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

@WeightoftheWorld oooh thanks for that will have a look.

Had a terrible time breastfeeding last time even with the help of the breastfeeding support ladies still only managed to get to 5 months with combi feeding. Remember it being such a faff. Hoping for an easier outcome this time.

Anyone got any good tips for helping with swelling in the hot weather? Anything anyone can recommend for puffy feet/ankles and giant sausage fingers very welcome! My feet are so puffed up it's actually almost painful because it's like the skin is being stretched - the main advice seems to be to put your feet up, but that's not very practical when I need to work.

@CluelessInLondon I'm the same re swelling. Keeping feet elevated certainly helps but isn't very practical.

Lots of water and cool.baths in the evening also help.

32 week scan and consultant app on Wednesday and I'll also get my section date! Very exciting. Can not wait to get this baby out. Its sitting around the 50th percentile albeit baby's tummy is 80th! Head and femur around 40th. Strangely all my babies have had huge tums!

Suffering with pelvic girdle pain and insomnia. Also my three year oldnis OBSESSED with my boobs and wants to look at them all the time 🙃 Anyone else's DC like this?

I have been doing a foot soak of an evening. Bit of sea salt in lukewarm water and soak its bliss

I've not had swelling but my skin feels really dry and weird. I can't explain it. I keep having to get up in the night and wet my hands and feet...

@CluelessInLondon I've found a magnesium spray really soothing for my legs and feet. I keep it in the fridge for the hotter days

@CluelessInLondon @ToffeeEl was also going to suggest a cooling spray/mist

Thanks for the tips on managing swelling, ladies! The foot spray is a great shout, and reminded me that I actually have some rarely-used foot spray in my bathroom cupboard. I've put it in the fridge so it's nice and cold for when I get home from work. Swelling went down quite a bit overnight, which was a relief (my husband very generously let me have the fan just on my side of the bed so I wasn't ridiculously hot), and the air conditioning in the office is absolute heaven today. Downside is I have to get on the tube in rush hour to get home! 😓

@CharlieBalf How exciting that you're getting your section date confirmed this week! Bet you're looking forward to having a date that you're going to meet your little one.

I've got my 34 week midwife appointment tomorrow, taking my husband with me as we'll be doing my birth plan. Have to remember that the baby has no idea what's going in the birth plan and I have to be prepared to throw it in the bin if things don't work out how I would like!

Feeling a bit down today. Waiting to move in to our new (to us) house. We've been waiting 4 weeks since signing and sending back our contract documents for the sellers to sign their documents for exchange, and it still hasn't happened. Apparently they are going in to sign "later this week" - whatever that means. Feel like I could cry. We put in the offer in April and there is no chain either end so hoped we would be in by July, but now it just feels like time is slipping past and nothing is happening. Everything I look at is screaming at me to get things ready for baby, but I can't book to attend in-person classes as we are moving a couple of hours away from where we currently are, I can't buy or pack anything as we live on a narrowboat at the moment so there is no space, anything that I have got is spread between parents and siblings in various parts of the country and so I have no idea what I still need. I'll be having the baby in a different trust to the one I've had all of my appointments with and can't really contact the other trust until we know when we are going to be there and I can get booked in with a doctor, but I'm 32 weeks now and want to do the hospital tour and start getting a feel for the medical professionals there. Just feeling a bit like there is so much to do, and everything is just on hold. Have written more lists than I know what to do with!

Not really sure what this post is for, just I know my husband is feeling just as stressed and we're boring even ourselves with the "when we get the house" chat. Family keep reassuring and saying "it will happen soon", which logically I know, but in reality I want to scream into the void and have a bit of a rant. Solidarity with anyone else feeling frustrated. Hope things get easier.

It’s sounds so stressful 😩 the sellers aren’t being helpful can you put any pressure on them to exchange?

Don’t worry about in person classes, most people don’t do them. I haven’t done them and any that are available are quite expensive and over 40 mins away from us. I thought I’d be a nice way to meet people but in reality give how far away there are I doubt I’d ever meet up with anyone I met there again as it’s just too far to travel regularly with a baby and I don’t drive! There’s loads of classes you can do after you’ve had the baby and also the Peanut app is a really good way to meet other mums if that’s what you wanted. There’s loads of online ante natal classes you can do!

Can you arrange to visit the new hospital anyway even if you’ve not moved there yet? Just let them know your circumstances I’m sure they could do a tour??

Could your family compile a list of what baby stuff they have so you can make a final list of what you need, might put your mind at rest over that at least.

Fingers crossed you’re able to exchange this week.

Anyone up? I’m 30w + 6 and getting a whole lot of kicks in the bladder tonight! Cannot sleep at all!

@SuenoNB Argh, that sounds so frustrating - moving house is awful, I can't imagine how much extra stress it is trying to do it when pregnant! I agree with PP's suggestion about getting the family who have some of the baby stuff to list out what they've got so you know exactly what you still need. Are any of them located close to where you're moving to and could store some items for you so you could do an Amazon order or similar and get it delivered to them and pick it up once your move is done? Fingers crossed you get good news soon and you can get on with planning your move.

@Sunandsea13 I normally find getting to sleep is okay, then I inevitably wake up in the early hours for a wee and sometimes find it really hard to get back to sleep. This morning I lasted until 5am before I needed the loo, but then it took ages to get back to sleep and I was exhausted when my alarm went off at 6.30! I find that when I've been lying on my left side for a long time my hip starts to get sore, but if I try to turn over onto my right side it aggravates the carpal tunnel in my right arm and hand so I can only sleep for a really short amount of time before I end up with a numb hand. It's so frustrating not being able to sleep comfortably for a whole night!

I had my 34 week appointment yesterday and did my birth plan, so it all feels a bit more real now. They were a little bit concerned that the measurement of my bump suggested almost no growth since my last appointment, but they weren't too worried as the measurements are so approximate (and I have seen a different midwife at every appointment so I bet there are some differences in how each one has done the measuring). I've got a scan next Tuesday to check the position of my placenta so hopefully that will show that everything is fine with baby's growth and it's where it needs to be.

Thanks @JLT24 and @CluelessInLondon. Had a stern word with myself yesterday and decided to plan in some nice things that I can do even whilst still on the boat. I can't control the move so best to try to put it out of my mind. Will definitely check out the Peanut app when we move and setting myself a bit of a deadline of when we will have to just go up and stay in a hotel to do the hospital visit etc. if we still haven't moved. Currently 32 weeks so we should have a little bit of time left.

@Sunandsea13 Sleeping is so hard! Pretty sure my baby's head is using my bladder as a cushion so feel like I need a wee every 10 minutes and getting comfortable feels impossible. Can you nap in the day at all? I sometimes find I can nod off for an hour and it seems a bit easier - night time feels like a lot of pressure to get a good night's sleep and I think that makes it worse.

Hope your scan goes well on Tuesday @CluelessInLondon!

@SuenoNB that sounds so stressful sorry it's been such a long process! I completly get the urge to nest and sort things out is so strong!

But the advice I've had from my mum friends is you don't actually need to have everything ready even if you feel like you do! You can pretty much order anything off amazon for next day delivery.
Hopefully you'll be in your new home soon and you can get some time off work to sort things out when you do.

@Sunandsea13 I'm not sleeping at all. Literally cannot nod off. It's not being uncomfortable or even needing to pee really just brain will no shut down. It's killing me off.

@SuenoNB totally feel your pain, we got our offer accepted on a project house in April ... No chain at either end and due to the sellers incompetent solicitors it's still not gone through.

We have loads of work to do to it so won't be in till at least April even if we completed tomorrow.... We're not in a boat but we are in a static caravan in my parents garden with a 5 year old! We can do this!!!!

@Trifficult Fingers crossed that someone puts a firework under these solicitors' bums and we can actually get somewhere! We can do it and it will all be worth it when we both have lovely homes to raise our babies in.

Would you meet up for an (outside) lunch with a friend whose children have had chicken pox in the last two week? Friend has had it before as have I, but I don’t know what the guidance is in that situation. I really want to see her but don’t want to be silly.

@Mitsky I think the guidance is you're fine if you've already had chicken pox but personally I wouldn't risk it.

I'd give it a few more weeks before meeting up.

@Mitsky I personally wouldn't risk it xxx

@Mitsky it's not impossible to get CP more than once, although rare. For that reason personally I wouldn't meet unless the children are no longer infectious - which is when all the spots have scabbed over.

@Mitsky I wouldn't. One of the ladies at work caught chicken pox whilst pregnant with her twin. She ended up in early labour. They were all very ill. Arrange to meet afterwards

@Mitsky I'm going to go against the grain, I personally would be comfortable with the risk - it's very rare to get chicken pox twice. You're probably more likely to have a road accident getting to meet your friend than you are to re-contract chicken pox from her children, particularly if they are past the point of being infectious. The NHS only advises caution if you haven't had it before, or if you aren't sure and come into contact with it.

@Mitsky @CluelessInLondon I had chicken pox twice. It 100% does happen.

@Mitsky yeas I'd meet up x