Yak

Agh sorry Annie80 I missed your post! MrsF - I can do Monday lunchtime. Is anyone else around then?

Am on mat leave too and pretty free to meeet up - hurrah! I can't make 18th but looking forward to seeing bumps / babies soon.

Thanks, everyone. I've always had a pretty small bump (which, like all things in pregnancy means everyone thinks they have a right to comment on!) and measured small for weeks but I suspect the Yaklet has just dropped a bit lower down. I shall definitely enjoy seeing him / her again - given the amount of kicking that is still going on I have no doubt the baby is doing nothing other than thriving!

I'd also recommend using two tennis balls to massage either side of your lower back / sacrum - use them against a wall, if you see what I mean. And an exercise ball to sit on in the evenings is helping (a bit)...

Just been referred - I'm 34 weeks and MW reckons I'm measuring 29cm. If possible I'd prefer to hear views about what questions to ask and what will happen when we're at Kings rather than on possible outcomes at this stage. I am trying to resist the temptation to ask Professor Google.....

It will depend on (1) your airline; (2) (possibly) your travel company, if you've booked a package; and (3) your insurance cover. I was fine flying at 29 wks on points (2) and (3), but with less than 24 hours notice needed to get a Fitness to Fly certificate from my doctor to cover (1), even though I'd expressly checked with them (Monarch) earlier on which was EXTREMELY annoying. If you are more organised than me (which it sounds as if you are!), I'd get a Fitness to Fly cert anyway, and take a couple of copies you can wave at airport and airline officials. And enjoy the break! We absolutely loved our time away. Knowing it was the last time in quite a while that we'd be able to indulge in nice lazy lie ins, undisturbed reading and civilised dinners made it really special.

You have a right to see your maternity notes by making a request under the Data Protection Act. This can be subject to a maximum fee of ?50 (if its entirely an electronic record) but DH guidance clearly states that "any charges for access requests should not be made in order to make a financial gain". I'd be asking fairly searching questions on their justification for charging the max - particularly if other hospitals are charging less for comparable situations.

Don't let me down, good people of the Family Room! Did anyone else see it?

Al&Em - I can be there from 7.30 onwards for an hour or two - but it will just be me as mine is working...

Gosh - I'm impressed! The yaklet is going to make do with a cot, some cheap and cheerful bunting we have lying about, a couple of drawers in a closet and a lick of paint on the walls...I like the idea of a chair for BF, though.

Congratulations Sally81! What I took from it (as a 31wk slightly hormonal, slightly freaked out first timer) is that even though both women had a really REALLY tough time, they both took such pride in what they had achieved. The happiness on their faces in the post-birth interviews with them at home was just brilliant to see - despite and/or because of what they had been through.

Also CS Lewis' Narnia series might be worth a try...

I can't remember what age I started reading them, but the Swallows and Amazons books by Arthur Ransome and the Hal and Roger adventure series by Willard Price were firm favourites in our house.

And just to totally hijack this thread, if anyone has an XLR they're thinking of selling, I'd be very interested!

Sounds good to me. Looking forward to it!

I could make either 11th or 18th, too. There is the NCT second hand sale on 12th February on Red Post Hill if anyone's going to that so a meet up the night before might be quite fun in a sad, geeky way. Whaddja reckon? And apologies for those who have sent PMs in the past week about the Facebook group - been away on Last Ever Grown Up Civilised Holiday but I will be on the case this weekend!

I swore I wouldn't watch after last week's episode (which, as a first timer didn't make me scared so much as totally in denial that I would EVER have to go through that). But I did watch and was reassured by the positive attitude of all the women - really positive stuff! I loved the older sister - when I went to King's to be a last minute extra birth companion for my sister it was all I could do to stop fainting too and I thought at the time it was just me! But I wonder if it's something to do about seeing someone you know and love extremely deeply in pain and knowing that there is absolutely nothing you could do to stop the pain? I was fine as long as I could shout reassuring words, or massage her back, but once we were into the getting ready for theatre stage I pretty much lost it. I also wonder if its different for birth companions who have already given birth. None of the Mums seem to faint....

Yep, it was great to meet so many ladies with bumps! There is now a facebook group in case people want to share pictures once the babies arrive as well as for keeping in touch generally. It's called East Dulwich Forum Spring Babies Club 2011. It's a private group - if you PM me your fb details, and request to join on fb by searching for its title, you'll be able to join. Looking forward to the next meet up!

Also gatecrashing from Spring babies to say I tried out the Sitaram yoga classes at Kings. (I sternly told myself before going in that I would not snore, fart, fall over or giggle but failed on all counts apart from the snoring). Price wise I think it's ?88 for 8 sessions. It was quite relaxing with about 8 ladies there. The teacher tailored the class according to how many weeks pg we were, and also whether we had any niggles or aches and pains. Mrs F/anyone else - have you tried the legs bums and pregnancy tums? I aslo very much identify with a lot of the feelings expressed above about not feeling ready very "into" being pregnant during the early months, despite having tried for years for this baby. I think it really is a learning curve and now I'm more than 6 months in I am coming round to reading more than just the odd snippet of a pregnancy book and starting to look out for baby clothes. I really struggled to get very excited early on - but it does seem that you adjust as you go through pregnancy, I promise!

O.M.G is all I can say. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry but I don't think I'll be watching again! It reminds me of the night we thought the foxes in our street were having a particularly active and vocal night - until we realised that foxes don't generally shout %?&$%@* and our lovely neighbour had gone into labour:) To further digress, my favourite acronym is ROFLBSMTT (which, according to Bill Bailey, is rolling on floor.....but still managing to type)

The ones run by Sitaram at Kings also take place on Saturday mornings too.

Very good, Keef! ;-) The new protections in England and Wales are contained in the Equalities Act which came into force in October last year; they make it clear that it is discriminatory on grounds of pregnancy / maternity to treat a woman differently because she is breastfeeding a baby of six months or under, but to be honest in my view that was just making clear what was already the law. (Whether or not it was obeyed and / or enforced is another matter, and whether or not making express provision in the Equalities Act will improve enforcement / compliance is yet another thing). Beyond 6 months the normal provisions on sex discrimination apply which give you the same protection. The Scottish provisions operate on a different basis, as explained in these FAQ , but the aim is the same. Enjoy!

Me too!

I suspect there's a lot of truth in that, Quids. I have been known to reccommend reading Risk: The Science and Politics of Fear by Dan Gardner, and Bad Science by Ben Goldacre to friends who are expecting....

Mr Yak dipped in to the Dummies Guide to Pregnancy which has a "just for Dads" section in it - in fact he got so into it that he read the book entirely and now proudly tells me what's going on inside my body even if I haven't got a clue! From memory I think it covers mostly pregnancy and not conception / first year only, though. Good luck with your journey!