Minster's 8th Side Car - Best not let the men see our post-partum bodies eh?!

[larrythelizard]

2022 Bumps

DKDK123 10 May💗
bez91 14 May 💛
Minster2012 22 May 💗 (C-section the week before)
whatwonder 5 June 💛
feliznavidad2 5 July 💗
SWAttempting 23 July (will be delivered in June) 💗
paintfairy 24 July 💗
Vil10 1 August 💛
Juno231 11 August 💗
kaylsd 15 August 💛
larrythelizard 18 August 💛
Inkypaper 28 October 💛
BellatrixK 15 November 💛

Sidecar Babies 👶👶👶

Kirky658 11 August 2021 💗
Kate105 14 October 2021 💙
Justanothercyster 10 November 2021 💗
2020Mission 27 December 2021 💙
blackcurrantqueen 17 January 2022 💗
Crazydoglady123 29 January 2022 💗
Haiyaa 1 February 2022 💙
becarefuloutthere 26 February 2022 💗
Lexber 14 April 2022 💗💙

You may need GP not MW for meds @BellatrixK - mine was not interested (other than advice to drink milk) when I told her about heartburn but GP prescribed meds no issue.

I know it's the balance between enough time for me and baby and also I quite like work and that's important to me too @bez91. I was ready to go back last time when I did so hoping I feel similar this time.

I'm pleased someone has stepped up @Minster2012 - I imagine the standard teams are out of their depth with your history!

Lovely response from work @InkyPaper. Can't help you on it feeling real, I'm nearly 24w and in serious denial about it all!

Whoop on last day at work @DKDK123! And sounds like a chilled rest of the week is exactly what you need. I wonder if you will be able to be wheeled off the ward and get DS to meet his new baby sister in the corridor or something?

Always something new @Minster2012 get on the lemon and honey/paracetemol if it's really bad.

London for me today, it's bloody cold this morning even though later on I'll be pleased to be not wearing tights! Was meant to be at an industry event thing (ie meeting up with a load of old and current colleagues) but instead having to go to a team meeting for my new team!

@bez91 I know! Names are so important as well. We’re both being stubborn too, which isn’t good (probably me more than him!), but I think it’s worth the battle 😂 so close to maternity now! What on Earth was DH up to planting plants?? Such a bloke thing!

@Minster2012 it really shouldn’t be all on you to organise. At least you have a a midwife fighting your corner too. The GP sounds like an idiot. It’s worrying how useless so many of them are in pregnancy/fertility issues.

@InkyPaper it’s definitely worse when I’m hungry, like first thing in the morning. I think yesterday I was really tired, so that may have made it worse? Is it exciting telling people? The only people I’ve told so far are people who know it is too early to be excited. Hopefully a week on Friday I can start excitedly sharing with close family/friends?!

@DKDK123 yes, I’m definitely grateful for it (once it’s passed!), I’m sure it’s a good sign. So so fantastic about mat leave starting soon, and even better that you get a few days of total rest! Definitely needed and deserved after the past few days. Maybe they will be kind and let DS sneak in? Or at least organise a space when you can meet?

Thank you for the advice @Minster2012 and @larrythelizard So far, the midwife said to call back if it gets bad and stays bad, but for now I’ve got to try and wait it out. To be fair, it’s only really in the very early morning/evening. If it just lasts another week, I can hang on!

I had my booking in sentiment this morning and it was lovely. The midwife was so, so nice. I’ve got my 12 week scan as well for Friday 6th when I’m 12+1 which seems perfect!

Ladies!! That update knocked everything for me. Didn't realise the fix was as simple as logging out and bk in 🤦🏾‍♀️ anyway I'm bk now hi 👋🏾 what have I missed? Anymore babies born? 👀

So we have a section date, 17th may not til afternoon though. They hadn't done anything to book it FFS & more arguing I'm exhausted but got a target date & got the pain killers so that's something

@Minster2012 that's great news! The same date as my sisters section too. I've missed what's gone on so hope you're ok?!

@becarefuloutthere yey due date twin! That's exciting!! I shall get myself out of miserable mode & into countdown mode!
Have you seen @Lexber's gorgeous twins?!

@BellatrixK that's excellent on the booking in appointment and the scan, we can countdown to that first! And hopefully you can contain the nausea

God I'm on such a sweets mission atm can't stop eating sweets. Need to, was weighed today for the first time since my first appointment so off to Google that 😂

Good work on the booking in appt @BellatrixK you're in the system now!

Yay a date @Minster2012 - that's only just over two weeks away!! 🥳🥳🥳 you've completely got this!

@BellatrixK we haven't even talked names yet, we have a weekend away in July and will open negotiations then!!

Thanks @DKDK123 i will read up on it, I'm not sure how I feel about BF this one but will definitely be attempting at least colostrum.

@Minster2012 the countdown is defo on so I'm sure that'll lift your mood! 😃
Yes I saw the gorge twins, was probably offline for a week or two.
I wouldn't worry about weight gain in pregnancy my love, plenty of time to lose it later. Breastfeeding is helping me as I'm not really exercising, just the odd walk.
@larrythelizard good luck choosing a name! We settled quite early on her name and just kept it to ourselves until birth so that we weren't influenced by others opinions.

It's ok @becarefuloutthere I joke that only one of us is trained in negotiation (that would be me) but I'm pretty sure I'll get my way...I obviously have a list and DH has not considered it at all yet!

@larrythelizard I trust your negotiation skills 😂god help your DH! Ok so thank you on the just over 2 weeks (instead of just under 3!) I shall try look at it that way. I just really hope this certain consultant I saw last week then again she "advised" the registrar today & I swear she's just being a knob to me. Saying today (cos some of my care still in Leeds & Leeds want my placenta testing) "well I did think it might just be easier if you transferred to birthing at Leeds instead, so would you consider that?" You are asking me at over 36 weeks if I want to change to birth over an hour and a half away wtf? I mean we did it with my friend in West Yorkshire for X but there was no other way then. I swear she's just being a dick cos she's having to do actual work chasing things & liaising with others.

@becarefuloutthere we were like that, in fact the name is the girls name we had for DS so it's from 4 years ago & despite it being unusual & have significant meaning to us from X's birth I keep hearing references to it all around now 😂 see everyone keeps saying about the don't worry about weight it'll go with breastfeeding but what if the BF doesn't work? The entire weight loss strategy gone 😫so might need more restraint on the sweets 🍭

Consider me your personal pepper-upperer @Minster2012!

"Open negotiations " @larrythelizard I love it 😂😂😂 I can sense you'll get your way!

Urgh what a faff @Minster2012 it'll all be worth it eventually though?!

Still over here dodging Covid like a ninja... total body count of close contacts now stands at 4 but we are not a plague house yet 💪🏻 and last contact was Friday so starting to feel like we've missed it 🤞🏻😬

Yay for mat leave @DKDK123 home straight now!

On the colostrum chat... I managed to express a fair bit, maybe about 5 syringes. Figured I'd bring it with me when I went in for the induction. Then forgot all about it and found it in the freezer like a month later 😂 I found a warm bath helpful for expressing though!

Thanks everyone 😊 yeah my team were super lovely about it and really excited for me, which was sweet. They were debating running a sweepstakes on the baby's weight 😂

@BellatrixK it might be worth keeping some crackers by your bed so you can nibble on one as soon as you wake up - might help with the nausea. It is quite exciting telling people! It's also a little nerve-wracking as part of me is just screaming "you're jinxing it!!!" But on the whole it's been a lovely experience so far

@Minster2012 hurray for a date! Boo to that bloody consultant though - does she not realise that if you wanted to give birth at Leeds you would've transferred there already?!

The plant thing with DH... he's a gardener by trade and has an unhealthy obsession with plants, has withdrawal issues as he doesn't do any of work he hands on stuff anymore at work. He got loads of stuff free so obviously it was of paramount importance he got on with it straight away 🙄

@larrythelizard I am the same, I love being a mum but I have to have another purpose too hence why couldn't do the stay at home thing. I have to have another identity bar just mum for my own sanity 🙌🏼

@BellatrixK oh brill that's bang on for a first scan. Great to hear you had a lovely midwife too!

@Minster2012 ouch on the throat, still causing grief? Great you've got a date, it gives hopefully end in sight to your sciatica pain 🙏🏼 must feel weird knowing an actual day of birth!

You ladies will appreciate this, just been checking out things to record with all the time I'm hoping to have in the next 2 weeks of Mat leave before baby arrives...

@larrythelizard how did it go meeting the new team yesterday?

@BellatrixK exciting that you've got your 12 week scan booked in now, not long to go 😁

@Minster2012 17th 🥳 great that you've got something to aim for now, that's only a week after mine it'll fly by! Hoping the good painkillers work until then, you are so close to finally holding your long awaited for little baby!!! 🥰

@Kate105 glad to hear your covid dodging ninja skills are working 😂 I'll need to get tips, DH and I have dodged it so far but now thay d day is looming I'm shitting myself one of us catches it, well its not the end of the world if I do as baby needs to come out regardless but if he catches it right before and can't come see the baby I'll be devastated!

Thanks for all the tips to try get DS in for a sneak peak at his sister. Unfortunately unless he can come with DH every visit he'll need to stay with my mum until we're discharged as she lives too far away to bring him back for one visit. I'm sure he'll more than make up for it by never leaving her alone once she's here.

When I dropped DS at my mums last night my aunt had left a massive bag full of hand knitted cardigans and hats she'd made, I was so touched as she has really bad arthritis in her hands and it must have been agony for her, she must have started months ago! This lil lady is so loved by everyone already it's unreal 🥰

In other news, my no sleeping has led to a very unhealthy vinted obsession 🙈😂 (thanks @paintfairy ) every night I go hmm I'll just have a wee browse to pass the time and before I know it even more baby clothes are in my basket! Ah well, it's my last one, the next time I get to buy so many baby clothes will be for my grandkids which is a long way off......so glad DH works during the day and won't see all the parcels arriving 😂

@DKDK123 good on your aunt, actually knitting is used as a therapy for arthritis and the uk association does a knitting challenge every year in March, I joined and we had a nice supporting Facebook group, we kept it going for the rest of the year if she likes to join, or maybe has....

Good effort on the recording @bez91 - a friend of mine was really excited that I'd be at home and be able to watch the football World Cup in November...appreciate the sentiment but not my cup of tea!

So lovely of your aunt @DKDK123! I keep getting adverts for lovely little baby bits but have told myself (else!) I can't have buy anything until we get everything out of the loft and see what we have. And we can't do that until DH moves his office out of the nursery into the bigger spare room and he can't do that until after my sister has been to stay at the start of June so...well yeah not yet! I'm sure your mum will make sure DS has the best time!

24 weeks today 🥳🥳🥳

@larrythelizard personal pepper upper that sounds good! VIABILITY yeyyyyy congratulations 🥳

@bez91 oooo you'll have to tell us how that programme is!! That makes sense on the plants then, it's clearly soothing. Also love having work to do too even if it's a family business

@Kate105 we've also dodged not only covid well these past few weeks but now there is chicken pox through DSs preschool. So I'm hoping we avoid that too 😬I do not want a poorly child when I can't move much

@DKDK123 that makes sense on the staying with your mum, can we see pics of the clothes? That's so lovely 😊you need shed loads of cardigans atm it's fricking freezing again! See that's why I don't look at vinted though I did get DS some pjs that match both pjs I have & a baby grow for baby sister last night so I can't talk, DS has decided he'd like to match a bit 🥰

@InkyPaper you'd have thought that would be been the case if I wanted to give birth in Leeds but hey ho I just hope she's not the one doing my section!

Last night DH let me put on the Yorkshire midwives & vaguely paid attention though he said "I know what happens, I don't need to see it with strangers" though the quote of the night had to be from a husband whilst his wife was pushing in Labour saying "right I'll just go put some rice on for the dog & make some bread 🍞 " as you do 😂😂

@Franklydear I'll tell her about the FB group thanks, she can only knit for a day or two right after her injections as her fingers can't hold the needles otherwise. So she must have been planning on these for months in secret just chipping away at it.

Happy viability week @larrythelizard 🥳🥳🥳🥳 great milestone to celebrate!

@Minster2012 that's so cute that he wants to match 🥰 The photos don't even begin to do the knitting justice, I wish I had her talent. She was the aunty I don't know if you remember that at my Grandas funeral said to DH there's been a family wedding, a family funeral, you guys are going to successfully have your baby next, and then a few days later I found out I was pregnant 🥰 So the knitting is even more special coming from her as she had faith too that this was finally going to be our little rainbow baby.

Oh wow @DKDK123 saw your IG posts on the cardigans, they are lovely! Must have taken her ages 😍 I think you have more clothes in those cardigans than I have all together 🙈 we've told DD she can go shopping with daddy to choose some clothes for baby when we know what they are 💛 I don't trust either of their judgement of clothing but it will be nice for them 😆

@larrythelizard happy viability week 🥳 congratulations, your thinking about when you can do something sounds like mine, have to get through all these million checkpoints first and that relies on that and so on....

@larrythelizard @Minster2012 I will of course update on the penis on the arm programme. I have so many questions!

@Minster2012 oh no on the stuff going round nursery. We've had a few emails about Scarlett fever and chickenpox - luckily DD has already had chickenpox. Need to catch up on Yorkshire midwives! Make some bread? Whilst your wife is in labour? Imagine having that chill factor 🙈

@bez91 can't wait for that report!! Also if I let DH & DS free to shop that would give me shivers 😬😬😬

@DKDK123 they are cute! Also loving the Pom poms 🥰

I'm going to see mine & DS's friend this afternoon & their baby who is now just over 3 weeks old but still a tiny dot! Can't wait! 🥰it was weird she was like "you'll think OMG my child in the womb is likely bigger than this child" 😂

Holy crap. I'm going to launch MN out the window. I just half typed a post then a random error message came up from nowhere to say they were working on it?! WTAF?
@larrythelizard DS's logic appears to mirror my DH's sometimes i'm sure! How men exist, i dont know. London? Nooooo. Happy viability week!
@DKDK123 There are so many issues with the wardrobe i actually think it needs removing and starting again. However we have now moved back in the room, have nowhere else to be and have carpeted and decorated etc. I am not happy. Drawers i have asked to be sorted (whether he realises this means removing my side inside to relocate a screwed shelf, i've no idea) but even then my bottom one ow doesnt open without yanking it. So that another job to drag on. It was started in Jan FFS and i just want to be able to draw a line, move on and use it! Honestly. I have 2 other rooms to sort before the baby comes. Any new joiner i have called cant come for forever but we do know someone who's DH is one and hes coming to look and quote. Even if he can only wedge the banister into his schedule as a favour and we have to wait for the rest. Anything is better than nothing! I'm just not sure what to say to the other one! Vinted is good and i've bought a lot! But i was stung on one thing where they didnt put on enough postage. I stupidly paid to get it from the postoffice £3.50 and you cant claim it back through vinted. You are reliant on the seller being nice and she wasnt. The only way you can get it back is to refuse to collect it/pay so its returned to sender. I also saw on MN the other day someone bought a 2k watch (why i dont know) which was fake but she only realised after she marked it received and ok. And they werent interested. 😱Mixed baby news for you but she will be fine. This time is good and you are nearly there. I have no idea how they know about hair inside!? But thats amazing. I was born with loads of hair so maybe mine will too? The lack of sleep must be getting hard by now. Its rubbish if you just cant get comfortable. Excellent about the maternity leave! And kids read body language and situations, adults just forget how to. So they 'know'.
@BellatrixK i felt sick if remotely hungry too. Keep eating! And we still have no names and probably never will!
@blackcurrantqueen dancing fruit? the image in my head cant be what is actually happening. Your insta pics are cute!
@2under2in2022 wow, thats a lot going on. Not ideal.
@Kate105 confusingly i have 2 insta accounts - one for just MN where my baby stuff is and my normal one. But i have you on both now. 😁And i see you as a lizard @larrythelizard just as i will always see @Kate105 as Kate! 😂
@bez91 he is meant to be coming 23 may for the rest and i'm honestly not sure we will have sorted the rest by then. I agree you dodged a bullet and my gut feeling is i need to dodge this one.
@InkyPaper Glad the scan went ok! Annoying you have to pay for photos again though, i got away with that. Couldnt work out how it even worked so that was maybe a good thing. And yes the hospital is confusing as it looks like a corridor to somewhere you shouldnt be! But you go to that same desk for everything now. No idea what happens if you are actually having a baby though, no one bothered to say.
@Minster2012 @larrythelizard the 1000 posts from you 2 made me laugh!
And how ridiculous about the hospital people @Minster2012 Yeah i mean, why dont you just go to wales even? Anywhere is fine, doesnt need to be close or anything. 🙄Jesus. The going in circles between people is also really annoying and no you shouldnt have to do it at all. Great news on the section date though. I havent watched any more of the yorkshire midwife thing but i will! Men say the most ridiculous things!
@becarefuloutthere i hope everything is going ok! I never thought to log out and in again either.

So - i keep seeing conflicting advice about babies. No baths, no wet wipes, no swaddles, no sleeping bags, no anything?! Aaaargghhh. But then no one has actually told me anything myself. Mum was bemused by the no bath for however long (no one can decide on) as they used to bath in hospital after birth.
I think the baby was hiccupping yesterday! I didnt realise it was that and had to google, as it seemed too fast to be that. DH was like - isnt it year pulse and i said no because i can feel that and its going faster and not in time. Weird.
I have a growth scan tomorrow. I have nowhere near enough stuff for my hospital bag (no bag even) and at the point its meant to be packed i know full well it wont be. Aaarrgghh. I have a billion things to sort and just no time?! I have slightly lost the will to live with it all. But i did order the new mattress for the snuzpod and a waterproof sheet (have 1 already) yesterday. I also read on the July group that someone had their pelvic floor tested by the midwife putting their fingers in and them squeezing in all different positions. Surely that is not normal?! 🤔I will be saying no thanks. We went through pain relief options at class the other night and i've decided none sound ideal and i've just changed my mind. Someone else needs to be giving birth and just handing me a baby.............

I forgot to say- to add insult to injury MAFS didn't record Monday for the final. Virgin seemed to call it the dinner party and label it the episode from before and so didn't record. I didn't realise until too late. I then couldn't find it coming up because again it was all called the wrong thing. Nearly had a breakdown. 🤭 I have now got it but I've not watched it yet. Tonight's job!

It's constant stomach bugs here @DKDK123 - DS been off most of the week. Annoying but can't do anything about it!

I like to plan @bez91. Need to write another list actually! Maybe one for later (although actually house is a shit and my parents are here this weekend so it needs tidying)

So cute @Minster2012!!

You make me want to go on vinted @paintfairy even though there's nothing I need to get!

In terms of pelvic floor exam @paintfairy that is deffo right although the midwife never examined me, I have had an internal exam by a physio though. Sweeps are much more intrusive!

Also @paintfairy re sleeping stuff, look at the lullaby trust - they're the experts in baby sleep safety. As for hospital bag, I didn't use most of the shit in mine last time, this time I figure that DH can always pick up more stuff if need be 🤷🏻‍♀️. Labour does hurt but it's the sort of pain you forget and epidural's are incredible, I quite enjoyed that bit of DS' labour!!

@paintfairy I recommend multiple crib sheets and mattress protectors. Although maybe it's worse with a boy but with nappy leaks and spit up you can have multiple sheet changes a day. I ended up putting a muslin across where his head is in the end as it's quicker to change those when he spits up! The womb hiccups definitely are fast and pulse like they last ages at times. I was getting them 3 times a day for a while. Matthew still hiccups now and again and they still last about ten minutes 😅 poor thing. I was very much up for all pain relief if I couldn't take the pain when the time came. I think it's best to go in with a laid back approach of I'll see what I need when I'm in it. Turns out for me gas and air did the job as long as you start breathing it ASAP you can get through contractions on it. There was a period I was breathing it constantly when they were so close together. The birth honestly just felt like doing the biggest ever 💩 in the end the pain was all in the back and very much pressure like you urgently need to go! If you've experienced any constipation or IBS or anything I'd say it's no shock giving birth as they aren't too far off really 😆