no Elizabeth here. but then I'm probably too old
(my middle name is Tara)
as for prams - I am still undecided. with my son I have a Bugaboo Bee and I love it. it's small and light and compact, perfect for London transport (I don't drive so it's often the bus if he and I are out together), it lies almost flat, and can face the parent or outwards. I wish I could get away with keeping it and adding a buggy board, but I don't think they do them for the Bee, and anyway, my son is a little rascal and won't walk nicely yet (he goes the way he wants to go or he buckles to the ground) and if we want to get anywhere he has to be strapped down. we let him out at Legoland yesterday and it was a bit of a nightmare till we got to the small kiddies' play area, and after a couple of hours there he was exhausted and happy to be in the pushchair the rest of the day. somehow I don't have high hopes for him improving drastically in the next 5 months. maybe I'll be wrong though. and that's why I'm holding off on a decision as to what we'll do till nearer the time. I'm thinking we might get a Phil & Ted's tandem buggy though. but they're heavy. guess all doubles/tandems are.
Sam, I am hoping to have a natural delivery with this baby, in hospital. home birth isn't for me, as I'm too anxious a person to be in a different building - and probably a drive away - from the life-saving equipment. plus my husband would never agree to a home birth, so it's a good thing I don't want one either (we argue a lot so I try to pick which ones mean most to me). with my son I had an epidural, mostly because nothing was happening quickly. I can tolerate the pain if there is an end in sight but when there isn't... well, it wasn't fun. added to the labour pain, I had SPD (and do already with this one) and it got so so much worse in the last few weeks, and I was exhausted from the pain. fortunately my epidural experience was textbook (in a good way). I don't know if I'd want one again, though, it really depends on how it's going at the time. I really hope to have a water birth because those of my friends who laboured in water seemed to manage with minimal other pain relief. but I'm not against epidurals. you never know how things are going to pan out.
what is it with urine infections in pregnancy? I had no symptoms at all with mine, and it was most disconcerting to be told I had it. the doc said symptoms can mirror those of early pregnancy, so tiredness, nausea and sickness, all of which I had, but I had no burning sensation at all. though after a few weeks of it I did get aching kidneys (it was what sent me back to the doc after the first lot of antibiotics, and then they put me on a different type, which worked). it's stressful knowing the harm they can cause but then having no sign of it!