3rd trimester thread

[Shellie]

Hi girls,

Oh Gem, definately a bag. How much stuff do you plan on taking and how long do you want to stay? I was told a bag for you and a bag for the baby. I was trying to be organised but I still haven't packed my bag yet! I think I want to be prepared, I am now officially the size of a 37 week mum with one baby (although I am a 27 week 3 day mum with two!) Everytime I look in the mirror I wonder how much bigger can one person get and that scares me into getting my bag packed. I bought the disposable knickers, maternity pads, breast pads, nightie and tissues. Hopefully I just have to find the bag now as have everything else.

My antenatal classes finished last week. I don't think we have a lot of choice for the type of birth. It is dictated a lot by the way the babies are laying. If both are head down we can go for natural but they encourage you to have an epidural in case they need to do an emergency C-section half way through. Don't have to waste time setting up aneasetic(?) then.

Keep well everyone and continue with those nurseries. We have done as much as we can now. Just waiting for the furniture which arrives 11th December.

Shellie

[bina]

HI bumpy friends,
Well, 32 weeks! Never thought I'd see the day!
Soooooo pleased you're all doing so well - and you are also quite wise to finish work earlier, I've still got to last until the 17th December (another 5 weeks), but not sure I can. My brain has gone to mush and I'm just so tored all the time (doesn't help I had about 3x12hour days at work this week - but don't seem to be able to cope with that so well anymore).
Oh, Caz et al, read the Gina Ford book and it seems to all make sense. But then we went to our first NCT class and they were a little dismissive of it (saying Gina Ford doesn't allow her mums to go out at all, which sort of seems to be the case; but on the other hand it would just be so great if you could get your baby to sleep through early on...) What's everyone else planning on doing?

Nursery nearly done, just need a top for the changing table. Bugaboo arriving next weekend, picking up car seat tomorrow...it's all happening.
Re: things to buy - is anyone following Gina's advice? She has got this list of things at the front of the book in terms of equipment to buy and the number of clothes and stuff. Is that too little or too much?

So - now I can focus on Christmas shopping (as if my credit card hadn't suffered enough...)!

Bump feels massive and is quite big, but right for my stage apparently. What's everyone doing about travelling? The inlaws (Yorkshire - we're in London) would like to see us mid-December for a weekend, when I'll be 36+ weeks. I'm thinking I might not want to leave our area just in case...or am I being silly?

Here's so hangover-free Xmas parties...!
Love to everyone,
bina
32 weeks, 1 day

[gem]

Hi everyone
I hope your all having a good weekend.
Bina we have also ordered a bugaboo we have got a black one John lewis is storing it for us and I'm going to get it devliered before xmas just incase we need it.
slowly egtting things for my hosp bag bought some nighties today tehy ones with buttons so I can breastfeed are really granny like,dont want to pay mothercare prices to give take to hosp as they are £22 for two and they mite get ruined in hosp so been in primark today.
Cant wait to finish work 3rd dec cant coem quick enough.
Love to everyone
Love Gemxxxxxxx
32 weeks 3days

[Fiona L]

Hello

Hope you are all feeling OK and not hefty. I have days when I feel huge and days when I don't notice the bump as much.

Our new car arrived on Saturday. It is fab but huge so I have ordered an Internet delivery from Tesco for the first time as I am not sure I could park it in the car park without damaging something or someone! Also couldn't face Tesco which is always packed.

Hoping to get a pram this weekend. Will let you know which sort.

Bina - I am not sure I would travel too far at 36 weeks, just in case. Also, you may find it hard to sleep and get comfy by then and prefer to be at home. I plan to go from the bed to the sofa at Christmas with a large box of chocs and back again over Christmas!

I can't believe it's coming round so quickly. These babes will be here before we know it.

Getting increasingly tired. Have to pace myself during the day but this could be my age! Also trying to do some Christmas shopping but as my brain isn't working I have bought some very strange things.

Got to go, the little man from Tesco has just arrived. How is everyone doing on names?

Love Fiona

[LORRAINE G]

We have decided to call our little girl Amelia. She will also be saddled with both Grandmothers names as her middle names so will be Amelia Joyce Patricia. Yes its quite a mouthful, can't see the middle names being refered to much anyway - only on legal stuff etc!

I already have a Daniel William (12) and Abigail Elizabeth (9) from my first marriage and I found it really hard to chose names this time round, though we have known from week 12 that this one is a girl so at least we only had one sex to think about.

How about everyone else? Any thing decided yet?

Hope you are all doing OK!
Lorraine

[Fiona L]

Hi

Lorraine - Amelia is a beautiful name. We were going to call my daughter, now 6, Amelia but a friend got there first. I have a son Jake Alexander (10) and Gabriela Adele and I have always found boys names much harder to choose.

However with a new partner this time around we are struggling.for girls names. So far we have two names, Esme Grace and Matilda Grace and I think we will wait until we meet her to make a decision.

Had a check-up at the midwife yesterday. All healthy despite the fact that I feel very tired. I guess that's normal for a 31 weeker. The time seems to be racing by.

Love Fiona

[slymunchkin3]

Hi Ladies,

Glad to see you are all doing so well, and the mad shopping frenzies are ongoing. Well as I said in my last post I was going to see the consultant as the midwife thinks I have polyhydramnious ( excessive amniotic fluid ) well I am still none the wiser. We saw him but he still didn't know so we are going for a scan today to measure the pockets of fluid. The good side being that we get to see the baby again. They do think I am big for 29 weeks but he says the polyhydramnious may be borderline.
The only problems with this is it could cause premature labour or if the baby is breech they wouldn't be able to turn him/ her. I just hope all goes well today and that my baby is ok. The kicks are fine and he/she loves music, kicks when I get the music going.
Has anyone had this excessive fluid or heard of it? I have read some stories on the net and everything turned out fine so I am keeping positive!

Well I will let you all know how we get on later.

Take Care

29 weeks tomorrow!

[LORRAINE G]

Hi everyone

Fiona, I like both of your girls names but must admit Matilda is my favourite as it was my Grandmothers name and as I was her first grandchild, born on her birthday we were always very close.

Hope you are all keeping up with the shopping, I am all done now, bags are packed ready for going in next Wednesday evening though with the amount of Braxton hicks that I am getting I wonder if I will last that long!
My C. Section is booked for Thursday morning so by this time next week I should be able to cuddle my new daughter, starting to get excited now!!!!

Have a good weekend all of you

Love Lorraine

[slymunchkin3]

Hi All,
Only me again. Well we had the scan and everything is fine. I don't have this excessive fluid as they thought, the sonographer said that the baby is bigger than average, and all is going well. She has made me an appointment to see the consultant again next Tuesday, so now we are relieved. She thinks were having a boy but couldn't tell for sure as the babies legs were crossed and tucked under his bum I am alot happier now.

Lorraine, good luck for next Thursday, I hope all goes well, hope the rest of you are doing well, have a great weekend!

29 weeks

[caz1]

Really pleased everythings okay. what a relief for you. and maybe a boy....how exciting!!

All well here - am on maternity leave now - PPPPPHHHHEW!
Gem SO impressed that you're going on so late - make sure you TY and take it easy! Although I reckon I've got more stuff to do at home now that I'm on leave than I did in the office . .....still no nursery

Still - check up with the doc tomorrow, so fingers crossed all well. 2 people have said to me today that my bump has changed shape - don't quite know what that means?! Still I guess i'll find out tomorrow. I'm 32 and half weeks and I guess its about this time that they turn around. UNBELIEVABLE.

Is anyone else really quite terrified of the giving birth bit?!?! Or should I just stop thinking about it??!!

Anyway - BigX
Cazx

[bina]

Hi bumps,
Caz, Fiona, Christina - so happy all's going well; how dare these midwives start scare stories; must admit, have never heard of this poly-condition of too much amniotic fluid...! Anyway, all the better than everything's OK.

Gosh, you're all stopping work quite soon? I've still got 4 weeks to go (finishing on 17th Dec.) just to give me as much time as possible with our girl afterwards. But it's getting tougher, the tiredness is really kicking in now, but everyone at work is really nice and they keep telling me to take it easy, so I might actually start doing that (was still working silly hours of overtime last week).
Nursery is now finished, so we're all ready to go (Bugaboo stocked and car seat ready to put in)...just need our actual daughter to put in it now!
Re:names, we've got a favourite, which we do not share with anyone though, because we want it to be 'ours' without anyone's comments (no offence to anyone intended).
Caz - yes, getting a bit anxious about the actual giving-birth-bit! Then again so many millions of women have done it before, it must be possible...! Going to the NCT classes helps, because at least the other bumps have similar worries...Is anyone else doing these courses?
Also, have you all written a birth plan? There seems to be so much to think about, didn't realise there were all these decisions to be made before we even go into labour....So far we've decided to try and go for as natural a labour as possible (ie trying to avoid epidural), but you never know, but revise this when it comes down to it...!
Hope all's going well with everyone!
Best of luck and lots of love,
bina
33 weeks and 4 days

[Tracey S]

HElooooooooooo only me

Been so busy as DH been in PAris for a week and with twins and trying to get some shopping for xmas done on ebay - omg!!!!!!!!!!you have all this to look forward to girls - especially you Shellie with twinnies!

As for Gina - Bina etc - then it does work but don't stick to it rigidly - just the principles and then you get some time to go out - is difficult with twins anyway but once or twice a week breaking routines is fine and in the early days they don't do GINA at all much - or jsut the bits they feel like. Sometimes I wanted to throw her out the window but the feed bit stick to if you can and then after 4 wks then the sleep one works well. First of all they were sleeping any old place - next time if there is one ???!!! then I would stick to sleep patterns a lot earlier.
Names all sound fabby and as for all these bugaboos! How lucky - Nik swears by hers - she says hello by the way and her dh has retired early by taking voluntary reduncancy so is not working for years and she has all this help! Lucky sod.
Make the most of it -and Shellie you get to be a lot bigger yet trust me!
Hospital bags ready and as for birth plans - loose ones are a good idea but be flexible.
Loads of love to you all - just off for a walk with mad gabbie then feed time and washing and god!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thye are are 16 wks today and laughing and giggling and throwing muslin squares all round the room and blowing bubbles at me. Bumbos here we come!
Love
tracey
xxx

[slymunchkin3]

Hi All,

Hope that you are all well. Things are good here now. Been back to the clinic twice this week, as I said they thought I had excessive amniotic fluid, well the tests for that came back ok. Then they said I am having a bigger than average baby, so they decided to check for gestational diabetes. I had all the tests done today and got the results at 4.p.m., and to my relief they came back negative too. So now they have done all these tests it must just be that I am having a big baby.

I go back again in three weeks for another growth scan on baby but everything else seems to be fine, they monitored the heartbeat for nearly an hour today and all was well.

I think that sometimes they can make you worry needlessly and from now on I am just going to enjoy the rest of my pregnancy.

Tracey sounds like your having great fun with your little girls, from your message you sound so happy!

Hope you are all doing ok now we are all getting closer to our special day

30 weeks on saturday ( can't believe it)

[Fiona L]

Hello ladies

How are you all?

Tracey - your life sounds mad but very happy.

I too am struggling with the Christmas shopping thing. I have 5 godchildren, two children and two soon to be next year we hope step-children plus immediate family and DP. What makes matters worse is that my children break up for the holiday in 2 weeks so time is running out.

I am going to give up at some point and just roll it over til next year. I am now 32 weeks and have been quite tired in the last week. My back is aching, particularly at the cinema, and the dreaded heartburn has returned plus pins and needles in my hands and swollen fingers.

On the positive side, we went to the hospital last Friday to book in (better late than never), have a check up and a scan. We were delighted to learn that the fluid in her head has not increased since the last scan in September, her head is a normal size and looks fine. They have booked me for a section on 12 jan when I will be 39 weeks. She is pretty weany but they don't seem worried about that. Not sure why I am so large......

People in shops have started asking me when my baby is due. Anyone else had that? You suddenly become public property!

We now have a pram, car seat and cot so only need some bedding for the Moses basket and a few toiletries and we are there.

Have a restful weekend everyone.

Love Fiona

Ps I keep meaning to write individual messages but I have forgotten what everyone else has written!!!!!

[bina]

Hi girls,
Hope you're all doing well - anybody on maternity leave yet? I'm counting down (2 weeks to go, which leaves 3 weeks until EDD)
Well - after everything has been going to well up until now, I am now back to worrying like mad:
Had some heavy mucus-y discharge on Monday night (more than usual, but not enough to make me go to hospital). Went for check-up with midwife the next day and she mentioned Strep B (group B streptococus infection). Had never heard of it, so looked it up straight away and got extremely worried. It can cause stillbirth, meningitis, mental handicaps, you name it! Midwife was totally relaxed and didn't even bother offering a test for it. So, booked myself in with the nurse to be tested and also ordered a private test (which you can apparently do by post!), as the NHS test is only 50% accurate (not sure why I'm bothering, but makes me feel I'm doing something).
Has anyone got any experience with Strep B? Is there anything I can do right now (ie before labour) to avoid infecting the baby? ANYTHING?

Sorry - just really worried in case anything might happen to our little girl and I could have done something to prevent it...!
Cheers,
bina
35 weeks today