November 2018 #3

[olderthanyouthink]

Ante-natal thread for babies due this November, continued...

Stats spreadsheet is here - add and update yourself as needed!

Have you guys moved over to Facebook yet?
If so can I join?

@sarahhh1984 😂 but I have to get to the birth for that! I said to the doctor I saw yesterday that I'm trying not to think about getting the baby out unfortunately I know too much already. In my head I'd like a hippy no medical stuff home birth, just to avoid needles and hospitals.

Added you @MamaGarl

@olderthanyouthink No reason you can't have that if you have a healthy pregnancy. But even if you go to an MLU you're unlikely to need any needles etc. as long as everything is straightforward. And there's no point worrying that it won't be because you just don't know until it's happening. I can highly recommend pregnancy yoga as a way of keeping stress levels down. I loved it last time and have signed up to it again this time.

@sarahhh1984 at the moment I live in a tiny studio and will need to move before the baby comes but I don't know where I'll be living (SE London still though) so I don't know how that would work. Bf wants to save up for as long as possible but I kinda don't want to be moving late on. Hopefully St Thomas' MLU "Home from home" will be ok bet it still smells like hospital though.

I do ballet which is nice because I can just clear my head for 90mins, and only stress about where to put my arms and legs 😂 (I've missed a lot because of feeling sick thought). There's definitely been some pregnant women and just a dropped women on my classes too.

@olderthanyouthink numbing cream is a great idea but I think it is unlikely to be offered to you (it takes some time to work so not practical for taking bloods in a clinic). I'm pretty sure you can buy it in a pharmacy and you will need to put it on yourself at home before you go to your appointment. Otherwise, distraction! Could you bring some loud music to listen through headphones whilst your eyes closed? Anything that makes you less aware the blood test is happening. Feel so sorry for you, having a phobia of needles in pregnancy is just one more thing to stress about and I don't think people are generally very sympathetic. X

@Shrimpi I asked my GP for it the other day (he had previously prescribed it but I chickened out) but he wouldn't do it this time because of me being pregnant, he said if the midwife is happy she can get you some 😕. I'll have my phone and headphones on me but I don't know if that will help.

And you're right, some people have no sympathy at all. I've had a nurse look absolutely baffles when I got upset at the prospect of a blood test

@olderthanyouthink bollocks to that it is just a mix of topical local anaesthetics, can think of no reason why it would not be safe for use in pregnancy. Local anaesthetics are given to pregnant women all the time (eg in epidurals, injected directly into their perineum etc). There's some information here: www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/871/pil

It's says "ask your doctor" but virtually all medicines have this disclaimer as there is very little evidence on use in pregnancy (few trials) for most drugs. You've got to balance any miniscule theoretical risk against the real and immediate risks of you feeling awful / stressed / migraine or being putting off having blood tests /needle procedures you might need.

It's possible a pharmacist won't give it to you, but they might. You could always miss out the "I'm pregnant" bit

I've not got a full on phobia of needles but I really hate them. Usually the nurse is very sympathetic and keeps me talking as I look the other way. I have to use a small needle now too as they couldn't take my bloods with the regular ones, and that was a bit nicer too. But yes, I just tend to talk really fast and loudly whilst looking away and it's over quickly! Good luck with it!!!

@pipsqueak126 I agree on the baby needles, that's a really good idea. I have small veins especially if I'm dehydrated due to HG so they always use the baby ones and they always get it first time with those. @olderthanyouthink perhaps you could ask for those instead?

All this needle talk is making me sweat gosh I'm so squeamish, hate needles AND blood. So the thought of a needle extracting blood....urghfjdiekdj!!!

Anyway, I just wanted to ask if anyone else brings up their entire stomach contents after napping? Every time I nap, I wake up and throw up instantly. But I can't not nap because I'm in bed for 8/9pm otherwise and feel so bad on DH who isn't tired till 11ish.

Lovely seeing all the scan pictures! I’m now 11 weeks and have my scan in 9 days.

Anyone know a way of combatting cat allergies? My GP has previously advised against antihistamines as apparently they’re not safe in pregnancy. Went round my friends house yesterday and I’m still feeling the effects now.

@AJ89 I’ve had some success with hay fever symptoms (I usually suffer quite badly) using a nasal spray called Prevalin. You need to use it 30 mins before exposure to the allergin so may not help you now. It’s also £12 which is quite expensive.

Are you feeling better at 11 weeks? I’m 12+3 and have my scan on Monday. I had a great week last week and even stayed out til 11 one night, but today I’m exhausted- had to have a nap and have been feeling nauseous again! I was so hoping 12 weeks would mean an end to my symptoms - naive first time pregnant woman here!

12 weeks tomorrow and finally functioning (and eating) semi-normally. Woke up this morning with energy and in a good mood. Think my libido is picking up too, I’m more interested than I was before I was pregnant

Is anyone taking folate supplements rather than folic acid. Was googling stuff last night about it- better but more expensive? Do they both do the same thing? Is folate really safer or is it safer in the way that eating organic food is (better for you but I mostly don’t bother). I am more aware of my fruit and veg intake during pregnancy which makes me eat more of it but equally I didn’t stop myself eating a lamb shish kebab last night while googling the benefits of red cabbage so I don’t want to over think something when I’m happy to eat chips every day for a week in principle!

I am actually starting to enjoy nice food again...food with flavour! For a good few weeks I was living on beige food lol!

@Amarettoplease I'm taking folate after lots of research. I use the garden of life prenatal supplements as I trust them, although they're a bit too huge and difficult to swallow!

@toasterstrudle so sorry to hear your news. Take care of yourself xxx

Loving the scan pics ladies, ours is on Wednesday and am hoping for a more positive experience than when we had DS 12w scan.

Am having trouble getting to sleep again and then if (or should that be when!!) I wake up during the night have great difficulty going back to sleep again and of course the heat and DH snoring/breathing heavily aren't helping either!!

What is the consensus on taking multivitamins after 12w? I took folic acid up to 12w and then stopped as per nhs advice which is what I did last time with DD. I've read studies suggesting not taking vitamins with folic acid in after 12w (link to tongue tie and asthma but in any case the neural tube is supposed to be closed after 12w isn't it and thus folic acid has no specific benefit?) but haven't read any re benefits of taking folate. What do they say? My midwife said it's up to me whether to take vitamin d, I'm not, but said it's OK if I don't. Would be interested in the other studies though as it seems the advice seems to differ a bit everywhere. My friend took Pregnacare all the way through with hers which includes folic acid, but extra vitamins seem to exacerbate my sickness, I've been better since stopping folic acid. Thanks!!

I was wondering the exact same thing @TheUbercornMum - I saw the expensive pregnacare vitamins today but they have folic acid in them and I'm not sure I'd need it after 12 weeks? I'm 12 weeks tomorrow so I'm not sure what I should do next. I do have to start taking aspirin tomorrow as my gynaecology advice said to lower my risk of pre-eclampsia.

I am taking pregnacare multivitamins quite sporadically (maybe only once every 3 days in the last 2-3 weeks) because generally it makes me feel very sick. If I don't time it for when I am feeling particularly un-sick I just puke it up (and whatever else I've eaten) after 5 minutes anyway.

The neural tube closes around week 4 and also I have been taking a folic acid multivitamin for months, I like to think it is unlikely I am deficient. We can only do our best!

Ok this all makes me feel better. I’ve been similar to you @shrimpi in taking pregnacare when I remember which isn’t everyday. I was given a full supply of prenatal multivitamins at my booking appointment that includes folic acid though- midwife said to continue throughout. Now that I’m feeling less queasy, I should probably look at my diet so that I’m getting more vitamins from that... This is a minefield and it’s not my first time! I think I’m more aware of everything this time and am getting more worried about things. Silly as DS is perfectly healthy so I have no particular reason to be anxious about this. Blame it on the hormones!

My midwife advised no folic acid after 12w because of the tongue tie risk and after 12w just to take a vitamin d supplement. She said if you have a good diet then there's no need to worry about pregnancy vitamins. I'm inclined to agree, I eat a very varied vegan diet and had great iron levels throughout my last pregnancy and a vit d on its own is much cheaper and the preg ones make me feel sick.

I'm sicily arrived last night, so diet will probably consist of mostly carbs for a week I'm feeling much better and the definitely felt flutters on the plane, I wonder if the pressure changes affected the little bean in there?

Oh what I did not know this! I took pregnacare the whole time through my last pregnancy and was going to do the same this time... I have two and a half boxes to use and I’m 12 weeks tomorrow!!!

Last time I took a combined folic acid, vit D and vit C tablet through the whole pregnancy as advised by my midwife so will probably do that again unless she tells me otherwise. Have to give her a call after I've had my 12-week scan to arrange my 16-week appointment so will ask her then.