April 2016 babies - 20-week scans, growing bumps and little kicks!

[suffolkblonde29]

Hi all,

I've started a new thread to take us up to the third trimester.

Hope you are all feeling well. I feel like my bump is a little small and I'm not feeling lots of movement (but this may be due to an anterior placenta). Got my 20-week scan tomorrow so not long to wait to see if everything's ok - it's actually nearly 22 weeks though as baby really wasn't playing ball when we went last week and was hiding with its back to the scanner.

Getting excited that I'm halfway there though...

Welcome back rinnyx. Glad your appointment went well, always reassuring to hear the baby is growing as they should be. 39 weeks does sound late to work until if your job has lots of standing. Are your work quite flexible about how much notice you have to give them? Just wondering if you could plan to work later but then take annual leave from 36/37 weeks if you find you're really struggling with so much standing.

want2b, hopefully the traffic won't be too bad the day you travel home then! I'm dreading getting stuck in traffic on the way to hospital, hadn't even though about the way home yet! Fortunately it's less than 10 minutes by car so shouldn't be too long even if there is a bit of traffic.

Is anyone else having real trouble sleeping? I'm waking up needing the toilet, then finding it impossible to get comfy due to back and hip pain. I've got a pregnancy pillow that did help a bit at first but I'm finding it hard to get comfy even with that now. Any advice very welcome!

Try sleeping sitting up.

Knits I sleep on my side with 2 thick pillows between my knees. It feels like I'm sleeping with my leg in the air! Sometimes even that's not enough, so I sleep on my back with 2 pillows under my knees and 3 pillows propping me up. It's almost like a sitting position.

Thanks Knits
I work in a primary school in KS1 so not only lots of standing outside but lots of low sitting and bending down.
I still want to try work as close to my date so my mat leave is really used for when baby is here xx

waves to rynnix*
**
I'm also struggling sleeping, have up gave my legs spread as pelvic pain (went running with DS1 last weeks and horrid grating ever since so it's my own fault) and needing to be on my side/half on my front. Never had this trouble with the other 2.
Also leg cramps, but magnesium is helping.

Birth choices yesterday was pretty pointless, but I do have an appointment with another consultant, so fx

I sympathise with the standing/bending Rinny as I work in a nursery and infant school!

Had my 25 midwife appointment today and the baby's heartbeat is fine and she measured my bump and said I was fine too

I also have pretty severe pelvic pain and will
Be wearing a fembrace as of tomorrow... But night times are just as bad

Off to hospital again for monitoring today. My legs were hurting so much on the walk to work yesterday I called DP in tears. It's like someone has put a knife in my shins when it flares up.
Also tmi(!) started losing some chunks of mucus plug. Not overly bothered as I know it can regenerate but I've been having some pretty intense braxton hicks too. Just not really sure what's going on with my body as I never had these problems with DD1.

Oh crumbly, how worrying. Hoping you get done reassurance today
Magnesium supplements and spray can really help with lower leg pain. I had extreme pain in calf muscles and shin bones last time :( you can get supplements, sprays and muscle soaks. I think I was using all 3 by the end. Maybe your mw can refer you to physio too X

Oh Cuppa I hadn't heard of the magnesium supplements, I will get on the case right away. I thought it was one of the grin and bear it things of pregnancy as no care provider has offered a solution. It's like the bone is shattering inside my leg. I will ask them today about it. My normally brilliant consultant care seems to have gone a bit crap between last DD and this one x

Morning all, crumbly hope you get some reassurance today, I didn't know the plug could regenerate.

I woke up this morning with leg cramps, they're really crap. I was wearing heels yesterday for the first time in ages, I wonder if that caused them. I have a meeting today so have heels again, hopefully I'll not have cramps tomorrow morning.

So sorry for all the lag pains everyone. I haven't had this but I have quite a sedentary job, I drive to work etc, so not a lot of walking going on. Which isn't a great thing, but I wonder if the pain comes about with more movement.

What's everyone eating? I don't know how well I'm doing with this. I start off well in the morning - bran, fruit etc but by evening it's basically carbs. I find veg difficult . Should I force myself??

Hope everyone is doing good.

brooke I'm currently pretty much existing solely on chocolate I'm anemic so need the sugary pick up which is bad. Trying to eat more fruit. I am eating good dinners though with broccoli and peas at the very least. How does salad sound? Or is that not appetising either?

I struggle with salad so I eat more fruits and have kept trying other veg. So far carrots work ok and raw cauliflower.

For leg pains I douse my legs in magnesium oil before getting into bed.

Oh crumbly, that walk really is no good for you :( hope the monitoring goes well, and you take care of yourself - work doesn't matter compared to you and baby!

I used to love veg Brooke but gone off it a lot in pregnancy! I'm having lots of orange juice and whole oranges because that's a craving, though. I do OK if I eat veg at lunch, but I only really like cooked veg right now in a meal - today I'm going to fry bacon, butterbeans, a red pepper and lots of spinach together as it works out three portions veg but all tastes of bacon :D Homemade pizza with veg on it works OK for me too, and vegetable soups. Cold salads this time of year aren't so appealing to me. I often have jacket potato with beans and salad though, that's technically 2 portions veg so not bad.

Thanks want2b and Mazzle, I'll definitely give sleeping in a sitting up position a try. Hopefully it'll help.

Glad you've managed to get an appointment with another consultant cuppa. Fingers crossed they're a bit more open to discussing options with you than the first consultant you saw.

Hope your appointment today goes well crumbly. On the leg pain - is it possible it's shin splints? I used to suffer from this when I walked and jogged quite a lot, and your description of it feeling like a knife in your shins reminded me of how I used to feel. The only thing that really helped me with that was avoiding too much exercise, though I guess that's difficult for you if you have to walk to and from work. I've also heard either ice packs or heat pads are supposed to help relieve the pain. Oh, and a warm bath works wonders!

brooke, I was eating really badly before Xmas (too much chocolate, massive portions of carbs etc) but I've been trying to do better since the new year. I try to have at least one portion of fruit or veg with every meal, so I might have berries on cereal in the morning, then have a side salad with a sandwich at lunch and have some kind of veg with dinner. I've also been trying to snack on fruit rather than chocolate or crisps. And I try to make sure I've got healthy alternatives to chocolate and crisps (like cereal bars and rice cakes) when I'm at work so I don't get tempted to go and buy unhealthy food from the supermarket across the road!

I think it's hard to force yourself to eat veg if you really don't enjoy it, but how about alternatives like fruit or salads that also have lots of vitamins and fibre in them? Or maybe try to have more veg as part of a dish (like if you're making a curry add some veggies as well as meat to the sauce) rather than a separate portion of veg alongside whatever you're having for dinner? It's really tough trying to eat healthily if - like me - you're just hungry all the time though!

That's all great advice, thank you. Yes, I can eat veg if it's 'hidden' in soups, stews etc. Do baked beans count as veg? If so, I'm doing very well with those Fruit is also fine, it's when DH plonks steamed broccoli on the side of the plate, I just can't do it! I need to go and think of more ways to hide veg (love the bacon idea comelucky).

I wish mushrooms counted for more - I can't stop eating them

Mushrooms are so good for you! It's great that you crave them. I struggle with broccoli so tried cauliflower. That worked so I stuck with it.

I also take a really good prenatal vitamin. I found out it has a probiotic as well as stool softener in it. They are $75 a month as well as requiring a prescription but they are very much worth it.

Baked beans (and other pulses) totally count as a veg portion! Yes anything meaty I find works well for people who don't like the taste of veg - chicken casserole for example, can sneak lots of meat in there and it all tastes of chicken. I do things like add two tins of red kidney beans and a red pepper to chilli, so more veg per portion, and I add lentils into bolognese/lasagne. I wish I liked mushrooms, so many recipes you can add those into!

And if you make things spicy they taste less vegetably I think - like lentil soup, something like this: www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2089/spiced-carrot-and-lentil-soup.

Oh, and maybe you could do your side veg with a cheese sauce on?

Beans count as veg?!? I never knew that..... Its not even 10am and I learned something new today - woohoo!

With soup be careful you don't put too much salt in it. I use a lot of celery that I put through the chopper. It salts the food and you get the minerals too.

comelucky I am going to make that soup tonight - I didn't realise you could make soup so quickly. It's exactly my cup of tea (soup!)

I'm so glad baked beans count . . .

Try Heinz 'Five Beanz' too if you can. They're better than normal beans as they have a variety of different beans including the good for you ones and they're very tasty! I've been making loads of beef stew as I need the iron too.

Thanks all for well wishes ladies. Appointment didn't go well, my BP has gone further up and alongside the swelling and vision disturbances they are talking pre-eclampsia. Back in work now but on the plus side being on the verge of pre-e is enough to have had my stool returned back in onto the ward on Saturday to be monitored and then consultant again on Monday. I am thinking of leaving end of Feb now, taking three weeks holiday and 'officially' leaving at 35ish weeks as it looks like I may deliver at 37 weeks now anyway which is April Fools Day!

Oh crumbly, it does sound like preeclampsia. You have my sympathies. I had it with DD and the magnesium they give you is horrible. It took me a good 2-3 weeks to recover from delivery.

Just putting this out there because no one told me.... if they give you magnesium it messes up with your contractions and in a lot of cases your milk coming in. I was induced but knowing what I know now I would have gone straight for a CS. You spend less time on the magnesium and if induced there is a high chance of needed a CS anyway. Having less magnesium will help your milk come in sooner, if it does come in at all.

Be prepared that on Monday they sign you off sick until delivery. It is not the worst thing to happen in the world. I would bring up your work and the conditions with the consultant. I was signed off at 35 weeks but my obn was willing to sign me off at 30 weeks. I worked from home from 30-35 weeks and then my obn said no more. She was right.

To be fair Want2 I'd be jumping for joy to be put off sick I've got no puffiness in the face yet and nothing in my urine so they might put it off until there is but I really did expect my BP to have gone down today as I have issues with low blood pressure normally so it's not looking great. They said if my blood pressure is still high they will go with beta blockers first so hopefully that will manage it until at least 37 weeks as I know if it goes into full pre-e they will deliver as soon as is physically safe to.

Speak up and ask to be put on sick leave then. High blood pressure, swelling and vision disturbances is enough for you to be diagnosed with preeclampsia here. I never had protein in my urine until I got to 38 weeks but was diagnosed at 30 weeks with DD hence I went on bed rest, working from the sofa until I got to 35 weeks and was signed off. Google it... you do not need to have protein in your urine to have preeclampsia. If they tell you that's the case ask for a 2nd opinion ASAP.

That recipe looks great April, will definitely have to try it. I also had no idea that beans counted as a vegetable portion!

Sorry to hear about your BP being too high crumbly. I completely agree with want2b about asking to be signed off work so you can rest. I'm sure if you talked to the consultant about your work conditions (long walk to work, not being able to sit or only having a stool to sit on at work, etc) then they'd be willing to consider signing you off work. Or, if you don't want to be signed off entirely could you ask them to write a letter to your work recommending you reduce your working hours, or saying that you shouldn't be on your feet all day at work? Fingers crossed your BP starts to come back to normal before your next appointment.

Has anyone started ante-natal classes yet? If so how are you finding them? We're doing NHS classes at the moment but have also booked NCT for next month as I really want to meet other new mums locally. The NHS ones seem good so far - the first one was mainly info about where you can choose to give birth, and a bit about pelvic girdle pain which was really helpful.