Babies due May 2018

[AlexsMum89]

Hi, I'm new to the pregnancy board. I've just found out that I am pregnant with my 2nd (4 weeks today) and the NHS calculator says all being well I will be due around 12th May.

I couldn't see any threads for May yet - anyone just found out and want to join me?

DS has just turned 7 so I'm a bit rusty on this whole pregnancy thing!

Im feeling the house sorting rush @bluesky! DH is frantically trying to finish a self built extension which needs a bathroom suite fitted and then we have to re fit our downstairs bathroom which is currently GRIM! Also need to plaster front and middle rooms and sort flooring etc (the list is quite endless).

Everything is so expensive, we had been saving for baby for 2 years so had a baby fund but have had to start using that for building supplies because it's all costs so much- £360 was spent on wood for one partition the other day!

I need to pull my finger out and start decorating upstairs but work combined with dog care, house cleaning and fortnightly stepkids is taking all of my energy atm!

@InRainbows that sounds like you have your hands full!

If it makes you feel any better, despite being in our late 30’s & both always worked in half decent jobs, we have pretty much no savings.

I’m trying not to worry too much about the money. We are borrowing / buying second / receiving hand-me-downs for the majority of the baby things we need.. no way can we afford to spend hundreds of pounds on items for baby room furniture. I have up-cycled most of our house furniture from cheap second hand old wood items anyway, so for baby wardrobe & drawers we will probably do the same. Just bought a massive tatty old solid wooden blanket box for £10 that we are laminating with driftwood effect vinyl (sounds crap but actually looks ok) - especially for less than £20 in total for a massive solid blanket box! It helps that we live in a very old cottage so the up-cycled / shappy chic look works well!!

The general consensus from all my friends who have babies already is that you don’t need as much ‘stuff’ as you would think, so I’m hoping that is true!!
We’ll just have to make slight lifestyle adjustments as baby gets older & has greater financial needs!..
(Although it’s not like we have big cars or exotic holidays as it is.. our eating out & red wine spend could probably be lowered though!)

Completely agree that you don't need as much stuff as you think. This is our 2nd and with the 1st, we decided we wouldn't buy anything till we needed it (within reason!) When we had him, the only things we had were nursery furniture (2nd hand/upcycled), car seat and pushchair (kindly given to us from friends) and 6 white babygros I'd bought. Plus nappies!! We were overwhelmed how much we were given or lent by friends and family and didn't say no to anything even though we could have bought if we needed. We must have saved thousands. Even now all my son's clothes are 2nd hand or lent from a friend who has older boys. We sometimes buy something special if we really like it. Otherwise we're saving the money for when the children are old enough to care what they wear/have/do etc.

Thanks @PatchworkWellies - it’s good to hear I’m thinking along the right lines

Ooo that's brilliant that you have the skills to upcycle @bluesky, anything to reduce the cost of furniture is a godsend!

While I have literally no upcyling ability, we are getting really lucky on the hand me downs! We have already been given a cot and plenty of blankets and we have a pram coming our way! I like the plain white baby grow strategy @Patchworkwellies sounds like a good plan!

Loving all the DIY stories, and glad it’s not just me! We just moved house 6 weeks ago and have so much to do, it’s fun though & my husband is super organised so we have a DIY schedule for which things need doing before baby arrives, and what can wait until after 😂 @PatchworkWellies that’s such good advice. We were just talking yesterday about what we need or don’t need to buy. This is our first so have no idea really - but we do have lots of friends & family with children so hoping for lots of hand downs

Ooo good luck @JC30 and congratulatons on the new house! It does feel relentless but it will all be worth it when it's all done!

@InRainbows haha, I’m not sure it’s a skill, but I have a go!

Although we’ve not bought anything yet I have been keeping an eye on second hand ‘baby suitable’ furniture to guage prices.

I know you can usually pick up pine drawers / small wardrobes & solid pine cot beds reasonably cheaply.. but I want a light colour.

While researching last night I discovered something helpful for newbie parents like me re ‘up-cycling’ or repainting baby / toddler furniture in a safe way.

I found a link to this site.
www.organicnaturalpaint.co.uk/natural-matt-paint-interior-wood-metal-water-based-auro-260/

I now plan on buying very cheap miss-matched second hand scratched / marked pine drawers / child size wardrobe & pine sleigh cot bed & repainting / upcycling them all with this baby / toy safe paint.
The paint is not cheap, but it’ll mean I can buy super cheap furniture & update it to a ‘matching’ lovely baby set for FAR cheaper than buying a new set.

If anyone else has experience of doing this to baby furniture please let me know any tips

Hey everyone, just checking in to say hello! Looking forward to very little diy here as did it all last time around!

What a great find @bluesky1980 safe for baby and for you using it! Definitely worth the investment and I'm sure a little will go a long way with small pieces!

Hi all!Just had my scan today,due 29th May!It’s our first baby so it’s not really sunk in yet!

@Lilbeth1986 congrats on your scan! We have the same due date. Ours was dated at an emergency scan an 10 weeks but they said it wouldn't change now.

Hi everyone, hope everyone is feeling okay? Has anybody else started feeling the baby?

Im quite petite and have left fluttering every couple of days when im sat down only for a second or two but everyone is telling me this is the baby moving but they all seemed shocked as they say its quite early to feel it moving.

Hello @Lilbeth1986 - it’s my first too. I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing & it doesn’t properly real yet, but loving the new adventure.

@Fizzysx - I am 16 weeks & think I feel it sometimes - usually when lying down quiet in bed. Feels like stomach churning / fizzing / flutters sometimes... but not 100% sure it is definitely baby (I have no idea what it ‘should’ feel like).
I’m petite too & already everyone is commenting on how big my bump is! I’m going to be blooming hudge! Feel good though & still jogging (slowly) 4 x a week (trying to compensate for my love of food!)

@BlueSky1980 ahh glad its not just me when it happens for me feels like fluttering. Im only 13 weeks and was feeling it last week too! I am exactly the same got a bump and everyones telling me I am big for how early I am or that im going to have a big baby which I really don’t appreciate being told with the pregnancy hormones going on 😂

I've got a good size bump too. With my older children I barely had a bump. In fact I just found a pic of me in my last pregnancy 8 weeks before birth and I'm about the same size I am now 😂 Goodness only knows how big I'm going to get with this one. I'm 15+2 now, I haven't felt baby yet.

Oh gosh, Think I had my first flutter today at 12+3. The most weirdest feeling I've ever felt l. I feel I've also started to develop a small but visible bump. Dating scan is in just under 2 weeks and it couldn't come soon enough if I'm honest.

I'll be 16 weeks tomorrow. I've been feeling sensations for a week which I thought might be baby. It's now unmistakable and definitely baby only at quiet moments when I've got nothing distracting me, especially in bed when I'm trying to sleep. It's lovely at this stage, it's in the 3rd trimester when baby is rummaging up under your ribs that it gets a bit old!

@Mayah the firat scan is just amazing & it took weeks for me to come down from the high of knowing all seemed ok.

I got a lovely suprise at my 16 week appointment yesterday - I didn’t know they routinely check babies heartbeat, so it was an amazing suprise to hear it loud & clear. Especially good because 4 weeks after the delight of the scan I had started to wonder if all was going ok again! It’s a great stop-gap between scans!

@MilfordFound haha your comment about rummaging under the ribs made me laugh. As a first timer I have no idea of things to expect (good & bad) so love hearing comments like that!

Hi all, I wondered if I could pick the brains of some of the second/third/fourth times mummies about NCT classes. I know they are a good way of getting information about labour and breastfeeding, etc. and that many parents make lifelong friends as a result of attending. However, I have my reservations about how suitable they would be for me and my other half. Don’t get me wrong, I need all the guidance I can get! But are they any more useful than the antenatal and breastfeeding classes the midwives run (this may depend on district, I know) and has anyone else attended with similar reservations and had their opinion completely changed? Thank you!!

I don't have any experience of NCT. I went to the 2 antenatal sessions offered by my district, both fairly minimal with information but got the chance to ask questions.

One thing I'd recommend is finding your local La Leche League group/leader if you're intending to breastfeed. I had wonderful support from my local group. Much more helpful that the midwives. Due to various issues I never had full supply and my daughter wouldn't latch, so I pumped. I pumped for a year and I wouldn't have got that far without LLL.

Breastfeeding can be hard. Make sure you know who to call if you have problems, there may be local breastfeeding groups, infant feeding team at the hospital etc. There are some great Facebook groups too, although they can be a bit militant about it and as a combination feeder who had to top up with formula I was often judged. But there were people on there day and night who would help out new mums who were struggling.

I've heard really good things about NCT, I'm interested to hear others opinions on it!

Thanks @MilfordFound, that’s really helpful. I’d never heard of LLL before and it looks as if there is a group about 5 miles away. Plus, reading their manifesto, they seem really supportive. I’ve got a bit of fear of the militant mums and just want to make sure I’m able to make the best informed decision I can for me and my child, without feeling that I’m failing if I have to explore other options. The more options, the better to me!

@sewsewmum, I didn't join NCT with my first so don't have any first hand experience but several of my friends who had babies a bit earlier did. Here's my second hand observations:

Pluses - lots of my friends made good friends with whom they are still in touch. They had a good support network and people to chat with who were going through the same thing. I think most/all of them enjoyed the classes and thought the info was relevant and in depth.

Not Sures: all of the friends (without exception) who did NCT are more anxious parents than those of my friends who didn't. I don't know whether it's a certain personality type or whether all the info in the classes made them overthink things. There also seemed to be subtle peer pressure (nothing nasty, just group mentality) to do activities/buy things which my friends afterwards said they wouldn't bother with next time, e.g newborn swimming sessions.

We just did the 2 antenatal classes offered on NHS and I was v happy with that info, it seemed enough to me and anything extra I wanted to know at the time/when baby was small, I googled!!

Hope that helps but it's not really a solid judgement as I haven't done them

Thank you @PatchworkWellies - again, really helpful! I might speak to my chilled out mummy friend and see if the same logic applies. She had a really tough labour and recovery so it’d be interesting to find out whether she went and whether it helped/she regrets not going.

Patchwork, are you the lady who is also going to East Surrey? I can’t remember. If so, that’s really reassuring to read about the antenatal classes too.