First time mums expecting Spring babies

[FlirtyThirty]

Hello!

I'm expecting my first baby on 24 April. I'm currently only 4+4 but have NO symptoms at all! Have just retested as I'm convinced I've imagined it!

Went to Dr yesterday to share the news and have to wait for hospital 'choose & book' paperwork so that I can arrange first scan for around 10 October.

There seems to be so many decisions to make all of a sudden...

Anyway...just wondered how you other first timers were finding things...or your other halves for that matter. Mine is still in total shock in spite of this being a planned baby!

Flirty x

hello again - you're in the April 09 thread with me too.

Know what you mean about so many decisions - like choosing a hospital when if you've been fit and healthy, you've no experience of...
I posted a question in the 'birth' section on here and got lots of v helpful replies about my 2 choices from mums who've been through it all there. Have also booked into the tours they do so I can see them first hand.

I'm finding the list of foods really confusing too - think it's just so much to take in at the moment. Wish there was just one long list of everything to avoid as I keep wondering if things come under the FSA's headings or not!

Am seeing my parents on Thursday and can't wait to tell them. Haven't told a soul apart from Dr so far...

BBx

Ooh...how exciting for you!
We've decided not to tell anyone (including family) until after the 12 week scan!

I thought I would find it REALLY hard before I was PG, but actually...now that I am, it seems completely the right thing for us. I'm still getting my head round the whole reality that I'm PG as it happened so quickly for us (2nd cycle).

I'm (fortunately) going away on an extended business trip which will take me up to 10wks before I need to see my mum and dad. From then, it's only 2 weeks til scan (assuming I can get one for bang on 12 weeks!). Have to wait for a reference number form my GP to book scan...hopefully will get this tomorrow. Apparently the secretary has to type it up and she can't do it today. I did say I was happy to just have the number, but apparently that's not an option...

As for choosing hospitals...I too had no clue! They made me decide at the GP surgery so I'm glad I'd looked up a little info before I went in. I never expected to be asked so soon. I've never been inside any of our local hospitals. The GP I saw had no idea what the differences in options or care levels were between the 2 I was offered so it was something of a stab in the dark decision. Do you know when/if we can go and look around the maternity unit?

Flirty x
4+4

I think most offer it as standard, from what I was told on here (so good to have these experts on hand when it's all so new to me!) so I just got their phone numbers from the websites. Someone told me to ask to speak to the antenatal sister so that's what I did and with both got right through. Both hospitals had specific times, I had to book in rather than just turn up, but it wasn't a problem getting a slot. Going to one this Saturday morning and one next Tuesday afternoon - I'll let you know how I get on! They didn't seem to mind me coming early in my pg, i think it's normal as they want you to have made your mind up in time to register for the 12-14 week scan.

Also one tip, I got the Rough Guide to Pregnancy (honestly I nearly bought it wearing dark glasses just in case I was spotted, despite it being a large busy London store) and helpfully it has a list of questions to take with you to the hospital visit. I'd be bound to think of stuff when it was too late otherwise.

Other tips would be to put a question on Childbirth thread (mine was 'St Georges or Chelsea & West?) and I got about 20 replies.

Or failing that do as my mate did and ask the receptionists in your Drs - they were more honest than her Dr and had personal experience.

Hope you get through your biz trip OK without sleeping all the time...

Oh...my friend had her baby at St Georges, Tooting last December. The delivery itself - emergency c-section was fine but the aftercare was shocking! And the food was pretty poor. She was in for about a week after her son was born as she had high blood pressure. She had NO help with breasfeeding - in spite of struggling - and was left on her own for hours and hours with no attention immediately after birth. Her baby's blood tests were lost on 3 separate occasions. Anyway...I'm sure others will have more personal stories.

Thanks for the tips on just calling up for appointments to view...will get on to that now! x

Hey Ladies!! I am due 7th March...not sure whether that is spring or not!! I am a first timer...and quite nervous! Bambino was planned but I am only now starting to be petrified!!

I have had my booking appointment and datin scan and am 11+3 today!

DP is very excited but I dont know if the reality has hit him yet!!

My symptoms seem to be going so fingers crossed the "bloom and grow" stage is on its way!!!

Hi Emma - Welcome!

So exciting that you've had your scan! Was it amazing?! Have you told your family and friends yet?

Flirty x

PS. Oh, and just called Kingston hospital...they don't do tours. I can go along one day and see if someone will let me see a room if it's free.... Seems alittle hit and miss...though the receptionist was lovely on the phone...

Yeah...scan was pretty amazing! Bambino was tryng to do backflip...i thik...but it just looked like he was throwing a paddy!!! Hope its not a sign of things to come! Saw his little heart beat and have the picture on my desk at work...you can see the outline of his little nose and his lips as the pic is from the side.

I am still not letting myself relax though...convinced something is going to go wrong! I used to be a positive thinker before the BFP!!!

I am now counting down the days to my 20 week scan...its not until October!!!

Hello everyone!

I am due on 30 April, I recognise BinkyB and FlirtyThirty from the April 09 thread, I posted on there a bit earlier (before going to make dinner!).

Saw GP today, was intially offered choice of C&W or St George's for the birth but have asked for Kingston as heard lovely things about it as opposed to horror stories for the first two, GP has agreed to refer me so we'll see if they will take me.

Am on emotional rollercoaster, tears one minute and laughing the next. This baby wasn't planned so I think that has added to the rollercoaster thing a bit.

DP and I were both utterly gobsmacked when we found out, it is sinking in now but sometimes I go back to feeling a bit like a rabbit caught in the headlights.

DP doesn't say too much about how he's feeling but has admitted to having smiled very happily to himself about it from time to time although still a bit shocked. What he has been amazing with is providing lots of big hugs and comfort when I have been having a little tearful wobbler feeling rather overwhelmed by it all.

I was rather touched that he came back this evening with a little USB drive full of links to baby websites that he had looked up today for us, brought a little tear to my eye I have to say.

Not planning to tell everyone until 12 weeks but I can see this getting problematic as I love nice wine and usually have a glass with dinner so people will notice when I don't.
In fact we're going to France with some friends on a wine tasting long weekend over the bank holiday though, planned ages ago, it's going to be fun thinking up a cover story as to why I'm not drinking! In addition my mother rang this evening and asked if I was feeling all right as I hadn't had any wine with dinner when we visited her last w/e. Hmmm. This could get tricky!!!

When are you guys planning to tell?

littleduck xx

Hello Littleduck! I'm due 24th April (27th April by GP but I know I'm a regular 25day cycle so have calculated by that)...and I'm also planning on Kingston! We may meet at there sometime...how funny!

DH and I are shell-shocked too so I completely understand that feeling! I'm 31 and he's 43 so we are no Spring chickens, and this baby was very much wanted, but we just expected it to take ages and in the event...it was 2 months. I was almost nervous to tell DH as I simply could not believe it when the lines came up on the test!!! He isn't saying much about it...he's happy but surprised and it'll take a little while to sink in. he's only had 3 days to take in momentous, life-changing news! I think for both of us it will only feel real at the scan (please God, let us get that far!). I have no symptoms at all so feels a bit like I'm making it up at the moment!

We are not telling anyone til 12weeks either. I too love wine and am known for enjoying good food and drink so this will be the most obvious change and I really hope I can fudge it as I don't want anyone to guess. We have a family wedding at 9wks and I have no idea how it won't be obvious there! I'm thinknig I might volunteer to do something like guest photos...something that will keep me busy and make it less obvious I'm not sipping champagne. I'm also very close to Mum and Dad and my DH did say that they will think something's up the second time I refuse a glass of wine. Once I can get away with, twice is more challenging...

I should be due 12week scan on 10 October so hope that I can an appointment close to that day!

Flirty
4+5
Due 24 April

Hello ladies! Littleduck they were the 2 choices I got given too, am going to have a look round. Fancied St Thomas' but it's full already (!). Think Kingston might be a bit far for us, so I'll just get my Mum to bring her rubber gloves and flash and go for one of the London ones...

We are going to tell our parents ahead of scans, only because if something did go wrong i.e. miscarriage then I would want them to be there for us. Don't know about telling friends - think I'll have the same wine issue, can't really claim to be on detox and then eat 2 puddings . My best mate told me early for much the same reasons, and I think if we lost this little one I'd need all the friends around me I could get. Mum first though!

Anyone else feel like time is going very slowly at the moment? I think it is just because I want it to be 12 weeks so I feel safer about this baby, but then reading emma's post I think for me too, I'll get to 12 and want it to be 20...

BBx

Flirty thanks for info on St Georges. have a mate who had a better experience there luckily but i think she said it was good for antenatal and post-natal her mum just took over as there was no one around. Great!
x

Hi, could I join you girls? I know flirty off the bonkers ttc thread but it would be nice to chat to some other first timers who are due around the same time as me!

My story so far...
I'm 8 weeks today! and EDD is 1st April (don't laugh!). I'm 30 and DP is 33. We had a miscarriage at 7 weeks in June which has left us both feeling very nervous this time round. I'm suffering a bit with the morning sickness (all-day sickness!) and pretty much off most food and drink.

I have my booking in with the midwife tomorrow and I'm actually quite nervous! Like you guys I'm pretty healthy and have never been in my local hospital apart from visiting sick relatives! It's a small town so at least I don't have any choice about where to have it!

I haven't joined the April09 thread as it was so hard when I had to leave the Feb09 thread! This will do me nicely!

Good Luck to you all, hope we can support each other through the scary and exciting times ahead!

Hi CE - welcome!

I am ont he April thread but find it so hard to keep up as there are SO many people on it and I am also still feeling a little shell-shocked at actualy being PG, so thought a place for us novices to hang out in blissful ignorance would be good...

Here's wishing us all happy, healthy pregnancies... (I would feel much happier if I had ANY symptoms at all...)

Flirty x

Hi ladies, specially big hi to CE

I joined the April 09 thread too but as Flirty rightly said there are so many people on it, it's difficult to keep up with (and I only joined last night!). It's lovely to have this place to get to know other Spring first time mums-to-be.

I apparently have to wait a couple of weeks then call Kingston to check if they will take me (if they don't send a refusal straight back to the GP on receipt of the referral in which case GP will let me know). If they do maybe I'll run in to Flirty there one day!

Am also giving a bit of thought to where I'd go if Kingston won't take me, at the moment I'm thinking maybe St George's as I have seem marginally more positive comments about there than C&W.

I think I'm going to have to tell my mum before 12 weeks. She is coming to stay for the weekend in a couple of weeks and she's certainly going to smell a rat if I'm not drinking the whole weekend. Thing is I really don't want to tell her yet as I'm still adjusting to the news myself and don't feel ready to share it with anyone else until I've got a bit more used to it - does that sound weird? Maybe I'll have to buy some grape juice and pretend it's wine...... or drink just tonic with a slice of lime (which I quite like) and let her assume it's a G&T........ oh the subterfuge!!!!

Apart from horribly sore and rather swollen boobs seem to have sore gums at back of mouth and behind top front teeth which makes it painful to eat - anyone else had/heard of this? Apart from that no symptoms.

hope everyone's well

littleduck xx

Littleduck - I have no symptoms either. In the shower this morning I noticed imagined that my boobs had grown. And then I thought they were painful...but that's probably me poking them every hour to see if they are sore yet!?

Don't have any advise on C&W...but my friend as I mentioned had crap post-natal care at St georges (though the medical team at her c-section were fab!). Keep me posted on whether you get into Kingston or not... I have my first appointment there on 16 Sept (booking in with midwife). Beginning to feel a little more real now...slowly but surely

Thanks for the welcome!

littleduck - my gums have started bleeding quite a bit already, and they never bleed normally. I have made a dentists appt for end sept so will make sure to tell him I am pg and have been throwing up lots!

Flirty - my boobs don't hurt, it's my nipples! They have grown a bit too . Personally I think they look terrible but DP just thinks it's funny!

We have ended up telling most of our friends and family, despite the best of intentions not to! I had my sisters wedding at nearly 5 weeks and wedidn't want to tell family to steal her thunder, so I had lemonade in a wine glass during the day! I quite often have wine and lemonade so kind of got away with it! It was only when we later told people that my Mum and sis said they had known I wasn't drinking really! Oh well...I tried!

Are you all scared about becoming a Mum then? I'm swinging from excited one minute to utter terror the next! I had a very vivid dream that I was breastfeeding a seahorse the other night! Not sure if I want to know what that might mean! LOL!!!

My boobs are definitely very sore, they're pretty large anyway and I soooo hope they aren't going to get too much larger! I really notice the soreness when I've taken off my bra to go to bed and when I get up. It was actually the sore boobs which made me think I might be pregnant. They've been a bit sore now and then for the odd day or two just before my period, but not for over a week beforehand!

I also veer between feeling excited and looking forward to it and feeling utter dread! Dread seems to be worsened depending on proximity to screaming children - eeek!

Littleduck xx

A seahorse, CE? I think (hmm old biology class) that they are the only species where the male carries the baby. So maybe you are wishing (join the club!) that your DP could do the giving birth bit for you! Well, it's a theory. Or could be those funny pictures of what your fetus looks like at this stage - they're kinda seahorsey. I think bonkers dreams are a 'symptom' from what I hear anyway.

DH has called my boobs 'stupendous' and have to admit rather pleased myself, after life in an A-cup they are moving on to B for the first time... Just with they didn't hurt!

Am excited. Just excited. We have scan next Weds which will tell us if we're having one or two babies so expect there's a 50/50 chance that after that, I'll mostly be terrified. I mean, feeding one seahorse at a time sounds tricky enough - but two?!

Wow Binky! Twins...how amazing!
Can't wait to hear back form your scan!
When are you due?

I said no to the 'do twins run in the family' question because I thought this was carried in the female line, then remembered afterwards that DH has twin siblings! Stupid girl. Still...don't think that I'm going to have twins for a second.

Glad to hear DH is pleased with your new 'assets'! I was wondering if mine had grown too...I think they have a little but as I already have quite a sizeable ( ) chest it's not so obvious. Nipples are a little tender today...but only if I touch them.

Flirty
4+6
Due 24 April

CE I am whole heartedly with you on the nipples thing...i thought it was just me!! The rest of my boob is fine but my nipples are REALLY painful!!

I am not feeling too bad today...very tired but that is nothing new, i have got very used to it over the last 11 weeks! Unfortunately I hav3e to move house on Saturday...not sure I will be much use though!!

I had mcdonalds for lunch i am ashamed, but its all i wanted!!!!

How is everyone doing today?!

I had bangers and mash despite it (at last) being sunny today. And last night had bananas and custard - am eating like a seven year old! Most foods make me feel sick to even think of them so am relieved to fancy anything at all.

No twins on either side of the family but I took Clomid which can make you release more than one egg - clearly it did for me as at the scan last week I had one with a heartbeat and one that looked "1 or 2 days younger" so they couldn't see a heartbeat. Will know next Weds, I'll let you all know!

Going to tell my Mum & Dad tonight - have butterflies! Makes it all seem more real I guess. Can't wait to let them in on it though. Not sure whether to share the twins news until confirmed though - they'll faint!

Hi spring mummies!

I have had a very nerve wracking few days but will update you as all is well! I got really paranoid that suddenly I had stopped feeling sick etc so did a pg test, which was quite feint. Told the midwife who arranged for me to have an early scan this morning. I am pleased to say we saw a perfect little bean with a betaing heart!!! WOW!!! I was just about hysterical crying but once I managed to calm down she measured it at 8 weeks 5 days (21mm) so EDD is now 28th March! I am so happy and very relieved!...hey, and I don't feel sick much now! Yey!

Hope you guys are all well xxxxxxxxxx

Breastfeeding a seahorse CE ,

Hello Daisy!

Yes - do stay here with us! Much less intimidating than the mega EDD month threads!

Have updated stats with my all-important extra day! :-)

THE SPRING COLLECTION
CE 8+5 due 28 March
Daisyj 8+5 due 28 March
Flirty 5+0 due 24 April

I can't believe you ladies are already almost 9 weeks! I haven't told a sole yet (except DH!). I worry that I'm going to let it slip because I'm concentrating so hard on not saying anything!

Still no real symptoms, though I feel my chest a little tight this afternoon...sort of like I've been running (fat chance of that in reality!!!)

Morning spring mums!

Feeling so much more relaxed after scan yesterday. Feeling just great today! Morning sickness has 95% gone and have def got my appetite back. Still have to eat what I fancy IYSWIM and off tea/coffee but otherwise fine!

Nipple soreness has now progressed to the whole boob !! Must have laid on my stomach as they were killing when I woke up!

Off for a lovely day out today with DP's sis and her family so fingers crossed the sun shines!

Have you guys bought anything for the baby yet? I got a few little outfits etc, I know I shouldn't but couldn't help it! (We also got the cot but only because it was 1/2 price!!!) LOL!

Enjoy your weekends ladies xx