July 2018 babies - part 2 :)

[Skyechasemarshalontheway]

Made a new group

Expecting Better is only 99p on Kindle! click

Oh wow, I can see that if you haven't told your brothers @karategirl. My DH has likewise told most people, it was the fact that he had told his whole office that encouraged me to tell more friends! I know rationally speaking that the risks are pretty low (now at 15+3) but I just feel uncomfortable about it, am starting to wonder if maybe I could have got away with it until the birth ... I think I will keep my non-close friends, non-close family and most colleagues to after the 20 week scan...

Needless to say I haven't bought a thing for the baby, am too busy knocking on wood...!

@karategirl, I bought Expecting Better (when it was also 99p) but I found I'm not really picking it up that much (I'm 30% through on Kindle). I think it's cos I feel that her writing style is quite self-praise of how she deduces the information. I'm starting on "What to Expect when You're Expecting" (husband bought it for me, hard copy so I can refer to it quick when needed, it feels like quite a tome tho!).

We are planning to announce to extended family and friends probably around 20th week although now I am contemplating after the wk20 scan? (which probably won't really be at wk20 but later?)
I guess for me, announcing is more of a thing on some form of social media cos I am abroad from my friends mostly back home (and many of them have families/married) whereas my husband's friends who are mostly here are single/not considering family.
Ha! He's quite opposite from yours and @HEregoeseverything's DH, mine feels no need really to announce, "I wouldn't put it on Facebook, honey, maybe when the baby is really here" and for him, its on a need-to-know basis.

He hasn't told his boss but probably will after my "12wk" scan, as/when he assesses he will need some time-offs to accompany me for the appts.
One of the ladies he oversees at work is due April (and exactly 3 mos ahead to the date I am dated!) and he says ordinarily he would ask her some questions to show concern but now he says he holds back a bit, lest when she finds out I am expecting too, she may think he was just being nosy/comparing notes rather than concerned.
I personally would think its nice if I had a male boss and he shows some of that softness tho!

@Daphne33 To be fair, my DH would never make an announcement on Facebook, and not just because I would hate it! He wouldn't even announce the birth on social media! It's more that he is relaxed about telling people now that we are so far along (he didn't tell anyone before 12 week scan). He gets on well with his colleagues, so just casually told them as he knew they'd be delighted. Meanwhile I am so paranoid that I am having meetings at work where people stare in curiosity at my bump, wondering whether I've eaten all the pies...!

PS A note of encouragement to all the pukers who are less far along than I am - I think the end is nigh! It's been a week since I last vomited... fingers crossed, etc!

As someone who has very little awareness of pregnancy and childbirth but also a general scepticism regarding blanket advice, I found Expecting Better to be an excellent starter source for me to consider what I want and don’t want to do throughout the next six months (including my decision to drink small glasses of wine at special occasions/over Xmas for example being explained as not being the worst thing ever; nor my inability to stay away from a bit of brie and pate over Xmas not being punishable by immediate lynchmob ) so thank you for the recommendation!!

On the lines of the book and questions asked of me by my midwife at 8+4(! Like I knew anything then.....), has anyone started thinking about what they want/don’t want in labour etc.? I’d be interested to hear your thoughts

ALso is anyone showing yet...I know I’m still on the early side but can’t work out if it’s a bump starting to show or just the pounds I’ve put on (3.5kg so far) .....

@BeardofZeus I’m feeling very round, wouldn’t describe it as a bump in the morning, but by the evening it seems much more bump-like, so think mine’s more of a food baby bump at the mo! Moved into maternity jeans a couple of weeks ago as the usual ones were feeling and looking horribly tight around the belly. Seeing midwife tomorrow and dreading stepping on the scales, feel like a whale!

My scan was all good this morning. Took ages for baby to get into a reasonable position for NT but got there in the end!

3rd pregnancy (hopefully 2nd thb) and like instructions in morning don’t have much but look like a beach ball by bedtime. It’s summer here so mostly in shorts that still fit but needed to pull out maternity jeans last night as normal ones were too uncomfortable!

Morning!

We are the same as a few of you for telling people, we told our close family (parents & siblings) on Xmas day at 9 weeks because we wanted them to know after a bleeding scare at 5 weeks we wanted some support but swore them to secrecy (it’s been 3 weeks now & they’ve done brilliantly!) but after our scan today & when we get the testing results we want to tell our closest friends first when we see them (we are arranging to see them though so we can tell them!) then because of the fact it’s my friend carrying the baby and it’s such an amazing thing we will announce it on Facebook as I want to shout it from the rooftops and have her recognised for doing this amazing thing...if it was just me as a normal pregnancy I wouldn’t put it on Facebook!!

But we are trying to get through telling important people face to face after these results as it’s stressful for us and our families keeping this secret!!

Your friend carrying for you sounds like an absolute legend @Minster2012 I can totally understand why you can’t wait to tell the world!

Had the 16 wk MW appointment today and baby was being a little monkey... could hear him/her kicking and moving but couldn’t catch the heartbeat for AGES! Slight panic but 2nd time round (they sent me out to the waiting room for 10 mins then went back in) and heard a strong healthy heartbeat of 152bpm sounding like galloping horses. Old wives tales would suggest it’s a girl but I’m convinced with lack of morning sickness and a ridiculously healthy appetite (and expanding gut because of it) it’s a boy. Does anyone else have an inkling what they’re having?

P.S. Didn’t get weighed... bonus!

Also asked mw re the odd glass of wine during pregnancy. She looked at me like I’d just pissed on her child and said under NO circumstance can I drink a drop
Still feel inclined to trust the opinion of an economist whose done all the research on the subject though...

@InstructionsRequired Did you have to ask for the heartbeat or was she going to do it anyway? I'm really hoping I can hear it at my appointment on Monday but I've heard some midwives are funny about doing it because of the difficulty finding it... I definitely need the reassurance!

I had a strong inkling I was having a boy... inklings are not to be trusted!

@heregoeseverything No, I didn’t have to ask, standard practice with my midwife. She was determined to hear it and record the bpm in my book, no matter how long it took. She had to send me out as she was seeing another lady but said after that she had a free afternoon and we’d wait as long as it took for the heartbeat to be found! She even asked if I wanted to record it on my phone which was very sweet as DH desperately wanted to hear the heartbeat too but couldn’t make the appointment. I hope it’s the norm in all areas to check the heartbeat as I can’t imagine not seeing or hearing anything for 8 weeks between scans. Once movements are being felt I don’t think it will be as bad, but it already feels like a long wait between any contact with the little one.

At 16 weeks even a determined and skilled Midwife can’t always find a heartbeat if the baby is nestled away hiding, which is very easy for them to do as they are still so small! So a lot won’t try to find one precisely because it won’t be reassuring at all to not find a heartbeat. It’s still very common to not hear one at 16 weeks.

Evening ladies, so we had the nuchal scan this afternoon and glad to report baby growing well, measuring perfectly on track on the one lay down it did! However, the little blighter was not for laying down much, was determined to be upside down, sky dive position, and no matter how much prodding, poking, dancing around was done by my friend & the midwife, it was not playing even after 45mins. Unfortunately we couldn’t get the nuchal measurements which means that we can’t do the bloods until the 2nd trimester quadruple bloods which then don’t test for Edwards or Patau only Downs. Now I know what the other person on here was talking about, horrible!!

So we had to decide what to do, not worry because the risks are low or, if you are like me, and because I have had several things wrong with me that are “low risk” (I’ve had complications that are a less than 1% chance, I have sticky blood which is 1 in 10,000, I have inverted t waves on ECG which is 1 in 1500 ppl you get the picture!) so why would a child of mine not be similar we decided that we’d rather have a private test & find out so tomorrow I need to book a NIPT....

All because our baby didn’t want to lie down!!! A sign of things to come???

@Buglife That may be so, but from my perspective I need to hear a heartbeat for reassurance or I will have to get a private scan to assuage my anxiety. So the outcomes are:

1. Midwife looks for heartbeat, finds a heartbeat= reassurance
2. Midwife looks for heartbeat, finds no heartbeat = no reassurance, I need a private scan
3. Midwife doesn't look for heartbeat= no reassurance, I need a private scan...

So at least looking for it would give rise to the possibility of reassurance!

@Minster2012 What a wonderful thing your friend is doing for you! Best of luck with the NIPT testing, I had it done for peace of mind x

Week 14 now and I'm having the most horrendous headache.. I say headache as singular because it's been here since Sunday and won't go sad I've taken paracetamol twice because I couldn't stand the pain any longer - anyone else?

Also, the tiredness is still not abating - DH is sleeping in the spare room tonight to see if that gives me a full night's sleep.

Got a midwife appointment on Tuesday so will get my blood pressure and urine checked out then.

I thought these were supposed to be the golden weeks?! LOL

Ahh no @Minster2012 - they are little monkeys aren't they!!
I'm going for my quadruple on Thursday, hopefully it won't take too long to hear results back after that.

Hi everyone, happy weekend! I'm 14 weeks today

@Daphne33 I know what you mean about the self satisfied feel of Expecting Better, but I have found the data quite useful and reassuring. I don't think it's particularly well written though...

@Heregoeseverything Hooray! I'm still feeling nauseated most of the time but I've not thrown up since Friday, so hopefully it's passing!

We told Mr Karate's brother and girlfriend last night that they're going to be an Uncle and Aunt. They're very excited! It was really sweet. And his mum cried again when she saw the scan photo. I told my oldest friend too, and she was so excited that she screamed (with the unfortunate side effect of making her 9 month old cry, and her 7 year old very confused!)

I had my consultant's appointment on Tuesday, and they're happy that I don't need to go back unless my asthma deteriorates during pregnancy, so that's really good news - I just have to keep an eye on coughs and colds more closely than normal. The midwife asked if I wanted to hear the heartbeat too, and after a bit of searching found it good and strong. So exciting! It was a shame that Mr Karate wasn't with me though.

@BeardofZeus I'm not showing yet, just regularly getting very bloated! In the mornings, my stomach still looks pretty flat whereas in the evenings I'm like a flipping beach ball. I'm feeling a bit chunky in general though, and there's definitely certain clothing which isn't really wearable any more.

Just st checking in, has been a bit of a hectic weekend here as DH poorly so have been on solo childcare.It sounds a bit flu like so am hoping my jab has kicked in!

Lifechanges I'm not sure if ever felt glowing in my last pregnancy, I'm not convinced it isn't a myth to get you through the middle bit when the excitement of being pregnant is over and it's still a long way to the actual baby! I did have a few weeks though before I got enormous that I felt 'normal' though, and did have lovely hair for a bit, so some of it is true.

Need to start telling people at work this week, my boss and a couple of others know, mainly because they guessed which leads me to believe I probably am showing quite a bit. But of course now if I don't start telling people the gossip mill will kick in anyway!

Hope everyone is feeling well and fingers crossed for those waiting for test results.

@lifechangesforeverinjuly Yup, I've got a headache most of the time, seems to be particularly banging in the evening, when it is accompanied by my old friend nausea...

Just had my 16 week appointment (which is actually 14+6 due to holidays next couple of weeks) and got to hear the heartbeat! She warned me I probably wouldn't but it was there and really strong - midwife said I was very lucky loved it.

Only 11 days until private gender reveal too, we're going on our 'babymoon' on Sunday to Rome, can't wait for a bit of relaxation.

Is anyone planning on taking any classes?

@lifechanges ooh lovely news! I must confess to borrowing a doppler off a friend (yes I know, it breaks all the rules!) and had a sneaky home preview of the heartbeat last weekend. My midwife said at the booking appointment that they don't listen to the heartbeat at checkups as "it doesn't tell them anything" but that seems strange to me, surely it tells them baby is alive?! So I thought sod it I want to hear it for myself, and it was lovely

Just wondering, how has the news generally gone down with employers? I am due to tell my boss at some time this week (it's getting embarrassing, I only have two work outfits that cover the bump) but I'm really nervous, not even sure I'll know what to say