PMA Grads Thread :-)

[Dollydaydream2829]

Hey ladies,
We've finally made it to the other side and are journeying through the unknown territory of pregnancy! Here to share our stories, our worries and keep that all important PMA!
This is a thread for our PMA TTC Grads and for any women expecting their babies and feel like injecting a bit of positivity into their pregnancy journeys and the gang!
Feel free to join and introduce yourselves below :-)

Glad your midwife appointment went well Moo :) Lovely you got to hear heartbeat. Mw said at mine they don't measure bump here till 28 weeks - another thing that seems to vary from place to place. Be interesting to see what my bump measures like this time, as with DS the measurements slowed down and needed a growth scan, but all was well, so probs just his position and my height. Sure you'll get plenty of walking in once your little one is here - DS still likes to have his nap in pram :)

I do wonder how accurate the measurements can be as surely the baby moves position and then you could be bloated/hace a full tummy/need the loo!

That's good ds likes to snooze in pram - we both love our sleep so hoping baby takes after us! What does ds think about getting a baby sister?

Very true Moo, fundal height measurements are notoriously inaccurate and even scans can be a pound or so out - lots of stories about people being induced for supposedly huge or tiny babies, only for them to arrive an average weight!

Not sure how much longer he'll be napping for - he turns 3 on NYE, but know a couple of people with kids starting school in Sept and they still have an afternoon nap! Tbh not sure what DS thinks of getting a sister, but he's stopped saying boy/brother in relation to baby and seems generally excited about the prospect of a baby in the house. Hope his excitement continues once she's here :)

Had whooping cough jab this afternoon, fine apart from an achy arm, but small price to pay for protecting DD :) Nurse said they're getting flu shots in 2nd week Sept and could book a slot for then, so will do that next week while I remember.

Think I may be coming down with DS's cold - started with a runny nose and sore throat, but his seems better already after just starting yesterday, so hopefully will be nothing. No definite plans tomo, but DS's full size bed and wardrobe are getting delivered, so will probs be entertaining DS while DH puts them up. Sunday I'm going to a baby shower. Never been to one before, as only a couple of my friends have had them and then couldn't go to those ones. Bit surprised she's getting one thrown for her, as it's her second, but more a chance to meet up with friends for afternoon tea before her DS arrives I guess. Just got a little romper suit for baby and going to pop in a couple of items DS never wore that I'd already told her about - seemed a bit boyish for a girl and she may as well have use out of them, as said last week she 's hardly got any clothes yet.

What's everyone else up to this weekend?

That's good to know about flu jabs - I asked the receptionist when I was there for my 25 week app and she didn't have a clue! I have asthma so will get a letter when they get them in. I took a v bad cold after mine last year so hopefully it was either co-incidence or this years strain won't affect me the same!

Sorry to hear you have caught DS cold :( hope you are feeling better soon! I love a bit of furniture assembling! Hope it goes well :) Enjoy the baby shower - a friends catch up and afternoon tea sounds lovely :) I love the little romper suits - very cute.

Is anyone else having a baby shower? I don't think I will ...

Re weekend plans OH and I are off for a wee hotel stay tonight - MIL bought a voucher for his birthday back in January and we are finally getting round to using it! I am looking forward to a nice dinner and some quality time :)

Have fun at your baby shower baking and enjoy your time away moo - it's good to make the most of it before baby moo comes along!

As for baby shower moo - I've specifically asked everyone NOT to throw me one, or a surprise one. I love going to other people's but I'm a bit too superstitious about having my own!
Today, I went to yoga this morning and away to head out and climb a munro this aft with DH. We used to do them all the time but this year haven't had much luck cos of the weather and my shifts. Not sure if it's a Scottish word or not but a munro is basically any hill up here that's over 3000ft tall. It'll be my first one since my first trimester so gonna take it easy and see how I get on.

Thanks Moo, not sure what I had was a cold, as feel OK today - might just have eaten something a bit hot and burnt my throat, have a bit of an asbestos mouth! Enjoy your weekend break! We've not had a night away from DS yet, but it was my choice to exclusively breastfeed and continue so long, so can't complain :)

A friend wanted to throw me a baby shower last time, I said firmly no, she was really disappointed, but personally think it's bad taste to celebrate before the baby is here and you're fine too. Another friend was being pushed into one, but never had it, as she developed pre-eclampsia and baby was delivered at 28 weeks by C-section. They're both fine now, so everything turned out alright in the end. I'm going out for afternoon tea at end of Sept with mams from playgroup, but that's my leaving do, as won't be running it in final weeks of pregnancy and with two little ones will probs be too much.

Enjoy your walk Dolly. We used to be regular hill walkers too and ironically since moving to the Lakes we get out in the hills less! Just make do with walks from the village now mainly, but we live by the sea and you can see the hills in the distance, so still lovely.

I have been so busy last few days with a hen do which I was host. All done and dusted now. I'm surprised I lasted the weekend tbh. lol

Ive printed off my first voucher for Emma's diary mum to be pack so will pick that up next time I head to boots or Argos.
The other packs say you can collect them later in pregnancy. Does that actually matter or can you get then when you feel like it?

Has anyone picked up there free mum to be pack from bounty (the leaflet you get in your pregnancy info pack). Not sure if its the same for everyone etc if you all get these where you live? They can be collected from boots,asda or tesco. Tesco apparently do a bumper pack which contain 25 pack of newborn nappies and full pack of wipes so thats maybe worth a visit if they have any in stock. Just wondered if anyone had attempted to get one?

I got a mini bounty bumper pack when i went in for my scan. They were on the side free to collect. I got vouchers etc and then sample of tena lady, sample of washing powder, 3 sterilising tablets & mini pot of sudocrem. I didn't even notice them but DH picked one up so was worth having!

So glad your scan went well Anna:), nice that everyone has had theirs now. Feel like the 12 week scan is when you can relax a bit, although I'm sure I'll get nervous for the 20 week one, mines on the 29th Aug.

I've never been to a baby shower. I'd feel awkward having one as I know a lot of people aren't into them at all but I think they have a bit of an American film style one in their head where everything's a bit OTT.

I don't really have weekends plans anymore as too ill usually. Spent whole of yesterday in bed was so weak. Luckily I've not had any events to go to. Think I've not been eating enough which is making things worse. Going to try and up my calories with fruit smoothies/juices

Hi girl Iv been working all weekend! Knackered!! Not nice doing terminations for girls with an ever growing bump 😩

I am defo having a baby shower lol they r so common in my circle I couldn't not have one my auntie & friends would flip lol. Never really thought of them being back luck or that cause u r usually quite close to due date! I kno things can still go wrong but I think it's nice to have a wee get together xxx

Sounds like a busy weekend Anna, at least now you can relax :) I got the first Emma's diary pack using the voucher from the pack the midwife gave, then remembered you could register online, so got the 2 remaining packs at the same time. I just got my Bounty pack at Boots for ease, but have heard that different places have different additions, so worth people trying Tesco then if they don't have theirs yet :)

Sorry to hear you still aren't feeling well Rose. Hopefully upping calories will help, always find I feel worse when not eating enough.

The afternoon tea baby shower was nice today. Probs a good thing I didn't leave feeling stuffed, as there was a lot of savoury stuff I didn't fancy - quiche, scotch eggs and randomly soup!

Thought I'd see if I could get any online sale items for DD for next summer and the year after - although she'll be wearing a lot of DS's hand me downs, wanted a few dresses and leggings. Was pleased with my Little Bird finds at Mothercare - like the bright colours rather than pastels and not too girly either - but have a feeling they may have messed up my order, as not had a confirmation email and nothing in my "order history" in my Mothercare account. Only thing is I paid via paypal and do have a receipt from them - think from memory I've had this before when paying with paypal that it's a bit different. Anyway, dropped Mothercare an email, so hopefully they can confirm the order was actually placed.

evening all 😁

iv had a weekend of athletics on TV (to make me feel fat and useless) and the worst heartburn ever. iv gone through 2lt of milk and a big bottle of gaviscon!

i really need to get my act together with these wee packs. i haven't looked in my bounty pack since booking in appt. ill make a plan to sort that this week.

i organised a baby shower for my friend last year and it was lovely. she really enjoyed having everyone together for tips and advice. it was afternoon tea and just a couple of hours. my cousin and her kids want to organise 1 for me and i doubt i'm getting out of it. because of xmas due date i'll try to keep it low key as don't want any1 out of pocket at that time of year. my cousins wee girl asked if the theme could be "pizza and chocolate" and i really can't see why not lol.

@Dollydaydream2829 have you registered for your baby box as yet? what are your thoughts on it too @AmandaP86x? don't know if they're doing them elsewhere in the U.K. but they launched in scotland this year. i was in 2 minds about it as i felt the really needy should be prioritised or at least any1 that could afford it could pay for it but DH did point out that the whole point was lowering chance of cot death and no child is immune so i think i will register for it.

iv been an emotional wreck last few days. can't pinpoint anything in particular but iv been borderline psychotic. today has been particularly low and i haven't felt the baby move much so of course this means i worry like mad ahead of the scan on tues. DH ran me a lovely bath earlier and all i could think was that he wanted me out of the way for an hour... wtf, why couldn't i just enjoy it and say thanks? #psychobitchfromhell

Sorry to hear about the heartburn Bella and that you've been feeling low. At 25 weeks I still have days when DD doesn't seem to move as much and midwife confirmed that it isn't till around 28 weeks they settle into some kind of pattern - and even then some women never seem to have a recognisable pattern of kicks. Sure all will be fine at your scan :)

The contents of the free baby box look lovely, but only available in Scotland. I can't see many people actually using the box for sleep, though could see it being a handy alternative to Moses basket for downstairs or if you're away. Far nicer than anything you're going to get from Bounty or Emma's Diary :)

thanks @bakingmad83 i appear to be emotionally stable today, thank god!

iv also calmed down about the movement of the baby too. i have felt flips and wind-like flutters for a couple of weeks now so to not feel anything did panic me a bit. my emotional state clearly fuelled this so glad i'm back to a more chilled out vibe.

hope y'all had a fabby weekend. scan tomorrow for me, woop woop.

how are you all getting on? x

Glad you're feeling better today Bella. Lovely to feel movements, but adds an extra something to worry about doesn't it. Enjoy seeing your little boy again tomo :)

@Rose – sorry to hear you are still sick  I really hope it passes for you soon!

@Amanda that is not a pleasant job at all for you. Hopefully you have a few days off this week to chill out!

@Anna – I got all my Emma’s diary packs in boots at the same time. The bounty ones I have the app and it lets me know when I can collect them so I have had to get them one by one – I have had 2 already and I think there are 2 more to go. The tesco pack sounds much better than the boots ones so try and get it there if you can! I am sure you are glad to have the hen party over. When is the wedding?!

@Bella – pizza and chocolate sounds like a great baby shower theme!! :D I really need a list to keep track of how far everyone is … but I think you are only a few weeks behind me and I had a week like that a few weeks ago … possibly week 21/22. If I wasn’t crying I was freaking out about something or shouting at OH for no reason. His technique was to either cuddle me or leave me alone – he would ask which I wanted lol. It is definitely the hormones so try not to worry about it and I have been angelic since so once it’s out of your system I think that’s it gone! Heartburn is pants – did gaviscon touch it?! Enjoy your scan tomorrow!! Ps I love the idea of the baby boxes - I would definitely be signing up for one it I could!

We had a productive weekend baby-wise – picked the cot (not ordered yet) and ordered the moses basket (I am terrible at committing so it was easier to commit to the moses basket than the cot as it's smaller and cheaper!). Then after our night away (which was lovely) we went and got some bits and pieces – clothes muslins socks etc - soo tiny and cute! Slowly ticking off that very long list!

Also bought the tommee tippee baby care kit which ticked lots of things off the list! Asda have them for £12 at the minute – bargain!

I then spent last night panicking googling how many sleep suits and body suits/vests we need! Thoughts anyone?! I have 13 sleepsuits (8 are first size and 5 are 0-3mths – need to get some more 0-3mth ones I think) and 20 vests – 10 first size (5 long sleeve, 5 short) and 10 x 0-3 months (5 long sleeve, 5 short). I am hedging my bets on having a small-ish baby as both OH and I were 6lb’ers I think … so hopefully will get the use out of the first size stuff!

Just a quick post Moo, sounds like you've had a useful weekend getting baby bit organised. Re the clothes, I found up to 1 month size useful for when DS was too big for newborn and still swamped by 0-3 month. Last time Next and Tesco definitely sold that size, don't think everywhere does, but sure other places do too.

Thanks @baking! Will look for some of those!

evening ladies

well, i knew it was called an anomaly scan but i had no idea how detailed it was! i was scanned for an hour! a whole hour of looking at my baby. mind is blown.

they did all the usual tests first for brain, lungs, limbs, spine, heart etc then focussed on his wee face for lip, palette and nostrils as that's what we were most concerned about. all appears in perfect working order. phew! we even saw him swallow just to make sure hehe.

he's still obsessed with sucking his thumb (which i will discourage later) but it's so effing cute right now. he has rather large feet apparently too.

i genuinely think my low mood last week was brought about by worry for the scan (or at least a huge contributor). i have dipped in mood and anxiety risen majorly for every scan so far and it must definitely be down to over thinking!

thanks for the advice @Moo31 that you experienced the same around week 21. it's so helpful to know that whatever you are feeling, emotionally or physically, you're probably not the only 1 feeling it and others don't really know why either.

so baby was all stretched out and he is just over 10inches from head to toe. this blows my mind! i know all previous measurements were crown to rump but still, it's amazing to think he's almost a foot tall!

i asked about the fact that i'm not showing much by way of a defined bump and the Consultant said that due to relatively wide hips and broad shoulders it looks like baby is sitting mostly up and down rather than across. obviously i'm used to having a tummy as i was chubby but it's good to know that i'm not imagining everything. at 21wks i'm only 2.5 lbs up on pre baby weight so now slowly gaining weight thank god. (never thought i'd say that in my life, trust me chubsters don't ever 😂)

anyway that's my wee (rather large actually) update. 💙

i'm looking forward to a new thread so we
can record our stats at the top so we can keep better track of everyone's progress.

on another matter, any1 else doing HUGE poos? #sorry xxx

Glad all was well at scan Bella :) I was same with last pregnancy Bella, hardly showed till 7/8 months and midwife put it down to being tall, as growth scan showed DS was spot on where he should be. Just put on 2lb so far, but was like that with DS, didn't really gain till third trimester and then nothing in last few weeks - he was a healthy 7lb 14oz, so didn't affect him. Found I was never off the toilet in first and last trimester last time and kind of like that at the mo, did wonder if all my loose poos was why I didn't put on much weight, but think I'd prefer diarrhoea to constipation if I had a choice :)

Ah Bella that is fab! :) It's so amazing the detail they can see - blew my mind! Very cute re the thumb sucking lol :) So happy for you that all is well :):):) xo

I should have put 2 and 2 together and come up with 4 re the mood swings - I definitely got more anxious / snappy / emotional coming up to scans! Do we get anymore scans after the 20 week one? I have an appointment at 30 weeks at the hospital but no mention of a scan ...

Re the poos I still flit between constipation and diarrhoea - week about. I have wee'd at least 25 times today so I think baby has shifted and is using by bladder as a pillow :)

No more scans after 20 weeks Moo unless there's concerns over growth or you develop complications like gestational diabetes.

Glad the scan went well bella - sounds like they were very thorough! I remember being scanned for a while but definitely not for a whole hour. Must've been lovely. I loved hearing their heartbeat and although no more scans, it's lovely to hear the heartbeat when the midwife sounds for it at subsequent appts.

I'm also very jealous at you lucky ladies not gaining much weight! I actually lost weight in the first trimester but I hopped on the scales this AM, at almost 27weeks and am up almost a stone and a half on my weight since then!! I can't believe it and considering I'm still going to the gym and eating healthy (with occasional treats) I'm a bit worried I'm going to end up hitting the 4 stone mark at this rate?! Because I'm only 5ft 1 as well, it MUST show. People have been kind enough to say I'm neat and all bump etc but surely my bump can't weigh 8.5kg?!

What a beautiful worry to have! A worry nonetheless though!