October 2013: where we all make it to the 2nd trimester and begin to glow!

[pinksky]

Welcome October passengers--all aboard our new thread (is it number four or five?!). Hope everyone is having a lovely Easter and enjoying an egg or three.

Stats thread HERE

I've been obsessing over Del Monte smoothie ice lollies for months now! They come in mango and raspberry and they're only 90 calories each so guilt free lolly-licking!

hayle no I was not! My mw just asked if I smoked. She booked me in at home. We're you booked at home? I don't think my mw would have wanted to carry breathalyser equipment int my house, on top of everything else. She didn't even weigh me. She asked me what my weight was.

anan yes mine was at home. I thought id done it wrong when the reading was zero but it was showing no co2 (I think) even though I told her I didn't smoke. I didn't question it but I have thought about it recently... Hmmm?!

Yes I had the breathalyzer, and have never smoked. I wasn't too bothered if she was testing if I was lying - just glad that was one less thing to worry about.

interestingly though the midwife said she had one woman who swore on her life she had never smoked, but got a co2 readout on the breathalyzer. Turned out the lady's boiler was on the blink. Told OH this story and he was dubious as he understands science better than me and said difference between co2 and carbon monoxide poisoning, so your be the judge if that's true, but it was an interesting story!

hospital parking don't talk to me about that! there are so few spaces at our hospital we had to park 10 minutes away at the supermarket. And when I had dd I was in hospital for a week with complications so that cost a packet with oh visiting all day every day!

Hayle I had the breathalyser, again it read out zero, the mw told me the amount of women she sees that lie about smoking in pregnancy.

I also got asked if I'd ever undergone female circumcision or had my bits sewn up, I also got asked total random questions about stuff I'd never heard of as I live in Liverpool apparently it's standard questions in the area due to it being a multi cultural city!! I had to laugh at the female circumcision though

hayle standard practise to measure CO2 here as well our MW told a story about a woman who's works can was polluting her as never smoked in her life. I very much doubt the story but if it stops one person from lying about smoking its worth it.

Big hugs to rockchick and MoN.

Scanning this afternoon. Bricking it ATM.

Scan day. Eek! It's going to be a long day... All the best to everyone else scanning today. I'll be thinking of you especially MoN.

Good luck Cuille!

Ananakifo, good point. I'll watch OBEM now, but doubt I'll want to watch it right after giving birth...which is when any Brie/wine adverts would really work on me!

There's a question on our notes that asks the midwife whether she suspects domestic abuse. Luckily our midwife has ticked negative. I'm glad the issue is being dealt with, but wonder what the midwife is looking out for in terms of signals.

At the booking appt everyone should have been asked if they have ever experienced DV. Sadly pregnancy is a time when DV can begin or escalate- I think the stats are that of those experience DV 30% had first incident when pregnant, and people with a history if abuse in past relationships are more at risk. Given that one in four of us will have at some time experienced DV it's an important public health issue.

I felt like my MW brushed over this a bit which is a real shame, but sensitive topics can be awkward for health care professionals too. My MW also said re drug taking, 'no, I'm sure that doesn't apply to you' and didn't actually ask me... For all she knows I could have a dependency issue and be desperate for an opportunity to discuss it! Very little training is given in how to have these conversations.

Pinksy, I've heard the same re DV and pregnancy, Refuge have some shocking statistics on it. Assume she didn't ask me because DH was sitting next to me throughout the appointment. Perhaps she should have asked him to leave.

She probably should have Hotsoup, but I wonder if you were at risk whether you'd have felt comfy discussing it with DH sitting just outside the room? It's great that they have it on the forms at all, but I don't know if MWs get enough training to ask questions/pick up on signs.

My midwife asked me all the questions, and told me there are two questions she needs to ask when the mother is alone with her: are you experiencing domestic violence and is your partner the father. She only seemed awkward when explaining why she had to ask if we were blood related even though DH and I are obviously of different backgrounds. I can imagine people get very offended by that! I work in the same nhs trust as her and I know how many consanguineous families there are in our area so I told her I understood!

She asked if I smoked, I said no, then she said I didn't look like a smoker. In not sure what that means but I thought it was a strange thing to say.

hello all, just checking in from sunny Cyprus, away for the week visiting my family.

just wanted to send my love to rockchick im so sorry to hear your news.
and good luck to all those scanning today!
wishing you all the best mon and still keeping my fingers crossed for you.

No breathiliser here and quite shocked at that. Very interesting hearing about different areas needing different questions. I got asked if DH and I were related but didnt get asked about DV and I was alone. Thankfully not an issue but am surprised she didnt say anything. I would have thought that was a less contentious issue and as important as asking if ur partner is blood related...

Just a quick update from me to say scan went well yesterday - after an hour, three loo breaks and both the tummy scan and dildo cam, they confirmed everything looked fine as far as they can tell at this stage and put me forward one day.

So sorry to those who haven't had such good news and hope today goes as well as it can for you MoN.

Morning all

No breathalizer here, mw asked if me and dh were related even tho she was my midwife with dd too lol, I don't recall her askin about dv but it could just be I forgot she asked ? I didn't get asked if dh was baby's father though, although dh was there for appt so maybe that's why she didn't ask about dv

Good luck to all those scanning today, look forward to seeing some more pics :-)

Best of luck today MoN regardless of what happens xxxx

Good luck to everyone today :)

I've bunked off work called in sick as I just feel so run down and tired, I need a day in bed without DS in the house (he's at the childminder today). I've been sick the last three mornings and have felt nauseous all day, a little sickness resurgence!

Hi ladies,

Good luck to all those scanning today, and especially to MotherOfNations.

I need some advice, I am 14w 6d today, and for the first time in this pregnancy I have woken up to some brown discharge. I did a quick Google and the responses seem to be mixed as to what I should do/whether it is a worry. However it does seem to suggest everywhere that brown discharge can be initiated by sex or an internal examination, neither of which I have not had recently. Can anyone offer any advice on brown discharge in the second trimester?

I am already regretting coming into work, and as much as I want to avoid being dramatic, I can't help but feel I should perhaps be resting?

I ate something that didn't agree with me at the weekend and had a night of cramps and diarrhea as a result, and now I am worried that I should have reacted more seriously to the diarrhea?!

As you can (probably) tell, I am freaking out a bit and don't know what to do!

*neither of which I have had yesterday (didn't mean to put that 'not' in)

Oh man, my brain is all over the place. I wish I could edit messages! Meant to write in my last correcting post;

*neither of which I have had yesterday recently

I had lots of bleeding and discharge with DC2 and all was ok but I called MW for advice every time. Don't stress about it just call in and she will tell you what to do. Hope you feel better soon

Thinking of you mon.

roxvox don't feel bad about calling your midwife, or even leaving work so you can rest.

Get better soon pseudo!

Can't remember who said up thread 'I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired' but I AGREE!

roxvox I had a brown discharge but earlier than you, around 9 weeks. I was also at work so I excused myself to go ring my midwife. She did a good job of reassuring me and said that as long as it was not red, heavy or painful I should try not to worry. It was a Friday afternoon and she said that if it put my mind at ease I could rest up at the weekend. I did leave work an hour early so I could avoid the rush hour traffic and get into my pjs. She also said that if I was still experiencing it after a few days to book an appointment with my GP who would arrange an early scan. It cleared up within an hour although has happened twice more since. I haven't had my 12 week scan yet so don't have any confirmation that everything is okay but just wanted to relay what my midwife said. Don't hesitate to call your midwife, if only to put your mind at ease. If you feel you need to, rest up with a

Thank you so much JellyCurls, HotSoupDumpling and fish88, you have put my mind at ease. I am feeling generally quite rough today so may head home at lunch time anyway. And like an idiot I am yet to put the midwife's number into my mobile, so I would need to go home to get it off of the front of my pregnancy book anyway!

The discharge doesn't seem to have increased at all, but the combination of that and the memory of the extreme cramps I was getting at the weekend (so bad I could barely walk, so I immediately assumed the worst and went to the toilet, only to find it was very bad diarrhea... sorry tmi!), plus the lack of flutters put my mind straight to the worst scenario.

I think I will monitor it for the next few hours before lunch and then decide what to do then.

Thank you again for your invaluable help ladies!