How do/ did people feel at 16 weeks preg? A bit anxious...

[elliemay80]

I am 16 weeks now, 12 week scan was a month ago and midwife appt not for another 2 and a half weeks. Apart from a bit of tiredness, insomnia and frequent peeing I don't really have any symptoms and felt flutterings a few weeks ago but nothing since. I also don't feel that my bump has really grown since 12 week scan (although DH thinks it has).

Have no pain/ blood or any other reason to worry so should I just relax? How do/ did others get through this limbo period? It's my first one so I have no barometer of what is normal!

NB: Previous MC, hence paranoia!

If you are that worried I would call your midwife if I were you. Calling your midwife will put your mind at rest.

I found that having my own doppler was great reassurance, too.

To answer the question in your title, though, at 16 weeks I didn't feel pregnant at all - like you I had occassional flutters by that point but they weren't every day and they were subtle enough that I'm sure I didn't always notice. No sickness or tenderness or anything like that. DD is a sweet and funny two year old now.

It's perfectly normal - you are in the second trimester which many women find the most enjoyable time because of the relative lack of symptoms - it's just a shame that many of us (myself included) have a tendency to turn the lack of symptoms into another cause for anxiety :)

I'm sorry about your previous miscarriage, I'm sure that must add to your concern. Do contact your midwife so you can hear from someone with expertise that there is no cause for concern. Congratulations on your pregnancy!

Thanks all. I think I will contact my midwife tomorrow to see if I can either bring my appt forward or have an additional one. Doppler sounds like a good idea though another cause for anxiety if I can't hear HB! Oh dear, I'm just a worrier I think.

At 16 weeks I really felt great, apart from a bit of a belly, I really didn't feel pregnant. You won't really feel flutters until about 18 to 20 weeks and it really is flutters, not kick, thought i had wind first time.

2nd trimester is the nice, easy bit for most. Enjoy it, you'll be feeling very pregnant soon enough x

Hi elliemay - no advice from me, but a message to say I know where you are coming from, so I empathise with what you say.

I am 14w, but had a previous MMC at 13w and even though scans/blood tests showed everything is fine with this PG, I'm worrying that my symptoms are wearing off - I think you get more nervous when you've had previous disappointments, especially with DC#1... I thought about getting a doppler - but then thought that might give me even more to worry about!

Hope all goes well with midwife and you can bring your appointment forward.

I'm going a bit against the consensus and wouldn't recommend a doppler. Especially if you're anxious. Midwifes don't check the heart beat anymore at 16 weeks because its still hard to find this early and they don't want to cause undue concern. And they're experienced professionals with much better dopplers than the ones you can buy.

Hang on in there, in a few weeks you'll be feeling regular movement which will be reassurance enough hopefully.

Sorry about your previous MC Beans. I agree with you and Pickle that a doppler might add extra anxiety so may just hold out for my MW appt. DH agrees (he knows what a worrier I am!).

Thanks again for your replies.

I think tiredness, insomnia and more frequent peeing are pretty good symptoms :)

At 16wks I had tiredness and frequent peeing, not so much insomnia, had constipation, and swore blind I didn't have much of a bump, but we've been taking a bump picture every 2 weeks and looking at the 10wk one and the 16wk one - there is a definite bump, even though to myself I looked no different.

I'm 20+1 now and there's no mistaking the bump :o

Sorry to hear about your previous MC, but hope you can start to relax a bit soon). :) x

I'd recommend a doppler but would caution you that it's sometimes hard to find the heartbeat until you're used to finding it. If you decide to get one, perhaps start using it on a day when you've an appointment with the midwife anyhow, so if you panic she can provide reassurance Having said that I've reliably located a heartbeat with this current pregnancy for the last 3 days, and I've just turned 13 weeks. It takes practice, but I'd be very confident of finding one at 16 weeks and am really surprised that midwives now don't check for one at this point. In all honesty, any midwife that couldn't find a heartbeat for a woman with normal anatomy at 16 weeks of pregnancy would lose my confidence completely!

I'm 16 weeks today and STILL have morning sickness. It doesn't seem to have eased off at all! Commuting is a nightmare.
However, if it is a sign that I'm still pregnant then I'll just consider myself lucky.

I agree with Poppy, the symptoms all seem normal, but go with your instincts. If you have any concerns then arrange an appointment. There is no point worrying yourself silly.

I think the doppler issue is down to personal choice. I'm a GP and previously worked in obstetrics, and dopplers are not always easy to use - a lot of the time when women think they are listening to baby they are actually listening to their own iliac artery. Baby's heartbeat will be fast - 120-150 beats per minute. If you find a pulsation at around 80 bpm then that is you! Not being able to locate the baby's heart can be anxiety-creating, when some health professionals will actually struggle to locate a fetal heart before 20 weeks. If it would make you feel better to have one, it can be exciting to be able to hear baby's heart when you want to, but please don't panic if you can't always find it. Baby will move around and sometimes it will be easier to find than it will at other times.

I didn't have much in the way of symptoms at 16 weeks with ds, as my nausea stopped around then. That heralded a lovely 2nd trimester without constant sickness and tiredness! Enjoy it :) If you've had a 12 week scan with a heartbeat that is very reassuring. Congrats :)

ThunderboltKid te he he I like that! :)

Mummy2benji - I think it's predominantly down to practice rather than medical training, as I agree that health professionals do seem to struggle sometimes.

A minor annoyance is when professionals refuse to believe that 'lay people' are really capable of distinguishing between their own pulse and the baby's . I do, however, try to avoid admitting that I own a doppler to midwives / others as it nearly always provokes a negative reaction. I'm not sure why, as it always seems a bit paternalistic to assume that we can't handle this kind of information about our own bodies and health, or that we will inevitably misinterpret it.

I'm now far better at locating baby's heartbeat than my DH, a GP with experience - like you - in Obs & Gynae. With DD2, at consultant clinic at 18 weeks I had to lie there for 15 minutes whilst a blushing ST2 tried to find DD's heartbeat with a probe aimed slightly upwards towards my diaphragm. Every so often she would find mine. She was, to put it mildly, embarrassed when I finally took the probe from her and found it.