OCTOBER 2024 BABIES - Thread 4

[CluelessInLondon]

Just getting another thread going as we are about to run out of space on the old one - hope nobody minds me taking the initiative on it!

Previous thread here: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/pregnancy/5028774-october-2024-babies-thread-3

Hey everyone! I'm also feeling very much the same as you guys, I'm not sure if I've felt anything yet and I was getting a bit anxious but I had an appointment with my midwife yesterday and she listened to the heartbeat so that was nice!

I have my 20 week scan next Friday. We've already had a private scan and found out we're having a little girl but want to double check at the NHS scan next week!

Don't know about you guys but I'm not loving the fuss from everyone. I will try and hide my bump when visiting people as the comments really annoy me for some reason. I only really like showing my bump to my OH. Is that weird? 😂

Same with the movement here - I'm 21 wks today & still only get little taps, mostly at night. I have anterior placenta same as with my first. She was moving lots at the scan last week

Its been pretty chatty on the whatsapp group!!

I’m only 18w + 1 so still got 2 weeks to go til my 20w scan and we dont know the gender yet so really looking forward to that 😊

I definitely don’t have a glow, my skin is dreadful - i’ve suffered with acne my whole life and hoped all the pregnancy hormones would clear it up but its done the opposite and made the lower half of my face look horrific! As well as much more on my chest/back/etc. which is depressing.

Have to say me too. I came back to work yesterday having not been in the office for 2 weeks and in that time people had noticed i was pregnant and it spread pretty fast (my immediate colleagues/work friends knew but hadnt been talking about it) but yesterday i felt like i was the office gossip which i hate! And pretty much every woman took the opportunity to tell me about their own pregnancies which is well-meaning but gets a little tiresome after a while

@2doggos I think it's just personal to the individual whether they like being fussed over or not - don't feel bad about it if you don't like it!

@MF94 I know what you mean about other people wanting to talk about their own pregnancies - I had two friends over for lunch a couple of weeks ago, they have 5 kids between them and they talked a LOT about their own pregnancies, and wanted to talk about mine, and frankly I found it a bit boring after a while, even talking about my own pregnancy. I think people sometimes forget that just because you're pregnant doesn't mean there's nothing else going on in life!

@MF94 hopefully our glow kicks in before the third trimester.

@2doggos I don't like fuss either. I'm not looking forward to work finding out as there will be so much small talk about pregnancy. It might just be me but I can understand looking forward to parenting a little human but pregnancy itself isn't that interesting tbh. The ideal scenario is to have an uneventful pregnancy otherwise you're just sharing a list of medical issues.

Oh forgot to add, I've seen a decrease in flutters. I used to feel it daily but it's been a few days now. I know you can't expect a pattern until around 24 weeks but it is unnerving.

I’m doing really well, have got away with minor symptoms so far so feel very very lucky! I’m exhausted too but no more than I was before pregnancy tbh (I have ME). I can’t believe we are almost half way!!

@JLT24 I'm glad you're doing well!

On a more positive note than my last post, has anyone started buying things yet?

I told myself I'd wait until the anomaly scan but I've become a bit obsessed with Vinted.

@LuxeBiscuit I've bought quite a lot, I have had my anomaly scan, but started to buy things before, couldn't resist!

I don't know if you've joined the WhatsApp group but that's very chatty!

I'm 21+2 and started to feel regular movements 4 days ago, I'm not sure what type of placenta i have!

Feeling movement here . Propper kicks whenever I eat wheatos cereal 😋

We are off on holiday soon and the airline we are travelling with was very ambiguous with fit to fly. 2 paragraphs one said under 26 weeks no fit to fly needed . The very next paragraph all pregnant women need a fit to fly 🤔
So I phoned them up and the answer was ......you need a fit to fly 😕 my midwife wouldn't do one. But my lovely gp has done one for me today ( after a bp check) so I can go on holiday !

The only things I have bought are some newborn reusable nappies . We used disposable last time but I figured if I can get through potty training pants washing then I can do nappy washing.

And a cot bed ( no matress) for £10 off marketplace .

I have painted the nursery this last weekend went for delux natural hessian walls with brilliant white wood work and ceiling . Looks so nice 😍 still need some black out curtains .

@spudnik1 ooh glad I've just read this I go in 4 weeks and from googling didn't think I'd need one but I've just messaged the travel agents to check

We've got so much left from my daughter who's only 15 months, but I'm desperate to buy now for a boy. I definitely did buy smaller things last time before 20 weeks too, it's too hard not to!

@WickWood I was waiting until after 12 weeks to join the WhatsApp group but then I think someone said a few weeks ago that it was at capacity.

And @ToffeeEl I'm glad I'm not the only one.

@spudnik1 oh that's exciting that you're feeling kicks. Even if the airline said you didn't need a fit to fly I would have asked for one just in case it was an issue on the way back, but at least you have it now.

@LuxeBiscuit I think the original whatsapp was full but there's a smaller second group on the go now too

I’ve bought a baby bath from Amazon as I had a voucher to use! I signed up to their baby wish list and got a free Tomee Tipee nappy bin worth £28! I’ve also got 2 packs of free nappies from Aldi 😂 I’ve been gifted a play mat and carrier.

I’m not buying anything else until after 20 weeks scan which is next week!

Went to Mamas and Papas today though and picked our pram, car seat, crib and moses basket. So I’ll buy them first!

I brought a couple of clothing bits before 20 weeks as they were on sale. Now I've had the scan I need to work out what i need.

I tried to get a fit to fly night a few weeks ago as was flying long haul. Completed ghosted by gp and midwife. I just hid my bump and it was fine.
Flying long haul again in a few weeks, had an appointment with the midwife and she said they don't do them before 28 weeks. My GP is is useless and you can't even speak to someone when you have an urgent medical issue, I've tried multiple times . I just googled it and you can get one privately for £25 which i resent but might do for peace of mind.

@LuxeBiscuit

https://chat.whatsapp.com/DVKhtUMRBAABWiqxtxcq7u

Here is a link to the WhatsApp if you haven't already joined!

@JLT24 oh I also signed up to the Amazon wish list. It's a pretty good deal.

For those who have a Boots advantage club, you can join the parenting club. You get extra points and a free MAM bottle, soother and aveeno product.

@WickWood great, thanks!

I'm another one who's flying in a few weeks' time - my airline is fine without a fit to fly note up to the end of the 28th week, but my connecting flight home is day 1 of my 29th week so I think I'm going to ask the GP for a note anyway, just to be on the safe side! Seems a bit daft the GP doing it though, given that they don't have maternity expertise and I haven't had any contact with the GP in my pregnancy...

On shopping, I haven't bought anything for baby yet (it still feels too far away!) but have booked in a consultation at John Lewis for July (earliest I could get an appointment at the weekend!) - if anybody else has a John Lewis near them and was thinking about it for any baby stuff, they have a deal on where if you spend a certain amount with them after having a consultation they offer some discounts. It's quite high spend but useful if you need any big things - furniture, travel systems, stuff like that.

@JLT24 @LuxeBiscuit Thanks for the tips about Amazon and Boots!

@CluelessInLondon I did the consultant appt with discount for my 1st - bought pram, car seat , snuzpod & loads of other bits smaller bits I had saved to my wish list so was easy to add to the order, delivery day was epic

Oh I've just booked the John lewis appointment - good call!

I need to submit my matetnity forms in 2 weeks as I'll be on leave at 25 weeks.

Is it absolutely mad to want to start matetnity leave on my due date ? My job is very relaxed and i can wfh as much as i want to. I know things will have wound down for me too. I can also take over as much leave as i want so I'd rather take over to use once I'm back from matetnity to work 4 days a week . But i acknowledge this might be very nieve!

Because this is our second and we’re not finding out the sex the only things I’ll be buying are a Rockit, a second blackout blind and a buggy board for my son! It’s quite nice not stressing about buying everything!

I also recommend the John Lewis appointment. Maybe rather cheekily we didn’t end up buy anything from them but they were great for going through the prams etc. We did it on a video call which was convenient too. The only negative as (like most big baby retailers) they know very little about car seat safety. For some proper information I recommend joining one of the U.K. car seat safety or extended rear facing groups on Facebook. They can get a bit heated (!) but the information shared there about safe car seats is invaluable.

@RobynC28 I guess it just depends if you want any time at home to relax before baby. I finished at 39 weeks last time which was absolutely fine but anticipated going overdue. He was born the first day of my maternity leave! Saying that I’m going to finish at 39 weeks with a week of annual leave and then start maternity at 40 weeks. Going to try for a VBAC so assuming this one will be slightly later. I will take my remaining annual leave and accumulated annual leave at the end of maternity leave. My plan is to go back the week after their 1st birthday (whenever that happens to be!). It was really nice being able to celebrate my sons birthday as a nice end to my maternity leave last time.

@RobynC28 I can completely see why you would want to wait until the last minute to start mat leave - I'm weighing up the same as I only get 8 weeks off on full pay so I don't really want to be using loads of it up before baby arrives (especially considering that more than 80% of babies arrive after their due date, according to the book I'm reading at the moment!). I think I'm going to do similar to what @Bee49 is doing and take the week leading up to my due date as annual leave, then officially start mat leave the day before my due date.