# Donor BFP ~ Precious cargo part 8.



## Marielou

New home girls!

I'm going to start doing a list for this thread ... as we are from a mixture of boards (although mostly donor sperm but all are welcome) if you could let me know your EDD and I'll compile a list. 

Don't want to leave anyone out!

If you have a baby, if you could let me know babies birth date 

Marie xx

ps I have only added those that have posted, please feel free to IM/let me know here your details 

Bumps and Babies!​
Babies and Toddlers 

Jayne ~ DIUI ~ Jack ~ 26/10/00

Jayne ~ DIUI ~ Ben ~ 18/11/03

Viviennef ~ DIVF ~ Jamie ~ 10/04/04

Tracey72 ~ DIVF ~ Max ~ 16/11/04

SweetCaroline ~ DIUI ~ Sebastian ~ 02/02/06

Viviennef ~ DIUI ~ Daniel ~ 24/05/06

LiziB ~ DIVF ~ Rosa ~ 03/07/06 

Marie ~ DIVF ~ Ethan Jack ~ 8/10/06 

Wolla ~ DIUI ~ Thomas ~ 29/10/06 

Ginger ~ DEIVF ~ James ~ 2/11/06 

Sarah JJ ~ DIVF ~ Charlotte ~ 7/11/06 

Sam P (going it alone) ~ DIUI ~ Elspeth and Amelie ~ 23/11/06

Suziegirl64 ~ DEFET ~ Franklin ~ 01/12/06

Debs30 ~ Natural! ~ Hannah ~ 25/01/07

Moodycat ~ DEIVF ~ Daniel ~ 03/02/07

3isacharm ~ DEFET ~ Caroline ~ 06/02/07 

Anne_D ~ DIUI ~ Oliver ~ 16/02/07

Tamsin ~ DIVF ~ Toby ~ 09/03/07 

Sarahx ~ DIVF ~ Tadhg and Malachy ~ 03/04/07 

Bumps 

Kitty ~ DIUI ~ EDD 27/10/06 

Sam mn ~ DIUI ~ EDD ~ 25/05/07  

CKBE ~ DIUI ~ EDD ~ ?  

Kimberley24 ~ DIUI ~ EDD ~ 10/08/07 

Colly ~ DIVF ~ EDD ~ 14/08/07  

Tiffanyb ~ DIUI ~ EDD ~ 20/08/07  

RachJulie ~ DI ~ EDD ~ 05/10/07  

BBPiglet7 ~ DEIVF ~ EDD ~ ?   

Gina ~ DI ~ EDD ~ 19/10/07  

Pip34 ~ DIUI ~ EDD ~ 02/11/07


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## BBpiglet7

Hi
Please could you add me to the bumps list? I'm waiting for my first scan on 27th, after a bfp from my half sisters egg. It won't sink in for DH until he sees a heartbeat! 

 to everyone


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## DiamondDiva

hi everyone,


BBpiglet - welcome and huge congrats on your BFP.

anne - i can only imagine that you have your baby by now, congratulations.

sarah - glad charlottes injection went well.

viv - we are managing quite well with sleep i think, she only seems to have us up once during the nite its normally about 2am then back up at about 6.


after what seemed like hours i or should i say ed finally managed to add a pic of me and Hannah to my gallery, will try to add some more.


hope you all are well,

xdebsx


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## wolla

Just checking for news on Anne - she must've had the baby by now!!

Deb - love the photo, and sounds like Hannah's sleeping really well.

Love to everyone else (sorry for the short post - Thomas is getting restless, so I'd better go play)

Wolla
xx


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## sam mn

morning all.

off sick from work with back, but also got nasty stinking cold. tamsin thanks for info re chiro, will find out how long referal will be for physio and if gonna be ages will look into getting someting privately. any news on you and labour. wont be long now  . where has time gone.

anne, i take the no news as good news  . looking forward to hearing of your new arrival.

moody cat congrats on your new addition.

wolla enjoy your play with thomas  

debs love the pic. hannah is gorgeous.

a friend had there baby yesterday. a lovely boy called jay. she sent me a text to say she was coming home already, but also said that jay just looked like his daddy. although im over the moon for them (they too have had fertility probs and have taken 4yrs to concieve) the comment just really hit home that our little one wont look like dh. i find it hard to talk to dh about this as he seems to have come to terms with everything and is over the moon that we have bertie to look forward to. i just felt really sad when i thought about this last night. then i felt guilty as im totally in love with our little bertie already and we havent even meet him/her yet, just feeling a little mixed up.

sam
xxx


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## BBpiglet7

Hello All

Sam - its totally understandable to sometimes worry about whether your baby will or won't look like your DH and I have the same fears that mine might not look like me. I was adopted as a baby and when I was 15 I went into my dads office to do some filing and someone mentioned to him how much I resembled him! Children pick up their parents mannerisms and traits and will always grow to look like the ones who love them, so please try not to dwell on it too much as I'm sure your DH is fine about the whole donor issue, and when tiddler makes an appearance you will both love him/her unconditionally and without question. Anyway, some genes are dominant and you may find that there are similaritites between your baby and his father, your DH ( other than breaking wind every 5 minutes, if this was us   ) Hope you're feeling better now - bad backs are horrible and colds are snotty.  

Deb - Hannah is beautiful


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## going it alone

Hi all

Congratulations Moodycat on the birth of Daniel

Sam - I went to an osteopath until my phtsio appt came through. I was lucky  though because in our area twin pregnancies have open physio appts, we even have a twin group physio meeting at about 15 weeks to teach us how to stand, lie, get up etc. to prevent as many probs as poss.

Tamsin - love the photos and like everyone, my fave is def the hands on your bump. not long now by the sounds of things

Quick (!) update on Amelie - Lactose free milk now on prescription - improving but still not perfect. Ended up at the local NHS walk in centre on Sat with her rash and a fever. Unexplained fever so on calpol, but now has baby eczema. At the docs today, now has referal for hernia and a prescritpion as her oral thrush has returned with a vengence! And she's bunged up. Poor girl. Fortunately Libby is just snotty! As for me, the handle to the bathroom door broke last night, so had the pee in a jug!am spending the day round mum and dad's til it's mended. then broke a glass over my kitchen floor! have got round mum and dad's and hit the biscuit barrel. the girls slept over 8 hours last night so things are on the up.

will catch up soon

love Sam


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## viviennef

Hi,

Still looking for some news on Anne, where are you, we want some news!

Sam -  . What a time you're having! Enjoy the biscuits.

BBpiglet7 - congrats on your BFP. 

Sam mn - I can understand your worries. I sometimes feel uncomfortable when people who don't know our situation ask who the boys look like. The ironic thing is that most people think the boys look like Jason and not me! 

Debs - your picture is lovely.

Not much happening here. Jamie is going to nursery for a full day tomorrow and my parents are having Daniel for the day so I've got a day to myself, yippee! Think I'll just spend it lazing on the couch and I might even start to read a book. I used to love reading and I don't think I've read much more than the Heat magazine since Daniel has been born!

Hi to everyone else,

Viv xxx


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## DiamondDiva

hi everyone,


viv - are you still off work sick?  hope you have a fab day.

sam - glad you managed to get the lactose free milk, hopwfully it can help.


still waiting on news from anne, i can only imagine she's making the most of her time with her new arrival, Hannah was wweighed again yestarday and has put on 7.5oz in a week, she's now 7lb 12oz, so no more h/v home visits, we'll just see her now at the surgery, got the pediatrician at the hospital on monday to give Hannah a check over to make sure she is ok after the trauma of the birth, we're going to look for a christening gown for Hannah on saturday/sunday, theres a place in town that makes them to measure so going to have a look.


hope you all are well,

xdebsx


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## ruby k

hi girls 
i was on the donor boards a lot last year and was just checking in to say hi!  and to see if Anne has had her baby...but I see there is no news.

Anyway, hello   to everyone - I can't believe how many totally gorgeous babies there are on here now!! It's amazing!! Well done everyone.
Lots of love, ruby xxx


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## pip34

hi everyone

can i join u  ive had donor insemination with known donor and got a     this morning  ive worked my edd to be 2nd november.

hope everyones ok xxxxx


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## nismat

Hello all 

Still here, still waiting (and still 6 days until my due date, so it could all be some time yet!). Feeling fed up though today; my ankles started swelling about a week ago, and my legs are now really painful and heavy all the time (at night as well), which is really getting me down. Nothing much really seems to help, but I suppose I've just got to put up with it for the relatively short time that is left. It's making sleeping difficult, and certainly doesn't make for a restful night for Karen as I grumble, huff and puff so much in trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in. And last night she kept bloody snoring as well because she had a stressful day at work and so drank a few glasses of wine during the evening. Harrumph. 
I've got a reflexology appointment at lunchtime, so maybe that will help to ease some of the symptoms a bit. 
Really must write our birth plan over the weekend; I know that it's more of a wish list than a plan, as anything could happen, but I'd like to get it done all the same, so that Karen & I are both clear on what we're hoping for. Plus, there are quite a lot of techniques that I want to use during labour that we haven't talked about in much depth; I keep giving her stuff to read, but she's too knackered after work. I don't want to go into labour without having discussed it all, as I need her support/help with some of them, so that I can concentrate on the contractions etc. (I'm hoping to use self-hypnosis, yoga positions + breathing, plus homeopathic remedies). Hippy birth planning 

Congrats to *BBpiglet * on your pregnancy! 

*Sam * - poor little Amelie with her various ills  Hope that your bathroom is accessible again! 

*Sam mn*: I can understand your worries, even though my situation is rather different, but I bet that they will recede when you actually have little Bertie in your arms. Even if Bertie turns out not to have a huge physical resemblance to your DH, I know of lots of children who have picked up mannerisms from their non-bio parent, and these make them "look like" that parent. 

*Viv * - hope you had a lovely lazy reading day; sounds like bliss!

*Anne * - hope that all is well with you, DH and your new baby 

*Pip34 * - congratulations on your BFP, and really hope that this is a happy, healthy term pregnancy for you


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## Marielou

I can't believe Anne didn't log onto her laptop while in hospital and update us on her labour?!!  Doesn't she know who we are?!    I'm DYING to know details, lets all have a guess until she lets us know ... I think she's had a 8lb 9oz boy, on valentines.  

Pip ~ Welcome!  Its so lovely to see new people coming over    My EDD was 6th November (changed to 5th at my 12 week scan) so its going to be fun seeing you go through your pregnancy.  

Tamsin ~ Wow, can't believe how close you are!!  Your birth plan sounds great, I so wanted to do hypnosis and yoga positions etc, but sadly, never got to do them as I had to be strapped to a monitor due to prematurity, and also, my contrations came from nowhere and I went to 9cms in a hour, I remember the midwife saying to me 'remember your hypnosis' and me thinking 'F**k the hypnosis'    ~ but then, I'd only been doing it a week or so.  It did help me in the early stages.  And I still managed it with only a little G&A, which I am still suprised about!  I found the most wonderful thing was having a wet flannel massaged into my back, as well as my forehead.  It was just lush, the best thing ever!

Ruby ~ Hiya! I remember you! 

Better go now ~ Little Ethan is poorly, its awful to see.  He's got a viral infection and keeps throwing up  ~ its nothing like normal baby sick, he's really hacking like an adult.    This morning, Mark held him while he was sick, and he was just looking at me, I felt like he was saying 'Help me Mummy' and it broke my heart.   

Marie xxx


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## BBpiglet7

Pip -        2nd November is a good date as my oldest was born on that day many years ago

Marielou - I hope Ethan is getting better very quickly. I does break your heart, but I'm sure he'll be bouncing around again very soon

Nismat - wishing you a speedy and trouble free selivery very soon  

GIA - i hope the girls are recovering quickly now and you're able to get some sleep

Hi to Ruby, Vivienne, Deb, Sam, Wolla and anyone I may have missed


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## sweetcaroline

Congrats on your BFP, Pip!    

Can't wait to hear your news, Anne!  

Congratulations Moodycat on the safe arrival of Daniel.   

Marie, sorry to hear Ethan is poorly, hope he’s soon feeling better.  Sebastian has an ear infection and, although the doc said he shouldn’t have antibiotics because he’s ‘too well’, at night he is obviously in pain.  It’s awful isn’t it?

Sam, I think it's natural to feel a bit mixed up when you're pregnant; after all most of us had at least a few 'wobbles' over the whole issue of DI and I didn't find that those magically disappeared when I became pregnant.  In fact, when I was in labour and high on gas and air I had a little cry because I was scared (though excited) about meeting my baby!  Of course I feel terrible about that now because I couldn't love Seb more and I feel that he was the baby we were destined to have.  But I think the moment all your mixed-up feelings evaporate is when you have your baby in your arms and I'm sure that's what will happen to you.  

Unfortunately everyone has an opinion about who the baby looks like - I even do it myself (with other people) even though I don't really say anything any more - but I just say 'Do you think so?' to whatever they say.  I do feel sorry for DH because he can’t search for a resemblance to himself but you don’t love someone any more because they look like you...my DD looks more like my ex-H than me and I have no time for him but I still think she’s absolutely beautiful!

Tamsin, I can’t believe how close you are.. when I was pregnant hardly anyone else was, I’m continually delighted by how busy the thread is now, and shocked how quickly everyone else’s pregnancies go by!

Lots of love to you all
Caroline xxx


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## viviennef

Hi,

Tamsin - you poor thing. Hope you don't have too much longer to go now. Are you getting a membrane sweep done? I had one with Jamie the day before my due date and went into labour that night. Had one with Daniel but he was too comfortable in there and refused to come out so had to be induced.

Marie - you did make me laugh when you said 'f**k the hypnosis'  . Poor Ethan, it's awful when they're ill and you feel so helpless. REally hope he's better soon.

Debs - sounds like Hannah is doing really well. I'm still off sick but I'm going back to the doctors next week and will see about getting signed back onto work hopefully the week after. I feel like I need some adult conversation now and a rest and cup of tea in peace!

Caroline - nice to hear from you. Hope Sebastian is better soon.

Anne - this isn't good enough, we want some news now. I'm going to bet a girl born 15 Feb weighing 7lbs 14oz.

Hi to everyone else,

Viv xxx


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## sam mn

hi ladies

thank you all so much for your messages of support over my feelings of conflict. its so good to be able to express your feelings without fear of judgement. it has really helped listening to how you have coped with similar feelings. thanks again.

ive not been around for few days as i have had the flu. been in bed with high temp for 4 days feeling very sorry for self. first day ive managed to get up today. bertie doesnt seem to be affected at all he/she has been nicely wriggling around, whole tummy movements now which dh loves to sit and watch. dh has been a little star and doing everything whilst ive been ill. all house work, washing etc. he has even gone to do the supermarket shop this pm as i still have no energy. he did manage to break 3 of our plates from wedding gift when loading the dishwasher, so im sure thats a hint that he doesnt want to do everything when im better  . he is more of a practical man and cook than your every day chores.

pip congrats and welcome to thread. when do you have your first scan?

caroline hope sebastains ear infection clears up soon.

marie hope ethan is feeling better soon too.

tamsin sorry to hear your feeling uncomfortable. hears hoping pip will make an early appearance for you hun. your birth plan sounds fab.

deb hannah sounds as if she is doing well. did you find a christening gown.

bb when is your scan? how many wks are you now?


i reckon 9lbs 2 on the 15th feb. come on anne put us out of our misery  

ruby good to hear from you, how are you doing?

hi to viv, sam, moodycat and anyone ive missed

sam
xxx


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## BBpiglet7

Sam - glad you're feeling a bit better today. It really takes it out of you doesn't it? I have my first scan on Tuesday and then I hope I can relax a bit more. I think I'm 6+2. I had a bit of a loony tunes time yesterday when I had to rush out to Tescos and buy another pg test just to make sure, after all, I'd only done 7 previously   Luckily, the Pregnant word came up before I'd even pulled my knickers up, so I felt better!!! Take it easy until you're fully recovered  

Hope everyone else had a good weekend


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## DiamondDiva

hi everyone,


bbpiglet - i did about 8 tests in all before i beleived i was actually pg, we had just come back from holiday and i thought i must be getting a false positive because of the sunscreen i'd used   , once you see that amazing little heartbeat tomorrow you'll feel a million times better.

sam mn - hope you feel better soon.

anne - where are you?  we cant wait to hear your fabulous news.

viv - dont rush back to work if you still dont feel that great.

caroline - lovely to hear from you.


we've had a couple of bad nights with Hannah, dont know what it is but she wont sleep at nite and cry's quite a lot (theres no tears so not really a cry i think), she's been sick after feeding and normally she is never sick, luckily we have an appt with the pediatrician today so will get their opinion on it, we managed to get a christening gown for Hannah yesterday, we did go out on saturday for one and the cheapest one we liked was £105, it was nice, but we went out again yesterday and got an even better one with a bib, socks, shoes and a little headband for when she takes her bonnet off for £57 and its from the same woman who makes them for the other place we went to on saturday, its gorgeous and matches my MIL's cashmere shawl perfectly, we also went to a little baby boutique who were having a sale and i managed to get her 2 lovely dresses and a top for £21, they were originally £87, so got a fab bargain, we also got one of these baby carrier things so might try that today.


hope you all are well,

xdebsx


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## nismat

Hi all, no birth/labour news from me, but then I haven't even hit my due date yet! So I suppose there's still plenty of time.... it is getting exciting to get nearer and nearer to Thursday though  I'm booked in for a membrane sweep for the following Thursday, i.e. 1 week post EDD, and if still nothing had happened after that, they would probably try to induce me around 12th March. I really don't want a chemical induction, so I hope labour will have started naturally by then! I'm taking my raspberry leaf tea tablets, Evening Primrose oil and nettle tea, plus chomping away on fresh pineapple. Haven't tried the hot curries yet, or the nipple tweaking! I have got reflexology and acupuncture appointments booked in for after the due date, to try and get things moving, and I've also got a homeopathic remedy that's supposed to be good for starting contractions if you go "late". I'm still thinking around the 7th/8th of March though. Don't really want to try and hurry Pip up too much, even if we are getting impatient to meet him/her  *Marie*, your "f*** the hypnotherapy comment" also made me laugh a lot! I know that all my "plans" are really more wishes than definite stategies, as we'll have to see what happens 

Am feeling better in myself; my backache isn't so bad, and the homeopathic remedy I got for the swelling has really helped a lot, so I'm able to sleep better. I'm spending quite a lot of time resting, and listening to my hypno CD. Taking it all pretty easy really! This afternoon I'm going to the cinema with my NCT group which should be fun/distracting. Off to see the Hugh Grant film.

*Deb * - it could be that Hannah is just going through one of the "change" weeks; I've got a book on order from the US called The Wonder Weeks, which charts 8 stages in your baby's first 18 months that are key developmental stages, and at these weeks, you are almost bound to have a harder time as your child adjusts. Not sure which all the "weeks" are, as the book takes 4-6 weeks to come, and I've just been told that it's been delayed and I won't get it until the start of April at the earliest! However, one of the key stages is at 8 weeks 

My brain has just turned back to cottonwool, so forgive the lack of other personals please everyone


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## AnneD

Woo hoo I'm back girls!

Sooo sorry to keep you all on tenterhooks but DH couldn't negotiate FF and I 've been in hospital for 8 days  

I'm happy to announce that Oliver William was born at 10.50am on Friday 16th February weighing 7lb 7.  They were concerned that the lack of water in there would slow down Oliver's heartbeat so I was monitored very closely and had to bypass the midwifry led unit and go to the bigger hospital.  They broke my waters at 6cm and Oliver was born very quickly an hour and a half later.  I managed with gas and air and my tens machine then cried out for Pethidine but by the time they jabbed me I was already pushing!  Unfortunately they had to cut and I also tore and as a consequence I lost rather a lot of blood and my blood level is stil half what it should be.  Later I blacked out and had to be put on a drip and that and the flaming pethidine in Oliver's system made feeding an extremely slow process.  When I left the main hospital more than 24 hours later, he still hadn't fed and things didn't inprove much for the following days when we transferred to our amazing midwifry unit. They've spent the last week very patiently helping us to breastfeed until both Oliver and I got the hang of it.  We were allowed home on Wednesday but then had to go back in when the midwife was concerned that Oliver was too lethargic and we found he'd lost 11 ounces poor little mite.  Anyway, we got home on Saturday and it would now seem that we've got feeding sussed (famous last words   )  Oliver is one chilled out baby just like his daddy   DH and the rest of the family are totally besotted and my mam and dad are thrilled to have their very first grandson.

It's been a shaky start but we're definitely on the up and up and I'm getting into some kind of a routine, well trying anyway.  I still have to be careful because of my blood levels but I'm surprising everyone by feeling strangely well.

Sorry for the lack of personals - I'm got some serious catching up to do.

Moodycat - congratulations on the birth of baby Daniel


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## nismat

*Anne * - great to hear from you!

Congratulations to you & DH on the birth of Oliver William
           

Sorry to hear about the blood loss/blacking out, and the effect of the pethidine on feeding initially. However, the midwife-led unit sounds fantastic, and it's great that you've got breastfeeding established now! Hope that your energy levels continue to increase, and that all goes well now you're properly back home with your baby son. Lovely name btw


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## ruby k

Anne!
I have been watching out for your announcement and am absolutely thrilled for you and DH. It's such wonderful news, *warmest congratulations!!!* 
     

Lots of love and thoughts, ruby xx

ps glad you're feeling well despite the rocky start x


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## HellyS

Sorry for gatecrashing your thread but have been popping on hoping for news from Anne and just wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS!!!  Hope you are feeling better after what sounds like a very tiring birth.  Hope you and DH are thoroughly enjoying Oliver.  Im absolutley delighted for you  
Love
Helly
xxx


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## alex28

woo hoo!!! many congratulations Anne on the birth of Oliver, sorry it was a bit traumatic but hopefully all is well now.  cant wait to see some pics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## BBpiglet7

Hello Anne

                 

Many Congratulations on the safe arrival of Oliver William

I hope he's got rid of the Pethedine now and is guzzling nicely to make up the weight! My first had exacatly the same doziness after Pethedine too, but he's now over 6' tall, so it really will pass 



ps My oldest is 18, in case anyone thought I had a bl**dy big baby


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## Marielou

Congratulations
on the safe 
arrival of
Oliver William!
    
Congratulations to the new Mummy and Daddy!

Marie, Mark and Ethan xx ​
Ethan's a poorly little boy ~ he's got this virus that going around, this is day 5, and since the weekend, he hasn't kept any food down (when I say food, I mean milk  ) had diarrhoea, and is coughing like mad. Been to a BF support group this morning, and he's not put weight on in 2 weeks, and she said he looks poorly, and sounds poorly, so she'd made me an emergancy appt with my GP for 3.30pm. My poor little man! And I was only thinking this morning he was looking so big 

Anne ~ So thrilled for you on the arrival of Oliver, sounds like you've had a stressful time, hope BF is going well for you, which is wonderful  

Tamsin ~ You're next!!  

Piglet ~ Good luck for tomorrow   can't wait to hear how things go!  on your 'big baby' !!

Debs ~ How did your appt with Hannah go today? I've got Ethan a lovely outfit, I'm most excited about this cake!  I'm in a bit of shock that its just under 5 weeks to his christening and he'll be 6 months old the week after!  

Marie xxx


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## sam mn

congrats anne and dh on the arrival oliver william.              

anne i hope your energy levels pick up. glad you are now getting on ok with breast fedding.

tamsin your next 

marie i cant believe that ethan is nearly 6mths old. hope he is feeling better soon.

deb hope you got on ok with peditrician.

BB good luck for your scan tommorrow. i did at least 6-7 tests and even then it wouldnt sink in till i saw that little hb on the screen

im still feeling rough. coughing +++ today. worried about the effect of all that coughing on bertie. GP has signed me off for a wk with chest infection.

hi to all

sam
xxxx


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## viviennef

Anne  - congratulations on the birth of Oliver. Sorry you've had a rough time but hopefully things will get better from now on. Can't wait to see some pics of him!

Viv xxx


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## DiamondDiva

hi everyone,


anne - huge congrats on the safe arrival of Oliver William, sorry you had such a rough time, but really happy that you've had lots of help.

sam mn - hope you feel better soon.

marie - hope Ethan feels better soon, did you get Ethan a christening cake, we still have the top tier from our wedding cake and aparently its tradition  to have it as your christening cake, my mum knows a baker who said that it should be ok even though its 10 years old (cant beleive ive been married that long, well almost, its our anniversary in september) and we may have to chisel the icing off and will have to have it re-iced and marzipaned.

tamsin - the book sounds fab, hope you dont have to wait to be induced.


our appt today went really well, it was the same pediatrician that told us about Hannah's x-rays after the birth, she said she was one very healthy baby, we were a bit worried as this morning i noticed that she had a rash on her tummy, but the doc said that it was nothing to worry about, so that put our minds at ease a bit and the mentioned her being sick after her milk but again she said that was ok, she weighed her and she's now 8lb 4oz so even though she's been sick she's still putting on weight.


hope you all are well,

xdebsx


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## Marielou

Hiya,

He has a norovirus and chest infection, got anti~b's and told to go back if he gets worse, as can develop into gastroenteritis.

Just glad they finally listened to me!

Marie xxx

ps ~ Deb, we're having _two_ christening cakes ~ our top tier wedding cake, and a specially made one, because I couldn't resist!   Also, because most of my family prefer sponge, so theres something for everyone.


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## SarW

CONGRATULATIONS ANNE 

Brilliant news on the birth of Oliver! I've been keeping an eye out on this board for news, and was so pleased after reading it.   

Wishing you and your family lots of happiness, and hoping you feel better soon.

Love 
Sarah


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## sarahjj

Congratulations Anne on the birth of Oliver        
lots of love
Sarah
xx


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## Ella*

*Anne & DH, many congrats on the arrival of Oliver*!​
    ​


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## pip34

hi everyone

just want to say congrats *anne and dh * on the birth of *oliver* sooo pleased for u both      

*Marielou* arr bless him hope ethan feels a bit better soon xxx


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## struthie

Congrats to Anne and dh on the birth of Oliver,hope you are feeling 100% soon xxx


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## Colly

Congratulations  to Anne and DH on the arrival of Oliver  William  

love Collyx


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## BBpiglet7

Hello Everyone

Just popped on briefly before I dash off to work.

I had my scan today and we are expecting twins !! EDD 19th October. I rang lil sis whos  gave us her eggs and shes egg-static  

Catch you later


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## sweetcaroline

BBpiglet congrats on your TWINS!!!!    Double trouble: wow, how exciting!!

Congratulations too to Anne and DH on the arrival of Oliver William, love the name.      Sorry you had such a tough time but well done for getting the b/feeding established, I'm sure Oliver won't look back now.

Hope Ethan is soon feeling better, Marie.   I took Seb to the hospital on Sunday (just to see a GP) as he was no better, at last we have antibiotics too - he has a throat and ear infection - and seems to be getting better now.  We have also had a bit more sleep!  I stopped b/feeding a couple of weeks ago, Seb pretty much weaned himself in the end.  One night he seemed a bit half-hearted about feeding but then wouldn't settle so I gave him a cup of cow's milk and he polished it off.  I wasn't at all engorged when I stopped so I guess he had gradually been taking less and less.

love to you all
Caroline xxx


----------



## sweetcaroline

p.s there definitely must be something in the timing of insemination determining the baby's sex.  Just about everyone who had DIUI has had boys haven't they?


----------



## viviennef

Hi,

Anne - how are things today?

Marie - hope Ethan is feeling better. Love Ethan's new pic.

BB - wow, twins. Congratulations, you must be so excited!

Caroline - glad Sebastian is getting better and that you're getting more sleep. I think you're right about IUI and boys. I'm sure it's because male sperm is stronger and swim faster than female sperm so because IUI is timed so exactly, the male sperm will get there first. Female sperm live longer so probably if you ovulated after insemination it would be more likely to be a girl then.

Been back at the doctors today and getting signed back to work next Tuesday. I phoned into work to let them know. My old boss has retired so the woman taking over from her said she wasn't sure what section I'll be in, hopefully hers though. I normally work 6 hours Tues, Wed and Thurs and she's going to see about getting me started on reduced hours so the first week I'd maybe just do three hours a day then build it up. Sounds good to me. I'm a bit nervous about going back but excited as well. It will be a doddle compared to looking after two little ones!

Hi to everyone else,

Viv xxx


----------



## sarahjj

Congratulations BBpiglet on your twins !!!

Marie - hope that Ethan is getting better now   

Viv - good luck for going back to work next week!  Are the boys going to a nursery or do you have family to help out?

Caroline - hope Seb gets better soon. 

Sam mn - hope you are feeling a bit better today  

Anne - how is Oliver ??  

Debs - glad Hannah OK and your appointment went well yesterday 

Tamsin - any news from you yet?? Hope you are OK   

love to everyone else

Charlotte is doing well. Can hardly believe she is 16 weeks now - time flies!!

Sarah
xx


----------



## wolla

*C  O  N  G  R  A  T  U  L  A  T  I  O  N  S  *  

*Anne & Mr Anne on the safe arrival of Oliver William*​
Have been away for a few days, but checking on my mobile for posts (isn't technology great) regularly - was soooo pleased to read your news. Sorry you didn't have the ideal start - hope you're feeling fighting fit very soon. Sounds like you've got everything under control - and am very impressed that you've got any sort of a routine going so early on. enjoy your little boy - being a mummy really is the most wonderful thing.

bbpiglet - wowee, twins. Huge congratulations to you. Has it sunk in yet?

Viv - good luck with going back to work for a 'rest'. Sounds like your new boss is going to try and make it nice and easy for you to settle back in. Love your photos of the boys.

Caroline - I had noticed that there are a lot of boy babies on this board. Sounds like Seb is doing well - hope his infections clear up soon.

Marie - hope Ethan is feeling better now you've got some anti biotics for him. Can't believe that he's nearly 5 months already. Am very jealous of all those who've got christenings sorted already - I'm very disorganised in that department - Thomas'll end up getting Christened when he's 10 at this rate.

Deb - glad the appointment with the p'trician went well, and that Hannah's been given a clean bill of health. Sounds like she's doing really well.

Sarah - time does fly doesn't it? I wonder where the last 17 weeks have gone.

Tamsin - hope it's not long for you now.

Sam (GIA) - hope the girls are doing well

Thomas has started waking in the night - after sleeping from 8pm-7/7.30am every night for a few weeks, he's started waking at 6am and not settling again. Last night he woke at 12.30, 2.30 and 6am - which was a bit of a shock to the system. Hope he settles down again soon.

We had our first family outing to the zoo on Sunday - went to visit friends for the weekend, who've got 2 little girls so we took them to the zoo. Thomas slept through most of it, but did give the orang utans some strange looks.

Wolla
xx


----------



## sam mn

hi ladies

congrats BB on the twins. glad scan all good.

marie hope ethan is getting better. norio virus how nasty, poor little thing.

caroline hope sebastin is doing ok now he is on anti bs

viv good luck for going back to work next wk.

wolla hope you all enjoyed the zoo.

im still feeling poorly. have chesty cough now. cant stop coughing making me v short of breath. signed off work till monday so will see how i am next wk.

anne hope your starting to get your energy back. looking forward to seeing pic of oliver

tamsin any news?

sam
xxx


----------



## Marielou

Hello,

Ethan seems a little better today, only been sick twice (he's never sick usually, so its still unusual for him!) instead of constantly, and has coughed less, but still very chesty etc. Antibiotics obviouisly agree with him! He's laying under his gym right now, he hasn't done that in days.

Sam ~ Hope you're feeling better soon  Mark was poorly for well over a week with the virus (I'm assuming you have the same thing as it seems its going round right now) and this is day 7 of Ethan being poorly. Mark still has the cough, almost 2 weeks on!

Wolla ~ Sorry that Thomas is waking up more for you, Ethan did the exact same thing around the same age (around 16 weeks?) and talking to other mum's it seems its a very common thing at around 3~4 months old. I think its why a lot of people wean. Ethan took around 3 weeks, but he's sleeping through again. I know 16 weeks is a very common growth spurt age. 

Sarah ~ Its mad how quick time goes, isn't it?!!

Viv ~ Good luck with going back to work ~ are the boys going to nursery/childminders etc? I'm sure once you're back you'll really enjoy it. 

Caroline ~ Poor Seb, hope he's feeling better soon  ~ we do have a lot of boys here, don't we? Tracey and I talk about that often. 
How did you feel about him weaning himself off the breast? It hit me last night in bed that I'll be weaning him at 6 months, which is only 5/6 weeks away and gradually he'll need me less and less for milk, and that made me cry. I _so_ enjoy feeding him and I'm not ready for it to end! I'm worried that he'll enjoy solids so much he'll come away from me ~ do you give water when they start solids? I'm keen to avoid using a bottle so have bought a doidy cup plus some tommee tippee beakers etc, but I'm unsure what to do!  

Piglet ~ OMG twins!!!!   Oh wow, many congratulations!!! How wonderful that your sister donated her eggies for you ~ my cousin has just had her ovaries/fallopian tubes removed due to cancer (she's only 16) and I have already had a little think about *if* she decided to have DEIVF, about me offering to donate (she has brothers, not a sister). Still ,thats in the future, we shall see. 

Well, little man is hungry, better go,

Marie xxx


----------



## going it alone

Congratulations Anne on the safe arrival of Oliver. Hope all is going well for you all now.

Piglet - Don't worry, Twins are amazing!!

Sorry they're off - must dash

Love to all

Sam xx


----------



## sweetcaroline

Marie - breastfeeding post coming up!

I wasn't looking forward to stopping b/feeding because I knew it would feel like 'the end of an era', especially as I won't be having another baby.  At 10 months Seb was still having 4 feeds a day and definitely wanted them, but I took the lead from him and dropped each feed when I realised he was ready.  He's one now so he's not like Ethan, who's still definitely a baby; he's starting to talk and is almost walking so is entering toddlerdom now (he's quite naughty too!).  I always intended to feed him for a year as that's how long I fed Sophie; my attitude was 'If they're old enough to ask for it or undo buttons, that's too old to breastfeed!'  When it came to it I felt good that I'd given him a great start and that he wasn't remotely bothered about stopping - he seems to like the fact he can drain a cup in about a minute, whereas he was getting a bit lazy with the feeding and it was taking a while for me to get the let-down reflex. 

I did start giving him water when I introduced solids - only from a cup. He hardly took any at all for a while but suddenly started drinking more.  All my NCT friends are still giving their babies milk from bottles but Seb never really had one, only very occasionally when I expressed.  Don't worry about Ethan not wanting to feed when he has solids, he definitely will!  Another thing to remember is that your bond with him is absolutely unbreakable (and wasn't just created through breastfeeding anyway, I know everyone has a fantastic bond with their babies).  Seb is incredibly kissy and cuddly and not b/feeding hasn't made any difference whatsoever!

You're doing a great job!  Glad to hear Ethan is a little better.
Caroline xxx


----------



## snagglepat

Hi all,

Can I join you? I've been holding out posting here until we had our first scan. But that was yesterday and we have a heartbeat, so I think we're both beginning to believe that this might actually result in a baby. We've been very cautious about getting too involved in it up to now.

I look forward to getting to know you all.

Gina.


----------



## viviennef

Hi,

Gina - many congratulations on your little baby. I love your pic with the heartbeat. 

Marie - how is Ethan today? As for weaning, you can try him with cooled boiled water along with any meals. I wouldn't bother with the non spill cups as it's really difficult even for an adult to get any liquid out never mind a baby! 

Sam mn - hope you're feeling better today and taking it easy.

Wolla - hope Thomas' sleep settles down soon. They seem to go through stages of sleeping well then being up a lot during the night. Unfortunately Daniel's phases of sleeping well seem to be few and far between although he was quite good last night.

Tamsin - anything happening with you yet?

I've got a child free day today so I went shopping to get some clothes for going back to work. Still can't quite get into my pre pregnant clothes. Why is all the food that's bad for you so yummy! It was quite an ordeal seeing my jelly belly in the changing room mirrors. I wish I could stick to a diet and loose the weight but I'm sitting here with a turkish delight, arrgghhh, I have no will power! Might need to book myself into chocolate rehab!

I'm going into work for an hour tomorrow to meet the girls in my section so it won;t be as nerve wracking going in next week. Taking Daniel with me so at least I'll be able to show him off. Got him a new outfit as well today, couldn't resist!

Hi to everyone else,

Viv xxx


----------



## tiffanyb

Congratulations to Anne and dh! 

Wonderful news and a lovely name too!

Hi to everyone, there's some lovely pics on here of all your gorgeous little ones - I hope I get to add mine come August!

Congrats too to BB, fantastic news that it's twins!

Tiff
x


----------



## nismat

Hi *Gina*, good to see you posting over here!  

No news from me; thought something might be beginning to happen last night as I was feeling very "different" but nothing eventful occurred. As of today, I'm starting with my natural self-induction techniques  Of course, because I'm trying so many different things, I'll never actually know what (if anything) made a difference, or if it was just Pip deciding it was time to make an entrance of his/her own accord. Still, as long as it's not too much longer now, I don't mind. Will keep you all posted!


----------



## sam mn

wow tamsin we has the last few wks gone cant believe u are past ur due date. good luck with those self induction techniques. where did you find out them? be handy to know for future reference. hope to here some good news soon.

gina congrats on the scan and welcome to the thread.

marie is ethan feeling better. hope all that sickness stops soon.

im still coughing well but i am feeling better in self, particularly as ive just had my hair done. made another appt and worked out i will be 37wks then   . hink my haridressers quite concerns about doing my hair that close to edd  (she is only young).

also saw phsio yesterday for back so i now have a lovely support to wear. she did some manipulation so feeling a little tender today, but hopefully all we be ok now. also have exercise to do.

sam
xxx


----------



## nismat

I had an attempted sweep at my midwife visit on Saturday morning - but it looks like we still may have a way to go yet! We'd been talking about my "self-induction" techniques (which I've mostly learnt from various internet message boards Sam; as well as getting some personal advice from Gina  ), and she offered to try a sweep, even though I was only 2 days overdue. I said yes, mainly because I wanted to find out what state my cervix was in. It was very hard for her to find, as it was way up behind the baby's head (so all the digging around wasn't too pleasant!), and it was still thick and tightly shut, so no hope of an actual sweep. So I've been carrying on with my black cohosh tincture, evening primrose oil and raspberry leaf tea, as well as trying to visualise the cervix thinning and drawing up. Hopefully by the time I go for my "official" sweep at the antenatal clinic at the hospital on Thursday there will be some progress. The good news however was that Pip's head is now 2 degrees more engaged than 10 days earlier: I've gone from 4/5 to 2/5 palpable. Lots of bouncing on the yoga ball has been happening over the weekend, and as much walking as I can manage, to encourage Pip's head to press down on the cervix and hasten the thinning process! 
I've managed to get a cold, so have been feeling rather unwell and sorry for myself the last couple of days; hopefully the worst of it will be over soon. Now that it looks like I may go reasonably overdue, my mother is travelling down tomorrow to come and keep me company while we wait, so i'm looking forward to that. She'll be with us for the birth, and then for a week afterwards to look after us, while we get to know/look after our new baby. It's so exciting to think that Pip will definitely be with us in less than 2 weeks! 

Anyone want to place any bets on Pip's gender/weight/birth date?


----------



## Marielou

I wanna place a bet on pip!!  I say 8lb 5oz Boy, 8th April.  And I think he will have dark hair.   

Tamsin ~ My personnal tip for self induction is nipple tweaking.     Hope you recover from your cold in time for the birth   Have a lovely time with your Mother in the lead~up to your baby's arrival.  

Sam ~ Glad you're feeling better.  Ethan is too, although he's still coughing and wheezing a little.  I'm feeling really rough now though, think I may have caught it 

Gina ~ So thrilled to see you posting over here, and congrats on such a happy scan!   

Caroline ~ Thank you so much for your breastfeeding post   ~ I've bought him a doidy cup to use from 6 months when I offer him water, aparently it can be easier for BF babies to use then a cup with a spout, we shall see.    In a way I'm excited that new things are happening with him, in another way I'm sad my tiny baby is growing up!!  He's got such a snuffly nose right now so its making feeding hard for him, poor little thing.    

Viv ~ How did the hour in work go?  Is it today that you went back?  Hope it all went well  

We've been visiting family in Milton Keynes this weekend, had a lovely but hectic time, so lovely to see all the cousins together.  If I do say so myself, we make lovely babies in my family!! ~ not bias at all though, you understand.   (don't know what happened to the adults though!    )

Marie xxx


----------



## nismat

Marielou said:


> I wanna place a bet on pip!! I say 8lb 5oz Boy, 8th *April*. And I think he will have dark hair.


April - I blooming well hope not!!!!   

I realise that you actually mean March, which makes your bet very close to my own; only the weight is different as I'm hoping slightly smaller at 7lb 15oz


----------



## Marielou

Crikey, sorry about that!    I wouldn't wish April on you!  Pip, you'd better not wait around until April .... I think Mummy would rather meet you before then!!!

Marie xxx


----------



## sarahjj

Tamsin - I'm guessing a boy weighing 8lb 2oz on 10th March    Good luck!!   

Marie - glad you had a good weekend with your family. Hope you and Ethan get over your colds soon   Is Ethan showing any signs of wanting solids yet? Charlotte is still doing fine with just b/f but has started teething so has been a bit sorry for herself for the last few days  

Sam mn - hope you are feeling better after your physio   Its a good idea to have your hair cut just before you are due - I haven't had a chance to have mine done since Charlotte was born so it is a mess at the moment! I have booked an appointment in a couple of weeks time so I just hope she behaves for her dad while I'm away!!!

Gina - congratulations on your scan!! Hope you are keeping well.

Wolla - hope Thomas is sleeping better again. It is so exhausting when they keep waking up isn't it. Charlotte has been too the last few days, because of teething I think.

Anne - hope you and Oliver are both OK  

Hi to Sam, Viv, Caroline, Lizi, Tiff, Debs, Piglet & everyone else  

Sarah
xx


----------



## Marielou

Morning,

Sarah ~ Funny you ask about weaning, as Mark is badgering me to do it, but I want to wait another month.  Ethan's not showing any extra signs of hunger, but he's been having banana flavoured antibiotic, and he started off hating it and choking on it, and he finished it today, the past few days he's been slurping it from a spoon and chewing it!   It _does_ look very cute, and I admit, I'm now looking forward to seeing him try solids, but I don't want to wish his life away  and also, I can't give him solids on the basis that he seems to like banana antibiotics!    
Think Mark is just looking forward to feeding him ~ I'm nervous as he's never had anything but me! (also, the mess!!!  ) 
Poor Charlotte and her teething, Ethan's has been really bad this past few days, I think he's going to get one through anyday now. You can see it under the gum and he has bad nappy rash, which can be caused by teething and it seems to fit.

Marie xxx


----------



## sam mn

tamsin im going for 7lbs 6. march 9th. enjoy your mum being around. and good luck with your new arrival.

marie how are you feeling now. hope you havent picked up this nasty virus too. glad ethan is feeling better.

sarah only problem about having hair done at 37wks is hairdresser comes to my house do i have to lean over bath when hair being washed. struggled last wk at 28wks so not sure how it will work when im as big as a house  

im back at work this wk. still coughing and short of breath, but coping. feeling so tired tho, dont know if this is post virus or just going through another tired spell.

sam
xxxx


----------



## nismat

Still no signs of Pip wanting to join us in the outside world; I'm not really particularly fed up wtih waiting, after all, I'd rather wait until Pip /my body are ready, it's more just the uncertainty that surrounds everything that's a bit unsettling. Poor Karen is getting much more impatient than I am! However, she doesn't want anything to happen today, as she's 4+hrs away, up in York. 
I had a strong session of acupuncture yesterday, with extra points done to try and bring on labour - no effect as yet. have got my official sweep booked for tomorrow morning, although I have a horrid feeling that my cervix is still going to be too firmly closed to actually do one. I'm fairly resigned now to the fact I'm probably going to go pretty late. Of course, I could just be being pessimistic! I've got reflexology booked in for Friday, and I can go and see my acupuncturist again on either Saturday or Monday if we're still waiting. At least the hypnotherapy is keeping me chilled out about it all!  And it's nice now that my mum is here for company - I think that she was suffering from the uncertainty of the timing too!

*Marie * - has Mark got all kinds of baby puree ideas he wants to try out on Ethan?? I remember when my sister and brother-in-law gave my niece Ella her first solid food (probably just some of that ghastly baby rice I think), and the expressions she made were soooo funny  I would say to leave Ethan a bit longer though if he's not actively showing signs of hunger/interest in food.


----------



## nismat

Update 2.30am: I think that I'm in early labour! I'm pretty sure that I'm having contractions, it's just that they don't feel like I imagined they would feel; they're certainly not like the Braxton Hicks I have been having. I thought that they would feel like a clenching sensation, fairly physical, but instead it's more of a "pure" pain/sensation - but it's most definitely there when it happens, and I have to concentrate! Had the first one about 2 hrs ago, and they've since been coming rather more frequently, but they are still pretty irregular, so I haven't woken Karen/my mother yet. Far better for them to rest! 
Got the TENS machine on, which seems to be helping. And just wasting time in between on various sites.....

May be back later with a further update, or it may be after the birth  

ETA (at 6.30am): the contractions got to 4 mins apart quite quickly, although pretty brief, so I woke Karen and we rang the hospital. Our midwife came around but I was only 1 finger dilated and contractions deemed neither strong enough or long enough to get busy yet! So have been labouring at home since - time really flies! They are getting stronger and longer, but rather further apart since the internal examination. I'm to go in to hospital as scheduled for my sweep at 10.45am and they'll assess me again then and see where we go from there. We should meet Pip soon!


----------



## struthie

Good luck then Tamsin,hope Pip is soon with you xxx


----------



## HellyS

Good luck Tamsin!


----------



## sweetcaroline

Very best of luck Tamsin!    Can't wait to hear Pip has arrived.

Caroline xxx


----------



## Colly

Good luck Tamsin! Pip should be here soon.

        love Collyx
Ps I think a girl 7lb 10oz March 9th


----------



## viviennef

Oh Tamsin, how exciting! Will keep checking for updates. Hope all goes well.

Viv xxx


----------



## DiamondDiva

Best of luck Tamsin, i think a boy, 8lb 8oz today.  


xdebsx


----------



## tiffanyb

Fantastic having an ongoing update form Tamsin!!!!!! 

I hope you are ok and Pip is with you now or at least nearly here!

I'll keep checking for news.

Tiff
xxxx


----------



## snagglepat

Thinking of you Tamsin.

My instincts are saying that Pip arrived in the last hour. Hmmm, and I'll guess a girl at 8lb 4oz. 

Now you can prove my psychic instincts all wrong. 

Hope all is going well. 

Gina. x


----------



## Marielou

Oh wow Tamsin! Oh, I so hope you're all snuggled up with your newborn right now.   Yippee I might have got the date right for my guess!

Ethan is 5 months old today   where did the time go?! He's such a little monkey, still no signs of rolling, lifting his head etc but he does seem to enjoy sitting up, supported by our legs. Will add photo to the gallery in a bit. He's nearly 12lbs now too.  

Marie xxx


----------



## going it alone

Looks like I've missed out on the date part of the Tamsin/Pip sweepstake!!

Hope all went/is going well and that you have a happy, healthy little one in your arms right now. Can't wait to hear all about it and meet your new little bundle of joy.

I think a girl, 8lb

For latest photos of the twins visit www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/poultontwins/Babies

Love to all

Sam xx


----------



## Marielou

Oooooh I keep checking back for news on Tamsin ~ I bet she's had her baby now!  Dying to know details!  

Sam ~ The twins are just gorgeous  

I think Ethan has started crying when I'm not there ~ he'll happily play on the floor if he can see me, but will cry if I walk away.  Little monkey!

Marie xxx


----------



## sam mn

sam the twins are so gorgeous. 

ohh how exciting about tamsin. lokking forward to hearing her news?

im feeling much better still coughing but back to work. which has in turn worn me out. still got another 2 days off tho  . then only 3 working wks till mat leave starts. (well holiday prior to mat leave, officially leave starts 6 days before due date). got pushchair/travel system this wked. so feeling v excited. and dh is cracking on sorting out nursery.

feeling frustrated. was expecting new sofa to be delievered this wk. called today to find out date to be told the shipping container it came over in had a whole in it and there is water damage to some of the stock. they will be insepcting it all tommorrow. so we will find out if we will get sofa this wk or in another 10wks then! be which time bertie might be with us   . was hoping to enjoy sofa on mat leave (old one is falling apart).

sam
xxxx


----------



## viviennef

Hi,

Just to let you know there's news from Tamsin on the lesbians using donor sperm thread. Little boy Toby Alexander born on 9 March, 8lbs 2oz, after a 44 hour labour  . 

Fantastic news, well done Tamsin, so pleased for you!!

Viv xxx


----------



## princess-mimi

Hi,

      I was wondering if i could join you girls, i am now 18+3 wks pregnant. I was very lucky that i became pregnant after my first DIVF attempt, which i'm still on cloud nine about now!

My due date is 10/08/07

Will be lovely to share experiences with you all as we are all at different points in our journey.

Tasmin  CONGRATULATIONS on the birth of your special little boy.

Speak to you all soon.

Kimberley x x


----------



## struthie

Congratulations to Tamsin and Karen on the birth of Toby,sounds like you have really been through it.

The boys really outweigh the girls now don't they


----------



## DiamondDiva

hi everyone,


Kimberly - hello and welcome, huge congrats on your BFP.

Tamsin -    OMG, huge congrats on the safe arrival of Toby Alexander    


hope you all are well,

xdebsx


----------



## ckbe

Tamsin and Karen - congrats!

C x


----------



## Marielou

Congratulations
on the safe 
arrival of
Toby Alexander!
    
Congratulations to the new Family!

Marie, Mark and Ethan xx ​


----------



## sam mn

congrats tamsin and karen on the birth of toby.         

kimberly welcome to the thread. congrats on your bfp.

struthie i agree re boys out weighing the girls. im now convienced im having a girl. 

sam
xxxx


----------



## sarahjj

Congraulations Tamsin and Karen on the birth of Toby Alexander.               

love Sarah
xx


----------



## Colly

Congratulations to Tamsin and Karen on the birth of Toby Alexander   

Kimberley - Hello and congratulations. There are several of us due around the same time.

Hello to Sam, Struthie, Marie, Deb, Viv, lizi, Sarah, Tiff, Caroline and everyone else.

                      love Collyx


----------



## sarahx

hello ladies, I need your words of wisdom...

Congrats to Tamsin and Karen!

I haven't posted on here in a long time, I have been on the twins board mostly. I got pregnant on my 1st medicated IUI with donor sperm. We considered ourselves to be so lucky, we are really as with 0 sperm we really had no choice but to use donor sperm and were starting tx just as the sperm shortage started to take effect.. I have been very happy through my pregnancy and we are both really excited about being a family but as the day draws closer I am starting to worry again about the donor issue. Have any of you been through this? 

I worry the babies ( 2 little boys ) will suffer in the future because of the decisions we've made. We believe in telling them from a young age and making it a positive fact of their lives but I get worried they will reject my DP all the same. I can't stop myself projecting into the future and worrying about how it will effect their lives. ( Then I worry that they will pick up on my anxiety when they are born so it's a vicious circle ! ) I know this sounds ridiculous and mostly I can calm myself down about it all but with only a few weeks to go it's really playing on my mind. Can anyone give me some advice?

lots of love to you all, 
Sarahx


----------



## wolla

Tamsin & Karen - huge congratulations on the birth of Toby Alexander xx

Kimberley - congratulations & welcome to the BFP thread

Sarahx - it's understandable for you to be anxious, I think we've all had similar feelings throughout our pregnancies.  Your 2 little boys are sooo wanted though, and will be sooo loved, how could they possibly suffer?  Trust me - once they arrive your life will be turned so upside down (in the best possible way) that you truly won't have chance to worry about any of that - you'll have far too much else to worry about : 'have they had enough milk?.......have they slept enough?......have they slept too much?.....what's that rash?....should they really be sneezing 20 times a day?'....etc etc'   
Enjoy the rest of your pregnancy

Anne - hope you and the little fella are both well

Marie - sounds like Ethan is doing really well.  Thomas loves to sit up supported by our legs too - and just this morning he lasted a good 30 seconds sat alone, just leaning forward on his hands (of course with me on guard ready to catch him at any minute).

We've been for a swim this morning - Thomas is so laid back in the pool, he just floats around with his hands behind his head.  A few days ago I put him down on the floor on his back while I went to the loo, and when I got back he'd flipped over onto his front (and was crying cos he doesn't like it!!) - hasn't done it since of course!

Hi to Sarah, Sam, Sam, Viv, Jayne, Caroline, Colly, Deb, and anyone I've missed

Love
Wolla
x


----------



## viviennef

Hi,

Kimberley - Hi and welcome to the thread. Best of luck with your pregnancy.

Wolla - Aww to Thomas in the pool. He'll probably start rolling more and more now that he's done it once. Just wait till he starts crawling. I've had to put a playpen in the living room so I can put Daniel in it if I leave the room so at least I know where he'll be when I come back!

Sarah - I can totally understand how you're feeling. I still worry about telling our boys about the donor but I can tell you it won't make any difference to how you feel about them. Wolla is right, you'll be so busy with them you won't have a lot of time and the donor issue will be the last thing on your mind. We're going to tell our boys when I feel that they're old enough to understand but still young enough to accept it more. My DP is a great dad to them and I'm hoping that because he is such a good dad and has a great relationship with boys it won't make much of a difference to them.

One of my friends is adopted and as far as she's concerned, her adoptive parents are her real parents and it hasn't made her love them any less.

The way I'm dealing with it at the moment is just putting it to the back of my mind. It's going to be a few years before we have to deal with it so I'll worry about it then.

Hope everyone else is doing well. I'm back at work now and really enjoying it. It's more of a rest there than it is at home. At least I can get a cup of tea in peace!

Viv xxx


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## sweetcaroline

Congratulations Tamsin and Karen on the arrival of Toby Alexander!       44 hours, poor you.. I'm sure he's worth it though.

Hi Kimberley, congratulations on your pregnancy.  

Colly, I can't believe you're almost halfway through already!  Hope you're having a great pregnancy.  

Sarah, I definitely think it’s natural to feel anxious.  I hated it when I felt like that when I was pregnant;  I knew I’d be absolutely devastated if anything went wrong but I did have some niggling fears.  I have to say these disappeared about a micro-second after I held him in my arms and I wouldn’t swap Seb for a football team of DH’s biological babies (which were only ever hypothetical as he has 0 sperm too).   Have you read the ’telling the child’ thread?  I don’t worry that Seb will reject DH but I do worry that he’ll have some issues and sadness over being donor-conceived.  I optimistically believe that these won’t be so severe he’ll actually wish he didn’t exist though.  I agree with Vivienne and Wolla, it’s not something to face yet (other than everyone having an opinion on who they look like) - just enjoy your babies and get on with being a family, with twins you really won’t have much time to dwell on anything else!

I wonder whether we should have a thread, or maybe just on here is ok, where we can talk about any issues once our babies are here (not just discussing whether to tell which I think the majority are broadly in agreement with)?  I wish I could wave a wand and Seb wouldn’t change at all… except for the fact he would magically become DH’s biological child.  I feel really sorry for DH sometimes, like the other day when I was looking at a photo of the 4 of us and suddenly thought ‘DH isn’t genetically related to any of us’ and my heart hurt!  I felt like I had all the luck.  I do feel we should be able to admit to any concerns or thoughts, after all who else would understand better than us lot?

Lots of love to everyone
Caroline xxx


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## sarahx

Hi

thanks so much for taking the time to respond. I am so relieved to hear others having these niggling thoughts too. I just feel that unlike lots of other fertility treatments donor conception cannot ever be resigned to the past, it does not become something we got through but something we will always be going through in a way. 

I do hope that being busy and immersed in new babyness will make me not think too much about it all like you say. Anyway, I feel I owe it to my DP to not let it constantly be an issue . He is a wonderful man and deserves to be a great father. I think you'll all understand though that it still breaks my heart when the reality sinks in - that he can't see himself in our children or more selfishly, I think about if he died then I would have no part of him left ( sorry a bit morbid! )

I just want  our children to be happy and secure and to understand why we did things this way. We cannot tell the future and we will try our best... but God there is no denying I sometimes get very scared about the great unknown... 

I am so glad I can let things out here and know that you'll understand xxx thank you all.

Sarahx


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## DiamondDiva

Hi Everyone,

Viv - glad you are enjoying being back at work.

Marie - hope you and Ethan are well.

Wolla - cant beleive you had Thomas at the pool, well done.

Sarahx - hope you are feeling a bit better about things now.

we had our 6 week checks today, Hannah is growing nicely, she's now 9lb 2oz and 53cms, still a little small but the HV and doc both said shw was doing really well, we start her jabs next month and im dreading it, we're off on holiday tomorrow to Ireland, so excited to be there on St Patricks day, we're going to a parade on saturday, and then we've got mothers day on sunday, still cant beleive im a mummy.

happy mothers day to everyone.

xdebsx


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## viviennef

Hi,

Caroline - I agree about maybe starting a thread or just chatting here about the donor issue. I haven't read much of the 'telling the child about the donor' thread. I'm saving that for when the time comes but it's nice to be able to chat on here with people who are going through the same thing.

Not all of our relatives know our situation so that's another worry that I have as they are bound to find out when we tell the boys. One aunt in particular keeps going on about who they look like. Ironically she thinks they look like DP and I never know what to say to her when she mentions it.

Viv xxx


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## sam mn

sarah i just wanted to add that i to have been having similar feelings. mine are not totally resolved but im feeling much better about things thanks to everyone on here. 

bit of a me post. im feeling  . been to MW and confirmed what i had suspected bertie is breech. i know i ve got a long time to go so bertie could turn, just got a bit scared in case i have to have a C section. any tips.

sorry for lack of personals but having to lay down and type as bad rib pain. hi to all.

sam
xxx


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## snagglepat

Hi Sam,

Sorry to hear you're feeling upset about Bertie being breech - but there is a lot that you can do to try to encourage a change in position, and even if that doesn't work it doesn't it doesn't automatically mean a section. I know several women who have had perfectly fine vaginal breech deliveries - you just need to go into it being well informed and appropriately supported. However, Bertie might well shift by himself and here's a list of things you can try to encourage it (warning - I'm about to go into doula mode):

Go to see a chiropractor that has specialist training in pregnancy. If your back/pelvis is slightly out of alignment that might be preventing Bertie from moving head down and they should be able to help. This worked for one of my clients early last year.

Go to the swimming baths and turn somersaults underwater - a bit strange sounding but some people swear by it. I can kind of see the logic to it too.

Talk to Bertie, ask him to move head down and visualise him doing so. Hypnotherapy can help enhance this.

Play music via head phones to the lower part of your abdomen. Some people have found that their babies like the music and try to move so they can hear it better. Radio 2 worked really well for one of my clients for some reason. Terry Wogan's show apparently....

Moxibustion. The first time you do this you might want to seek guidance from a traditional chinese medicine professional but you can also do it yourself. You have an acupressure point on the outside of your little toe that can be quite effective in encouraging baby to turn. You can simply apply pressure to this point, or see an acupuncturist who can work on it, or you can use moxibustion which is where you take a special herbal stick that you light so that it smokes - a bit like incense - and you hold this over the point - close enough so you can feel the heat but not so close that it burns.

Some people say that lying down with your head end lower than your feet end can help bubs to shift - you could always try this at the same time as getting someone else to work on the point on your little toe.

There are more things you can try too, but I'm sure that lot will keep you going for a while.  You might find this link useful too: http://www.beautiful-births.com/content/resources/breech.html

Don't be too down-heartened. Lots of breech babies turn and I really do believe that those that don't stay breech for their own reason.

If I can just add in a bit of my own news, I had my first midwife appointment yesterday which I'm actually feeling a bit strange about. She was completely fine about me requesting a home birth (once I get the thumbs up from a consultant) and with me turning down some of the tests that they offer, but I just felt that there was no rapport there at all. I know this shouldn't bother me as there's only a 25% chance or so that she'd end up being the person called to my birth anyway - and I've been told the team I'm under are really good. But even so I'm beginning to feel drawn down the independent midwife route already and I'm not yet nine weeks. (I do know several of the local IMs through my work so I already have one in mind if I do go that way.) Has anyone else felt that lack of rapport with their midwife has put them off somewhat?

Best wishes to all,

Gina.


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## sarahx

Hi again

Well, isn't it funny how things get put into perspective all of a sudden. We had a horrible scan yesterday with a horrible consultant who I felt had no regard for our feelings. To cut a long story short, our scan of 6 weeks ago showed 2 thriving babies , each 5lbs! I felt kind of proud, thinking wow they are really thriving. This time the consultant told us that whoever did that scan didn't know their job cos the measurements were all wrong , the babies are in fact now 4.5lbs ( they also don't have the really long femurs of an athlete!! , we did think that was a bit weird ) and basically he suspects they are running out of room as the fluid is low. The assistant scanned me for part of it and would say things like ' ooh look at that massive bladder ' or ' is that a blah blah valve on the heart ? ' to the consultant, none of it was directed towards me or DP, the whole thing was just really upsetting. 

It's like the con tries to make thing more confusing as he can't give direct answers.... but when we left between us we managed to put together what we think they were trying to tell us ( just realised we probably sound right thickies or something!  ) , we aren't!!. We have to go back again in a week to check and he suspects , well we think reading between the lines that the babies will need to come out soon after that.. I would love to get to 36 weeks but it's not looking too good right now...    

I just wanted to say that I have still have feelings and concerns about our future family and the donor issue but suddenly when the well being of your baby is at stake, it all pales into insignificance. I think I was living 5 years in the future , trying to solve the problems I would face then , trying to help my DP , trying to answer imaginary questions ... you all know.. well I have been suddenly dragged into the present where I should have been all along really and now I must be strong for the next few weeks..  It's been years getting to this point I am afraid of falling at the last hurdle ..

Anyway, I think  a thread to discuss our feelings about raising a family with donor would be great. I would love to know how often if ever you discuss the matter with your DP's , what sort of conversations you have about it, Are your DP's ever anxious themselves? Mine is a real coper , he has been hurt but he just gets on with it , which sounds great but I need to talk and analyse and be upset so we are at cross purposes a bit sometimes.

Sam, I think there is loads of time for Bertie to turn,  I had one breech up to about 30 weeks and it turned. My MW said that when they reach a certain size it is gravity, ie the weight of their heads that will turn them.

Viv- I would love to hear more about how people tell their families and friends. When we first knew we had to go down the donor route, I think I was so desperate for support and acceptance I told most people. From the very start I just didn't want any secret about it, sometimes I wish I'd kept it to myself a little bit more. It's weird before I was pregnant I would discuss the donor issue with friends, with my sister , with my Mum but since being pregnant nobody ever raises it. I haven't quite worked out whether this is good or bad.

sorry, I've written a bit of a novel there..

Sarahx


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## AnneD

Huge belated congratulations to Tamsin and Karen on the birth of their baby boy and welcome to the world Toby Alexander      

Sarahx - sorry you had such a horrible day yesterday - sounds like the consultant and the assisitant were totally insensitve.  Fingers crossed you manage to get to 36 weeks    On the whole donor issue, I think we've all had moments of doubt and worry and to be honest I don't think they really go away, they're just replaced by an overwhelming love and feeling of protectiveness towards our babies.  You also even get used to people making comments about who the baby looks like etc and although there will always be that little bit of sadness that we couldn't have our little boy the usual way with both sets of genes, he's perfect just the way he is.

Sam - just want to let you know that Oliver was breech at that stage of pregnancy too but he turned himself well in time so fingers crossed  

Gina - I saw several midwives throughout my pregnancy and had varying rapport with each of them.  Ironically though I ended up having to give birth at a different hospital with a midwive I'd never met and she was fantastic so I wouldn't change a thing.

Oops Oliver just returned from a walk with Grandma so I'd best go and feed him - I'll try and catch up with more personals later.  

Love anne xxx


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## sweetcaroline

Hi Sam - Seb was breech around 34 weeks but turned himself a week or so later (in fact I felt both turns quite dramatically!).  I sat on one of those 'fit balls' to encourage him to turn back, I was also advised to get down on my hands and knees and clean the floor but I figured you could get in that position and just relax, you didn't actually have to clean the floor!  You still have plenty of time for Bertie to turn, fingers crossed x

Gina, what a shame you didn’t feel any connection with your (potential) midwife.  I met several midwives through my pregnancy but none of them were the ones I saw when I was in labour.  Having had one MW who was a complete cow when I was having DD, I can vouch for the fact that it does make a huge difference!  She definitely made my labour more difficult and distressing than was necessary.  I would explore all the options as you are clearly thinking of the best way to have a good experience and you don’t want someone coming into your home who you don’t feel comfortable with.

Sarah, you’re so right about things being put into perspective.  I hope you manage to hang on in there til 36 weeks but it sounds like the boys are good weights already so I‘m sure that, even if they arrive earlier than you hope, it won‘t be a case of 'falling at the last hurdle'.  Your DP sounds like my DH - he so rarely mentions the donor issue that I feel I’m rubbing his nose in it if I do!  I think it’s a good thing that your family don’t mention it as it shows they don’t really think about it. My SIL got pregnant when I was 4 months pg and my brother said (to us both) ’My friends have been saying “At least you’re not firing blanks!”’.  I was horrified!  When I later told my Mum she said he had realised and felt dreadful, but that he just considered the baby to be mine and DH’s.  Of course I could forgive him then.. It’s like my GP who always seems to ask me about contraception, although he was the one who broke the news of DH’s azoospermia.  The fact he never remembers makes me think it’s not such a huge deal. 

Love to everyone
Caroline xxx


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## BBpiglet7

Hi All

I just wanted to add my tuppence worth into the feelings about the donor bit.

At first I though it was a great idea to ask my half sister to donate and she's such a gem there was never a problem with it whilst we were in the midst of jabbing etc. She lives in Scotland so much of our discussions were by phone. However, she came to stay for about 10 days and on ec day I freaked out. All that afternoon, the only thing I could think about was that my DH's sperm was, at that very moment, fertilising someone elses eggs, and not only someone, but my sister! I felt so anti, as if I had some how sanctioned an illicit affair between them, which I know is weird and irrational but you can't help how you feel, can you? I was on the verge of telling everyone I couldn't go through with it and hated myself for feeling that way. I hardly slept and I know i upset her the following day when the clinc rang to say we had 7 fertilised, and I wasn't in the slighest bit pleased about it and stayed in my room for ages trying to get myself together to bull**** some enthusiasm to her. I don't think i managed it very well    She told me she was feeling strange about the whole concept too which helped me as I thought I was being so horrible to think the way I did. I didn't actually tell her or DH how I was feeling until after et.

On the morning of et i had agreed that DH could stay in the waiting room as he's not good with clinical stuff and lil sis asked if I wanted her to come in with me but I said no so I could just be me and not have to worry about anyone else. And do you know what? As soon as i saw the embryos on the screen and I asked the cons if he was sure they were 'mine', the donor issue flew straight out of my head and has never returned  

I never now even think about the fact that its my lil sis eggs and DH sperm that made MY twins. Never. Dh has always been so much more logical than me, pointing out that I have a genetic connection anyway, and besides which, its only a single cell the size of a pin prick that isn't strictly mine as all the nourishment, nuturing, etc comes from me, and its me who's being sick, getting fat with huge haemorroids and a sticky out tummy button,  labouring and giving birth to them, so which part of all that makes them someone elses children  

A very good point indeed, as these babies I'm carrying belong solely to me and my wonderful DH, and no one else

So there   

love Liz


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## viviennef

Hi,

Liz - you're totally right. Your little babies wouldn't have life if it wasn't for you. Your body is nourishing them and protecting them and it's you who'll feel all the movements. You'll be the first person they see and you'll be their mother in every sense of the word.

Gina - if I was you, I would go with the midwife you feel comfortable with. When I was pregnant with Jamie, I didn't really like my midwife and I never really enjoyed the visits to her. She didn't do any thing wrong, she was just very business like and didn't make it feel special for me in any way. I saw a couple of midwives when I was pregnant with Daniel who were lovely and it really made a lot of difference. I really looked forward to my visits. I think especially when you're struggled to get pregnant everything is extra special and you want to enjoy every minute of it. 

It was a different story during labour. The midwife I had during labour with Jamie was lovely and stayed on after her shift so she could see me through the whole thing. With Daniel, I saw two midwives during labour who were fantastic but when I was at the final stages I was handed over to another midwife who I didn't really gel with. Again, it was nothing she did wrong but she was also very brisk and business like and in a way it spoiled that special moment. Maybe that's the wrong way to say it as nothing could spoil the moment when I held Daniel for the first time but you know what I mean. Sorry for rambling on bit but do what feels right to you. Do you have a date for your 12 week scan yet?

Sarah - sorry you had an upsetting time at your scan. Your babies do sound like they're doing well and I'm sure they will be fine if you have to deliver a bit early. I think that's the norm for twin pregnancies. As for the donor thing, I was like you and told too many people. I can keep other people's secrets but not my own! There are still some of our relatives who don't know but it's the ones who I think may have judgements about it and I didn't want anyone to judge my babies. The strange thing is that my mum's sister went through exactly the same thing over 30 years ago and actually attended the same hospital we went to. I didn't know anything about it until we were going through it and my mum told me about it. My aunt and uncle decided not to pursue the donor route. I don't think it was the 'done' thing then and my uncle said he could never accept a child who wasn't his. I  feel for my aunt as she would have made a wonderful mother. 

My DP doesn't talk about it much. I think he just wants to put it to the back of his mind but every now and then he mentions it and I think it still hurts him. I always feel awkward if people mention who the boys look like in front of him but ironically they always think the boys look more like him than me, how weird is that! 

I wonder if we should keep discussions about this on here or should we start another thread, maybe 'parents of donor conceived children chat' or something like that. What do you all think?

Sam - Daniel was breach around 36 weeks, he was transverse and I was told that if he didn't turn I may have to have a section but by 38 weeks he was head down so I wouldn't worry too much. Babies can turn even during labour. 

Hi to everyone else,

Viv xxx


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## Marielou

Hello,

Well, what with all the talk lately and people mentioning starting a new thread, I'm wondering ~ should we change the name of this thread?   When it was started, I believe the vast majority of people using it were pregnant, not yet 'parents' so it was a suitable name.   However, I do believe discussions about feelings regarding donor parenting, etc should belong on this thread, so we can all help and support each other.  These discussions will come up from time to time, and I believe it helps to talk over our feelings as a group?  What do you think?  Should we change the name to encouporate pregnancy/parenting? 

Sarahx ~ Hello, its so funny, I went and did a search for you the other day, because your name is at the top of the list now, and then you go and post!  

Gina ~ I'd go with the midwife you feel comfortable with.  Having the right/wrong midwife can change your whole experiance of pregnancy, mine was just wonderful, she totally understood my worries and I thoroughly enjoyed and looked forward to my appts because of it.   Again, the midwife I had during labour was wonderful, really making my experiance a positive one.  However, there was one midwife on the wards, when i was admitted when my waters broke early, and she was horrible, I'm so glad she only had my care for 8 hours or so.  

Has anyone heard from Vic lately?  Her baby must be due soon  ~ she hasn't posted on here as her name isn't on the list, but its on the anyone else usiong donor sperm thread, and I can't find her under the 'search' facility.  

Marie xxx


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## BBpiglet7

That might be quite a good idea, MarieLou, as a couple of ladies of the Donor egg cycle thread have recently given birth and may like to join in the discussions about how they feel about their donors?


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## sweetcaroline

That's a good idea Marie, although I also like Vivienne’s suggestion of a ‘Parents of donor conceived children chat’ thread - do you think maybe girls who are pregnant would rather discuss their pregnancies on the ‘precious cargo’ thread than have one thread for everything which will therefore be more diluted?  Just a thought (if it makes sense!).

Whether we rename or have a new thread, I do think it’s brilliant to be able to discuss worries, thoughts, whatever without fearing that it may seem like you're looking for problems or being ungrateful for your precious child(ren).  It's precisely because we love them so much that we want to handle things in the best way possible.  As Sarah said, donor conception isn’t like other fertility tx which can be resigned to the past once a baby is born.  I would love to be able to chat about how your DPs/DHs feel, after all most of us don’t know anyone in the same boat, particularly as for those of us affected by azoospermia DI is still so taboo and most of us are living with some degree of secrecy (which doesn’t come naturally to me as I am usually very open about things).  

Thank god for FF!  
love Caroline xxx


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## sarahx

Hi

I would love a thread for parents bringing up donor conceived children. I hope to soon be a Mum to twin boys and although I know certain donor issues are a few years off, such as introducing them to the concept in a small way etc , it would give me so much peace of mind to hear about others in the same situation. Although my close friends know, I am dreading meeting work people or neighbours asking about who they most resemble etc. I really hate lying and sometimes I feel if I don't blurt it out I am hiding it which I don't want to do.. 

I think a thread for people who have become parents would be good, I spent most of my time when pregnant just wanting to discuss pregnancy and all it entails. It's only now that I am getting close to having them that I feel I need to connect with people who have gone past that next stage.

Happy St Patrick's day everyone!! 

Sarahxx


----------



## BBpiglet7

I was just wondering, purely as I don't know about donor sperm issues first hand as I'm an eggie one, was it the councellors that persuaded you to tell your children or had you already decided to before you saw the councellor? Also, if the donor is anonymous, is there much point in telling the child either, at all, or until they're old enough to be able to understand the concept fully in physical and psychological terms?

I'm just interested and am certainly not trying to upset anyone with my questions  

I was adopted as a baby and have always known which was right for us, but that is different as neither of my parents are my biological ones and at the time the law stated that birth parents could never be traced, which has since changed. I may not have ben told if they knew that I could find my natural mother.

The councellor that we all had to see before our DIVF was horrible and only wanted to hear that we'd definately tell the child, which we agreed to, or she wouldn't have ticked the box to say we're 'approved' so it was just a formality and she had no interest at all about any feeling or thoughts that differed to hers. So we told her we would definately tell, even though we don't know whether we will, only that it would not be for many years if we did. There is never going to be an issue of marriage between siblings, and any medical problems I can discuss with my sister, so in our case it may not even arise. Certainly it won't be discussed in my parents lifetime, but thats another story.

Every couple is different and I don't think there is a right and wrong way here. Its a very complex mix of emotions, isn't it? 

I do hope you don't mind me asking but I'm just genuinely interested in how you, who are sperm recipients, came to your decisions and how you think your DH's will feel if it came to it. 

love Liz


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## going it alone

Hi all
Sorry that this is going to be a quickie

Huge congrats Tamsin and Karen on the arrival of Toby. Sorry it's so late. mum and dad's computer has been in the computer hospital.

Sarah - If this puts your mind at rest, my twins were born at 34 wks + 6days. They weighed 4lb 7 and 5lb 15oz. We came home from hospital two days later. They did not need a minute of special care. Although their growth is plotted on graphs using their adjusted date so are officially only 10 wks old, they are still the average size for 16wk olds and are reaching all of the milestones at their birth age.

I'm trialling real nappies at the mo - any tips anyone?

Have to dash.

Love Sam xx


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## viviennef

Hi Liz, in answer to your question, we plan on telling the boys mainly because I would always be worried they would find out some other way. Our close family and friends know and all it would take is for Jamie or Daniel to overhear someone mention something about it. Also I don't want to lie to them. Our counsellor did encourage us to tell the boys but we had decided to anyway. 

I also worried in case anything medical came up in later years and it was found out that way. I want them to hear it from us as soon as we feel they can understand as I think it would be more hurtful to them to find out that we'd kept it from them.

I totally respect anyones decision whether to tell or not. Everyone has to do whats right for them so I think we should have a thread where we can discuss all the issues and get advice and support from others dealing with the same thing. 

Marie, would it be you who sets up the thread or can anyone do it?

Hi to everyone, Viv

Have a lovely Mothers Day tomorrow!


----------



## going it alone

Happy Mother's Day

Doesn't that feel great!

Love Sam xx


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## nismat

I'm back! Thanks Viv for referring everyone to the birth announcement Evelet made on my behalf on the Lesbians Using Donor Sperm thread - it simply hasn't been feasible for me to come online until now; yesterday was the first day that I felt vaguely human again. The recovery from the birth process is far harder than looking after our young man Toby (although that's fairly demanding/unrelenting), but I'm feeling better each day. Lots of rest & recovery still needed however!

Thanks so much for all the birth congratulations messages; Toby is an absolute joy for us both, and we can't get over how lucky we are to have him with us at last. It was really hard to believe that he was finally with us for the first few days - especially as he took so long to come out! But once we got settled at home (after 3 days in hospital), it all started to feel more "real", and we can't imagine him not being with us now. Of course it's not all easy, but truly, I think that the baby-caring side of things is going as well as it possibly could; he's a pretty contented baby and is feeding well (despite my own breastfeeding issues), and therefore sleeping well. He's sleeping on my chest in the Hugabub wrap as I type!

I know that my 44 hr labour sounds horrendous, but I want to reassure anyone pregnant that is worried by it that it really wasn't as bad as it appears (although knackering of course). I laboured naturally for 29hrs (the first 22hrs at home) using TENS plus breathing techniques, but my body just wouldn't establish a regular pattern of contractions, so I wasn't dilating beyond 3-4cm. We decided to go for having my waters broken to see if that would help matters, but it didn't, just made the not-quite-regular contractions even more intense (I was using gas & air at this point), and brought on an agonising stitch-like pain in my left-hand-side (which we think was caused by Toby resting on a nerve) that became increasingly unbearable as I ended up with no let-up between contractions (I was able to cope OK with the contractions, as it never felt quite like "pain", or at least not in the sense of when you hurt yourself; plus each time I knew that it would soon be over). Unfortunately the amniotic fluid had a very slight tinge of green, indicating some meconium content, so I had to be continuously monitored from this stage on, which meant being stationary on the bed in a semi-reclined position (not that I really had the energy to move around much by this point). After a further 3hrs of contractions, I was both exhausted and quite literally beside myself with pain from this "stitch"-thing, and asked for an epidural (to take away the pain of the stitch rather than the contractions). We also opted for a Syntocin drip at this stage, to bring on regular contractions. By this time, all thoughts of our desired natural, non-interventionist birth had long gone out of the window - it was clear that my body just wasn't going to do it on its own and I needed help if we were ever going to get the baby out. I certainly don't have any regrets about having taken any of these decisions, we just wish that once we started on the interventions path, it hadn't ended up being drawn out for quite so long (13hrs from membrane rupture to delivery) when I'd already been in labour for so long, albeit not "established" labour by the hospital's standards. However, I had been having contractions at intervals of 3-7 mins ever since midnight on Thursday 8th, without any real let-up, so it had already been quite a tiring process. I should also add that I actually enjoyed the first 22hrs of labour when I was at home - it was a truly beautiful spring day, and I was really pleased that I was able to cope with the contractions so well myself for so long (and with the amazing support of Karen & my mother of course - I really couldn't have managed anything like as well without both of them there to help me throughout it all). 
Once the epidural had taken, it really just became a waiting game (although we realised at this stage that I was very likely to end up with a Caesarean). We were all absolutely exhausted after having had virtually no sleep for nearly 2 days by this stage, counting from Wednesday morning as only my mother & Karen had had a few hours sleep on Wednesday night before I woke them after I'd been contracting for 3hrs on my own. I was only assessed every 3-4hrs for progress, but my contractions did become regular, and I did eventually fully dilate by 6pm. I felt very out of sorts with the numbness induced by the epidural, and was worried about the effect on my back of being in one position for so long - little did I realise that I was going to end up being in the same position for about 2 days in total before I was able to get up after the C-section!. My legs, in particular my left leg felt like horrid dead weights - I could still feel them, but it felt like I had a really bad case of pins and needles rather than any other form of sensation. Our midwife assessed me and said that she thought that the baby's head wasn't in the right position, having turned slightly sideways, but she couldn't be sure, so we tried 2nd stage labour pushing for an hour. Very bizarre when I couldn't feel a thing (and at first I honestly couldn't remember where my bum was/how to bear down as if having a poo!). And totally pointless as it turned out (and I don't think it's done me any favours in the rectal department  ). After an hour of pushing, the registrar came in for the first time to assess me, and to decide whether we should go for an assisted delivery (i.e. ventouse/forceps) in theatre, or a C-section. I was so relieved when she said a C-section was necessary due to the head position, although she said that it might be quite hard to get the baby out as they thought that he was further into the pelvis than he turned out to be (his cord was also around his neck, although they couldn't tell that at the time). I just wanted it all to be over, and for us to be able to hold our baby at last - it felt like far too long a process before we were able to meet him. We went in to theatre, and once they'd topped up my epidural, they got Toby out within a matter of minutes, and into Karen's arms where he calmed immediately. I wasn't really able to hold him properly with the screen being in place, so couldn't put him to the breast as soon as I would have liked. My uterus wouldn't contract back into shape for them to stitch up as it was so exhausted, so they had to use all kinds of drugs to make it happen, which took a while, and I lost about 1 litre of blood. Eventually I was sewn up (I think that I was in theatre for about an hour total), then wheeled off to recover for a further hour before being taken up to the post-natal ward for the night at 10.40pm, after which Karen & my mother went home for a much-needed bottle of wine, some pizza and sleep. Toby & I were in hospital until Monday afternoon; the midwives were a huge help in getting breastfeeding established, although I've since had to resort to using nipple shields due to soreness, and now that I want to go back to the boob, Toby won't take it without the shields on (which are easier for him to latch on to than my flat-nippled big boobs!). Every day is a little better on the recovery path, and a bit easier in terms of looking after Toby as I feel more like myself again. Karen is already dreading her return to work on Friday, as she doesn't know how she's going to cope with leaving our boy for so long 

Do go and visit my blog for a first picture of Toby and me and the official birth announcement; I'll be posting lots more there about the trials and tribulations of new parenthood  as well as more pictures once I get a bit more sorted/have enough time. It's at http://panning-for-gold.blogspot.com/


----------



## sweetcaroline

Great to hear from you Tamsin, and what a gorgeous picture of you both!  You look so radiant after what you went through!

I was re-reading the 'telling the child' thread the other day and a lot of the points made regarding this crop up again and again.  I think that whether to tell is one issue which has a dedicated thread.  I don't have a dilemma about whether to tell (more the timing of it) but I'd like to have a place to be able to discuss things like: what you say when people comment on who your child looks like, DPs/DHs and their feelings, reactions from MILs etc.  On the subject of DHs, last night DH was talking about Sebastian and obviously glowing with pride over what a lovely boy he is.  He said we're so lucky to have him... I think I'm going to stop wondering whether DH has issues which are secretly eating him up as he quite clearly doesn't.

Hope you all had a great Mothers Day
love Caroline xxx


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## sam mn

hi ladies,

just a quickie to say thanks 4 all the tips re bertie turning. fingers crossed he will behave and turn at some point. im sure berties head is still firmly tucked up under my ribs.

sarah hope your littleones stay put for a little while longer.

tamsin great to hear from  you. glad toby is doing well. labour sounds hard work 

hi to all, sorry for lack of personals but so knackerd. cant wait till i go on mat leave, but got so much to do before i do. only got this wk and next.

sam
xxxx


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## Marielou

Tamsin ~ What a gorgeous little boy you have there! Your birth story is lovely, and so clear, can't wait to see more photos!

Regarding the new thread idea: I confuddled    Ok, so it seems people want another thread where you can discuss your feelings regarding the donor situation, discussing feelings, telling family/friends etc. 
So .... are people suggesting this thread carries on as normal, or that its just used for those who are pregnant? My fear on that happening is that we really only have a small(ish) amount of people posting here who are pregnant, most of us have had their babies, and this thread will more or less die off, or be very very quiet, like it was in the beginning. 
One idea I had was to start a new thread to discuss feelings, but still use this board as we have been doing.  
Another, is simply to change the name of this thread, to encorporate pregnancy/parenting a donor concieved child, so we can discuss feelings etc as discussed above, but also still talk about day to day things - scans, baby kicking, due dates, birth announcements, feeding, rolling, walking, back to work, etc.

Am I making any sense?! 

On a totally different subject .... Ethan rolled over yesterday! Its so strange, as I was only saying last monday that he doesn't hold his head up on his front, no sign of rolling etc! Yesterday, he just held his head up on his front, and then rolled from front to back, and he did it twice today to show daddy.  

Hope everyone had a lovely mother's day - I had a lovely day, got spoilt rotten and still cannot believe that I have been so lucky, Ethan is worth every single second of pain and heartache I went through, he literally takes my breath away. 

Marie xxx


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## sam mn

wow marie it must be amazing seeing your little man develop. me and dh cant wait

re the thread thing. i think keep with this thread (may be change name) i feel quite happy discussing donor issues, pg issues and others babies issues here. another thread would be just to much to get too and i probable would only post on one. particularly when bertie arrives  

sam
xxxx


----------



## going it alone

On the thread thing - maybe a new name - bumps and babes? I feel that getting advice and support from people who have young babies is great when you're pg.

Wow - what a story Tasmin. I can sympathise with many of the sensations. Amelie turned spine to spine. My epidural was upped in prep for c-section and I didn't know whether I was pushing or not. I had to have my syntocin to 10 to make my uterus contract after the birth, which made me vomit for twelve hours. I also lost over a litre of blood. Toby is amazing. Love the photos on the blog.

Marie - Great news on Ethan rolling over. Amelie is trying, but no where near. Libby doesn't give a hoot! As long as she gets her sleep she's happy.

Love to all but sounds like the morning nap is coming to an end. 

Sam xx


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## ckbe

Hi all.........

Tamsin - so glad all is fine with both of you..........

We had our 20 week scan on Monday and all was fine - and it is a girl as we'd thought from our 12 week scan unlike most of the other DIUI babies! - so yesterday we braved some shopping - ended up getting a bit carried away and buying a cot and paint to redo the nursery - freaky.......... getting loads of movements and the bump is definitely more obvious now - although still in my normal jeans!

C x


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## pippilongstockings

Hi

Can I join you?  I'm coming up to 10 weeks pg with one bean on board following DIUI.  Feeling a bit rough still but hopefully that'll wear off soon!  Any tips for coping with tiredness at work, I keep nearly dropping off.......!

Pippi xxxx


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## wolla

Pippi - congratulations on your BFP.  I found that the tiredness wore off after about 12 weeks (or do you just get used to it?)  Enjoy the rest of your pg.

Sam - love the new photo's of the girls

Marie - Thomas can only go from his back to his front - he keeps getting himself onto his front in his cot, then cries cos he can't get back again .  It's great to see them learning new skills isn't it.  Have you given him any proper grub yet?  I've started weaning Thomas this week - he was soooo hungry, poor little mite.

Tamsin - sounds like you had a bit of an ordeal.  How are you feeling after the section?  

As for the thread - I think we should poss rename this one.  As Marie says, it would be a shame to dilute the posts by splitting the thread - I remember when I first got my BFP there was only Caroline and Viv posting on this thread, and it's been wonderful to watch it grow and there are so many of us now, it's fab. Or maybe we could have a 'sticky' thread like the 'telling the child..' one, where we could post now and again with issues about bringing up a donor conceived child (or maybe combine it with the 'telling...' thread) - so that it doesn't get lost, as I'm sure it wouldn't be used on a daily basis.  ??

Everyone always tells me how much Thomas looks like DH (no one has ever said he looks like me ) - I just say 'do you think so?'.  I used to get embarrassed for DH when people said it when he was there - until he told me how proud it makes him feel, so now I pass on any comments to him and he grins like a Cheshire cat.  We tend not to talk about the donor at all - although sometimes I would like to, I feel that DH doesn't want to, so I leave it alone.  We do now both feel though that all the [email protected] we've been through to get here was soooo worth it, and that Thomas is the baby that we were meant to have, and we wouldn't change him for the world.  

Love to everyone - must go to bed now, am shattered

Wolla
x


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## sweetcaroline

Congrats on your BFP Pippi!  Hopefully you'll start 'blooming' in a couple of weeks or so and will have more energy.

I think 'Bumps and Babes' is a great new name for the thread as it makes everyone feel included.  I was the one who asked for a 'precious cargo' thread but, as Wolla said, it was a case of 'Helloooo, anyone there?' for quite a while.  There was a time when we were all wondering if DI actually worked... delighted that so many have proved it does!

I think the 'Telling the child' is great as a sticky topic as you can read through it to address that issue.  I agree with Wolla:  how about an additional sticky topic to deal with issues (something like "the donor issue")?  On a day-to-day basis most of us are happy discussing pregnancy and our babies so can continue to do that on this thread, where talk about issues would get lost and you could never read through all the posts.  I think we would all be sorted then!

People hardly ever say Seb looks like DH as he is very much like my side of the family.  Occasionally someone has said they can see DH in Seb and I always tell him, but MIL keeps comparing Seb to DH and that really winds him up!  He says it's ridiculous as any similarity is obviously pure chance, and it's almost like she's trying to convince herself Seb wasn't donor-conceived.  Obviously when people who don't know the truth see a likeness we are pleased, but I just say 'Do you think so?' to whatever anyone says as well.

love to you all
Caroline xxx


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## sarahx

HI ladies

My MIL told us  the other night that DP's dad had had a vasectomy decades ago and had donated sperm before the Op. He had agreed as long as there was no come back on him. This made DP and me happy, it was nice to think that his Dad ( he died last October ) had possibly helped someone the way our donor has helped us. 

Sorry for posting all about me! but I am bursting to tell you all that I finally have a date for the c-section!!! woohooo! I cannot believe that after years of heartache it is going to happen. Our babies should arrive on the 3rd April!! I am so excited... 

love and best wishes to you all, 

Sarahx


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## sweetcaroline

Sarah, that is such exciting news!      Wow, it must be funny to be given a date, knowing that it will be your babies' birthdays.  

Nice story about DP's dad and how he could have brought happiness to other couples.    My BIL has been thinking about having a vasectomy - TMI from MIL as usual   - and she doesn't want him to.  Not a dilemma our DHs will have of course... I have to say that, after all the heartache of IF it's refreshing that it's actually now a bonus that we don't have to think about contraception!  Although I must confess I always seem to seduce DH around the time I'm ovulating, just in case we have a miracle... as if!  How sad am I?  

love to everyone
Caroline xxx


----------



## sarahx

Hi

Caroline - I sometimes think I am crazy cos even though after DP had an Op and we were told there was no sperm production at all, I still sometimes think they got it all wrong. I let myself entertain the idea that there will still be a miracle one day too!! I know its ridiculous and I should know that after 10 years together and nothing happening it's not going to. You gotta laugh really.... 

and you're right , here's to not having to worry about contraception  

Hi Pippi, I was knackered at work too, I just tried to keep under the radar really and at about 14 weeks I did start to feel a lot more energetic. 

Wolla- I love your comment about Thomas being the baby you were meant to have. That must be the best feeling.  I feel bonded to the babies already , I just have this ache to see my DP hold them and cuddle them - I think a lot of my little niggles will go then.

love to all.. enjoy your weekends

Sarah


----------



## wolla

Ha - I'm the opposite.  I'm actually quite scared that maybe they've got it all wrong, and DH has got swimmers after all, and maybe I'll get pregnant and he'll think I've been with someone else, and ...etc etc......   Maybe I just like to have something to worry about 

Sarah - wow, your babies will be here soon - good luck with everything

Wolla
x


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## going it alone

Sarah - Wohooooo. April the 3rd will be here soooo quickly. I was sorting through all the girls' early baby clothes the other day and shed a tear or two. You've already got further than I did with my impatient two! Enjoy every minute, it's great. As soon as you can drive, take them to the supermarket whenever you need a boost. The amount of attention twins get will make the most fraught mornings disappear. Failing that, I put mine in the buggy and walk into the village for a similar, if not smaller, boost.

Wolla - Can't wait to start weaning the girls. Already stocking up with baby rice and rusks. I've got to be referred to a dietician because of Amelie's lactose prob and because of their prematurity, I've been told to wait til 6 months after they were due - I can't wait til 29th June!

Fortunately for me, the girls both look like me. Libby looks more like me now yet Amelie looks like me as a baby. Though, as my situation is different to most, I tell people about the donor issue so that they know that I'm a lone parent through choice, not accident. Would love a telling the child thread as I would like mine to know as early as they can understand. My friend has two brothers who are both so alike, mannerism, personality etc. One is naturally her father's son, the other her step brother brought up by her dad from an early age. It's amazing how we become like those we love.

My boss went through IUI with his wife several years ago at my clinic and still jokes, telling me that he still donates there. I would love to tell him that my donor was 5'10, dark hair and SLIM, but I don't think that'd go down well! To be honest, he has been so supportive that I even thought about asking him to be a god father but thought that would be brown nosing too much.

Pippi - Huge congrats on your BFP. As for the tiredness, it'll soon pass, mine went at around 12 weeks. Unfortunately I didn't find a cure, other than sleep! I was going to bed at around 9 at night.

Love to all I've rudely  missed out.

Sam xx


----------



## DiamondDiva

hi everyone,


pippi - hello and welcome and huge congrats.

wolla - i thought that d.h would think that i'd been with someone else because of our BFP but he said that it never crossed his mind, he wants us to try again ASAP but as much as i loved being PG i want to spend some time with Hannah before we have another (if im ever that lucky again) then if not we are so blessed to have Hannah.

marie - vic has changed her user name to bubs07.

tamsin - glad you and Toby are ok.


we had a wonderful holiday and i had a fab mothers day, looking forward to Hannahs christening tomorrow, i cant wait, it feels like ive waited for this day for so long and now its finally here, its a bit like waiting for Hannah to arrive again, im just so excited cos there will be people there who havent seen her yet and i know are dying to see her, luckily everything has been taken out of our hands, all we have to do is turn up  .

hope you all are well,

xdebsx


----------



## sam mn

hi all,

sarah wow 3rd april is not far away. are you all ready for you 2 little ones arrivals.

pip congrats and welcome to the tread.

sam i love your girls pic they both look so happy. 

just a quickie as still so knackered. but only 1wk of work to go then i can be lady of leisure for a few wks before berties arrival  

sam
xxxx


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## Marielou

Hiya girls, 


Just had to pop in and wish Debs all the best for Hannah's christening tomorrow - Ethan's is next sunday and I'm very excited too!!!  So many people are coming to see our precious little boy, I'm knee deep in planning right now!

Marie xxx


----------



## sarahjj

Debs - Glad you had a good holiday.  Hope the christening went well today   

Sam mn - enjoy your last week of work - not long to go now!

Sam - glad the twins are doing well - they sound gorgeous! 

Sarahx - great news - roll on April 3rd - not long to go!!

Marie - Great to hear Ethan is rolling over now! Charlotte shows no signs at all of wanting to go anywhere! She is quite content to lie wherever she is!! Good luck with the christening planning - hope you have a lovely day!

Wolla - how is the weaning going?? I've started giving Charlotte one meal of baby rice a day as she has been waking up hungry in the nights, after sleeping through previously. She loves it. Planning to start some fruit & veg purees this week too!!

Pippi - congratulations on your BFP!

Re new thread - I think a change of name to bumps & babies would we good. It is so lovely to hear about all the babies and the pregnancies! On the subject of telling - I ordered the My Story book (as on the telling thread) and it makes me cry every time I read it! I'm hoping that if we tell Charlotte about her donor from a young age it will never be a big issue.

Hi to everyone else

love Sarah
xx


----------



## viviennef

Hi,

Just popping on quickly. I think changing the name to bumps and babies is a good idea and it would keep us all together.

We've been decorating all weekend in preparation for the boys going into the same room. We're going to have to get the computer moved out of the middle room and into the smaller room so that's happening on the 21st April so it looks like we'll move the boys then. Daniel stayed at my MILs last night and slept till 8.30am! Little monkey, why does he wake at 5.30am with me!

We've booked a blessing service for Daniel as we're not particularly religious but wanted to do something special for him so that's on 15 April. Really looking forward to it but will have to get some nice outfits for the boys to wear. Any excuse to go shopping!

Hope everyone is doing well,

Viv xxx


----------



## AnneD

Hi everyone

Blimey hats off to all you girls posting regularly with little ones - I don't know where my time goes and can't understand what I did with my time before Oliver.  His gorgeous smiles make every minute worth it though.

Caroline and Sarah - it's so funny - I feel exactly the same way, that even though they didn't find any   I keep thinking that we'll have a little miracle one day and have convinced myself that having had Oliver I'll now fall pregnant naturally    Why do we do it to ourselves  

Oliver looks like my side of the family apart from his dark hair which is now receding    So everyone says ooh I don't know who he looks like or say that he looks like my younger brother (which he does).  I keep hoping that someone will say he looks like DH in case the game is given away.  Stupid I know because only our parents and very close friends know about DI.  But when people do comment on who he does or doesn't look like I also say 'do you think?'.  We must be programmed    I always worried that DH wouldn't bond with Oliver but in actual fact he bonded before me as I was out of it after the birth and he took over.  He keeps saying what a little cracker we've got and I think loves him even more because he feels protective over him.  The weird thing was that little Oliver was born with an undescended testicle like DH but thankfully everything is now in the right place.  It devastated me when they initially told me but DH assured me that he would be fine and in a strange way it made them form another little bond.  I'm babbling now but I suppose what I'm trying to say is that all my worries about DH were totally unfounded.

Marie - hope Ethan's christening goes well and you all have a fab day.

Viv - we're not particularly religious either but I would like to celebrate Oliver's birth and I have people in mind as godparents so I'll get my thinking cap on.  We wouldn't be able to have anything till later in hte year but at least it'll be something to look forward to.  Hope you have a great time shopping.

Debs - hope the christening went well.

Sam - Love the new pictures of your girls, they are soooo gorgeous and growing up so fast.


----------



## Colly

Debs - I hope you had a lovely day yesterday with Hannahs christening.

Marie - I hope you have a great day next sunday showing off your little boy.

Viv - Have fun shopping.

Pippi - Congratulations.

It's hard to believe that I am officially halfway tomorrow (although I am actually more than half way since I will probably be having the little one at 38 weeks). I had an antenatal appointment today which was fine and my 20 week scan is tomorrow. We hope to find out the sex but most of all that all is well.
Hello to everyone else.

        love Collyx


----------



## viviennef

Colly - just wanted to wish you lots of luck for tomorrow. It will be so lovely to see your little baby and how exciting to find out the sex. Are you going to let us know what it is?

Viv xxx


----------



## sam mn

colly time is flying buy. cant believe you are half way. come to think of it cant believe im starting mat leave on fri! good luck for scan for tommorrow. 

anne its so lovely to read how much dh loves oliver and how he has bonded with him. im so looking forward to are bertie being with us to put some of my fears to bed.

debs how was the christening?

viv sounds like there is lots going on in your house at the mo. is daniel still in with you at the mo?

sam
xxx


----------



## DiamondDiva

hi everyone,


Colly - congratulations on getting halfway, hope the scan went well and they were able to tell the sex of the baby.

Sam - OMG, i cant beleive you are starting your mat leave soon, it only seems like last week i had my leaving do at work.

Viv - the blessing service is a lovely thin to do for Daniel, did you do one for Jamie too?

Marie - are you organising the christening yourself?  its a lot of work, but you probably know that already.


The christening went brilliantly, no one turned up late and Hannah was a wee star the whole day, she did manage to sleep through some of it and still managed 11hrs at night, what with the holiday and christenin i almost forgot it was d/h's birthday tomorrow, he forgot too, cant wait to see his face when he opens his 1st "Daddy" birthday card, he's taken tomorrow off so we can do something with Hannah, not quite sure what to do though, we'll probably end up just going somewhere for lunch.  i'll post some pics of the christening once we've uploaded them.


hope you all are well,

xdebsx


----------



## Colly

Hello,
The scan went well and we are having a boy . We didn't mind which but am glad we know in advance that it is a boy.
The only 'problem' they found was that the placenta is close to the cervix which they will keep an eye on in future scans. Feeling very happy!

                      love Collyx


----------



## going it alone

Hi all
Deb - So glad the christening went well. I need to start planning mine.

Sam - I can't believe you're on mat leave now. It only seems like yesterday since you got your BFP.

Colly great to hear that the scan went well and wonderful that you're having a boy. There are such gorgeous boy clothes now.

Love to all
Sam xx


----------



## viviennef

Hi,

Colly - so glad the scan went well and congratulations on having a boy! Do you have any names yet? I've heard if your placenta is near the cervix, it rises up as you grow bigger in the majority of cases.

Deb - so glad Hannah's Christening went well. Can't wait to see the pics. We had a Thanksgiving service for Jamie when he was 8 months and it was really lovely. Apart from the fact that he tried to pull the ministers glasses off during the service!

Sam - bet you can't wait to finish work. Hope you have some nice relaxing 'you' time before Bertie makes an appearance. Daniel is still in with me just now. It'll be so weird not to have him there but at least I won't have to creep about like a burglar at night trying to be quiet!

Anne - glad your DH is loving being a dad. Sounds like he's a natural!

Things are good here. Daniel has slept right through without waking for the last two nights till about 7.30am. That is the first time in ten months, I can't believe it! Just hope it continues. He's trying to stand all the time now and holding onto all the furniture. We're going to get him his first pair of proper shoes on Saturday.

Hi to everyone else,

Viv xxx


----------



## AnneD

Colly - a boy!     fab news.  Don't worry about the placenta too much at this stage.  I was told exactle the same but it turned out to fine   

Deb - so gald the christening went well.  It sounds like Hannah was a complete angel.

Viv - ooh hope those nice long sleeps keep up.  Wow his first pair of shoes already!  It seemslike such a way off for Oliver but I've got a feeling it'll be here before I know it.  Can't believe how fast the last 6 weeks have gone.

Bit knackered at the moment because I'm now breastfeeding Oliver every 2 hours, even through the night because he didn't gain any weight last week and is in the lower centile.  He was 7.7 born (although we're questioning that now) and almost six weeks later he's only 7.13.  He had been having one top up bottle per day of about 4oz but last week was exclusively breast fed so I was gutted. Blimey there's always something to worry about.  Other than that he's alert and very active but just a tad too laid back to demand enough food so I'm contantly waking him to feed which seems so cruel.  Fingers crossed he puts on weight this week


----------



## Marielou

Hello,

Sorry I've been a bit AWOL, things have been mad here, I hurt my wrist, then Ethan's been poorly, and poor little thing had an allergic reaction to Sweet Potato which was quite uncomfortable for him, I really thought he had chickenpox, he's still got the rash now, and I'm just putting weaning back a little bit now to next week at 6 months.  I'd started trying him this week as he's still small and in the lower centiles, but now I wish I hadn't 

Anne - Oliver is lovely!  You must be knackered, feeding so often during day and night  but well done you!  Ethan had to be woken in his first few weeks to be fed and I felt awful too, but there's nothing nicer than some warm milkies and a cuddle from Mummy.    Ethan's on the lower centile now too, but he's happy, alert, kicks about, has dirty nappies etc.  

Deb - Glad the christening went well, so looking forward to seeing some photos!  I'm so looking forward to Ethan's, yes its been a lot of work and these next two days are going to be crazy.  We've had a new carpet fitted today and had the lounge painted, so we've really gone to town!    Got to pick up the cake on saturday (we've taken the top tier of out wedding cake out of the freezer and thats turned out perfect, so very pleased with that) and we've already had so many cards.  So many people are turning up tomorrow and saturday, I can't wait!

Viv - Yay for Damiel sleeping through!!  Awww, his first shoes ... you'll have to share a photo with us!

Colly - Yay, a boy! Does he have a name?  

Sam - Not long for you now, are you next to have a baby? 

Sarahx - Oh no, its you! Good luck for next week!   

Marie xxx


----------



## DiamondDiva

Hi Everyone,



Marie - glad your cake is ok, ours turned out to be mouldy in the middle, we only found out at the christening after we cut it, my mum had re-iced and re-marzipaned it too, thankfully we had another cake, one tip i would give is to take or wear comfy shoes, my feet were killing me at the end of the day after walking round with Hannah to see everyone, i've added a few pics to my gallery.

Anne - i cant beleive Oliver is 6 weeks already.

Viv -    at Jamie trying to pull the ministers glasses off.


hope you all are well,


xdebsx


----------



## sweetcaroline

Hi Girls

Colly, so pleased to hear about your scan - and congrats on having a boy! (Of course I’d have said the same for a girl!).  When I was pg with Sophie I had the same thing with the placenta being near the cervix but at a later scan it was fine.  

Viv, well done Daniel on sleeping through!  Sebastian still doesn’t:  he nearly always wakes once around 11pm for a sip of water and a cuddle, and again around 5am for some milk.  The little rascal, at his age!  I still haven’t bought him any shoes as he’s not walking yet but he thinks it’s a hilarious game to stand unsupported then put his arms out and be caught.

Glad to hear Hannah’s christening went so well, Debs.  Sophie wasn’t christened as a baby as my ex-H didn’t agree with it so we had them both ‘done’ when Seb was 3 months old.  Hope you have a fantastic day on Sunday, Marie.  Can’t wait to see some pics.. Oh Debs I will check out yours in a minute.  Poor Ethan with the reaction to sweet potatoes, hope he's ok now.

Anne, it’s always lovely to hear how much DHs love their babies.  I find the bond between DH and Seb just keeps on getting stronger and stronger as they can do more things together, like swimming.  I sometimes feel bad for DH as babies do want their mummies most, particularly if they’re not feeling well or they hurt themselves, but DH obviously realises that’s just the way it is, it’s not as if Seb is picking up some genetic vibe!  I’m sure your DH will love Bertie to bits, Sam.  

On the subject of centiles, b/f etc, I do get cross about the obsession some health visitors seem to have with bloomin’ centiles!  I fed both my kids for a year and Sophie was off the top of the scale for the first 6 months then she actually lost weight and was on the 50th at a year.  Seb, on the other hand, stayed around the 50th whilst he was exclusively b/f and since being on solids has dropped between 9th and 25th.  Which, as far as I’m concerned, just goes to show babies are all different and don’t realise they’re supposed to be following a pattern.  So well done Anne and I hope you don’t start worrying your milk isn’t ‘good enough’ - I’m sure it’s just perfect for your gorgeous little Oliver!

Sarah, I just made a hair appt for Tuesday and thought ‘Blimey, that’s the twins’ birth day!’  So excited for you!

I’d better go, Seb’s having a nap and I’m supposed to be ironing…

Love to you all + bumps + babes
Caroline xxx


----------



## sarahx

Hi 

just wanted to pop on and see how you're all doing. After another wobbly about donor issue a few days ago, I am starting to get very excited!! I just had a moment when I got sad again that this wasn't my DP's flesh and blood . Its the big fear of the unknown and I have never been very good at pulling myself out of it. I prefer to let those sad moments just come and go. My DP though was great, we talked and I remembered all the reasons he will be a wonderful dad ( this made me even sadder for a while as I realised how unfair life can be, I know this sounds awful but some real uncaring eejits can become fathers, why couldn't my DP? )

anyway, I think that was my last wobbly donor moment for now. My Mum is coming over from ireland tomorrow!!I am so pleased , I am sure I will cry when I see her, my emotions are a bit haywire! and after the babies are here my 5 sisters ( ! ) will be taking it in turn to see them. ( yes , I am from a house of 6 girls, big irish family , so the thought of twin boys was kind of shocking ! ) 

Anne- Oliver looks so cute!!!
Colly- Congrats on expecting your little boy.. I was a bit scared as I'm expecting 2 but I've had a few months to adjust !!!- now I just can't wait ...
Marie- thanks , I will let you guys know as soon as I can how things go. ( I also think Ethan is pretty damn cute!-  )
Caroline and all you other lovely ladies- wish me luck for Tuesday!! 

Just realise, I always meant to ask why is it that most DIUI seems to result in boy babies? ir is it just me?

I'll probably check in again before Tuesday anyway, enjoy your weekends..


----------



## Colly

Sarahx - Good luck for Tuesday. It must be very exciting knowing you are going to have your babies in a few days. They say that when you conceive naturally you are more likely to have a boy if you   close to ovulation time. Perhaps thats why there are so many boys with diui and ivf.

Marie - I hope you have a lovely day tomorrow

Viv - We think we have decided on a name but we are not going to use it until our baby is here. I hope Daniel is continuing to sleep through.

Caroline - We are not too worried about the placenta as at the scan they said it was lowish but not actually touching the cervix. We think that I will be having a c section anyway which should avoid problems with it at the birth.

Anne - Wow Oliver is 6 weeks old already. It doesn't seem long since we were waiting for news of his birth.

Sam - I hope you are enjoying your maternity leave.

All is still well with me. My next appointment and scan will be in 3 1/2 weeks. We have ordered our pram  - the Jane Slalom pushchair with carrycot and car seat. We chose this one last time so it was just a matter of picking the colour which is dark blue with bright blue and lime green trim.
Hello to everyone else.

              love Collyx


----------



## snagglepat

Hi all,

I've been reading this board for weeks but don't feel as though I have much to say as yet. I was interested in what was suggested in terms of renaming the thread or splitting it into two. I can understand that splitting it might result in a BFP board that is very slow, but as a relatively newly pregnant person I've found that I've felt unable to say very much here. It's probably partly my own insecurities - everyone was very welcoming when I first came on here and no-one has said anything to make me feel in any way negative - but I'm still at the stage where I'm trying to get to grips with the fact that we're finally actually going to have a baby. That alone seems like a massive thing to get my head round at the moment. As a result conversations about parenting and all the things that the children that have already arrived have been up to - although lovely to read - are not ones that I feel able to contribute to. At least, not yet. 

On the other hand, Rae told me this morning that she's got concerns about how well she's going to be able to bond with this baby when she's not a biological parent when she's going to probably have to go back to work within a few weeks of the birth. And this board is clearly the perfect place to talk about that.  We're going to explore what other options there might be open to her to see if we can extend her entitlement. I'm self employed so will only be getting statutory maternity pay. I know the paternity leave rules are about to change and am wondering what she might be entitled to if we claimed she was going to be the main carer of the child - she's been employed by the NHS for 20 years so should get good cover. If she can get more pay than I can maybe I can forego my maternity pay and think about starting to work again soon after the baby is born (I'm a freelance graphic designer as well as doula so I work from home which makes this prospect easier). Do any of you have any idea what options might be available with regards to paternity cover? It's a whole new world to us as yet.

I'm hoping that if she feels she's got a good chunk of time to be at home with the baby after the birth, and I can express milk so she can do some of the feeding, we'll be able to overcome some of those bonding concerns. She's been really happy every time we've had a scan and seen the baby, and I can't help feeling that once she's holding our child in her arms, most of her fears about not being able to connect with the child will disappear. But then that's easy for me to say. I know when we were trying with her I had concerns about whether I'd feel jealous while she was pregnant, mostly because I've always wanted to experience pregnancy myself, but I have to admit I never questioned whether I'd be able to bond with the child. For me, any child of Rae's was going to be a vision of perfection - it would be half Rae, and you couldn't get more perfect unless we could have had a child that was half of each of us in my opinion so I already felt bonded, even though that child hadn't even been conceived. It just goes to show we're all different, but I need to find ways to ease her concerns if I possibly can.

Anyway, I'm rambling.  We had our dating scan yesterday and they moved our due date forward by five days so I'm now more pregnant than I thought I was, according to my medical records at least. As its the date they're going by I'm going to work with it too but I'm going to keep my date in the back of my mind in case I go over 40 weeks and they start putting pressure on to induce, then I'll fight my corner with my own dates. I really wouldn't want to have an induction unless there was a serious medical need for it, and as long as all is healthy having a longer than average gestation isn't one in my book.

*Sarah* - wishing you all the best for Tuesday. You must be getting really excited now.  Looking forward to hearing all about it. From the reading I've done the reason more boys result from DIUI is because frozen sperm is used. There's a belief that 'boy' sperm swim faster, but die quicker, and 'girl' sperm swim slower but live longer. Freezing sperm reduces it's life span from 3-4 days plus to 24-48 hours. As a result many of the 'girl' sperm just don't get the chance to make it to the egg before they keel over. And like Colly said, most IUIs are done very close to the time of ovulation meaning there's more chance that it'll be a faster swimming boy sperm than a more chilled out girl sperm that makes it to the egg.

*Colly* - great news about the scan and finding out you're having a little boy.  Do you mind me asking why you're probably going to be having a section?

Sending best wishes to everyone else,

Gina. x


----------



## DiamondDiva

hi everyone,


just a quickie to wish Marie and Mark all the best for today,  its such a wonderful day and you will look back on it forever.  

Gina - hello and welcome, congratulations on your BFP.


sorry ive not been on much but Hannah and i both have the cold and becuase she's not yet 3 months the chemists wont give us anything for her, its horrible seeing her ill, she's supposed to have her 1st jab on tuesday but not sure if thats possible now.


hope you all are well,


xdebsx


----------



## sam mn

just poped on to wish sarah all the best for tuesday. you will be holding your boys before you know it.

gina im sure as rae sees your littleone all her fears about bonding will go. 

debs sorry hannah is poorly. hope your both feeling better soon. i love the christening pics by the way. hannah is adorable.

i have finally finished work  . absouletly shatterd this wke tho. hard and busy last wk, then went out to friends fri eve and had folks reound saturday eve. so too late nights just cant hack it at the mo. looking forward to resting up and getting things sorted in the house.

hi to all hope you all had a good wked. marie hope little ethans christening went well. 

anne 2 hrly feds must be exhausting you. hope oliver is doing well now.

marie eek i will be next after sarah has had her boys on tues   

sam
xxxx


----------



## stephanie1

Hello everyone,

I thought that I should better come to this thread to ask my questions. 
I got a BFP on Friday and I do not think that I realise yet. I have my day 21 blood test tomorrow and hoping that this will make me realise.

Can I just ask if many of you have done an early scan and when do you call the GP for a first appointment? 

Sarah, good luck on Tuesday.

Debs, hope you and Hannah will feel better soon.

Colly, you will be able to think of names, have you and DH agreed on one?

Marie I hope the christening is going well

Gina, congrats on your BFP too.

I hope you will bear with me while I get to know some of you.  It is funny as I recognise a lot of names from the old sperm donor thread. 

Hello to everyone else on this thread.

Steph


----------



## DiamondDiva

Hi Everyone,


Stephanie - i got my BFP at 5 weeks 5 days, went to my GP to have it confirmed (as we couldnt beleive it) and he refferred me for an early pregnancy scan as i'd been bleeding a little (thought it was A/F) and i had the scan at 6 weeks and saw Hannah's heartbeat for the 1st time, it was so amazing, HTH.

Sarah - very best of luck for tuesday   , whereabouts in Ireland are you from?

Sam - congratulations on finishing work.

Marie - what a lovely day you've got for the christening.


hope you all are well,

xdebsx


----------



## viviennef

Hi,

Marie - hope you had a lovely day today. Can't wait to hear all about it.

Debs - hope Hannah gets better soon. It's awful when you can't give them anything. Hopefully she'll be well enough to get her jabs.

Steph - congrats on your BFP. Our clinic does a scan at 6/7 weeks and I actually asked for another one at 9 weeks just for reassurance and they were fine with that. I informed my GP after my 7 week scan and booked in for the midwife then as well.

Sam - enjoy being a lady of leisure, well for now anyway!

Sarah - good luck for Tuesday. It's so exciting! Enjoy seeing your mum. 

Gina - glad your scan went well. I can understand Rae worrying about bonding but trust me, when she sees the baby for the first time, all these fears will melt away. She's been there every step of the way with you and it will probably seem more real to her when she can feel the baby move as well. My DP was worried as well but he couldn't love the boys more if they were biologically his own although I still think he feels a bit sad he couldn't be their biological father but he's their parent where it counts and that's being there for them, loving and looking after them. He actually cried when Jamie was born as he was so proud and happy and I'm sure Rae will feel the same.

I'm not sure about rights about paternity but it might be rough on you working soon after the birth as you need time as well. You might not get much of a chance to work at home with the baby there as he/she will take up most of your time!

We've had a rough weekend here. Jamie has gone from being a perfect sleeper to getting up a lot during the night. He keeps running through to my room and trying to get into bed with me. I think he's a bit jealous because Daniel is still in with me although he said today there was a monster in his room last night. I'm worried that he's feeling left out as I've got to give Daniel a lot of attention so I'm going to try and make more time for him. I wish I could split myself in two! 

Daniel has been ill all weekend. He's had a temperature since Friday night and we ended up taking him to the out of hours doc last night as his temp was 40 degrees and I gave him nurofen but he brought it back up. The doc checked him over and said it was a virus, the usual stock answer. His temp has been up and down today but he's been quite bright so hopefully he's over the worst of it.

Hi to everyone else,

Viv xxx


----------



## Colly

Marie - I hope you enjoyed yesterday.

Gina - Congratulations on your bfp. I am probably having a caesarean because our first baby was stillborn (because of unrecognised IUGR due to placental failure) and I am very worried about losing this baby. If I get to 38 weeks and he seems strong then induction is a possibility but it will depend upon how I feel at the time.

Viv - I hope Daniel is better soon and Jamie is more settled at night.

Steph - Congrats again on your bfp. I had my first scan at 8 weeks but I think most clinics scan at 6/7 weeks when they would expect to see a heartbeat. I told my GP as soon as a got my bfp and had a home visit from the midwife at 10 weeks and my first appointment at 12 weeks. If you have any worries early on then you should be able to go to your local hospitals early pregnancy unit - you can be referred there by your gp (I hope everything is plain sailing for you but I know how nerve racking the first few weeks can be).

Debs - I hope you and Hannah feel better soon.

Sammn - Enjoy getting some rest.

Sarahx - Good luck for tomorrow.

                    love Collyx


----------



## sweetcaroline

Hi Girls

Marie, hope you all had a lovely day yesterday.

Steph, congratulations on your BFP.  Have you had the results of your blood test yet?  Hope you are feeling more reassured that it’s really true!

Sarah, sorry to hear you’ve been having a few ‘wobbles’ but I can’t wait to hear about how adorable your boys are.  It takes a lot of courage and a huge leap of faith to have DI so I think having fears goes with the territory.  I remember hearing somewhere that having kids was so scary because you were promising to ’unconditionally love someone you haven’t yet met’… and that was talking about ’normal’ circumstances!  Anyway, wishing you so much luck for tomorrow.

Gina, I’m sorry you haven’t felt able to contribute all that much - I’m sure all the day-to-day baby concerns seem a whole world away at the moment!  As  you say though, this is the perfect place for talking about thoughts about bonding etc; I didn’t feel I could raise that sort of issue on the main trimester boards as nobody else was in my situation.  When I was pregnant I did like hearing about how partners had bonded with their children and so on, but there was always a niggly little voice going ’It turned out ok for YOU, but what if there is something horribly wrong with my baby and DH doesn’t want to stick around, or it’s so ugly people recoil when they peek in the pram and DH is ashamed to pass the baby off as his own?’   Sometimes other people’s reassurances don’t help and it really is just a waiting game until you find it has turned out well for you too.  I don’t know about paternity leave as DH is self employed and didn’t actually take any whole days off for ages (apart from the day Seb was born).  It hasn’t affected DH’s bonding with Seb but I do think it’s important that the non-biological parent (sounds like washing powder) has time on their own with the baby.  DH baths Seb most days and he said early on that he wanted that to be his duty.  I didn’t express milk so he could feed Seb though:  I found it a bit of a palaver and a bottle was always going to be second best to a nice warm boob!  Do you think Rae might be experiencing a bit of the jealousy you thought you might feel if she were pregnant?  It would be understandable, especially as it was an option for her to be the one carrying a baby.  Everything points to her bonding perfectly though, as you say she is happy at the scans and clearly wants to have lots of time with the baby.  

Viv and Debs, I hope Daniel and Hannah are both feeling better now.

Sam, hurray, enjoy your maternity leave!  I put 9 years’ worth of photos into albums.. now I am obsessive about updating Seb’s albums as soon as I print some pictures, so I don’t get in such a muddle again!

Well I’ve done it again, neglected chores to ramble away on here…
Lots of love Caroline xxx


----------



## Marielou

Hello this will just be quick as I am SOOO tired - 4 babies/children under one roof under the ago of 4 for two nights has shattered me









The Christening was amazing, I cried as it was so lovely and I can't believe how lucky we've been. So many people took the time to spend the day with us and we were so touched. Ethan looked gorgeous, and loved the cuddles, the weather was amazing so we all went out into the garden. Will upload some photos to the gallery.

Also had a story in the paper yesterday: http://www.thesentinel.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=158338&command=displayContent&sourceNode=158321&contentPK=17006384&moduleName=InternalSearch&formname=sidebarsearch

Also havebeen asked today at baby cafe if I'd like training to becomme a breastfeeding peer supporter, its a 6 week course (2 hours weekly) and I've said yes, you can progress onto breastfeeding councellor, and that really intrests me.

Thanks for all the lovely wishes for the christening day.  

Marie xxx

This post contains an unconfirmed link/information and readers are reminded that FertilityFriends.co.UK or its owners are not responsible for the content of external internet sites


----------



## struthie

Glad to hear you had a great day Marie,the photos are fab.

The paper article is lovely.


----------



## SarW

Hi girls,

I just wanted to wish Sarah loads of luck for tomorrow! How exciting!    

Sam! ...Wow...Bet you can't believe that you're next!  

Marie.....Love the new photo! Ethan is so cute. I'm glad the christening went well. 
It sounds like a great opportunity to give other mum's your experiences. 

Gina....So lovely to see you on here too! I totally understand your worries..... It's something I often worry about. However I do truely believe that the bond will form once DH has a baby to look after & bond with. 
It's wonderful to have someone just a bit ahead of Steph & I. 
I've also read the lesbian thread, and have followed your progress. It's great to hear good news of pregnancies. 

Colly.....Bet your DH will have fun sorting the pram out! 

Hello to viv, Caroline, Debs & Anne too! 

Sorry if it takes me a while to get to know who's who....

I was really unsure whether to post on here or not, but thought I'd join Steph. DH & I had a BFP on Friday, and still can't believe the news. I've often read this board, and love following how all you little one'ss are doing. It's always given me so much hope. 
Any advice of early weeks of pregnancy would be great. 
I don't seem to have had too many symptoms yet.....Just mild cramps, and awful wind! TMI boobs have started to become sore, but not too bad. 

We're booked for a scan on 20th April at 7 weeks....Not too far away. I think we'll believe it more when we see something. 
At the moment I still have my fingers crossed. 

At the moment I'm just so relieved that our life isn't ruled by appointments at the clinic. I can't wait until we can plan ahead a bit more. 

Steph...How were your bloods today?

Love
Sarah
X


----------



## stephanie1

Hello

SarW: 20th fo April is good, it will come fast. I have had the result today: 1040 and they asked me to do a scan on the 23rd of April. We'll found out soon then. I have period pains still and one night is on the right and the other night on the left. I am not sure if I am imagining this side thing! 

Gina/SweetCaroline: I also go to a French forum where I have talked to couples with little ones. Actually it is the man who logs in to encourage us. He is very prud of his 2 boys and never really thinlk they are not his. So I believe that with a lot of love and care those kids are going to be fine. I am a positive minded person. 


Viv: I hope your babies will feel better soon.

Deb30: thanks for the details, my clinic told me to take an appointment with my gynecologist on the 23rd and I asked about early scan and they said that the gynecologist will do it. So I guess I will organise a private early scan where I did my monitoring and will organise separately a GP appointment for after Easter.

Hello to everyone else 

Steph



Colly, I hope you will be fine with the arrival of the little one. It seems that the end of the 2ww the rest starts ad the worry is on the little ones developing. Fingers crossed for you.

Samm: how have you enjoyed this Monday with no work. I have gone back today and they had moved my desk and boxed everything so I had to say that my back was hurting so I would not have to lift the box!!!

Marie: I read the aricle and it is such a nice and genuine write up. Nice read and gives warmth to your heart.


----------



## sarahjj

Welcome to SarW and Steph - and congratulations on your wonderful news.     So pleased to see you both over here!

Marie - glad the christening went well.

Hi to everone else

Sarah
xx


----------



## sam mn

welcome to sarw and steph to the thread. good to see you both posting over here. steph arer you going to have scan at the bridge. i know they did some of your monitoring whilst having txt in brussels? good luck to you both for your first scans they will be here before you know it.   

marie glad christening went well. ethan looks gorgeous as ever. and i ll know where to come for bf advice, good luck with the course to be peer support

sarah should be going in to have her boys today. thinking of you and looking forward to hearing the good news.

viv sorry to hear james not sleeping so well and daniel feeling poorly. hope he is feeling better now. soounds like you have your hands full  

anne how is the 2hrly feeds going.

caroline, the things you say about how you felt during PG hits home. i have all these thoughts and concerns about how the bertie will look etc, but then feel so guilty as i know how lucky we are. dh as ever is so excited about our bundle joining us i never tell him how im feeling. its so nice to know im normal  

hi to all

well im feeling a bit fed up today. had a lovely first day off went into town and had potter around the shops then went and sat i nthe gardens for lunch and glorious sunshine, thinkin i can get used to this way of life. today. dhs van has died . we had already decided that if it does go we will not get a new one till i go back to work as we only really need one car. so now i have the prospect of living in a small town with no amenities appart from suppermarket with no transport when bertie is with us and for my time off before hand . van is going in tommorrow to see if  the dieing is permenant or not. fingers crossed.

sorry for moan. i know its insigificant but ive always been so independant.

sam
xxx


----------



## going it alone

How amazing it is now to see so many people coming over from the donor tx thread. Congratulations to SarW and Steph.

Gina - I understand about yu not posting as much because of the baby talk instead of pregnancy talk. I was exactly the same when I was pregnant. I was posting a little on the IUI thread but their Babes and Bumps thread was mainly Babes whilst this thread was mainly bumps at the time. There seems to be a lot more bumps joining us now so hopefully everyone will feel more welcome. Despite me completely understanding how you feel, please don't let it put you off posting. Maybe your pg experiences will help those a few weeks behind you as well.

Sam - I still can't believe your next. it only seems like five minutes...  Hope DHs van isn't terminal. Being independent is really important to me too.

Deb - Libby has been snuffly and bunged up from birth and she's been able to use normal saline nasal drops to help keep everything runny. They are just that, saline so no drugs and safe for a premmie from birth. One drop up each nostril, ten minutes before a feed if poss, to soften things up. I also bought a humidifier to put by her cot at night but that didn't help. Now that she's three months Boots do a mild vapour rub which has made the biggest difference so far.

Viv - Hope Daniel's better soon and Jamie is back to his old self sharpish too. If you work out how to split yourself in two let me know!

Debs or Marie - Which of you gave us a link to online Christening invitations? I'm planning mine. Just have to phone the vicar and finalise a date.

Marie - So glad all went brilliantly for you and your little man. Love the article

Love to all

Sam xx


----------



## going it alone

OOPs Sarah I'm so sorry - Hope all went well today. Am thinking of you snuggling up with bundles of joy. PM me anytime. Thinking of you
Love
Sam and the girls xxx


----------



## sally60

Hi There,

Another donor bump to swell the numbers! I've been reading this thread for ages - following your pregnancy and parenting stories - you have all really really helped me as I have come to terms with our infertility and need to use a donor. I think its so easy to feel alone when you first realise that you will possibly have to use a donor - 'who to talk to', 'who will understand', 'how will the children cope' etc so I think its great that there is such a healthy thread here. Anyway with the talk about the bumps/babies focus thought I would take the plunge and join you!

Found out today we are expecting twin girls! Both look healthy and I'm starting to enjoy my bump (the expanding bottom is less welcome but I suppose you can't have everything!) 

looking forward to getting to know you all in the future

Lucy


----------



## DiamondDiva

hi everyone,


Marie - glad the christening went well, lovely article, you would be a wonderful B/F peer support worker.

lucy - hello and welcome, huge congrats on your pregnancy and twin girls.

Sarah - hope all went well,  looking forward to reading your news.

Sam - we went to the chemist the other day but wouldn't allow Hannah to take anything because she'ss still under 12 weeks, but my SIL said that her HV said it was ok to put some karvol/baby olbas on a tissue and put it in the room with her so thats what we've been doing, i asked my HV yesterday and she also said she was ok with this, she seems to be on the mend now though, but will get the boots vapour rub just incase it happens again after she is 12 weeks.

Anne - is Oliver still feeding every 2 hrs? 

Viv - hope Daniel is feeling better.


Hannah had her 1st lot of jabs yesterday, i didn't think she would actually get them because she has the cold, but we were told its ok, she was a bit unsettled last night but i think its because her legs were sore after the injections, wev were given medanol to give her. so she had 1 dose and settled down, she seems fine today, am going to take her out to the garden later.


hope you all are well, big   to everyone,


xdebsx


----------



## nismat

Hi all,
I'm surfacing from the never-ending rounds of breast-feeding and nappy changing! The first few weeks of motherhood were way harder than I ever imagined that they could be, despite feeling that I was fairly aware of what it might entail. I suppose that it really is a case of until it happens to you, you can't understand fully. Plus, the impact of the long labour + C-section meant that I didn't start feeling anything like myself again for at least 2 weeks after the birth. I found breastfeeding really hard to get established - it all seemd to be going well while we were still in hospital, but then rather went to pot once we headed home and didn't have that 24/7 support. I started using nipple shields/protectors after about 5 days as my nipples were just SO sore, and Toby had trouble latching on at all once my milk came in (big boobs, flat nipples, too much milk!). We've pretty much been using them since, but I'm not beating myself up about it any more, as at least I've managed to stick with breast-feeding, despite wanting to give up just over a week ago. I had a night of real black despair, weeping as I fed him and thinking " I can't do this any more/I want to give him back". It made it seem even worse as it was my birthday, and I couldn't believe I was having such horrible thoughts about him, when a baby is all I've wished for for years  However, I'm very glad to say that everything looked brighter by the light of the next day, and it's actually all been a lot better since then. Basically, I think that we've just gotten to know each other that much better, and I've also come to terms with the fact that breastfeeding takes time, and it's now a pleasure rather than a bit of a chore. Toby was on the slow side with regaining his birth weight - he was still 6oz below it this time last week (at 2wk5d), so like Anne I upped the feeding schedule to every 2-3 hrs (although not so frequently overnight ) and have been expressing in between to stimulate my milk supply. I was thrilled to find out that Toby had put on 8oz when I got him weighed again today (and is now 2oz above his birth weight), so it's all been worth it. There's so much I didn't know about breastfeeding though; I knew it was likely to be difficult/painful at first, but I just didn't really understand how it all worked (let-down reflexes, demand-supply etc.). A friend recommended an excellent book called Breast is Best (which I got from Amazon marketplace), which has proved an absolute godsend in combatting problems/understanding it all better. Shame I didn't read it before I gave birth, or in the first couple of weeks afterwards, but I've pretty much read it cover to cover now. I also found it helpful to call the NCT breastfeeding helpline - I could have called our local NCT breastfeeding counsellor but didn't care for her attitude, which was "if it hurts, you're doing it wrong". It felt very negative, instead of supportive/affirming/trying to find ways to help). *Marie * - sounds like an excellent thing you are doing in becoming a breastfeeding peer supporter.

Congratulations to *SarW* and *Steph * on your recent pregnancy news, and welcome also to *Lucy*, expecting your twin girls.

It sounds like *Hannah * & *Ethan * both had lovely christenings, proud mummies *Debs * and *Marie * 

*Gina * - on the bonding thing, Karen & I had concerns about this too, although slightly different. Karen has always been worried that I would shut her out; not intentionally, but because I have a tendency towards being rather obsessive/thinking I can do things better than anyone else  However, because it's a problem both of us have been aware of in advance, we decided on various strategies to combat it possibly happening, such as Karen doing the late evening feed (by cup initially, now by bottle). The sad fact is, she doesn't have nearly as much time with him as I do because of her long working hours/commute, but there certainly hasn't been any problem bonding. In fact, Karen was the first to hold Toby - partly because I had a C-section, but we had decided that it should be that way anyway (if I'd given birth vaginally, we wanted the baby to be passed to Karen first, who would then put him on my chest). It seemed like Toby instantly knew who Karen was, as he calmed as soon as she held him, and she cuddled him for a good 30-45 mins while they stitched me up (it was pretty much impossible for me to hold him whilst still on the operating table). She definitely has the magic touch in terms of being able to settle him (better than I can!), and I'm convinced that he understood that she wasn't around the first day she was back at work, as he was a lot more unsettled. We make sure that there are special times for the two of them though, although by the nature of breastfeeding etc. I "take charge" of the daily routine.

Hopefully catch up with you all soon; computer time is low on the priority list these days!


----------



## going it alone

Hi.
Just a quickie as my computer has decided to die so am reliying on geting round to mum and dad's again.

Debs - The nose drops were recommended to me since Lib was 4 weeks old (before she was actually due!) by the HV and GP. We also use Olbas for children, found it better than Karvol.

Sorry got to go, can hear crying
Love to all

Sam xx


----------



## lucky2010

Hi there everyone,

I haven't posted for a while as seem to have been on the computer less these days. I'm into my second trimester now and all seems to be going well. The nausea disappeared almost overnight at week 12 into 13 and I guess I'm what you'd call 'blooming'!! I am thoroughly loving being pregnant despite having a very sore pelvis already (any pain is worth the end result!) I have a small bump forming too which is nice, I suppose the next milestone is feeling our baby moving around which neither Julie and i can wait for!

A friend of mine is a photographer and has offered today to keep a photographic record of the pregnancy and our new arrival. I'm absolutely flattered and think this is a fantastic idea on her part, first session should be next week.

*Sarah*, hope the birth went OK. Can't wait to hear your news!

Hi to everyone else.

Love Rach xxxx


----------



## Marielou

Hello,

Not sure how long this post will be, as I an shattered! Ethan woke up 3 times last night, he's still suffering with his allergy (very bunged up nose, the hives are all but gone) and so was very unsettled, I'm not used to it so feel like a zombie today! 

He's learnt to kick in the bath now, which is so much fun, I get wet, Mark gets wet and Ethan thinks its very funny   He's such a character, I don't think I could love him more if I tried. 

Rach - Hello!!!! Wow, your 1st tri went soooo fast! HOW cute is your scan picture?!! How very generous of your friend, I'd take her up on the offer 

Debs - Ethan's had the nasal drops since he was only about 10 days old (so still about 3 weeks before he was due!) and we're still using them now.  I also used vabour rub on a tissue when he was under 3 months old. Poor Hannah, hope she's better soon!

Tamsin - So lovely to see the photo of your little man (I love the name Toby, is definatly high on my list of faves for baby #2!) Well doen on the weight gain  and don't forget it can often take a BF baby longer to regain the early weightloss, but once they get going, they really get going!   I think I'm going to look up that breast is best book, I have a little library of books now, but not that one! I'd always hoped ot be a mdwife, and thats still a 'wish' for a later time, but right now, becomming a breastfeeding peer supporter feels very 'right' and I'd love to think I could help someone. 

Lucy - Hello and welcome to the thread!  Congrats on your twin girls!   Have you got any names you like for them? Its lovely to see some girls, as we're overrun with boys  

Sam - Here's a link to the christening invites: http://www.ellaannouncements.co.uk/index.html They really are gorgeous!

Sam mn - Wow, you're next!!! How exciting! Do you know the sex of your baby, or are you expecting a suprise? (ie: a boy, if this thread is anything to go by  )

Sarah - How is Charlotte doing? I'd love to see a photo of her. 

Stephanie - Its so lovely to see you make the jump over to this thread!   I had lots of pains in my side/tummy, even very like AF pains int he early days. I bet the wait for your scan feels an eternity away, but it'll come round soon enough (probably not soon enough for you  ) - I can't wait to see your scan piccie!

SarW - I am SO thrilled to see you and Steph over here!!! EEeeeeeeeee!! I had little to no symptoms in my early weeks, I recall crying at 6 weeks to my midwife as I felt so, so normal, not one symptom, not even a sore boob! My boobs only got sore when my milk came in when Ethan was a couple of days old!

Struthie - Hiya!  Oops, I really oughtta paypal you  

Gina - I'm sorry to hear you feel that way.  I'm really in such a muddle about what to do, because I want people to feel like they can join in and be welcomed, and not feel alienated or not part of the group because noone is at the same stage, but at the same time, I'm afraid that if we split the group, it'll very much be people cross-posting on both threads (which is not really a problem) or that the pregnancy thread will grind to a halt again. Hopefully, now we have a few of you in the first half of your pregnancy, others will be encouraged to join in. I know I'm always interested to hear pregnancy symptoms/fears/first kicks/scans etc as much as I enjoy hearing about the babies. How about we trial the bumps and babies thread renaming idea (which I will impliment when they thread rolls over) and if people are still feeling unhappy about it, we'll talk about it again? Is that ok with everyone?

Right, going to have a nosey on the other threads and then go to bed!

Marie xxx

This post contains an unconfirmed link/information and readers are reminded that FertilityFriends.co.UK or its owners are not responsible for the content of external internet sites


----------



## going it alone

Tasmin - Have the last four weeks flown by? I couldn't believe it when I saw your ticker. I think we can all share the I can't do this much longer feelings with breast feeding. I know I didn't do it for as long as I'd hoped to. Well done you for getting past the barrier and for the great weight gain. It's great to hear that Karen has such a strong bond with Toby, not that we doubted she would for a moment. Like you I have the obsessive tendency too, difficult when there are two though. There are times when I just have to let someone else do something!

Marie - Thanks for the link, will def follow it when I finally get round to booking the Christening. I need to get in touch with my auntie to check when she's on holiday as we're hoping for the 8th July. Then I'll get in touch with thw vicar as I never seem to be able to catch him in. I suppose after Easter he'll be a little less busy. I can't wait until the girls are enjoying their baths a little more. Amelie reverts to character and just chills out with a serene look on her face. Libby hates the bath. She does kick but usually in temper!

will finish this later as the girls have just nodded off and I need to make the best of it and get a shower.

Love to all

Sam xx


----------



## SarW

Hi Everyone,

I just popped on to wish you all a good easter break, and hopefully a relaxing one  

Marie.....I hope Ethan's a bit better, and you managed to get some sleep last night. 
It must be such fun at bathtime! My little nephew accidently chucked my sister's car keys in the bath last week....They had to get them reprogrammed as she couldn't start her car.  

Lucy....Congrats on the twins! It's great to see someone new join the thread! 

Rach....Enjoy being 'blooming'! It must be so nice to have a bump  

Tamsin...It's great the Toby has put on so much weight. I can only imagine how hard it must be to look after a newborn. I only know what friends have said, and just listening to them make me feel tired!    Toby looks so cute!

Deb...How's Hannah been since the jabs? I hope she's feeling better. 

Sammn....Is the van permanently off the road? It must be such a pain not being able to get about especially in this nice weather! 

Sam....Do you bath Libby & Amelie at the same time? They look so cute on their photos! 

Viv....I hope things are better with Daniel & Jamie this week. How's everything going? 

Sarah....I hope you're doing ok! Can't wait to hear your news! 

Caroline....Have you done Seb's photos yet?!  

Gina....I hope bump is growing nicely. 

Anne...How's Oliver doing?

Struthie....  

Hello to anyone I've missed too! 

Anyway.....I really hope everyone enjoys the Easter break. Up to anything nice? 

Dh & I are going to try and relax, although DH has promised to mow the lawn for me! (That's usually my job   ) 
Steph...I'm still getting odd pains, but not as many as last weekend. Still wind from time to time too!   How're you doing? 
The scan still seems like ages away doesn't it.... This week seems to have passed so slowly. 
Can anyone tell me what you're likely to see on a 7 week scan, and whether it's likely to be an internal 'dildo' scan, or an external one? 

Well, I've just made a lovely chocolate Easter cake this morning (one of Nigella's recipes)....It's looks lovely, and I'm sure my nephews will demolish it tomorrow. 
It could almost be barbeque weather it's so nice.... 

Have a fab time! 

Love 
Sarah
X


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## Marielou

Phew, just been for a walk with the pram, went to the local garden centre as Ethan loves to look at the plants etc, plus they have a great craft shop, and I bought some supplies so I can make Thank you cards for the christening presents.  Its a lovely shop, I'm in the middle of scrapbooking an album of Ethan's newborn days, and its so mind-boggling!

SarW - Follow this link, should take you to my pregnancy gallery, you should see some scan photos there almost weekly (6,7,8,9,10 and 12!) so you can get a pretty good idea of what you'll see! http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=210&page=2 another really good site is linked here: http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=8925.0

Sam - Ethan's generally very serene in the bath, unless he's tired or hungry of course!  The other day I had to just abandon the idea as he was screaming so much and was obviously tired, so we just went straight for feed and bed. 

Marie xxx


----------



## sarahx

Hi

Just wanted to let you all know that our little boys arrived on Tuesday morning, Tadhg ( pronounced Tyg) was 5lb 6 and Malachy was 6lb 4, They are so cute ! They are also very calm and content, well so far anyway. I have breastfed so far but my breast and nipples are in agony now , I don't think I can continue. We had our first night at home last night and we are just overjoyed. Its been a very emotional few days! I feel the luckiest person alive right now!

love to you all, I'll be showing off a pic very soon!! x

Sarahx


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## sam mn

to sarah and dh congrats on the arrival of your 2 boys  . my they were both a good weight. enjoy being a mum.

ahhh      that really does mean im next. it only seems like yesterday to me also sam that we got our bfp. got all weepy yesterday as saw neighbour had 1st bday party signs out. i remember seeing her pg and thinking that it would never be me. i feel like the luckest person alive, dh is alos so excited he is cracking on with nusery, should be finished this wked.

lucy congrats and welcome to the thread.

sar and steph how are you both doing. has the news sunk in yet. when have you got your scans booked for. sar yes the scan is internal and all you will see is a little bean and you should see a fluttering that is the heart beat, tiny but amazing.

tamsin, may see if i can get hold of the BF book you talked about. glad you have got over the barrier and are doing well now.

hi to everyone else, sorry for lack of personals but im knackered again and got to go to sleep, have hen  do to go to tonight so have to get some energy together.

ohh and im so excited as my neice has just had her baby, a little girl. labour lasted 2 1/2 hrs from start to finish, by the time she got to hospital she was ready to push. it is her 2nd tho. she was in and out of hospital within 4hrs!

sam
xxxxx

oh and van is still going but terminal, so as it is safe and has mot to august dh is going to run it into the ground. it just may die suddenly one day. so looks like i can keep car for a tad longer


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## Marielou

Congratulations
on the safe 
arrival of
Tadhg and Malachy!
    
Congratulations to the new Mummy and Daddy!

Marie, Mark and Ethan xx ​
Sarahx - Congrats on the arrival of your boys! And well done for managing to BF two - if your breasts are agony, I bet your milk is coming in  Lanisoh is fab for nipples (its a cream, you can buy it in boots/mothercare) - can't wait to see piccies! (of the boys, not your nipples   )

Sam mn - I saw your post a few days ago on 3rd tri about baby's position - Ethan was headdown from about 28 weeks and I felt most of my movements in the pelvic area, he especially liked punching my right hip (how I miss that  )

Marie xxx


----------



## going it alone

Sarah - HUGE congrats on the safe arrival of Tadhg and Malachy. Great names. Where does Tadhg come from? Have PMed you as well.

SarW and Steph. I had AF like pains and then stitch like pains for some time after my BFP. All good signs as it is your uterus, and ligaments which tether and support your uterus, stretch.

SarW - I still bath the girls in a baby bath so I bath them separately. I am about to buy bath seats so that I can bath them at the same time. They are really looking at each other now and will lay on the playmat staring at each other. The other day Libby seemed to be reaching out to tickle Amelie under the arm.

Debs - also remembered that steam was good for Libby's breathing. Would often sit in the bathroom with the shower on whilst feeding her. I also raised the head of her cot but as she tended to slip down I only did this as I had a movement monitor as I was worried about the covers coming over her head as she slipped down with her knees bent.

Sam - You're so close now!!! I was in hospital from 32 weeks, after only 2 days of mat leave. Hope the van holds out. fingers crossed.

Love to all
Sam xx


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## wolla

sarah - huge congratulations on the safe arrival of Tadhg and Malachy.

Also congratulations to our new bumps.

Marie - glad Ethan's christening went well.  We're going to the Church for a preparation evening and to book a date this Thursday.

Sorry for lack of personals, and that I haven't been around much lately.  Thomas has really cut down on his daytime naps, so don't get much chance for surfing I'm afraid.  I started weaning him a few weeks ago, and he's now on 3 meals a day, and still having a bottle every 3 hours, so feel like I'm constantly feeding him.  Really love to see him enjoying his food though - he just eats anything I give him quite happily.  Spent a couple of hours after he'd gone to bed tonight boiling and pureeing loads of  veg to stick in the freezer for him.

Love & Happy Easter to all bumps, babies & mummies

Wolla
x


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## DiamondDiva

SARAH AND D.H, HUGE CONGRATS ON THE SAFE ARRIVAL OF TADGH AND MALACHY.

        ​
XDEBSX


----------



## pip34

hi everyone

sorry i havent posted for a long while. glad to see you all doing well, n hope your all loving this lovely weather.

Well im just over 10wks now still having a few nervous moments as my m/s etc seems to be disappearing. ive got my nuchal scan on fri 13th great lol but have got to wait 5wks for results when i seen consultant. Not very happy with they way im being treated as was told if i got pregnant again they would look after me but they seem to be treating this one like a normal pregnancy so im very anxious. Just want to get pass the stage when i lost thomas (18+wks) then i think i will enjoy it more. they still only want to scan me next at 21wks which i thought they would do one in between.

*sarah* congatulations xxx

congats to all the new bfp  

hope you all have a great easter. n plenty of choccy to munch on lol
xxxxxx


----------



## snagglepat

Hi folks,

*Sarahx*, many, may congratulations to you on the arrival of the boys. They have such beautiful names, and like the others, I can't wait to see photos. If you'd still like to continue breastfeeding it's worth getting some support from a breastfeeding counsellor or advisor. They're the experts and can often help you to find ways to make the whole thing a lot easier. I've had several clients who have been on the brink of giving up but we've managed to find them some help and it's turned things around for them. There are four organisations in the UK who have helplines and they should all be able to either give tips over the phone or give you details of local support groups/professionals, or both. They are:

Association of Breastfeeding Mothers: 0870 401 7711 
Breastfeeding Network: 0870 900 8787
La Leche League: 0845 120 2918
NCT: 0870 444 8708

Good luck! Like Marie I'd love to become a breastfeeding counsellor myself one day, but all the training organisations in the UK stipulate that you must have breastfed yourself first. So that's something I'm really looking forward to. 

*Pip*, I had a really anxious moment at about 9 weeks and in order to ease my stress we booked ourselves in at a private clinic for another scan. It was £75, so much less than I'd expected it might be and it really helped me turn a corner in my anxiety about the health of this little one. I know it's a pain that you might have to pay out to get the reassurance you need but if the NHS are adamant about not giving you another scan before 21 weeks then it might be an option for you?

*Steph* and *SarW*, like *Steph* I also had some pretty intense pains in the first few weeks after my BFP, and it seems they're really common. I mentioned it to a doula friend who's got 4 kids and she said she always found it strange that no-one ever mentioned that one of the most painful parts of pregnancy was the first few weeks. That helped me a feel a lot better about it.  Good luck to both of you for these first few weeks, and for your early scans. 

*Sam*, congratulations on the arrival of your niece's daughter.  My last client's labour lasted just 1.5 hours from first contraction to delivery - that was her second too. It was amazing, but these fast deliveries can be quite a shock both to mum and baby. I have a client due in June who is having her fifth and her births keep getting shorter. Her last was three hours so I wouldn't be surprised if we had another super-speedy one there. At least she only lives 20 minutes from me and she's birthing at home, so I should make it on time. I just hope the midwives do too. I haven't had to catch a baby yet but there's always a chance I might one day... 

*Marie*, please don't worry about me getting all anxious about whether to post or not. It was my stuff, not anyone else, and all of a sudden there seem to be quite a few of us in the earlier stages of pregnancy so it's much less daunting.  I think your idea of changing the name at the next roll over is a great one. 

Welcome Lucy! Twin girls he? Sounds fantastic.  You must be over the moon.

*Rach*, really glad to hear your symptoms cleared up. Mine went a few weeks ago too and I've also been getting some pelvic pain but find I can avoid most of it by not putting my weight in certain ways and not lying on my back. Pelvic pain aside though, here's to the fun bit of this pregnancy lark! 

We told all our family over the last week, and everyone has been so delighted for us, it's lovely. It's also great not to have to worry about trying to hide the bump by squishing it into my old jeans any more as it was really getting quite silly, and uncomfortable. I've been surprised at how quickly this bump has arrived, but I'm loving it. I'm just waiting for a few ebay purchases of maternity jeans to get here so I can be a little more trendy than I am in my jogging bottoms. Rae's cousin had a baby in January and she's a the same size as me so I've been promised a big bundle of maternity hand-me-downs next time we meet up too.

Sending best wishes all round,

Gina. x


----------



## sarahjj

Sarahx - huge congratulations on the safe arrival of Tadhg and Malachy.         

love to all other bumps & babies

Sarah
x


----------



## stephanie1

Hello

congrats on the arrival of Tadhg and Malachy to SarahX and DH. Lovely names! Were are the origin from? Bear with me I am from froggy land!!

Gina, you are a wealth of information, you say that you have clients giving birth and I first I thought you were a midwife but reading more your note I realised it was not the case! What is your occupation?
You must be happy to have announced your pregnancy and it must make it more real by doing so! 

Pip, I like Gina's idea of the private scan. I went to the GP this morning and he asked me if I had an early scan and I wish I would have lied as he said that I do not need the 12 weeks one so I will do another one private with the nutachal scan. I just need to find the right place and find a gynecologist for the results. Anyone has any recomendations? All the GP did was to take my weight, blood pressure and told me to book an appointment with the midwife in 6 weeks so the first chance to book any sort of test will be when I am 12 weeks ad I find this ridiculous!!!!! I am obviously comparing with my friends in France!!

Thanks for everyone's welcoming and a big hello to all

Steph



Sarw, how are you? Have you been to your GP?


----------



## snagglepat

Hi Steph,

I'm a doula.  I work independently with pregnant women and their partners/families throughout pregnancy providing information and support and then am with them at their birth, essentially as an advocate, source of impartial information and an absolute supporter and champion of their choices. I also work with new mums in their homes, helping out domestically or with older children, or giving assistance with the new baby so they can have some 'me' time. I'm part of the national organisation Doula UK and there's lots more info on their site - www.doula.org.uk. The link in my signature goes to my site where I go into more detail about it all too. I'm pretty booked out for births for the next few months which is lovely as I don't expect I'll be doing them for a year or so after my own. I also teach Natal Hypnotherapy and I expect I'll continue this - other practitioners have taught courses whilst breastfeeding their babies in slings and I'd be honoured to join their ranks. 

What is the system like in France? I take it from your post that there's more support in early pregnancy as a matter of course. I'm only really familiar with how things work over here and I'd be interested to know what the differences are.

Best wishes all round,

Gina. x


----------



## SarW

Sarahx & Dh.... Congrats on the birth of Tadhg & Malachy!    I expect you've had a pretty busy weekend! 

Steph..... I've heard stories of having to wait ages for the NHS to do anything, so I had kind of made up my mind to book an appointment with the GP just after I've had my 7 week scan. Seeing as the clinic said to call their emergency number if I had a problem, I thought I would wait for the first scan. Does anyone think this is a bad idea? I'm now wondering what's best. 
I think DH & I have decided to book a Nuchal scan at the local MUMS clinic. The web address is http://www.mums.me.uk/mumsabout.htm I don't know if this helps, but it might give you an idea of what's available. 
Does anyone have any further suggestions?

Gina...Have the maternity Jeans arrived yet?  Bet it'll be lovely getting out of your jogging bottoms! 
It must've been great to finally tell family & friends after such a long time. 
It sounds like you've got your hands full with your job!

Pip.... I hope the scan goes well on Friday! Let us know how you've got on.

Marie...Thanks for sending me the links to the scan pics! I can't believe how much baby grows in the early weeks!

Hi to everyone else too! I hope you all had a fab easter break.....Lots of chocolate! 

Love
Sarah
X


----------



## snagglepat

Hi SarW,

With reference to your nuchal scan, 'MUMS' do have an excellent reputation for being on the ball and offering good customer care. Given you're in the same neck of the woods as me I also know of two other private clinics in the area that offer nuchal scans. One is the One-Stop-Clinic on Oldbury (www.onestopclinics.com) and the other is Health Harmonie in Edgbaston (www.healthharmonie.co.uk). Like MUMS, they are also staffed by experienced consultants but their prices are a little cheaper. We decided not to have a nuchal scan but we did go for a private well-being scan at 9.4 weeks at Health Harmonie because I was getting so anxious. It cost us £75 and they were excellent. We brought home tons of photos and a CD with movie clips from the scan which was great.

I'm sure you'll get a great service from any of them. Ultimately, you're paying them for it which immediately takes you out of the realms of the NHS and into a world of customer services that the success of the business depends on.

No maternity jeans yet. Am just about ready to mug the postman for them though... 

Best wishes,

Gina.


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## viviennef

Hi,

Just popping on to day Congratulations to Sarah on birth of your two boys. Can't wait to hear all about it and see some pics.

We've had a horrendous weekend. It was Jamie's 3rd birthday yesterday and we had loads of plans for the weekend for him but Jason and I went down with gastric flu last Wednesday and were really ill all over the weekend. We're only starting to feel a bit better now. We had to cancel all our plans for the weekend and our parents have been looking after the boys for us. They're bringing them back this afternoon so I can't wait to see them.

Will catch up properly when I get a chance,

Viv xxx


----------



## sam mn

viv sorry to hear you and your dh have been poorly. hope you are both feeling better now and can have some delayed bday celebrations for jamie.

steph and sarw i belive every trust should offer some form of downs screening. my trust only offered blood test and 16wks but a lot offer nuchal scan. and even if they dont offfer this i tought they offered dating scan at 11-13wks. steph i would check what your hospital offers. my advice is see your MW at 8-9wks. i didnt see mine till  10wks and she said i should have booked earlier. sarw i dint see my gp unitl after 7wk scan.

marie thanks for your coment re babies postion. still not convienced bertie is head. feels like he is lying transverse, which i assume is better than breech. anyway seeing my mw friend in a couple of wks so will get a second opion.

hope everyone is making the most of this glorious weather.

sam
xxx


----------



## going it alone

HI all

Soz in advance for the short post.

Am shattered - bought a 3 wheeler buggy off ebay and collected it on Tuesday so have been out in the fresh air lots. The dog loves being able to walk across the fields again, but I'm tired out. Mum and dad are also away, so am having to do everything on my own. When I saw my cons for the first time he was not a fluffy bunny when I told him that I'd been told that I didn't need a dating scan as I'd had a 7wk scan at the clinic. Needless to say I'd had one booked before leaving the hospital! Obviously, if I had not been seeing a consultant due to having twins, I would never have had my 12 wk scan.

Sam - like yours, my PCT only offered the blood tests - which do not work for multiple births so were not an option. I saw my midwife at ten wks after the clinic told me to book in with her after my 7wk scan showed twins. Until then she said that she doesn't do the booking appt until 12 weeks. I never did see my GP about being pregnant.

Pip - Hope the scan goes well tomorrow. Can't wait to see the pics

Gina - borrowed mat clothes are a real boon. It was my one benefit of being the last one to get pg. My friends had all been there first so had lots to lend me. I had more clothes when I was pg than I can fit into now!!!

Viv - hope you're all feeling a lot better now.

Love Sam xx


----------



## sam mn

im just having a day where i feel how lucky we are. it was a yr ago next wk we had our first appt with the clinic after finding out our dhs condition locally. icant believe in a yr that we have faced the rollarcaoster of treatment and now im 34wks pg excitedly waiting for our new arrival. i still go over to the donor sperm thread and feel so sad for all those lovely ladies that  supported me through my txt and they are still there facing it all time and time again. sending them all some         . hoping to see them all over here soon.

sam how lovely to get out with a 3 wheeler and your dogs. i cant wait till we have bertie with us so we can use ours, im sure the dog is not going to kow what has hit him  

sam
xxxx


----------



## pip34

hi everyone

had my nuchal scan today and everything is ok.  she did tell me the measurements were good so not to worry about results. they also put me 3 days forward so 3 days closer lol.  plase i saw the heartbeat as i was very anxous about it. i did by a doppler and did manage to pick up a faint hearbeat last night.  so relieved for the moment.

hope everyones ok xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


----------



## DiamondDiva

Hello Everyone,


Pip - glad everything is ok, 3 days closer    my date changed by 2 days from jan 24th to jan 22nd and i went into labour on the 24th and had Hannah on the 25th.

Sam Mn- I was feeling pretty thankfull last week as we got our last BFN on April 5th last year, went on holiday and came back pregnant (i was pregnant before i went but had no idea) what a difference a year makes.

Sam - glad you got another pram and you can get out for walks with the dog, i'd love to take Willow out with Hannah and i but im afraid that she'll make a run for something and take us with her and she's really protective of us and barks at anyone that comes near, she's a weimaraner so a pretty scary dog when barking.

Viv - hope you are all feeling better now.

Gina - have you got your jeans yet?

Marie - how's the weaning going?


can i ask, those of us who have already had their little ones, how long did it take for your a/f to come back after your baby being born, Hannah is now 11 weeks and still no a/f for me, i was only able to feed her for 2 weeks so i know sometimes that can delay it, hope you all are well,


xdebsx


----------



## going it alone

Yet again a quickie from me - 
Deb - I've only just finished my first last week. I finished breatfeeding at the end of Feb.
Sam - Sophie loves having the girls. She had not been on that many walks recently so is loving having me at home all day and going for more regular walks. She's 11 now and a border collie, labrador cross. Forunately she's quite well behaved so if I stick to less busy roads she doesn't need a lead as ahe walks to heel. When we're up the park she gets protective of the twins, she's fine with people and will only bark at other dogs if they get to close. On Tuesday she barked at a dog and then ran up to the pram and sniffed at Amelie as if to check that she's OK. 
As for "what a difference a year makes", this time last year I was on my 2ww so have been thinking this time last year a lot over the last week or so.

Pip - Great that your Nuchal went well. Love the pic.

Going to bed now!
Love to all

Sam xx



As


----------



## LiziBee

HI!
Sorry I've been AWOL lots of family stuff going on (2 of my grandparents died and an Aunty is in and out of hospital) plus DH and I have had some of the most awful bugs!
Anyway, I've not had chance to read the thread so sorry, I'll have to do personals later. I just wanted to say that I'd not left and I was thinking of you all.
Much love and hugs,
Lizi.x


----------



## MoodyCat

hi girls
sorry haven't been on for a while. it's manic when you're pinned to the sofa all day feeding or soothing! any spare moment is filled with grabbing a bite to eat, filling the dishwasher, folding clothes or bunging a wash in. what did we do with all this time before babba arrived
well, young daniel is doing great - is now a healthy 13 lb 7oz (last tues) (7 12 when born).  he's 10wk1d today. he mimics what we do - poking tongue out, waving (lifts his arm up) and he can now hold his head up for ages.  he's full of the giggles too which makes it all worthwhile.  feeding and sleeping are becoming slightly more predicable and night feeds are now down to one.  he is totally gorgeous and we're all really happy.  it's still quite surreal and i keep thinking i'm babysitting him for someone!


gtg as youngster needs settling!

love
MoodyCat and big Dan!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


----------



## sweetcaroline

Sarah, I've been away so have only just caught up with your post about the arrival of your boys.  Congratulations!!      What cool names too, are they both Irish?

Lizi, sorry to hear about your grandparents.   Hope you and DH are feeling better now.

It's good to remember how much better life is now compared with all the struggles we went through.  Marie, I remember when you had your chemical pg and then I heard Coldplay 'Fix You' and it made me think of you and what you were going through...I still do think of you whenever I hear it, and I feel glad that it no longer applies!  I heard yesterday of a couple with local connections who got pg on their 4th IVF attempt and she bought him a skiing trip with the boys just before the baby arrived - and he was killed on the trip.  Such a tragedy, and a reminder to me that I should live for the moment and always appreciate what I have instead of being such a worrier.

We’ve been to Center Parcs for a week; it was good fun and very baby friendly but I ended up resorting to giving Seb jars as hardly any of the meals we had were suitable for him.  He wasn’t that impressed but has been eating loads since we got home to make up for it!

Such a beautiful day, we went for a walk this morning with Seb in his back-pack; a cliff walk which takes you through a bluebell wood which was in full bloom.  Feeling very happy that the Summer is stretching ahead!  

Love to everyone, Caroline xxx


----------



## viviennef

Hi,

Just popping on briefly as I'm shattered. 

Had Daniel's blessing today. It went really well and I felt so proud of him. Jamie actually behaved him self as well and had a great time. It's times like today that bring home to me how lucky I am.

Caroline - nice to hear from you. Glad you had a good time at Center Parcs.

Moodycat - glad all is going well. Excellent choice of name for your baby!

Lizi - sorry to hear you've had such a rough time. 

Deb - my AF didn't show up for about 3 months although I bled for about 8 weeks after Daniel was born which was fun, not!

Hi to everyone else, I'm off to bed. I've eaten far too much today and need to lie down!!

Viv xxx


----------



## stephanie1

Hello

it has been really quiet on this thread. Well with such a nice weather everyone is kept busy!.

Lizzy: sorry to hear about your losses. These are always hard times.

Samm: how are you? I hope you are feeling better and more upbeat?

Pip: I am glad that your scan went well. WHere did you get it done? 

Going it alone: I remember you from the donor thread, how are you know and how is it with 2? 

Moodycat: babysitting! no he's yours!!!! It must be like the BFP on the HPT that is difficult to believe.

Caroline, you must be enjoying watching yours growing 

SarW, long time no note! How are you, how do you feel? When is yoiur fisrt scan, mine is next monday and I feel the same as the last 3 weeks, I hav had a bad case of constipation and ended up eating too many prunes (terrible painful gas!!!) and also drank a diet coke to help with all that. It seems to have settled and I am starting to feel tight in my work clothes. Fortunately I had lost 2 stones before TTX and I kept my old suits, that may help for another 2/3 weeks, I guess! 

Deb, how are you?

Sarahx, how are you and Tadhg and Malachy?

As for me I have received a letter from the NHS/Hospital maternity unit letting me know that I have an appointment there on the 30th of May. I need to be ready to get blood tests. I also have to call to organise a dating scan. So after all the system is taking over. This is good news as I felt that I was not looked after when I met the GP.


Hello to anyone else I may have missed.

Steph


----------



## DiamondDiva

Hi Everyone,


Viv - hope you are all back to normal now after your tummy flu.

Stephanie - it has been very quiet on here recently, like you say, everyone must be out enjoying the lovely weather, glad the hospital is taking over your care.

Sarahx - how are the boys doing?

Caroline - glad you enjoyed your holiday.

Moddycat - i know what you mean when you say you think you are babysitting for someone, being pregnant seems a very long time ago now.

Marie - hope you and Ethan are well.

Sam - how are the girls?



Hannah isnt very well, she has conjunctivitis in both eyes and its a struggle to get her drops in but she doesnt seem to have let it affect her, can i ask, have any of you bought any weaning books, i remember Marie got one of the Anabel Karmel ones for xmas but dont know what one it was, i want to read into it so i know what im doing when the time comes, i plan to do it at 6 months but it depends on Hannah and if she seems hungrier before then.  

Hope you all are well.

xdebsx


----------



## LiziBee

Debs - I bought loads of AK books and Rosa turns her nose up at EVERYTHING I cook, however jars go down fine. It's so disheartening to spend hours cooking, blending and sieving only to have her refuse it! At least her dad eats it up (and says it is really tasty).

I've done my wrist in! All I did was push myself up from lying to sitting and suddenly there's this massive pain. I'm having real problems picking Rosa up, changing her nappy, opening jars etc. Think I may go to the Dr's tomorrow and get it checked out.

love to all
Lizi.x


----------



## going it alone

HI all 

Sorry, have been without internet access for a while

Lizi - So sorry to hear about your losses, your auntie, your bugs and now your wrist. I'm on anti-inflammatories for mine. The GP said to give it 10 days and then he'll inject steroids in but I'll have to rest them after that. That was three weeks ago. Daren't go back now. Hope yours clears up soon. I'm finding it difficult to pick the twins up so I can only imagine how tough it is to pick up Rosa. I was out your way this morning, my uncle and aunt live on Halstead Road. I've just bought a trailer tent from my aunt's son - should be fun in the summer!

Deb - The girls are doing really well. Have started to give them baby rice this week. Like you, I wanted to wait until they were six months but they went from taking 6oz 5 times a day to 7-8oz every 3 hours, waking at 3am for another! It is hilarious. Libby opens her mouth for the spoon, gags and then swallows and opens her mouth again. I haven't made any of the recipes yet but I bought an AK book from Tesco. My HV also gave me booklets on weaning. Hope Hannah's conjunctivitis clears up soon.

Stephanie -Glad you're feeling a little more looked after. I know so many of us felt a little abandoned at your stage. You get so used to being closely monitored every step of tx and then you get your BFP and you're on your own. I'm muddling along nicely thanks. It is tough at times but I've got two pretty contented babies so I can't complain. It's great when people from the TTC thread get to make it over here on "the other side".

Viv - So glad the blessing went well. 

Caroline - It's great having such nice weather. I love getting out for walks, and so does the dog. I am limited to going wherever my 3 wheeler will go - not even contemplating a twin harness/backpack thing.

Moodycat - Great to hear the Dan is doing so well (and you of course) I'm not usually a routine kind of a person but the twins are so different now they're in a routine. Dan is the same weight as Libby!

We've just put the twins in the boucers that you hang in a door frame. My parents had an arch between their living and dining room but luckily dad knocked it out and squared it off so it's ideal for both bouncers now. They absolutely love them.

Love to all, especially those I've so rudely missed.

Sam xx


----------



## Jayne

Hi all  

Do you mind if I rejoin you? I've been absent from this board for quite some time now, and just had a nice read back to catch up on people's news.  So lovely to read about and see pics of all the new bubbs that have arrived and all the lovely BFP's too   

All's been going well with us.  The boys are great and both doing well at school/nursery.  Jack's been to see a Paediatrician at the hospital last week about some possible bladder/kidney problems.  He's going to have some tests done over the next 8 weeks and then we'll go back for a review.  I think he'll be okay, but it's a bit of a worry until we know for sure nonetheless.  

Anyhow, lovely to read all your news, I promise to catch up again very soon  

Love 
Jayne x


----------



## AnneD

Hi girls,

Only just realised how long it is since I've posted so thought I'd better let you know that I am still here!

Jayne - hi, lovely to hear from you    Hope Jack's tests are okay hun  

Debs - On the whole AF thing - I'm breastfeeding and wasn't expecting my AF but she arrived when Ollie was 6 weeks old.  I was initially worried but apparently it can happen.  I suppose we're just all different. I was bought an AK book for my birthday but haven't had a proper look at it yet.

Sam - Aww love the thought of your two gorgeous girls bouncing together x

Viv - so glad the blessing went well.

Caroline - ooh the bluebell wood sounds lovely.  I've got a baby bjorn carrier but haven't been too far with Oliver in it yet as we always end up using the pram.  He seems to like it though so when the weather gets better I think I'll go for a walk on the beach with it.  It's so lovely to think of the summer stretching out ahead of us with lots of lovely walks.

Moodycat - great to hear that Daniel is doing so well.  Totally know what you mean about every spare minute being used bombing around the house trying to get chores done and I feel like I'm babysitting sometimes too    When we first came home I was so used to calling myself aunty that when speaking to Oliver that's how I referred to myself and DH had to keep reminding me that I wasn't his aunty I was his mummy - totally mindblowing  

Lizi - ouch hope your wrist is better soon!

Pip - so glad the nuchal scan went well - great piccie x

Oliver is finally putting on weight and has put on 11 ozs over the last two weeks so I'm over the moon.  He gets weighed every Tuesday so fingers crossed he'll have put even more on this week    He's still only 8.11 but he's getting there.  I'm not feeding him every two hours through the night any more thank goodness and strangely since i stoppped doing that he's putting on more weight.  I'm trying to chill out a bit and just follow his lead but it's difficult after such a slow start.  Despite not putting on much weight he's coming on leaps and bounds and seems to smile more and more each day which makes every exhausted minute worthwhile. Can't believe he's over 2 months old now, the days fly by so quickly in a blur of breastfeeding, cuddles and housework and we try and get out every day for a walk too.

Love to you all,

Anne xxx


----------



## going it alone

Hello again
Great to hear from Anne and Jayne again

Anne - Glad Ollie is putting weight on. Great that he's going longer through the night - you must have been shattered feeding every two hours.

Jayne - Hope all goes well with the tests. Jack and Ben look so alike on your ticker photos.

New photos of the girls on www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/poultontwins/Babies 

Love to all
Sam xx


----------



## DiamondDiva

Hi Everyone.


Sam - I love the new pics and the video id fab, your girls are gorgeous, Hannah has the little yellow dress too.

Jayne - Welcome back, like Sam said, the boys are so alike, best of luck with the tests.

Viv - Glad the blessing went well.

Anne - Im going to get the AK book for some recipe ideas and because i dont know the 1st thing about weaning.

Lizi - i bought a couple of organic rice and also organic porridge jars to see if Hannah likes them before buying the boxes, someone told me the Hipp website was good so am going to have a look at that, think i might get a few more different jars to see if she likes them before i make them up for her.

Marie - Hope you and Ethan are well, How's the weaning going?

Sarah - How are you and Charlotte?

Wolla - Have you started weaning Thomas yet?

Steph - hope you are well.


hoped you all are well, big   to everyone.

xdebsx


----------



## SarW

Hi Everyone! 

How're you all doing? I can't believe the weather's turned out so nasty today.  

Sam....Your twins looks so cute in their door bouncers! Looks like it'd keep them amused for ages!  

Anne....It must be lovely now that Oliver is smiling more and more....and that you can sleep for a bit longer at night now! 
Are you really close to the beach for walks? Sounds ideallic. 

Jayne...Great to see you back. I hope all of Jack's test's go well, and you can get some peace of mind. 

Lizi....How's the wrist? What a nightmare that must be. 

Viv....Glad the blessing was a success! 

Caroline....Centre parks sounds lovely. Which one did you go to? I've been to the one in the Lakes & the Longleat one. We had great fun pulling my friends kids on the bike with them in the trailer behind! They loved it! 

Deb...How's Hannah's conjunctivitus? Have you managed any more drops? They must be a right pain to get in. My friend had it in her family for ages....It just seemed to get passed so easily from one child to the other and then back again. Luckily she's finally rid of it, after they all had drops. 

Moodycat....Great news that you're able to get into more of a routine. I'm really trying to enjoy my free time now.....especially after all the stories of never getting any time to do anything. We don't seem to ever be on top of things right now, so goodness know's what we'll be like in December!  

Gina....Have you popped out of all your non maternity clothes yet?   Thanks for all the great advice on the clinics. I shall definately look up the others and see how they compare. It's great to have another local person! How've you been doing lately? I you into the 'blooming' stage yet?  

pip....Wonderful news on your scan! A WHOLE three days closer   ! That 3 days makes lots of difference   How're you doing at the moment? 

Marie....How're you, DH & Ethan doing? 

Sarahx.....How're the twins settling in? I hope you're all doing ok. 

Sarahjj & Rach....How're you doing? 

Steph......I hope all went ok with your scan today. Let us know how you got on. 
How's the constipation? ...I hope it's a bit better. 

I've started getting a bit of nausea now, and have come to the conclusion that if I eat little & often it's ok. Poor DH cooked 2 dinners over the weekend, but I barely touched either of them. I felt really hungry, and then ate a mouthful and couldn't face it. Still, I know it's a good sign, so shouldn't moan.  

I've posted on the other Donor sperm board, but just wanted to say we had our 7 week scan on Friday, and all is well. It took 30 or so seconds before the nurse said anything....We were so worried! DH thought he saw a flashing on the screen, but couldn't be certain. We were so relieved when she said everything was ok. It's 8mm long, which is spot on for dates. The EDD is 8th December. 
We also may have a second baby. There was a sac at the top of my uterus, but nothing else could be seen. She tried to scan as far 'North' as possible, but couldn't quite view as far as she wanted. She said there may be something hidden in a crevice, so to come back on Friday. 
We really hoped we'd be discharged from the clinic, but in someways, it'll be really nice to have another scan. 

I think I'll try and book in with the GP this week, as I feel that I don't want to leave it too long. 

Hope all is well with everyone,
Love
Sarah
X


----------



## stephanie1

Hello

well it has not gone the way we expected: bean 1 11mm and heart bit so good news, bean 2: 7mm not viable, if it was just that I could have coped with it but there is also a large area of iternal bleeding and so far I have not had any bleeding. The only thing now is rest when I can, get good lunch break and leave earlier than usual  in addition to hope that either the blood goes away wothout taking with it bean 1 or gets re-absorbed. Has this happened to anyone?

Steph


----------



## sarahjj

Steph - sorry to hear 2nd bean not viable   but glad bean 1 is OK. Hope that the internal bleeding stops and is nothing to worry about. Take it easy and look after yourself. When is your next scan?          

SarW - congratulations on your scan. Glad that all went well. Good luck for Friday    Hope the nausea eases soon  

Anne - glad to hear Oliver is doing so well  

Debs - glad Hannah is well. We have started weaning and so far Charlotte has loved everything I've given her! I puree whatever veg we are having and freeze portions of it for her. If you join the Hipp club they send you some free samples and a nice bib too  

Hi Jayne   Hope that Jacks tests go OK over the next few weeks   

Sam - glad to hear your girls are doing so well. Have fun with the weaning!  

Lizi - hope your wrist gets better soon  

Viv - glad Daniel's blessing went well  

Marie - hope Ethan is OK  

Wolla - hugs to thomas - how big is he now?

Hi to everyone I've missed.

Charlotte is doing really well - growing very big and full of fun! These last few months have just flown - I can't believe she will soon be 6 months and I'll have to go back to work   Leaving her is going to be so hard  

Sarah
xx


----------



## DiamondDiva

Hi Everyone,


Sarah - I meant to join but havent had the time yet, will need to have a look, glad Charlotte is doing well, sorry you have to go back to work soon.  

Steph - Sorry, ive never heard of this before, praying that it will sort itself out and bean 1 will be ok.               

Sar - Glad everything is ok, a December baby/babies how lovely.  Its a total pain trying to get Hannah's eye drops in because she knows now that once one is done there is another to come and closes her eyes tightly shut, she's fallen asleep without her last dose tonight too but her eyes are a lot better now.



hope you all are well,

xdebsx


----------



## Jayne

Hi  

Thanks for the welcome back and your best wishes for Jack.  I'm sure all will be well, but it will be nice to know 100% once all the tests are out of the way  

Sarah - Are you going back to work full or part time?  I returned when the boys were both about 6 months (thankfully only 3 days a week), and I dreaded it, but honestly the event wasn't as bad as the worry.  No that knowing this will help you much at the moment, as I know it's horrible thinking about leaving your little one x 

Steph - We've not posted to each other before, but I just wanted to say I'm sorry to read your news about your 2nd bean.  I hope the internal bleed goes away easily and bean 1 stays safe.    for a scarey time   

Debs - Yeah, the boys do look very alike.  Lots of people also say they look very much like me.  I put a pic of me in the gallery last night, if you want to see for yourself - you probably won't think so now  

SaraW - Oooo, how exciting that you may have another little one tucked away   Enjoy the scan on Fri  

Sam - Awww, your girls are adoreable  

Anne - Wow, you have a 2 month old already!    Gosh, where does the time go? Just goes to show how long I've not really been active on this board - I remember you just getting pg like it were yesterday!    Hope Oliver's weight continues to increase nicely.  It can be a worry, but I'm sure he'll do fab  

Marie - Hi to you and Ethan   I've been keeping up with your news by reading your last posts.  Sorry that you're having all this hassle with your SIL.  It's just not on, and I don't blame you for not wanting to pass on Ethan's baby stuff.  I'd be 100% the same!  Take care hun and try not to let it upset you too much x 


Gloomy day here today, weather wise.  I'm not much of a fan of sunbeds (cancer risk, etc.), and not been on one since I was about 19!  But thinking I might go and have a few sessions this week - starting this afternoon - to try and get a bit of colour.  Plus, missing the recent glorious weather.  We've been too spoilt for April!    


Love to all 
Jayne x


----------



## sam mn

hi ladies,

sorry ive been absent. but had stomach bug last wk and felt dreadful. took all wk to get over it. but thankful feeling more human again now. nusery almost finished. i have washed all berties clothes and hung everyhtingup and put away in draws etc. so we are sort of ready for our new arrival. practically anyway. im still in total denial  . MW says im measuring big for dates so gone are the hopes of the little tiddler i thought i was gonna push out following one contraction (i told you denial). also bertie is back to back so hoping he/she will turn in time.

steph so sorry re bean 2 not being viable. glad all ok with bean one. fingers crossed thta all will ok for hyou now hun and that bleeding gets reasorbed. when is your next scan.

sarw glad all ok with you hun.

pip glad all good following scan. you can now sart to relax and enjoy.

debs i agree so much has happened in a yr.

hi and welcome back to jayne. hope jacks tests are ok.

moodycat, no that little boy is yours hun  

anne glad oliver is now gaining weight. are you still have to feed more frequently.

hi to everyone else, marie, viv,sarah,and anyone ive missed.

sam
xxx


----------



## going it alone

Hi all

Steph - Great to hear that all is well for bean one. Sorry to hear about bean two. And hope that the bleed goes away soon. Have PMed you.

Deb - I'm busy steaming and pureeing veg like it's going out of fashion. The girls have only had baby rice and pureed apple so far and are yet to be impressed. I bought some Hipp baby rice but it has added milk so I can't use it!!!! So I'm using Cow and Gate at the mo. How's Hannah's conjunctivitis?

SarW- Great news about bean 1 and possibly bean 2. Good Luck for Friday in case I don't get a chance to post before then. Don't be too quick to be discharged from the clinic. After such close monitoring by the clinic, to be a normal NHS patient seems quite lonely - or was that just me?


Sam - Hope you're feeling a lot better. Lucky you, getting the nursery finished. My mum and dad fetched my furniture the morning that the twins came home!!! Amelie was back to back and I had her naturally. She only turned at the last minute, after Libby had been born.

Got to go, nap time ended far too quickly!

Love 
Sam xx


----------



## ckbe

Hi....... catching up!

SarW and Steph - good to see you here.............

What's happening with me? We've painted the spare room (can't quite bring myself to call it a nursery yet)...... finally am growing out of my normal clothes - and have gone through 2 new sets of bras as my boobs seemed to grow before anything else......... babywise all is well othr than a bit of high blood pressure that they are monitoring and the plan seems to be inducing labour around 39 weeks so the last week in July - scary!

Hope everyone's well - looks like it's going to be a scorcher this weekend!

C x


----------



## DiamondDiva

Hi Everyone,

Jayne - i think they do look like you.

Sam - its clearing up nicely, Dr said to still keep using the drops for 2 days after its cleared to make sure we get it all, didnt think the milk would be added to the rice already, need to check the jars i got, will probably need to get rid of them.

Sam mn - glad you are feeling better.

heres another pic of Hannah on her christening day.


----------



## going it alone

Deb - the packets with creamy in the title tend to have milk added. The girls are really not impressed with baby rice though they love rusks.
Love Sam xx


----------



## LiziBee

HI! 

Steph - sorry to hear about bean2. Hope everything works out OK.

sam and Deb - don't get me started on added ingredients! Actually I'm getting on better with the baby stuff than I might have imagined (I have loads of allergies so I'm trying to steer Rosa clear of lots of stuff for the first year) so long as I stick to the organic stuff in jars.

deb - glad the sticky eyes are clearing up. Hannah looks a peach!

My wrist has cleared up, turned out to be a trapped nerve, thankfully it cleared itself. Trying to organise my diary, it soo different to last year when I just had BABY written over June, July and August. this year there are birthday parties, wedding and christenings left right and centre - I haven't a free weekend 'til the end of August!
Love to all
Lizi.x


----------



## sam mn

deb glad hannahs eyes are clearing up. she looks lovely in her christening gown.

sam sounds like you have hands full with weaning your two girls  

went to lunch with mw friend today and got her to feel berties postion, baby is head down and decending nicely into pelvis, lying side on at present, so hoping will turn ready for birth. im still in denial girls that a) im going to have to go through labour and b) me and dh are gonna be a mummy an daddy, when does it become real?

hi to all

sam
xxx


----------



## Jayne

Deb - Gorgeous pic of Hannah   She's adoreable, and her outfit is very pretty  

Love 
Jayne x


----------



## stephanie1

Hello

Deb - hannah is really  cute and the dress is great

Samm - they say that babies can arrive 2 weeks either side of the due date. I thought that I 'd better wish you good luck now just in case as you are in your last month. Have you got everything ready?

lizzibee - glad to see that wrist is better, enjo the summer with all those parties.

ckbe - time as flown as Samm says and I am glad that you are getting there and watch yourself with the blood pressure

Sam - I see your post on the milk product, when can babies have real milk?

Jayne - I am like you with the sun but if you do not over do it should be fine. It is the shame that the weather is getting cooler.

AnneD - Hope Oliver is doing ok.

SarW - I like the new ticker!!!!     

As for me I am working from home today from the sofa! and trying to rest a lot.
My Belgium clinic called me yesterday and they were saying that I need another scan on Monday to check if Bean 2 would have a heart beat but I told them about the internal bleeding and they kept on saying we'll see. Well I do not want to raise my  hopes ad if I have 1 bean healthy I am happy and if the internal bleed sac gets smaller I will be happyer. So far I have not bled and I believe that it is more time for bean 1 to get stronger.

Have a good day all

Stephanie


----------



## wolla

Hi everyone - phew, at last I've got a spare minute to post.  I've been reading, but by the time I've caught up with all the news I don't have chance to reply.  Just hope i get to the end of this post 

Sarah - glad the weaning's going well.  The last 6 months have flown by haven't they?  Are you going back to work full time?

Jayne - good to have you back (and you were the one who started this thread in the first place weren't you, so of course you can re-join!!)  The boys look soooo grown up, and very alike.  Hope all goes well with Jacks tests.

Debs - yes, I've started weaning Thomas.  It was all going very well, he was onto 3 meals a day, eating anything I gave him - but then over the last few weeks he's had a bad case of diarrhoea which put him right off his food and milk, and then he'd just got back on track and he's come down with a stinking cold, and has only been drinking tiny amounts of milk and refusing any solids again.  Finding it very frustrating at the moment.  Love the photo of Hannah's christening - hope her conjuctivitis has cleared up.

Lizi - glad your wrist is better.

Sarw - once the baby arrives you won't have a minute to yourself, but it really is sooooo worth it.  But yes, make the most of it now - and put your feet up as much as you can.

Sam mn - love the bump pic.  To answer your question about when does it seem real - when baby arrives!!  Although sometimes I still look at Thomas now, and think I can't believe he's mine.  Being pg seems so long ago now.

Sam (GIA) - good luck with the weaning.

Marie - how's Ethan doing?  Long time no post!!

Hi to everyone I've missed (sorry !!)

Like I mentioned earlier, Thomas has had a few set-backs the last few weeks, but apart from that he's doing really well - rolling over, sitting up, trying his best to crawl (but he keeps hurling himself backwards insted of forwards, and gets frustrated that his toys are getting further away ).  We've finally got around to booking his christening - August bank holiday, so lots of time to get things organised.

Oh dear, I can hear him stirring so had better cut this short.

Hopefully will be able to post again soon.

Love to everyone
Wolla
xx


----------



## SarW

Just a quick reply to say we had our 8 week scan yesterday and have definitely the one bean on board. It measures nearly 18mm already and I was amazed at it's baby shape. There were 2 very tiny stumpy arms and legs, and a definite shaped head. I have to say I couldn't believe how much it had changed in one week. I'll have to try and see if I can post a photo.... 
The other was definately just a sac which she said was a 'blighted ovum'. Hopefully it'll be reabsorbed but could cause a small bleed which hopefully should be nothing to worry about. Has anyone else had anything similar? 
We're booked in with the GP on Monday, so now it's on to the NHS!

Steph....I'll be thinking of you on Monday! I hope everything goes well. How're you feeling? 

Deb...Such a cute piccie of Hannah! 

Love to everyone else! 

Sarah
X


----------



## Jayne

wolla said:


> Jayne - good to have you back (and you were the one who started this thread in the first place weren't you, so of course you can re-join!!) The boys look soooo grown up, and very alike.  Hope all goes well with Jacks tests.


Afraid I can't really take the credit as it was Sweet Caroline who suggested it to me, and as I was moderating the board at the time I did set up the original thread - fab idea it was too  Seems so long ago now, and it's such a lovely thread 

Sorry to read that Thomas has been poorly, hope he's on the mend now. Sounds like he's doing fab otherwise  Have fun planning his Christening 

Stephanie - Heaps of luck for Monday  

Sarah - The changes from scan to scan really are amazing aren't they, even in such a small time. Sorry that you didn't have another little one in there, but very happy for you that your little bean is doing well.

Hi to everyone else 

Well, I'm another year older! Was my birthday yesterday and had a nice day. Didn't really do much though, as was working in the day and went for my usual step class and then for a run in the evening, followed by a relaxing 8 mins on the sunbed (only been twice this week, just to get a little healthy glow). Came home, put boys to bed and then dh and I settled down to a film and Chinese take away and birthday cake - yum! That was it really Was supposed to have gone out with the girls last Sat to celebrate (dh and I don't go out together as no babysitter ), but I couldn't make it last minute, so I think it's been re-scheduled for 5 May - something to look forward to 

Hope you all have a lovely weekend 

Love 
Jayne x


----------



## Marielou

Hello,

Having 5 mins at the PC to destress - my little monster has decided he doesn't want his nighttime BF tonight, he wants to bob on and off, and smile at me   so he's in his cot talking to himself, I'm sure I'll be up there in a bit to feed him!

Jayne - I love your avatar pic  - Happy Birthday for yesterday!   Film, chinese and birthday cake sound fab!

Wolla - OMG Thomas has _so_ overtaken Ethan - he can roll and thats about it! No sitting or crawling here, he's currently being referred to the hospital because he's dropped 2+ centiles (is 13lb 2oz so pretty small) which is worrying Mark no end, but I just think he's built like daddy - long and thin! 

SarW - Awwww I am soooo broody, hearing about scans makes me want to do it all again! Have you got any sickness or are you one of the lucky ones? (I only had nausea, and was sick once, but I would have killed for more symptoms!)

Stephanie - Best of luck for monday   I had an awful lot of bleeding weeks 4-13 and as you know, everything worked out fine. Its very, very worrying at the time though, isn't it?

Sam - Wow, I always an in awe when people get to 36 weeks (probably as I never did  ) - if it helps any, I only started to believe I was having a baby when the Dr exammined me when my labour started and said 'The head is right here' - I nearly fell off the bed, I was so suprised there was a head, and therefore a baby, about to be born!  

Debs - Awww, isn't Hannah gorgeous?! Stunning. 

ckbe - Blimey, July seems so close!!! Have fun painting the nursery!

Sam (going it alone) - How is the weaning going? We're only just entering week 3 and I'm really enjoying it so far, going to make some swede, carrot and pea tonight! He's on 2 meals daily, but am thinking of changing it from lunch/dinner to breakfast/lunch as he just wants mummy milk in the afternoons.

Right, better go, he's crying now!

Marie xxx


----------



## stephanie1

Hello

Jayne, Happy Birthday, Joyeux Anniversaire, Feliz Cumpleanos!!!     
At least you had a birthday cake! And a nice evening with DH. Will you go somewhere nice on the 5th of May?

Sarw, your little one is growing fast up to 18mm. It must have been nice to get to see it again and re-assuring. Do you have many symptoms? I have had today with Nausea on and off which reassures me a bit with last monday's scan.

Wolla, I hope that Thomas will be better soon.

Samm, how are you? Getting there........


Thank for all the support and I hope that everyone is having a nice week end, Sam with the girls this week end is great for walks and with the dog too.

Hello to everyone else

Steph


----------



## DiamondDiva

Good Morning Everyone,


Jayne - Happy Birthday, glad to hear you had a lovely day, Hope you get to go somewhere nice on Saturday.

Marie - I was a bit like you, didnt quite beleive it till i actually saw Hannah in person, its still hard to beleive we are not babysitting for someone.

Sarah - Congratulations,  Do you know when your next one is yet?

Wolla - Glad you got Thomas's christening sorted out, its so exciting, Thomas sounds like he's doing really well, hope he gets better soon.

Steph - Hope the scan goes well tomorrow.

Sam Mn- For me it didnt become real untill i actually saw Hannah in person   , i still think im babysitting for someone sometimes.

Sam - Had a wee look at the jars i bought and they both have added milk so they are useless, think i'll just get the boxes of the baby rice and porridge, think im going to start making extra veggies and freezing them for when Hannah starts weaning, need to get some of those little silicone cubes.


D.H has his last day at work on Friday, he was offered voluntary redundancy (after applying for it 3 times) not looking forward to having him at home till he gets another job, he always worked from home on a Friday anyway and i could never get anything done in the house, at least i'll have him to help me with the housework   .


Hope you all are well,

xdebsx


----------



## going it alone

Jayne - Happy belated birthday. Hope you get a good night out with the girls. Like you I struggle with babysitting so I tend to invite the girls round to mine now.

Deb - It's so annoying, I have boxes of food that I bought on offer and they have milk in. The mistake I made with Hipp was to buy Creamed Rice Pudding instead of Baby Rice. I suppose I could give them to Libby as only Amelie is intolerant. But at the mo I make up one bowl of food and feed them both from it. I need both hands as Libby ALWAYS has her hands in her mouth so I need a free hand so that makes it difficult to feed from two bowls. I am pureeing fruit and veg at the mo. Sweet potato is a big hit so far. Baby rice, not popular at all. The gagging gives it away! My freezer is full of tupperware containers with ice cubes of veg in. They are starting to get soooo excited whenever the bowl and spoons appear. I feel like a mother bird returning to the nest, the open mouths and the noise! Best of luck with DH

Marie - The girls are eating twice a day but we're not up to big meals yet, still getting used to tastes, textures etc. We're only ten days in. I tend to give them food around 10am and 4pm, usually between feeds. Will start to give bigger meals soon, and then they should take less milk. Children's nurse visiting tomorrow. She's from the health visiting team and comes to my house to weigh them etc. I'm in for a telling off as I've started weaning before she advised it, which was six months after their due date. There's no way Libby would have waited til the end of June. I thought the girls were going to be rolling by now as they have been trying for ages. Libby has made it from her back onto her side but neither can get past their shoulder. As for sitting up, Amelie is strong enough but can't do it unsupported. Mine hate being on their tummies on the floor so crawling will be a long way off. The only way they get tummy time is on someone's knee. At least they get to strengthen the muscles.

Sam - I've lost count of the times that I've looked at the girls and thought "are they really mine, forever and ever?"

Steph - congrats on feeling nauseous!!!! Fingers crossed hun

SarW - Congrats on the scan results. I really miss being pregnant.

Wolla - Thomas is really coming on. I can't wait til the girls can sit properly on their own. They'll only lie in your arms now if they are tired or feeding, even then they're trying to sit. Though there are times when Idread them being able to move. At least they stay wherever I put them at the mo. My friend's eldest twin could crawl beautifully, but only backwards! They would hear crying and find her stuck under the coffee table.

Love to all I've missed

Sam xx


----------



## stephanie1

Hello

Sam, weaning, I assume is no formula and real even if mashed food. Is this right? Your little ones are only 4 months old? This is very young? I am impressed.

Well, I had another scan, bean 1 is 19.5mm and with a heartbeat so nice. Bean 2 is definitively not viable and is now 3.5 mm from the 7mm last week. But hey 1 growing baby is fantastic and I hope it will stay until the end. As far as the internal bleeding area, it is still there and not gone out, it is even larger in length. So they asked me if I was resting, well I am working from home (and cheking FF site often) for another 10 days so that is good and they also said that I should expect some bleeding at some point. Whe this happens I will have to go to the hospital to get myself checked. 
At least it re-assures me as the scenario has been thought and it will not be too much of a surprise. I am sure the worry will be the same. When I came back I booked my dating scan for the 18th of May. Today's scan measures indicate that I am 8weeks and 4 days. 

Thanks for everyone support by the way.

Steph
Well enough said.


----------



## DiamondDiva

Steph, Glad everything went well, glad bean 1 is ok, sorry about bean 2, does that mean you will have a winter baby?


----------



## SarW

Is all this weaning a messy business?! I was told it tends to involve particularly orange foods....  

Sam...I hope you get on ok with the children's nurse tomorrow. 

Debs....I hope it goes ok with DH at home too. Sounds like you will have your hands full!  

Marie....No real sickness as yet.....Just a few nauseous feelings. I had awful cramps last night!.... Mainly excruciating wind   I was up for 2 hours bent double. Luckily It went away eventually. I think I ate my dinner too late.
How've you been doing? Are you feeling a bit better now? 

Jayne...Have loads of fun on May 5th!! 

Wolla...I hope Thomas has been a bit better lately. Great news that you've booked the christening! 

Steph....I'm glad the scan was reassuring. Did you get a good photo of your little one? It's great that you can work from home and rest. Can you go in the garden to work, and enjoy the sunshine?  

I've just been to see the GP today. She's been brilliant, and was so genuinely pleased to hear our news. She's been great all along the way, so it was nice to thank her. 
Unfortunately it was only a short appointment, so I now have an antenatal booking in appointment a week on Friday. It's apparently half an hour with the nurse and then some time with the GP. Plus, she said she'd notify the consultant and midwife. I feel quite good now that I've started the ball rolling... 

Hello to everyone else too! 

Love
Sarah


----------



## Jayne

Hi 

Steph - Sorry to hear about bean 2, but very happy for you that bean 1 is doing well   

Sarah - Enjoy your first proper antenatal appointment   Very exciting!   

Sam - Sounds like your girls  are doing great   

Debs - Hope your dh finds a new job quickly!  

Thanks for all the birthday wishes  

Right, best go get sorted in a sec as got step aerobics at 7.30.  

Love 
Jayne x


----------



## Marielou

We took Ethan to the park for the first time today - photos in my gallery! 

Steph - Have replied elsewhere, congrats on twin 1, but so sorry to hear about twin 2   
Weaning is introducing pureed foods to baby, alongside formula/breastmilk - milk still remains the main food in their diet until 12 months.  They recommend weaning at 6 months, but anytime from 17 weeks is ok.    You'll know all about this subject next year!  

Jayne - Oooh I really need to think about doing some exercise .... next week maybe 

Sarah - Its so surreal when you're getting appts with midwives, etc isn't it?!  I'm a lot better now, with the mastitis but I've still got the thrush in my breast which can be pretty sore!

Gah, gotta go, littleman needs feeding.  I've got an appt at the hospital today, re: needing restitching 'down there' - wish me luck!

Marie xxx


----------



## LiziBee

Marie - OUCH!  Hope that goes well. Enjoy the sings and sign classes, Rosa and I are in our second term and she really loves it now!

Steph - glad to hear that the big bean is OK, sorry little bean didn't make it.

Sam - stuck under the coffee table crying? That's my Rosa, she's still not managed forwar gear.
Re weaning, Embrace the mess!

sorry for the short post, R is having trouble sleeping and so I need to get to bed now!
Lizi.x


----------



## going it alone

Hi all

Steph - great to see that bean 1 is doing so well.

SarW - for me at the mo it is a lot of orange, but that's because I've started with sweet potato, I'm going onto carrot tomorrow. You can choose which veg/fruit you use but root veg are best for the first tastes so I could have chosen potato, parsnip, swede etc which would have been better camoflague! As for the food being orange - it retains it's colour, even after going through the body! My first orange poo made me laugh, as we changed them for swimming yesterday. Amelie gets so excitied that she flaps her arms as the spoon gets near, often knocking the spoon up her nose. Enjoy every appointment. It's nice that you get a booking appt with the GP. All of mine were done through the midwife and she was not the nicest person. Hope the wind improves, it can be soooo painful. 

Lizi - Where do you go for sing and sign? I won't be able to go myself as I return to work in three weeks   but I'm interested about that sort of thing. As we sign at work it becomes second nature, I find it tough to sing without signing and have always planned to sign as early as poss with the girls. I forgot what I'd written in my last post so it took a while before the coffee table comment hit home!    

Steph - Children are born with a supply of iron which depletes after six months. With premature babies you are advised to wean six months after their due date. But unfortunately with premature babies the iron can become depleted before six months so they sometimes need weaning earlier. So you have to go with your baby. Mine had been sleeping through the night for ages, they suddenly were waking twice in the night and taking 8 bottles a day, instead of 5/6. I would have liked to go til June before weaning them but they had other ideas. 

Marie - I remember the pain of thrush. Not nice. As for the restitching, I think I'd prefer thrush!

All went well with the nurse, she said that the girls were ready for weaning and that as I'm taking it slowly they should be OK. Since our last appt she has been advised about the prem babies with the iron so was ok. They are growing well. Libby is 14lb 5oz now and Amelie is 15lb 11oz and both are doing well developmentally, so can't complain.

Jayne - well done with the step aerobics. I really should do something soon. All I'm doing at the mo is walking.

I'm off to bed now.
Love to all

Sam xx


----------



## Marielou

Sam - My nurse was so not up to date about prem babies, she didn't have a clue about weaning them (and wasn't all that up to date with weaning a full term baby, I'd imagine!) - I had to get all my advice from a friend of mine who used to be a neonatal nurse, as well as researching online.  Ethan's not 6 months corrected yet, but we started 6 months after his birth as he was getting hungry by then. Wow, your girls sounded like they were very hungry, 8 bottles a day?! Are they back to 5/6 now? Ethan's still waking in the night so that dispells that myth! 
The girls sound like they are growing very well!

Lizi - I'm so looking forward to the sing and sign! Do you use the signs in everyday life? I just bought him a new baby einsteing dvd, called first signs which is great!

The appt yesterday went okish, I don't need restitching so thats good news, bad news is the problem is mental (as in, its in my head!) and I know its due to problems we've been having. Been referred for councelling and back to see the consultant in 6 weeks. I'm so glad someone is finally listening to me! (hopefully Mark will join in soon  )

Marie xxx


----------



## stephanie1

Hello

Sam, your girls seem to be growing fast. Have you found someone to look after them when you will go back to work? How difficult/easy was it? My mum feels that I should already be looking and I feel that first I have to go to term. 

Marie, it is good news that you do ot need stitches and I hope that you will feel better soon and with time who knows. Talking feels good so if you need to see a counsellor it can be useful. They usually just ask the right questions to make you think and you get to the answers by yourself.

SarW, hope your gaz will pass, I am finding that each day is different symptomswise. At the moment my breasts are less painfull.

LiziBee, hope you have had a good sleep.

Jayne, Aerobics, was it your first class or you have been going for a while. I am  a very sporty person which is tough at the moment as I am stuck to the sofa (for good cause). But I miss playing tennis and golf! Will go swimming and cycling once the internal bleeding has gone one way of another.

Samm? Where are you? I hope you are well? 

Hello to Dens and anyone else I have missed.

Steph


----------



## MoodyCat

hi girls

ever the bargain hunter, thought i'd post it on here for everyone!

we can get free nappies if you follow my link and sign up.

http://www.freenappies.co.uk/free-nappies-club/signup.php?1857

MoodyCat
xxxxxxxxxx


----------



## sam mn

hi ladies 

sorry not posted in a few days. life seems to be forever hectic. how i managed to fit work in i shall never know  .

sam hope the weaning is going well.

sar glad all good with 8wk scan.

jayne a v belated happy bday.

steph hope you are resting up. sorry to hear about bean 2, but glad all going well with bean 1.

marie    re comment about when it felt really.

hi to all, hope you are all enjoying the sunshine with your bumps or babies.

my MW appt today as left me feeling  . my fundus measurements havent changed in 4wks. she said oh nothing to worry about, probably got them wrong last time. she is such an old cow. doesnt think this would actually scare the pants off me that babe is not actually growing. but she is not concerned and doesnt want to see me till 2wks time. everything else is ok appart from bp being low, oh and baby still back to back. head is engaged. i just want to know our baby is safe and sound. and cant wait till the day i can hold them in my arms.

sam
xxxx


----------



## Jayne

Hi  

Sam mn - Big   for your midwife appt today.  I know it's easier said than done, but please try not to worry about your measurements.  Those tape measures cause no end of concern for so many - I personally think they should be outlawed! Mine were always out by LOADS and I have read so many posts on the boards of the same sort of thing and babies go on to be perfectly healthy. Your midwife doesn't sound particuarly caring or understanding, which is so sad as a good bit of support from her right now is probably all you need to help ease your worries. It may also be (although I'm no expert) that now bubbs head is engaged the fundal height will be lower (hence cancelling out the growth measurement from the outside) as she/he's dropped into your pelvis. I'm sure all is well and you will hold your babe in your arms.  Hate to say it though, the worrying doesn't end there!    
  
Marie - Lovely pics of Ethan's first swing   Great news about not needing re-stitching.  Good luck with the counselling.  

Sam - Walking is fine   It's hard fitting in exercise with young babies.  I didn't manage it until Jack turned 18 months and Ben turned 2!  All in good time  

Steph - Yes, your lack of activity is definitely all for a good cause.  Plenty of time to get back to all that    Although I can imagine, despite the good cause, it's frustraing being inactive when you're used to high levels of activity.  Since a teenager, I've always done aerobics, step aerobics, circuits, powermax, etc. and a bit of running as well.  Although during the time of having the boys (so for the past 7 years really) I did let it all go to pot quite badly, stopped exercising and gained a lot of weight   Lost a lot before getting pg each time, but gained a lot afterwards each time too    Think I've got it under control again now and have lost 6 stones since Sept 05 - though would like to lose another 3.5 to get to the middle of my ideal weight range.  Nowadays I do an exercise class 5-6 days a week and do my running either side of that, having 1-2 full rest days a week. Have done that consistently now for about 18 months, so it's a well set habbit, which I love   

Got yukky sore throat and cold which started today - ewwww.  I HATE colds!  Suppose everyone does though really don't they    

Right, best take myself off to bed.  

Love 
Jayne x


----------



## Marielou

Just a quick one - I've added the photos we had done of Ethan proffessionally to the gallery - I LOVE them so much!  Got to get some lovely frames now!

Marie xxx


----------



## DiamondDiva

Marie - Ethans pics are gorgeous, glad you dont need re-stitching.

Sam - I have never had a fundal measurement, i asked a couple of MW's about this and the both said that everyone is different shapes and sizes and how its not very accurate anyway.

Jayne - OMG, i knew you'd lost weight but not that much, congratulations.


xdebsx


----------



## LiziBee

Jayne - wow on the weight loss! I was feeling proud that I only have one stone to go until my pre-preg weight but that only means I've lost 2 stone which is nothing by your standards!

Marie - so pleased you don't need a restitch. Good luck with the counselling. It's good you are being offered that approach, I was told to get drunk!

sam - I was always way out, it is hugely in accurate.

Sam P - I started Rosa at 6mths. I do wonder if it was a bit soon as she is so much more into the classes this time but on the other hand the signs she does do are REALLY helpful. There are classes on a Saturday if you are interested (I think they might even be in Ansty!) Did you hear that LeicesterEBP have picked up a £10,000 grant to spend on special schools in the city, should be good news for your place!

Hope everyone remembers to get out and vote today!
Love and hugs to all
Lizi.x


----------



## SarW

Hurray! I've just managed to put our 8 week scan photo in the ultrasound gallery. My friend said it looks like a Jelly Baby...Which I think is actually quite true.....

X


----------



## sam mn

thanks ladies for your coments and support. i ended up calling my MW friend who works in the day assessement unit. she organised a scan for me and all is fine with bertie. should be an average size babe, 7 1/2-8lbs she reckoned.

jayne sorry you have cold. hope your feeling better soon

marei love ethans pics.

sam
xxx


----------



## Jayne

Hi  

Sam - Glad you got some reassurance with the scan   Lovely estimated weight  

Marie - Off to gallery in a sec, but loving the avatar and ticker pics  

Lizi - Ahh yes, but you didn't become the  piggy  that I did   So your weight loss is great  

SarW - Awww, lovely 'jelly bean' pic  

Got proper 'man flu' now!    Hoping to feel a bit better by tomorrow evening though as off out for the evening with the girlies for a few drinkies and a boogie!    

Have a lovely bank holiday weekend all  

Love 
Jayne x


----------



## LouisandPhoebe

Hello can we join you

My partner is pregnant with our second child from an anonomous donor at the Oxford fertility unit.  It is sibling sperm so it is still anonomous.  She is due in 10 days!!! so excited.

Love Charlie, Lee, Louis and pickle


----------



## lucky2010

*Charlie*, I can't believe Lee has only 10 days to go.... how exciting!! Are you all prepared? Is Louis excited? Do you now the sex of pickle?

Rach x


----------



## LouisandPhoebe

No we dont know if its a Jake or a Ruby but the midwife thinks its a boy down to the heart beat being less than 140 all the time.  Lee only finished work last night so not very prepared - Louis is he keeps saying "Baby coming soon"!!.  I cant wait to be a family of 4 - my dad is so excited too, bless him.

How are you feeling?

Lee has just gone to get a curry so it may help her along the way.  Lee is having the baby in the local community hospital - water birth so i hope it all goes to plan as i had an emergency c-section with Louis at the main hospital in Oxford (JR) but went straight to the community hospital once Louis arrived ( were not into all the hussle and bussle)


lots of love
x


----------



## Marielou

Charlie - I remember seeing you post about your BFP!  Wow, where does the time go?!!  - Ethan's hb was always 150-160bpm, so he was the exception to the rule   Mind you, it did sound like a train, which they say is a boy (galloping horses for a girl) 

Best of luck for the birth, hope the curry got things moving!

Marie xxx


----------



## stephanie1

Hello

just wanted to say good luck CHarlie and Lee for the future new arrival. I was always wondering aout water birth! 
Marie, my cousin has this theory that if you crave for salty things it is usualy that you will have a boy andif you crave savoury thngs a girl! So do you recon Ethan was following that rule? Girls what was your experience.


Samm, I am glad that you got to do a scan, it is the most re-assuring I am sure. I am havig to wait until the 18th of may ad I do ot feel much appart from being really tired and a bloated belly in the evening aas it is still early stages and I wish I could see that all is fine on demand.

Sarw: I like your picture, nice one


Jayne, I have been on weight watchers before I started treatments and lost 2 stones and I admire you for the amount you have lost it is a great achievement. 


Hello to Debs, Sam, LiziBee and everyone else I missed.

Steph


----------



## sweetcaroline

Hi All

I keep reading the thread but don’t have time to respond - will try to have a catch-up.

Steph, sorry to hear that bean 2 isn’t viable but great news that bean 1 is doing well.  I saw a programme recently which said that lots of pregnancies start off as twins but only one embryo continues to thrive; I guess one of the drawbacks of early scanning is that parents are aware of their loss whereas in the past they would never have known.  

Jayne, it’s so lovely to hear from you again and to see up-to-date photos of the boys and one of you too!  Jack and Ben really do look like you.  I’d always pictured you as a blonde… oh have just noticed you’ve replaced yourself with a green worm!  Hope you’re feeling better and managed to have a fun night out.

Charlie, welcome to the thread - not long til your precious cargo arrives.  Sebastian’s heart rate was similar to Ethan’s, which suggested we were having a girl; I love all the speculation, old wives’ tales etc when you don’t know the sex of the baby!  Jake and Ruby are lovely names.

Sam, great news about your scan and a reassuring estimated weight.  

Marie, love the new photos of Ethan.  I’m sure we have exceptionally cute babies on this thread…

Lizi, we go to sing and sign classes too (Tiny Talk).  I have to admit I don’t bother with the signs at home, only really obvious ones like ‘all gone’, but Seb is starting to say lots of words now.  Fridge, cheese and zip are his latest, none of which I know the signs for!

Sam, sounds like Libby and Amelie are doing fantastically well.  With twins to look after, I’m not surprised you’re ‘only’ managing walking!  I thought I was quite fit from walking, carrying Seb round etc but last week I decided to do a workout DVD.  It nearly killed me!  I need to lose half a stone or so but my willpower for dieting is rubbish and I keep finishing Seb’s leftover food.

SarW, you asked me ages ago about Center Parcs - yes we went to Longleat.  I’ve not turned into a huge Center Parcs fan but we’re going to one near Amsterdam in July as we’re going away with my parents, brother and nephew and there should be something for everyone.  Plus Sophie is very interested in Anne Frank so we’ll be able to visit her house.

Seb has started walking this week - still only 5 steps at a time as he then reaches out and falls into the arms of whoever is going ‘Come on, you can do it!’  All the other babies in our group have been walking for a while but he will still beat Sophie who was 18 months!

So many people keep saying to DH that Seb doesn’t look a bit like him.  Some say he looks like me, which is ok, but to say ‘He doesn’t look a bit like you’… I would never have said that even before all this IF business, it would sound like an insinuation that their wife has been cheating!  I know it gets to DH;  he absolutely adores Seb and has no regrets, he just wishes he was Seb’s biological dad and that we were never going to have to tell him otherwise.  

Gosh, I have to go:  Guernsey and Jersey playing football today, kick-off now but I was hanging on as Seb’s asleep, I said I’d wake him at 2.30 and meet the others there..  Have a great bank holiday everyone.

Caroline xxx


----------



## DiamondDiva

Hi Everyone,


Charlie & Lee - Hello and Welcome, not long now.

Marie - I love Ethans new pics.

Jayne - Hope you had a fab time on Saturday.

Sam - Hope you and the girls are well.

Wolla - Hope you and Thomas are well.

Sarah - How are you and Charlotte?

Anne - How are you and Oliver?


We have a new houseguest at the moment, my Step-brothers dog Prada is staying with us for the time being, he and his D/W have split and theres no-one to look after the dog, its Weimaraner like Willow, we have her for the week and then will decide if we want to keep her or not, i think we will though, she's a lovely dog.


Hope you all are well,

xdebsx


----------



## sam mn

debs love the name of your brothers dog. hope the new addition to the family fits in well

caroline i agree i would never say that about somebodies child not looking like there parent. it must be so hurtful for your dh. sending you and him some  . how exciting that seb is taking a few steps now.

charlie not long now for your dp. hope all is going well. thought i would be next on this thread  

jayne hope the man flu has gone  

as for me not much to say. lots of aches and pains. lower back pain and af type cramps but nothing else, so think this littleone is staying comfy for awhile longer yet. sadly my nan passed away last wk. she was so excited about meeting our littleone. although she had dementia she had some understanding of all our difficulties. i feel v sad she will never get to meet our littleone. if bertie turns out to be a girl we are going to give them my nans name as a middle name.

sam
xxxxx


----------



## nismat

Hello all, 
Afraid that I've been MIA for far too long now - Toby is 2 months old today! Can't believe quite where the time has gone. I don't think that it's really going to be possible for me to catch up on all the posts I've missed   Internet time is one of the things that has gone by the wayside in the last 9 weeks. 

We're a lot more settled as a family, and have something approximating a routine (although it changes from day to day!). Since last week I've been managing to put Toby to sleep in his Amby hammock in our room after his bath and evening feed, around 7.30-8pm, and with the help of his pink noise CD, he tends to go off to sleep straight away. Prior to this, I was keeping him downstairs so that Karen could see him when she got in from work (often not before 8pm), but he just won't settle in his pram, and would only go to sleep if we held him, so I think that this is much better in terms of him getting quality sleep. We wake him for a feed again (expressed milk which Karen gives via a bottle) at around 10.30-11pm, and he then usually sleeps thorugh till about 2am. However, after that feed, he often doesn't settle again for more than an hour, so our nights are distinctly lacking in decent stretches of sleep! Things look to be possibly improving however, as the last 2 nights we've had 2 lots of 3 solid hours each night. Hope he keeps it up! I'm pretty much beside myself with exhaustion though; daytime naps just don't really seem to happen, or when they do, it's never enough to catch up. And yesterday and today I've been laid low with a tummy bug - sickness yesterday, and chronic diarrhoea today. Lovely   I'm a bit worried how it will affect my milk, as I've scarcely eaten anything (although I'm keeping well hydrated), and what I've eaten doesn't seem to be being digested! At least I've got some spare expressed milk in the freezer, so I'm planning to give Toby some of that later, as it will probably be more nutritious than what I'm producing now. 

Illness aside, we're having some lovely times together now that he's interacting more with us. The smiles aren't plentiful, but all the more special when he graces us with them   And I love all the gurgling and cooing   We started a baby massage class a couple of weeks ago which is good - we often don't get to do much at the class as Toby seems to consistenly want feeding at the start of the class, even though it's not his "normal" time, but we've been practising at home, and he seems to like it most of the time. It helped a lot with some wind issues initially too!   We've already got our names down for a sing & sign class in September, when he'll be 7 months old, so hopefully receptive to it all. That seems like an age away now though. 

Hi to everyone - I have been thinking of you in my absence from the boards (and huge congratulations to those with new pregnancies since I was last on here). 
Wishing Charlie, Lee & Louis lots of love for the upcoming arrival of young Pickle - will be thinking of you all  

Tamsin & Toby


----------



## Marielou

Hiya,

Tamsin - Lovely to hear from you! You have anAmby Hammock?! I'm jelaous!  The smiles are fab, arn't they?!  We're starting sing and sign classes next month, can't wait!

Sam - I'm so very sorry to hear of your nan's passing       I was so scared of losing one of my grandparents while I was pregnant, I can only imagine your sadness.  I think its a lovely idea to give Bertie her middle name if s/he's a girl. 

Debs - Two dogs?!    Do they get on?  My hubby loves Weimaraner's but he know's there's no chance!  

Caroline - Fab news on Seb walking!   - and   to those people who make remarks about him not looking like DH!    How rude, whatever the situation is.  

Steph - I craved fruity chewy sweets at one point, and mostly apple pies etc - so it didn't work for me! But, I do recall getting Mark to drive to Mcdonalds and get me some fries with LOTS of salt one evening!  

I've had the most lovely day.  There's been a big  family row and it really took off this morning and I spent a lot of the time crying, I even locked myself in the bathroom sobbing until I could hardly breathe while Mark looked after Ethan so he didn't have to see it.  Anyway, I decided to have a shower to calm down while I was there, and then came out and had lunch with Mark and Ethan.  We were having our photos done this afternoon for 'The Sun' (they saw the article in the local paper about Ethan and wanted to cover the IVF story for sun woman) and I was just saying I looked minging etc when there was a knock at the door.  There was a hair and make-up lady stood there, what a fab suprise!  She was lovely and did my hair all lovely and then did my make-up - I felt like a princess!  It really was lovely, and she's done hair and make-up for a lot of stars so I got some fab celeb gossip too!  Sooooo different to having your photo done for the local paper!  The photographer was great too and she was doing my hair between every shoot, and touching up my make-up.    It was all chanel stuff too, gorgeous! 

Oh yes, she was really fab and I told her we were thinking about getting Ethan in a modelling agency, she works for a few and has put us in touch with them, very handy person to meet! 

Marie xxx


----------



## stephanie1

HELLO

Tamsin I am glad that Toby is settling ang growing. Great picture.

Marie, soyou will be famous, when is the article coming out so we can buy the paper, it is the Sun, I did not imagine you on page 3 again so soon after Ethan!!!!!!    

Debs, I hope the dog will be happy with you guys.

Samm I  had a look at your ticker this morning - 16 days left (WOW).

SweetCaroline, I read your comments on your comments from people, that must be hard and I am sure you would want to shout why but for DH it is not so nice. Hoepfully this will pass... mmm I do not know what to say and how I would react but have thought of it.

I guess the next baby will be Lee's and Charlie

Jayne, hope you are beating that flu.

Sarw, how are you, I have had twinges at the bottom of my belly and I am believing that it would be the uterus growing. When is your dating scan?

LizzieBee, hope the elections result were fine for you.  It has been a full month for me and a smile on Sunday. I did not want a president who is against embryo research like Segolene Royal.

how is everyone else I have missed?

As for me counting the days down to may the 18th for my 11 wks dating scan.

Steph


----------



## sarahjj

Hi

Steph - good luck for your dating scan - not long to wait for it now! 

Marie - Wow - let us know when to look out for you in the Sun. Bet you look fabulous. Glad you had some nice pampering after having a tough time with your family. Hope all is getting better now   Good luck with the baby modelling - Ethan is a little star!

Tamsin - hope you are feeling better soon. glad Toby doing well. Hope the sleep routine gets better soon  

Sam mn - sorry to hear about your nan. Hope you are doing OK. 

Debs - hope Hannah doing OK and good luck with your new houseguest - what does Hannah think of him?

Caroline - great that Seb is starting to walk   How mean for anyone to say he doesn't look like DH   Whenever anyone comments on who Charlotte looks like I just say she just looks like herself, but follows DH in personality - especially when tired or hungry 

Charlie & Lee - all the best for your imminent arrival     

Jayne - hope your flu is better now. Yes, I'm going back to work full time from next week   Charlotte will be starting at nursery. We have had some settling in sessions and she has been quite happy so I'm sure she will be fine, but I will miss her so much 

Hi to Lizi, Wolla, SarW, Sam & all I've missed 
Sarah
x


----------



## LouisandPhoebe

Hi everyone

Thank you so much for all your nice wishes for the safe arrival of pickle who has  less than 5 days officially to stay cosy in Lees tummy!.  Tamsin its fantastic to hear from you and your boy is beautiful.  I am slightly worried about the sleep / work thing as i am knackered at the moment with louis and work.  I am full time now with 26 4 year olds to teach and look after and they take it out of me.  Louis has had chicken poxs this week and all i can hear on the monitor at night is "mama, mummy ichy ichy" he is so good with them but he is covered from head to toe.  He goes to nursery one day a week and adores it ( would let him go for more days but at £40 a day its a bit steep) but is so sad he cant go this week. We made Thomas cakes and painted pictures today to try keep his mind of the spots.

Lee is so excited about the birth of pickle and every little twitch and pain is labour!!!

Louis was accepted by a fantastic model agency in London - Urban Angels but with work and ivf and the journey to london we have not done anything about it.  Whats your article about in the sun?

Lots of love to everyone and i am sorry for lack of personals but have just finished planning for tommorows lessons and realised i have to be up in 7 hours.

Night night

Love Charlie
xxxx


----------



## DiamondDiva

Hi Everyone,


Marie - you'll need to let us know when you are in the Sun, how lovely having your hair and makeup done.

Charlie and Lee - OMG i hadn't realised how close you were to your EDD, hope Louis gets better soon.

Sarah - Hannah seems to be ok with the 2 dogs, she must be seeing double, 2 weimis instead of 1, Prada was licking her feet this morning the way Willow does so looks like she has settled in, she has separation anxiety though so we might have to get a dog behaviourist involved with her but we are going to try to re-train her 1st though, sorry you have to go back to work, are you going back full time?  I'm due to go back next month (6 months up already) but am leaving it till the end of the year, the only good thing is that i still have 8 weeks holidays left so might not actually need to go back till the beginning of next year, the other good thing is that my company do a "Phase Back" which means that i'll just start off by doing a couple of hrs a week and continue building up my time over 3 months, best of luck.

Steph - I used to do that too, i counted in working days though as it didnt seem so long to the scan that way.

Tamsin - I cant beleive Toby is 2 months already, its so lovely that both Karen and yourself can have your own special time with him.

Sam - Sorry to hear about your nan, Hannah was my grans name and Susanne is Ed's 2 grans names (susan and anne).

Caroline - You must be so proud, i cant beleive that someone could be so thoughtless to say that Seb doesnt look like him, its so rude.  

Jayne - Hope you feel better soon.


We are going into town today and having a day out while Ed has the time, going to pop into work for a little while (my life wouldnt be worth living if they'd found out i was in town with Hannah and didnt go in to see them) i also need to get cards to make invites for my wee brothers 30th birthday (how old do i feel now!)


Hope you all are well,

Big   to everyone,

xdebsx


----------



## going it alone

Charlie and Lee - Hope Louis starts to feel better soon, at least he has the pox while he's young, not what you need right now though. On the up side, better now than while Pickle is a newborn. Best of luck. I teach too and will go back a week on Monday, full time til the summer and then for four days. Absolutely dreading it. Love being a full time mum but food and mortgage also important!

Sam - So soory to hear about your nan. If I had a boy he was going to Benjamin William after my grandad who I wasn't lucky enough to meet.

Will catch up on personals later

Love from 
Sam xx


----------



## viviennef

Hi.

Just popping on to say hello. I've been without a computer for ages and it's now finally been fixed. I missed this site so much!

Things are fine here except for Daniel having diarrhoea for nearly a week so I'm taking him to the docs tomorrow. He's going to be a year old in a couple of weeks. Where did the time go! He's so funny. Everytime Teletubbies comes on he stands at the TV and sways in time to the music  

Sorry for lack of personals but it's taken ages to catch up on what's been happening.

Viv xxx


----------



## Jayne

Hi all  

Just a quick post from me as I need my bed zzzzzzzz  Will do personals soon.  

Went out last Sat night with the girlies for a belated birthday celebration, and it was just one of those really excellent nights, that just flow and you never want to go home.  Got very drunk and had a cracking hangover Sunday, but it was worth every second as it was such a good night out!  Went to a place where they play mostly 80's stuff and the dance floor is like the old light up, perspex squares, and they had black balloons all over with 'Wham!' printed on them.  It was VERY cheesy, but absolutely superb! Lots of singing to things like Bon Jovi's Living on a Prayer and Guns n Roses Sweet Child of Mine, etc.  Most people in there were probably mid 30's to early 50's I'd say.  The place had a really good vibe to it as well, with friendly door staff and great drinks prices - definitely not a pulling joint! (which I hate).  However, that said, I am very flattered to say that I did pull!    Didn't do anything above and beyond a bit of flirting and dancing of course, being the happily married lady that I am, but it was ultra flattering!  He was gorg too! (or was that the beer goggles? hmmmmm ........ nah, he was gorg!   ).  

Not doing much this weekend really.  Was supposed to go out last night to town for a few drinks with friends, and again tonight for someone's 30th birthday, but ducked out of them both due to not really feeling 100% with this everlasting cold!  Got sinusitus and a cough now too    Don't normally suffer to badly with colds - few days and it's done, but this one is 11 days now and making me feel lousy.  

Might take Jack to Cardiff Bay tomorrow to see the Dr Who exhibition. He's seriously into Dr Who at the moment.  Only started to let him watch this series and he's not in the slightest bit scared.  I used to hide behind the sofa at the daleks!  I think technology is all around us so much now though that the daleks just aren't as scarey to children now as they were when we were kids.  Anyhow, he's got me recording all the last series that's being repeated at the moment on UKTV Gold and he's watching it over and over and over again.  He's got books, magazines, posters, collecting cards, sonic screwdriver, etc. galore and is really boring me to death with it all    I like the TV show to watch for an hour once a week, but that's about it.  The boy is obsessed!    (gutted tonight's episode is cancelled for flippin Eurovision!   ).  

Love to all 
Jayne x


----------



## sam mn

just a quickie and sorry for lack of personals.

started having small leak yesterday, wasnt convienced it was anything as been having discharge all wk. also back pain was getting worse. contacted labour ward today and they asked us to go in. was expecting to be told all was well etc and be sent home to wait. but apparently hind waters have been leaking. so cos of risk of infection we are due back into hospital tommorrow at 8am to start induction. im in total shock. really thought bertie was going to be late. cant believe we will be seeing our baby soon. disappoined that we wont be able to have water birth etc. but just want our littleone with us safe and sound.

thanks to evryone throuhgout txt and pg for there support. dont know what i would have done with out you all. 


sam
xxxx


----------



## DiamondDiva

Sam - Very best of luck for tomorrow, its so exciting.

Jayne - Glad you had a fab nite out, did you go to Cardiff Bay?

Viv - Hope Daniel is better now, cant beleive he's almost a year already.


Just a quickie just now.


xdebsx


----------



## struthie

Good luck Sam xxx


----------



## Colly

Good luck Sam. I'm looking forward to hearing all about bertie.

love Collyx


----------



## DiamondDiva

FOR NEWS ON SAM - LOOK HERE - http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=95380.0


----------



## blueeyes

Hi there
Please can I join you. 
I’ve been thinking of joining you for a while but keep getting anxious about aches and pains and I have an enormous fear of things still going wrong. 
But I am 17 weeks now and bump growing rapidly so would like to join you. The twins are due 19th oct so I hope they hang on in there and don’t come too early!
So good to read posts from all the familiar names from icsi/donor sperm thread.
Love 
Blueeyes	
xxxxxxxx


----------



## sarahjj

Debs - thanks for the link to Sam's news!

Sam - congratulations on the birth of Nathan John!       

Hi blueeyes - congratulations on your BFP & welcome to the thread!

Jayne - hope you are getting over your cold now. Sounds like you had a top night out!  

Viv - hope Daniel is getting better now. Wow - almost a year old now. It flies by! Are you having a party for him?

Hi to everyone else

Sarah
x


----------



## viviennef

Hi,

Blueeyes - congratulations on your twins! I remember you from the donor sperm thread. I'm so happy for you. Are you going to find out the sex of the babies?

Sarah - how are things with you? We're not having a party as we had a huge party for Jamie's first and it was a lot of hard work and he didn't appreciate it one bit! I'm taking next Thursday off work to spend the day with Daniel and on the Sunday we're going out for lunch with mine and Jason's parents plus my brother whose birthday is the same day as Daniels. 

Jayne - nice to see you back on this thread. Have you told the boys anything about the donor situation yet?

Things are fine here. Can't think of anything to get Daniel for his birthday as we have loads of toys already and plenty of clothes. Any ideas?

Hi to everyone else,

Viv xxx


----------



## nismat

_Congratulations *Sam * and DH on the birth of your little boy, Nathan John _               

Welcome to the thread *Blueeyes*, and congratulations on your twin pregnancy. It won't be long now before you start to feel your babies (if you haven't already), and I found the movements very reassuring after the early stages when you can't be sure of what's going on 

I'm off to Peterborough today to go and get Toby his first passport! We've booked a last-minute break to Mallorca, travelling out a week on Saturday, so we've got to use the Fast Track service. His photo, which I had done at Snappy Snaps, looks so cute. He co-operated really well and is looking straight at the camera, eyes wide open. He looks a lot older in it than his 9 weeks, but I daresay it won't bear much resemblance to him by the time it expires in 5 years. It seems like a real milestone, a first passport. Didn't expect to be getting it for him quite yet!


----------



## LiziBee

Congratulations Sam!!
Lizi.x

(sorry, uber busy, will do personals soon!)


----------



## sarahx

Hi ladies,

I haven't been around for ages!! , well about 6 weeks to be precise as my twin boys are now 6 weeks old. Oh my God, it is just so tough . I just have no time at all. One of the boys, Tadhg ( tyg ) is good as gold , he can send himself off to sleep and sits and daydreams to his hearts content. The other,  Malachy is the complete opposite, basically he cries and sleeps . It is quite joyless at the moment with him. I have had tears of my own in the middle of the night from lack of sleep and frustration. It is the best experience but the most physically demanding experience I have ever had. I cannot believe I sat around on my a*se so much before ! 

It is so true what everyone one on here told me before , that the whole donor thing would just pale into insignificance when the babies arrived. It doesn't cross my mind and I was quite a worrier about it all. I used to worry about DP not bonding but I can honestly say that Malachy seems to prefer his dads company than mine!!!

Good luck to you all on here.. Can I ask if you have all joined the Donor conception network or are you thinking about it? ( I am for early disclosure ) 

Also, I keep trying to change my pic , so I can show you the boys but it won't upload, does anyone know why?

Sarah x


----------



## DiamondDiva

Hi Everyone,


Sarah - Cant beleive the boys are 6 weeks already.

Tamsin - Did you get Tobys passport?  Hope you have a fab holiday, your 1st as a family.

Viv - Cant beleive that Daniel is nearly 1 already, hope he has a very  , sorry cant help with the pressie.

Sarah - How are you and Charlotte?


Just getting ready to go away tomorrow, big Hello to Anne, Wolla, Marie, Jayne and everyone else, hope you all are well,


xdebsx


----------



## Lisa_P

Hello All

It's been a very long time since I've been on here. As you'll see from below, my quest to have a sibling for my gorgeous son ended with 2 bfn, a m/c and eventually Jan 07 BFP - with twins!! only to loose one twin at 12 weeks - still not sure that I've got over that one  

Why am I returning here after so long - I probably don't / won't admit that I'm pregnant, don't want anything else to go wrong. Feel very guilty about not talking to this baby, not doing the same things I did with my son. This baby is also concieved using a differnt donor (none of the other left!! anywhere!) and I'm terrified that it'll be so different that my son and lovely step daugther - at least if there was still twins then they'd have eachother and I don't know what to do or how to feel. Tried to speak to DH and he said it'll all be fine and I'm sure it will but I never had such worries / anxieties last time because I knew my step daugther. Has anyone had expereince of this? different donors?

Sorry for the moany message jsut wanted to see if anyone else has been 'here'

Congratulations to all of you on your BFP - enjoy and honestly, babies / children briing so much joy

will catch up soon

Lisa x


----------



## going it alone

SarahX - It is tough to begin with but it does get a lot better, very quickly. Soon you'll have two boys who will get comfort from the other one being there and you'll find that they settle a lot more quickly. Have you got them into a routine? I know it sounds barbaric at an early age but it was the saving of my two. I left it until they were around 12 weeks old but I soooo wish I did it sooner. Do you have a local twins club? PM me anytime. If it helps, I remember one night I had Amelie downstairs screaming, Libby upstairs screaming and I sat on the stairs sobbing. Amelie was like Malachey, either crying or sleeping for a while and Libby could sleep through about two hours of it and then she'd wake. Then she seemed to be change almost overnight.

Blueeyes - Congratulations and welcome. Don't let what I've just said to Sarah scare you, twins can be hard work but they can also comfort and keep each other company and therefore make it easier than having them one at a time.

Lisa_P - Welcome and congratulations on your BFP. I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your twin. Have you been able to talk to anyone about it, maybe a counsellor? Maybe that could help with the grieving process. Please don't take offense if you feel that I've spoken out of turn. I'm sorry but I've not had the same experiences - different donors. Maybe if you look at it from the angle of your son and step daughter have different biological parents yet it seems to me that you feel the same about them and love them as much as you could so why would you feel any different about your new baby? 

Debs - enjoy your time away, anywhere nice or have I missed that?

Sam - how are you getting on hunny?

Me post now - the twins both rolled over for the first time this week, Amelie on Friday and Libby today. So happy that it was this week and not next week when I'm back at work.

Love to all I've missed

Sam xx


----------



## stephanie1

Hello

sorry girls I could not post earlier but I have a full house with my parents ad frineds from Spain who dropped in at the last minute and could not get another date. 

Sam, it must have been nice to see both of them roll. I bet one will encourage the other too!!!

Debs, enjoy the holiday

Blueeyes, congrats and happy for you and twins!!! cool I always think with the donor conception having twis you know for sure they will have the same genetic father. 

As for me I got my dating scan Friday and baby did not like it as the lady was pushin hard on my bely we saw baby turning round and moving legs and arms. That made it so much more real for me after seeing that one had not survived and I feel more pregnant psychologically!  

How is everyone else? Hope you are enjoying this nice sunday! 

Steph


----------



## sam mn

just a quickie as ttyping one handed. nathan seems to be permanently latched to my chest  . after a rocky staart with feeding nathan now seems to have go the knack. im loving being a mum and sarah i agree with what you say re the donor issue paling into insignificance. my dh has been absolutely amazing and is a wonderful ndad, a complete natural.

thanks ladies for all your support through txt and pg. couldnt have done it witrh at you. hope to catch up properly once i get the hang of juggling 10 things at once  

sam
xxxx


----------



## stephanie1

Hello

Samm, thanks for the picture and the update.

All pleased for you

Steph


----------



## LouisandPhoebe

Hello everyone

Sorry we have not been on here for a long time but i just wanted to share our fantastic news with you.  After a 38 hour labour with no drugs Lee gave birth to a beautiful 9 4oz little girl.  We are calling her pickle still but we have narrowed our name choice down to Ruby Grace or Ruby Mae ( thought we were having a Jake Samuel !!!)  Louis adores his new sister and keeps wanting to help with nappies, baths etc.  

Hope everyone is ok sorry for lack of personals i promise to at the end of the week.  

Lots of love

Charlie, Lee, Louis and Ruby
xxxxx


----------



## viviennef

Hi,

Louismummy - congratulations on your little girl, have you decided on the middle name yet? 

Well, Daniel is now one year old today! I can't believe it, where did the time go! Took the day off work to spend some time with him and we're going out for a family lunch on Sunday.

Sorry, no time for any personals. Will catch up more soon,

Viv xxx


----------



## Marielou

Viv - OMG I totally forgot about Daniel's birthday   - have started a thread for him in parents place.   Hope he and you had a lovely day - did you do anything special?

Charlie and Lee - Congratulations on the arrival of Ruby!  What a lovely name! 

Sam - Nathan is gorgeous! Well done you! 

I'm so tired today, Ethan's been poorly and I haven't put him down all day.  

Off to finally relax,

Marie xxx


----------



## LiziBee

Booo! I posted during the week and it's dissapeared (same thing happened to another post I did elsewhere on the same session - strange!)

Viv - Congratulations to Daniel! I can't believe how fast our precious babies are growing!

Charlie and Lee - may congratulations to you too! (two?) Obviously I'd vote for Grace as the middle name!

Marie - Hope Ethan feel better soon.

Sam P - can't believe it's back to work time already. Still only a half term to do and then its the summer hols.

I was hoping to get into the garden today but i's been raining since we got up so that's out and I'm not going for a walk either  better find something to do or I'll go stir crazy!

Hope you are having better weather where ever you are!
Love 
Lizi.x


----------



## stephanie1

Hello


Congratulations to Charlie and Lee for the arrival of Ruby.    


Belated happy birthday to Viv's little boy Daniel  

It is raining my way too Liz and had Sister and Brother in law droping on their way for coffee with their 4 month old baby boy our nephew and we got to announce our news and ask lots of questions. It also looks like we will inhereit a few of his baby stuff. 

Have a good week end all!

Steph


----------



## DiamondDiva

Hi Everyone,


Marie - Hope Ethan feels better soon.

Viv - Hope Daniel Had a Fab 1st Birthday, did you think of something to get him?  its so hard when he already has loads of toys.

Steph - Its wonderful to tell people, i loved it and to see their faces when you told them, i always think its nice to have something that belonged to someone close to you, we have my god-daughters crib for Hannah.

Lizi - Hope the weather gets better so that you and Rosa can get into the garden.

Charlie, Lee and Louis - Huge Congrats on the safe arrival of Ruby.

Sam - Glad you got to see them roll over before you go back to work, hopefully it wont be long till the summer hols for you.

Tamsin - Hope you have a fab holiday.

Jayne - Hope you are well.


As usual we had a great holiday and are a bit sad to be back, Hannah has started to laugh properly now and its so funny to see, just need to get the washing done now though.


Hope you all are well.


xdebsx


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## LouisandPhoebe

Hi everyone
Thank you so much for all your lovely messages about our new arrival.  We have finally named pickle she is called Ruby Mae Piper.  We thought Georgie and Pheobe were lovely too so have been alittle unsure about the final name. 

Its been lovely having a new born in the family but lovely hard work with a big brother who wants to be involved with looking after the new baby.

Lee is really really missing having a bump and is ready to try again now but i would like to too!!!!!


This weather is pants though with so much indoor time and a broken boiler.

Hope everyone is ok 

Lots of love

from the four of us xxxxxxxxx


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## SarW

Wow! It's getting busy on here....I'm beginning to loose track with who's who, and what going on. It's been ages since I last posted. I had a couple of bleeding episodes, and kind of worried myself about posting over here. However, they now seem to have stopped, and we had our 12 week Nuchal scan yesterday. 

All was well, and it was just amazing. I've watched the DVD with DH twice since the scan. I think each time you spot something new. Everything was just fine with baby, and we're very much relieved. I'm hoping to relax a bit more now. We also had some 3d scanning done, but it didn't come out particularly well....DH thought baby's bum was it's head at one point.  
Hopefully I can post a photo of baby if I can persuade DH to get our scanner working. 

Steph...I hope you've got on ok today. Can;t wait to hear how it went! 

Charlie, Lee & Louis...Massive congratulations on the birth of Ruby! Such a lovely name! How're you all doing? Is Louis enjoying being a big brother?

Debs.....You can't have got much washing dry in all this rain..!   Whereabouts did you go away? I hope you didn't get rained on too much. We had a wedding on bank holiday sunday, and it was a complete washout....The wettest wedding I've ever been to.
It must be sooo cute seeing Hannah laugh. 

Marie...How's Ethan been? Is he feeling better now? 

Viv...Happy belated 1st Birthday to Daniel!! Did you have a lovely day on his birthday? 

Sammn....How's the juggling going?! Nathan looks so so cute! 

Sam (Going it Alone)....How're you doing back at work? I hope everythings working out well and the girls are settling into a new routine. 

Lisa....I just wanted to say many congratulations on your BFP! I hope things are settling down for you a little. It must have been so hard to loose a twin...I can only imagine. I do hope you are able to enjoy the rest of your pregnancy, and can relax a bit. 

Sarahx....How're you getting on with Tadhg and Malachy? It must be so hard to balance everything when you have 2 boys to look after. I really hope things are going well. Are the 2 boys still complete opposites?! 
As for the donor conception network thing, DH & I have decided to join, although haven't got around to emailing them yet. They seem to have quite a lot of reading material that could be very useful. I too would be for early disclosure, so I think anything is a valuable resource. I would love to hear if you do decide to join, and how you get on?

Tamsin....I hope you have had a fab time in Mallorca!! It certainly seems like the best place to be at the moment. Did Toby enjoy himself?.....It must be lovely to take them to the beach for the first time.

Blueeyes....How're the twins doing? I'm guessing you must be getting a bit of a bump now! 

Gina....How's everything going with you? It must be great to get past the 20 week milestone! Have you had you 20 week scan yet? 

Jayne....Did Jack enjoy the Cardiff doctor who exhibition? I must admit I do quite like to watch it, although can't believe how much merchandise there is! My little godson is only 3 and he's heavily into Spiderman. He's never seen the films, but has picked it up from nursery. He wants spiderman everything, and won't even wear anything but spiderman tops...I don't know how his mum copes getting him dressed in the morning! 

Lizi...How's Rosa doing? 

Tiff...How's bump with you too?! 

Well, not much else to report from me. I now can;t wait to get a bump! My trousers are getting a bit tighter, but not too bad. I saw the community midwife this morning who was great. We got on really well. I'm a part time gardener, and she was really keen to talk to me about work. It felt really good. 
She was here for an hour and a half, and discussed quite a lot.

Now the next appointment is at 15 weeks with the midwife for the AFP blood test. 

I hope I've not missed anyone, but I'm sure I probably have. 
Love to everyone,
Sarah
X


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## stephanie1

Hi 

just a quick update
baby OK
blood test really bad and my ratio of 1 to 258 due to my age (34) has gone to 1 to 112 so it looks like I will have to do the ammio ad I am gutted.  The issue apparently is due to an hormones which was low in my blood something to do with proteines.

Steph


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## viviennef

Hi,

Been without a computer for nearly a week now. Thanks for all your good wishes for Daniel's birthday. Can't believe my baby is one now. Had a nice time with the family. Daniel took his first steps yesterday but is still very unsteady.

Sorry for lack of personals but just trying to get through the boards quickly before Big Brother starts.

Stephanie - just wanted to say my friend was told her blood tests showed a high risk of downs and she had an amnio both times and both boys were absolutely fine. Since then I've heard loads of things about people getting the same type of results and everything has been fine with the babies. Hope that reassures you a little bit.

Viv xxx


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## going it alone

Hi girls 
Sorry it's a quickie from me
Basically, on Wednesday my mum went in to hospital to have some tests done on her heart after a scare on New Year's day. To cut a long story short the medication caused a minor heart attack. She's feeling fine and a bit of a fraud but she's got to stay in for some time, at least till Monday. I can't visit her much because I don't want to take the girls on to the ward.
I know this is going to sound strange but it's the little things that have got me upset this week. I am having a cr*p week all round. Lost my tax disc for my car so need to sort out forms to get a replacement and am having loads of problems getting my house advertised in the local paper. Firstly it appeared without the photo so I contacted them and they asked me to email another by Thursday, then with the worry about my mum it didn't cross my mind til today. It is supposed to be on their website too but that hasn't appeared yet either. Not good enough for £192!

Sorry for the me post. Will catch up soon

Love Sam xx


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## SarW

Has everyone had a good weekend? What fab weather! Really annoying after our wet wedding last weekend. 

I've had my first lot of morning sickness this morning!  It's been rather late at 13 weeks. I thought I'd narrowly avoided it. I just hope it's a one off. I think I've been pretty lucky so far.
Steph....My trousers are definately getting tight now! I bought my first pair of maternity trousers on Friday. They're a bit big at the moment, but nice to know I have something to wear when things really do become too much. I seem to be spending much of my evenings in my tracksuit bottoms... 
Have you decided on the amnio at the clinic you are currently at? I shall be thinking of you.

Sam....I really hope your mum's doing ok. Did they let her our today? I do hope so. Does she have to rest up when she returns home? 

Love
Sarah
X


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## Marielou

Hello,

Hope everyone's been enjoying the lovely weather?!  
Just to let you know, I'm in 'The Sun' tomorrow, in an article about IVF, feeling nervous and hoping its good! 

Sarw - Funnily enough, I had my first and only sickness at 12/13 weeks as well!  I remember running downstairs and being sick in the loo, and crying as I felt sorry for myself!    I also thought typical, its meant to happen before the 12 week scan, not after!  2nd tri for you now, how exciting!  

Stephanie - Just to let you know there were a few girls on the tri boards with me when I was pg who had very high results from their blood tests and now have healthy babies - have you booked the amnio?  Best of luck hun   

Sam - Hope your mum is doing ok - is she home now?  Sometimes its the small things that build up and make things seem 100x worse.  

Louismummy - Ruby Mae is a gorgeous name! Have you got some photos of her for us to see?!

Debs - Its fab when they start to laugh, isn't it?!  

Lizi - Hiya!  How is Rosa?

Marie xxx


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## stephanie1

Hi Girls

I must have forgotten to update you, I have decided to do the amnio, DH and I prefer to find out so I booked a second appointment at the FMC and with Dr Nicolaides himself as if I do it I prefer to get the best. I saw my MW this morning for normal checlk up and all was fine and we heard baby's heartbeat. That was great!!

Marie, you are popular with news papers!! Can you send us the lik when you have it.

Sarw, I have bought a pair of very comfy shorts from Blooming Marvellous and bought another one (the same) by mail order as I cannot find any other ones and need 2 pairs for the summer. 
For work I am still ok with my pre weight watchers suits!. I am off on hols at the end of the week for 1 week to Spain and I guess that at my return it will be maternity clothes!!

Samm, how is your mum? Did you sort everythig out with the estates agents? Are you moving area?

Viv, thanks for your feedbacks it did help a great deal and made me more confident. I think now that the amnio is OK to do and I am less worried. 

Hello to everyone else, I hope you all had a great sunny week end?

Steph


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## going it alone

Hi all
Mum is feeling fine, it seems to be me that has turned into a blubbering wreck. I think it kind of hit me tonight and now I can't stop crying! It was only a minor attack. The worrying thing is that as yet they are still baffled as to what it is that is giving her angins like symptoms. She was told she had angina 10 yrs ago, then had a test 5 yrs ago and was told it wasn't angina but they didn't know what it was - goodbye! Then she had a funny turn on New Years Day which is what lead to the tests. Now they're not sure if it was a heart attack or what is causing her symptoms. So she's stuck in hospital in the mean time. I'm scared that if they don't know what it is, they can't treat it. I also feel really guilty that I am worried about her having the twins. Before she was ill, she was having the twins now that I've returned to work. Now I don't know what to do because I'm worried that the twins will be too much for her. If she was well I know she could cope but they tire me out now. Basically I'm scared to let her have them because I want her to be well and I don't want her to fall ill whilst she's got them. I know that must sound so selfish but I can't help it.

As for the house - next topic please!!!!!!!!! Still not on the internet and she didn't have the decency to ring me back about it.

Steph - Best of luck with the amnio hun. Will be thinking of you.

Marie - What's it like to be famous?!?!?

SarW - Great to hear that you're growing out of your clothes. Let's hope that was the start and finish of the sickness.

Sorry but I have to dash, too many jobs on at the mo!

Love to all

Sam xx


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## DiamondDiva

Hi Everyone,


Sam - Glad your mum is feeling better, im sure she would let you know if it gets too much for her.

Marie - Loved your pics in the paper, the article was great.  I love hearing Hannah laugh, its so funny.

Steph - When is the Amnio, do you have a date yet?

Lizi - I cant beleive Rosa is almost a year old, bet you cant either.

Viv - How are you and the boys?  Hope you are well.


Sarah, Wolla, Anne, Tamsin, and everyone else, hope you all are well,

Hannah had her last lot of jabs this morning at the Docs, she was a wee star as usual and only cried for a few seconds, we have a communion on sunday and im really looking forward to it, it'l be the 1st time my family have seen Hannah since her christening.

xdebsx


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## stephanie1

Hello

Debs, that will be great to see the family with Hannah a bit older!
The amnio is the 27th of June thanks for asking.

Marie, I saw the paper earlier and it was a nice article and I think it is admirable to see your determination, sacrifices and in the end results!! Well done.

Samm, I am glad your mum is better and I kind of understand that you worry for her and I am sure for the twins too. It is only normal to worry about loved ones.

SarW, I was going to say that I avoided MS too and so far so good but since yesterday afternoon I have had very very mild period pain and I am hoping that is because baby inside is growing a lot on its 14th week. 
Did anyone else had similar symptoms at 13 weeks and a bit?

Hello to everyone else.

Steph


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## viviennef

Hi,

Deb - you'll be glad Hannah's jabs are over. Hope you have a nice time on Sunday.

Marie - got the Sun today just to see your article. You looked fab and Ethan is so cute!

Sam - you don't sound selfish at all. You just want the best for your mum and the twins. How often does she have them? Would it be possible for you to put them in nursery for some of the time you're at work so she's not got them too often although I know the cost of childcare is awful. Hope things improve soon.

Steph - best of luck with the amnio. I've heard of that doctor before. I'm sure he was on one of the baby programmes on Discovery Health.

Everything fine here apart from Daniel having a bit of a cold so it's snot central here. He's been coughing loads tonight so I think I might have a disturbed night tonight.

Hi to everyone else,

Viv xxx

Oops Steph you must have posted at the same time. I got niggles and pains at that stage and I think it's everything stretching a bit more now that baby is getting bigger.


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## nismat

Hi all, it's a shame that I missed reading posts yesterday and therefore seeing that it was the day to go and buy the Sun to see your article *Marie*! Hope you were pleased with it.

We're back from our holiday which went really well; we were a bit worried that we were taking Toby abroad too early, but he was actually really adaptable. He slept more during the day, and had shorter more frequent feeds, but he was generally very good, and we actually got to read our books and relax, as well as eat out most evenings without too much trouble. Don't suppose that willl be the case for too many future holidays!

Whilst on holiday, I stopped using the nipple shields that I've been using since early on (it was a forced change as I left them behind when we went out on a day trip!). I had been wanting to stop using them anyway, so it was a good thing, but hadn't had the courage. I started using them initially, partly because I was so sore, but also because I've got pretty flat nips and Toby struggled to latch on (especially as I was also fairly engorged of course early on). However, it seems much easier for him to latch on to the nipple now, although I have to support my breast from underneath usually. However, although I'm pleased that we've stopped using the shields (feeds are much quicker for one thing!), I'm really struggling with breastfeeding at the moment; it's so painful on the left hand side (this has been the case for a few weeks, even with the nipple shields). It's at it's worst when he latches on, when it's simply excruciating, but it's often still fairly painful throughout the feed. I went to the baby clinic yesterday, and got some helpful advice from the health visitor. Problem is, with having used the nipple shields for so long, Toby and I have both got in bad habits, and he just doesn't open his mouth wide enough, so he's chomping on my nipple. It feels rather like I'm having to start all over again with breastfeeding, but it's almost harder with bad habits to break. He's also wanting lots of feeds, especially at night. It was 1.45am, 4.10am and 6.30am through last night (which seems unfair when he's almost 13 weeks!) so sleeping isn't great either. At least we managed to go back to sleep after the last feed until 8.45am, so I don't feel altogether inhuman today. The 4am feed is just awful though, as he's too sleepy to feed properly, but still wants the milk. Very painful for me, and frustrating for us both. I honestly wanted to hit him by the end of the feed, he kept hurting me so much with repeated coming on and off the nipple. I know he's not doing it on purpose, but it's hard to be rational at that time of the night. Not good at all. I think that I'm going to have some formula to hand tonight in case I need it for that feed. I just hope that whole situation improves soon, as I really want to keep breastfeeding but I'm not sure how much longer I can if it carries on like this.

Sorry for the me post, feeling a bit down right now


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## viviennef

Hi Tamsin,

Sending you some big  .

Have you thought of seeing a breastfeeding counsellor. Marie would probably be able to tell you more about that but I've heard they are really helpful.

On the other hand, there's no point in making yourself miserable and suffering. It's a nightmare when you have such little sleep and everything seems worse. You could try giving Toby a bottle of formula for his last feed and it would probably help him to sleep longer and give you a bit of a break.

I know breastfeeding is best for baby but thousands of babies have just formula and are fine. You need to do what's right for you as well. A happy mum = a happy baby. You've done great to feed him yourself this far but it's got to work for both of you and you might find you're both happier giving formula.

Hope things improve for you soon.

Viv xxx


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## nismat

Thanks for the virtual hug Viv - I need it!

Not sure how I go about finding a breastfeeding counsellor - other than an NCT one. We met the local NCT one during our antenatal classes, and I didn't take to her at all; found her attitude most unhelpful, so I'm rather disinclined to call her, although I have considered it, and might still do so if I get really desperate. 

We have actually tried giving Toby formula for his last feed - it's always a bottle feed anyway (but usually with expressed milk), so that Karen can feed him - but it doesn't seem to make any difference to the amount of time he sleeps (or only about 15 mins anyway), so it doesn't seem worth it, especially with the resulting much smellier nappies! I gave myself a break from feeding on the left hand side today, and expressed from that side instead, so I'll have enough to give him a bottled feed during the night, and hopefully the "time out" for my left boob will mean that feeding from that side is a little bit easier tomorrow. 

I know that you're right about happy mother = happy baby, and that I shouldn't torture myself over the feeding, but I'm not yet ready mentally to "give up", despite the pain. I really want to persevere if I can. I'm holding on to the hope that this is essentially like starting breastfeeding all over again, and that the pain will therefore lessen over the next few days as my nipples toughen up. I really hope so!


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## lucky2010

*Tamsin*, I'm sorry you're struggling with the BF, sounds like bloody agong!! Obviously I have no practical tips as yet but I too wanted to send you a big hug, I hope last night was more tolerable.

Love Rach xx


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## LiziBee

Tamsin - well done on kicking the nipple shields. Try this link http://www.laleche.org.uk/ They were absolutely marvelous for me, really really helpful and so kind and generous with their time. The counsellor I saw spent hours with me and my friends teaching us and our babies to get a better latch. Find out the number for a local counsellor and get them to come to you. Good luck!

Sam - so sorry to hear you are having a rough time. If there is anyway I can help please do call.

DH, DD and I have birthdays all within two weeks of each otehr so we will be having a tripple party shortly - can't beleive shes nearly a year!
Got to go, she's waking (and STILL coughing)
Love and hugs
Lizi.x

PS why wasn't it this cool this time last year when I was the size of a house??


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## sam mn

a quick hello ladies,

nathan is inhis usual postion, attached to my chest  . so one handed typing.

tamsin sorry your struggling with bf. i was hoping by 13wks that feeding would be easier. although nathan appears to have the hang of feeding he is feeding between 1-3hrly, through the night as well, fedds lasting anything from 15 mins to an hour. so as you can imagine i dont get mch time do anything else. he also has colic so is restless in between feeds with wind. any tips ladies.

dispite sleep deprivation im loving beinng a mum.

sam hope your mum is doing ok.

steph hope amnio goes ok. i got cramps at 14wks and had extra scan all was fine tho

hi to everyone else

got to go nathan is just been sick all of me and him 

sam
xxxxx


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## tiffanyb

Hi everyone,

Steph, I had period pains, niggly pains, aches etc at 15 - 24 weeks, it usually passed after a while. Try not to worry it is quite common. The aches at about 20 - 24 weeks were stretching I think, it was like a shooting pain in lower abdomen on one side, still get it now and then. I still panic when I feel any pain/ache but it does get easier as time moves along, especially after 20 weeks.

Tamsin, I hope the breastfeeding works out, sounds like a lot of hard work, I'm hoping to bf and worrying about it more than the actual birth and anything else. Just have to see how i cope and if I can feed myself.

Tiff
xxxx


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## Marielou

Hiya,

This may only be a quick one, I'm at my mum's and Ethan's still not settled, think he knows he's somewhere new ... in for a fun night I think 

Tamsin - I'll try and help out a little - I really advise you to try and see a BF councellor, to observe a feed and try and help you latch Toby on and help with positioning. You can either find a councellor through your HV (there may be a local support line you can call?) or hospital, or do you attend any local BF support groups? Or you can call La Leche League or NCT and have one of their local councellors come out to you, either way, I urge you to do it, they really are so supportive and can help prevent your nipple soreness. A good article on nipple pain and latch is here: http://www.kellymom.com/newman/03a-sore_nipples.html 
I've just completed my BF peer support classes and have just signed up to train as a breastfeeding councellor, feel free to IM me if you like. 

With help, you should be able to BF painfree.  As for the frequent feeding, is he going through a growth spurt? I believe they're common at 3-4 months?

Ok, gotta go now, littleman really needs me. (and I really need him to go to sleep  )

Marie xxx


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## nismat

Things have improved dramatically since yesterday with the breast-feeding, thank heavens! I went to the GP in the afternoon, as my NCT girls (we meet every Thursday) made me realise that what I was going through really was abnormal and needed to be checked out. Anyway, GP was blooming useless; because she couldn't see anything wrong (i.e. redness indicating something like blocked ducts/mastitis), wasn't really willing to do anything. I can see why she wouldn't want to prescribe antibiotics as a preventative, as they go through into your milk supply, but she really wasn't helpful at all, and couldn't make any suggestions for how to find a b/f counsellor, even when I specifically asked about this. Went home, tried another extremely painful feed with me in floods of tears and poor Toby screaming his head off (I think that I wasn't letting any milk down on the LHS as I was so tense and in so much pain when I tried to feed from that side first), although we got on much better on the RHS. Once we were both a bit calmer and the pain had lessened (hurrah for ibuprofen!), I tried ringing various resources, such as our local "infant feeding co-ordinators", and the breast-feeding helplines. I eventually got through to someone on the La Leche League helpline who was really helpful and sympathetic, and she said that it sounded like I've got thrush - something that the GP didn't even seem to consider (she didn't check Toby's mouth for instance). Neither of us have any external symptoms, but the way I was describing the pain apparently indicates thrush in the milk ducts, and you can have it without outward signs. I went and bought an oral Canesten treatment, and I felt a whole lot better by this morning. I've even managed to feed Toby without the excruciating pain! (although the breast is still tender and that nipple is rather sensitive). 
I also went along to a LLL coffee morning today, which was really great; I'll definitely go along again. The leader there was wonderfully helpful; not only did she agree with the thrush diagnosis and make several other practical suggestions for how to deal with it, she also came and sat with me to watch while I fed Toby and helped me work out how to latch him on better. Of course, it was something really simple in that I wasn't properly doing the "nose to nipple" thing which is why he wasn't opening his mouth wide enough. It was immediately much easier. I know that I'm not out of the woods yet with the current problems, but I've now got her phone number and she said to call any time that I needed help. 
Thanks *Marie * and *Lizi * for the various links; I'll go and check them out now Toby is asleep. 
Just to reassure those of you who are pregnant and planning to breastfeed; I think that the fact that I'm having problems at this stage is pretty unusual, so don't think that it's going to be so hard for this long for you! We've actually been feeding pretty problem-free after the first few weeks; it was a bit of a shock to suddenly find everything so hard again. Our current issues are a combination of the fact that I've just weaned Toby off the nipple shields, so I'm how having to go through the nipple-toughening phase that usually happens much earlier, plus it also looks like I've got an infection, which can strike at any stage of breast-feeding even when everything has been going fine. I've just been unlucky that the two have coincided (and I think I actually confused things by thinking it was all part and parcel of the same thing, when it's two separate problems). As breast-feeding takes up such a large part of your time with a young baby, when there is a problem, it becomes rather all-consuming, but matters also usually improve and resolve themselves very quickly. On several occasion I've had "issues", but usually they've sorted them selves out before I've actually got around to calling one of the helplines (I have done so on a couple of occasions, and they are such valuable resources - if you do have problems, don't do like I did and put off calling them, get in touch imediately as it's really hugely helpful). Breastfeeding is hugely worthwhile for so many reasons, but it can be blooming hard work (although it can also be problem-free), but given that there are fabulous resources out there, it's so important to access them. I do think that it's really crucial to consult someone like a breastfeeding counsellor, or to call one of the specialist breast-feeding helplines, as people like GPs (and many health visitors) don't really have the in-depth knowledge to help you. But those people who do know, can make a dramatic difference in a very short time. I'm already confident that I can persevere with it and carry on breastfeeding for a good while yet!
Here's hoping that breast-feeding will soon be pain-free for me 

*Sam*; with the colic, have you already tried using Infacol (or other similar remedies)? Toby didn't have colic as such, but he did have definite wind problems from about 4-10 wks old. The Infacol definitely helped, almost immediately for us, even though it says that it may take a few days at least before it becomes effective. There's also the "colic hold" to try and ease the discomfort, where you lay your baby face down along your arm, their crotch in your elbow and face in your hand, and you jiggle them up and down (as they scream!). This puts pressure on their digestive system and helps to expel wind. I also found that feeding Toby while I was lying down was quite effective, with him lying across my chest so that my ribs pressed into his abdomen, for the same reason. It's quite funny, as the baby is face down on your boob (I had to help Toby breathe, as mine are rather large and suffocating!). Other things: try massaging Nathan's tummy, always working in a clockwise direction as this follows the path of the digestive system. Don't exert a lot of pressure, but it can help to move air bubbles along. Of course, he may well cry, as it can feel decidedly uncomfortable, but it's worth a try if it will help him. When you've done a bit of massage, lift his knees up towards his chest and gently press them in, in a bouncing motion, which can help him pass wind. Once we started using the Infacol, I found that as soon as Toby started feeding, it was almost as if it pushed all the air out of the other end! A farting symphony as he fed 

*Lizi*, can't believe Rosa's almost a year already; that truly seems unbelievable. I've always loved that signature picture of yours, with the summer flowers behind the two of you


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## Marielou

Tamsin - So thrilled you got some help, I agree with you, my GP was next to useless with helping me regarding nipple pain!  I've had thrush in my ducts for 2 months now, which is finally getting better after having cream and oral gel for Ethan (has toby been treated? He needs to be even if not showing any signs, or you can pass it back and forth between you) - anyway, I really feel for you, as it is so painful.

But, toally back you up in saying pain isn't normal, and that with help, BF can be so rewarding and worthwhile!

Marie xxx


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## struthie

New home!!

http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=98176.0


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