Due July 2022 (thread 5)

[Lianna93]

Baby Calendar 🧡 Please add your names & keep it going 🥰

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@paintfairy don't know I just saw them in sainsburys in the baby section with the maternity pads - they were £1.20 for 5 so thought why not! X

@strawberrysummer19 I’ve been researching what goes in the hospital bag and making a list and apparently you need to take two packs of those big maternity pads! (Which sounds excessive but multiple different websites said the same) Also re underwear- disposable might be easiest, I’ve also seen people pack those “Always Discreet” and swear by them, and apparently high rise is best in case of C section as you don’t want anything pressing on or near the scar!

How do I add my due date to the list above?

I'm not thinking about too much for the hospital bag, just snacks and changes of clothes really, as well as the baby's things. Don't think I had paper knickers the last time, I got them at the hospital as far as I remember. Have to buy some more nighties, normally I wear pjs but it's particularly humid at the moment so making me think about what July will be like. Maternity pads sound like a good idea, and who couldn't do with more gigantic knickers in their life 😅. A bit allergic to maternity clothes at the moment, I want to buy something nice to wear so I don't look like a big sweaty whale all the time when I finally get my leave but a) don't want to waste my money and b) maybe that's inevitable no matter what I buy!

Luckily I'm 5 minutes to the hospital from where I am, but long hospital stays aren't the norm here. 6 hour turnarounds are not unheard of. Once you've given birth it's just a case of you being able to take a shower and go to the toilet unaided and you're sent home- 6 hour turnarounds not unheard of!! Home births are the standard here and much more common. I opted for hospital because of the proximity, the standard of care we received previously and because a home birth wasn't possible then (extended labour).

I'm having the same struggle with mat clothes, found a really nice JoJo Maman Bebe dress on Vinted for less than £10 which I'll get a lot of wear our of, and otherwise it's just going to be jeans/ leggings and t-shirts I think for the next few months!!

Well had growth scan today and baby was actually measuring average, so not the huge baby I was fearing. Her legs are on the shorter side so they want to see me again in another month for a reassurance scan, but they said not to worry at all. Just shows you the only way to really know the size is to get a scan, the midwife was quite inaccurate with her tape measure for me!

@ShellUK09 my baby has short legs too 🤣 my fundal height put me over the 90th centile at 31 weeks had a scan yesterday at 32+5 and baby is actually around the 45th percentile estimated weight 4.4. Glad your scan went well, I have another one booked in 4 weeks. I have my 34 week midwife next Friday no doubt my bump will still be measuring “big”

@Fizzybubblegumbottles Ah really! Very similar situation to you then. I think the issue is I'm just all bump! So at every appointment with the midwife she will probably flag this up, midwife had me on 97th centile! I have the reassurance scan booked in for the day after the 34 wk midwife appt and the hospital said that was a good idea as the midwife would probably just refer me there anyway! I'm 31 wks 3, and baby is actually measuring on 20th centile and is 3 Ib 8 so not big at all really. I did ask if baby had short legs because me and my partner aren't tall, and she said probably but they always like to check things are ok. It was nice to see her playing with the cord and putting her hand in her mouth 🥰

@ShellUK09 same here this is my 3rd baby aswell so don’t expect to be small lol. They have changed the way they measure now as when I had my first it was always measure the amount of weeks you are eg 31 weeks = 31cm but midwife said now it’s based on height, weight and previous babies if you’ve had any. Cos I was 31cm and 31 weeks so thought it was normal lol nevermind I know the baby is normal size lol. Same here my other 2 children aren’t tall either lol so not expecting this baby to be a giant lol! Aww so small lol that’s so cute my baby is always awkward on the scans 🙄 it’s head down so hopefully stays that way 🤞🏻

Today is the first day that I'm really starting to struggle 😔 I just feel so....pregnant. I'm tired, I'm aching and just feel fed up. Just needed to vent and see if anyone else had hit a wall

@missv556 if it makes you feel any better, after work last night I had to pump my tyres up at the garage. I found squatting down to do it was impossible with my belly in the way, it was a logistical nightmare and there was a man in a van impatiently waiting for me to finish and I was getting stressed and every time I tried to put the pump thing in it seemed to release air rather put air into the tyre and I just lost my shit. I was tired and overwhelmed and came home and sobbed uncontrollably to DH (who thought something really awful had happened because my reaction was so extreme).

It's the first time since first trimester that I've felt like pregnancy can go suck a fart.

Me @missv556
just feeling very tired and very heavy and very slow and everything seems to be just getting on top of me at the moment. Can’t believe still got 6 weeks potentially of this

Ah @KizboBaggins that sucks! If it helps make you feel better, I managed to break a car wash recently as I didn't quite get the car angled in properly and the whole thing just stopped (thankfully) when it got too close to the car and I had no idea what to do! 🤣 My DH was in the car but he gets stressed so quickly and got out the car which I refused to do in case it turned back on!! Thankfully he was able to get it all sorted out (and we did get the car clean) but I'll be avoiding any car washes for the rest of the pregnancy haha.

I was in town for the first time in ages yesterday and trying to find something specific so ended up doing a lot more steps than I have in months - I was so knackered when I got home I ended up sleeping from 9.30 through to 7 this morning, so definitely find it catching up with me now.

I’m starting to feel it too but feel like my partner doesn’t quite understand what we go through during pregnancy. I’ve been really lucky to not suffer much throughout, but feel like that has led him to just treat me like a “normal person” and not understand that my body is aching, I don’t sleep well etc so had a little cry about it before and tried to speak to him about it 😩

I’m starting to look at washing the baby’s clothes this weekend and I’ve seen that Fairy non bio is recommended. Does anyone know about what fabric softener to use or is it not adviced?

@missv556 @HotToddyColdSauvignon feeling exactly the same way, last couple of weeks at work and my replacement is beginning to look very lazy and distracted (personally not my problem but frustrating when she can't be on time for scheduled meetings or doesn't check the notes I've given her), also just moved house and just feel generally overwhelmed and emotional. Need quality time with DH who is the only person holding me up right now but neither of us has enough hours in the day and DC1 needs us a lot at the moment. No solution really, hopefully will feel less like this when I'm finished work. sigh

@Coco9910 I have been using fairy and persil to wash baby stuff. As long as its non bio it's alright as far as I understand.

I'm just so glad it's Friday today, my fiance can finish work later and look after me for the weekend now lol. Was having a little moan to him on his break and he said he's gonna have to make me some decent meals so I eat better for more energy, bless him. Honestly so drained, feel like I've been run over by an 18 wheeler. Haven't felt this tired since first trimester

Hi hope you don't mind me joining! I'm due 20th July we've not found out the sex.

I had a growth scan this week as baby was measuring large and but turns out it's average and currently weighing 3lb10oz. It was nice to see the baby again they confirmed its now in the correct position so hopefully it stays that way!

I've got a couple more weeks at work until my AL starts and I can't wait. I'm so tired and uncomfortable all the time now.

Is anyone having a test for Strep B? I had it in my last pregnancy which caused me to go into labour 4 weeks early and had to have antibiotics throughout labour. I only found out because I thought I had a water infection so the midwife did a swab. Thankfully baby didn't have it and all was okay.

I've requested one this time and I'm getting tested at 34 weeks in case I'm early again. They've reassured me though that even if it comes back negative I can still request antibiotics during labour to be on the safe side. I think I will do that just to be safe :)

Welcome @beetree1 !

I actually asked my midwife about strep b yesterday in my appointment - she said our trust don’t test for it as slightly unreliable / can cause false confidence / create panic unnecessarily, so they only test if the mum has previously had a birth and experienced it

@HotToddyColdSauvignon yes this is what they said to me last time. I think you can opt to buy one yourself but as you've said you could have it then be gone when you give birth.

This year our hospital are one of a few who are running trials and offering them to everyone at their 36 week appointment. Midwife said if they notice a difference in preventing baby with illnesses (if that's the right word) from doing the tests then it will start being pushed out in all hospitals. I think I'm just going to have it as peace of mind. The only thing different in my labour was having antibiotics every 4 hrs which I don't mind x

I'm confused, if they don't test for strep B, and only go on previous pregnancies, how would you know if you have it? Are the symptoms really obvious?

@missv556 I'm also feeling the same, hit a bit of a wall this week (32+3), my body just feels so heavy, had a scan to check where my placenta is and thankfully it's moved up since my 20 week scan so can have whatever birth I choose, but she also told me the baby is about half his birth weight now, which is making me think im just going to feel even heavier!

@missv556 Same. I'm lying in bed just now feeling so heavy and tired and unmotivated. Got lots of things to do and just need to make a little start...

Rest when you can, and don't ever feel guilty about it. Our bodies are going through so much.

@MollyRover I'm totally the same with maternity clothes. I wish I could just sit at home in my jammies and slippers every day for the next 2 months, starting to feel so big! Also finding nursing clothes hard to buy because I've no idea how bf will go for me and I definitely don't want to be flashing my boobs, especially around family and in laws!! All the nursing scarves/covers look so finicky too.

Can't believe I'm 31 weeks now, I feel so unprepared! Booked in for homebirth but happy to transfer if we have to, but at least my hubby will be there the whole time. Any other previous homebirth mums here? Any words of wisdom for a first timer? 😊

@Hope3821 oh man I didn't think about nursing clothes! I have a set of maternity/nursing bras but no actual clothes... I'm a tshirt girl too, which is not conducive to bf. Has anyone who has experience with breastfeeding got any advice re nursing clothes? Are they a must have?

Btw I think I found a temporary remedy for the pregnancy exhaustion and overwhelm... All you need is a sofa, a dog, and an unlimited supply of pot noodle, chip sticks and salted caramel ice cream. Oh and control of the TV remote, of course. After 3hrs of Derry Girls and eating until I'm fit to burst, I'm suddenly feeling a lot more chilled...

@KizboBaggins last time I just started off with a few vest tops so I could pop a boob over the top (DD was a July baby too and it was too hot for anything else!)
Then you can see how you get on before investing in any bf specific clothes (I did end up with a hoody with boob zips by the winter as I got really bored freezing to death in parks which were the only place you could meet people at the time)

I actually hate all the expensive nursing bras I bought and just ended up using a medala sleep bra to hold pads whilst I was still leaking, then once that stopped I went bra free more often than not. I got really used to it in lockdown and hate hearing a bra now.

@missv556 I’m feeling super pregnant today too. So heavy and achy. Not sure how I’ll get through another 8 weeks! I’ve also got really sore legs, which worries me as it’s exactly how I usually feel at my time of the month :/ trying not to read too far into it as I know period pains can be a sign of early labour, but surely it’s far too early! (I was induced last time so don’t know what early labour feels like)

@KizboBaggins I found having 1 or 2 nursing tops was handy at first (well not right at first, I mostly fed topless for a week or so until we’d mastered how to do it without both being soaked). After a month or 2 I mostly just pulled down a vest top and used a cardigan or a scarf to cover us a little, I only wore nursing tops if I knew I’d be feeding in a really public place where I couldn’t position myself in a corner etc. I’d get a couple of cheap ones (Asda, Matalan etc do them) and see how you go. I have pretty small boobs which I think made it much easier - larger ladies might disagree with me!

Thanks both! I've also got pretty small boobs (slightly bigger right now, but nothing noteworthy...) and definitely have got used to the bra free lifestyle since lockdown. I only own one strappy vest top so the least I can do it get a few of those to start with! @SamanthaVimes a hoody with boob zips sounds class lol

@Purple1181 I've had a few mild period like cramps recently... I'm not even 31 weeks just yet, so I'm guessing it could be just some mild braxton hicks?