12-24 weeks pregnant (part 4)

LavenderBee

Hi Ladies

Just popping back from the "get this baby out of me now" thread to say hooray for the Mothercare expectant parent events our problem is that we need to make 6.5 hour car journeys when little one is still very little - we therefore needed a lie flat car seat. I didn't know 'til I started reading that babies can't sit in a car seat for very long because they can't breathe! There was a talk at the event we went to and then we collared the assistant who gave it afterwards and she was brilliant helping us with the car seat (there was one model that laid flat, another has since been brought out) and choose a pram/pushchair too. We came out with the cheapest option of the latter and she was very helpful in combining as many discounts as she could - so no hard sell of anything pricey. Of course that's just one individual person, but she was there as an 'expert' and yeah, she was it was good to be able to just focus for a while and get it done. Sadly there weren't any first aid or safe sleep talks but in terms of 'stuff to buy' the car seat talk was the most important for us.

DH was so very unimpressed at travelling to a Mothercare store (about 30 minutes drive) for 0930 on a Sunday morning, and he hadn't read what I sent him about the event and didn't know why we were going we spent 2 hours there in the end and he has been saying ever since what a good use of time it was Also there were snacks and loos, much needed... We got 2 10% off everything vouchers, a few other promotional vouchers, and quite a few samples of toiletries.

Enjoy

FreddieFrugal

LavenderBee wrote: »

I didn't know 'til I started reading that babies can't sit in a car seat for very long because they can't breathe!

That's why we never ended up using our travel system car seat on the pram, they're an awful idea (unless they can go flat) as it encourages people to have their baby in the car seat for far too long.

Although it meant a bit of extra bulk we always just took the proper carry cot with us for the destination

afoolandhermoney

swivel based car seats sound a great idea - sadly they aren't much good for my three door car. Still on the hunt for a bigger vehicle, but the fridge packed up this weekend (right in the middle of a heatwave) so a replacement has hit our funds a bit

after several weeks of struggling to get (and stay) comfy enough to sleep I think I've finally worked out what I need in terms of pillows - I need a nice thick squishy mattress topper to stop my shoulders and "bottom" hip hurting when I'm lying on my side, normal pillows under my head plus a narrower one to cuddle, some sort of wedge under the bump and a good thick pillow for under my "top" knee to stop the hip on that side hurting. So I'm hunting for the best value versions of all of that.

I don't fancy one of the big sausage pillows to do it all cos I actually don't like having anything pressed up against my bump (to the point of struggling with the pressure that over the bump trousers etc cause) so need to create a bit of a gap around the bump whilst having something to support it. I've mostly stopped rolling onto my back now though so not too bothered about having a pillow behind me (but I found a rolled up throw blanket works quite well as a support there).

LavenderBee

Absolutely Freddie, car seat manufacturers don't exactly shout this from the rooftops!

afool, thanks to the recent heat and humidity I function on 2 hours sleep a night now but when I could still sleep, I found putting a single duvet under the fitted sheet was lovely for my 'bottom hip'. I already had a spare but even if you bought one it's cheaper than a topper I also picked up 2 V pillows cheaply, one in an Aldi baby event and one in Ikea which used to do the job nicely and I intend to use them for breastfeeding too. You can never have too many pillows when pregnant...

afoolandhermoney

LavenderBee - great tip for the duvet! will have a look for one of those (hopefully then it will also get future use on baby's bed once their into a normal sized one). I've found a yoga bolster pillow (which I'd been sort of meaning to get anyway) and will give that a try for under my knee / cuddling - a stack of normal pillows is just deflating under my leg too much at the mo, so something firmer is needed

Bosscout

That's good to know! I just prefer the top tether because I guessed it would be easier to store when out of the car/leave more room for baggage if it didn't have the support leg thing? Otherwise the Joie would be on the list!

I don't know what Sproglet got up to over the weekend, but my bump seems to have got much bigger all of a sudden! Even one of the guys at work commented on it. I keep forgetting how big I am and trying to squeeze through gaps I no longer fit through

LavenderBee

bosscout just wait til you park your car only to realise you can't physically get out the gap between you and the next car/pillar/wall - particularly with a group of teenagers looking on. Mortifying! I am narrower in width than depth

Bosscout

Ha! I'm sure that time will come! My welding jacket at work only juuuuust does up over my bump now...but I figure I won't be able to weld for too much longer anyway - can't reach, for a start! Have to sit down and lean forward in an epic display of manspreading...bumpspreading!

afoolandhermoney

oh yes - I've had the issue of getting out of the car for a bit now. Work have agreed to let me have one of the end spaces by the door so that I don't have to squeeze :-) I still keep forgetting that I'm no longer smaller in depth than width

a £6 duvet from Asda helped loads with my hip last night too, thanks LavenderBee

LavenderBee

Oh lucky you - I just had to get in early enough to secure an end space! One morning I was reversing in and then someone else drove in as I was doing so; they knew I was preggers I went on maternity at 37 weeks and don't miss the drive. Miss work, but not the commute.

Anyway, glad the duvet helped the first time I tried it I almost cried with relief! A firm mattress is normally good for you, except now when you just want to sink into some sort of cloud.