Due July 2024 - part 3

[Oatmilktea]

I noticed the other thread was full and have started a new one.

Lovely to hear of everyone’s 20 week scans. Thanks to those of you who gave me a list of baby essentials, very helpful!

Hope you’re all doing well!

Had my 28 week midwife appointment and BP has gone up again (although not as much as it had at this point with DS) although no other symptoms yet so on for even more careful monitoring and possibly the next one of us to be heading into hospital.

Have an appointment with the consultant on Thursday anyway but tempted to call triage this afternoon and see if they can ask her if I can up my BP meds immediately.

@Morningcoffeeaddict sorry to hear about your BP. Hopefully it can be controlled with meds and you can stay out of hospital ❤️

@missmoosh sorry to hear your BP is high, hopefully they are able to control it by increasing your meds. Let us know how you get on at your appointment on Thursday.

The doctor in the hospital has given me a 12 week sick line which takes me past my due date. I can’t believe I’m now off work until June 2025… I have quite a few bits to tie up for work so might log on once I’m home but if I’m honest I’m glad to have one less thing to worry about

It seems like such a long time but it will just go! I am finding sitting for too long and to be fair getting around etc difficult already and am working on the elections Thursday so 15 hours in charge of my polling station, I have no idea how it will go pregnant!

@Oatmilktea eek, again! I am so sorry you are going through it, sending love again ❤️ clare du lune have 65 by 28 mattress for 7.99 currently. 1cm out could make all the difference but might be ok for what you need?

Thank you for the insight!! @justanotherlaura @wannabe123 @Amberellaella My gut is really saying wait to buy carrycot attachment, but I do like the idea of having something for downstairs sleep/outings and that is sleep safe recognised but equally I just dont see myself using it. Unless it's mega hot and baby sling is too hot! might just get a moses for downstairs sleep for now. Second hand with new mattress should do it right 🤭

@Oatmilktea - thank you! It had come back down a bit when I checked at home this afternoon so hoping it’ll stay that way and just going to take it easy until Thursday (as far as possible- like you I have loose ends at work I want to get sorted even though I know it’s not the end of the world if they aren’t).
I’m sure my consultant will have some kind of plan when I see her.

hope you’re doing ok as well- it is a long time to be off work but sounds needed so try not to overdo it. Time will fly by!

Anyone look at nursery spaces? Won't need one until little one is 12 months but panicking I might not find anything with all the free funded hours

@misspinredhill yes I've been looking. We found a space for the eldest 1 week before I went back so I want to be prepared this time. Unfortunately I've either not liked them or they can't offer the days - even with a year's notice!

First time around we lived somewhere (i.e. not London haha) where nursery spaces weren't an issue, we just walked down the road and signed up at an ofsted rated outstanding place without any wait whatsoever. Second time, we've moved, and ... 1.5 to 2 year waiting list 😅

@misspinredhill I have already paid the deposit! I asked several months back at the one my daughter is at (ofsted outstanding rated) and was full until September 2025. Thankfully I don't want to go back to work until my daughter starts school so it works out but you need to be organised!

@misspinredhill I've got baby down to start at the nursery that my little boy currently goes to. No idea what days to sign up for though. My current role is being "absorbed" (I'm on a temporary contract) so I will have to find a new job when it's time to go back to work and so I've got no clue about how many days I'd want or which ones!

@misspinredhill yes I have her registered already as wanted to make sure I could get her in at my first choice on the days I want. She’s starting June 2025. Everywhere is filling up so quickly with the extra childcare funding so I started viewing nurseries at 24 weeks x

I informed the nursery at my school that we'll need a place from summer 2025 last December. So, she's on the list, but it depends on how many other babies will need a space. They only take about 4 for the baby room each year.
However, I've also asked at our nearest nursery in town and we don't live in an area where there's an issue with places. Most of our nurseries are council-run and I have to wait until she's born to sign her up anyway. You get three choices and then they assign you a place. We'll be able to have a look around after the summer holidays.
Logistically, the school one would be the best choice. I wasn't too happy with it when DS went there, though. I'm not too much of a fan of the lady in charge of it. For a nursery in our area, I'd have to adjust my hours. DD would get a much better start in terms of language support, though.
Costs are around the same and we'd just go for a full time place. We could still keep her home certain days or pick her up earlier so it would be more flexible.

We have paid to register as we will need in September '25 when I return to work. Even though we have signed up (we did it in Easter holidays), they have no spaces for when she is 3. They're already booked. They only had spaces for children taking more than 3 days a week!
Also horrified by price increases, when DD1 attended it was £60 a day. Now it is £97 a day. Insanity! They upped the cost from £84 to £97 a day when new hours came into effect too.

We are actually going to look at a local nursery this evening. It's one of two I'm interested in, they are going to advise mrabout when to apply etc. But like you all had a panic over spaces with the funding stuff, so trying to sort it now. It's hard though when you don't know what days/hours your going to need!

@missmoosh our nursery said they were full without considering the funding 😬. Although I am pretty certain of days I have paid a deposit for all days as can then choose/change nearer the time and know I have all options. Also I got caught out last time by not reserving actual days in advance.

It is tough having to reserve days so far in advance, I’ve put her down to go two days a week (Tues & Thurs) but that is based on me dropping my days down at work to 4 days which hasn’t been discussed/agreed with work yet, I’ll be a bit stuffed if they reject my flexible working request 😂 also the nursery doesn’t open until 8am, is it just me or does that seem really late? I leave for work at 7am as I work 8-4 so DP will do drop-offs and I’ll do pick-ups.

@Bali200 - I think 8 is normal, but DH and I had the same issue as he starts at 8 so we did an end of the day each and my employer were fine with me starting later. Not sure how I’m going to work it with one in school and one in nursery though, we live about 20mins drive from the nearest nursery so I’m expecting it to be manic in the mornings!

Thank you everyone, I will make sure o put baby down somewhere soon, just shocking how much more nursery is now compared to when my little boy went

@misspinredhill I think, ironically, it's caused by the increase in free hours as the government aren't paying nurseries the hourly rate they need so are hiking the costs where they can to try and stay afloat.

Not sure if this happens everywhere, but at our nursery if your kid is in baby room (on whatever hours) then it guarantees you a spot with the hours you want when they turn 1. Plenty of people put them in for a bit even if they’re on mat leave still just to secure their place later. There’s often random bits of time avail because most people don’t put their kids in full time at that age.

I’m planning on going back four days this time when baby is six months, so I put his name down for the place before the pregnancy test had even dried to make sure I got the hours I wanted in baby room 😂

Our school nursery opens at 8am (until 6pm) and our local ones at 7.30am (until 5pm). With DS, I think we paid £57 per day but he only went three days a week and term-time only, so it was manageable. For DD, we'd pay about £200 per month for a full time place, year round...although they close for 3 weeks in the summer, for example. Half of that is for lunches but you can't send your own food in, as far as I know.
The fact that we wanted a second child was one of the reasons why we left England. 🤷‍♀️

Had my growth scan today (previous baby IUGR) and she is huuuuuugggggeeee 😄 99th centile. All baby too. Sonographer laughed when we did because scanning for IUGR. Have gestational diabetes check booked for next Thursday now 😄 Feel like this baby will be chalk and cheese to DD1!

£200 a month sounds pretty reasonable, I am looking at around £1200 a month for four days but that is all year round

Yeah, it's not bad. That's all year round as well. We don't need childcare in the holidays but could send her in, if we wanted to. We moved abroad because maternity and family benefits here are so much better than in the UK.