April 2013- part 3 scan scan scan

[trying2bpos]

Started a new thread for all us April ladies.

Hi cookie and congratulations! I'm sur you'll be fine for the nuchal. I'm pretty certain it can be done up to 14wks 1day.

Username That is outrageous for them to make you traipse around the hospital like that. I know just how disorganised they can be but really that just takes the micky I'm very glad you finally found somebody who knew what they were doing and you got a proper appointment. Hope everything goes smoothly tomorrow.

Mama so pleased everything is looking good with baby so far. Sorry to hear you're stuck in hospital again. I hope you manage to get home tomorrow. I agree with others that it sounds like your partner sounds very worried about you but yes, he is going about it ALL the wrong way and that's not going to help anyone I really hope that he changes his mind soon as you need all the support you can get. I'm very glad you have your family around you. You have us all here for you too for anything you might need, albeit from afar and we're willing your little one to stay put as long as possible. Everyday is one day closer.

Teapig Yay for the fab scan news and being so much further than you thought!

Knitting I bet you will get a lot of excited squealing from people when you tell them. It will be great! I have the opposite problem with maternity jeans/trousers. I'm only 5"1 and everything swamps me!

Kelle I'm so sorry about you little hen that's just so sad.

Giddy That Chinese sounds absolutely scrummy. I'm sorry you're still ill. I hope you and ds are better soon.

Just noticed I must have missed a couple of posts when trying to keep track!

Welcome to the madness (I'm sure it hasn't even started properly yet) cookie

Teapig - and deekey Yay for EDD buddies. A week is a fair difference, I was brought forward a couple of days too It still doesn't quite seem real even though I've seen it on the scan with my own eyes! Especially now that I've gained a bit of time!

Mama really sorry to hear about your DP but a thousand cheers for your wonderful supportive family.

Username What a pigs-ear your hospital made of things! Hopefully they'll get themselves organised soon and no-one else will have to put up with the same frustrations.

MissMuffet I hope your boss has a change of heart and decides to be more helpful.

I got my Downs results the other day. 1/35 000. I didn't know the numbers went that low! Still not entirely sure if we should have got the test done in the first place - given that we wouldn't do anything anyway.

Other than that all ok but the fatigue is really getting to me. Having a week off last week was great, but after 2.5 days back at work I had a throbbing headache and had to go home. I've saved up my annual leave so that I can work 4 day weeks from mid November until going on maternity leave but right now making it to mid Nov on 5 day weeks seems like a massive challenge. I'm conscientious and I hate not being able to give of my best at work, and I hate getting home to DH and not having the energy to connect with him. Sorry to whinge!

14+5

sugar I got maternity jeans out of Gap yesterday, and they seem to have a lot of choice. There are 5 (I think) styles round the waist-I got demipanel which are SO comfy! They only had regular length in the store I was in, but you can order longer length and ankle length online. I've only worn them for one day, but they stayed up well (and did I mention how comfy they are ). I'd recommend them

Morning ladies, quick question: at what stage are people telling work about pg?

I'm tempted to tell my manager today (her boss knows but promised not to pass on to anyone) and colleagues next week when I'll be 14 weeks according to dating scan.

On one hand I'm keen not to worry about whether people are guessing I'm pg on the other it seems a little early to out myself, I quite like it being a secret.

13+1, feels weird as I thought I'd only just reached 12

I told my employer really quite early my job can be really physical and I needed them to understand why I couldn't cart about the washing machines and flat pack wardrobes, I told my manager originally but then told the rest of the staff as I think they were wondering why I was being a bit 'lazy' few slipped through though only yesterday one of the young wimpy girls gave me a picking ticket for a massive two part wardrobe and said 'you better get this I think my back is out', it wasn't out when little boy toy was chasing you through the stock room a minute ago.... Anyway I just said yeh well I'm pregnant so whilst I don't mind giving you a hand I'm doing it for you. I hate using it as an excuse but I've had my risk assessment so I I we're to injure myself or baby now doin something beyond my capability I'd not have a leg to stand on I guess!

I think as long as your boss knows you don't have to tell anyone if you don't want to if you like keeping it a secret then keep it and have a bet with yourself who will be the first brave enough to ask!! And when they do, play with them tell them nah you just been eating a lot of biscuits and watch their faces haha!!! God I can be cruel!!!!

13+2

teapig were your dates moved and you missed the 12 week mark also? I was really looking forward to reaching the 12 week mark, went for scan at what i thought was 11+4 and woosh it was gone I was 12+3 hehe!! I felt really hard done by after I thought about it for a bit stupid I know but was my own fault for cocking up my dates doh!!

I told my boss and close colleagues at 8 weeks. My sickness was pretty awful and because I'm in healthcare they need to know for moving and handling etc. I think once you're past 12 weeks you should be ok going public. I'm going public after my 12 week scan on Wednesday,

sugarfiend not found anything that works for spots yet, am considering resorting to a brown paper bag!

mama glad your scan was good, hope your partner begins to be more supportive

Congrats everyone else on good scan news and for jeans advice. I have some DP underbump ones but they fall down a lot!

I got a few tops from newlook, but they are too big, and a couple from ebay that fit nicely.

Unless our flat sells anytime soon, ebay will be the way for all things pregnancy related!

I have had some light spotting for a few days now am hoping it's my cervical ectropian, but wish it would stop!

Have also had lots of stretching/muscular almost period-like pain, is anyone else having this?

I am also still being sick each morning and occasionally queasy in the evenings, and am definitely more tired.

Oh, also i haven't done any exercise due to feeling a bit bleugh, but now i get breathless just walking! Anyone else have this, or am I just super-duper unfit?

I need to start exercising as I want to be fit for the birth but i am so tired I never do!

angel I'm very similar. Still fitting into my bigger clothes because I think maternity stuff will be too big. I'm trying to walk too. I couldn't do intense exercise before I got pregnant because of chronic pain but I get so breathless now! I'm getting cramps and twinges which I put down to uterus growth and stretching.

Missmuffet I thought I was 12 weeks on Tuesday went for scan yesterday and they say I'm 13. It is a bit weird but nice to be further along than I thought. Sorry you didn't get to knowingly reach 12 weeks, it seems like quite jump when they move your dates doesn't it?

Angel try not to worry about the spotting, hope it stops soon but I read it's normal to have it sometimes all the way through. Good point on exercising, must admit I never exercise but want to be fit for birth. Is there anything recommended for pg ladies?

tea you're not meant to do anything you're not used to that gets you really hot - so fine to keep running if you did, but not to take up running - for example - the change in temperature is bad for the baby. You can do ante-natal yoga and Pilates, I think from 14 weeks which is great for your muscles and strength pre-birth! I've just been trying to walk lots!

teapig I really enjoyed swimming, before my SPD got bad, and then I'd just go to float and remove the pressure. I still swim and it's a really good all over workout. Glad your scan went well.

missmuffet I've been backwards and forwards with dates, but still nothing official.

angel havealittlefaith I've tried my bigger clothes, but the length isn't enough so I've broken out my basic maternity tops that don't look too maternity. A mix of DP and NL were the best. Next vary with quality and found it's actually cheaper off eBay. Most of my maternity wear was sale or eBay. In fact I got most things for DD off of eBay, including a bedside crib, just bought a new mattress.

I have some really weird pops down there, I am sure I am getting some wiggling sensations too.

I've booked a private scan tomorrow, couldn't arrange one in Bath so I've ended up at the Spire in Bristol. They seem really lovely. Blood test first then scan and after a consultant gives you the results. I spoke to my MW who was shocked that they wouldn't give me a date, she saw me with DD so knew about DD being small for dates, she left the room and gave them a call and they can't fit me in so they'll just assume I'm 13+6 [today]. I asked MW about repercussions later, she had some worries. She said that if we can go private for a dating scan and NT it would help with my anxiety, they can't actively recommend it or anywhere in particular, though.

It's nearly lunchtime and I'm still in my dressing gown and slipper socks and DD is still in her jamas. Love lazy thursday mornings.

angel I don't get out of breath from just walking around but if I talk when I walk then I'm huffing and puffing and I work in a massive school with 3 floors the stairs are a killer but I don't want to take the lift because then I'm really getting no exercise!

I just bought a maternity skirt for work the problem is all my stuff doesn't fit but maternity is a bit big so have to keep pulling it up!
Is it possible by the way that I'm feeling movement already its my first and I keep getting little pushing movements...I don't think it's stretching pains because this isn't as painful...

Also anyone got recommendations of where to buy a nice maternity dress from for a friends wedding I'll be 5 months by then aprox...

14+4

Thanks for all the sympathy, I was feeling quite sorry for myself yesterday but feel much better today. Went for my nuchal, baby was lying on tummy though & they just couldn't do it. I got sent 2 times for walks & drinks of very cold water, I jumped up & down, wriggled my hips, got poked & poked but it just stubbornly did a demonstration of every unhelpful position in the book.

So I go back on Tuesday 23rd Oct for quad blood test and I was booked in now for 20 week scan on 23rd November.

13+6 now (got put forward again)

ps - Birdbrain Asos have a really nice range of maternity dresses

got my nuchal blood test results back...I have a risk of 1 in 14,000 so classed as low risk, so am over the moon what does papp-a mean and bHCG?

papp-a is a hormone. My measurement of papp-a was too low. This could be a possible indicator of Downs and so we were classed as high risk. (Further scans seem to say Downs is in fact unlikely for us). It can indicate a number of other things also, such as thombosis, a higher risk of IUGR (small for age babies), placenta failure or pre-eclamsia IIRC. Or none of these things could happen!

No idea what bhCG is.

I am going to look at ante natal yoga and Pilates, though they're expensive round this way! And I think I'll have to force myself to walk to work, rather than get the train for the second leg of my journey. I must myst must!

Forgot to say earlier, my downs risk came back as 1:2500, low risk, but still much higher than a lot of you? I am 31, i was expecting better odds I think.

And I am 13 + 6 today

Yay, finally managed to catch up on everyones post and have a few mins left to post myself.
Congrats on all great scans and welcome newbies!

mama sorry you're back in hospital but great to hear LO doing well. Hopefully your DP will come round soon.

aufaniae glad you've had some reassurance from the scan and consultant and are feeling bit more relaxed now.

miarose bHCG is beta human chorionic gonadotrophin, pregnancy hormone which I think is what the preg test measure and is part of the DS test.

spots given up worrying about them and tbh my skin has been like a teenagers since I stopped bf and got AF again. Actually its worse than when I was a teenager!

I'm not sure papp-a was measured for my DS. And I'm pretty certain I won't ever get to see the actual levels from those blood tests! Which may be a good thing.

However, I did notice that none of the details from my 12 wk scan (e.g. CRL) are in my handheld notes even though there is a page for them. I'm quite sad about this now and will ask for them to be put int there with the 20 wk scan info. I mean as some of you have found things get written in your notes that don't get communicated to you in person.

Not told work yet and want to wait til 20w if I can, completely paranoid something will go wrong and also know as soon as I mention it things will snowball and questions asked that I have't even thought about and don't really want to yet. Have only told 4 close friends and two of them asked me outright because of things said not because I look it (I don't think ). None of our family knows yet.

angel my Downs risk is 1:1717, which I am now starting to think is relatively high compared to many others here! I have a low papp-a which must have something to do with it, and I'm also 35. I don't mean to upset anyone with a higher risk, but I was initally pleased with it, and now when I see things like 1:25000 get a bit worried. It's silly I know, but I suppose we all need something to worry about...

I have a definite bump now, but it hasn't really changed in size for quite a few weeks, just that the bloating around it has calmed down iyswim! I really need to do some exercise, have been going to the gym, but cycling very slowly while watching Homes Under The Hammer isn't doing much for some reason...!

Jessie I was trying to remember who it was who also had a low Papp-A score.

Your score is great for your age. The average risk for someone your age is 1:350 (or 1:270 if you'll be 36 by April).

So you're much less likely than most people your age to have a baby with chromosomal abnormalities. I hope that's reassuring :)

If it is really worrying you and you really want reassurance you could pay for a private scan to look for soft markers. But your risk really is very small, honest :) Mine is now approx 1:300 and I'm pleased with that.

There are lots of other reasons for low papp-A. Do you know what your measurement for papp-A was? In your shoes I'd be interested to know what they meant by "keeping an eye on you" because of the low papp-A score.

I'm going to speak to my midwife about mine. Now they've decided Downs is less likely, I'm keen to know if there's any other reason for the low Papp-A (last time it was a notch on the blood-flow in the artery apparently, but not so this time).

Hi All, i think this is going to be my last post I had a scan this afternoon as I have had some strong cramping. it showed blood inside my uterus they are pretty sure I will lose the baby in the next 24 hours, I have to stay in hospital as they will have to remove the stitch when this happens. Thank you all so much for your support, I truly wish everyone a happy and healthy pregnancy and baby xxx

Thanks for explaining aufanie and trying, they send you the test results and no explanation what these things mean! Aufanie, glad you have been more reassured by latest scan

Oh no mama, please as hard as it is please try and stay as positive as you can, you have come so far and been through so much..please keep us updated and am sending much love and fx for you, is dp with you? X

Oh Mama, that's terribly sad news.
Keeping my fingers and toes crossed for you that it's a false alarm.

Sending big (((((hugs))))) your way.