The berry copter thread for all your clenching and hand holding needs

[BlindKitty]

Small print: ideally pg with #1 and had ttc for >12months although let's face it, we ain't as fussy as we used to be, just as long as you're nice

5 second generation berry babies and LOADS more to follow

Yay! Here I am! But scared to join full time so will be straddling for a bit.

How are you bunny? How far along are you now?

bushy it was dildocam and OH burst into tears, bless him! Then I did. Then the FC nurse did. All while I was mid-dildocam! She's dated me as six weeks which matches up with what my acupuncturist is saying (6w + 1). I can't believe it. I have a pic and everything. I really hope it's a sticky lentil. How are you feeling?

I do need to ask some advice: does anyone suffer really badly from hayfever? I am dying here. Went to the pharmacy and all they'd give me is a nasal spray called Prevalin, and I posted earlier and there are a lot of opinions. I can't live like this for the next two months!!

Feather welcome in! There's been lots of babies arriving since March so plenty of space in the chopper. And there's plenty of us up doing night feeds with time to answer your questions and hopefully help you a bit. How exciting to be at the start of this amazing journey that will change your life! Try to enjoy it if you can; its natural to worry but the time will fly by.
Bushy please don't suffer, take paracetamol, they're totally safe. You need to look after yourself too x

Feather I'm afraid the amount of medicines classed as safe when pregnant or breastfeeding are small. Not necessarily because they have been proven as unsafe, but mostly because they have not been proven as safe - who would want to be part of tests while pregnant?!
So, you either have to 'suck it up' or make your own decisions about risks based on what google can tell you. Generally I think people are most careful in the first tri (with food/drink/exercise etc) and start to relax a little after then. However some people have just had to suffer...poor Thunder had headaches throughout and obv paracetamol doesn't really touch the sides of a bad headache for example

Hi Feather and welcome to the chopper - so glad the scan went well. Hope it doesn't sound too stalkerish but I have been lurking in Berry HQ so extra special congratulations on getting married and pregnant in the same month!

Can't help much with the hayfever - working out what medicines you can and can't take in pregnancy is ridiculously hard. The only thing I can think of is eating local honey - I've heard it's supposed to help desensitise you to local pollen, and it isn't on the list of forbidden foods!

Thanks merk. Reckon I'm just going to have to suck it up. Guess it's worth it, but at 3am when my eyes are puffed up and it's hard to breath, it can be difficult to remember!

feather I think we all straddled for a bit! I def did as didn't wanna admit it was real but didn't want to go on about it in HQ if you know what I mean. Plus I had questions!

I'm 24 weeks today. I still don't feel like it's real but with you newbies here I may have to admit it lol.

bushy I was quite headachey at the start! drank more and it didn't necessarily help! I did take the odd paracetamol, only half doses though as I was wary too!

Xpost. Thanks jess! Yes, it's all been a bit surreal - pregnancy, wedding, confirmed ok pregnancy in a couple of short weeks!

Have you had your baby yet? Sorry, I'm so out of the loop with chopper news that I don't really know where anyone is at.

bunny 24 weeks! Wowee! That FLEW! xx

Uh oh, I think somebody needs a list

Merkin: Delivery date: 21 March, girl, 8lbs 10
Thunder: Delivery Date: 26 March, girl, 8lbs 12
Tally: Delivery Date: 7 April, girl, 6lb 14
Boom: Delivery date : 11 April, girls x 2! 5lb 15 & 5lb 2
Katatonic: Delivery date: 24 April, girl, 9lb 11
PoppySeedBun: Delivery date: 23rd April, girl, 7lb 7
Brodicea: Delivery date: 7th May - girl
Kitty: Delivery date: 20th May - girl,
Puppymummy: Delivery date: 5th June - boy

Foody: EDD 15 June - it's a secret!
Qazxc: Planned C-section 18th June
Angel: EDD 22nd June - boy
Charming: EDD 8th August -
Dartmoor: EDD 25th August -
Jessplus: EDD 30th August - surprise
Bunny: EDD 3rd Oct - surprise
Sidney: EDD 18th Oct - boy

It didn't fly by let me tell you. I've been told it'll fly by now but the wait between 6w and 12w scan felt like forever I'm afraid. And then the wait between 12w and 20w scan! But that could be because I've felt so ill.

Any 'symptoms' yet ladies? My all day sickness kicked in around 6 weeks, hope you are both luckier!

I think the healthier you feel the more it flies by, probably because you spend so much time collapsed doing nothing but feeling tired/sick etc. Second trimester was an eyeblink compared to the first - just a week into third I can already tell this is going to go slowly!

Had a couple of waves of nausea, but nothing heavy. Bit worried that if I don't get the sickness something may be wrong! Had a few cramps, lower back pain and left ovary twinges and I'm really tired a lot, but that's about it...

Leave dr google alone

Now she can't escape, mwa ha ha ha ha ha

feather welcome!!! Don't worry about the twinges, we've all had them. If you've had ivf your ovaries cld be a little enlarged atm ( mine were post iui)

bushy so glad your scan went ok. These times are sent to try us sometimes but glad you're alright

bunny how you doing now? Bought any more stuff?

foody like merk said her chiropractor helped, I founds yoga teacher to help keep me focused and relaxed. It's important that you try and find a way to do this as your oxytocin starts to build up now. The happier/relaxed you feel, the more you release and the easier (supposedly) the birth.

So I'm going to the pub today.. sans le bebe!!! Going to have to express like mad and top up with formula but so excited about doing some 'me' stuff! Let's hope Dh can cope on his own!

Welcomefeather, whst a month yiu are having!
massive congratulations x 2!

Oh has been lovely, spent ages rubing/stroking my back the othet night and went to bed feeling much beter and all loved up the next day.
Yesterday wsd a bit of a mixed bag but really had hardly slept. Went to see friends in the afternoon, felt rubishy in the evening again so OH was again on bavk rubbing duties and it really did make me feel bettrr/lighter/happier(for a couple of hour do got him to do it again before bed!).
Slept better last night, yay!

OH is off for a 4 day weekend (will start pat leave if baby appears by monday), back st work on tues so just spending time together, making plans one day at a time. Hopefully got friends round later with their 10 week old so will be making cake or scones in a bit. Would be making them now but don't think OH would be impressed with the mixer snd clattering! So off to have breakfast instead.

kitty have fun at the pub! We went for tea in the pub garden in the sun the other day, was lovely!

39+6 today...#OMFGCANNOTWAITTOMEETYOUBABY

Welcome feather!
About the hay fever, there's unfortunately not a lot you can take. But any form of "barrier" method is fair game. I strip and shower as soon as i get home (esp wash hair) so that i'm not rubbing pollen all over my face all night. Keep windows closed if poss. dab of vaseline in nostrils. saline spray for up nose.
I had plenty of twinges at first, they are normal. Just mini feather burrowing in there. Stay away from doctor google!
The being tired a lot is also normal, I was like a puking zombie for my first trimester. Even now I'm ready to pop, I still think that the first trimester was the hardest for me (between tiredness, nausea, worrying, ....).

bushy Did you give up caffeine? I had stonking headaches when i did. Do not worry about taking paracetamol, it's perfectly safe.

Lol at evil dr google and espionage type jumping off choppers

I didn't give caffeine but know what you mean qaz as a couple of years ago I used to drink a can of coke every day (yes, naughty I know!) and gave it up for lent,got mega headaches and actual cravings round lunchtime when I used to have it!! Talking of caffeine, how much are you ladies having? I cut down when ttc and got onto herbal teas but would have a real one in am and pm, now I still have my real one in am but try not to have another, instead have a decaf. Sometimes I'll have 2 I think what with chocolate that is enough. I'm starting to look at having a coke as a treat. Off out this afternoon for afternoon tea for my mum's birthday but they do brilliant herbal teas so might do that as you always tend to drink a shit load of the tea at these things!

Talking of that, I have to make my final pages of a scrap book I'm making for her. It's my first time foraying into this sorta thing and I'm quite pleased with what I've done so far. I'm a bit too apprehensive of counting chickens etc but would love to make something crafty, knit, sew etc for baba but apart from rudimentary crosstitch that's my skillset. Have any of you taken up a crafty thing for berry to be?

Re symptoms, I was thinking oh no, not really had any but if I think about it,yes no sickness but twinges, lots on left side, headaches, back pain ( but that's not unusual) big tummy and generally fuller feeling in tummy. I would also say that ahem when dh has, ahem, done anything it has had a good effect think I might become like phoebe/ Rachel in friends- when she's really hard up and horny and steals an evander Holyfield life size cut out from foot locker!

blindkitty thanks for saying about the bloating from Ivf. At 6 weeks I'm already being careful what clothes I am wearing etc, I think this could be it as it can't be showing already but certain clothes just look too tight and make it look a bit suspicious... This may also be to do with my serious lack of exercise and liking of food.

Anyway need to crack on!!!

Bushy the bloating in early pregnancy (IVF or not) can be quite bad...you can end up looking like you have a bump and clothes don't fit. Then it goes and you have to wait for your real bump to appear!
I think there's some herbal teas you need to avoid so maybe best having a read

Morning!

kitty have a fabulous day in the pub!

Nope still too scared to buy stuff lol. DH forcing me to go to mothercare today Midwife appt yesterday, all good.

Oh foody you must be desperate for that little baby to be here!!! FX for a speedy sneezey delivery soon!

Between 6-12weeks I had nausea, tiredness, twinges, headaches. All are normal and some continue into the second tri.

Ref caffeine, I don't drink coffee at all and only coke with booze, max 4 cups tea a day so I'm not a big caffeine fiend. I try to restrict to 2 normal cups of tea and then switch to de-caff so I can eat lots of choc which you forget contains caffeine too!

Ref crafts, I have seen something I really really want to knit but haven't since school so nit sure it's a good idea!

bushy re caffeine - I cut coffee at the beginning and just drank normal tea (de caff coffee is not nice)
I made the switch to diet coke a while ago so changed that to caffeine free and one can a day and without sugar or cafgine its just carbonated crap anyway!

Aftera few months I decided I would have the odd coffee but found I had completely gone of it and nearly vommed in the sink at work. Another couple of months and I no longer have an aversion to it so now have one if I fancy it.
Hot chocolate with squirty cream and mini marshmallows became my after work treat for a good while, mmm
slso bulk brought some mini cans of regular coke so I vould have a gix if I really wanted one.

re everything else at the beginning - I was a bit of a vommer and was off work weeks 5-11 untl ii caved in and took the antihistamines/travel sickness pills the dr prescribed.
ate mostly beige food and was luvky enought thst sometimes eating stopped me voming and that whilstbi was being sick any time of night or day, I could usually eat strait away so did not lose any weight or get too dehydrated. Others I know were not a lucky as me.
OH spent months in the spare room due to me either being up voming or eating crisps/ biscuits in bed at 3am!

anyway, off to make cake now and have a tidy up, just invited friends over and the place is a tip!

foody Ahhh, that's so lovely! And very soon! What cake are you making? And did you say antihistamines? The doctor prescribed them? Hayfever is so severe and making me miserable at the moment...

Bonjour everyone! Gave up in Dr Google and gave him a kick in the snout last night (actually, I fell asleep). I'm swearing off him as otherwise I'll go nuts. Did anyone have an extra (private) scan before the 12 weeks? I know I
Just had one yesterday but waiting another six weeks seems such a long way away. OH thinks I'm being a bit ott...

bushy wonder if we've got the same due date?! I'm now 6w + 2..

I had drastically reduced caffeine in our last months ttc (from 6+ a day to one or two), then first trimester I was too sick to enjoy it. Now I'm on one caffeinated cup of tea and lots of herbal - I'm sure I could have more but it works for me.

Symptom-wise I had lots of cramps early on, then sickness and fatigue hit at about 6 weeks and lasted until 13/15 weeks. Puking zombie is a very good description Qaz! Headaches not much of an issue. But don't worry if you don't get sickness - it can be entirely normal!

Bunny, how easy is the knitting pattern? If it needs fancy stitches and lots of increasing and decreasing it might be better to try something simpler first to get back in the swing of things. I knitted a little matinee jacket and am making a hat to go with it - very cute strawberry pattern. Meantime my other half is knitting a mobile ;)

Had a bit of a meltdown last night - there's so much that I want to do around the house and garden to get baby-ready, but between tiredness and not being able to lift anything much, I feel utterly helpless! And my husband's so busy with work at the moment, I don't want to badger him at weekends. But we did go out to look at car seats and bedside cots today, so that's a bit of progress. My parents are visiting next weekend and will help sort out a few things, so we're getting there little by little.

Kitty, have a lovely outing! Hope it's a good chance to feel your normal self again just for a little.
Foody, glad your dh has been looking after you and you have some quiet time together. Due date tomorrow, wow!

Eek, just realised I've been telling people this morning that I'll have definitely had the baby within 14 weeks (assuming they don't let me go beyond 42 weeks)... but of course a week has gone by since I worked that out, so it's now just 13 weeks! Deep breaths, and CLENCH!

Sewing off buttons on cardi. (purperium pattern, free on ravelry). Easy pattern.

feather I got a private scan because they couldn't fit me in until I was 16 weeks at my hospital. I would do it again, it saved me worrying over the christmas period and we could tell people. It reassured me that baby was growing properly, allowed DP to be there (he can't always get the time off work to be at scans) and as it is private, they make sure you have a proper look and nice photos.