August 2019 4: All the scans and hopefully the end of nausea

[ScotsBaby2]

Hi all

Welcome to the new thread. The list of names is HUGE! It might be a better idea to start a new list after 12 week scans so we have up to date due dates. It also allows those who have bad news but don't want to share it to leave quietly if they so wish.

I don't even have a scan date! Hurry up and end first trimester.

Has anyone on this thread not gone ahead with the combined test? I've said no for now. I'm 37 and my pregnancy is high risk and my miscarriage risk is 50/60% as it is. I've said no all because I don't want the amnio done, because of an added risk of miscarriage. I guess I'm just questioning my decision 🤔 and just wondered if anyone hasn't had it? X

@NutRoastCityLimits you are very brave and you are doing the right thing, knowing that may help in the coming weeks and months. I'm so sorry about the CVS.

It's shocking that there's stuff online with such misinformation. I guess there's a political agenda behind trying to control reproductive choices.

Wishing you well in the future and I'm so very sorry you're in this position.

@Kcjoe
Are you in the UK?
It’s my understanding the NHS work up to an amino, it’s offered as a last resort.
You have bloods, then 12 week scan. If they come back high you’ll Be offered the chance to pay for the harmony test (or the like) and if that’s high then you’ll be offered an amnio.
Out of all those tests it’s only the amnio that has a risk of miscarriage.
Have you opted out of them all?

@Runningbutnotscared yes I'm in the UK. I've had a look at the options. I'm 12 weeks next Sunday. I have a scan this Monday to check where coil is and then I have my 12 week scan on 18th. Midwife told me today that if I don't have the test now, they can do another one later on but it's not as accurate. They will also do the usual checks on the scan etc. But obviously if either come back high risk, the next option is the amnio. I've looked in to the harmony test option and it's about £350-400 😳 with my son they picked up his dilated kidney on the 20 week scan. I was told then that it was a marker for downs and to decide over night whether I wanted amnio and to consider abortion! I did neither and my son was born healthy apart from his kidney issue. He had hydronephrosis. Kidney wouldn't drain. 7 years later and he was discharged from bham children's last year x

@CalmerComber

Explodingkitten; 19-08; DC1 and only (due to medical reasons)

Although I'll have to deliver at least two weeks earlier due to type 1 diabetes.

Checking in now, I had previous miscarriages so didn't dare to check in earlier.

How is everyone?

@Kcjoe are you Birmingham? Because I am and was expecting to be offered the NHS harmony for around £200-£300? Although if you are high risk I believe the nHs offer this for free.

I am also high risk but new to the area so maybe it’s different here?

Yes, I imagine at 20 weeks if you are going for an abortion you need to make that decision really snappily as there would be a wait for a space once you had decided. It could be a week or two and you can’t really go over 24 weeks.

I guess that’s why the leaflets suggest you make up your mind what you are going to do with the test info before you have the test.

So pleased your son is out the other side now, it must have been very worrying for you.
I am up the Birmingham children’s hospital with my youngest at the moment and generally annoyed by the cost of parking.

@Runningbutnotscared I am in Worcester so not too far away. I might speak to the midwife and see what she says about harmony test. She's not mentioned it at all. Thank you. Regarding parking at bch. You need to make sure you're in the ncp thistle hotel car park. You validate your ticket at reception in bch (you need proof of appt/hospital stay) and you get discounted rate. If you're staying at Ronald McDonald house you can also get a parking ticket from them. I'm lucky (or not so) in that I was issued with a blue badge so parking is no longer an issue provided there are spaces. I hope your son is ok x

@Kcjoe I'm in Worcestershire and our midwife advised that if the combined test shows you as high risk you should be offered NIPT on the NHS before they would do the more invasive test because if the risks of mc. Apparently this came into effect on Oct 18.

@NutRoastCityLimits so sorry to hear such heartbreaking news. I would do the same in your position but I know it must be awful for you.

I had my booking in appointment today as I was a little late getting the paperwork sorted. Got my 12 week scan on 20th feb but I have already had 2 good scans ( 8 weeks and 10 weeks).
At my booking in appointment they took my carbon monoxide levels and they were 8. They said it should be below 4 and that was high. They tested my other half and he was 4 but he didn't breathe into the machine properly - ugh - so I'm worried he didn't do it right and maybe his is high too. Anyway, I don't smoke and I'm careful around what I breathe in so I'm really worried. Just called the emergency gas people to come and check the house as this isn't sitting well with me. Why would it be so high when I don't smoke or anything. If it's not the house then what on earth could it be? I've read that this can cause low birth weight, death and behavioural problems! So worried now 😩

@MrsRyan15 oh that's interesting. My midwife has never mentioned it. I shall give her a call on Monday and ask. Thank you

@PinkLady89x I was told you could have a high reading if you work in an office beside busy roads or spend a lot of time in a very built up area.

@ivegotthedecaf good luck on the Septmeber thread (but stay here too :-) )

@abearandabump How are you doing? I also had a bleed a while ago now, but all turned out OK in the end. Fingers crossed.

@nutroastcitylimits - sending you positive thoughts from here. Is there anyone else who can go with you? Sorry you're having to face this alone next week.

PinkLady89x do you have a carbon monoxide alarm at home? Maybe get one in the meantime and get it up on the wall while you wait for gas people x

@Kcjoe when I had my termination last year I was told there is no upper time limit for babies with fatal abnormalities. They didn’t push me for a decision at all, I was 17 weeks.
Obviously the process is a lot harder the further along you are so that might have been why they rushed you for a decision.

@PinkLady89x we were given this carbon test and the midwife said it's been introduced because of high levels of pollution in most cities have been shown to damage foetuses. In our area parents have been given maps of roads to walk down to cut pollution etc. Do you work/was/cycle down any high street type roads - it's likely that that is giving you the high reading rather than anything in your house. We have carbon monitors in my daughter's school which is on a high street (not a busy road just a regular road but it has bus stops on it) and the pollution levels on one side of the playground are dangerous almost everyday in winter.

@Kcjoe The nhs process is scan and combined bloods and then NIPT (nhs version of harmony) and then if that shows a high level of inducator of something (they are v accurate) you can base a decision on that, or have CVS up to 16 weeks if you want the certainty of a dna check. Amino is after 16 weeks and can be carried out up until 37 weeks (so if you want the certainty but you're worried about miscarriage you can do it later and then try baby can be born safely).

I was due to have CVS last Wednesday. The rates are 1% which is actually the same chance of miscarriage of 12-16 week part of pregnancy anyway. There is a lot of research into it and most miscarriages occur when there are severe abnormalities and so perhaps likely that miscarriage would have been triggered anyway. You can have a late-term abortion under very careful circumstances that mean the baby's life would be severely impacted (only certain conditions fall under this requirement). I have to say the nhs takes cvs and amnio v seriously in my experience. I was turned away because they absolutely want to guarantee the safety of the baby and will only do it if they feel they can confidently say it won't be affected. They will keep rebooking me until this is the case. (Access site, baby position etc are all factors). I think you've got a lot of stages before you would be offered amnio which you can decline anyway, and should definitely be pushing for NIPT. Good luck!

@NutRoastCityLimits I'm so sorry to hear about your distressing news. Sending you the strength to deal with this very tough situation.

@UnicornDust17 feeling much better, didn't move off the sofa yesterday, luckily DS was exhausted from the previous day.

Does anyone else keep having strange dreams about losing their baby? Last nights was the worst, it was so real I woke up crying.

@ABearandABump I've had that dream a few times I've been having terrible nightmares to be honest must be the hormones!

Been sitting here online window shopping and doing a wish list with mothercare of just ideas because I dont have a clue tbh lol
What's everyone thinking with feeding? Breastfeeding or bottle feeding? I'm lost in what to do 🙈

@ScotsBaby2 also been trying to message you directly and I can't work out how to 😩

@nutroastcitylimits I am so sorry to see your news. You are very brave and, in my opinion, making the best and kindest decision for everyone, but that doesn’t diminish how awful it must be. Will be thinking of you this week.

Hi @emma1224

If you open a browser rather than the app then click on the little person when on the chat page and then inbox.

@emma1224 I couldn't BF with DS - my milk came in but wouldn't come out for some reason. Got told off by some random nurse (not my MW) who told me to stop 'starving' my child and to 'stick a bottle in his mouth'.

I'm hoping to at least give BFing a go with this little one.

@emma1224 I breastfed for the first 3 months and then my daughter was FINALLY diagnosed with a tongue tie and failure to thrive. The day she was due to get her tongue tie cut she refused to breastfeed and we bottle fed from then onwards. I am a huge believer in breastfeeding, when successful, is the cheapest, most convenient and best nutrition wise for baby.

I will be hoping to breastfeed this baby and bottle feed if breastfeeding fails again.

What are your feelings towards it?

@QueenofFox @ScotsBaby2 @UnicornDust17

I've ordered a new carbon monoxide monitor even though mine is still okay - I want a new one. They've turned our gas off and we have to get someone out tomorrow to service everything and then turn it back on. I work in a school but it is on a main road, maybe it's something to do with that. Or I thought maybe there's a fault with my car 🤷🏼‍♀️ not sure! The gas people were great though, they brought round two fan heaters and two hot plates to cook on while we wait for the service people to come! They said we get to keep them too which was lovely! All brand new- couldn't believe it 😱.

Anyone else craving apples? I can't get enough apples! And grapes 😂. Weirdly I really didn't fancy anything like that a few weeks ago and the last week it's all about the apples. So strange! Could be worse though. I've gone off chocolate and sweet stuff which is crazy for me! I'm a chocoholic normally!

@PinkLady89x that's excellent news about the gas people. Are the windows at work often open out onto the road? What is your midwife saying about it?

@Emma1224 I'll be breastfeeding because it's (eventually) easier and cheap. I bottle fed my DD1 after a week of absolute misery, I had a traumatic labour, a totally useless waster of an ex husband and I think that contributed to struggling. DD is 18 now and is the healthiest of my 3, I'm not disputing breast is 'best' but happy mum and fed baby is more important.

That said with a nice birth for dd2 and a lovely husband I fed her for 8m until I fell pregnant with dd3 and dd2 went off me!

Dd3 birth was even easier and my nipples were like old leather by then so feeding was easy too. I fed her til she was 1.

So I plan to breastfeed again this time but I imagine it will hurt for the first few weeks as my nipples are so sensitive! But if I can't bottles will be fine!