August 2021 - Scans and booking in!

[BertieBotts]

Continuation of August 2021 thread :)

@Jessicapebbles I let my OH choose as he doesn't really have much else to do at the moment! He doesn't want to so it will be a surprise :)

@LBunz I’m suffering with my chin too although I put it down to Mask-me!

@Smallbean27 that is a lovely idea! My hubby wants to know but we found out with your first and I’m sooo craving a surprise! Xx

@LBunz oh no! So weird what works and doesn’t work for everyone! I can’t drink water, I have that constant metal taste (literally since 3 days after I found out) and water tastes like someone’s left some rusty nails in it!

@PurplePansy05 ah so not too long to wait! Exciting!

I wasn’t bothered about finding out the sex, but my SIL had a surprise but it seemed when she was born, no one went ohh a girl they went oh it’s ginger!!!! She says she felt the surprise was taken away with everyone being preoccupied by the hair colour (🙄) and I think it’s a gorgeous colour! Anyway think that’s likely to happen to us so sex won’t be a surprise but the hair will be... (hopefully anyway, assuming all ok in there!)

Aw @biscuitcat @thisisbananas3 there's a strong ginger gene going in DH's family too! I love ginger hair! I don't mind at all if our baby is ginger!

@miniheart Re vaccine, personally I'd take it if it was offered but I'm not on the frontline and at my age I highly doubt I'll see the sight of it anytime before autumn/end of the year realistically. I'd certainly have it if I worked directly with others. Instead, I am WFH. My employer also knows my past history and they'll know this pregnancy is high risk, I'll be asking them to continue to WFH till the end unless absolutely necessary. I think they'll be fine with it, I'm ok with WFH, have flexible hours and get lots done. Obviously miss my team, but it is what it is, it's not an easy time for anyone and lots have it much harder than me. FWIW, I'll have at the first possible opportunity, most likely whilst breastfeeding. To me the benefits outweigh the risks, without a doubt. But I totally recognise the concerns and it's 100% a personal decision.

@alittlexmasmagic I've been thinking about what you said that you felt like you're made to be a mum to boys. I felt opposite actually, always imagined myself as a mum to girls, it felt natural to me. I can't quite explain that. If it's a boy, I hope I'll rise up to a challenge of being a good mum!

@PurplePansy05 I'm sure you'll be a wonderful mum regardless of boy or girl.

It's odd because I'm sure if my brother umpteen kids, they'd all be girls. They have bags of clothes for them I'd be welcome to. I have two girls names ready to go but really struggling for boys.x

@PurplePansy05 Maybe our husband’s are related! I don’t care about hair colour etc, but I am fascinated to see what we create!

I would definitely take the vaccine whilst breastfeeding but understand why some people would be uncomfortable. It’s certainly a strange time to be pregnant!

Lovely scan pics, ladies keep 'em coming!!

FINALLY had call from midwife and booking in appt for Wednesday in person! Woohoo! Finally feel like I'm getting somewhere now!

On the sex question - DH didn't want to know, but now we're having (possibly) 3, I think we both want to know as it's something we can control. If they're all ok in there, we discussed learning the sex of the twins, and keeping the third a surprise! haha, no clue if that is a good idea or bad - I'll probably cave at the time and just want to know :D

@LBunz my skin has been the opposite so far - I've had over a year of really hideous skin with heaps of break outs but it seems to be clearing up now - long may it continue, only good side effect so far!

@Jessicapebbles I'm having a surprise! For no real reason really, I just like the idea and think it might help get me through birth!

@Alittlexmasmagic @PurplePansy05 I've always imagined myself having little girls, but I think partly that's because there are so few boys in my family - almost all the men marry in! I think I'd probably choose a girl if I had the choice (though feel a bit bad saying it) - I think once baby arrives though, that feeling will hopefully go as I'll love whatever I have!

@Champson we tried to keep the twins a surprise but you'll go for so many scans, it's hard for a sonographer to not let it slip. We had to tell them every time. We asked a consultant and he said, especially with triplets, knowing the sex can make it easier to identify each baby for growth etc.x

Ah I thought I'd lost you all! Hello again.

@LBunz my skin is AWFUL too, particularly on my chin. Have invested in some way too expensive skincare and hoping it'll do the trick.

I had my pre-NHS scan today privately so my partner could come and it was amazing to see the baby! I can't believe how much more relaxed I feel this evening. I realise I've been on tenterhooks the whole time so it feels nice to finally believe that I'm pregnant!

just popping a comment on so I get notifications and can keep up ☺️
Hope everyone’s well!
I wore my maternity jeans today (12 weeks) and there’s room to grow obviously but oh wow. I can’t bare anything touching or digging into my stomach right now so it was bliss 😂 Anyone else cracking open the comfy maternity wear or got a bump showing?

Congratulations @BananaHammock23, I love the feeling after a good scan. Allow yourself to feel calm for a bit 💝

Ah thank you for your kind words @Alittlexmasmagic I think if it is a boy I'd start with exploring DH's perception from his younger years. I'd like to make sure my child feels safe, confident and reassured I'm always there for them and whilst I feel that I'd instinctively know how to achieve this with a girl, I don't feel that confident in myself when it comes to a boy. But of course my POV now is that of someone with no children, maybe it doesn't make any difference at all? I'll be educating myself and coming for advice when the time comes 😊

@coffeeandrainbows1 I haven't got a single piece of maternity clothing yet, I'm waiting for my scan at 12+4. I'd love to get comfier bottoms tbh, but not joggers, just decent trousers! The bloat is going strong. I might also need a different bra and I dread ordering them online, I'm busty for my frame anyway and I just know this is going to be a nightmare, and an expensive one, too!

So last night I had my flu jab eventually, for free, in my local pharmacy. Felt fine till around 8pm when it's knocked me for six! Total exhaustion, brain fog and joint pains only in the left side of my body (had it in my left arm). I slept through it all and today I can think clearly and have more energy luckily, but the join pain and pins and needles in my left foot are still there so I'm going to watch this. I did not expect that, when I was younger I never had any side effects of vaccines at all. Hope this passes soon, I'm going to take it easy today. Just a word of advce, my midwife said that the whooping cough one is more likely to cause side effects so I'll be planning it for a Friday when the time comes if possible too, just in case.

Hope you're all having a good weekend xx

@Thisisbananas3 thank you! waiting impatiently for my 12 week scan to come through and hoping OH can come with me but probably won't be able to🥺 it was supposed to come this week so if it doesn't come today I'm going to be upset 🤣

@LBunz my mw told me if there's only a few things you can stomach its absolutely fine. And even if you can't eat as long as you're keeping your fluids up you'll be fine🥰 I'm currently on anti sickness medication as I've lost 9 pounds in weight from vomiting so much as I couldn't keep anything down without being sick. Iced water is my saviour

@Miniheart interesting that your midwife has said it's personal choice for the Covid vaccine as mine has said its a complete no unless you have underlying health conditions that over rule pregnancy?

@Jessicapebbles we were going to find out the gender because OH has always said he wants to but recently he's headed more for team yellow so who knows. Il defo be posting my scan on a nub theory group though! I have an inkling boy but I'm desperate for a girl 🙈

Hahaha DS2 is ginger, we love it, everyone comments on it. We got a nappy cake from some friends with "It's a ginger!" written on it in the style of "It's a boy" :o

Some doctors in the hospital really insisted that he was blonde and beautiful which unnerved me! Luckily I only saw them once. But old ladies stop me in the street/on the tram to reminisce about their ginger children or siblings :o one of them told me he looked like Prince Harry!

Am also spot central, ugh. All in the mask area. And defo bump forming here although it's all bloat, if I lie on my side it falls away to flab.

Champson I would defo find out - having to think up six names would kill me!! We only have girl names.

DS2 with his lovely readheadedness.

@BertieBotts Your DS is gorgeous 😍 I can't believe that cake, I really don't get why some people are so hung up on the hair colour, it's a colour like any other! Well, prettier than some other colours IMO 😊

@LBunz just over the last few days I’ve started to get pimples on my chin! So annoying!

@Jessicapebbles we won’t be finding out the sex. It’s our first and we like the idea of a surprise. Feel quite pleased that we agree on this as I’ve had friends who don’t but usually mum gets to choose!

@lucyrp @BananaHammock23 ah your scans sounds amazing, we’ve decided to go for the private scan at week 10 (next week) and I can’t wait for it to hopefully all be ok and feel a bit more real!

@coffeeandrainbows1 I’ve not bought anything maternity yet although I’ve been looking online and putting things in baskets! For some reason (and I’m not even really superstitious) I just want to get past 12 weeks before I do anything that makes it real!

Thanks for sharing all your thoughts on the vaccine. I work in a priority group with children and families in social care and I’ve been offered the vaccine this week. I get to partially wfh but I am sometimes with families. It’s felt tricky to know what to do but I think given the research isn’t there yet for pregnant women and I’m still in the first trimester I’m going to hold off. I think I’d fill myself with worry that I could have harmed the baby if I take it. If anyone else is undecided I found this useful article which might help you make your decision if you are offered it.

www.which.co.uk/news/2021/01/can-you-have-the-covid-19-vaccine-if-youre-pregnant/

Hope you all have a lovely weekend 😊

@BertieBotts oh what a cutie! Love his little mittens too!

@coffeeandrainbows1 I've not got any maternity clothing yet, but I'm also finding I hate having clothes tight on my stomach. Often working from home I'll just pop gym leggings on but they're making my nausea worse recently. But I really don't have any bump to speak of, so I don't think I'm quite ready for maternity jeans yet! I am looking forward to when bump is a bit bigger and it's warm so I can feel all feminine wafting around in lovely light maternity dresses though!

Good shout on the six names @BertieBotts. I can hardly find a few I even like!! and your DS is gorgeous!! Total cutie.

And thanks for the info @Alittlexmasmagic - hadn’t even considered we might not get a choice in it!! Makes sense. I’m all for knowing - one more thing to be in control of - DH is on the fence haha!!

I’ve also not got any maternity clothes as a FTM - where is the best place to get this stuff? Particularly online?! I’ve been living in joggers but the elastic band makes me uncomfortable now

Wondered where you had all got to! Thanks for the new thread @BertieBotts, will have a catch up now!

H&M is nice for maternity bits. I had a lot from friends as well. If you know anyone who already has children, ask around!

Adding myself to new thread.!So nice to see some lovely scan photos, can't believe it's that time already!

I had my booking in yesterday, they did most of it over the phone and just went in for weight/blood etc. Felt very efficient and safe. Feels so real now! Two weeks on Monday till my scan, cannot wait!

I'm 10 weeks today and this last week the nausea has really lifted, I feel so much better and able to eat and cook more normally which is great.

Hope everyone has a relaxing weekend.

Oh and we are not finding out the sex, we did last time but I want to be able to experience a surprise as well. Figure we have all the girl stuff already and enough unisex to get through the first few weeks if it's a boy. Also won't be decorating a nursery before birth this time.

@BertieBotts Your son is such a cutie 😍

@Miniheart I work for children’s services too (family contact team) and we have all been offered it. My manager is keeping me WFH indefinitely I think, so I probably won’t be having it. Definitely understand why you would if still working directly with families though

@coffeeandrainbows1 I haven’t bought anything maternity yet but definitely considering it. I’ve been living in leggings but the waistband is getting uncomfortable now!

Hey, hope everyone is doing ok! I’ve also had spots on my chin which I don’t usually have, I don’t think being stuck in the house so much helps for my skin either though, and I haven’t been drinking as much water as usual.

We haven’t decided yet whether to find out the sex of the baby. In my last pregnancy the consultant asked us if we wanted to know at a scan that was just before 17 weeks. We hadn’t been expecting to find out that day but said yes, and were told the baby was a girl. When I was admitted to be induced after the baby’s heart had stopped beating I took in a pink blanket and teddy for the baby (I don’t even know why I got pink looking back as I’m not even particularly fussed on pink for girls and blue for boys!) and a few hours after I had been admitted a doctor came in to tell us that the second set of amnio results had just come back which confirmed that the baby was a boy! We didn’t even have a name for a boy and had to come up with one quickly! I think this experience means that even if we do find out this time I wouldn’t really trust it until the baby was born, as it is never 100 percent, although I’m sure much more likely to be right the later on in the pregnancy it is checked.

@PurplePansy05 I have been considering whether to have the NIPT test rather than waiting until the 12 week scan, I feel like there are pros and cons to it for me, but I am struggling to find anywhere in our area that does it and has good reviews so it looks like it may not be an option at the moment for us anyway. I think our hospital does offer it after the 12 week scan where it is clinically indicated (for a fee) so may just have to wait and see.

Well it's a personal decision re private NIPT testing for everyone @notinthestarsigns, we've concluded that if there's a serious issue we'd rather know sooner than later because at 34 and with my history I haven't got an unlimited time left to keep trying. Obviously there are no tests that show everything and apart from amnio/CVS they aren't diagnostic so do not give a 100% certainty. But what they do give is nearly 100% certainty of the baby being fine against quite a number of conditions and that's good enough for me. I find anything offering reassurance is good for my MH and with recurrent MC it's been clinically proven that more monitoring results in better pregnancy outcomes. Even if the researchers don't know how this works, I'll certainly take that. Re NIPT testing I believe it can be offered for free on the NHS but not sure if it's only if they are concerned that there might be an issue and recommend it? Do you definitely have to pay extra if you wanted it done?