First Time Mom's - Due March/April 2013

[I Love Lucy]

I've gotten to the point where I don't want to go out by myself in case I go into labor. I imagine I'll panic a bit when it happens as it is but being by myself at a store somewhere with strangers instead of with my DH will probably make me panic more.

Sarah, are you planning to use cloth wipes in addition to cloth diapers or will you be using disposable wipes?

Originally I was planning to use disposables but then I talked to my SIL and she said cloth wipes were so much more convenient since she could just throw them in her diaper pail with the diapers instead of having to go all the way downstairs to the trash can which is what I would have to do since I don't have a trash can in the babies room nor do I really want one in there. So I started looking at different cloth wipes I'd like to get, then I started looking at nursing pads and covers, and I've basically ended up with about a $100 worth of stuff I want to buy thanks to my desire to use cloth wipes now. My to buy list seems to be never ending.

 

[Laura91]

Afternoon ladies

Finally got my laptop back so done a big update and lots of pictures in my journal (link in my signature)

Went to the Doctors yesterday and finally had my whooping cough jab - well done me Although, had to get my nana to pick me up after my appointment.. I walked there with my mum (it's a 5 minute walk) but half way there LO decided to move and lay really low and dig around in my hips etc. I got extremely warm and ended up having to ask the receptionist if I could have a glass of water !
Anyway, everything was fine after that. Got hospital appointment tomorrow for a growth check. My mum's coming with me as T has to work (boo) so i'm hoping I will feel confident enough (also with the support from my mum) to tell them my worries about my due date and i'm hoping they will offer to scan me - if not, i'm not leaving

As time gets on and the more I sit and think about it, i'm thinking about trying to breastfeed.. maybe not for a long time but for a couple of weeks or something?

I feel like the weeks take so long to get through but I don't feel like I should be 37 weeks already

Anyway.. instead of duplicating, if you wanna have a nosy in my journal please feel free xxx

 

[I Love Lucy]

I think it's great that you're considering breastfeeding, Laura. Before I got pregnant/early pregnancy I felt really weird about the idea of breastfeeding and instead intended to exclusively pump. Now I really want to give breastfeeding a try and I don't find myself feeling weird about it anymore like I did previously. I'm actually hoping now that I have no issues breastfeeding and won't have to resort to pumping except for when DH wants to feed him/we're going out. It's kind of funny how our ideas on stuff can change.

 

[LiverpoolLass]

Linzy - Any more contractions?! How did your appointment today go?

It will be so interesting to see how the due dates measure up!

Aww the frames and onesie sound lovely!

Aww thank you -I really enjoyed writing that post about the baby books, they've been one of my favourite things during the pregnancy hehe.

The tree for the baby is the loveliest idea ever!!!!

Sarah - I never even thought of getting Jon a present! lmao! I've been spending ages thinking about gifts for my sis and my nieces but haven't even thought of Jon - HOW bad!
I'll have to get my thinking cap on there!

I'm sorry the due date saga is still going on :/ I don't really understand how baby can "feel" like a certain number of weeks either?!!!

What are you going to do, do you think? What a nightmare :/

That is awful how they dont even treat for group b strep in NI! Jeeeeez :/

Brittany - We're going to do birth announcements for photos too, for pretty much everyone. But I think it'd be nice to do "Hello" gifts from the baby just to people like my sister, and my two nieces - its my sisters first nephew/niece as there's only the two of us so all future ones will be coming from me too lol - and its the first cousin for my nieces, so I want to mark the occasion really.
There's nobody else I'd do it for - Jon has one brother but they're not close and its not likely that he'll even come see the baby.
I'm not sure about the grandparents though - as its not their first grandchild so?!
But on the other hand, they've done a lot for us - I dont know, maybe I just should get a thank you gift from Jon & I?!

How are you after the fall?! Hope everything is ok!!!

Cute bump pic!! Do you feel like you've dropped?

Lauren - Aww so cute that you had a tree too, shame it had to be left :/
My mum bought a plant when my niece was born because it was called an Amelie Plant (which is her name) - my Dad accidentally ripped it out not realising what it was when he was gardening. My mum was DEVASTATED! :/


Lol - yeah I want to buy some kind of thank you gift for my Mum I think, but maybe from me rather than the baby.
Like I said to Brittany though, this is the first nephew/cousin for my sister and her kids so I kind of want to mark the occasion - I saw some cute "I'm the big cousin!" t shirts which I might get the girls, and maybe some kind of Best Aunty gift for my sister....a mug or something?!

That cold sore story is horrible How awful!!!!
You are def right - if we spent too long thinking about all the different things that COULD happen we'd never go outside or sleep at night!

I know what you mean about due dates coming too soon - I feel a bit like I've wished the pregnancy away for so long waiting for the date to come, but now its almost here its like "errrrm....WAIT! I'm not ready!" lol.

Laura - Yay for the whooping cough jab! How is your arm after it?!

eeek, I keep almost flaking out when I'm out and about too - its scary!

I will go and have a nosey at your journal!

AFM - Everything is ok on this end. I swear though - I'm sitting here and I can FEEL the baby sort of burrowing down further...if that makes sense?!
I def think he's trying to find his way out!!!!
I'm sitting here with my legs crossed tight! lmao! As if thats going to stop it!

I'm booked in for a pregnancy massage tomorrow morning - can't wait! I feel SOOOO achey and I've been wanting one for so long, I hope its really lovely! Shes doing a mothers day special so its only £20 for an hour long massage! Yippee!!!

OH & I had the day off together yesterday so we went shopping to look for a little Easter outfit for Bean - I settled on this one, as it fits the traditional Sailor theme that I wanted for Easter (my family have always done the traditional sailor/nautical theme for Easter!) but its also nice and soft and comfy as he'll only be 5 days old!!!

https://www.littlecherubsclothing.c...uit-tutto-picc_0-1-month-white-navy-blue.html

SO exciting buying things like this and knowing he'll be here to wear them soon!!!!!!

Idea - I was thinking, we should play a lil game and take guesses at what order we think we'll go in to have the babies - and maybe have weight/date guesses for the babies?
Be fun to see which of us is the most psychic lol!

 

[I Love Lucy]

I've been pretty convinced that I'm going to go over my due date and have to be induced but at this rate, I'm starting to think I'm going to go into early labor due to stress. I never mentioned it in here but I took my dog to the vet Monday morning because I suspected she may have swallowed a sewing needle Sunday evening (I saw her grab something off of my table where I had my sewing stuff at but was unable to find anything in her mouth so assumed she had already swallowed whatever it was and would just throw up the next morning like she usually does when she grabs a napkin or something else she's not supposed to have). It didn't dawn on me that she may have swallowed the needle until Monday when I was going to work on my sewing project again only to realize the needle was no longer there. At 9 months pg I was on my hands and knees crawling all over the floor looking for that needle (I never found it). So I called DH at work all hysterical because it hit me that the reason my dog didn't eat dinner Sunday evening or her breakfast and was generally very mopey may have been because she ate a needle. Obviously that's a little more serious then her just eating a paper napkin and I was rather panicked about it. DH left work early and we went to the vet. Basically the vet said since she didn't have any signs of being ill when he checked her temp, stool, etc. he said we should just "wait and see" rather then doing an x-ray. So we took her back home and she did start to improve, she began eating again and acting more like herself though she still hasn't been 100%. Today, everything has gone downhill though. She didn't eat her breakfast which she hasn't been eating it until later anyways so I just thought maybe she wasn't hungry. But then she wouldn't eat her dog treat which is concerning considering she loves those treats but I just tried to tell myself it's because she's not hungry. Then I took her outside to go to the bathroom and was basically forced to stop being in denial about her just not being hungry. Her stool was diarrhea and it was full of blood. Again, I'm in panic mode and crying off and on because I can't get her into the vet until 3:30 (it's 12:30 now). I'm trying to keep myself distracted but then I keep thinking about how I let that vet tell us to "wait and see" instead of demanding an x-ray be done and now I feel like all that did is potentially make things worse. I just feel so helpless and upset. I don't really expect y'all to say anything, just needed to vent I guess.

 

[linzylou]

Brittany, massive ! I hope the next few hours fly so you can get Lucy in and find out what's going on. I can't believe the vet wouldn't give you an x-ray and said to just "wait and see" - wait and see for what?! Praying for your puppy, and that whatever is wrong can be treated quickly and easily. I'm sorry this is happening and that you are under so much stress. Dogs are our babies, too. Please keep us updated!!

What day is Mother's Day in the UK? I've heard a lot of talk about it on these boards so I'm just curious. Ours is May 12.

I love the idea of having a game to see who will have their baby when! I'll have to think about it before I make any guesses...

I had my 37 week appointment today. I haven't had any more contractions and declined the cervical exam. I'll probably let them do it next time, though. My blood pressure was high. The nurse mentioned how high it was and then took it again and it was even higher (I think her comment made me nervous). They checked it again at the end of my appointment and it was still high so they sent me to have labs drawn for preeclampsia. I don't have swelling, headaches, etc., so I'm hoping it's just a fluke or due to the anxiety of being 9 months pregnant or eating too much junk food this week but I guess I'll find out. They're supposed to let me know tomorrow. Other than that, the appointment went fine. Group B strep test came back negative.

I know I missed a lot of things but I'll catch up ASAP! Hope everyone else is doing well!

 

[MrsHippo]

Brittany I am so sorry to hear about what you have been going through I know its easy for me to say but try not to worry too much. Dogs pick things up like that all the time and end up with sharp objects getting stuck. When you go back to the vet you need to try and push for an x-ray, you know your dog and know when something isn't right. Normally they can remove things like that pretty easily and something small like a needle shouldn't cause too much damage inside. Let us know what happens anyway

Laura, I love how organised your drawers are haha. Oh and the wallpaper in the nursery is lovely you will have to let us know how the hospital appointment goes on Monday.

Hayley, love the little easter outfit and I like the idea of guessing when we think people will have their babies....I don't even know where to start though!! I'd have to go back to the first page as I can't remember everyone's due date.

I feel really heavy today, as soon as I stand I feel the need to go for a pee and just getting pressure around my lower bump. I have slept really well all week too, its been rather nice

My to-do jobs for the next few days is go and buy some storage type things. Not sure exactly what I am looking for though. LO's room is just full of stuff and it is irritating me, it needs to be put away. Then I need to go on a search for some nursing bras.

My mum gave me her electric breast pump, washed it ect earlier and plugged it in to make sure it worked ok. Being curious I decided to stick it on as I wasn't feeling much suction when I put it on my hand.....OMG haha it REALLY hurt!!! Shocked me too because I didn't realise it sucked you in so much.

How many of you are producing colostrum? I haven't had anything yet...

Lindsey, mothers day is this Sunday here. I always assumed it was at the same time everywhere.... :/ learned something new ay :O)

Hopefully everything is fine with your BP, was you stressed or anything the day of your appointment? I know stress can really elevate it. Mine was high - well higher than usual at my last appointment. It has always been really low but was elevated, she just said we will have to monitor it.

Got my MW appointment on Monday so we will see what she says about the growth thing. I was going to ring her this week but I have been really busy and just not got around to it. Then before I knew it the end of the week was here, so I will just speak to her Monday.

 

[doggylover]

My stepmum went in to labour at work with her first, waters broke there and everything haha.

Oh my gosh I would die! My worst fear was them breaking at school in front of a class of horrified teenagers, but unless that happens tomorrow I have managed to get out of that! I hope your feeling is right and your LO comes early (although not too early!) so you don't have to wait around!
at the breast pump story! That is scary though if it hurts! I only have a manual one so hopefully it won't be so bad. I've had no leakage of colostrum at all yet, which of course I am worried about. I've convinced myself that means I am the breast version of a desert and will never be able to bf!

Sarah, are you planning to use cloth wipes in addition to cloth diapers or will you be using disposable wipes?

.

I actually just got my reusable wipes yesterday! I had always planned to use them at home, and disposables when out as I wasn't sure how to take the reusable ones out since they'd be wet. But the kit my SIL got us (from cheeky wipes, not sure if they do US though!) has a wee bag that you use to take them out with you, so I'm thrilled that I'll be able to use them when out and about too. I think throwing them in with the nappies will be so easy that it won't ever be a big deal to use them so I'm really pleased about that decision. Now, I did buy 5 packs of 60 disposable wipes in a sale to get us started, so I have all of those to get through before I really get stuck into the reusables!
If I had my way I would buy so much more cloth/natural stuff! But I am restraining myself until I know the gender and then I am going to get lots more! I actually just got two nappy mesh bags and some newborn prefolds in the mail today, so that has satisfied me for a little bit!

So sorry about your dog keep us updated on how she is. I really hope it's just an awful coincidence and she didn't eat the needle, but dogs are so stupid sometimes! Your vet should never have taken that chance and should have x-rayed her straight away.

Laura how is your arm after your whooping cough? Mine was agony! That's great news about thinking about bf! You can always give it a go and if it doesn't work, or you don't like it, then move on to formula. But you might get on great with it and keep going! I think the important thing is not to put any pressure on yourself and see how you feel about it all when it happens. I'm really hoping it works out for me, but am trying to be sensible and know that if it doesn't, at least I did my best and tried.

Hayley I am buggared if I know what I'm going to do about this due date! I suppose speak to the hospital next week, and reiterate to my mw the week after my concerns if no change, and failing all that, start bribing LO out so induction is never an issue!!
Lol at your LO burrowing out! But hopefully that means they are getting ready to go and will be all set for your c section with no worries! That outfit for LO for Easter is flipping adorable!!! I love it! And btw I am so jealous that you know he will be here to wear it! I'm thrilled that you will have him here soon, but definitely jealous as well!!
And I love the idea of guessing who will go first! Will do my guesses at the bottom of the post!

Lindsey what's weird is that I believe Father's Day is the same date there and here (mid June?) but our Mother's Day is always in march before Easter. And helpfully, right next to my mum and granny's birthdays...
Hopefully your bp being high was just an anomaly, with no other signs of pre- e I would imagine it is.

Ok so...guesses for who will "pop" first! I feel pressure as the first to go!

1. Hayley - 26th March, 6lb 11oz
2. Lauren - 29th March, 8lb 6oz
3. Lindsey - April 1st, 7lb 2oz
4. Alex - April 2nd, 7lb 14oz
5. Laura - April 3rd, 8lb 4oz
6. Brittany - April 6th, 5lb 7oz (I imagine both Brittany and Aiden are very petite!)
7. Me (hopefully!) - April 9th, 7lb 7oz (please god!)

I'm sure I've missed people will amend after checking out the front page! Also, disclaimer, I am not a good guesses at all!!!!

 

[LiverpoolLass]

Brittany - Aww I'm sorry to hear about the problems with your dog. Like Lauren said, dogs tend to be very resilient and something as small as a needle probably won't do too much harm - but I would certainly insist on an xray just to put your mind at rest. Hope she's ok!

Linzy - Oh I hope the pre-eclampsia tests come back negative. When will you find out?
It would be unusual to have it and not have any other symptoms so *fingers crossed*.
My blood pressure is always high when they take it but fine when I check it at home, I think those places stress people out and cause BP to go high!

Lauren - Thank youuu! I find stupid things like Easter outfits so exciting!
Now I'm on the hunt for an Easter gift for the baby - it hadn't crossed my mind until my Mum showed me what she'd bought for him! EEEK! And so it begins - a lifetime of present buying for my own child!! HOW bizzare?!

Ooh I've been getting that pain in the lower bump. Its horrible! I think your little Bean has dropped
Yay for sleeping well!

I was wondering about whether anybody has produced colustrum too - I haven't had anything at all!
Its not a worry to me coz I can't BF anyway but I was thinking about how if I could, it'd be something else I'd be stressing myself out over right now as there seems to be literally nothing there!

Sarah - Aww what a pain :/ I think your plan is a good one - just raise your concerns with the hospital and again with the midwife. Just make it clear that you're NOT happy to go too far over your original due date. What does OH think about it all?

Yeah hopefully they'll be all set for the c section - though my friend came over last night and told me a horror story about her c section!
She said her daughter was really well engaged when she had her section, and so they had to pull her back out of the birth canal with forceps and the babies face was all cut and bleeding!

This "friend" is one of those people who is always full of horror stories though, and likes to try to make me panic wherever possible - so I'm trying to ignore her. She talks a lot of crap and lies a lot - I'm not sure why we're friends come to think of it lol!

Oooh loving the guesses! I so don't want to go first though lol! I'm scared!!! I never go first for anything - I'm one of those people who likes to hang back and see how other people get on before I take my turn! :haha

AFM - My hunger is ridiculous. This child is going to come out at about 12 lbs at this rate - I had spaghetti bolognese for my tea, a slice of cake, a packet of quavers, then my Dad went to the chippy for my mum so I asked him to get me a fishcake, I ate that - and I was sent a load of Easter Eggs to review for the blog, so I opened one of those and munched my way through that too!
And I am STILL starving!!! So much for my low fat diet - watch, I'll be in hospital again tomorrow with the bloody gallstones!

*TMI question* - does anybody feel like they've got pressure in their bum?! I can't explain it really - but it just feels like when the baby moves, I can feel it in my bum?! Kind of like I need to *go* - but I don't actually need to?!


Guesses - I'm going to keep a little list of everybody guesses so we can see at the end how we all did!

Here are mine:

Nicola (nuttynicnak) - I think she's actually had the baby already!
Lindsey - March 20th, 7lb 8 oz
Me - March 26th, 7lbs 12oz
Laura - March 30th, 8lbs 8oz
Lauren - April 1st, 8 lbs 7 oz
Alex - April 3rd, 8lbs 8oz (Girl!)
Brittany - April 4th, 6 lbs 12 oz
Sarah - April 5th, 7lbs 3 oz (Boy!)
Brooke - April 7th, 8 lbs 10 oz (Girl!)

 

[linzylou]

My doctor said they would call tomorrow if the results were abnormal. I'm calling them regardless because I really want to make sure!

The first thing the nurse said when she put the cuff on was, "Dr. So-and-So says we should give you ladies a minute to settle down before we take your BP but we can't because we're so busy." Then she said, "Oh, your BP is high!" (The bottom number was in the 80's.) So she tried again right away and it was even higher (140's/90's). I asked if she could take it at the end of the appointment after I'd been sitting down for a few minutes and she said yes. Doctor comes in and asks me what's going on with my BP, am I stressed, etc., and I'm getting nervous because I wasn't stressed until now. She measures my bump and checks the baby's heartbeat and then says she'll give me a few minutes to chill before they take my BP again. Well, 5 seconds after the doctor leaves the nurse comes back in to check my BP and it's still high (duh, it's only been a few minutes!!) so they send me down the hall for blood work and yeah. I should have stood my ground and asked to wait a few more minutes!

I'm trying not to think too much about it until I know for sure but I'm secretly worried that if I do have preeclampsia, I'll have to be induced and/or end up with an emergency C-section. My mom is letting me borrow her BP machine so that I can have some peace of mind (I hope!!) while I wait.

Nursery - Ours is 99.9% done. I found some cheap cloth organizers that fit inside my dresser drawers so I've been using those for everything. I have another one that hangs inside the closet that has space to hang clothes and then cubby-holes at the bottom. I still need a clothes hamper and we are waiting on our new washer/dryer so I can do one more small load of laundry.

Colostrum, I first noticed it around Christmas! It freaked me out. Now it doesn't appear unless I squeeze it out, which I don't because it still freaks me out. I know it's natural but still weird to see for the first time. For now, I have one day-time nursing bra and two nighttime bras that feel like sports bras. They're really comfortable. I have a single electric pump but am too scared to stick it on me - especially after Lauren's comment!

Pressure - Yes! Sometimes I even feel like LO is pinching my bum from the inside. I've felt her hiccups in my bum a few times, too. And little punches or "swirls," which I'm guessing are her hands. So weird.

I'll be back with my guesses!

 

[I Love Lucy]

DH and I went to a different vet and he did an x-ray right away and I'm pleased to say there was no needle. He then said that it's possible that the bloody stool she had yesterday was due to the needle passing through but since the other vet never did an x-ray we won't ever know if she did indeed swallow one. I do have to get a fecal sample though to take back in today so we can rule out any parasites being the cause of all of this. In the meantime, Lucy is on some meds to help with inflammation. I feel so much better after going to this new vet. I feel like he didn't just brush off mine and DH's concerns like what the other vet did and he actually did something rather then just telling us to wait and see. Lucy has been doing good today though trying to give her, her medicine is a pain. I keep having to hide it in stuff but she is so smart that she'll pick it out of whatever I had hidden it in. Thanks everyone for the support, it is very appreciated.

Lindsey, I'm sorry your blood pressure was high. Hopefully the test for preeclampsia comes back and that the cause of the high blood pressure is just nerves. Glad your group b strep test came back negative.

Lauren, I'm not producing any colostrum either. From what I've read though it doesn't seem to be unusual or anything to be concerned about. I guess it's just one of those things that some people deal with before delivery and others don't.

Hope your appointment goes well Monday!

Sarah, I was stocking up on disposable wipes and got quite a few more disposables at my baby shower so I'll be going through all of those before I start with the cloth wipes but now that SIL has explained to me how you use them as far as wipes solutions and such go I feel good about switching to those entirely after I'm out of disposables (though I may keep a box on hand for those times I get behind on laundry or something). I've been buying a lot more cloth stuff though ever since I made the decision to use cloth diapers. I even plan to buy the reusable nursing pads instead of the disposable ones.

Hayley, I occasionally feel like I've had pressure in my bum but I've also been dealing with constipation off and on so I'm thinking the pressure I feel is more so due to that then anything else.

 

[doggylover]

Hayley, I could kiss you for guessing my little one will be so little! If that comes true, I will be forever indebted to you!
Way an awful story your friend told you!! Although she doesn't sound like a great friend at all I used to have a similar friend when I was younger, lied about everything, and I think it stems from insecurity, especially coupled with trying to scare other people and make them feel worried.
I am waggling my finger at your not so low fat diet! Your gallstones will go nuts! But it does sound delicious! I got a pile of chocolate from school today, I plan to eat most of it this weekend another reason I will be shocked if my LO is as small as you say!
With dh and my due dates, he says so little sometimes goodness only knows what he's thinking! I think he thinks I'm being maybe a tad over dramatic about it all and that LO will come when they come...but he's a man. What does he know?!

Lindsey great service from your nurse no wonder your bp reading was high, being rushed and worried!!! But hopefully having the bp monitor at home will provide peace of mind. And if the worst does happen and you do end up being induced or c-section, at least you'll know it's best for LO.
I got some ikea drawer organisers, but should have gotten more as they are soooo useful!

Brittany the wipes SIL got me come with a bottle of oil to make wipe solution, and instructions on how much to use etc, and it seems so simple compared to what I had thought. I think I'll keep some disposable wipes on standby as well for emergencies- the bum will always need wiped so I'm 100% sure we will get through them in what seems like no time!
So glad to hear that Lucy either didn't swallow, or has passed the needle. And that the new vet was so much better. And damn dogs with their medication! They always know...no matter what you try to do!! I used to have a dog called Lucy too, and I'm assuming that's what your username on here refers too?

Afm last day at work all done without a single tear! Well done me! I was overwhelmed again by the generosity of everyone, especially one class who got me lots of very nice presents and wrote lovely comments in my card about how I made geography so fun and easy to understand, and how they love it because of that, which is pretty much the best thing a teacher can hear! So in the end I had a great last day, but I won't know what to do with myself until LO comes!

In bad news...a colleague got Simon and I matching mugs that say "best mum/dad ever!".........I smashed mine already worst mum ever?!?!?!?! Is that a bad omen?!

 

[I Love Lucy]

My SIL got me these little cube things (I think they're called Ruby Moon Natural Wipe Bits) that you just dissolve in a spray bottle of water to make your own wipe solution. Then you just spray the wipes when you're ready to use them. After talking to her they do seem so much more simple then I had originally thought. In my head I kept thinking you used them dry and I just thought they would be awful at cleaning up a very poopy diaper so I was rather put off by them. Now I'm pretty excited to get started with them. How many do you plan to have? I have 3 that my SIL got me and then I just ordered 24 more so I'll have 27 total.

I came up with the username years ago on some other message board. It actually became my username because I Love Lucy happened to be what was on the television when I was creating an account (I'm terrible and coming up with usernames). But now I have a dog named Lucy so I think it's funny that it's still a relevant username.

So glad you had a good last day at work. I'm sure you'll get your to-do list completed in no time now that you're on maternity leave.

I'm sorry you broke you mug though. Could you maybe buy a replacement? If it makes you feel better, I wouldn't be surprised if I did something similar since I'm so uncoordinated. I think by now people know breakable gifts are just not a good choice for me.

In other news, finally got the last of my frozen meals made so my freezer is stocked up. Glad to have one less thing to do on my list.

 

[doggylover]

I think I could get a replacement mug, but I would feel so weird buying myself a best mum ever mug it would feel a bit presumptuous incase I suck at the whole thing!

The kit I have came with 25 wipes which are 15cm by 15cm which I've read are enough for one 'normal' poop diaper as you can fold it and kind of use it twice, if that makes sense? and then I have maybe around 15 smaller ones that came preloved with the nappies I bought off eBay. I figure since they won't need to be dried as mine soak in the water/solution, and will be washed almost every day (at the start anyway) then that should be plenty. If not I have our many disposables to fall back on until I can buy more!

Ahh, ok well I had at first assumed that your username was reference to the TV show! It's so hard to think usernames up, I agree! I sometimes read people's on here and wonder how they decided on it. I joined here just after one of our dogs got put down, so I guess that was in the fore front of my mind.

for all your meals getting done! I was just wondering earlier when I should schedule to do mine. Definitely before the kitchen 'big clean'!!! What's next on your to do list?

 

[I Love Lucy]

I think the next thing on my to-do list will be cleaning the bedroom closets. It's starting to get to the point that majority of the things on the list are things for DH to do but he's a horrible procrastinator. I'm really going to hound him to take care of cleaning the garage tomorrow so that I can pull my car in there and clean that out so I can get the car seat installed so that's done. Nothing makes me more irritated then being slowed down because he's taking forever to get things done. What's next on your list?

 

[doggylover]

Our lists sound very similar! My car is for the cleaning on Wednesday, and the cupboards will be sometime the week afterwards (and I am suddenly wondering where all my pre-pregnancy clothes are as I feel like I haven't seen any in a long time!)

Other than that shampooing the carpets, and then going room by room and cleaning them from top to bottom. I think I'll start with the most recently decorated I.e. the easiest, and work my way up to the kitchen which needs every cupboard emptied and scrubbed. Time to get the washing up gloves out I think!

 

[MrsHippo]

Hello, I'm on my phone at the moment so I'll be on later to have a proper catch up.

Pup went yesterday so I have been really upset. But at least it's done now, if I kept putting it off it would never have happened. She is living with another dog too, she will love that. So I've done what was best.

I have had a right cleaning head on. I cleaned the inside of the car the other day - which was a little hard! I'll be leaving the outside to some car cleaners though lol. I really need my windows cleaning but I keep forgetting to look one up, I'd do them myself if I didn't live on the first floor!! But little things are really getting to me, seeing dust on a windowsill drives me mad. I have to clean everything!!!

Sleeping is a nightmare at the moment, always is when Adam is home. I'm looking forward to sleeping by myself in the week

Oh god, my heart almost stopped yesterday. I went for a wee and when I wiped there was loads of fresh blood on the tissue .... But then realised it had come from the back end rather than front. Which is a relief but now I'm wondering if I have bloody hemorrhoids it didn't carry on bleeding and I have no pain so we will just see how it goes. Damn body!!

 

[BStar]

Hiya Ladies, well I have just finished another mammoth catching up on this page. I'm honestly terrible. I can do really well for a few days then I get busy and by the time I get back I'm days and weeks behind. It was definitely a lot easier to keep up when I was working and could have a read through while I was at work. I was a lil worried that someone may have had the baby already and I missed it but luckily that doesn't seem to have happened yet. Unless like nuttynicnak has had her bubba like Liverpoollass predicated.

It seems everyone is going great guns with their to do lists, Mine is slowly dwindling down but I feel like I'm not getting through it fast enough coz I have been getting tired easily and trying to rest up a lot.

I had my baby shower 2 weeks ago now and got a lot of lovely stuff. The party it's self was full on as there were about 40 adults and 10 running around my mum and dads house. Luckily my cousin and aunty were there to help out, otherwise it would have been even more stressful. We mainly got a lot of clothes a lil accessory type things and a few people gave us cash in a card which was helpful to get a few things like the change mat and some other things we hadn't bought. I still have a few things to get but I'm going shopping with mum and dad tomorrow so I'm hoping to get most of the last things crossed off the list.

I officially totally finished work on the 1st of march, as I ended up working 3 days one week and then 4 the next, so I claimed sick leave for the days I wasnt in and it means my official maternity leave started at the start of march which mean I don't have to go back to work until the start of march 2014. My gosh that sounds soooo far away.

I went for my 36 week appt on the 26th feb and did the strep-b swab test (over here we have to do the swab ourselves). Then she checked my blood pressure and decided it was too high, so took me through to the maternity ward to be checked in and taken to the antenatal assessment room (which was in the labour ward). I ended up have a ctgbor fetal trace done to check bubs heart rate and movement and quarterly hour blood pressure checks for an hour. Then they took bloods to test my platelets again. I ended up in there for a total of 4 hours and then was allowed home as my bp had one down and was told my platelets were down again to 106. On the Saturday we had our prenatal class which I found very interesting and which included a tour of the maternity and labour wards and the birthing rooms. I found out that my hospital has 10x single bed rooms and 2x 2 bed rooms. So on the Sunday I had to back to the hospital and have another ctg and bp monitor and more bloods drawn. Well my bp was fine but there was a drop in baby's heartrate and my platelets came back at 88. So they made me stay in hospital overnight. They let me go home Monday but I was back for another check Tuesday and the had dr appt on Wed wheremy bp was high again so I got sent to the hospital again for more monitoring and then sent home after an hour. The nurse spoke to the dr on call who asked when my next appt with my dr is and I said 13th march and he said to just see my dr then, which was a week away and seems kind of a wait since I had been at the hospital for monitoring everyday for 5 days. So I'm currently unsure what my bp is doing. I do know that the worst it got to was 152/95 and the best was 120/70. I have however gotten very good at determining when my lil wriggler of a child has wriggled away from the monitor when it is on my belly lol. I'm also very familiar with the midwives and ward clerks at my hospital hehe and feel more confident knowing where I will be giving birth and staying if my platelets are fine enough for me to have this bub at my local hospital. Oh and the whole overnight stay prompted me to pack an organise my hospital bag as I was being a bit slack, but that made me get my bum in gear and realise at any time I could be in the hospital and not allowed out until I have had the baby.

Ok well as per usual another long post from yours truly. Sorry to go on.

Holy Moly just realised I'm 38 weeks today!!! Wowwsers!!!! Also I should probably update my ticker...... Lol

 

[LiverpoolLass]

Linzy - Glad I'm not the only one with the pressure feeling! your nurse - it sounds like little wonder why your BP was high!!!

Sarah - Haha! I do think your baby will be teeny. We'll see very soon!
Oh what a nightmare about the mug - certainly not a bad omen, just a sign that you've got butterfingers! Just don't drop the baby and you'll be fine!
I would just buy a replacement and pretend it never happened!

Brittany - Glad to hear that the dog is ok!

Lauren - eeek! I hope you haven't had any more bleeding episodes, can do without scares like that at this late stage I'm sure!!!!

Brooke - I'm sorry to hear about your hospital stays :/ I had one recently myself and its a real pain - but definitely true that it gives you a kick into shape with the hospital bags!!!

Hospital Bags - Brooke reminded me, I've been meaning to say - when I was in hopsital for a few days with the gallstones, I luckily had my hospital bag with me - but being in there made me realise a few things I hadn't packed that would have been REALLY handy!!!

*Wipes for ME - I was only in for gallstones and I still couldn't be bothered lugging myself to the shower multiple times a day, so I imagine after giving birth that feeling would be intensified! It is SO hot and stuffy in the hospital, I really wished I had packed some wet wipes for myself to freshen up between showers (I had them in my baby hospital bag, which I didnt have with me!)

Hair clips/bobbles - I always intended to put these in and hadn't got around to it, but again - SO hot in there, really could have done with them!

PJ bottoms - I was made to walk upstairs to a different floor for a scan, and I was wearing a night dress - the floor I had to go to was full of people who were NOT staying in hospital and were just day cases, so were all in their everyday clothes - I felt SO embarrased standing there in a night dress to my knees with nothing covering my pasty legs! I have made sure to pack a pair of PJ bottoms just incase I have to walk anywhere when there are strangers around!

Lip balm/vaseline - I'd heard people mention this but thought that I wouldnt need it as I dont usually use it. But lips dry out FAST in stuffy hospitals!

Phone numbers/charger - My phone battery was dead, I didnt have my charger and Jon wasn't aware I had gone into hospital - and I don't know his new number from memory! I had no way of contacting him and it was HORRIBLE

My hospital bag is bursting at the seams now but I feel much more prepared!! I'm probably panicking more than most people as I know my stay will be at least 3 days for a c section - but any one of us could end up staying in longer than thought or going into hospital for reasons other than the birth unexpectedly (like me and Brooke!) so its def worth having it ready and being over prepared!

AFM - Mum and Dad went away today for the week, so Jon & I are treating it as our last week alone before the baby arrives! Eeeek! What a scary thought!

I'm hoping I dont go into labour while they're away!!! I have had LOTS of period pains low down in the past 24 hours, but no back pain or sign of any plug - so I'm assuming its ok!

 

[LiverpoolLass]

Oh also, Sarah - we were talking a while back about cruises? I wrote a big post on my blog about our cruise with lots of piccies if you wanted to have a nosey!

https://sparklesandstretchmarks.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/epic-post-cruising_10.html