Due end Nov/early Dec - Hello third trimester!

[MummyShark97]

Just making a new thread before we fill the other one up !

@Pinktruffle - in your shoes I would absolutely be saying the same! Hopefully they take the sensible approach.
"Very much wanted to" is too strong a phrase for me but I wanted to go back more than I didn't, if that makes sense.
Mat leave starts 2nd Nov (due date is 21st Nov) but because of half term I finish on 23rd October :-)

@EithneBlue yeah that makes sense, and I'm very sure a sense of some normality will be very welcome, we have certainly had very unique pregnancies!

I've requested the same date as the start of my maternity leave, I'm due a few days after you on 26th. It strange to think that we are now in to single figures weeks wise to get to our maternity leave! And not far off single figures for our due date.

I really need to start looking at getting my hospital bag together, I haven't bought a single thing for yet. Once we are in the third trimester, I guess the baby could come at any time!

@Pinktruffle - Oh that's terrifying LOL! I know in my head it's an 8 week term but did not make that connection!
I started the summer holiday with the intention of having everything completely ready by now... that definitely did not happen. I'm making good progress though - washed and put away all the newborn clothes earlier and have a pile of stuff on top of a bag that will become the hospital bag! It still doesn't feel real that I'll have an actual baby to care for tbh which is making me procrastinate 😂

@EithneBlue @Pinktruffle are you both teachers? I've been a secondary teacher for fourteen years. I handed in my notice after my miscarriage though at the end of last year. I didn't feel like I was coping with that and a few other things that were going on. I feel a bit lost with everyone i know going back to school.

@chubbyhotchoc I'm a non teaching pastoral head of year and DDSL in a secondary school. I can completely understand where you are coming from, I looked to get out of education after my miscarriage - the stress was too much but once I found out we would need IVF, after a very frank discussion with the head about the schools failings towards me, I ended up staying and things have gotten better for me.

I have a lot of friends in education too and it feels wierd everyone going back but me. I was off for 2 weeks before lockdown began and missing a lot of the time before that for hospital appointments, I was saying to a colleague yesterday that when I don't show up on the first day of school on Thursday, the kids will be making up some crazy rumours about me as none of them know I'm pregnant!

@EithneBlue I know what you mean about it not feeling real. I had a bit of a moment today where I was saying to DH 'can you believe this is actually happening? We are actually, finally going to be parents!'. I don't think it'll feel fully real till I'm on the labour ward!

@nearlyamummyof2boys oh no! How frustrating, and nit a great start with your new hospital either. Hopefully it goes smoothly from here on

@chubbyhotchoc - I'm an English teacher: I think I'm very lucky in that my school and department are all incredibly supportive of one another - it's certainly not like that everywhere and in a less supportive environment I think I would be much more hesitant about going back.
It sounds like in your case you really needed a break to re-evaluate and take some time to work on you which is always the best thing to do - teaching is something you can go back to if you want to (and if not you're still pretty employable if you want to be). It must be a strange feeling to see everyone go back though!

@Pinktruffle I'm not sure what the kids are going to say on Thursday... there's actually a few of us returning from Lockdown pregnant!
I'm not sure I'll believe it until the third night at home when the baby is screaming in my face and I realise that I can't pass it off onto anyone else 😂

@Pinktruffle good for you for having the conversation. I used to stand up for myself much better in my early teaching years but over the years I think I've lost confidence. It's a bit of a shit show when you spend so many years of your life in a profession and come out feeling like rubbish.

@EithneBlue my subject is English too. It makes such a difference with a good dept and a good school. My first dept was like my family but I moved away. I just think as well it's not a child friendly profession especially if you're a core subject. I hated missing sports days or begging for time for nativities/ school assemblies and leaving dd in after school club until 5:30. I also found that all the mums at my dd's school knew each other from the playground pick ups which I could never make and she wasn't getting invited to parties and play dates. Sounds trivial but I cried over it a lot. Then when I had the miscarriage my nerves got really bad. I started worrying about dd all the time like I was going to lose her too. Idk I just felt I had no choice. Sorry off loading here!

@chubbyhotchoc - That sounds incredibly stressful (not at all trivial) and it definitely sounds like you've done the right thing for yourself and your family [Flowers].
There is a little feminist in me that wonders if male teachers ever have the same issues/concerns, though.

Morning all well at work this morning was not comfortable at all I work in school I'm a cleaner I've been working all the way through which hasn't been that bad but this morning was very uncomfortable all the teachers came in at same time no social distancing at all and for some reason thought it was ok to come stand right where we were cleaning really felt like saying something to them all as they are ment to be setting an example I went into the big hall till they moved on defo will be wearing a mask and getting in that bit earlier so I can leave before they come on to the property I have had a word with my boss to as my maternity isnt till mid november but if this is how its gonna be I feel like I will leave earlier

@Kj1010 That's really poor to hear they are not social distancing when they should know better!

I have my whooping cough jab today so I barely had any sleep last night from nerves 😓

So I havent took any pics for a few weeks feel I've got bigger now 25+2 today

@chubbyhotchoc Don't apologise for offloading, we are all here to support each other. It sounds like you made the right decision for yourself, and as @Eithneblue said, it's a career you can always go back to should you want to do so in the future. Put the time with your family first as you'll never get that back.

Feel for everyone who has gone into schools today!

Going to ask the midwife for any tricks to relieve chest tightness when I see her on Monday as it's really starting to get to me ! Anyone else found anything useful?

Hope everyone who was returning to work today had a good day. I’m so used to WFH now I think it would be such a shock to the system to have to commute in and see people in person!

I’ve started going to the oestopath @MummyShark97 their manipulation can open up the rib cage to stop the chest tightness giving more room for the lungs. Back feels a lot better since too!

@Babyhope98 oh my god what a perfect little face she has ❤️

@Babyhope98 really I hadn't even thought of that!

Thank you 🥰 @lc86

I’ve only been once and it’s helped me I would recommend my back was a mess! He said will help with reflux and giving room for lungs with the ribs. I will keep going every three weeks to keep on top of it. Also with all of the aches and pains in pregnancy helps with that too @MummyShark97 x

Do we have to have the glucose drink for the gestational diabetes test or do we just fast and they take bloods?

I think it depends on the area @Babyhope98. I was told I would just be having a blood test - I should be having it on Friday but haven't been told to fast before it

@Babyhope98 for my glucose test I had to fast from 10pm the night before. I went at 8.30am and they took bloods then I had to drink the glucose drink and go back 2 hrs later when they took bloods again. I wasn't allowed anything else to eat or drink in those two hours.

I've just been fully expecting the 2 hour wait and second round of bloods but they said they don't do that anymore and they just took one lot. I was relieved because they had 4 different members of staff try to get the first lot.