Hello babies! - IAB's weekly threads. D days and newborns :)

[bumpycat]

Good morning ladies! Hope you're all well this Monday morning. Lovely bumps all round - I really ought to post mine as well one of these days. OH takes a photo every Tuesday morning but it's in my underthings so I think I'll keep those to myself - wouldn't want to blind you all with my pasty whiteness!!

I'm on my final countdown for work - I can see all the way to official maternity leave at the end of the 3rd week of May, and my option of starting holidays two weeks earlier is looking terribly imminent and appealing. We've got the loft flooring and the fence post repairs tentatively scheduled for next week with reputable tradesmen and I am so relieved it will be done well before the baby arrives. Not going to tell my dad though!

 

[Jeege]

Hi ladies, hope ur all keeping well. Wasn't on this thread over weekend so was nice to have a bit of reading up to do. Sunshine, that sounds like something I'd do with the keys! I had physio on thurs morn and when I came out my car had rolled down a bit of a hill into the back of another, vomit! Just a little scratch on other car thank god. Then I went into town for lunch with a friend while kids were in school, and I lost 20 euro from my pocket, grrr!!! And I missed my turn off for work one day early last week. Talk about pregnancy brain!!
Anyway have appointment tomorrow and shud get scan so that's something to look forward to

Id love to be having another scan. Lucky u! Post piccies if you get any. Sorry to hear about your car and money! Pregnancy brain sucks!! x

Well appointment went fine. Measuring right for dates and she was wriggling away on the scan. The monitor that they use in the antenatal clinic is like something from the dinosaur era, not very clear and tiny but all good anyway. Didnt get a pic, never do apart from the private scans Ive had.
My BP is slightly high but I reckon that's just because I get so stressed sitting in that cattle mart! And they had taken bloods at 28 weeks but one of them hadnt been tested because something was mis-spelled on it, so I had to go give more, making me even later for work
This is my first time using this hospital as I moved since I had my other 2, I really dont like it but I did spend one day on the labour ward at about 25 weeks (thought I had gallstones, was just a bug or food poisoning) and I found the experience on the ward to be a lot better than in the antenatal clinic. Dont plan on staying in too long anyway when junior arrives
Hope you are all well

 

[Iamblessed]

hi ladies thought I would do a quick catch up. sunshine -awesome pic-you don't need to cut the head off you are so beautiful! notnic-cute bump pic.Jeege-glad your appointment went well. Admiral-hopefully baby will turn soon but glad all is well. Mcs-always good to hear from you and glad you are doing well.love the bump pic. bumpy-hope all is well with you and glad to see you . stacey-glad your appt went well. I hope i am getting everyone and if not its because I have pregnancy brain lol. Miss all you ladies and hope all is well in your world. and love to all Oh quick update on me is my next appt is may 1 so will know more then. Right now i am just plugging along!Will post a bump pic soon!!

 

[akerie]

Bumpycat I've got all of mine in a large holdall including stuff for hubby and the baby! I still need to pack a towel and a baby blanket, but that should fit. All hubby needs to bring is a camera case and the small cool bag with our drinks. I swear I must have forgotten something!

Here's my 33 week snap:

Notic you are absolutley adorable, very neat BUMP!!!!!!!

 

[akerie]

hi ladies thought I would do a quick catch up. sunshine -awesome pic-you don't need to cut the head off you are so beautiful! notnic-cute bump pic.Jeege-glad your appointment went well. Admiral-hopefully baby will turn soon but glad all is well. Mcs-always good to hear from you and glad you are doing well.love the bump pic. bumpy-hope all is well with you and glad to see you . stacey-glad your appt went well. I hope i am getting everyone and if not its because I have pregnancy brain lol. Miss all you ladies and hope all is well in your world. and love to all Oh quick update on me is my next appt is may 1 so will know more then. Right now i am just plugging along!Will post a bump pic soon!!

IAB thank you for the update will be lookinf forward to your update on the 1st I do hope you are getting along better, everday that you carry your LO the better.....

 

[akerie]

Goodmorning ladies I just wanted to say hello and say I believe my LO had turned because I have been felling his hickups really low by my pelvis area thankfully.. i pray he stays that way!!!!! I have my next sono on May 16th and my regular OB appt. is May 1st...

 

[bumpycat]

Hi akerie, that is really good news! Breech is such a worrying possibility, fx that LO of yours keeps head down from now on!!

IAB - good to hear from you, sounds like things are a little more stable now

I've got my 34w appointment Thursday afternoon and my first antenatal class Friday afternoon. I'm curious to know if my FH is still tracking 2-3cm ahead of schedule, but I'm not even sure which midwife I'm seeing and I know that a different midwife can change the measurement quite a bit! Anyone else started NHS antenatal classes yet? I've got them in 2 hour chunks over 4 weeks.

 

[NotNic]

Ah thank you Akerie! Great news that you think baby has turned. Sometimes they just take their time to find out where they need to be! Fingers crossed that the mw confirms baby is in the right position.

IAB - lovely to hear from you and I agree with Akerie. Each day that goes by is another day your lo gets to grow bigger and stronger!

Bumpycat - I'm not doing the NHS ones. They start too early for us to get home from work for, plus I went to the early pregnancy NHS session and it wasn't great so I didn't really want to take more time off work.The NCT has been useful though so I'm sure you'll pick up lots from your class.

AFM - our nursery set will not be delivered now until early July which is pants! We need to decide whether we wait it out or choose something else. We have another NCT class tonight and then my 34 wk appt. I'm still getting uncomfortable tightenings but nothing painful or tangible like before so I'm hoping that Pip is just a bit squished. I've started to recognise hiccups low down now too. I think before my ap was buffeting them.

Hope everyone else is good. Any updates? xxx

 

[Iamblessed]

akerie-oh my I feel so bad I did forget someone. I am hoping all stays going well for you and that LO will stay head down. you will have to update on the 1st as well since our OB appt is the same day Let me know and I will be sure to let you know as well. Thanks everyone for always having a kind word for me and all your support!!!!

 

[admiral765]

Hi girls,
Well it is a much better day for me! We got the tele level! Lol! I see my midwife on weds, she said that if my BP stays as it is then I will be fine to have the home birth I want! Packed my hospital bags to day just in case I have to go in but it will be useful to have it all in one place at home anyway. I have to get a few more bits but nearly there!
Glad everyone is doing well xx

 

[Sunshine12]

Well I went to my first NHS antenatal class tonight and all is can say is COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME!!

I was really pissed off as they told me it was the breastfeeding one so I told OH not to bother coming and when I got there it turned out to be the labour one and they had forgotten to let me know when they changed it.

Anyway, total waste of time so have decided Im not going back to the other ones. I learned absolutely nothing and TBH this forum has been far more informative. It was sooooo basic and, in places, vague. I wouldnt recommend them TBH. Ive heard far better reports about the NCT ones.

Hope you are all well. x

 

[Jeege]

As that's shite about the class sunshine. I went to two on my first and like u, didn't find it great. Learned more by chatting to other mammies. Didn't bother on my second or this time. What will b will b

 

[NotNic]

The difference with the NCT ones (as far as I can tell) is that they are more tailored towards the areas the group wants to know about plus they don't have to follow any procedural guidelines, so can give advice that helps you out but might make more work for the doctors. I agree that you learn lots from bnb though. I seemed to have more specific questions (about things the others hadn't heard about) because of what I've picked up from here. Sunshine would you consider doing something else instead?

 

[mcsmyth1]

Sorry to hear the classes weren't up to standard Sunshine, what a let down!

Where I am there are only 2 classes, Labour & Pain Relief, and Breastfeeding. I'm booked in for 8th and 15th May which I think is a bit late on considering I'll be pretty much term, and have been in two minds about them for a while now.

So after being a good little boy and staying head down throughout this pregnancy, our LO decided to take a U-turn 2 days ago and has been bouncing on my cervix since I've been using my birthing ball which also helps my hips in the hope that he turns again, but not going to worry just yet as he turned in a minute and could do the same again.

I had my 2nd b12 jab yesterday and I managed to go on my own! (For those who don't know I'm aggorophobic and have a hard time going places by myself).

I have my 34 week antenatal today so aside from babys position, am hoping everything else is just like last time and normal. Also hoping it's my reg midwife and not that cover again as she is just a nasty bitch

From reading the last few posts it seems everyone is well or at least getting a bit better! Good to see, and I hope the next few weeks whizz by for us all xx

 

[Sunshine12]

Well done McSmyth!! Proud of you girl!!! Ive got my 34 weeks app today too. Let us know how you get on.x

Notnic, I dont think Im going to bother with any of them. I have heard NCT are really good but I reckon Im just going to be as prepared as I can be from reading up on things that concern me but not worry myself too much about finding out much more. I was really shocked at how basic the NHS classes were. At one point when I asked her if we could discuss perineal massage she looked at me like I was an alien then said something along the lines of "the jurys out and I dont know much about it anyway so you can all google it if you want to find out more". I was going to go to all 4 classes but after last night im going to give them all a miss including the breastfeeding one. Im just going to speak to people that have done it before.

Have a good day all. x

 

[bumpycat]

Hmmm, really wondering if it's worth turning up to my first NHS class on Friday now! But I think I will go, OH and I have already booked those afternoons off work and it's an excuse to have coffee after and make fun of the classes if they're shite. There might be some very memorable people ... I attended a group physio session in December, and there was this crazy woman, 6 months along, showing the physiotherapist these bizarre squats and lunges from her exercise class and being really confused about why her hips hurt! The look of shock and horror on the therapist's face was priceless. My OH refers to the crazy squat lady at least once a week, including his own imitation of what she was doing, and it leaves me in tears from laughing every time.

Glad to hear everyone is doing a little better today. I'm quite happy because I have the afternoon off with no commitments so I can go for a little swim (more like a float these days!) and have a nap. I'm going to a Mothercare expectant parent event tonight because they've got a car seat checker. I put the isofix base into the car on the weekend (took a little doing, but it is VERY stable), and I love how easy it is to click the seat on and off the base, but I need to learn how to use the seat with just the belt as well, for grandparent cars and taxis.

 

[Sunshine12]

Bumpy I do think you should go and make your own mind up as it might be much better than mine and your perception may be different.

Im getting my isofix base tomorrow so will spend the weekend tinkering around with it and trying to put the other car seat in OH's car (he isnt getting a base.) x

 

[kuriazuri]

I really have enjoyed my classes, both me and my OH attend, and the educator teaching is fantastic. We didn't know anything and now we feel informed and *ready* (as we will ever be, right?) our class is specifically designed for those having their babies in the natural birth center, so there are no arguments about epidurals or anything like that. On another note, I'm off to get my tDaP vaccine, has anyone else gotten this yet? Apparently it is something they give pregnant ladies (I'm assuming especially here in California) as we have had a pandemic of pertussis from people crossing the borders who have not been vaccinated. Well I stepped on a carpet tack last night (ouch!) and so I have to go in this morning to get the shot early...I don't know when they normally give it. Hope everyone else's day doesn't begin with shots in the butt!

 

[Serenity_Now]

Hi ladies.

Things are going a bit better with us. I scheduled our hospital tour -- but no antenatal classes. I decided that they'd be a waste of time for me. My mother is an OBGYN nurse practitioner in the US and also was a labour and delivery nurse for more than 18 years. She is -- if things work out properly with travel -- going to be my doula, so between this and having her able to answer all my questions, I'm not concerned with having to take any courses which are enormously expensive.

My next growth scan is May 2nd and my husband will be coming with me. I'm anemic again... but baby seems to be doing okay. My mom is giving me a list of questions to bring with me for the doctor.

McSmyth -- I'm agoraphobic, too. My anxiety and depression has nearly reached unmanageable levels this trimester. It's been so difficult so I do know what you're going through.

Can't believe it's less than seven weeks now until he's here!

 

[bumpycat]

Hi all - just back from the Mothercare event. It's worth registering and attending, I think. Not a huge amount of information, but they do some nice demos of the car seats and prams, there are some vouchers for local things, and the goody bag is worth picking up. It has a few decent samples, a hat and scratch mitts, and a 10% off voucher. Got the car seat checked, too, and practiced with their set-up indoors a few times to get the hang of it. I think I was the farthest along of any of the women there - more than half of them weren't even showing! I got some looks as if to say - you're only planning buying stuff NOW?? It was very funny.