can I have a reassuring pat please?

[peachyfox]

Hello, I'm 41 and 15+2 with my first pregnancy (= recipe for paranoia). After a period of calm after 12 weeks when I stopped worrying and started to think we might actually be having a baby, I'm now worried again because last week and earlier this week I was getting sharp twinges in my womb area which have now all but stopped. I feel much less pregnant and even my bump is much less noticeable (although this does go up and down with food).

Is this normal? I'm worried. I've booked a drs appt for next week on the pretext of my asthma but really because I want some doppler action...

peachyfox what sort of twinges were they? Around 15 weeks you can get ligament pain, they're often quite sharp and it's because your womb is growing and stretching the ligaments. With my 1st pregnancy I was out of action for a whole day because of it. My mum even phoned the doctor! But everything was OK.
This is my 3rd pregnancy and you do go through stages where you feel more and then less pregnant. I think that's normal.
I think that as long as you're not bleeding, you shouldn't worry too much, but see if you can get that appointment moved forward. If you say that it's about your pregnancy, they'll often squeeze you in or phone labour ward or ante natal clinic for advise. They might be able to give you some advise/reassurance on the phone.

Well, twinges are certainly normal and so is worrying! You could just call the midwives and tell them you have had pains and are really worried - they should check you over, possibly even today.

If it's any help I went through many scares, aches and pains, twinges, even bleeds with my pg, all reacted to by me in a highly neurotic fashion - and it was all OK.

it sounds totally normal to me, you get a lot of strange feelings and pains in bump IME, because all your muscles and ligaments are stretching and things are happening in there that don't usually happen... it's just your body getting used to and accomodating your growing baby.

again, the feeling "less" pregnant I think is normal too. once those initial pregnancy symptoms wear off you get this funny period of just nothingy-ness which is weird. but you don't h ave long to wait until your 20 week scan do you? that breaks it up a bit, and bump will get bigger pretty rapidly too

I read somewhere that your bump usually is bigger at first due to water retention, but don't know how true that is. I know a few people who have said the same as you though, that it seemed less noticeable after a while. once you get into maternity clothes that seems to help cos it doesn't hold anything in lol

anyway, I think going to the GP is a good idea because at least it'll put your mind at rest i'm sure everything is fine though, and you should enjoy the rest of your pregnancy

Try not to worry. Think it's fine. I have been getting twinges too and put it down to uterus stretching and other things I don't understand. i also get crampy like feelings if I get up from sitting too quickly. i try not to worry!
Wait for a few weeks when you will start to feel movements, that'll reassure you. trip to docs is good too. That's what they are there for.

Thanks everyone!

The twinges were quite mild, like little tweaks. I mentioned them at my check-up (16th - heard heartbeat) and she said this was normal. Scan was normal too, and growth even a tiny bit ahead of schedule.

Sometimes my bump is hard and sometimes its like, er, blancmange?

Unfortunately my doc is next in on Tuesday. I do have an EPU nearby so I could go down but I'm hoping to calm myself as surely there will be much more of this to come and I don't want to give free rein to my loopiness just yet...

It's enough that you experienced mums think its normal to feel less preg some days than others, or have a symptom one day and not another, IYSWIM...

Totally normal. Even now at 24 weeks I sometimes feel less pregnant than other times. I put it down to the baby still having a bit of room to move from the front to the back, and when its towards the back, my belly is softer and I don't feel it as much.

All of my early pregnancy symptoms also stopped around 15 weeks and it is a little freaky!

As an older mum, you might want to pop over to our 40+ thread on here. Some of us are preg, some of us have small children, some of us are just over 40 with children. {grin]

Thanks Tee, I will!