Anyone due in April 2024 #3

[XenaTheWarriorPrincess]

New thread for April due dates!

Feel free to tag people from the old thread so they can find us easier.

@Ttcmumma thank you. What helped you decide to get the occaro in the first place? We won't need to take on public transport much and I'm hoping to breastfeed so will also be using sling/carrier but there is just so much choice out there when it comes to prams!

@ZB86 Start by thinking about what you need from a pram. Do you want it to fit a car seat on? May you need it to become a double? Do you have space restrictions? Will you be needing something easy to use on public transport? Will it be used for a lot of off-roading? And which out of all of these are your priorities? Then I'd do some online research and try to narrow down some models that seem to fit the bill. Then start ringing around to see if anywhere has them in stock to try out.

I love our uppababy vista and it's been an absolute workhorse with our daughter and in perfect condition for number 2. It pushes beautifully and has a huge basket but it's a bit of a tank, quite big and heavy and not the easiest to get into narrow doorways. It's been great for us but if I was on and off public transport having to fold and lug it around or lived in an upstairs flat it would get on my nerves.

@ZB86 I chose it as it seemed nice and strong and sturdy for the dog walks on all terrain, it also had really comfy seating. Whereas I find things like icandy (also more expensive lol) to be very thin material that they're laying/sitting on. Good suspension, decent sized basket underneath etc. what I didn't consider at the time is that it's not suitable for overnight sleeping and I'm not sure if it can expand to a double buggy for future if you have kids close in age. Luckily I never needed either of these elements, my son is 5 and a half so will definitely not be getting in the buggy with his sister lol.

Hi has anyone tried to get signed off work in your third trimester by the GP and how did that go? I could really do with 2-3 weeks off sick. Everything seems to be going down for me in the least few weeks and I’m getting to the edge and work just keeps adding on. I’m not sure what to say to GP to get signed off for few weeks. Can someone help at all? Thanks

@chlo299 sorry to hear this. I'm not in this position and I'm not sure what your due date is but at my work the policy says if you are off sick within 4 weeks of your due date and the reason is linked to pregnancy, your employer can start your maternity leave early, just something to bear in mind. Do you have an occupational health department you can speak to and any employee assistance package that you can access? Put yourself and baby first. There could be options like reasonable adjustments that your workplace could put in place til your mat leave starts but if you need to be off completely then your GP should be able to support you with that. I think most places you can self certify for the first week before you need a sick/fit note from GP. Take care x

@ZB86 I'm due on 17/04 and yes we have that 4 week policy as well, therefore I was hoping to get signed off for like 3-4 weeks then I would still be within that timeframe of working before 4 weeks before EDD start or does it work differently? Thanks I'm just fed up with work and people and lack of support:(

@chlo299 if it's same as where I work you could self certify for one week before you need to see your GP. Do let your line manager know the reason you are going off though if this is what you decide to do, to make sure that when you go back the right support is in place. Not sure how long GPs tend to provide the initial sick note for they might want to start with one or two weeks before reviewing. Good luck x

@ZB86 is it worth saying to the GP that I already self certified for a week even if I didn't ? Just to get one and pass on to my HR instead of calling in everyday explaining what's going on which I'm not too comfortable with ?

@chlo299 I’d be totally transparent with the GP & work, there may well be ways they can support you that you aren’t aware of. You might struggle to get a sick note for 3 weeks depending on the reason, I know my friend has recently got a sick note from her GP, she’s also pregnant but earlier than all of us she’s about 16 weeks, due to sickness and discomfort and she only got a sick note for 1 week, she had to go back after that week. I’d definitely try and speak with your work, HR and occupational health if you don’t feel supported as there may well be changes they can make to help you! X

@ZB86 that might not work then because the reason I want to go off sick is because work is totally careless including my direct manager main manager as well as hr they're all just adding on to my personal issues I'm going through with family 🤷🏼‍♀️ and their usual response is basically suck it up pregnancy is not an illness

I’m sorry you’re going through that @chlo299 but your GP is unlikely to give you a sick note for those reasons because it isn’t an illness/sickness, it’s a work issue. You may be able to get signed off with work related stress but obviously that is not pregnancy related sickness so would be treated in the usual way for sick records etc. Do you have a union rep you could talk to at work? X

@ZB86 I don't want to get anyone with work involved so i will just deal with it myself somehow. I was going to ask for stress related sick note anyway rather than pregnancy related to make sure my maternity doesn't start earlier

Honestly @chlo299 I’d really recommend trying to come to some resolution with your work because if nothing else it won’t help your stress when your maternity leave is coming to an end knowing you have to go back to a bad work environment. You can ask your GP for a sick note for stress and will most likely be successful but it is very unlikely to be for 3 weeks it will be a week/ 2 weeks at a time x

@Mrsttcno1 @ZB86 thanks x

@ZB86 we got the uppababy vista v2 from John Lewis. It's on the expensive side, but it had all that we wanted and we think it will be worth it. What we really liked it's how sturdy it feelt compared to some others, the carrycot can be used for overnight sleeping, it can change to a double if you have babies close in age and it will fit nicely in our car boot. We don't use public transport much and the weight is not an issue.

We got the candy orange last pregnancy and absoloutly love it. Can’t wait to use it again, really solid buggy. Great quality and easy to put up and down. Couldn’t recommend it enough! I know it’s pricey but personally I think it’s worth it.

@ZB86 I was on a bit more of a budget (£500 maximum) and wanted new not second hand, so I went with the cossatto Giggle 2.

I initially wanted to be able to 'test' a pram out but quickly realised that would limit options too much for me, so I looked for a pram that met my most important needs and then looked up full blog and customer reviews and videos for it instead.

Definitely consider what the most important features are to you, then find something that matches.

Mine were a good handle height range (as I'm 5ft2 and dp is 6ft), lightweight carrycot and frame (as we live in a flat so has be carried up stairs) and not having a seperate carrycot (wanted one that transformed when girl outgrew the carrycot rather than 2 seperate units, for storage space reasons).

Those plus the budget led me to the one I picked. I also just fell in love with the cossatto brand because if the fun colourful patterns. I went with the foxes 😊

I had my 28 week midwife appointment yesterday and baby was transverse. Just wondering if it’s likely he’ll still be changing position in the next few months or should I be worried? The midwife didn’t seem too concerned once she’d worked out where his bottom was!

@Pinkstuffs my midwife said she doesn't care until 36 weeks. Baby can still turn easily at 28 weeks, obviously the further along you get the harder it gets for them but I wouldn't be worried yet if I was you.
Also my midwife was convinced baby was breech but my private scan 2 days prior baby was head down, so either the baby moved in those 2 days at 28 weeks or the midwife wasn't very accurate lol

Yes @Pinkstuffs me too, and baby is measuring 3.5 weeks ahead! Midwife just said not to worry, if they are still in a funny position by my growth scan at 34 weeks they can offer a procedure to try and turn the baby. I’m burying my head in the sand for now and trusting everything will be fine! X

My midwife couldn’t work out what position baby was even in, although I have a posterior placenta which makes things trickier to feel at this stage apparently. I know there is something hard at the top but could be a head or a bum 😂

I’m also totally overwhelmed on prams…..

I was measuring 6 weeks behind at my 28 week midwife appointment. (Very petite frame, size 6 usually) so not surprised bump was small. Went for growth scans she was concerned baby was small but actually baby was measuring really big and now got to keep monitoring growth and have the glucose test! Potential early induction etc was mentioned. Not sure how on earth I’m hiding a big baby in my little bump. Already estimated at 3lb 3oz on scan! So just keep an open mind about any bump measurements / growth scan referrals as they are not always what they seem! 😅

@ZB86 We’ve ordered an Ocarro too, we live rurally so need something that will do tougher terrain like footpaths and tracks. I’m hoping it gets plenty of use as I try to get out every day for a walk. Friends also recommended getting a travel system where the car seat can clip to the chassis if you’re just popping to the supermarket etc which you can do on the ocarro. We don’t really use public transport and have bigger cars so these weren’t points for us to consider.

I did try out the Bugaboo Fox and also the Mamas and Papas Strada which is the cheaper/more lightweight system, it didn’t feel nearly as sturdy as the Ocarro. The Fox was lovely but the system was almost twice the price of the Ocarro and couldn’t justify this for the extra features (slightly lighter and bigger, carrycot could allow overnight sleeping and seat was easier to adjust were the main differences the shop assistant pointed out to us). I was all for getting a second hand pram as I’ve picked up most other bits used but considering a car seat and isofix is a few hundred £££s anyway it didn’t seem too much more to get the bundle which was about £950.

One thing to let yous know for anyone who hasn’t ordered nursery furniture yet and is planning on getting it from Mamas and Papas, they are now experiencing HUGE delays due to the ongoing issues with the red sea meaning boats are restricted. We bought ours at the start of December and received it last weekend, we popped in store today to get a mattress for the cot and were speaking to 2 different women in there who are furious as they ordered their furniture in January and are now being told end of May is the earliest it will be here due to these issues. The only way it will arrive sooner is it there is already stock of your choice here already, but Mamas and Papas aren’t telling customers this and if you ask them in store will deny it until you’ve placed your order as thats what they have been told to do!

That’s true @Mrsttcno1 we ordered our pram last November and not all of it can be delivered before baby comes in April! Luckily the car seat is in stock and the pram part but the footmuff won’t arrive until June!