Due June 2022 (thread six)

[MrsNT]

Wow we are on thread 6
Please tag anyone ive missed

Two*

Btw if you chuck in a few cloves in the pot of water u heat up for steam and let it cook for a min or 2 and then inhale that, its supposed to help with sinus blockage . I did that today.

@unknownscot I get them quite a bit anyway so I know my symptoms well. But personally, I get like a tingling in my urethra(?) and I have to pee often but only a tiny bit comes out. With the urine sample I have at the docs today, I noticed it was kind of cloudy. I also feel generally rundown but that could just be prego vibes. Definitely worth getting it checked in case you need antibiotics.

We had our gender scan last night and we are having a very active little girl 💖🥰

Aww! Congrats @fiowen45 💕

Welcome to the group @Rachx2021. Sorry to hear about your loss. I have a huge amount of discharge currently, to the extent I now bring spare pants to work work with me to change into 😂

Congratulations on your little girl @fiowen45.

My scans next Monday, cannot wait to find out gender!

Hi Ladies!

I hope you don’t mind me jumping on this thread. I’ve been reading through your messages and you seem to be giving great advice so wondered if I could ask some of my own?

I’m 19 weeks pregnant and struggled with terrible anxiety all the way through. I’m get reassurance RE one thing then always finding something else to panic about. (I do need to speak to my midwife about this to be honest).

However, today’s topic of choice is infection and how this can harm a pregnancy. I literally had a swab done at the GPs less than 2 weeks ago and it was completely clear for BV, thrush GBS and everything else they check for. I have had no symptoms of infection, just an increase in discharge (hence the swab to ease my crazy mind) but I’m pretty sure its normal pregnancy discharge.

I’m freaking out a little because I seem to be reading a lot if info out there that says bacteria can be moved into the cervix - this worried me because a) does sex in pregnancy not cause this? And b) I have shamefully been a cervix checker as I was having a lot of cramps/back ache and was worried about an incompetent cervix (had a private scan - cervix almost 5cm closed and long! Think I’m starting with PGP and round ligament pain tbh) and I’m worried I will have done something really bad I have stopped checking now so please don’t tell me off!!

I’m sorry for the looooong post before 7am but I’m just looking for some reassurance or other people’s experiences.

Thank you so much xx

@Kittycat2022 I'm so sorry you are struggling with anxiety and I think you are right to speak to your midwife about it 💚there are lots of studies out there that show sex in pregnancy is fine unless you've got certain conditions and you've been specifically told not to.

With regards to issue b try to relax, you've very recently had all the tests and these have come back negative and as others on here have been saying over the past couple of days an increase in discharge is normal and is all part of the body's defence mechanism.

Hope you are ok, sending hugs 💚

@laurenGame totally agree on the small numbers and the researchers themselves point out that the evidence was weak and some of the studies had a poor design. I think I'd still be inclined personally to act on the side of caution, especially in the first trimester where more studies have shown there are potential problems with neural tube defects. I guess it's a personal risk assessment about what you are happy to do with the data available and that will change from person to person. Warm Bath not raising core temp - definitely no concern, so I guess a middle ground might be to monitor your temperature in the bath and if it starts to climb, end of bath 🤷‍♀️ Dunno what I'm trying to say, other than you're right about the strength of the evidence in that study 😁

Moving slightly off topic... I really dislike all the blanket rules that are put on pregnant women, especially when in some cases the evidence just doesn't back it up (having the odd glass of wine for instance - the studies just don't support a blanket ban, just don't snort coke at the same time 😬). It would be nicer if we could just be given the evidence and left to make our own minds up, but I totally get why the health service doesn't do that 😂 I just hate how pregnant women can be vilified for doing things and made to feel bad, when the evidence doesn't necessarily support it.

Thanks both. Sounds like the jury's still out despite positive signs. Never mind - a 37' bath is still quite snug, so I'll settle for that. It has to be pretty deep now or bump looks like a desert island!

Congrats to all those who have had their scans and now know the babies sex! My scan is next Friday and I already have a bet with my mum, I think boy, she thinks girl (full disclosure: both me and DH want a girl, but I've felt 'boy' for weeks). Looking forward to either of course

As for baths, they were out of the question when I was feeling nauseous but I had one the other day which was bloody glorious - Molton Brown bath oil, tray to perch my book on... Just heaven! I think as long as it's not too hot, there no reason for concern as I read somewhere: you’re not likely to overheat in a bathtub, since the water cools over time and your upper body is actually out of the water.

As for the glass of wine (with or without a line of coke 😂) - I had fully expected to indulge in the odd small glass but add it turns out my body doesn't want anything to do with booze. I had a sip of champagne or two over Christmas, but honestly it was to be polite, I couldn't have cared less. I'm intending to make up for this after the birth of course 🤪🥳

Morning ladies! All this talk of discharge has made me wonder, anyone seen LESS discharge?? I had loads a few weeks ago now seems to have dried up.

@Kittycat2022 Welcome! You sound a bit like me finding anything to worry about! Be assured that you're not alone. And everything I've read says sex is safe in pregnancy unless you are told otherwise by your dr x

@Prema112 this is me too 😊 I'm slowly coming round to the thought that the only thing certain about pregnancy is that nothing is certain 😂 ffs can it not just follow a set pattern... I like patterns 😂

Hi ladies, I'm sorry to be that person but... when did you all receive your 20 week scan appointments? I'm 18 weeks tomorrow and still nothing. At about 16 weeks, I rang the clinic about something else and mentioned it to them and they said "We don't book those appointments ourselves. Just wait for a letter in the post."

Should I chase again?

Thanks 😊

@PeeAche
Mine came through the post shortly after my 12 week scan. I'll be 20+1 for my scan.
I don't know if it differs between trusts.

@fpeg @Prema112

Thank you Its honestly exhausting being this anxious. I finally calmed down about incompetent cervix only to now spend the last 24 hours panicking that I’m going to have shoved an infection into my cervix from checking or sex and its going to harm the baby!! All because I read about someone who lost a baby at 23 weeks because of infection. I’m actually driving myself insane hopefully I’ll calm down and move on from this soon too.
@PeeAche I have my 20 week scan on the 21st Jan when I’ll be 20 + 4, it came through straight after my 12 week scan xx

@PeeAche, same here, booked at the reception desk after the 12 week scan.

I picked up the angelcare bath seat from aldi . It was £20 everywhere else but £12.99 at aldi so thought its good bargain. Even 2nd hand ones on fb were selling for £10
My question is; we dont have bath tubs in our house. Only shower cabins. The family one is decent size so i can easily sit inside on a stool when bathung baby . Would the angelcare seat be ok to use without filling a tub. (Hope my question makes sense) has anyone with little ones tried that ? Im hoping baby likes it that way too

I think someone may have mentioned it before but there is a great book called Expecting Better by Emily Oster that basically looks at the evidence and reasons behind all the guidelines to empower women to make their own choices in pregnancy. Some of it was really eye-opening and I just find it a really reassuring read so I'd recommend that to anyone if interested.

I'm 15+5 and constantly wondering "am I definitely pregnant" after a fairly uneventful first trimester. Seeing the midwife tomorrow and I'm hoping they will use a Doppler for some reassurance. Then I have a sex scan on Saturday which is really exciting!!

@Kittycat2022 I can get really anxious about other things - but surprisingly less (so far!) about pregnancy. Something that has helped me a lot is trying to remember that having an anxious thought doesn't make the thought true - or likely! One thing I do sometimes when my brain comes up with some new anxiety like "what if this thing I ate harmed my baby?" is to think of something so ridiculous it couldn't possibly be true - like "what if there's a giant man-eating rat hiding behind that tree?" When the what-if is really far fetched I know it can't be true, which helps me let go of the other anxiety too. Try not to spend too much time googling - it assuages the current anxiety in the short term, but in the long term it reinforces the idea that whatever worry you had was worth worry about.

Okay, thanks. I phoned the clinic again and they put me through to the people that book the appointments and I had indeed been overlooked.

@InvisibleDragon I really like that approach to worry- I'm gonna try that! I also sometimes try to think 'Today I am pregnant and the baby is fine until someone tells me otherwise' My mum is great at not worrying, she just doesn't think about what 'could' happen and 999 out of 1000 the bad stuff doesn't happen! Trying to be more like her

@InvisibleDragon thank you - I’m really going to try and not worry. I had private CBT last year due to a MC in April and she was amazing, I think I might go back to her again as it really helped and my head has just gone to mush since I became pregnant again! But I will make a concerted effort to try and not whittle and definitely NOT google Like @Prema112 said I will focus on what positives I do know.

@PeeAche its a good job you checked!! Have they booked you in?

@InvisibleDragon that made me laugh and such a good approach - I'm using it from now on

@RoseValleyRambles and @fpeg I've been measuring bath water with meat thermometer, and get in once it's 37 degrees. It's blisss and I don't feel overheated - cant be bad if it's my core body temperature

I had a glass of wine on my bday recently and felt properly tipsy 🥴 no tolerance anymore.