Due October 2023 Thread 8

[Chanteuse]

New thread for our October group - third trimester time!!

I think first babies can take a bit longer to settle into the head down position so fingers crossed your little ones move into place soon. I've heard yoga/birth balls can help encourage a shift but of course won't work for all

@peonygirl I'm 34 +1. Yes when GP felt my bump she said it seemed like she had plenty of room to move still so hopefully she will 🤞

@OrionNebula yes, she still has time to get into the position. I think they are so wiggly still and plenty of room so they are using that for all the somersaults they can get :)

It is so stressful isn't it - they need to be moving but then they want them to be in the same position, but still kick and not turn around. I went to check his movements the other day because he was a bit quiet. I was at work, busy and running around...sure enough, the minute they hooked me up to the machine, he started to kick. He's active the minute I lay down to rest haha.

Is anyone else really "done" with work already?

I've got a stack of unopened parcels behind me, my office is going to be the nursery, and my job has no urgency to it. Plus everyone's fucked off for the summer, and aren't scheduling things to start until I'm almost off on leave.

I feel like shouting "does anyone actually expect me to care?!?", except they're not here to see it.

I don't lack motivation. I'm just motivated to do other things!

@thecatsthecats I am same. I am 35 weeks pregnant now. I came back today from 2 week holiday and it feels it is useless as I am off for a year in 2 weeks anyway. I run a couple of teams and they want my input, so I had to be at the meetings from 9 till now but my mind is very far away.

I am from Ukraine originally and maternity leave there starts at 30 weeks! I personally think it makes sense!

@thecatsthecats i could have written this myself. I am so beyond done with work now and still have 5 weeks left before I go on Mat leave.

Dealing with other peoples issues at work just really seems so insignificant compared to this new life I am carrying and all of my focus and energy is just on him entirely 😆 I am so ready to finish now!

@thecatsthecats I am not there yet, but at 31+1 today I am aware my time is running out. I feel I'll be operational for another 4 weeks and that's it. So I am pushing my team and the rest of people to collaborate as much as I can. I work at the University and September/October is mad time which I want to avoid if I can - so prep beforehand. Getting other people to actually sit down with me is proving very difficult and already know some of them will very strongly demand I see them at the very last moment. At least I have everything ready for the baby so it is just the time I need to get there.

I was just starting to feel this today (33 weeks) I have 4 weeks left in work, and its relatively steady but I'm also really feeling the nesting urge!
I just want to be pottering around the house tidying and organising!

I do have meetings everyday for most of the day between now and when I leave, so I think it will go quickly!

Yes I’m feeling the same 34w+ and just under 3.5 weeks to go (15 working days) before mat leave. As of this week I’ve dropped down to 4 days a week with Mondays off and honestly yesterday was such a delight that it just made going back today harder. Rationally I’ll know it will fly by especially as I’ve actually got quite a lot to do before then but I’m pretty over it at this point.

I've booked several 4 day weeks, and it feels like such a relief to only have to do those, but on the flip side I dread the 5 day weeks!

Again, there's loads I want to do. They just don't happen to be work things. There's also going to be zero overlap with my maternity cover, so I get the impression that I'm simply here "on call" until mid October.

@thecatsthecats I’m only 31+1 and very much the same. Unfortunately the person brought in to cover me for maternity has had to leave the business in the last week so I’ve now got interviewing and training a new person to sort before I go off at 38 weeks. Want as much time off with him as possible but it’s tempting to pull my mat leave sooner!

Oh, that's so annoying! See, my HR team are out, and the ad isn't going up until next week when they're back. So no hope that they'll even have really got going with interviews before I leave.

What's a bit annoying is that they've been SUPER accommodating with my pregnancy - I actually started here 4 months pregnant. And they've been super complimentary about my work (fair dos, I did actually spot and pre-empt some issues that could have been a huge legal headache for them).

They've just been very lazy (to the point where if it came to it I think I'd have a case for constructive dismissal) about actually giving me work! Which means I'm going stir crazy with 6.5 weeks to go...

The previous guy must have been a right berk for them to be this happy with me.

@OrionNebula I’m 35+3 and my baby was breech at my last appointment. Got my 36 week appointment tomorrow and pretty sure they haven’t turned yet. Typically the whole way up until now baby has been head down!
Im wanting to avoid getting baby turned, have been doing a few exercises to try and turn baby and been using my ball more but will see what my midwife says tomorrow

@Flying12 I'd be interested to hear your update, my 36 week appointment is next week.

@peonygirl yes still finding movements stressful, even a small gap still has me panicking. I definitely wasn't this bad on my last pregnancy 🙁

@thecatsthecats feeling a bit the same in that my office is going to be the nursery too so can't do too much with it until I finish up. I do love my job though and have a few projects I want to try and tie up before I finish on 22nd sept. They've been really flexible with me to to date, let me fully wfh for the last while and been very understanding when I haven't been feeling great and need to take a bit of downtime. So I want to try and do my best by them before I finish but my mind is definitely starting to wander!

Could not care less about work! The trivial office politics is so insignificant compared to my baby coming into the world.

Handing over a lot of work in the next few weeks, so my last couple of weeks shouldn’t have much stress really. I plan to work til my due date if possible. I’ll be working from home anyway, so no long commute.

It’s getting really close now! I’ve also noticed my bump seems to have changed shape so it’s more out front? People say from the back you can’t tell I’m pregnant, then I turn around and it’s ‘woah!’

Just spent 3 hours up at the hospital getting baby checked out as I wasn’t happy with his movements. As this was the second time I have been in (was last seen at 26 weeks) they have now referred me for an urgent scan tomorrow to check my placenta. Placenta was low lying at my 20week scan so they don’t want to risk leaving it til 34 weeks to check its function and location.
Baby was an absolute pickle to find on the monitor but got there in the end and he had a normal heart rate. I just can’t understand why his movements are so much less than normal seeing as he appears to be ok unless he’s changed position. I’m glad I went and got checked, but the worry never seems to go away.

@Summer022 I’ve been seen 4 times for reduced movements - I just think my baby is a bit of a lazy tinker tbh! I’ve also had scans to check everything is okay, and he’s fine he’s just really awkward. The sooner he’s here the better!

@Summer022 I spent a couple of hour/ in triage last night too for reduced movement and some dark blood spotting. All fine though thankfully, but such a worry at this stage.

I have my 34 week appt with MW next week on Thursday so looking forward to discussing birth plan. Really starting to feel so real now!

Those with reduced movements - I know the advice is about cold drinks, lying on your left side, but what really seems to piss my baby off (for want of a better word!) is a cup of tea! Gets a reaction immediately.

Teachers? Advice on working up to due date.

Does anyone know if you can legally work 2 days past your due date? My due date is 18th October (2 days before half term). I want to try to work up to half term so that I commence Mat leave after half term and therefore get longer with the baby. I might be completely mad and understand I might have to change this. My son was over 2 weeks late and had over a month off work doing nothing last time (though every baby is different).

Also do any teachers know the process for returning to work during the holidays - is it SPL? Can anyone advise me where I can get more info on this? Thanks x

@razzler991 I work in HE so cannot fully advise but my HR suggested I take annual leave till the due date and start maternity on the due date (our holiday period resets on 1st August). They also advised me not to worry too much about the dates as I might deliver sooner - they will then just adjust the dates accordingly.

Could you use two days of annual leave to bridge the time between the due date and half term?

Thanks @peonygirl I won't worry too much about what date I put then. I'm not sure I could use my annual leave then (as a teacher) but will ask. Thanks for advice.

Anyone else having scares about baby growth?? ive been having growth scans and baby dropped down the percentiles. Got a repeat scan on monday and if no change we will be discussing induction at 37 weeks. Ill be 36 weeks this Friday, so only 9 days away😱😱

@Itsokaymama I have continuous scans due to GD. Next week is my 32w one, Hopefully, he's been growing at a steady rate but I am worried. With diabetes, it can go either way - too small or too big. The baby is full term at 37w so if this is safer for your baby, then it is time to meet them :)

@razzler991 I work in HR and the only restrictions around maternity leave is that it must commence from day baby is born (i.e. you couldn't be on annual leave once baby is born instead of mat leave), if not earlier, and you must take at least two weeks before returning to work.