Valentine's BfP ladies

[Bambola]

hi laides - I have missed out on a lot of excitement and cute baby pics! congrats everyone. So glad everyone is doing well and already considering Maternity leave (i thought i was the only one!) I am going to take a year off. I work for the Australian federal (Commonwealth) government so I get 16 weeks full time paid maternity leave which I am taking at half pay, plus ill tack on about 10 weeks of annual leave I have accrued, also paid at 1/2 pay. So Basically I can sustain at least half pay for nearly a full year which will be helpful. Very blessed I can do this.

As far as 'career change' - I love my job and studied at university for 7 years to get my qualifications so i feel obligated to 'stay for awhile' before chopping and changing lol. Ultimately I would love to start my own business and open a Tea Room. Its in the 10 year plan!

We have booked in our confirmation gender scan in about 3 weeks which will absolutely confirm whether its a he or she. (I totally know its a boy).. Then on 27 May we are having a gender reveal party for our close family and friends cant wait! Will post pictures hehe

Hope everyone has a great week

 

[makemeamammy]

Emma have you never heard of Callum Best? The late footballer George Best's son? I thought he would have been very well known in England? X

 

[Bambola]

Welcome to 2nd trimester makemeamammy !!!!

 

[Bambola]

And I love both your name choices!

 

[makemeamammy]

Thanks bam! I cheated and jumped ahead of everyone anyone else thought of names? Xx

 

[jbell157]

I thought I told everyone already and if I have I apologize. But our baby boy is Samuel Kash. Both are family names and we just love it. We will more than likely call him Sam. Both names are not in the top 25 which was also important to me.

 

[emmalg]

Mammy, I HATE football with a passion! I am a rugby girl through and through (Dad is Welsh so I had no choice)! I know who George Best is (I mean, I haven't been living under a rock), and I did vaguely know he had a son in football but it is the first time I think I've known his name - or at least that it has sunk in!

 

[emmalg]

What I do like about the name Callum that it seems to suit the baby I know, it is good to have a name that fits all ages. My DH is called Derek but from before primary school he's been called Dez, even by his parents, he says because no one could imagine a little boy called Derek! Saying that, I did consider a lot of "old" names for the baby last time, so you never know where I'll end up this time, it'll be something that only suits a 60+ year old probably!

I haven't given the baby's name the slightest bit of consideration yet. I need to look for the old list as a starting point, though have changed my mind about a lot of the names I remember were on it. We kept a shortlist in case we changed our minds at the birth but didn't.

I am still finding it hard to remember that I am pregnant. It is strange, I am excited, but only when I consciously think about the baby arriving. It is so different this time!

 

[SashaJoy13]

Wow so much is going on! I am taking 8 weeks paid maternity leave then 12 weeks paid baby bonding and 1 total year off where I am taking online courses and breast feeding. I plan to go back to work at least part time after a year.

O was ynder the impression(as per OB and all the apps on my phone and through research that 13 weeks was the official start of the second trimester so therefore we would all be there now... though I am open to the alternate time tables I just don't know what they are!!!

Mammy that's so cute that baby I'd a beanstalk, jumping ahead a week (ish)

 

[emmalg]

I finally got round to getting DH to photograph my bump again and I look about 6 weeks bigger this time than last time. My bump size looks similar to how big it was at 19 weeks last time, definitely more obvious than at 16 weeks.

https://s1326.photobucket.com/user/Emma_Hatton/story/62573

Hopefully that means it'll pop into a baby bump shape before too much longer instead of looking like I ate too much!

In other news, my back is quite a bit better and my libido has made an appearance - it had vanished during the first trimester! I feel much happier now!!

 

[Bambola]

Love the name Jbell! Really nice. I know what u mean about avoiding highly popular names!!

Sasha I thought beginning of second tri was 14 weeks - that's me today finally!! Yay!!!

 

[SashaJoy13]

I found the difference... on webmd and a few others it says 0-12 then 13-27 then 28 on but on all the mommy sites it says 0-13 14-28 and 29 on... I wish they would make up their minds! Lol

 

[makemeamammy]

I thought it was 13 weeks too. JBell I love your name! Samuel is cute and quite traditional but then it's really updated with Kash. Perfect combo! I totally agree about names that are very popular! Over here it seems like every second girl's middle name is Grace or Rose. Don't get me wrong I love these names but almost all the girls in my class have that as their middle name. When I was in school we had 15 boys called James in my year and none of them were known as James they all ended up with nicknames (some not very complimentary ones too!)

Any other names that people are thinking of?

Emma, your bump looks lovely! Mine is just looking a bit wobbly at the moment, I can't wait for it to pop and look like a proper bump! x

 

[emmalg]

I really wanted Grace (got keen on it playing a computer game!) but by the time I was pregnant with DD everyone was using it and it put me off! Having a really common name myself I didn't want to give my own children one, it's annoying enough at school but even now I find myself turning around all the time in shops and things to see who is calling me!

I though of Jack last time for a boy as it was my grandfather's name, the one whose birthday was on my EDD but it has become really popular again as John seems to have become a bit less popular (incidentally that was my other grandfather's name!).

I also liked the name Lily (a great aunt's) which quickly grew in popularity, but there is no way I could use it now, my cousin's daughter is Lili-Branwen, she beat me by several years!

I thought about some Welsh names but as I am 1/2 English and DH is English it took some time to find ones I liked and were easily pronounced by an English person as any child would be more likely to grow up in there than Wales. I also felt like my family might think me a bit of an impostor (!), I speak only a few words of Welsh as my father never taught me despite it being his first (and only) language until he started school.

I think I may go and look for the list... You're inspiring me to think about it properly again!

 

[jbell157]

I have a question ladies. When I got my ultrasound Sam measured right on date until he stretched out and stretched out and started moving. Then he measured 3 days ahead. my OB doesn't change dates unless it's a huge difference, like a week, but a lot of other ladies adjust their EDD by just a day or so if their baby measures ahead. Should I let them keep the date and move myself ahead or should I keep the date too. I just feel like I'm getting bigger faster because he is getting bigger. But I also know he will be on the bigger side because I am 5'6" and DH is 6'4". DH was also 10 lbs at birth and I was 7.

What should I do?

 

[missusgee]

Wow you ladies have been nattering away and I've missed it!

Lovely bump emma, I don't see much difference but my trousers are becoming uncomfortable/painful to wear so plan to get some maternity essentials next week.

Lovely name jbell, I'm also keen to stay away from popular names, but don't want anything too out there!

I really like Leah Jayne for a girl but really struggling with boys name, being Welsh and my OH Irish I would love a Celtic name but can't find anything I like so far.

As for maternity leave, I get 6 weeks at 90% pay, then after that statutory for 39 weeks, I can only afford to take 3 months at statutory as its about £450 per month so will go back to work 4 days a week after that

 

[SashaJoy13]

I'm set on Anjelica Lynn for a girl (mil and moms middle names and i can call her jelly bean forever) and up in the air on a boy... Hubby is determined to have his brothers first name as babys middle so i conceered if i can pick fist name... so far the only one I semi like is Roman Anuart but not too thrilled about it!!!

 

[makemeamammy]

Aww I love all these names! They're all very different whilst still being classy! I've been nattering away because I've been so bored whilst being off work! And it turns out I'm going to be off for a long time! I'm not immune and it's definitely going round my school. Got to speak to doc on Monday about how long I'll be off for but slapped cheek is unsafe until you're 20 weeks so it may be quite some time :-/

JBell, baby was in a really awkward position at my scan (which is why they couldn't do the nuchal). Of the shots she got she chose the one where baby was most stretched out for the measurement. Here they don't agree on your actual due date until your 12 week scan (they call it the dating scan here) so we just agreed on the one she gave me then.

Emma we also had the difficulty of choosing names that were easily pronounceable. I wanted Gaelic names (very similar to Irish names) as I speak Gaelic and baby will also speak it from birth (it was my first language until school too). DH doesn't speak it though and when he would say a lot of the names I just hated the way he would pronounce them he's Glaswegian though so I generally hate the way he pronounces a lot of things

Missus, I could totally help with Irish names as I love loads of them and they're so similar to Scots Gaelic names. I love Cillian for a boy (pronounced Kill-ee-an). Also like Sean and Ronan (although not sure if I'd use Ronan because of Ronan Keating). Xx

 

[jbell157]

Wow ladies I like your names as well. They are definitely different than the ones in the states but I like that!

I just got a whole crate of 0-3 month clothing for $25. There are approximately 50-60 pieces in there. A woman at school has 3 boys and told me she was having a yard sale and that she had a ton of 0-9 month stuff. Boy she wasn't lying. I went over to her house today and picked it up and it is mostly 0-3 months and it is all practically brand new. It doesn't even look worn! We are so blessed as a 4 pack usually run $8-$10!

 

[emmalg]

I'm struggling to reply to so many messages on my phone!

Jbell, there's an error in the measurement, at 12 weeks bang on (according to my ovulation date) my scan measurement was 12+2 which is obviously impossible but the error (shown on my scan) is +/-4 days so I stick with the original date. In the UK they go with that over LMP date as it's more accurate as people don't know when they ovulated but as I knew when I conceived both times I stick with that date, last time it was really accurate. It's better not to jump ahead if you can help it as you'll be more likely to end up classed as "overdue" and facing an induction. The most accurate date will still be your conception date if you know it.

I love the name discussions, I really am starting to get excited now, a bit hyper emotional at times and almost burst into tears in the car thinking about the birth and the magical point where with DD I could finally feel the pressure of the head for the first time and how exciting it was to know I was finally at a point where it was only my own effort standing between me and the moment I'd get to meet her and how wonderful it was to be able to hold her. I can't wait for that moment again. Maybe that's why it seems so hard to come to terms with being pregnant, it's because I know how magical the next bit is!

Well done with the clothes Jbell, the first things typically only last about 4-6 weeks so they never get much use!

Mammy, enjoy your enforced holiday!

I'm on a UK contact so get the statutory allowances too, here in Spain they only get 4 months but at full pay. Despite the full pay, many mothers said they wished they had longer when I explained why is be off work for at least 9 months last time.

I've probably missed something important but have had enough of zooming around and scrolling in and out!