September 2024 - Thread 7! 🐣🧡💛❤️

[BeautyAndTheBump1]

As requested a new thread for us all! 🥰 can't believe its thread 7 already!

Then hopefully by thread 14 we'll all have our babies in our arms talking all things post partum!

@Decaffe it will affect your no claims because you are effectively claiming due to having an accident in your car anyway. My car was damaged and it was my fault so I claimed and the other driver claimed against me. I have no claims protection though so didn't affect my claims due to that. If it were the other driver at fault then you can claim your car seats back and it won't affect your no claims as its not your fault. However if you backed your car into a wall for instance and damage is minimal, your car seat can't be used anymore as its classed as unsafe and in this instance you might prefer to pay to replace your car seat yourself. I have two car seats in my car though too so it's an expensive job. I hope this explains it better.

@WinsandSam infant car seats usually go to 13kg. However chances are you wouldn't use it for that long and it wouldn't be comfy and very heavy. The next stage seats are mostly to 18kg or you can get some extended rear facing to 25kg. For context my son was 18kg aged 4.5 years old and he was born on the 77th centile. It's not recommended to upgrade to a high back booster until after 4 years old (later the better) due to the way the seatbelt fits and older children are more reliable to sit sensibly with the seatbelt.

We’ve opted to not get a pram this time, we live in the countryside and just hate using them. We had one for DD and it was more a hindrance. So I’ll be baby wearing this time and have bought a freerider sling which I just love! Much cheaper than a whole travel system.

I bought a few new dresses from f&f and I always love the shirred designs as they look really cute and the sizing is very generous. I hate leggings at the best of times. It’s been so hot the last few days I’ve been melting at every corner. So I’ll be on the lookout for more maternity wear

I purchased loads of maternity clothes and hated all of them! Went to Asda and got a load of dresses, skirts and culottes in 2 sizes up and they fit a dream and about a 1/4 of the price.
I also live in my CRZ Yoga leggings as they feel like butter but just sized up in the non maternity ones

@Xur thank you, I'll give the Shein ones a go. My primark ones are much better quality than these boohoo ones. Shocking. I did get a few midi dresses from boohoo though and they are good fit. I've sized up in few bits from tesco so hopefully that'll keep me going.

Grumpy this morning. Cat woke us up before 4am. I managed to get back to sleep but DH didn’t - he then got up and clattered so loudly in the kitchen (emptying dishwasher, putting out rubbish etc) at 5am that I was woken up again. Now going into work early because it’s the first English exam today and we do breakfast revision sessions on exam days. Just checked emails and had one telling us we’re doing an extra booster revision session after work as well. Reply from a colleague (direct to me for some reason) panicking about this and saying she can’t do it - this was sent to me at 6am. I’m not her line manager, I’m not the head of dept - bloody tell the person who sent the email?! Why send a panicked email to me, and WHY at 6am?? Bugger off.

@FuppinNora @Xur I second the SHEIN maternity leggings - was very pleasantly surprised when they arrived and wish I ordered another pair now!

Although with the weather getting warmer I'm certainly in need of some new summer clothes and maternity pants - any recommendations for maternity pants?! 😅 I'm usually a thong girl but don't even know if there is such thing as maternity thong, right now I'd just be happy for a pair of pants that don't keep rolling down under my bump!

Can't believe I'm 24 weeks this week!

We've got practically everything now for baby. We bought a silver cross furniture set ( cotbed, drawers/changing unit and wardrobe) second hand for £250 looks almost brand new. We were given a cosatto wow travel system from a friend, it's in very good condition (she didn't want anything for it) we bought a moses basket and stand new for £60 off amazon ( we don't have room for a next to me crib, our room is tiny) Then a lot of clothes from vinted and a few new bits. Then other bits like bath, playmat, bottles and other toys from Amazon or argos.
I love looking for second hand bargains 😊

@ForeverHopeful67 you know what I do 😂 I just sized up the Primark and Tesco cotton thongs. I’m so done with synthetic materials so I’ve been buying pure cotton thongs in Primark or Tesco. Primark has these multipacks. It’s cheap, durable and comfortable.

Shein have some lovely summery maternity clothes I've just done an order!

@ForeverHopeful67 I second @Xur in sizing up on cheap Primark pants, although I've bought some over bump pants from Asda (along with maternity cycle shorts for under dresses to combat the chub rub) which I am hoping will be relatively comfy.

Also recommend Primark full briefs for post partum in a bigger size - cheap enough that you don't mind them being ruined, and come up high enough not to rub on c-section incisions.

@Lillers hopefully in a panic they’ve sent it to the wrong person! But defo ignore or forward to the right person 😂 I am queen at not replying reading before a reasonable hour but it is easier said than done…. Wishing your students luck as well such a scary time!

i think I’m fully nesting now guys, I am day off today and I am spending it touching up paint, cleaning skirting boards / washing everything I can see 🫣
we were overdue a new bed/mattress for yonks so that’s on it way for next weekend so I will declutter our whole room and give the old bed a clean before it’s collected! I cannot tell you how good it’s all feeling - moments like this I’m like OH my god I’m having a baby 😂😂

@cd24x I once casually asked my friend after she recently gave birth, what is the most essential item for the hospital bag, and within half of a second she looked me dead in the eye and said “PARACHUTE UNDIES” 🤣

I second the Primark briefs in a few sizes bigger! I may, or may not have sworn to chuck them after having my daughter.. but I indeed carried on wearing them 😂 at least they’ve come in handy again!

@Xur your friend is not wrong! big pants and maternity pads are probably the most essential items for mums hospital bag.

Other stuff I found useful:
Snacks
Water bottle with straw
Little pocket size squeezy squash/cordial (water gets v.boring if you have to stay in a few days)
Cheap slip on slippers/flip flops
Hand held fan (post natal wards are HOT)
Long cord phone charger

I'm drawing a blank at anything else I desperately needed. Memory of those first few days with DS are a haze!

@HRP1990 Same! Although the elastic from the pants I had with DS is starting to go 😂definitely time to treat myself to some new ones!

Sorry for double posting - just remembered another essential - Lactulose! Makes the first post birth poo a lot easier. Not sure if it's the case now, but when I had my c-section with DS, you had to confirm you'd passed gas/opened your bowels before they let you go home. I ended up sending DH out on a mission to find some whilst I was on post natal ward. I'll be packing it this time round.

@HRP1990 I did the same and have them on right now 😂 they are definitely the comfiest. Tesco also do nice stretchy full briefs but had to size up more there.

@cd24x that’s a very useful list, thank you!

I’ve just noticed the date and realised that in four months today I might have an actual baby - blowing my mind ever so slightly. I think I’m still so focused on how to give birth that the having a baby part has passed me by 😂

what if you pass stool on the birthing table , I know that happens quite often. Does that count towards the post partum poo or are they going to make us wait for the next session to let us home?

@Xur Good question! I can only speak from c-section experience rather than vaginal birth, where all the rummaging about can affect your ability to have a bowel movement and the catheter can affect ability to pee afterwards.

Although with epidural you need a catheter too, so again, might be relevant for peeing if you have a vaginal birth with that as pain relief.

@Xur certainly was after the event for me until I could go. but then I think that was just a wee - as I had a catheter, I gave birth vaginally and they didn’t seem to care about poop

my sis had to go for a poo after section each time before they were happy 🙈😂

I did this too 😂 my big black primark pants were meant to be temporary...4 years on theyre now a part of my identity 🤣

@Xur I had a vaginal birth and they never asked me about it, they just made me do a wee and that was it.

In regards to the first time poo after birth though I found the tip of holding some folded up toilet paper against your vagina and applying pressure to it whilst you poop...it really did help and make it feel so much less scary!!

I bought a ton of new pants from Primark and Tesco that I said was for after baby comes because they’re huge but I’m definitely wearing them now. They’re so comfy. Partner has already knocked me up, so sexy time is now over and I’m in my comfort era.

I’ve completely forgot about everything from having DD from the trauma and time passed. I do remember them turning me after my c section and then checking me and I was mortified that they were checking for poo as I couldn’t feel anything from the waist down. Turns out they were checking for blood loss doh!

24 weeks today, 6 whole months of growing a baby, and bp is currently stable at around 120/80. Hoping it stays this way and when we have a growth scan at 28 weeks she’ll still be around about the 50th centile.

@Xur I was asked before and as part of discharge but I don’t think I pooped during birth - definitely felt like I was going to and turns out it was just the baby 🤷‍♀️🤭

@Cat2022 @cd24x @BeautyAndTheBump1 girls, we need to up our underwear game 😂