April 2013... under starters orders

[herhonesty]

so tested positive on thursday am for a due date of ... 1st april.... anyone else? early days yet but after 2 years of trying for no. 2 i am very excited!!

Essex Welsh I see it's your first. He's really underestimating how much a baby will turn both your lives upside-down IMO.

Would it help if you put it in the terms of it would be a big risk academically, doing it when the baby is so little - if he wants to pass / get a good mark probably better to leave it to the following year when it's less risky?

Hello and congrats to everyone who's new!

Is anyone else really struggling to eat the 'right' stuff? For the past year through IVF x 2 my diet has been great - loads of fruit and veg, salads, blah, blah, blah. Since getting my BFP I just really don't fancy any of that stuff and finding it hard to force down - keep taking loads of fruit to work with me, and lugging it home again each night. On the other hand, offer me a big thick slice of bread and butter, a crumpet or a milky bar, I will literally bite your arm off

Is it just me? Will it do much harm for a little while of living on bread and white choc (other than to my already freakishly massive and bloated waistline)

What d'you think?

7+1

Dandelion I'm struggling to eat much at all! Yes I'm nibbling when I fancy (and not much fruit or veg). Tonight I have a hankering for toad in the hole (can't be 'craving', not yet!) so that is what's cooking.

Dandelion no not just you! Crumpets is the foodstuff of the gods for me at the moment!

Hello

Congrats to everyone. BFP here too and DC2 will be due on 17 April. Have had light nausea and cried at every medal given during the Olympics so thought something was up.

Am very excited but just left a new job that wasn't working out. Hostile people, no structure and difficult staff to manage. Couldn't cope and would hate to go back although I think my hormones might have tipped me over the edge. I'm 39 and baby due one month before my 40th so no big bash for me. Feeling a bit financially vulnerable as husband is part-time too but hope to get a less demanding job soon.

Will need some luck lassies.

Essex, my DH needs to get some qualifications at work (computer stuff), small things, but he's rushing through them all before Christmas so he'll be able to help me when I'm massive and when bub arrives. I think your DP is over ambitious if he thinks he'll be able to do it.

Also that's without expecting him to do night feeds (I have chronic insomnia)

dandelion I am currently stuffing my face with a pizza. Not a vegetable in sight..... Was the same with DD thankfully the insatiable desire for stodge faded at about 12 weeks. Hope it does this time or I'll be the size of a house by April!

essex for what it's worth my DH did an exam before DD was 6months old and didn't pass due to sheer exhaustion... We shared the night feeds. He was fully aware that a full day at work is considerably easier than a day at home with a newborn!

Dandelion everything I've read said just eat what you fancy during first Tri if you feel rotten and then get back on the healthy eating when the sickness has abated. This is good news as I could quite happily not eat anything at all. I'm forcing myself to have bagels and I've been drinking smoothies to try and get some vitamins. Honestly though, nothing at all appeals (and that is not like me at all)!

My sense of smell has gone into overdrive - but I haven't had any other symptoms yet.
Last time I was a living embodiment of the old wives tale "sweet for a girl, savoury for a boy" - I couldn't eat enough cake, and it showed :D I'm hoping to be a bit more restrained this time - cheap ice lollies are good for sweet cravings too!

4+3 (maybe!)

Oh that toad in the hole was delicious! I managed a few veg with it too!

I have no experience with night feeds but I can't imagine trying to study with it!

Essex I had two very different experiences with my dcs. With ds (dc1) dh had to help with night feeds as I was very poorly and could not pick him up. We both basically had to get up for every feed as I was breast feeding.

With dd (dc2) I did the feeds on my own as I was not too bad and was breastfeeding again. However dh had to move out of marital bed and I co slept with dd. Dd was a very poor sleeper and had to wear a pavlic harness for her hips.

Both of these arrangements worked for us however we could not decide this before had and really you have to just find out what works for you at the time.

But also remember that once your dh has seen you giving birth and the baby is here he will probably feel very differently.

Had an early scan today and blood tests last week, after that pain and bleeding.
Hormone levels are really low but they are rising, but they could only see the gestational sac - measuring 5 and a half weeks as I thought, but nothing else at all on the scan, which is, all in all, a bit worrying, so, I've to go back next week to see if there's any change.

Sorry to hear of others having worrying times too. x

Hi ladies, I would (nervously) like to join.

It's taken us 6 years, two miscarriages (one an empty sac discovered at 11 weeks) and two lots of basic infertility tests to get this far. I'm now 7+5 and am terrified of it all going wrong again. I have avoided everything to do with pregnancy so far so as not to jinx it - no groovy iPhone apps, no talking about the future - nowt, but I have today caved by joining this thread!

I Seemed to have spend most of the 6 years hanging round the TTC board, but gave myself a break from it all a few months ago, and now I'm back :-) so pleased to see you here too!

I've seen my GP who has kindly agreed to send me for an early scan and asked me to go back and see him at 8 weeks so he can book me in - the bugger is on holiday now for the next week, how dare he! :-)

All being well, I'll be due 5th of April which is also DHs birthday.

So far, symptoms are pretty tolerable. Boobs are epic! They are so so sore that I'm having to wear a sports bra to bed and I only have little 'uns. Odd waves of nausea and feeling pretty damn knackered! Roll on the next few weeks.

Yea congrats ifatfirst amazing news! 5th April also my birthday

IfIfIf!!!! You're here! That's ace hope the scan is good news and you can feel a sense of calm.

HiHow sorry to hear about the scan/bloods. Not sure what that really means - I guess there's hope if the hcg levels are rising? Hang in there

Gosh, this thread has been busy today!

Thank you to whoever (maybe aufaniae )said about Halifax giving 6 month mortgage holidays - that might be something for us to look into. I am sure we are with Halifax and our fixed rate is coming to an end so we were about to start looking around but now we might look at a mortgage holiday instead as that would make a HUGE amount of difference to the amount of money we have each month. Does it start from when the baby arrives?

I nearly told my mum today but didn't. I think we will still wait until after I have seen the doctor on Thursday. I am not even sure bring up the subject - we had always been pretty sure we were stopping after 2DC but then changed our minds. We have dropped a few clues along the way, like talking about changing the car for one we can fit three seats in, but I wonder whether they will think this one has been an 'accident'.

Does anyone know how many calories are recommended in the first trimester? I had been using myfitnesspal to try to eat a better diet and to lose some weight. I am no longer trying to lose weight but am still tracking my food as it helps me know that I am actually eating enough now as I have not been feeling like eating so now I am wondering how much I should be aiming for.

As for symptoms, I have been having twinges on the the sides of my stomach today and also have a sore throat - as soon as DP got home, I handed 2DCs over to him and went to have a nap! Felt better after an hour in bed but have been feeling just a bit nauseous all day so am thinking maybe morning sickness is going to kick in soon. I go back to work in a fortnight so am thinking everything is going to get harder. I am even starting to consider how I might get out of teaching PE as I keep picturing myself looking like a big whale on the playground!

Thanks havealittle.

Dysgu I can't remember what date it started from, sorry!

I'm not sure if the best thing would be to renew or not - if you go onto the the standard variable rate it isn't great is it, and you're always at risk of rates going up. That could be an expensive way to do it as that period will still be added on to your mortgage, and it'll be at the standard variable rate rather than whatever deal you have currently. I see the attraction of getting a mortgage holiday first, then renewing with a new mortgage. But being on the standard variable rate scares me!

But on the other hand you could get a new mortgage with a fixed period (on a tracker or whatever you chose) of 2 years now, making sure you choose one which does offer mortgage holidays for maternity, and you'd be nearly 9 months or more into it by the time you took the holiday.

I'm not a mortgage adviser though, far from it! Reckon you need to talk to one :) I've always used London and Country brokers as they're independent and free, more to the point, and recommended by the Guardian / Observer :)

I really helped us anyway, hope it works for you too!

Yes aufaniae we will speak to our financial advisor - we have been using the same, independent one for the last 6+ years and are due to speak to him soon anyway as our deal is running out (October). It is good to know about the existence of the maternity mortgage holiday though so that we can think about it when looking at new deals.

I also have another question (for everyone...) I have just been thinking about this and DP has already gone to bed and will be asleep by now.

When would you consider telling older DCs about a pregnancy? Right now I am aware of telling DDs (who are 5 and 3) that they have to be careful around my tummy and boobs - they have a habit of lying next to me and then using their elbows to push themselves up, usually by pressing on me! Obviously, I haven't told them why this is particularly important/painful right now.
I am also very tired so hand them straight over to DP when he gets in. We usually are very hot on eating dinner as a family but have not done that these past few days as I head off (to sleep or to relax in a bath) as soon as he gets in. This is not like me...

Then I think we are going to be telling the grandparents in the next few days and probably other close family. I will ask that no one says anything on facebook for the time being as I don't think we want to be telling everyone. However, it feels a bit odd to be telling other people when our own DDs won't know.

I also think that DD1 (who is actually 6 in less than 3 weeks) would love to know that I am growing a baby - DD2 would love it too but won't understand so much. I hope they will both be happy with the idea. However, I know that if we told them then we couldn't really ask them not to say anything but they wouldn't really understand why not, IYSWIM.

Thoughts????

Dysgu I have a similar situation here the DCs are 7, 6 and 5 we have decided not to tell them until we make it public knowledge as there is no way they could be expected to keep it all quiet but also because it will feel like such a long time to them to wait, so the longer it is a secret the better.

As far as proddy elbows and over achey boobs go I am just being extra vigilant and managing to avoid most prods and just wincing inwardly at the ones I don't

Also not wanting to be a doom merchant but if anything did happen prior to 12 weeks I don't think my dc would ever be able to understand what a miscarrige was or begin to know how to process what had happened to their little brother or sister.

Thanks for the tips on mortgages aufaniae. I'm getting way ahead of myself but am already worrying about how we will make it work financially as I am the main bread winner and as this is DC1 have no idea what the costs of a LO are. Really hope our provider, HSBC, offer a mortgage holiday so I can have proper amount of maternity leave.

Though this is getting way ahead (terrified of jinxing) does anyone know if you can have 12 week scan just before 12 weeks? I'm meant to be working abroad for the week of my 12th week and waiting any longer (fx I get that far) seems like torture.

Think just before is fine teapig but there is a specific window if you're having the nuchal fold and downs screening done. Think the window is something like between 11 and 14 weeks from memory.

5+2

Morning everyone! Anyone else having their lunch at 11am?

As a friend said, "the placenta takes it all" (which I like to sing internally to the tune of ABBA!)

dandelion I worried last time as all I wanted to eat was salty dry stuff, but once the nausea subsided I went back to more healthy food. The midwife said do what you need to do to keep on top of the sickness and don't worry. You can also get mum-to-be vitamins which include folic acid.

I told my parents and sister the day I got my BFP! No will power here...

essex I know couples where the mum does all the night-times, and others who share. Like some have said, you just can't plan how it will pan out. What if you end up with a CS? DP would need to lift the baby to you in the night. Also the advice is to have baby in the room for the first few months, which is much easier for feeding too, so his nights would be disrupted (though some partners do sleep in a different room). I did more night time shifts (was bf) but DH did some and also whisked baby off in the morning so I could lie in..he works part time though which has been amazing. DS was a terrible sleeper til 7 months so I coudln't have done it all by myself!

ifatfirst, well done, you're already 7+5, hoping this one works out for you.

hihowareyou hoping for good news for you too, sounds like a confusing scan.

5+5

Hallo! I've just found out that we are expecting DC2. I have a 21 mo DD who took 18 months to concieve. Though I stopped BF'ing 5 months ago we never bothered with contraception. I tested after AF was due and got bfn but these were internet cheapies and soon ran out, so last week went and bought a box at Tesco. Got bfp this morning. AF was due a month ago but not sure if I'm due 3rd april or 1st May. Couldn't get to see my GP til next week about late periods now I need to arrange booking in appt.

The FR with conception dates.. Are they accurate? Just might help me know if i'm april or may.

Sat here shaking with excitement and sent DH a picture of the test.