Pregnancy after MMC

[sadtoday21]

Hi everyone! I moved our thread over here so we can all keep in touch as we continue on this journey.

Many congratulations again to @Amanda81 on the birth of your beautiful baby girl Holly! Our first baby on the thread. Also tagging the regulars @Catconfusion @Kiki061190 @bananamonkey. Newcomers welcome as well!

That’s great you’re doing so well @sadtoday21, hope you can sort out your shopping!

HVs are optional anyway @Catconfusion, I don’t even know why they’re coming round pre-birth second time around. Last time was fairly pointless as it wasn’t even the same one who came after the birth, apart from to get their details and information on their clinics and sessions at the children’s centre which I’m guessing will be cancelled anyway for us. Seems much more sensible to do pre-birth visits remotely...

@Catconfusion An induction at 38 weeks might be better. I think I’d rather have baby girl here with me sooner as well but I doubt they would offer an induction. I’ve had some on and off cramps and some increased discharge so I’m hoping she comes before 40 weeks but highly doubt it! I know I completely agree about staying at home and establishing BFing before visitors.

@bananamonkey Glad you’re finishing up soon! It’s a crazy time. It’s great you have DH to do the nursery run ect, I’m the same and really hope baby comes after 37 weeks. I’d rather have her here than when all this gets worse!!

@sadtoday21 Glad you’re taking precautions though, you can’t be too safe now. I’m unsure how midwife appointments will work as I don’t have any until the first week in April. Who knows what will be happen in that time. Glad Rumi is doing well and you are finding BFing easier now. It’s great to be in that newborn bubble 💓

Well ladies I am officially on leave now, my work phoned this morning and asked me not to come to work as I’m deemed high risk and they think it’s safest I go on maternity leave as of today. I never even got to say goodbye to my colleagues who I adore!!! Hopefully this all passes and I can take baby in to visit them 💓

Hi ladies, I promised an update after my 12 week scan... all went very well, very low risk factor for all the trisomies too from the NT screening today (but waiting for the NIPT test to come back next week).

Pic attached 🥰 Do you reckon it's a boy or a girl (if you compare to your own scans at 12 weeks?). I'm just so relieved this looks like it's going to be our rainbow finally after two losses! Thanks for all your support ladies ❤️

Yay @SunStruck I needed this today. I’m so so pleased for you. Congratulations!

I’m wondering if it’s a boy. No particular reason. It’s tough to tell from the scan picture. Will the NIPT tell you? We thought girl for us and even the sonographer at the 20 week scan thought girl until she had a proper look between his legs.

You must be so relieved. Your chances are excellent that this is it! Xx

Here’s the 12 week scan of baby boy!

Thank you @Catconfusion ! Oh god that scan pic is just so cute, his little foot! 😍 well I thought the pointy bit to the right is the nub on my picture, and looks like a boy nub? Or might not be the nub at all but a leg? I'm not very good at this 🤣 can't see the nub on your pic so couldn't even guess!

Yes NIPT will let us know the sex, I'm just a bit eager to know NOW! 😆

I'm sorry you're in pain and in uncertainty at the moment, I hope the MW meeting will give you more answers on what to do ❤️

Arh @SunStruck thank you. Yours is cute too. I’m really not sure about the nub theory stuff. I looked at skull theory which seemed to make sense but our baby boy has quite a round skull for a male. His Dad has the same shaped head.

I was exactly the same with being eager. We had the long wait until 20 weeks though so it built up the anticipation.

Midwife appointment went well. Baby is 2 fifths engaged so we’re going to ask for an induction in a couple of weeks. Hoping he comes on his own though. Just not sure about being cut open at the moment.

The health care professionals I’ve spoken to seem a bit shell shocked. My midwife has been on holiday so was a bit clueless. I think we’ve been a bit slow in the UK to put things in place. How are things looking your end? Xx

Congratulations @SunStruck! You must be feeling so relieved. I am always rubbish at guessing the sex so I won’t try but he/she looks lovely, that’s a good photo!

@SunStruck Omg yes girl! This is just the perfect news in these uncertain times. Absolutely over the moon for you 😍 honestly all my scan pictures were awful because baby girl was a madam and refused to cooperate. I hope she behaves when she gets here 😂 she seems to like kicking the midwifes when they try and feel for her position 😂 Can’t wait time find out what you are having.

@Catconfusion 2/5ths engages! I am so jealous!!!! Any tips on how to get the baby to move down. When I saw the midwife at 34+6 my baby was head down but not engaged and at this stage I could do with her getting ready to come out 😂 I’ve had some odd things happen though, this morning I had period like cramps and then once they calmed down I felt an odd sensation and looked down and both boobs had decided to leak out milk randomly! I also have had more discharge this last few days but nothing that looks like a mucus plug yet 🤷‍♀️

Hey everyone, good to hear all of your updates. It's a scary time for us all, and with our little ones (present and the ones in the oven) we have to be extra vigilant. I think you are doing the right thing @Catconfusion to ask people not to visit the house. They simply don't know enough about the virus and your healthcare professionals should respect your wishes.

I'm not in full self isolation yet @sadtoday21 - but we are limiting our outings. We have also set up a clean down area when one of us comes into the house so that we clean off as much germs as possible before entering the rest of the house. We've got enough in the freezer to keep us going should we need to fully lock down.

Holly is 3 months old today. We had to take her to the GP yesterday (which I wasn't thrilled about, given that we are trying to stay away from risk areas). She has developed a rash over her torso. At first we thought it was prickly heat. We showed the HV last week and she didn't seem to bothered by it. The GP said it was eczema! She now gets bathed in this wax type lotion until it calms down a little. In terms of routine, we are starting to see an emerging routine...but she has also started teething, so the emerging routine may go out of the window whilst we try and soothe her gums. She tends to wake at 8am each day, takes a few small naps during the morning, a large nap during the early afternoon, a few more small naps before bedtime. Bedtime involves bath, massage, story time, milk, cuddles and then bed for 8/9pm (depending on how fussy she is). She wakes at midnight for a feed, then again around about 5am...can't complain really. She used to take more feed in a sitting that she does now, but she rapidly reduced her intake after the 8 week injections. She used to take 6oz, she is now taking 4-5oz, but more regularly. Same amount of food, just with less time in between each feed. She is quite a chatty girl and is eager to stand.

I can't believe Rumi is 2 weeks old @sadtoday21 - you must be so proud! You are doing so well and am very pleased to hear that the BF has established well and that you are no longer in pain.

Congratulations @SunStruck - your scan pic is beautiful 🥰🥰

@Amanda81 glad the rash is treatable and you have a routine in place. She sounds so cute.

Well ladies it’s getting so close to home now. A newborn baby has just tested positive at our other local hospital along with two other people, presumably her parents.

I’m really not sure what to do. It didn’t help that my midwife had been on holiday and didn’t have a clue what was happening with corona virus protection at the hospital. Since nhs staff are being denied testing it’s difficult to know how many patients they may have passed it to before symptoms. There are no guarantees the professionals treating us don’t have it. I might call the hospital today and see if I can book the induction for 38 weeks. Midwife said wait for the scan next week but we might have a better chance of getting in sooner if I call.

What a worrying time! xx

@Amanda81 Sorry to hear baby Holly has a rash but glad you’ve got something to treat it. I can’t believe she’s 3 months old. Time is going too quick!!!

@Catconfusion I agree, it’s all a bit too much. I’ve been ordered to socially isolate so spending the next few weeks keeping myself busy around the house ect. I’ve made a daily list of things to do.

Have any of you ladies experienced leaking nipples? I had it here and there in my last trimester but this week it’s been every single day and a couple of drops of colostrum. That paired with a strange tummy and the need to pee every 30 mins is making me uncomfortable!!

So glad you’re now at home @Kiki061190

No I’ve had nothing yet. Am rather jealous of that. My midwife gave me syringes and advice on how to collect the stuff but said not to try until 37 weeks which is Sunday. Do you have the kit? It might be worth seeing if the midwife can mail you one if not. It can bring on contractions apparently and possibly labour.

I have a strange tummy and peeing like a trooper. I think it’s the baby dropping down and pressing on everything. Going to the toilet is painful so I’m thinking there’s not much room down there.

I hope we don’t have long to go! xx

@Catconfusion I’m due to see my midwife next 2 weeks today so will definitely be asking about it then. The bladder thing is awful! I feel like I need to pee every 30 mins. I still don’t think my bump has dropped but then I have no idea what I’m looking for! I really hope it’s not too long for us. You should be next!

@kiki061190 I’ve definitely felt I’m going to the toilet all the time. It’s so frustrating! When my baby moved down I felt the upper part of the bump disappeared almost. It looked like a shelf under my bust and was making breathing difficult. Now it’s really nice to feel less pressure on my chest. The pressure is now in my pelvis. The bump is still firm at the top but it is much lower. It all happened really quickly! Xx

@Catconfusion I’m hoping I’ll notice that soon! I have been able to eat slightly more recently so hoping baby is easing her way down to the pelvis. She wasn’t engaged at my last appointment at 35 weeks but she was head down thankfully 🥰 How have you been feeling otherwise? It’s starting to feel very real that we will have our little ones with us soon.

@kiki061190 good you’re eating more. Do you have a gym ball? I’ve been bouncing on mine as apparently it helps move baby down. It sounds like she’s getting into position. As I said it literally happened over night for me.

I’m feeling ok thanks. As long as I don’t try and do too much my hip pain isn’t too bad. Next Friday I should hopefully know a bit more about when he’s coming after my appointment. I’m going to try and self express milk on Sunday so hoping that might kick things off. Hopefully not too long for us both! Xx

@Catconfusion Oh I love my gym ball! So comfortable, I’ve been bouncing on it in the evenings. Hopefully it helps her drop down more. Ahhh I do understand the hip pain, I’m waddling as I seem to be getting pain in my left side particularly bad. Do let me know how you get on expressing. I’ve been wondering about doing it because of the leaking situation I have going on 😂

You definitely should @Kiki061190 and freeze it. The first milk is the most nutritious. Your midwife should be able to give you a self expression pack.

Hey everyone! How are you all coping in these difficult times? You are all so close to the finish line, but I know how anxiety ridden those last few weeks can be! Especially now.

@Catconfusion @Kiki061190 definitely harvest the colostrum now if you can! This is the main way to bring on labour and it would be very useful to have some in the freezer after birth. I could never get much out hand expressing, but it’s worth a shot!

@Amanda81 it sounds like Holly is in a good routine now, but I’m sorry to hear about her rash! Our local hospital has been turned into a corona surge unit, so I wouldn’t want to go there either unless absolutely necessary. I’d your partner bonding with her now?

@bananamonkey how are you coping at home with your LO whilst being heavily pregnant? Are you doing ok?

Had a bit of a terrible day today. Rumi was quite fussy all day and DH and I have had very little sleep, both at the end of our ropes. It’s hard being so far from family and in self-isolation all the time. We tried to go for a walk outside for the first time in two weeks but there were so many people out it just made us nervous with Rumi and we went back home after only a mile. We haven’t been able to get any food or supplies either due to stockpiling, which is a major worry for us atm. Reading all the news coming out of London doesn’t help as we are just an hour away and it’s really scary to think the situation here might be worse than in Italy soon. DH also got rejected today from the only job interview he has had in awhile and we are worried about future and whether we will have any income coming in past July. I worked so hard to support DH in getting that interview, even putting my own work on hold, but all my hard work was for nothing because he bombed the interview (which to be fair was held the day after we came home from hospital when he had no sleep! I’m so mad anyone would even make him do the interview under those circumstances!). At the end of the day, there is so much uncertainty surrounding our health and finances and future. It’s so sad that we have had so much anxiety during pregnancy and now once he is finally here the global pandemic strikes and we don’t even have a few days to just enjoy our newborn. I wish things were different and that instead of all this stress we could just be celebrating and planning a nice outing for Mother’s Day right now. We’ve already been through so much and we really just need a break! And I feel so terrible, like I’ve let my family down by not preparing for this crisis and not protecting us from the worst that’s yet to come. The future looks really bleak right now 🥺

Oh @Sadtoday21 it sounds like you have become overwhelmed with all which is probably related to sleep deprivation. I get these kind of feelings when I'm sleep deprived, which is regular. The current situation is tough, we are all facing the same thing, so remember you are not alone. Try and see the positives in the situation...whilst your family may not be able to visit, you and you DH have this unique opportunity to spend all the 1on1 time with Rumi and get to learn who he is and understand what he needs. Money worries are tough, we have similar pressures (I think we all do given the current situation), but know there is nothing you can do to influence an outcome, other than keep trying...which is what you are doing. Myself and my DH are in a similar situation where my business is supporting the two of us (thankfully he is also an architect and help out). DH has the opportunity to have a full time job before Christmas, but we decided that he should spend time with Holly and not to miss out on this experience (as we plan for this to be our only baby). What I guess I am trying to say, is that we probably all share similar feelings. Try to see the positive, which is difficult when tired. 3 to 4 months is a short period of time and we will hopefully be back to some kind of normality by then. Do you live close to any parkland? It might be nice to get out in nature and take a picnic. Better weather is on its way soon, which will lift everybody's spirit. Sending you all of my love and hugs...chin up girl...you have done so well and will continue to be amazing 💓 xx

@Catconfusion I just realised today you’ll be past 37 weeks now! Happy full term 💓💓💓💓

@sadtoday21 Oh it’s crazy, so many of my friends and family are so worried about wages. I have an ok maternity policy and I work in a key industry so my work is able to stay open. My OH is the key breadwinner though and he has been panicked. The announcement from the government about paying up to 80% of wages has definitely eased his worry. I think we will be back to normality soon enough 💓

Thanks @Amanda81 it really helped me to read your kind post. You are right, these things can feel really overwhelming when you have only had 1-2 hours sleep for two weeks in a row! Of course newborn stage is difficult at any time and CV just makes it so much worse, but I am really grateful he’s here already and we’ve been able to self-isolate for the past two weeks. I do feel really sad that our family can’t meet him, particularly since he’s the first grandchild and a beacon of light to family members who have suffered a lot in the past two years. It’s also hard not having any help here. But at the same time I do feel some relief, as you said, that I have him all to myself for now. It would have been hard to share him with people other than dh - I’m quite overly protective of him as I still feel he’s part of me more than anyone. When he squirms on my lap it feels the same as when he was in my tummy!

I’m sorry to hear that things have also been hard for you and your DH. Being self-employed is really a worry right now and I hope the government does something to address this. You are amazing for going back to work so soon though! I told myself I would just take two weeks off, but I literally can still barely write emails or even feed myself, so I don’t see how it’s possible to work before at least one month. And that’s with a straightforward birth, which I know wasn’t the case for you. How are things otherwise? Is your dh bonding with Holly more now? Are you still doing combi feeding and do you pump at all?

@Kiki061190 It must be a difficult time for you and all the ladies on this thread. How are you coping? Will they still allow your dh at the delivery? Also thinking of you and hoping you are staying well @bananamonkey and @Catconfusion.

Well I had a terrible scare the night before last. Suddenly came down with chills and a high fever that lasted more than 24 hours. Rang MAU and they patched me through to a GP, who said I needed to come to hospital to be tested for Coronavirus immediately. She said come now alone and DH will have to give formula to Rumi all night since you will have to wait awhile. I said I was scared to come to hospital given infection risk and she said you need to come it’s really urgent with the fever you have you can’t stay home. Long story short, I did stay home against medical guidance but lucky I did because in the morning I woke up with a red patch on breast and phoned 111 who said it was mastitis and proscribed antibiotics over the phone. Never thought I would be so happy to have mastitis! It was a really scary time.

@sadtoday21 That must have been so scary! Mastitis can be common when you first start to feed so hopefully you feel better with it soon. I haven’t bought any formula for baby, I was hoping to breastfeed. Do you advise trying to get a tub? It’s very scarce here 🤷‍♀️ I know, our local hospital has banned all visitors. You’re still allowed one birth partner in but I was wanting my mum in with us also. I’m not going to complain tho, as long as OH is there with me that’s all that matters. I’m 36+4 today so still a while to go and no signs of anything starting soon 🙄

Oh poor Holly and you @Amanda81, rashes are so scary but glad she’s ok. I’m dreading DD needing any medical attention in the next few weeks, may need to wrap her in cotton wool!

Sorry you’ve have a tricky time @sadtoday21
, sleep deprivation makes everything seem so much worse, I found the lows really tough and it’s even harder when you’re cooped up together! That sucks about the mastitis but that’s great you’ve got the ABs already, hope you feel better soon. Hot flannels, massage and expressing in the shower are good too.

Hope you’re doing ok @Catconfusion and @Kiki061190, so close now! I’m 36 weeks today, MW is supposed to be coming on Wednesday so we’ll see what happens. I’m presuming the HV is cancelled tomorrow but will give them a call.

All 3 of us are staying indoors apart from the occasional walk and DH is going to the shops. DD normally goes to nursery 4 days a week so it’s going to be interesting keeping her entertained, she’s normally super active and a real busy bee, it breaks my heart each time she asks whether things are open now or she can visit her friends, makes me feel super guilty for her and the new baby being caught up in this I’m also getting really pissed off with everyone ignoring all the guidelines and congregating everywhere, still going to get their hair/nails done, pubs having lock ins etc. Probably just need to stay away from the internet! Spoke to my friend who is a nurse at the hospital yesterday and it sounds utterly terrifying.