Due February 2025 - Thread 4

[UrbanSquirrel]

Just creating this so that we have somewhere to continue when Thread 3 fills up. If you're due to have a baby in February 2025 (or late January or early March, as we have a wide spread!), come join us for support, advice and (at present) some really useful Black Friday recommendations! Big welcoming hugs to all the usual suspects coming over from Thread 3 🤗

Well I've just been to see the consultant and got my C Section date ... 29th January! Exciting! This is bang on 39 weeks.

She wasn't very nice though. Very abrupt and tried to convince me to have a natural birth. I explained how tough my last birth was and she was in no way sympathetic. Just very abrupt. She said she would book me in for 41 weeks and just see if I went into labour before then (I was induced last time). But I said no, I don't want to do this. Thankfully she then said ok and booked me in for 39 weeks but her whole manner was not nice at all and I felt as though I was a naughty child asking for my Christmas presents early! I'm glad that's over. I hope others in the same boat have a more positive experience when meeting the consultant. I guess it really is the luck of the drawer on who you get.

@Redapple21 Wheeee!!! You got a date! 🎉 🎊 🥳 Really pleased for you on that score, because now you can get stuff planned out. But I am so, so sorry to hear about the consultant's attitude. What an unkind approach! Anyway, hopefully you won't have to see her again 🤞🏻 And what matters now is that, barring any unexpected developments, you know exactly when you'll be meeting the baby!

@Redapple21 Congratulations on standing firm and securing a date!! Less than two months to go! 😱

If you're in Scotland the maternity pads you get in the baby box are the BEST I found. Last time they also had them in a drawer in hospital and you were free to use whatever you needed from the drawer. Not sure what it's like in England / other places.

@UrbanSquirrel @QuantumPanic thank you ladies 🥰❤️ yes very exciting!! And surreal. Hopefully a few more dates will be booked in for some more of you soon! Xx

Keeping the maternity pad chat going... I've also gone for natracare. The menstrual pads are SO soft - like sitting on a cloud - so I can only imagine the industrial cushioning that the enormously thick maternity ones are going to provide. They are comically huge though; the box they come in is bread stick length, or near enough.

Really finding this maternity pad chat helpful! I've also bought some natracare pads but also some of their ultra extra long so that I've got something a bit slimmer and with wings. Especially thank you @sohomum18, your post was invaluable. Still if anyone has recs for a style of pants that really hold pads in firmly at the back so I don't feel I've got a waggly tail like donald duck sticking out behind me, I'd love to hear.

Ref the maternity pads discussion. My bleeding postpartum was only very heavy immediately after birth. After that it tapered down to what I’d say is a normal period flow, the annoying part being it dragged on for weeks. The even more annoying part was it finally stopping and my first period turning up about a month later 😤

I started with the disposable tena pants but actually because I liked to freshen up every time I went to the loo, it was more of a hassle to undress and put on a fresh pair. I’ll stick to pads this time. I’m also unusual in this but I hated big over the tummy pants! I was much more comfy back in my usual bikini style knickers.

Can’t believe how close we are getting. I’m v. anxious about the birth (hoping for a natural delivery after my previous EMCS) but finally starting to get some moments of excitement and can’t wait to meet baby now.

Like you retriever I’m still feeding my toddler and wondering if that will affect when labour begins - online seems to say it doesn’t but I do notice more braxton hicks when I’m feeding DD. My midwife mentioned DD may go off feeding as the change to colostrum happens, I did a hollow laugh, she’s keener than ever 🤦‍♀️ fully expecting to be tandem nursing.

Hope everyone is keeping well and managing to dodge the seasonal bugs!

That’s so annoying about your period turning up so soon @GodspeedJune 😫 I also breastfed and mine came back at 12 weeks and 16 weeks which I thought was bad enough! Awesome work keeping your bfing going through pregnancy - that can be so tough. To tandem feed is an incredible achievement to aim for!

So sorry for the appalling attitude of your consultant @Redapple21 but glad you stood your ground and got a date! Hopefully the appointment today doesn’t weigh on your mind. It’s insane that a medical professional can leave you feeling like you’re doing something “wrong” when you are completely entitled to make a decision like this about your own body based on your own reasons and experiences.

Sorry for being late to this thread but hopefully others have had more positive experiences when discussing birth options 😬 @UrbanSquirrelit sounds like the health visitor was supportive which is great!

Catching up on all things maternity pads and dates! So exciting to have reached this stage. I'm getting my date at my 34wk appt in just over 3 weeks, could be end jan or start of Feb.

How is everyone's movements now. I'm feeling lots of movement and wriggling inside, but feel it's harder for my hubby to feel anything externally if that makes sense.

Oh yes the same. It feels like she never stops rolling and wriggling around, but my husband can't feel so much of it. It's very weird. There are still the absolutely rogue kicks that are very visible even through clothing though haha

Thanks @sohomum18 - I agree it's not acceptable. I hope others have a more positive experience.
Also when I picked DS up from nursery they said he's not had a good day and they think it's because a change is coming ie a new baby! We don't really mention it a lot to him as he's only just turned 2 and he does tend to get upset. Nursery seem to mention it a lot more to him and I think this is what's upset him today. I started to tear up in nursery which made me feel like a right idiot, so all in all an emotional day!!

Did you rate them? I used them in an emergency and they were soft but GIANT! This was in 2021 so might have changed!

Thanks sohomum18 I was lucky that breastfeeding has worked well for us after the initial teething issues (excuse the pun!). Feeding during pregnancy has been the hardest part by far as it’s so sore! Ah it feels very unfair to get cycles back that soon doesn’t it?! I’m envious of ladies who have months or longer without them.

TTC I have an anterior placenta so although I don’t feel many kicks in the middle of my bump baby is very active to the sides and I can feel his body pushing up in the middle! The kicks are just starting to go from ‘ah cute’ to ‘ouch’. Lots of kicks and jerks that really jolt my bump now and can be seen through clothing.

This is good to know, I'll hold off on buying any and just bring the ones from the baby box along with some disposable underwear I think. Looking forward to the baby box arriving ! I defo need to practice with the sling 😅

Very jealous of those of you in Scotland, as I don't think we Englanders get anything at all let alone these miraculous pads! 😂 @superj21 and @jaybeez could I ask you to post a photo of the box when it comes so that we south of the border can feel envious at all your goodies?

It sounds as though you're all having lots of lovely movements. Unfortunately we still haven't had anything that can be felt by my husband or seen on the outside, so I guess it's just the location of the placenta. Fortunately DH isn't too disappointed; he still likes to have little conversations with the bump most days, so I guess it's just a different form of bonding 🤷🏻‍♀️

@Redapple21 So sorry to hear about your little boy having a bit of trouble adjusting. Bless him. But I'm sure once the baby is here he'll get used to them very quickly and maybe even be a bit fascinated?

We thought my older niece was going to have enormous trouble when her little sister was born (only child on that side of the family, used to being the centre of attention all the time, serious main character energy), but actually she has adapted amazingly and now loves having a constant audience for all her mischief. Indeed, I think the new baby would probably prefer her to be not quite so affectionate sometimes!

I hope the same will be true with your little ones... but it doesn't change the fact that it must be really hard as a mum in the meantime, to manage expectations 🤗 x

Ah thank you, it's always good to hear from others how their little ones just adapted once the baby arrived. I've asked nursery not to mention the baby to him now and let's just wait for baby to arrive!

Hope everyone has a good day xx

Thank you - also nice to see some others in Scotland!

Spot the difference between my and my husband's recent Amazon orders, each of us prepping for the baby in our own way 🤣

Ha ha brilliant

Hey. Thought this was fascinating https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6FgY9H3tVhLjMWeQVyTL4g.gif
showing baby moving on different weeks

That is fascinating, @Kumquat89, thanks for sharing! Interesting to see how they move positions in the womb too - and the leg movements are far more 'stretching', or almost as though they're trying to stand, than literal 'kicks'. Really interesting...

Definitely @UrbanSquirrel ! If you're intrigued this is what it includes: www.parentclub.scot/baby-box

@superj21 That is incredible!!! Wow, you've got loads of the essentials covered there. What an amazing resource for families who might otherwise struggle a bit. And the box that baby can sleep in too! Reminds me of those Finnish (?) baby boxes that a friend told me about a few years ago.

Well, you've done it. Am suitably envious!

Amused by the inclusion of condoms though. A case of closing the door after the horse has not only bolted, but entirely vanished from the local area? 😉

(Joking: I know it's a reminder of the importance of postpartum contraception 😜)