June 2013 due dates

I'm up for Monday too! Same place? Same time? Cherry blossom....believe me, all I have is a list right now! I haven't bought anything yet. You can get maternity swimsuits at Mothercare as far as I remember. Could try Destination Maternity? Mamas and Papas? Debenhams? Had my anomaly scan last week and all looks perfect. Also saw what flavour we are having but i have to keep the secret because DH doesn't want to know until baby arrives. It is so hard keeping my foot out of my mouth!!!!

Ah I'm glad it helped a bit Mom2b. I remember how hard I found getting comfortable in bed when pregnant with my son but the good news is that the more uncomfortable you get the closer you are to finally meeting your little bundle of joy! ;-) Kookee....congratulations on the little man! We are going on a little adventure to Thailand and Malaysia beginning of March. I cannot wait to just put my feet up. Your hol sounded like pure bliss. It's going to be so hard not eating all round me. The food sounds amazing. Make sure you get a letter from Dr Braithwaite if you are are planning on flying. Might be worth ringing in advance and letting them know at AH so they can have it ready for you at your next visit. Think all airlines require a doc's letter after 26 weeks but depending on how big you look if they don't see a letter they may be a bit hesitant to let you fly. Just avoids any hassle! The uppababy vista that the girls have chosen looks like good buy! Don't panic though. You have loads of time. Maybe road test some when you fly back to London at the end of the month? Didn't try a doula or hypnobirthing but there are some great reviews on the forum as far as I remember. Star....I'm taking Sanatogen pregnancy vits but Pregnacare is excellent! E chemist is a website that delivers free of charge to UAE from the UK so worth checking them out. As far as I know, we don't really need the extra intake of folic acid after 12 weeks but it is a good idea to take daily vitamin especially if breastfeeding. Have a word to your oby gyn next time you go if you are unsure of yours and I'm sure she will be able to tell you. Two of the most recommended antenatal classes are at Healthbay Polyclinic and Coopers Clinic. I went to Healthbay and found it very informative. UK trained midwives who are lovely. Real eye opener for the Daddies to be in some cases but we had a really good laugh too and it's a great place to meet other Mums and Dads in the same boat :-) Anyway ladies thought it would be helpful to dig out my own personal "essential baby list" from last time that a friend gave me. It is so easy to splurge on all the modern knick knacks and thingymajigs when in all honesty you don't need half the stuff they recommend getting. I'm sure some of the other girls will add things that they found useful too but this really helped me get organised.... Cot /mattress (probably wont be used for first few months if using a moses basket in your room) Cot sheets Nappies ( small pack of size 1 until you are sure of baby's size) Small pack of cotton wool ( for wiping nether regions, eyes etc) Baby wipes ( Boots do great offers on their own brand sometimes and their wipes are very good) Nappy sacks (handy for those messy moments!) Moses basket and stand ( stand makes it easier on your back but not essential) 2-4 fitted sheets for Moses basket 7 baby vests ( may not need here in mid summer heat! ) 7 baby gros ( I found a mixture of closed foot and open foot handy out here in heat) Scratch mitts Baby hat Muslins and more Muslins!!! ( big ones cover pram in malls so baby is not bothered by strangers and is not blasted by a/c) Socks Baby sponge Baby bath towels Baby bibs Swaddling blanket/soft receiving blanket ( my son refused to sleep unless swaddled!) Breathable blanket Baby foam bath support ( I found this very useful at bath time but totally optional) Baby bath (again totally optional- I got a cheapie from Ikea) Padded Changing mat (optional but handy) Baby monitor ( most have built in room thermometer- tricky to read room temp with a/c though) Thermometer ( electronic ear thermometer is most accurate and easiest to use) Bath thermometer (optional- I just used my elbow) Pram Car seat Safety nail clippers ( safer to bite baby nails to start with...I nipped my little man's finger...broke my heart) Changing bag Small tub of sudocream Soft baby brush (optional) Gentle baby wash- (optional.. Best to use little or nothing. Olive oil/gentle moisturiser or again nothing as baby's skin is super sensitive. I just used the Paraben free freebies I got at AH) Steriliser ( check microwave type fits your microwave!) Bottles ( even if breast feeding these are good for giving expressed milk or formula top ups) Breast pump ( if intending to breast feed....I bought the Medela which is great but "the girls" let me down with their milk production and I hardly used it ) Good quality breast pads Lansinoh nipple cream ( you'll thank me!) Breast feeding shawl (totally optional and can use large muslin but some of my friends used one with hoop at top and found it great) Tubs of formula if bottle feeding ( you will need low sodium bottled water- Arwa is one of the lowest as far as I recall) Bottle brush Maternity pads( enough for at least 4 weeks) Bouncy chair ( optional but handy when you don't want baby on floor) Big Bridget Jones Granny knickers ( I kid you not...my Mum bought me some from Primark and I was eternally grateful. Just what you need after giving birth. Won't go near a C section scar and holds in the baby belly perfectly!the hospital give you disposal ones but they are not great) Comfy pjs 2 pairs (Primark are perfect...preferably dark bottoms! You don't really need expensive maternity pjs unless you want to treat yourself) Light Dressing gown ( privacy when on the move!) Slippers ( most hospitals will have slippers though ) Granny nightie for labour ( Primark again are great. Preferably with buttoned/low front so you can easily give skin to skin or put your new born baby to the breast. If you need an epidural you will most likely have to wear a hospital gown ) Lip balm ( gas and air can dry your mouth and lips a lot) Window sox sun shields ( can fit them to your car...best at shielding baby from hot sun. Can be bought at Mumzworld or online I think. I used normal auctions ones but they are constantly falling off) Little mirror so you can see munchkin when driving( totally optional but very reassuring) Think thats the main list to get started with. All the rest can be bought when baby is here and you have time to consider what you will or will not use. I'm sure I have forgotten things so feel free to add girls. You will usually get lots of cute outfits for 0-3 months so no need to buy much clothes wise. Ask family and friends to get you 3-6 months or older if they can and to remember that we don't need duffle coats in winter out here! Phew! Must dash. You can tell by the length of the post that little man was napping. Hope it helps :-) Anyone up for a coffee morning next week. Kookee and I are free.

Hi ladies! Hope everyone is doing well. Welcome to Mom2be, Waterbaby and MrsMH and big congrats on your bumps. Lovely meeting you girls for coffee the other day. Definitely up for meeting again soon! If anyone fancies a coffee before March 4th I'm up for it too :-) Kookee...you were absolutely right to get a babymoon in whilst you can. Did you have fun? We are off on a final adventure in March before trouble no2 arrives. Can't wait! Hard to chose a pram isn't it??? I had a Bugaboo with my son and I absolutely loved it. So easy to steer, sturdy, baby can face you or away and seat reclines easily so baby can sleep when they are a bit older. One of the biggest disadvantages was the difficulty getting to the shopping basket when in Bassinet mode but you can get hooks for the handle bar that hold quite a bit. I bought a Maclaren GT (seat reclines flat) for travelling (McClaren fully collapsible....Buggaboo would need to be checked luggage) when he was about 6 months old and to be honest it slowly became buggy of choice even when out and about in malls. It just takes up less space and is less fuss. One of the things I would say though is to consider whether you plan on having another baby pretty soon after baby one!!! I hadn't thought of this and now I have to either sell my Bugaboo and get a double ( which my nearly two year old wont use for very long!) or struggle for a few months with my Bugaboo and a toddler on the loose. The Baby Jogger City Select can be converted to a double and I think the I candy Peach can too. I'm sure there are others out there too. Anyway worth keeping in mind! Waterbaby...there are linings you can get that regulate temperature. Sheepskin is one believe it or not! Think Mamas and Papas sold them. My friend had a Bugaboo Bee and she loved it but had to sell for a double buggy when baby no 2 came along. Looked really good too. She also ended up using a McClaren from about 9 months though. Mom2be....it's not fun trying to sleep as you get more and more pregnant is it? :-( You could buy one of the specialist pillows that looks a bit like a hook(?!!) but they are quite expensive and to be honest you would probably get about the same results from using a few well positioned normal pillows. I used my breast feeding pillow between my legs to give a bit of relief. Hope you find something that helps and you manage to get some sleep.

Cherry blossom...I know totally what you mean about resting! My little man has just about recovered from his croup. He had a terrible dose but he's back at nursery now thank goodness. He will two in May. Do you know what you are having this time? Think I have a right little wriggler. I'm getting great kicks especially after I eat. There is a Mums coffee morning at Costa Coffee Dubai Mall Feb 4th 10-12am if anyone's up for it?

Hi CherryBlossom. Congratulations! I'm expecting my 2nd too. How are you getting on? Hi Andrea! Lovely to meet you too. Would have to be Sunday, Monday,Tuesday or weekends for me if I want to have my coffee in peace! (Found out why little man was not himself....he came down with croup at the weekend :-( ) But definitely up for it!