Due in October 2012 - Part 5

[Kyyria]

Just starting us off on a new thread

Had my 20 week scan today! So exciting wish I could see it on screen every day! Didn't find out the gender as we want a surprise. And I felt two prods yesterday for the first time!

So relieved that all fine as I've been having real stretching type aches and pains but I guess they're just ligament pains.

36, 20+3, DC1

Hi all still here, still lurking, good to hear you're all doing well

28, 20+2 DC%233

Fjord thanks for the anal joy/sorrow info! Just recently I've had fresh red blood after a "movement" but not lots in the loo - more than I've ever experienced before, but only on loo paper. Spasms tend to occur when a movement is on its way but before I feel the need to go. God, TMI. Isn't all this wonderful. I try to keep my fluid intake up, as I know that's where my problem lies, but I struggle. Partly because it's a pain in the arse (arf arf) trying to find a loo for all the wees I have to do! Damn bladder! Maybe I should see a doctor, but it's the thought of the gloved finger that makes me

With the scan we decided to go for another surprise gender-wise. With DS I was convinced throughout the pg that he was a boy, and then on the 20wk scan saw absolutely nothing where it should have been, so always wondered right up until the end (poor DS, I shouldn't really tell people that, should I. He very definitely has "something" now!!). This time I'm convinced it's a boy as he/she is kicking the crap out of me already, just like DS did, and on the scan I think I saw a flash of something very todger shaped! We'll see in October!

haha, fjordmor, i could not stop thinking about 'Anal Joy', as well, what with all the recents posts. Hope everyone's bottoms are feeling a little more joyous now.
I am quite interested in the hypnobirthing stuff - not sure i want to doa whole course, so the cd sounds like it could be the way to go.... i think i am to much of a wuss to go through the whole labour with just hypnobirthing, but if it can keep the epidural away for a few extra cm so i can be mobile for longer, that's a good thing.
Good to c u back, cwest, hope the d/c goes away quickly, and hope Angelico feels better soon and beeblebear stays well.
Welcome dosomethingmutley
Am wel jel of all u ladies on holidays - i hope u all look like beached whales in your bikinis :)

Oops major x-post. Reindeer stew sounds amazing! Good luck, let us know how rudolf tastes

Good to say you, DameIce!

Congrats Cheesy, amazing, isn't it? I know, I wanted to take the equipment (hmm, probably the sonographer too) home with me!

31, 19+6/20+1 depending on who you believe!, DC2 (impressed with DameIce's 233 DCs )

Ahh effing ell, meant to say see, not say. Duhhh

I posted this on the old thread which then got finished off (thanks Loopy, I like tidiness too!):

WantAnOrange, I'm finding it hard too. Some days I feel kind of one with the bump and like tops that cling and show it off. Some days I just feel fat and want to hide under hoodies (bummer about your hoodie, could you get one in a couple of sizes up to see you through?). I'm going for leggings and tunic style tops, dresses or maxi skirts at the moment, at home, and A-line skirts with tights, boots and generously or usefully-cut tops at work.

Know what you mean about feeling movement - it makes it feel real which I like, and it's reassuring, as you say - at least there's some feedback now, some indication that it's there!

A doula is a woman who supports you through the pregnancy and birth, and who will be there through the birth. Someone who is there for you, as well as your DH, partner, birthing partner, or whoever else you are having, and who is not a medical professional. Sort of like your mum, but I wouldn't in a million years have my mum there. She can help you sort a birth "plan", work through options, work out preferences, be totally prepared, and help you make sure things go your way as much as they can on the day. I think having someone like this will help me to feel calm, and as in control as I possibly can, and will also help DH to know how to be involved and to not panic when he sees me in pain, which is a big thing because otherwise he will be very stressed and worried and this will lead to me being stressed and worried and that will possible lead to a longer labour. This is all unproven but does make sense to me. The one we have chosen is lovely, seems very well informed and knowledgeable but also very personable and laid back and calm. Prices range from £250 (usually for someone who is in training and being mentored) to £500. This includes visits before the birth, 4 weeks of being on call around the due date and a visit after. You can also have a postnatal doula who visits a few times afterwards and does things to help. More info http://doula.org.uk/ here

Scan today, very exciting, although not looking forward to the full bladder aspect of it. DameFlat, hope yours goes well too!

Good lord that's supposed to say DC 3 not 233!!! Could you imagine!

And now today's post:

Back from scan (and gym, go me!). All looks fine apart from baby seems to have freakishly small head (gets that from me, and DH pointed out that I might well be glad about that come the day of the birth!) and freakishly short legs (gets that from DH, was hoping poor baby might avoid that) and a freakishly large abdominal circumference - another weeble here!

We wanted to know the gender but baby wouldn't keep still or get into any obliging positions (unco-operativeness... another thing it gets from me ) so we have to be content with "most likely a girl but can't be sure". Ah well, here's to lots of neutral clothing! All the measurements look OK though, which is the main thing, and it has hands and feet and kidneys and lips and lenses in its eyes and everything! Amazing!

Hi all, welcome new bean ovens.
Aren't we a great club? I mean women having babies and getting on with our lives. To anyone doing it without a supportive partner, I take off my hat to you.

I had my scan Friday. All well... Couldn't resist finding out gender. It's a boy.

I'm ashamed to say I was disappointed. Zoeplankton. I had assumed because every aspect of this pregnancy was so different from my first that it was a girl. Also, we will not have another, this was an IVF cycle. So I had come round in my head to the idea of a little boy and a little girl. As I do some work with special needs children I was reassured that all the scan was normal, I'm ashamed to say I was disappointed to hear I will have a healthy baby boy - moron. Anyway I have gotten over it now.

Bella are things OK? Do you want to hold onto the HoD position - I found my Union very supportive. I got the feeling they had heard all the issues before.

Yomping I am envious of an afternoon with nothing to do. You will have only an hour or so here or there for the next aeon. Toddlers follow you to the loo. I've taken to rubbing the shower gel (I use aqueous cream) on before I get in the shower, and only stand there long enough to shampoo my hair as it washes off. And spray on conditioner after. About 2 mins I'd say under the water. Stay pals with your ILs, they sound like they'd like to be 'hands-on'.

To anyone with bleeds or other worries (Angelico ), well done on just getting on with life. You are great.

LoopyLa Thanks for clearing the old thread, I'd be there now wondering what was going on if it was not finished.

Hi ladies,

Haven't posted for a while - like FjordMor I'm also having my 20 weeks scan tomorrow. In the run up to the big event I have been measuring my belly and so far the '1-inch per week' seems to be bang on the button (belly button that is). The doctor was already looking at me critically regarding weight gain at the 16 week scan, have def. added a few more kilos since then! Trying to get the little one start moving - this week tried chili olives, Korean food but the African groundnut stew seems to be what finally got some movement going on (at least I think its movement....)

And finally, ended the day passing on my detailed know-how on IVF injections to a newbie. Ah yes - almost nostalgic for the days of shooting up in the kitchen over dinner prep. In-spite of all the worries, I'm finding pregnancy a lot less stressful than trying to juggle work and IVF treatment.

CWEST - what was the feedback from the doctor? Hope the appointment went OK, we're thinking of you.

That's it from me - hopefully the wash cycle will end soon so i can hang up laundry and head for bed..

39, 20 +5, #1

Feeling very proud this evening as I have done some exercise. Only 15 mins of Xbox kinect fitness programme, very easy stuff for anyone who is remotely fit (not me then) but its a start! Hoping to do that 3 times a week and them build up.
What's anyone else doing about exercise / trying to be even a little bit fit?!

Lovely ladies thank you for all your kind wishes You guys rock.

In fact, as Lisbeth says we are all frikkin' awesome bean incubators! We should be wearing lycra onesies with capes as we dash from work to gym to childminder to sofa (delete as appropriate, I cut out the middle two :o)

Have decided to go for private AN care. Don't know how it works in England but here you can have your AN care and 6 week check privately but have everything else on NHS - essentially all I am missing out on is an NHS appt at 36 weeks with consultant and by then I would probably be dead with anxiety over bean and spotting ANYWAY. Will be seeing consultant every 4 weeks, then every fortnight, then weekly in the last month. First appt on Wed so will quiz him to death about spotting.

Congrats to all peeps with lovely scans :o

Midget and Mickey having serious holiday envy here! Hope it will be / was brilliant! :)

Fjord how was the reindeer?! (Now there's a sentence you don't get to write every day...!)

Bella you were quite right to be pissed off at LL. Hope work was okay too x Saw Lisbeth's post and think I might have missed something - are you a HOD but worried about going PT? It's a tricky one but I know a girl in our place has done it although at 4 days pw.

Major sympathy to the peeps with fissures, had a very minor one about ten years ago and can still remember the agony! Thankfully it healed after a few days. Zoe I would definitely get a private appointment in light of being pregnant, just in case it increases your risk of any complications - not to be scary but just so you know what to expect x

Beeble really glad pain eased off and CWest how are you? Sympathy on the discharge, I know the terror, we'll just have to be positive Did you get to the doc?

Yomping having doula envy - they sound great. I googled them a while back and couldn't find any in nowhereland NI. At least you'll have someone with you the whole time who vaguely knows what they're doing! The MWs at local hospital are the loveliest bunch but they are run ragged and seem to have to flit between ladies - maybe right at the end they stay with one?

So last thing in mega-post: I am a great believer in seeing both sides of the story so found this blog post about the whole Gentle Birthing thing. I think it's good to read it and realise that in the end no matter how much prep any of us do things may well get out of our control and no point beating ourselves up about anything. I do like the way she said she felt great during pregnancy and I read a couple of Amazon reviews that said similar. So might be worth a shot - and like I said my sis had mega high blood pressure till she started listening to hypno stuff and it chilled her right out if nothing else!

Night for now peeps xo

Welcome to all the new 'cookers' hope you find this thread helpful,humourous,endearing & all the other things that can be offered :)

Congratulations to those who have had 20wk scans am quite I have to wait til 31st for mine & we're still having a little conflict about finding out,I want to DP isnt keen so may have to play the 'vag' card on this one there's no way I'm waiting lol

Nothing else to report other than tiddler is wriggling round quite a bit each day now which is nice but still a bit weird!

Enjoy the rest of the night ladies I'm off to bed soon,nanight :)

Just marking my place, keep attempting to have a life by doing things in the evenings after work/at weekends and never seem to have time to write! free tickets for theatre tonight, bit exhausted though.

22 weeks today.

Have a definite bump now! Not in scrubs though. Some days I love having a bump other days I feel like a short round person.

Well, I've got a busy day at work as most of my team seem to be on holiday or off sick, but on the plus side I've booked some annual leave for tomorrow so have a whole day off

Not quite sure what to do - could paint nursery, make a start on strippih an old set of drawers to convert into changing table or could weed the garden (although would have to shift the huge dog turf that one of the neighbours dogs has left on the front lawn ) - I think ultimately I'll end up doing none of those and will spend the day asleep on the sofa

At the point where I really just want to feel the bean moving - just feeling sick and fat(ter) rather than preggers.

31, 17+2, #1

Angelico re: lycra onesies with capes - I am a rower (or at least was before I started 'cooking' :)) and can state that they definitely do not make maternity lycra onesies! I had to tell everyone quite early on as rowing kit tends to be somewhat, err, tight and revealing. I was informed by another of my rowing friends the other day that I looked like a python who'd swallowed a tennis ball! Nice.

Congrats to all you lucky mums having your scans - I'm counting the days 'til mine. And I hope all those who've been having problems or have been feeling under the weather are cheered by the sight of a little bit of sunshine this morning - long may it continue!

smileyhappymummy I've just bought a pilates DVD and plan to do it a couple of times a week when DS naps. I got SPD/pelvic girdle pain in last pg and my osteopath recommended pilates to keep my core strength (er...apparently I have very little ) up to scratch and help my pelvis stay aligned.

Will let you know how often I actually get round to doing it!!

In Anal Joy news, I did an extensive google of my symptoms and now believe I have proctalgia fugax rather than a fissure. Which apparently is untreatable painful spasms in "that region" with no apparent cause. Lucky me!! Just call me Doctor DameGoogle

Quick update- just back from the 20 week scan and everything looks good with the little one. I put on 2 kilos over the past month which the Doc said is at the upper limit of what I should have gained it seems that the body is very good at processing food....so I guess I have to be a bit careful (but I still had a post-scan croissant to celebrate!!)

dosomethingmutley I was informed by another of my rowing friends the other day that I looked like a python who'd swallowed a tennis ball

HAHAHAHA!!!

Hello all,
I love this thread! You're all so lovely and always make me feel better about everything. The anal conversations are truly, um, enlightening, and have made me feel far less grumpy about the state of my own bowels etc.

20 week scan tomorrow, very nervous especially as I'm sure I should be feeling more definite wrigglings by now but still keep wondering if it's me or baby.

smiley I'm still cycling c. 3.5 miles to work each day (and home again) but am going much slower than usual, so exercise not as good as before - and I'm not doing anything else. I've been looking at pregnancy yoga, and aquanatal sessions, anyone tried those?

Hope everyone's doing OK and some of you got to enjoy this sunshine. I'm stuck indoors as it's busiest season of the year at work :(

Hello everybody :)

Scan done. Weird gynkelog - man of few words... . Anyway, relieved to know the baby is 'perfect' - everything good, healthy, well-developed, no 'defects' (hey, English isn't his first language), anterior good placenta & plenty of amniotic fluid. The LO waved and did some 'cycling' and face-palming although DP was a little disappointed that it was so sleepy after my account of the kung-fu at the 12-weeker. Seems the baby is smaller than expected from my last scan so he's put me back a week and a few days from the last scan duedate (now October 17th - was 7th). Not sure if I should worry about that or if the LO just had an early growth spurt?

He was having a lot of difficulty ascertaining the sex because of the baby's position so offered me a TV scan (just moved over the the next door stirrup chair) to try and see. He still didn't seem very sure but concluded he thinks it's...a GIRL. Still in shock & trying to get used to the idea. DP and I still referring to 'him'. Not really feeling anything - joy, sadness, disappointment, ambivalence...just nothing at all. Think it's rather a shock. Perhaps I'm not even accepting it? Just will have to get used to the idea I guess. Keep thinking 'It still could be a boy' and then keep thinking that I shouldn't allow myself to feel that way. Anyway - v glad all is ok and right now my fibroids are posing no problem (he didn't even mention them but I bloody felt them on the TV scan :-). Will get another scan at 32 weeks so we're still not going to shop for gender specific stuff before then.

Am about to make the big facebook announcement (late to be telling the world I know) but feel much more ambivalent about doing it than I did before. God I feel shite for feeling like this. I will love her madly I'm sure but the thought of bringing a girl into the world just fills me with anxiety. Also I worry that she'll be a 'Daddy's girl' like most girls are and may be my only one. He is swimming in family and I have none but a duff mother. I'm going to stop now before someone feels like slapping me. I feel like a sulking spoiled child. Hope everyone else is OK. Perhaps I should go and do some pilates in a onesie & cape & pull myself together?

41, don't know how to work out what week + day I am anymore, DC1

Hello all! I have not posted or read for a while. Glad to see all mostly well. My scan is next Monday and really wishing the hours away!! Had a MW apt last week and was v reassured to hear the lovely strong steady heartbeat!! Still not feeling any movement but MW adamant that this is normal enough for first pregnancy and as I am 6ft tall, she says there is so much room for it, might not feel for few weeks yet!!! So glad you are mostly getting lots of squiggling about, We cannot wait! Have tentatively bought a few newborn vests and babygros.... And one wee teddy, could not keep back any longer!!!! Oh and we not getting gender. Is not the hospital policy, and as is number one, really does not matter and I have waited to find out all my life, can wait another 20 weeks!!!!!!

Hugs and smiles to all,

34, 19+3.

Woo hoo!!! A new thread! I just drank a Becks Blue and I feel a bit drunk?! Might be the sunshine plus excitement over the eurovision semi finals... I'm having a eurovision birthday party on Saturday and I've asked DH to buy me a Desperado for my present. He said I'm not allowed because it's 6% proof I think I need to get over the beer thing now.
In other, baby news... I'm getting booted ALOT. Hard. It's my new obsession, best feeling ever
Glad scans are going well, Angelico thinking of you xxx

Big, big yawn.

That is all.