped and ppeling nipples (would compare to a snake shedding it's skin ) gross!
Pain in the sacroiliac

I'm quite happy to add:

• aching stomach
• the ability to pull stomach muscles without even moving
• the fact that you are desperate to pee but seem to only ever get a trickle

Hi all,

Well my bump seems to have literally popped out over night!
so today was my first day wearing proper maternity clothes. Some JoJo Maman over the bump bootleg jeans that are so comfortable!
Squid - like you I like the bump to be covered and cosy - might have to buy some belly bands.
Yomping - I'm the same shaoe as you. Tried on loads of maternity jeans yesterday and was having the same problem for any under bump ones. But the ones I'm wearing now fit great so you might want to try over the bump trousers.

Something else to add to the list...horrendous itching, especially at night

Angelico - thanks for the link :) Do you think the site would like a '16 weeks but bump of a 30 week pregnancy' freak picture?

Despite being overweight my bump now looks 'all bump' and mahoosive. Rather than showing it off I feel a bit embarrassed as I'm still in the 'should hardly be showing' stage (say all the books & websites). Also uterus is in the position it should be after 20 weeks. I feel my 'baby flutters' (although not for days now ) just to the left of my navel and can feel 'stuff' almost just below the skin there. I'm figuring it's because my big left-sided fibroid has pushed everything up there and must also be why my inny is on it's way to an outy!! which is really icking me and making me feel a bit nauseous...I can't even touch it!

squid - lolz at the spilt milk story. DP & I guffawed as I held my belly (must feel like at earthquake to the little ninj). Actually, re 'bump bra' I was actually kind of thinking more along the lines of this .

41, 16+1, waddling around with a small town attached to my front

squid only 2 days? I would have chinned him. Or strapped him up to machine and see how he would like his parts
'milked'. Rarely used pumped milk, despite having decent pump. Going too long without feeding makes for sore boobs and in reality barely needed it. Good for pumping after too much wine though....

londonlivvy meant to say sorry your Mum being a pain. I am sure she will come round when the excitement of a grandchild kicks in. My mum irritated me when I told her but was sweet as can be next time we spoke, hope yours is the same.

fjord the bump and fibroids combo sounds grim, I send you a virtual stroke.

Been laying in bed for hours, must get up...

It was very nice to get a donation Squid,I think with regard to breast pump that it's perhaps trial & error (like everything) but also that it may be to do with how much you produce once it's come. Of course I have nothing to compare to so could be talking out my arse,but I'm only going by what various friends have told me. I'm hoping to make it a success once/if I manage to get through that 2wk barrier initially :)

I tortured myself with a breast pump for months with dd1 before going back to work. I got a grand total of 7 litres of breast milk stored in the freezer. Only to discover that she would not drink milk which had been frozen! Actually cried th day I threw it all out... So much effort down the drain - literally!
Once I did go back to work (went back when she was 5 months - earlier than I wanted as I was on GP training scheme and if I went back then I could have a job locally, if I went back later they eventually agreed they did have to find me a job - but could have been up to 100 miles away working awful shifts) carried on expressing and the double electric breast pump was my friend!
And, I know others have said this, but the only way you can catch anything from shingles is if you've never had chickenpox and you come into contact with the fluid from the blisters. So no need to worry.

I feel your pain. I had to pump on industrial machines at the hospital for the first 2 weeks. Still shudder at the memory. Had it gone in the bin I would have wept.

Sorry I haven't been on in a while, have last uni assignment due soon. Just wanted to post to say bean and I are still alive :P

Will post again after the 17th May :)