November 2018 #3

[olderthanyouthink]

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

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

Oh @TinyPawz I'm so, so sorry to hear that. Fingers crossed and thumbs held that next week's scan brings better news.

Ah crap - previous @ should have been for @TinyPaws Fat thumbs, sorry

So sorry to hear your scan wasn’t positive @TinyPaws particularly when you’ve already suffered a miscarriage this year (unless I’ve confused you with someone else). Big hugs xx

@bangwhistle not sure if those are tested for here on nhs or otherwise. A little oddity of living in the north of Ireland.

@TinyPaws keeping everything crossed for you x

@bangwhistle yep Friday or Saturday also! Also had it for the same reason as you, medical friends said as soon as you're above 35 the nhs results can be slightly skewed as they are weighted as a result of age and I'd rather not have to go through more testing after the standard nhs test to know more if it comes back at higher odds than last time, we preferred to just hop straight to the Harmony instead. Out of interest did you decline the nhs blood test because you had harmony? My midwife told me to but I read that the nhs test (not sure if its the quadruple or combined though) covers neural tube defect conditions and the Harmony doesn't so now I'm unsure if declining was the wrong thing! I didn't pay much attention last time and this time I went on the advice of the midwife. I had a nuchal scan at the same time as the Harmony and I think the consultant looked at all of that but not sure if the scan can pick up what the nhs blood test does. I'm totally confused!!!!!

@TinyPaws sorry to hear your news and will be keeping my fingers crossed for you.

Ten weeks tomorrow and still intermittently spotting brown. It's really getting me down. My scan at 8+5 was absolutely fine but now some time has lapsed and the spotting is back I can't help but feel terrified again. Anyone going through similar?

@TinyPaws - so sorry to hear about your worrying scan, crossing everything for you.

@Magpie24 - if you were spotting before you had your previous okay scan, could you convince yourself that things are probably still okay now? Perhaps you have something simple and harmless like a small clot trapped somewhere in the womb or a cervical ectropion? It's natural to be worried, hoping for you it settles down soon.

@Magpie24 If the spotting has started again and is worrying you, if it were me, I'd contact my mw or the epu again. They may want to reinvestigate so see if they can find the cause. As your last scan was fine, it's more than likely all OK, but I was always told to get any bleeding checked out. Fingers crossed for you it clears up soon.

@TinyPaws I'm so sorry to hear about your scan. Did they give you any room for hope at all?

Last night I went to the loo and when I wiped I had a little bit of brown stringy stuff. Kind of like old blood mixed up with CM - the sort of thing you might get right at the end of a period. Is this what other people mean when they say spotting? It wasn't there when I had a wee this morning but I now have a very slight pre-periody ache going on which is worrying me. I am 9 weeks today. Didnt have anything like this with first pregnancy.

Hmm. Just went for a poo and there was quite a bit of brown discharge when I wiped.

Ive been spotting after a poo the whole way through @BadBadBeans the midwife wasn’t worried and baby was fine at my early scan. Midwife said it can be normal as a bowel movement can push against your cervix and it has lots more blood in it during pregnancy. Don’t panic, go sit down and have a cup of tea. Assess the situation in a couple of hours, if you’re still spotting give the midwife a call xx

Thanks @MeredithShepherd. That gives me hope. The poo I just had was my first slightly constipated poo of this pregnancy too (sorry to share!) so maybe that had something to do with it. Although the first brown bits came just with a wee ten hours ago... I've put a sanitary towel on just in case, as I am out in public today. I still feel a bit periody. As you say, I will give it a couple of hours and then ring the midwife if I still don't feel things are right. Got a bit of a bad feeling, but then as an anxious person I always have a bit of a bad feeling about something!

If I had an early scan at 9 weeks would it be transvaginal? I would like to avoid that if at all possible...

@BadBadBeans @MeredithShepherd my spotting is mostly after bowel movements but also had some last night too. Mine is normal discharge but tinted pale brown. I've also had bright red once, but that was before my early scan.

I think a scan at 9 weeks probably would be vaginal, mine at 8+5 was. It wasn't a bad experience though, it doesn't hurt at all and does give a better view than abdominal.

@BadBadBeans my scan on Monday (at 8+3) was vaginal and it is absolutely fine. Does not hurt at all. To be honest there is way more prodding etc during pregnancy so you kind of just get used to it. At the start of last pregnancy I was such a prude but you just have to let them do what they need to do. Never been so fondled in all my life!

Hi girls,

I know I’m coming late to the party but 8 weeks today. I have one dd already, but had an mmc in November last year (found st the 12 week scan but shown to have died at 8 weeks - despite having seen a good heartbeat at 7+5 from a normal U/S).

Currently terrified that the same will happen again, particularly as I’ve woken up this morning with my breasts completely gone down (and nipples gone pale again) and trousers that do up, whereas they were refusing the button due to being bloated yesterday...

First MW appointment today, I think I’m going to be in tears on her

@badbadbeans and @magpie24 sorry you’ve got extra things to worry about, I hope spotting stops but know some people have it throughout. I’d contact mw if in doubt, no harm in calling.

Hi @ditzzy sorry to hear about your mmc, of course you are terrified. Great that you’ve had a positive u/s so recently though. I hope you get a nice midwife today.

Any recommendations for pregnancy pillows? Anyone got the JoJo one at #1 on this list? www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/kids/baby-tech-essentials/best-pregnancy-pillows-for-back-pain-front-sleepers-reviews-a7095866.html

Sorry to those ladies with spotting its such a worrying time.

@ditzzy i feel your anxiety this morning, i had mmc in sept last year after seeing heartbeat. Currently 8 weeks today, had good scan last week however i feel my nausea has lessened over this past week which i feel is not a good sign so im terrified its happened/happening again.

Thanks both - although Amerreto, my positive U/S was on the one I lost!! I’ve been too wuzzy to do an early one this time.

I think the mid-wife I’ve been assigned to is the one who called me in December last year to ask why I hadn’t turned up to my 16 week appointment! So that would be, because I hadn’t made one, I hadn’t been told about one and I’d already had surgery for the mmc at that point!! So hopefully she’ll realise it’s me and think she’s got to make it up to me (by offering to organise an early scan maybe???)!

Still really reassuring to read how many people are worried, daft as it may seem. Obviously I’d rather we were all happy, but we can’t all be right to be worried can we?

@TheUbercornMum my consultant said the same thing. She said do have the nuchal because that shows up other issues but not to have the NHS bloods. To be fair I haven't double checked what, if any, other things the quad test looks for. I will do now...

@Magpie24 in my first and second pregnancies I spotted for almost the whole first 3 months. I had a sub chorionic haematoma. Could that be what you have? I should say both those pregnancies ended up as lovely children who are currently making me 'cake soup'

@Amarettoplease I've just bought number 8 on the list. Pricey but I figured we don't have much to buy this time and sleep is hard for me at the best of times! So far the toddler has enjoyed being wedged in it watching hey duggee so she's a fan! I had a v shape pillow and bump wedge last time and they didn't work for me at all and with the indigestion towards the end I ended up on about 6 pillows most the time.

Welcome @ditzzy sorry to hear about your mmc - everything pregnancy related is massively stressful and worrying anyway without the added stress. Thinking of you. I don't have many symptoms compared to my first pg so am worried too. Have avoided an early us this time so the first time I'll know things are ok will be the 12 week scan. 2 weeks 6 days away today.

@BadBadBeans my early us last time was transvaginal - tbh was one of the least intrusive things of the whole pregnancy- it's absolutely fine. And you get such clearer images.

@MeredithShepherd @Magpie24 @BadBadBeans I had this dark discharge after some bowel movements a couple of weeks ago (7ish weeks). I didn't have it in my last pg and hadn't really classed it as 'spotting' as thought that referred to red blood 🤷‍♀️ anyhow I mentioned it to my mw along with experiencing far less symptoms than last time and she wasn't concerned at all.

To be honest it all feels so unreal til we have that 12 week scan. I don't even particularly have the due date marked in my head or feel particularly pregnant apart from being tired a lot of the time and nauseous towards the evenings. I'm getting 'thicker' round the middle which just looks frumpy so look forward to an actual bump!

Also, in these instances I also had two - three bouts of heavy bright red bleed that literally poured out of me. It was very scary but everything was fine in the end. I read somewhere that an ScH is the most common cause of unexplained bleeding in pregnant women. I also had slight cramping which was my womb expelling the remaining blood. Try to stay positive - which is very hard I know. I'm cacking myself about my blood test results.

@Magpie24 Mine was normal discharge tinted medium brown earlier on, but now have quite a bit of dark brown on my sanitary towel. I've rung the midwife service who were really lovely and are having my midwife call me back this morning.

@petiteange28 I know what you mean - I had lost all sense of caring about who saw my privates by the end!!! It's more that I am a bit OCD (genuinely) about things being cleaned and would be panicking about the cleanliness of the scanner and whether it had been properly disinfected... but I guess they put some kind of disposable condom type protection on it?!

@ditzy welcome! Hope you have better experience this time round. Good luck with your booking in today. I hope the midwife is extra super lovely to you.

@bangwhistle I meant to say i love your scan photo - it is so clear! Also, is it bad that I am now craving cake soup, whatever that may be?! Fingers crossed that your harmony results come back a ok. X

@LastNightsMakeUp thank you, that is reassuring. I don't feel particularly pregnant either and I did last time which isn't helping my unease. However I am still having crazy dreams and i am starting to change shape a bit around my tummy so I am hopeful.