Hi,

Pregnancy update!

Well, I got a shower yesterday morning and caught site of myself in the mirror and I have a most definate bump already! I can't believe it, I was probably about 16 weeks before I had what could even remotely be called a bump with Bren.
I can still fit into my non maternity stuff but it is getting tight and uncomfy, but my maternity stuff is still too loose so I am in that awful inbetween stage. Hopefully at this rate I will be in my maternity stuff ok but not so big people think I am having another winter baby!!

I'm guesing it is just because things are still a bit ...erm.... slack from having Bren (lol!) that I have a bump so soon and am keeping everything crossed that it isn't twins!! Don't think it can be though as no twins on either side of the family - phew!

The morning sickness got better on Saturday and I managed to eat more than I have done in ages, unfortunately by Sunday afternoon it was back -booo!!!! I've had a riveta and half a banana today and not been sick yet so fingers crossed things are starting to get better.

I have an appointment with my midwife tomorrow afternoon to hopefully hear my little beans heartbeat so I am excited but nervous about that. Hopefully hubby is going to get back from work early so he can come too, just waiting to see if he gets permission today!

So weird being pregnant again, even though its totally planned, I can't imagine another baby other than Brendan! I have been trying to take some time out in the evening before I go to the bed to think about the bean and how big it will be etc to get my head around it a bit more.

We saw some friends on Saturday and they were asking if Brendan was in nursery yet so I said no, but he would be going a couple of days a week from next August to help him make friends and learn Norwegian. They were both saying how it was too young, and he really should be at home with me etc etc and I was thinking bloomin heck he will be 18 months old then!! If I was in the UK I would be back at work full time now and he would be in a nursery and it wouldn't be doing him any harm!
Some people have such weird opinions, I really don't know why the feel the need to share them!!

Anyway, hope the rest of the Dec mummies with bumps are doing well!

Liz

11+5 xxx

Hope the morning sickness goes soon, bet u can't wait to hear the heartbeat can u?

I don't understand people who have differing opinions sometimes feel the need to put you down in a way for wanting to do something different to how they would do something. I never understand what they expect to get out of it lol.

Good Luck for tomorrow at the midwife x

Things are pretty different over there aren't they? I've heard that paid maternity leave is much longer and VERY few mums put babies into nursery full time when they are little. I think it would be great if the government put supports into place that would make it financially viable for us mummies to stay at home longer. It's certainly better for the babies I think. Apparently formal education starts later too. Again, I think they've got it spot on. Many of our British 4/5 year olds really don't have the language skills to start literacy training. Let the kids play!!!!

Sorry, a bit off-topic I know!!

No worries Campbellly, yep the children don't start school here until they are 7, which to be honest I think is too late. Particularly as they don't really do any schooling as such at nursery, hubby and I are planning on teaching our los the basics before they start as I think 7 is too late to be learning things like how to read, write their name, and the alphabet etc. My mum said she taught me full first grade word list before I started school at age 4 and it gave me a huge head start.
We are also hoping for our children to do an International GCSE so they have something comparable that they can use for employers, but again this will have be taught from home.

The maternity pay is actually about the same as it is in the UK I think, I wasn't entitled to any unfortunately as I was wasn't working enough hours. You can decide whether you want something like 42 weeks on 90% pay or 52 weeks on 80% pay (roughly!) I'm a bit out of touch with what it is in the UK now but I don't think it is a million miles away.
There is currently a payment to people who aren't entitled to maternity pay which is a one of payment of about ??3,500 which is very good, and the family allowance is about ??95 a month for the first year and then it goes up to about ??350 a month if you are a stay at home mum. That goes down according to how many hours your child is at nursery as the nurserys are subsidised by the government already.

But then we have the down side of things like we pay about 35% in tax on our earnings, and the cost of living is much higher, but then salaries are usually higher to compensate for that.

The main attraction for us is how safe a place it is to bring a child up and how clean and healthy the air is out here.
The whole of the population of Norway is only about 5 million people (about the same as Manchester!) so you don't get the congestion on the roads unless you go somewhere like Oslo where 25% of the population live!

I guess where ever you live in the world there are always positives and negatives depending on the kind of lifestyle you want. x

Ohhhhh having a bump is soooooooo exciting and hearing the heart beat is fab too - hope hubbie can go with you (my hubbie missed that bit but I recorded it on my phone for him!)

hope this sickness holds off for you.

People seem to thinkt hat once there is a baby involved they can stick their nose and opinion in - even total strangers (in my case usually old biddies when Max is Crying who think they know what's wrong! :lol: :evil: ) it is bizarre!!!

I think i still have a bump...lol just kidding. Must be lovely and very exciting to hear heart beat soon Liz. I hope hubby makes it! Hopefully ur sickness is tailing off a bit huni xx

Lovely to hear you are blooming and feeling better. Wait til you have no 3 Liz, I was showing at 5weeks, my bro guessed before I told him, saying I had a round belly, cheeky git!
Hope hubby gets back in time for the heartbeat, mine always missed mine but came to the scans and any mw appts during the school hols.
Just found out a friend at work's having her first in May! So excited for her!
Take care x

Yey hubby is being allowed to leave school early tomorrow (he has no lessons last thing just planning which he can do in the evening) so he can come with me and hold my hand lol!

Not sure about no 3 Ali, I have been telling hubby that the way I have been feeling he is going to have to settle with two!

lol Bluey! I know what you mean, I had only just got rid of mine and now it is coming back aarrggghhh!! I even have new stretch marks already??? Whats that all about? Surely the skin on my belly is so stretched and wobbly from last time still it doesn't need to make extra stretch marks too! x

aaw liz how lovely to read about ur bean no.2. its quite surreal as i realise how bloomin quick its all gone, i cant decide when i want no 2. nearly signed up to do the masters degree the other day... think im gonna have a break and enjoy ryan.
hope the sickness doesnt come back! xx

Yep, I would definately have a break, you're only young so plenty of time for you. It is mainly hubby that wanted to have two close together, that and the fact we are both 30 now and are feeling the clock ticking a bit. If I am brave enough to have anymore after this one I have told hubby I want to wait a good few years! x

After Lije's birth we said no more unless we adopt! Then it went to 5 years, and now possibly 3/4 lol. Think it will stay that way for a bit as i have a job interview nxt wk and hoping to go back part time. Cannot wait! hehe x

yey liz glad hubby can come!
love hearing about your bump - miss being pregnant but not the sickness i remember it well! god knows how youd sope with a child to look after whilst feleing that rubbish!

xxx

Lovely to hear how you are getting on Liz - its hard to believe we were all pregnant this time last year! Look forward to all the updates x

Ali - you probably showed so early because you are sooo slim - though if my brother had said something like that (and they all have at some stage - pregnant or not!) I would have hit him!! x

Well, I'm a bit dissapointed. Had appointment with midwife and although she did her best she couldn't find the babies heartbeat, she wasn't concerned though as by my dates I am only 11+6 so still a bit early to pick it up. She did get the umbilical cord (apparantly!) and said it sounded like everything was as she expected so she had no worries. More of a concern though was that I have lost 5lbs due to the sickness I have had and my iron levels are very low, and my blood pressure is 85/60 which is very low even for me. So even though I am on pregnacare vitamins she wants me to take another iron supplement as well and try and make myself eat and drink more. She was very nice and sympathetic about how sick I have been feeling, but she said if things didn't start to improve in the next week I could do with spending a few days in hospital on a drip - not something I want at all, not to mention what the hell I would do with Bren while hubby is at work.

So I am on a force feeding and drinking diet, had a few pieces of pizza tonight with salad, now really feeling like I need to stay stilll so I don't bring it back up (sorry tmi!!).
Hubby is less than sympathetic and seems to think it is my own fault for not 'looking after myself'. Men huh?!! x

Its sooo lovely to hear how you and bump are getting on. Sorry your not feeling so great with the morning sickness I really hope you manage to keep some food down and avoid going into hospital although a few days rest might do you good
Men just really do not understand pregnancy do they? I would love to see a real man pregnant and see how they cope lol Once again hope you feel better soon xxx

Big hugs Liz - hope you manage to feel like eating soon - and isn't it a fact of law that husbands are supposed to look after their wives so therefore its technically his fault!! lol xx

Oh Liz poor you! Yea men would be tearing their hair out!!!
God i remember how awful i felt being pregnant- it is so hard to force yourself to eat. I kept trying to find things i could have but even the thought would make me be sick! I couldnt go into the kitchen without then being sick afterwards. In the end i had to nibble on dry crackers, like all the time just to be eating something. Its not nice i really sympathise xxx

[Modified by: bluey on November 26, 2008 09:20 AM]

Thanks everyone, managed to force feed myself every two hours so far today! Crikey, I never thought I would say that - normally having to eat every few hours really wouldn't be a problem!

Apparantly my mum is sending a 'red cross' parcel out to me, not sure what will be in it but she is worried about me bless her. Its at times like this I really really wish she was here to look after me!

Got a call from hubby to say he has loads of stuff to catch up on at work so will be there until about 9pm - boo! I know he is stressed out at the moment though so hopefully if he gets on top of things a bit he will be less stressed when he gets home.

Not been sick yet today anyway so that has to be good! xx

Lol Em, yes I should have whacked him one!
Liz, glad you've eaten regularly today, though it must be hard if you're not feeling good. My friend at work due in May is going the docs tom as she's lost over half a stone and is feeling rotten all the time. Hope neither of you end up on a drip...would be interesting to see what they say to her tomorrow. I'll let you know.
Take care and eat lots of greens and steak! (If you can stomach either!) x

Hope your friend at work feels better soon too, she must have felt bad for ages poor thing!
Steak costs an absolute fortune out here, it is usually hubbies treat on pay day lol! I have got some beef out of the freezer for tomorrow though, try and do something in the slow cooker I think!

I've had a few dizzy moments today when I had to stop and sit down but I have eaten more than I have for a while and am generally feeling a bit better so hopefully things are improving!

I really hope it is a girl now after all this as I'm not sure I would be so keen on a third lol!! x