40+ and pregnant? Come and join the fun!

[cloudjumper]

I am 43 and currently pg with DC2, due early January. I thought it would be nice to have a thread for the pregnant ladies of 'older vintage', similar to the 40+ ttc thread, for advice, support and the occasional moan.

Hi abab, I see my GP a week from Monday which would be 6w1d pregnant. I am more than happy to pay privately for a scan at this point so maybe I will get in for 6 weeks, I just need to solve this mystery.

I just took one of the really cheap pregnancy tests (they are a test strip, you know?) with my first morning pee and it came back negative. How confusing. I have an old ovulation test (not the clearblue one) and it's coming back positive, which seems a pregnancy indicator?

Sigh.

That rugby game was a disaster. Australia absolutely deserved to win.

Hi Abab - yeah much better, thank you - much calmer. Symptoms seem back to normal somehow, so not sure what to think now! Well, I mean really I am hopeful, but scared to be too hopeful...

I have a scan tomorrow - it was meant to be Thursday, but its being brought forward find I was in such a panic on Friday.

Bottlecap - do your ovulation strips test for pregnancy as well? I find the Asda our Superdrug own brand are the most sensitive tests - they measure 15 units instead of 25. Also weirdly, I get a stronger line on my second wee of the day (don't ask why I have no idea), but I have had negatives our very faint first thing, only to get a stronger line later (not that I test obsessively or anything! ??)

Xx

Of course moon, I remember now. I will keep everything crossed for you. I've been reading the May16 ante-natal thread and some people there have been worried about symptoms coming and going too so it can't be that unusual.

Bottle I used superdrug own brand tests as they are cheap and quite sensitive (I took about 20 tests over the first few weeks with my first pregnancy). I've heard people say you can use ovulation strips but I've not tried this myself so no idea how accurate they would be.

Thanks abab, yes I feel a little better too after a couple of down days - obviously hormonal!

Good luck at your scan tomorrow moon. Mine is Tuesday.

Thanks for the good luck wishes, I'll let you know how it goes. At least its first thing and I don't have to wait all day!

Good luck with yours too - this is your 12 week/dating scan I think? I hope it goes well :)

Can't seem to find the antenatal thread for that (or any) particular date, but I'll keep looking - thanks :)

Xx

Good luck for scans this week moon and brooke

Feeling shattered this week, need some energy for work next week! Have my first midwife appointment ( 15weeks, long story!) this week so hope they will listen to heartbeat as it is getting difficult to hide my gained weight/not sure if bump weight, but feel I need some reassurance before say anything, especially at work.

Here's the link, they are on thread 2

Sorry here

moon, good luck at your scan tomorrow! Will you find out if it's a boy or girl?

I now have two strong First Response positives. One with my morning pee (I saved some :-) and one with late afternoon pee.

Bottlecap that seems fairly conclusive! You must be very pleased

Rooibos is your dating scan booked?

I think I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop here, it all seems far too easy this time round. It feels like we're going to get some bad news later down the line... Have to try not to think about that and just focus on the positive. I am 9 weeks today.

Great news Bottle

Abab - I have had my dating scan ( midwives were all moving round and one I had last time said no point seeing her and to wait until new one there - which is ridiculous as I will only see at 16 and 28 weeks so does not matter who they are [not know after 28 how often!] )
I have my anomaly scan booked too!

Have you your dating scan date Abab? Hope it is reassuring ( I too am just waiting and ticking off each stage right now).

Hi. I'm 43 and currently expecting my 2nd - due beginning December.

Just wondered if anyone is under consultant care for being an 'older' mum (as they like to call it) ?

I had an experience at my last consultant appt whereby the consultant made a couple of comments about my age. Not sure if I was being over sensitive but it's been niggling me ever since. Have my next appt tomorrow and tbh I'm a little anxious about getting the same consultant

Abab thanks for the link - so much to read on here!

Bottle that's great news - so pleased for you :) how far along are you?

I'm ten weeks tomorrow, so not the dating scan yet - not sure they can really tell at that scan either can they? Anyway, I'll be happy with either but secretly hoping/thinking is a girl...

Rooibos - seems crazy they would make you wait for that! What are they thinking...

That said I had three different midwives through my other pregnancy (long time ago now) and had never met the one who was at the birth! Didn't much care at the time though, too busy :)

Strangely un-nervous about scan tomorrow - now I will be worrying that I am not worrying enough...

Moon they will probably give you a due date based on the size of the embryo. That might then get superseded by the date at your 12 week scan. I don't think they can tell the sex for certain at 10 weeks though my friend says she was told at both her 12 week scans that she was having boys. They didn't even mention gender to me until 20 weeks. If I get the harmony test then we should find out the sex then.

Rooibos I had a scan at 7 weeks which was fine but a long way to go yet.

Welcome BlackeyedPetitPois and congratulations. I was referred to the consultant automatically in my first pregnancy (age 41) and all she did really was refer me for a growth scan later on as they wanted to induce me early. As it was I ended up having a few more consultant appointments as I had a low placenta and an elcs. I'm not sure what will happen this time, I've still got more than a week until my booking appointment. Try not to worry about your appointment. Pointless of them to make comments about your age since you are already pregnant - what good does it do?

Thanks ababsurdum. I was referred in my first pg too, bmi and age reasons, but the consultants i saw were fab. This time i am a few yrs older and maybe 'feeling it' a bit more hence oversensitive!!

You are right, no point dwelling on my age, bit late now! Lol

Btw I'm 31+4.

Hello blackeyedPetisPois

I'm 43 and preggers with my second as well - I have been told I will see a consultant at about 25 weeks, but that's ages yet as I'm only 10 weeks.

At my booking in appt last week, the midwife actually told me that she hoped the consultant would have retired by the time I saw her, as she is well known for being awful, and especially if you are over weight (I am).

Frankly I don't see the point of them mentioning it (weight or age) - do they think we hadn't realised?? And after all. Their only purpose is to see people like us having babies!! I give very short shrift to people like that - we are all human, we have enough to be going on with, without insensitive morons adding to it!

Sorry - rant over!

Well said moon!

I had a lovely reaction from my (well-trained) midwife when she asked my age - I said 42, 'och you're a baby' she said! I have been given a consultant to see the following week though. Is that because of my age?! I thought that's just what they did. Actually I was told it's because I've had 3 mcs - let's just say that's the reason!

Welcome Blackeyed! This is my first, I'm 12 + 2 and having my dating scan on Tuesday . . . . .

It's not just my consultant being a bit of a twat about my age then!

brookeberry your midwife sounds lovely. Good luck with your dating scan tomorrow.

I'll report back this evening about my appt today.

Have a good day all

Hello ladies - scan this morning went well!!!!! Little jelly bean in there waving it's arms and legs about like mad... Very cute and also quite far out! Last time out was an indistinct blob, but this time it is an indistinct blob with limbs...
They measured it as 9+4, which is a bit less than I expected based on last time, but they said it's +/- a week at this stage, so not a problem.

Sooooooo relieved ??

Hope you are all well, and wishing you similar joy tomorrow at your scan Brooke:)

Xx

Mooncalf that's fantastic news, what a relief for you

You're very close to me in date, I'm 9+1 today based on LMP.

Brooke best of luck for tomorrow, how are you feeling today?

bottle That sounds very reassuring! What's your next step, arranging the booking appointment?

Great news, moon! They are right, don't worry if your dates don't match, being up to week out is completely normal in the early stages!

Welcome blackeyed I'm under consultant care, both because of my age, as well as history of recurring miscarriages. But tbh, I think that my age is the main reason! They don't like you to go overdue, so we had a long talk about birth options with my consultant (who was very lovely and thorough and happy to listen to all my concerns). I think they are also a bit weary of the increased risk for GDD, and mine was very keen for me to book the test for 28 weeks. But other than that - never a word from either consultant or midwife about my age, I've always been the one to bring it up!
I really don't think that we are a minority any more, in this day and age, having a baby at 40 and older is so common.

Mooncalf, congratulations!

Welcome blackeyed

I have my GP initial appointment on Monday cloud, that's my first step. I suppose I might be assigned a consultant because of my advanced age.

I also booked in a Harmony appt for Nov 13 at the Portland Hospital.

Hey, is anyone here going for a VBAC?

moon I'm delighted for you! I was thinking about you all day!

abab I'm feeling okay, well I'm tired, and just glad that the scan is tomorrow. Not exactly looking forward to it, but just hopeful that all will be well, but a little scared it wont. It's not until 4.10pm!

I'll let you know how it goes . . . .

I'm in the waiting room for the second scan that they do as part of the Harmony package here, and the penny's just dropped about some weird conversations that always seem to be going on around me in this place.

I thought it was just the antenatal waiting area - I've just realised that it's also the cosmetic surgery department. This might explain why people keep showing each other their stomachs - I thought there was just lot of over-sharey pregnancy bonding going on.

It might also explain a pair of truly spectacular breasts that were very visible last time I was here. I assumed the lady in question just had a bit of a thing for the consultant...