Due June 2009 - Fattening Up For Christmas!

[Ineedmorechocolatenow]

Here's the new thread... hope you find it!

Bumpsadaisie 28th May
CoteDAzur 28 May by dates, 1 June by scan (37, dd 3)
swottybetty 30th May (31. DD 07/03/08)
llynnnn 1st June
Myneaux 1st June
Bigcar 1st June (37, dd 18, dd 9, ds 8, dd3 2)
joyfuleyes 2nd June
marmotti 2nd June
gems27 4th June
Mrs McJnr DC2 4 June 2009 (34, ds 8mths)
Ineedmorechocolatenow 5th June 2009 (31,ds 2)
summerbird 6th June (35, 1st one)
daisy5 6th June (41, dd 2)
LittleSarah 6th June (26, dd 4yrs)
thisisyesterday 6th June (ds1 3.5, ds2 1)
DreamyDorrie 7th June (30, dd 19/11/07)
Yoshimi 7th June (ds 18nths)
Aligard 8th June (one dd)
Leaky 10th June (39, ds1 5, ds2 2.5)
DawnoftheDead DC1 11th June 2009
Champagneforlunch 11th June (27, DD 4yrs)
NickelSodium 12th June
travellinglight 13th June
Sparkle73 13th June
Froggy16 13th June (27 ds 6 yrs dd 4yrs)
Nemoandthefishes 14th June [30 DS 5[+2days],DD1 2.9yrs,dd2 21mths]
Irishmama3 17th of June (36) [dd 9 ds6 and dd2
chocciedooby 18th June (37m ds1 4, ds2 3)
onehitwonder 18th June (41 DD1 3)
snowwombat 21st June (31)
TTCnumber3maybe (36) DC3 22 June 2009 (DS 4.5 and DS almost 3)
StrawberrySam 22nd June
Diege, 22nd June (38, dd1 7, dd2 5.8, dd3 2.8)
Heebeejeebee - 22nd June (36)
BobsWendy DC3 26 June 2009
TheLittleMermaid DC2 26 June 2009
Tee2072 DC1 26 June 2009 (39)
Sweetie34 - 29th June (37)
Wilsonmummy 28 2dd edd 30th june NotSoRampantRabbit
tessofthedurbervilles
boundoriginals
helpivegottogivebirth
Lionstar
Li lacpink
mel1981
flynn1984

I haven't had any nausea when pregnant with DD, by the way. This time, I was kind of nauseous for about a week but thankfully wasn't sick.

looouise - glad to be of help! It's also good that you seem to have a good support network, my family and friends were great last time and it does - obviously! - help.

June - I think if you're due on the 7th you're 11+2 but I get confused too!

Cravings:

None really, I do like my milk at the moment and cheese.

Symptoms:

Morning sickness still, mmmmm. I licked an envelope today and the taste made me retch!
Breasts definitely much bigger, but not particularly tender.
Bump coming, although haven't put on too much (yet!), a couple of pounds.

Cote I was wondering where you got a French gynaecologist in London, but you're in France, aren't you.

I don't know if I'm supposed to create a new thread for the following questions, apologies if I am meant to.

Have you guys met your midwife yet?
The one I met at the birthing centre to take my blood sample referred me to a midwife who technically is "closer" to home although the traffic in that area is so bad it usually takes half an hour to get there so really I'd rather go to the birthing centre again, I can get there in 10 minutes.

I'm waiting for the scan on Dec 3 to make an appointment with the new MW and I'll see how I feel when i met her for the first time.

I feel really kinda "lonely" though, isn't 13 weeks a long time with no one really checking on you or the baby? Feels like it.
They took blood samples at 9+4 but said that they would only call me if something was wrong.

I know I could ask for an early scan but nothing has really happened to worry me that much, I just feel kinda lost I guess! (first baby).

Cotedazur, the French medical establishment treat pregnancy like an illness, hence their obsession with doctors leading care and too much scanning and testing even if everything is straightforward. It's true that midwives aren't 'real doctors' - they're not pretending to be docs; they're specialist nurses in a field which is much more respected in the UK than in France. I'd rather stick to the midwife care that has helped me through two pregnancies and natural labours than allow any doctor near me with a spinal needle and a wish to control how I give birth!

Sorry, had to get that off my chest. I've never heard of a mw getting a head down/breech the wrong way round and that would truly be awful. But my sister in law had both her dc in France and had to fight constantly against attempts to force her to do things she didn't want to do, purely for the medics' convenience. She insisted on natural birth, and got it, so it can be done.

June if you are anxious you could try your early preg unit but they usually save early scans to reassure mothers who have had bleeds or cramps etc. Apart from taking your bloods and giving you lots of advice there's really nothing else that needs to be done just yet. Why not buy a few good baby books - I recommend Sheila Kitzinger, and there are some Dorling Kindersley ones with lovely photos - and start reading up on what's happening inside your tum? I remember finding that really fascinating the first time around and it did help to pass the time, which can drag. (btw, if you're going to a birth centre there will be a team of mws I think...?)

Hello all, particularly to the new people!!

All good here.. desperate to have my scan soon, hopefully I'll hear about it next week, tho the midwife said they do scan up to 14 weeks. I'll contact the hospital next week if I don't hear anything...

Told a few more people today, as I'm so close to 12 weeks I feel a bit more confident now...

if you are looking for a book i thoroughly recommend the DK "Your Pregnancy Week by Week" by Lesley Regan. Written by a UK professor it is a really clear look at the whole process with just the right level of science. ISBN is 978-07513-36825

i was avoiding buying books on the subject - working within the publishing industry you can become a little cynical about content, but i was pleasantly surprised. this was a present i hasten to add.

They don't treat pregnancy as an illness. In fact, when I was obsessing over symptoms at one point, I was told "Madam, you are pregnant, not sick"

What is "too much scanning and testing" anyway, and how do you know "everything is straightforward" if you don't scan and test?

A friend's baby was diagnosed in the womb as having a heart problem and now they have specialist care. Would it be better if this wasn't discovered?

It was picked up during 8 month ultrasound that DD was a big baby and I was sent for a pelvis scan, where DD's head was measured against my pelvic opening and it was seen that I had an "olympic sized pelvis" so was given go ahead for a normal birth. Would it have been better to just cross fingers and pray she could pass through?

I feel lucky to be offered these tests and scans and find it difficult to understand why anyone would be averse to them.

Hello everybody, just wanted to say thank you so much to StrawberrySam, Chocciedooby and daisy5 for their very kind words about my situation - it really helps and stops me feeling like such a freak.

If you're thinking of buying books, June, I can't recommend The Rough Guide to Pregnancy by Kaz Cooke highly enough. It's refreshingly humorous, yet informative and very non-judgmental. Some of the pregnancy books I've come across can be a bit holier than thou or patronising.

ooh, one more thing - anybody suffering from cystitis?? It is driving me mad. Flares up every night at 9pm, then its gallons of water and a bath until it stops stinging. Cue even more trips to the bathroom throughout the night...

Just found the new thread, I haven't been on for a while. I've had really bad nausea which disappeared suddenly about 4 days ago (I'm 8+4), and I have to go for a scan tomorrow morning to check everything's ok. I'm a bit apprehensive, but have felt slightly sick since I mentioned it to the midwife, so hoping it's one of those weird pg symptoms.

Insomnia SUCKS!

Good morning all.

Ineed so sorry you had trouble sleeping! Insomnia does indeed suck.

I'm not doing so well. Physically I feel fine, but mentally I am dropping into depression. I already take meds for this (yes, even when PG) and I doubt my doctor can do anything to help, except sign me off work, which I just might let her do! I just feel so horrible in my head. I was doing so well, too, so I am assuming its the hormones.

I was actually struggling a bit before I found out I was PG and I think the euphoria of that carried me through and now that's gone and I'm crashing.

I'll call the doctor today. Thanks for listening.

Hope you're feeling better soon, Tee - sleep would help, I bet. Take a break and try to rest yourself.

Cote, I didn't say that all tests are bad. But in the examples you give - heart defects are checked out in the UK as a matter of course at 20 week scan, so that would be picked up and followed through. And if you hadn't had an 8 mth scan you'd never have thought about the babiy's head being too big and therefore had to have the size of your pelvis checked out only to find you didn't have to worry about anything in the first place. In any case, pelvic size is always looked at in the UK or anywhere, and women with androgynous or v small pelvises are advised accordingly, without trying to define the size of baby's head (which even in a scan isn't always measured accurately, along with baby's weight which often varies ). There just needs to be a balance between what's sensible - which for the vast majority of births is no intervention at all - and what's medically necessary, to which of course we all have access. The UK system flags up anomalies and problems pretty effectively.

Pregnancy is only a medical issue when the woman or baby have a medical problem and need special attention. That's the point at which we need doctors, so most of us don't need them at all and midwives do the job very well. I can't imagine having an epidural, or giving birth on my back, and the notion of someone trying to make me do that because it's the most convenient position for a doctor - also the most likely position to require ventouse, forceps etc because it's not usuing natural gravity and women can't always push with an epi - is a horrific thought. For some women the idea of a natural labour is equally horrific, but here we do have the choice.

Good luck with all your upcoming scans everyone.....I had mine last week and it is truly amazing !

I actually have another one tomorrow as I am paying for a private nuchal scan as we dont get them here on the NHS...so I get to see little bean again.

I am feeling more apprehensive this time as I know they are actually looking for something but I hope I can take it all in a bit more now that I know what to expect.

I have no symptoms at all now they have gradually faded since 10 weeks.....so hang in there those of you who are a few weeks behind me (Im 12+4 now)!. Tiredness, nausea and even sore boobs have all gone....though I am still eating for England (no weight gain yet so assume I have a super fast metabolism)

I do have one question though.....has anyone
else had dreadful stomach / rib pains?....it always seems to be on one side, quite high up under the rib cage and feels a lot like having stitch....I had it about 3 weeks ago for a week and now it seems to be coming back again .

I presume its just 'growing' pains but am a bit worried as it is really quite uncomfortable (especially when walking). I do martial arts where we do a lot of work on core stability so I have quite strong muscles in the rib area....do you think this could make it worse?

myneaux I would bet it is just growing pains. But if you're really concerned, call your MW!

Thanks for your suggestions about the books, I actually have the "rough guide" and a "pregnancy bible" which I started reading again yesterday. It really helps to see what is going on inside. I'll have a look at your other suggestions as well, they might have them at the librabry.

Tee I'm so sorry about your depression, is there anything we can do to help?
I came across a site the other day, maybe you know it already this page

My sleep patterns are all weird as well, it's making me tired and sensitive. I can't stand my SIL anymore and not being as patient as I usually am.

Just weighed myself and I'm 2 kilos more than when I saw the doctor at 6 weeks, 5 weeks ago . These 5 weeks I ate everything in sight and put nutella on top tho so I'm not totally surprised.
I have been extra careful this week and I'm going to keep it up so we'll see what the scales say next week.
I'm a bit freaked out since I read somewhere that what you eat affects your baby as early as 12 weeks. I mean, it does make sense I just never really thought about it before.

Tee So sorry that you're battling with depression. I've never had it myself, but my best friend also battles with it (and took AD while pregnant with her DD). Not much advice I can give other than keep your GP and MW in the loop and don't suffer in silence.

Big {{{{{{hug}}}}}}

Thanks for that site june I had not seen that one.

Unfortunately I can't see my GP, who has been treating me for this prior to the pregnancy, until next Wednesday. I hoping to feel well enough tomorrow to make it into work. Otherwise I can't go back until I see her because I'll need a doctor's line.

Just have to muddle through the best I can, I guess.

Oh Myneaux, I'm hoping against hope that my yukky M/S and vomiting will stop as if by magic. Nearly 10 weeks now and it's been even worse the past few days - last night I felt so sick I couldn't eat, then I retched up bile (sorry for tmi) and then had acid stomach so still couldn't sleep. Serves me right for saying I always sleep easily! Anyway, I hope it's reached its peak otherwise I'm not going to be able to function normally at all.

I haven't had the pain you describe but do get all sorts of shooting pains in the abdomen, and as your ligaments stretch there are all sorts of muscles and tendons it could be. Your good muscles will help in the long run - less likelihood of jelly belly!

June, I am now having to stop my nutella fantasies! Am trying to snack on fruit but occasionally it is fruit and nut covered in chocolate....

ermintrude Dairy Milk Fruit and Nut totally counts as one of your five a day, I swear it does!

I'm having the opposite problem to everyone else. I've actually lost nearly 5 lbs since I became pregnant (not that I didn't need to lose it, I did!) thanks to the strict diabetes diet I am on. I had gained one pound back, but now its gone again!

So everyone have a Fruit and Nut bar for me, k?

Hey....Dairy Milk chocolate is definately good for you my Midwife told me so !!!

I dont like milk or yoghurt so I was worried I wasnt getting enough calcium...MW said that dairy milk has loads of calcium in it and as long as I was careful about my caffeine intake it was one of the best things you can eat to make sure you are getting enough

oh...and ice cream is also good !

morning all

Tee sorry your not feeling good hope you are better soon x

As for books to recommend I have "Pregnancy week by week" by (i think)Lesley Regan it's a great read.

Just back from my last early scan and it was the most wonderful thing I have ever seen. Got a photo which you can make out the head and legs and when the sonographer was scanning it decided to jump and take a big stretch could see its wee arms and legs stretching as if it was going to sleep truely amazing I measured at 9+4 making my due date 20th June 2009. My 12 week scan is in 3 weeks time and cannot wait...not having the nuchal scan done I get it free on NHS but DH and I decided against it. Away to book a 4d scan for around 26 weeks.
Also ms has gone, hopefully for good now and I hope everyone else suffering MS it eases soon for you...got to agree with Ineed tho insomnia does suck! MW gave me a relaxation cd so here's hoping it helps

Sorry for the long post!

Hi everyone,

CoteDAzur how come they can tell you the baby's sex this early? I thought it would be too soon to tell.We're finding out at the 20wk scan thou.

Myneaux I had exactly the pain you mentioned yesterday(almost 12wks).It was on one side,around the top of my ribs,like a stitch.It only seemed to last for about 20mins then went away.I thought maybe indigestion type thing or something.Not concerned at all.

leaky - The ultrasound specialist at our hospital is apparently one of the top 5 such guys in the world, and gets sent new gadgetry by GE etc so he can try them out and report back on bugs before they come out on the medical market. I don't know if it is because he is highly skilled or if it is the super duper machines he works with, but at DD's 12 week scan, he told us he was 99% sure that it was a girl. (Probably the machine - he could freeze 3D image, cut and rotate. So could see absolutely everything, regardless of baby's position)

Apparently, at this stage a fetus doesn't have genitals per se, but has an external body part that later becomes the genitals (incorporated into the body if it's a girl, stays outside if it's a boy). He said that at 12 weeks, this part looks up in boys and down in girls.