Due in February 2017....thread 5!

[SkyLucy]

Thread five for the chattiest bunch of preggers ladies you've ever had the pleasure of encountering. We're greeting the second trimester with excitement and apprehension, and lots of questions, humour, reassurance, empathy and advice.

Fourth thread here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/antenatal_clubs/2684139-february-2017-thread-4-are-we-the-chattiest-bunch-or-what

twocats you are so right. It is that puts all the pressure on ourselves isn't it? That and all the braggy yummy mummies at baby groups that make me want to punch them! Hahahah

Afternoon all - stupid question alert! I've just got my maternity exemption certificate - I know it allows you to have free dental treatment, but do you have to be registered with an NHS dentist? I have a private dentist whom I love, so don't want to move - but I could do with some free treatment!

lucy yes it has to be a nhs dentist. Sorry!!!

Daft question - where (and when) do I get my maternity exemption certificate please?

Cosmic day:

Had to leave friend's wedding due to brown but reddening discharge combined with tons of what I can only describe as "clot confetti".

Have no EPU in my local hospital so no scan for me until Wednesday. The bloods and urine show im pregnant still but I know it means nothing.

I don't know why I'm posting, just need a handhold. The wedding is so close to our house folk will see me drive past but I have been ordered to go to bed and rest. Just a really rubbish day and I want to do lots of crying.

Oh 2Many, fingers crossed everything is still ok for you and little one as a discharge isn't always bad. Hand hold from me to help you stay strong. Cry as much as you need to, we're all here for you

Fingers crossed all is ok 2many. How far along are you? Is there another hospital you can go to or a&e? Waiting until Wednesday seems far too long.

Hope everything is ok 2many I would definitely go to A&E... Wednesday is awful long away xx

We are going to go to St Thomas' tomorrow; their EPU opens at 0930. I'm okay, I'm just trying to distract myself whilst feeling strange periody things that I didn't like when I wasn't pregnant and make me feel 10 times worse when i am. Thank god for some of the more nonsense threads on here. And thanks for your wishes guys xx

I'm so sorry 2many. Is there a gynae ward anywhere near you? Or can you get in touch with maternity assessment? Both would have some form of scanners.

I'm really sorry for this question but I need to ask... has anyone went from one extreme to the other i.e constipation to the other version?

She'll I've been like this since the day I got my bfp. Much fun, not!! I sometimes go for a week or so and have normal bm's but more often than not flit between not going and going too much. No happy medium! But, having said that my mum and brother both have IBS so wondering if pregnancy and hormones has just made me a bit IBS-ey. I take fybogel and the doc gave me some Laxido but jeees, it's like rocket fuel so I don't bother with that!

Hi everyone, I joined the threads back when I got my BFP but have since had shockingly bad sickness and two episodes of bleeding so dropped by the wayside. Sickness was diagnosed last week as hyperemisis and I have medication for it, they think the sickness has caused the bleeding too and the force of constantly retching has ruptured small blood vessels in that area. Nice.

Still feeling like crap, can't handle cooking or thinking about food, and can only eat tiny amounts but I only throw up once a day now which is a win compared to how it was before. My other three DC are watching far too much TV and eating far too many late dinners as DH is having to do the cooking when he gets home from work at 5.30 during the week but fingers crossed it'll ease in the next few weeks. I didn't get HG in my previous pregnancies, if I had then I think I'd have stopped at one!

I had a scan three weeks ago which put me at 6+4 and had another scan last weekend which dated me at 10+3 but my dates had me as 11+1. Sonongrapher said not to worry, I was already ahead by a week compared to what the previous scan had said and that at this size 1mm difference in measurements can add anything up to five days to the estimated gestation. She said she was measuring on the conservative side just to get a rough idea of dates and to compare growth to the earlier scan and that they'd do more accurate measurements at my 12wk scan.

12wk scan is this coming Tuesday and got a consultant appointment the Tuesday after.

Going to catch up with the thread now.

Is anyone else thirsty all the time??

For the current issue I can see without scrolling back.

Pooping one sniff of pregnancy hormones gives me the opposite of constipation then later on in the pregnancy I get the bunged up experience. Apparently both extremes are normal. My old GP recommended baked beans for both, there is twice as much fibre in a tin of baked beans as there is in two oranges (allegedly). Figs help too, fresh or dried, and those Activia yoghurts with the biffidus digestive stuff in them.

And this is my scan picture from last weekend.

Will stop spamming now

Thanks diva! Scottish - my 'certificate' (a plastic card) arrived in the post today. I guess it was triggered when I had my scan on Monday?

Thinking of you 2many

Okay, more or less caught up.

2many, fingers crossed things have improved tomorrow. I've had bleeding in every pregnancy, including clotty, stringy red stuff. With DC1 I had a massive bleed big enough that I was admitted to the antenatal ward for monitoring. Bleeding isn't normal per say but it's very common and in many cases everything turn out to be fine. Thinking of you and hoping for good news

Childcare varies wildly, luckily I don't need to think about it as I am the childcare - I'm a self employed childminder. My fees are £4 per hour including meals, childminders usually are cheaper than nurseries, more flexible in terms of hours and have smaller ratios so definitely an option worth investigating for those of you looking at childcare.

Being self employed makes maternity leave easy this around too. I've paid voluntary class 2 NI contributions so I'll qualify for £148 a week maternity allowance. I'm planning to start my leave after Christmas and then go back to work when schools go back in the September. I know I'll be having a section so will need some extra help so DH is taking two weeks paternity, three weeks holiday, and I'm signing eight weeks of my maternity over to him as shared parents leave.

Congratulations on your wedding ever and commiserations on the driving test. Keep at it, you'll soon pass! I'm still doing lessons and can't imagine being test ready so well done getting this far.

All the bumps are looking great. I got some maternity jeans from George which I thought would be rubbish because they were really cheap (£10) but are actually really comfortable. Last time around I liked H&M for tops and Next for bottoms although their sizes come up big. I have none of my old maternity clothes so I need to go shopping for some. Currently living in my George jeans, a pair of elastic waisted trousers that were too big and are now getting too snug, and two maxi dresses. Bump is definitely noticeable, haven't started telling everyone yet but have had a few sideways looks from a few people.

scottish my midwife gave me an exemption form that my GP had to stamp and I had to fill in my details and then I posted it off. I got my card about a week later. Maybe call the midwife and ask?

Sorry you have HG ubercorn, my best friend was pregnant at the same time as me last time and she had really bad hyperemesis so I've seen how awful it is. Hers lasted all pregnancy but I think most people feel a lot better by 20 weeks so I hope yours gets better soon. I think there's a hyperemesis support thread on here.

uber can I pick your brains about a childminder? I was thinking of using one. I work 9-4 so would need those hours and term time only. Do childminders do term time only contracts? I know one person said on a Google search they charge half fees in holidays for term time only contracts if not being used etc....

Thanks diva! I'm seeing her in 3weeks so will ask her then unless something comes up in the meantime and, like sky, says, mine turns up in a week or so having had my 12w scan.

Uber, plus any other mums out there, I'm trying to decide whether nursery or childminder would be better for my little one (I'm a planner and yes know it's nearly a year away before I'll even consider it) but I wonder which would be better. I can see pros and cons of both and so real life experience would be wonderful! My immediate friendship group have all put their children in nursery or have parents assisting.

scottish I got my exemption card when I went to my midwife to tell her I was pregnant! Well got it in the post a week later

Thanks shell, may well give my midwife a gentle nudge! Don't need it at the moment, but Sod's law says I will before it arrives!

Exemption card can also be used to get a seat in first class on a packed train