PMA Grads Thread :-)

[Dollydaydream2829]

Hey ladies,
We've finally made it to the other side and are journeying through the unknown territory of pregnancy! Here to share our stories, our worries and keep that all important PMA!
This is a thread for our PMA TTC Grads and for any women expecting their babies and feel like injecting a bit of positivity into their pregnancy journeys and the gang!
Feel free to join and introduce yourselves below :-)

Hey everyone

Aw @BellaMoon glad ur scan went well!!

I haven't weighed myself since I got weighed at my booking appointment 🙈 I haven't been as good as I could be.

I did make a wee vow to myself that I would. Iv been going walks and obviously with my job I do a fair bit of walking a day. Today I may attempt the gym though. Feel like my legs r getting really chunky.

I flit in between - ur pregnant enjoy it and ten the doon of fuck sake I'll have all this to loose 🙈 I keep getting told how I am going fit healthy and I'll spring back but the fear is real!!!!!

16+3 today! Have midwife on Friday!

I was going to start buying stuff after 20 weeks then a patient said to me yesterday oh I would defo wait until after 26 cause then if the baby is born it can breathe in like 🙈🙈🙈🙈 ffs!!!!

Some people are so tactless aren't they Amanda. Remember when I was 25 weeks last time, someone who was already a mum asked me "so how many weeks have you to go before there's a good chance of them surviving if they come early?" Not sure where that even came from, as she just dropped it into the conversation! Hope your midwife appointment goes well on Friday.

I wouldn't worry too much re your weight, as if you're sensible your body is clever at gaining what it needs :) While your bump won't weigh 8.5Kg Dolly, you put on weight from various sources when pregnant. Couldn't remember the numbers, so found this in a pregnancy magazine www.pnmag.com/pregnancy/body-plus-baby-weight-gain-during-pregnancy-2/) : so for a 7.5lb baby, you can easily expect a 30lb weight gain from placenta 1.5lb, amniotic fluid 2lb, uterus 2lb, boobs 2lb, extra blood 4lb, extra fluid in tissues 4lb, fat 7lb . So that's only half a stone of body fat and that's to help provide the extra stores you need when breastfeeding. It also says weight gain is quickest in 2nd trimester - though that must vary from woman to woman based on what I found last time round - so you'll probs find your weight gain slows in the coming weeks.

thanks ladies 😘

regarding the poo situation, i had thought my change in toilet routine was down to me not eating much/often but even now that i'm managing more i'm having the most uncomfortable time! it seems like each no2 is huge and i'm having to give a good push (sorry i know, minging). i am being careful not to strain but my god, it's horrible. don't get me wrong there are days it's far easier and smaller but that's about a week now they actually knacker me out hahaha. oh what wonderful conversations we have here! #talkingshit #literally

ah you're coming along nicely now @AmandaP86x nothing wrong with maintaining your fitness regime at all but i certainly wouldn't worry too much about what (if much at all) weight you'll have to lose when baby is here as i'm sure a healthy lifestyle before baby will continue for you. plus, you do need an extra 200 or so calories per day at this point for energy so lap it up!

@Dollydaydream2829 is it perhaps the case that you feel bigger because you are so petit? like @bakingmad83 said, we are on the taller side so there's more room between our hips and shoulders for baby to move. i imagine if you're fairly short that the only way baby has to go is outwards? there are averages for baby weight gain but one shoe doesn't fit all remember, id say try not to worry #shorty

hoping to get my MATB1 form at my next midwife appt which is 21/08 so that i can put a plan in place for mat leave. did all the 3rd trimester ladies get theirs sorted out already? how many weeks before are you surrendering? lol

i'm home from work about 40 minutes
now and i'm already in bed. i have so much to do in the house that i just can't face it tonight so feck it! (plus the sheets are fresh and i want to dive in before DH gets in from the gym)! xxx

oh forgot scan pic from yday. it's a close up 💙

I wouldn't worry about the weight gain Dolly. Yours sounds about right for where you are & after all you are growing a human so it's the one time in life we can be let off ☺️
Everyone carries differently don't they depending on body shape and height etc. You just never know how you will carry it off.

I'm pretty tall for a female at 5ft8 and have always been slim & lanky lol 😂 The midwife said tall ppl tend to carry well and show later on due to a longer torso an I presumed I wouldn't show until 20 weeks plus especially as it's first baby. But nope 14+3 and there is deff a baby bump there.
I'm hoping it's because I'm so slim an it's a slow growing bump rather than I will be a whale 😂🙈 think I've put on about 7lbs so far.

Oh lovely picture bella. Must be so nice to see so much more in detail. I found the dating scan quite quick really. They take there measurements. Re check them and your out. Well mine was like that. No describing anything but I guess that's not what it's for. But still! Lol. So looking forward to 20 week scan.

My 16 week midwife is 2 weeks tomorrow. I know not all areas check for heartbeat. But mine does which is a good job because 20 weeks seems ages away!

Oh @Anna2006 you'll need to let me know how it goes! Looking forward to mines on Friday.

@Dollydaydream2829 I think it's VERY difficult when u have been active before even anyone saying "big" "filling out" "oh you've got a bump now" makes u feel a bit anxious. Also standing on the scales and seeing a constant gain. I honestly think it's the way your brain is wired lolol I really want to cry when folk say I am getting big 😂 it is a good thing but I'm like omg what did u just say 😂😂

@BellaMoon that wee scan 🙌🏻🤗🙌🏻 what a wee cherub!!!!!

@Bella that is a beautiful pic!! 😍 I got my mat b1 last week but haven't done anything with it yet. Trying to pluck up the courage to ask for a better maternity pay package than the archaic statutory package currently offered but my boss is now on leave for 2 weeks then I'm on leave for 2 weeks so it will be early Sept before I can negotiate pay and leave ... leaving it a bit late as I'll be 30+ weeks but neither is in any rush! I did mention to him that I'm planning to work up to 27 Oct which is 2 weeks before EDD but I said I'll see how I go and he said ok. I'm gonna officially start Mat leave then and if I need to finish a week earlier if I'm struggling i will take annual leave.
Ps hope your shit situation improves soon! 😂

@Dolly I'm feeling massive too :( haven't weighed myself for a few weeks so not sure on numbers but I am definitely going out sideways as well as front ways 😔 I hadn't thought about short women carrying differently (I'm 5ft and 1/2 inch) but it makes sense that we would since there isn't as much torso space from top to bottom ... but as you say it's a nice worry to have! Almost officially in 3rd tri... eeek!! 😀

@Rose How is your sickness/nausea?

@Amanda Hope all goes well at your app tomorrow. Do you know if they do heartbeat in your area? Fingers crosswd they do!

@Anna hopefully 2 weeks flies in for you!

I arrived home tonight from 4 days in London with work and oh has only gone and painted the nursery!! 😮 the wee sneak / legend didn't let on to me he was doing it! It was a dark blue before so he's done SIX coats of white to cover it lol. Now I just have to pick a pale grey to do 1 or 2 walls and it's done! He even painted the ceiling!! 😮 I literally can't believe it!!

awww @Moo31 what a beaut of a OH you have there! 6 coats is a task and a half. well done that man! i absolutely love surprises like that! i totally recommend chic shadow (grey) by the diamond dulux range as nursery paint. the diamond range is robust for scrubbing and wiping incase of any projectile situations! the shade is quite neutral for accessorising with blues or pinks too!

my company policy is i have to submit the MATB1 with my application for mat leave before 15wks of EDD so ill be asking for the MATB1 at my midwife appt on 21/08 as i'll be approaching 24wks then. hope your negotiations go well! i don't get to negotiate my pay but i do get to kick the arse right out the situation with my AL entitlement and returning on part time basis. my boss has let every other preggo person do what they want but he had issues with me as he relies on me so much. i actually reminded him yesterday that i have copies of all of their part time agreements so if he denies mine he will have a fight on his hands. he burst out laughing and just said "ill need counselling for abandonment issues if you don't come back" he's due to retire when i get back anyway, thank fook!

iv been trying to get a lot more oranges/orange juice in this week to help with the poo situ. it seems to have helped so thank god for that. thought i was going to end up with blood shot eyes from "giving birth" to an effing no2! haha

anyone heard from @Ohb0llocks lately? she was having a tough time with her OH last time she posted and has been on my mind! give us a wee hello if you're still reading chic. xxx

Yes my employer has to have the Matb1 form 15 weeks before EDD aswell. Are you sure your company doesn't have that policy Moo? Maybe check just in case as if you miss the window time frame here they can refuse your claim. DH has to submit my Matb1 to his work 15 weeks before aswell to claim his paternity. So both employers have to of had it by then where we are So worth checking DPs and DHs policies ladies.

I'm sure our area we're given them at 20 week scan so gives you a five week window. Strange how each place does it so different!

@BellaMoon I'm here ❤

26 and a bit weeks... the first trimester exhaustion is kicking back in. Had a GTT on weds so hopefully that comes back clear. How are we all? I'll have a read back on the thread now.

Good to hear from you Ohb0llocks. I've just hit 26 weeks and the last few days I've felt so tired again, so glad I'm not the only one. Fingers crossed results of GTT come back ok - do they do this routinely in your area? At 24 week appointment mw found hint of glucose in my urine, said she wasn't bothered, but if it happens again she may refer me for one.

What a lovely surprise to come back to the nursery well under way Moo!

Anyone got anything nice planned for weekend? Nothing startling here, but will be nice to spend some time with DH tomo when he's off. We did got swimming as a family today, but hit a rock on a grass verge on the way home, which tore through the tire and damaged the alloy. As there's no spare tyre in our car was a bit of a palava - had to get my dad to pick us up so DH could get jack to take wheel off and then gave him lift to garage to get new wheel. Just grateful it wasn't just me and DS in the car.

morning all

hi @Ohb0llocks glad you're still here and blossoming well. hope the GTT is all good and you continue to keep well. keep us posted on how you're doing 😘

i would have panicked like mad if that happened to me @bakingmad83, well if i was alone like you say. i wouldn't have had a clue what do to. i drive a car and that's it, even puttin fuel in it tests me! glad it worked out ok though!

i actually meant to ask for the matb1 at my 20wk scan @Anna2006 but it was a consultant and lasted so bloody long (not complaining) that it went out my head. glad i have the midwife coming up just in time.

i'm wide awake and eating peaches thinking about what to do today. the windows in my house are terribly dirty so i might go round and actually clean them for a change 🙈 DH can have a lie in, im so bloody good to him, hate that he can sleep when i can't and will try get some DIY done later with him, but then again might drag him out to the shops for a nosey at baby things! i haven't bought many clothes for the baby as iv already been receiving gifts from DHs batshit crazy mother and my friends. hung most of it up the other night as was annoyed with bags lying around but i ran out of room on the rail (see the pic) i doubt i'll need to buy clothes for the first 3 months at this rate! xxxx

Happy weekend all!

@Anna - yes you're right, the 15 wks before EDD is actually an HMRC requirement and it is in our staff handbook but our office manager is relaxed about it all and said just to let me know when I have discussed and agreed leave with my boss (who is the MD) - we just haven't had a chance to I have been avoiding sit down and discuss it all. OH had his in the week after our 12 week scan lol

@Bella - we have 2 walls in our bedroom chic shadow! I love dulux, wouldn't use anything else. Hadn't actually considered it for nursery but its a good call! Cornflower white is my latest fav. Need to get some tester pots! It still feels really early to be sorting nursery ... LoL about the clothes and your MIL! :D That's crazy about your boss - it's nice to be needed though isn't it! ;)

@Baking - that sounds a bit scary, glad you are all ok and got sorted! My sister and her DH are home to NI for the weekend, my dad's bday yesterday and mum's on Monday so I'm off work for a long weekend and there will be lots of cake! Hope your weekend gets better :)

@Ohb hey there :) sorry your tiredness is back - hopefully you are able to relax and take it easy and get lots of rest xo

ah @Moo31 we have similar taste obvs. i have 1 wall in my bedroom in chic shadow and had 1 wall in nursery same with other walls a nice lemon BUT i changed my mind and went for all chic shadow. walls grey and grey/silver carpet but i will accessorise with turquoise as it's like someone spewed grey everywhere!

well after my early start and plan making i must have nodded off on the sofa and woke up with DH coming in from the gym around 1pm! why can't i just sleep in my bloody bed? anyway, i'm still sat in the same position although i did clean all the windows in the house. major pat on the back for me haha. so today is for chilling and tomorrow we are lunching with the MIL and her partner. that's enough activity for 1 weekend haha.

go on, make me feel jealous for your activity packed weekends xxx

We went & had test drive of some prams this morning. We looked at the cossato, silver cross and I candy. There all lovely prams. I candy on the pricier side but we really liked the cossato wow. It was so easy to use & felt nice and lightweight to get in an out of the car. Quite liked the idea of matching car seat too. A lot of my friends have silver cross. Albeit they are very nice. I feel like being a bit different as I don't want what everyone else has got. So bright and bold might be the way. We like the fox tale pattern or the fjord. It was displayed in fjord an it's lovely in real life.

Has anyone else purchased there pram yet or looked? I know a few of you went for silver cross ones. They are very good value. Choosing is very hard.

Got a BBQ this afternoon/evening at someone else's so that's nice not to have to worry about dinner!

Relaxing day tomorrow I think!

Enjoy your long weekend with family Moo :) Had a Next order to pick up - just a little dress with a lion print on it - so meant a trip a bit further afield. Would have been cheaper to pay for postage, but good excuse to go somewhere different and DS always likes a new park to explore!

Are you off out somewhere for Sunday lunch Bella or is your MIL treating you to lunch round hers? Quite excited that DH and I are going out next Thursday evening for our first evening meal out as a couple since DS arrived :)

Remember how exciting trying prams out was Anna, good to hear you've found some you like :) The Silver Cross Pioneer was just recently on the market when we got ours and still don't see that many round here, but the Wayfarer is popular, probs as it's not quite so bulky. We bought a buggy board for our pram so that DS can hitch a lift if he gets tired on walks - you can get a seat attachment for it too, but will just see how the simple board goes. Mind you, he quite likes his pram again, after hating it for most of the time between 18 and 30 months, so may well have him in the pram at the start if he needs a nap still and his little sister in the baby carrier. I was still using the carrier with him until 12 weeks pregnant, but then found it uncomfortable, and that may be why he's taken back to liking the pram. Hope you enjoyed the bbq!

how exciting @Anna2006 i loved pram shopping even though it took us like 5 mins as there was only 1 system that we both liked. i loved the height of the Stokke but DH said it looked to "plasticy". he liked the iCandy but i didn't like the foam handle so we settled on the SC Pioneer. i went for Silver Grey but kinda wishing now i had chosen a bright colour or pattern.

i have no idea what MIL has planned @bakingmad83 we could turn up for lunch and she'll be in her pjs and rollers cos she forgot or better still away out! i'm now in the habit of calling to make sure we are still on so ill give her a call shortly. love her to bits, she's a fantastic person as well as being borderline off her rocker! she has more clothes for baby and i happened to mention i needed more hangers so she's picked up more of them too. i have to be careful what i say to her as she just goes and buys it. i happened to say i wanted to redo our kitchen, next thing i know we have a cheque for it (didn't accept it)!

had loads of fruit for breakfast yday and today i had crisps and maltesers! i have definitely got the balance right haven't i haha? #ashamed

baby has been doing A LOT of wriggling this morning, so much so that bella was resting on my tummy/thighs and she must have felt/sensed him move and she jumped up and spent 10 minutes staring at my tummy. she must have been waiting on it moving or something. was comical as she was flitting between staring at me and staring at my tummy. she's the cutest!

hope you all have a lovely sunday. xxx

ps @bakingmad83 first adult even out in how long? you're a trooper! x

Morning ladies,

Anna - our pram was our first big baby purchase after the 20week scan so I was super excited for it! We went and tried out a few and it was between the silver cross and Icandy but felt silvercross was better value for us cos they had an amazing deal on at the time and I'm the opposite to you - although it's a hugely popular brand, most of my friends have other brands. I also fancied the egg stroller. But DH hated it so was veto'd..... lol

Thanks for the weight gain words of wisdom everyone. Seems to have plateaud this week so maybe I'm going to be one of those ladies who grows a lot in second trimester. I already feel fuller quicker when eating and heartburn is flaring up again so I'm sure they'll put paid to any excessive weight gain haha! I'm chucking the scales to the attic for now though.....

Bella - I just handed my MatB form in this week. I wanted to hand it in much sooner but I had a bit of a nightmare with my boss confirming my hols. I'm going off at 36wks regardless and was hoping to use the 4wks of hols I had left to take me up to my due date so my Mat leave wouldn't start til the day before my due date. But due to lack of staff, my boss was dragging her heels which was so frustrating as I couldn't put a definite date down. Luckily HR was aware of the situ and didnt pressure me to hand it in. Hols have no fortunately been confirmed so I officially come off on 16th October. Not long at all! Your scan is amazing and love seeing all your little ones clothes! Love baby clothes.

Hope you enjoy your meal out baking - it must be hard to arrange a child free night so I'm sure you'll make the most of it when it comes!

What a lovely thing for your DH to do Moo - certainly takes the stress out a lot of it for you!

That's my weekend plans right there really - nursery prepping. Thankfully the plasterer finished yesterday morning (what a bloody mess they leave!!) And we're off to look for paint and flooring. I'm in two minds about whether to carpet the room or have laminate flooring with a HUUUGE cosy rug. Pinterest is both my best friend and my worst enemy at the moment - everytine I think I've made up my mind, I see something else on it that i like better! I'm a bloody nightmare.... Haha

Also ladies - settle an argument. 27 weeks.... Third trimester now? Or is it 28weeks??? My apps say different things!

Oh yes deffo @dollydaydream2829 we love the egg stroller aswell. We haven't seen it in person yet but I'm going to look next week with my mum. But it's the early 1k price tag that makes me alter. Then we need car seat and isofix base all on top of that! The cossato is such good value as our the silver cross normally. I just love the leather tan handles on the egg!

@bellamoon yes agreed I'm not very keen on the foam handles on I candy. The new version for 2017 there actually leather as they've updated it an the one in the baby store we went had the new version so that's an update which has been worthwhile! Surprised for that price they haven't been that all along!

I think third trimester is 28 weeks.. but I could be wrong. When I had my consultant appointment at the hospital they said I need to start my injection in the third trimester so start of week 28..so think they class it as that. But I know online seems to differ for the trismesters. Like 13 or 14 for second aswell. I forgot to mention that as my
Mum suffered deep vein thrombosis at a very young age of 32 from being on combined pill I have to do daily injections of blood thinners from 28 weeks pregnant to 6 weeks post birth! Oh yay! Not really looking forward to that but I'm sure I'll get used to stabbing myself eventually..

The clothes hung up look very cute Bella :) I washed and tumble dried all of DS's clothes up to 3m last night, so got them folded and put away this morning. At every stage we've ended up with too many clothes from all those given to us. I've tactfully told my family no more of x, but DH won't do this, which makes the situation worse - hate waste, obviously we've kept/sold/given away the excess, but would rather they saved their money for themselves.

In fairness we've been out separately in the evening a few times each, but this is the first proper night out together in 32 months, so a little excited :)

I'd have said 28 weeks too for 3rd trimester, though DH's app reckoned this week that 26 weeks was entering 3rd tri - if the other info is anything like the nutrition info, wouldn't trust it at all!

Sorry you're going to have to have those injections Anna. Had a friend who was on them for months, not pregnancy related, but she was immobile after a car crash. She eventually got used to them, but can't imagine it's pleasant.

Enjoy your nursery prep Dolly!

Yes @Bella I remember you saying yiur house is 50 shades of grey - ours is the same! Chic shadow, polished pebble, misty mountain, egyptian cotton ... and we have just bought goose down for the hall stairs and landing when we get our new front door in lol. Love grey! Well done on the windows - really takes it out of u! You deserved the crisps and maltesers :) Hope you had a nice day with MIL too :) That's so funny about wee Bella too haha!!

@Anna I love the cosattos but my OH has a thing about patterns - says they hurt his eyes!! 🤣 Lol we're settled on the mamas and papas ocarro - it was between silver cross wayfarer and that and we've gone for ocarro as it's maxi cosi compatible which means we can get the 2wayfix isofix base for the pebble plus seat (up to 12 mths -ish) and then the base will fit the two way pearl seat that will do up to 4yrs (ish). Sorry to hear about the injections too - hopefully it won't be too bad. Hope you enjoyed the bbq 😊

@baking I absolutely cannot wait to have a wee baby cosied up to me in a sling - any recommendations!? I haven't researched them yet ... My friend mentioned using a sling library initially - do u have any experience with them? Ps enjoy your long-awaited and VERY well-deserved night out!!!

@dolly Hope your nursery prepping went well! Great you got your mat leave sorted - grr about them taking ages to approve it! October won't be long coming around!! 😀 I read 27.33 somewhere so 27+2 ... which is today for me! 😮 eek!! Ps I would say cosy rug - easier to clean etc. If we didn't already have carpet down I would go for that!

Thanks Moo! I'd definitely recommend trying slings/carriers out first. There's only just recently one started up round here and could have done it with when DS arrived - though there are some that operate online too. When he was a newborn I got a Close Caboo, as although it is cute they want to be on you the whole time, sometimes you do want to get up and do things/go places, as a lot of positive reviews. However, DS hated it. Then bought a copy of the Ergo on ebay, as wasn't shelling out for another carrier that hardly got used. DS did like this and ended up getting the Ergo Adapt, which can be used from birth. It has clips though, as would just get myself tied up in knots trying to tie the fabric slings, thought they do look comfy for both of you, which is why I got the Close Caboo, but didn't work out for us.

That's useful @baking thank u! Try before you buy sounds like the key here! ☺

Hi ladies.

Had a busy weekend and god am I paying for it today!!!! I feel bloody hungover!!! The weather is terrible today and I am nighshift tonight I have had a very lazy morning and afternoon in bed with tea watching films! Then I go onto insta and see pregnant people working out and feel guilty lol!!!! After tonight I have a lovely 17 days off so I plan to motivate myself more then!!!

Hope u all had lovely weekends! I am 17+1 today!!!! Nearly halfway!!!