OCTOBER 2024 BABIES - Thread 4

[CluelessInLondon]

Just getting another thread going as we are about to run out of space on the old one - hope nobody minds me taking the initiative on it!

Previous thread here: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/pregnancy/5028774-october-2024-babies-thread-3

@Sara1988 The point is that that's really unusual though - that's why the advice is always that people who have had it before are immune. There's no right or wrong answer (I guess that's why the question was being asked in the first place, it's not clear cut), it's just what level of risk anybody is comfortable with. According to the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, only 3/1000 pregnant women (0.3%) will get chicken pox, almost certainly because they've never had it before and therefore have no immunity, so I personally would be comfortable with such a small amount of risk. After all, we're all managing the risk of something bad happening every time we go anywhere, otherwise none of us would ever leave the house!

How is everyone doing this week?

I've got my growth scan this afternoon to check on the position of the placenta - I thought I would get less anxious about scans by this point in the pregnancy, but I still feel pretty nervous. I think because the midwife said it looked like baby might not have grown much at my last appointment, I'm now worrying that they're going to tell me something isn't right when previously I thought everything was fine.

@CluelessInLondon how many of those woman willingly go in direct contact with it though? And our immune systems are suppressed during pregnancy. My second bout of chicken pox was HORRENDOUS as well. There wasn't a bit of skin on me that wasn't covered. I think it would be too anxiety inducing for me.

Good luck with your growth scan today! I'm having them too and get a bit nervous but then remind myself that I'm getting bonus info about baby's progress that might be missed otherwise. The more we know, the more risk that can be avoided!

@CluelessInLondon very much looking forward to the end. We’re nearly there 🙏🏻

@Sara1988 I actually find it hard to believe that the normal schedule of scans is just nothing after 20 weeks - I've had this one booked for ages because it was scheduled right after my anomaly scan when they identified the low lying placenta, so I've always known I had a bit of a checkpoint to see how baby is doing, I'm not sure how I would feel otherwise! I had kind of made my peace with the possibility of needing a c-section if the placenta hasn't moved up, but I feel like the reduced growth at my last midwife appointment has kind of thrown a new curveball for me to worry about. 😕

@AppleTree16 How are you feeling? I keep reminding myself I've been lucky to feel generally pretty good throughout and I haven't had a difficult pregnancy, but the carpal tunnel is definitely getting worse so I'm not looking forward to having a few more weeks of that!

@CluelessInLondon what's really nice about the growth scan is they test the blood supply from placenta and measure amniotic fluid, which are two things I have had friends find out are a problem very late in their pregnancy and can lead to serious issues without intervention. Also, I was told at 20 week scan I had low lying placenta and I absolutely don't. Follow up scans showed the opposite! So fingers crossed for you!

@CluelessInLondon Long time no chat! Hope you're keeping well. (I've been reading along but never reply to anyone. So damn tired all the time!)

Just wanted to jump on the bandwagon of growth scans and low lying placentas. I'm on fortnightly scans now. My
Placenta has moved up and to the right. Like someone said above, they also check fluid levels and blood flow. It's pretty cool to see the little guy so regularly and have a little checkin.

Hope it all goes well for you! Thinking of you. Xx

@CluelessInLondon Hope your scan goes ok. I would try not to worry about growth based off fundal height measurements, it's ridiculously inaccurate. My midwife told me in my second pregnancy my measurements were consistently off the chart low and I got sent for a few growth scans until the scanning department decided there was no need to continue them because my baby was clearly a fine size. They were born 8lb 6, and I had a huge bump compared to my first pregnancy so I knew it was silly.

I had my first growth scan in this pregnancy yesterday, a bit earlier than expected. Baby is fine and looking to be a similar size to DC1 at birth if they continue this trajectory - around the 7lb mark. But they told me that about DC2 as well who ended up way bigger, so I take it all with a big pinch of salt!

@Oct24 Can I ask if you an abdominal or internal scan when they checked your placenta?

@2doggos abdominal scan. Nothing internal.

There is no reason that I can think of that they would want to do internal scan this far along. They might want to do a cervical check at 37weeks+. Oh and the group B strep test. Urgh! So glamorous 😬

@Oct24 Thank you! I was talking to a sonographer that goes to the same gym as me last night and she said they might end up doing an internal so I was just wondering what others had

I didn’t meet up with my chicken poxy friends in the end which felt like the right decision!

30 weeks today and time is going so slowly.

@2doggos I had internal scans late in pregnancy because they were looking at the length of my cervix, so they do do them this late. On my 28 and 32 week scan it also said 'view obscured by gestational age', so I think it might be possible they'll do internal. Personally, found internal fine. Completely painless and in some ways less uncomfortable than pressing on your swollen tummy.

@Sara1988 Thank you :) I ended up just having an abdominal scan and it was a bit comfortable tbh, the sonographer was pressing quite hard.

I'm 31+6 today and had this scan to check my placenta and it's 1.8cm from the opening and anything under 2cm is classed as low lying. Got to go back in 4 weeks for another one. Has anyone else had this?

@2doggos My growth scan today was to check the position of my placenta, which was <2cm from the cervix at my 20 week scan. Mine has moved up, but I was told that if it hadn't I would be booked for a c-section as a vaginal birth isn't safe with a low-lying placenta - so that's what they'll probably do for you if yours is still within 2cm at your next scan.

I'm actually even more confused and worried after my scan today - the placenta has moved which is good, but having been told by the midwife last week that baby was measuring around the 15th centile, the measurements from the scan suggest the complete opposite, baby is actually measuring big and is closer to the 90th! The sonographer was a bit concerned about the measurement of baby's abdomen which is over the 90th (although she couldn't get a very clear view of the stomach because of the position), so now I'm starting to get worried about the possibility of gestational diabetes - I've been referred for a blood test and an appointment with the consultant to discuss birth options if baby is still measuring big when I get closer to term. Feeling kind of upset about it as I was hoping to be told today that everything was fine and normal, and now I've got a new thing to worry about.

Booked my section for 4th Oct but pretty sure baby is going to want to come earlier than that!
Measuring huge in comparison to my previous two who were both 50th percentile but this one is 90th!

Getting a lot of Brixton hicks type tightenings recently, multiple per day
It can be really debilitating and I feel pretty useless most of the time! Two toddlers at home is getting tough.
We're also moving house, completion in three weeks but purchase not going through until mid October! So we'll be camping over at my parents house when baby arrives.

Week 34 this week! Nothing ready, no hospital bag packed, no moses basket down from the loft, no idea how we're getting three car seats in the back of the car lol.

Starting to feel the panic creep in

@CharlieBalf I feel much like you when I stop and think about it, although I'm behind you (31 weeks) and thankfully don't have a house move to contend with! Hoping everything goes as smoothly as possible for you now! At least you have a date now for your section that you can plan around a bit? I don't think we are going to fit three seats in the back tbh, I think I'm going to have to resign myself to squashing in the middle for a year until DC2 goes forward facing and then hopefully they will fit then.

@CluelessInLondon sorry to hear your anxious after the scan. On the postive side at least you're finding out now if you do need to explore other birthing options so you'll have all the options and lots of time to prepare.

Can i ask what people's partners are doing around the house to help? DH works long hours, he probably won't be home until 10/11 tonight and on average it's around 8.30pm. I'm used to this but really struggling at 34 weeks with the energy to cook and physically bend down to tidy and clean. The house just isn't as clean and tidy as I'd like it and it's bothering me as i just want to nest and have everything clean and ready for the baby.

Not sure what can be done really. I continously ask him to help more and ask him to cook for me but it's the nature of the job! We do have a cleaner every fortnight but it's not enough.

@CluelessInLondon I’d probably trust the scan and ignore the fundal height measurement. Even midwife’s will say it’s really inaccurate. It can be completely different based on baby’s position.
In terms of the scan my son had a 90th centile abdominal measurement and so does this baby. With my son I was sent for a GD test but it came back clear. They never discussed birth options with me although I did end up with an emergency csection for a completely unrelated reason. My son had a large abdomen until he was 18-24 months and then he stretched out.
With this baby I haven’t been sent for a GB test as clearly this is just how I grow babies! I’d try not to worry. Remember anything on the centile chart is normal! Otherwise it wouldn’t be on the chart!

@RobynC28 similar to you, my partner works long hours with a long commute. I work 4 days a week with a shorter commute so I do all the cooking, cleaning and nursery drop offs/pick ups. Fortunately I still feel pretty good so haven’t found it too difficult to continue that way. I find the first trimester much much harder than the third. My partner would love to do more and absolutely does his fair share of things at the weekend but his job makes him fairly absent during the week.

@CluelessInLondon I am really hoping that it does move as it only needs to be a tiny bit more and I really want a natural birth so fingers crossed.

Sorry to hear that your scan has made you more confused, it always seems the case that you stop worrying about one thing and then another thing crops up! Hopefully your GD will come back clear.

@CharlieBalf @WeightoftheWorld I am the same, sometimes I think 8 weeks is plenty time to get sorted and then the next minute I'm frantically looking / buying more baby bits! We've been renovating our house for the last 18 months and the end is near! Just the living to go but I am full nesting mode and want everything done yesterday lol!

We are currently splitting the chores as follows:

I’m shattered so just making a really quick dinner in the air fryer. I’m managing to put a load of laundry in most days and that’s it. Also been ordering food shopping to get delivered twice a week to save us both the job of having to go out for it. I’ll put it away.

When my husband gets home from work he has dinner then sorts a few jobs in the house for about 30 mins. He cleans the kitchen, sorts dishes and bins, quick hoover downstairs, sort the load of laundry I put on earlier! Then he makes our breakfast and lunch for the next day (something really quick like overnight oats and a sandwich). He’s been spending the past few weekends on his days off setting up stuff for the baby like crib, pram etc and I’ve been ordering/checking/ putting away all the smaller items!!

We also have a cleaner every 2 weeks.

@CluelessInLondon usually we both work a mix of shift times and not 9-5 so generally we take turns to cook tea and childcare of our 1yo. Both share the washing of clothes, dishes cleaning the bathroom etc. but generally it's me that does the bigger jobs like hoovering mopping dusting and so on.

But he's had shoulder surgery last week so it's all me for childcare around full time work, every meal and chore pretty much until my due date 🥲

Ugh 4 30am and wide awake. 18month will wake.up in an hour and I know I'll.be so tired.

Worrying more and more about being at my parents when the baby arrives and juggling two toddlers, dogs and a newborn in a hous which isn't my own.
Little things like night feeds and havjngnto be quiet, putting on extra loads of washing, having to dress to go downstairs instead of living in a nightie for the first month. I know it seems like small issues but they're playing on my mind.
Especially at 4am!

@CharlieBalf that's a lot on your mind, just sending you a big hug. Been awake for an hour too with very painful legs, husband left for work not so long ago. I'm 31 weeks with first baby, I can't get comfortable..... ouch

My husband is about to go away with work for three weeks.

I worry that I’m just going to end up eating toast every day! I hate cooking for one.

@Mitsky that's terrible timing! Toast is staple food.group in my.house., I think you'll be OK 👍

@rachisamumtobe oh I have such bad restless leg! Hubster thinks I'm making it up!
There is no comfort until baby comes out now :/