Pregnancy after LT TTC #18

Hi Kaybee,

:

---

Dreamrise - one the working thing... you've got us all going on this one! I'm a primary teacher with a fantastic, flexible principal who encourages class sharing and part time work. After DS, I did one day a week for an AP who was at school, but off class - VERY easy job as she still dealt with any parent issues and was always there to fill me in on anything happening. Then, for the first half of this year, I worked 3 days and shared with another mum who did 2 days. It worked really really well too. It depends on who you are sharing with. We would leave copious notes and chat about the class over the phone - so that took up time. But, it was also good for working out how to best help kids with learning/behaviour problems, because we could put our heads together. The parents were very happy and kids progressed well. I would LOVE to have a job I can switch off from after work, but the pay and conditions are so good AND I would hate to be starting from scratch when my kids go to school.

And, the tiny bit I can offer on the centrelink stuff is that you have to choose either the baby bonus (which now only comes in installments) or the paid parental leave. I don't know anything about the tax side of things though

---

That is fantastic that you have such an enlightened principal. If only I could find a school with a principal like that. I saw how well my daughter thrived with the teachers who were job sharing and I know in other jobs I have found job-sharing has worked well for me so I'd love to be in the position of being able to return to teaching part-time.

I know that the baby bonus and paid parental leave are only one or the other and baby bonus is approx $5000 tax free and yes it has been paid in installments for a few years now. The paid parental leave is about $10,000 all up but it is taxed. If it is just taxed then that would be around $8000 for me (20% tax) however if it is also counted as income for centrelink purposes in terms of reducing any other benefits you might be entitled to (and I can't see why it wouldn't be) then that means it becomes the equivalent of $4,800 after loss of benefits (40% reduction to single parents pension) and tax (20%). And you can't return to paid work for 18 weeks or you lose it. So I just wish someone from centrelink could explain properly how it will work so I know which to apply for.
I'm only 7 and a half weeks from my due date now and apparently you are advised to put your paperwork in when you have around 6 weeks to go if you want to get it ASAP after the birth.

Anyway I went to melbourne for the last couple of days and had a really nice heart-to-heart with a good friend. I got to tell her how much I appreciate her friendship and she told me how much she cared about me. It was just what I needed to hear though it also made me sad because I wish she lived closer.

Lori
DD - 14 in Qld with her grandparents
Bub due 28th Aug.

hey ladies mum came over so didnt get a chance to ring, but your probably right i wont get anywhere! Yeah it is deffinetly just one but i was told the mat leave works out to be $10,000 where as the baby bonus is only $5000 you have to pay tax on the mat leave but you would still come out better off.

Kaybee iv got my 3rd midwifes appointment on tuesday but the last one went well i saw the DR just so she could make sure all my results were ok due to having IVF (they said this is normal procedure at that hospital) but the DR said everyhting looks fine so i will just be seeing the midwifes from now on. I get excited about going :) we also start birthing classes at the end of the month :)

Possums sorry things didn't go as well as you had hoped but your little man will be ok, fingers crossed he stays put for a few more weeks xxx

I cant wait for work to be over, 11 more weeks!!!! just so many dramas at work, im over it! and just cant wait to be at home with our bub!

Isn't it amazing laying on your back watching your belly moving around as bub moves, i just love it!

Oneday - glad everything is going well with you. Not too much longer and work will be over :)

DR - I haven't looked into it all yet, but it seems that the $10,000 would be the better option, unless you wanted to go back to work before the 18 weeks. Even if you did, would you lose it all or just the weeks you worked? Even though it's taxed, you'll have deductions you can claim. But like I say, I haven't looked into it - I should probably just keep quiet! Glad you had a good time in Melbourne, sounds like a good friend.

Kaybee - sounds like you're getting organised, not long to go :)

JBM - pregnastics sounds great! Wish my hospy offered something like that. Good luck with your appointment :)

Possums - Hope your little man stays put happily for the next few weeks, fx!

Mindhugs - I'm finding the amount of stuff a bit overwhelming too! Not that I've started shopping yet, still browsing :)

afm - Had first antenatal at the hospital yesterday. Went really well, measuring spot on and passed all my tests :) Very reassuring to hear the heartbeat again (along with a lot of kicking!)

Have a great weekend everyone!

:

---

DR - I haven't looked into it all yet, but it seems that the $10,000 would be the better option, unless you wanted to go back to work before the 18 weeks. Even if you did, would you lose it all or just the weeks you worked? Even though it's taxed, you'll have deductions you can claim. But like I say, I haven't looked into it - I should probably just keep quiet! Glad you had a good time in Melbourne, sounds like a good friend.

---

Hi everyone,

I'm back in Melbourne tonight - staying with my friend as I was feeling pretty lonely and sad earlier today so rang to see if I could come for another visit.

Anyway in terms of the paid parental leave my issue is still with how it will count as if it is only taxed then that is fine (20% tax for me) but if it counts as income in terms of centrelink benefits then it ends up being less than the baby bonus because I lose 40% out of my single parent pension for every dollar of declarable income (because I am already over the $100 pf reduction free amount). So in effect it is like paying 50% tax. (thus the paid parental leave ends up being less money in my pocket then the baby bonus). This scheme started in Jan this year and it's like centrelink workers still dont' know how it is meant to work - hopeless!

If you go back to work before the 18 weeks then you just lose whatever you haven't already recieved but this counts even if you just do one day casual work at 10 weeks (then you would miss out on 8 weeks of parental leave). So need to make the decision to definately not start work before the 18 weeks is up if you are planning on applying for the paid parental leave.

I wanted to use this money to help pay towards my IVF loan. Atleast on the bright side my mum informed me that I only owe $3000 towards the IVF (and still $15,000 towards my car). So hopefully one way or another (through the baby bonus or paid parental leave) I will pay off the rest of the IVF loan by the time that money stops. All up it cost me around $15,000 out of pocket for IVF. I know that is cheap compared to alot of couples but it's hard when you are trying to pay it off as a single mum.... thank god my parents gave me the loan interest free.

My friend is engrossed in watching the footy at the moment and I am just so not interested in footy! But I guess I better go and try to seem interested or atleast social! :-)

Lori
DD - 14 (in Qld with her grandparents - spoke to her tonight and she seems to be having fun)
Bub due 28th Aug

DR - I've had a look at the website and I can't work it out! It looks like you can do up to 10 casual days if you have a prior arrangement with your employer before you get cut off, if that helps at all. Have you looked on the ato site for more info about tax? They probably have an estimation calculator you could compare the two options with. Hope you get some answers!

Hi everyone,

I finally found some understandable information on the Centrelink website regarding my predictament re: whether paid parental leave counts as declarable income. It has answers to other questions too which may be of interest to you.
Here is the link: Paid Parental Leave Scheme - Questions and answers for working parents

"Will Parental Leave Pay count as income for family assistance payments?
Parental Leave Pay will count as income for Family Tax Benefit and other family assistance payments, but not for income support payments. You should include any Parental Leave Pay you expect to receive in your adjusted taxable income estimate for Family Tax Benefit purposes."

Parenting Payment (Single) is counted as an income support payment so my understanding now is that it won't be effected. However I still don't understand why I wouldn't be eligible for Family Tax Benefit part B (which I currently get).

It states:
"Can I receive Family Tax Benefit Part B as well as Parental Leave Pay?
You and/or your partner cannot receive Family Tax Benefit Part B during your Paid Parental Leave period. Family Tax Benefit Part B may be paid after the end of your Paid Parental Leave period, if you are eligible."

I'm not sure if that means you don't get it for the period of parental leave or that you can claim it afterwards and have it back paid for that period. Currently I get Family Tax Benefit part B as we are a single income family (well there is only one adult) so not sure why I can't get it just because my income is coming from the paid parental leave rather than a job or parenting payment? Might need to look into that bit.

It is certainly not straight forward at all. It seems like they have introduced it to make it seem like they are trying to help mothers but at the end of the day it's not really going to cost them much more than what they were already paying in baby bonus and family tax benefits.

Lori
DD - 14
Bub due 28th Aug

hi girls! cant help you with the mat leave stuff as it came in between my babies! doh!

Hope you are all cruising along well.

Just wanted to send a special hug to possums. HOpe your little man stays there and happy and growing for a bit longer. rest up love. and i'm thinking of you.

my best advice for buying baby stuff is buy the minimum and buy 2nd hand. you can always go shopping once bubs arrives and you'll soon discover half the stuff you bought you won't use lol.

the things i'm so glad we spent $$ on was a hug-a-bub, which i used all the time and am using again now; my new wonderful jazy double pram; and my new breastfeeding chair. we've upgraded our folding change table to a timber one (2ndhand) and it's much better as bub grows. so Immy gets the folding one now, Ash gets the wooden one. And the terry towel nappies and covers. A couple of really good, well fitting maternity bras with no padding in the boob (easier to pull down).

but for DS the things we bought which we didn't need were: baby bath (he outgrew it quickly and it hurt my back to bend to it even on the kitchen table. easier to shower with them); bouncer/rocker (never used it with ds past a few weeks old); a variety of mcns which never really fitted ds properly or as well as the terry towel. hopefully DD fills them out a bit better.

we never bought a breastfeeding pillow, just use one from our bed or a steriliser (used the kettle or a pot on the stove).

That's my two bob.

Oh and Immy is growing so well. she was back to birth weight by day 4! (she's a porker) and had put on more than 200g on top of that at 1 week old! can't believe she's 9days old already!!!

I'm intending on writing my BA soon, just haven't got there yet. ;) Apart from that, DH and I are just enjoying our two beautiful children. we are truly so blessed.

hugs to you all oxox

Hi everyone,

Grub, Good to hear from you and glad everything is going along so well. Great that Immy has put on weight so quickly.

Interesting that Grub said she didn't use the rocker / bouncer with her son much as I used it quite a bit with my daughter and my ex used it with her son. We found it particularly handy if we were going visiting for a few hours and we could put the baby in it and know we didn't have to worry about them rolling around on the floor (and what potential hazards our friends might have in their house). We bought it second hand so only cost $10 and I reckon compared to other things we probably easily got $50 worth of use from it.

I also used the baby bath alot for the first few months as I found it too akward to try to get into a shower whilst holding my baby... might be different if you had a partner who could pass the baby through to you. I just used the plastic baby bath on the kitchen bench and got it second hand for only $5 too so definately worth the cost to me. Later on I used one of those bath seats in the normal bath (I think from around 5 months maybe?)

I also didn't get a breastfeeding pillow (just used one off the bed), however I did use a microwave sterlizer. I just found it so much easier and it only cost $20 and was really quick and easy to use - if I had to boil water on the stove to sterlize it would probably take atleast 10 mins in total whereas in the microwave I think it only took something like 3 minutes.

Lori - heading home from melb this afternoon
DD - 14 (still in Qld for another 5 days)
Bub due in 49 days!

dreamrise: sounds like you got things sorted for baby, yeah i used rocker all the time, baby bath only with number one , no BF pillow or sterliliser. counting down til baby arrives for you. x good luck. thanks for the info on centrelink, it is very confusing. and also i am self employed so makes it harder ?!

kass:hows it all going for you. hope all is well and your baby is growing heaps. x glad it went well at your app and you got to hear baby again, i just love to hear this fast little heartbeat. x x

grub: thanks for dropping in on us poor pregnant ladies. wishing we were you , with baby on outside . fully grown that is. lol yeah for 2nd hand as it really can add up sometimes and save new stuff for something you really want. yeah for Immy growing so well. yipee. so glad all is well with you. thanks again for sharing with us. x x for you and bub and x for your son too. x o for you

oneday: almost counting down single figures for you. so exciting. good luck to you.

kaybee: hi to you. good luck with packing, may get some ideas from preg mags or online with what to pack, i can't remember either. lol it has been a while for me too. lol. good luck with it and DH painting etc. who know who will be next. either way you're having a baby soon.

possums: hope all is going well with you.

farmgirl: hi to you too, hope all is oging well for you.



AFM: well i have another pilates on wed, my 2nd last of 5 weeks. also first antenatal on friday so should be good. yeah i loved the pregnastics thing and the physio dept also offer mother and baby classes from 6 weeks after baby til 6 months, free too . i loved them and they really help get back into shape and the physios are really helpfull too. yeah we are lucky to have it.
i still getting little back pain and sometimes still feeling sick of a night. yukky but not throwing up at all, sometimes i wish i was as it 'd prob be better than just feeling sick for hours.
i think i have felt some little flutters still sometimes it feels really a lot like movements but is it too early yet ?
anyway DH says it is gas ??????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! men so annoying ! lol

chat soon to all

JBM - hope it's movements you're feeling - apparently you feel them sooner with each pregnancy (not that I'd know from experience :) ) I'm still not sure whether I can feel movements or not.

DR and Grub - Thanks for that - it's so hard to know what is and isn't good to buy!

Grub - Hooray for Immy going so well :)

afm - I still don't have a visible belly, but I'm starting to notice a weight shift when I lie on my side - it's very odd! Guess it can't be too much longer until I start to expand! Been browsing the baby shops with DH. So far I like all of the most expensive stuff. Oh dear. If we knew we would be able to have more than one, maybe I could justify it. Since that isn't the case, I think I'd better get my tight-a** pants on!

grub...don't know if you remember me...but congratulations on the birth of Immy!! I haven't been onto bb for sooooo long..my wee man is now 3 1/2 months old! I saw a 12 day bub today, and couldn't believe he used to be that small! take care,
and belly rubs to all you lovely ladies in waiting x
ps. oooh it was one year ago today that my poppet was 'popped' inside me! yeh!!! dreams can come true. xx

Hello ladies,

Just popping in briefly before bed. I am sooooooo tired (and grumpy!) but am avoiding bed because I just can't sleep. I hate it. Can't get comfy, can't stay asleep, can't stop peeing, can't stop thinking. Then spend the day exhausted and no fun to be around. I still love being pregnant though.

Ah well, here goes, goodnight xo

hi everyone....just a quick update... it's a bit of a waiting game for us now, with another scan next week to check on things. I had a clinic appt today and the Ob said he thinks 36 weeks is a realistic goal (I would then be induced) but of course, depending on the scan results it could be sooner than that.
So DH and I are getting all things organised just in case!

It's been a lot to take in. I had hoped that things would just progress well as they had been and we would love a totally natural birth, without an induction (and therefore a higher risk of a c-section)...but that isn't going to happen so I need to adjust to this new set of circumstances now. Working on getting into a better headspace with it all, and remembering that at the end of the day we just want a healthy baby. I do of course also have concerns about how our baby will be if he arrives early, his lungs, strength, ability to suck, regulate his temp etc.... they tell me he will be a skinny little one, so might have a few issues, but given we are now at 33 weeks, we are past the most dangerous period, which is great news! Today's Ob said it was great that we have come this far. I hit him with so many questions too! and DH was there which was great.

It certainly is feeling very real and we both can't wait to meet our precious little boy now!

sending belly rubs to you all

Possums - sounds very positive if they've extended you from 35 to 36 weeks :) Hope the scan goes well next week!

Hi Possums,

Good luck with it all. I was told the last 4 weeks not much development actually takes place (it's more a case of bubs just putting on some extra weight) so his lungs etc should be okay if you can make it to 36 weeks.

I wouldn't be too concerned about being induced. I was induced with my daughter and it turned out fine (no c-section). The only issue was that the contractions were so strong that I had to be hooked up to a fetal heart monitor to ensure her heartbeat returned to normal after each contraction. The one good thing about it was that it was only 4 hours of labour and then I had my little girl.

a friend of a friend lost her baby around 37 weeks. She had gone into early labour around 33 weeks I think and they stopped it with drugs but then kept her in hospital on total bed rest. They finally agreed to do a C-section at 37 weeks... and the day before the c-section was to be performed the babies heart just stopped. I was so sad when I heard the story because if they'd just done it that bit earlier it would have been okay. So atleast even if your son comes early and not in the way you had planned... as you said the main thing will be just to have a healthy little boy in your arms.

Lori
DD - 14 (home tomorrow after 9 days away with her grandparents and cousins in Qld)
bub due 28th Aug

just want 2 send belly rubs 2 all, with a special 1 for possums oxo

am child balabcing atm but all is well with immy and me ;)

Hi Possums - I have a feeling everything is going to work out well for you and bubs. You are right about focussing on what's safest for your baby. All you need to do is listen to the guidance of your trusted OB and let the rest happen.

Best of luck with it all. I have everything crossed for you and am sending positive vibes down to you. This is one of the most exciting moments of your life about to happen!!!!

Goodluck Possums, and thats right as long as you get your healthy bub thats all that matters! He will be just fine, stay positive and keep us updated. xxxxxxxxx

Afm nothing new, the nursery is going to be completely set up this weekend, early i know but im so excited and i just want to be able to go in her room and sit on the rocking chair and read to her :) DH and i are so excited, as the weeks fly on it becomes so more real and sinks i more.

Possums - soooooo - pushing in front of me here are you? My god, when you talk about how close your birth is now it makes me realise how quickly time has flown! (Although it hasn't always felt like it). Can't believe that you will be holding your baby so soon! I agree with what everyone else has said - all will be fine. Sounds like the you have a good team working on you. Babies born just a few weeks early aren't really at much risk if they are born in a hospital. You have everything on hand right there if anything goes askew (sp?).

Good luck xoxox

Hi lovely ladies :hello:
Just wanted to pop in and say "g'day" and wish you all the best. Looks like some of you are just about ready to meet your little precious bundles soon...Possums, Kaybee, dreamrise (and others i've missed sorry) Exciting times coming up and i look forward to hearing all your happy news!

I'm back in the game again after 6 mths off, recovering and trying to feel normal again...now i'm back to crazy, hormonal ivf madwoman!! I hope to join you all again soon one day...i miss you girls! :hug:

Lots of love
Yogi
xx

thanks everyone for your lovely support. I've been a bit crazy nesting and getting jobs done this week I must admit! And am nervous ahead of next week's scan, as I know it will give us an even better idea, and if we can get past that, we will have another week, which will take us to 35 weeks. Now that we nearly have things all done I aim to start actually taking some time out to myself and to try and do some meditations etc. (think i need to, lol)

grub- so glad all is going well

MH and kaybee & DR - you are all so close now too! It is exciting :-)

yogi- best of luck!! I hope you are feeling more healed and so hope a BFP and forever baby is very close for you

oneday- good for you getting nursery all organised! it's fun and makes things feel more real for sure

bellyrubs everyone else x

possums: not long to go now, fingers crossed .

kaybee: yeah i agree possums is pushing in. lol. ha ha NOT. i had a friend who had her baby 12 weeks early and was so so tiny but she is now a big grown up girl, so like you said they are great at the hospital. not long for you to go . sometimes it takes a while to sink in. hope you're organised and packed and ready for babies arrival. good luck to you.

oneday: yipee for getting the nursery ready, i can't wait to do that. i used to go and sit in the room with baby one and imagine my baby in their. i know i was maybe insane but it wasn't long and it was really happening. good luck this weekend. x

mindhugs: not long to go for you too. it's so exciting to see so many of you so close to having your babies. good luck to you.

hi to everyone else

afm: i had my first antenatal app at the hospital, all went well, my tummy is measuring a few weeks ahead ?, doc said i maybe having a big baby? or maybe theres still two in there ? !
not to worry me or anything !!
i booked into birth centre and as long as i don't gain too much as i am over 35 i can stay there. in other words i am old and fat !!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL
could i have had some preg hormones going on there ?. lol
my BP is still a little low but o.k
so my scan is booked for 20 weeks and my first birth centre app for 21 weeks.
i am starting the pregnastics prob next week so can't wait for that. i have my last pilates this week and i think it has helped my back pain.

all is well

chat soon

Hi everyone,

Yogi, I'll have my fingers crossed for you that this will be your long awaited positive, and stick around.

AFM: Still having major troubles with names and my mum is starting to make me panic by commenting – it better not come early and be nameless.

So I wondered what people think of any of the following for a middle name. I want the middle name to be unusal, start with K and mean something which could become the child’s special symbol. As discussed before my daughter’s middle name is Kimana which means Butterfly and the butterfly has always been her special symbol.

So we have Kaja (which means daisy), Kohana (which means little flower in Japanese), Kyeema (which means Kangaroo in aboriginal), Kahoko (which means star in Hawaiian), kanoni (which means little bird in African), Kohava (which means star in Hebrew) and Kalika (which means rosebud in greek). The problem is I’m not 100% sure how any of these are actually meant to be pronounced. If anyone can enlightened me on the pronouciation of any of these names I would be most appreciative.

I like the idea of the ones which mean star as that is something which would be so easy to make into a special symbol (i.e. to get necklace pendant etc).
If you know any other names which you think fit my criteria (unusual, start with K and mean something which could be made into a special symbol) I’d love to hear them too.

I want to completely make up her first name and currently am completely stumped with that. But atleast if I have a middle name chosen she won't be completely nameless while I try to make up her first name. :-)

Thanks in advance
Lori
DD - 14
Bub due 28th Aug.

DR - good luck with the names! I like Kaja and Kyeema. I'm guessing they're pronounced as 'Kiah' and 'Keema' ? Kalika looks pretty too :)

JBM - glad your appointment went well, hope bubs isn't getting too big!

Yogi - hope to see you in here very soon :goodluck:

Hi everyone I've missed!
I'm still cruising along, having another scan next week, hopefully we'll find out if it's a boy or girl. Then I can start shopping :)

Hi ladies

Sorry I havent been on for ages and I stopped getting the notifications. I read the last few pages and will try not to be a stranger.

Hope your all travelling well.

Trish

trishy: we all have lives out of BB. lol. don't worry about it. hope all is well on your countdown in these last few weeks. good luck to you

kass: how come you're getting so many scans, i have to wait til 20 weeks?! grrr , not fair. as for big baby thing all my boys were big but i wasn't, i hide babies usually so who knows whats happening?. yipee for finding out the sex. i can't wait to find out what the baby is. it seems so long away though. good luck to you. are you going to let us all know or torchure us. lol. i will be telling evryone so i can get pink/ blue stuff. good luck to you.

dreamrise: kohana or little flower. i think this is the nicest name. i love your ideas for the names to have meaning. yes you don't want a baby with no name and you never know. my first was 3 weeks early so not expected but lucky we had name picked for ages. good luck with choosing.

possums: hope all is going well with you and baby is going well too. not long to go. very exciting


kaybee, oneday, mindhugs and whoever else i forgot : hi to you from me, hope all is well


afm: well more kicks for me, it is so exciting! i have last pilates this week then start pregnastics next week, i have a lunch date with my DH also this week, so it is a big week for me. getting bigger and feeling fat !

chat soon to all

JBM enjoy your lunch date.

I've been really sick today, have an ob appointment on Thursday not sure if I will last to then I have run out of zofran. Might have to call and see if I can get a script picked up tomorrow

Trishy - hope you're feeling better soon

JBM - I don't think it's that many scans - doesn't feel like it anyway! It's my 20 week one, they're just doing it at 19. I still can't confidently say I've felt any movement, and no belly yet, so I'm hanging out for it!

kass: oh. i don't even know when my 20 week scan will be, i went to the place in the hospital and they told me that they would book it in and let me know ? so who knows cause i havn't heard anything at all yet. wow how time flies almost half way for you. i didn't feel anything til later with baby number one but usually you do feel it earlier with babies after number one. it'll happen soon. good luck to you. and also your tummy will pop out too. don't worry about it. i never showed til about 30 weeks with baby one and still didn't even look pregnant til about 32 weeks wich was 5 weeks before baby one was born. lol

trishy i hope you're feeling better soon. it's not nice when you're feeling sick. hope your app goes well tomorrow

AFM: nothing new to report, had my last pilates tonight. 5 weeks. was good. pregnastics starts for me next week, also one of my friends has just told me she is preggers, due 10 days after me ! so i am bribing her to do pregnastics with me. lol
feeling more little kicks, looking fat still. but feeling better.

chat soon

Hi Lovely Ladies,

Possums - in case I forgot to say it - good luck with your next appointment. How are you feeling? Bit nervous???

Kass - Oooh, another scan for you too - yay! Hope it all goes really well. I hadn't felt anything definite by then and this is number two for me.

Trishy - hope everything is going smoothly over there - how are you?

JBM - I LOVE your idea of a lunch date. Wonder if I can squeeze one of those in with my DH??? Hope it's all lovely for you. Do you both have the day off or do you have to go to work after it?

DR - I think I like Kaja and Kalika. No idea about pronunciation - well, Kalika is easy, but where is Kaja from? Maybe it's Kiah, like kass said. If it's her middle name she shouldn't have too much grief with people saying it wrong.

I am still not sure on a name either. I have one or two for a boy and a girl, which is enough, but I don't think I LOVE any of them yet. I have also FINALLY got a little nest ready for my baby. I have my bassinet with a new little teddy chosen by DS and a new wrap given to me by my students all ready to go. (As well as a stack of other well-worn warps and blankets). The change table and cot have a fresh coat of paint and so does the room - just a fresh off-white. AND, I even got some new curtains from spotlight. I think I have enough neutral clothes - I don't want too many as I'd rather wait and get boy or girl stuff. Aaahhh - I know I will always be finding more to do, right up until the last minute, but it feels soooooo good knowing the room is ready.

My OB started talking induction dates on Monday, but said it was debatable, so I said "Good, because I am willing to debate it" and she was happy to wait another 2 weeks before seeing me and discussing it again. Birth feels all looming at the moment.

Good night chicks, must get some sleep - so should YOU! xo

hi everyone, sorry this is just a quick update...Scan today showed our baby is doing ok, but his growth has slowed even more and my amniotic fluid is lower. I need to wait until tomorrow to get a plan from the Ob rostered at the clinic this week as they were called to an emergency c-section this arvo. I did however have another one of the Obs pop in during the scan (we have the scans at his rooms still) and his opinion was that we could hang on another week, have another scan and assess. He thinks we might not get much beyond 35 weeks, but every extra week is good! So it's a relief to hear that and will get a better plan tomorrow. Our baby will obviously be very small when born...as even if we are at 35- or 36 weeks, he is small for my dates anyway... and it's likely he will need to be tube fed etc for a while and need extra care. It's a lot to take in, and obviously not what we would have hoped for, but on the positive, we've made it this far. I'll probably get a steroid injection too to help develop his lungs a bit more. So....step at a time. Trying not to stress, but I have to admit, I have a lot of emotions happening (I don't think hormones help, lol).

kaybee- glad you arent feeling rushed into an induction... thinking of you and the birth draws closer

kass- good luck for your next scan- exciting!

trishy- sorry you are still so sick, hope your appt goes well and that you feel a bit better soon

jbm - glad you are doing well and getting little kicks already!

belly rubs everyone else

Kass good luck for your scan

JBM enjoy your pregnastics classes. Thats lovely you are pregnant at same time and close

Kaybee thats great you have the room sorted out. We still havent decided on a name.

Possums hope your little one can stay put a but longer GBH's

Just got a call from obs room a lady has gone into labour so I have to come an hour later, better than waiting around but I am hanging to see him now. Had a shocking night and this morning I cant hold down water. Feel a bit sad and sorry for myself.

Hi Everyone,

Possums, Sorry to hear that the scan showed that things aren't as bright as we all hoped. I didn't realise at 35 weeks there would still be so much concern about his lungs and being tube fed etc. If they decide that you do need to have him soon will you have a caesarian or will they try just inducing you?

My brother's youngest was born only about a week early I think but he was breach and as a result he swallowed alot of the .... (forgotten what it's called... starts with M) anyway he had to have his throat and stomach suctioned out and was then drip fed for the first few days after birth (stayed in hospital almost a week I think). But this was more to do with complications during the actual birth than anything to do with the pregnancy.

Fingers crossed for your appointment today. Hopefully everything will end up okay and even if your little boy comes in the next week or so, he will end up being a healthy and happy baby.

AFM: I had a hospital appointment yesterday and when the Dr listened to the baby's heart he said "Still sounds like a girl". I asked him what a boy sounds like and he said "like they are playing with trucks"! He is a very strange doctor who I have seen a few times now and every time he says something strange! Anyway he did say that baby's head is right down in my pelvis (which explains why I'm so sore down there and finding it hard to step up or take long steps). I have a student midwife following me through now and she is concerned I might go early and she might not get in her full number of pre-labour appointments with me so she's going to attend next weeks anti-natal class with me as that can count towards her support appointments. She has to have 3 appointments with me before the birth and be on call for the actual birth and then have 2 appointments with me in the 4 weeks after the birth for it to count for her practical assignment.

My blood pressure was up for me but the Dr didn't seem too concerned (I don't think he took much notice of me saying it was high for me as it's in the normal range for everyone else, it's just that mine is naturally low). Anyone with medical knowledge... should I be concerned? It was 120 over 75 and it normally ranges from 90-100 over 45-55.

I'm due on the 28th of August but my mum has put in her request for the baby to come on the 25th as that was her parents wedding anniversary. I have a feeling it might be earlier than that and as it gets closer I'm getting quite nervous about how my body is going to cope with labour. I feel so old and sore (I'm 38 now). When I had my daughter I was only 24 when I gave birth and fitter and healthier, I found the labour easy and only had one mouthful of gas (which promptly made me projectile vommit) and then a pethadene shot right near the end which I wished I hadn't had but I was talked into it as the labour was really intense and I was told to stop being a matar and just take something. This time I don't feel as brave about going without pain treatment as my body already feels so sore and painful most days (though I won't take anything for it) but I wonder how I will handle labour.

Any of you other "oldies", are you worried about how your old bodies are going to cope with labour?

Lori - 38
DD - 14
Bub due 28th August (at 3.30pm according to my strange doctor! LOL)

DR - at least your dr has a sense of humour :) Your bp doesn't sound high to me, actually I think it's identical to what mine was last checkup, which they said was fine. But I really don't know much about it other than that comparison!

Trishy - you poor thing - hope you're better soon

Possums - :hug: sorry things aren't going as well as hoped for. Hope you get the extra week in. Thinking of you x

Kaybee - must be nice having the room ready :) Hopefully you won't be having an induction!

JBM - my hospital did the same, I was expecting a call, but I ended up getting a letter with an appointment time - no consultation about the date/time, so it was lucky we were both free! Hope you find out when yours is soon :)

Hi everyone I've missed!

kass: yeah nice of te hospitals to give you a choice !!!. lol. what date is your scan ?, hope all is well. i can't believ you're 18 weeks, it seems to have gone fast. for me that is. while it has taken me forever to get to 16 weeks. lol. ha haha

dreamrise: i am also a bit scared how i will cope with labour etc, but i had all my boys drug free and quick labours. DH delivered my last baby he was so quick. lol. i am aorried how tired i will be with a family and a baby, but luckily all boys are at school so i will have a break during the day. I don't know what is a high BP, mine was 115 over 55 and they said it was a little low but o.k ???. I love the prediction of the birth time. bit freaky if the doc is right. lol. good luck to you i am sure it'll all be fine. i am 39 and know a few older mums that all went natural and fine births. good luck again.

trishy: hope you're feeling better soon . sickness and pregnancy are not nice. hope all goes well for you. not long to go now.

possums: good idea to try not to stress, the docs have done this before. my first was 3 weeks early. 7 pounds and needed no help at all. i went home the next day. lets pray all is well with baby and he is as strong as his mum. good luck to you and baby.

kaybee: yes i have the whole day off !, i actually have acupuncture also, yipee for me. DH has rest of day off after lunch so it is a real treat.
you're so close now i can't believe it. glad you're organised as you never know what baby or body might do. fingers crossed for a quick labour with little pain. or is that not possible. anyways good luck to you.

afm: well i have my day off tomorrow. acu booked. lunch with DH. rest of day off , til we need to get bys that is so a few child free hours and quality time for us. i am so excited about it. lol. i know t is sad ha ha.
i am still feeling sick and yuk. i weighed myself on my scales at home with clothes and weigh 3 kg less than hospital scales. my sis said i prob put my scales back 3 kg. lol. grrrr. meanie ha ha.
my sis is 27 weeks now and said everyone can tell she is preg finally. about time as i look fat and feel huge.

off to bed now for some beauty sleep, i wanna look good for tomorrow. lol

JBM - it's on Friday - still a while away - I know what you mean about time going slowly!

Lori it sometimes worry me being older but I keep thinking our bodies are designed to do this so that kinda gets me through. More worried about being sick.

I ended up on the drip yesterday for 2 bags. My ob appointment got cancelled to Sat.

Hi Trishy,
Sorry to hear you have been so sick again. Did you have this problem when you were pregnant with your daughter?

Good luck with your appointment tomorrow.

Lori - 38
DD - 14
Bub due 28th Aug

No Lori not at this stage, I did have HG with my dd too but it stopped about 24 weeks. With this little boy it kinda stopped 25/26 weeks for about 2 to 3 weeks and then started again. Its getting worse towards the end and there is a family history of HG. My mum had it this bad with my brother and her sister also had. Mum told me she was vomitting up to labour, during labour and 2 days after. I have spoken to my Ob about the family history and how sick I have been, I will most likely be on a drip during labour and have to have zofran through the drip as well. I weighed myself a few weeks ago and I'm about 2 to 3 kilos lighter than when I got weighed at my egg collection surgery. I was carrying some extra weight due to the IVF so I'm not too worried about it. But at the same time weight dropped off me when I was breastfeeding my dd so I am also concerned about not having a buffer.

Lori have you done your tax return yet for your medical out of pocket with IVF, I just finished mine today. $10,000 plus out of pocket with IVF and I also have spent over $1,000 on zofran tablets this child is already proving to be very expensive. I hope this trend doesnt continue. Because you only get 20 cents in the dollar that is an offset I only get a refund of about $2500. Doesnt seem right. Sorry ladies kinda of hyjacked this post with other stuff.

Possums, sorry to hear about your news :( my thoughts are with you and your little boy but i think everything will be ok and he will be healthy. Keep us posted xxxxxxx

Hi to everyone else sorry i dont have time to do persies but hope your all doing well xxxx

AFM nothing new just loving being preggas!! :) starting to get more tired and sore but counting down my last 10 weeks of work xxx