Newly pregnant, first time older mum to be

Hi, I joined ages ago when i was TRYING to conceive, and have now come back because i have just become pregnant.

I will be a 35+ first time mum and apart from feeling sick all the time, i am very pleased to finally be on my way to becoming a mother.

My due date is November 9th and my very first prenatal clinic is 10th April. I have so many questions so i am very grateful for this forum.

I am very interested in :
conquering morning sickness
and how people on a low income bring up babies.

i didn't have a career to give up to have a child, it has just taken me this long to find a father and to actually conceive. I would have preferred to become a mother at 30 but i didn't meet my partner until i was 34. We have been trying ever since to conceive.

Congrats Gigi - this is my first and I'm 38.

There are lots of us on BB who have experienced a delay in childbearing due to circumstances such as you describe.

Re the morning sickness ... seems to be a wide variety of things that help people and also the time of the sickness can be a misnomer. I didn't actually throw up but was just increasingly nauseous all day. Much worse at night. From a personal point of view, iced water with a squeeze of lemon (anything citrus really) and iceblocks helped. Some people swear by ginger but it only made me feel sick and I'm now off it completely. It might work for you though.

There's lots of tips on BB about cooking on a budget and so forth (see the food and house, home and money threads for more details). Hope you find something there that helps you.

Once again, congrats and stay in touch with us. Hope everything goes really well.

Melissa

thanks for your words of encouragement Melissa. I am also not being physically sick, just FEEL like it 24/7 (nauseous that is).

I am the same age as you. That makes me feel a bit better.

Congratulations to you for having success with IVF - i know so little about it except it's a big deal to go through, i'm pleased for you that it worked.

I already budget like crazy with food and house stuff, it's the looking thru the baby catologues like Baby Target that strikes fear into me - all that stuff!!!! :rolleyes:

Welcome to BellyBelly Gigi and Congratulations on your Pregnancy.
Hope you can deal with your M/S and that it doesn't last too long.....

Congratulations Gigi,
How wonderful for you I am really happy for you that things have worked out so well,

I have had really bad morning sickness and have not found a way to completely get rid of it as yet but have found that eating a dry biscuit such as a saltine or salada ( I like saltines better they are not quite as dry ) before you even get out of bed in the morning and some water really helps, also I found out the other day that Blackmores actually make a morning sickness formular tablet I have yet to try these so cant say weather or not they actually work but they sound pretty good, ginger beer is always good too just sipping that all day seems to help but then unfortunately it can cause heart burn, good luck any way I hope it does not last to long for you.

and as far as having a child on a very limited budget well I have never really thought about it, we were on an extreemly low income when my son was born he is 5 now and money is better but still not great IUKWIM but we seem to cope we did alot of jugling around and usually make arrangements on our bills and just pay an amount each week, as far as getting baby furniture as I said we were broke and I could not buy alot but we put all of the big stuff on lay by and paid a little off each week as the baby store we went to alowed a 6 month layby so that made things alot easier, it is hard but you always get there so try not to worry to much its when they get older that it starts to cost more LOL

good luck with your pregnancy I look forward to folowing you on your journy to motherhood congrats again :flower:

i have been reading that some women drink FLAT ginger beer - yet another thing i must try, i have only been having water with the tiniest amount of lemon barley cordial in it for weeks now - and herbal tea.

I will try the Saltines, my gp had recommended Jatz but i am so sick of them now. The salt cravings are weird, normally i am a no salt person but now i crave boiled potatoes with salt on it.

thanks for your welcoming posts Shan and Amym - after weeks of being housebound cos i feel too ill to go anywhere, it's so nice to "meet" the friendly people on this site.

Hi Gigi and congratulations on your pg! It is not hard to raise a baby on a low income, it just requires foreplanning and budgeting. I hope your m/s eases for you soon. Good luck at your clinic visit.

Hi Gigi & Congratulations on your pregnancy!!!
I hope your morning sickness eases soon :)

Congratulations Gigi on your pregnancy, I hope it all goes well for you

Hi there, welcome back to BellyBelly and congrats on your pregnancy :D

hi Gigi

I am 39 and have twins due in July.

M/s is hard to beat under 12 wks but I had breakfast in bed and it does help. I also ate whenever I started to feel a bit sick. Rest up and keep fluids up.

Re budget - remember you get a baby bonus $4000 after bub is born. So you can delay some of big purchases till after bub is born.

When you go to hospital booking in appointment they give your a bag of goodies called bounty bag - it has a magazine with vouchers for 20% -25% off some of bigger costs car seats and clothes and ?. Watch for sales and use your vouchers then for 40% off / layby too.

As well you might find friends and aquaintances will give you their unused items or lend you things.

Like other said BB has heaps of advice for those on a budget too

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Hi Gigi and congratulations on your pg! It is not hard to raise a baby on a low income, it just requires foreplanning and budgeting. I hope your m/s eases for you soon. Good luck at your clinic visit.

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thanks for that sherieb.

do you think the foreplanning comes after a few kids (knowing what to expect) or is there some way to work it out even with your first?

I have always been a planner but i am feeling all at sea with this. I am worried that when i actually NEED stuff, i will not be in a position to go out and shop around.

As it is, in this first trimester, i had imagined this to be a time of research and looking around, but i don't feel well enough to go anywhere and get tired so quickly.

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hi Gigi

I am 39 and have twins due in July.

M/s is hard to beat under 12 wks but I had breakfast in bed and it does help. I also ate whenever I started to feel a bit sick. Rest up and keep fluids up.

Re budget - remember you get a baby bonus $4000 after bub is born. So you can delay some of big purchases till after bub is born.

When you go to hospital booking in appointment they give your a bag of goodies called bounty bag - it has a magazine with vouchers for 20% -25% off some of bigger costs car seats and clothes and ?. Watch for sales and use your vouchers then for 40% off / layby too.

As well you might find friends and aquaintances will give you their unused items or lend you things.

Like other said BB has heaps of advice for those on a budget too

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wow - TWINS!!! wow!

I am such a cynic, i am not counting on the baby bonus, governments change their laws all the time, they could easily stop the baby bonus in October or something.

The hospital bounty bag sounds good, i read all the junk mail for sales and am a big fan of lay-by. Would like to research more e.g Choice magazine to make a more informed choice about buying the expensive items like a baby car seat. Spending large amounts of money makes me so nervous.

I get the feeling that things like cots and car seats you need brand new for safety reasons, but other things it is ok to have secondhand - just have to work my way thru the bombardment of advertising thru to reality - hopefully without wasting too much money in the process.

Already a few people i know have asked their friends about their un-used baby stuff, so i am hopeful i might score some maternity dresses or something that way.

thanks for the ideas Baby Amore and good luck for July!

HI and welcome!A huge congrats to you on your pregnancy!I also had all day sickness/nausea when I was pregnant with Gemma....not fun I know!

hi gigi

congratulations on your pregnancy.

i am 36yo and pregnant with number 6 bub, this is my first bub with my second hubby, my last bub was 8 years ago, so i have absoulutly nothing!!

there are lots of things you can waste your money on with baby goods, the only thing i am purchasing brand new is a cot matress, and car seat.
i have been looking around at ebay, garage sales, and just local notice boards, for bargins, there is so much good things practically brand new you can pick up second hand, i got a bassinette for $30, and a pram for $120, brand new it would be $400+.

I go to my local op shop everyweek, for clothes for me, and you can pick up so much nice baby clothes, beding etc for bubs, i asked them to ring me when baby goods come in, i got a bath for$2, and 45 cloth nappies for $5, you would not even no they have been used, as they cant sell them stained. so just keep your options open, and keep searching........you might not feel like it now, but you will get better, beleive me, i was so sick, and now i can actually get out!

good luck, and all the best

chrissy :flower:

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hi gigi

congratulations on your pregnancy.

i am 36yo and pregnant with number 6 bub, this is my first bub with my second hubby, my last bub was 8 years ago, so i have absoulutly nothing!!

there are lots of things you can waste your money on with baby goods, the only thing i am purchasing brand new is a cot matress, and car seat.
i have been looking around at ebay, garage sales, and just local notice boards, for bargins, there is so much good things practically brand new you can pick up second hand, i got a bassinette for $30, and a pram for $120, brand new it would be $400+.

I go to my local op shop everyweek, for clothes for me, and you can pick up so much nice baby clothes, beding etc for bubs, i asked them to ring me when baby goods come in, i got a bath for$2, and 45 cloth nappies for $5, you would not even no they have been used, as they cant sell them stained. so just keep your options open, and keep searching........you might not feel like it now, but you will get better, beleive me, i was so sick, and now i can actually get out!

good luck, and all the best

chrissy :flower:

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thanks chrissy, most of my clothes are opshop and i intend stocking up on baby clothes from opshops too - just hard to imagine EVER leaving the house again at the mo!!!!! I am a bit nervous of Ebay but i will be trying all those other ideas like garage sales, church fetes, etc.

This is my first bub but my partner has a daughter from a previous relationship (long before i came on the scene). My SD is lovely but the ex is rather unpleasant - i am most nervous of the ex finding out i'm pregnant.

I really like hearing the bit about how you're not nauseous NOW. i long for that day too!!!

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

Congratulations on your pregnancy, glad you came back to share it with us. Wishing you a safe and healthy pregnancy.

I can't help you much on the m/s or constant nausea. I never really got it although I did get travel sickness for a couple of weeks. Never threw up at all. I eat pretty regularly and only smll amounts. I find that if I don't my tummy goes funny and I begin to get nausea, no matter the time of day.

Hi Gigi & Congratulations on your pregnancy!!!
I hope your morning sickness eases soon

Congrats on your pregnancy!!

Congratulations Gigi!! :)

Hi Gigi,

Congratulations!! We are having another baby which was a bit of a surprise. We had given away all our baby stuff to charity and now have to buy new all over again :rolleyes: ! Buying a secondhand cot is okay, then you can spend the money that you save on a good matress, which is very important. We wont bother with a bassinette this time - baby will go straight into the cot. Breast feeding will save you heaps of money, and layby is an expectant mothers best friend. I think thats why pg lasts 9 months - so you can save up to be able to afford everything, lol.
Also, dont buy too many clothes, because you'll get lots of pressies and babies grow so quick.
But most important, DON'T STRESS!! Just relax and it will all come together. Enjoy the pregnancy ( after m/s of course ) !!

Hi Gigi!

Congratulations on your BFP!!!!

I would just like to give you a little bit of reassurance about the $4000 baby bonus. Don't worry, the government will not change its laws by October! You will definitely get the $4000. It's here to stay for a few years at least....

Have a lovely pregnancy and hope your budget planning goes ok. There's always ebay for baby clothes....

Congratulations Gigi! All the best for a Happy and healthy pregnancy

Ebay is great for lots of things, borrowing from family/freinds is also a HIGE help

dear everyone who posted:

i have not been able to get on this forum for at least a week (site maintenance or something) (didn't want you to think i was rude and ignoring your messages) but it is lovely to be able to log in today and be able to read all these kind messages.

It is really useful to me to hear from parents who have gone thru it already and know what you can do without (like the bassinnette) and what it is do-able to get secondhand.

I have now had my first midwife clinic and been told i have fabulous blood pressure. I am taking this as a good start!

I have a very limited social network (estranged from violent family) so i am so grateful to hear from all of you, it is just nice to hear your experiences and i am learning from all of you, so thank you so much.

thank you all so much =D>

Hi Gigi and congrats on your pregnancy!

We too are surviving on a small wage. We purchased most of the stuff we needed on credit card before Maddy was born, made the minimum repayments (had I been able to work past 4 months pg I would have paid these off in advance) and as soon as the baby bonus came through; we put it all on the credit cards.

My best advice is to not be drawn in by all of the bells and whistles. Shop around, compare prices and then ask other stores to match these sale prices. Many will then out-do the quoted price for your business.

A lot of baby shops will give you a 5-10% discount on your purchases when you make a purchase/lay-by of $500 and over (or something similiar).

We bought Maddy's carseat brand-new; and it cost us $170. You can get this same carseat on special at around $150. It's a convertible carseat (facing backwards from birth - 8kg; turn around to forward facing for 8/9kg+). It isn't flashy but it fits our car (we have a hatchback), it's got the Australian safety tick and compared to the $300 models, it was a great bargain. Effectively, you're paying for flashy material covering in the more expensive models.

If you dont want to pay through the tooth for prams; perhaps you could buy a second hand one or look into Ebay for a person selling stock through an Ebay store. Also, many of the strollers come in layback models which can be used from birth+. You could easily get one of these for under $200; whereas alot of prams are quite a bit more than this.

Hi Gigi
Congratulations on your pregnancy. I hope you are feeling reassured that you are not too old at all. I'm 39 and I met my current man at 34 but it took me a few years to convince him before we could TTC.

As for raising a bub on a low income - just remember people have been doing it for thousands of years. Second hand is fantastic. It's also so much better for the environment.

Congratulations on your BFP. Try not to stress to much, I know it can be very daunting and the first 12 weeks or in my case 15-18 you really don't feel human but it will go away. Having a summerry baby is great, I myself have 4 of them, this one is my first winter one. The good thing is they don't need as many clothes, lol. The best option is to lay by stuff when they are on special, like your carseat, cot, pram and a high chair can be put off untill bub is a few months old or use the maternity money to buy these things after bub is born. If you get all of your paperwork for centrelink filled out and your partner can take it into centrelink the day after baby is born. Payment will be made very quickly. When I had DD#4 DH took the paper work in the day after I had her (Wednesday) and on Friday (I swear this was very super quick) we found $3000 in the bank. (Although I think they say to wait 2 weeks before calling them about non payment lol) You will also be able to recieve FTB Part A and PART B aswell as Parenting Allowence I think. The best thing to do would be to make an appointment in a few months time with Centrelink to discuss what you are entitled too. When you have Baby the hospital will give you a Centrelink claim book and you just fill it out and take it in and you will start getting these payments.
You really only need a few things for baby in that first week, Buy things when they are on special, I love Best and Less for new singlets and they always have 2 for one deals. The fun will be shopping for bub after he/she is born and you have all that money in the bank. Don't buy too many 0000 and 000 things they grow very quickly. Pace yourself you do have plenty of time. I also find that by adding a few items like nappy wipes, lotions and baby soap and shampoo, nappies also breast pads and maternity pads to each shopping trip will lighten the load when the time comes. Hope this helps
Bye Dee

what great practical advice 7th Heaven. I am having a summery baby too, and will take your words of advice happily. No doubt after four bubs, you are VERY good at being practical! THhs is just the stuff i have been wondering about. Thank you so much =D>