June 2023 Babies ☀️ (thread four)

[firsttimelondonmummy]

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

Happy 20 weeks to a few of us on here I think? Half way!

I've got my scan today, equally nervous and excited! How is everyone feeling?

@firsttimelondonmummy this is me at 21 weeks, your bump is lovely. Mine isn’t as neat and low as yours but for a long time I felt like it was very small and was a bit impatient. But then I reminded myself that we’ll all end up huge so I just needed to wait a bit 😂

I’m now 22+5 and some of the movements are so big my husband can feel them and I swear I saw one yesterday. But at 20 weeks they were still little and more inconsistent/less frequent. They will come but it’s hard while you’re waiting, keeping my fingers crossed for you.

I have a cold, which is making me feel a bit sorry for myself and an appointment with an obstetrician today who specialises in maternal mental health, which I’m a bit anxious about. I’m not 💯 sure what it is for, but I’m going to ask about the anaesthetist appointment letter I got last week. Maybe it’s to talk about the birth?

@Zaalfruit thinking of you and baby. I wouldn’t go on a diet, especially if you’ve not been told to by a doctor/midwife. When is your next appointment, could you ask then? Maybe doing something like cutting out refined sugar might help a bit rather than cutting calories.

Hey ladies, I'm joining if that's okay! So lovely to see everyone's pics and scans... All feeling so very real now!

I'm a first time mum due June 19.
I had my 20 week scan on Monday and was assured all was well - I've had a very stressful pregnancy thus far with a large hematoma in first trimester which bled loads, plus I have OCD, so it's not been an easy ride.
Little one's measurements are all in the 50th + centile - apart from their cerebellum which is in the 10th.
The sonographer, doctor and midwife (I'm consultant led due to my OCD) both assured me it was perfectly normal and they wouldn't refer for anything above the 3rd percentile but me being me, I've entered an OCD black hole of panic and am convincing myself baby will be born with a catastrophic brain injury.
Can anyone help talk me down - has anyone else had a measurement like this and it's all gone on to be fine? I know I probably sound ridiculous but it feels like it's been such a tough pregnancy and it's like my brain is now hard wired to believe everything is doomed.

@AstroH that’s a gorgeous bump!

I am pretty sure sometimes I think it’s stretching pain and it’s him.
I don’t think I’m very in tune with what’s going on in there and he will have to give me a big kick before I actually start noticing 😂
We get to see him this afternoon so looking forward to that!
Good luck with your appointment 💖
Mental health management has been a real surprise for me during pregnancy and I’ve found it 1,000 x tougher than I expected to given I’ve never had to consider my mental health previously.
Mums are honestly amazing.

I had my scan today - placenta which was anterior is now posterior.
Not everything could be measured due to baby's position so will be going back 🙂

@AstroH your finger crossing must be pretty magical.
I’ve gone from not being sure if/what was him to him kicking so hard this afternoon you could feel it from the outside 😂 can’t believe it haha.

@AstroH had a consultant appointment today and they said that as my bmi is under 30 just keep going as I have . However I think I will look to make some changes I just don’t feel good. I feel sluggish and tried - I will now be seeing a endocrine specialist. Just have to wait for the appointment to come through.

@firsttimelondonmummy you have more of a bump than I do at the moment 😂 I'm 20 weeks tomorrow and my tummy is still flat, I swear people think I'm making it up haha, I'm like you and jealous of all the lovely bumps but we have have time to pop yet 😘, I have felt a few movements but that's mainly when I get in the bath, but so inconsistent it's hard to tell if it's her or not..you thought I would know what with being my second, but nope haha

@firsttimelondonmummy @AstroH here’s my 21w second time around bump. People have been asking my due date since 8w. Went into the office yesterday and I got “oh you’re properly pregnant now” from a service user (work for a charity). 40w bump from last time attached too. I feel huge.

My bump is growing rapidly. 22 1/2 weeks now and struggling with my normal tips so time for some more shopping I think haha.
he’s also the most active baby, he doesn’t stop moving! Hoping this isn’t a taste of things to come. Manage to get a tiny kick on video today 🥰

Hi all, my doctor just rang me and saidu white blood cell count has gone from 13 to 16 and she has me worried going to see her tomorrow I feel fine but after two miscarriages does anyone know what this could mean ??

@ladydorito welcome! And sorry that you’re going through it right now. I’m not talking from experience, but from a Google it really seems like 10th percentile is nothing to worry about. I’ve seen some stories of babies with 3rd-1st percentile cerebellums that have turned out absolutely fine, maybe just a little bit delayed with some milestones but then babies develop at different rates anyway!

From what I can tell, they would be taking it really seriously with extra scans & MRIs if they were worried at all. Maybe you could ask your consultant for another scan if that would help or (I don’t know if you have contact with the perinatal mental health team but) perhaps talk it through with them?

This might not work for you (so feel free to ignore) but I told myself when we were TTC that I was entering into this for a baby and that was what was important, not that it was a perfectly healthy baby. It’s made me feel a lot calmer about the idea of abnormalities, especially ones I can’t control.

@firsttimelondonmummy yayyy, so pleased for you. I find the big booming about movements bring me so much joy.

@LT103 I also caught a movement on camera, it was so tiny bit omg 🥰 I’m obsessed with this LO.

Aww I love seeing all the bump pictures! I've not taken any yet but might take one on saturday when I reach 20 weeks. My little boy is also very wriggly most days. Today I'd just finished eating dinner and felt such a strange movement. It actually made me go "ah oh my god that felt weird". It was like a big ripple inside me, not felt anything like that before, normally it feels like little pokes. I'm wondering if he just did a complete spin round! I've been calling him my little wrigglebum.

Just wondering, how many of you needed to return for a re-scan due to not everything being measured the first time? I know it's very normal though and apparently can happen to about 15% of people! Wondering if we'll get all the measurements done at the next or whether I'll have to keep coming back 😁

I had my 20 week scan yesterday! Baby was a big mover and all happy and healthy ☺️

We're having a little girl! I had boy in my head this entire time so it's taking some getting used to, looking at lots of cute baby clothes this morning has helped 😂

So lovely to see all the bump pictures, it really shows how every bump is different! I haven't taken any yet!

Loving all them bump pics ladies 😍!!

I swear I can feel movements on the outside but then when my husband puts his hand there he says he can't feel anything?! So confusing as it feels like you can to me but I'm not sure if it's because I can feel it inside if that makes sense?

About 22 weeks now, can't believe it!! Had a mc in summer so I still have to pinch myself that this is real. Need to start baby shopping !!

I've also started planning my baby shower 💙🎉 it's all so exciting ☺️

@Happinessandrainbows I have another scan at 22+3 because of one thing they weren’t able to check! Didn’t with DC1.

@BellaTheDarkOverlord big gap here. I have a 13 year old and a 10 year old. They couldn’t be more excited if they tried to be!

@Happinessandrainbows same here I have to have another scan when I'm 22w2d.

My bump us growing well and seems to be even bigger in the afternoon. Thus was taken this morning

Is anyone else waiting till after baby is born to do their shower?
One of my work colleagues mentioned she was and I decided it was genius and to follow suit.

Had an awful scan yesterday yet again with the NHS.
Sonographer was getting extremely frustrated with me because baby was being awkward then told me at the end ‘I can’t finish it you’ll have to come back and oh his leg/ foot looks like it might be twisted so you need to see foetal medicine’.
Looked on the notes and she had wrote clubbed? On her right foot notes.
Lacked any sort of empathy didn’t even explain it was club foot or what that was and to add further upset a member of staff joked with her whilst we were stood at the desk laughing saying ‘that another one your referring to foetal medicine? They are going to love you’.
Rang my private sonographer who said his legs and feet looked great in his anatomy scan two weeks ago and that she got extremely clear photos.
She told me to come back next Thursday for free so she can check on him again if foetal medicine can’t rule it out.
Told me all the things it could be and the chances of them and also how treatable it is if it is by chance club foot and really calmed me down.
My NHS journey has been so stressful and seriously considering forking out for a private hospital birth at this point given I’ve had awful experiences in both NHS hospitals I’ve been to.

@firsttimelondonmummy so sorry you’ve gone through this - i didn’t have a great experience with sonographers either in the NHS. I hope you get the answers you need…

Thanks @Babybaby66 I think I’ve decided at this point it’s either a midwife birthing unit birth or private as I’ve just had the worst hospital experiences.
Very lucky we’ve been able to supplement with private scans.
Sorry to hear you went through that too.

@firsttimelondonmummy what a horrible experience. To them people are just another number - but they forget that we are humans with feelings . I am so sorry that you have been treated like this and it’s unfair that they are making you stress and anxious . The right thing for the sonographer should have been have a drink of cold water and come back let try and see again . I had a scan on Wednesday- baby wasn’t playing ball she kept hiding. The person checking me told me go for a walk a drink de-stress and come back. However I am currently using a midwife led unit for my scans as I hate my hospital consultant and the scanning people.

I really hope you can get relief from your private scan. If you can see if you can try and get your scans at a midwife led unit - they just seem so much more relaxed.

Different trusts have different policies on scans. Some will keep going and send you off for a walk then go back until they get all the measurements. Mine will scan you for 30 minutes, then you go back for another 30 minute scan 2 weeks later if they don’t get the measurements. If they don’t get them after that then it’s tough luck.

I had repeat scans on 2 pregnancies, but this one behaved and only took 20 mins. All have been fine fortunately.

@firsttimelondonmummy sorry about your referral and that they weren’t very kind in sharing the news. Fortunately the ultrasound department aren’t the same staff as the birth units. Do yours offer visits to go and look around? We got a good feel for ours from doing that. My local standalone midwife unit is incredible, but they closed due to staffing and I can’t see them opening again 😔