B-Day approaches

[geoff]

The father must be present for the laying of the keel, but need not be present at the launching

[janeyo]

My OH says the nappies are ok to start with... the first are just easing you in gently LOL

It isn't so much of a learning curve as a vertical line. We had champagne on Louis' first b-day to celebrate keeping him alive for a whole year - no mean feat for a couple of clueless fingers and thumbs people... I still have trouble with clothes 4 1/2 years on and love it when it's summer and they don't have to wear many clothes. My mum says I always had naked dolls at home so couldn't work out how to dress them either!

It's a magical time when the first one os due and then appears, except when people ring you up every 4 hours to ask if you have had the baby yet... YES I'VE BEEN TO HOSPITAL, HAD A BABY, COME HOME AND NOT TOLD ANYONE IN THE FAMILY. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR Drove me potty.

janeyo

[Comfreyfan]

Home births are wonderful - did it three times, but of course I have nothing to compare it with!

And yes, the first time you attempt even a nappy change without a midwife supervising it's like the Krypton Factor, but by day 2, you're a pro!

My husbands advice to dad's before labour was to take off your wedding ring because you will not believe how tightly a woman can squeeze your fingers together during a birth!

A friend told me honestly how much pain was involved, but also told me that for that first moment when they put your new born baby in your arms you'd do it all again right there and then - and she was right! Her husband said he felt exactly the same way!

[lynda66]

A friend told me honestly how much pain was involved, but also told me that for that first moment when they put your new born baby in your arms you'd do it all again right there and then - and she was right! Her husband said he felt exactly the same way!

that's not entirely true ...... i got sterilised after my first and only

though he did sleep 8 1/2 hours at 2 weeks old, cos i refused to feed him in the night, and just gave him a dummy (yup, i'm evil ) ........ soon got used to it and only cried for the first couple of nights, but was fine as soon as he got his dummy back

and i still didn't wanna do it again lol

[FROSTYFRECKLE]

6 weeks to go! Now don't want to worry you BUT I was born just over 5 weeks early - birthday should have been in mid Dec, but was born early Nov. Now I wonder how many of the other grapes were born early?

You will love being a dad I'm sure. You can take Bean down to the lottie next year.

[SueA]

Yeah, that's what I meant by re-usable.

The one's we've got samples of are made from bamboo.

Hey Wayne- you can 'grow your own' then, start planting some bamboo slips now!

[jackie j]

I wasnt born early just as well otherwise it would be my birthday on christmas day !!! instead I was late 5th Jan.

[BarleySugar]

Good luck for a home birth, but if a bit of medical intervention is needed, don't let LW stress over it. The main purpose is a safe delivery for them both, however it comes about.
I knew beforehand it wouldn't be an option for any of my 3, although Mum had 7 of us at home, and one of my sisters inadvertantly had my nephew at Mum's house too when she popped in to visit 1st baby, and he arrived before the ambulance, Mum delivered him!

[bobleponge]

Speaking as a clueless dad who practised putting nappies on teddy bears etc, I have to say that by day 2 I could (and probably did) do it asleep, in the dark without waking the boss.
I was a bag of nerves beforehand, cried when my kids arrived (they still make me do that now sometimes, although for different reasons) and couldnt stop talking about them for months. I was the stereotypical baby bore, as clearly, nobody else had ever had a baby before, only me.
I was the proudest bloke on the planet when mine arrived, and still am of them today, even after the trials and tribulations they have given me over the years.
I have loved every single second of being their dad, and I'm sure you will feel exactly the same HW.
If I could swear on here I would say its *&**^&^ awesome, but as I cant I shall just wish you luck, and tell you to enjoy it.

[MaureenHall]

I had a home birth with number 3 and it was the best experience of a birth EVER! It was in 1972, February 29th (didn't plan it like that on purpose) and at the time we were having power cuts all over the country for hours and hours at a time. Husband rigged up a car headlight and a car battery on the dressing table so midwives could see what they were doing. The midwives said they'd never had such good lighting before

[HeyWayne]

Found out last night that LW's mum was born 10 weeks early, and with LW being 6 weeks early herself....

CHIT!

Constructed the cotbed, pram/buggy and bits yesterday - glad that's all done! It terms of "things" - we're all set, just need to get the theory down now.

We were stood in the shop yesterday and they had a video playing promoting a line of re-usable nappies. Made it all look very clean and easy. I however am a bit more of a realist and have ordered myself some of those veterinary gloves that farm vets use.

Very much looking forward to having a bath and having Bean rested on my chest at the same time.

Read a bit in one of the various books we have - it descriibes how Bean will be keen to see us and will look at us to get to know us. Made me choke up a bit it did.

I'm going to be a mess when Bean arrives - mansized tissues at the ready.

[SarzWix]

If Bean starts arriving that early, it'll have to be the hospital won't it? I was told if they started before 2 weeks early or after 2 weeks late, it had to be a hospital birth. #2 son was a home birth, but my daughter was born in hosp because she was too late. A bit disappointing, but still not a bad experience.
My top tip for home birth is to have a long path cleared through the house - I had to pace up and down a very small living room, could have done with a longer stretch Pacing really helped to control the pain through most of the early stages.

Good luck to both of you, hope you get your epidurals done before everything kicks off HW.

[HeyWayne]

Well, it's two weeks (yesterday) until B-Day - well, the due date that is.

We're as sorted as we can be I guess. Picked up the birthing pool at the weekend - the liner was delivered yesterday, we picked up a "ground sheet" last night, tea bags, sugar, milk and biscuits fully stocked (for the midwives - we're not big tea drinkers, or big biscuit eaters - that is to say whilst we're both big, we don't eat many biscuits, or drink much tea....). Rambling.

Anyhoo - our midwife informed LadyWayne that she (the midwife), always ends up being away on holiday for her home births. Guess what - she's on holiday next week!

That's not necessarily a bad thing, it means that we get her boss as cover - and having met her, she fills me with more confidence than our own midwife.

As long as LadyWayne's comfortable though, I don't care who it is.

I'm charged with changing the first nappy (the Marmite one), which I don't mind to be honest (I can still say that having not actually done it), I'm considering it as a bit of a rite of passage (if you'll forgive the pun).

Life is very odd at the moment - but what it does do, is take my mind off all the cr@ppy news that seems to be in abundance at the moment.

T-minus 1 week, 6 days and counting...

[Rhona]

Oh my goodness! I'm sooo excited for you both! It really could be any day couldn't it?! Baby girl was a week early (I always said she would be). Is LW getting any 'twinges' yet?

[zazen999]

Oh my...How exciting. I think I might need your tea and biscuits at this rate.