Halfway there chat thread🤰🏽

[Ladyinpink1]

Hello! I'm halfway through pregnancy now, and hoped to make a thread for anyone at a similar stage who wants to chat through these next months 🙂

@EmPeEfoh I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to spoil things for you. As I said, I’m not an expert and the others are right that it could be the umbilical cord. Gender disappointment is real and valid so don’t beat yourself up about that. I would defo complain though x

@EmPeEf That sounds like a good plan, and if you are expecting a boy and it ends up being a girl then an even bigger surprise but either way I think you will be over the moon at birth, it's just this before stage that is tough isn't it.
I had gender dissapointment last time, I paid and had the nub theorists check my scan pics, they came back with almost 100% girl, it was a boy! I felt so so dissapointed it was awful but i felt so guilty as well so I hid it from everyone. Once my ds was born, all of those feelings completely vanished. As others said, it's so common. Hope you are feeling a little better now x

Not your fault at all; please don’t worry about it x

How’s everyone getting on? I’m feeling movements all over the place, starting to feel them if my hand is on my tummy too. Partner still hasn’t managed to get one but plenty of time for that! 23 weeks tomorrow! I feel a bit like time is going a bit faster now

I'm getting on well, except for the acid. Lol
I have much more movement too, it's definitely reasurring. And time really is going faster as you said, especially when you compare it to the first trimester it went by so so slow 🐌.

Do you have any plans, like antenatal classes or scans or anything you would like to do now that you are further on?
This is definitely my last pregnancy and I want to try to make the most of this time... so I have booked pregnancy yoga starting next week (which i have never trued before) and think i'm going to book a 4d scan for next month. x

@Ladyinpink1i want to book onto a pregnancy exercise class/yoga. Work is so busy this month I don’t have the energy! But February I’m going to do it! Not doing any antenatal, but I could be tempted by a 4d scan! When I had my son I had a few friends who were also on maternity leave but this time I don’t, so would be nice to meet a few people ahead of having baby!

Has anyone got lower back pain? Mine started yesterday and I can barely walk! Is this normal?!

@firsttimepregnanthelpi had bad back and hips about 16 weeks but it cleared up after a week or so. But wasn’t this bad. How are you doing today?

@EmilyMay89oh I’m glad it cleared up for you! I’m in a lot of pain and can’t walk. I’m tired and overwrought from not being able to sleep because of the pain and I’m stressing about baby movements - I was in so much pain yesterday I didn’t have capacity to concentrate on whether I was feeling them and I don’t think I felt anything last night and haven’t this morning so I’m starting to get worried. Not having a great day!

Maybe baby has wriggled right back and that’s causing pain and not feeling movements. Do you have a regular pattern yet for movements or sporadic? If you’re worried you could call triage?

@EmilyMay89 I'm the exact same, I dont have any friends who are pregnant this time. I booked the yoga as someone on m.net had recommended it to help with bonding with the baby and pregnancy but also hoping to get chatting to other pregnant ladies.
Sorry you are so shattered, have you picked a date for finishing work yet? x

@Ladyinpink1 when does the yoga start? Hopefully there are some nice ladies there. I tried to go upstairs and do some extra work today and I ended up napping for 3 hours. Only a couple
more weeks to go until it all quietens down again!

I’m thinking mid April, couple of weeks annual leave then start maternity leave in May. What about you?

@EmilyMay89no pattern yet, went to triage and baby actually kicked the Doppler although I couldn’t feel it. Having an anterior placenta is so horrible!

@EmilyMay89 It starts next week, I hope so too.

Lol At you going up with good intentions planning to work and sleeping instead. The tiredness comes on so randomly in pregnancy, doesn't it.
I found work more tiring than usual this week too. I am due on 4th May so will start maternity then but will use leave for April, so my last day ends up being the end of March. I really think a spring/summer baby will be a lovely to be off on maternity leave x

@Ladyinpink1oooh you’ll have to let us know how you get on! Yes I had great intentions but the nap was necessary. I did manage to do a few hours work today though so I don’t feel too guilty! My son was born 4th May! And it is a lovely time of year, easier to get out the house even if just for a walk, longer days which helped me when I would get the evening dread in the early days. It’s hard knowing when to finish, we’re having building work done before baby/will probably overlap with her arrival, so I could see myself feeling quite stressed and finishing earlier.

@firsttimepregnanthelphopefully you’ll get into a pattern soon so it feels more reassuring. Anterior is harder earlier on, but when the kicks really ramp up the extra cushion can be quite nice!! Did they say much at triage?

@EmilyMay89triage just said that I should go back if I continue to not feel movement. I will be there every day at this rate! I feel less anxious today but who knows what tomorrow will bring…have you been to triage? They make such a big deal out of movements, sometimes it makes my anxiety worse

@firsttimepregnanthelpits so hard with movements. I haven’t been to triage and didn’t go at all last time either. I nearly went before Christmas because I was having quite painful braxton hicks, but they stopped when I had a drink and lay down for a bit. It does sound like they aren’t being the most helpful in some ways! Obviously if you’re worried that’s what they are there for, but I know for me sometimes I need someone to tell me something straight. I know our trust they say 28 weeks for a pattern, so I would need them to tell me that if I’m concerned come in, but if I don’t have a pattern yet and it’s a quieter day then that is fine and to be expected. But I guess they maybe can’t say it that bluntly?! Don’t know if that would help with your feelings anyway?

@EmilyMay89a bit of reassurance would definitely help because atm all I have ringing in my ears is ‘come back if you don’t feel any more movement tomorrow’. My mum used to be a midwife and she poked my belly today and felt baby kick but I didn’t feel a thing! I’m going away for 5 days on Friday and do feel a bit anxious about not being able to pop to triage if I am worried about movements

@firsttimepregnanthelphow weird she felt it and you couldn’t!! My son felt the baby kick for the first time today and he was amazed, very cute! Where are you going away? Maybe some relaxing on holiday will help you tune in a bit with the movements when you’re not busy working etc?

@EmilyMay89ahh how lovely for your son! Is he excited about having a sibling? I think it’s just part and parcel of having an anterior placenta but I do have a very busy job so no time to focus on movements during the day really. We’re just going to Tenerife to get some winter sun, I’m sick of the bad weather here!

@firsttimepregnanthelpsome days he is very excited about a sibling, not too happy it’s a girl though haha!!
Yeah I’ve had anterior with both pregnancies, I was hoping for posterior this time, but she is really going for it some days in there so maybe anterior is better this time. With my son I had hardly any movements until late 20’s. I guess it all depends where it really is at the front.
oh that’ll be lovely!! I hope you do get some good weather, it’s miserable here! I really freaked myself out yesterday when I was talking about annual leave with my partner, and it was just February and March left as full months at work!!

@EmilyMay89 That's exciting but also i'm sure you are nervous too about the work going on at this stage. Is it a big job being done?
Yes that's what I thought, it will be nice to just have lots of outdoor time. Plus then over the summer holidays, it will be lovely just all chilling in the garden or picnics in our local parks 😎 x

@firsttimepregnanthelp It's really frustrating when you aren't feeling movements very strong or regular. How many weeks are you now?
I had an anterior placenta with my last dc too, I think once you get to this stage, they grow so fast so one day you just suddenly start to feel them more as they get so big. I am 25 weeks now and my movements are much stronger lately (anterior placenta again this time). Only a couple of weeks ago, I could go almost all day some days feeling nothing.
Do you have any more scans booked to look forward to and to give some reasurrance? x

How is everyone else getting on? I feel like time is starting to go by so fast x

@EmilyMay89ah bless, how old is he? I’m sure he’ll love her when she arrives. It’s great you’re feeling movements so strongly. I think I question myself a lot as it’s my first pregnancy so I probably am feeling movements but convince myself it’s just digestion or something. Omg I know, on one hand mat leave can’t come soon enough, on another it’s coming round a bit too quickly!

@Ladyinpink1i’ll be 26 weeks on Thursday. Some days I feel movements really strongly - last Tuesday they were really distracting! I was on training at work too which probably helped because I was sitting still whereas most of the time in my job I’m rushing around. I do have a growth scan on 10 Feb so not too long to wait.

I feel like time is going a bit too fast - I’m so unprepared! Haven’t really bought anything - a few days ago I was in Aldi and they had a baby and toddler event so I got a bath towel, some flannels, a storage box for nappies and wipes and some bibs but that’s all I’ve got! I was worried about tempting fate by buying things too early but now I fear I’m leaving it too late 😅 we have a John Lewis appt to look at baby stuff in a couple of weeks and I hope that will help me in terms of deciding what to get and actually getting it! As a FTM I have booked onto a course at the Family Centre called ‘Preparing for Parenthood’ which I hope will be helpful and we’re doing antenatal classes in March. I do feel a bit worried that I am clueless about how to look after a baby!

@firsttimepregnanthelp dont worry about being clueless. It will all.come to you naturally once baby is born. Ive only just sorted and washed a few bits from my 3rd daughters newborn stuff a couple weeks ago and thats it. I have a beautiful joie pram but I dont know what happened to the car seat so will get that from Argos probably in the next month or so as still got plenty of time. Im just 24+4 but im so excited as well. I have braxton hicks since like week 14 which is crazy. And I have a lot of movements too. She's very strong!

@Ladyinpink1 we’re having the loft converted. So will be out the way and hopefully downstairs will be all fine, maybe a bit dusty but not too chaotic!

@firsttimepregnanthelphe is 3, will be 4 a week or so before the baby arrives. I think if you didn’t feel it before you were pregnant then it’s baby, but at the start of movements it is easy to think it’s something else. I can’t wait for maternity leave! The John Lewis appointment sounds good and the course will help you feel a bit more prepared.

@Judgejudysno1fansane with the braxton hicks, although maybe around 18 weeks for me. Walking the stairs sets them off