September 2021 Thread 5 (half way there!)

[Bubbles1st]

Welcome to the 5th thread ladies! As we start to hit the half Way point here is the list so far. By thread 6 we should have all known sexes for those finding out. Happy to update as we go along so feel free to message me once you know or if you want adding.

@Noodles4Me - 26th Aug 💙
@Scotti84 - 27th Aug 💖

@Sceptre86 - 1st 💛 tbc
@KHR1 - 1st 💙
@CherylLW - 3rd 💙
@deedeebythesea - 3rd 💙
@Squibble84 - 6th 💛
@leftitlate37 - 7th 💙
@bewitchingnight - 8th 💛 tbc
@AdventuresAwait - 9th 💖
@mumof23188 - 9th 💙
@Bubbles1st - 10th 💙
@FTEngineerM - 12th 💙
@Maybebaby29 - 14th 💙
@Taybz - 14th 💙
@Kirky658 - 15th 💛 tbc
@Hopefulmummie - 16th 💖
@Mamabearwhere - 17th 💙
@aurora2021 - 18th 💖
@unicornpower - 20th 💛 tbc
@Sophieandtiger - 20th 💛
@bluemagicalsky - 21st 💛 tbc
@Jay3004 - 22nd 💙
@SP2Bx - 22nd 💛
@Rach921 - 23rd 💛 tbc
@SproutingSprout2021 - 24th 💛
@RadDarwazeh - 25th 💛
@crobo87 - 25th 💙
@d0nut - 25th 💛tbc

So pleased to hear everything is OK @Kirky658 xx

@GWhiteley I plan to use this, I used it with my other two and loved it. They can use it for a long time 7/8 months and it’s great because lies back flat for naps but also can sit up more for awake time.

ultrabuy.co.uk/tiny-love-3-in-1-rocker-napper.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIp7nJgK248AIVpe_tCh1lhQ37EAQYAiABEgJ4APD_BwE

@Kirky658 happy to hear everything is okay! Pregnancy is deffo a journey of unwanted interesting side effects and worry isnt it! Hope you manage to have a good weekend to make up for the worry and 7 hr wait! X

Pleased to hear all is well @Kirky658

@Mamabearwhere that does look really good, but having looked at reviews & questions on amazon it seems they don't recommend it for night time sleeping - just napping. But I think it's personal preference a lot of the time & what your baby is happiest in

@GWhiteley ah yes to be fair I only used it for naps downstairs because I had a next to me crib in our room. A few friends who had Moses baskets said they end up using it only for a few weeks maybe couple of months before they outgrow it.

@Kirky658 so glad everything was fine. I know it must have been a long and anxious wait but atleast you are reassured now.

@adventuresawait @scotti84 @bubbles1st @mamabearwhere thanks ladies. It was a really scary afternoon but I have to say it's made it all feel so real and made me realise how much I want this little girl ❤️😍 just got to wait for the swabs results to come back now. That's it for the running now though for me, this scared me so much that's it finished for me. Think I'll stick to walking and perhaps swimming. X

@Mamabearwhere we just have so little spare space, hence the thought of a Moses basket that I can move around the house during the day & night. But I do think this is a good idea & might end up getting one so baby can sit up & look around while I'm doing things. Thanks for the recommendation 😀

@Kirky658 along with everyone else I'm glad you've been reassured & everything is ok, excellent news!

@SillyBry thanks! Had no idea there was such a thing as open and closed systems, definitely have a lot of research to do. Yeah I don't think I want to buy one unless I need to as they aren't cheap but hopefully will have one in mind by the time baby is here so I can go grab one if needed. The medela swing does look good and has great reviews, thanks!

@Kirky658 such a relief to read your update. I’m so glad all is well with baby girl 💓.

Two words ladies ...... varicose veins!!! Anyone else had them before? I had one last time in the third trimester but it’s reappeared already and I’m only 22 weeks. Ohh and it’s on my vagina 😱😱😱. Honestly the pain is just horrendous.

@KHR1 I didn’t either until my medela got some mould in a the sponge in the back of the motor... I googled it and found a whole world of stuff!! (John Lewis replaced it FOC... but that’s when I learnt that open systems are basically designed to live for a year and that’s it... so if you’re planning on having more kids, it might be worth looking into a closed system.)

Some good info here:
kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/buying-a-used-or-new-pump/

thepumpingmommy.com/closed-system-breast-pumps-honestly-does-it-really-matter/

Like the second says, open system is fine... but you have to be rigorous about cleaning it - and can’t be reused for later children/sold on

Thanks for the links @SillyBry I'm going to see about a closed system depending on how easy they are to find but at least, like you said, the open ones are fine as long as they are cleaned really well so they are still an option

I had an open system and it was fine. I just wished I’d have known as I’ll have to buy a new one this time around!

I can't even, bought our first clothes today from matalan 😍 anyone know a good list to work from on what to actually buy?
Pram and cot shopping tomorrow, deffo baby weekend this weekend. After yesterday's scare I want to make the most of it xxx

@Kirky658, this are lovely! I've stated buying clothes too. I love the one that says 'so loved'.

I saw a list from Bounty I think. Thought I'd saved it but can't find it now!

@adventuresawait matalan specials these ones! I've just found a list on Emma's Diary actually which seems pretty comprehensive so I've book marked that. Don't want to buy too much more till we've got the furniture in the nursery to keep it all in now - it's all piled in the corner atm lol xx

Ah so lovely! Glad all was ok @Kirky658 and sounds like a good way to enjoy the weekend after your long day yesterday. We've started buying now too, it's so exciting isn't it

@Kirky658, it is so exciting, isn't it? The whole process just amazes me. It's incredible.

We just realised that it is 4 months tomorrow until our due date!

Omg @Kirky658 SOOO cute! I placed a big Next baby order yesterday, but am dying to get to a Matalan!

There's loads of baby checklists online but I like the fact this one has some idea of quantities on... I always think about how often I'll need to do laundry haha.

The thing I'm struggling with is how many of certain sizes to get! 0-3 month stuff often drowns newborns, yet some newborns don't fit in newborn stuff! Next do an "Up to 1 month" which says 10lbs which I figured is a good starting size and should last a couple of weeks at least - hopefully! 😳

Now I've had the 20 wk scan I'm really on the task of buying what I "need" now, rather than just what I like... so basic vests, muslins, practical stuff rather than the cute outfits! Makes it so much more real!!!

Cute haul @Kirky658 !

I've started to put the washes clothes away and then his first little cloth nappies arrived yesterday, which was lovely timing due to second anomaly scan all being well.

We have an appointment for pram shopping on Tuesday so I feel it's all go here too 😬

I got a bit overexcited and bought some sleep suits in next after my 20 week scan... I love tiny baby clothes! 🥰🤣
I need to get hubby to go in the attic at the end of the month and drag the boxes of my daughters clothes out to see what I’ve actually got left in newborn and 0-3.
We’ve not found out the gender this time, so I won’t want to buy too much in advance as it’s all quite gender neutral, but it’s still so nice to buy the odd thing.

I got a tiny baby jacket and newborn hat in the last frugi sale. It’s a good idea to sign up to the Boden catalogue as they sometimes send out £10 off vouchers. And you get one for your birthday. Using the two vouchers, I got a snowsuit for £5 in the sale. Such a bargain!
I’ve got a couple of newborn sleeping bags - some I got off Facebook marketplace for a bargain. They get used for so little time, they are usually in really good nick.
But I feel like I need to wait til hubby is on school holidays to get the crib down and start rebuilding the baby things! I’m sure it’s at that point I’ll realise what else we need to buy 😊

Loving all the clothes 😍

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed having looked at feeding options - it's probably the thing I am most worried about. In an ideal world I'd like to breast and bottle feed so that DH can feed her too and feel part of things as he wants to help with the night feeds (he can fall back asleep in an instant, it's incredible). But I'm thinking about breastfeeding, how do you express the milk, do you need an expensive pump etc? And then for the bottle feeds, can you make up the hot water ahead of time in a flask for the bottles so it's at the right temp ready to make a fresh one? I'm wondering how you manage when you're out and about and obviously can't make freshly made bottles....

There's info on the NHS website but all it really says is to boil the water and let it cool for 30 mins....

@Kirky658 feeding is a minefield isn't it!
After I stopped expressing for my DD (which was pretty early) I used cartons of premade formula for trips out. We got a tommee tippee flask thing that comes with a plastic jug that screws on and you could heat up the formula by putting the bottle in it, it was ace. For night feeds we used a perfect prep machine, it was amazing! Making up fresh bottles and cooling them at night took so long. I didn't have an expensive pump for expressing, just a cheap hand pump. It worked fine but took quite a while which is why I ended up giving up as it took way too long and I wasn't getting enough to feed DD so I was having to top up with formula anyway.