First Time Mom's - Due March/April 2013

[Laura91]

I've noticed that i've started to have a bit of 'trouble' going sometimes.. maybe that's just down to my diet at the minute though, it's not exactly good with just moving

I haven't developed the line on my belly, just plenty of stretchies Oh and a weird blue-ish vein/line about an inch long above my belly button..

I don't talk to my belly and neither does OH but LO definitely knows when he is around! As soon as he puts his hand near/on my belly, she goes nuts. My mum tries to feel her moving/kicking all the time and has so far only felt her twice

I'm on total countdown mode now:
3 and a half working days left dance
13 days left till OH's birthday - he likes to think it's very important
23 days until full term (37w)
44 pregnant days left (excluding going over )

I always try and find things that can split up my waiting times x

 

[doggylover]

Laura I am loving the countdown(s)! I am doing exactly the same, and its getting scarily close now in terms of working days! Sounds like LO is keeping you on your toes in terms of her movements and how it's affecting you. My back is a bit achy if I sit for too long slouching, but other than that I can't complain. I know the elbow across the tummy thing you mean though- it is WEIRD. And not quite in a good way! Have you managed to feel it when she does that? When I do it feels so hard! Like proper bone poking out! Creepy. Super jealous of your three days left at work! I have 15...

Lauren that comment from Adam is adorable!! What a sweetie!

Nappies I've mentioned before we are doing cloth, but I do have some newborn pampers (offers on those!) I think Huggins are stopping their nappies in spring, so just the wrong time for us. Tbh I've heard some awful reviews of them, I've heard far better about asda own brand. My SIL only ever uses pampers on my nephew which seem to work well for them, but I think if I was doing disposables, or if I end up needing them, I'll be an asda girl!

toilet...issues! well since I started taking my iron tablets my toilet issues are certainly something! I think that's all ill say on this one!

Talking to bump we don't. At least not on a regular basis. Sometimes I'll say the odd thing (usually "if you kick my bladder one more time I swear your teenage years will be hell" or similar!) but as a teacher I basically talk all day, so I am 100% sure LO will have full recognition of every voice I use- from the sweet and loving to the angry banshee! I haven't noticed LO reacting more when dh is around, in fact I don't know of ANYTHING that makes my LO react. Maybe I've got a totally oblivious child in there! A stare into space kinda kiddo!

Afm I have my 34 week hospital appointment tomorrow. I'm really hoping for a scan, to get a predicted weight for my LO. Other than that I have no idea what will happen apart from normal bp and urine checks. I'm wondering if they talk through the birth plan or anything? I'm so interested to find out as nobody on b+b seems to be know (lots of different things happening in different places) and nobody I know here has a clue! So I'm looking forward to that! Plus it means almost a full day out of work as my hospital and school are so far apart

 

[LiverpoolLass]

Lauren - Oooh 4 wins is good! I know what you mean, I always get a bit embarrased about the Facebook and Twitter ones - especially as I use Twitter for my blog so I worry about spamming everyones feeds with comps! But I just tend to do them last thing at night so hopefully people won't really notice them lol.

Ooh no, I'm not planning on sharing any giveaways on MSE lol. I've only actually ever posted on there once when I won something, I feel a bit bad as I never interact lol.
I thought you were having a growth scan? Am I getting confused with someone else?!

Laura - Thanks! I am looking forward to F & Bs - I've never been for breakfast before, I REALLY fancy breakfast pancakes and maple syrup!

Ooh I know that elbow thing. I hate that feeling :/ Its very...surreal! I swear LO feels like he's ALL bones - it really hurts sometimes as he feels SO bony!!

I get the back thing (more so in the last few days) but not so much pain in my leg, more in my hip. Especially in the mornings. It is really uncomfortable :/

Sarah - oooh be interesting to see what they do at your appointment tomorrow! *fingers crossed for a scan*!

Nappies - I've never heard anything about Asda's own but I do hear LOADS about how great Aldi's range is! Which always surprises me! I got some free in the Emma's Diary pack though so will give them a try!
My mum has bought loads of Pampers and she's making us a nappy cake so I don't think we'll need to buy any for the first few weeks!
How many nappies is everybody taking with them to hospital?! I have NO idea how many to take!?

Toilet issues - I haven't noticed anything unusual yet *touch wood*. Definitely weeing much more but nothing with regards to the other thing!

Talking to Bump - OH does it most nights, just a few little sentences - saying hello and little cute things - and Bean ALWAYS reacts like mad! He starts wiggling around everywhere, its really cute - you can almost tell he's excited lol.
I don't really talk to it though - I just feel weird, like I'm talking to myself?! I play music to it but that's about all....I am just hoping he'll know my voice anyway coz like everybody said, he must hear me talking all the time!

Last night when OH and I were chatting I noticed Bean started jiggling around loads, it was like he trying to include himself in the chat lol - cute.

Linea Nigra - I haven't got one yet. Like Laura said, just lots of stretchmarks
And LOADS of scratches!!! Has anybody else had a really itchy bump?! I look like I've been attacked by a cat :/
How is everybodys belly button situation? Mine still hasn't popped - keeping my fingers crossed that it won't!

AFM - Had my growth scan today. It was a student doing it with a sonographer helping so it took AGES as she didn't really seem very confident.
Everything looks nice and normal and growing as it should be, which is good! Baby was being very awkward apparently and not letting them see things...lol!

The weight at the moment is 4 lbs 8 oz, which is about what he should be apparently.

She said that they put on about half an ounce a day up until 36 weeks, and then an ounce a day after 36 weeks! So she thinks he'll be between 6 lbs 8 lbs and 7lbs when he's born at 38 weeks 5 days. Be interesting to see how right she is!

My mum is starting to do a sweep on birth weight guesses lol, I'm going to guess he'll be about 7.8 as thats what I was when I was born!

I also found out that he apparently has lots of hair!!!

She showed me a circle of white around the top of his head - there was a lot of it - she said thats all strands of hair! She said it looks like he's got a lot of it - I'm really pleased about that as my nieces were born with loads of hair and I think its sooooooo cute!!!

 

[MrsHippo]

I haven't had any stretch marks...yet. But something else rather annoying - spots. I don't know why but I'd say over the last two months I have become really spotty but NOT on my face. I'll still get the odd one but my belly I have about 6/7 little red ones and my legs are awful I really hope its hormone related and will sort itself out once LO is out. The line isn't dark, it became noticable about 2 weeks ago. I also have scratches on my belly too, it gets really itchy sometimes but I try not to scratch directly on to my skin as someone once told me that it could make stretch marks worse...whether or not that is true I don't know.

Laura, I am also very jealous of your countdown. I will be so excited next week, cannot wait until my last day!!! I have one big email I need to send out to lots of people though about how they can help us, explain that we won't have the staff for a while blablabla. So need to sit down one afternoon and get that done. And glad your settling in well in your new home

With the toilet thing, the reason I asked is that apparently one of the early signs that things are moving is loose bowel movements...now does that mean runny bum or just 'more than usual' ??? I have just found myself needing to go more than usual which is really odd for me. I'm not saying I think I am going to go in to labour any minute lol but with me worrying about early labour I think about it all the time!!

Hayley, nope its not me that is going for another scan. A couple of the girls have mentioned it on here though. Glad everything is going well I wish I knew how much hair LO has!! I came out bald when I was a baby so wouldn't surprise me if LO did too haha

I have another person viewing on Friday, she is an invester...but new to the whole thing and is wanting to buy a few properties. So you never know, she might like our place enough to buy. Quite a few of the apartments here are rented out and they are never empty so its obviously a popular place to live for rental..ers. The only downside to investers is that they are normally quite cheeky and will offer really low. We can probably drop the price by a couple of thousand but thats it otherwise we will have to fork out the money from somewhere. But with her being new to it all hopefully she won't be too harsh

I have really struggled to sleep the last two nights. I don't know whether I am keeping myself up too late then I end up over tired when I go to bed. But last night I was just lying there for hours, thinking about everything. Not bad things, but stuff like what I am going to put in my email I need to send out and other work related things going through my mind. Then thinking about stuff like 'I wonder how my family are going to react when they meet LO' .... silly stuff like that. Think my mind was on overdrive.

 

[LiverpoolLass]

Lauren - Ooh you're lucky! My stretchmarks appeared about 2 weeks ago
I haven't used ANYTHING moisturising wise though, bit daft of me! I've started using Bio Oil and stuff since they've been sending them to me for reviews, but they say you're supposed to use them before the stretch marks appear otherwise they're not very effective - too little too late for me!!!

Loose bowel movements would mean runny, definitely. I've heard that can be a sign of early labour too! I think going more often might just be coz of lack of space inside?! Plus if you are trying eat more iron rich foods (I think you mentioned that a while ago?) that will make you more "regular" !

Ooh I hope the viewing goes well!! *fingers crossd!*

Growth scans - who was it that mentioned having one then? Now I'm thinking it was Alex...I wonder what happened to Alex's mystery moderator post?!


I'm attaching my scan pic from today - I wasn't going to bother coz I thought it was rubbish but it turns out I was looking at it wrong! Now I can see it properly, its actually my favourite of all the scan piccies!

It's face on as if he's looking at the screen - you can see his right eye, his lil nose and lil pursed lips, and chubby cheeks! (we could see the chubby cheeks on the scan itself, so cute!) I love it!!!

 

[Laura91]

DoggyLover - I haven't managed to actually 'catch' her running anything across. I can normally feel when a big movement is coming but can't tell when she's gonna do the elbow thing
Hope your appointment goes well! You'll have to let us know what happens so I know what to expect - although my hospital appointment isn't until 37 weeks Why is it so different everywhere?!

LiverpoolLass - I will be putting a pack of nappies into my 'Hospital' bag - I think there's 27 in the Huggies newborn ones? Simply because I can't be bothered to take them out the pack and have them floating around
I've read that you should expect to go through 10 nappies a day though.. My mum said this is ridiculous as you would be changing baby every two hours and there could be times when the nappy would still be clean We'll just have to wait and see I suppose..
Glad everything went well at your scan, it's so strange to think that baby is over 4lbs already! Lovely chubby cheeks too!

Belly/BellyButton - Belly button is practically flat.. hoping it doesn't pop out!
My bump itches very rarely.. I'm very careful though to not itch/scratch it as i'm worried about making my stretch marks even worse.. I'll try and get a picture of them tomorrow and post it with my bump picture - although when I do try and take a picture, they look 10 times worse as the camera makes them look angry/red
LiverpoolLass, are you stretch marks sort of wide? A couple of mine are like 1cm wide I was in the bath last night and started inspecting them (stupid thing to do!) and then started worrying about what if they stay like that... then started trying to push my skin together a little (to make it look like it would after baby) and it looks awful!

BirthPlan - Has anyone else written one out? I did a vague one yesterday.. Got the template through in a HiPP email:

Spoiler

BIRTH PLAN

Personal Details:
Name: ***** ***** Age: 21
Baby’s Name: Eva Nicole Due Date: 28th March 2013
Birthing companion(s): T (partner) and ***** (mum)


Birthing Options:

Would you like your birthing companions to be with you throughout your labour?
Yes

Where and what position would you like to be in for the birth?
Home Waterbirth – squatting, sitting, however comfortable
Would like to use birthing ball when not in pool

If possible, would you prefer to be cared for and delivered by a woman?
I don’t mind

Student midwives or medical students can provide invaluable support to parents during labour. If possible, are you happy to have them present at the birth?
I don’t mind


Delivery:

Would you like any pain relief?
Yes, Entonox (gas and air)

If an assisted delivery is necessary, which method would you prefer?
Will allow midwife to advise

How do you feel about an episiotomy if required?
Only if necessary


After the Birth:

Who is to cut the umbilical cord?
***** (mum)

Would you like your baby to be put straight onto your tummy or cleaned up first?
Onto me

Would you like to be told the sex of your baby?
I already know the sex of my baby – Girl

How would you like the placenta to be delivered?
Will allow midwife to advise

How would you like your baby to be given vitamin K?
I don’t mind


Feeding:

How are you planning to feed your baby?
Formula, T to do the first feed

Would you like help with feeding?
If necessary



Do you have any special needs, whether they be related to religion, diet or disability?
No

Any other notes?
I would like to stay at my parents house for a couple of days after baby is born. All required/necessary items/clothing etc will already be there.
Need to inform Health Visitor.

 

[doggylover]

Hi ladies,

Just back from my hospital appointment, and although everything is just fine with LO I am absolutely gutted.

They have changed my due date AGAIN. That's now the 4th time. 23rd March -> 10th April -> 29th March and now -> 10th April again.

So I have been pushed back 12 days. I am absolutely gutted. I felt like I was getting so close, and now I feel like I'm being pushed so far backwards, even though it's only 12 days. I actually cried in the hospital because I'm so upset. The Dr did a scan (although we didn't actually get to see anything) and I saw him measure the head size at 33+1, which is only 4 days behind where I am now. But he still pushed the date the whole way back until 10th April. Then they did a growth chart for me as none had been done before now, but they didn't do it properly and just stuck me on at 32 weeks, when the fundal measurement was actually 26cm and the head measurement was 33+1. So I feel like I just have no idea what mu due date is supposed to be

Also, from a practical stand point, I now could have worked an extra 3 weeks, but since my maternity has all been arranged I no longer can.

I feel awful I know it probably sounds really stupid, and I don't know WHY I'm so upset exactly. I think I just had my hopes up that in 6 weeks I would be there, and now I feel like I have so much further to go

 

[LiverpoolLass]

Laura - Thanks! I love the lil chubby cheeks hehe!

I haven't actually checked much about my stretchmarks - I can't see them from looking down as they're right on the underside of the bump! I've asked OH to check and he says they're about 3/4 of a cm max?

I wouldn't worry too much about them though - my sisters were AWFUL when she was preg, she was an absolute teeny weeny size 6 before pregnancy and then had quite a big bump so she had them really extreme but now they're barely visible - they really do fade so much for most people!
Are you using bio oil or anything?

That's a good birth plan template! I've jotted one out on paper in my notes but haven't gone through it properly yet, will have to do that soon!

Sarah - Aww its understandable that you're upset

Tbh though it all sounds REALLY slapdash/confusing! I mean - if you're measuring at 26 weeks then regardless of whether they push your dates back or not, you're measuring much too small - smaller than the "3 cms either way" rule? So...have they looked into why that is or commented on what they're doing about it at all? Have they measured your fluid levels?

And if babies head is measuring closer to where you are now, why are they moving you back so far?

How was the rest of babies measurements?

If I were you I would be really unhappy with the lack of answers and I'd demand somebody go through it more thoroughly. After all, there's a reason they only allow you to go over by 2 weeks before induction as it can potentially be harmful so they really need to have a clear idea of what your real due date is!
Maybe they DO and they're just not communicating their reasons for it very well, but they need to in order to give you some peace of mind.

I would definitely raise concerns. Hope you're ok

AFM - I'm just back from the MW appointment. She checked my scan and said everything is fine with baby but my placenta is apparrently an issue?!

Its "obstructing the OS"?! I've never even heard of that before. She drew me a picture and apparently it means its in the way of the "exit"!...and if I do end up having a vaginal delivery the babies head could rupture it on the way out, which can be bad.

So.... Dunno what they're gonna do about that really!!!

Measurements are ok and everything, baby was actively kicking away the doppler as always so she was happy with that...

She noticed the scratches on my tummy though and asked if I ever get itchy soles or hands, which I do, and said it could be the cholastasis thing so she's run blood tests for that.

 

[MrsHippo]

Aww you poor thing. I don't blame you for feeling upset I think I would be too if they pushed my dates back. 12 days is a long time though!! I personally would be watching out for signs from the end of march. I don't understand how they can change the dates so much...

Hayley, love the scan image at first I think I span my phone around a few times but finally saw what I was looking at lol. He does have little chubby cheeks doesn't he aww

I read that on average they go through 12 nappies a day!!! I can see them going through quite a few but that seems silly. If you were using reusable ones you would constantly have the washing machine on!!! I am planning on taking about 20, if we needed more Adam can just pop home.

My belly button isn't sticking out as such but there is a bit that does... It's the lower part, there is this soft bit of skin that shows through my clothes but only normally when I am bloated or having one of those days where my belly just looks bigger!! I am hoping my belly doesn't get much bigger!!

I am sick of peeing at the moment, she has been on my bladder for over a week now and I can't even drink a pint of water without going an hour after!!

 

[doggylover]

Hayley: SHould have said earlier I love your scan pic! Very cute! So...is your placenta doing the placenta previa thing I hear people talk about? Or is it just kind of...being awkward?! Hopefully it won't be an issue at all, and I guess if they didn't mention doing anything about it they aren't worried? And fingers crossed you do NOT have cholastasis. When do you find out?

Laura: No birth plan stuff here yet. I know what I would write, just haven't gotten round to it so far! But thanks for the Hipp tip, will definitely have a look at their outline.

Nappies I have also heard 12 a day. So my washing machine will probably break down after about a week!! Never worked so hard! But I think in the first few days they want the same number of dirty nappies as days old. So day 1 = 1 dirty nappy. So I can't imagine you could have 11 wet ones? I'm just packing the pack we have I think. It has 56 in it I think, but it's pretty compact.

My measurements I've had a closer look at the print out I was given by the Dr. Now, bearing in mind this guy (who by the way was super rough as well) did the scan specifically to find a best fit due date, these are the dates:

Weight: 33+4
Head measurement: 34+1 (dear lord, massive head!)
Abdominal measurement: 33+1

So, none of them are closer to 32 weeks than to 33+5 (which is what I thought I was). And the EDD on the print out is April 2nd. The fundal measurement is ridiculous, that's twice now I've measured at 26cm and nobody has batted an eyelid! This Dr actually crumpled up the tape measure and said "I'm not interested in those anyway". Awesome.

So I think I will speak to my brother tomorrow - he's a Doctor in the hospital, but a different part - and ask him whether it's worth getting a second opinion on the whole thing, because atm I am really unhappy.

And also sore from the poking that guy gave me - when he was finding the top of my uterus it was like he was trying to rip me in two - he properly jabbed! And then when he ran the scanner over it it really hurt, like he'd bruised me.

 

[LiverpoolLass]

Lauren - Hehe I know, proper chubby lil cheeks! And a proper little pursed lip pout too! My niece had that when she was born - soooo cute!
It took me AGES to be able to see it properly - I felt so bad, I'd been telling everyone it was a profile shot until OH pointed out I was looking at it totally wrong lol.

I'm with you on the peeing thing - I am so fed up of the sight of the bathroom.

Nappies - Hmm seems like anybodys guess with numbers of nappies then! hehe! I've got 20 packed, I think I'll take those and then OH can bring me more in if need be - we don't live far from the hosp luckily!


Sarah - thank you!

No apparently its not the same as placenta previa, the placenta is still in the back/behind the baby but it SHOULD be around the top near the babies bottom but instead its right on the exit/cervix where the babies head should come out.
It won't be an issue with the c section but apparently it will be if I go into labour naturally so they need to find out exactly how many mms it is from babies head?! But she didn't mention HOW they were going to do that or when?!

The MW took bloods to check for cholastasis today, so will find out in a week or so I guess! I'm away next week though, so prob won't know until I get back!

That sounds really bizzare - I mean, ok the head measures bigger (I think they often do from what I'm hearing!) but if everything else is closer to your 33+5 dates what exactly is the point of setting you back so far?!
That would mean the baby is WAY over the measurements for the gestation, it just doesn't make any sense?!

I know they say the fundal measurements can be misleading but they must do them for a reason, so sod him "not being interested in those"! - I would def ask your brother about getting a second opinion. It just doesn't seem right/fair at all! It's alright for them to just stick a date on and forget about it, but its a big deal to you...ESPECIALLY for a first baby!

 

[doggylover]

Hayley, exactly! I feel like this guy was just so blasé about it all and he doesn't understand that yeah, he sees a million women like me everyday, but that to any of us changing the edd is a huge deal. He didn't discuss it, he didn't do anything nice at all, just shoved us back and shoved us out. Even dh commented on his poor attitude. He also had a medical student in with him and didn't really let her do anything other than watch. Not impressed.

The good news is that my brothers word for this guy was "twat" and that there is no way the date should be moved based on that data, and at my next appointment to tell them this guy has messed up the dates. So I'm feeling a lot better! I thought my brother might be a bit on the fence about it, but he was so in agreement with me that I feel better! He is not the sort of guy who would agree just to appease me either!

I really do not think I understand placentas! I thought it was a sac that went the whole way round the baby, and attached to the womb via the umbilical cord. The last few things I've heard (including your info) makes me think I have it very, very wrong!!

Pretty sure I'm overpacking with the nappies, so I think 20 is plenty!

 

[MrsHippo]

Thats why I'm glad I'm not looked after by a doctor. Most of them who work in this area, for some reason, are arseholes. You seen them on OBEM too?? they look so misrable all the time. I think the problem with some doctors is that they don't have enough patient interaction or they have this whole 'I am better than you, I will look down on you'. I mean don't get me wrong, I have met some really lovely, caring doctors. My GP being one of them, he is lovely. I have also worked along side some lovely ones. BUT I have also met some really horrible ones - the ones who demand being called Dr so and so, rather than by their first name. You also find with some doctors, they are forced to do it by their parents rather than have chosen to go in to medical which I think is so wrong in so many ways. A person should go in to medical care because they do actually care. You find it with nurses too, they are forced to make a decision when they leave school, parents tell them to do it and before you know it they are in a job that they don't actually want...that results in horrible nurses. Oh how I could go on. Anyway, that was my rant about healthcare professionals haha

My friends go on at me for going in to depth with little things like that....I can't help it!!! lol.

The placenta is attached to the uterus isn't it but when the baby is small the placenta is much bigger, so maybe thats where you got the idea of them being encased in it I think our babies outgrew the placenta a few weeks ago. I think. It might have been a little while before then. It wasn't too long ago anyway

I'm not sure what happened to Alex's post, it never popped up did it. Talking of Alex, haven't heard from her for a while.... hope its not blocking all her posts!!!

I am watching that programme about obsessive cleaners and its actually making me want to get up and clean. I put one of those frozen, ready baked potatos in the microwave earlier because I was having a lazy afternoon and it exploded in there lol. Still edible but half of it ended up all over the microwave. But when I put my head in to see the mess it had created I was shocked to see how dirty it was!!! I want to clean it now but ideally I want to turn it upside down and really get in there...but I reeeeallly don't have the energy so I might have to do it this weekend - along with the oven. OMG I am actually quite tempted to just buy another one.

I wonder when the nesting begins. Apparently people go crazy and start cleaning everything. What if they are quite dirty though, as in dirty people who don't clean, or bath and their houses smell? Do they get the same instincts lol???

I am in a right weird mood today. I could talk about everything and anything!! Oh, I got stuck in the snow earlier too lol. I think there was an accident close to where I live and the police had closed certain roads so traffic by mine was awful. I got to the road next to mine which is up a slight hill and thought it didn't look too bad...until I got half way up it and my car wouldn't go no further lol. This 4x4 come up behind me and had nooo problem getting up there >.< so I had to reverse back down and sit in the traffic lol. My car smelt awful though, don't think my tyres were very happy. Damn rear wheel drives!!

 

[LiverpoolLass]

Sarah - Aww thats so not on Do you think he was showing off in front of the student? My old thyroid consultant in Devon always did that - he was never going to win any personality awards but when he had students in with him he seemed to get off on being an even bigger d**k than usual!!!

I'm glad your brother agrees! When is your next appointment then? If you're not happy to wait I would just ring your midwife and raise your concerns with her so they can start looking into it. If they do another growth scan it might take a week or so to schedule it.

Honestly...Drs!

Placentas All I know about placentas is that they're a disgusting big fatty lump with a cord attached! lol. And they're sodding HUGE - which I only learned from watching the vids in that active birth class. Seriously - ginormous. They look like massive purple jellyfish.

Apparently early on in the pregnancy they can float around, but later on they attach themselves to your uterus and stay put - and mine has helpfully attached itself over the opening to my cervix.

If I wasn't already having a c-section, it would be a reason to have one - as there's no way for the baby to get past without rupturing it and if it ruptures it can mean excess bleeding for me and be very dangerous for him.

This is fine - but what worries me is WHAT if I go into early labour?! Does that mean they'll have to do an emergency c section?!
Coz a planned one I am absolutely fine with - but having an emergency section under general anesthetic would be my absolute WORST nightmare outcome for the birth :/

Lauren - lol! Love your little outburst about medical profs I agree with you though - some are lovely but most are horrible :/
I used to work for the NHS technical helpdesk so we would take calls from Drs and nurses all day long who were having problems with their computer systems.
One day I had this absolute c**k on the phone going BALLISTIC at me because he had told me he was a consultant and I asked him if he wanted me to list him as Dr or Mr!!!

I spoke to about 20 consultants a day and some of them are Drs and some are Mr! And some even just gave their first names to use. But OMG - he lectured me for about 20 minutes on WHEN a consultant is to be addressed as Dr and WHEN they are Mr - it was so pathetic!!!
I remember just letting him rant on and then being like..."Ok, so basically what you're saying is....You want me to put Dr on the form" Idiot!


Oooh I couldn't watch that programme! Anything about minging people is a no no for me atm!! I can't stand to look at the TV when that embarrassing bodies ad comes on - gross!!!

I am OBSESSED with the smell of cleaning products atm though - I inhale like a mad woman when I walk down the soap powder aisle at the supermarket, and after I wash my hands or my hair I have to sniff it like crazy!! I can't get enough of "product" smells!

 

[BStar]

Hiya Ladies, Hope you are all doing well.

It appears I have done it again and left my catching up a bit late (will I ever learn?!?!). I haven't read everything up to date yet I’m still only up to page 134 but I figured I would do an update on myself and the stuff I have read so far and then when I’m completely up to date do another one.

Well first off I officially start my maternity leave as on end of day tomorrow !! I'm pretty excited as these last few weeks have been a struggle with my SPD acting up terribly and making it ultra-painful to get up and down from chair, plus walking is a slow painful affair and I've just been getting swollen and tired easily. But I will be working at least 3 days next week and probably the week after, since we don’t start getting paid maternity until after the baby is born I figured I should still work a bit as long as I can so that at least there is still some money coming in for a lil bit longer. Is anyone else starting to get a lil worried about not having your wage coming in regularly? We have money saved but I’m getting worried it’s not enough and that we may struggle with money. I’m probably overthinking things (which I tend to do) but it’s all starting to get very real now and slightly scary.

Sleeping:- I have been finding this increasingly uncomfortable as I can sleep in the one position for too long or I end up really sore and can’t move or roll over. I am finding that all things pillow and cushion related are my friends at the moment and have been propping myself up with heaps of pillows. Which doesn’t help when it has been as hot as it has been prevents the dreaded pulled muscle feelings. My calf cramps seems to have eased of a bit lately, I’m hoping for good, but I don’t think I can be that lucky.

Liverpoollass:- Great news about you seeing the consultant finally!! And although there seems to be a bit of difference in the thoughts of your specialist and other drs, hopefully the fact that your consultant doesn’t seem too worried, can give you a bit of comfort. And hopefully they finally did your antibodies test and you got good results for that (you have probably already replied in regards to this but as I’m not 100% caught up I may not have read it yet, sorry)

Swelling:- Has anyone else been having major issues with swelling in their feet and legs? I think mine has a lot to do with the weather we have been having here lately, we just finished a 5 day heatwave where the day temps were 40-43 degrees celcius and the night time temps were between 25-26 degrees celcius. So needless to say I have been blowing up like a balloon every day and even sleeping with my feet elevated all night doesn’t ensure I will have normal ankles in the morning hahaha.

Platelets:- So I think I told you ladies I had to get my platelet count redone and I was rather nervous about it, but it appears that it was all worry for nothing as my latest count was 136 up from 106 so I was very happy with that. Hopefully it stays that way. I have a mw appt this arvo so I will ask her if there will be a need for me to get it retested again.

32 week scan:- so we had our 32 week scan 2 weeks ago now and the baby was being a right lil pain. It refused to move its arm from in front of its face. It only actually moved it arm once and the sonographer maned to get a 2d profile of the baby’s mouth but nothing in 4d. We did get a few ok shots of the eyes and nose but the lady was a bit upset she couldn’t do better for us. The lady we had this time was more than lovely and explained everything she was doing in simple terms so hubby didn’t feel as overwhelmed as last time. We asked for a dvd but as the sonographer couldn’t get many good shots or very much good footage she gave it to us for free, which was very generous of her and saved us $20.

The Nursery:- so the mural has been finished and it looks lovely. I haven’t taken a photo of it yet but once I do I will put it up for you ladies to have a look at. We also bought a chest of drawers so I can finally attempt to start getting bubs clothes organised. It’s not white like I wanted it’s actually wood grain but I think it will look nice once everything is set up. We now just have to decide how we are going to arrange everything in the room, as I have basically lost two corners to the mural and I’m not allowed to put anything in front of it, which will be kind of hard and possibly make the room look lopsided, but I guess we will just have to see.

Pram:- oh and I’ve been meaning to tell you ladies Mothercare in Australia has gone into receivership. Which is rather unfortunate as they are one of the biggest baby shops in Perth, where I live. It also sucks because the day before they announced they were going into receivership my mum when into Mothercare and ordered our pram. We decided on the 4 wheel strider compact in the green. Well anyway my mum had been told they would be placing the order on the Monday but they took the full amount off her credit card the day she went in (which was Tuesday) so on the Sunday a friend let me know about the whole receivership mess, so I started to get a bit worried. On the Monday we contacted them and were told that they wouldn’t be ordering my pram as they were in receivership and their suppliers weren’t trading with them at this stage and they weren’t able to issue refunds. So my only option was to either take a floor stock model in the red or black (which was all they had) or call a number and wait 4-6 months to maybe get our money back. To say I was angry and upset was an understatement and I had a few lil cries. I know it’s only a pram colour but I really had my heart set on the green as it had taken hubby and me a while to make the final decision. My dad actual went down to the shop for me cos I had to work and the lady ended up being very helpful and gave us the toddler seat in the red as a bonus, so we saved $180. We ended up a lot luckier than some of the customers as the lady was telling my dad that some people had $2000-$3000 laybys and unless they went I and could choose stuff off the floor they wouldn’t get anything and their only option would be to call the number and hope that they got some of their money back in 4-6 months. I was just gobsmacked thinking of these poor women who are probably pretty close to expecting their babies who have paid out all this money on furniture they won’t see and now having to pay out more money so they could have furniture for their expected babies. It just seems such a cruel thing to happen at such a joyous time.

By the way Happy Valentines Day!! I hope you all get spoilt by your partners today!! Goodness knows we deserve it more than ever this year. My hubby personally delivered some roses to my office, so that was pretty darn exciting hehe.

 

[doggylover]

Oh my gosh, just wrote a massive post, hit the back space/delete button...it went back a PAGE and deleted it all! So...

Brooke Glad your platlets are OK! Bless you dh for bringing you those flowers, what a pet! That is awful about mothercare, but I'm glad you were able to benefit slightly, even if it meant you didn't get the colour you wanted. I can't imagine having shelled out $1000 for furniture and not getting it ever, and having to spend the same amount again. Enjoy your last day at work - I hope it flies by!!

Hayley I think this Dr was definitely showing off in front of the student. I felt awful for her because he didn't take the time to teach her anything, and she just sat watching him. I hope she doesn't learn her bedside manner from him...
Hopefully if you do go into labour before you C-section date, you will have enough time to get in and although it may need to be an emcs, it won't be as hectic and rushed and insane as they would normally be.

Lauren at your rant! But I agree, so many people are in medicine for the wrong reasons. I have a few friends who are drs, and my brother, and they all went into it because they wanted to. My brother actually trained as a pharmacist, then retrained as a dr. But then, I know that girl who is in Obs and Gynae who is always horrible about my LO - I think she is in medicine for the accolade rather than the enjoyment.

Nesting I am definitely having the urge to clean more than normal. I am a very tidy person by nature, but recently it's getting so much worse! Things that I wouldn't normally mind (e.g. water marks on the stainless steel part of the kettle) now drive me to insanity. My list of chores for maternity leave is HUGE. I am literally scrubbing every inch of the house! Nowhere will be safe!

Placentas Totally not what I thought they were How bad is that!? I am pregnant and don't even know what a placenta really is! I'm going to read up on that today!

Afm my in laws arrive on Saturday to stay for 5 days. This weekend/next week we are getting our nursery furniture and painting the nursery so I am hoping by this day next week it will be all ready! Still waiting on our wall decal to arrive to add the finishing touch once we are done, then I can move all of LOs things in!

And then wait......

 

[Laura91]

LiverpoolLass - I use bio oil when I remember, which is probably one a week
Glad everything was good with baby I've heard of the placenta thing before, but i'm sure i've also heard that it can sometimes move back out of the way?

DoggyLover - Glad your brother was on your side re the measurement thing - definitely follow it up with the hospital though!
Placenta wise, I think you're thinking of tha actual waters.. I wasn't so sure, so just did a quick Google
(Pic1-Placenta Placement & Pic2-Baby born still in water sac)
https://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSM5xPlT54MJoyQRWvKNKFVGawp03xkvDVTXdfoimGE-YhIOeTQhttps://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSscM2qhKROfyQDVDRsXQARmPgOrT7lDk55mIbSY5rmNbNQS6zu

MrsHippo - I was thinking the same thing about Alex too as she's not updated her journal at all either?
I think my nesting has already began. I was sat the other night after getting in from work, one side of my brain was saying "go get a nice hot bath and get in bed" and the other side was saying "ooh, that new mop's sat in the kitchen.. and you just bought some Flash with Fabreeze!" - awful!

LiverpoolLass - I love the smell of the soap powder aisle too, so fresh

BStar - My maternity leave starts tomorrow too
Why don't you get paid maternity until after the baby is born? I get 2 weeks of holiday pay (decided to use some annual leave before), then 6 weeks at 90% of my wages and then normal statutory maternity pay (£135)?
Glad your scan went well! Can't wait to see your nursery
Mothercare - I heard a bit about Mothercare the other week, that's why I decided to cancel my Baby Plan and buy a pram outright. Glad you got something sorted though - how awful for a lot of others though

AsForMe - 34 Weeks - 42 Days to Go! The only exciting thing this week is I finish work tomorrow for a whole 10 months!

We got a party invite this week for May! LO will be 4-6 weeks old so we&#8217;re now on the hunt for a party dress as it&#8217;ll be her first &#8216;proper&#8217; outing/party! (Obviously she will be washed and put into a sleepsuit halfway through the night )

Last night I thought I was either dying or going into labour
My stomach was just ridiculous. It was so hard for about an hour - all the way through OBEM And the way LO was moving round made it soooo painful - I have no idea what she was doing but I didn't like it

Everything seems back to normal today though and I have the MW later on this afternoon so i'll ask her what it was

My throat started hurting last night and throughout the night my nose kept stuffing up - think a cold is on its way

No other real news so here's my bumpity-bump and a picture of my awful stretchies

https://babyandbump.momtastic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=566963&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1360834048https://babyandbump.momtastic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=566965&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1360834056

 

[baby_nurse]

Hi ladies I'm back and hopefully able to post! Never did find out what happened to my mysterious moderated post or why it got moderated! I posted a few other things that day and it worked fine so maybe I mentioned something dodgy in that post However as far as I know I didn't write anything naughty so still in the dark about it! I went off sulking for a few days but I was still reading but things have moved on really swiftly since I was last hear so I apologise as I'll probably miss loads out.

Placenta
Like Laura said think people are getting confused between the sac and the placenta, thanks for the pics The placenta is like a big wibbly liver like things (meaty!) and you have to deliver it afterwards, bleh! Not looking forward to doing that, hopefully I'll be too wrapped up in cuddling LO to notice too much!

Nesting
I've been nesting for ages, the OCD programme didn't help yesterday I went on a deep clean mission again this morning and dettol wiped the whole kitchen!! OH keeps looking at me in wonder as I am tidy(ish) normally but since being off have gone a bit mental - literally every surface has felt my deep clean dettol wrath! For some reason I just feel the need to scrub scrub scrub! I think I'm setting myself up for disaster though as I definitely won't have time for that once LO arrives!!

Mothercare
That is so awful about Mothercare! So sorry BStar to hear about you not getting the pram you want. I'd be gutted too So awful for all those people who put deposits down on furniture/prams I would have been devastated if it happened to us as we had to really save hard for all of the baby stuff.

Valentines Day
Definitely didn't get spoilt lol. Infact OH is going to badminton training tonight so a nice romantic meal for one for me! I don't really mind he wrote a lovely message in my card "Your doing a fab job of looking after Jiggles and still look gorgeous" and he is taking me away to York next weekend so I can't complain really!

Brooke I'd keep an eye on the swelling chick as can be a sign of pre-eclampsia. Has your BP been ok? I think it's quite normal in the last few months, my legs sometimes look a bit puffy but usually goes down if I raise my feet up. So glad your maternity leave starts tomorrow It's nice to see people joining me at last, although scary as means are DD are looming closer!
I am admittedly a little worried about money whilst I'm off. I get a pretty good deal with my maternity pay up until 6 months, after which is drops pretty sharply and after 9 months it's nothing. I've tried to save but most of it has gone on buying things for babies (shopoholic tendencies!) OH is saving and hoping to cover my outgoings but not having my own income is a worry.
Would love to see a picture of your nursery once it's all finished, especially the mural!

Laura Loving the bump pic. Sorry your stretch marks are bad, my one leg looks awful and I keep looking at it and sighing but I suppose it's part and parcel of pregnancy. I'm sure they'll fade lots and as my OH pointed out it's not like you get your stomach out for everyone daily! Is everything ok with OH now? Hope you've settled into your new flat. Would love to see pics of nursery when it's all done.

DoggyLover Sorry your date has been pushed back, I'd definitely get a second opinion on that, as others said your Dr sounds a right arse and it's important to have a accurate DD so you know if your going over or not!

I'm sorry I'm not commenting on much else I've read it all but my pregnancy brain has forgotten what else was mentioned! I also don't want this to turn into a massive essay for it all to be deleted!! I'll post my little update on me in a separate post just in case!!

 

[Laura91]

Alex, thank you

Yep, things are looking better between me and OH. I think it must just have been the stress of moving and us both being exhausted

I can't wait till next week to start looking for nursery things again.. Not sure if i'm going to use the same wallpaper/blind as in the other house as the walls are cream and the background on the wallpaper is white.. Nice excuse to buy something different anyway

OH was going to take a picture of the nursery in the old house because we had practically finished it, but we never got round to doing it I got a couple of pictures of it as we were doing bits so they'll have to do I suppose! x

 

[baby_nurse]

So as I said above sorry for not replying to everyone, I'm still a little paranoid that I'm being watched and moderated

I have had a fairly uneventful week. MW appointment on Monday was fine, it turned out the dr had written down my measurements wrong as my bump this week (34 weeks) was measuring 31.5cm which is just below the 50th centile so following the same line nicely (and not had a mega jump like he'd put!) My other things (BP/urine) was also fine. My bloods had come back and Iron, platelets and antibodies also fine.

The only thing I'm a bit confused/worried about is if baby is head down or not. I'm so paranoid baby will be breech and I'll have to have a c section or that they'll want to try that horrible manual turn thing (which I really don't want). The midwife didn't check my position the student midwife did and said it was head down, but no offence as she's a student not sure I trust her! My MW didn't seem too concerned and said they'd check at 36 weeks and if they're unsure they'd send me for a scan. I'm only concerned as sometimes if feels like a massive lump under my ribs, which could be a bum or a head, the heartbeat seems low down and kicks seem high but that could be hands or feet surely!?! Plus when baby gets hiccups it feels high. I'm not sure if I should be doing those exercises to get baby into a right position or just leave it! I've been trying to bounce on my ball a bit more and be on all 4's a little just incase!

This weekend we're visiting the hospital to see the delivery suite which is exciting/nervous! Then I'll have to definitely approach the subject with my Mum about no visitors at hospital....eek!

I feel pretty well in myself as LO is high up my SPD has been a lot better. I had horrible heartburn yesterday but that has been a lot better today. My toilet habits have also been a little different at times, sometimes I go quite a few times a day, other times not for a few days. Has anyone else got awful spotty skin? Mine has been crap since I've been pregnant and despite changing my whole skincare range to something more expensive it's still crap! Hoping that goes when LO arrives!

I brought the curtains/bedding/lamp shade for the nursery at the weekend, I must admit it looks fab now, probably my fave room in the house, silly really as probably won't be sat in it that much I'll have to find reasons to go in there all the time! I will try and put some pics up tomorrow as well as bump pic (which has had a big pop again this week!) I weighed myselt today and settled at 2 stone gain now, I read it slows down the last few weeks so fingers crossed I won't put much more on now.