Teni - it's just different carriers for different folks. The Manduca does look very tempting, I've seen a couple of demos lately.

pixie - Can you carry high, above your bump? I haven't really thought about how I'll babywear while pregnant! I'm an over-the-shoulder girl, and DD loves it. But I've always been pretty confident about rough play and upside-downsies.

Jen - Jim is in the post! He's ace for hip carries. He ain't no Vat 3 (I cannot even begin to explain how much I regret selling that) but he's pretty good. My DH only uses the pram for groceries and stuff. When DD was tiny, she hated the pram, awake or asleep, so he would pop her in the Close, then push the pram up to the farmers markets, and bring all the vegies home in it, getting plenty of comments about how he must have his hands full. Which he did. Full of fresh produce.