April 2013 due date anyone?

Hello gorgeous ladies :) Had my doc appointment this morning, got on great thank God! Baby is engaged al7mdulillah and this morning around 4am i actually got some contractions but they disappeared :( anyway the doc told me just walk an hour a day and she'll be here in no time inshAllah! :) So i'm thrilled. The bad news is...my blood sugar is quite high so she told me no sweets, no chocs, no carbs :( that's pretty much all i eat. She warned me to lay off the bread, potatoes and rice. I'm like :/ what can i eat then! LOL. I don't like meat at all :s 10 days left til my due date but im really hoping she'll come in the next 7 days inshAllah. Hope you're all doing great inshAllah <3

Hahaha funny these dreams eh? Me, i didn't have any pregnant or crazy dreams lately.. Or hardly any at all.. Oh wait there is one, when you sleep and dream that you need go for pee, then wake up..surprise! you really gotta go right now :) Only once early in my 1st trimester i dreamed of bathing a baby boy - i told my husband then it is going to be a boy and he kept arguing for girl until he knew the ultrasound results (that time i went alone) and nevertheless at my 32 wks scan (!!) he asked dr to show him it was Really a boy, hehehe Pinkbutterfly - very much hope you DO go into labor i don't like this thread stats ! But as you mention of course if cs will be the safest or only option - there is nothing really to regret about it.. Anyway, relax..relax..relax is all you should be doing now!! My husband back tomorrow night (i am glad i didn't have to use any of B C D plans on who is driving me to hospital :) ) and he staying on the ground from now and till baby is at least two weeks old.. That was our agreement, i actually hope he stays longer.. With his job he is lucky to be able to enlist on another faraway project if we make him too sleep-deprived and needing a break hehe Lyndy re car seats Hot issue :) which one you have? I have a cabriofix and was thinking as well of buying a "summer cover" for it.. Supposedly it makes baby feel cooler and sweat less, but in fact it is a towel fitted for the seat!! So i should try and sit on a towel when we driving somewhere and see if it helps :) maybe helps by absorbing sweat - and this was their idea of making it towel-like...oh well at least you can wash it often and keep seat clean.

MrsAbdalla - You're gas! Lol. The only dream I can remember right now was DH looking at another woman in the mall then looked at me and asked me, "you used to be like that, what happened to you? Blame it on all the ice cream and chocolates you've been secretly eating" (something like that) I woke up crying and angry at him. He was soooo confused the whole day because I wouldn't tell him what's wrong. My poor DH. Hahaha. I did think of going to the hospital and pretend my waters broke though and it wasn't a dream. :D

2 weeks ago i actually had this dream: i was sitting with my husband saying i couldn't wait anymore, i need to see my baby girl! So i told him drive me to the hospital and i will lie to them when we reach to make them deliver her :D so i reached the hospital and told them "oh, my waters broke today and i have contractions" so they checked it out and said "sorry madam, your waters didnt break and you are NOT having contractions". So i went away and came back the next day with another lie saying i couldn't feel the baby move and wanted an emergency C Section or something! hahahha! Anyone else having crazy dreams?

MrsAbdalla - Thanks sweetie. You'll be in my thoughts too. xx Lyndy - I have a motorola video monitor, haven't tried it yet still in the box as I got it as a gift. Is it really that bad? Dr appointment wasn't as good as I hoped it would be. I expected her to say, "congratulations you will have your baby today" hahaha. But no! She told me I'm a candidate for elective c-section, thanks to my crazy bp! She told me to take it easy so my bp will drop. But how can I relax knowing I might get a major abdominal surgery after the weekend? I'm trying my best to relax and not to panic. I mean if cs is the best way to go then so be it, right? I'm sure it's not that bad, it's not my ideal birth plan but at the end of the day what matters most is our safety. Alenka - Unfortunately I can't be induced at all because I had a previous miscarriage which did some damage to my uterus so there's a chance it could rupture. So it's either I go to labor on my own or c-section. The chance of uterine rupture is very low but it's still a risk I wouldn't dare take. Shower part is a big joke. OMG I can't go a day without a shower esp in this country. Lol. No need for "natural skin protection"! :D 38 weeks wooooh! Just 2 weeks left. Is DH back?

Hi Girls, Pinkbutterfly - even though dr is your friend - are you comfortable with c-section decision (and not having shower - sorry for joking) ?? They say epidurals have side effect of dropping the bp considerably and while in most moms they counteract it maybe in your case it is just what needed to deliver vaginally..? Some women prefer to have c-s actually, i guess it takes the responsibility off your shoulders, but the recovery - is it really worth it.. and drs love it as well because it is very straightforward, no waiting or relying on mother nature.. Sorry to hear your bp is high :( :( hope it stabilizes though.. But good news 2cm dilation already - and you not in labor even.. Good chances are you ll be half way dilated already by time you notice your contractions :) As for moms - yes they funny, while i was visiting mine for a month before coming over here, she also expressed her views on my "too often" showers and hairwashing :) which she thinks is washing off the "natural skin protection" i can imagine how the protection would smell and look esp here in dubai after couple of days hehe sorry to be gross. Mrs Abdalla, yep good idea with the bag, saves time going home! Was reading another birth story today, and one girl actually had her waters break in gush right when she was getting on the dr's chair for check up.. thus wetting his feet all over !! :) the dr then cancelled the checkup and sent hem to L&D straight.. That was really funny i thought.. Not for dr's shoes maybe :) Good luck everyone.. I am 38 weeks in two days, still hoping to walk another week at least, but really.. Two would be perfect ( baby..hear me now ?! :) ) <em>edited by alenka on 16/04/2013</em>

Hello ladies, Pinkbutterfly, hate that when you go shopping and buy nothing!! We (hubby and I ) didn't go overboard with buying everything you possiby could for babies...like the baby lists in the mags suggest... (daiper bins etc)not that we are tight but i think you can just go overboard! And part of me was that I just could not be bothered looking at different brands of things, we bought eveything when we arrived here and thought too we had plenty of time...HA!! I must admit i was just all for a bucket and milton tabs for steralizing bottles... but now that we do have the steralizer I am glad we do. Actually one other thing i am quite greatful we did get is a baby monitor , although I have to say not over enthused at the one we have... Bless hubby he did a fantastic job of getting the bits and bobs we did not have whilst I was still in hospital. I was not going to bother with the monitor either, but living in a big house is helpful. Just a tip (and i hope i dont offend anyone if your hubbys or yourselves work for Motorola!) the motorola digital monitor does not give a fantastically clear picture, and you have to plug it in everywhere you go with the monitor as opposed to it having battery time..it also does not take clear photos - again that clarity is just not there. I cant use it in the kitchen for some reason , meant to have a 300 mtr range. A bit disappointing as normally I thought they were a good brand. You ladies are making me giggle with your mums!! I am in agreeance with the crying and picking up, I feel quite comfortable in distinguishing Ileas cries - there is generally a reason why babies cry and as they get older I think you can add boredom to the list of things to check off if you are unsure why they are crying!! Besides I love my cuddles with my wee girl, she is great too thanks for asking ladies, am in love with her!! And I am very blessed to have such a good wee girl, she is getting very curious and likes her wake time... Swaddling... MrsAbdalla I laughed about what you said about yr mum putting a pillow over the legs too, isn't it funny how our generation do think. But swaddling, i do it from time to time when Ilea isn't settling, I dont swaddle her tight though, I make sure she can get her arms out - she loves them out ...Hubby cant bare me swaddling her - he calls it turing her into a taco. So generally I dont do the complete taco, just when really not settling after feed/change/burp. I have just had mum and dad over, and mum was brilliant, helped with cleaning, cooking, night time feeds (so i could go to bed :) )She hijacked her grandaughter on more than one occasion but was fab for giving me some advice on things to try if I was unsure. I am up for trying different things to see if they work Alenka it is heating up out there pretty quickly in the morning just now, I was thinking I must get her out for walks but it is too warm and one thing girls I have found is the car seats are hot - and one of the ones I have Ilea looks squished in it... even with aircon on in the car she feels hot, i think the material does not help in the carseats, i think i will look at getting another lite cotton sheet for them. malls do the trick tho for getting out and about, I think we have missed the boat with going out in parks etc... on taking the LO's out - I have not kept Ilea from going out at all, we have been out and about heaps, I cant bare to be home doing just housework. We are not out everyday! but I certainly dont avoid it for the sake of her being newborn. Nothing like a newborn in a pram to have people come and talk to you - or get you queue jumping !!! They are a great pawn!!! Tomorrow we are venturing to our first mums and babies thing, well, I am not sure how much of a group thing it will be - but going to one of the medical clinics where they do well baby checks and weights etc. So, we will go for a weigh in and free dr check whilst at it (they do them there too) No harm in sussing it out. MrsAbdalla you talk of your bubby not being hands on, mine is ..until it comes to number two's now - he had an "incident" last night, I said to him, your feed time = your nappy, he pleaded with me saying he was going to be sick (i thought he was being a bit of a drama queen!!) so we did a combined effort - It was a bath only situation after checking out the nappy!!! and she did another one just now...he drama queened it up again LOL, not as bad as last night but mummy had to take over. I am a nurse and dealing with bodily fluids is my job!!! but man its always surprising what amounts little people churn out! and stinky!! bless her. Maybe its that maternal thing that just takes over too. I keep threatening to go away for a weekend and he will have no choice but to just deal with it!! LOL. Just on the breast feeding too you were asking last night, i did express whilst in hospital, i was feeling quite full, I fed from one side per feed(as you get the hind(fatty) milk as well as the watery stuff in the beginning, i would express for about 10-20 min on the other side and then feed from the expressed side next time. I think about day 2 or 3 maybe when i had the hugest boobs - i was so smitten with them!!! LOL biggest boobs i have had ever !! but they felt very heavy and full as a bull, then they settled to a good B cup :) still big for me!! No, I never hand expressed, i would imagine a bit of a timely excercise! but then the hand pump was a bit time consuming too!! Pinkbutterfly - did you see your brat :) that made me laugh, how did it go at the dr??? Right time for a cuppa, get one in whilst i can and have it hot even!!!

No useful progress according to my dr. I'm 2cm dilated, 60% effaced. I might have an elective c-section if my bp doesn't get better. Not even close to labor. I will be in Mediclinic City Hospital. Thinking of you ladies too. xox inshAllah we will all have our LOs in our arms soon. InshAllah! Do keep us updated, thinking of all of you always &lt;3

No useful progress according to my dr. I'm 2cm dilated, 60% effaced. I might have an elective c-section if my bp doesn't get better. Not even close to labor. I will be in Mediclinic City Hospital. Thinking of you ladies too. xox inshAllah we will all have our LOs in our arms soon.

Alenka - Ohh my mom is just crazy sometimes. She's old school but I love her to bits. She told me a lot of other advice about the baby which I'm not considering at all. The worst probably is to NOT take a shower for 3-4 weeks if ever I get a c-section. Something about keeping the incision dry thus promoting faster recovery. Like seriously? OMG are you kidding me mom? Lol. How's it going for you? Any updates? Speaking of c-section, I went to see my dr today and she advised me elective c-section! My bp has been acting up, it's not alarmingly high but if it doesn't go down over the weekend I'm going for a c-section. Induction is not an option for some medical reason. So I guess I won't be taking a shower for a month then! Hahahaha. MrsAbdalla - Good luck on your check up tomorrow, hope everything goes well. I don't see anything wrong with taking the hospital bag with you. It's better to be prepared! I had mine in the car all this time. :D Have you had any further developments yet? I'm thinking about you all the time :) where are you delivering BTW?

Alenka - Ohh my mom is just crazy sometimes. She's old school but I love her to bits. She told me a lot of other advice about the baby which I'm not considering at all. The worst probably is to NOT take a shower for 3-4 weeks if ever I get a c-section. Something about keeping the incision dry thus promoting faster recovery. Like seriously? OMG are you kidding me mom? Lol. How's it going for you? Any updates? Speaking of c-section, I went to see my dr today and she advised me elective c-section! My bp has been acting up, it's not alarmingly high but if it doesn't go down over the weekend I'm going for a c-section. Induction is not an option for some medical reason. So I guess I won't be taking a shower for a month then! Hahahaha. MrsAbdalla - Good luck on your check up tomorrow, hope everything goes well. I don't see anything wrong with taking the hospital bag with you. It's better to be prepared! I had mine in the car all this time. :D

has anyone delivered yet? :D have docs appointment in the morning to check for engagement (?) i think that's what it's called when the baby drops down. Pray for me please! I'm bringing my hospital bag just in case anything is wrong and i have to stay. Bad idea?

Hi Pinkbutterfly - if sale did't move you to buy anything then that's it !! You got everything :) Your mom is funny - following her ways we must assume your own lungs are in very good shape now :) they from different generation - a lot of things that are normal to us for them look as spoiling but wait till you get your mom to visit you and see her grandchild - that is when real spoiling starts !! Hehe me already thinking of my speech to in-laws for coming xmas (yes don't laugh) about food that i don't want to be given to my son, he will be at that age when they start looking at what is in your plate and trying everything reachable.. As for maternity-ish dresses, me too looked thru the wardrobe lastnight and there was nothing really to go home from hospital..as belly doesn't disappear as quick as two days we better stick to maternity fashion :) not that i was thinking that at time of buying but going home, yes i though it could work for after hospital. I am a bit nervous though thinking of summer.. You can't always walk the malls only, so i guess baby will have to adjust for early morning walks outside whatever the temperature is it can't be too bad at 7-8 am (i hope!!!) the thought of staying home for say..month..makes me claustraphobic :(

Oh I didn't buy anything :( I guess my DH is right after all I have EVERYTHING! Lol. Alenka - Ahh, you bought another maternity dress? I bought a maternity-ish dress like a week ago, I was planning to wear it as my going home outfit from hospital. So you're not alone. Hehe! I have to walk, I have to get out of the house because staying home is really driving me craaazzzzyy! I know I have to be resting but I just can't stay in one place for some reason. There are days when I want to sleep all day but most days I just need to do things. I've been nesting for like 2 months now, our villa is spotless!!! Lol. I think I will be staying home for a month or two after delivery, it's too hot outside. But the mall is a good idea. Maybe we can all go for coffee once we're all settled? MrsAbdalla - Hahaha! Like a maniac! LOL! I understand how you feel about leaving LO to others. My mom advised me not to hold the baby all the time, she said it will spoil the baby. She even told me I should let the baby cry all he wants especially in the morning because it's good exercise for his lungs! Uhmmm... no thanks mom! Newborns are spoil-proof!!! Touching, holding them in their early years give them comfort, makes them feel loved. And I don't think I can let my baby cry without doing anything about it. I maybe wrong here but I just don't think I can do that. I think we should do what we feel is good for LOs. Unless your dr tells you otherwise. I will probably leave LO when he's a few months old, because let's face it we need to go do things with DH that we used to do before the baby, like going out for a nice dinner for example. :) Lyndy - Hi there! How's it going with LO? Unfortunately, it's not my lucky day today. Lol. Oh well maybe tomorrow. I'm going to see my dr tomorrow so I'll get to see my little brat even if it's just ultrasound. :)

Evening Ladies! Punkbutterfly - how s today's shopping - anything interesting? Which babyshop you went to, i heard it is only in babyshops that are not part of centrepoint, is it? 39 weeks - is very close don't overdo this walking like crazy - you have to be rested for the big day!! (Which is soon !!!) Me finally packed the hospital suitcase only to find out i want to take plenty of stuff that is still in use and can't be packed just yet :) so i made a packing list #2 :) I did a stupid thing today - bought another maternity dress!! I know makes no sense for two weeks, i guess because i am so tired to feel big and all-round as soon as i saw something Slimming it was all over :) well maybe it won't hang too bad while i will be still round-ish after delivery, i shall wait and see.. Mrs Abdalla, re pumping - the only reason i would go for pump is really if i wanted to go out and leave baby or had to go to work, so that i could continue breastfeeding. I would think twice before pumping while feeding the baby in parallel. The more you pump the more milk is produced as your brain just thinks that baby is really hungry and needs more and more. If you 100% breastfeed on demand (and not watching clock) - yes that includes picking up crying babies :) then your milk supply adjusts to the needs of the baby. One piece of advice for when milk coming in given by midwife at antenatal class is to limit your liquids intake for that day (usually 2nd or 3rd day after birth) limit is like 600-800 ml for the day (including soups if you have any) that only applies for this 1st milky day as milk can come in very quick which causes this engorging. She also advised to express some by hand if it gets painful - but only as much as brings comfort and lets baby latch on easier not really drain it. Anyway if the need for pump appear while you already started with BF you can always buy it later..either still at hospital pharmacy or online when you home.. Lyndy great to hear from you! How is your little girl doing, been nice to her mom? :) Yes would be great to meet up later.. Btw when everybody is thinking of taking these babes out?? Out like for a walk / mall walk etc.. I am not sure really in my home country everybody walking say from week 2 but temperatures are quite different to here.. On the other hand babies were ok with +36.6 for 9 months why would + 30..35 now bother them.....?

Thanks all! Pinkbutterfly, it's a good thing you lost the plug though! Since reading about you losing yours i'm checking like a maniac every time i go to the bathroom hahahaha! I would take it as a sign of progress at least - i wish anything would happen for me now just so i know things are moving along. i feel like my bump has been the same size for the past 6 weeks also! no changes at all :( except more milk. i woke up a few nights ago to use the bathroom and got a fright when i felt the bed was wet :O was just milk :( anyone else having this issue? I've been having drops for the past 11 weeks but this past week or 2 it's quite heavy. needless to say i've stocked up on the breast pads :D my hubby isn't really the hands-on type when it comes to infants, forget feeds and diaper changes! it's his culture though, he said if i need any help he'll get me a maid but he's oh so manly to do things besides hold the baby! lol. I definitely don't want a maid though, and look forward to being hands on myself. The reason i plan to not use a bottle is because i won't be leaving the baby with anyone. I know this sounds awful but my own family are not here and i've seen my MIL and SIL with new borns and their way is very different to my way. I asked my husband if i left the baby with them and asked them NOT to do such and such would they listen and he said honestly, no, they will do what they feel is right. Many things really, like i personally hate swaddling babies, there are pros and cons i know but its my choice not to swaddle. My MIL swaddles babies so tight they look like they're in pain and then places a pillow on top of their legs so they can't move at all :s this to me is awful. plus they don't believe in picking up crying babies, unless they're sure it's time for a feed or change. I couldn't bear to be out knowing my baby might be crying and they would just leave her lying there :( i make my in laws sound awful i know - they're so kind honestly but i wouldn't like to leave my baby with them. LOL sorry for all that ranting! :) Lyndy, thanks so much for the offer. *hugs* have u ever tried expressing with your hand? does it take forever? my SIL told me to buy a double electric pump but my mother is kind of old fashioned and reminds me daily how she used to work 2 jobs, pump milk by hand, hitch-hike to work at 8 and half months pregnant etc :) lol so she insists pumping by hand is just as good. i don't know really, this is the first baby so i have no experience. I didn't know they will ask me to express in hospital :( just wondering - did your cup size go up during pregnancy or after your milk came in? my size is the same since before i was pregnant :s thought i'd have huge boobs by now but i dont :( Honestly im pretty comfortable considering how far along i am. My pregnancy has been really great thank God. Never vomited since day 1, no back pain, no stretch marks until now (fingers crossed). the swelling is gone down a little. My MIL is insisting i drink things to bring on the labour (i have refused until now) and i thought "why should i? she'll come when she's ready! it's not like im overdue or something". I've accepted that i have 12 days left and may go over and that's ok i guess, as long as the little one is healthy :)

Pinkbutterfly,I hope the last minute shopping does the trick for you, takethestairs not the lifts!!! oh , the anticipation!! you never know, this could be your day!!! MrsAbdalla, i have a manual one here which i am not using at all, I am bottling all the way with mt little one. Its a Boots one, you are more than welcome to have it. Not as quick as the electric pumps i was using in NICU but still ,it worked. if you would like it by all means we can arrange to get it to you. Perhaps if you do have heaps of milk, it may be handy to take a bit of milk off in between feeds if you get uncomfortable. i unfortunately dried up all of a sudden :( But not beating myself up over it..I do miss my ample bust though!!Sadly back to an A cup...(sigh :( !!!) When is yr due date? You never know, thngs might start to happen soon! one thing i learnt is these little people come when they want to, not when we want them to, LOL, I hope you are not getting too uncomfortable with swelling etc, i can sympathize with that!!

MrsAbdalla - I have this feeling I will go past my due date as well. I'm 39 weeks today! Hmm.. I have no experience with breastfeeding/breast pumps. But I've been reading a LOT because the more you know, the easier it will be they say. Lactation Consultants recommend pumping when your milk comes in, when your breasts are engorged it would be really hard for LO to latch on your nipple. You can pump or do it by hand. I also read somewhere that newborn babies sleep most of the time so pumping can help establish your milk supply. I guess it really depends on you. I'm thinking of buying one because there will be nights when I want to go out for dinner with DH, I'll get someone to watch LO for a few hours. And DH will probably feel left out if I breastfeed all the time. I'd like him to help in feeding LO sometimes so he will feel important too. That's just how I feel, like I said it's your own preference. HTH. :)

Pinkbutterfly : Don't despair! I feel like i'll probably go past my due date because i haven't felt any different at all! I've not had any braxton hicks until now, no period like pains, nothing :( Wishing you all the best inshAllah! &lt;3 All Ladies: can i ask your advice? i haven't bought a breast pump. I don't see the need as i plan on feeding without expressing the milk, im a full time SAHM (to be :D) . My sis in law is telling me i'll have to buy one but my mom said they're a waste of money and she used to express by hand when needed. Can anyone guide me on this? I really don't wanna give a bottle at all if i can help it. But my sis in law is telling me i'll have too much milk (she thinks this because i've been leaking since im 6 months pregnant and to her that means i have too much milk :) ) lol

Hi everyone. I just want to update that eversince I lost my plug, I've had no progress whatsoever :( I'm off to babyshop to do some last minute shopping and to do a bit of walking as well. They have a sale which started today. Happy shopping mommies (to be). :)

Hi lovely ladies!! firstly big congrats to the new mummies - Maxmistry, Muffin86 and Philly - sorry to hear you all had C sections..hope you are all recovering nicely and enjoying the time with your new little lads and hope they are doing well too and not making you all too tired!! This is my 3rd attempt at trying to post so will post properly tomorrow, my little one is stirring and due a feed...anyone else had problems posting?? Anyway just wanted to say congrats! and to the mums to be , hang in there, you are sooo near the end of the long haul, hope you are chilling taking it easy and pampering yourselves!! It would be fab to be able to put some faces to names when people are able if they want to!! take care all xx

Hi Ladies, hope everyone's well! Boysenberry, thx for dropping in :-) how did you know your LO not getting enough? Did she scream hungry after feeds? Did you give second breast straight after? I believe it is normal for newborns loose some weight before they start gaining - they on the whole new diet plan! Also their stomachs tiny and can handle about 30 ml at a time, i am reading.. Anyway, i believe all babes are custom made for their mums we just need to work on syncing :-) Pinkbutterfly - lucky for you to have your MIL kicking you out for activities :-) i wish i had someone not letting me indulge on sweets and chocs!! Although i been a good girl and went for yoga workout as well today.. Wow it is getting so hot even 10 min walk around noon gave me headache ( even under umbrella - anyone told me i will be walking under umbrella with no rain - i would have laughed ) Can't imagine yet what the summer will be like - home prison with a baby??? As for my birth plan, hehe i did scribble some points today on a piece of paper, maybe more for myself and go through it with husband, so that he knows when to step in if i will be lazy communicating to hospital stuff. It is not the question of trusting the doctor for me - in fact i expect her to fly in only to catch the baby, as i see how busy her schedule is when coming for appointments.. So most of work during first stage of labor and before pushing is done by nurses/ midwives who never saw you and not sure what your preferences are.. Anyway, yours is different case and if your doctor so close to you over the past years i am sure she won't leave you alone.. Coming back to plug topic :-) i wouldn't be hoping for it to regenerate!! Most women go in labor within three days to a week after losing one.. It is funny those compliments from loving husbands and although we might be most beautiful in their eyes even these bulky days, i don't know what's wrong with my own eyes !! :-) i am still not out of habit browsing some online fashion shops with size setting As If i am not aware of these +14 kg i have at the moment to my pre pregnancy weight!!! I guess it is magic mirror effect :-) oh well i very much hope it will not take too long to loose.. (She said eating another chocolate sweet!) Actually quite amazed at number of opportunities to exercise with small babies in Dubai.. It is a very baby friendly place i notice, i am glad i moved.. Back to reading my birth book - 50 pages left and i will consider myself an educated first timer ! :-) <em>edited by alenka on 13/04/2013</em>

Hi ladies, Im excited for all the soon to be moms out there! Reading your posts makes me remember how i delivered My first baby. A Piece of advice, make sure you feed your baby well on first days of life or she Will drop a lot of weight just like My baby. My baby was big when i delivered and i thought i was feeding her well from My breast only to find out that i just have drops of milk and it doesnt feed her well coz she just starten to stimulate it when she was born so My breastmilk was still very little that time and i wasnt that informed that i should use breast pumps to make it more effective. My baby is okay now and she regained the big loss she had. Healthy and kicking now! :)

Hi ladies. How's everyone today? Alenka - To be honest, I don't have a birth plan. I had plans of how my ideal birth experience would be, but I know once labor starts anything could happen and my birth plan will just be thrown out the window. So I told my dr, to do whatever she thinks is necessary. I trust her 100%, she's been my dr for the past 5 years. She's been with me when I had a missed miscarriage last year, and we know each other very well now she's a family friend. I told her if I scream for epidural, she has to call the anesthesiologist and it has to be given to me right away lol. How about you, do you have a birth plan? The pressure down below means your baby has dropped, LO could be engaged in your pelvic region already! So exciting! Regarding me being active, it's not really my choice lol! My MIL has been coming almost everyday to check on me and she's the one pushing me out of the house to walk and swim. There are days when I hate her but I know she means well and I'm very lucky to have her with me because my mom is not around. :) AnonDubai - It's very exciting indeed. However, my dr said the mucus plug REGENERATES!!! So it really doesn't mean anything even if I lost it unless it came with regular contractions. Oh well.. I have 10 days left til my EDD. I hope I don't go overdue because it's already driving me crazy haha. Thanks for sharing your experience with us. :) MrsAbdalla - Ahh your sweet DH. We're so lucky to have such loving husbands :) My DH tells me every morning that I'm the most beautiful woman in his eyes no matter how much weight I gained from this pregnancy. Then he jokes around that I have 3 months after delivery to lose it all. Haha. Today I woke up feeling sooo lazy so I'm going to put my feet up, watch a movie and eat ice cream! :D

Evening Ladies, hmm am i bored? Excited? Guess both..few posts a day - wow hehe Mrs Abdalla- you welcome darling, hopefully you will feel better, just think it is so little time left to your due date- use it for your advantage :) sleep sleep sleep :) I also noticed change in couple of last weeks - that new pressure of the baby head really low, makes it really urgent for all the toilet trips. Before i was flying now don't run around as fast, but luckily don't waddle either. Long time since i am uncomfortable on my back but now even a little reclining - like sitting relaxed on couch makes me short of breath. So it is sitting upright, walking or laying on the side left :) I had a cinderella day - washing and ironing baby clothes, some new that i bought myself lately, some given down from SIL' son early years. Now considering giving half of that stuff away- any idea who could need it? Baby boy clothes in range 0-2 yrs, i just don't need that much, some i don't like, some is too warm for summer weather here and by Dubai "winter" he ll grow out of it, and...not the least important, i want to leave space for my own baby shopping as he grows!! I guess all the service personnel around Dubai all single as cant bring their families with their wages, so i am wondering what to do with all the unwanted baby stuff...... Ideas welcome Good night lady-bumps :)

MrsAbdalla - Sorry this is TMI. I went to pee, as I was wiping myself down there I looked at the tissue and there was blood! So I had to inspect as I was panicking! It's like mucus from the nose but tinged with fresh blood. I called my dr right away, she said it's my plug and I shouldn't worry because it's normal but I shouldn't get too excited either unless I was having contractions. Which I had last night then stopped around 3am. Ugh! I know what you mean by swollen feet and hands! Omg. I can't even bear to look at myself in the mirror sometimes from all the swelling. But my MIL said, swelling means labor is coming soon. So let's look at the bright side. Drink plenty of water, as ironic as it may sound it helps with fluid retention! Take it easy and let's all just pray that everything will happen at the right time. :) I'm sorry about your knees, try swimming it's good exercise without putting pressure on your knees. I'm actually off now for a swim hehe! Talk to you ladies later, hopefully with good news. Ta xxx Hi PinkButterfly. The blood thing happened to me when I was pregnant with my third. I was not in any pain. However, because my second child was born so quickly, I went to the hospital very soon after I saw the blood and basically demanded to be admitted and my son was born a few hours later. Good luck! This is so exciting!

Mrs Abdalla, just wanted to share a couple of things that work for me, maybe you try them out, even if no positive result, it will not hurt! Me, i often find my belly square especially in middle of night when up for pee (which makes sense as too much laying down passively not so nice for baby correct positioning)- and i don't like this square belly, as it hints baby turned or trying to, and not the way i want him to be!! :) then i am doing pelvic tilts that was taught at prenatal yoga, on your fours you inhale with head up- don't arch back, keep it neutral., exhale with arched up back, a cat like pose - with head going down. I am sure there will be better descriptions of pelvic tilts if you google it :) If i am not up to tilts, lazy or sleepy, just standing on all fours swaying a bit gives space to baby to relocate and makes the belly nice and round again :) Another thing i do for ribs when it gets really uncomfortable- baby feet playing there or just no space for a good deep breath, you stand in the door opening your arms 90 degrees bent and at your shoulders level, you basically hang forward in this opening a bit, both lifting your ribs up and opening chest, all with the help of your body weight and gravity. But that is a "lonely" option, if you have someone around who can be your partner - it is much nicer just sit on the floor comfortably leg crossed arms up and bent and fingers locked behind your head, have your partner stand behind you and push you by the elbows upwards and backwards same time with his knee between your shoulder blades helping you open up. I hope it is descriptive enough - really simple things but make big difference in how you feel.. Good luck ! Thanks so much for the tips! I was so positive and loving the pregnancy until this final 4 weeks, i just feel miserable and lazy and awkward and im absolutely DYING to see my daughter's face. i know we're all in the same boat though! and like i said i was doing great and taking it easy but now, i feel the past 2 weeks have dragged and can't imagine how long the next 2 will be. it makes it worse that my hubby tries to help but he seems very uncomfortable and awkward about my pregnancy LOL you would think he was 16 or 17, far from it, i can see in his eyes he looks at my belly like it's an alien sometimes and he never knows what to do or say. poor thing :) it's funny really. Today i told him in floods of tears "just hug me and tell me im beautiful" and he started laughing calling me skinny girl hahahaha. i feel very emotional all of a sudden :s

MrsAbdalla - Sorry this is TMI. I went to pee, as I was wiping myself down there I looked at the tissue and there was blood! So I had to inspect as I was panicking! It's like mucus from the nose but tinged with fresh blood. I called my dr right away, she said it's my plug and I shouldn't worry because it's normal but I shouldn't get too excited either unless I was having contractions. Which I had last night then stopped around 3am. Ugh! I know what you mean by swollen feet and hands! Omg. I can't even bear to look at myself in the mirror sometimes from all the swelling. But my MIL said, swelling means labor is coming soon. So let's look at the bright side. Drink plenty of water, as ironic as it may sound it helps with fluid retention! Take it easy and let's all just pray that everything will happen at the right time. :) I'm sorry about your knees, try swimming it's good exercise without putting pressure on your knees. I'm actually off now for a swim hehe! Talk to you ladies later, hopefully with good news. Ta xxx No not TMI! I really appreciate it! i'm so nervous i'll miss it when it comes. I know it doesnt mean you're in labour but it's a good sign so i'll be happy to see it (if i do!) when it comes. I have another 2 weeks to go but i really can't imagine i'll last that long, I don't know why! lol. Or maybe im just hoping :p Enjoy your swim and thanks so much for the info xxx

Mrs Abdalla, just wanted to share a couple of things that work for me, maybe you try them out, even if no positive result, it will not hurt! Me, i often find my belly square especially in middle of night when up for pee (which makes sense as too much laying down passively not so nice for baby correct positioning)- and i don't like this square belly, as it hints baby turned or trying to, and not the way i want him to be!! :) then i am doing pelvic tilts that was taught at prenatal yoga, on your fours you inhale with head up- don't arch back, keep it neutral., exhale with arched up back, a cat like pose - with head going down. I am sure there will be better descriptions of pelvic tilts if you google it :) If i am not up to tilts, lazy or sleepy, just standing on all fours swaying a bit gives space to baby to relocate and makes the belly nice and round again :) Another thing i do for ribs when it gets really uncomfortable- baby feet playing there or just no space for a good deep breath, you stand in the door opening your arms 90 degrees bent and at your shoulders level, you basically hang forward in this opening a bit, both lifting your ribs up and opening chest, all with the help of your body weight and gravity. But that is a "lonely" option, if you have someone around who can be your partner - it is much nicer just sit on the floor comfortably leg crossed arms up and bent and fingers locked behind your head, have your partner stand behind you and push you by the elbows upwards and backwards same time with his knee between your shoulder blades helping you open up. I hope it is descriptive enough - really simple things but make big difference in how you feel.. Good luck !

Hi Girls! Pink Butterfly, good you keeping it active going for swim etc! It will start sooner than you think, your cervix dilating already which the plug passing and contractions showing..how did they feel btw?? What is your plan - do you want to go to hospital early in labor or wait till it is well established and undeniably progressing? With these "false alarms" which not false really just the rehearsals our body doing, it can put woman in situation when she is panicked to stay at home and goes early but at hospital labor stalls, then drs do their best to get it going, which i personally want to try and avoid and go as natural as i can. Oh well, first baby, you never know what you up to really until you get there. At least i want to try and avoid the medicated birth. What is your view of your ideal birth? I find it reassuring just visualizing it as i go to sleep for example, of how i want it to happen, trying to picture birth in detail, still no birth plan on paper though, i might get down to it and do my homework for next appointment, just for the piece of mind maybe. I do not know myself when should i go in in case it starts, my mum had both her births very quick and even with 1st baby it was all over in 4 hrs after the contractions started, the 2nd baby quicker still... There is a tendency of daughters taking it after mothers, they say, and as much as i want to stay home longer time i dont want deliver in car either !! Heheee