Bump feels... Different.

[fonxey]

Okay, I'm probably just being dumb but my bump feels more comfortable than before.

I've been working nights and for 3 nights it was really busy and i have to bend down a lot and get up which i find a struggle (an 16 wks today). Also probably been lifting and pushing things i shouldn't have that were heavy. But it's kinda part of my job, and they have been really good at not letting me do any of this! But at nights is harder to really say no i can't do that cos the is less staff. They'd prob be ok if i said i couldn't but i just feel...bad.

Anyway, it used to be uncomfortable turning in bed and now it isn't. It feels like a normal fat belly lump. I sneezed the other day which really hurt, which i know it's normal but also i kinda feel like since then... Belly felt different.

I kinda want to book another scan but my oh rightly points out when will that stop? I cos get one now and then two weeks later feel worried again.

Should i get a doppler? But i fear I'll get false readings (by own heartbeat) so either feel falsely reassured or falsley worried more!

Have i been putting too much pressure on my stomach? I kinda feel i have.

If something feels a bit 'off' give your midwife a call. I wouldn't recommend getting a Doppler - midwife can listen to the heartbeat if needed.

But you need to stop with the heavy manual work for the sake of your baby!
Have you notified your employer? If so they should have done a risk assessment and shouldn't be expecting you to do these tasks.

Yes, they know and have been good but these are nights and it's difficult. I work a support worker in theatres (surgical, not dramatic lol) so it involves a lot of heavy lifting and pushing.

Well I'm not going to do nights again. I probably haven't eaten it drank enough at all. It's gets really busy and sometimes we don't even have time to stop for a break. Surgeons seem to work off air and sweets and expect everyone else to do so as well.

The nurses did send me off on more breaks than themselves though. But still. It's just difficult to step back when you have less staff to stand in your place. And you just don't have time to really stop.

Yes i suppose i should call midwife in morning. I just don't know if I'm just over worried and behind being silly. I tried booking a flipping scan bit the bloody website kept breaking! Grr.

Well i called... Kinda. My oh called as i have phone anxiety and oh then also got worried so heaven knows what they thought. Unsurprisingly to the news that "it feels different and less like jelly" they said there's probably nothing wrong.

My bump feels different pretty regularly, sometimes it's rock solid for hours, sometimes I forget it's there as it's just soft and squishy. I think it's pretty normal, but it's always worth speaking to the midwife if you're concerned.

I'm not sure how far along you are but can you feel movements - kicks? If you feel any reduction in movements then contact midwife and they will monitor.

Well booked a private scan for tomorrow anyway. Maybe I'm just over tired from nights. I don't know why I'm complaining that I'm feeling more comfortable! Turning over in bed used to be very uncomfortable and belly used to feel quite sensitive (not painful) but now it isn't. Who knows what's more normal.

Definitely don’t get a Doppler. The NHS advise against them as they’re really cheap imitations of medical equipment that should be used in the hands of trained professionals. They can either provide false reassurance things are okay so you delay seeking help, or cause alarm when you can’t find the heartbeat. Not to mention that it’s easy to pick up your own pulse or the placental pulse and have no way of knowing it’s not the baby. They’re not machines that amplify the sound like a microphone, they create an artificial sound based on the movement they sense in there, so many women think they’re listening to their baby’s heartbeat when they’re not!

Hope your scan goes well. I know it’s not good to rely on them for anxiety as they may fuel it, but you gotta do what you gotta do to get through it and pregnancy won’t last forever, you’ll probably feel less in need of them once you feel movement.

Scan sounds good to reassure you but what I will say is in my experience the bump went through "spurts" so it would feel quite tight and uncomfortable for a few days and then I'd suddenly feel I'd "grown into it" then a week or two later I'd have another spurt, and so on. So it could just be your body getting accustomed to it's current size!

My bump seems to change a lot, I wonder if it's baby getting into different positions?
Hopefully movement is imminent for you which is very reassuring.