Due end of January 2022 - Thread 2

[expectinglittlebear]

We are about to max out our thread, so starting the next one!

@spttc @tangfastic91 @thecapitalsunited @alle1991 @sociallydistained @jonesy88 @erin87 @essekey @erinrose82 @bobblewobble1 @loll84 @dolly0706 @kayl23

I hope that's everyone! Tag away if not :)

@EsseKey omg I've just looked this up and blood type A was most receptive to coronavirus! Didn't realise it would make such a difference

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 well I don't think there is a causality known (yet) for that (i.e. I don't know if it's the blood type of sth else doing the difference), it's just an association - but still I find it super interesting! 🤞

@spttc The actual paper is [[https://www.pitch-study.org/PITCH_Dosing_Interval_23072021.pdf here] but you probably need degrees in a bunch of stuff to actually make sense of it. Which is actually the problem with letting people decide for themselves, the issue is so complex that we do need experts to assess the data, make recommendations and balance them with other issues like the wider supply of vaccinations and whether it's best for more people to be vaccinated once or a smaller number of people to be double jabbed.

Joe Average has virtually no chance of actually understanding all the factors involved and we need to have a vaccination programme that works for the whole nation not the individual. I'm pretty comfortable with this because my job means that I'm an expert in a particular field and advise both individual companies and industries as a whole on the best course of action based on both the facts and my overall professional experience but I appreciate that a lot of people want to try and make sense of it for themselves. And mixed messages from health professionals do not help especially when pregnant women are already on high alert for things that might cause problems. Crikey, the audiobook I'm listening to at the moment by a practicing midwife recommended avoiding just about every chemical known to man 'just in case' even if there wasn't any real data to suggest a problem.

@thecapitalsunited I cringe so much when I hear/read the word "chemical" when it comes to health 🤐 most of the times is fearmongering crap...
Unfortunately so many people don't accept the fact that higher institutions base their recommendations on evidences and considerations that go beyond the individual study or anecdotal evidence... That's why I try avoid being involved in those kind of discussions, it's simply frustrating! 😬 I think this is probably the only place (including real life conversations!) where I have slighty commented on the vaccine topic 😂

Gosh reading your comments makes me feel really lucky being NHS as I had both jabs ages ago. Despite being more risky not to have the jab, I can understand why people still have reservations. Especially when advice seems so inconsistent.

@Trinacham hope your symptoms stay mild

@thecapitalsunited the link won't work but il type it into my browser on my work computer tomorrow see if I can decode it 🤓 Thanks. I do think in this emergency situation vulnerable groups should be given the option to get the 2nd dose more quickly though with a simple explanation that "protection is increased by X amount if you wait longer between doses or lasts X amount longer but obviously 2 jabs are vital for delta variant so you can have it sooner if you wish with X amount less protection, or you can wait and gamble with only the 1 dose for 8 weeks". Depending on your lifestyle....front facing job etc or if you stay home a lot you might choose to wait the full 8 weeks! Most people aren't so stupid they can't understand that concept I don't think😅😂 I do agree that people "doing their own research" is a dangerous idea though when they don't have the qualifications to do so.

Agreed @EsseKey let's talk about car seats & scans again, I'm so over Covid I really really am 🙈😅👌

I'm feeling HUGE all of a sudden. It's hard not to get down about it. I think I'm eating too many carbs which isn't helping with water retention 🙈 I need to tell people I work with because they probably think I'm just piling on weight. So I need to tell them and stop with the huge clothing which really isn't helping my look 😬 Has anyone started with majorly buying things, car seats, decorating nurseries, cleaning out rooms etc...... I think I'm in danger of falling behind, we ideally need a house extension which now seems unlikely before baby 😅

@spttc out of superstition, not planning to buy anything til a lot later. BUT I did buy a load of maternity clothes from Seraphine in the sale, and omg it makes such a difference! Just feeling I look a lot better in stuff that fits and is comfy. The bobble in the waistband stuff wasn't working anymore and I just looked big and lumpy

@spttc i had to buy my first maternity jeans yesterday, I don't fit anymore in the ones I had bought 2 weeks ago 🙄😅 I think that the real bump grow has started!

I will start buying stuff when I am back to the UK in mid September... I think I know what stroller and car seat I want, but I want first to have a look at them in person before buying 😬
baby's room is empty already, I just need to move one single item of furniture, then i want to buy a wardrobe (a real one, not a nursery one, they look so small!), a changing table and a next-to-me style crib... This for the "big" stuff. I have everything in mind I hope I will be able to stick to the plan and not procrastinate 😂🤞

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7
Gosh, I am loving my first maternity jeans they are sooo comfy!!!! I will definitely buy some more maternity stuff, but i hope I can limit the purchases to clothes that I can use a bit longer... So maybe leggings and long shirts etc
Ah also I have bought nursing bras because I needed to size up, sooo much better now! 😊
A friend who had a baby in January suggested a maternity/baby wearing coat for the winter... It has inserts to accomodate the bump, then you remove them and can use it as a normal coat. Also there is a pouch to put the newborn in (even though I wouldn't buy a coat uniquely for baby wearing)... Seraphine has a couple of those!

Not buying any items for baby until at least after anomaly scan but have bought some maternity leggings, got a pair of 2nd hand mat jeans on the way from someone selling on Facebk, and also went for nursing bras since I had to size up.
I'm not feeling massive but my bump deffo aches at the end of a day at work.
Next milestone is to get my whooping cough jab and then get my free dental checkup!

Oh maybe I'll look on Seraphine! I look horrendous at the moment. Really bad. I need to get myself sorted.

Iv bought nothing for me or baby really. Agreed on wardrobes I'm obsessed with the pax storage system from IKEA so I'll be getting more of those for the nursery, they're just so customizable 👌 and I'm going to use a dresser for changing table & just put a topper thing on it so I can keep it for years! Literally hate any waste 🙈

@EsseKey im jealous you have an empty room ready!! I'm lacking in that department, I suppose that's step 1 🤣

@spttc lucky coincidence, since we rearranged the furniture around the house (and redecorated) just a few months ago, so we purposefully left the future nursery empty 😬 although it's the smallest room in the house... I kept the second bedroom for myself as home office and guest bedroom! Baby girl won't need much bedroom space...😜
Oh yes I love the ikea pax, i was also thinking to make something with that because it's customisable to maximise the space, and they have the right size for my nursery! And yes to the changing top over a dresser! I have an ikea kallax 4x4 that I could use with a changing thingy top, but that would give my partner back ache and a too good excuse not to change the nappies 😂 so I will have to look for something else a bit taller...

I haven't bought anything yet, I wanted to wait for the 20 week anomaly scan, which we have on Friday, before getting anything.

To be honest I don't know where to start! There's so much choice, and so many things to consider I will need to have a sit down and really think about what is necessary and what isn't.

Has anyone bought a pregnancy pillow yet? Now bump is visible my back is starting to feel sore. Looked here www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/kids/baby-tech-essentials/best-pregnancy-pillows-for-back-pain-front-sleepers-reviews-a7095866.html%3famp but still no idea. There's too much choice! Would be nice to have one which can be useful for nursing too

I haven't bought much at all so far. I have all the big things from DS so wanted to wait til after my scan. I did pick up a maternity coat as I got away without one last time but I doubt I'll be so lucky this time. I've got some annual leave next week so I have grand plans to to clear out and organise. We definitely won't have a room ready like we did last time as we just won't have the space but the amount of junk we've built up over the last few years is ridiculous. Once we know the sex then I can sell some stuff if I know we won't need it.

@Trinacham I bought a pillow from TKMaxx a while ago, think it was only £16.99. I've not needed it too much so far, but I can see how it will be comfy as I get bigger. I think they can also help keep you on your side, rather than rolling on to your back (I read somewhere that sleeping on your left side is best for baby, no idea if that's true or not though )

@Scottishgal85 yes, I've just been reading about the left side thing, so must be some truth in it! Although, I doubt it's that bad.. and you can't help it if you roll in your sleep. I think it is for you rather than baby, as it said your vena cava is on the right side

@EsseKey great point about the dresser height!!! My husband is super tall and actually legitimately has back issues....I'll have to consider carefully 😂

@Scottishgal85 yeh we are really trying to only buy 100% necessary items.

Car seat is meant to be the first thing you decide on and organise as obviously that's vital to get them home (unless you are having a home birth). I think I'll struggle most with that as I'm totally clueless and have never even looked.

@Trinacham I got the BBHUG ME pillow....something like that it's called. I don't love it yet. Rave reviews but im not sold. Maybe later on. I do like how versatile it is and can become a nursing pillow etc. BUT I Duno if I can recommend for the price. I have friends who loved it, maybe I'm just missing something 🤷🏻‍♀️ www.bbhugme.com

@spttc everything I bought is okay for nursing too, so it feels like I could get good wear out of it. The mat bras @EsseKey mentions are amazing too 😍 so comfy.

@EsseKey baby is going to be in what is effectively my walk in closet 🙈 and I'm thinking I might leave my things in there for now.

Re the changing table, I was planning to use a fold out padded mat on the floor as that's what I've seen a lot of my family and friends do, despite having a changing table. Any second time mums know about this and whether it's worth getting?

Re: pillow I bought the Koala pregnancy and nursing one, was only about £35 and I like it well enough. It has a removable pillow case, and is banana shaped with a little pillow to put under your bump also. I was totally overwhelmed looking at all the options though, so there's prob a lot better out there

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 i have seen some families just going with the changing mat on the floor, but i am not so sure for the newborn phase... It sounds so uncomfortable to go all the way down so many times a day for a nappy change...? Happy to hear 2nd (or more) time mums' opinion!

I'm getting my maternity pillow at the weekend. My brother is a body pillow expert albeit not maternity pillows so I've asked him to find something for me knowing he's tried pretty much every shape on the market. He reckons something pretty basic is the way forward and pointed out that you can bend a straight pillow but you can't uncurve a curvy one.

@thecapitalsunited yeh the bbhugme one is straight, and u can tie it into a circle etc. I'm going to try it again tonight and see if I like it 😂

Finally bought maternity clothes!! On seraphine. Praying I like them because right now I feel ugh. It's 20% off everything until 30th aug aswell. Duno if they always have that but there's a discount code on the site 👌

I bought my maternity clothes in the next sale and they feel decent quality. I’m trying to not over but but also not make myself miserable by having nothing to wear.

I also have the tk max pillow - I didn’t want to spend a fortune as I seemed to have developed into a bit of a fidget!

16 week scan today (late in terms of timings as per usual) but I got to hear the heartbeat! Chuffed as I wasn’t expecting to. The midwife said I can now collect my form from my GP for free prescriptions and dental.

@Jonesy88 I had my 16 week scan appt today too (2 weeks late as I was away on holiday). I got to hear the heartbeat too which was wonderful! And I think I began to feel baby move today too - it feels like someone is flicking an elastic band gently in my abdomen. Definitely helping me to bind with baby more.

I'm loving my maternity jeans which I got in the sale in H & M and have maternity leggings to collect this week. I also got a maternity tankini on sale for when I get bigger and can't jog anymore!