Due February 2025 - Thread 3

[UrbanSquirrel]

Following on from the two existing threads, welcoming all the intrepid ladies due in February, for further excellent support 🤗

Glad everything was good for your scan @Piluka 😊 I think you just get the MATB1 from your midwife. I have an appointment with the midwife on 11 Oct so I'm just going to ask for it then but if you've not got an appointment soon, do you have a list of the non emergency numbers for the maternity unit at your hospital? If so I'm sure you could call them and explain you can't contact your midwife direct (I'm in the same boat) and ask them to send it out.

My midwife told me at my 16 week appt id get my MATB1 at my 24 week appt - i've assumed its due to 24 weeks being viability?

@Piluka is that the exemption certificate? If so, I picked one up from the dispensary at my Dr's surgery.

I think you get it at your next midwife appointment, which differs if you're having 1st or 2nd child, not actually sure if at 28 weeks when I have mine will leave enough time to submit it!

That’s the FW8.

MatB1 is usually appt after 20w, so no rush. Can you call/text your midwife if you want it sooner?

Thanks @superj21 @Pepsix @elb1504 @OrangeSlices998 basically my bosses are asking for it since I got the Amnio done and clear. So, I feel as the woman from the shining in the bathroom scene. Hahaha. Moreover they are asking me to write a letter to tell them when I am going for maternity leave and give them both things at the same time. No pressure 😅 hahahaha

@Lidlisthebusiness thanks for that. The FW8, the one you are mentioning, I got it since my first appointment with the midwife. The other one is related to maternity leave.

20 week scan done, all looks well and we found out we are having a girl 🩷 we are delighted as we already have a boy and both said afterwards we did secretly hope for a girl haha.

@Piluka you can contact your midwife and ask for this form if you need it before your next appointment. That's what my midwife told me anyway!

I’ve been quiet again as I’ve been away for my sister’s wedding (and busy taking advantage of her wedding photographer as I now have a bump to take photos of!) but I’ve absolutely loved catching up on this thread.

I’m so pleased for all of you who have had their 20 weeks scans! Mine is not until 7th October.

in the meantime though I’ve had my consultant appointment at the hospital and I’ve been prescribed aspirin and calcium and vitamin D3 to prevent preeclampsia. I’ll be seeing my consultant again at 28 weeks and will have another scan then as well.

I must admit I am extremely disappointed with community midwives so far. The lady I saw for my booking appointment was dismissive and didn’t answer any of my questions, just said things like ‘go see your GP or something’ and the one I was supposed to see at 16 weeks cancelled my appointment saying I didn’t need it because I was seeing a consultant anyway.

i told the midwife I saw at the hospital about this and she was appalled that the community midwife hasn’t even booked me for the glucose test I need. The midwife at the hospital went out of her way to do it for me even though apparently they use different systems and the community midwife was supposed to do it but she didn’t even bother seeing me. So I still don’t even know who she is.

in general I feel much better looked after by the hospital staff. They told me, however that there are no antenatal classes in my town anymore, it’s been replaced by some online course which made me sad. I feel so clueless and scared of the birth. I don’t know what to do or what to expect and I feel quite alone and unable to make local pregnant friends. Is anyone in the same boat at all?

I agree my hospital care has been much better than community midwife even though she's the same one I had previously.

With regards antenatal care I would always recommend a paid for course like NCT etc.. to be honest I didn't think the NHS provided any classes now as they don't in my area. I did an NHS birthing class with my previous baby and to be honest it wasn't that great, the course we did weekly (like NCT but an independent organisation) provided so much more preparation so I'd look into those if you can, also many of my friends have made great mum friends through NCT I unfortunately didn't due to covid hitting just as our group had our babies.

@Piluka Yes, call your local maternity enquiry line and ask for your MATB1. I did this just last week and received it a couple of days later.

New, not so lovely symptom....lightening crotch. Holy smokes, felt like someone was giving me a electric shock down below! 🤣 dr google assures me it is normal and sadly no known remedy

Thanks for all of you who replied about the MAT1 B1 I received a reply from the first midwife I meet (the only one I had a contact info) and she told me that I'd be given it by my next appointment when I'd be 25 weeks pregnant. I'm not sure if this is not too close to the due date for my employer to submit it?

The rest of you are going to get it by then?

TIA

Btw, has any of you started buying stuff (push chair, cribs and so on?) or do you think is to early? I have the feeling that if i start now would be like decorating for Christmas before Summer. Hahahaha However, I don't want to stress myself to get everything at the last minute either.

I think that's about right as is it 15 weeks before due date you have to hand it in?! I'm not entirely sure, I won't get mine until 28 weeks but I don't think I need it.

In terms of buying stuff I have all the big items from previous baby but I have started buying clothes bits and a few other things. It's good to keep an eye out when it's black Friday especially for the bigger items.

@Piluka my midwife said I'd get mine at my next appt (24 weeks) because they can't issue it before the 20 week scan apparently. She told me to tell my employer to wait if they were asking for it earlier.

I've bought some small bits, I find it easier to spread the cost, a bit like buying for Christmas all year round! I'm trying not to get too much though, going for more of a minimal approach this time, I've had enough babies to know what's needed for us, and what's just not used.

I bought some clothes and weirdly… books 🤣 as in books to read to the baby! I’m obsessed.
as for bigger items - family members have given us a bedside crib and a breastfeeding rocking chair. We will probably get other bigger items in a couple of months.
this is my first baby so I’m not entirely sure what we need but I am planning on just using guides I find online unless other mums here feel like giving the rest of us some much needed advice? I would actually love that, for example - what items would you advise AGAINST buying because they don’t get used?

20 week scan today and we're having a girl 🩷 I am totally shocked, I was completely convinced it was a boy for no reason other than I just felt like it was!

@ThisLimeDeer ive got a huuuuge list of things we got for my first, happy to message you if you want it, but as long as baby as somewhere to sleep, something to eat, a way to get around and something to wear, anything else is just gravy really! Don’t panic too much cause you’ll work out what you need when they get here!
I personally didn’t buy a Moses basket, for example, and just used the bassinet of the pram in the living room if DD was sleeping downstairs!

I second not getting a Moses basket and just using the pram bassinet instead, saved so much space!

I had a wander round John Lewis baby dept today and got totally overwhelmed!

Any suggestions on the must buy items/brands?
I was looking at the baby bouncer chairs and there was such a wide range of prices and yet they all just looked like chairs!! 🤣

I'm going to buck the trend and say this time I am going to get a moses basket as we didn't first time but thinking it might be handy (we will be borrowing from family) but definitely wouldn't be on my top items.

As someone else said as long as they have somewhere to sleep, a way of feeding, and getting around you can see what else you need once they are here. My DS hated everything the pram/ baby chair and only liked being in our arms so a lot wasn't used so I'd wait until they are here you can order stuff so quickly that you won't be without for long.

@UncharteredWaters The baby Bjorn bouncer chairs look great and I am keeping a bit of an eye on marketplace to see if any come up as they are mega expensive but as above my DS would have hated it so really would have been a waste. We had a cheap Argos bouncy seat and felt like so much less of a waste when he hardly used it.

@ThisLimeDeer with my first, I bought a great selection of books, classic baby reads plus ones I thought looked nice and she had a whole library before she was even born. She's 15 in a couple of weeks, and I still have all the books, and have read them to all 5 children. I've added to the collection with each child, and will definitely be doing the same with this one. So, I think it's a lovely thing to do 🙂

I've been part of free hand me on groups since first child plus a baby bank and I've been collecting bits off them over the last two weeks as I don't want to leave it until the last couple months. The amount of stuff people want to get rid of is overwhelming - I've been offloaded with so many baby summer things that it will be too cold for. I'm also having no luck getting what I actually want so I've bought a few bits off vinted and charity shops.

I think I'm a bit more anxious this time because it's a winter baby and we have a very cold house. I just want to make sure she's warm! I've got swaddles, baby blankets and snuggly suits for outdoors. It was so much easier with a summer baby and they lived in baby gros.

I haven't brought a single item 🙈 just waiting till my 20 week scan and if everything's okay I will start.

I had a Moses basket, just because our room wasn't big enough for the cot, so when they outgrew the Moses basket they went in their cot.

My partners sister wants to give us her old pram, but not sure if I want to buy one or not 🙈

I've also bought some books!!😂

Not bought much else though, a few outfits that were on sale, I did also buy a really cute sit & play set from mamas & papas as it was on offer and I was on a bit of a high after my last scan/gender scan @ 17W. 😅

Waiting til the 20WK scan next week until we buy anything 'big', but then it will be all systems go after that!