Sarah's Pregnancy and Baby Diary

[sarahG31]

Thanks Jo. I think the idea of them tipping over or being unstead round corners is one of the reasons I was put off 3 wheelers, but a couple of people I know said the baby jogger ones are quite good. I've heard kiddiecare's showroom has an assault course that you can take the push chair on! It's just a shame it's 4 hours away in peterborough!

I've had a quick go with one but will give it a better push about. I've read the review on which? and must admit they said people had a problem making it 'lie flat', yet it looked very simple to me, so will be checking on that (similar to pulling the plastic bit on a ruck sack, and opening the top... not sure how that's hard!). Having my mum there will stop us from spending anything anyway as she's good like that! But yes, I know where I can get it cheaper, and there's plenty of time for more deals like august bank holiday

Loving the "pramaholic" by the way

 

[bajoleth]

Oooh I would love to go to the kiddicare shop, you could spend a week there looking at all their stuff, but too far for us too
You might be right about the Baby Jogger cos thats the make my friend has and her little boy is 2 and a half now, she uses it everyday and no problems with tipping, she hasn't even bought a cheap 'buggy' as she finds the BJ so easy and light to use
As for the reviews some people are so picky aren't they , they make me laugh

 

[sarahG31]

Yeah I only found out about 2 weeks after we'd been up to peterborough! If I'd known we could have gone an hour (or two!) earlier and gone looking. Still, there's babyworld and another place called groovystyle near my parents. There's also littleamigos in deeside I think, and somewhere in stockport (which is about an hour from here), so if we don't get any luck this weekend (which I think we will) then we have more options

Yes some people do say daft things. I remember reading about a hotel we were staying at in Paris, and read the reviews on expedia. Someone scored the hotel about 1 out of 5 because "there was no McDonalds nearby"...

 

[sarahG31]

22 weeks and I've got a gain of 4lb still. I'm quite happy with that although I really don't want to put too much more on. My target was a stone max, so that gives me 10lb leeway, half a pound a week on average. Hopefully though I can keep the gain down a bit.

I seem to have started to get cramp in my legs sometimes at night. I know how I do it. Accidentally tense my lower leg with my foot relaxed. I always used to do it when I was little (usually at around 2-3am and cry out in the pain/shock and my mum or dad would come to the rescue!). I can control it a bit better now, providing I don't do it in my sleep, but last night it happened 2-3 times. The cramp isn't a problem, but my concern is that it can often be connected to a lack of calcium which is a concern.

I've also started reading about how I really should be ensuring I get this and that into my diet to ensure the baby gets what it needs. I'm worried that I'm not giving it enough of everything, in part because my appetite isn't that big and in part because I'm just not eating a vast variety of food.

I need to sit down and make a list of what I need to try and eat every day and each week and, as boring as it sounds, make menus up for the week. It'll mean on the weekend I can cook anything up that can be precooked and reheated, and that'll save us time when we don't have as much during the week. I'm not sure if I should be overly worried on what I'm taking in, and whether the baby can still continue to get what it needs from what I do take in and my 'reserves'.

On another note, I've developed an achiness in my left hip. More of a stiffness really. It's not painful, just uncomfortable. It seems to kick in after sitting at the computer for a while (which is also getting hard as I can't sit in to the desk as close as normal now, and I'm running out of desk for my keyboard to sit on as I move further away! Plus can't read the monitor without my glasses now!), and I notice it when I get up to walk. I've also got a lot of aching this morning as it seems to have seized up over night, possibly because I try to spend most of my night on my left side. I'm just hoping that it's just a case of get out more, get walking more, and not the onset of SPD.

 

[bajoleth]

How did your w.end go and did your pram shopping make things clearer or even more confused LOL

 

[sukie sue]

hi sarah , i have a city mini which i boughtwhen quinny gave up the ghost to ferry dd to nursery at speed when she was 3 , great pram easy and light to push with those big wheels and folded in a snap with the handle in the middle (just remember to unsnap the poppers :0))
still got it now and will use it for traveling for new bubba xx

 

[sarahG31]

Weekend's been fab and not due to go home 'til tomorrow so another 24 hours of parental pampering

We only went to babyworld.co.uk's showroom in the end as they sounded like they had more than this other place (which only said they had pushchairs and carseats in the showroom). My Mum was quite happy with the pushchair too so I think it's what we're going to be opting for. Thanks Sue for the backup, it's good to hear off someone who's using it too!

We're just in two minds whether we get the £50 foot muff that goes with it and fits in properly (a bit of an expense but it would get at least two winters use with the current baby and more if we had a second), or whether to get a universal baby snuggle or something (a client of ours sells kids sun wear and a few winter bits, £20 for a 0-6 months babysnuggle that is designed to allow the straps to pass through it). So just debating on that.

Saw the two carseats we'd thought about and definitely decided on the maxi-cosi carbiofix (?) with the isofix base. Worked out we can get it cheapest at Halfords with a bit of fun and games, plus using quidco's cashback site!

So the shopping list is getting more defined now. Just need to work out where to get the pushchair as I'm a bit dubious about spending almost £200 with a small independent shop/website, and to be honest I can get it for virtually the same price from mothercare using their vouchers (and more cashback from quidco).

Just waiting to see what deals we may get over the bank holiday weekend, I can also send off for my HIP grant once I see my MW on 3rd September which'll pay for the pushchair

 

[bajoleth]

Glad you are enjoying your time away Personally I would go for the footmuff, you will def need it at first and probably for a few months going by our weather and if its made to fit you won't have any issues with the fit or any drafts etc, you will def get your moneys worth as you will use it for the following 2 winters

 

[sukie sue]

have you tried argos for the pushchair , i got mine there , also they have the deals before xmas usually dont they where you get 10 voucher back for spending a hundred pounds . just a thought :0)
id definately go for the fitted footmuff too , sounds like it will see you through a much longer time period xx

 

[sukie sue]

sorry ill take that back
argos no longer seems to stock them , ive just checked x

 

[sarahG31]

Thanks for the advice both. Yeah I think we're fancying the footmuff as when he's older he can't kick it off like a blanket!

I've just found out that mothercare doesn't have the pushchair in stock for 4-8 weeks so I'm not sure if that's cutting it a bit fine to get it and check it over etc. especially if it's quite popular, or whether it's out of stock as they've got a 10% offer on at present. However, I have plenty of time to get distracted from work looking up other prices

Already found the footmuff at £45 so a bit cheaper

 

[sarahG31]

Well we're back home and that will probably be the last time we travel until after the baby arrives. It's a fair drive to my parents (just over 3 hours) so it's pretty hard going especially when DH won't drive (lack of confidence... planning on working on that very soon before the baby arrives!), so I have to do all the driving. However we broke the journey home up with a pitstop at my brother's and a play with my little nephew.

Had a bit of a bad dizzy spell this morning in the shower. Not sure if it was the heat or not, but I got out feeling faint and sick. I spent the next half hour feeling like my whole body was quivering. A glass of orange juice seemed to help though, but it didn't feel good for a while after. Not a great feeling

The baby's been getting stronger with his kicks and punches. Yesterday evening I could feel him slightly with my hand which was nice. He seems to be the most active around 9pm, probably the time I'm most relaxed! He does have a habit of getting in the way sometimes when I need to bend over though. He's sitting quite low down I think, so sometimes it feels harder to bend over (and I tend to stop when I feel something in the way!).

Still, 23 weeks tomorrow, 17 to go We'll be starting to do our buying come September for babyware, once I've got my HIP grant payment through, just to be ready and organised from October on, as you never know!

 

[sarahG31]

Eek, I've now put on 6lbs, 2lb over the last week.. Time to behave and also get exercising more!

 

[sarahG31]

I got my first sighting of my stomach moving (wobbling more like!) with baby kicks the other night. So funny to watch it just jump every so often! The baby's really got quite active now and I can feel him kicking from about 6am, at various times whilst I'm sitting working (and trying not to get distracted by it!) and then in the evening from around 9pm until I go to sleep. It's such a great feeling

We've started to sort out our shopping list of things to start buying next month, and also a few this week/weekend what with it being bank holiday weekend. Everything I've got listed has been reduced and the credit card has started a new month, so we can buy now and pay in October! Thankfully we've been stashing savings away so we've got a lot of the cost already in the bank anyway. So we're off to mothercare tomorrow to check out some things I've seen online, make sure we're happy and then will go and buy them via the website, via Quidco (7% cashback on mothercare), just to get a bit more off

 

[bajoleth]

I love baby shopping Enjoy Your baby seems to have the same pattern as mine at the moment, its very reassurring when they are so active isn't it

 

[mitten]

Hi Sarah,

Just read your whole diary after your post on mine! Congrats on your pregnancy, it was lovely to read from start to hear and see how excited you have been and your ups and downs!

Well done on the weight gain to date - 6lbs so far is brilliant, really good! I can't wait to start baby shopping and getting everything ready - you seem super organised and i can't wait to hear about everything as you get it!

 

[sarahG31]

Jo - yes it's very reassuring, although two nights ago I was wide awake for 4 hours (for some unknown reason!) and spent most of that time getting kicked. Not sure if he's kicking in his sleep as I'm sure he didn't stop all night! But I wouldn't swap that for anything now. I worry when I stop to think have I felt him, but tend to get a reassuring kick shortly after! Baby shopping is great Just have to ensure we don't buy every cute little outfit going and waste our money!

mitten - thanks! Hope I didn't bore you too much Have had some major ups and downs and worries, but feeling much more relaxed now. I keep worrying that I'm not organised and have still got so much to do (more around the house, clearing up, clearing space etc), but I do like to sit and research and read up on things. Prefer to be marginally prepared!

---

Well 24 weeks is here, and clearly being good and eating good has been beneficial as I've lost 3lb this week! I didn't quite expect that, more just to lose 1-2lb that I put on last week, as I've been fairly consistent at a 4lb gain for a while. However one of my weekly baby emails (of which I seem to have many!) has just told me that I'm going to hit the biggest growth spurt phase over the next 6 weeks so starting at +3lb rather than +6lb is good in my mind!

Yesterday was a bit of a bad day. The night before I woke at 2am, nipped to the loo and then just couldn't get back to sleep for 4 hours. I was tossing and turning (probably where I burned half the calories!), seemed to have a constant supply of wind so burping a lot (and waking DH, although he was snoring so I'm not feeling too guilty!), and just felt so uncomfortable. So I had 4 hours sleep by the time I dragged myself out of bed at 7.30am for work, and by 10 I could see I wasn't being productive and could barely see the computer screen, so went back to bed for an hour, which resulted in nothing

I managed to get an hour and a half of sleep in the afternoon thankfully, which kept me going until bedtime again. But I have to say, if one more person says to me 'get used to it' I'm going to scream! I've not slept a proper night's sleep since April, just before I found out I was pregnant. Every night gets disturbed. I've got used to that now, I turn over and usually get back to sleep. However, on occasion, I get a bad nights sleep. I don't necessarily think it's pregnancy related, as I could get the occasional bad nights sleep pre-pregnancy too. However, the difference now is that I'm a bit tired during the day anyway, and then I need to try and work for 8-9 hours, staring at a computer (thankfully I'm not on my feet all day but it's still tiring concentrating on programming code!). The whole comment of 'get used to it' is frustrating, because when the baby is here, I won't be working 8-9 hours too! I'll be changing my sleeping pattern at first to fit in with the baby, where necessary, and I won't have the stress that I'm currently under with work. So no, it'll be quite different as even if I'm up all night and then not sleeping during the day. My days, if nothing else, will be feeding, changing, burping and dealing with the baby. Hopefully the washing and cooking will get done (although I intend to start on cooking up some dinners come November, so we're prepared for a few months!), but my first priority is just looking after the baby, not trying to program a online quotation system for an airport taxi service or dealing with payslip imports for 800+ people!

Heh, sorry for the rant. Just fed up of people saying get used to it. I get it when I make a minor moan about wasting time in the hospital with the consultant and dietician, when I don't get much sleep, when I comment that the place is a tip. I know people mean well but hearing it off everyone going is just too much. It's making me antisocial online (facebook, twitter etc) because all I get is everyone's opinion! So glad I can just sit and rant here

Anyway (change of subject), last night we took a trip to mothercare, 7pm, nice and late and quiet in there! They shut at 8, I think we left about 7.55! Had a good look round their clothes (sooo cute!) and the other bits on my shopping list. Found both car seats we'd been looking at, and as DH hadn't seen them in person he could, which was handy, as he was taking my word on going for the maxi-cosi over the britax, due to the weight of it (along with a couple of other reasons). However Halfords currently have it for £30 less online, plus 5% cashback via quidco!

We checked on everything else and were happy with most of it so I can start buying some things in. Just need to work out where we're going to start storing stuff!

Thank god it's the bank holiday this weekend. Plenty to do!

 

[IslandBreeze]

Just a quick one to say, I had terrible trouble getting sleep when I was pregnant with DS, due to being hyper-emetic and puking several times a night, right up to delivery and also the awful heartburn and burping that went with it. And he was a 24-hour footballer in the womb! I actually got tons more sleep once he was born! I had tons more energy after the birth than before and despite being an in-utero footballer, DS slept like a dream once he was born (with a bit of help from the Gina Ford book but basically he was just a snoozy baby). So just cos you're shattered now doesn't have to mean it gets worse after the baby arrives.

Mind you, this pregnancy now hardly moves so they're all different. Anyway, I'm not wanting to add to the pile of advice and opinions, just to say there is plenty of hope that you can actually sleep better and feel less tired when the baby is actually here, it's not all doom and gloom.
x

 

[bajoleth]

Well done on the weight loss Sarah It is frustrating not getting a proper sleep especially when you look forward to falling into bed
I only sleep for a few hrs at a time and then wake up in pain and needing the toilet and don't even start me on turning over in bed I tend to drift off about 3pm on the sofa and as soon as my eyes have closed one of the kids will want something, so I am looking forward to some ME time when they go back to school next week Have you tried a milky drink like horlicks before bed? when I remember to buy some I usually get better quality sleep, I wouldn't say more time asleep but deper more beneficial sleep if you see what I mean, and the calcium is good for you too

 

[sarahG31]

Thanks both. IB - I have no problem getting opinions on here, as we're all in the same situation! Plus no one's said 'get used to it' to me here!!

Most of my sleeping is fine. I fall to sleep fairly quickly Jo, but I do tend to have a hot chocolate before bed if there's enough milk. My problem is that I wake around 2, 4, and 6am, (on a good night), sometimes more frequent. Last night I could just turn over, and go straight back to sleep. Some nights a quick trip to the loo helps (I'm sure these'll get more frequent!).

Before being pregnant I'd often go from 11.30/12 through to about 7.15am, without waking. But, as I say, I'm used to it now. Some nights are bad like the other night. More boring than bad really, listening to DH snore! I was even sending emails from my phone at 3am! Maybe I'll start a monopoly game next time

IB - Maybe I might be naive, but I honestly think that once the baby here, things are going to be easier as I'll just be looking after him and being able to match my sleeping to him if necessary. Sleepness nights aren't the problem right now, it's the 8-9 hours of work during the day that's the killer! Of course, luckily I can grab a quick nap if I really get bad.

I know people mean well and are just trying to be either amusing or feel they're helping (just at inappropriate times!), it's just a bit of a broken record when you hear it over and over!

Jo - Hope you get plenty of YOU time once the kids are back at school!