Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[zoebartlett]

Congratulations LV and HOU! Samantha and Ellie are beautiful.

 

[Dreamer_D]

D: No one has mentioned Vienna Sausages (I remember eating them growing up).....I actually love the name Vienna and think it's really pretty! We were going to use Phoenix as a middle name if our LO was a boy....LOVE the name!

Congrats to all the new mommies!!!! So exciting!

Haha! I never thought of that. While it is not a connotation that is really nice, expecially for a girl, it is pretty remote and I suppose you cannot worry about every single little insult that kids could come up with.

We do like the name pheonix, but DH pointed out our last name starts with an S and so we are trying to avoid first names ending in sibilant sounds. Names work best that end in hard sounds -- like R or D and the like.

 

[somethingshiny]

LV~ She's beautiful! She looks like the babies I'm used to! lol My induction with JT was really long too so I know how exhausted you must feel right now. Take full advantage of those nurses while you get some rest!

HOUie~ Ellie's so cut and totally alert! So glad you had a quick labor and delivery! Lots of recovery dust your way!

Skippy~ omg, you look soo good!!!

 

[modernsparkler]

LV and HOU!!! Congratulations on your beautiful daughters!!!!

 

[Puppmom]

LV, congrats on the arrival of Samantha! She's very cute! Sorry your labor was so crappy and long but that's all behind you and loving on that little girl each day will make up for it.

Hou, Ellie is too cute! What a peanut!

Anyone hear from Bliss? If you're out there - I hope all is well!

 

[tiffanytwisted]

Congrats Hou and LV! Those babies are adorable!!

 

[Jennifer W]

Samantha's here!! She was born at 8:06 this (Friday) morning, after a particularly long induction that began on Weds night and ended after 3.5 hours of pushing! She weighs 9 lbs, 9.5 oz and is 22 inches long. She's a big girl, very alert and absolutely gorgeous.

Labor was long and overwhelming. We are so happy she is finally here!!

CONGRATULATIONS LV!

I've been lurking here for ages now to see your new baby, and she's just perfect. What a beautiful little girl.

Congrats to HOU too - she's an absolute darling. PSers do seem to have beautiful babies!

Really happy for you both.

Jen

 

[dani13]

CONGRAULATIONS LV & HOU!!!! Hope all is well!!!

 

[Pandora II]

DD - don't see an issue. She would likely get called Sienna a lot though.

By people who misheard her name you mean?

Looking at other responses, it might be a UK thing. Since Sienna Miller the actress became famous there seem to be a gazillion little 'Siennas' everywhere over here. So, here if your child was Vienna, most people would probably think they had misheard and it was an S not a V.

 

[dcgator]

A huge congrats to LV. Samantha is just lovely! I'm sorry for the marathon labor, but happy to hear you made it out ok. Take care of you and your LO!

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Congrats LV-you are a hero for such a long labor, but she's gorgeous!

 

[Kay]

LV, congratulations! Welcome, Samantha! That sounds like quite an arduous induction. Sorry you had to go through that, but what a gorgeous result!

HOU, sounds like you had a great labor! Ellie is beautiful!
Princess, what an adorable bump you have!

Skippy, no pictures for me right now, I’m afraid. I have to order a new battery charger for my camera since the old one has mysteriously disappeared. I am sure we will find it in some clever hiding space in a year or two. DD is a mischievous 2 year old, but she is a lot of fun. She likes to practice her letters every day – she is obsessed with alphabet magnets, puzzles, etc. She is very clingy lately; we wonder if it is because of the pregnancy, or just a developmental stage. We have told her she is going to be a big sister, but I’m not sure how much she understands.

Puffy, when did B move into his big boy bed? We just converted A’s crib to a toddler bed about 10 days ago when she escaped from her crib for the 1st time. I am not sure if she will be ready to change beds again, to a twin, in 6 months. It would be nice to just need to buy a dresser for the new one.

Dreamer, my only thought when I hear “Vienna” is of a charming city. I doubt anyone will remember a trashy TV star in a few years (or months).

Catluver, I used to do more corporate tax work and the occasional M&A transaction, so I remember how crazy the hours can be when a deal is getting close to closing. T&E is definitely calmer most days, although I am in the middle of an appeal with the IRS that I hope concludes before I go out on mat leave. With my first baby, I was on e-mail and Citrix regularly during leave because I had an active case that I wanted to monitor, even though I had someone else covering it, because I knew the case so much better. I remember holding A with one arm and typing one-handed with the other. I really don’t want to do that again. A has never been a great sleeper. Do try to get on a schedule if you can. That was probably our downfall – we don’t do well with schedules. A is a night owl, like I used to be. She refuses to go down before 9:30 at the earliest. We have been putting her down between 9:30 and 10 for a while, and a lot of nights she would spend 10 minutes crying herself to sleep. Since the crib rail came off 10 days ago and she can now leave the crib if she likes, bedtime is not going well. Most nights this week, I have been taking her to bed with me to “snuggle,” then we transfer her to her crib later in the night when she gets too restless and kicky in our bed. Only 4 weeks left – you are getting so close! When do you go out on leave?

Deelight, glad to hear you had a great shower. I was in a crazy nesting the mode the last few weeks with my first, partly due to procrastinating up until then.

 

[puffy]

kay, we moved B to a big boy bed pretty early on as he PTed very early so we wanted him to be able to get in and out of bed if he needed to go potty in the middle of the night. it was probably around 18 months or so. i think if she is doing ok in her toddler bed, she might be able to handle the switch to a twin bed. for us it was harder to switch from a crib to his toddler bed than from his toddler bed to a queen, which is what he is in now.

 

[Deelight]

Just in case I don't get in here in the next couple of days just wanted to send Geri dust and well wishes for the arrival of her LO on Friday - how exciting seriously not long now .

____________________________________________

DH gt the results from his scan - inconclusive doc has no idea so has referred him to a specialist (ear nose and throat) to see if they have any idea I just want to know what is wrong so they can fix it.

12 working days left for me can't believe it is so close yet so far away - I am getting more and more ready to leave while my job is not technically physically taxing I find it hard to sit at a desk for long periods - oh well not long now

Hope you ladies are well


ETA: Have booked in for an elective 3d/4d scan on Monday - Just to confirm our little girl is well a little girl LOL

 

[Tuckins1]

Just in case I don't get in here in the next couple of days just wanted to send Geri dust and well wishes for the arrival of her LO on Friday - how exciting seriously not long now .

____________________________________________

DH gt the results from his scan - inconclusive doc has no idea so has referred him to a specialist (ear nose and throat) to see if they have any idea I just want to know what is wrong so they can fix it.

12 working days left for me can't believe it is so close yet so far away - I am getting more and more ready to leave while my job is not technically physically taxing I find it hard to sit at a desk for long periods - oh well not long now

Hope you ladies are well


ETA: Have booked in for an elective 3d/4d scan on Monday - Just to confirm our little girl is well a little girl LOL

How exciting! I'm sure those last 12 days will seem like an eternity while you are working, but it will be time for baby before you know it!

 

[Lynnie]

Hello to my pregnant PS family and new mommas!!
Sorry for my long hiatus – unfortunately, I had a really rough recovery (more on that later). Vincent’s doing great. Thanks to all for your congrats! This will surely be a long post… I want to catch up with you all first, and then I’ll post Vinnie’s birth story. Sorry if some of these are old-ish… I must’ve started this 3 weeks ago, but am finally getting to finishing up his story today!

Noel – Congratulations!! Skye is absolutely beautiful, and I love her name!! Thanks for sharing your birth story! I hear ya on the tear – I had a lot of stitches, too, and was definitely not expecting my recovery to be so awful… I haven’t been on the newborn thread yet, so I hope to catch up with you there.
Icekid – O is gorgeous!! I really enjoyed the birth story!
LV – Samantha is beautiful… congratulations!!
Princessplease – congrats on being pregnant!! Wishing you a happy and healthy pregnancy!
DCG – I am so thrilled for you!! I know it’s been a long road, and am so glad that you finally got a BFP – you truly deserve it, and I hope pregnancy treats you well!
Tiffany – Lookin good, mama!! I can’t believe how far along everyone is!! So exciting!
Geri!!! Lookin good – I can’t believe you’re so close!!
Laila!! Luke Timothy is beautiful!! Congratulations, girl!!! I forget if I voted boy for you (probably not!). I LOVE his name (it’s almost DH’s name, just backwards!!). OMG that HAIR is too cute!! Thanks for the birth story, too… I think next time I’ll opt for the epidural!
Bissa – Congrats on your pregnancy! And CONGRATS on a girl!! You must be thrilled! It brings it to a whole ‘nother level once you know the sex, doesn’t it?
Dreamer – you really are a wealth of knowledge!! We are all so lucky to have you around!! Hope you’re feeling well! I love Vienna...
Diva – I’m sorry to hear of your setback. I work on a tele unit, and the only time we ever see pregnant ladies are PE cases. Tons of recovery and healthy-baby dust to you!
Skippy!!!!!!!!!! Wow, congratulations!!! So exciting – you are such a sweet person!!!! And TWIN BOYS, to boot!! You look fantastic!
Deelight – glad to hear you’re chugging along… your posts always make me laugh!!! I don’t know about manual pumps – I have an electric, which has been an absolute lifesaver (I had BFing issues, which I’ll get to later). Ditto to fiery on nursing + pumping being a huge PITA.
Lanie – Congratulations!! I loved reading the in-hospital commentary!! And the birth story was great – lol @ the big poo on deck!! Anderson is beautiful! Vincent has the dark blue eyes still at 5 weeks old. DH and I both have greenish brown eyes. I wonder when they will change!
HMG – Ellie is gorgeous!! Congratulations, and I can’t wait to see your full story!
RT – Congrats on feeling movement! I really miss it!! Nice bump, too!
Bliss- wow, I can’t believe that surcharge for a private room! That’s crazy! And a big fat ditto on eating before delivery – I didn’t, and all I could think about between contractions was FOOD! Wonder if you’ve delivered by now…
Catluvr – sorry about the stretchmarks. Glad to hear you’re doing well otherwise!
Tuckins – Congrats on a BOY!! Sorry about your friend – how awful for her, especially at Christmas time.
Luvin and Cupcake – you girls look great!! Makes me miss my bump!

Phew! Sorry if I missed anyone. I’ll write Vincent’s story now:

The night before I delivered I had stayed up late to train for night shift (I was supposed to work the following night). I went to sleep around 3am and slept til 2pm. I had awoken a couple times to pee feeling fine. I did awake at around 11am with a cramp, but it really was mild, and it went away after I peed, and I really didn’t think anything of it. I showered, dressed and shoved down a granola bar, and left my house at 3:15 for my 37w appt
I got in the exam room around 4pm, and had another cramp – but this time, I felt a little woozy with it. I thought ‘WTH was that?’, but didn’t actually think I was in labor… I don’t know if it was denial or what. Anyway, the Dr. came in, and I told her I was feeling a little crampy. So she checks me, and gets this ‘holy crap’ look on her face, and tells me I’m 5cm and in active labor, and I need to get to the hospital ASAP! I was in complete shock. I started to panic – I didn’t have a bag packed, the car seat was by the front door! I need to call work! I need to call DH!! My Dr. kinda yelled at me (I think I needed it though, I was really frantic)… ‘No, you go straight to the hospital NOW. Call your husband and call work. Your water isn’t broken yet, but it might SOON. I’m afraid doing the internal may have sped things up a bit’.
So I called DH – he was in shock, too. Of course, he was on his way home from work, but was on the other side of the city in rush hour traffic, so at least an hour from where I was. I called out of work. I left the OB and drove myself to the hospital. Sure enough, the contractions were 4 minutes apart.
I got to the hospital around 5pm. I was in a room by 5:20. They hooked me up to the monitors and gave me an IV. They asked if I wanted an epidural, and I told them no, for now, we’ll see how things go. DH got to the hospital around 6:15.. DH and my mom were in the labor room with me. The contractions were getting closer together and stronger, but were tolerable. At 8:30, the Dr. came in and checked me – I was 7 ½ cm, and he broke my water. The nurse warned me that the contractions would get worse – OMG, they were horrible!! And they were like 1 ½ to 2 min apart! I felt like I couldn’t take it anymore, and at 8:50 I asked for the epidural. The nurse disappeared for a few minutes. She came back in with the epidural stuff, and told me that anesthesia and my Dr were in with a c-sec, and were coming to my room next. By 9:10 I knew there was no way I would be able to sit thru an epidural. I was in so much pain, and was absolutely miserable! And all I could think about b/t contractions was FOOD! All I’d had in the previous 20 hrs was one granola bar! And they wouldn’t let me eat…
At 9:15, I swear I felt a contraction so strong, and I actually felt the baby move down the birth canal! I told the nurse I was feeling the urge to push (like you need to poop). She kept telling me to breathe through it, the Dr is on his way. Well, I breathed through as many contractions as I could, but by 9:30 I felt I needed to push… I couldn’t breathe through them anymore. I told the nurse, who checked me, and sure enough I was 10cm. The nurse was like ‘You really can’t hold off anymore? The Dr. is on the way’. I said ‘NO! I need to push!!’, so the nurse threw my legs up, took the end of the bed off, and I pushed through the first 2 contractions with just the nurse… no Dr in sight.
Then she gets this ‘oh, crap’ look on her face, and told me to stop pushing. I think the baby’s head was crowning, and she saw me tearing. She then bolts into the hall, and screams “DR K, GET IN HERE!!!”. Next thing I know, my Dr flies into the room, sits down there, and says I’m tearing, he needs to cut me. Fine. So he does. Then I pushed through the 3rd contraction, and his head was out. On the 4th contraction, I pushed once, and the rest of him came out! OMG, it was such an incredible feeling. They put him on my chest for a few minutes… he was so beautiful, even with all that gook on him! He was wide awake and alert, too.
The nurse took the baby, checked him (he looked great, APGARS were 9/9). Then I had to deliver the placenta. Don’t you know, it got stuck, and the Dr had to manually remove it. OMG, the pain was incredible. Then he stitched me up… I had a 3rd deg tear, requiring 20+ stitches, both internal and external. On top of that, I tore in such a way that they had to do a non-midline episiotomy… so it was off to the right, not, um, in the crack… couple all that with a huge hemorrhoid, a tailbone that blew up like a balloon, a 2 week long headache (I guess hormonal?), and the general exhaustion of everything, I was pretty much confined to the couch for 3 weeks… I couldn’t sit squarely on my butt for almost a month. Ugh… I definitely would rather go thru L&D again if it meant an easy recovery!

I feel bad that I fell so far behind here. But I honestly wasn’t expecting my recovery to be so absolutely horrible. BFing was a challenge at first. Vincent had dropped from 5lbs 10oz to 5lbs 3oz by discharge day. All the nurses there had me really freaked out about his weight. He was such a sleepy nurser that I ended up pumping and bottlefeeding him in the beginning… then it was a challenge getting him back on the boob. But we’ve worked thru it, and he’s a great nurser now. 100% BF still so far… He can go from boob to bottle effortlessly.
Now he’s 8wks old!! My how the time flew! But he’s doing so well… he was 7lb 9oz at his 1month appt, and he’s at least 10lbs now. His next appt is Monday, so we’ll see how the weigh-in goes then. I am doing much much better. I got the clear at 6wks PP to resume all activity. I’m still not 100% down there yet, though… still a bit sore, and w/BDing it feels like my bones in there are still bruised a bit. But I’m getting better each day.
My theory is this: I believe when they broke my water at 8:30, I dilated to complete quickly (though it was an entire hour before they checked again). I held off on pushing for so long, that by the time I did push, he came flying out like a rocket, causing the bad tear. I don’t even know if the nurse lubed me up down there! I’m really upset that the Dr was not there for most of the pushing… It was a really busy day for birthing (we were one of 17 births that day). I guess, all's well that ends well, though - right?

So - congratulations on reading this ridiculously long post! I'll post a few pics: Sorry if they're huge!

 

[icekid]

Lynnie! I was just thinking of you and wondering how you and Vincent were doing. Happy 8 weeks to our little birthday twins can you believe how much they have changed?? So so sorry to hear about your tears owwww. Mine was much less severe and I did not feel right down there for a long while so cannot even imagine. And your are a trooper for resuming activities none of that around here yet! Hope you have a bit more time to stop by but we understand. Hmm are you on FB? Vincent is beautiful!

 

[Lanie]

Lynnie!!! I was wondering where you were as well! So good to "see" you! And Vincent is such a gorgeous baby! I love him! Sorry to hear about your tearing...that doesn't sound fun. But it's all for a good cause, right? Thanks for sharing your story! Come over to the nb thread!!!!

Re: the name Vienna -- I think it's a pretty name as well. I will admit that my first thought was Vienna sausages, but you can turn anything out of any name if you try hard. I say go for it...very classic and pretty.

 

[Tuckins1]

Oh my lord Lynnie, he is gorgeous. Wow, what a story. Kind of scary, but i'm really glad to hear that you are on the road to recovery. Your little man is just perfect, I can't wait to get mine!

 

[Lynnie]

Icekid - yes, I am on FB... hmmmm. I *think* you know where I work (a hospital in CC Philly). If you do, you could probably search Lynn and my workplace, and my profile pic is the first pic of Vincent on my last post. Or, ask admin. I should clarify - we only BD'd once, and that's when I felt the bruising (I can't feel it just walking around or anything). So it's on hold for us as well until I feel up to it again. I can't believe our little guys are 8 weeks old already, and yes, they do change so quickly! I almost cried yesterday because he doesn't fit into my fave newborn outfit anymore!

Lanie - thanks, dear! And I will be on the NB thread soon enough! I'm trying to read it a little, so I have an idea what's going on with everyone!

Tuckins - thanks! I hope none of you ladies have to go thru what I did... Def NOT fun in the least! But of course, I'd do it all again in a heartbeat - the reward is just too precious!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Lynnie Thanks for sharing your story! I am sorry about the tear. Whe nI was in labour I did not push for a long time (though with an epi so a different experience), but the pushing stage was long and lots of pauses and the midwife did perineal massage/stretching the entire time, and I completely believe that is why I had no tears despite my very large baby. It is sad that more nurses and other practitioners do not do that for labouring moms, tears like the one you have just take so long to heal -- one of my close friends had one with her first baby too. And I hear you on the tailbone and hemmeroid. I am sorry to say my tailbone took about 6 months to heal completely, but the hemmeroids cleared within a few months with lots of fibre in the diet to speed the healing (i.e. no straining allowed). All told I feel like it took close to a year for my body to return to 100% normal! But it got there, you will too and hopefully faster.

Lanie Hmmm the sausages comment is not exactly one I like. I wonder if I should care? Most names can be make into an insult somehow. But I am very aware of the fact that any daughter DH and I have will likely be a curvy girls since I am and DH is too, and so I am hesitant to give a name that would be hurtful to a plump or curvy girl/teen.

 

[Pandora II]

Lynnie - congratulations! Vincent is gorgeous.

Wow, what a birth story. So sorry about the episiotomy - in the UK they always do medio-lateral never mid-line. It's good in the sense that if you do tear as well it avoids a 3rd or 4th degree tear involving the anal sphincter. However I believe that it is much more painful in terms of healing.

They warned me about the pain when I was in ICU and gave me morphine for the first 2 days and then diclofenac. Even so, when the morphine wore off I was in agony and couldn't sit down for the first week - it was far worse than any pain during labour or having my spine operated on! Rubber/memory foam rings are worth buying - I made rings with towels to sit on and I still cried everytime I tried to sit!

It takes a fair bit of time to feel your bits are 'normal' again but it does recover I can promise you!

I also struggled with the breast-feeding and you have really done great to get back on track with it. It's not easy.

 

[Lanie]

Lynnie -- sorry to threadjack here amongst the preggos, but the reason I haven't added you to FB is because the message sent to me was to my old email. I'm going to email the admins and see if I can get your email that way. If not, I'll have them contact you. I want to see more pics of Vincent!!!

 

[somethingshiny]

Lynnie~ OMG that's an incredible birth story! Congrats!!

 

[Skippy123]

LYNNIE, awwwww he is sooooo BEAUTIFUL!!! Thank you for sharing your birth story, I am sorry about the tearing but your Vincent looks like he is sooo worth it and your love is felt in your birth story for this handsome guy (I got teary)! Congrats momma and thank you for your sweet words!!! hugs

CATLUVER, thanks for your sweet words. YAY, you are almost there! How was your appt? I informed all my family if they want to hang out with our babies they need the Dtap vaccine too! My neighbor is an MD and said my family should get it. Glad your dad got the shot.

DEELIGHT, I am so glad you had a wonderful baby shower; aww, sounds like a great time!! I will keep my fingers crossed and prayers continued for your hubby. I have been thinking of you two! Yay for your US!!!!!! Yay for only 13 more days of work, woohoo! thanks for your sweet words!

SS, aw, thank you friend, hugs to you and L!!! She is so cute!

KAY, that is so awesome your DD is doing puzzles and doing so many cool activities; what a smart girl. I bet she will be an awesome big sis!

How are the other Preggos? hugs to all of you!

I had my OB appt today. I weigh the same as my last appt; weigh ins makes me a little nervous (I am on track which is good). They said I was doing well; (hope this isn't tmi) the only thing is I guess my milk is coming in so I got a little infection so they gave me meds. It is weird to think that this can happen to me; I thought stuff like that happens after birth. Just an FYI so the same doesn't happen to anyone else, I was putting lotion on my chest because my skin has been dry and that is a no no; oh well, live and learn. Otherwise everything is fine Have a Wonderful week my Preggo friends!!!

 

[taovandel]

Lynnie: What a crazy birth story! Just wanted to say, I don't think the doctor's are ever there for all of the pushing. My doctor didn't show up until the baby was pretty much coming out...the nurses do all the work really. That is why I always tell people not to get too panicky over not having their normal/favorite doctor deliver..they don't do a whole lot anyways until the last few pushes (unless there is a medical problem, obviously).


Had my doctor appointment today also....30 weeks 4 days. Everything looked good---I'm up 1 lb the entire pregnancy now (I was up 2 lbs...I lost a lb I guess) Was told I would be getting an u/s at 37 weeks---I didn't have one that late in the game with Evan..so that's kinda cool to know I will get to see her one more time before she arrives.

 

[Deelight]

Lynnie Thanks so much for sharing your birth story - reading it and seeing the pics bought tears to my eyes, you have such a handsome little man there - I am so In LOVE with the second photo (they are all beautiful those little forehead wrinkles and pondering look on his face is just priceless .

I am sorry your recovery took so long and about the tearing - glad your feeling better now . As for the nurses freaking you out about Vincent's weight loss - so not cool most babies do lose weight just after birth - I am so glad the BFeeding has worked out though and things are all good looking forward to hanging out in the newborn thread eventually

P.S I am glad my posts make you laugh

Tuckins I am sure she will be too - that thought excites me and freaks me out in equal quantities


Skippy sorry about the infection - looking at the positive hopefully with your milk coming in now should mean that you have good supply for the twinkies , - otherwise YAY for your appointment going well .

taovandel Congrats on the just over 30wks and congrats on the weight - I stopped weighing myself around 7wks preggo it was just easier that way .

__________________________________________

DH is currently priming the nursery - paint colour yet to be decided might hold off a final decision till after Monday just in case

Hope everyone is doing well - to all the Aussie's Happy Australia Day

 

[Lanie]

Tao--how are you up just a pound at 30 wks?!?

 

[Kay]

Lynnie, Vincent is beautiful! That is quite a birth story! I am so sorry to hear about you tearing. I had a 2nd degree episiotomy and that was the worst part of recovery; I can only imagine dealing with a 3rd degree tear. Glad to hear Vincent is doing so well at BFing. I wish hospitals would stop insisting that women starve during pregnancy. The studies show that the odds of needing general anesthesia, even with an emergency C, are so low. I would have gladly taken the risk of throwing up during labor if they had given me some food! My induction with A ended up taking 22 hours, and I was so hungry by the end I didn’t have a lot of strength left when it was finally time to push. Seeing my daughter for the first time was amazing, but I was pretty happy to see that turkey sandwich they brought 15 minutes later too.

Deelight, I am sorry to hear your DH’s results were inconclusive. Hopefully, the specialist will be able to give you answers soon. Only 11 work days left – woohoo!

Puffy, wow B PTed very early! A is using the potty part of the time during the day, but still wears a nighttime diaper at night.

Skippy, sorry to hear about the infection. I hope it is not too painful. Thanks for the warning about where not to lotion.

Tao, congrats on 30 weeks! Wow, only one pound. I haven’t been around much, but I’m guessing you lost weight during the first trimester because of MS? I was so nauseous the first 14 weeks with A that I lost nearly 10 pounds before I started gaining in the 2nd trimester.

Geri, you are so close now! I can't wait to see pics of your little girl!

 

[geri]

Hi everyone - wow this thread is moving. I have been trying to keep up so I could reply to everyone but with 24 hours to go till bub arrives, we are in a bit of chaos and I am running out of time. It took a few days longer than expected to finish at work, my DH organised a surprise weekend away for our last weekend which was fabulous but knocked two days out of my planning and now the dishwasher and washing machine have both decided to break down - reminder to self - do not leave it till the last minute to wash all the new baby things or you might have to do it by hand!

Anyway, just a quick catch up:

Houie - Ellie is adorable. Thanks for sharing photos and hope all is still going well for you!

LV- Wow, that was a long induction but Samantha is worth it, what a gorgeous little baby she is! I hope you are enjoying your little princess.

Lynnie - My goodness, what a ride you have had! I'm glad to hear things are improving for you now. Vincent is so sweet!

DCG, RyanClaire and anyone else I have missed - it is so nice to see you coming onto the board! Welcome and best wishes for a smooth and healthy pregnancy.

Catluver and Kay - I also work as a transactional lawyer so know I will have some juggling ahead, although I gather from what I have read and heard that Australia is more family friendly in terms of leave (it is pretty standard to take about 6 months leave, about half of which is usually paid, even at partner level) and flexible/part time work practices although it still often slows you down in terms of career progression). I hope we can all manage some semblance of work/life balance after the new arrivals!

Last but not least, Deelight - thanks for all your advice and kind words! I can't believe in about 24 hours our bub will be here! You are so close too. I hope your DH gets some answers from the specialist and good luck with your last two weeks at work!

To all those who gave helpful advice on comfy underwear, thankyou and I am now all set with my target nanna knickers! Hope DH wasn't expecting me to turn into a yummy mummy any time soon!

Time to go now and finish all those last minute things. I'm so anxious and excited now that I haven't slept properly in days but we are very excited to be meeting our little girl soon. Take care everyone!!