The Third Trimester-Second Baby

35+4 weeks

A year on from me being in the third trimester of my second pregnancy and I'm finally writing about it...better late than never!

Morning Sickness

I did have a lot of moments when I was nauseous, one in particular was when we'd made a roast chicken in the bag for a Sunday lunch. When it was cooked and I opened the bag I couldn't bear the smell, it made e retch and safe to say I didn't eat any!

Cravings

Still no cravings as such but still avoided 'proper meals' on many occasions and would choose cereal and toast!

Scares

I always felt that when pregnant with Eliot that his movements were never really in a 'pattern' and felt the same with this pregnancy. I also thought the movements this time round were different, certainly bigger like rolls and more uncomfortable at times.

At 29+6 I called the midwife after work to say I was concerned I hadn't felt much movement so she sent me to the antenatal assessment unit at the hospital. Of course baby decided to become active and was moving whilst I was monitored. It happened to be the end of the heatwave in June and I'd had a sore throat so thought me being under the weather could have affected things.

I found myself back in the AAU a few times, I suppose the most worrying being when I fell arse over tit whilst rushing to a midwife appointment. I had to spend a bit of time being monitored and waiting for Anti D as I'd knocked my bump.

First monitoring

Midwives & Doctors 

I had the routine anti d injection due to my blood being rhesus negative. It wasn't the midwife I usually saw and I was asked if I would prefer the injection in my arm or the top of my backside! Having had previous anti d injections in my arm I went for the backside option. I was pre warned it would feel cold which it did.

 I saw a different midwife in my preferred hospital and also went through the process from the beginning, having to have my bloods taken again which I was not happy about! She also booked me to see a Dr as Eliot had weighed 9lb5oz when born and she happened to mention a 'bigger baby' could get its' 'shoulders stuck' which freaked me out and stuck in my mind. 

Most of the last few appointments with my usual midwife were normal, urine samples were ok apart from one time when my blood pressure was also raised so I was sent to AAU for monitoring but when they checked my urine and blood pressure everything was normal so I'm not sure what happened!

I saw the doctor at 39+6 after having a scan a week or two earlier to check babies size. At that point baby was estimated to weigh 7lb6oz. Due to my concern of baby being 'larger' than Eliot was, I was given a sweep which was not pleasant nor did it get baby moving! Then I was booked in for an induction four days later!

Scans

After having a 4D scan with Eliot I didn't think Id have one the second time round but gave in to temptation! I also wanted Eliot to see the baby to hopefully make it more real for him but as it turned out he was 'bored' after the first couple of minutes! The 4D experience is well worth it as you can find deals on packages. We came away with a DVD, images, a magnet and keyrings.

I also had a scan around 37 weeks to check babies size as mentioned above.

Other

I don't think I mentioned in previous pregnancy updates that I had some patches of skin discolouration, one was above my eyebrow. 

I had hideously swollen legs and feet, I think that had to be the worst pregnancy symptom, they were uncomfortable!

One big memory I have from the third trimester was that week long heatwave (nothing compared to this summer!) I didn't have a fan and almost had a breakdown in one of the aisles in Sainsbury's when they told me they didn't have any. I attempted to sleep with an ice pack but still had an uncomfortable few nights of sleep!

How was your final trimester?

Keep an eye out for Nola's birth story coming soon!

The Second Trimester-Baby 2

Baby 2

 13-27 Weeks

I'm well and truly into my third trimester writing this at 36 weeks pregnant but better late than never!
 

Morning Sickness & Other Symptoms

My morning sickness continued a few weeks into the second trimester, still not actually being sick but suffering with nausea particularly if I was hungry.
I think I started to feel those first flutters when I was around 16 weeks pregnant, it felt like bubbles so I wasn't completely convinced. I started to feel those bigger movements between 18-20 weeks.
The old heartburn started to kick in sometime during the later part of the second trimester, only after eating certain things or at night when laying down, I bought supermarket own brand 'Gaviscon' to treat it.

 

Cravings
I lost my appetite a bit (as well as being a bit lazy I suppose), preferring to eat cereal and toast rather than a proper meal in the evenings, like in the first trimester. Other than that I don't think I had any particular cravings.

 

Scares

It's funny reading Eliot's second trimester back as I had a few 'scares', this time I've been luckier and didn't experience any.
 

Midwives

I met the midwife I would see for all of my general appointments at 16 weeks, her name was Carole. I got to listen to baby's heartbeat at this appointment which I always find reassuring. I also told her I probably wasn't going to deliver at the local hospital and was told I'd have to go to the GP to get a referral letter as where I wanted to deliver was out of their area. Before I saw her at my next appointment at 24 weeks I visited the GP and asked him to refer me. He didn't seem to think my preferred hospital would oblige but a few weeks later I received an appointment at my hospital of choice for when I'd be 28 weeks.

Scans

For some reason they don't book your anomaly scan until 21 weeks at the local hospital. I did feel slightly nervous as there is a worry they will find something that might not be good news. Thankfully everything looked ok and this time baby was facing upwards and behaving, letting the sonographer look at all the things she needed to (not like Eliot at his 20 week scan)! We stayed team yellow this time, choosing not to find out the gender (which I've written a post about here).
I did feel a bit disappointed with the overall experience as it felt a bit rushed.

Other
I started buying a few bits but as we didn't know the gender of baby 2 I didn't want to buy too many neutral clothes as there's only so much white/grey/yellow you can buy! I also started looking more into pushchairs and car seats. We already have a crib that was Eliot's for those first few months so just need to buy a new mattress.

Staying 'Team Yellow'

Baby 2 poking out their tongue

I decided long before I was even pregnant with baby 2 that this time I wouldn't find out the gender. One reason was because I'd experienced finding out whether or not I was having a girl or boy with Eliot and wanted to experience the 'not knowing' option. The other reason is because I have the fear I will be disappointed. Disappointed if it was another boy.

So when I told one of my best friends I wouldn't be finding out this time she didn't believe I'd not be able to find out what I was having at the 20 week scan. This made me even more determined not to find out because it is tempting at that 20 week scan!

At 27 weeks I had a 4D scan, I had one with Eliot so didn't think I'd bother this time round but I really wanted Eliot to experience seeing the baby as he wasn't allowed to come to the hospital scans. He did keep asking if it was 'nearly finished' and commenting 'only one more minute' but I came away happy with our precious experience and still none the wiser as to whether it was a boy or girl.

 About a week ago I posted one of the pictures on Instagram encouraging people to comment on what gender they thought baby 2 was. Blue was the favourite, then someone commented it was 'definitely a boy'. That was when the disappointment hit.

Before I say anymore I'll firstly say I know I'm incredibly lucky to have one child and to be expecting another. And that my main concern IS that I have a healthy and safe pregnancy and delivery but  you can't always control your feelings and emotions. 

 

Back in my teenage years and uni days I remember discussing hopes and dreams for the future and how I'd always wanted to be a mum and how I wanted a daughter. I guess these views and feelings stem from my relationship  with my mum and her relationship with her son (my half brother). I won't say anymore than that they don't have a relationship now and haven't done for many years. I think there is a difference between mother/daughter and mother/son relationships but that's based on my own experiences.

When I was pregnant with Eliot I can honestly say I really didn't mind whether I had a boy or girl, even though I'd convinced myself it was a girl. A work friend had mentioned I looked different and 'glowing'  the day before I took a pregnancy test. So when she said she thought I was having a girl I started to believe I was too! Also thanks to a trip away on a ghost hunt (don't ask) when I asked some metal rods that swung one way for 'yes' and the other for 'no' if I was having a girl and they said yes each time.

When we were told at a 16 week gender scan it was a boy I felt a pang of disappointment because I'd stupidly convinced myself it was a girl. That was it though, I was more excited about going baby boy clothes shopping. and super excited to be having my first child!

 

Because this is more than likely to be my last pregnancy I would really love to have a daughter and unknowingly I think I thought it was a girl. Thanks to the sonographer at my 20 week scan a seed was planted. I told her we didn't want to find out the gender but as she was looking around I did ask if she could see if it was a boy or girl, to which she replied she hadn't looked as it wasn't 'important'. She spent more time looking closely for all the things they check at the 20 week scan before saying 'move your leg missus' she paused for a few seconds before saying 'or Mr, whatever you are'.

 

The other half hadn't even noticed she said this. I said to myself and when talking to others that I was taking it with a pinch of salt. Some people and books do refer to babies as 'hes' or 'shes' rather than 'it' but if I was a sonographer I think I would have said 'move your leg baby', not missus or mister. Without really realizing, I begun to convince myself again that it was a girl until the comment on the Instagram photo of 'it's definitely a boy'. So I'm either having a very masculine looking girl or indeed it is a boy! As I said though the most important thing is that all is safe and healthy. It won't matter when he or she is here it's just those initial feelings and emotions I can't help.

 

 

10 Names I Love But (probably) Won't Use For Baby 2

I've enjoyed watching different videos about names that other bloggers love but won't use and seeing as I'm expecting baby 2 I thought I'd write a little post of my own.

There are several names I adore but won't be using...

Boys...

1. Jacob...
I've loved this name for years but the OH vetoed it when I was pregnant with Eliot. I probably wouldn't use it now as it's quite common and being a teacher I've come across a fair few Jacobs

2. Reuben...
 I really like this and have done for years too but again the OH doesn't like it.

3. Elijah...
 is another one I've loved for years but the OH dislikes.

4. Noah...
 is  a name I've liked for a while but I think it's another one of those names that has become very popular in the last few years.

5. Arlo...
is a name that has grown on me since discovering I was pregnant with baby 2. I think it works well with Eliot... 'Eliot & Arlo' but the OH is not keen. If baby 2 is a boy I may try to convince him as we haven't found any boys names that we both agree on yet!

Girls...

1. Charlotte...
 I think is such a beautiful name and I love it but one that is too common. During primary & secondary school I knew about 5 different 'Charlotte's'!
If it's good enough for a princess though...?!

2. Nola...
is a name I've liked since watching the film 'Matchpoint' with Scarlett Johansson & Jonathan Rhys Meyers but it's not in my current top 3 girl names for baby 2 so will be unlikely to use it if it's a girl.

3. Seren...
is a Welsh name that has grown on me since watching 'Abadas' on CBeebies when Eliot was a baby. The OH liked it but isn't so keen on it now and I don't think it goes that well with Eliot's name.

4. Isla...
was one of my top girl names before I found out Eliot was a boy but since then has grown and grown in popularity so I wouldn't use it for that reason.

5. Lyra...
is another name I've really liked for a long time...since watching The Golden Compass in the cinema about 10 years ago. I love the sound of it and how it's unusual.

So there are my current top boy & girl names that I (probably) won't be using with baby 2. We have agreed on 3 girl names but are struggling to agree on boy names this time round, so I'd love to hear any suggestions for fresh ideas!

The First Trimester-Baby 2

Baby 2

 0-12 Weeks

I was around 2 weeks pregnant when I found out I was expecting this time. 

I must admit I've felt much less anxious this time round and have the mindset that if something does go wrong there's nothing I can do to change it/stop it at this early stage. I'm surprised at myself as I felt very different when pregnant with Eliot.

Morning Sickness & Other Symptoms

Before I knew I was pregnant I experienced what I thought was a stomach bug, I woke up in middle of the night & vomited a few times and had (sorry TMI) possibly the worst diarrheoa I can remember experiencing. In the morning I felt better but avoided eating anything for a while but when I did later in the day I was ok. I thought it must have been a one night bug until I woke up at pretty much the same time as the night before suffering with sickness and diarrheoa again. Then the same thing happened the following night after being fine again during the day. It probably was a bug but I found it strange only being unwell during the night and wondered if it could have been a surge of hormones or something.

The first symptoms I experienced after finding out I was pregnant was bloating and stomach pains, sometimes on my right side which did make me wonder if it could be an ectopic pregnancy. I didn't seek any advice over it but thankfully it was obviously nothing to be worried about.

Again this time round I was lucky enough not to suffer with bad morning sickness. I started suffering with nausea a bit earlier this time, around 5 weeks. Like when pregnant with Eliot, I would feel so sick I would retch when teaching! It happened at different times of the day and hunger would make it worse, eating something made me feel better. Unfortunately it continued, not on a daily basis but a lot longer than when I was expecting Eliot.
In the early days I was quite emotional and tearful at times and there were times when the tiredness kicked in!

Cravings

I wouldn't necessarily say I had 'cravings' as such but fancied certain foods at certain times. I wouldn't always fancy a 'proper dinner' in the evening and would much prefer cereal and toast! I drank a lot of orange juice as a midwife told me (when I was pregnant with Eliot) that it helps your body absorb iron. When I didn't have any in the fridge I really fancied satsumas and had two of those a day for a week or so.

Scares

I feel really lucky with this pregnancy I haven't had any 'scares' (touch wood) so far. The only thing that had me thinking there could possibly be an issue were the stomach pains to the right side, as I mentioned above.

Midwives

I made my first appointment to see a midwife for when I thought I was around 10 weeks pregnant, assuming it would be my booking in appointment. When I went for it though I discovered I should have really made a prior appointment,  as it wasn't a 'booking in' appointment. I met a midwife and student midwife, had my blood pressure taken as well as blowing into a carbon monoxide detector thingy (this was new) to make sure I didn't have dangerous amounts of it in my body. They also dated me at 11 weeks.
I was told the usual midwife for the surgery was on holiday and I would need to meet with another one to do my booking in appointment before my 12 week scan. It was arranged for the midwife covering to come to our house at the weekend to 'book me in'. So on a Sunday afternoon a midwife called Bev arrived, asked all the usual questions with Eliot frequently interrupting and managed to take my bloods. My veins are pretty awkward when it comes to taking blood and it was only her second attempt at getting it when my veins complied! I do get myself into a bit of a panic when it comes to blood tests, having Eliot hovering around actually calmed me as I didn't want him seeing me get upset over it. He made me laugh when he said 'look at all that medicine' and I had to explain it wasn't medicine but actually my blood.

Scans

As I was further along than I initially thought I didn't have my first scan until I was 13 weeks. The baby was facing downwards, which I'm not used to seeing in scan photos! But then I figured just like I did people probably turn their scan photos around when sharing on social media. We were told that everything looked normal at this point and measurements dated me at 13+ 3 giving me a due date of 2/9/17. It's always amazing whenever you see your baby in a scan, especially the first one when you see the proof that another human being is growing inside you, baby was either sleeping or on the lazy side as there wasn't much movement.

Not the clearest photo of baby 2 facing down at the 12 Week scan

My secret

It's New Years Day and I've been keeping a secret since Christmas Eve. I had been up a couple of nights with an upset stomach and wanted to take something for it. On reading the pack it said 'do not take if pregnant or trying to get pregnant. I knew there was a possibility I could be pregnant so took a cheap test that had been in a bottom drawer for a year. I took it just before getting in the shower and didn't expect to see anything but after a couple of minutes there was a faint pink line. As when I found out I was pregnant with Eliot I didn't believe the 'cheapo' test could be right (when of course it was as it picks up HCG like others) so when I went shopping for a half price Christmas Turkey I picked up a clearblue pack of digital & non digital test. Being impatient once I'd loaded the shopping in the car I went back into the shop to do another test in the toilet. I did the line test which showed a barely visible line so decided to do the digital one the next morning.
Christmas day we were awoken by Eliot excited that Santa had been and after lots of present opening I managed to do the digital test which definately confirmed I'm pregnant.

  It still hasn't sunk in but if all goes well there will be a new arrival around the beginning of September. I still have to tell my other half!

Expecting Baby 2!

Last week I posted a picture on Instagram announcing I was pregnant, expecting a sibling for Eliot in early September.  I'm currently 23+5 and we have decided to stay 'Team Yellow' this time!

I've finally made it round to writing it about it here, I have been meaning to do so for such a long time but various different things have stopped me getting on to my laptop and writing any posts. I am a bit disappointed with myself as I said one of my regrets with Eliot's pregnancy was not documenting it but this is a start and I'm planning more posts to follow!

Here is the announcement pic with a couple of outtakes..

 

Looking fairly happy about a new brother or sister...

 

Appearing to have one of his 'I don't want a baby' moments...



Fed up with mummy taking the same photo!



I did have to bribe him with sweets to get these photos taken!

Mum Kind Review & Giveaway-CLOSED

A few weeks back I was sent some 'Water Our Way' and 'Soothing Ginger & Chamomile Lozenges' from a new pregnancy nutrition brand called Mum Kind. They have recently been launched in over 300 stores and Amazon.

Mum Kind's mission is...

 'to make it easier for women to take care of themselves, and therefore their growing babies, whilst juggling life in the real world'.

There are currently a selection of products available, nutrition bars, a bedtime drink, along with the water enhancer and lozenges.

Mum Kind have secured backing from a number of nutritionists and doctors including Dr Emma Derbyshire PhD RNutr, who is an established nutritionist and active researcher in maternal nutrition.

The Water Enhancer...

It's berry flavoured with added B vitamins and has 10 servings in the handy sized bottle. It doesn't contain any caffeine, artificial colours or flavours which is perfect for expectant mums. The added B12 helps reduce tiredness and fatigue and B6 helps regulate hormone activity. All you need to do is squeeze some into a glass/bottle of water.

I love the fact it comes in a small portable bottle which is easy just to pop in your bag if your out or taking it to work.

Personally I love water and I was lucky enough not to be put off it with pregnancy symptoms when I was expecting Eliot but I would've loved to tried this back then to see if it helped with tiredness. I think it's ideal for women who aren't keen on water and/or  are looking for a drink minus any artificial additions.

I've been trying it out myself and really like the fruity berry flavour. I can't comment on whether it's helped with tiredness as I think the tiredness you experience during pregnancy and being a new mum is different! It is refreshing and I would definitely try it again if we have another baby.

The Ginger & Chamomile Lozenges...

Contain soothing properties of natural ginger and chamomile, come in clear wrappers and a reusable tub that is freezer and microwave safe.

They can be taken whenever you like to help and again are free from any artificial flavours or colours.

I am not keen on ginger, unless it's in the form of a biscuit which I believe has a very different taste to when it's used in its more natural form. Therefore I didn't really like the lozenges, it is just a matter of personal taste. I'm sure those of you who do like ginger would enjoy them very much!

For one lucky expectant or new mum I have a 'Water Our Way' and  'Soothing Lozenges' to giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Tips For Labour

40 weeks on my due date 24/6/13

Unfortunately labour is one of the things in life which women have absolutely no control over. It can start at anytime and can progress very slowly or quickly. It can go as smoothly as labour possibly can or it can take a turn in the wrong direction.
I was lucky my labour went as smoothly as it possibly could and I'm so thankful I it did. I know it's not the case for everyone.

I thought I would share some tips that I believed helped me during labour. Things that you can do prior to or during the big event.

Pregnancy Yoga
I would highly recommend participating in pregnancy yoga classes. I found it so relaxing and the advice given by my instructor who was also a doula (and pregnant herself) was incredibly helpful. I have no doubts it helped me 'mentally' prepare for labour.  A lot of my tips will stem from the advice I was given from the instructor. We were shown  positions to use ourselves during pregnancy and that could help us cope with labour.
I think it's suitable once you are over 12 weeks.

Birth Plan
I'm sure everybody does one, it's unlikely it'll go exactly how you've written it but do one! From who your birth partner is, to music you want, to pain relief. Include everything! The midwife who delivered Eliot was fantastic and thoroughly read through mine so was fully aware of our wishes. I was lucky that only one thing that didn't go to plan with mine.
Just don't set your heart on it.

Stay Calm
With your first baby you have no idea what to expect and that in itself freaked me out! But I quickly realised there was no point in stressing about it and the advice at yoga definitely helped. Remaining calm during labour also helps with natural pain relief. Stress releases adrenaline which will make the pain worse. I like to think I remained as calm as possible during labour but subconsciously who knows!

Breathe
During yoga we were taught breathing techniques to help relax and advised to use these to breathe through contractions. Deep breaths in through the nose and exhaling through the mouth. I would say keep these up for as long as you can, you go into your own zone and I certainly didn't keep this up but it helps in the early stages.

Stay active
Advice that stuck in my mind from pregnancy yoga was not to lay on my back.  It tends to slow labour down and gravity can't do it's job as well. Being as mobile as possible, walking, bouncing on a birthing ball are good for helping things progress naturally. Obviously how active you can be depends on how your labour progresses.

Pain relief
Think carefully about the pain relief you want. The thought of a needle in my spine totally freaked me out so from the outset I knew if I could cope I did not want an epidural.
From early on in my pregnancy I wanted my labour to be as natural as possible. In the early stages I used a TENs machine and once I was in established labour I used gas and air.
Get all the information, pros and cons of the different types of pain relief available so you can choose the best option/s for you.

Give gas and air a chance
This didn't happen to me but I've heard gas and air can make you feel very sick on the first couple of go's so you don't use it. A midwife told me if you keep going you get past this and can use the benefits of gas and air.
I recommend using it if you require stitches after giving birth too, the local anaesthetic alone didn't  cut it for me!

My two must haves for labour next time would be

•  A birthing ball. I didn't have one at home but would definitely get one.
• Gas and air, it got me through contractions

What are your tips for labour?

My Pregnancy 28-40 Weeks

This was the final leg…we were getting closer to meeting our boy! I still wasn't free of unscheduled visits to the antenatal unit, read on for my third trimester experience.

Morning Sickness

None at this stage

Cravings
None really at this point, occasionally still had my milkshake craving.

Scares
By this stage of my pregnancy I was a lot calmer and relaxed about any worries. At 36 weeks Ailsa visited for the usual routine pregnancy checks. Unfortunately my blood pressure was a bit high and there was protein in my urine. Ailsa was concerned it could be pre-eclampsia. So she took some blood to save me waiting at the hospital and sent me to the antenatal assessment unit. When I got there they checked bubs’ heartbeat, which was all good and took my blood pressure which had mysteriously but thankfully gone back to a normal reading. The blood test result concluded it wasn’t pre-eclampsia, thank goodness!
At 39 weeks I hadn’t felt bubs move much so thought it would be wise just to get checked out at hospital. I handed over my notes and explained why I was there. As soon as I sat down to wait the little fella decided to do a dance! What a relief but typical he decided to move as soon as I arrived! They did their usual checks, hearbeat, urine, blood pressure. Baby was fine but they were concerned about pre-eclampsia again. So that meant a battle to get blood…again. By this point I’d sort of gotten used to the whole process so it didn’t bother me as much. Results came back normal so I was able to go and the following day Annie was visiting for another routine check, I felt pretty chilled.

Midwives

At 28 weeks I had an appointment at the hospital to get the anti d injection as my blood is Rhesus negative. I didn’t explain this previously, for anyone who’s not sure this meant if baby’s blood was Rhesus positive and our bloods crossed, my body would develop antibodies which would affect any future pregnancies. Even though I’d already had a couple of anti d doses you still have the one at 28 weeks.
Next it was the usual midwife appointments, I met two more of the midwives from the team who were nice but I didn’t feel as comfortable with as I did with Annie, Ailsa or Johanna. From 36 weeks the midwives came to do the routine checks at home.
t was Ailsa who was first to visit at home and the above (in scares) drama happened. Because of the ‘drama’ Ailsa wanted me to be seen the following week as opposed to two weeks later. At 37 weeks I met Jane, all the checks showed that there were no problems and she was happy to leave me to be seen two weeks later at 39 weeks. My next visit was from Annie who I hadn’t seen since my booking appointment at 10 weeks. She arrived with a student midwife, did the usual and booked me in for an induction in case our boy decided to stay comfy two weeks after my due date 24/6/13. Whilst Annie was feeling the position of bubs she said, ‘I don’t think he’s small’. Just what every woman wants to hear at 39 weeks pregnant haha!

Scans

I had been indecisive about booking a 4D scan as they are expensive and not a necessity. Friends had recommended them and I knew I would regret it if I didn’t have one. When Wowcher had one on offer I bought the deal and booked in for the scan at 29 weeks. We were so excited to see our boy in 4D and wondered who he would look like.

On the day, bubs chose to be uncooperative, much like the 20 week scan and didn’t want to move around too much but we did get some amazing viewing of him yawning and pulling funny faces. We left with some photos and a DVD. He looked like someone I’d seen before, it was strange but I guess it was because he looked like one of us.

If you’re undecided about having one, I would definitely recommend having the 4D scan, purely for experiencing seeing your little miracle so clearly. It brought tears to our eyes!





My Pregnancy 13-27 Weeks

So here we were in the second trimester of pregnancy, looking forward to more scans and feeling those first flutters!

 Morning Sickness

My morning sickness completely disappeared before the second trimester, I was lucky!

 Cravings

I still had my inklings for strawberry milkshakes but also went through a short phase of craving cheese and tomato pizza from Dominos.

 Scares

Unfortunately little scares kept us on our toes throughout our pregnancy!

I’d started to feel really noticeable flutters around the 18-19 week mark. At 23 weeks I there was an evening when I hadn’t really felt much and I started to worry. The next morning at work my colleague and I were doing some lesson planning but all I could think about were the ‘none’ baby movements. I called the midwife and ended up bursting into uncontrollable tears. The midwife did her best to reassure me and told me to come up to the antenatal unit so she could listen to bubs’ heartbeat. I’d gotten myself in to such a state, my colleague had to get the ok from our boss. So off I went, when I arrived at the antenatal unit I was greeted by a jam packed waiting area of blossoming bumps. Luckily I didn’t have to wait long until the midwife I’d spoken to called me. This was my first meeting with Johanna, she made me feel at ease and reassured me. It took what seemed like forever to find bubs’ heartbeat and I could feel the panic start to kick in. Soon it was swept away by relief when Johanna tracked down the heartbeat, all was ok.

 At 25 weeks I got up to go to work one morning and saw the tiniest spot of blood when I went to the loo. After my previous experiences a few weeks earlier and having found out all looked ok with our bubs at the 12 Week Scan, I felt remarkably calm. I pre-warned my boss that I might have to dash off as I knew if I called the midwife they would tell me to go to the hospital. I didn’t experience any further bleeding so didn’t call the midwife until the afternoon who said I should go to the antenatal assessment unit as I was rhesus negative. I was going up to the hospital anyhoo to get blood taken as the midwife couldn’t get enough for some routine tests.

Went and got my blood done first which again proved unproblematic for the phlebotomist, then made my way to antenatal.

They did the usual checks, blood pressure, urine, listened to bubs’ heartbeat but also wanted to take more blood…are you kidding?! I had just been downstairs in the blood clinic! Alas it was an important test to check if any of baby’s blood had crossed into mine. Of course may veins weren’t playing ball and after a couple of attempts by one midwife she asked her colleague to have a go, which she managed from the back of my wrist and boy did it hurt when she took the needle out. I was not a happy bunny! I then had to wait for my anti d injection to be sent up with some very heavily pregnant women, some of whom were in early labour, daunting to say the least!

This certainly wasn’t my last visit to the antenatal assessment unit, I was there again, I can’t remember exactly why (that’s why I should of documented all my memories at the time) but I met Johanna again as the midwife on the unit couldn’t manage to get my blood so they called for the midwife from the team who was at the hospital and it happened to be Johanna, which I was happy about.  Much to my relief she managed to take some blood on her first attempt.

 Midwives

At my 16 week appointment I met a midwife called Ailsa, she was very calm and informative, again someone else I would feel happy with delivering my baby. At my next appointment I met a different woman from their team but did not feel as comfortable as with the other three I had met, I guess it was just that personal feeling you get sometimes.

 Scans

Looking back now, I had heaps of scans, much more than the usual two that most normal, low risk pregnancies have.

One of my best friends bought us a private gender scan as a gift. At 16 weeks we found out the sex our baby. I was so excited to find out if we were expecting a girl or boy, I didn’t mind what it was as long as he or she was healthy but I was convinced it was a girl! So when the sonographer said ‘congratulations it’s a boy!’ I was taken aback. Daddy was very happy as he was desperate to have a boy! We had lunch after and discussed names as now we could really pinpoint one. We then went on a bit of a spree and bought our first few bits of boy’s clothes.

Our next scan was at 18 weeks as we’d been referred for a heart scan because there was a history on my mum’s side of the family. We were excited to see our bubs again but at the back of my mind I was aware at any scan things could change drastically. I was scanned for about an hour but thankfully all looked. They said baby was still very small so they wouldn’t necessarily pick up anything and booked us in for another appointment in a few weeks time.

 Next on the list was the important 20 week anomaly scan. That day our boy decided to be particularly stubborn. The sonographer confirmed ‘he’ was a ‘he’ and saw most of the things she needed to apart, from one side of the heart. So first of all I was required to do some ridiculous thrusting movements to prompt him to move but no joy came from those! Off I was sent on a jaunt around the GP surgery to see if that might entice bubs to turn…still no joy. Of course I was thrilled when she then asked me to go have some chocolate and a sugary drink. I certainly didn’t need an excuse for chocolate! Even after all that our lil man still hadn’t budged so it was back to those thrusting movements. Eventually after all that malarkey the sonographer saw what she needed and everything looked ok. The only small issue was that my placenta was lying low. I would need to have another scan at 36 weeks to check it had moved out of the way, if not it would mean Caesarean, eeek!

At 26 weeks it was back to hospital for the second heart scan. Now our boy was bigger, they confirmed that everything looked ok. They do warn you that not all heart defects can be picked up on the scan. Of course we were happy and relieved that bubs looked healthy.

Other

I’d been looking into different types exercise and started pregnancy yoga around 17 weeks. It had been recommended by one of the midwives who had also warned me that in her experience ,women who had done pregnancy Pilates were more likely to tear. Of course she wasn’t saying every women who did it would but that definitely put me off!

We have a children’s centre attached to the school I work at and they ran pregnancy yoga there, ‘Yoga Bumps’. It was a great deal cheaper than other pregnancy yoga classes I’d looked into. The lady who ran it was also a Doula and was expecting her own baby. I found it extremely relaxing and found it helped prepare me for labour and birth, I definitely give it 10/10 for pregnancy exercise.

My pregnancy 0-12 Weeks

Weeks 0-12

I was around 4-5 weeks pregnant when I made the discovery I was expecting, read my experience here

From the moment I found out I was terrified something was going to go wrong and I would miscarry. I was desperate to get to the 12 week stage, have the scan, see and hear my baby’s heartbeat and be told everything looked normal. So of course the weeks dragged on and here are a few of the things I experienced.

Morning Sickness
After hearing and reading about other mum to be’s morning sickness traumas I was very lucky with my experience! It must have been around 7 weeks I started to get nausea. It would come on as quick as it would go. I’d be teaching my class and all of a sudden I’d feel sick and start to retch. Some of the kids would notice and look at me like I was nuts. It would last for a couple of minutes at most and then disappear. I noticed being very hungry at this stage of pregnancy and I would get nauseous if I got hungry. I found dry cream crackers helped and had a pack on my desk at work. I was lucky it never got worse than this. The hunger would wake me in the early hours and I would get up to chomp on a cereal bar or something like it. 

Cravings

I was always asked by friends and family if I had any cravings. During this time period I remember fancying strawberry milkshakes and would pick a bottle up on a jaunt to the supermarket.

Scares
When I thought I was around the 11 week mark, I went to the loo and noticed brown blood when I wiped. Naturally I panicked and thought the worse especially when over the course of the afternoon it increased and I saw red blood.
I was extremely upset and my other half went into panic mode too. I looked up early pregnancy clinics and my bf called our local hospital who booked us in the following day. I was due for the booking appointment with the midwife around the same time so had to call and cancel. She tried to reassure me as I wasn’t experiencing any pain. It was a long rest of the day and night and I became quite hysterically upset at one point.
The next day the bleeding had seemed to have worn off and we made our way to the early pregnancy clinic.

There were several other people there and I waited anxiously. They took a urine sample and my blood pressure, then there was more anxious waiting for a scan.

When we were eventually called I explained what had happened to the doctor and got ready to be scanned, petrified of what the outcome might be. She prodded and pressed as she rolled the scan wand across me then said she needed to do an internal scan. My heart dropped. But soon after the internal scan had started she said ‘I can see the heartbeat’, what an overwhelming sense of relief and happiness I felt and shed a few tears. The doctor dated me at 10 weeks, so a week earlier than originally thought. She told me if I experienced similar bleeding in the next couple of days not to worry but if it happened after that then to come back.
A week and a half later I went to the loo on my lunch break and the same thing happened, there was brown blood. I burst into tears and called the early pregnancy clinic. They told me I needed to get there before 4pm to ensure a scan. I got hold of my boss and she agreed to let me go early. Thankfully all was ok and this time little bubba was bouncing all over the place. They did struggle to take blood from me at this appointment but were eager to get so they would know if I was Rhesus negative as this would impact any future bleeds and I would need an anti d injection. It turned out I am Rhesus negative so would need anti d in the future.

Midwives
I had my first appointment with the midwife I’d spoken to when I had my scare. She explained that at my GP surgery there were a team of midwives and over the course of my pregnancy, I would meet them all with the idea that one of them would deliver my baby. The midwife was called Annie, I really liked her, she was honest and straight talking, someone who I would’ve been happy with delivering my baby. It was a looonng appointment, going through the maternity notes book and answering several questions…I thought all my midwife appointments would be  that length! She decided to let the phlebotomist (jeez I can barely say the word, never mind spell it!)  at the hospital take my blood when I went for the 12 week scan, as I explained my veins weren’t very co-operative and I had an aversion to blood tests. My ‘aversion’ stems from when I had an operation in my early twenties. The anaesthetist couldn’t get a vein to put me to sleep so I was constantly having a needle inserted, in the end they put me out with the gas as I became hysterical. Then they were successful eventually… I woke up with several needle marks all over my hands, arms and back of wrists. It’s not really the needle that bothers me, it’s the process of finding a viable vein that I find extremely creepy!

Scans
So we had seen our little miracle at 10 and 11 and a half weeks but I still couldn’t wait for the all important 12 week scan. I went for the blood tests first and sat very unhappily waiting for my turn with the phlebotomist. What a surprise and relief when after checking both arms he got blood very easily. After almost shedding a couple of fear tears, I expected him to say he needed to try the other arm but nope he’d done his job perfectly and extracted some of my blood for the purposes required! He told me my ‘best arm’ for future tests and off we went to wait for our scan. 

When we went in I perched on the bed I was both excited and anxious, even though bubba had appeared ok in the two previous scans I was still paranoid! This was short lived when the grainy image appeared. Our little bubs looked chilled laying, back and raising its hand to its mouth. The sonographer told us that everything appeared to be normal at this stage, what a relief.

We were overjoyed and left with scan photos for us and grandparents.

Our little bubs at 12+4

14th December 2012 was a magical day

This time last year I was 12 weeks and 4 days pregnant, we were due for the 12 week scan. I felt a mixture of emotions, excited, anxious, worried. I'd experienced a couple of bleeds in the two weeks running up to the scan and had thought the worst! We had got hold of the early pregnancy clinic at the hospital and they had done scans which assured us baby was fine.
Still things could have changed by the 12 week scan, I couldn't wait to see my baby again and this time take pictures home but a small cloud loomed with my fears.
We waited ages and must have been the last people of the day to be seen. The sonographer did her job and I was relieved, excited, happy that our little bundle looked all well. We watched as he moved and lifted his hand to his mouth...truly magical.
Now that little grainy image is almost 6 months, absolute madness!

                                  .                          

Today I'm linking up with Magic Moments 

The Baby Show Olympia

At the weekend we went to 'The Baby Show' at Olympia. I was desperate to go to the show back in February whilst I was pregnant but in the end never got round to getting tickets. But the other half got them this time! I thought it would be helpful to do a review for anyone considering going to any of the future 'Baby Shows'

I really enjoyed our day out and would recommend it to any parents but particularly first time expectant parents! There was everything you could possibly ever need for a new arrival under one roof. From big brands such as Maxi Cosi, Mothercare and Tommee Tippee to independent retailers. Pretty much all of them were offering cheaper prices on the day but I would say do your research before you go, as a lot of stuff you can find cheaper elsewhere. For example I was in Tesco the other day about to buy a Gro-Egg that was priced at £13. However I thought I'd wait until the show to see if it was cheaper. That wasn't the case and they were more expensive at £17.50.
I must say I was overwhelmed by all the stalls, when I'm like that  I go in to 'buy mode' so I did have to refrain myself from buying items we didn't really need. With that in mind I think it would be a good idea to go with a list of things you need to purchase and try to avoid impulse buys. Another tip would be to make sure you go round the exhibition at least once to compare prices. Also give haggling a go, someone did it next to me and managed to get a deal to save some money!
We didn't get round to seeing any of the talks with guest speakers/experts but it's worthwhile choosing any you wish to listen to and shopping around them. I would've liked to have gone to the 'First Aid' talk.

For any parents with young children there was a Fisher Price crèche to keep them entertained whilst parents shopped.
There was a big changing area with plenty of changing tables, we used it a few times and never had to wait. They were also giving away packs of Asda nappies and wipes as well as offering them for changing. We came away with three packs of nappies and about five wipes!

Some of the things we got up to...

1. Meeting Apprentice winner Tom at his 'Nipper Clipper' stall.

2. & 3. Eliot and myself testing out the giant Fisher Price bouncer.

4. A view of the exhibition.

What we bought...



Five bibs for £10 from Funky Giraffe after reading Emma's review on her blog Emma and Alfie

They really are lovely and there was such a vast range to choose from, we couldn't decide and were at the stall for ages! They are thick and soft which means the dribble does not get through!

 1.

 1.Personalised train. £1 for each letter/carriage. 

2. Pink lining 'Blooming Gorgeous' change bag £55.

3. New invention by Tom from The Apprentice. Baby Nail Clippers & file £5.

I'd been looking at personalised trains on 'Not On The High Street' and had been planning on getting one. When Eliot moves in to his own room his bedding is train themed so I wanted little touches to got with that.

I really like Pink Lining change bags and I've had my eye on them since I was pregnant but never got round to getting one. So when their older designs were on offer for £55 I couldn't resist!

We met Tom who seemed like a genuinely nice guy, asked about Eliot and told us about his son. He also signed our purchase! These nail clippers are great and feel totally different to using other bay nail clippers.

We didn't buy much as obviously with a four month old we have all the 'big' essentials. All in all we had a great afternoon!

Did you go to the baby show?

A year ago today...

Today is a cause for celebration! Exactly a year ago today we found out I was pregnant, a whole bloomin' year!!! Where did all those months go?! What an array of emotions I've been through since then! I remember just wanting to get through each day/week/month just so I had my baby safe in my arms. Now I wish I could slow the clocks down so he didn't seem to be growing so fast! I vividly remember how I found out. A life changing moment I will never forget! I had some scary moments throughout the different stages of pregnancy. Read about them here First Trimester, Second Trimester, Third Trimester



 

How many weeks were you when you found out you were expecting?

Finding out...

I remember many a year ago back in my teenage days saying to a group of friends, 'when I get pregnant I want to be ready (in terms of age/home/work etc) but I want it to be a surprise'. And that's how it pretty much happened.

My other half and I had discussed having a family on many occasions and decided we would see what happened after my 30th Birthday in September 2012. In October I remember thinking my period was late but not reading into it as I have polycystic ovaries, therefore I'd experienced missed periods before and thought it would be more of a challenge to become pregnant. It crossed my mind that I should take a pregnancy test but put it off as I didn't actually believe I could be pregnant. Then one Thursday, one of my colleagues commented on how I looked different that day and I appeared 'glowing'. I brushed it off but in the back of my mind thought 'maybe I should take a pregnancy test'.

So on a rainy Friday after work I picked up a two pack pregnancy test in the pound shop as I happened to be in there. I thought I don't want to splash out on a fancy digital one just yet, but more so as I didn't think I could be pregnant.

I arrived home and headed straight to the loo! My other half wasn't home and I hadn't mentioned anything to him. Little did we know our lives were going to change...

The tests from the pound shop were strips that you dipped into your wee rather than the usual pee on stick type. I grabbed a disposable plastic cup, did what I had to do and dipped the strip inside. Then I lay it flat on some tissue. I waited for a bit then took a peek...much to my disbelief I could see a faint blue line where it confirmed you were pregnant, so automatically I had to do the second strip. Again it turned blue, I felt an array of emotions, shocked, happy, excited but still did not believe I was pregnant. By this time my partner was home, so I told him 'I think I'm pregnant' and he was as surprised as me! Thinking that the pound shop tests couldn't possibly be right I dashed out again to Superdrug to get another one. Of course it came back positive and it sunk in that we were expecting a bubba!

Still I had to go out the following day and buy a digital one that predicted how many weeks pregnant I was...

                              It was very early days but our pregnancy journey had begun :)

What was your experience of 'finding out' like? Did you take a mountain of tests to confirm?