My pregnancy book says this month I should expect...

[Armadale]

God this book is depressing.

"You are now in the fifth month (weeks 18-22)

Physically you will feel
-achiness in the lower abdomen (from stretching of ligaments)
-constipation
-heartburn, indigestion and flatulence
-headaches, faintness and dizzyness
-nasal congestion and occasional nosebleeds
-bleeding gums
-leg cramps
-mild swelling of ankles and feet
-varicose veins
-backache
-skin colour changes on abdomen and or face

Emotionally you will feel
-A growing sense of reality about the pregnancy

I didn't have any of those, except the melasma (darkened skin on face). Upping my SPF nipped it in the bud. The last 2/3 of my pregnancy was symptom free!

Anyway what is this book, sounds like a riot

I stopped reading "what to expect" when I realised it mostly just talked about the bad things about pregnancy!

I prefer to be ignorant of all of these!!

Its an old edition of what to expect when you are expecting I got in a charity shop.

It is like Nostradamus does pregnancy.

x post with ginger, interesting it is the same book!

I had an up to date version of that, don't remember the doom! but then Americans do seem to think pregnancy is just the biggest deal ever or is it just my psychotic MIL

Half of those things come and go throughout (the runny nose and constipation especially).

The 'growing sense of reality' is also a bit odd if you've had sickness etc' since the start.

I didn't have any of those either, except for back pain and that stopped when I stopped wearing heels for work!

I got so cross with What to Expect that I recycled it rather than give it to a charity shop. The doom got me!

Of that list:

Physically you will feel
-achiness in the lower abdomen (from stretching of ligaments) - yep, a bit all three times.

-constipation - nope, never

-heartburn, indigestion and flatulence - nope, got heartburn for the first time this pregnancy, well into third trimester.

-headaches, faintness and dizziness - nope, bit of faintness first trimester this time from low blood pressure.

-nasal congestion and occasional nosebleeds- did have some minor nosebleeds this time, not the others.

-bleeding gums -nope

-leg cramps - nope

-mild swelling of ankles and feet -nope

-varicose veins - nope

-backache - came and went every time

-skin colour changes on abdomen and or face - nope.

That and the hectoring tone on food and the 'ways you and the baby can die at birth' all contributed to it hitting the big blue bin!

I wonder how many women have bought/read/quickly recycled my copy of this book.

you should write your thoughts in the margin before you pass it on, it could become an epically edited work

None of that has happened to me until the past few weeks! And im 36wks on Monday.

Emmas Diary is the worst pregnancy guide!

That is a brilliant idea, I am going to have to do that, Rootypig.

I occasionally come across books from Brixton Library that have been annotated by the same person who obviously has similar reading tastes to me but is a bit unhinged

Recently I have been reading an autobiography of Julia Child in which this person has written in about ten places in the margin "she is so boring when she is just talking about herself" or "yawn, more about me, me me"
....er, the clue was in the word autobiography I presume.

I have often been tempted to reply to her

is that My Life In France? I unexpectedly loved that I do not live in Brixton

Yes it is! Me too! I have been watching JC on You Tube tonight, making French Onion Soup. Some lovely person has put whole episodes of the French Chef up.

oh have they! er, link?

Here you go!

The soup topping is definitely burnt at the end of the episode

ohemgee embedded linky! flashy MN

Her voice! I have never seen footage of her before. have you seen the film Julie and Julia? the Meryl Streep half is lovely and interesting but the daft modern half is annoying. not to preempt your opinion or anything definitely do not live in Brixton

cheeeeeeeeez

incinerated!!!
she styles it out admirably

I have seen the film and agree about the two halves. For some reason I find Amy Adams annoying in anything.

The footage is amazing, it makes me sad in a way as I just can't see a woman who looks that way getting a cooking series on TV now, no matter how brilliant.

Rootypig, I believe you when you say you don't live in Brixton.....but that book will run the gamut of Lambeth Libraries not just Brixton...are you sure you aren't the phantom margin writer having borrowed if from another branch?

I do not dabble with sarf London if I can possibly help it. But in all other things we are as one! Amy Adams is annoying. Though her annoyingness was put to good use in American Hustle. Did you see it?

Not only Julia Child's looks, but her not having children. That is pretty much a crime for a woman with a public profile these days it seems

Laughing at total thread derailment here.

I haven't seen American Hustle, as a. it has Amy Adams and b. the trailer I saw made me think it might have too many rude bits for me

Interesting what you say about her not having children.

I've had 5 losses before this PG so have been thinking a lot about what a life without getting there would actually mean in reality, and really noticing who does / doesn't have children in the public eye. Delia S also doesn't have children, but again I wonder if she'd get a TV show now...

Oh doesn't she? that's interesting, I didn't know that. I always have a vague sense of her having an adult brood in the next room, waiting for their Sunday lunch. No doubt this impression consciously cultivated. Or at least the lack of children not discussed.

I'm sorry for your previous losses Arma (can I call you Arma? ) I hope this pregnancy is going well?

Boom! back on topic

Yes so far OK. If I can get to 22 weeks this Thursday I will be one day further than I've ever got before so fingers crossed...

Normal thread service resumed.