December babies 2021! Thread 4

[Scarletpig1]

Seems thread 3 is shut. Not sure if I'm doing this right as never started a thread
@climbershell
@moo37

My 16 week appointment was over the phone.

My 16 week was in person but she ran through the appointment schedule whilst updating my notes and said she'd listen to the heartbeat every time from the next appt- so was just blood pressure and urine sample. Must depend where you live! Xx

The midwife checked the heartbeat at my 16 week appointment but did say that it was quite early to hear it so maybe not every area checks it to prevent worrying? It's the loveliest so I hope you get to hear it very soon.

I've just been thinking about when to finish up at work. I'm thinking just before 37 weeks. Anyone else made any plans for mat leave?

@Sparklestars86 I only heard the heartbeat at my first in-person midwife appointment at 20 weeks. She let me record it : D I also had a consultant appointment (by mistake lol long story) and I just asked if I could hear it, and she was happy to oblige.

Re: prams. I am soooo lost (first baby). I would love one of those that's light and easy to fold up on a train/airplane, as I travel a lot... but what sort of system is good for that from birth? (Anticipating baby's first flight at 3 months, if we can get the passport sorted + covid's ok, etc.) Most look like starting at 6+ months at least to me (e.g. when child can sit up properly). Any brands I can investigate? Plan to buy second hand if possible.

Mat leave: due end of December and would like to go off start of December, but may have a couple projects to finish so not sure if it'll be possible. Plan to take it easy from then on anyway. So 37-38 weeks but 36 if I can manage it. Just want to sit around in my pyjamas and wrap Christmas present you know :D

As for after that... controversially, I do not want to take the whole year, but much shorter... and this seems to clash with all sorts of things (what my employer is used to, maternity cover or lack thereof, shared parental leave not being paid equally, local nursery not being keen on under-3-month-olds). Hoping working from home is still a thing in 2022 so I will have some space to sort it all out! I have some projects starting in April that I absolutely don't want to miss out on.

I only got to hear the heartbeat for the first time at my 20 week appointment! They definitely seem to avoid it before then as it's harder to find.

I'm also looking at prams and feeling overwhelmed 😅 we currently live in the city so are looking for an urban one. We are keen to avoid the ones with the big wheels at the back that make the whole thing heavier and bulkier but so many of them seem to have those. We are likely to pop on the train often and walk a lot with it (pavement and parks) so we are keen to have one that's quite lightweight and compact for public transport but still durable for a lot of use. I definitely want the rotating front wheels and a good storage area below but otherwise it's just city friendly and lightweight that's the main factors.

Any recommendations from ladies with babies already would be great! I've also just realised we need to factor in the winter weather for the early months as being in Scotland we are likely to get a lot of ice and snow ⛄️

We've bought a Mamas and Papas Ocarro after HOURS of testing prams in stores 😂😂
We do a lot of walking so if needed to tackle urban terrain, but also dirt tracks etc.
It's not the lightest frame wise but I liked that as it felt sturdy. It was slightly more than I wanted to pay but I thought why not. It was the only pram we both agreed on 😂
Handy thing about the Ocarro is it folds when it's a pushchair without having to take off the seat, which a lot of other brands need you to do.

I've been rather absent on here being summer holidays with 2 kids already I'm exhausted. But had 20 week scan (at 22 weeks exactly) all is perfect and def a girl after 2 boys. Technician was lovely and went into detail about what she could see and why it's def a girl.

I’ve used my pushchairs than most on here put together. 24 years as a nanny, I’ve probably had every buggy there is.
I go back to my 21 year 3 wheeler every time, with my dd bought the bumble buggy which is as good as my old one, but had the carry cot and seat attachments which makes life a lot easier.
We do an even split of country and urban walking and they are great for both. My 6 year old niece was sat in the buggy the other and can still push with just a couple of fingers. Heavy to move in/out the car but light when using.

We've gone with Oyster 3 for our pram. First timers though so no feedback on yet! We didn't have any specific requirements just wanted an all rounder that suits walking down the street but could also manage the park/gravel paths etc; fairly lightweight and reasonably small folding. Seemed to tick all the boxes and have read only positive reviews so fingers crossed made a good choice!
Re maternity leave- am I being naive/crazy to think I can work pretty much up until 5 days before my due date? I'm a solicitor and already agreed to work from home at 28 weeks (Family courts havent gone back to normal since COVId so 99% of my hearings are still video link/over the phone). I've already gone down to 4 day weeks to use up my holidays. Still got 10.5 left to take as well though so can tag some of those on last minute if it gets too much?
@mushroomQueen. Pleased all went well with your scan. I always liked the idea of older brothers to then be able to look out for a younger sister! Xx

@Sparklestars86 I worked up to 38 weeks with my first and the last week of work was a real drag, I'd just had enough of commuting, but it's all a bit different with working from home.
I'm planning to work until 37 weeks this time but we've got a fair amount of decorating on the go so I'll be trying to get the house in order!

On the pram front i have went for another venicci, i just feel the suspension and movement is far superior to other's ive tried, especially as we will be out in the park with the dog and my little boy. I did set out for something different but couldn't believe how bad some where at turning ect compared to that.. i fell in love with a pink sparkly one totally impractical for the scottish weather and going through muddy parks also wheels i thought where awful. I know the venicci folds up well and the wheels easily pop on and off for more room ect :)

I'm planning on finishing up at 37 weeks. This is my first baby and I want a couple of weeks of just pottering around the house, nesting and resting. Make the most of being able to just please myself 😀

I've gone for a mee-go milano plus travel system for our pram. It's meant to be quite good for dog walking due to the suspension. It also folds down quite well to fit in the car with a baby and a Labrador.

Does anyone have any recommendations for bedside cribs? I'm looking at the maxi-cosy Iora but i have no idea what's good or practical.

@Sparklestars86 I'm planning on working until the last minute too due to being able to work from home. I'm saving a couple of weeks holidays to use in the run up to that date too so I will get a bit of a break. Knowing my luck I'll be overdue and end up having to work in early January 😅

I'm not sure whether to brave buying a pram online for delivery without testing it... I only have John Lewis near me that have ones on display (had a handful on display which I checked out last week) and then there's a pram centre too but they are all extortionate and the place has bad reviews. Did anyone else buy without testing it in person?

We had the Egg pram and stroller for DD1. To be honest I found most very similar - thankfully now a lot of the systems seem easy to manoeuvre and fold down etc. We have the tutti bambini next to me snuz pod - again was a good job. Could be folded down easily enough too and had a carry bag if needed to travel. Thankfully we got to see all the bits in person when we bought. We don’t really need anything this time round but think will get a Stokke Tripp Trapp this time around and maybe a new bouncer. And maybe a new changing bag - just because I feel like I want something new. Haven’t bought anything yet - will prob wait to after 30 weeks before getting anything

@Sparklestars86 I worked up to 39 weeks last time and plan to again. Sitting at home waiting wasn't for me!

Ladies for any of you who are already mammies, what are your thoughts on Aldi nappies v pampers?

Hello everyone! Please could I join?
I’m due baby number 2 on 31st Dec ☺️ I have a little boy already, he’s 19months. So I will have 2 under 2 for at least a brief moment 😂🙈

I haven’t read the whole lot of thread but the last bits I have seen (might be long, sorry!!):

I was lucky enough to hear baby’s heartbeat at the 16 week midwife app. I recorded it too this time, as didn’t with my first.

We had a horrible sonographer for our 20 week scan. Asked if we could know the sex and got guilt tripped completely about how that scan is for anomaly checking etc, private scans are available for sexing. We didn’t find out first time, but because we don’t need to buy much, decided it’d be nice to know this time to be able to buy a few bits specifically for this baby etc. Anyway she reluctantly had a quick look and said ‘can’t see properly but might be a girl’ what are we meant to do with that info exactly?! Was going to wait and just have another (half) surprise, but now bugging me so have booked a private scan. We do have to go back for a growth scan in a few weeks as baby’s head was ‘on the small side of normal’ measurements, so could ask then, but worried about another unobliging sonographer 😂

My son arrived at 36 weeks spontaneously and I had planned to work til 37/38 weeks so hadn’t finished work to have any chill time, so this time I’m planning to finish earlier so I can enjoy some r&r while he’s at nursery! Not decided exactly when yet though.

And @Cuddles21 I liked Aldi nappies in smaller sizes-nice fit and absorbed well, but switched to pampers a bit later on as the fit on those was better as he grew!

So hi, nice to meet you all 😃

We use Aldi. Pampers are fine too but the Aldi seem to fit him better

We're going to brave cloth nappies : o anyone else?

We use cloth nappies and occasional pampers, but sister in law always used Aldi ones.

We use a mixture of cloth and disposable. Disposables at night, cloth in the day. When DD was tiny though the cloth nappies didn't fit well and we had a lot of leaks so we used disposables full time and switched to cloth at about 8 weeks. The only cloth nappies we could find aren't any of the brand name ones though which is maybe why the fit and absorbancy isn't the best.

I have always found Lidl nappies to be the best, so cheap and never had any leakages. This was a few years ago though so things might have changed since then! Welcome @flowersandrainbows2017 I think that's really mean of the sonographer! I totally get that the most important thing about the scan is the health of the baby but she doesn't have to be so grumpy about you wanting to find out, for many it's the part you can enjoy since the rest of the scan is quite nerve wracking! I'm sure the next sonographer you get will be more than happy to oblige!

Your sonographer does sound a bit joyless flowersandrainbows2017, you'd think it would be one of the nicest parts of their job revealing the sex?! My Dr was a bit disappointed that we'd gone for the NIPT and knew baby was a boy as she enjoys the surprise/excitement of the gender reveal. I'm sure most are like that! You must have gotten unlucky or perhaps she was just having a bad day x

@Scarletpig1 we used Aldi/lidl nappies initially, I didn't find it mattered so much given the short time newborns are in nappies. Once we got to size 4s and the wees were a bit more substantial and nappies were on longer we moved to pampers pull ups and have had no issues

@Flowersandrainbows2017 welcome! How mean of your sonographer - surely would have been better to just not look than give you an uncertain answer. When is your private scan? Don't blame you for booking!

My sonographer was a bit upset I already knew the sex. Oh I love telling people she said, but she double checked and confirmed it’s definitely a boy.
The private scan places are great, we’ve had a number of good experiences with them @Flowersandrainbows2017, including both our gender scans.
Had a weird experience today, was sorting the moving boxes into the new wardrobes and bent over backwards as my back hurt. Arched my back and my belly went flat apart from a complete baby shape, was really strange and my gosh he is a big baby already. My mum saw it and was fascinated.