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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Original poster

Due February 2025

1000 replies

PuddleJump · 25/05/2024 16:13

I have just tested positive today with a due date of 2 February. Have had a look and I can't see that anyone else has started a group for Feb yet. Is there anyone else out there who would like to join?

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Mamma364747 · 16/06/2024 23:12

UrbanSquirrel · 16/06/2024 20:20

OK guys, here's a challenge. I posted earlier about a book which gave me a bit of a wobble. Which pregnancy books have you got and how do you rate them? Are they informative? Helpful? Funny? Comforting? I'd love to know which other books are worth having.

I'll kick off with the books I have:-

  • The Modern Midwife's Guide to Pregnancy, Birth & Beyond by Marie Louise - [my thoughts] Not massively helpful yet, as she scoots through the first trimester very rapidly, but I think it might be much more useful later on. Lots on how to look after yourself, exercises to prepare for birth, things to think about in advance of labour, and the first stages of dealing with a newborn. But not really organised in a way that I find particularly clear at this stage.

  • Pregnancy for Men: The whole 9 months by Mark Woods - I bought this for my husband, but actually this has been the most useful book so far! Chatty, funny and down to earth - and, best of all, arranged month by month with advice on what to expect each month, and how best to pamper your partner (that's us!) at any stage. Definitely the clearest organisation I've found so far.

  • Expecting Better by Emily Oster - the author is an economist and has trawled through a lot of scientific studies to find out what they actually say about stuff like, pregnancy symptoms, what we should or shouldn't eat, etc. It's absorbing in an abstract sense as a science / economist book, but as I said earlier some of its conclusions - namely, lack of nausea could well be a Bad Thing - are unsettling. Noteworthy for the fact that Oster says there's no proven issue with light drinking during pregnancy - not that I have the confidence to test that just yet!!!

  • Cribsheet by Emily Oster - getting a bit ahead of the game here, as this deals with newborns, weighing up data from scientific studies to clarify advice on things like breastfeeding, sleep training, potty training and developmental milestones. But might help for some planning further down the line.

  • The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read by Philippa Perry - the author is a psychotherapist (and wife of Grayson Perry). This has a broader canvas about how to manage relationships but there's a lot about dealing with babies and children, and I thought it might help us clarify the way we want to parent further down the line.

What do you recommend? 🤓 📚 x

I loved Emily Oster the first time round. I did feel given the depth of her research that I could trust her recommendations and it's the only pregnancy book I've kept.

I also had What to expect when you're expecting, and that was a good stage by stage book, though I'm not planning to get it again.

Lemonbalm8 · 16/06/2024 23:15

@CLJ123 I'm so sorry you had a mc. Fingers crossed the line progresses quickly.

@CxCxTtc2024 yes I think it might be good to self refer 5-6 weeks, it takes a week or two to get the appointments.

LacedBouquet · 16/06/2024 23:33

TTCJourney321 · 16/06/2024 16:55

Hi all, I know I am a ball of anxiety and I have been testing every other day with consistency of the line getting darker. However today the line has got much lighter, Has anyone had a similar thing or know if I should expect the worse?
I should be around 18dpo with todays test, Ive also had light spotting, but I have a bicorunate uterus so that is quite common.

I had a mmc a couple of months back so apologies now for being overly worried!

(first pic is my test today, second pic is my test from 4 and 2 days ago)

I’m sorry about your past loss, totally understand your anxiety which is why I ended up stopping testing at 15DPO as I couldn’t handle the anxiety over the lines 🙈

Just looking at yours now. The ones on the right, are they dried? How long after you ran the tests for both pictures did you take the photo?

UrbanSquirrel · 17/06/2024 04:08

@Mamma364747 Thanks so much for the book suggestion! And yes Oster's research is really admirable- I just feel I'll appreciate it more when I'm past the early panicking stage 😂

UrbanSquirrel · 17/06/2024 04:13

@Pepsix How are you feeling now? Hope the cramps have calmed down a little - waiting is definitely the hardest part. Sending hugs and good vibes 🤗

JayJay92 · 17/06/2024 05:33

Hello all,

I'm 4 w and 5 days today. Started to have spotting since yesterday and is still there. Anyone going through similar thing?

Bit anxious but trying to tell myself that it's all normal

Pepsix · 17/06/2024 06:45

UrbanSquirrel · 17/06/2024 04:13

@Pepsix How are you feeling now? Hope the cramps have calmed down a little - waiting is definitely the hardest part. Sending hugs and good vibes 🤗

Thank you ☺️ cramps aren’t as bad I just feel “different” but I guess I have to get used to that as my body is going through quite a change 🫣

TTCJourney321 · 17/06/2024 07:13

thanks for your reply @LacedBouquet

So they are all fully dried for a few hours. They seemed to get much darker over time?

Henski · 17/06/2024 07:22

@JayJay92 I had spotting for 3 days about the time my AF was due and then for 1 day couple days after. As long as it’s not filling a pad all good, just baby burrowing in for the next 8 months!

Amme18 · 17/06/2024 07:34

JayJay92 · 17/06/2024 05:33

Hello all,

I'm 4 w and 5 days today. Started to have spotting since yesterday and is still there. Anyone going through similar thing?

Bit anxious but trying to tell myself that it's all normal

I had spotting around my period due date, 3/4 days of it. Just brown or light pink when I wiped. With both my other pregnancy’s I had bright red blood around 6/7 weeks too and both fine x

JayJay92 · 17/06/2024 08:09

@Henski @Amme18 thank you both for the reassurances. It really helps, This is my first pregnancy and worried over everything!

apple67cherry · 17/06/2024 08:41

Hi everyone I'm 6w today and nurse has given me progesterone pessaries as I've had a MC before and I started spotting on and off this pregnancy (it's cervical related/not damaging baby) but a lot of people say it can mask a miscarriage or cause you to spot more. Is anyone on them and have experience or can give advice please?

EastLondonCoffeeFiend · 17/06/2024 08:43

@UrbanSquirrel good luck for your scan today! And thank you for the book summaries- I haven’t started any yet, so this is super useful!

Also I did test 3+ on Clearblue weeks indicator at 5+6 which was a relief 😊

UrbanSquirrel · 17/06/2024 09:04

EastLondonCoffeeFiend · 17/06/2024 08:43

@UrbanSquirrel good luck for your scan today! And thank you for the book summaries- I haven’t started any yet, so this is super useful!

Also I did test 3+ on Clearblue weeks indicator at 5+6 which was a relief 😊

Aw, great news about the 3+! Congrats! 👏🏻 Thanks too for the good vibes for later ☺️

SJLOU · 17/06/2024 09:09

UrbanSquirrel · 16/06/2024 15:19

First scan tomorrow. Eek. Wish me luck.

I bought Expecting Better yesterday and almost wish I hadn't now, because she keeps going on about the fact that feeling sick is a really good sign and lack of nausea is linked to miscarriage. I haven't felt sick at all, and have been only partly reassured by various other sources which say it doesn't mean anything at all, just that I've got lucky. Argh. Maybe there is such a thing as doing too much reading? 🤦🏻‍♀️

Well. Let's hope that tomorrow it all looks OK for 7 weeks (deep breaths)... 🤞🏻

Good luck today @UrbanSquirrel! Will be thinking of you and hope everything goes perfect for you 🤞🏽☺️

UrbanSquirrel · 17/06/2024 09:17

@SJLOU Thanks so much! ❤️ Hopefully I'll have good news to report...

LacedBouquet · 17/06/2024 09:32

TTCJourney321 · 17/06/2024 07:13

thanks for your reply @LacedBouquet

So they are all fully dried for a few hours. They seemed to get much darker over time?

Ok so if they are all dried, you can't compare the lines because you're right, some tests actually dry darker than what they are. You can see that with the dark part being only on the left side of the test line.
So best way to compare is taking photos when they're fresh and then using an app to put the photos together to compare.

Basically what I am saying is don't worry about your tests, they don't actually tell you anything as dried. Maybe best to walk way like I have from testing. I promise it helps the anxiety 🤗

LacedBouquet · 17/06/2024 09:38

JayJay92 · 17/06/2024 08:09

@Henski @Amme18 thank you both for the reassurances. It really helps, This is my first pregnancy and worried over everything!

I had light bleeding & pink spotting from 3w5d to 4w1d and thought the worst but I kept testing through it, the lines got darker and darker and now I am 6w2d xx

Lemonbalm8 · 17/06/2024 09:57

@UrbanSquirrel good luck for the scan later 🤞🏻💚

Lemonbalm8 · 17/06/2024 09:58

Is anyone napping during the day? I am consistently napping 3-4.30 for few days. Today is first day I'm properly working after a holiday, so I don't know how I'm going to do with the napping

ab03 · 17/06/2024 10:23

I also read expecting better during my last pregnancy and also panicked about not feeling sick! Sickness then kicked in late and then stuck around into 2nd trimester, maybe some of us are slow burners on HCG! I am trying to remind myself of that because I took a second test over the weekend hoping for a darker line and it was no darker at all... Doesn't help that my toddler is not sleeping and I feel like surely my body can't build a baby when I feel this shattered!

UrbanSquirrel · 17/06/2024 10:26

@ab03 Oh good, not just me then 😂

@Lemonbalm8 Thank you so much! 🤗

ab03 · 17/06/2024 10:27

I also visited this site a lot last time, maybe others will find it reassuring to see the odds improving each day - datayze.com/miscarriage-chart

AWilliams92 · 17/06/2024 10:32

For those suffering with nausea please share how you are powering through/ what you are doing to make it bearable.

Ive been feeling rotten since Friday night and had non-stop queasiness. Im not vomiting but just dry heaving (apologies for graphic detail). It’s like having a hangover but without the headache.

I have quite a demanding job so this isn’t helping me - I’ve just moved all my meetings and ‘WFH’ which means lying on the sofa feeling sorry for myself! I’ve bought every energy drink known to man to try and help (it’s what I would do if I was actually hungover!).

please do share any advice as I need to start being able to do things!

UrbanSquirrel · 17/06/2024 10:44

ab03 · 17/06/2024 10:27

I also visited this site a lot last time, maybe others will find it reassuring to see the odds improving each day - datayze.com/miscarriage-chart

That's very comforting, thank you! Good to be able to put in age and weight as well, to get a more accurate picture...

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