👣 Due Nov/Dec 👣 it's the 20 week scans! 👣

[ChampooPapi]

Half may mark approaching or even completed for some of us 🙌

@EithneBlue @peachypetite thanks. I'll lay off it then. I've always found scans even more traumatising with the inflated bladder 😕😕

So lovely to see everyone’s bumps, scans and hear about lots of movement! My scan is less than a week away, feeling very excited!

To be honest, nower days my bladder seems to be full all the bloody time! I don't think I need to make much of a conscious effort.

@Pinktruffle same. I've been 6 times tonight already

@chubbyhotchoc God knows what I'll be like in the third trimester when the baby is jumping on my bladder. I may as well just move in to the bathroom!

So lovely to hear that scans are going well and to see such beautiful bumps! It does feel like things are starting to go more quickly now! I am 20+3 and have definitely got much rounder in the last week!!
However I'm still waiting to feel proper movements, I've got an anterior placenta and was overweight already so I know it may take a bit longer! I've had occasional little flutters but it doesn't happen often, hopefully it won't be much longer...is anyone else finding the same?

@beccarans89 20+2 with anterior placenta here too & I have literally felt nothing! Sonographer on Friday said he thinks in a couple of weeks I'll be feeling lots though. ☺️ Something to look forward to!

@Beccarans89 anterior too and not a peep but it was stretching and waving hands on the scan so I’m not worried. First time mum too so she said it could be another couple of weeks. I am getting a bit annoyed with people asking me if I’ve felt it yet!

@Beccarans89 - 21+1 anterior placenta, small baby, ftm -- I can feel something now but it's not very distinctive. Could still be a muscle twitch ;-) Totally normal :-)

@Hanrora06 I’ve been thinking the same reading some of these messages! I just have a generic midwife number to call which always goes to answerphone but someone from the team usually calls back quickly enough. I do have a regular MW that I’ll see for all my appointments but no direct contact. Interestingly she did say that they are being expected to move towards a named MW system but our area is avoiding it as long as possible.

@firstbabybell @peachypetite @EithneBlue thank you so much for your responses, that makes me feel loads better! People asking if you've felt it lots definitely doesn't help 😄 glad to hear it's been the same for you and hopefully in the next few weeks we will start to feel lots more! X

@Fredthespider I think a named midwife system would be lovely, I wish something like that was more common. I did see Sheffield had a volunteer Doula programme but I always forget to ask about it, so I will as I'm just interested in how that would work!

Yes, I've got a just general number which goes through to the maternity ward- it's actually been pretty good, I always get through to someone though I know they're not the community midwives I'd be seeing on appointments. They generally can answer my questions. And to be fair my GPs booked me an appointment with my community midwife straight away when I rang to ask if I could have a face to face appointment, no trouble at all. I'm hopeful maybe she'll have the right equipment to listen to the heartbeat and whatever else!

Morning ladies. Hope everyone is having a nice Sunday.

Here's my bump pic from yesterday (19+1).

Am starting to strongly consider a home birth as my first preference. Just wondering if I should wait until my 25 week midwife call and then say, or if I should ask at my scan next week how I make contact with the home birth team so that I can't start contact with them straight away, as I would then have continuity with them until the end.

@RestorationInsanity gosh you look good! Mines popping today.
20 weeks exactly. Happy the sun is out and trying not to fret about my scan tomorrow

@RestorationInsanity I asked about HB on my 16 week phone call, so I'd say ask about it as soon as you want to, and then you get the feel for the approach of your maternity unit. My community midwife was very helpful, she said she'd done a few for FTMs before and just a lot in general, that's kind of her area. I think I'm shifting away from that idea now, as basically my house will be too small to do it comfortably, the MLU will be nicer- unless covid situation is still bad, in which case I may return to it. However, she said a couple of things-

1. generally the birth plan will be discussed in greater detail at the home visit around 32 weeks or so, and they can explain in more detail the processes- but nothing to stop you asking questions now or researching!

2. she said the most important thing is that you and your birth partner are really confident and comfortable with it as a choice, AND being prepared for stuff not going to plan- and knowing what you'll do in the varieties of situations that could crop up. e.g. me and my husband considered things like adverse weather that could make it tricky to get an ambulance over to the hospital if we need it.

3. she said to hire a birth pool is super cheap, like £30 and that's just for the lining, which you get to keep.

4. she said that home births are still going on in our area as usual (though not one of our neighbouring areas due to staffing), and actually more women are doing them due to covid restricting visitors.

That's about all I can remember that she said! So it'll be interesting to hear what yours say.

@chubbyhotchoc thank you, you too! Gorgeous dress. Is so lovely seeing all the bumps now. Can't believe I'm pretty much half way through!

@Hanrora06 thank you that's really helpful. Luckily our hospital is only 10 mins away in the car and we live in greater London so the chance of things like heavy snow etc very unlikely. But I need to discuss it more with DH. He knows I've always been keen, I dislike hospitals and don't find them reassuring or calming, and I hate any pain relief that interferes with how you feel mentally (dopey, woozy, out of it) etc so it's important to me to try and create a situation which is as calming as possible. I will also ask if I am allowed to look at the on site birth centre. If they're not allowing tours because of COVID that would definitely away my decision as I would not feel at all comfortable going to give birth in a totally unfamiliar place. I will flag up my wish to engage with the home birth team next week and report back!

@RestorationInsanity mine is doing online photo tours etc I’m sure yours would too.

Hey girls, my 20 week scan isn't until next Monday. Nerves are kicking in though. Little bubba is moving around a lot more but also making me feel even more sick! I can't believe I don't feel too different from the first trimester. Anyone else had problems with PGP? I'm already struggling getting in and out of bed. Pretty much had back problems since the moment I became pregnant. Never had issues like that, dreading it getting any worse. Hope everyone's scans go well !

@peachypetite photo video tours sound great! I wish ours did that. @RestorationInsanity I asked if we could have tours of ours yet and they said not right now, but that could change. There is an online video of it, but it's soooo retro. Only filmed in 2016 but you'd think it was more like 10 years before, she said that it's much nicer than that now- new birthing pools etc! My husband wasn't super keen on the idea at first, he's generally more risk averse and always thinks of the worst case scenario but to be fair I can see why in this instance...but he was definitely willing to consider it by the end and could see the benefits. It made him feel better to hear more about the reseach around it, the stats and things, the routine, etc...all the logistical stuff.

@peachypetite online photo tours i mean not photo video tours no idea what they would even be lol

@peachypetite they do have a virtual video thing online but for me it's more of a feeling from actually being there. Unfortunately the maternity unit is also the same place I recovered from my ectopic pregnancy surgery and where we had failed fertility treatment, so I need for the birth centre to feel like a positive place, unconnected from that. I thought I'd be better at distancing myself emotionally from all that's gone before but don't seem to be!

My digestion has been playing up again hate it because it makes me worry when I have belly pain.. had some rennie and deflators seems ok now. Acid reflux is picking up the pace now too 😅 I keep getting tingling around my body mainly in my hands too I don’t know if this is just anxiety or something else to do with pregnancy? 🤔 I can’t wait to have this baby I think I’m doing my partners head in constantly worrying 😶

@RestorationInsanity gorgeous neat bump 👣💜

@chubbyhotchoc that bump is popping for certain, and that hair is popping too! Love it 💞

@chubbyhotchoc what time is your scan tomorrow? Hopefully your partner can join you, everything crossed 🤞🤞

DH is helping his brother sort out his new house today so I thought I would use the time to do some cleaning and start clearing out the room that will be the nursery. I think I've over done it and aggravated my sciatica I'll be in for a lecture when DH gets home. I'll try and rest up now and hope it fixes itself before he gets home!