A Mummy-To-Be…

We have just returned from our 21 week ante-natal appointment with the MW. The one I saw last time, if you re-call, was efficient but quite po-faced and didn’t make it an overly enjoyable experience, so I was pleased to see a different face this time.

The MW I saw was young (probably not much older than us) and she has just returned to work after having her 2nd baby which is nice because actually being pregnant and having a baby (including all the worries) are all fresh in her mind!

She asked both Matt and I if we had any questions (the last MW looked annoyed that he had dared to even come in with me) and answered everything I asked about my pains/aches etc. She said it was all normal and that unless I am crippled with pain that I shouldn’t worry. She went on to explain that my uterus is still stretching a lot and how it’s gone from being flat like a carrier bag to more of a balloon. We talked about the discharge I had last week before my scan. She’s put my mind at rest about that too.

She checked the heartbeat, which she said sounded “lovely” and also checked the fundal height which is measuring 2cm bigger but she said that’s fine too.

All in all a nice appointment Seeing her again in 4 weeks

Last night and this morning I have had some more “spotting”, so needless to say, I was not looking as forward to the scan as I had been, even though I had been nervous anyway, but I spent the two hours before the scan sobbing with worry.

Anyway, we told the sonographer what has happened and she started the scan.

The news today is that all is absolutely fine with Flump. He’s measuring at 20+6 which would put us at our original date when we first calculated but obviously the date doesn’t change as it is less than a week. His belly and thigh bone were both measuring a week and a day ahead at 21+5 but she said with regard to the leg, that’s a good thing as short legs can be a sign of something being wrong.

He weighs approximately around 1lb as of today.

The placenta is anterior and is not at all low which I am pleased about. She said all is fine with him and the placenta and she could see no reason for the discharge at all. Told me to mention it at my next midwife appointment which is Wednesday but didn’t seem concerned. She said that sometimes it can be that your cervix is sensitive so it can bleed but it won’t harm the baby at all.

Anyway, everything is good and here are our scan pics:

We also stuck to our plan and went shopping afterwards for our first ever baby items. We bought more than intended because we got carried away. We spent £90 but bringing home baby stuff for our OWN baby is just so cool! It’s made it feel more real!

As we are firmly remaining [color=green]Team Green[/color] so we have no idea as to what sex Flump is, so we bought everything in neutral colours but it’s all gorgeous. Here is a picture!

We were laying in bed this morning and I told Matt that my stomach was quite hard so he moved over to feel. He then rested his hand on my belly and all of a sudden, I felt some movement from Flump.

Not for one second did I think that Matt would feel it, but he immediately said to me “Was that you?” and I very excitedly, said “No, did you feel that?” to which he replied “Yes!”

I burst into tears as to me it is just another bonding moment for Matt and for all three of us really. It must make it so much more real to him. I feel the pains, movements etc on a daily basis. I’m the one who has felt sick and all sorts of other things since finding out we were pregnant, but up until now, everything he has seen and heard has just been from me.

He was very excited and I plan to eat chocolate today to see if we can get him moving again so that Matt can try and get another feel of him moving. (Good excuse to eat chocolate eh?)

What a lovely start to the morning!!

Our 20 week anomoly scan which looks for any abnormalities in the baby is this coming Friday (26th October). I’m nervous, which I’m bound to be, but also very excited.

I’m nervous because it’s a big scan, although I’m confident it will all be fine. I’m excited because;

1. We get to see Flump again. There should be quite a difference again as he has been going through a growth spurt.
2. After the scan we are going to purchase our first ever baby items! Bringing home baby clothes will make it seem even more real than it already is. I cannot wait!!

I’ve been feeling what I think are a few flutterings from Flump over the past week or so. At first I was convinced that they were just my bowel or my own pulse that I could feel but they are definite movements (called “quickening” in the pregnancy books).

It feels so nice to know that I am starting to feel him move. It makes things seem more real.

He’s still down low, on my bladder, so I’m weeing ALL the time. I go, flush, and then feel like I need to go again almost before I have even left the bathroom. The heaviness in the bottom of my stomach is also a bit of a nuisance as I feel like I have a lot of pressure down there which has worried me at times. All seems to be entirely normal though!

Things seem to be going well anyway. Our next scan is on October 26th.

After our scan on Friday, I was elated. My mind felt at rest and I felt happy.

I don’t know what’s happened this week, but that’s all changed.

I feel really low and miserable and worried about absolutely everything. I ended up in tears yesterday and again this morning. Weeks 17-20 are big growth weeks for Flump, which means they will be for me too and I’m starting to see a slight change when I lay down. The pains have been worrying me. They aren’t terrible, excruciating, nor do they have be doubled up in agony so I don’t know why I am worrying so much.. but I am.

At the end of the day I feel a heaviness in the bottom of my stomach. Many others have said that they feel like this to at week 18/19. Some even say they feel like they have swallowed a bowling ball. I read something that scared me and my mind has gone into over-drive since.

Matt hates that I get myself worked up into these states just by reading something on the internet. I hate myself for it. I know it’s ridiculous but this is my first time and I don’t know what is normal and what isn’t. My sister has been through pregnancy 3 times in 8 years, but if what I feel is different to what she felt, then I can’t really ask her advice or have my mind put to rest.

How are you meant to know what’s normal and what isn’t anyway? I think the answer is, it’s impossible as everyone is different.

I went to the doctor this afternoon. Just for some re-assurance really. I saw a new doctor at the surgery. A lady. She was very nice. She checked my wee, all fine. BP was fine. Felt my stomach and said it seemed fine. She got a doppler and told me it would be too early so I corrected her and told her we had been listening to the baby since 13 weeks. She seemed shocked. She found Flump a couple of times but hew wasn’t staying still for her. He is wise to the doppler now and moves away from it after a few seconds. I felt she was looking a little bit too low though but never mind. I had heard it at home and it sounded the same as usual.

All in all she said things seemed fine. I don’t really feel “better” as such. I still feel miserable and worried, even though I’m not entirely sure what it is I’m worried about.

The words “pull yourself together” spring to mind.

As you know, we had our first Babybond scan 2 weeks ago, BUT, what we didn’t realise at the time was that we could have had it recorded! So, we called last weekend and checked and booked another 2D scan with DVD and we went Friday 5th Ocotber in the afternoon for another viewing of Flump!

It was so amazing to see him again and to see how much he had grown in 2 weeks. He has lots more bone now and even some muscle definition!

I wanted him to be wide awake and moving around as it would be more fun than him just laying there doing nothing on the DVD, so before I went in, I ate chocolate, drank a diet coke and a bottle of iced water. It worked a treat as he didn’t stay still the whole time which was fantastic. I even skipped into the room behind the sonographer to make sure he wasn’t sleeping! (Naughty Mummy!)

Anyway, here is our DVD:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP1l7kxNNfM

This is the edited version for now as the main one is 18 minutes long!!!

Well, as I expected, it was crap.

I had a midwife who just wanted to get on with things and who wasn’t exactly full of the joys of spring (well autumn) at all! Matt being there seemed like more of a hindrance than a good thing. He dared to comment on something and put her off what she was saying and then seemed a bit annoyed. 

She took my blood pressure (140/70) which was high for me. I’d dome it earlier and it was 110/66 as usual but I suffer from the “white coat syndrome” anyway. She then checked my urine, prodded my belly 3 times and then got the doppler out. Found the heartbeat quickly and then when I said we have a doppler at home, she proceeded to tell me that she doesn’t agree with people having them for home use because it makes them more anxious! Whatever! It makes me feel LESS anxious and it’s nice for bonding with my baby!

I have another appointment in 4 weeks time – Hallowe’en to be precise! Maybe I’ll see someone a bit more lively! Fingers crossed.