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...

Birth-wise there is a choice of two hospitals here so I'm going for the bigger one that's easier to get to. Both joint care. I'm hoping to be allowed to have a go of the birth pool. I'd want an epidural except that I think I'd like to be able to move around in labour and they don't offer the mobile epidural, so I'll see how I go with gas and air and trying lots of things to cope. First baby so no clue what to expect or how hard it will be for me.

My physio referral came through, but what I have to do is ring up and book an appointment...which will be a group appointment where we are given advice and shown exercises. I'm not really sure what I think about that. I'd hoped for something a bit more individually targeted - I have pregnancy-related back pain, but also ongoing coccyx pain from before the pregnancy so I don't want to do the wrong thing and make one worse. But maybe it will help.

You're right about the changing stations - when I look at them they all seem to be really tall.

I've been sorting out my shared parental leave this week. It's been really difficult to arrange and to fight through all the bureaucracy but it will be worth it to have both of us off at the same time in the early stages.

Hey everyone.
I've been Weil a while as DS is currently in hospital with pneumonia

I gave my consultant appointment tomorrow with the new guy, the last one having refused to treat me if I didn't agree to an ELCS. Hoping it's more positive, but I'll be flying solo as DH will be in with DS.

Going to grab a brew and catch up on the thread...

This is my third and I had very specific birthing plans for both of my DC. Total waste of time as my 2 babies had ideas of their own! I think it's mostly down to pot luck. I desperately tried for the birth I wanted and didn't get it. I did get two wonderful babies though .

When I was pregnant with my first, in my mind (probably influenced by TV!) you went into labour and that's it, you're off! Next stop: the delivery suite.

In reality, well certainly at my local hospitals, you only get into the delivery suite (and therefore the birthing pool/access to gas and air) once you're 6cm dilated. Up until that point, they really aren't interested and send you home.

After 2 days and nights of contractions I was still only 2cm. Drove to the hospital 3 times, got sent home twice. Was eventually allowed to hang around a ward with other women/their partners, in the same position. However, partners had to leave the ward by 9pm. The only pain relief option was morphine, or nothing, until you reached the golden gates of the labour suite.

It wasn't what I had envisaged at all! Ended up with 2 emcs so didn't even get a look at the labour suite, never mind a go in the birthing pool and a blast on the gas and air!

Anyone else got placenta previa?

helen I've been very lucky not to have that. Another mother in my daughters class has just delivered early because of it. She is 45 and it was a very unexpected pregnancy. She had a scheduled CS at 37 weeks I think.

I did have placenta previa but a scan at 29wks showed that it had moved. If it hadnt have moved I would have had another scan at 34 and 36 wks to check and c section booked at 39wks, but instructions to go straight to labour and delivery if I had any bleeding at any point. They like to wait until 39wks for scheduled c sections if they can as it's better for baby/less chance of them having breathing issues or requiring nicu stay but obviously if they need to they will deliver earlier.

Stats show 90% of placenta do move up and out the way apparently. But it has to move and there be a certain margin away from cervix? My sonograoher spent a good while checking and doing measurements ro see where the edge of placenta was to make sure it was far enough away.

My placenta may have moved but baby is still breech, will see midwife again in fortnight and be off for another scan if it's still breech and then see consultant to discuss options. I am almost 33wks now and with baby measuring on 97th percentile I think it's running out of space to turn.

cuppa I hope ds is improving and your app went Ok, what a lot of stress you dont need to be dealing with now xxx

Hope everyone is getting on Ok, I am doing alright apart from baby being right up in my ribcage which is not comfy. Physically all is good and going very smoothly, emotionally I am a bit up and down, irritable etc. It's Def hormone related and I feel bad complaining when I am having an easy pregnancy, still riding my bike with dd(5) on the tag along etc. A few peoole have said how well I am looking and even had the 'blooming ' comments. I have to say I don't feel like I am blooming but I am feeling well and not suffering with pregnancy related niggles and aches etc. Fingers crossed the next few weeks carry on the same.

How is everyone? Sorry to hear you're a bit up and down madthings. My emotional state has really taken me by surprise as this was a much long for third baby and everything in my life is going great. Doesn't stop the anxiety though. I've been trying to take it easy, especially when I'm at home. Had a nap today and watched a film with the kids. Haven't done any housework! It can wait.

I'm 32+2 now, booked in for a section for 39 weeks. Time is really whizzing by! I have a breastfeeding class at the hospital on Tuesday. It's my day off, so works in well. Also, I have a scan/appt with the consultant a week Thurs, which I'm looking forward to.

The DC have been quizzing me about holidays! Do any of you have holiday plans for the summer?

helen I've got placenta previa, having a scan in 2 weeks (32 weeks) to see if it has moved. Fingers crossed!
Have got a really sore bump at the moment - feels like I've got the stitch constantly, just by my belly button, and when I press on it it feels bruised. Should I be worried?

Hi All pingoose I don't have experience of that, I'm sure someone will be along soon who has.

I just had a full weekend of NCT classes - I now know a lot more about the labour process and how things go in the hospital - sounds like a very long, unpredictable experience . . .

I'm 31 + 3 and thankfully baby is letting his presence known every day which I find so comforting. Yes mazzle, time is starting to speed up now! Suddenly I feel we have so much to do - like paint the house!! We moved in not long ago and it needs so much more, but it will just have to be a lick of paint for now.

I'll be getting another growth scan next Tuesday to see how things are going. He was head down and on the 50th percentile at 28 weeks, but I'm assuming things will have changed since then.

5 hope your ribs are bearing up!

pingoose I've been getting various aches and pains on and around the bump. Never anything sharp or long term. I've woken up with the odd ache on occasion which often goes away after I change position and give it a rub.

I've been getting pains on the lower right, but this was also where I was experiencing round ligament pain in the first trimester and I think at around this time (I'm on 32+4) you get another 'burst' of relaxin so I figure it's probably growing pains.

Same caveat as always though, if you're even a bit worried, get in touch with the midwives. It's what they are trained for :)

Hi all,

Reassuring to hear that niggles and aches and pains are kind of to be expected. I'm struggling to get my head around the fact that baby could be here (and still at term) in as little as 5 weeks but could be still baking and being dragged out in 9 weeks! Such a wide gap! I was transverse at last midwife so looking forward to finding out on Friday if she has shifted around.
I know exactly what you mean Brookeberry about finding all the wriggles so reassuring. Seeing my bump shift about in the bath is so cool!!
Exciting that as a group we don't have long to wait until some babies start arriving!

I just got my pushchair which has a carrycot with it and then realised I have no idea what bedding it needs. Does it need a mattress cover? I've been given two pram quilt things, but are they safe to use? Can you put the baby on top of to make them comfy? When do you use the woolly blankets (I've been given three, but we are using grobags in the crib).

I'm so confused!

Hope everyone is doing well. Pingoose I feel sore where she's been pressing against me inside, kind of bruised, like she's trying to stretch me out.

Just over a week until my NCT course, but we did do a one-off baby first aid afternoon session which was very helpful.

I have some kind of group physio appointment this week, which hopefully will help me with the pelvic/back pain. Otherwise feeling pretty good for resting and being signed off work - occasional palpitations and exhaustion but the worst of my nausea lifted when I went onto omeprazole for the acid reflux - still on the cyclizine, but not as frequently now.

Hi ladies. Haven't been on this thread in a few days so just thought I'd pop in to catch up and say hello.

I hope your DS is on the mend now cuppa, that sounds like a nasty illness. And also hope your consultant appointment went well and they've been a bit more open to your wishes than they were in the past.

Mazzle, we haven't got any holiday plans yet. Thinking we may try to go for a week somewhere sunny but not too far away in September or October. This is our first baby so we didn't want to book anything until we've had chance to get used to being parents at home first. Hopefully we'll all be feeling up to a week in the sun later in the year, especially if we have a typical British summer of rain and cold!

pingoose, I had a sore area just under my belly button recently, it lasted for a few days and I was going to ask my midwife about it at my next appointment but then it cleared up on its own so assume it wasn't anything serious. Why not check with your midwife if you're worried though?

brooke, we had NCT this weekend too. Found it very informative and our group seem lovely so hoping we'll all keep in touch after the class. I found it so nice to talk to other people at around the same stage of pregnancy as me and just share experiences with others who understand.

percy, I know exactly what you mean about how big a window there is for the baby to arrive in. At my last appointment my midwife pointed out that I might have as little as five or as many as ten weeks before the baby arrives. Now it's nearer to four and nine! It seems like such a big difference, quite a challenge to my usual want-to-be-in-control-at-all-times tendency, but probably good preparation for being a parent.

April, I have no idea about bedding for the pram - had been wondering the same myself so will be eagerly reading any replies from people who already have DC. Good to hear being off work is helping you - I'm on part time hours now and have found it's really helped as it just allows me time to rest when I feel exhausted or in pain.

I'm doing okay at the moment. Finding it hard to believe I only have seven weeks until my due date now. We've been shopping for hospital bag stuff and trying to finally get the baby's room all sorted out. It's making it feel very real. I'm seeing the physio later on this week and I usually feel better after an appointment so hoping this will mean my back pain improves for a while. This week I've also been super grateful to my GP for giving me Gaviscon on prescription - I'd have been spending a fortune on the stuff otherwise!

I'm trying not to be stressed but it's not happening. DH is on my last nerve. I'm working from home today (from bed to be precise) and if he interrupts me one more time I am going to kill him. I have so much to do and about 20 calls to work through because I have so many teams working for me with deliverables due in the next 2-4 days. It's Presidents' Day here so the kids are off school as is DH.

The main reason for me working from home is the bad weather forecast for this afternoon. It's due to be a snow/ice mix from about now for the rest of the day. My managers are not happy with my work taking so long to come through for their final review. Either way I am just over it. Between a weak team member on one engagement slowing things up for me and DH I'm ready to scream at everyone.

Me hormonal? Of course I am. I'm 33 weeks pregnant.

Thanks ladies, I'm sure it's nothing. I've got my midwife tomorrow so I'll ask her then! Just kind of feels like the baby has kicked me super hard from the inside and it's bruised!

mazzle we are heading back to the UK in August (from the Antipodes) for a 3 week visit which will include a friends wedding and hopefully a bit of a roadtrip around Scotland. Depends what life with a 4 month old is like though!

ComeLuckyApril I had a group physio session last week, where they showed us different movements, and gave us all some tubigrip. The best thing I learned from the session was to put a plastic bag on the car seat so you can swivel in and out easily!

For bedding in the pram, I've a couple of little fitted sheets (Moses basket size) and then blanket or giant muslin for baby to sleep under depending on weather. If you use a snooze shade then be careful of blankets and coverings as it can raise the temperature in there more than you think. That said I swear by my snooze shade as its the only way my nosey babies will sleep!

Waves at ComeLucky and fyggy! I'm also in West Yorks

Hi

Hope everyone is well.
I have a transverse lie baby due to placenta previa but no bleeding etc so all good..

Had a bit of a scare today and ended up going into the hospital for monitoring. My feet swelled up like ballons and I thought I was going to pass out. Good news is that she is doing really well. No idea what is wrong with me but they told me no work until Monday.

Hope you're feeling okay want2b. Glad to hear the wee one is all good

Anyone else feeling breathless? I've just hit 32 weeks and have been fairly lucky with symptoms, but now I'm feeling a little short of breath - I guess everything is getting squished up in there!

I've got another growth scan on Tuesday to see how he's doing. I wonder if he will still be head down - he was at the 28 week one, but I guess he could be anywhere by now!

Hope everyone is doing well

Any sudden symptoms would alarm me want2b. I hope it's just water retention? And make sure you do rest up. I hope DH is being good.

I've had breathlessness on and off all pregnancy. I had respite in the 2nd trimester but not sure what the issue was. Hormonal maybe? I do get it on occasion now but I am generally very careful when I move about to go slow at s times. I've started taking the left up one floor at work...i know it's a bit pants, but I get heavy legs as well. Doing most of my exercise as swimming which is fine because I guess the water supports weight evenly I suppose!

Thanks guys. I'm so breathless. Turns out I have picked up a virus and with less lung capacity I haven't been able to cough hard enough to move the liquid along.

I am just tired too. DH has been travelling a lot, I've had a lot of stress with work and getting DS assessed. We got him seen by the developmental paediatrician and he was diagnosed with autism (ASD). DH hasn't been to one appointment and it's just killed me attending everything on my own. DS is fine if you manage him but you can't just go anywhere. Everything has to be planned out and thought through.

Hope you're taking it easy Want2, make sure you rest up.

I'm extremely breathless but I have moderate polyhydramnios now which pushes onto my lungs and am still very anemic so they are going to test my levels next week and give me a transfusion if they're still not picking up. Could be worth asking for your iron levels to be checked? Everything that could go wrong has in this pregnancy and I'm ready to reach the finish line now. I've started to get SPD and it's bloody painful, can't understand how the ladies that have had it from the beginning manage, I'm constantly wincing. I think I only pop onto here to have a complain to people who understand how miserable it is sometimes. OH is fab but often seems to underestimate how draining it all is. He's away for two weeks with work now and I'm not sure how I'm going to juggle everything yet.

It certainly seems like we're all struggling towards the finish line, breathless and wincing with emotions running high! It's bloody tough, isn't it?

Some days, for my own sanity, I've just had to accept that I can't do everything. Last night I went to bed at half eight and left the house a mess. We're running out of clean/ironed clothes, but housework really is at the bottom of my list! I'm supposed to stop work at the end of this week, but only if I get everything finished. Otherwise, I'll be on maternity leave, but have to go into work!

To everyone with DH's MIA, I feel your pain ladies! My DH is away for 5 weeks. 2 weeks in and we're surviving. Just. Though last night as I did the bed time routine it felt like Groundhog Day! The coming week is going to be a toughy as we have so much to do.

I have a consultant appt on Thurs. Will get a scan too, which is exciting!

Hoping to put the pram together today. It hasn't been out of its box yet! Best to get it up to make sure everything's there.

Enjoy your weekend ladies! Not long now until some of us start popping out babies.

Iron levels were checked and low but not at the point of needing a transfusion. I've been given a couple of exercises to help move things in my lungs. I have to go upside down over the side of the bed and deep breathing. It does work but it's awful trying to get back up again. DH is doing day trips next week now so I've got someone home who can help me up. Poor guy is flying back and forth to Florida for 4 days straight.