First Pregnancies with Nov/Dec Due dates :)

[Emma198]

New thread ladies, first one nearly full ☺

I've heard dunking in a bowl of hair removal cream as an option haha

Has anyone started antenatal classes yet? Mine say to "bring a cushion for practising labour positions". I assume that's just to sit/kneel on whilst rolling around on the floor?

@Italianshark I have the same problem being part Indian (although I've barely seen the outside world this summer so you currently wouldn't know it to look at me!). Judging by the state of my eyebrows after the "senior" stylist did them earlier, she ain't going anywhere near my lady garden! I'll stick to the apprentice in future - far better job!

@Italianshark @AnotherOriginalUsername I have the same problem....... but just cos I'm lazy and out of sight, out of mind!!!! 😂

Someone at work said she let her husband shave her, and he shaped it into a heart.........

I use my husband's beard trimmer. What he doesn't know, can't hurt him much like the fact I regularly shaved the dogs bum with it in the past

Oh and I definitely never used it to shave my long haired guinea pig....

@Another haha oh my god the dog's bum 😂

I haven't started antenatal but I imagine that's the reason. Although in my breastfeeding class we have knitted woolly boobs to practice with so maybe it's to shove up your top to look like a full term belly!

@AnotherOriginalUsername that's just made me nearly spit my squash out!!! I hope you brush the dog bum and Guinness pig hairs out of it first??!!

I also use my DHs beard trimmer, he moaned about me using it enough, god knows what he would say if he thought I was shaving animal bums with it!!

@shallen it was my elderly and very hairy collie who used to get poop nuggets stuck in his bum hair 😂 Fortunately for husband's beard trimmer, the remaining 4 dogs are all short haired and the guinea pigs have gone to the hutch in the sky

@Emma198 I did wonder!

Going to buy a big squishy one tomorrow. We don't have cushions in this house, they make great tug toys for the dogs 🙄

Random question, what level of exercise are people still managing to do?

Pre pregnancy I was quite active, kickboxing 2-3 days a week, I kept that up till 12 weeks but then had to stop for obvious reasons.
Now I walk a little bit, swim once or twice a week and do pregnancy yoga once a week.

I don't feel like I'm doing enough and now when walking I have to go really slowly now, or I get ligament pains and get out of breath quite easily swimming. I'm only 25 weeks I feel like I'll barely be moving by the end!!

In 26 weeks and get what I'm deeming to be "mechanically" breathless. When my posture is such that my diaphragm is restricted, that's when it happens e.g walking up hill (leaning forwards), bending over.

I have 4 dogs so still do a reasonable amount of walking. I do a big walk (maybe 8-12 miles) once or twice a month with the 3 peaks lot although the hill climbs are becoming problematic now. I do a 45 minute spin class 2-3 times a week but end up adapting it to do more low speed, high resistance work as bump gets in the way for sprints and things. Spinning is starting to hurt now (very achy the next day around my abdomen) so I've set my gym membership to suspend from 1st October. I may go swimming instead from there on.

I think as long as you're doing something (which will depend on what you did before pregnancy!) without going OTT then you're fine. After 28 weeks, too much intense cardio can affect baby (look at low birth weight in athletes). For me, it's a case of balancing not putting too much pressure on myself, and doing enough to keep my heart functioning well.

@AnotherOriginalUsername you are doing loads! Well done!
Think the mistake I made is to stop too soon, I hate the gym and running etc so as soon as I stopped kickboxing there wasn't really any other cardio I wanted to do, so have got very unfit now! Even walking too fast carrying a laptop by gives me bump or back pains!

I'm ok walking until I get to any hill or steps then my hips are sore. If I do a lot in a day my bump gets sore too.

I did a lot before though @shallen! I used to spin 4-5 times a week with a double session followed by Pilates on a Tuesday. I used to walk 15+ mile hill walks each weekend, as well as ad lib cycling (I'd do 20 miles each way to my hospital appointments to see the heart failure nurse )

@AnotherOriginalUsername makes me tired just reading your exercise list!!

@Emma198 I found the same but got a Lycra bump support thing from jojo I find it reduces bump pain a lot.

4D scan day today - has anyone else had one? This is our drastic attempt to find out the sex after name-gate!

So exciting today is the day! (Hopefully!) What will you do if it's a boy? X

We're sticking to what we've chosen regardless. It's husband's grandad as a first name and mine as a second name and it's been my husband's choice for a boys name since I've known him (over 10 years) way before the "old man" names came back into popularity. We told them that before they made their decision, whether they think we'll change our mind or not, I don't know!

We went out for dinner with my uncle last night and he suggested maybe naming baby after my maternal and paternal great grandfathers, but there's no way we're anywhere near middle class enough to pull off Ezekiel Theophilus....

Good luck with the scan another

Can I ask about movement again - yes I am obsessed.
If baby is moving regularly and maybe rolls and moves rather than out-right kicks on some days more than others, is that ok? I know they can have quiet days but every time I read about movement the advice is either contradictory (IMHO) or is just there to make me worry!

As long as it's doing something, from what I've been told, that's fine. They still have sufficient room to do so in there at the moment after all, as well as lie in different places so you may feel things differently. If you're worried though, phone your triage number or midwife. Let the experts put your mind at rest

The kicks count website is where my midwife generally points people for advice

I was in for reduced movements last week and it apparently just seems reduced sometimes because it's not the sharp kicks your used to.. I'm 29 weeks now and it's went from sharp movements to rolls and limbs sticking out so seems quieter. But obviously anything unusually strange they're happy to see you and reassure you at the mat assessment unit :-)

Thanks. He is moving regularly and I get kicks every day. I have no reason to suspect anything is wrong but I just don't know what to do with myself. I don't know what I'm doing and I am convinced it's all going to go wrong. People just don't understand when you say that you are being cautious and taking it day by day. I am hormonal and having a bit of a sob. I've had a crappy couple of years and I am desperate for him to be ok.

Sorry guys.