First Time Mom's - Due March/April 2013

[Laura91]

Hi ladies!

Sorry iv been totally AWOL this week! First week of maternity is flying by, although still trying to get the house sorted - hence why iv been missing from here lol!

Got lots of threads to catch up on but I'll do that properly tomorrow

Nothing new going on really.. Belly still feels like its growing and definitely getting heavier all the time!

Oh! We rang the vicar of the church we want to christen her in (thought September-time) and she only had a couple of dates left! So anyway after a lot of ringing around we've booked her christening and venue for after! Sunday 11 August.
It's still soooo far away and we don't even have LO yet but the vicar suggested we book so we don't miss out and I'm glad we did

Can't think of anything else right now so here's my bump!

https://babyandbump.momtastic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=571129&d=1361484901%5B/img%5D

EDIT: sorry it's mahoosive but I'm on my phone!

 

[MrsHippo]

Hi girls,

I haven't had any problems with driving....well nothing out of the ordinary. I always have some tit annoy me.

OMG its my last day tomorrow!!!

I wouldn't have a clue what I was feeling if I stuck my finger up there, don't have a clue what my cervix is supposed to feel like either. As for the massages, I am planning on starting them next week - well once I reach 34 weeks as thats when they recommend you start them.

Sarah, can you not send your matb1 direct to the people asking for it?? I wouldn't have trusted my manager to send it on so I sorted it all with my HR department. Your manager doesn't need to sign it or anything like that. If he is as un-trustworthy as he sounds I wouldn't risk leaving him to forward it on.

My BH haven't eased up as I am typing this I am getting them. In the last 10/15 minutes alone I have had about 3 or 4 'contractions' .... I don't get them when I walk around but as soon as I sit down they are constant and rather uncomfortable. I will be mentioning it to my mw when I see her on Monday. I know people get them more than others but this is just silly. I have tried everything to help it but I can't walk around everytime I get one. It takes me forever just to lift myself up off the sofa!!

Brittany, sorry to hear about what happened while you were driving and the expense of your cats teeth!! But as you said, best getting it out the way with now before you go off on mat leave when income reduces.

Laura, that is great news I won't be doing that myself but I love going to christenings. I look forward to seeing the photos (even though it seems ageeees away!!).

I reeeeally want to go away for the weekend, maybe to a spa or nice manor type hotel. Just feel like I want a bit of time away from home before bean comes. But it all comes down to money so we will see.

A bit of not so good news, Adam's employer announced that they will be making redundancies they don't know how many they will have to get rid of, depends on upcoming work....so he is really worried at the moment about losing his job and I don't know what to say. I keep telling him that it won't happen to him, he is really good to them (shame I can't say the same thing about them being good to him though) and I think he is worried about taking paternity and annual leave when bean is here. So he was supposed to be at home with me for a month, that how now been reduced to two weeks which I am not happy about at all. Rather upset by it actually. It winds me up though, the company he works for are total arse holes and they have their staff walking on egg shells all the time - threatening redundancy ect. Only down side to working for small companies. Everything is so personal too. So we will see what happens.

 

[I Love Lucy]

Sarah, my cat was 4 going on 5 when we adopted her. She just turned 6 December 19th. I'm not sure if bad teeth are just a common problem with the breed (she's an oriental shorthair) or if it's just her. DH and I have bought a lot more cat treats and such for dental health though so hopefully that will help her teeth from getting too bad again once the cleaning and stuff is done. I do think she will need to have yearly dental cleanings at the vet though regardless of what we do though.

I hope everything works out with your maternity pay. How stressful!! I hate having to depend on other people to get things done.

Alex, my SIL was 3 cm dilated for weeks before she had to be induced. I'm really curious about whether or not I'm dilated at all. I go into my ob/gyn Tuesday and they're doing my group b strep test then so since they have to mess around down there for that I'm hoping they'll check to see if I'm dilated any too. I would have no idea what I'm looking for if I tried to check myself.

I also get irritated with my seat belt these days. I feel like it's too tight across my lower stomach sometimes so I'm constantly pulling at it to make it as loose as I can. That is when I remember to put it on. I can think of two times recently where I've totally spaced on even putting my seat belt on. Once I realize it I feel horrible, especially because forgetting my seat belt is not something I ever did before.

Laura, glad you got everything booked for the christening. I bet it's nice having that out of the way so it's one less thing you have to think about. Especially considering how busy we'll all be once our babies arrive.

Love your bump too!

Lauren, so sorry for everything that is happening at Adam's job. I can only imagine how stressful that must be for you both. Hopefully everything works out.

AFM, nothing really happening. Got a call from the vet letting me know that all my cats labwork yesterday came back good so we're all set for the 27th.

SIL and BIL are coming out this weekend to give us their baby shower gift (SIL was too sick to attend).

Other then that probably just going to be doing some random cleaning/organizing.

 

[doggylover]

Alex don't worry - grossness is part of ttc and pregnancy I think! That is pretty insane if you are already dilated! Hopefully it means something will happen in the next few weeks and LO will arrive in a nice, timely fashion! Wll you get your mw to do an internal at your next appointment? I also never got the hang of the whole cervix thing when ttc, plus it freaked me out the one or two times I did get it

Laura whoa, impressive work with the christening! Very proactive! I'm hoping we will get our LO christened in July, as we have some bank holidays then so everyone will be off, and dh's family can come over and enjoy a few days with us all without worrying about dh and work. But luckily our church is tiny and we have maybe 1 baptism every 8 weeks, so should be ok! I hope you aren't working too hard around the house! Maternity leave is for resting as well! Your bump looks great! Much smaller than mine - where are your hiding your baby?!

Lauren my boss had to sign the form, and show it to our board of governors who have to approve my maternity, and get forms from them which is why he had it.luckily I think I badgered him into getting it all sorted yesterday. He faxed them the photocopy, and spoke to them and said all is well. I'm thinking its time to overcome your past thieving and get a birthing ball if movement helps then maybe sitting and bouncing on that would stop your BH? Because it sounds like your are super uncomfortable at the minute, and anything that could help would be welcome. Fingers crossed that Adam isn't caught up in the redundancies, that's the last thing you need with LO arriving. Also bad news about him not being able to take so long off, but hopefully that will pay off in the long run and he will be able to stay working for them.
I hope your last day at work went well....congrats on maternity leave!!

Brittany what gift did your BIL and SIL get you? I think you had mentioned maybe a monitor? Your poor kitty, I can't imagine getting yearly teeth cleanings will be fun for her (or your wallet!) but it'll be good to keep her in good health. We're luckier with the dogs because chewing on bones seems to keep their teeth really clean. Although their breath stinks I have to say!!!

Afm washing some of LOs clothes today I also am doing normal Saturday cleaning, not fun, and have some marking to do. So a busy day. I was exhausted last night, and haven't been sleeping well these last few days. I go to sleep on my right hand side, the after a few hours I've started waking because my hip area has gone numb. So I flip to my left, and the cycle repeats. It's weird that its just started happening, and it is actually quite sore! Then only comfy position is then to lie on my back, which I hate because I am terrified after all I've read about how bad that is. So not sure how the next few weeks will go in terms of sleeping!

 

[MrsHippo]

Hi girls,

So my last day went well... Can't believe how quickly it's come actually, doesn't feel like two minutes ago I was moaning about how far away it was. I took cake in and we did have some non alcoholic wine to drink but we all ended up too busy to have any together. They brought me flowers and a pretty orchard though I am there next Thursday for interviews then in again once the they have started for training so I haven't completely gone away! It's going to be strange not going in to work though, need to find something to keep me occupied. I get really bored really easily so we will see....

I agree and think I'll give in to buying a ball lol I am super uncomfortable all the time at the moment, I can't even sit on the sofa properly anymore and I can only imagine the BX will get worse
Oh and last night I had an awful nights sleep, I think I woke about 6/7 times. I can't seem to lie on one side anymore as my body really aches so I have to keep rolling over but Adam was right next to me everytime I woke up leaving me little space to move. I got so fed up. Oh I went to the toilet 4 times as well. He is working today so once he left about 10 I had a little nap on the sofa. As much as I miss him when he works away I must admit, I love having the bed to myself for 4 nights so I can freely move around!!

I'm not planning on doing much today either, already done two loads of washing. Thinking about doing my bedding too but need to wait until some of this washing is dry to make space. Think I'll take the dog out soon too but it seems to be trying to snow and I really don't want wet dog smell around the house so I'll wait a little bit and see if it stops.

A couple have been rather quiet just recently, hope everyone is ok?

Oh and Sarah, don't worry too much about lying on your back. You will be fine for a bit, think they say not to lie on it for long periods of time. You will know when it's starting to cause problems anyway. I can only lie on mine for about 15 minutes then I start to ache and breathing becomes difficult.... So that's my sign to roll on my side :/ you should try propping one side up, so you still kind of get the feeling your on your back but the pillows are keeping your body at an angle. I've heard other people do that and say it works

 

[doggylover]

Lauren lying on my back does make my back sore as well after a while- there is not longer any comfy position lol! I will try propping my hip up tonight and see how I get on. I don't think I could take 5 more weeks of sleep like last night. Did it snow a lot with you? It was snowing quite heavily when I was out with our dogs, but none of it lay. It's icy as anything out there now though.

I was very productive today and got all Los clothes, blankets, bedding etc washed dried and put away and their hospital bag is now packed! Save for two blankets I couldn't fit in so will have to go in mine, which is a job for next weekend.

So finally I have pictures of the nursery! We still have no curtains as sil is in the process of getting the material for them, and waiting to get the pictures of our family printed and hung on the wall where the cot is. I think we might need a rug too, but that's not urgent at all! I love it so much! Sorry about the huge size!

https://i1156.photobucket.com/albums/p568/sljay1/image-1_zpsba221bda.jpg

https://i1156.photobucket.com/albums/p568/sljay1/image-1_zps789f6899.jpg

https://i1156.photobucket.com/albums/p568/sljay1/image-1_zpsf78ecc21.jpg

We have a string of owls my SIL gave me last week for above the chest of drawers, and the crib by the window will be for LO sleeping in our room when they arrive, so it won't be there!

 

[MrsHippo]

Its been snowing on an off all weekend but its nothing too heavy. It settles on the car but then melts shortly after.

I love the nursery the wall decals are so pretty. I can't wait until I have a bigger place so I can buy a cot. I am going to buy a cot bed so it holds her for a few years before moving in to a bigger bed. Do think your nursery would look nice with a big thick rug or something, warm it up a little

I had an awful nights sleep yet again last night. I am waking up multiple times because I am in so much pain. Last night it was my legs.....they were killing me and no matter how I laid they just wouldn't stop. I put a pillow in between them, under them, around them lol but eventually I was in that much pain that I just got up This morning I just felt so fed up as I just ached and felt sorry for myself. Now I know how women feel when they say 'you are ready for them to come out' - damn right I am.

I am planning on putting the hammock up sometime over the next couple of days as I still haven't had it up all together yet, will be able to post a photo then I will be washing her blankets and stuff too.

I don't know if you can remember me saying a while ago about signing up to amazon family as they had a free 3 month trial thing going off? Well I stupidly forgot about it and didn't cancel the membership. I got an email from them saying they have creditted my account with 25 pounds which I can spend if I spend 50 or more in their baby shop. Thought I might as well take advantage of that so I have brought a jumbo box of pampers nappies (have huggies and will be buying a couple of other brands too), one of those thermo eggs with an owl cover, a bath towel, rattle and comfort blanket thing which is really cute all cost me about 28 pounds Only downside is that the membership has cost me 49 pounds, that is for the whole year though. But with the membership all delivery is free, as long as its sold my amazon rather than another company and they do this subscription thing which I think is a good idea - for instance the jumbo box of nappies I brought was 11 pounds but if you subscribe it takes the cost down to just over 9 and you can have them delivered whenever you want.

 

[MrsHippo]

Everyone has been rather quiet lately!! I feel as though I am doing loads of gabbing lol.

Thought I'd update you though - went for my MW appointment this morning and mentioned the BH although she didn't really say anything about it other than my uterus is probably irritated. I also mentioned that LO seems to have been a little quieter than usual so she sent me to the maternity assessment unit (which was on the labour ward!! - very scary) but her HB was fine and she then decided to become very active, typical!! However, she is still measuring big - 37 weeks. She felt around to see if there was much fluid but she didn't think there was and she tried to feel how big she is but think she found that a little hard. She felt my pelvis to see if her head was down there, didn't say whether or not she was but when I was on the assessment unit the mw there reckons she is breech :/ but anyhoo, with her measuring big I have to go for a glucose test even though she doesn't think I am diabetic but its something they have to test for when baby is measuring big....if that comes back normal then I don't know what will happen. I am worried I am going to end up giving birth to a huge baby unless they bring her dates forward. That scares me just as much lol.

 

[doggylover]

So quiet ladies! Don't desert each other now as we move into the home stretch! I hope you are all ok and busy busy with getting ready for all these babies arrivals!

Lauren I'm so sorry to hear about LO measuring big - you know already my fears about that as well so I totally understand how you feel. I could spout all the stuff about measurements not being accurate, but it doesn't really help IMO, you will still worry. I hope the GTT test comes back negative, and that you get sent for another scan and they measure her carefully only to find she's only a little one really I'm not sure if they would move your due date at this stage (only my hospital seem to be that incompetent!) but they might decide they want to induce you if she is measuring a little on the large side.

Afm, nothing much new at all. My face is now officially "pregnancy face" ie getting/Has gotten fat my second biggest pregnancy worry (after a big baby!) I knew it would come for me eventually, but I hoped I'd be on maternity leave before it did so I could hide my big fat faced self in the house

Other than that, nothing much happening, just getting tidied up at work trying to get everything done for next Friday. I already got my first leaving present (a board game!) which was lovey, but also made me so sad that I will be leaving them forever.

Oh and another "baby not moving" scare during the night. LO was very quiet yesterday evening and then I practically poked through my uterus to them last night to make them move every time I woke up...nothing apart from a measly half hearted thump. So Doppler out first thing this morning and of course everything is fine and I am now being bashed about again as normal! I cannot wait until they are out of there so I can check more easily on them to subdue my irrational mother fears!

 

[baby_nurse]

Sorry for the lack of updating ladies! I promise I'm not deserting you all, just haven't really been on my laptop much.

DoggyLover The nursery looks fab, lovely and relaxing and calm. The wall decal is similar to the one we have so I love it too lol.

MrsHippo Sorry that you are concerned about your glucose and your LO measuring big. If it's any reasurrance my NCT friend had her baby this week, he was 9lb 5oz and she did it all natural and he shot out apparently! OH read somewhere that most babies heads are roughly similar in size regardless of weight so the weight really won't matter an awful lot in terms of pushing it out.

As For Me Had a little scare myself today. I saw MW everything was going well, urine and BP were fine and baby measuring on same centile and growing nicely. 34cm @ 36 weeks. She said baby was head down and 4/5 engaged, which I think means a little bit engaged but not much. However when she listened to HR it seemed fast (170 bpm when it's usually 140 bpm) so she sent me to day assessment for a CTG. All was fine, baseline was 144 bpm and baby had a wriggle. MW was happy and said it all looked normal so that was a sigh of relief, hopefully just a scare over nothing!
I rushed home in-between and packed my bag as panicked I'd have to go into hospital lol but thankfully didn't need it! Since I've got home LO has been super active so obv enjoyed it's naughty day out!
I am seeing dr tomorrow again though as I mentioned before about my legs going blue, well it's still carrying on and seems worse. I also have some swelling which is normal but the MW said the blue legs isn't necessarily a bad thing but best to get it checked out. I also have started itching again really badly so might need a retest to test my liver function. My legs look a right mess from all the scratching and stretch marks and think they aren't healing well because of my crappy circulation. However I'm determined to still go swimming even though I feel a bit embarrassed about them! I think my circulation might be a bit crap as sometimes I wake up with numb hands. Also I occasionally get a numb spot on my bump where I think baby is lying on a nerve, it only lasts 10-20 seconds. Anyone else get this? The pressure down below continues as well but think that's babies head engaging. This week I upped my RLT dose and EPO as well, am now popping one in vaginally as well. All my NCT friends have had their babies now so I'm the only one left behind I think the next 4 weeks are really going to drag! I have my baby lunch tomorrow with work friends to look forward to and will just try and keep busy until baby arrives but it's difficult as I get tired quite easily now and think baby has had another growth spurt as I feel MASSIVE! We had our babymoon in York last weekend, it was fab and so lovely to get away. The spa and hotel were lush and we even got upgraded because the receptionist was pregnant and saw I was too! The Mum to be massage I had was sooooo relaxing and just what I needed!

36 week HUGEMONGOUS bump lol

 

[MrsHippo]

Yey we have life!!! haha. I thought everyone had gone walkabouts - or given birth and not told us!!

Looks like a few of us have seen the inside of the maternity assessment unit then over the last couple of days. Since I went in LO has been bouncing off the walls. She is still quiet at night as she always has been bless her but moving around like a crazy baby in the day. I am really confused about how she is lying though, even though the MW at the hospital thinks she is breach I get most of my kicking movement right at the top of my bump, the odd rub low on my sides and hiccups are all really low down. You would think if she had hiccups the majority of movement would be head - chest as it is with us?

Not looking forward to fasting for 12 hours for this glucose test, I am so hungry all the time it is going to kill me lol.

Alex you look really good your bump isn't huge either, looks similar size to mine actually but I am 2 weeks behind you!! Sorry the itching has come back too. Hopefully you will get some answers about that and the blueness when you see your doctor. I haven't had any numbness though apart from when I have had a bad night and wake up aching and parts of me feel a little numb.

Sarah, I have noticed myself putting weight on my face too I haven't put it on anywhere else though which is odd. Just made myself giggle though, I moan about putting on weight yet I am sat here next to a plate of fairy cakes I made earlier!!

So I won something else today - a bumbo!!! I know LO can't use it until she starts to sit up but I would have brought one eventually so I am happy

I have a meal to go to with work - I have a feeling it is this weekend actually haha. I haven't arranged it. But think its this weekend. I should be getting a gift, or gifts then...I hate being the centre of attention sometimes. Got to go in to work tomorrow though for the interviews, I'll probably end up doing some work too even though thats not what I am going in for. Oh and on Monday I am spending the day with my mum and she wants to go and pick up the pushchair she is paying the remainder of the money too. But she told me she wants to take it home so she can play with it - then show me how to use it!! lol. I had my amazon order come today and I recently plugged my gro-egg thermometer in (with the owl cover on) and it is so cute, I keep going in to my bedroom to look at it haha how sad is that???!!

Oh and just to let you girls know, Hayley (liverpoolass) is ok. I emailed her as I was a little worried something was wrong as she used to be on here reguarly..... but she hasn't been on for a while because she has a few bits going off with hospital appointments ect but I will let her explain all that to you once she is back on

 

[doggylover]

Thanks for letting us know about Hayley, I had been thinking about her yesterday. We are at the stage now where if someone is quiet I am thinking "oh my gosh have they had the baby?!?!" Just imagine when the first one of us actually does...it certainly isn't going to be long!

Alex, your baby moon sounds amazing, and for an upgrade! That's always so cool! Glad LO is ok after your scare, maybe they were just super excited about the outing to the mw and hr went up?! sorry to hear your legs are still bothering you, but damn right still go swimming. Again, I can't believe you do at all, I think that's amazing! I am not a strong swimmer and always feel like a fraud when I go (which is never....!) Ugh about you being the last of your nct friends to 'pop'. I agree the next few weeks will definitely drag. I was thinking a lot today about induction and how likely it is that I'll have to have one. I asked my brother (a dr) how many women have to be induced, and he said "quite a lot actually" so now I'm convinced I will, and they will use the new fabled date they gave me, so it will be April 24th before I meet baby!! That's still two months
And you are looking wonderful!!

Lauren congrats on the bumbo! That's definitely a great win. I laughed at you saying about the fairy cakes. Today I have eaten (apart from normal meals) a packet of crisps, three mini packs of sweets, a piece of cake and a little yoghurt sized trifle. And I still have an aero dh bought me to go now in fairness, I ate like this before I got pregnant, but I do think its funny that I moan about my face and then gorb all that down!!! Excellent about getting all your amazon stuff. Going into the nursery is something I keep doing, so I think you are perfectly normal for that! And that is too cute of your mum wanting to play with the pram first!

Afm, nothing much new. I'm a bit annoyed with my parents as they have decided to go away 14-19th march, and said to us that we can look after their dogs (one of whom is mine, but he doesn't take well to new situations so when I moved out when we got married I decided it was best to leave him at their house. I still see him and walk him a few times a week). I will be 38 weeks pregnant! And that will mean we have FOUR dogs to take care of and walk. All four are Labradors, so not exactly tiny! So I said to them "umm...really?!" And then of course they said they would put them into kennels, which they know I would never allow as my biggest boy gets so upset by that...so we are having them. My sister would help out usually........but she is also away. My brother is useless at helping with them even though we take care of his dog all the time

So that's my mini rant for the day!!

 

[I Love Lucy]

Sarah, this BIL and SIL got me cloth diaper stuff. A wet bag, a diaper sprayer, some cloth wipes, cloth diaper safe rash cream, a few cloth diapers, etc. This SIL is the one that has taught me everything about cloth diapers. My other BIL is the one that was going to get a video monitor. At least that is what DH was saying he was talking to him about.

As for laying on the back, I've always heard your baby will let you know when you need to move like what Lauren mentioned. I do agree about trying propping one side up with pillows. I do that occasionally when my sides are hurting too much.

Love the pictures of your nursery!!

Lauren, I love the subscription feature on Amazon. I was actually going to do that with the detergent I will be using for my cloth diapers but then I found a cloth diaper store by me that carries it even cheaper than Amazon.

Hope everything works out with the glucose test. Do they not do that as a standard thing where you're at?

Alex, your bump looks great. Glad everything was okay with your baby when you went in to the doctor. Hopefully you get some answers about the itching and blue legs.

AFM, so sorry I haven't been on here too much. I've been very focused on all the things I need to get done so haven't been spending much time online.

I have a list in my kitchen of all the things I want DH to do before Aiden arrives. Most of it consists of cleaning/organizing things since right now there is a lot of clutter so we've basically been focusing on that whenever we have some time.

I've also been working on the cross stitch quilt and birth announcement. I'm still not finished with either of them so I'm trying to spend more time on them so that they will be completed before Aiden arrives. I also have a penguin latch hook stuffed animal that I've been gradually working on too but I'm not sure that will be done before he gets here. I might work on it gradually even after he arrives and save it for a Christmas or a first birthday present instead.

In other news, I dropped my cat off at the vet this morning for her dental cleaning. Poor girl had to have 6 teeth extracted!! I was thinking maybe one or 2 so when they told me 6 I was quite surprised. No idea what this is going to mean for her diet since she doesn't even chew her food as it is and now she has 6 more teeth gone. Thinking it's going to be very likely that she will be on a 100% moist food diet. Overall everything went well though. The woman I spoke to couldn't tell me enough how much she loved my cat because of how sweet she is. I guess every time the woman has had to do something with my cat she has done nothing but purr and purr. Hearing that makes me feel a bit better since I've been worried about her being anxious and upset which is typically how she is at the vet. I have to call back at 3:30 to make sure she is up and moving around after the anesthesia and if she is DH and I can go and pick her up at 5. I can't wait to go and get her, it's definitely not the same not having her home.

Lastly, I had a doctors appointment last night. They did my group b strep test at this one which is where they swab the vaginal and rectal area. If I test negative they won't have to do anything but if I test positive they'll have to give me some antibiotics during labor so I don't pass the bacteria on to Aiden. I think I read 20% of women are carriers of the bacteria. Anyone else have this done yet? It seems 36 weeks is when it's commonly done around here.

She also checked my cervix so I can tell y'all that I am almost 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. I guess at this point cervical checks will be happening at every appointment just so they can have an idea of how I'm progressing. I'm definitely not looking forward to these checks because it was rather uncomfortable. Not to mention, the spotting afterwards, even though I was told it was completely normal, still made me nervous.

 

[MrsHippo]

Hi Brittany, glad your ok.

I have loads of time on my hands and the moment, have a few bits to do at home but I just gradually get on with it. Put the hammock up the other day and my microwave sheep became my assistant haha. I will get a photo posted up of it soon.

I only heard of the strep test when you mentioned it. Don't think it is something they do over here. Also, they don't check your cervix unless you need it doing due to infection risk so most women here don't have theirs checked until they are in labour. Glad your results came back ok though. Oh and as for the glucose test, they only do it if you have a family history of diabetes and a few other things - not sure what they are from the top of my head. But a big baby is a sign of GD so they have to rule it out before they'll do anything else....

At the moment I am sat in costa with a gingerbread latte don't have plans for the rest of the day now. I went in to work for the interviews, only interviewed one person because two cancelled and one didn't turn up!! Was not happy. One of the girls wasn't very well and she sounded really apologetic and was worrying it would mean we wouldn't see her another day, I have asked her to come on Tuesday for one. Just waiting for a reply. But talk about wasting my morning. I ended up cleaning the carpet there at one point!!

 

[LiverpoolLass]

Lauren - I've already waffled on in an email so I won't repeat everything lol.
But mmmmmmm gingerbread latte!!!!!

How annoying about the interviews!!

Sarah - LOVE the nursery!!! It is so so so cute!!!!!

Alex - Lovely bump pic!! Glad you had a nice time on your baby moon and yay for the upgrade!!!
I LOVE going swimming too! I find it so so so relaxing in pregnancy!!!

Laura - Yay for the christening! You've got me thinking now, maybe I should ring about ours! We want it at the end of April/Early May before we move back to DDevon (Its family tradition to use the village church!) and I thought I had loads of time, but maybe not!!

Brittany - I haven't heard anything about strep tests. I had to have tests for MRSA which was just swabs of the groin and nostrils...not sure if thats the same thing?!

Ooh like Lauren said, they don't do cervical checks here until you actually go into labour so thats interesting to know! 1 cm dilated, how exciting! What does 50% effaced mean?

AFM - I'm sorry I haven't been around much lately. I've been having a reeeeeeally down and depressive week or two, and I didn't want to come on here and be whinging so I thought I'd just hold off until I had all my hospital appointments done and was feeling a bit better!
I have been checking in though and making sure nobody has given birth yet!

Long story short....I went on my "mini break" to Devon last week and ended up having a 3 am ambulance ride to hospital!

I had the most AWFUL stomach pains and was violently ill, it was NOT pleasant.

I ended up being admitted and kept in hospital for 3 days so it was a sodding nightmare! Especially as Jon wasn't with us on the holiday and all I wanted was him but he was 300 miles away! :/

It turned out I have gallstones! Apparently it can happen in pregnancy - who knew?!!!!

There's nothing they can do about it while your pregnant, so I just have to eat a low-fat diet and wait and see how it goes after the baby is born, then they'll decide whether or not I need to have my gallbladder removed!

Its EXTREMELY difficult to try to adjust to a low fat diet at this point in pregnancy as I am starving all the time anyway, and now there are SO many things I can't eat - its a nightmare.

This week has also been full of lots of other crap including internal scans to determine how low lying my placenta is, meetings with consultants who are trying to talk me into being induced early to avoid the c section (not interested, I do NOT want to be induced), and various other things - but hey, they're all over with now!

In good news I have my hospital tour on Monday so I'm looking forward to that!

Hope everybody is well!

 

[linzylou]

I've been such a bad stalker!! I have been in beast mode trying to finish up things for baby and when I do sit down at the computer, I find myself either distracted or lacking in motivation. Things are wrapping up around here so hopefully I'll be able to relax and catch up on everyone's posts! It was never my intention to go AWOL and I hope you mama's are doing well. I will definitely go back and read this weekend.

As for me, I can't complain. I'm super uncomfortable but who isn't? I've managed to stay busy which has made the weeks fly by. I had my baby shower on the 16th and it was a lot of fun. Then we went out and bought the rest of what was needed. The swing is set up, the pack n' play is sitting beside my bed, the car seat is installed, clothes and blankets are washed, dresser drawers organized. My hospital bag is finally packed. I scheduled the rest of my doctor's appointments - only 3 left!!!

I also had my group B strep test this week. The swab wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I thought they were also going to check my cervix but they didn't, and probably won't until 38-39 weeks. I know it doesn't always mean something but I was so curious to know if I had dilated at all. Oh well!

I have lot of random pains but so far nothing to get excited over. Every few days I get period-like cramps that last for an hour or so and are mostly just annoying. Hot baths with Epsom salt are my friend. I've also accepted the fact that I probably won't sleep well for a long time now!! I try to take a nap whenever I feel tired but it's just really hard to get (and stay) comfortable.

I can't believe I'll be considered term (37 weeks) on Sunday and that she can safely come anytime after that! I'm nervous for labor but I'm more excited than anything. We're all getting so close!!!!

 

[baby_nurse]

MrsHippo Sorry your interviews were a bit of a waste of time, grr. I'm so jealous of all you ladies winning stuff! I need to start entering competitions! I'd love a bumbo and will hopefully get one when LO is a little bigger. I'm confused about LO's position as well as when I feel hiccups they are high, most movements are under my ribs but occasionally I get stuff at the side too I'm really confused! However I'm mega paranoid as my NCT friend was undiagnosed breech and they didn't realise until she was in labour so she had to have a emergency c section which was a bit traumatic!

DoggyLover My diet is appalling too! I ate terribly before I was pregnant though! I think my worst day so far was I had a jar (yes a whole jar!) of nutella for breakfast (just ate it with a spoon!) a piece of cake for lunch, and a mcdonalds for tea!! Oh how shameful!! I heard a lot of people end up being induced as well which does scare me a little. I don't mind the thought of a pessary but I really really don't want the drip...because then your hooked up to that and you can't move around easily, go in birth pool etc and it makes your contractions more painful and stronger and your more likely to have an epidural. However I know birth doesn't go to plan so just hoping that scenario doesn't happen but if it does it does and I'll just have to get through it.

I love Lucy That's great your 1cm and 50% effaced (although not quite sure what that means, is it to do with thinning!?!) as someone else said they don't tend to do that in the UK which I suppose has it's pros/cons. I'd quite like to know what I am, but at the same time knowing won't make things go quicker and might just get my hopes up for nothing! Also I don't think we have GBS test as a routine here which really gets my back up as a neonatal nurse, it's something that really should be done. Like you said 20% are carriers and it's a simple test and a simple course of antibiotics if you have it. However if you have it and don't know your baby can be really quite seriously ill with it (I've seen my fair share) and I've even seen babies die of it so it's definitely something we should do! I'm paranoid I have it because of my job but to have the test I think you have to go private, plus it doesn't always show up on swabs from your vagina as could be higher up.

LiverpoolLass So sorry to hear you've been having a crappy time with your health. Glad baby is ok though. Hope your on the mend. Are you against being induced as with your condition it is more risky to you and LO than a c section (sorry if I sound dumb asking this). Or do you just not want to birth naturally? Must be a difficult decision to make when you have health professionals in your face trying to make you make decisions. Just try and get all the info and go away and think about it.

Linzylou Sorry your feeling really uncomfortable. I'm starting to feel a bit uncomfortable too. Also I'm not sure if I'm imagining if but I think I might be having really light AF type cramps as well on and off. It's difficult to know if I'm just wishing it though (I know what I was like on 2ww!) or if they are really happening! Maybe things are just getting ready down there!

As for me I went to dr about my blue legs and he reassured me that it's just the pressure of my bump on a blood vessel and that as the circulation returns its not a worry. Also he said itching is common during pregnancy and my skin is in a state because the hormones you release during pregnancy make healing slower, so hopefully once LO arrives my scars will heal better. He has rebooked me for a liver test though next week just to check the itching to be safe.

I also had my baby lunch with work yesterday which was fab, and also a bit overwhelming! I didn't expect so many people to come (about 30 plus lots of kids!) so it was a bit mad and I felt a bit stressed at first as everyone wants to talk to you and stuff and I always feel a bit pressured to make sure I chat to everyone and whatnot but it all calmed down after a bit! (I get this weird anxiety at things like that where I worry if everyone is having a good time and end up running around making sure everyone is ok!) I got loads of loads of gifts which was really surprising and touching and spent ages opening it all last night. It was lovely to catch up though with everyone. Funnily enough I had a range of comments from "wow you look ready to pop!" to "you hardly look different and look really small/neat" but everyone said I looked well and pregnancy suited me which was nice and flattering! Planning a relaxing weekend now as feeling pretty knackered today after my busy day yesterday! Hope you all have a lovely weekend x x

 

[I Love Lucy]

Lauren, do you have your GD test scheduled? I can't remember if you said or not.

Hayley, all the group b strep test was, was a swab of the rectal and vaginal area with what looked like a Q-tip. Since they took swabs of your groin when you had the tests for MRSA it was something they tested you for.

I also didn't know what effaced meant so I had to ask. It's the thinning of the cervix.

I'm so sorry about the gallstones!! With my SIL's most recent pregnancy she ended up getting kidney stones so she was in pretty excruciating pain and had to be put on bed rest for the last few months. She ended up begging her doctor to induce her earlier since they couldn't do anything for the kidney stones until she had the baby.

Hope your hospital tour goes well Monday!

Alex, Effaced is the thinning of the cervix. I had no idea what it was when my OB told me so I had to ask. I'm sorry they don't do the group b strep test where you're at. Is it something you could ask your MW about doing or is going private the only way you could have it done?

Glad everything went well when you went to your doctor. Hopefully everything comes back good when they do the liver test.

AFM, I'm making progress on getting all my last minute things purchased.

Hospital bag - I purchased a new nightgown and robe for myself for after the baby is born. So once those arrive I can pack them and all that is left is my going home outfit, some snacks for DH and I during labor assuming I'll be allowed to snack if I'm hungry (picking up when I go grocery shopping next week), and I need to print out my birth plan and pack it. So by the end of next week my hospital bag will be done. With the exception of mine and DH's cell phones/chargers which we'll have to pack right before we leave.

Diaper bag - I know it's early but I've already got my diaper bag packed with the exception of having diapers, extra clothes, bottles, etc. packed. I thought it would be a good idea to have the small essential things already purchased and put away so that when I do have to go out most things are already in there and I won't have to think about grabbing much, especially in the first month or two when I'm still adjusting and probably not getting the most sleep. So all I have left that I plan to throw in there is baby sunscreen, diaper cream, infant Tylenol, and hand sanitizer. Like my hospital bag, I'll have this taken care of by the end of next week.

Baby purchases - I purchased the rest of my cloth diaper accessories which include a diaper pail liner, a small wet bag for downstairs, diaper pail deodorizing disks, cloth diaper safe diaper rash cream, and the new clothesline co. DUO for hanging my cloth diapers after laundry (Sarah, did you see these clotheslines?). All that is left is a Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature bottle and bottle brush (BOGO 50% off Tommee Tippee at Babies R Us until the 4th), some Johnson and Johnson bath soap/lotion (Buy 2, Get 3rd free at Babies R Us until the 4th), a bath toy organizer, and a bath kneeler. I also still plan to purchase some kind of wall decal for above the crib. I'm thinking of just getting a simple one that says "sweet dreams" but I've been undecided and since DH has no preference I have to figure that out. Will have all of this stuff purchased by the end of next week too.

Postpartum purchases - The last things I want to get are some new mama bottom spray, monthly comfort tea, postpartum bath herbs, and milkmaid tea all from Earth Mama, Angel Baby for myself. I plan to do that sometime in the second week of March so by the 15th I should have everything that I need to purchase done and all that would be left is getting things packed or put away.

It's exciting almost being done with everything, I can't believe it's March already. Not much longer and our babies will be arriving.

 

[doggylover]

Lindsey and Hayley, so glad to hear from you both!

Hayley, I'm so sorry to hear about your crappy week or so. I can't believe you have gallstones, that must be agony and you are 100% right to refuse induction. You don't want it, don't let the, force you into it!

Brittany: group b strep test isn't done as standard here. My SIL knows someone whose baby died during labour because it was undiagnosed. But the government refuse to pay the £35 for the tests for each woman that could save babies lives. It's horrendous. You can get it done privately I believe, but I don't know if anyone does. That's so great about your SIL getting you lots of cloth related stuff! Does she use cloth for her LO? So nice to have someone IRL who uses it to bounce things off. I'll have to have a look at the clothesline you mentioned, thanks I got my nappy bucket and nappy safe cream recently too, so we are all set to go on that front as well. Are you using disposables at all in the hospital, or going straight into your cloth? Good work on packing all your stuff as well. I've packed my nappy bag for the baby for the hospital, but haven't gotten round to my own yet, and am not sure when I'll be motivated enough to do it!

Alex, you are actually my hero- a whole jar of Nutella?! That is amazing! I quite often eat it with a spoon as well, so I am not judging, except to be impressed that you managed the jar! When I see other people say they've eaten stuff like that I don't think it sounds bad at all (as long as its not everyday!) but when I do I feel awful! Maybe a perception thing? And yeah, it's the part about needing an epidural because the contractions are so bad that scares me about induction. I'm really hoping I don't have to have an epi, but as you said, you ever can tell!

Lindsey, sorry to hear you are so uncomfy and not sleeping. My sleep is definitely getting worse, I'm waking up so much! And I hope that all the cramps you are getting are working away, getting you a little bit dilated at a time! Just over 3 weeks for you! It's so soon!

Afm, I cried on my way home from work today. I know I have moaned a lot about work and the people I work with, and been counting down to my maternity, but knowing I will never go back is now sinking in and making me so sad, because I love my job. When the final bell went today and the kids left I just sat in my class for a while, and instead of rushing home like I usually do on a Friday, I finished up a few bits and bobs, and then just burst into tears. And I don't think I can blame it on the hormones!

Is anyone else convinced it will be forever until they meet their baby? I am ready for him/her to come now. I'm 36 weeks, that's not quite term, but I know they would/should be pretty much perfect by now, and I want them out. Not because I'm sick of pregnancy, not at all, but I want them here NOW. I'm sick of the waiting. And the not knowing when it will happen is killing me. I am a very scheduled, rigid type of person. I think that's why teaching suits me- I love having that structure. So not knowing what is going to happen and when is torture!!

 

[doggylover]

Brittany, just looked up the clothes line you mentioned - we already have the pulley one which hangs from the ceiling which I use to dry all our clothes (I'm very against my tumble drier these days!) but a smaller one like the duo is a great idea. Plus it would fit in our airing cupboard which would be a bonus!! Thanks!