August Due Date Crew - Trimester 2 (Thread 7)

[AnnieApple123]

As always, newbies are most welcome.

Apologies if I’ve missed anyone. Do shout if so. Ditto if you have any changes or updates.

July
26th @MidnightSunshine12
27th
28th
29th @DesertSnow @Mulner88 @Porcupette @Loudmouth1 & @overwork
30th
31st @AnnieApple123 & @BusyBushBaby

August
1st* *@ChloeN @CityKity & @SnowL2021
2nd @sprollie11
3rd @PumpkinEverything @Chl0o@Miraclesdohappen88 & @LS88
4th @BMK @Alpacabag22
@Amme18 & @UsernameNotPresent
5th @LBF2020 @Desperatelyboredhousewife & @BoodifulGoose
6th@buttercupbee@somuchtolearnabout @Rowanandremy & @TattyTil
7th @marleyandme
8th @RGxo13
9th
10th @VickiGo& @Sjw30
11th @tax19@nadsc& @@Rose05
12th
13th @sally16 @newmummie & @@Nic2908
14th
15th @Gizzyanne
16th @Recoba
17th @Narwhal88, @jollydollyirl& @cococat88
18th @sommeliermama& @EsmeSusanOgg
19th @Firsttimemomma1 @P1pk& @allgoodthings84
20th
21st @BCxx
22nd
23rd @MinnieFirstTimeMum
24th
25th @unluckyinlife
26th @MummaYoung2023 & @Wife2b
27th
28th
29th
30th
31st

September
1st @froglou

Also @SkullCollector. Apologies, I don’t have a date for you yet.

@AnnieApple123 thanks for the new thread!

@BCxx I’m in the same boat! I’m eating like a horse and my appetite is bottomless these days. For the entire first trimester all I craved was fruit and veg and couldn’t eat more than small portions, but in the last 2 weeks I’ve just been shovelling food into me like it’s going out of style. I feel a bit guilty to be honest that I’m not eating as ‘well’ as I should be but also I just can’t seem to stop. I’m hoping it’s a phase that will pass 🤞

@overwork my trust does a 20 and 36 week scan too which is nice to have, but I’m sure by 36 weeks you just want baby out 😅.
Still have 4 weeks to wait for my 20 week scan, and as it’s getting closer I’m feeling more and more anxious about potential anomalies etc. The 12 week scan and testing was all totally fine, but the 20 week scan obviously picks up a lot more.

Ah the 20 week scan is nerve wracking. I've done loads of them though, and I remember every single anomaly I've found. Obviously because you don't want to ever find anything, but also because it is rare to find serious problems at 20 weeks. It's good to be aware, but try to bear in mind that most of us will be absolutely fine!

There's been a couple of really small things in my bloods and on my 12 week scan, hence I've ended up going private for the anomaly scan, I think the doctor there feels sorry for me! It could be something or could be absolutely nothing, but I can't decide whether to go for an amnio. I'll take on board all the information the doctors give me and decide after the 20 week scan.

@overwork hope your scan goes okay and it ends up being nothing to worry about. Probably knowing all the info just makes it worse at times, although reassuring at others!

@CityKity glad it’s not just me 🙈 I had lost loads of weight before I was pregnant and it’s as if I’m now ‘allowed’ to eat what I want so I’m taking it to the extreme 😂 I ended up gaining 3 stone last time doing a similar thing and I was pregnant at the same time as a close friend. I remember at her baby shower feeling quite self conscious because she was so neat and I just felt massive! I really want to be able to enjoy it this time without feeling like that, I’ve got a wedding etc to go to but at this point I can only imagine what size I’ll be by then 😂

@overwork thanks for the reassurance! It must be so challenging being at the other end of the experience telling people that something isn’t looking right. I’ve had to take steroids during pregnancy which in the past have been potentially linked to increased risk of cleft palate formation. Now, there have been countless observation studies since finding no increased risk - so the rational part of my brain says to follow the literature and that everything should be fine BUT the irrational side still needs that reassurance.

@BCxx I think because I lost weight during the first trimester, I’m also telling myself that I’m just making up for the weight loss but I think I might have overshot that now 😅. I’ve also got weddings in May and June, and starting looking at dresses until I realised it’s pretty pointless until a few weeks before so I can actually figure out what I can fit into!

@ChloeN I’m not sure if I have mentioned it but then again my memory is terrible 😂 sadly it’s not the same donor. We really wanted it to be but the rules changed a few months after dd was born. For her we did the process at home using a sperm bank in Denmark but since then they are no longer allowed to do that. So we had to use a fertility clinic here and the donors over here can’t be anonymous. It was a very different experience but not as bad as I’d built it up in my head 😂

I can absolutely relate to everyone having concerns about weight, I put on over 2 stone after dd because I was ravenous all the time for no reason I could find. I’d hoped to lose weight before trying but I didn’t shift much, I’ve lost some since in less than ideal circumstances but I know the chances of putting on again are high. I’m quite a fussy eater and have some texture issues with foods and fruits and veggies are not something I can eat much of - to my own annoyance!

Sorry you’re facing this extra worry @overwork . It must mean a very anxious wait for the 20 week scan. I hope all turns out OK. I’m worried I’m going to have the placenta problems my mum had with me which put her at high risk of heavy bleeding. I’m also having the scan privately with a consultant. One of the downsides of this is that it’s up to me to schedule it rather than being assigned a date, and I keep putting it off! I’m also torn between two different places to go at the moment.

With DS I gained almost 4 stone 🙈 I stopped weighing myself by the end of it, it was too depressing to see the numbers. I am normally small and short, so that was a big change. I've lost all of the weight and then some within about 18 months without trying.

Very hungry at the moment too, I am just rolling with it. DH tried to make some noises about 'choosing foods with higher GI' but I shut that down fairly swiftly. I won't have him telling me what to eat.

Had 16 weeks scan last weekend (private), it was lovely to see baba again. We have just moved into new house, all stuff is being delivered today, so that keeps me distracted.

Thank you. I'm not overly worried at the moment, I can't influence anything so we'll just see what happens over the next few weeks. For one of the conditions mentioned we wouldn't continue the pregnancy, the doctor is a bit baffled this has come up though, I think he thinks it's quite unlikely. But it's another reason we've still not told anyone I'm pregnant.

@AnnieApple123 Did you have any affinity with the person who did your first scan? Or are you looking at somewhere else altogether?

Congratulations on your move, so exciting! Hopefully you'll be all set up by the time baby gets here. I finally started to declutter our tiny flat yesterday in an unexpected burst of energy, found a window key which has been missing for ages so that felt worthwhile!

Oh @overwork what a huge stressor. I really feel for you and completely understand why you’re hesitant to tell people. Do you have a date yet for your 20 week scan.

I don’t know where you’re based and whether you’re familiar with the Central London scan options? I went to Fetal Medicine at 13 weeks for NIPT, having chosen it because they include an amnio in their price if it’s needed (plus it’s an excellent place to have one too). I actually didn’t feel a great affinity with the sonographer though. She was very quiet and I found the whole experience terribly stressful. I had a much better time last time when I went to Birth Company for NIPT and had someone much more chattier and reassuring. So I’d pretty much decided I’d go back there this time for a consultant scan at 20 weeks. However my obstetrician then threw a spanner in the works by saying her strong preference is for UDS. So now I’m wondering if I should go there instead and am struggling to make up my mind! Any advice?

@AnnieApple123 I think you should go where you feel more comfortable. I know the consultants recommendation may be good but you're the one having to experience it all and it should be where you would like to be

@AnnieApple123 I remember you saying that at the time, and thinking, ah, surely I won't need an amnio. But that's the whole reason I had extra tests, to have more reassurance. So in hindsight it might not have been the best decision to be so blasé.
The difficulty is NIPT come back with low fetal fraction, twice. So it's not necessarily indicative of a problem, but could possibly indicate a baby has certain conditions. And the tiny issue they found on the scan isn't associated with these conditions, and on its own wouldn't warrant further investigations. But now I have two small issues in the back of my mind...

I don't have any advice about specific clinics, I made my decision based on distance and that the Dr also works on the NHS a few days a week, it made me think he'd be up to date in all scenarios!
I would like to think that you would get the same level of care whichever you chose out of those options. (How you take to the person scanning you is obviously very important, but doesn't necessarily mean that they are doing a worse job of the actual scan, just a worse job at relating to their patient). So in your shoes, I would pick the one which is going to give you the most reassurance. You obviously find scans hard, so I would try to put yourself in the position where you come out of the scan feeling as comfortable as possible with it. Would you be happier to be scanned by an obstetrician over a sonographer perhaps?

@AnnieApple123 Thanks for the new thread. I would personally go for wherever you feel the most comfortable - I would hope the level of care would be similar, but it's important you aren't any more anxious than you need to be.

That sounds stressful @overwork, but a good positive attitude - as you say you can't influence anything so right now I guess it's a waiting game. Do you have a date for your 20 week scan?

Yes - in a couple of weeks. I've been strangely good at not thinking about it, I'm hoping that's because subconsciously I don't think there's anything much to worry about

@overwork I was the opposite and am such a catastrophiser that I’d convinced myself I would need amnio. If it helps, the research I did into it actually was very encouraging. The risks are very, very low these days, especially if it’s done by someone experienced and you wait until after 16 weeks. Could this alternative NIPT be useful to you (assuming it’s not the one you already tried)? www.themedicalchambers.com/specialties/ultrasound/maternit21-plus-test-pregnancy

Ooh Thankyou, I've never even heard of that one. You are a little oracle in this area! I am so glad that you didn't need to make the use of everything that you had learned though. Dr recommended not to try Harmony as they have a slightly higher rate of not getting enough fetal fraction than the one I did have, he didn't mention others.

Had my 16 week scan today - heard babies heartbeat and it was kicking away at the Doppler! Feel very valid that it’s baby I’m feeling now as it’s so active, and she found it straight away and said baby must be right upfront 😅

Thanks for starting new thread.

had a private gender scan yesterday. Baby looking healthy which is the main thing but we also got to find out the gender - over the moon to say that I have a little boy 💙

couldn’t be happier!!

I’ve had a terrible week so far pregnancy wise! I’ve been having brown red discharge which started Monday. I went to the EPU on Tuesday to see the nurse and she checked the heartbeat and said baby was fine which was great. I had no brown discharge again until Wednesday afternoon and I got in touch with the EPU as from today I wouldn’t be able to go to them and they booked me in for a scan yesterday and baby was fine according to the sonographer. I requested a swab to be done of my downstairs incase I had an infection so I did that with the nurse. So far today, I’ve not really had it but I’m going to take it easy for the weekend. I have no idea what’s happened, if it’s to do with me walking up steep hills with a double buggy(I look after another little boy along with my daughter) but I just hope it stops soon because it’s making me so so anxious. I’m 16 weeks today

Congratulations @RGxo13 💙

@Amme18 thats great! I also got to hear babies heartbeat for the first time yesterday it was the most amazing feeling 🥰.

Although under slightly scary circumstances! I was having really severe pain so I needed to make sure everything was okay. They checked baby first with the Doppler but my blood pressure and temperature was up so they were worried I had an infection. It all came down in the end I must of just been worried and I was allowed home. No explanation for why the pain was so bad but likely just round ligament pain.

@RGxo13 congratulations! How exciting 😊

@nadsc so sorry you've been having a tough week. I've had 2-3 bouts of light spotting and i know it makes every toilet trip scary. It's good that you got them to swab for an infection. Hopefully you'll hear back about that soon.
I'm assuming (as you have a little one already) you don't have a short cervix?

@Sjw30 how scary! Did they get to the bottom of what was causing you the pain? Hope you're feeling better today.

I also got to hear heartbeat yesterday at my midwife appointment. I have an anterior placenta so I was quite impressed she could find it without too much trouble. I also had an extra scan at the beginning of the week to check for short cervix. Minimum is 2.5cm and mine is 3.5 so no stitch needed for me 😊

@nadsc @Sjw30 sorry you’ve both had a scary few days 😢 any pain and bleeding must make you panic!

@ChloeN @LBF2020 thank you 💕 I don’t think I have a short cervix because my daughter came at 39 weeks. It’s unlikely I’d have a short cervix the second time round right? I don’t have a midwife yet to ask, I don’t get one until my 16 week appointment next week 🙄

@Sjw30 oh no, so sorry to hear that. That sounds so scary. Hope you’re okay and are relaxing 💕

@LBF2020 no! Just said likely stretching and ligament pain. It was literally like I was being stabbed in the side though it was weird. They thought appendicitis as well but the pain eased off eventually and my observations improved so wasn’t as concerned. It’s better today thankfully ☺️

@nadsc must be so scary for you too. Hope you also get to relax and take it easy xx