Sept 2013 - kicks, prods and finding out the sex...

[LexyMa]

here we all are... hoping for nice clear 20w. scans, not too much inadvertent weeing and getting that 'glow'...

Emma I was tired until about 18 weeks I think, only just realised the other day that I'm not so completely shattered when I get home any more, although I do struggle to get out of bed in the morning still (might be more to do with boring boring work at the moment though!!). I've been taking 200mg ferrous sulphate every other day because I'm prone to anaemia, and I think it helps keep my energy up, indirectly.

Well I have had the 20w scan, it was fantastic to see all the bits of anatomy... And I could have found out the sex after all, but I decided not to. Same as in the 12w scan "this is a very active baby" was commented on... Uh-oh!!! Do we have a little wriggly handful coming?! Or was it the bag of haribo I ate in the car on the way there Saw all the chambers of the heart in great working order, she pointed out everything from the head circumference to the two kidneys to the existence of two feet at the ends of two legs (?!?), and jabbed me quite viciously in the tum when baby got bored of performing. Head is down, placenta anterior, femur length and head circumference are just under average, but abdominal circumference just over the 50th centile. And I got my notes back, finally, so I can see the full blood results.

Emma - I'm rired again the last few weeks. So want to close my eyes right now...

On books I found what to expect when you're expecting useful first time around and was pleased DH could read the page on delivering a baby in an emergency! It was quite American though, although they may have updated it. I liked the mumsnet pregnancy one and DH read it, but if you've been loitering on the forums a while you might not find much of it new. I have the mumsnet babies one but don't think I read much of it...

Emma I too am still feeling very tired at 16+4, having read today's posts though I have realised I've not taken my daily (sometimes twice daily) spatone iron supplement for almost 2 weeks. Have started again today and hopefully I'll feel better again in a couple of days. I have found it makes a big difference to fatigue levels.

ION I have a 16 weeks scan tomorrow to see what condition my cervix is in. Have googled incompetent cervix and wish I hadn't!! Oh the dangers of being able to google everything

Show of hands please...anyone else stillnot announced pregnancy yet? I'll be 20 weeks Monday (scan Tuesday) and still not come out! !! This is due to work issues...

Anyway....I seem to have gone to sleep fat last night and woken pregnant!! The bump has arrived and very hard to hide.

Kamikazee how have you not told anyone?! Or do you just mean work? I'd be bursting if I'd not told anyone by now

Emma I've started getting pokey feelings in my lady bits the last 2 days. Feels like someone poking the boney pubic area?? Is that what you've had? I'm also still feeling pretty tired. I have had more energy and am less likely to collapse on the couch at 7pm, going to bed 9 rather than 8 but still feel tired all evening. I wake around 6:15 which is fine, feeling full of beans!

Thanks dorita,whizzmums,jenni for the reassurance, glad its not just me in the totally knackered camp!

Also realised I haven't been taking my vitamins as regularly as I should, as it says to take them with main meal! Do you think that really matters?

Kamikazi how on earth have u kept it to yourself?

Ooh and lexy!

I'm going to start taking the pregnacare again in case it helps. Really tired and I think that and slight work stress is causing the queasiness to return. Really need to not worry about work, only about 3 months til I finish :)

Am shocked kami had not told anyone....mainly due to the size of my bump and how obvious it was at 8 weeks!! Am 16+4 today and massive! Went for blood test today and the woman next to me was smaller than me and was 28 weeks! I'm already uncomfortable and achy. There is absolutely no way it's a secret! I also have a friend who is a week ahead if me and only has a slight bump... Mine is like a full on capital D!!

Frog I'm with you on the big bump. I don't fit into some of the maternity clothes I wore with my first at 6 - 8 months, let alone 3 almost 4 months. I am blatent!!! It worked in my favour in Rome last weekend though, two elderly people gave up their seats on bus journeys moments before I would faint, and a waitor took me by the hand past a long long queue for the toilets and I was ushered into staff loos much to the disgust of everyone else in the queue. Oh how I loved my big bump that day
Jennimoo I know I probably shouldn't but I've kind of experiemented with my pregnacare tablets in an unintentional way. I've taken them for short bursts and for some reason stopped, then remember again when I feel rough. They generally take a couple of days to wear off and the same again to take effect. Well it appears to do that for me. Hope you feel better soon.

Whizzsmum - thanks for the info, will try to keep taking them, especially as I have a couple of boxes in the cupboard!

I'm stressing that I'm getting stressed now, and that it's making me feel worse. Although I've suffered from anxiety and depressionin the past, in pregnancy and postnatally it is probably better than average, so fingers crossed its a blip :(

Oh jennimoo I'm with you on that too. I've suffered with bouts of depression most of my adult life. Had horrible PND with DD. Haven't really suffered with depression since she was born until falling pregnant this time. I have what I can only describe as sudden black clouds hanging over me for no apparent reason, I am also having crazy anxiety dreams as well as periods of severe paranoia when awake. It's making work a little tricky as I'm beginning to think the worst of people's comments and very much doubting my own ability. I confessed all to my boss who has organised some coaching and some councilling for me through work before I go on maternity leave. Said she wanted me to leave work content with everything and be able to make the most of my maternity leave. Hopefully it is just a blip

I've been taking Pregnacare or tesco's own since I was trying to conceive, but I'm going to stop taking them to see if they're causing my heart to race. It probably isn't the cause, but an easy thing to exclude. My heart rate is nearly always over 100 if I'm not lying down, and it went up to 150 when I walked down the road the other day! I thought it was going to explode- not pleasant. Waiting for blood test results to see if I'm anaemic or have an under active thyroid, as they said my ECG showed 'nothing of major concern' but of some concern?!?!

Whizz - than you for sharing. :) Your boss sounds great. I've been very open about my past issues with my current boss, but we're a small new company and things seem to be permanently changing and stressful, which is hard to keep up with 2 days a week!

Although I love what I do I'm looking forward to getting the final ok on holiday / Bank holidays so I can set a final finish date and countdown the days. Probably about 30!

Morning lovely ladies!

Have had a busy few days so not been around much, lovely to read of all the happy scan news though! Mines not till the 30th, yawn...

Couple of catch up points:

ready I've also got the What To Expect... book and haven't found it overly useful tbh. Agree that the web is much better for answering random questions! I've got the What To Expect...The First Year as well and actually that does seem a bit more helpful from what I've skim-read so far. A little pushy on the pro breast feeding side maybe (and that's coming from someone who plans to breast feed!).

In bump news, DH and I both think I've got a proper little bump now, but all I keep getting from others are comments on how I'm not showing much yet. It's making me slightly paranoid as to just how podgy I must have looked pre-preg!

On the multivitamins are we still supposed to be taking those?? I had thought you were supposed to stop after 12 weeks! Still got some though so maybe I'll start them up again. emma I definitely always had to take mine with food, they made me properly pukey on an empty stomach!

ION we went to ikea at the weekend to see if we could maybe get a few nursery bits and pieces but we were really disappointed with what they had...a couple of nice bits and pieces but a lot of it just looked cheap and tacky . We went to the big mothercare afterwards and did our first proper baby shop which was lovely - picked up lots of bits like babygros, sleep suits, muslins, bibs....I was like a kid in a expensive sweet shop!!

Oh and I'm definitely starting to feel more definite movements now - it's fluttery still but more predictable (after eating normally!). I've only felt it while sat down so far though...

Anyway I've rambled enough...happy Wednesday all

Lovely to hear all 20 week scan news, really looking forward to mine in 2 weeks. Really need to know everything is going well, I'm such a worrier.

I'm still unable to brush my teeth without vomiting, does anyone else struggle? Any tips?

Having a lovely, lazy day off today. I'm just reading through Gurgle magazine I picked it up in mothercare. I'm really enjoying it. Lots of practical info, great products etc. I feel I can relate to it, does that make sense? Like its aimed at me? Clearly losing the plot, 18 weeks and a bit mad!! First preg yoga session today, really looking forward to it. Up until this point, I couldn't face much, work and life in general wore me out. Hope everyone else is enjoying the second trimester and being almost halfway through pregnancy. Has anyone bought a maternity swimming costume? If so, where from? Tried my own on and it looked awful but keen to do a spot of swimming.

Kittenkatzen, how exciting, love hearing what everyone has been buying. It makes it feel so real, heading home with a mothercare bag of goodies.

Has anyone not bought anything at all?

I fear I'm a little too enthusiastic/organised but I find it hard to resist!

So interesting to hear about the big and little bumps. I look really chubby around the middle but it doesn't look like a bump yet. It's also far bigger in the evening with bloat then flatish again in the morning . The annoying thing is that I don't really fit any maternity clothes - am wearing size 16 normal clothes and my normal (size 12) dresses, trackies and yoga pants. Have got a couple of 'over the bump' things in sales - a cord skirt, some navy chinos and a pair of jeans and certainly can't even think about wearing them yet.

Had my first baby anxiety dream last night. I dreamt that I gave birth and they took my baby away with out any skin-to-skin or feed and put her in an old-fashioned nursery and said she'd visit me occassionally as she grew up but I had to just 'get better' and get on with life she'd be looked after in the nursery / by a nanny. I was distraught.

Guess that means I have bonded with the wee wiggle in my tummy then . I was worried I hadn't at all.

I was quite restless around 3am for an hour or two then this morning just could not wake up... so tired... got a lot of work to do today but all at home and dh is working late so I guess I'll just work late into the evening too to catch up (I do LOVE being self employed sometimes!).

flipflump* - i've not bought anything except a campervan

But i've done a lot of research...

I havent bought anything either. Dont wanna tempt fate. Gonna go mad after the 20 week scan and buy mothercare out!!!

Had my 16 week mw appointment this morning, she listened for the hb after telling me not to panic if she couldnt hear anything but she found it straight away! She also said I had just the right size bump for my 16+3! So all good!! Cant wait for the "big scan" now!

Badguider, I love that!! We have discussed selling our tent on eBay but might attempt one last camping trip before I'm too huge, then trade it for a big family one

I'm unable to go near a shop without leaving with something for baby. I had worried about tempting fate etc but after my 12 week I gave in, then it got slightly out of control we've also been given a HUGE amount by siblings as we're the last to reproduce. I love that baby will be using their big cousins things.

flipflump I've not bought anything at all, and I won't until 28 weeks. I think it's a superstition thing and anxiety post miscarriage, compounded by every time I look at twin buggies or anything at all twin I think about how I'd feel if one (or both) of them didn't make it for whatever reason and how I'd hate to be surrounded by twin things. I intend to get to 28 weeks and then buy everything online and just have it delivered. Maybe I'll feel differently after the 20w scan but at the moment it just feels like tempting fate too much, and I still can't believe I'll be lucky enough to end up with one baby, let alone two.

I've not bought anything either, however I do have loads from DD, so if we have a girl I am all sorted.

I had my 16week check how long my cervix is scan this morning. All baby measurements good and sitting nicely on 50th centile. My DD aged 4 was able to see her new brother/sister on the screen. Her face was an absolute picture, the excitement and joy on her face was just gorgeous (hope that feeling lasts when baby is actually here). We even got to see baby open its mouth and when it moved its arms DD said 'it's waving at me'. Cervix on the other hand is on the shorter side of average back to consultant next week and then hopefully I'll be scanned at 20, 24 and 28 weeks just to keep a check on things.

Dietcoke I can understand your anxiety, must be doubled with twins, fingers crossed you'll feel better after 20 week scan

Just thought I'd share a little find this morning. Have made playdough with DD, we normally make a dough that needs to be heated in the pan/microwave but have today found a non-cook recipe (much quicker).

theimaginationtree.com/2012/04/best-ever-no-cook-play-dough-recipe.html

I'm all doughed out! During the holidays its all we seem to do at work, so I'm having a well earned dough break until dc is about 13!!