August 2016 number 4 - bumps popping and scans happening, we actually have babies!

[PickleBot]

Looks like we've nearly filled the last thread, so here is a nice new one for you all!

Thanks stranded, if you get much closer I'm still really spotty. Dress is from eBay, think it's h&m or something like that? Will check tomorrow.

Hello

Sorry I find it hard to keep up with everyone...I'm just in the thickening out stage with no bump just feeling fatter and wanted to encourage anyone else who's feeling like the bump is never coming...with some brave pics!

First pic near the beginning, 2nd pic 18 weeks. Anyone else more like this?

Oh God I am driving myself crazy now worrying about my baby. I am so worried it might have a problem, specifically downs syndrome.

I was given a low risk score of 1:50000 for the combined NT test but since finding out about the dilated kidneys, which can be a soft marker for downs, I have been googling (bad idea I know) and looked in more detail at my 20 week measurements. The femur length is a little shorter than average (in the 33rd percentile - but I don't really know what percentiles mean!), and this is another soft marker. So I seem to have two possible markers for Downs though neither of them are particularly extreme - both the kidneys and the femur are in the normal range but slightly off the average. Also I am tall so expected a baby with longer than average legs!

I'm just sick with worry now. No medical professional has mentioned Downs to us but I know it can go undetected. 1:50000 is a great score but is this more accurate than other indications? I don't know what to do. Feel like this pregnancy is spoiled now because I'm just worrying. Can't afford a harmony test.

Sorry for the negative post

Oh basket try not to worry yourself sick.

First things first, call your midwife. Speak to them today and discuss your concerns and worries following the scan. 1:50,000 is a fantastic score, so keep that in your mind, and try not to use silly Dr Google too much, it aggravates worry and anxiety and best for you to speak to a specialist to get some reassurance.

Also remember that scans are never exact and growth can happen at different stages throughout development and babies don't all grow exactly like the hospital charts! 20 weeks is still early on and things change dramatically over the next months. It's great they have you in for another scan and I am sure it will all even itself out.

Basket you poor thing. Definitely agree with Bear, step away from Google and give the midwife a call, I'm sure she will put your mind at rest. I think I read somewhere that after 12 weeks, babies grow at different rates, so there can be a huge range of normal measurements, unlike when they are tiny.

I'm still not sure if I'm feeing movement or not which is worrying me a bit. I get almost like a throb a few times, but not sure if it's muscular (or gas) related. Can't wait to get to my scan on Thursday, I really want to see she is still growing and that things are alright.

Basket - I'm just echoing the advice already given really...it's not worth doing extra googling this now. Speak to your midwife when you can.

33 percentile means that out of 100 babies of the same age, 32 of them will have a smaller measurement. Babies grow at such differing rates - both in and out of us. DS was 50th centile for weight when born, now sits around the 2nd and has done for at least a year. He's totally normal and healthy.

I think I'm finally starting to feel movement which is a relief. My bump feels tiny still, though I do need mat clothes. Scan is 1wk today.

19+3

lily the movement feelings do start like little twinges and throbs, so I am pretty sure thats the babe! mine have really picked up this past week and I am feeling them quite consistently now...almost like butterflies on the inside.

I am now in a bit of a buying frenzy following my scan, need to reign it in a little but baby clothes are just so so sweet!!

Basket try not to worry about size at the moment, it doesn't mean anything! Stop googling!

I get loads of movement! Even now baby is kicking probably feel baby at least 4/5 times a day, especially in the evenings. Still nothing on my stupid Doppler though! Given up trying to find the heartbeat

Thank you for your reassuring words ladies. Thank goodness for forums like this as a place to vent. I don't really want to put this burden on DH.
I will give the midwife a call tomorrow and I'm sure she will help me to see sense. The femur length thing is strange because all other measurements were bang on average (50th percentile), just the femur that was off. If the whole baby was small I don't think it would worry me as much.

After 20 weeks of easy pregnancy, now the whole world of pregnancy stress has opened up to me and its horrible! Ugh!

lily those sound like the movements I've been feeling. Mine are less obvious because my placenta is at the front, so it might be the same for you? I only feel little pokes and throbs a few times a day, and when I do they're all quite low, obviously where there's no placenta to cushion them! Thursday will be here before you know it :-)

Had a bit of a funny turn at work earlier. Stood up fairly quickly and suddenly felt drunk - swimmy headed and sick. For once Dr Google calmed me down as it seems that dizziness and nausea is common in pregnancy, but I'm concerned it will happen again and it was so horrible! Anyway, that's my panic for today. Scan tomorrow, hopefully everything will be ok.
20+3

Afternoon all,

Once again, I've struggled to post but keeping up with everyone's news.

Sorry to hear that you're stressed after your scan basket. I can only echo everyone's words and I'd say the low risk result initially is a more reliable measure.

Lily, I'd describe the movements I feel as a throb so i'd say that's definitely baby.

Hg, I get dizzy if I stand up too fast at the moment and have to hold onto a table for a few seconds. Think it's totally normal and to do with blood pressure being a bit lower or something.

I've just got back from my scan. Was lovely and everything is ok. Got to watch it's little mouth swallowing away for a while. It was being really wriggly and the sonographer kept laughing. Didn't find out the sex so team yellow for me. Though DH said she checked left and right ovary but that he thought that was me....

I'm now going to put together the bedside crib which I've left boxed up until today. Bet the cat decides it's for her.

Wow, these 20 week scan pictures are amazing.

hg I fainted a few weeks ago which I think was just low blood pressure. My bp is usually pretty low and has got lower in pregnancy. It is scary, but I think the advice is just basically not to stand up too quickly.

basket I'm sorry that you're so worried. I would say the first result (the actual screener) is much more reliable and worth listening to. I'm not sure how yours was calculated but assuming it's done the same way mine was, it's based on blood test, nasal bone and nuchal fold- three very distinct and reliable measurements.

I don't know much about soft signs of downs etc but I do know a lot about percentiles/average ranges and how they are calculated. Statistically, there's not a huge amount of difference between being on the 50th percentile and being on the 33rd. I know it feels counter-intuitive but it's not really that the 50th is bang on average and that 33rd is much lower. Also, in terms of percentiles, the statistical average range is 16-84 (I.e 86 or over is seen as above the average range). So, you can see that 33rd percentile is not really proportionately much smaller. So, in terms of the numbers, your baby's femurs are not disproportionately small compared to their other measurements- I hope that helps the worry a little.

If you need to satisfy your google urge, look up statistical Normal Distribution and percentile ranks for more explanation of the above. However, it's maths, fairly boring and might put you to sleep!

Thank you plimsolls, that really does help! Graphs, charts and percentiles are not my strong point so its easy to just take them at face value...a point plotted slightly to the left of the middle seemed to stand out a mile but I didn't realise that the 'average' is really a range rather than a mid point? I also feel like my pride is dented...I want my baby to be above average haha!

Yes my screening test was the combined test so I do hope this is more accurate.

What a day.

Hi ladies, just want a bit of reassure, sadly in a bit of a tmi overload situation.
Yesterday, and again today, after I wiped I had a little glob of yellow mucus, just like a bogey... About the same size or so too. Not masses. It was stretchy and not like the regular discharge I've had.
I've been googling (and physically shaking whilst doing so) and now I'm totally freaked that it's bits of my mucus plug! Is this nothing or something? I'm 19+3

Sorry to hear you're anxious Basketofwool. I've done a lot of reading about anomaly scans (because I am a massive worrier) and it seems like when the doctors suspect a chromosomal disorder they book in an amniocentesis pretty quickly. I don't think they would be 'waiting and seeing' if they thought this was a risk. I would have thought that references to a 'short femur' means outside the normal boundaries. A lot of people posting worrying about short femur bones are under the 5th percentile, and even then it seems hospitals just re-scan in 2 weeks, so I am guessing it is common for it to correct itself.

Thanks everyone. I think my blood pressure's on the low side anyway as I get dizzy and sick if I'm in a hot shower or bath for too long. That was the closest I've ever been to fainting though!

Fizzy I've had a bit of discharge like you're describing. Everything I've read suggests it's completely normal (unless it's itchy, weird coloured or smelly), but as always speak to your midwife if you're really worried. I had discharge like that even before I was pregnant, so my feeling is it's ok.

fizzy I had something like that at the weekend. Like snot. (SORRY). I googled and the most likely explanation I came up with was that it was something to do with a recent erm romantic morning. I've got my 16 week doc appointment on Thurs and I'm going to ask her about it but like hg says, I suspect it's normal.

Actually...now i'm worried it was a bit of my mucus plug. Hmmmm. No, I'm sure it's Ok but I will let you know what doc says on Thursday.

Aw basket, sorry you're so worried. Definitely give your midwife a ring and talk it all through with her - and stay off google! I agree with pp that said if they were worried they'd have had you back much much earlier. All sounds like it's absolutely fine, please don't worry! And babies are quite often slightly out of proportion - mine is wider than average round the head and tummy and shorter legged than average! Chubby little shortarse, clearly, even though I'm tall and skinny with long legs
Fizzy I've had that a few times too, looks just like snot, nice!! Just one of those lovely pregnancy things I suspect. Fwiw the mucus plug can regenerate itself so even if you do lose little bits, it's really not a problem.
Hurray for the 20 week scans, bear and Mouse, gorgeous pics! Impressed with everyone having the willpower to stay team yellow too!
lily that 'throb' definitely sounds like baby to me! Almost like a weird muscle twitch. I still sometimes wonder if it's baby moving or some sort of tummy spasm!

Nowt new here, I'm still poorly and DD woke up with a sea lion bark-cough so we've had a very lazy day. Have mostly been sorting out paperwork stuff for moving. DD been very emotional and driving me potty as I just haven't had the energy for it, bless her; not her fault but I'm looking forward to bedtime!

Suzie - many congratulations, its lovely when you feel things you want coming together.
Viva lovely scan pictures, would have been in a wreak in the same situation.
hgleslie89 I have a seat leon - which has been amazing for gas guzzling - but I wouldnt look at it again for lugging a pram up into that narrow boot. Will be watching your replies wiht interest,

Thanks hg, Leslie & glencoco. I seem to panic like mad over anything at the moment. It is only small bits so I think I'll just keep an eye on it and if it carries on I'll drop my MW a text.
I think I've just been overdoing it at the mo, filling the car up almost daily and going to the tip as well as insane cleaning binges on the house...
My husband even just sent me this from work, bless him...

I meant plimsolls too! God names slip straight out of my head when I'm on the app and have to remember who said what! Sorry!

Need some handholding for 20 week scan nerves tomorrow. Luckily scan is at 9am so not too long to wait, but I'm terrified of there being an anomaly. And then if everything is fine, I know I will just find something else to worry about. I just want to be able to get excited and not feel like I'm jinxing things

Oh I think it worry night tonight for us! Don't worry Sophia everything is going to be perfect! Get an early night and before you know it, you'll see that babe wriggling around and your anxiety will melt away

Handholding here Sophia. I was the same, was convinced something would be wrong, but it was fine! Think it's normal to feel that way though. The worry is still there but has lessened slightly since the 20w scan - 24 weeks is my next personal milestone - viability! You'll be back on here tomorrow morning, with gorgeous piccies, wondering why you worried are you finding out what flavour baby is?!