Due April 2009? Am I really the first?

[LittleMyDancingForJoy]

Anyone else out there? Just got faint, but definitely there, BFP.

Due 1st April, according to those dodgy due date calculators.

Welcome and congrats Lou. Lucky you having no periods for all that time!

Ew - rats in maternity wards. Horrid. Home births all the way for me!

Cosomo - with you on the tiredness. Hope it stops at 12 weeks or so like last time, as I feel so drained all the time. Weirdly still enjoying symptoms though as so thrilled to be pregnant!

gemzooks - could see why'd you want to spill the beans early if it means you can get to tell everyone face to face. Hpw exciting.

My lack of drinking is getting people suspicious already. That makes me sound like an alchoholic. Have lots of events and a big weekend away with the inlaws coming up so people are going to really wonder then. Hmmm. Migh just try and eave it as long as possible but not worry oif don't make it to 12 month mark. Sounds weird, but I think the sooner people know, the longer it will feel the pregnancy is? Plus I like it being a secret for now.

All this talk of twins!!!! I always thought I would have loved twins but now I think maybe just one would be enough for me at a time!

Not bothered about boy or girl though. Excited just thinking about the possibilities!

lix - GP visit is normally a formality to refer you to midwives, nothing exciting at all. he might foist some literature about folic acid and alcohol on you and say congratulations before referring you to your local midwives.

Hi....Just got a BFP this morning so that puts me at about 15th April 09....

Congratulations! and welcome

Hello ladies I've just spoken to a nurse where i had iui, it looks like my due date is 10th april and at about 8 weeks i should get a scan to see if there is just 1 baby i've now done another test dh thinks i'm losing the plot but it all seems so sereal because we've been ttc for 4 years. But lots of bfps and no af and sore boobs and feeling a bit tired in middle of the day. I surpose i can now grin and finally believ i'm pregnant (i still have 1 unused test left though )

the 10th is a great day, it's my birthday too!

So pleased iui worked for you, it must be very exciting!

Congrats Mrs Fossil!!
When I was having my DD I checked 5 times after my initial BFP.
Save your last test to try again in a few weeks...you will doubt it all!!

I am going to test again tomorrow though as I had a faint BFP this morning, I want a more significant result!

Hello all! Can I join you? I'm due on 6th April and this is my first. Still waiting for it to feel 'real' despite about 10 BFPs! But generally feeling about it despite the bloating and knackeredness.

I've been to the docs and like others was a bit underwhelmed - bit of a mumbled congratulations and was then told I can't get into preferred hospital (St Thomas') and will have to go to Lewisham. Does anyone know anything about Lewisham? The stats on here look a bit crap compared to St T's telegraph.drfoster.co.uk/BirthGuide/. How much difference is there between different hospitals?

And the first midwife booking in appointment they could give me was 10 Sept, I'll be nearly 11 weeks by then - isn't that too late?

Congratulations TicTac, Lou and especially you MrsFossil after 4 years TTC - wow, You must be so pleased!

Babyshoes - thinking of you, hope all is ok.

I wouldn't hold out too much hope of great things from uk GPs Lix. I saw mine last time and he just seem surprised I hadn't gone direct to midwife (how was I supposed to know?!) and then asked if I was pleased, inferring - do you want to keep it

I've had a look at the mat. wear. H&M is good but the ones near me don't stock maternity. High street shops were rubbish for it despite shopping in a big-ish city. most of mine was from red herring in debenhams and dotty p's, although they do hideous polyester work trousers. why would you want these just coz you are PG?! I can only justify getting a few things as I have lots from last time, DS was a july baby so might need a few more warm tops. Not sure what to do about coat, might make do with a long cardigan. My pre pg winter coat doesn't fit round me now let alone in December!

Hi Toastnhoney,

Our m/wifes don't see people until 10wks for a quick appt then booking in at 12wks as we don't get a 20wk scan in my PCT area. I will make a m/wife appt for 12 wks as on hols when I'm 10wks.

Don't know anything about your hospitals I'm afraid, but might have a look at my local ones if there on your link as I'm not sure where to go this time. Last time I went to m/wife led unit but got transferred to the teaching hospital due to complications during labour. The teaching one was grim though, carpet on the labour ward floor, how on earth can they keep that hygienically clean? Friend of mine said her waters broke on the carpet and the m/wifes were dabbing at it with paper towels! When I was packing to leave noticed rubbish behind the bed which wasn't mine, despite the fact I was wheeled in there in the bed so it must have been an empty space before I arrived and so rubbish clearly visibile!

Sorry guys, rant over!

Ewwwwww carpet on floor that sounds so gross

I know! The m/wife led unit was lovely, only 2 labour rooms so really small and so all the m/wifes knew who I was without checking etc. recently refurbished, clean etc etc Only thing putting me of this time is transfer last time due to complications. DS was 10lb 1 and am likely to have another big un and transferring was a pain (OH madly packing all my stuff up and chasing the ambulance, me in panic he wouldn't get there etc!). Oh, and at the big hospital they left us alone and unchecked in the delivery room from 10am until 3pm post delivery, despite the fact I had had severe bleeding and surgery post delivery.

I think I'm talking myself into opting m/wife led again and seeing how we go!

Toast n honey, why can't you go to your preferred by the way?

i've looked at the stats for both of mine now, and to be honest I don't think they tell you much. A tour of the hospital and talking to people who've already been to either is far more valuable in my opinion.

M/wife led sounds a lot better.

They rejected my doc's referral form saying they're full up. They seem to offer services to people in some postcodes as guaranteed, then a few extra postcodes are only if they have space. I'm in one of the extra postcodes, boo.

Though I did wonder how they can be full up for April '09 already? Surely no one can have got there much earlier than me!

Hello all

Just had a BFP. Wasn't actually supposed to be TTC yet as had MC 5 weeks ago but yesterday got an overwhelming feeling that I was pg again and couldn't shake that feeling today so tested. Hurrah. V. excited but obviously a little nervous.

We have 1 DD born in April 07 and it was a truly lovely time of year to have a newborn baby.

Hi everyone, and congrats and welcome LuLu, Toast and TicTac.

How's everyone feeling? I am starting to have the old 'is it twins' question popping into my head, as I'm feeling so sick already and surely that can't be right! I can only be just 6 weeks pregnant!

Toast - that's mad that your preferred hospita can be booked up already. How? Who could possible have asked earlier than you? Do you get 12 week scans where you are? I only ask, as if your booking appointment is 123 weeks, then they wont be able to book you in for a 12 week scan with enough time. (my surgery does 8 week booking appointment and book you in for 12 week scan at the booking.)

Blurghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh by the way.

oops - meant booking appointment is 12 weeks - not 123! That's a really long way away!

Hello and welcome all. Lovely to have a load of us here together. Twins....hmmm...I wonder if any of us have them? How exciting!
I am in Essex boooooooooo

Congrats Lulu!

Lol Scrumptious, 123 weeks maybe for the next baby? Maybe if I book for that one now I'll actually get into the one I want.

They do have 12 week scans here - the doc's receptionist faxed that request straight to the hospital. So I guess I'll have my booking in visit at 11 weeks and then the scan about a week later. Jumbs, good to know your booking in visit is this late too, guess it's not too out of the ordinary then.

I'm shocked at the maternity care in the UK, no one I know has had a good experience, that was why I had DS in Belgium (we were living in Kazakhstan at the time and that was definitely not an option!). But seriously the carpet story is unbelievable! I'm not looking forward to the Dutch approach much (pain = good and necessary), but on the other hand they have a system where a nurse/carer comes to your home for the first 7 days and helps with everything, cooking, cleaning, changing the baby, whatever, and it's covered by the standard health insurance.

There must be a better way to fund the health system than how it is now! (slightly off topic I know, but I used to work on maternal care projects in Kazakhstan, and it's just so awful when mothers and babies are not given the best care)..

Hi Toast N honey. I recommend you speak directly to St. Thomas's, dont accept the refusal. Maternity services enable you to select ANY hospital to birth in, you shouldn't be turned away.

I should have had DD in Bolton but I wouldn't choose to deliver a corpse there so transferred my birth to Preston...it was ace! I will be doing that again but leaving all that until later on in the process, that way I get Boltons midwifes for my antenatal and then preston for the birth only!

I have had an awful taste in my mouth for over a week, I feel shattered and I am getting AF cramps quite a bit and finally, I feel sick al the time. I am only about 5 weeks pregnant!!!!!

Gemzooks, in defense of the NHS, I have had two pregnancies, and gave birth at Winchester.

DD1: -Scans at 4+6, 8+6 following abdo pain. -Scan at 20 weeks.
-Scans at 39+1 and 39+6 weeks following growth concerns.
-Induction offered over the weekend as concerns raised re: growth.
-Induction actually carried out 1.5 hours after consultation at my request (I was very worried).
-Discharge the same day as birth as per my request.

DD2: -Scans at 4+6, 6+6 and 8+6 following abdo pain (think now it is appendix adhesions being stretched, but GPs very cautious).
-48 hour HCG monitoring to exclude ectopic as routine because of abdo pain mentioned in routine GP consult.
-Midwife alert to previous induction for suspected IUGR, and monitored at each appt (she asked me whether I thought I had grown, and we agreed together that I hadn't).
-Instant admission at 33 weeks because I phoned midwife to ask advise re: "tightenings"
-Scan at 00.00 because contractions were coming and unsure of position. Monitoring in labour ward and medicated.
-Referral for growth scan the following day, as amniotic fluid lowish. Taken in person by Unit Manager because they were busy despite my offer to go alone. Unit Manager making beds to help out.
-Regular CTGs.
-Repeat growth scan 2 weeks later - no growth.
-Offer of monitoring or induction. Induction the following morning.
-Private room allocated because DD was prem and we were kept in.
-Phototherapy treatment in my room to avoid SCBU admission.

Sorry to go on, but I just wanted to give the other side to the story

Phew! Its taken me ages to read all the new posts since yesterday - I feel the need to jot down notes!

I only have good memories from my stay in NHS hospital (Stirling Royal) but it is a hit or miss if you get a good midwife or not which is a scandal. The one on duty when I arrived was the only one from my pre-natal checks that I couldn't stand (v. patronising) - you should have seen my face when I thought she would be labouring with me but she muttered the immortal line "I'm just giong off shift" and I nearly gave birth there and then with relief

I've been quite canny and bought some nice empire line tops which should seamlessly see me through the first few months of pregnancy, its the plus side of the empire line fashion that has been around for ages!

I'm sill waiting for my morning sickness to kick in and living in vague hope that I might not get it this time. I remember a friend saying that its all to do with what blood type your baby is - if they are compatable then no morning sickness if not then bleugh...

Off for cuppa and cadbury twirl