A pound stretching maternity

MrsSave

I am literally full of cold. Feeling very miserable!! Sniffing, sneezing, coughing. Yuck!! I'm not hoping that baby S stays put a little longer so that I'm free of this. Saying that, I've had pains the last 2 days for an hour or 2 during the morning, but then they disappear.

I've had a midwife appointment today and baby is even more engaged than my last appointment. It's just a waiting game!! Ds has his Christmas concert next Tuesday, so I'm seriously hoping I don't miss that! As soon as that's over, baby can come at any time!!

Money wise.......I'm finding that I'm sending dh to the shop for 'just one or two things' more and more often. I knew this would happen so I have increased my 'free spending money' budget this month.

This weekend is going to be relatively quiet (as long as baby doesn't have any other ideas!!). We're going to be putting up our Christmas decorations. Dh has said he wants them up before baby arrives.....it's usually me trying to persuade him!! Ds has his usual swimming and rugby.

MrsSave

I stink of Vicks Vaporub! The midwife told me yesterday it was safe to use so dh went out and bought me some when the chemist opened this morning! I really want this cold to shift quickly! Grrrrrrr!

It's going to be a quiet weekend here (for me anyway). Dh and ds are out at rugby at the moment, and then they are going into town Christmas shopping! I've showered and dressed, and that's about all!

I am hoping this baby stays put until next Thursday now at the earliest! Hopefully that will get the cold out of the way and it means I get to watch ds's nativity.

Money wise, dh brought home a bonus last night :j we did use a little for a chippy tea, the rest is going into savings.

hannahroberts1985

Morning Mrs Save, I hope the cold shifts soon nothing worse than the fear of going into labour under the weather. You need to be fit like an athlete ready for a marathon....although my labour took less time than it took me to run a half marathon ha ha! Fingers crossed yours is a nice quick one too. Not sure I put my story on my diary as I've been busy but I was in my labour room 30 mins before DS2 was born!!! Madness!

Eeek any day now though!!! I don't want to be a preachy breastfeeder but are you going to give it a try again this time? It'll save you so much money x

MrsSave

30 minutes? Wow! My last labour was pretty good for a first timer, hoping this time is nice and quick too, though 30 minutes........that is quick! Did you end up being induced, I can't remember?

With regards to the feeding I've accepted that I will more than likely be bottle feeding. I have already worked the cost of formula into our budget. I know 'breast is best', but I'm also a big believer in 'happy mummy, happy baby'. As soon as baby is born I will offer the breast as I know that the colostrum is super important, but ds1 couldn't even get a drop of that from me. I am just not going through what we went through last time again, where in the end several midwives agreed I'd be better off bottle feeding. If the baby does latch and my milk does come in, then that's amazing, but I'm going with a totally relaxed attitude and know that we are super lucky here and our babies are able to be fed in one way or another.

I think I'm one of the few people I know that hasn't even bothered with a birth plan! Things can change so drastically during labour/birth and people can end up so disappointed that things didn't go according to their 'plan'. The midwife wrote in my notes last week 'is going with the flow!'. I think that helped me last time, as I managed to reach 10cm and pushing before even starting on the gas and air, but if I need an epidural/c-section then that's perfectly fine as well.

I'm usually someone who is so organised it actually drives hubby mad so it's strange being so relaxed about it all!

Well I'm still sniffing and stinking of Vicks! My sinuses are starting to get painful. I always, without fail, end up with a sinus infection after a cold. I did sleep a little better last night, though, thankfully!

Today we are putting up the Christmas decorations. Dh wants it done before baby arrives! It usually ends up starting as a family job, and after a very short amount of time ds and dh get fed up so I end up doing the majority myself! I think that's why dh wants it done before baby arrives, so that I'm not just post birth and not feeling up to it!! :rotfl:

hannahroberts1985

Morning, I was due to be induced but they called to cancel and as they were really busy....I was feeling like something was happening but had put it down to nerves of being induced so went back to bed. Then I realised that they were contractions so called and asked if I could go in to be assessed. Well a 40 min drive with contractions 2mins apart and then it all happened so fast when I got there. They didn't even have time to turn the gas and air on!!

I completely understand and totally agree with you on happy mum happy baby! Just thought I'd mention it as it does save so much money. A nice relaxed birth plan too I was the same whatever gets the baby here safely and if your body tells you to take the pain relief go with it. That's why it there. Do you normally need antibiotics for th sinus infection? May be worth getting to the doctors and starting a dose to get it shifted. X

Katzen

Good for you with the birth plan. Around here they call them 'birthing preferences' because the idea that you can really have a plan for it all is so misleading! Totally applaud your stance on feeding too. Getting stressed and putting pressure on yourself is never going to help with milk supply or general mental health in the newborn phase. As a secondary teacher, I would say it's impossible to tell which kids were breastfed or which were bottle fed so it can't make that much difference in the long run anyway.

MrsSave

I don't usually get antibiotics for sinus infections. They usually clear by themselves eventually, but I may make a doctor's appointment in the morning to see what they say.

With my first I was hours off being induced when I started in labour. I was so pleased as didn't want an induction, but who knows what will happen this time.

I have a friend who has just had a baby. I'm getting messages off her regularly as she is really struggling with feeding and isn't sleeping at all. Both her and baby are up all night. She sent me a message last night saying she was in tears and so was the baby. She has sent me another this morning saying she can't see her putting her tree up at all this year. She is such a bubbly, positive person usually but is really struggling because of the feeding. I won't tell her to stop and bottle feed, it's not my place, but I want her to see she has options and she isn't a bad mother if she can't breastfeed. Thankfully she has a midwife visiting tomorrow. I just want to give her a big hug and tell her to do what she thinks is best, but I won't visit her and her week old baby with these bugs. It can take weeks for breastfeeding to establish, and I've told her that, but is it worth it for the state she is getting herself into? I'm hoping the midwife will give her some good advice, or she contacts one of the feeding support groups in the area.

Anyway, I'm not even sure what point I'm trying to make. In an ideal world I'll be able to feed myself. Realistically I won't be surprised if I can't but it's life!

Money_spending_mummy

Hi!

I totally agree with you about feeding. With my first I tried so hard to breastfeed and did combination feeding and used a breastpump. After many weeks of this we had to decide it was just better to bottle feed as I wasn't able to. When I had my second I tried again but was more realistic that I wasn't going to tie myself in knots if it didn't work. Some women are just not able to breastfeed, no matter what certain people say. I do think breastmilk is best but it is not the end of the world if babies are bottle fed.

Xx

Katzen

Oh your poor friend, that sounds awful. What that poor woman needs is some proper support from someone who really knows what they are talking about-they seem to be a rare breed! If it hadn't been for the knowledge my mum had, I doubt inw Ulster stuck with it. I was given some dreadful advice!

I'm just getting over sinusitis and the doc said they would rather not give antibiotics due to being pregnant. She recommended steam inhalation as a first treatment. Have you tried that? If it doesn't start to clear then there are antibiotics you can take, just the best ones to treat it are def not ok for the baby.

MrsSave

I'm not sure I'll bother going to the doctor at all now. I've tried the steam and even stood in the shower for a while (though can't have that too hot!!). I'm still plastered in Vicks. It's painful, but not as bad as it was lunchtime today and my cold symptoms are clearing up slowly. I'm just so scared of passing anything on to the baby if he makes his appearance soon. I had a bad dose of sinusitis when I was pregnant with ds1, but it was earlier on so I didn't bother doing anything about it.

Well I'm having a late night tonight. I watched the I'm a celeb final. Ds is going to mil in the morning, as he did when I was at work. It means I've got until he finishes school at 3 to relax/finish wrapping Christmas gifts (the final few have all turned up), etc.

The Christmas decorations have all gone up, which is usually my job whilst dh and ds get fed up, distracted and end up playing! Today, though, it was mainly dh and ds who did it! I started, but between being pretty much due and not feeling well I was struggling with the energy and aching so they took over. First for everything!!