We are all jolly well going to have a perfectly uneventful pregnancy and pain free birth and will brook no argument at all

[HidingInTheUndergrowth]

In a moment bravery here is the anti-natal thread for all those continuing to Brook No Argument into pregnancy and beyond.

So raise your fists to the sky and sing loud for there is no turning back now! We shall all stand firm and prevail with joy in our hearts as all our pregnancies will be simply blooming perfect!

Hurrah! and more Hurrah! :o

The nuchal fold thingy has just started to be offered in my area (it wasn't the last time). I'm going to get it even though I'm not actually clear what it tests for [thicko emoticon]. I want to know in advance if there are going to be any nasty shocks this time around. Is it for Down's too?

Biscuits, the diving certificate made me laugh! You are v clever. Also, being grumpy is constant for me at the moment, and I get cross with TV programmes all the time. Like with Friends, even though I have seen it a million times.

Thanks ladies.

Too I think as Scarlet says, they used to just do a blood test and work out your odds, but now they do this extra measurement of the neck at the scan and factor that in too.

I suppose if you don't have it done then maybe they just do it the old way, ie with just bloods and no scan?

I don't really get why DH doesn't want it. I mean we had the old fashioned way done last time (which showed low risk) - I think he just doesn't want anything to show it as high risk which is kind of avoiding it really.

But the thing is, it's like he is assuming it would make the results worse,m when surely it could work the other way that they look at hyour bloods and then say, 'ah, but the measurement looked good so you're la lower riosk than you might have otherwise been'?

I think I need to chat to him properly about it all - I seem to recall discussing it just as we were getting into bed and he was a bit dismissive of it (similar to when I first said about having an early scan, and he totally changed his mind on that one). Need a proper chat methinks, just want to be well informed for him.

Might see if I can find something to print off for him.....

and now I feel obliged to point out too that I got that diving thing almost 7 years ago and haven't been since so would be way too scared to go without someone who knew what they were doing - but it was fun anyway.

Sadly my summer holidays mainly since then have all been pregnant, or with a baby or ttc etc so no more diving for us until DS (and hopefully this one too) are old enough for it. But still would be an ace thing to do again :)

The nuchal fold is for testing the risk of downs syndrome. They measure the bit at the back of the neck and also take bloods. They will then come up with a risk that is based on these tests along with other factors such as age and family history. I was told by my mid-wife that if the risk was considered more then 1 in 150 then I would be offered an amniocentesis (I think this is the right one) which would confirm if the baby had downs or not. To put this risk in perspective my risk based solely on my age (28) is 1 in 1500.

My mid-wife said that some people choose to have the nt test and some don't. She said I should think carefully about what it would mean to me if I got a high risk and what I would then want to do. Some people feel that it would not make a difference to whether they went on to have the baby if they had a high risk result and so feel they would rather not know.

Personally I knew I wanted to have the test as I am very obsessed with having all available information about anything and I knew I would just worry about it if I didn't. Even if I did get back a result that ended in me having a baby with downs and I decided to keep it I would rather know and be able to ready myself for that. However, I think it is a very personal decision.

The scan lady said that they would phone on a couple of days if it was bad news but if not then I would get a letter in a week or so. Though she said at the scan that it looked ok to her.

Hope that helps. Ummm....did I ever mention that I am a bit of an obsessive researcher

never done any diving but i once did some helicopter escape training...

starting to feel a bit more rough this week, i look kind of pale and ill actually

just v tired and got constant low level nausea feeling. had this last time, was only actually sick twice when i had stuffed down too much dinner!

my fake drinking appears to have worked, no one at work has questioned my extreme soberness. it was actually quite handy in a way, didn't have to wait for a taxi, just drove away in my car when no one was looking!

on phone as usual, work has been too busy for proper mumsnet catch up, it's out of order!

OMG - Jaggy I am in AWE of your helicopter escape training!

I now imagine that when you refer to 'work' you are actually a spy or something - I'll be looking out for you in the new series of Spooks!

I never used it. I just worked for a company where I might have had to go offshore so we all go sent on basic safety training. The helicopter bit was a bit scary! I do just work in a lab I'm afraid, although it is quite a cool place to work. I can't tell you any more or I'd have to kill you. Well not really, but it's quite specific and unusual and I like to attempt a wee bit of anonymity.

Yeah yeah Jaggy, never used it - I believe you....

I poas today! And guess what, im even more pregnant than i was. Phew. In fact i'm as pregnant as you can possibly be on a clearblue digital, 3+.

I now imagine jaggy to be angelina jolie-esque swinging from ropes out of a helicoptor etc...

Whoop whoop for your extreme pregnantness Meconium

Can anyone else tell that I am procrastinating today by the level of my Mumsnetting. I so can't be bothered to do anything productive - lazy lazy lazy

Argh! I have started to put on weight other than my bump and boobs and now have a hint of a muffin top. . Right, that's it, am starting yoga and swimming.

Possibly related to the above, has anyone else gone through the sickness and launched into some kind of cooking and baking frenzy? I'm not at work today and have cooked a leek and cheese tart and accompanying mini tartlets with the left over pastry, a sausage and lentil stew and leek and potato soup. WTF?

I'm also in for an afternoon of mooching about. Biscuits the image of both you and mr bsicuits crying in the scan reeption has made me chuckle!

love I have gone baking mad. Glad its not just me. Made muffins and two quiches at the weekend (did the pastry and everything whoop whoop)

I will have the muffin top to end all muffin tops at this rate.

I'm not commenting on muffin top as I have had that ever since DS - and my 'bump' seems to have popped out right from the top from the word go. I still look fat rather than pregnant but it comes out from right under my boobs already.

Anyhooooo, the baking thing - Yes Yes Yes! I went baking crazy just about the time I got my BFP - couldn't stop baking to the extent we were throwing stuff away because we couldn't eat the amount I was baking. Then I went right off it and couldn't stomach the thought of anything. But am finding my baking feet again. Am revving up for having a go at a birthday cake for DS in a couple of weeks - eeek!! (Will do it in plenty of time though so I can go to Sainsburys if need be....)

Impressive stuff Imps!! And yes, it's only because I'm pregnant that I can't do the splits.... ermmm......

*Admires Imp's flexibility whilst stuffing face with tartlets>

Glad it's not just me with the baking. Biscuits, are you trying to gently tell me this alluring podge might not just vanish after the birth?

No no no Love - I am sure my podge would have disappeared had I not made such a concerted effort to eat cake and biscuits .

Also I was a bit fat before I got pg with DS to start with. The difference post DS is I had a tum above my belly button which I had never had before.

I have to say though I found ttc this time really put me off getting back into shape - I kept starting but then getting sidetracked by thinking I might be pg. This time I am going to get back into shape and stay that way!

I'm sorry but I refuse to accept that breastfeeding will not magically make me super skinny within weeks of giving birth

On the baking front I have made an epic celebratory crumble today involving multiply layers of apple, bananna, blackberries and white chocolate topped with an almond crumble top. Mmmm...

BF did make me lose weight and then I put it on again when my cake consumption days exceeded my days bfing!!

Bf made me lose weight but dd and I were bad at it and dh was working 14 hour days and we moved house and no family nearby and he got stuck with the ash cloud for 4 days.

So I stopped at 6 weeks. Above is my well honed justification speech.

HOWEVER. This time it will be good and in fact as last time I lost all baby weight in 6 weeks if I manage a proper amount of bf time I will look like Kate Moss!! Woo too!!

That's how it works right??

BF will get rid of all the baby weight from both this and last pg combined (plus the half stone that was there pre-pg)...it will, it will! And I will be able to do it without crying in pain every time the baby looks at my nipples...

Yes, Biscuits, ttc did send the whole diet thing straight out of the window for me too. Next time, I will get thin before I plan to get pregnant so as not to be sending my brain mixed messages!

I have been gearing up for baking. Have bought eggs, whipping cream, strawberries and cooking chocolate. Plan on making Victoria sponge first with strawberry and cream centre, then probably some kind of chocolate cupcake. Mind you, I was supposed to start today but the state of the kitchen put me off. Hiding, your crumble sounds amazing!

Jaggy, was it the escaping-from-helicopter-in-swimming-pool training? One of my friends works off-shore and she had to do this scary training where they get strapped into a helicopter in a freezing cold swimming pool and have to escape.

Aargh, I can't type today! I have had to go back and remove heaps of typos during this post. It must be baby brain.