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

Flirty - I have stretchmarks on my hips from teen growth spurt too. I quite like them, though ? it?s not so much the SMs I worried about, it?s the flabby tum! Any cure for that...?

IO clothes come up small, I think. Wasn?t sure whether to get the mini-skirt in 6-8 or 10, so went for the smaller size (their size 1) and although it fitted it pulled slightly, so I changed it for the 10 which is bigger but because of the jersey material still clings nicely. Just ordered their mini-dress in a size 2 (10) and am hoping it won?t be too big on the boobs ? my hips are where the weight is, hence the size 1 being a bit small.

Elpis - I literally did lol at ?making the love?. Hold your breath and suck in that tummy! Also make sure you eat carefully this week, not so much for weight, but so that bloat doesn?t add to the bump. No caffeine, and lots of probiotic yoghourt, I?d say

Hi All!!

I am watching the clock and wishing time would fly quicker...Holiday Time!

I had my consultant appointment to discuss my blood pressure. It is apparently still too high to ignore but too low to do anything about At least my ECG was clear. I am to have my BP checked every week while I am away.

All this talk of bio-oil...I have also been lathering it on and really love it. Trying to avoid stretch marks is a good excuse to keep using it, although I have also heard that it is down to genetics. I started using Palmers Tummy Butter, which smelt heavenly but gave me an allergic reaction - it is apparently quite common?

elpis same here iwth the seat on the tube, if I am not feeling great and want to sit down I 'pick' on a healthy looking male and push back the coat, rub the belly and put on my 'poor me' face. It works every now and then

loli glad everything is OK, was thinking about you!

I won't be on much in the next few weeks, my in-laws have archaic dial-up internet! Hope everyone keeps well until I am back

Hi ladies!

Just got back from the scan - I managed not to cry too much for once! It was TRULY amazing to see our gorgeous baby for the first time. He/she kept quite still and looked really content and relaxed! Kept putting it's hands up to it's mouth and sucking it's thumb, then hiccupping really clearly, opening and closing mouth! The sonographer even showed us it's little feet and toes which got me a bit! Anyway, she said everything looks good and normal so we are over the moon! Size was spot on aswell for 19 + 4 so it all looks good! I'm soooooooo happy!!!

Just want to warn you when it comes to your own 20 week scans though that the sonographer goes really quiet for ages and does tonnes of measurements of head, heart, spine, arms, legs and god knows what else. We were both starting to get a tiny bit concerned when she announced she was done and all was well! Don't panic - they just need to concentrate to do their job thoroughly I guess!

PS - pics on profile - proud Mummy alert!!!

Wow those pictures are so clear! Did you scan them on or get them on a CD? Looks amazing, bet it's weird now thinking of all that (in detail) going on in there. Ahh... So cute.

Mine is 2 weeks today, I can't wait now!

flirty - sizes seemd to vary. some things are a 2 others a 3, i suppose it depends on body shape. the tops have quite large bump areas! far too big at present. leggings v generous - i had to send the 3 back and get smaller size. dress is just right in a 2. jeans were too small in a 2!! v confusing answer, sorry.

i too love bio oil. i bio in the morning and clarins in the night. may not work but it feels lovely and nice bump bonding.

CE - your pictures are sooo cute. cant wait till mine. 1 1/2 weeks.

loli - v relieved that you posted, was worried.
xxx

CE - Great scan pics! What a lovely experience for you and DH . And thanks for the warning about the sonographer going quiet - that could be pretty disconcerting!

CE - congratulations on your scan! The pics are soooo cute!!!
Must have been great for DH, should help him to bond as well.

lolianja - glad to hear you are well!

Brightside - hope your BP settles. It's probably all the exctement that's causing it .

Went to the chiro today, she checked my pelvis and did some manipulations with lovely cracking sounds. She also said that there is not much she can do, but help alleviate the pain and ensure I can stay mobile and that I'll be seeing her till the end of the pg. Seeing her twice next week and then probably once per week.

She also recomended that I do ski if I feel ike it and that it would be good for me and the baby. She also reassured me that most falls ( should I have them) should not do any damage to me or the baby. So as long as I find trowsers to fit in to and if the days are nice and not crowded I may still do it. Will decide when it comes to it though.

Hello to everyone!
XX

Hey everyone

CE - your scan pics are soooooooooo cute and so clear... Can't wait for mine... booked in for 15 December at Kingston - no more travelling through rush hour traffic to Roehampton - hurrah!

Loli - so glad everything is ok...

Looking forward to bumping into all the Kingston girls in the Malden Suite - are you all going for the midwifery led unit as well then?

Hope everyone has a good evening - DH is cooking stir fry tonight - yummmmmmmmmmmy

x

Well I'm 16wks today - hooray for me!

CE - What a cute baby you have! :-) I have our 12wk scan pic on my dressing table and every day a see a little more detail. I find the further away I am, the more I ca actually see.

Bicnod - I'm completely torn about regular ward and MLU at Kingston. Main reason is that so many people I know who've had babies are advising me to have an epidural, which I couldn't have at the MLU. However, I really like the idea of labouring in water... So, I think I might opt for MLU and accept that if it all gets too much pain-wise I'll request to transfer. I'm keeping a very open mind about pain relief options - I'm a firm belive in the old saying: 'mothers not martyrs leave maternity units'...

evs and daisy - thanks for the IO sizing tips. I'm useless at ordering things without trying them on! Will give it a go though...

Have a good day everyone!
Flirty x

thanks all for your kind words about my scan pics! I'm still on cloud nine tbh! Hoping to see some more on here very soon! . They were just printed out pics that I scanned in - only £3 for 4 pics aswell!

skiingone - glad it went well with the back doc! (can't spell alternatives!) Hoping your pain subsides soon.

flitry - 16 weeks! time is flying!!!

We are off to SIL for the weekend so don't worry that anything bad has happened!

CE xx

Hello ladies!

I've JUST discovered this thread and had to put my 2 pence worth in...

I'm due 19 April and fluctuate between excited and terrified every 5 minutes... Mini-Munchkin has started to KICK like David Beckham this week, so there have been a few sleepless hours waiting for him/her to get off my bladder... anyone else experiencing this particular joy? It's funny really, because I was so desperate to feel him/her kick and now all I want is some sleeeeep... Good practice, I guess!

I can't wait to get myself a pair of maternity trousers!! This week in particular I've been feeling a teeny bit "constricted" around the middle... and reckon a nice stretchy waistband could be better than sex... Any decent suggestions?

I'm going to find the list now and add me in... Looking forward to some great stories!

And here's me!!

March
Lolianja - EDD 2 March - Essex (but probably giving birth in Lancs)
ChocolateEclair - EDD 28th March - North Yorkshire
DaisyJ ? EDD 28 March ? Lewisham (home preferably)

April

skiingone EDD 3 April - Portland Hospital
Kalikaroo - EDD 3 April - hospital birth somewhere in deepest darkest scandinavia (not saying where cos someone in my family might read this!)
BinkyB - EDD 7 April (but think will be earlier as twins) - Chelsea & Westminster
Evs34 - EDD 8th April - North Yorkshire.
SpringySunshine - EDD 11th April - Jessops, Sheffield
Brettgirl2 - EDD 12th April Warwickshire
Pinkadink - EDD 16th April - Edinburgh
Salbysea - EDD 18 April - Dorset
Kittycat8 - EDD 19 April - Epsom Hospital
Elpis - EDD 23 April (that's what THEY say; I think 25) - Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, London
FlirtyThirty - EDD 24 April - Kingston Hospital
Bicnod - EDD 27 April - Kingston Hospital
Littleduck - EDD 27 April - Kingston Hospital

May
BRIGHTSIDEOFLIFE - EDD 1st May - Kingston Hospital
Heverhoney-EDD 2nd May - QE Woolwich
Saz007 - EDD 20 May - Durham
Jools1 - EDD 29th May - Watford General (hopefully the MLU if I can keep my BMI and BP down)

PS - I read that a couple of you have had 16 week MW appts - is this normal? I haven't got one scheduled at all! Should I call her and doublecheck the letter didn't get lost in the post?

(please forgive the super-paranoid first time prggie lady)

Welcome KittyCat ! This weekend I've decided to go to H&Ms to buy some maternity jeans!! I'm 19 weeks today and I'm really fed up of having my top buttons undone now. My trousers are too tight even with them undone! Because I'm a bit chubby my "baby bump" is more like "baby flab" at the moment. I have a lovely round bump when I'm lying down but just a really fat looking belly that sticks out when standing up...can't wait for a proper bump!!

OK everyone TMI alert!! I have been having very weird nipples recently!! Ahemmm A couple of times this week they are really swollen and hard when I wake up in the morning, but seem to calm down by the afternoon. They're not really sore, but feel hot. Also, my nips are really dry and flaky looking - I thought it might be colostrum leaking but surely it's too early for that???? I really miss my pre-pregnancy nips!!!!!! Do you reckon I have some sort of strange nipple disease or is it just milk glands forming etc? Anyone else had anything alarming happening in that area??

Ok, going to do some work now and stop obsessing about my nips!!

Kittycat8
the reason I had a 16w apt is because I booked my 12 week apt too soon after my scan and bloods and my blood results werent back yet so she just listened to the heart and scheduled me to come back at 16w

I didnt have any blood tests or anything at 16w -she mostly just went through my 12w blood results and suck em in my notes.

(but we did get to listen to the little heart beat at the end )

It does sound like some trusts do a 16w apt, but where I live its generally just an apt after your 12w scan and the next apt is after you 20w scan

Kittycat - no midwife appointment between 8wks (booking in) and 24wks for me at Kingston Hospital. Though I do have scans at 12 and 21 wks. Don't think you'll get a 16wk one either where you are.

Kalikaroo - nipples - mine too have developed a mind of their own! I'm not experiencing the hot flaky thing, but instead mine have developed into a whole series of mini-bumps. It's vile. Baby won't know where the hell to suck!

Oh, and have any of you (like me) still not heard the baby's heartbeat?

And when did you first feel baby move?

flirtythirty I havent felt it yet (at 17 weeks) but believe it can be as late as 20 weeks if its your first

Is it possible to have mastitis BEFORE the baby is born? - they are so hot and my nipples are itchy and sore (TMI I know - sorry!)

Hey Flirty - I haven't heard the baby's heartbeat yet either but the MW told me to book in antenatal appointment with GP around 17/18 weeks and hopefully will get to hear it then. Have you got your 20 week scan booked in?

I was convinced I felt the baby move the other evening... felt like a sort of tickling/fluttering (never felt anything like it before), but haven't felt it since so not sure... am 15+5 so probably a bit early and probably just wind?!

Hope you all have a good saturday - I'm off to brave the rain...

x

24 weeks on Monday and I've started leaking from my nipples already! Ugh! This coupled with the Braxtons is incredibly annoying. I presume this is the karmic recompensation for tiny bump, lack of weight gain and lack of stretch marks. I suppose it was never going to be perfect.

KittyCat - I have a 16-week check-up tomorrow, and the second of two blood tests for Down's - but those are obviously optional. It's odd that NHS trusts vary so much.

Hi All

Thanks for all the maternity leave advice. I think I'll start my maternity leave at the beginning of April two weeks before due date and use my two weeks holiday immediately before, so stop work mid March. Hoping to take a year off as I get a good maternity package from my employer for the first 26 weeks, before going onto statutory, so combined with saving madly for the last year or so we should just about manage it. Realise I'm very lucky to be in that position though. What I think will be quite a struggle is the finances when I go back to work and we have childcare to pay for.

Kalikaroo I too have had dry skin on my nipples. Have recently started putting bio oil on them as well as my bump which seems to be helping a bit. They are not swollen though but you are a few weeks further on than me so reckon it must just be your developing milk glands. I have heard of people producing colustrum quite early on too.

KittyCat I had a 16 week MW appointment where they offered me an AFP blood test. They don't do a nuchal scan or a 20 week scan here, just a 12 week dating scan so the blood test is basically the only screening that is offered.

Major news for me this week is I felt the baby move for the first time at 17 weeks exactly. Just very tiny movements but totally amazing. Have felt it every day since but only very occasionally once or twice a day when I am either sitting or lying down.

Hope everyone has had a lovely weekend.

Bicnod - I called my GP to ask if I should make an appointment and they said no, we don't do an appointment between scans...so guess I'll have to wait another few months. Have to say it is making me revisit the idea of the doppler. I really did want to avoid buying one but 8 more weeks seems ages til we could hear heartbeat.

Oh, and as for post on names board, no idea whether it's a boy or a girl...just planning. I have 2 names that I really like (at the moment) but DH thinks we should wait til he/she is born and choose!? We have agreed to have a shortlist by then though...I can't imagine not thinking about it at all until after the birth though. I want to be able to announce name at same time as birth. I'm a little anxious as we have 3 family babies due within 8 weeks of each other and I know it's stupid, but I do slightly worry that we will pick the same names and have to change. I am determined not to tell them what we like, and am going to ask them not to tell me their chosen names - don't want a 'you stole my name' scenario!

Sal - no- don't think you can mastitis beforehand. My mum had it a few times and it is horrific! Poor you whatever is wrong...maybe speak to midwife...

Hi everyone! Hope you had nice weekends. Mine was amazing because I was not sick once all weekend - a miracle! Feel like I have re-joined the human race

Haven't felt babies move so think maybe it was just wind before... I would panic but the bump is growing at such an incredible rate of knots that I guess that means they are thriving. Probably enjoying all the food they are getting, since the puking stopped I have been eating a meal every 2 hours. And loving it! I keep telling DH 'the twins would like another chocolate brownie please' in between meals too.

Flirty I heard the heartbeat at 16 weeks at my GP's surgery, and then more recently when I had my A&E puke-fest and they needed to check they weren't getting distressed. I can't believe how much things vary from area to area, really surprising.

No ideas on names yet - DH has imposed a ban until Christmas. Obviously I have my own shortlist ha ha. I need four names in all though and they need to go together OK without sounding like 'matching luggage' - tough brief! Think I'll stick with Slug & Lettuce...

Hello girls!

Hope everyone had a nice weekend.

Welcome Kittycat. Congratulations!
I bought a pair of dark blue skinny red herring mat jeans from Debenhams and that's pretty much what I've been wearing for the last month. Might need to get a pair of over the bump ones to see me through till the end.

Kalikaroo - my nips are kind of soft and shiny looking at the moment, but they did itch and peel maybe 4 weeks ago. Just letting them be for now.

Binky - I'm glad you are getting to eat lots without beeing sick now. Isn't it great! Congrats!

I spent my weekend searching for a flat to rent. I never looked before on how exactly bathrooms work, if it will be convenient to wash a baby, if there is a place to put the pram and baby stuff and how many stairs I'd have to make with a pram and so on. Needless to say I'm stresed out and didn't find a flat that would suit so far.

SPD update - felt better the whole weekend after my first chiropractor appointment, the pain didn't get unbearable and today at my second appointment the chiro noticed that the swelling around pelvis has decreased. So now I'm in a better mood and hoping to be able to control this till the end.

Xx

Skiing we're in the same boat then re renting somewhere baby-friendly to live, I was measuring all the front doors and gates to make sure the double buggies on our shortlist would fit through! I never knew my home would be decided by a 77cm wide doorway. And we ruled out anything with cream carpets... Glad your SPD is better, sounds like real progress after just one visit or 2, so hope that gets it under control.