Thread for us classed as mature pregnant ladies

[Sheera1]

Hi all. I wasn't wanted to hijack any threads on hear with specific questions, but wondered if anyone fancied a chat thread for us classed as mature mums to be? Anyone who feels they fit in that box are welcome to join.

I will start. 🌞

I am 41. I have a 10 year old ds and one mmc 3 yrs ago. New partner is reason for the gap.

I was very shocked when I found out as we had assumed that ship had sailed as no joy since mmc. Head was in that camp and was quite a shock to come out of it.

I am 13 weeks based on my scan later Friday. Awaiting NIPT results hopefully today or tomorrow. Been cautious after mmc but hard to not get so attached as the weeks go by.

My first purchase if all ok will be a pregnancy pillow.

Honestly I feel massive already. I am very overweight but was with ds and had a perfect fuss free pregnancy. This time I am so 🤢 and tired and feel just ill from 4pm onwards.

Instead of it easing up, last night I was still feeling 🤢 trying to sleep and was very uncomfortable due to feeling like my womb is massive.

Anyone else feeling like this? Goodness knows how I will be weeks from now. Eeek.

As @fool11 says - most hospitals have self referral for antenatal care now. I've been pregnant in 5 different areas of the country with 10 different hospitals open to me - all bar one area had self referral and that area only had one hospital we could go to anyway.

@fool11 & @onlyreadingneverposting8 thank you I had no idea you can go direct. That’s brilliant to hear, doing that now. I’ve been googling mc rates by week and age this morning and driving myself bananas.

@Celibacydidntwork Judging from this thread I believe it's different in each GP's surgery how you go about things. At mine I didn't see my GP at all. I rang the reception and she put me on a list for the midwife to ring me. From there I was referred for a consultant and the ball was rolling.

Can I ask why you stay with your GP when you feel this way? It's such a shame for you.

Damn just tried and my area doesn’t do self referral 🙁

@footprintsintheslow I live quite rurally and it’s by far the closest to me but yes I should change surgeries, there is one in the next town which is only 6 miles away

Shame you can't self refer but there maybe hope if you ask your receptionist how it all works in your area.

@Celibacydidntwork hopefully just a conversation with the receptionist! Honestly the one time I had to see a GP first they took my blood pressure and made the referral ie total waste oh NHS money!! I only saw the GP twice more during the pregnancy - both times for something I couldn't buy over the counter at the pharmacy due to being pregnant. (Another bugbear of mine).

Welcome to the gang @Celibacydidntwork xx

How is everyone doing?

We've had a nice weekend. Met up with my parents in the park for my mums birthday - this baby will be her first (and likely only) grandchild so she is quite excited and we decided today that her "official title" will be Nana .

Also had a - rare! - burst of energy and have been cleaning out the crap which has filled our house for years to make way for more baby related crap . Thankfully one of our local charity shops has opened which has helped.

Hope everyone is well x

Hi pregnantporcupine! I am got too. Feeling some pretty big and distinctive nudges which is reassuring. Counting down the days to 20 week scan (or rather 21 week scan). Don't know why I am so worried something might be badly wrong with this wee one. Just over 40 worry I think. 10th July hopefully comes quickly!

Hi @PregnantPorcupine yeah all fine here , no more bleeding this weekend and pain subsided, just tired etc! Ladies sorry for the TMI but are any of you constipated? I haven't been to the toilet in 5 days, laxido that doctors gave isn't doing a thing 😞 this isn't like me so I do feel very very sluggish, I know everything slows down in pregnancy but I again don't remember this with my other two, probably that I feel ancient and am ancient this time 😂

Evening all. Just popping in. I’m 36 weeks tomorrow- time really is flying by.
Not looking forward to this week - I’ve got my group B strep swab!
On the bright side though after this week
I’ll be classed as full term.

Morning all! Think I'm going to be the moaner of the group 😳 I've had a terrible weekend - feeling absolutely awful - constantly nauseous (not physically sick though) and feeling really generally unwell to the point where I barely managed to get off the sofa. I've also got bad hay fever and that gives me sinus headaches. On top of all that my dreams are vivid and exhausting in themselves and often nightmares...🤦🏽‍♀️🥺 Not sure that there's anything I can do really - just a case of plodding on through!!

Morning all,

Firstly @AncientandPregnant I'm am so sorry you're still in this worry and Friday's scan didn't give you the reassurance you need. I've been thinking of you a lot over the weekend and desperately hope your little one fights and pulls through this. I hope you're okay... Have you managed to get through the weekend okay? How are you doing today?

Hi @Celibacydidntwork welcome to the oldies

@PregnantPorcupine well done on the sorting out. We have a whole house to sort out and the nursery is full of wedding stuff waiting to be used. I have no idea what we will do with all of that as it's now not going to happen until April 2021 and nowhere else to store it all!
The boys' bathroom needs completely overhauling and we need to paint every room and re-carpet. We also have a massive hole in the utility room ceiling due to a massive leak. Poor DP's list of things to do just keeps getting longer and he won't let me help, he'd have me chained to the sofa if he could as he's so paranoid about the baby.
Then we realised how awful the garden looks and need to go on a massive dump run due to it looking something like the garden in Shameless! Fancy using your energy to sort our house out?

@Sheera1 I am still so jealous abut the movements you're feeling. I know you're a week ahead of me but I'm dying to feel something definite. I keep lying down and really concentrating hard. Sometimes I think I feel a very very subtle tap. Not felt anything like that for about 5 days. Then this morning as I was lying in bed I might have felt a bit of a flutter but I can't be sure. It's all so subtle.
I also cannot wait until our scan day. I'm almost tempted to ask the midwife to have a listen to keep me sane between now and then.

@Clarkel1 great news that your bleeding and pain has subsided. Re constipation, I have read loads about it being very common. I've the complete opposite and worried because everyone else seems constipated! My tummy is awful and has been every single morning of this pregnancy. It wakes me up at 5am and I have hoped it would have calmed down by now but no such luck. Not sure whether to mention it to the midwife...
Have you tried prune juice?

Hi @Ethellsmum glad to hear all is well and it must be such a relief to be so close to full term!

@onlyreadingneverposting8 sorry you've had a rough weekend. It sounds horrendous. I guess all you can do is rest. Do you have to work today? Can you just take it off sick and rest all day?

My line manager reminded me I'd booked off Weds-Fri this week. Took me ages to realised why I'd done that, then remembered we were supposed to be going to Glastonbury - waahhhh!!! Finally at the grand old age of 40 we'd managed to bag tickets, 'd been wanting to go since I was about 17. Then a fucking pandemic snatches them away from us! Actually I wouldn't have been able to go while pregnant anyway, DP would have kittens if I tried.
I'm tempted to book it off anyway and have a nice 2 day week...

That was long

@Frazzlerock morning! Thanks for the sympathy! I threw up as soon as I got up this morning! 😲 Resorted to 2 paracetamol for the headache I woke with and feel a bit better now (apart from nausea). Re the movement - I had some a couple of days ago but nothing yesterday that I specifically recognised as movement. I have an anterior placenta too so that's probably not helping. So we are in the same boat! Hoping to get a bit more this week! It's so reassuring when you feel a movement!!

Forgot to add that I'm lucky in that I'm a sahm so I can take it a bit easy - although the 3.5yr old is very full on and I do have the home schooling to try get through.

Ah, glad you're getting movements

@Sheera1

@Clarkel1 - tbh my problems gave mainly been in the opposite direction.. One thing that does always sort me out if my digestive system is a but sluggish is beetroot in vinegar.. Be warned though, it turns your poo red which can be a bit terrifying if you're not expecting it

@Ethellsmum omg full term! To me that sounds great but also terrifying (and I only have 3 weeks till then!)

Sorry you've had a bad weekend @onlyreadingneverposting8. Have you spoken to the GP about your hay fever? There is stuff you can take - I was prescribed a steroid nasal spray which sounds like it might help you?

@Frazzle - ha! I wouldn't be too impressed, there's still plenty to do.. I hope you find something nice to do with your days off and maybe you can take the baby to Glastonbury next year?! I actually did go when I was 17.. It was very fun but VERY VERY muddy.. Our ground sheet leaked and our wellies got stolen from outside of our tent! Worth it at the time but I'd highly recommend taking the "glamping" Option if there is one now!

@Frazzlerock thank you. I’m doing ok. Was hugely upset on Saturday and couldn’t stop crying. Now I feel calmer but just want absolute certainty rather than this 1% chance that it might all be a ok. I’m trying to get into the NHS EPU but it seems impossible due to Covid. I’m so annoyed that I can go to Westfield and shop but can’t get an EPU appointment or send my kids to school. I can’t wait another two weeks for another private scan and then have to persuade the NHS to give me a D&C so I’m really unsure what to do.

@AncientandPregnant what are the NHS EPU saying today?

My hospital has closed it’s EPU and outsourced it to the private Lister Hospital Due to Covid. The Lister has said as I’m not in danger (not bleeding, we know it’s not ectopic) I don’t need to be seen...

@AncientandPregnant been thinking of you this weekend. I’m sorry that’s so frustrating you can’t be seen, waiting must be agonising. What do the NHS say the next step is beyond just waiting?

Welcome @Celibacydidntwork !

@PregnantPorcupine
Good job on the sorting. We still have so much to do. I just feel too fat and knackered to do any of it at the moment!

@onlyreadingneverposting8 I’m sorry you’re feeling so rotten. Definitely speak to gp about getting a nasal spray prescribed for hayfever, I’m using one and it is helping!

@Sheera1 glad you’re getting some movements now!

@Clarkel1 I’ve had constipation on and off throughout pregnancy. I can’t remember if it was the midwife or nurse who said to me don’t overdo things like bran flakes etc as you think they help but can send you a bit the other way if your bowels overcompensate. I have IBS anyway so am used to bowel issues - though usually the other way. I’ve found a few dried apricots every morning with a glass of fresh orange juice has helped. Sometimes I’ve switched to prunes if I’ve needed the big guns! Once or twice I’ve gone to prune juice if it’s been a few days and I’m really struggling. Cauldron Moroccan falafel also seems to have quite the effect on me! Because I’m doing the positive birth company course online, she talks about ‘down breathing’ which is the breathing for the pushing bit of labour. She says to practice it when you’re having a poo and I have to say it’s been helping a lot when I’ve been struggling. If you google ‘positive birth company down breathing’ there’s a video on YouTube where she explains it. Also try to make sure you’re drinking plenty.

@Frazzlerock definitely take the days off and enjoy something nice!

I’m doing ok. Going to start washing all the baby clothes and stuff we have I think. I really need to sort our bedroom as it’s where the baby will be sleeping and where their stuff will be for the foreseeable. I’ve given up on the other room (which is actually the bigger/nicer room) as DH using that for his office and there’s just no way of organising around all his work crap (plus weight bench and all the millions of shit clothes, ancient trainers, 300 coats etc he never wears but apparently can’t part with). I’ve just told him that he’ll have to get it sorted once the baby is here but by then I won’t be able to help as I’ll be too busy looking after a baby. It doesn’t look like he’ll be fully back in the office until at least the autumn so I’m just pretending that room isn’t there for now.

I’ve still got a very sore lady bits, and my hips are killing me, but apart from that and the constant heartburn I’m feeling pretty well

@AliasGrape & @PregnantPorcupine did you get your nasal spray prescribed. I am absolutely certain I have used one in pregnancy before (without it being prescribed) but then I asked at the pharmacy in Boots last week and the pharmacist was "no - absolutely not. You can't take it." Didn't even say "you can but it'll need prescribing".

@onlyreadingneverposting8 yeah it was on prescription- I was just able to email the gp and they put the prescription up for me straight away. (Some gps will prescribe actual antihistamines but mine wanted me to try the spray first).

My chemist won’t sell me aspirin even though I’m prescribed them. It’s about 70p a packet and I would have thought far easier for me to just buy them than cost the nhs by going through the repeat prescription process each time, but they’ll only allow me to get them via prescription. They’re very cautious!

@AncientandPregnant that is just so unfair, leaving you in limbo 😞 x