First pregnancy - reassurance

[saintcatling]

Hi ladies,
I am 31 and married just 5 months, we found out on Friday night that I am probably pregnant. Shock and excitement all round.
I took the pill for many years which stopped my periods completely, came off it in January and since then my cycle has been all over the place and I've only have 2 proper periods. Average cycle length approx 38-40 days.
I called the doctor this morning to hopefully get an appointment just to double check I am pregnant if anything. Have so many questions. They did not want to see me but said 1st appt will be with midwife at 9 weeks. I feel nervous about what may happen until then. And how on earth do I calculate how far gone I am with an irregular cycle? 1st day of last period was 12 May.

I did 3 tests, one Clearblue digital and 2 First Response and all 3 said positive straight away. I find myself doubting them though but it's pretty 100% to have 3 top of the range tests say yes, isn't it?
Also my boobs are huge and sore, I have a headache, SO tired and tearful.
I also feel bloated and my tummy is poking out more than ever.
I guess I just would like some reassurance that all sounds normal?
I am a total novice and obviously don't want to spread the news until midwife says ok, so feel a bit out on my own.
Husband is great but a bit bewildered too.

Thanks for reading x

CONGRATULATIONS. you are def pregnant if you have 3 positive tests. i think you will be due approx 26th feb going on you having a 38 day cycle but 12 week dating scan will confirm when. so you are 5 weeks preg

All symptoms sound right too.

It all sounds pretty conclusive to me! The preg tests are very good now, so much so that the doctors rarely bother to double check, they just take your word for it.

When we did tests with our first I was also in a panic and rushed out to buy a pregnancy guide from a bookshop - didn't care which one, just wanted to start finding stuff out. You might find it helpful to do something similar.

Have a look at the Baby Centre website,it's really user friendly and has a due date calculator that's v nifty.

I would make an appointment with the GP anyway just so he/she can arrange the midwife appointment. That's how it works here anyway.
Congratulations

Well I guess I am pregnant then, thanks ladies.
First appointment with midwife booked for 30 July and then I guess scan will be soon after.
Thanks for replying, in the meantime I will try to chill out and look after myself. Have been online and bought a book each for myself and hubby so we can swat up!
I'll be back with more questions....

Hello saintcatling

Definitely sounds like your pregnant. Congratulations. I'm on my first pregnancy too & I was exactly the same. I went to my GP after I took my home tests & she confirmed that I was around 6 weeks pregnant. But then she told me to go off & come back to her when I was 12 weeks & THEN she'd refer me to a midwife for ante natal treatment!

I most certainly did not wait until 12 weeks! I managed to make it to 8 weeks, then I rang my chosen hospital myself, made an appointment to see a midwife, made an appointment for my first scan & got myself booked into the delivery unit at my hospital of choice for my due date. I did everything myself.

I'm 28 weeks now & I have to say for the most part, they leave you to it. I had my booking appointment & my scan on the same day when I was 12 weeks & then I was sent away with no further appointments until I was 20 weeks where I had my second scan. Then again they send you away for another 6 weeks until your next appointment. So there's a lot of time when you're sat around worrying about every twinge, every little pain, every niggle & it can be a total worry storm especially for your first pregnancy, it was for me anyway, I'm only 23 so I lack a certain amount of worldly experience & mature calmness.

BUT, I promise you everything will be fine. Every twinge & pang is normal & to be expected & after being on the phone to Midwives Direct in varying states of panic every other day, I was told over & over again by my midwife to chill the hell out & stop worrying. So I did & now I simply cannot wait for my little boy to arrive in September!

And just wait until you have your first scan. There's nothing like it. I burst into tears at mine. And then when you're around 16 to 18 weeks & you start feeling the first little kicks, it's amazing, just you wait......

I'm so happy for you. Congratulations to you & your husband. I hope you have a smooth, easy, enjoyable pregnancy. All the best. x

Just wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS! As my GP said to me when I arrived in her office feeling just as you do, you've got 1 positive test result you ARE pregnant, no need to see me...I went home and did 2 more!
You do wait until 12 weeks for the first midwife appt/scan...it's awful, it's a shock, but at least there is a real baby-looking baby to see when you get there... , and don't worry about your dates, they will mostly calculate on a 28 day cycle, even if you know yours is longer or shorter, and then correct at your 12 week scan if baby looks significantly older or younger
I bought 'what to expect when you are expecting' and read it obsessively for oh, 9 months
CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN!

By the way, you're lucky to have found mumsnet now...my first was about 8 months old by the time I did...seems to me you're already a mummy in the know!

You're definitely pregnant - many doctors don't bother doing tests to confirm pregnancy any more as the home tests are so reliable.

One thing to consider is whether you would like to have a Nuchal Tranlucency measurement scan done (to check for your Downs risk). This has to be done before you are 13+6 weeks, so if you would want that (and it's available in your area), you need a scan asap to find out how far along you are. Most EPAUs (Early pregnancy assessment units) will scan you if you've no idea how pregnant you are - might be worth asking the GP or midwife.

You're in a similar situation to me! I got a very faintline on 20 June, re-tested on 21 June with a digital and got a BFP 1-2 weeks, I retested with a digital yesterday and got another BFP 2-3 weeks......it's so nervewracking!! And so difficult not telling anyone!! We are going to see the doctor on Friday - I hope he doesn't say that I shouldn't have come!! Which area are you in? The NHS website says that you should make an appointment to see your GP as soon as you find out you are pregnant....

Yep - remember that! I did the test, it was positive, so I rang doctor's surgery and told them expecting them to say 'come in!' but instead they just 'ok, well, yep, great see you in a month then'.

It does feel weird, like you should do something. Don't worry though, it's normal.

Congratulations! All does sound normal, just make sure you take your folic acid, check out what foods to avoid (NHS direct has lots of info) and if you are taking any medication best to check this with GP.

Congratulations! As everyone else has said it all sounds normal!

There is a group of ladies who are all due Feb 2011 to share experiences etc! Come and join us here

Thank you so much for all your replies, so helpful.

For the last week or so my boobs have been very sore and swollen but today this seems to have eased. I've also had a little bit of pinky brown discharge.
Otherwise still feeling just as tired as I was.

Am freaking out massively that the above means I've lost the baby, am stuck in the office and can't see a midwife until week 9 when I have my appointment which is 30 July.

Does this sound normal? Should my boobs hurt all the time? Is it worth taking another test?

Sorry for all the questions, I just feel completely alone.

A small amount of discharge can just be your period trying (and failing). Even if it was a worst case scenario, there is probably very little the mw will do about it, but if you are concerned, most major hospitals have EPAUs (early pregnancy assessment units) which you can self-refer to, though I gather they're only open Mon - Friday.

FWIW, a friend who mc at 5 weeks had bleeding that was as heavy as a period, so a bit of spotting is almost certainly nothing to worry about.

I don't think there is anything "normal" in a pregnancy - each woman is different. My boobs were sore most of the time but I'd get days when they weren't. Another test probably won't help this close together, as even if you had lost the baby, your hormones would probably be high, but as I said, if you're really worried about it, pop along to the nearest EPAU.

The wait till the first MW appt and first scan does drag a lot, but do your best to stay calm and let mother nature do what she has to do. All the worrying in the world won't change things (though it doesn't stop us ranting and raving). You're not alone - MN is here to help! (And do join your Feb antenatal club, as you'll be with others at the same stage as you). But I agree that a first pregnancy can be very scary in the early stages.