40+ mums-to-be and those who've 'popped' - come say hi, pull up a chair and have some cake!

[jeanjeannie]

Hello everyone - yet another thread. I'm expecting a call anyday soon from ITV - as I imagine we'll be prime candidates for taking over the Loose Women slot when they need a break

So, for anyone interested in joining in with us - just jump in and say Hi - we don't bite - unless you're disguised as a chocolate sponge cake

Ladies..................Take it away

johnworf I often get myself in a right twist self-diagnosing on google. I've never been right though! You throat is particularly vulnerable to swellings so it will surely be nowt, as mrsboogie says.

Duchesse i meant to say thanks for pointing me to that thread (I had already read it so we obviously share the same paranoias!). My tummy flutter is back today so I think the LO was just on the move or hiding. Awwww... I'm now pretty sure that's what it is (not wind - the temerity!).

My DP has just suggested Hugo for a boy. I really like it!

of course that's what it is peachyfox

I really like Hugo too.

Back from Doctor.

Under investigation for an infection, bladder or kidney or something. So off week for at least another week.

The V&D bug went around my office week before last, must might be my turn, I guess.

Also being referred to Psych so that I am on their lists if/when PND hits. Doc agrees that I might not get it at all, but better to be prepared.

Did discuss meds and doc said better to bottle feed and be able to than insist on breast feeding and not be able to function. Excellent point, me thinks.

Do you think MNHQ realizes that and look exactly the same, since they are red and the red nose disappears?

tee from a totally pragmatic viewpoint I would agree with your gp that bottle feeding and being able to function is the better option. If you need the meds and it interferes with BF then don't BF! Tis easy. Don't start beating yourself up about being inadequate cos you didn't feed LO. LO will still grow and thrive on formula milk You'll have enough to contend with when he/she is born - the tiredness alone can floor you - so best to be on top of anything that can be sorted out. I wouldn't assume you'll get PND but perhaps you have a greater tendency or are more predisposed given your history. At least they'll keep an eye on you.

peachyfox thanks for that. Sounds like you are feeling baby moving around. The first ones are fluttery and if you haven't had a baby previously, then you won't know what to compare them to I love the name Hugo btw. I suggested it to DH when I was pregnant but he put it in the box marked 'posh' and dismissed it.

My God - no question about it being better to bottle feed and be well tee than breast feed and get ill.

Speaking of health matters - the government scaremongering about an obesity epidemic might have something to it after what I saw this morning; we had to drive a different way today - through the large council housing area that backs our street. There is a primary school there (which I am hoping not to send D to) and every single one of the (very) young mums walking to school was fat. Very fat, permanently fat looking - waddling along in fat clothes - baggy tops and trackie bottoms and looking like they have no intention ever to try and get thin. It was quite a sight.

Maybe they were all pregnant mrsb? Just a thought.

And I agree, having to bottle feed is not the end of the world. Also makes it easier to hand baby to DH and go take a nap!!

not unless there's been some kind of population explosion in that area tee I know I am not one to talk about anyone else's weight but these girls were waddling along in groups of four of five and every single one of them was massive. Fat from head to toe. I don't know what has changed so much in the last few years...

MrsB I know what you mean about nurserys and spreading diseases, when I go back in Sept I will have a whole yrs leave allowance to use before Christmas but with nursery illness and school holidays I'm sure I will still be needed more. I will say that Ben is very health these days having caught everything at nursery before going to school.

Tee I think you have to keep an eye on things re-PND but your Dr is talking sense, looking back to Ben I really think the struggles I had to bfeed him for 5 months because "it was best for him" really added to the PND I had. Boo about the sickness I vomited all the way through but it definitely got worse when I was tried or stressed.

JW don't know about the facilities at Chester zoo but it should be fun.

mrsboogie I see the same thing out my window, all wearing disgraceful tracky bottoms with tummies bulging out. Such a shame.

That said, when I got pg I knew my waistline would go but I didn't expect to have muffin tops - over my boots

Tee I know it's a shame not to bf, but happy mum happy baby. And handover to DH sounds great!

Sorry to have been away (yet again) Dh phoned from Finland on Weds to say that he wasn't flying home that afternoon as expected but would be home yesterday for our wedding anniversary (ok, thought I, at least I still get my romantic dinner at the local Italian place)... he then phoned to say he was landing at the same time as our friends from South Africa would I do dinner for them too ....did I mention that we are remodelling the shower room into a wet room at the moment?.... the house was full of brick dust and littered with tools and building materials... not to mention the detritus of toys and food abandoned from Alex and the fact that the dog had been for a swim in the duck pond and stank!
So I have been on a 36hr house and dog cleaning mission with a clingy whinging non-sleeping 17mth old attatched to my leg
I was still teaching when they arrived to had to produce dinner in my work clothes....still, they appeared to enjoy it and it was a small price to pay for their hospitality when we holidayed with them last year and Dh now owes me big time!

JJ I'm sorry to hear your news but as others have said early diagnosis is a good thing, and it is amazing how many super bright people are definately on the spectrum. I hope the ENT specialist can help too.

tee Sorry you are suffering. I am lucky in that my pregnancy with Alex taught me that I can cope without the ads ...So many dreadful things happened that year including the deaths of my darling dad and dhs uncle, along with the perpetual fear that this 7th pregnacy was either going to m/c like all the others or result in a disabled child that dh wouldnt be able to cope with ... I survived and resisted going back on them to cope with the pnd for Alexs sake (though there are apparently safe ones) I'm still bfing partly to help my resolve never to need them again because though I find the lows hard to cope with without the balancing effect of the ads the highs are so much more enjoyable and I wouldn't have gloried so much in miracle that is my Alex. I hope you find the same eventually.

JW The swollen glands thing is doing arounds up here..my nephew is being 'observed' by the doctors because he has had it for weeks. I'm sure that is all that it is, though you are right to get it checked out. Sadly you can count me in with having morbid thoughts too, I look at him and think "who could possibly love him/bring him up right/watch over him .. etc,etc ...as much as I do, if something happens to me" Right, after lecturing tee I must follow my own advice and stop myself getting maudling...leesen to zis verry carefully, I shall say zees only wance..."zee blue Bumbo lands in zee Trossaks at meednnaght"...my trenchcoat is at the ready...when and where do you fancy a coffee?

That took 2 hrs to write I bet you have written another 7 pages by the time I press send!

no...only 2...off to catch up!

I think the same thought floria no one could look after him/love him as well as me - its not true I'm sure but then if we didn't feel like that there'd be somethng wrong

I have to "share" D quite a lot and although I know its very good for him and very important that all these other people get to know and love him and vice versa I am always resisting the urge to grab him, shout "he's all mine, gerroff" and run off into the distance with him...

mrsB Wherever you are running with D to...I'll be there first. I never though I'd be the over protective type but hey presto...here I am ..[FT wanders off muttering "and I swore I'd never turn out like my mother!"]

I'm not even the maternal type floria let alone over protective!!

mrsboogie I'm not a mum yet but I can't wait to feel like that about my LO!

I was amazed when my dad started saying (in a rather patronising way but then he is quite old) that I should slow down and look after myself because there was the baby to think about etc. How could anyone think/worry/care more about the baby than me!

Can anyone advise me on working later in pregnancy? I have a couple of jobs in June when I will be 6-7 months along. They each involve a 2-3 hour flight, a night in a hotel, a four hour meeting and a return flight straight after. I have no idea what it will be like although my pg so far has been super healthy and not even tired.

oooh...meant to say...those who are on diets scroll away now:dinner last night was...
Antipasti (lovely fresh babyleaf salad with bressola, parma ham, salami, olives, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes and mozzarella) served with home made multi grain rolls
Salmon en croute (whole filletted salmon stuffed with asparagus, cream and dill, wrapped first in bacon and then puff pastry) with steamed veg
and
Malibu Roulade...best described as a huge meringue swiss roll with malibu soaked cocoanut in the meringue and malibu soaked pinapple in the whipped double cream filling!!!!...'twas good

OMG floria I'm drooling over my keyboard just reading that!

Are you on my facebook friends list floria? If not, why not? Let me know and we'll arrange a meet to hand over the bumbo (trossocks)

I also look at K and think who could do all of the things I do for her as well as me. It's not that I think I'm fab, it's just I'm her mum. You all know what I mean.

Not so many fat teenagers with kids around these parts but go to the council estate not far away and I'm sure there'll be lots. It's endemic. Hence I'm trying to lose my blubber as I don't want to get mistaken for one of them

floria I've just come back from a visit to Slattery's. That was pure torture. Nothing for me. Just got something for a friend.

floria OH MY! ::fans self:: sounds wonderful! Too bad I can't eat half that stuff right now!

peachy my SIL is exactly one week more pregnant than I am, so she's 26 weeks. She's flying to San Jose California next week for work. This is her 3rd or 4th trip since she got pregnant and probably has one more after this before she goes on leave. So it is doable! I wouldn't want to do it, but she's having no trouble. Of course her company sends her business class, which she says is a huge help, especially as she gets bigger.

OMG Floria how the heck did you knock that little lot up with short notice and with chaos around you??? Either - you're Samantha from Bewitched and one wrinkle of those nose and 'behold' there's a gastronomic feast or you're slightly barking and getting ready for your appearance on Come Dine WIth Me.. Either way - I'm insanely jealous of your culinary skills ..adds floria to list of people to visit cos they cook great-sounding grub along with ladymac*

jw what is this 'Slatterys' of which you speak? Is it full of Slatterns?

peachy LOVE the name Hugo, but DP vitoed it along with Hugh and Vaughn due to 'poshness'. Hah - and he came up with Verity My friend with the 2 hour labour has called her DS Jakob and I like that too.

tee I also add my agreement to your Dr's advice re: feeding. I set such high expectation on BF and with Iris being prem/no skin-to-skin contact and no help with expressing until 3 days in it never properly happened - and looking back I wish someone had stopped piling on the pressure to BF. Having a relationship with a Breast pump is not easy! This time round - I got the formula in - bottles at the ready and it was so different but there would have been zero feeling of guilt this time round. Do what's right for you & your family

Poor Verity has been spark out most of the day. She's poo'd really badly and the place stinks but haven't got the heart to wake her

OMG again Floria....just noticed home made multi-grain rolls??!!.....Joins tee in fanning ones' self. Gawd, you can holiday here if you fancy

jeanjeannie Hugo is a bit posh but I like it still! I think DP has delusions of grandeur because his name sounds like someone dastardly in a Russian novel (his mum is the romantic type) [hmn]

Tee interesting about your sister. I'm still doing a lot of flying now and the client is making a big fuss of me because I'm pg - not to the extent of business class flights I might add, but they okayed taxis to and from the airport instead of slumming it on the tube You must tell me how she got on when she gets back!

malibu roulade?

/drools

just had a meeting and we had a delicious smelling fruit cake which came from a red nose cake sale in the office - the smell of it was driving me wild - alll treacly and yummy. Didn't have any though.

Hi all - new thread - caught up again!

jj what a nightmare with all that with your daughters. And jw - if you have any information on Aspergers and autism I'd love to read it as I am convinced that my nephew (8) is low end Asbergers. Especially after what you mention with the food jj. This nephew had a stomach bug when her as 2 and since then has had SUCH a restrictive diet it is staggering. (French stick, NO veg or potatoes, only sausages or meatballs etc) plus he is incredibly obsessive (football at the moment - was trains)

Tee so sorry to hear about your depression. Don't beat yourself up about the breastfeeding. It is good but not the only thing. If you can even feed the baby for a couple of weeks they have SO much benefit from it. And that might be do-able and make you feel like you've at least given them a good start. And what baby wants a mum falling apart (and I mean not on meds she needs - not a judgement). That's more damaging than formula.

peachy - working late in pregnancy - as long as you're feeling healthy and are ok (medically) to fly you can do it (and 6-7 months isn't late) - just make sure to have lots of sitting down time. I was working up til 8months+2w and dancing Salsa once a week up til then too. I was healthy and fit and happy. Just watch that when you feel tired you stop and sit down and rest and don't be afraid to let people know that's what you need.

Well, after floria's menu (you bought it all from sainsbury's and stuck it in the oven, didn't you, chuck? ) the grilled sausage and onion marmalade sandwich with dripping-fried chips and gravy to dip that I had for lunch sounds less impressive, but since it was pub lunch out with DH, who took the day off, I loved it. Saw Slumdog Millionaire too which was fab.

JW they say that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing but the trouble with Google is that you have all the knowledge in the world at your fingertips and that's much more dangerous when you're self-diagnosing. I had bubonic plague a couple of months ago .

MrsB don't know how you resisted treacly smelling fruit cake, but congratulations on your willpower!

Tee The most important thing is for you to feel good and healthy and not stressed by external stuff. Maybe keep an open mind until you see the effect the rest of the preg and the birth have on you, give b/f a go if you feel like it but be ready to switch if it's not working for you. Happy mummy happy baby. Also hope they sort out the possible bladder infection - ideally finding out that it's no such thing.

JJ Oh god, the bedfull of vomit trick, how I hated that. Hope V sleeps it off and that you've got plenty of Neutradol around.

florida wow! [drools on everything] sounds divine!!

Red Nose day today - work is being miserable and doing nothing. So I look a tad out of place with my yellow, purple and red stripy tights on . M's nursery is having a crazy legs day so we're both wearing stripes (see pics).
Plus we went to get new shoes for M yesterday and had a lovely surprise and found some that fit her skinny ankles - in the first shop AND they were in the sale so only £13!! Great day! M loves them so much she had them on with her pjs this morning.

Hi bonzo was wondering where you were...come on, come on, new thread.....keep up

mrsB I applaud your restraint....wish mine had been there last night during the encounter with the Costco pastry

peachy Hahahahah SNAP! My DP's full name sounds like a character from an Eastern European Mills & Boon

Poor Verity...poor me....just changed a very wet nappy that exploded and stunk of eggs. That's on top of the vomit over me this morning. Me thinks it's not going to be a good evening