supergolden88

This question goes out to all pregnant or previously pregnant ladies. Any of you suffered from piles? If so what did you do apart from usual over the counter creams? I am feeling very uncomfortable right now and cream seems to be doing nothing at all... As if being pregnant wasnt fun enough

I meant that if I get a big project that pays well (I am a freelance designer) I will need someone to take baby off my hands in order to work and since I have no family around to help I would need to find childcare. And once I do that I may as well start working in earnest in which case I would stop claiming MA As I said you never know until the baby arrives. With my daughter I was a wreck for months due to shock of new motherhood and lack of sleep. I am hoping second time around I wont be so stressed with it all!

Good luck with it all hope all turns out OK.

I am guessing if I have a big job that will pay well I will need to find childcare in which case the MA will definitely have to come to an end. Thanks again

I wonder barrybrains if there is a cut off for earnings during MA - there may well be. I suppose you could always defer invoicing or something. I am curious as to how it will all turn out.

Now I need to work out whether my part time employer wants to pay me anything because if they do I lose out on the MA. Things are never simple! Thanks for all the advice

Thanks. That does not sound too bad. I assume that while you claim this you cant be doing any work at all? I have this strange idea that I can keep doing projects at home quite soon after baby arrives. I am pretty sure this illusion will evaporate once I have the baby but I am loathe to stop all work and lose my contacts!

Has anyone been through this before and know what the deal is? I am self employed (have been for 3 years) and have no idea if I should be getting some form of maternity pay - but I assume so since I have been paying NI contributions. If anyone has any relevant advice I would appreciate it

Bumping this to say that the DVDs are still available and to enquire again if any pregnant ladies would like to join me in some gentle exercise around Peckham Rye Common. I am 20 weeks this friday (looking more like 6 months but it IS a second pregnancy)and desperately need some motivation to get moving. I am free some mornings and most evenings around 7pm. Would also condider swimming at Peckham Pulse...

so just to be clear it's 11th of July at Cafe Nero 10.30am?

In case any of you pregnant ladies is interested I am selling two excellent fitness dvds that my pregnancy brain ordered TWICE on Amazon. Sadly this is not the only hair-brained thing I have done recently! The post is on the general For Sale thread But I also wanted to ask if any of you are interested in taking up some form of exercise in the park - walking or gentle running or similar. I would need a friend to motivate me!

I can do July 11th. Will be lovely to meet you all!

When did everyone start feeling flutters? I felt something really early on but since then nothing to speak of and I am getting a bit worried - especially with my magical bump that has gone down in size

My daughter (who is now four) did not sleep through the night until she was 13 months. She woke up several times a night usually 2-4. When she woke up I used to breastfeed her back to sleep. Towards the end she really did not need any feeds but woke up anyway. I was nearly going mad with sleep deprivation. Tried many things including sleep training (half heartedly), sound machines, hearbeat lullabies, delaying her feeds and nothing worked. In the end when she was 13 months I promised myself to do sleep training properly (bought the book which really helped, Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems) and would you believe it she slept through on the second night! First night she cried quite a lot but I followed the book to the letter and hardened my heart. Since she slept through she had a couple of cases of waking up but they were isolated. I am now pregnant again and I have to say I am dreading the sleepless nights. Curious to see how second one behaves - I really think all babies are completely different.I think in my case the constant breastfeeding, wonderful though it is, may have contributed to her waking up so much. Good luck!

I would definitely love to meet up with you all for coffee or lunch etc. My office job is due to be reduced to two days a week in June so I should have some free time (when I am not doing my freelance work from home!) I want to find out the sex (did first time too) if only so I can prepare my daughter and myself. If it is a boy it sure is going to arrive to a house of pink, dolls, frilly dresses etc.

I was due on November 5th but after first scan they changed my due date to Oct 29. I told them no way did I have the dates wrong but apparently the baby was measuring almost a week bigger than it should! Not having secong scan till July 2nd - cant wait. I have a daughter who is 4 next sunday

when's your due date nymom? Sounds like we should be close together

I am about four months into my secong pregnancy(17wks)and there's one thing in particular that scares/amazes me. I started showing very early and now I sometimes look about 6 months in the evenings. In the mornings however I have a nice neat small bump! Also I have felt some flutterings but cant be 100% sure it is the baby and not gas! During my first pregnancy I did not really have a bump till 19wks.Sometimes I dont feel pregnant at all just fat. My only symtoms have been headaches/migraines and hunger/light headedness How has it been for everyone else?

Due end of October would be interested in meeting others...

I have emailed the Sun, Times and Daily Mail and so far heard absolutely nothing back. And none of the online comments have appeared in any of the sites. I may try calling tomorrow.

The press agency you are referring to is probably Mercury Press Agency. I have emailed them and they said that it was not them and the credit reads Mercury Press. This is the email they send: Neither the story, nor the picture, originated from our office here in Liverpool. We are "Mercury Press Agency" which is the by-line that normally identifies material that we supply. There may be some other "Mercury Press" elsewhere in the UK. If you manage to track down the source of the parrot picture published in the Daily Mail, I would be interested to learn the source since it may be someone "passing off" as my company.

How surprising that neither Daily Mail nor the Times have published my comments to their story. This is really very small potatoes but it does bother me. I will go occupy myself with more important matters now

The problem is that the story has been picked up by various papaers and websites with our picture. Not sure where it originated and who wrote the article

I would also like to know which school in Nunhead is failing...

we are looking into it. The story has now been posted in the Times and accross the world