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 :)

I’m feeling miserable from hip pain stopping me sleeping but feel “I can’t complain as others have it so much worse”. Overall I think it’s more frustration because although I’m comfortably over half way there still feels like such a long time to go and symptoms are only going to get worse. I wouldn’t change it for the world but 4 months is still a long time!

With you all on the less glamorous aspects of pregnancy..I miss being able to sleep through the night without having to pee! Also the crotch kicks have started so that's fun 🙈, stomach was unpleasant enough. And don't even get me started on the agonising leg cramps, what the actual F.

That said, I know I am very fortunate to be in this position, I love the little guy already and am super excited for next year!

@Tangfastic91 you just reminded me about the almighty calf cramp I got yesterday trying to get up off the floor after playing with the dog. DH thought there was something seriously wrong as I panted through the pain and laughed at me when I said it was calf cramp.

I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one who is feeling a bit over the whole pregnancy thing though because I was starting to feel like a bit of a witch. I think @EsseKey is right and the whole thing is so romanticised that I feel a bit let down by the whole experience. Like a teenager in their first relationship who doesn’t realise yet that it’s not all hearts and flowers.

Yep I am totally not loving pregnancy and see it very much as a means to an end. Keep telling my husband that if I could ask him to be the pregnant one instead of me then I would every time!
I don't think there's anything I enjoy about what's happening to my body, and I will be glad when it's over if I can get the baby here safely.

[quote spttc]@sociallydistained yes. I look very pregnant today. Pretty much exactly the same size as you there 😂 I feel like it comes and goes, there's been quite a dramatic escalation tho [/quote]
I’m so glad you’re the same as we are the same due date. Just seems to of grown rapidly in the last few weeks. There’s no denying it now 🙈

I got worried about gestational diabetes because someone told me about their experience last night and said the baby grew rapidly and I’m like right my stomach is growing rapidly and I can’t stop eating sugar!! I just need to start slowing down on that I think 🤦🏻‍♀️

@Tangfastic91 Oh god the leg cramps!! They're so bad aren't they! I have always had this habit of stretching my legs when I am asleep and pointing my toes - no idea why, just something my body decides to do when I am asleep - clearly in my dream world I think I am a ballerina or something haha!! But god whenever I do that, I wake up with an awful cramp..!

@EsseKey I definitely agree that the whole thing is romanticised!! So far pregnancy has definitely not been glamorous.. my skin is the worst it has ever been, my hair is always so dry, I've put on weight EVERYWHERE, and I just feel like a whale most days.. and oh god, the pelvic floor issues... 🙈

@expectinglittlebear yesss!! It's the damn pointy toes that does it. I used to wake up in time as I was doing it, to stop it going full cramp, but those days are gone. Now I just make sure I have a good stretch when I'm awake with toes pulled back ha!

I have to say I have also had pelvic floor issues even though I’m doing weight training Kegals! 🙈

Feeling like I'm getting off easy here 😬🤣 no pelvic floor issues, no leg cramps, sleeping really well. I literally feel completely normal like I'm not pregnant 😂 the only things I have is a bump and baby kicks that's it 😅💁🏻‍♀️

I would say the same except I noticed twice when I weed a tiny bit of pee came out 😳 I mean tiny but a reminder to do my keegals more often I suppose haha.

@spttc that was totally me first time round. I just felt so well and really did enjoy being pregnant.

This time I've again fared really well with symptoms etc but I just can't shake the fed up and meh feeling. I'm petite anyway and even second time I don't look nearly as pregnant as I am and other than achy hips I'm not especially restricted. But I still feel meh and just not enjoying it the way I did first time. I really shouldn't complain but I still do! Even with a toddler this time, I know that others have it so much worse.

Does anyone know how child benefit works if you were earning above the threshold but won’t be whilst on maternity leave (and potentially the future if I reduce my days)? The gov website says about looking at the previous tax year but that won’t be accurate will it?

@Jonesy88 I'm also keen to know this! If I drop a day then I'll be under the threshold. So not only will I not pay as much 40% tax, but the £90 odd quid a month will be nice too (plus the day 'off' with bub)

I would assume you would then get normal child benefit if you would then be earning under the threshold unless your partner (if you have one) earns over. I would call up and ask for some advice as it's not very clear on the website.

@Jonesy88 I think if you or your partner earns above the threshold, you can still claim CB but you have to pay tax on it.. I think! That is the jist I got when I looked into it too. Not sure how it will work if your income will drop though, might be worth giving them a ring to find out, as yes the website isn't very clear.

My understanding is if you're going to have a stay at home parent then it's worth claiming, and then filling a tax return in as they then get pension credits. For us we won't claim as it's a pain doing a big self assessment to basically return it all.
It's a shame it can't be simpler hey

How early can you claim child benefit? I know you don’t get it until baby is born but can you register for it early so you receive it when born or doesn’t it work like that?

In other news, I bought some stuff with my friends discount at boots today including maternity pads, nipple pads and cream even calpol and some bump cream. Weird buying the realistic stuff makes it more real.

We also got a second hand chest of drawers and changing table (combined) so finally have a place to store babies stuff in my tiny flat!

@sociallydistained I think you need the birth certificate to put in your claim.

Oh wow that's very organised! I've spent my evening with a flat pack chest of drawers - needed it for a specific alcove in my flat so luckily IKEA had one in the perfect exact size. Forgot how awful flat pack is though, still not finished.... but at least will can start getting organised now

[quote A1b2c3d4e5f6g7]@sociallydistained I think you need the birth certificate to put in your claim.

Oh wow that's very organised! I've spent my evening with a flat pack chest of drawers - needed it for a specific alcove in my flat so luckily IKEA had one in the perfect exact size. Forgot how awful flat pack is though, still not finished.... but at least will can start getting organised now[/quote]
I’m not an organised person in the slightest but decided needed some sort of storage for the baby so it’s not all over the place or at relatives..: not that I have a lot!

Found chest of drawers with changing mat on top for £15. DP and I collected and managed to fit it in the car without dismantling… just 😂 it’s so strange seeing it up though as first sign of a baby living in the house! (Our next to me crib we got is in storage and a baby bouncer and we haven’t got anything else)

@sociallydistained wow that's such a bargain!

Yep I've almost finished my drawers then I can wash all the baby stuff we have so far and put it away. It's in piles in the laundry basket atm, just cos I've had nowhere else to put it. Baby's room is still my closet for now, so don't want piles all over that 😅

I’m having a bad day today. I developed a migraine with nausea last night which isn’t unusual for me so I soldiered on (including a trip to the hygienist because it was too late to cancel) and ended up in bed at 8pm. Usually this does the trick but I still have the migraine this morning. With a high BMI I’m at higher risk of preeclampsia so I thought I best be sensible and ring the midwife for advice. We agreed that it’s probably just a migraine but I need to be checked over anyway. So I’ve been sat in maternity triage for ages instead of being at my maternity meeting with HR. All my tests seem fine (the midwife couldn’t find the heartbeat initially but baby helpfully kicked the Doppler so she could find it!) so there’s probably nothing wrong with me but they were all insistent that I needed the full works.

@thecapitalsunited sorry to hear! Sounds like its for the best you get checked out though. Hope its all sorted soon and you can go back to bed(?)/work.

I've got this rotten cold that is doing the rounds at the moment - having not been ill for 2 years, so its a corker! My usual go to is a boatload of decongestants/night nurse/coffee (not decaff!) - which are clearly off the menu! So instead I'm sat here miserable alternating between steam inhalation and a cold compress on my very painful sinuses..... still, better now than 3rd trimester right?!

@Tangfastic91 Sorry to hear that you are suffering. It might sound crazy but have you tried spicy food? DH’s chilli always makes my sinuses instantly clear out!

The midwives have all been very clear that I’ve done the right thing in coming to get checked out. But I suspect that I’m the last to be seen because others have more pressing needs. It is what it is but yes, I do just want to go back to bed. Work is very good so I know that taking a sick day isn’t a problem.

@thecapitalsunited now there's an idea! Maybe i'll stick some cayenne pepper in tonight's tea. Gaviscon at the ready for the inevitable heartburn though - you just can't win in pregnancy sometimes

Back home with the all clear that it’s just a migraine. I was very well looked after. Bloods, urine and baby heartbeat all tested then a once over from the doctor checking my reflexes, muscle tone and eye sight. If anything changes then I’m to head back. I wasn’t made to feel daft about coming in with ‘just a headache’ even though I felt it.