Bumpety Bump- Feb 2008

[samsmam]

Here you go........

Hi all

Help! Maybe this is a silly question and I should really know about this stuff by now- but when should one start antenatal classes? And where do I find a reliable and reputable antenatal class if I don't want to go to the one the hospital provides? I'm looking for something in SW London - preferably in Putney, where I live. I checked out the NCT site, but their courses seem awfully short - is that all that one should be doing?

Also, I've been experiencing weird stabbing pains in the pelvic and groin region - unlike anything I've had before. Seen the midwife and the obstetrician who did a scan and said baby's fine, nothing to worry about, probably just muscle strain due to my digestive system not working properly... (I have chronic IBS) but that was 4 days ago, and the pains haven't gone. I didn't go to work today because I wasn't sure about whether I would be able to handle the commute (stairs, trains, buses etc), and am feeling a bit lost and uncertain. Has anyone else been through anything similar?

(Been a bit submerged as my mother-in-law was visiting from overseas past couple of weeks, so haven't been able to log on for awhile.)

lightwind

Active Birth Centre (that's north London, though) also does its own antenatal classes. I suppose you'd usually start them around 6-7 months. NCT is the most common alternative to NHS, you could always phone up the contact people and ask for more info. Plenty of people do both NHS and NCT classes, get different perspectives that way. Hospital's own class is very good for learning how that partic hospital likes to do stuff, where to park, policies on complications, etc.

I've had lots of cramp like pains, too. Just seems to be normal for this pregnancy.

Yes me too - very sharp twinges and stabbing pains that stop me in my tracks - I'm putting it down to all the rearranging that's going on internally as LO makes itself comfortable. It's especially bad just before I have to go to the loo in the mornings - excuse me if this is TMI.... If the doctors don't think it's a cause for concern, then that must be reassuring hopefully.

Congrats Merlypuss - how amazing .... more twins!!! A mn record must surely be being set for multiple pregnancies on this thread..

Good luck Alkar with scan tomorrow.

Hello all,

Long time no post....... So much has happened on this thread in the last few weeks!! such good news and such sad......

Welcome to all the new peeps!

Have had a bit of a stressfull time myself... realised I had missed my booking in appt which should have been on the 2nd August. The receptionist at our local surgery made me feel like a right numpty when I phoned saying I thought I had missed an appt - and said it would be very difficult now to fit me in - I apologised loads, then after hanging up the phone cried for about an hour!... I had my "12 week" scan back on the 16th August and discovered I was actually 13 weeks PG not 12. this caused a slight issue as I was planning on having the Nuchal Fold Scan - but the deadline for that is 13+6. Luckily - they managed to squeeze me in on the 22nd Aug (when I was 13+6) - but when they charge a £180 fee, I expect they can squeeze quite a few people in!!!

My age related risk for a downs baby is 1/520 and then the Scan results were not good - at 2.7mm they were outside the norm! so I had to wait till the blood tests came back before knowing the risk for sure - but it didn't look good... cried again.

Well, I got a phone call last week while on holiday - ((Was on holiday last week in the Lake District (was luverlly!!)) Have found a new love for Kendal Mint Cake!![Mmm minty and sweet - can feel my teeth melting]
just to let me know that the blood tests had come back and the actual risk was..... 1/6300.......... I was so relieved that I cried.

I have changed my date on the list below, so hello to morningglory and wotsits - ours will be the children of the full moon..... if of course they appear on time...... if this LO is anything like it's father it will be more than fashionably late!!! tee hee hee!

I feel much better having seen the baby on the scan. I can actually believe there is a baby in there now - but it was making some very jerky movements. Very Wierd. Anyone else seen this?

So, I had my booking in appt on the 23rd Aug, am seeing the midwife again on the 11th Sept, and I am going for an anomoly scan on the 4th October, this will be 20 weeks, and hopefully that will all be fine too.....

Not got morning sickness anymore - but when my pizza took too long to cook - I was sooo hungry... I cried.

I think I might have swapped nausea for being a little over emotional.....

Leesmum - (34, Manchester)due January 28th Ds2yrs 9mo, next scan 12/9/07
Beansprout - (37, NW London) 1 February ds, 2yrs 9mo
CountTo10 - (28, South Bucks) ds, 2yrs 9mo
Fillyjonk, ds 3.5 dd 22 months)
Gingermumi - (41, South East Hampshire) DD1 19 years and dd2 16years, anomoly scan 10th Sept
VictorVictoria, ds almost 2. 2 February
Bristols - DS 9 months
Egg, (31, Putney SW London)- TWINS - DS 17 months, next scan 20/09/07
Miniandme - (30,Livingston, Scotland) TWINS - DS 11 yrs, ds 9 yrs, dd almost 5.
Pia03hj, hopefully first one
-- 3 Feb
Alkar - (31, Warrington) first one.
Slacker - 3xDS 12,10&6, DD 3
lucyand2 - (27, Daventry), DD 15 months 4 Feb
Mummylittle - due 6th Feb, first baby!!
lljkk - (40, Norfolk) DS8, DD6, DS3 7 Feb
dearbeatrice - first baby due 29 Jan (33, surrey - next scan end of september)
Basilbrush - DS 16 months
CountTo10 - (28, South Bucks) ds, 2yrs 10mo 8 Feb
cornishkitten - first baby
mutha2beagain - ds 6yrs
jo9977 - (39, Coventry) first one, 20 week scan 20/09/07
-- 9 Feb
rozzy raspberry - DS1 4yrs 6mo, DS2 2yrs 7mo
ThursdayNext - DS 2yrs
10 Feb Latebloomer - DS 10m
-- 11 Feb
Bessie123 - First one.
Rapunzelle - dd4, ds2.5
-- 12 Feb
Expectingkat, TWINS, DD 12, DD 8, DD 7months
Loonyballoony - DD 2yrs 7mon
-- 13 Feb
pobletsmum - DS1 2;3 next scan october
-- 14 Feb
tadpolemummy - DS 2 years 2 months
indignatio - DS 5 yrs
-- 15 Feb
Manamana - (32, Chichester) DS 23mo
Lailasmum -(28, Devon) DD 3yrs 3 months-Next scan 24 sept
-- 16 Feb
Lightwind - Putney - first one
MitfordSisters - first one
-- 18 Feb
Mymissus - (35 Cheltenham) first one
smithfield - (38) DS1 2.5yrs
-- 19 Feb
rosequartz - dd 6.5yrs; ds 5.5yrs; ds 4.5yrs; dd 3.5yrs; dd 2yrs.4mnths; ds 1yr. 3mnths.
SallyinYorkshire (32) first one
20 Feb violeta - (35, N London) first one.
-- 21 Feb
morningglory (35, West London) - ds 3y7mo
wotsits - DD 11 months
BovrilSarnies - (33 Bicester, oxon) first one
22 Feb Redbush - dd 14mths
-- 24 Feb
Lexie100 - dd 20 mths
Gybegirl - dd 15 mths
25 Feb cheechymunchy - ds2.4yrs
26 Feb
27 Feb princessllama- dd 8months
-- 29 Feb
bambiraptor - ds 3.5yrs dd 2.0yrs
samsmam - 30, gravesend, kent dd 8 months
ladlemonke - 33, Midlothian,TWINS-first ones!

Hi Lightwind,

I too have had some sharp stabbing pains - don't know if it's my imagination - or if they seem to be around the time I would be due a period..... (I have only had them a few times and weeks apart) had some quite bad ones when I went to bed last night and had to sit up / move to try and ease the pain. I had sort of assumed that it was just my innerds stretching to make more room.

Thanks for all the good luck wishes for tomorrow. I was getting really worried today as I was getting bad stabbing pains in my stomach and my groin - relieved to see others are too though - seems quite normal.

Bovril ? good news with your blood test, should get my results tomorrow I already checked my AFP and I think its OK.

Good luck to anyone else with scans this week I don?t think I could wait any longer to find out which colour I?m having, I?m so impatient!

Hello!! feeling lots better now. Have had a really busy weekend though!! Pain in neck seems to have subsided and baby is now moving quite regularly so that's reassuring. Car might be a write off as the damage is worse than I thought - don't really like the car anymore anyway though!!!

Welcome to the new people and can't believe we have more twins!!!

I'm currently preparing for a long weekend in portugal with the girls in a few weeks time - I just can't wait!!! Dp is being a nightmare at the moment and things just seem to keep going wrong so I'm looking forward to the break from it all!!!

Hope everyone's well x

Hi
Congrats bovrilsarnies pleased your blood tests were good ones, also counto10 glad you are feelin a bit better and lucky you havin a break to look forward to.
Yay by thursday DD1 and DD2 will both be back to school, I love having them at home but they get so bored sometimes. So will be back to just me and DS I got a feeling he shall miss having his sisters about.
Looking forward to my scan on the 26th (just seems ages away lol) when people ask how far gone I am, 17wks today they say wow thats going quick, but to me it feels like I've been pregnant forever!
I hope everyone else is doing well.
The kids are pleased as I have now loaded some pics on here of them, they love showing off their ickle brother

Bovril -- what a saga! Or should that be "ordeal"?

My DS was also alarmed to watch his siblings march off into school this morning. Fortunately he had his own preschool to go to.

So who else is stuggling between ordinary and maternity clothes? Maternity stuff falls off, and it's uncomfy to tuck my "fat" jeans under the bump. Stuck with leggings under dresses, for now.

Have read somewhere about pelvic pain, it can be just everything stretching but there is also a 'syndrome' (or something like that!) that can be very painful and debilitating - i would keep an eye on it and talk to midwife too. I think some pain is normal though.

can't fit in normal clothes anymore, all maternity for me now! I am sick of saying i still have months to go , people keep thinking it's only weeks! I hate having to explain about fibroid every time but not much else i can do!

Congrats Bovril on results, can't get much better than that.

Hi all,
I could do with another perspective on my midwife appointment yesterday, i cant gauge if i'm being super-sensitive and expecting too much.

I'm now 14+5, and had a sort of booking appointment with a locum doctor at 7w, who took most of the usual details and family history etc.
Waiting another 7 weeks to finally get to see a midwife has been really frustrating, but i dont suppose its that unusual. Yesterday i went to my appointment, and a girl who looked about 12 (i dont wish to be mean, but she did!) called me into the room. She said that she was a student midwife, and she'd do my notes etc, and that my named midwife would come along later. Found out at scan 2weeks ago that i'm having twins, with a shared placenta. Because of this, i'll be more closely observed, with hospital appointments and regular scans.

Back to the thing i'm moaning/venting about (!), the named midwife never actually showed up, and the student couldn't answer some of my questions. I wasn't offered an explanation as to why the midwife wasn't there throughout, nor why she didn't even turn up. As the whole appointment lasted an hour and 20 mins, and there was so much to cover, it was a bit tiring and i kind of didn't realise till afterwards that the student was working unsupervised, and i have no idea what her experience is.

Sorry this is long - since being preg i seem to ramble on and on....

DP is working abroad, but was quite annoyed when i told him - and he's usually sooo laid back.
I know you lot have a wealth and variety of experience, and i'd really appreciate your thoughts.
Am I being a moany cu*t? Or issit normal for a student to do an entire booking appt unsupervised, or for a midwife not to bother turning up??? I feel like complaining, or trying to voice these concerns, but am wary about the consequences of rocking the boat.

ladlemonke - You're definitely not being moany, I think I'd be pretty p*ssed off about that too! Have you been able to get in touch with your MW to get your questions answered and find out why you weren't seen by the named midwife?

I got my blood test results back today and everything is fine, I'm in the low risk category for Downs (1 in 5900) which is a big relief after everything thats happened this year. I do feel slightly guilty though (stupid I know)

Afternoon all
ladlemonke, that sounds pretty poor to me. I'm surprised you only saw a student, especially on your first midwife appointment which is often the longest and most detailed.
And even more so with twins.
I don't think not seeing anyone between 7 and 14 weeks is unusual though. I don't think there's much to check on in terms of monitoring as that stage.
Do you have another appointment to see a midwife?

I'm still pretty much in normal clothes. Haven't put on a lot of weight or got much of a bump so far, mainly because I spent 2+ months throwing up. Have developed huge breasts though, had to buy some new work tops to preserve decency! Morning sickness now pretty much gone, which is fantastic.
Dearbeatrice, how are you getting on, my fellow hyperemesis sufferer?

Hi + thanks Lucyand2.
I havent yet contacted the MW, I'm testing out the validity of my whinge on you lot first!!
Sorry to read that yhe wee one's been poorly, hope she's holding it down now.

Dont feel guilty for the great bloods result, be glad! I was further narked yesterday when studentMW informed me that there was no point in doing blood tests for Downs and T18 cos with twins the results cant be accurate. Now i'm well past the cut off date for nuchal fold scan, i cant understand why this wasn't (at the very fookin least) MENTIONED at the scan when i had time to consider my options. I hate the thought of having information withheld.

Gets down off high horse<
At this point studentMW got a bit rattled and phoned named MW (the one who was supposed to be there but was elsewhere in the building) and got a name and phone number of some woman at the hospital who 'knows about these things'.
And so, another faceless name on the list of people to call, whilst worrying that they're going to label me a right paranoid PITA.
(...oh dear, i suspect my moaning could go on all day...)

Hi ThursdayNext, thanks for your thoughts. I was wondering, and haven't done any research o this, but what is the gen/normal practice for bras/expanding bust? Do you need to keep buying bigger and bigger?

Hi ladlemonke When I went for my first appointment it was with a student midwife, I was about 8wks. She got a good few things wrong from not really believin I could possible know my LMP havin only had DS in january wouldn't quite beleive wot wks I thought I was (only a few days off when I went for my scan) spent more going "awwww bless" at irrlevant times, sayin about heatly eatin big list of wot not to eat (I have done this 3times already) and my husband's smokin and then ringed the domestic voilence phone number at the back I was quite peed off by the end of it. Next time I made the choice I don't want to see her, if your not comfortable you just don't feel your gettin what your need out of it. I think you need to have confidence in the people who are going to look after you. Its our bodies and our babies

Thats wonderful news about your blood test results lucyand2 congrats

Hi ExpectingKat - your booking experience sounds pretty dire, but it made me snigger! I guess all good MW's have to start somewhere...

OK now i feel liked i overreacted, as have spoken to both the MW team and the lady at the hospital 'who knows'.
I dont want to say too much as it is a small world , but the MW fuckup was due to a busy appointment day combined with sickness, holidays and absences.
And OMG, the lady at the hospital was too lovely for words!

Feel like a bit of a cu*t now.

How come no-one warned me about these symptoms of feirce overprotectiveness and assuming the worst?

Don't feel bad (you need to feel secure in your care) and sorry for not warning about sensitivity...but it didn't hit me till recently and then wham, it blitzed me!!! Feel like I have raging PMT today

Funny the things you can read into anything if you've a mind to...

that they do ladlemonke lol everyones got to start somewhere awwwww bless her!
I'm glad you got everything sorted though and feel better. I was told they didn't give the triple test to twin pregnacies aswell also when they booked my next appointment at 15wks I was to far gone to have the scan aswell (I'm glad I had already decided not to have it)

The symptoms of pregnancy can be just plan scary, I've gone from crying in the supermarket whilst sayin to DH "don't ask me what I want for tea, I just don't know what I fancy you pic something" to wanting to punch someone when they've bashed you with their trolly whilst 9months pregnant!

lljkk - just noticed you're in Norfolk (my old stomping ground!) whereabouts are you?

alkar - how did your scan go? good I hope.

countto10 - Do you feel the baby movin' all the time? I forget how far along you are. I don't think I've felt anything yet..... but don't know what to expect it to feel like.

lljkk - Am not in Maternity getup yet, but deffo need some new jeans coz I can't sit comfortably in my normal jeans unless I undo the top button!

ladlemonke - sounds like you've been round the houses, but glad to know you feel better for speakin to the pro's.

I have heard that you can get special underwire maternity bra's, where the wire is more flexible than your standard one. Anyone heard of these or recomend these?

Scan OK but it was moving around too much so we have to go bck for another on Monday to check the spine. Radiographer thinks its a boy we'll check again on Monday but it did look like it!

Any other scans soon?

Went for my booking in appt yesterday. M/W said she had washed her hands of me due to my 'complex medical history' and rushed me through for a blood test and consultant appt next Monday. Good to know they are keeping an eye on me even if I am always at hospital, doctors or having blood taken (when they can actually find some).
I am in maternity gear, apart from leggins and over sized tops. And I have already gone up 2 bra sizes . Can just about fit in 2 normal pairs of trousers but bought a size larger than norm and after 2 weeks they were too tight. OH says I have a growing day on a Sunday and even said I have got bigger in the 2 hours I had been out tonight.

Jo9977: I don't want to say exactly where I live, trying to preserve some anonymity. What places do you know? I may know them.

I burst into tears at stupid things, but I am not too emotional compared to last pregnancy, clumsy and forgetful instead. Extremely sensitive Nips lately, too (ouch, ouch, husband no touchie!! ).

hi everyone

Alkar pleased that your scan went ok, and a little boy? you are getting me all excited for mine next week. i'm on the 12th but there are a few next week i think.

Merlypuss i've been in mat wear for a couple of weeks now and its so much more comfy! I had some bras from 1st preg but now boobs aren't as sore i've just bought bigger underwired bras, i've gone from a nice 34b to 36dd

CountTo10 i've felt baby move loads in the last week and dp has felt it too. It seems to be getting really strong and doesn't like me sitting down.

For all those who are feeling emotional at the moment, it will pass, being pregnant is great but so much is happening to your mind and body i'ts no wonder we loose it from time to time

For anyone suffering with heartburn those gaviscon cool tablets are brilliant and do work!!

Take care everyone xx