Born Oct/Nov 2015

Hi pillpusher

Sorry to hear you are feeling under the weather hope it clears up
But I just want to say wow! You are so organized already and I have just realized how much I still have to do

Lol I am very glad to have this forum or I might have been one of those mommies who left everything till last minute.

Your nursery looks beautiful, I will take a few pics of mine over the weekend en share with everyone here - not much to look at know but I guess I have some shopping to do.

Oh very important question (which is difficult to answer because every baby is different) What size clothing are you buying and how much?
I have a couple of newborn outfits and vests but have bought 0-3 months as well. I just wanted to know from the experienced mommies how much newborn I will need? I have heard that they grow very quickly and thus I am not sure.

Hope you all are having a lovely day

Hi all

I'm a little under the weather today. Picked up a bit of a cold and am feeling so so tired But things must go on...

Here are some nursery pics...


Organised shelves (according to size). Unfortunately everything will become disorganised as it still needs to be washed, but in the interim it looks pretty.


Madam's budding shoe collection. I joked that I'll need to get more shoes for mine since my daughter seems to be competing with me before she's even been born


Socks, beanies and accessories


Her dresses and jerseys, then nappies. Some maternity products in the ugly baby bath that I'll pass along to someone in need.


Her cot with mobile and mosquito net. The comforter features Winnie the Pooh and was made by my godmother. Her blessing tree is sitting on the side table for the moment (will be moved to the other side of the room). And feeding/comforting chair... little cushion that says "you can never have too much happy". The butterfly tree is going to be painted on that wall still so this isn't the end stage yet.

thanx for link clueless, very good blog!! i see shes also done quite some research on when to start feeding your baby, and that should be very interesting when we all reach that milestone!
i only read a little bit on the part where if baby moves more if it could predict their temperament. im too scared to find out, and will just wait it out and see what baby L's personality is like. i know with Leandi she didnt move nearly as much as this baby, and she really was a dream baby!

AFM, all good on this side. no major complaints!

Hi Mommies

Quite chilly in Jhb this morning, Brrrrr!

LM, that sounds reaolly scary! I can imagine you were very stressed. Which reminds me, are you prone to anxiety? What you describe could also be an anxiety attack. People don't normally realize this, but it is more common to get anxiety attacks only AFTER a stressful time, when the worst is over and one is relaxing (typically in the evenings). I'm sure your recent circumstances qualify as quite stressful!

Stelliesmama, I also still have to go and claim my Discovery Bag, and I'm 29 weeks now. Things have just been too busy! I really hope they will still accommodate me... Your holiday sounds fantastic, I'm so envious. Would love a little mini break now but it is not going to happen. We have stuff booked for almost every weekend between now and the birth

Pillpusher, please send pics! Sound like your hubby is quite excited too! I'm sure you don't need to worry, I've heard that babies can turn up until 38 weeks (and sometimes later). So it must be possible for them to move around still around now.

A little off topic, but I've found this cool website, with lots of research on pregnancy and babies. The lady is a research scientist and has a PhD in kids nutrition, but she writes about everything from pregnancy symptoms to vaccination. The reason I like the site is that she understands the basics of scientific research and everything she writes is well substantiated and properly referenced, so much more trustworthy than most other www sources. Have a look if you are interested:

scienceofmom.com/

Hope you have a lovely day!

Good Morning Ladies

Thanx for all the replies regarding the 28 week checkup. I feel a bit more relaxed.

@stieliesmama - I know how you feel about your medical aid. I though that I had a very good medical aid until I got pregnant. Thus far they have only paid for about 50% of my monthly scans and test and when you add up it is all really expensive. My medical saving account has run dry in April already but luckily I was able to claim the 50% back from my maternity benefit.

As for the actual birth I really hope that most of it will be covered by my in-hospital plan. It is really upsetting to pay such a large amount every month for medical aid just to find that you still have to pay in when you visit your doctor.

But hope all of you have a lovely day - I will let you know of Friday how my 28 week appointment went.

Hi ladies

Glad, you're feeling better LouiseM, that does sound scary

Welcome back Stelliesmama!

@Zandri - yes, as Louise said, 28 weeks (and most check ups thereafter until close to birth) are general ones to make sure baby is growing properly and how s/he is positioned. There might be more blood tests and glucose tolerance testing.

On medical aids, as LouiseM said, it depends on your plan. My birth is completely covered, but doctor charges over the medical aid rates and I need to pay in about R3k and about R1.5k for other care like anaesthesia, etcetera. I should think your birth will be from your hospital benefit. I got authorization in my first trimester already when I informed my medical aid of my pregnancy. They all work differently though. Best thing is to ask your provider for yourself.

AFM, DH finished the tidying in the nursery and it's looking great (will post pics tomorrow). But our washing machine packed up today! Fortunately my parents stepped in and our new one arrives tomorrow. Then El has moved a bit. I thought she might be turning cause her head is pushing against the space between my ribs and belly button, but she hasn't gone further. Was worried about it, thinking she might be stuck, but she's still moving happily. My mom says she's probably just making herself comfy.

SM, welcome back!!! Yes, you have to register early for your bag as they hand it out from 28 weeks. Got mine 2 weeks ago...

About the medical aid:

Depending what medical aid you are on and if your dr is a network provider - network provider puts claim through directly to your medical aid. If they are not, they usually require you to make payment to the gynae and then you need to claim back from your medical aid. In these instances gynaes usually charge 300 - 400% rate, but your MA only covers 200%. So you'll only get partial payment back.

As for the actual birth - once the dr gives you your codes, you need to phone your medical aid and get an authorization number.
The birth will go through on your in-hospital facility.

The only thing possibly not included which you will have to pay for, is the anaethesist and the pediatrician... they will send you an account afterwards.

From research with my friends who had natural, you're looking at between R20k - R30k, depending on the hospital.

From my own experience, my first c-sec was R68k. So it all depends where you're going and what % your MA cover.