Due December 2023 Part 5

[Nclktnntt]

Starting Due December 2023 Part 5

@SMG1992 at my NCT classes they said you often get a bad stomach the day before labour as your body is getting ready by flushing everything out!

I know this feeling and sympathise a lot, and my energy is ok until I start doing something and it drains very quickly.

we have 2 lantern windows that I wanted to clean inside and outside last weekend, due to my hips I only managed to do the one outside and during the week haven't managed to get up to do the inside. I wanted to Hoover and mop the salon Thursday, managed to Hoover and didn't have the energy to mop it - the not pregnant me would have done that, mopped, cleaned the windows and organised a bunch of stuff, pregnant me takes a week to do one or two of the tasks I'd normally power through in a day. I'm getting quite frustrated by having to stop and rest.

Today I plan to clear the area in the room that babies furniture will be going that I've wanted to do for the past few weeks and I've done bits but not enough 😂

@SMG1992 also forgot to add - I really hope you don't have a stomach upset and that you're feeling much better quickly. I thought I'd put that at the beginning 🙈 sorry - I'll blame the baby brain

@bookbathnap Congratulations and a massive well done! Your beautiful girl will now thrive with the right care. I hope you’re managing some rest.

We are HURTLING towards the end now, aren’t we?! I’ve still so much to do!

My DD had a sleepover with cousins last night. My mum insisted on keeping my son overnight so I could rest, and rest I have. I’m still in bed watching telly (The Conjuring of all things!) And I never do this. I feel guilty, so much to do before 3rd and final comes along. I’m tired though as it’s been an intense week of activities with both kids and this coming week is manic too.

Has anyone finalised their Christmas plans yet? With knowing baby is coming on 6th December (C section) I’m starting to put things in place. We were going to eat out on Christmas day but decided against it now, as we are going to the pub on Christmas Eve with friends and their children for a couple of hours and I don’t want to do too much. DP better learn to cook a Christmas roast, sharpish 😂

@bookbathnap oh gosh, I really hope that’s not the case, I’d like him to carry on cooking for a few more weeks ideally! My nct classes aren’t for another couple of weeks as all the other slots were booked up!
thanks @Nclktnntt - I’m the same with productivity, I need to keep taking breaks so everything takes ages. Taking extra long today, it’s days like this I feel lucky I don’t have another little one at home

We're due the 27th so our Christmas plans are tentative and very much likely to change. My mom cooks a lovely Christmas dinner and me and my sisters and nephews will go there... I love Christmas and Christmas dinner is my favourite meal of the year which I don't get to have often as husbands family live over sees and we usually go there for Christmas due to him not seeing his family often vs every week at my parents. And although Christmas there is lovely and the food is amazing, it's not a Christmas roast so my last Christmas dinner was about 3-4 years ago and I'm selfishly hoping baby either comes early enough that we'll still go or after Christmas as planned 😂 husbands offered to cook me one if they arrive a few days before so has been reminded he'll need to order all the bits esp the turkey for a contingency Christmas dinner lol.

I plan on watching as many Christmas films as possible though. But that's my plans, all revolving around food because if baby comes close to but before Christmas I know my family will come here through the day to have a mini Christmas with us too.

Parters too, I always just refer to the women in my family and assume everyone knows I mean their whole family unit... like when I say my moms but mean parents lol.

We're a female dominated family, I think that's why, I have 1 male cousin and all the other men in the family are married in. Until my nephews were born - the eldest was the first male born in the family in 30 years. All my cousins have had girls mostly too. Will be interesting to find out when ours arrives what they'll be lol.

Today productiveness has been zero, I had a crap nights sleep so have been back to bed. I'll do 1 task off my list after lunch round my parents today so I feel like I've done something at least.

For Christmas I have my husband and son’s presents all wrapped. Normally I’m one of those people moaning about Christmas coming too early in shops but I’m trying to be organised so December isn’t crazy. I just need to work out a few more presents and that will be it.

For Christmas Day we’re planning on going to my parents as they’re in the same town and will make Christmas dinner. It’ll be a quieter Christmas as it will just be them as I think my pregnancy has scared off other family members who usually come but have made other plans. C-section date isn’t set yet and could be before or after Christmas so will be quite different. I’m hoping for after.
I do wonder if my sister will make a surprise appearance. She lives in another continent and so don’t see her much. She recently split from her partner and likes doing surprise visits so we’ll see.

My productivity level is definitely low especially with this horrible cold. I don’t usually get much done at weekend as toddler is a handful. It’s just when he’s in nursery that I have time. I’ve got some bedroom furniture that needs built in time for baby but hopefully get that done in next few weeks.

Well my productivity has been zero today and I feel insanely guilty as I do have some essential stuff to do. Will have to crack the whip this week!

Yes, I think Christmas will be very different for all of us this year! I usually pull out all the stops for Christmas dinner but thinking that will be a little tricky with an almost 3 week old. I’ve done an M&S food order and we’ll make it as special as we can, but will have to scale back.

The plan in the next 2-3 weeks is to get presents purchased and wrapped.

Wow the first baby in this group! Hope they are doing okay and you’re recovering well @bookbathnap

We’ve just hit the 32 week mark and I’ve got really itchy out of nowhere, thankfully not on the palms or soles of my feet so the midwife thinks it’s just hormones and skin stretching. Has anyone else had this? I thought it was our washing powder at first as I know I can react and I have sensitive skin but apparently just another pregnancy joy to add to sciatica and indigestion.

Christmas is definitely more complicated for us all this year. I hope everyone’s plans work out okay. We’ve started early on Christmas just in case I feel a lot more tired nearer the due date so we’ve just put the main tree up this weekend but far from finished. That way we can enjoy it all and know it’s done well in advance. Nursery is getting there as that’s another thing we don’t want to have to worry about after baby comes. We’ve told both our families we are staying put this Christmas given our due date is so close to Christmas so our plan is for my mum who is local to come and cook at ours for us, my parents and my grandad, so we don’t have to worry about anything. That way if baby comes early we will at least have a lovely meal at some point during the day and support on hand and if baby is late then we can all still be together but without us travelling. We are quickly trying to declutter our house wherever we can before they come as everyone is telling us that there’s no time for doing anything like that after the baby arrives.

Started thinking about hospital bag packing and post natal recovery, our NCT leader said however many maternity pads you thought you would need it’s more and stared talking about special underwear. Does anyone have any particular products that people have recommended or they have used previously? I’ve been relying on Amazon reviews but I know there might be better products out there.

What’s everything thinking about people visiting after the baby is born? I’m a bit paranoid about germs and bugs so I think we are going to stick to just our parents visiting initially as we can trust them to only come if they are feeling well and also they will help and support us. So many people have bugs right now and don’t seem worried about passing them onto people who are more vulnerable and I don’t want to take any risks with a newborn. Maybe I’m being overly cautious though.

@Vsah22 I feel the same re - germs and bugs. I think because she’s a Winter baby it’s really worrying me. I don’t think you’re over cautious at all. It’s playing on my mind. I definitely don’t want an open house and all and sundry visiting as was the case with my son. I was more relaxed then though, and he was a Spring baby and it was before Covid. I just don’t feel that way now. I seem to get more anxious and my health anxiety gets worse with every passing year.

@Vsah22 Yes been itchy in both pregnancies. Like you not on hands and feet so likely just hormonal and skin stretching but it is very annoying sometimes. I should moisturise to see if that helps but don’t have much time.

I just bought big stretchy pants last time and they were fine. The hospital also supplied a lot of the pads when I was there even though I brought a pack. Can’t remember how many I went through in total though. Probably ended up buying a few packs.

Not really thought about visitors. Last baby was a summer one and during covid so didn’t have as much to consider with visitors.

@Vsah22 I bought the Frida Mom disposable boy shorts off Amazon. They had really good reviews and I've seen some "insta mums" talk about them since then too. They're a bit pricey but hopefully worth it!

@VillageFete So glad it’s not just me. Even some of our family friends have turned up to my parents with bugs and didn’t think to mention they were ill. If they had, my parents would have rearranged and instead they both got ill and we had to avoid seeing them until they were better. My sibling and his wife are similar, because they aren’t too bad when they are ill they just assume it’s okay. I don’t think people realise how bad their germs can affect a baby with a weaker immune system or even parents who are not sleeping and feeling run down themselves. Post Christmas if anyone wants to visit we are going to ask outright if they are well and be very clear that we would rather rearrange if they aren’t so people don’t just make assumptions as it’s a lot harder turning people away at the door. I’ve had 3 family members who’ve had Covid in the last month so it’s definitely about and December and January are never good for bugs. I sound like a complete worrier but as a first timer I’d rather be in a bubble and feel safe than take risks and have regrets.

@ThomasinaLivesHere That’s a good idea, thank you! Mine has mainly been on my legs and arms. They said I could take an antihistamine to see if that helped so I might also try that. Just relieved it doesn’t look like that liver condition! I hadn’t realised the hospital supplied some pads but that would make sense as not everyone would have bought some in advance. I think I’m going to get a few packs as you say and can always top up if needed.

@Charlielechat I’ll go and have a look at those, thank you! Worth it if they do the job and are comfortable which is the most important thing.

Heya @Vsah22 I've definitely thought about this and will be saying outright that anyone who is I'll, even a tiny bit, been around people who have been I'll within the past week are to wait and come later on. Most of my family have kids who will most likely be germ ridden and ill - so if they turn up ill tell them to leave. It's harder when they arrive for sure but ill have no problem standing my ground once I've already pre warned them.

As for post natal nickers - I definitely need to invest on some big pants. I don't own a single pair 😂 I've seen boxer types are supposed to be super comfortable, also the always discreet diapers are supposed to be brilliant.

Hi everyone, hope it's ok to join here. Current member of the Due Jan group with a due date of 09.01 but was diagnosed with GD last week and have been told there's a good chance baby could be early 🙈

Welcome @Flossiepot ! I hope you are doing well :)

@Nclktnntt I've already had to change to big pants as I could deal with them rolling down. I just bought some multipacks from Sainsburys, I'll probably use them post birth too with some pads rather than getting disposable ones. They come in a pack of 5 for £10 so are more reasonable price wise.

I'm popping to Sainsbury’s later - I'll take a look.

Welcome @Flossiepot I hope you're keeping well there's a few in here who have been diagnosed with GD so I'm sure if you need to vent or need advice they'll jump in to share their experience😊

Definitely recommend the giant pants! I lived in them for months after DD1 was born🙈and back in them now! I was an 8/10 pre-baby but bought size 14 for postpartum (The M&S pure cotton full brief, £5 for 4) and they are so comfy and good quality.

I’ve gone for giant pants - got a few multipacks from m and a, as well as some giant m and s period pants. I need to buy more pads I think though.

Im not even close to starting packing my bag. I have most of the stuff I need I think, just need to arrange it all.

I also need to keep a list of ‘pack on the day’ handy - so stuff like my make up / hairbrush that I can’t really pack but will definitely need.

I brought some disposal c-section knickers from Boots yesterday, £15 for a pack of 8. Not sure why, I should I looked elsewhere as well. We have so much to do yet, we have left it so late. No pram, not car seat, no nursery furniture! so annoyed at myself for not doing this before and I'm due on the 4th Dec!

We hadn't brought a single thing until last week. We went to John Lewis and mammas & papas for their 90 min meetings to go through everything. We'd pretty much decided on the pram and car seat after meeting with the John Lewis lady and I wasn't taken by their furniture, at mammas & papas I wasn't taken by their selection of prams for what we needed as the main pro points so we moved onto furniture. That night we order the pram and car seat from John Lewis (gave us a discount code to use) and ordered the suite from mammas & papas (had a sale on) and also should get a little gift voucher towards our next spend - need the mattress for the cot and everything else babies need now 😂

I need to do some investigations into bottles, teets and sterilisers along with formula options and what's the best nutrient wise, I've currently settled on 2 that I think together give everything baby needs but it's not recommended to mix formulas I don't think... so need to really do more research on all this side of things.

Next research is how you dress a baby to go for a walk when it's bloody freezing outside - I wanna go for a daily walk as soon as I'm feeling up to it and it's also supposed to help with babies day/night cycles but figuring what clothes to buy and what sizes is proving confusing just now. Just need to look into I think.

@Nclktnntt we sound in similar boats! Not very prepared, I also need to research into formula. I went with mam anti colic bottles but only because a few of my friends had used them. Someone told me all formula needs to have the same ingredients in it now so they don’t vary that much? Heard good stuff about aldis own one.
im also the same with figuring out what to dress baby in, I’m wondering what to use at night too. A sleep bag? A swaddle? A blanket? Who knows!
I started buying things for my hospital bag yesterday - spent £60 in boots and don’t even feel like I have half the things! Need new pants and maternity pads, strangely my boots didn’t have any. are you all on the parenting club? You get a free mam
bottle and dummy and breast pads with that. Thought that was quite good!

Hello everyone! I spent the day yesterday having bad cramps which at times felt a lot like contractions but no show and no waters breaking. ALso the 'contractions' were quite sporadic and not building like in real labour. I spoke to the hospital and they thought that unless anything changed, I should wait it out. Feeling much more normal today thank goodness. I am due on the 1st Dec so 35+3 today. I'm sure the baby would be fine if it came now but obviously would be good to get at least another couple of weeks inside if possible! I have to say though, a part of me was a bit excited at the prospect of having the birth over and done with, I am so over being pregnant. This little 'scare' has prompted us to go and find all the newborn stuff we put away from last time, been meaning to do that for ages so must actually now get on with it.

@99SR the formulas are pretty much a much of a muchness tbf but they all have slightly different ingredients and some have palm oil and fish oils and in and some don't, from what I can see there's the base line criteria the formula has to meet then each brand has added extras or changed where they source the ingredients from and things like that. I've been looking at kendamil and hipp ones but also Aldi's came high on the recommended list and I've not looked into that one yet to compare.

The mam bottles are on my list and there's another which I can't remember but is silicone bot plastic but I need to remember the name and investigate a lot further as they're supposed to be amazing for anti colic too. What sterilising option have you gone for?

MIL sent us some Muslin cloths which arrived today - so that's my collection of those started and my mom purchased a sleeping bag which she gave us yesterday so they currently have 1 outfit, 4 grow suits? (The all in ones things) 3 bibs, 4 muslins, and a sleeping bag - I think that might be a days worth covered 😂 we're popping to my husbands grans this weekend and have been threatened with the possibility of a suitcase full of clothes and things, but I only half believe it, I wouldn't put it past her though. So I've been holding out until after this weekend just in case. We have our eye on an awesome chair that sits doing nothing at hers and has never been sat on, that would make an amazing resting/feeding chair so going to see if she'll let us have it.

I'm hopeful I'll put one of the items of furniture together today 🤞