April 2013- part 3 scan scan scan

[trying2bpos]

Started a new thread for all us April ladies.

Off away for DSs therapy session so marking place for my return have a lovely few days x

Definitely no to changing cat litter - my DH has done it ever since we found out and I am not complaining!
Had such a good day yesterday - nursery wallpaper samples came (so gorgeous), our new furniture has arrived so our bedroom stuff can go in the nursery and a midwife called and she is going to do us a home visit for our first appointment. So excited.
Most early symtoms have passed so feel a bit in limbo again although I am convinced I have a small bump developing now!
12 + 5

Hello all. I had my 16 week appointment today. Heard the HB and my blood pressure is fine (it was high in last pregnancy so I'm hoping it'll be ok this time).
Bloods came back ok, although I was told I'd better not bleed heavily in labour as I have a rare blood type (lovely - they scared me with this last time)!
Unfortunately, despite being a teacher for six years, I am not immune to slapped cheek so if it crops up in school I'll have to stay off. Not sure for how long though and I forgot to ask! Any ideas?

Sneezy no idea re: slap cheek - I think somebody in the early days of the April threads had to be off school to avoid it but can't remember which person it was! It is a bit alarming when you find out you are not immune to things. I am not immune to Rubella despite having being vaccinated but am hoping that as it is pretty rare this days that I don't have to worry too much.

I have my 16 week on Monday and am looking forward to hearing the heartbeat. Anybody else noticed things moving upwards? I have managed a couple of nights without having to pee in the middle of the nights and can see the (barely visible) bump moving upwards slightly.

Weirdly I have been quite nauseous again this week which I had hoped was a thing of the past but hey ho!

16 weeks today.

photochick tell me IMMEDIATELY where you got your nursery wallpaper samples.

I've seen some lovely Quentin Blake 'farmyard' paper with ducks and hens and cats and dogs and mice but would like some other options.

What the hell is slapped cheek? Never even heard of it!

16+0

Ha ha BonaDea that is EXACTLY the wall paper we have chosen!!

Harlequin do a nice 'What a hoot' range and I also had a look at some on John Lewis and wallpaper direct. We actually found going to a local wallpaper supplier was best as they have loads of sample books etc.

Wow, in't it busy on here! I can't believe there are almost 100 of us, July/August must have been frisk-o-rama ;-)

Finally had the scan last night at 14 weeks - baby was asleep! So a great photo but no waving limbs like DS1. After, DS pointed to the photo and said "owl." He might be disapponted next April!

tatooed special welcome with your two babies! A friend of mine runs a "twins and more" group at our local children's centre, and was saying they're encouraging mums-to-be to come along too, to get to tips and advice and support before birth, as getting out of the house with two newborns can be a challenge! There may be one near you?

breast pumps, I was given one second hand by a friend, but it did look nearly new, by the time I'd used it for 10 months it had yellowed a bit! So I wouldn't have a problem using 2nd hand one if it was in good nick, and obviously sterilise and wash it thoroughly. I used Avent Philips hand pump and it worked well for me.

buggies oh goodness, it's funny how exciting they are! We were loaned no less than THREE last time but still ended up buying one in the end! Borrowing them helped to find out what we liked/didn't. I got a babystyle oyster with maxi cosi car seat - been pretty good and cheaper than candys etc. My SIL has cityjogger and I think that's brilliant, SO easy to fold and one of the best things is the hood. It reclines without the hood moving, so when it's sunny, baby stays properly shaded unlike lots of prams.

I'm a big fan of second hand, with a few new treats thrown in, but we were also very lucky to have several friends finished who'd having babies and loaned or gave us gear. It's good for the planet too

toobreathless DS will be 24 months so also wondering about buggy board or double buggy - thinking I'll put DS in buggy and baby in a stretchy sling for the most part, but that won't always work. Oh, I REALLY recommend getting a sling for newborns...

Sorry such a long post - couldn't resist joining all the recent discussions!

bonadea and photochick - have a look here for gorgeous wallpaper

sneezy slap cheek went round my school when I was 10 and a half weeks I went to get blood tests and found out I was immune but if I remember correctly when I first called up they told me if I wasn't immune I shouldn't go into school until no new cases have come up for 3-4 days because the contagious time is actually a week before the rash appears so if a kid gets it on Monday but by Thursday nobody else has broken out in rash you can go back Friday (hope I'm remembering that correctly it was a few weeks ago and I'm little miss forgetful at the moment).

I just got back from 16 week check up midwife was really lovely and all my worries are apparently absolutely fine, I was a bit surprised she didn't listen to the heartbeat is this notmal?!she had mentioned from my scan notes it said I have the placenta at the front but they could hear the heartbeat with the scan machine....

LoobyLou I was thinking of getting the Oyster pram. It looks lovely. Is it as light as they make out?

Hi everyone thanks so much for still thinking of me. After a very scary last week I cannot believe I can say my baby is still ok 16+ weeks now I honestly can't believe it last time I posted they told me I would lose the baby but he/she is hanging on tight. Unfortunately blood tests have shown that i am bleeding from the placenta i will have a placental abruption at some point it's just a matter of can my body hold on....... it also means I cannot go home until I have the baby. I need blood transfusions and fluids as I pretty much cannot eat or drink and keep anything down. My family have rallied as always so I am trying not to panic and take each day as it comes.
Thank you all again so much it really helps knowing people out there are rooting for us. if my baby is ok I promise I will print this so they can see how wonderful and supportive people can be to someone they've never met
Hopefully in the next few days I will be able to sit and can catch up on everyone's news. I hope you are all well.

Oh mama that is fab! Bummer that you will have to stay in but it is the best place to keep you and bubs safe. Thanks for updating us and looking forward to more happy updates to come.

mama you sound the bravest person I know (or kind of dont know) I can't begin to think what your going through and although it sounds really crappy that your stuck in there it's got to be the best place for you! A lot of people would have given up by now I'm sure but your staying positive and its certainly showing cos your little baby is still hanging in there I really do from the bottom of my heart wish you all the best and I for one have my fingers crossed for you everyday! Well you know where to come when you want a good old chat we are all here for you! Rest up and stay strong! X

Mama wow! that's all I can say, you are a really stubborn woman [and so is that baba] meant in a good way :) I think of you often and hope that you are doing well. It is mind numbing being in hospital all that time, at least you don't have to actually eat much of the hospital food [I remember it being pretty...interesting]. I send you many good wishes that you and your baby stay well.

Phew - lots to catch up on here after a few days away Glad to hear about lots more lovely scans and MW appointments, and great news about mama

I'm interested in whether its ok to use a secondhand car set too magictorch if you know exactly where it's come from (my SiLs x 2 have offered us tons of stuff). We have no baby stuff as this is DC1 and could buy new if we wanted, but it seems silly when my 2 SiL's have very young kids and have offered us a cot, Moses basket, pram, car seat, bouncy chair thing (!) and pretty much everything else we could need. I was planning to buy new mattresses for the Moses and cot, but am I better off buying a new car seat even if I'm certain it's new been in an accident?

Even though we will be getting all the basics from my SiL's I still have started a (private) wish list on Amazon of all the cute extras that I want to get - a night light in the shape of a monkey, a teething ring shaped like a raspberry and so on (grin)

Still finding it hard to believe we are actually pg, but if the scan date is to be believed we are 16 weeks today! Very pronounced bump now and been feeling lots of movement in last couple of days - like little flutters and tiny bubbles popping in my tummy! It's a lovely feeling - any one else starting to feel movements?

Off to pack now - I've decided I'm moving to Sweden now I've heard about their maternity and paternity leave allowances from flaminnora

Hello all! Too many comments to pick up on but - second hand, we're having lots from my sister, think the buggy and car seat will be the one thing we get new. We'll need furniture for the room too.

I had my scan today, delighted and relieved to see a wriggly baby in there! We cried Baby was sitting so couldn't get an accurate growth measurement or nuchal scan so will be going back within the next two weeks.

mama you are both amazing. Hang in there. Sorry you're stuck in hospital for the duration - what a tough situation for you. I'm so pleased to hear how your family are rallying round you. Do try to keep us posted when you can :)

mama have sent you a PM too [not sure if you can access these tho]

second hand car seats I had one off SIL, she'd used it for her two [who grew out of it quickly, so it had little use] but we didn't use it was 8 years old. Though there isn't a hard and fast rule with age, I just didn't want to chance it, also DD was small. In fact she's nearly two and 8.2kg so in theory hasn't yet grown out of it. Though we put her in a fixed in rear facing seat at 9 months and a close friend bought our car seat off us. Now regretting that :)

rear facing seats I really do feel that DD is in a better position rear facing for as long as possible, the seat we have got goes up to 13kg rear facing [at DD's rate she'll be 4 by then] it will then go forward facing up to something like 24kg [can't really remember that one]. I would happily buy the same car seat for the next baby [except I'd like a newborn one with a handle to lift in/out mix with travel system].

coach built prams are heavy and large, not easy to get into the boot of a car, or get through most modern doorways [which are narrower] I had a heavy graco off a friend and it just made life a pita. I moved to a maclaren XT which is light and lies flat and I could lift it in/out the car easily and regain half my boot space.

BonaDea slapped cheek (also known as fifth disease and parvovirus) is a very common, harmless viral disease where the rash comes up on the cheeks first. It's harmful when pregnant as it can have very nasty effects on the unborn baby (requiring transfusions, causing hydrops etc).

About 68% of people are immune to it (it's very common in childhood) but I wanted to be checked as, with working in a school and having a 2 yr old, I'm likely to come into contact with it. Unfortunately I'm not immune so I'll need to stay off if it goes around school.

Dandelion in all honesty I would probably accept a car seat from a close friend or family member if I could be certain that it hadn't been in an accident. It's not that it needs to be new per se just that you need to know its heritage, clearly you wouldn't buy a new car seat for DC2 just for the sake of it.

Mama wow! So pleased to hear your update. Baby clearly has your fighting spirit! Hope your other two children are managing ok without you at home.

Havealittlefaith yay for wriggly baby!

loobylou & others thanks for the buggy board suggestion. I agree re slings for newborns.

15 + 5 today.

I've spent the last two days in bed feeling miserable (oh how I miss being able to use decongestant nasal spray when ill!), but I'm perking up now and just had a catch-up read through of the last week:

Mama - prayers going up for you and your little one. And horrah for your family and the medics who are pulling round and doing all they can for you.

Fluttering feelings - I didn't think I'd felt any until reading the posts about fluttering and then suddenly thought I could feel it. But, with my more sceptical hat on, I think it feels very similar to normal digestion/bowel feelings...

Slapped cheek - yeah like birdbrain there was some in my workplace but the fact that people are most infectious well before the symptoms kick in made me think it was going to be hard to do much to avoid it. I got tested for immunity, but NHS direct muddied the waters by saying that a positive test could either be a sign that I was immune, or that I'd recently been exposed and had it while pregnant. On balance I decided that the risks were relatively low and my best strategy was not to worry too much.

16 week appointment tomorrow. Much, much less nervous than for the 12 week one - feels like just going for a routine check up not a stop/start moment when you find out if it's all real or not. Hoping to hear a heartbeat.

15+5

PS - I've been thinking about a sling... but there are so many. Any advice / recommendations about choosing one?

Missmuffet28 I've been thinking more about what you said about buggies, and I think you've got a good point.

It's amazing how quickly you forget stuff (well I do anyway!) DS is nearly 4, and I was thinking of a buggy as simply a transportation device. However when they're babies it's basically a bed on wheels isn't it?! So if the SIDs advice for mattresses is that they should be new, then it stands to reason that a buggy should be too (or a least the bit they sleep in) doesn't it? (Unless there's some fundamental difference here that I've missed!)

Last time we had the Silver Cross Dazzle. It's not a travelsystem - we used to live in London so didn't use the car so much, and also had really narrow stairs on the way into the house - we went for a separate travelseat instead.

The buggy had a removable carrycot like this. It was brilliant - we had a moses basket and didn't use it once, as the carrycot was just like a modern moses basket.

I reckon if we get the same kind of thing, perhaps that bit needs to be new.

Wouldn't get the same buggy again though, as it's got a design fault I think. The brakes are on each wheel and they stick out, so that if you have to go up or down stairs with it, it gets stuck on each step. Another Silvercross we got later had the same thing. OK if you only use it in places you drive to (like DP). But if you actually use it travelling about town, very annoying!

Buggies are a bit of a mine field aren't they?!

One thing: if you are planning in using your buggy carrycot as a Moses basket for overnight use not all are suitable, they need to be ventilated (or can potentially increase the SIDS risk) The Quinny one definately is not suitable. I think the iCandy is IIRC. However word of warning about the iCandy carrycot, it is much shorter than some of the others (8 inches shorter than average??) so beware those likely to have tall babies. A friends DS outgrew his at 9 weeks!

aufaniae will you be buying a new buggy then? That SC dazzle sounds like a nightmare with the brakes!

Evening all, well after 3 days of just feeling quite blah, had constant headaches to the point of extreme pain and vomiting, went to out of hours GP who said I had a high temp and the highest number if white blood cells in urine so definite infection so on antibiotics. Partly relieved as just thought after 3 weeks of feeling pretty great, thought I was just being a hormonal diva not coping with pain! Actually going to take time off work, admitted defeat to Headteacher and sorted my time off, not a great patient!

Feeling much better in bed and finally catching up.

No flutterings-just want to feel something now!

mama you just amaze me, just fantastic news, keeps us all optimistic for sure!

So glad I have the buggy done, couldn't cope with 6 months on weighing it all up!

15+3.