Due November 2008: "Now, where is my uterus?...Just above the hair!! "

[Heartmum2Jamie]

Our shiny new thread!!

Thanks everyone. For your thoughts, it is so nice to be able to share.
Though I have now told my family all about it, so sis is in a worried state now as well as DH
Mum and dad are happy not to worry if I am not and we are just waiting to see what the next hurdle is.
Actually, DH has just come in from work and has been so busy today that he has not thought too much, which is really good and reassuring for me that he is staying calm.

pinkali, we seem to have the same taste in four legged friends! our standard schnauzer is an absolutely dear, sweet old dog (a bit daft for a schnauzer though)but my mini oh my mini. she was an incredible little dog. i still cry when i think of her... 14 is a fantastic age. sadly, mine got lymphoma at 10 (diagnosed just a few weeks after ds was born) and we managed to keep her going until 11 but in the end she had had enough. at the forgetting you were the peanut butter initiator!!! it was yummy Hope your pains ease off soon - they do sound like stretching ligaments etc to me

hanaflower, ooh bellydancing! would love to do something like that! i briefly took up latin jazz dance last year at a local dance studio but it was always dependent on dh getting home from work on time which rarely happened so i gave up. am managing to get in 3 x 1km swims a week now though in a vain attempt to not resemble a beached whale like in my last preg!

twinkling, hope all will be well with you x

still concerned about my occasional but quite strong braxton hicks. anyone experiencing similar?

Zonedout, I have been having braxton hicks since 12 weeks, the midwife said it was more common with each subsequent child. I don't get them everyday, but when I do, I generally know that I need to drink some water and take a break.

no BHs here, but I had them rotten with DD.....even the hospital weren't sure whther or not I was in the early stages of labour at 33 weeks. The consultanat said I needed to drink at least 3 litres of water a day as they get worse if you are dehydrated.

Evening ladies

Good luck to those of you having scans tomorrow - can't wait to hear all about them tomorrow.

Exercise - I am still doing 2 aerobics classes a week. It is very high impact aerobics (Body Attack if anyone has heard of it?) but the midwife said it was fine to continue as long as it is something you have done regularly before. I still pretty much do everything (jogging, knee lifts, kicks, etc) but I have stopped doing jumping jacks and do low-impact ones of those. I always find those hard anyway so just by taking those out I find my heart rate is not as high. I managed to continue going to the gym up until 7 months with DS so I am aiming for similar this time round aswell (did bugger all to help the weight gain though )!

Right, just a quickie tonight as have loads of jobs to do before the Apprentice starts - can't wait!!

x

i cant wait to see midwife next weeki. am almost out of gaviscon again and need a new perscription.

Lolabella Good luck for the scan; I'm sure it will all be fabulous! I had a go with the doppler. We think we got a heartbeat very briefly, but couldn't get it again. It is obviously a swimmer like its mum. When I read my book, it said that you can hear them at 10-12 weeks unless the baby is in the wrong position, or maternal fat gets in the way . Hmmmmm.... wonder which one it could be?!!!! Again, good luck

heartmum and lackadaisy, thank you for the braxton hicks comments, i feel a litle relieved. actually, have had mine since about 12 weeks too and it makes perfect sense about he dehydration... i really struggled to drink anything (especially water) duting those sicky weeks and although i feel much better i still do struggle to get water down me. will make an effort now!

goodness, there are some incredibly fit sounding ladies on this board!

good luck for all scans tomorrow, so exciting!

I'll might see Oblomov at Kings. My scan is on the same day, July 1st. I will have two appointments 11 o'clock and another in the afternoon. I feel it will be a long day. Not as long for my mum though who will be looking after DS and DD

Just wondering what Braxton Hicks feels like - can anyone describe it?

Lola, i find the feeling quite difficult to describe... it is a sort of tightening/slight crampy feeling in the tummy (and tummy goes rock hard at the same time) which, to me, almost has the feeling of taking my breath away. In first pregnancies i don't think they happen until much later on but once you feel them they are quite an unmistakable and rather bizarre sensation! If I remember rightly they get stronger and more frequent towards the end of pregnancy,

that was a bit hopeless, maybe somebody more eloquent could describe?!

I remember the rock hard thing (belly went rick hard for anything from a few seconds to a few minutes). They are normally painless, but in my case with DD they were quite painful (hence everyone's confusion about whether or not I was in labour or not)...like very bad period pain. In fact not unlike the real deal in the early stages of labour, but mainly at the bottom of the bump painwise whereas the real deal goes in a wave from top to bottom.

if that makes any sense at all.

Just caught up during the Apprentice after show, so apologies if concentration is not all there...

Got some doors today downstairs (haven't had any for 2.5 yrs) and a new front door. Yipppeeee...

Twinkling - you're dealing so well with 'the thing in the sac'. My friend shared something really cool with me, about an issue she had when she was pregnant, that it creates a really 'cool' and interesting story to tell your child about 'their pregnancy' when they're growing up.

Chocorange - enjoy scan and holiday. Please do post us a pic. We'll miss ya!

Ceebee - Body Attack! It sounds like a horror movie to me!

oooh, Lolabella let us know the sex!

morning all!

Good luck for all those having scans today - I bet you can't wait!!! I still have 2 weeks to go and it is dragging........

Does anyone else feel as if this PG is going really quickly now?! I found it dragged between 6-12weeks, not I can't quite believe I am nearly 20.

Was anyone else very very happy to see Alex out of the apprentice?! I loved it and think Lee is a worthy winner (although I was backing Clare!)

Have a good day

DM x

Scan today - i'm so nervous i didn't really sleep at all.
Good luck to Chocorange and Heartmum who also have theirs today. Hopefully i can report later that all is well and reveal the flavour!! I think girl - dp thinks (boy)

Dozymare i feel that the time is going really fast now, my lovely brother in law keps telling me 'OOHH it's getting bigger, its got to come out somewhere'

DM I also feel the weeks are starting to fly past - can't believe I'll be 20 weeks on Saturday
Silly question alert - a friend mentioned yesterday that if you're 20 weeks, your bump should be 20cm. Has anybody else heard of this? If so, where do you take the measurement from? Mine appears to be 32cm from top to bottom so that can't be right
Good luck to everybody having scans today - can't wait to see the pics and find out if your predictions were correct!

Thanks to Lacka and zonedout for decriptions too

Good Luck to all of you having scans today, can't wait to hear the results and see pictures.

I've been measuring my tummy round my tummy button (if that makes sense) but I think i may stop as I am getting paranoid that it stops one day and then grows the next. The measurement up is the the pubic bone as it is supposed to be where the top of the uterus is.

Lola & chocoorange Good luck at your scans today!! I actually slept ok considering my excitment getting up at 3.30 for a wee and was woken again at 6am by ds1 (7) who had a bad dream. My scan isn't until 2.30pm and I feel sick with excitement and nerves but I just forced down some brekkie and a cuppa. Thankfully my best friend will be here shortly, and my Nan, Grandad & Mum will be visiting at some point this morning as well (birthday tomorrow). Make sure you post about your scan before your hols tomorrow Choco!

Zonedout, I agree that it is hard to describe braxton hicks. I find it is a tightening of my belly, it actually goes rock hard. It lasts about 30 seconds right now, but later on they can/will get longer. Definately try and keep hydrated as this will help alot and help ward off headaches if you are inclined to get them too.

Yesh I was gonna say, from the pubic bone to the top (so pull the measuring tape so it goes over your bellybutton). The top should be just under your boobs, though i don't think mine is reaching that high yet. I am only 16 weeks hough, so bump is not too big.
the midwie alwas measured me, but did not take my weight. I think that they think focusing on your weighht can be decieving and anyway might cause you to worry or try to lose some? Maybe
My measurments were always spot on for my weeks. So I was always surprised when people said I was huuuge. But I measure right!!! Then DD was over 8llbs, which no-one was expecting, so it's all just silyness really I reckon, means nothing and informs you of less, so why bother??

merry my brother said the same thing, when I was VV ill with DD and he was right. I am now so proud that I got through that, that I tell anyone who wil listen. People are gonna get bored of me and mypregnancy/birth stories!!
I wrote out a blog, for DD to read when she is pregnant, or maybe after, so as not to scare her( I must get onto that one, for this pregnancy. Boy it's gonna be a novel!). Because I always had so many questions for my mum but she could never remember the details. After 4 of us they all kinda merged into one, I guess MIL however, remembers Everything! Pregnanies, Births, how they were as babys, as toddlers, Everything! She is always making comparisons with DD and her dad, whom she is soooo like, as a baby/toddler apparently.
But, anyway, sorry rambled off there! Yes, you are right, it is all the tapestry of life and I do like to tell a good story but perhaps my children are going to groan whenever anyone asks saying, 'Oh No don't ask mum that! We'll be here for hours!!'

Oh, before I forget, dozy when I wrote DS, way back there, I meant they were testing for Downs Syndrome, but couldn't be bothered to type it all out, sorry for confusion. No I still don't know sex of baby and won't cos hospital pollicy prevent them from telling, up here. But I wouldn't really want to know Yeah, but I think it is cheating, save a surprise for the end

I am only 16 weeks, you ladies at 20 weeks, I am so jealous, I wish time was flying for me. This seems to be a long drawn out affair this time round. I guess it is with everything happening, I just want baby out and safe, so want to rush through the pregnancy. Which, of course, is making time drag!

My typing is atrocious!
Letters missed out everywhere!!

And, I am sorry for the mega post, I didn't realise it would be so big until I hit post again

Good luck to those getting their scans, of a holiday, just you and DH, to Barbados, chocorange!!
That's great that you get to see baby befre you go.
20 weeks scans are the best! Baby is moving and waving and looking so baby like!

Thanks for all the info on exercise - it's good to hear other people are being energetic too. My midwife nearly had a fit at the idea of me walking in the Lakes. I do seem to be having some problems with dehydration or lack of salt - I am getting cramp in my calves in the night, which I always used to get when I ran a lot. Think I may need to add more salt to my food and see if that helps.

Also, how much weight have you put on (if you don't mind sharing). I'm keeping a week by week note - out of interest rather than obsessing. I was 9 stone, and have put on a stone already (at 17weeks). I've read 4lbs in first trimester, then 1lb a week (which would add up to 9lbs).

Hiya

Just want to wish everyone who has a scan lots of luck today Let's hope that some people feel like sharing the news if they find out what their little bumps are going to be My scan is not until 4th July when I will be the grand total of 21 weeks!!! I can't believe it has flown by but this bit before the scan seems to be dragging as I want to see bump so much!

xx

Thanks hanaflower - I'm not worried, but do want to keep a check on it. I started with a BMI of 21.5 and I have a pretty active lifestyle. Just curious as to the 'normal' variation, as you only ever see average weight gain (and obviously some people lose weight at the start if they're sick). I gained, as I had to eat every 2 hours to avoid feeling sick!

Hope your scan goes well. I've still got over 2 weeks to wait!