July 2019 (thread 7)

[RooKangaroo]

Sorry, can't think of a more exciting title!

Such a chatty bunch that we're racking up the threads now. Can anyone share the link for the Google Docs spreadsheet? The one I tried didn't work.

Thanks!

@Trying2bemum I’m waiting for that glow too! I still look and feel like crap 😂

@Capybaras spot central here as well. I already suffer from acne (have done since I was 12) but it is really flaring up with pregnancy.

I've got a horrible taste in my mouth quite often too! it's making me drink loads and then I just have to pee every 10 mins

I never get spots but I've got a little cluster of red 'bumps' on my cheek . Isn't pregnancy so glamorous

My skin has gone crazy. So. Many. Spots. I used to get one or two every so often but I've got a horrible cluster on my chin that won't budge. And today started getting itchy flaky skin around my eyes and brows too. No glow here for sure! However my hair is growing so fast I swear there's an extra inch over night and my nails are as long and strong as they've ever been - guess you can't have it all?! 😉

@Jxtina86 I've got weirdly dry forehead skin too! Pregnancy is so lush isn't it in the grand scheme of things cannot complain at all though!

@Capybaras so glam! hate dry skin - not so much my face but my legs, arms and hands. I have to slather myself in moisturiser otherwise turn into some scaly monster.

I bit the bullet yesterday and ordered some maternity clothes and seemingly lucked out with ASOS - got some joggers (so comfy), two pack of t-shirts they are a loose fit anyway so can wear throughout hopefully, 2 long sleeved tops (one fits perfect now and the other needs a bit more bump but fits elsewhere) and a furry, but lined, grey animal print jumper which is beyond comfy. Been feeling so fed up with my limited wardrobe for the past few weeks I'm looking forward to adding these into the mix!

I also caved today @Jxtina86 and got a few bits in the Seraphine sale. Just some dresses for £35 each and a couple of casual tops. I'm also really looking forward to incorporating them into the mix as have felt awful and bloated recently and nothing fits.

I do need to find work maternity trousers .... not having much luck on that front! I can't believe I'm 15+5. Almost 4 months. Almost half way!!

For @Kentishgal I think re pelvis pain, think the links are exercise and tips on how to manage. It was posted on a Facebook group I'm on by a hospital - hope it helps

Carrying on with the Pelvic Girdle Pain information. Here are some useful links to booklets to support PGP:

POGP Pelvic Girdle Pain booklet – A booklet with advice about PGP and recommendations on how it can be best managed including some key exercises.

pogp.csp.org.uk/system/files/pogp-pgppat_3.pdf

POGP Fit for Birth Leaflet – antenatal exercises, perineal massage, pain relief and positioning options for labour.

pogp.csp.org.uk/system/files/publication_files/POGP-FFBirth.pdf

POGP Fit for Pregnancy - booklet providing exercises and advice to help women keep healthy and cope with the physical demands of pregnancy.

pogp.csp.org.uk/system/files/publication_files/POGP-FFPregnancy.pdf

POGP Fit for the Future leaflet - This booklet contains a safe set of exercises and advice to help new mothers recover after childbirth.

pogp.csp.org.uk/system/files/publication_files/POGP-FFFuture.pdf Ideally this should be given to all women following childbirth.

POGP Relaxation booklet. This booklet contains information on the 'Mitchell method of physiological relaxation', which is the name given to a technique of relaxing the whole, or part of the body, thus relieving the muscle tensions produced by stress.

pogp.csp.org.uk/system/files/pogp-mitchell-2_0.pdf

Thanks so much onemorewish - that's really helpful - I'll have a good read of those links!

Yes to bad skin all of a sudden. And bad nosebleeds (probably partly due to really blocked sinuses and partly hormones / extra blood - as I know they are more common in pregnancy) - never had a nosebleed in my life before!

Comparatively I had such an easy pregnancy the first time round (really just migraines and carpel tunnel) so I really shouldnt complain...but I am...frequently!

This bean keeps lulling me into a false sense of security; I stop feeling sick long enough to actually eat a proper meal then 30 mins later I’m vomiting the lot up! 😩

Another big thank you for all the PGP links! Really helpful. On osteopaths, central London would suit me best because of work. Walked uite about today and feeling it. ☹️

Also have the belly line and very dry body skin. No nosebleeeds for now (they sound bad!) and no massive hair growth either, I'd quite like it a bit longer after an over-zealous haircut.

I was chatting to an old colleague today about being pregnant and hypermesis, how exhausting it can be and how it means I've lost some weight when the natural thing by now would be to start gaining a bit. She said 'well your cheeks still look chubbier than usual to me.' I was kind of gobsmacked! Just carried on with the conversation, at the end of which she invited herself over to visit me on mat leave. What an odd remark. She's usually nice and very normal. Not TTC, did cross my mind.

Any FTM feeling any movement yet? I'm 17+3 and (sorry if TMI) my belly seems to have got smaller (I think less bloated) getting less constipated and less trapped wind. Basically farting all the time
My brain in worrying that I cant feel anything (I know it's early) and my belly looking less huge isn't helping!

@ForTheLoveOfDoughnuts FTM here too and felt nothing yet. Also 17+3. My bump seems to change throughout the day - morning and evening it's quite round but during the day it seems to shrink! Still constipated and getting some trapped wind but my god when it goes, it's quite astonishing!! They rival DH's...!

@ForTheLoveOfDoughnuts my tummy has definitely gotten smaller since last week. I’m thinking that I must be less bloated but it is definitely concerning. My sickness has also amped back up this week. I have a really bad cold so I don’t know if that is contributing to my sickness.

@ForTheLoveofDoghnuts and everyone else I thought this same this week, as if growth has slowed down. But in general I'm feeling better so I'm sure its just normal sort of stabilisng of the pregnancy. Given a lot of the hard work is down, now its just steady growth for 5/6 months.

is anyone else have pulsating in their ears? I've had it since Wednesday, I did have a heavy headache wednesday evening, took paracetamol and went to bed, woke up with it a little bit yesterday. But the pulsating is still there. I've read some stuff that says its normal/increased fluids, but as I have a clotting condition i'm trying to debate if I wait till specialist appointment on Wednesday or text the midwife today, I have a feeling she might just tell me to wait given it can be normal.

I do have stuffy nose again, that could also contribute.

As someone else said, when does the glowing part start?!

Oh my goodness yukka I have exactly that! I put it down to a head cold / extra blood but I think I recall something similar the first time. fortheloveofdoughnuts I didn't feel anything the first time round until at least 21 weeks and it may well have even been later than that. stargazydrifter it never ceases to amaze me the comments some people feel it's acceptable to make when you're pregnant! I had a friend tell me the other day "you're so lucky you get to have a c-section, it's just so much easier and the recovery is so much easier too" (she knows what happened last time) - I just made a cutting remark back and haven't spoken to her since! Generally everyone has been nice and just said, you're big but you're not fat (even though I look like a hippo) but I'm sure there'll be some. I know some people who said that strangers touched their bump - it didn't happen to me last time but that's a definite no no surely?

@ForTheLoveOfDoughnuts I'm a FTM and think I've been feeling movement for the last week. I'm 17+3 and getting regular flutter/pulsation, especially if I've had a cold drink! I think it's quite early to be feeling anything though as a FTM. My midwife said it probably is the baby but as the weeks progress it will feel stronger and you'll be more sure of it!

@Yukka I've had a runny nose forever now! Not sure if it's just general cold/lurgy or the pregnancy congestion. Either way it's annoying and I'm getting blood when I blow my nose (TMI sorry!)

My belly is still fairly small - it's getting more rounded and is quite hard but still not an obvious bump. I'm obsessed with looking at my current weeks pregnancy on Instagram and the bumps look huge in comparison (although I imagine most are not on their 1st or are just showing early and mega proud!)

Have any of you done a social media announcement? I was dead against it to begin with but now I'm thinking I may want to do one once we've had our 20 week scan and (fingers crossed) had the all clear!

'@Kentishgal oh glad its not just me. I stopped the Heparin injections on monday and I think I'm a bit paranoid that somethings going to go wrong. At least only a few days to next appointment though, I don't know if they'll do an extra scan but at least a healthcheck will put my mind at rest.

@Capybaras Bloody nose when I blow too - its so annoying. We haven't done social media stuff, think we might a bit later on. Its my 40th at the end of Feb I'll be 18 weeks, expect it will come out then on photos etc

Also - I bought some black maternity jeans from Dorothy P's. God they really are so comfortable.. The maternity band is too big now obvs, but I can fold it down and the jeans themselves fit well. I think they'll last me a while. We have smart casual policy at work so could do with some nice jackets next. And a maternity swimsuit - signed up to an Antenatal Pool class.

@Yukka oh yes lots of photos at your 40th would be a definite give away! That's kind of how I would want to announce it, just a casual pic of me and bump but don't really have any occasions coming up where that would happen and I'm not the type who posts casual!

Oh comfy maternity jeans - that's a find! I've been relying on dresses/skirts mostly! Have seen some cool dungarees on ASOS but not sure if they'd just make me look massive (I'm not dainty!)

I haven’t done the announcing on Facebook thing because I don’t really have anyone on Facebook who I haven’t told personally anyway so it seemed pointless. The odd few people who don’t know will probably find out via Facebook photos at some point.

Also @Capybaras I am desperate for some maternity dungarees! I just think they look so cool! 😂

No social media announcements here, I’m going radio silence with the whole thing on there indefinitely. No pics of it when it’s born, not when it’s a child. Nothing. We’ve decided that we going to let him/her decide for themselves what goes online about them. I just hope the relatives respect our wishes too....

Had a weird dream last night that I announced on on social media though. In my head I was thinking “why did I just do that I thought i wasn’t going to?” So odd.

@reeny19 that's fair enough. I completely understand why people don't want photos of their kids out there on social media. I think we'll probably put one up to announce the birth but otherwise keep it to the bare minimum. I see so many people who put every single moment up on SM - like first bath, potty training(!) and other pics where you think, that poor child when their older will find pictures of themselves naked/pooing. I'd hate that if that was me so would never do it to my child!

@reeny19 I’m going to try to do the same thing although I know certain family members won’t care what I say and will definitely post photos.
Like you say @Capybaras I may put a birth announcement on social media but then keep things to a minimum and just share photos with family and friends privately rather than publicly.
It is each to their own as far as I’m concerned but I grew up with photos in physical photo albums rather than all over the internet and I liked that.
Me and the hubby have said we are going to get some disposable cameras for the first few weeks and take lots of photos to almost recreate one of our 90s baby photo albums. We had them at our wedding and loved the way the photos looked like how they did when we were young (a bit of nostalgia!)

Reeny19 Completely with you on the social media front. We put up a pic to announce DDs birth but other than that nothing.
I feel very uncomfortable about sharing anything to do with her on social media. And will feel the same with this baby.
We had a bit of a battle with SIL who is a serial Facebook poster but eventually she stopped asking us if she could share a photo as she realised the answer would always be no.
Everyone has been really respectful of our wishes, and understands our reasons.

Ultimately you have to do what feels right for you as a parent x

I think the odd pic here and there is acceptable, I don’t mind that. We’re just taking it to the extreme.

I just really don’t think it’s right when people put every fart, poop, burp, tantrum online. And some people post videos constantly... I cringe, that stuff is supposed to be private ☹️

I feel fortunate to have grown up in the 90s as I honestly don’t know what my parents would have done. But if I was a kid today and grew up, then saw 1000s of photos of me online.... I’d be mortified. So it’s just not something I can do to my own sprog. It’s just not my choice to make.

Unsure about how I feel sending photos to friends via WhatsApp etc. I know that’s technically not secure/private either, companies reading your messages etc. But then I think it’s at least not fully public so it’s probably ok. What do you guys think?