First Time Mom's - Due March/April 2013

[doggylover]

I can't wait to see it either I have had this idea of what it will look like for the longest time, so I hope it lives up to my expectations! So far it has the first coat of paint on the walls, and I love it already!

Only problem is I'm worried that even once we get all the furniture in it might look a bit bare. We have to get pictures of our families for the wall so I hope dh gets that sorted out ASAP and doesn't leave it for ages like he normally does with stuff. Plus I'm not getting a bedding set- SIL is supposed to be making a patchwork quilt for the cot and I assumed we'd get it this weekend when she is here, but I don't think she's even started it, which is fine (don't want to be a slave driver!) but I'm worried the cot will look really bare.

Oh the random worries of a pregnant lady!!!

I hope dh got home on time and you were able to enjoy most of the day together.

 

[baby_nurse]

doggylover
The curtains are from the Olive and Henri range at Toys R Us. However, a word of caution; they are super super thin, infact in terms of doing jobs a curtain should do (block out light!) they are pretty pants! We've got a black out blind to do that job and the curtains are more for decorative purposes! So I feel bad as they cost £40 to basically look nice which is silly I know but I fell in love with the whole range (light shade and bedding) so wanted the curtains too

As For Me Had a tour of hospital delivery suite today which was good. Quite reassuring as the MW's seemed lovely and the delivery suite seemed really nice, quite calm and also promoting active/natural labour with birth pools/balls etc. The only thing that put me off slightly was the induction rooms were pretty bare and claustrophobic looking so hope I don't have to be induced! It was pretty exciting though knowing I'd be there in a month or so eeek!

 

[MrsHippo]

Alex the nursery looks lovely you have so much stuff too!! Glad the tour went well today, I'm not planning on looking around mine... I think that's because I work there and although i haven't been in the main delivery/labour suite before I am sick of seeing the hospital lol. I just want to know where I have to go once labour starts. I've seen photos of the pool room too so don't really need to see that. But I think if I didn't work there id probably go and see it. Are you going to the hospital you work at?

I haven't done a great deal this weekend, got my hair done yesterday that was nice to have a bit of pampering!! Then went for food with OH's family for his mum's birthday yesterday evening. Then today I went to my dads for my baby brothers 3rd birthday. Never like going to their little get togethers, my nanna was there but my step mums mum and dad was there as well as some of their friends... I got to listen to my dad tell me about how he wants bean in his life more than I see him currently. Which is fair enough but what p*sses me off is that I have to make the effort with him all the time!! He always expects me to go around to his house and I can't see that changing at all once LO is here. He never offers to pop over and see me or asks if we want to go for lunch or something. It winds me up so much. oh and my sister overheard him talking to someone earlier about how we were being quiet (meaning me, OH and my sister).... I have nothing in common with any of them and I don't know some. Also, as per usual he expects me to make an effort to speak to these people yet it's alright for them not to make an effort back. And usually when we see these people they are all drunk!! Because that's all they seem to do for some reason when they get together. I don't want to be around noisy drunk people. Arrrrgh, I could go on all night but I'll stop there because I'll bore you all lol.

But apart from that I haven't done much. I was hoping to have a bit of a lie in this morning but I still woke up bang on 8:30, needed a wee then just decided to stay up.

Tomorrow is the first day of my last week of work!!! :O

 

[I Love Lucy]

Sarah, I'm worried about the walls of my nursery being bare at the moment too. The matching decor kit for the nursery is backordered so I put in an order for it but no idea if they'll get more in stock this month like they said or not. Then the custom name letters I ordered for his room take 6-8 weeks to be completed so I won't even be getting them until sometime in mid to late March. I would like to have everything set up but I'm not sure if that will happen so I have similar worries.

Alex, I'm glad you were able to have a tour of the delivery suite. I need to ask when the next tour is at my next appointment so DH and I can see where we'll be having Aiden at. I feel like knowing where things are and what it looks like will make me feel a bit more confident about giving birth though at the moment I'm not too worried about it.

Lauren, I'm sorry about the issues with your dad. I'm in a similar situation with my family since DH and I are expected to make an effort to drive out to see them more often once Aiden is here. Granted, I know this is because my parents don't have a reliable vehicle so I don't expect them to drive 3 hours out to see me but at the same time it does put more pressure on DH and I. Your dad's family also sounds a bit like my DH's family. I hate having to do anything with MIL's family because they all act stuck up and have never made me feel welcome (thankfully we don't do stuff with them much). Then FIL's family drinks at everything and I don't want to be around noisy drunk people either. So like you I don't talk much and MIL or FIL will frequently point it out.

AFM, yesterday DH and I went and saw Warm Bodies with our friends, I really enjoyed it and laughed several times during it. Not sure it's a movie I would want to see multiple times though. DH on the other hand wasn't much of a fan, I think he wanted more gore or something.

I also purchased my nursing pillow and the majority of my baby registry items that DH and I wanted to get yesterday. Now the only things I have left to buy before Aiden gets here is some safety gates/childproofing stuff which I'll be doing with the gift cards, a video monitor (though BIL wants to gift that too us as baby/wedding gift as soon as we pick one out), a Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature bottle, a bath kneeler, and a bath toy organizer all of which I have 20% off coupons for thanks to Babies R Us. I also plan to buy a wall decal for over the crib but I haven't decided on which one I want yet but I feel really good about how little I have left to buy.

In some not so good news, I got really upset last night/this morning. DH woke up in the mood in the middle of the night. All I wanted to do was sleep so I gave him a hand and that was it. Afterwards though I started feeling really hurt that DH didn't even try to have sex with me and was perfectly content with just my hand. We've chatted about it and I know he's worried about touching me/having sex with me because he doesn't want to hurt me since it seems like I'm always in pain. But me being an emotional pregnant woman keeps thinking he doesn't want to have sex with me because I'm unattractive. So I guess sex is starting to become a bit more difficult for DH and I at this point since I feel ugly and he is scared of hurting me. I'm not sure if I would prefer us to just stop trying to have sex or if I want us to keep trying to adjust to the challenges pregnancy brings to sex.

 

[baby_nurse]

MrsHippo No we aren't having the baby at the hospital I work at, as the hospital I work at isn't my local hospital. I could have pushed to go to my hospital but it's a further drive plus not sure I'd like to bump into my colleagues whilst doing that Sorry your Dad is being a bit of a pain, not surprised you are quiet around drunk noisy people! OH's Dad will be the same, we never see him anyway as he won't come to our house because his ex wife (OH's Mum) used to own it (don't ask!!) so he won't come here, yet we're never EVER invited to his! (apart from at xmas!) He lives with a new partner and her daughter/son are always going round for Sunday dinner and the daughter even had a room at their house, however don't think we've ever been invited round for lunch/dinner or even for a cup of tea! It feels wrong to just invite ourselves! Part of the reason is that OH works with his Dad so see's him in passing everyday (although he says they don't really chat much) so maybe his Dad doesn't see the need to invite us over. However I said when LO is born he can p*** off if he thinks I'm going over to his everytime just so he can see his Grandchild! Firstly I won't feel comfortable BF around him so will have to scuttle off to the loo or summit to do it and secondly why should I have to trapse around with a newborn when he can just come into our home!! Grrr ok rant over!

I Love Lucy Try not to worry about the nursery being finished, I'd still like to add some stuff once LO arrives too - like a name decal and some nice framed photos. Firstly they often aren't in the nursery when they're newborn and secondly they won't remember it anywho will they lol. I think the nursery is more for us Mom's though than the baby haha!
Sorry about the problems in the bedroom department OH and I have definitely taken a back seat in that department as well! We still do occasionally but not as much as before I was pregnant (mind you, we were TTC so it was a bit ravenous lol!) However I've had same insecurities as you, feel unattractive and fat and just not as sexy anymore! Plus I just find it a little bit weird, like I know LO doesn't know what's going on but sometimes I feel it move and it just turns me off a bit!! We kinda have a unwritten rule that OH doesn't touch my belly during "those times" lol but he won't go near my boobs either now as scared they'll leak everywhere (which they do occasionally so I don't blame him!) I don't think he's worried about hurting LO more that he just feels like me and finds it a bit weird, although he won't admit that! I suppose we have just tried to be close in other ways like cuddling and talking lots but sometimes like you I do feel like we're lost a bit of a spark and then I worry it'll be even worse when LO arrives and is in the same room. I think it's a common pregnancy thing though hun so just keep chatting to your OH and try and do lots of nice coupley things together that'll reinforce that bond.

 

[MrsHippo]

Aww sorry you got upset I too feel a bit crap about sex. I have totally gone off it and OH keeps asking me to 'play' with him but it normally always leads to something else but I don't enjoy sex because it has hurt me recently. Although the last time didn't.. But I worry about it hurting and I also feel funny if LO moves while we are doing it :/ and what else is a bit weird is if we do it missionary he can't kiss me because our bellies touch which is a bit weird. I turned super sensitive too so don't enjoy being touched whatsoever.... OH has been quite good about it though, he worries about hurting me so he just deals with it. I do worry though, don't know whether you do to... But I worry he will look at other women in a sexual way rather than me. He would never cheat or anything, I totally trust him but I do worry that he would find someone else more sexually attractive but that could just be hormone talk?

I think we all have our problems with family. Just annoying.

I have been on here a couple of times and there have been guests viewing. I suspect it's when people google something we have mentioned and it pops up but at the back of my mind I wonder if it's someone spying on us

 

[I Love Lucy]

Lauren, I have the same negative thoughts about DH looking at other women sexually. I think it's hard not to have some thoughts like that considering how many changes our bodies have gone through while being pregnant. And when we do have our babies, it's not like we're magically going to look like our pre-pregnancy selves. We'll still have some baby weight to lose and stretch marks. I have talked to my DH about these feelings before though and he has told me multiple times that, that isn't ever going to happen and like you I know I never have to worry about him cheating. I do think our hormones are playing a role in these feelings, especially when it comes to feeling insecure my body.

I did start thinking more positive about the sex thing though. DH did wake me up last night because he wanted my hand when he could have easily went and masturbated in the bathroom by himself. So I'm trying to remind myself that just because we're not having sex doesn't mean DH doesn't want me involved with things in that department, iykwim?

As for the guests in this thread, I always assume it's just one of us viewing the thread when we're not signed in or one of us got signed out while reading things. I think unless you have checked the remember me box when you log in, BNB will sign you out if you stay on the same page more then 15 minutes due to inactivity.

 

[MrsHippo]

Oh, I am logged in all the time. I don't even know my log in details lol.

Im sure we will be back to our usual sexual selves before we know it hehe!!

OMG, was just on third tri forum and a woman just has her baby at 36 weeks!!! 36!!! They didn't induce her or anything, it just happened. That's scary....

 

[baby_nurse]

Oh I'd love to have LO at 36 weeks!! Infact anytime from then is fine by me!! I'm even taking EPO and RLT in the hope it'll jog things along!! However I'm pretty sure I'll go overdue and have to be induced as seems the way with first baby!!

When you say it hurts during sex what do you mean? I can't say I have experienced this. I think it's because LO is still quite high and hasn't dropped yet (another reason I won't be early boo!!)

 

[doggylover]

Once my in laws leave I will be 35 weeks, and although I would prefer LO to wait until maybe 37, anytime from then on in is fine for me!!

Re: sex.
I think I've mentioned in the past but dh and I literally have had sex 4 times since I found out I am pregnant. I am not interested in it at all. And he has never been that interested in other aspects apart from full blown sex, so we are a bit asexual at the minute! in the first 12 weeks we didn't want to as after our mc in January we were terrified something would go wrong (although of course we know sex has nothing to do with that), and then after that I did 'force' myself a few times, but I was not comfortable at all. I just couldn't get into it, and it all felt very forced and unsexy. Luckily, dh doesn't have a high sex drive, and neither do I, so it isn't so bad. I do feel like I am depriving him, but when I bring it up he says its ok, and he knows that some women go off it completely and that its fine. I am not worried about him looking at other women sexually (where he works he is surrounded by old ladies, so he'd have a hard time I think!!) but I do worry about it might make him feel that I don't want to have sex.

Before we got our BFP we had been ttc for a year, and so sex was very regimented, so unfortunately for us our sex life in terms of just doing it for enjoyment is definitely a long distant memory at this point.

I also worry that it isn't good for him, as I know he doesn't 'take care of himself' and I worry his balls might literally explode

And then when baby comes, obviously once I've recovered and am in any fit state to actually have sex again...I cannot imagine being able to feel sexy when LO is asleep in the same room. I would feel so uncomfortable! I know they won't know what we are doing, but even still... So it's going to be an interesting journey for us to get back to any sort of sex for fun!

Brittany, I'm sorry dh made you feel bad, but like you say, he still wants you involved, and maybe even thought (in a way only a man could!) that by involving you he was actually doing the right thing, and showing that while full sex might not be so easy/attainable anymore, he still does find you sexually attractive and very much wants you involved.

Afm, I had a streak of brown discharge yesterday (tmi, sorry!) but haven't had any since, so am keeping an eye on that. Weirdly I had been reading about mucus plugs earlier in the day (what a glamorous way to spend my days off!) and it said it can sometimes be streaked brown, and we are all getting much closer to the end now, so I'm wondering if it was something to do with losing part of that? IVe heard people say they lose bits of their plug for weeks before labour I'm not too worried as it hasn't happened again, but I am on 'wipe watch' now each time I use the bathroom!

Our nursery is painted dh wants to build all the furniture himself instead of his family doing it, so LO will be about 6 by the time we get it all set up no doubt!

 

[MrsHippo]

We can lose our plug at anytime but it does regenerate if early. I'm not sure how much comes out when the whole lot comes though.

And yes I'd be happy with 36 weeks too lol but I feel as though I still have loads to do before she comes I think I'll finish everything I need to next week - not Monday though. Monday I am doing nothing!! I am planning on staying in my scruffs all day watching day time tv hehe

Alex, it's hard to explain. I get a horrible shooting pain during sex sometimes, did before I was pg and when I went to the doctors she thought it was endometriosis but I'd have to have surgery to diagnose it properly. She examined me ect and didn't seem concerned. It comes and goes though. If I am totally relaxed then I have no problems, it's when I am a tense...normally when you do it because they want to but you aren't really in the mood. Since reaching third tri it has become worse. Then even if I am in the mood I worry about it hurting so then I tense up anyway.

And we don't always have to have sex in bed try doing it somewhere else while LO is in bed. It does feel odd doing it on the sofa though haha

 

[MrsHippo]

I have attached my 33 week bump photo. I looked at it compared to my last one at 26 weeks and there isn't much of a difference in size. I am definately started to notice her getting heavier though!! Oh and sorry its not clear, we moved the wardrobe so I no longer have my full length mirror - only the little bathroom one.

I have also attached a couple of photos of the cardigans Adam's OH knitted us she made about 6 or 7 but these three are my favourite. Each cardigan has a matching pair of little bootie type things too. I knew she was knitting us some stuff but I didn't expect them to be as nice as they are. The nicest one is the orange cardi, you might not be able to see on the photo but it has little sparkly specs in the wool. Its looks so pretty

 

[doggylover]

Lauren I love those cardigans! They are just beautiful! I have major appreciation for knitted and handmade things since I am so useless! And it's so nice that people want to spend time knitting those for LO as well. I've gotten knitted cardis from mil, grandmother-in-law, a friends mum and my SIL mum! All ours are neutral colours, and I have to say while the white ones are cute, they don't compare to your lovely coloured ones! We will honestly have enough to do LO forever though!

That's true about not necessarily having to have sex in the bed! Dh and I are very "vanilla" when it comes to our sex life though, I must admit. We stick to one position (my fave obviously ) and generally just the bed! But when baby comes along it'll be a chance to get things back on track and experiment with some other locations around the house!

And I don't blame you for having Monday pencilled in as a jammie day - that's all I plan to do on maternity leave really! Make the most of it while we can!

So my nursery is all painted and the furniture is up we are hoping to get the wall decal up tomorrow night, and then I will get some pictures. I LOVE it we won't have any curtains up for a while as SIL is getting started on making those now I finally have decided what I want! And apart from the decal we won't have our family pics up, but it will be almost done! I'm so excited!

 

[baby_nurse]

Aw love the cardigans! My mum had knitted me one (in neutral colours) and I just love it. I love seeing babies in cardigans lol! Your bump looks fab!

OH and I sometimes DTD downstairs but not since I've been pregnant as the sofa doesn't offer the comfiest of positions!! We definitely aren't 50 shades but do spice things up every now and again lol. When LO arrives maybe we can put them in the nursery whilst we have a little fun haha!

Mind you I feel so unattractive today! Got out the bath and was moisturising and got a bit upset as my legs just look such a mess (awful stretch marks and scratches) and my tummy also has a few more stretch marks. I still have this horrible rash on a lot of my body (breasts, chest, neck) which is all bumpy and horrible! I just feel like I look gross and so unattractive. Also with having stretch marks on my legs I feel super insecure about wearing a swimming costume again I just hope they fade.

I've felt a bit odd all day as well, kinda dizzy/faint with no energy and a bit sick. I felt better this evening but still super zapped of energy and I've done nothing all day! It just feels like a massive effort even to walk lol! Still getting the odd sharp pain in my lady parts as well although not as strong as before more like bladder pressure like when you have a UTI although when I go it feels fine.

 

[MrsHippo]

Awww you will have to post photos once the wall decals are up

Sex: Normally we tend to stick to the bedroom with certain positions. It is a completely different story when we are drunk - I won't go in to detail there though

I feel like that too sometimes Alex (lack of energy, light headed ect). I find that my diet has a lot to do with it, I have to be careful what I do and don't eat. You should try eating energy boosting fruits and plenty of water when you feel a bit crappy. Easier said than done though, especially if you don't have anything at home and need to go to the shop.....I tend to just put up with it then because I don't have the energy to go out. I am sorry to hear you don't feel very good about yourself at the moment You should probably give yourself a pamper day, go get your hair done, have a spray tan, paint your nails ect, I know it won't get rid of the marks on your body but it should help your self-esteem. And don't worry about the stretch marks on your legs, they will fade. They will be new at the moment so are bound to look red and sore. I haven't had any yet. I am in the mirror everyday looking for them though. Adam keeps saying things to me too like 'I think you will get stretch marks here because the skin looks really tight' blabla and it really gets to me sometimes. If I get them I get them but its not something I want and I don't need to be told over and over again that I probably will. Bloody men!!

One thing making me feel crappy about myself is spots I know I have mentioned it a few times before but it is just horrible. I don't have many on my face but I have a couple of scars on my chin from previous ones which look bad at the moment. I have spots on my belly which is just embarrasing, my back is really bad and OMG my legs. I have never seen anything like it. Its like leg achne or something. But it makes me so self concious. In a way I am really glad its not summer because there is no way I would get my legs out. I just really really hope it goes once LO is here. I have noticed it scarring me too :/ *sigh*

I have had loads of BH today and some real sharp, quick pains in my stomach. When I am sitting down the BH is coming every few minutes... I don't feel it while I am walking around. I did get some pain in my bladder area earlier though at work while walking around and had to sit down. I don't know what is going off. Hopefully things will be back to normal tomorrow.

 

[doggylover]

It is a completely different story when we are drunk - I won't go in to detail there though

Alex You shouldn't feel unattractive at all! Remember that every single mark on your body right now is a little line from your baby, so even though they may not look so great right now, they will fade, but always be a reminder of when you were pregnant with this LO! (I'm trying to make this positive...I hope it's working! ) I hope you are feeling better, and not so dizzy etc. Make sure you are taking it easy!

Lauren I'm sorry your spots are still getting you down I've always been a spotty kind of girl (on my face) and there have been times when it has been so awful I've cried, so I know just how you feel. Mine are all hormonal spots though, and hopefully yours are too, and when LO arrives, they will clear off never to be seen again!

Afm Nursery is now done We got the wall decal up last night, and all the furniture is in. I will get some pics at the weekend as I want to wait until there is some daylight to get them! I haven't moved any of LOs stuff in yet, and we still have some pictures to put onto the wall when we get them printed out, but other than that, all done. And i LOVE it!

I have parents evening tonight I am definitely feeling more tired atm. I think probably just because we had my in-laws (who leave today) over rather than anything else, but it was an early one for me last night! Couldn't keep my eyes open!

Hope everyone is well

 

[baby_nurse]

MrsHippo Sorry your skin has been getting you down. I suffered from acne quite badly as a teenager (hence why I went on birth control) and then when I came off BC to TTC my skin flared up again. It had just settled down then I got pregnant and it's been pretty awful ever since! However the last week I have been taking EPO and it's noticeably improved on my face. I've still got this weird eczema rash under my breasts. Maybe you could try EPO to see if it helps? Have your BH eased up?

DoggyLover Thank you for the encouraging comments I know they will fade and I should see them as battle scars rather than ugly marks but it's difficult. I've always hated my thighs but hate them even more now! I went swimming last night and had to kind of shuffle into the pool lol but part of me thinks sod it I'm pregnant I'm not going to look perfect! No wonder your feeling tired from your in-laws being over! I get tired spending time with OH's Mum after a few hours lol (she's lovely really).

As for me I'm still getting the sharp pain in my bladder/crotch, mainly when LO is active (like now I can feel him/her rustling about and have a stabbing down below, but just been to the loo so I know I don't need the loo and checked it and no nasty's in it) maybe it's a higher up UTI though. I'm definitely going to mention it to MW when I see her next week just to check.

 

[I Love Lucy]

Sarah, how long do you plan to have the baby in the same room with you? DH and I are planning to have Aiden in his nursery since with the 10+ alarms DH needs to wake up in the morning he probably wouldn't get much sleep. Maybe you could put your LO in his/her nursery for a nap when you and DH want to have sex so that LO won't be in there? That's kind of what DH and I do with our animals now since they like to be where we are but I'm not comfortable with my animals watching us when we're having sex.

As for the brown streak you noticed, is there anyway for our doctors to tell if we've lost parts of the mucus plug? I've been on wipe watch since I found out I was pg because I was always panicked about bleeding but haven't noticed anything.

Congrats on all the progress you have made on your nursery. It's a nice feeling seeing it all come together.

Lauren, the cardigans are really cute. I love handmade things.

I'm also right there with you on the spots. I never had the clearest skin on my face but since being pg I breakout on my chest and my back which I've never experienced before, even as a teen. I hate it. I have read from other ladies that had this happen that it clears up after the baby is born so that makes me feel a bit better.

Alex, I'm sorry you're feeling unattractive. I was feeling like that one day so decided to shave my lady parts since that makes me feel more attractive. Now I'm really regretting that since I have terrible razor burn so I'm uncomfortable and feel even more unattractive. I just can not shave that area blind so I'm going to need to start finding other things to do to make myself feel more attractive since shaving is just not one of those things.

AFM, there isn't too much happening. I'm trying to get a lot of other things done before Aiden arrives since I know I won't be having a lot of time to myself when he's here. I've read two books this week and have another one to finish. I'm also getting my one cats teeth taken care of.

When we were at the vet in December since our newest kitty addition brought ear mites into the house we learned that our older cat had some pretty advanced dental problems. DH and I were surprised because we adopted her in 2011 and she had just had her teeth cleaned/extractions and yet they were so bad again a year later. Anyways, I happened to see our vet has 20% off discount for dental services at the moment so DH and I decided to jump on getting her teeth taken care of now. It's going to be costly, especially if she needs x-rays and extractions we could be looking at having to pay up to $1,000 out of pocket. But I would much rather get this expense taken care of now so that it's not something that we still need to deal with once Aiden is here.

So yesterday I took her to the vet and she had her pre-anesthetic blood work done and then Wednesday I drop her off at 7:30 in the morning so she can have her teeth taken care of. I'm really not looking forward to this because I know how scared and anxious she gets at the vet so I'm going to have a terrible time leaving her there alone with people she doesn't know.

Speaking of a terrible time, the drive to get to the vet yesterday was awful. First, I got myself a bit lost since I couldn't remember how to get to the vet. I had only been there one time and that time DH drove and it was night. So I spent 10 minutes making my GPS re-route me since I went the way I thought I was going to get to the vet was not right. Then when I did get on the right roads again, I nearly got ran off of them by a semi! I was driving in the lane next to the guy and either, my car was located somewhere where he couldn't see me in his mirrors or he just didn't look but he started coming into my lane which resulted in me having to drive in the bumpy/unpaved shoulder to get the rest of the way around him. I think had it just been me in the car I wouldn't of freaked out so bad but I all I could think was that I'm 8 months pg with Aiden and I had my cat with me so if I got into an accident I would be hurting them too. Needless, to say once I got to the vet I called DH at work and was basically a hysterical mess. Then later that night, I made him take me to the grocery store because I was still a bit spooked about driving.

 

[doggylover]

Brittany something similar happened to me recently, but luckily I was able to brake and the truck went on. That was bad enough without having to swerve like you did. Very scary. And you're right, I feel exactly the same about driving now, it's not just us in the car. Imagine what we'll be like when LOs are here and in the backseat! We'll be driving so slowly everywhere!
Gosh, your cat's dental work is going to be so expensive! The poor thing must be in a bad state, which is awful. What age was she when you adopted her?
And I think it's great that you are taking some time to yourself before Aiden arrives. Just being able to enjoy your last few weeks doing whatever you want sounds great I can't wait to join you when I'm on maternity leave! My SIL bought me a book about pregnancy and birth by Jamie Oliver's wife, so I'm excited to read that once I'm off.
I don't know how long we'll keep LO in with us, tbh. Either until they grow out of their crib (I think in the US its a cradle) and have to be transferred to their cot, or when they are sleeping well enough that I don't have to be up too much in the night! But popping them into the nursery while dh and I have some "us time" haha is a great idea

Alex I can't believe you are brave enough to go swimming! No way would I have the confidence at the minute! I think it's great that you are, even if you do feel self conscious. Like you said, it'll be obvious your pregnant, so nobody is going to look at you and think anything bad at all.
I get a similar pain to the one you're describing sometimes. Almost like LO has poked, or nipped, me in the bladder. It's so sore, but it passes after a second. It does make me feel like I need to pee, but as soon as the pain passes (which is for me honestly a second or two) that is gone. I don't get it too often, not even everyday, so I just assumed it was normal. But I'll be interested to know what your mw says about it.

Afm I am so cross with my boss today. Before Christmas I gave him my MatB1 form which is needed for me to claim maternity pay. Three weeks ago I got a letter from the department of education saying they hadn't received that, and they need it. So I emailed him and said to him, and he said he did send it, but they must have lost it, but luckily he had a photocopy to send them. I assumed he therefore WOULD send it.
My mistake.
The school got a phonecall today saying if they don't get the form ASAP I am not entitled to maternity pay I freaked out and sent him an email (he is hard to get to speak to) and then I saw him at break and said to him had he sent the photocopy away. He acted like he had no clue what I was on about he never sent it away three weeks ago when I asked him to. So I sent him another email later saying he needs to do it ASAP or I get nothing, and he seemed to be sorting it out,but I have to check tomorrow. I'm so annoyed that its basically come down to me to sort out something he should have done months ago. And I'm panicking he won't do it in time and I'll get no pay!!

 

[baby_nurse]

DoggyLover: grrr what a stupid boss! I hate it when ppl just seem to pass the book and act like they don't give a crap, I'm sure if if was a roll reversal and he was going to be missing out on pay he'd soon get off his arse!!

Yes those pains in my bladder are exactly how you describe, only last a second or two. So today after my bath I was doing my perinatal massage (urgh) and then, well sorry for tmi but thought I'd try and feel my cervix. I'm always unsure if I'm feeling it right as when I was ttc I never quite got the hang of it, my cervix seems like mega high! But I'm sure it felt kinda soft and I could kinda get my finger in. I googled it and that could mean I'm 1cm dilated!! I'm trying not to get excited tho as firstly I read you can be dilated and still not go into labour for weeks and even go overdue and secondly I'm not 100% sure I was feeling the right thing!! Sorry again for the grossness!

I love Lucy: So sorry bout you near miss accident, I am also a bit wary of driving now, really frightened of crashing. Also find it difficult to look around when doing manoveres etc. Does anyone else really struggle with your seatbelt as well? Like its hard to get it under your bump (as recommended) especially when you are wearing a few layers!! Sorry bout your cat and the bills as well. Hope you are relaxing and enjoying your maternity leave x