Jan 2016 #6 ....bumps and blooming ahoy!

[brickiemum2]

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Lara we had already booked a long weekend away in Berlin in early October and we worked out I'll be 26wk by then. We're flying with BA and they 'accept' pregnant women up to 36 weeks with a medical very from GP after 28 weeks.

MissM I was worried about being 13+1 at my sca today but everything was fine and the extra week and a bit didn't matter.

sleepy i don't wana wait hehe! I'll be having a scan at 16weeks im so impatient to find out what this little bean is
is anyone else having the downs test or has had it? (not the harmony one, the one at the 12w scan) I'm really undecided

A last holiday as a couple is a really great idea, highly recommend! With both of my last pregnancies we had a family holiday when I was about 20-25 weeks, which for me was a good time to fly and get about a bit. I'm not sure we can justify one this pregnancy, as we are trying to save for a bigger house (and work out if we need a new car to fit in all the car seats!).

crumble exciting re the movement! I have been feeling single flutters/movements too.

Lovely bump photos everyone and lovely scan pics. Congrats to everyone on successful scans My bump ranges from something like yours brickie to something quite prominent (I'm already getting the "are you sure it's not twins" questions argh). Mostly though I've been wearing slouchy tops and it's not super obvious.

missmartin I had the normal downs test (combined bloods and nuchal test) with my last two pregnancies. Is there something that's worrying you about it? They will probably check the nuchal fold at the scan anyway -it's part of checking the baby generally as a thick nuchal fold can apparently indicate all sorts of problems.

coffee no im not worried the midwife said its very unlikley because im 22 but have me a booklet which led me to thinking should i check. . but I'd keep the baby regardless so i guess there's no need for me to know other than if it was downs for e.g just to be prepared i suppose

DH and I are first timers and we had the NT combined test and have already said, if/when we get pg again we wouldn't have it again, due to the drawn out worry it can cause as it can't give a definitive, just a risk, which if "high" can lead to a lot of worry. But it's a confused worry as you don't know how much you should be worrying. We've said, if we want to know, as you say to be prepared, we'd go straight for an early harmony test, or if not nothing. But of course that's just our personal experience and everyone is different with different experiences and needs.

*Crumble That's exciting! Our mw said she felt her first DC at just 14 weeks! I was expecting more like around 16wks.

I wonder if after booking in and 12 week scans, first movements will soon be our common topic. How exciting!

We really want to get away in September just the two of us, but with maniacally saving for DC and my poor maternity pay, just can't justify a trip abroad. But bless them, DHs fab grandparents have offered us use of their lovely log cabin in Saundersfoot near Tenby for the week. Think it may be just the get away we're after.

Loving all the bump photos and congratulations on the scans. A while ago someone posted about an app for doing weekly bump shots on your phone can anyone remember the name please?

Hi Dino I think it was me as I mentioned a couple.

Overlapse is the recommended app for Android phones whereas Hyperlapse and SlidetoRock are recommended for Apple.

Alternatively you could just use Flipagram but that won't store our pics for you but turn exiting pics into a mini video.

MissM I had the combined test yesterday, NT was 1.9mm and now waiting on bloods.

Oh dear... Spelling mistakes, clearly too early for me!

"Your pics" not our pics and "existing photos" not exiting!

Loving all the scan and bump photos
Hope everyone has a lovely weekend

After all the stress of getting a high risk on the combined 12 week scan and weeks of waiting for the harmony (iona in uk) test result, I would never bother with it again and would go straight to the iona test. I think it is useful to know if your baby has downs before they are born to prepare yourself and have a medical team on hand. Although my consultant advised me to terminate before I got my result! Obviously once I got my high risk result 12 week result I was offered the invasive testing, which if harmony wasn't available I would have considered. I'm not sure if u went private for the harmony test and it came up high risk if u would be allowed invasive testing on the nhs if u refused the 12 week tests??? Worth thinking about.
I've definietly got a bump now just can't hide it.
Had some labour dreams as well the last few nights!
For ftm s I would do as much coupley stuff as possible in the second trimester, long weekends away, meals out, days sitting in a pub garden with friends. Miss all that! Xxx

Thanks sleepy I will check those apps out.
Second the getting out as much as you can as a couple in the second trimester even if it just going to the cinema. You will miss them.

frozen;sorry to hear about your experience. That consultant is out of order you need to have all the facts and be fully informed before making any decisions.
lana who said about holidays yes were just back from south of France and we're off to south Africa in sept- can't wait luxury 5*resort in Cape Town and going to go up table mountain in a cable car!

Th st sounds amazing chatty! DH and I loved south Africa.

frozen you said pretty much the same as me. We wouldn't do NT combined again, but rather if we wanted to know, straight for Iona/harmony early on. I can't believe your consultant said that though! That's terrible. Don't I remember you saying it was 1/46?

As I understand it the Harmony is supposed to replace invasive testing (as least that's the way the aussie version of the test is explained - there is no ambiguity). It is accurate enough to know conclusively. That's why so many over here do it instead of the nuchal/combined test which may result in high/low risk which will then need further clarification.

So jealous of all these holidays. It was freezing here today. Snowing only a couple of hours away! Be careful overheating when sunbathing.

fisherman a log cabin sounds amazing right now!

Oh, also my ob told me that I can take paracetamol or codeine for my headaches. The only risk with codeine is constipation. Sorry I can't remember who was worried about it?

missmartin I had the Down's screening with the 12 week scan, got my low risk letter a week later. I was really worried just as a generally anxious person (I'm 27 so not massively in the risk category based on age) and was really glad to get the low risk result. It depends how important it is to you though, to know or not whether the baby might have DS. V personal decision for you and your dp xx

I have to admit I don't really understand why people go straight for the harmony test which I understand is around £500? I can 100% see why you would go for that option if you had a high risk result, rather than an amnio which you have to wait until 16 weeks for! But if you have a low risk with harmony, chances are you would've had a low risk with the usual NHS screening (I know it is a bit less accurate but only by a few percent), so isn't it a bit of a waste of money straight off?

I can't wait to feel movements! I've been trying to concentrate to see if I can feel anything when lying in bed (I'm 15 weeks today) but think it might be a bit early as its my 1st, plus I have so much digestion stuff going on in my belly all the time I don't think I'd know unless it was a really obvious movements!

looking im the same but only 24 weeks today and keep lying with my hand pressing my tummy and concentrating to see if I can feel it

I think you can have an amnio before 16 weeks? It's just the chance of mc is a fair bit higher.

I've not had my scan yet but hormones have taken over and I'm obsessed with trying to buy cloth nappies. I managed to get 12 totbotsbamboozles on eBay last night for £20 including p&p and I signed up to the scheme my local council does for cloth nappies so if I'm accepted I get 3 brand new nappies plus accessories for £12 instead of £50 market price. I am trying to convince myself that this baby will be very cheap!

looking I think it's because, having a high risk back from NT and then having to wait for Harmony results knowing you've already been classed high risk by nhs is in short, torture. And the discrepancy of the results, just giving you odds rather than answers, for me personally has led to a lot of analysing and torment. As someone else just said though. It's a super personal decision between you and OH. And everyone is completely different and have different needs.
I think a number of ladies on here went straight for Harmony early on as they are perhaps a little older and therefore automatically have a slightly higher risk, so want to know earlier.
Just like frozen my personal experience of the NT system has left me feeling - not again. But for many they don't do it simply because they don't want to know.
Gosh pregnancies means do many decisions doesn't it!

I'm currently trying to make a start on clearing what will be the babies room- struggling as we have just got no storage space damn new build houses

thanks for your views everyone! i guess me and dp need to have a bit more of a discussion.. least now i know blood tests don't hurt me after i faced my fear im more open actually having it done now. . i feel horrible for saying this but me and dp have always said we wouldn't continue with a pregnancy that would lead to a baby who was disabled in the way that they couldn't live their own life and be fully independent one day.. but now I've had a scan and seen my little bean on the screen knowing it will be loved regardless i could never ever not have it because i love it so much already!

mrschatty arghh me too and i bought quite a bit of baby stuff already (including the nursery set) so that's packed in our smallest spare room which we will have as the nursery so we can keep the guestroom just incase dp needs a night away from baby crying while he starts work early in the mornings.. so stressful hehe

martin I know you'd struggle about screening- me and DH have actually not discussed what we'll do with regards to if we have a high risk he's very much of a cross that bridge when it happens kinds guy! And same keeping the spare room for guests or dh luckily our third bedroom is rather big and will suit the baby for a very long time however I have decided now no way I can have two children in this house may be a 3 bed but I would have no space to swing my cat!!!