40+ pregnancy

[Cleozeta]

Hi, I'm 41, and 4w 4d pregnant. Trying not to get too excited yet as I know it's high risk.
Any other 40+ people out there? How are you getting on?

@Sharplily aspirin is standard in the UK if you are 40+.

@Snorebrown @Bluebug45 I was automatically assigned growth scans because of my age (40+). Maybe it varies by Trust?

In other news I have gestational diabetes and they think baby is small (9th centile), I have my second growth scan on Tuesday and hoping they get different measurements this time. Currently under weekly monitoring at the hospital, which is time-consuming but at least I get to see baby regularly!

Hi @TinyTerror1, I thought it might be (standard in the UK too, that is).

I was also told my last baby was small all the way through and that turned out not to be the case at all when she was born at 3.25kg at 38 weeks. I came to learn that obstetrics is not an exact science!

Hi everyone quick update, had my 12 week scan 4 weeks ago , all was good. Booked in for 20 week scan end of August but just couldn’t wait to find out gender so booked a last minute appointment last night for private scan locally and went straight away... was so exciting , heard strong heartbeat and saw baby wriggling around ... it’s a boy which we are so excited about as I have 3 girls already and this is my husbands first child and as he has no other family he is overwhelmed he has a boy to carry on his name x

That's lovely news Donna, glad everything is progressing well with your pregnancy! :)

Thanks tiny x I have my gestational diabetes test in September! Not looking forward to fasting 😂 love my food 😂 what happens if I have it? X

The test isn't much fun. Especially in really hot weather like I had... hopefully it will be a bit cooler for you!

If you have GD you have to monitor your blood sugar levels 4 times a day (before breakfast and then an hour after each meal). If you can't keep below the required levels through diet alone then they offer medication - Metformin first, then insulin if that doesn't work.

I'm still diet-controlled (3 weeks into monitoring) although they were pretty keen to switch me to Metformin last week as I'd had a couple of high readings. I said no and have been having to monitor my levels 7 times a day this week... not so much fun. Hopefully I'll be back down to 4 after my appointment tomorrow.

You also get growth scans, but I'm guessing you may be down for them already on account of age, as I was. I also get to see two doctors at every clinic appointment, which is just so much fun but at least baby is getting the best possible care! Fingers crossed you get the all clear, anyway xx

Thanks tiny x sounds great... not , fingers crossed I’m ok x

I had my 12 week scan yesterday, all good. This is the first time I've had a baby in Spain, my four year old was born in France and the antenatal care is so different - it was much, much better in France. Then the room was set up so both mother and father can see the screen clearly and the midwife explained everything she was doing. At each scan we were given an extensive set of photos and paperwork with all the details on of the measurements etc.

Here, on both scans, I've found the screens are turned away from the mother and the father is not expected to watch either - my husband was trying to look and was considered an inconvenience. They don't tell you a thing throughout the scan and questions are ignored. You get one miniature, rather crappy photo to take away. I feel like a number here not a human being. The whole attitude is so different. Not impressed.

I won't get the results of screening for another two weeks either. The NT measurement was 1.03 which I believe is fine but obviously at 43 the risk is high. We'd rather not tell people until we know all is clear but haven't had any choice - my stomach is usually flat and I'm showing so we told a couple of people yesterday.

I was diagnosed with GD in my last pregnancy - the GTT is horrible, no doubt about it - but when I was monitoring blood sugar I didn't get a single high measurement, far from it, even when eating things that should have caused a blood sugar spike, so the hospital decided they must have got it wrong somewhere!

Glad to hear your scan went well yesterday. Spain doesn't sound great for antenatal care . Do you know if they do the same combined test as here? Fingers crossed for your results, at least the NT was nice and low - I think 3 and above is where they start to worry.

With the monitoring, I've found that if I'm well hydrated and relatively active my blood sugars stay nice and low. The only high readings I've had are if I eat bread - especially white bread - and don't move or drink much (i.e. eating in a pub while watching the football!!). I made it through a weekend of festival food with consistently low readings.

Wow! This is really amazing. I hope you'll have a safe pregnancy.

@TinyTerror1 it must do.

I know mine and the nearby trusts* do things based on your medical history. So I know low risk women 40+ who were treated the same as younger women under 40 after it is agreed they are low risk.

In my case the obstetrician only wanted to do one growth scan but I will end up having two due to the difficulty in arranging scan appointments. So the second one is a just in case.

@Donnabillox the GTT fasting is just overnight fasting. So if your appointment is at 8am you should have stopped stop eating by 8pm. You can and should drink water. If you don't drink enough water then it can make it difficult to take blood samples. All my trust's first appointments were between 8am and 10am. I would see if you can get someone to come with you to distract you during the two hour wait. You can bring reading material but as some people feel faint, sick and/or dizzy for a few minutes or longer you may not be able to read it. If that person needs to eat they should do it out of your eyesight and hearing before hand.

*Some obstetricians and other doctors work in more than one trust as this allows them to see a variety of cases.

Hello all! I’m 41 and just found out I’m 6 weeks pregnant this week. Had some bleeding/cramps so had a scan at EPU, all okay I think, another appt in 2 weeks. Totally unplanned and feeling very clueless about it all! But at least I get why I’ve been so emotional! Wishing everyone super well