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!

@MamaB80 I was showing very early and in maternity jeans at 8 weeks. It’s my first baby as well so I think it just depends how you’re carrying. I have heard you show earlier with the second one.

Wow it would be handy if another boy but as you say girls can wear blue. If you do have a girl, we’ve found some amazing stuff in charity shops and on Facebook so you could probably get a whole new wardrobe for not too much money.

I know it probably seems a long way off but you’ll get there. By the summer you’ll be well on the way. When is your due date? Xx

@MamaB80 I was massively bloated from about 8 weeks, I went on holiday and my SiL guessed I was pregnant from a photo

I was being superstitious because I had an mmc at 12 weeks and refused to get my mat clothes out till after the 12 week scan was ok but I was using a hairband on my jeans and wearing loose stuff for ages, luckily I mostly work from home so could wear slobby stuff!

I know what you mean about the clothes, the baby stuff is all pretty unisex but I was weeping at the thought of getting rid of a loft full of 3 years of girls clothes so I’m glad it will get reused apart from maybe some of the seasonal stuff. This also makes me feel guilty that new baby won’t get much new but I’ve got a couple of bits in the same for her. Plus we need to save the money! Hoping I’ll be able to make a little back selling big items when we’re done and donate the rest.

@Catconfusion I am starting physio next week. Super happy to get an appointment so quick. GP checked my BP and urine and no signs of preeclampsia or GD which is nice to know. Back at the midwife in 10 days for my 31 week app. Your dress sounds amazing! It’s amazing how good bumps look in clothes. I have been wearing tighter tops to show mines off. I usually wear white floaty pieces but want to enjoy having bump whilst it’s here. Oooh what brand of toiletries? I need to get all that stuff but I’m so confused as to what nappy cream I need ect!

@MamaB80 I was in my mat jeans by 22 weeks but honestly I think that’s just cause it’s my first and I’ve been so sick! I am quite curvy and a UK size 12. I bought 2 pairs of jeans and 2 maternity tops and apart from that I’ve actually been able to get most of my clothes on still! I do love floaty dresses and oversized knits so there is plenty of room in them for bump. You can get so much good stuff second hand these days.

@Kiki061190 great it’s going so well and you’re starting physio. I’m having a few problems with mine as I can’t get a follow up appointment. I’ve left a couple of messages and can’t seem to get anywhere with booking it. I guess they must be busy.

The toiletries are Child’s Farm. They are organic and nasty free so really good stuff.

I hope everyone else is doing well! Not too long now! Xx

@Catconfusion it’s such a shame the NHS is stretched so thin! I can’t wait to start physio.

Oooh I’ll give the toiletries a look. I need to pick my hospital bag in the next fortnight or so! Making it my mission before the end of February.

Can’t believe it! 30 weeks on Thursday 💓💓💓

@Kiki061190 yes but it’s a bit odd. At my last appointment they said they would call to schedule me in for last Friday or this past Monday. It’s now Wednesday and I’ve heard nothing. Also left messages because I can’t get through. I’m struggling a bit with some of the exercises too so need to speak to someone. Anyway it will hopefully get sorted out.

Yes have a look at the toiletries. They are lovely.

It’s so funny how close together we fell pregnant. Literally four days in it! Xx

@Kiki061190 yay almost 30 weeks!! I'll be 35 on Thursday. Next week is the 36 week scan, midwife appointment, hospital tour, and antenatal class. Hoping this week goes by quickly and that baby boy has grown more next week! Have you bought a baby blanket yet? Is your nursery done?

@Catconfusion thanks for the tips on toiletries! I just bought some baby

shampoo, wash, and sponges. Not bought the bath or other things yet, but planning to get a healthcare kit and towel.

How are you doing @Amanda81? Are you settling into a good rhythm now?

Hope you are also keep well @bananamonkey and @MamaB80!

@sadtoday21 wow 36 weeks. That’s amazing. Not long now! I bet he’ll have grown loads. Apparently they speed up towards the end. It sounds like a busy and exciting week.

We’ve decided to hold off on the nursery because he’ll be in with us. The furniture is in but we’d like to paint, probably will do it when he’s here and the weather is better.

We’re lucky to have been made some lovely blankets by my mil and a family friend. We also got a nice one with the cot bedding set.

It’s a year ago today I had my ERPC. So probably near enough a year since I met you ladies. I’m just so grateful we got to share this journey together. Xx

Wow you’re so close now @sadtoday21, that sounds like a really exciting week, hope you enjoy the tour and the class! I’m sure the little dude will have grown lots as they’re just packing on the lovely squidgy baby fat now.

I had a weekend traipsing round London which was lovely but I paid for all that walking (and a crap night’s sleep on an AirBnB bed) with really stiff hips. Did some exercise yesterday though which seems to have helped. I do feel like a total blimp now though, I can’t paint my toenails and getting up off the floor is interesting! I think baby must be growing because the movements feel different now like she has less room, less violent kicks and more twisting/poking.

I can’t believe it’s been a year @Catconfusion, my bad news scan was on the 6th and my ERPC on the 12th so those anniversaries are coming up, I have a busy month seeing lots of friends and family though so some nice distractions. I’ve also finally managed to book my hypnobirthing refresher for March. Decorators are starting on the hallway today so we have a couple of weeks of chaos but looking forward to it looking nice as I don’t have a new nursery to channel my energy into! I did buy some nice Aden and Anais muslins though as a treat. No MW appt for me till 34 weeks now which seems scarily close to baby time - eep!

Wow @Catconfusion and @bananamonkey you are right, that's crazy. Honestly it's all freaking me out. My bad news was 8 February, my mum passed on 12 February. I literally don't know how to get through the next week and a half without having some kind of mental breakdown, but at least there will be some monitoring. Baby boy was kicking a lot yesterday, but has gone quite this morning so now I'm worried again :(. Currently trying to eat/drink to get him to move.

It's really hard to stay positive in this month for me and to not give in to the anxiety. People due in March are already starting to have their babies early! My mum also gave birth at 36 weeks both times.

Anyone started any batch cooking yet? I've frozen two dishes so far only...hoping that work will quiet down after this week and then I can begin to get more organised.

@sadtoday21 My nursery isn’t even started! I am getting my house in order first. Furniture isn’t coming till next month so hoping to have everything sorted by then. Only 10 weeks to go and suddenly very aware of how much is left to do! I’m planning on starting batch cooking next month. My OH and I are both going to do a batch each a week. This month is about freeing up the freezer by eating everything in it!

@Catconfusion I know 4 days apart! I wonder when we’ll both have our little ones in our arms. So exciting to be at that final hurdle!

@bananamonkey Those Muslins are lovely! I have 20 Muslins and I’m like is that enough?

Batch cooking is on my list of mat leave jobs to do so I still have 7/8 weeks left!

Hope you can get some support to manage your anxiety this week @sadtoday21, you’ve done so amazingly well to get to this point and the end is in sight. Are you finishing work soon?

To be honest our nursery was mostly used for storage till DD moved in there at about 6 months so I needn’t have stressed about getting it ready but when you’re pregnant you just want everything sorted. @Kiki061190 that should be plenty unless you have a super sicky baby, DD was only sick twice as a baby and had about 10 muslins which was more than enough. They are handy for other things though like using as a blanket, playmat or on the changing mat so they don’t get cold bums.

Thanks @bananamonkey, I really appreciate that! I guess it's a tough time of year for all of us on here, since this is when we met last year! I'm so grateful that I found you ladies and for all of your support in this journey.

@Kiki061190 I bought a pack of 4 muslins yesterday and I thought that was enough, so you should be fine with 20 haha! I don't think I've fully understood the point of muslins yet and probably won't until I have to actually use them. I did buy a changing mat yesterday though, so I'm making my way down the list. And I bought baby sponges, for some reason I have a feeling that will be useful!

Meant to say @bananamonkey that I'm not finishing work per se, but I have huge presentation tomorrow night and then I will start winding down after that. Planning to mostly work from home and do a bit more batch cooking/organising of things. I really want to start the nesting phase asap!

Hi ladies!

Happy Friday! I seem to have waved a good nights sleep goodbye! Struggling to get in the hours every night. On a plus note, I finish work 7 weeks today hurrah!!! Desperately needing the rest.

@sadtoday21 Oooh thanks. I find it so hard to judge how much is enough if that makes sense? I don’t want to over buy things for her but I don’t want to under buy at the same time. You are so close to the end! Do you have everything packed and ready? I’m aiming for everything done by 37 weeks so I can kick back and relax....

@Catconfusion I started my physio and I really enjoyed the session, just need to see how I get on now. How have you been keeping? Any word back about your next physio session?

@bananamonkey Hope you are keeping well. So exciting about the hallway. I love having something done in the house and seeing it all finished. Such a satisfying moment. We need to get baby girls room ready. Her furniture should show next month unless they delay it again!

Hey @Kiki061190 glad you’re enjoying the physio. Annoyingly they can’t fit me in before the 17th February. That’ll be 2 months since the last session. I missed one because I was feeling rough and it’s led to a massive delay. I’m just keeping up the exercises.

So I had my 30 plus 5 scan today and oh my word this boy is big. The sonographer said she’s not seen one this big at this stage in years. He’s an estimated 5 lbs 4 so off the chart now. The good news is he’s following a normal curve so the rate of growth is normal albeit big.

The consultant was lovely and really put my mind at rest. Such a contrast from last time. I have been diagnosed with polyhydramnios so excess fluid in the sac. The level was only just over the normal amount so it’s not severe. This is more common with bigger babies. She’s not too worried but wants to repeat the GD test to make sure. There’s no need to monitor it apparently so I’m back in 4 weeks for another scan and consultant appointment.

We’ve been warned excess fluid can bring on a premature birth but he’s a good weight so I shouldn’t worry if he comes early. She’s said to be vigilant with cramping and tightening which could mean he’s coming. Eeek, better finish the hospital bag.

The scan was much nicer. We saw much more detail. He has a full head of quite long hair so that was lovely to see. We saw his big feet too. His position has changed so now breech but plenty of time to move.

The doctor last time was wrong about water birth. I can labour in the pool but not give birth. The lady we saw today was baffled by the heparin. She said I’m low risk and she wouldn’t recommend taking it so it’s very odd. She told me to hang onto it in case I need it later on if I have a section.

Regarding the birth it’s completely my choice. There’s no medical reason for a c section but I might prefer one with him being big. She’s asked us to think about it and let her know at the next appointment.

All in all it was a good outcome today. I hope everyone is having a good Friday! Xx

@Catconfusion Oh he’s getting all lovely and chunky for you to cuddle him though! It’s great knowing he’s a good weight if he were to come earlier. So exciting! Get that hospital bag packed. Now I’m 30 weeks my OH insists I pack it next week and get the babies on ready too.

It’s great the consultant made you feel more positive, it’s crazy how our experiences vary depending on who we deal with. So great you can get in the water, I’m sure it’ll help when you are in labour!

Going in for reduced movement again couldn’t take the anxiety and lack of sleep over it. Hope everything is ok :/

@sadtoday21 Was baby boy all ok? You’ve had so much anxiety this pregnancy surrounding movement. I hope all was well and you can enjoy the last few weeks!

Thanks @Kiki061190 he was ok, just a stressful and tiring day! I let the anxiety get the best of me in the end, but I just couldn’t be sure about the movements.

I’ve got to catch up on the thread properly tomorrow, but hope you all are well!

Hey @sadtoday21 so glad all was ok and I think you did the right thing going in. Hopefully it’s reassured you a bit. When will your next scan be? I’m getting very few actually kicks. It’s mainly wriggling but the sonographer told me he’s curled up in a ball and facing towards my back so I won’t feel kicks just more moving around. Also baby is now breech so I’m hoping he turns.

@Kiki061190 the problem is it’s a bit more than chunky, he is off the chart. Now I’ve done a bit of reading around bigger babies and extra fluid I’m a bit worried there’s something wrong with him. I felt ok when I came away from the appointment but now it’s sunk in that it’ll be four weeks until I’m checked again. We were told scans every two weeks at this stage so it seems odd they are leaving me longer after the polyhydramnios diagnosis. I know it’s currently mild but it is something that can get suddenly worse. There are lots of complications we’re at greater risk of if this happens. A very sudden labour at home would be dangerous for me so we’ve got everything crossed the fluid stays where it is or decreases.

I’m going to chat with the midwife on Tuesday about it all. Hopefully I’m one of the ladies with polyhydramnios who has a healthy baby with no complications. It does seem more often than not baby turns out fine. Of course it’s the what ifs that cause the worry! Xx

@sadtoday21 I am finding the I am experiencing the same thing as @Catconfusion not really getting kicks, more like wriggling and the entire body moving about. I’ve had a few moments she’s went quiet but thankfully once I sit down she seems to start up 😂

@Catconfusion That is a worry! I’m sure he’s absolutely fine but it’s natural for us to worry about what’s going on!

Hopefully you ladies are keeping ok! This storm has flooded the next street from us badly! Crazy crazy weather, it’s only due to get worse here as well!

Yeah @kiki061190 it’s when I read things like polyhydramnios babies are more likely to be stillborn that the worry sets in. It’s normally fine if mild but they’re not seeing me for four weeks so it’s not being monitored.

I think if baby prefers a back facing position the kicks are far more muted. Not sure about you ladies but in this position I get weird feelings in my tummy and I swear it’s him kicking internal organs, maybe even my stomach. He did it once when I was eating and it put me off my food! xx

@Catconfusion No I know what you mean, I get the exact same! More like a kicking me internally. I know baby girl likes to lie with her back to my tummy. It’s funny how they have a preference. It’s completely natural to worry when you read things like that. I’ve been worried about stillborn as a couple of ladies in my work have had their daughters experience it. I don’t know how I would cope!