June 2023 Babies ☀️ (thread four)

[firsttimelondonmummy]

Hey all,
We are getting close to full so getting another thread ready 😊

Hi everyone, 👋

my due date is 18th June, baby 8 over here! We’ve had some manic life changes, moved from England to rural Ireland in Sep to help care for my disabled mum. Found out we were expecting 2 weeks after we moved!

I’ve got early gestational hypertension which I also had with my last 2 pregnancies.

@PurBal my 2 favourite slings are my ring sling and the Connecta baby. I’ve never really got enough use out of double pushchair as I’ve found it’s easier to pop the baby in the sling instead.

Also, I know it sounds weird but Child’s Farm nappy cream makes the best cream for sore nipples, it makes them heal so well!

Does anyone else do reusable nappies?

@AngelBlue12 thanks for nipple advice. We have used reusables but DS currently in disposables as I’ve struggled with this pregnancy (tiredness mainly) and the drying time in winter is obviously longer.

@AngelBlue12 and for the slings too, will take a look!!

Scan at 20+3 and she's looking great. All perfect. Definitely a girl. She kept putting her hands over her face ♥️

Pram had been delivered when we arrived home so I'm going to open it later with DD and check it over 😀

Lovely scan @BellaTheDarkOverlord - I think we have the same due date as I’m also 20+3 today - waiting for my scan on Friday!

@AngelBlue12 wow 8th baby, congratulations. I’m here for all the advice you have to give 😁😁

@Babybaby66 lol I definitely don’t have all the answers but I’m happy to help if I can!

Hey all, 20+5 and hormones seem to be going crazy. Anyone have any advice on how to level them? Lots of tears for absolutely no reason at the moment

Hi everyone!

I've been following your posts for the last couple of months but haven't been brave enough to post myself until today.

I'm due on 25th June and this is our first baby - been a very long journey!

Our 20 week scan is on 10th Feb and I'm terrified. I didn't realise how bad my anxiety around scans was until we went for our 7 week scan last year and I broke down.

I had a missed miscarriage at 13 weeks previously and just feel so scared before each scan now.

I'm really hoping everything goes well at our 20 week scan and then hopefully I might be able to relax a little bit and enjoy my pregnancy (been waiting over ten years!).

It's not helped by the fact that most of my symptoms have more or less disappeared and other than feeling tired and a couple of headaches here and there I'm feeling good,

I'm 18+3 today and still haven't felt baby move yet either - praying this comes soon.

I've just read this post back and I sound so negative but I'm genuinely (extremely cautiously) over the moon but very nervous.

xx

@ELW2006 It's ok to feel anxious especially if you've lost one before. I hope it l goes well for you. Sometimes you may not feel movement until later especially if placenta on front. I only started feeling small popping feelings around 18 weeks.

@Babybaby66 Due date buddies 😀Goodluck for your scan. I was in mine about half an hour as it was a student being taught so they had to go slower which was fine.

Our scan went well today. Bubs has long legs, all from DH!.
Everything important looked great.
Only issue is my placenta is now partially covering my cervix. Had to wait to discuss with a Midwife.

Hi ladies,

I hope everyone is keeping well with their pregnancies. We went in for a private gender scan today. I’m currently 17+6 weeks. I was told I’m having a girl and it looked like a girl to me too as soon as I saw her parts! I’ve just been reading some stories online of people being told a different gender at the 20 week NHS scan. Does this definitely look like a girl to you guys?

@HasHus86 yes, definitely.
@ELW2006 Been there with mm/c and also broke down before the early scan at the EPU and was crying in the waiting room waiting for the 12w scan. 18w now and having 20w scan next week (when I'm 19w), worried just like you! M/c steals all your innocence regarding pregnancies and you feel like you're in no man's land because you don't belong to the group of 'normal pregnant women' (that's how things feel to me at least!). Sending you hugs ❤️❤️x I guess we just have to stay optimistic and hope for the best!

Hi @ELW2006 don't worry a few of us feel the very same I have my scan tomorrow evening and I'm a bag of nerves we haven't made it this far before so we are hoping all is ok

3 hour appointment for 20 weeks done!
Babies looking good, been told girl is 10oz and boy is 12 oz. I didn't realise they could estimate weight at this point.
Little girl is lay on top of the little boy at the moment. They couldnt get all the checks done on her today, so back on 9th Feb.
Had a cervical scan, it's only got smaller by a few mm, which is great, but got another one in 3 weeks to check is stays that way.

Turns out I wasn't seeing the consultant today, that's at 25 weeks.

@Kladebs live the pics but you left your details on them, you may wish to get them removed! Also have a follow up scan on 9 as couldn’t get all LO checks done, hope it goes well!

Hey @ELW2006 we have the same due date 🙂

I know exactly how you are feeling! I've had two miscarriages and still can't quite believe this one is happening. I haven't bought a thing and really struggle to talk as if I'm going to have a baby, I start every sentence with 'Well if everything goes okay...'

I sometimes feel I don't belong on boards like this as most people are just so excited and I don't want to drag them down with negative thoughts.

I'm also feeling completely fine, no symptoms. Maybe some movement but still don't know if it's just gas!

This is such a weird time. I really thought I'd relax a bit more after the 12 week scan, but if anything I'm worse! My 20 week is on the 6th so still a long way to go. I just keep telling myself to take it a day at a time, and nothing is suggesting that anything has gone wrong.

Not much advice for you, just know that you are not alone!

@ELW2006 @theblueflowers I know how you're both feeling too. Although this is my first pregnancy so I've never had to go through the heartbreak of miscarriage this being an IVF pregnancy I've been through alot to get here too and have been so anxious about something going wrong. My mum said to me you've got so used to things going wrong you can't envision something going right for a change and its so true. I know that by now the chances of everything being ok are so much higher than not but I still keep saying "hopefully if all goes well" whenever I talk about baby.

It's ok to be worried and I'm sure people on here don't mind us anxious ones and are only happy to help try to reassure. For me sometimes it helps just to get thoughts out and since I've felt baby move I've got alot less anxious but then there will be days when I don't feel him and start worrying again even though I know that's normal at this stage.

I'm due on the 24th by my scan date but going by my IVF date that would be the 25th too! My 20 week scan is also on the 6th, feels like I've been waiting ages, it's hard being due at the end of the month and seeing everyone else ahead of you sometimes but hopefully everything will be fine.

Thank you so much ladies 💚💚 Genuinely, your replies have helped so much.

I too could have written what most of you have word for word. I also still can't say 'when' it's always 'please god everything goes ok then...' or 'fingers crossed all being well then...'

This was our 6th round of IVF so we too are just so used to hearing the bad news that it's like I'm just waiting.

Seeing all the amazing 20 week scan photos on here is so helpful and reassuring - it keeps me so hopefully that in a couple of weeks I will be able to share mine too.

Really hope the mindset shifts after the 20 week point too as I'm a complete control freak and I feel so unorganised lol. I'm really hoping the excitement kicks in at that point and I can start to believe this is really happening 🤞

I'm so sorry again for bringing the tone down but it really did help to know that I'm not alone in feeling like this.

Thank you all so much! 💚💚

@ELW2006 @theblueflowers @Kelvie103 sending love to you all.
@Kelvie103 I find your mum's words very comforting, thank you for sharing them.
@theblueflowers totally get you with not buying baby stuff just yet. Saying that, we got a few when I was at around 13-15 weeks or so, we had a gift card and saw some good deals so decided to make a faith purchase, it was scary and I even felt like a fool for doing this. I'd like to get a second hand pram (if possible) and good ones aren't that easy to come across so will start seriously looking after 20w scan. DH and I agreed if we see anything we like, will just go for it. While I get it feels scary to buy baby stuff, I think an alternative to it (because you'll also feel you're doing something towards preparing for the baby) is decluttering and freeing up the space for things you'll be buying when you feel totally ready for it ☺️ That's our plan for next couple months x
It's been so helpful not telling anyone because once questions start coming in, stress will feel more real. I'm worried though that work might ask me to announce to colleague soon but based on what I've found, they have no grounds for it. It's more so I can show my colleagues how to do certain things before I go on mat leave but I can totally start doing it without them knowing I'm pregnant.
Instagram keep showing me a lot of baby loss content so probably should ditch insta, would be a healthy decision.

On another (happy) note, has anyone got any thoughts re new vs second hand prams/travel systems? Ready for your honest opinions!
I just want to be kind to mother nature and buy second hand stuff where it is possible. Also, apart from babies very first clothes and apart from bouncer and highchair as I specifically know which ones of those I want, have known for a few years now 😂
Have a feeling we might not be able to get a good second hand travel system in the end so might end up buying a new one, and I admit it would be exciting reading about and choosing one. Strange I can't see many being sold in the area, what do people do with prams when the no longer need them!
Where we live, there aren't any proper big baby shops where we could see and try prams, so would either have to buy online, or another option is Smyth Toys. They have a few kinds but they appear to be significantly cheaper and I wonder if that's because there's something about them (e.g. maybe they're too heavy).

Hi all,

Totally relate to the not wanting to buy stuff. I felt like I might be jinxing it (while also knowing that was impossible) and also worrying about what I’d do with all the stuff if the worst did happen. I tend to only buy clothes (we’ve bought nothing else but a SNOO yet because it was half price in a sale) and then mostly with my mum because she is so excited, I can sort of get wrapped up in it and leave the anxiety behind for a bit.

I also had a question, I got a letter through today for a telephone follow up appointment with an anaesthetist. Has anyone had this before? I’ve not had any discussion or initial appointment so I’m confused what it’s about? I have an obstetrician appointment next week so I guess I can just ask then but it’s weirded me out a bit. I am keen to explore having a c section but that’s not been confirmed (as far as I know!)

@Happinessandrainbows i had to reply because I had the exact same experience and ending up deleting Instagram, kept showing me baby loss and pre-term babies!! Their algorithm is so messed up! Completely empathise with what everybody is saying about post baby loss anxiety. I’m in the same boat with two previous miscarriages last year. With each successful scan I get a little bit more confident and a little less nervous! 22 weeks now but honestly I think I will only be relaxed when there’s a healthy baby in my arms! Probably not then either to be fair!!!

Hello all, can I please join? I’ve been lurking for a while. This is my second baby. First is now 9 years old. This baby took 4 years to conceive and a bit of help from science along the way. Two IVF cycles and a miscarriage before our little one.

So so happy. Feel like this is actually real now! Haven’t done any preparation! But I think it’s time to begin nesting and getting things ready!
20 week scan is complete. 🙏

Just wanted to say I’ve read back on some recent posts about anxiety. I have spent half my pregnancy so far feeling like I’m going to lose the baby so can totally relate. I think a mixture of long term infertility, IVF cycles and miscarriage does this to you. I’m on a high from today. I hope it lasts. I think I’ll only be truly happy when baby is in my arms! But still, I guess we’ve got to savour the good moments. I never thought I’d be a mum again. When we had our six week viability scan I was shaking and crying, I was so scared they’d be nothing there. It’s all such a journey.

Sending love to everyone that is struggling with anxiety during pregnancy ❤️❤️❤️

@summerpoolandsun your scan photo is just amazing! I'm so delighted everything went so well for you.

I'm also so pleased that your scan has helped to ease your anxiety too - it's exactly what I needed to hear and gives me hope that the same might happen after my scan too. Savour every moment and I really hope you get to enjoy the rest of your pregnancy 💚💚