July - we’re half way (thread 3)

[PeanutButterFalcon]

Spotted the last thread was almost full so started this one.

@pinkgin8 thats a cute bag! I managed to get thr bag that matches my pram brand new on ebay for £20 (rrp £80!) But think its only big enough for baby and i might need get toddler a back pack. Sold my other changing bag with travel system

YIkes, I really need to make a decision re when I'm finishing work.
I'll be on mat leave from 39 weeks and planning on taking 2 weeks holiday beforehand so will be stopping at 37 weeks.

How it all will feel at the time is a bit lost on me - I'm a FTM and do an office job, and wanting to maximise first pay packet (as OH doesn't get paid paternity leave because he hadn't been in his role long enough so I need to work as long as poss).

Can you change it once you've submitted it or does it have to be a final decision to your employer?

@Aj1400 I’ve submitted mine - working up until my due date but it can be changed with the company I work for - they just asked me to put something in for now and I wasn’t sure what I wanted.

I’m a FTM as well I work from home so hopefully I’ll be able to keep working for a while all being well!

@Aj1400 think it possibly depends on your work and if they are having to hire maternity cover for you

Anyone bought any maternity bits from Shein?

Mine has to be a final decision so I have opted to go on holiday for two weeks then start mat leave two weeks before due date. Although I WFH I've been warned that my PGP and now SPD may get bad so just sitting in my office chair all day might be a struggle.

@THATbasicSNOWFLAKE no I haven’t ordered but let me know if it’s any good if you do an order!

@Flittingaboutagain it’s so difficult to know how you’ll be feeling isn’t it - it’s like you don’t want to start too early as you don’t want to use up all your time and pay but then also need to make sure you’re not putting yourself in a situation where your health suffers. I’m very lucky I can change my dates - I’ve already got my replacement at work so just in the process of training them ready to take over - so my workload is slowly going to calm down on the lead up to me going as the new guy takes on more and more :)

It feels weird knowing I’ll be off for a big stretch of time - I’ve never had more than 2 weeks off before this!!

It's really weird that there will be so much time off.
I was furloughed in my previous job for a while - and that was very odd.
this will have a bit more purpose to it.

I think I'll miss work tho.
I'm taking 9 months (or so)- aiming to be back in work by April, but again, that can all change!

@Aj1400 that’s the same as me - if I take 9 months I’ll only have to do 6 weeks on stat pay so hoping to do that

Then reduce my hours on return to work to three days a week and have the baby in Nursey three days a week the rest of the time will be at home. We don’t really have anyone who can offer us childcare so Nursey for us! It’s so expensive but gotta be done!

Now that a lot of us are not far from 3rd trimester is anyone having fears of going into labour at any time? All I can think of is I am not prepared at all yet, still so much to buy and if baby was to come tomorrow I'd not have anything that I need. Then again I don't want to buy everything right now and have it clutter up the house for weeks on end, plus I'm waiting for shops to open to see certain things in person. Such a dilemma.

I'm on Stat allowance so April is when the amount coming in plummets.
Thankfully we've got a nice emergency fund to top it up!
Also I do a bit of freelance sport coaching on the side which I'm hoping I can do bits n pieces of.

It's a weird one to get my head around too, as I've been the breadwinner for 5 years it's odd to suddenly not be the one bringing in the lion share of the income each month.

All fun and games tho.

Realistically if any of us had baby any time soon theyd be looking at a fair few weeks in hospital so plenty of time to order online, also theyd not fit into any newborn etc clothes anyway!

I'd like to have everything done and in place for 36 weeks. 27+3 now

@THATbasicSNOWFLAKE

Realistically if any of us had baby any time soon theyd be looking at a fair few weeks in hospital so plenty of time to order online, also theyd not fit into any newborn etc clothes anyway!

I'd like to have everything done and in place for 36 weeks. 27+3 now

Very true, and rationally I know that deep down and also how unlikely it is. I think recently I seem to have read a lot of stories where baby was born very early and I'm just like arrrghh!

36 weeks seems like a sensible point to have everything by. I'm 26+2 atm so 10 weeks is still a lot of time I suppose! Then the final few weeks can be spent nesting and batch cooking, washing clothes etc.

@PeanutButterFalcon here in Northern Ireland there is a possibility of shops opening last week in April. Ideally as long as I have a pram for June I would like to know I have it the month before baby comes as I want to do as little as possible then. I will look into maternity action thank you

@Luckyelephant1 I’m hoping to have everything big bought by the end of may. Then I’ve got June to relax and just get nice things if I feel upto it.

When is a good time to have like a hospital bag ready? Is that like 34 + weeks? I’m 26 weeks exactly today. 6 weeks until my 32 week scan! Time is going quick!

@TiredAlreadyOhDear you can do it as soon as you like but I wouldn’t leave it any later than 36 weeks just in case. I think with all of mine it’s been done by 34 weeks, I do tend to take it out, rearrange it and add/takeaway bits about a hundred times though just because I get excited

I must admit I’m missing buying baby stuff, I still have everything from my last baby who is 14 months and a boy, I’ve bought a few bits for this one but I don’t really need anything.

Has anyone bought a sleepyhead or planning on getting one? I’ve never had one and some of them are so pretty.

@Foxglovesandlilacs I might aim
to do mine for 32 weeks and then it’s done and I can pack and unpack it a million’s times in a panic haha 😂

I wasn’t sure about the sleepyheads I have seen them and they do look nice but I’m not sure how much use I’d get out of one....but I’ve not had a baby before so I’m a bit clueless.

If I’m unsure I’m going to try and hold out from buying things - then when the baby is here if I think I need one I can get it at that point rather than buy it and not use it.

I’ve got the Nuna leaf grow swing thing - and put that up the other day to test it and I do really like that - hope the baby does too!!!😂

With the hospital bag i tend to get it out once i start buying for it and just chuck things in as i get them then ill get them out at some point and see if i have everything i need, make a list etc

I've never had a sleepyhead

@Foxglovesandlilacs, we are having a boy too and have a 19 month old boy so not much to buy!

@TiredAlreadyOhDear my eldest 4 all loved a swing as tiny babies! Dc5 hated it but suppose you can't please everyone

@THATbasicSNOWFLAKE that’s the thing until they’re here it’s really hard to know what they’ll settle in! Could spend the earth and then they’ll only sleep on a blanket on the floor 🙈😂

The bag idea is a good one put anything I buy in there then sort nearer to the time. I think as it gets closer I’ll get a list together and then get a bit more organised....however if anyone has a mock up list they want to share I’d be beyond greatful - loads of the ones online are so different it’s hard to know what’s actually useful to take and what’s not really.

Although if I forget anything when baby is here it’s not like we don’t have shops open 24 hours to send my partner out to get it for us while we’re still in hospital. X

I don't have a list to share atm!

I do three bags though, one for me, one for baby and a share to be brought in if i have to stay in

@luckyelephant1 I know that unprepared feeling - I stayed up far too late last night researching and then ordering nappies!

With restaurants and things starting to open up again, whats everyones approach going to be? My best friends 30th was back in November and we had originally made a booking at a fancy restaurant - they've asked us to reschedule it to late May/ early June when it reopens but I can't decide how I'll feel by then (in terms of COVID risks and also generally being hippo-sized!).

Still not told anyone or brought anything. Feel totally unprepared.

Found out at my 25 week midwife appointment today that she thinks there is extra fluid around the baby so I’ve to be scanned tomorrow. Also showing sugar in urine so if it happens again I need the glucose test done. Anyone any experience with extra fluid in pregnancies? I’m sort of hoping the worse outcome is gestational diabetes and not something more worrying

No experience sorry @Sweetpea12, might be worth making a thread on it?

@THATbasicSNOWFLAKE I did but no comments yet. I’ll know more at hospital tomorrow just been full of worry from I’ve got home