Pregnancy #56

[plonkington]

All this talk of 4D scans reminds me of a friend who had one a few years ago with her first and I thought the whole thing kind of looked like a lasagna
I didn’t with my first and doubt I will again it put me off 🫣

thought I’d just update after having my flap last week about a referral for previous small baby, I have been to see the consultant and as you’d all said it was just a box ticking exercise as I just meet the criteria, I’ll be back again after the 20 week scan to confirm all is well in there and growing nicely, I’m already scheduled for 2 more scans later on and hopefully that should just be it.

 

[Laughalong]

Is it just me that’s been so much warmer since being pregnant? Online says you will be by a few degrees but probably won’t notice. Won’t notice?! I’m always warm! Before this my feet were ALWAYS freezing I would have to wear fluffy socks 24/7. Now I don’t need to wear them ever, and they’re unbearably hot. I’ve been sleeping with the window open every single night for weeks. Even if it’s like 2 degrees - just to be a normal temp. I’ve just plugged my fan in?

 

[rainbowunicorn9]

My only issue with my MIL is with my eldest she was our childcare one day a week and never stuck to the nap schedules I wanted her too so then my little one would be up til all hours in the evening and also they would let her have chocolate right before meal times so she wouldn’t eat her proper meals instead of sticking to giving her a small chocolate for pudding like I said was allowed but felt I couldn’t complain really as the childcare was free and overall she is really good with her. With my second the in laws kept asking us for names that we were going to be using too so we ended up telling them names we knew they wouldn’t like when second was born then they were like “did you change your mind when you saw him”

 

[raspberryjuice]

Oh they don’t look tooooo bad. I’m sure I’ll change my mind when I’ve got to do them daily though I read somewhere to do them in your stomach because it’s numb from your section anyway?

I just had to get my mum over to shave my legs because I couldn’t reach and I’m wearing a dress today. Pregnancy is so glam. Also wearing a proper bra rather than a maternity bra/crop top for the first time in months and feel like I’m being suffocated I don’t remember them being this uncomfortable!

 

[watermelon sugar]

I love this thread too! The baby threads seem to evolve like Pokemon so we will all be on the new baby thread together at some point too

 

[Lioness1]

Boys clothes are so bad! I absolutely hate character clothes and most of my in laws gifted us everything with Batman on it with my boy. I don’t mind the odd print, Zara do some cool print T-shirts but I mostly buy him cargos and plain T-shirts. I hate all this Spanish style stuff where everything in the shop is the same shade of baby pink or baby blue!
Another reason I don’t want to find out the gender, I’m worried about it being a girl and ending up with pink glittery tutus and massive bows

 

[George01]

Feel like the worst mum ever today, I'm so uncomfortable and irritable and my 2 year old is just being full of energy and I feel dead snappy feel like he's gonna hate me but I just have no energy at all today

 

[littlepup]

Ahhhh ok! Apologies if I gave any misinformation, I just went off what was said to me.

I should probably have added, I was only 18 weeks so it was way before viability for me so maybe that's why they said what they said and didn't mention any of the above?

Not at all, the midwive can just be a bit flippant like they expect you to know so they don’t give a full picture. I just wanted to say it because I know how they can be and you can only go in what you’re told.

I called up yesterday, I keep getting crazy movements, like their whole body is flapping. I joking said to OH ‘baby’s having a fit again’ then thought ‘shit, could they actually be having a fit?’ and panicked myself.
Anyway, I told midwife ‘it’s like they’re having a seizure, they move every limb so fast for 5-10 seconds then just stop’ - she said ‘no babies can’t have seizures in the womb, it’s just normal’.
Well, yes, maybe it is normal and in the wider context of what she said I was reassured but they can, very rarely, but it’s possible for them to have seizures. I get the don’t want to worry or baffle us with too much information but when they say things that aren’t true or leave out information it undermines your confidence it them.
---

I keep seeing something along a similar line which I won’t say what as it’s v triggering and same I scroll past as quick as I can but it sends me into a panic

Social media posts of children getting Cancer or other illnesses absolutley did me in in my first year of being a mum. I block it all, and anything about bad pregnancy outcomes. It’s not that I don’t care, it’s self preservation. If you block enough, hopefully eventually you don’t see it x

 

[aggytha]

I keep seeing all over my Tiktok FYP and also on a couple due date groups I'm in people recommending the Owlet smart sock. I was just wondering if anyone on here has used one with a previous baby and recommends it?

I mentioned it to my partner and he said although it sounds amazing in theory, as I am a really anxious person he thinks it would actually make me more anxious as I'd be checking it continuously. Just wondered other peoples thoughts?

I’d love to know peoples opinions on them too, but speaking as someone who was extremely anxious after giving birth to my first, even if I could afford them for the twins this time around, I’m not sure I’d buy them.

I definitely took it to the extreme and would set my alarm every hour to check on baby (assuming they didn’t already wake to feed before that) and I drove myself mad with intrusive thoughts. I like to think (and hope!) that this time I’ll be a little bit more relaxed (although it’s worth pointing out it is normal to worry about your baby, that’s parenthood forever!) but I feel like if I had an owlet I would obsess as much as I did the last time and focus more on trusting the device and numbers than actually using my common sense and eyes to visibly check they are well?

I’m not really sure what I’m trying to say here I’m sure there are plenty of people who have positive experiences with them, but I do think they should be used with caution.

I think it’s really important to follow the advice of The Lullaby Trust and they advise a movement monitor (like a Snuza) over an Owlet. There’s info on the website that might help you decide whether it’s right for you

https://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Movement-Monitors-Fact-Sheet-SNUZA-update-Jul-19-v2.docx

 

[Cloak]

Saw my husband’s fam for lunch yesterday and they were wanging on about how #2 is going to be a boy because “there hasn’t been a girl in the {their surname} family for generations! (Despite the fact there has been, and she was there with us at the lunch!!) but that’s not what annoyed me, it was more like…. OK BUT WHAT ABOUT THE CLOAK FAMILY?

Tbf they were being kind of lighthearted about it but it also reminded me of the time they were ABSOLUTELY baffled by the fact that #1 had blonde hair, despite his mum’s (me) hair being fucking blonde!

 

[George01]

I am so hormonal today, I've cried a lot. My 2 year old had his 2 year review and I have been so stressed thinking we were gonna be judged but the HV was so lovely saying how happy he is and how he must have a loving environment felt nice to have some reassurance when I've not been feeling like the best mum recently!
I had almost forgotten how stressful the HV coming was and cant believe I'm starting it all over again this year haha

 

[Lucyxxxx]

I finally had a baby! Latent labour for a whole day and night went in, got sent away at 1-2 cm after all that bloody latent labour, had a sweep at the maternity unit and scurried back a few hours later; had the water birth I’d hoped for this afternoon now to introduce her to her big brother!

Awwwww congratulations hope your both well.


I had a scare earlier. Never had braxton hicks before. Was having period pains every 6 minutes. Maternity said she's probably just moving upwards but to ring back/go in if it continued. Pains have stopped now and she's defo moved upwards as I can't physically bend down now and have been able to feel my belly stretching. Defo my last baby.

 

[aggytha]

I keep feeling so big I can’t believe I’ve got another 10 weeks or so to go. Growth scan has just confirmed it, baby is a unit (for my size)
29 weeks and 3.6lb estimated, 97th percentile, fundal height is 2-3 weeks ahead.
I’ve another scan in 3-4 weeks, if they’re still tracking large they’ll do the GD test but I’ve got some urine strips and never shown glucose issues yet.
NGL I’m a bit upset at getting stretch marks this time and scared how immobile and uncomfortable I’ll get considering how I’m already feeling. I was quite small last time so close to my size at 39 weeks already despite gaining less weight. Happy obviously they look healthy and strong already, excited to book a 4D scan and glad to have more info to make the Vbac/c-sec decision easier.

I feel you! I’m already bigger than I was full term with my first. I just noticed my first ever stretch marks a few days ago (right next to my belly button, where I’ve been feeling bruised the past few weeks!) …so not even in a “nice” or inconspicuous place I always thought I wouldn’t be that bothered if I got them, but it has annoyed me more than I’d like to admit because I never had any the first time round!

I’m also really scared how my body is going to get through the next couple of months, I feel like it’s already shutting down

just remember that knowledge is power and that’s the great thing about extra scans x

 

[aggytha]

Definitely lactulose or laxido from your GP! I was prescribed some in 2nd trimester but my bowels seem back to normal now I’m in my 3rd

- - -

What smells can you not stand? I’ve been drinking fruit & barley summer fruits but usually I get the Asda own, I bought the Robinson’s one and the smell is knocking me sick Everytime I have a swig I’m borking I’m finding it such a weird smell to not like, my first pregnancy it was cat food that sent me

when I was in the height of my sickness, the smell of cucumber and pepper made me fully vom. If my husband was in the kitchen cutting it for our toddler (her fav veg!) I’d be able to smell it from two rooms away basically any food or the smell of the oven on killed me off.

now I am fully obsessed and craving “nice smells”. I have to wash my hands and face with a particular soap constantly I crave to clean with particular cleaning products and have to carry a tissue with tea tree oil around with me because I love the smell of it so much I even went into our garage the other day to open a bottle white spirit because I was desperate to sniff it (from a distance, don’t worry guys. I assure you all there is no full on solvent abuse going on. I am crazy, but not completely stupid )

 

[George01]

Complete detail so very sorry, but yikes pregnancy constipation is no joke is it. Ouch.

Oh don't it's a nightmare! If I go into detail about how little I go the toilet with my partner one more time I think I'll be a single mum think I make it worse that I celebrate when I manage to go hahahaha

 

[Lucyxxxx]

How are you halfway already?? that’s gone so fast (for me, probably not for you!)

No its been hard but also gone really fast for me as well! Saying to my fella it's crazy a whole new person's gonna be here in roughly 4 or so months. It's going too fast for my liking. I don't want anymore after this one but he's up for more. I'd love a huge family but with the 2 current youngest having special needs I've decided there's room for one more and that's it.

 

[aggytha]

It really doesn’t, just moves onto the next thing instead 🥲 I think it’s similar to endometriosis but it’s quite hard to diagnose, my mum didn’t get diagnosed until years after we’d all been born, but I have read it’s thought to be inheritable which is partly why it’s scaring me so much x

my mum had severe endometriosis and adenomyosis throughout her 20’s and 30’s (she also didn’t know for a long while and ended up having a hysterectomy in her early 40’s) and she had 4 successful pregnancies/labours between the ages of 18-30, none of which were preterm. Not trying to downplay your anxieties, just wanted to let you know that her conditions never had any affect on pregnancy or birth

 

[raspberryjuice]

If money was no object, what’s the one pregnancy/baby item you’d splurge on? (Or perhaps already have)
Just curious/nosey haha

The best thing I’ve bought so far was a BBhugme pillow. They’re pricey but it’s been 100% worth every penny for me - definitely worth the splurge.

I do want to buy a 360 car seat instead of the one that came with our travel system so I don’t have to take it in and out of the car all the time to get baby in and out, but that’s the one thing I’m putting off paying out for as we do have another one so it seems a bit of a waste when I could just upgrade for the next stage car seat. But i’ll probably still buy one because they’re not too expensive just seems a massive waste of a couple hundred ££.

 

[littlepup]

I didn’t ask the original question but as a FTM, this post is so, so helpful. Thank you

I don’t realise how many typos there were specifically built in mits, mamia wipes aren’t too wet OR dry and I used a rucksack AND folding change mat like this.
https://amzn.eu/d/hDzirPX

Obviously it’s all personal. I went quite minimal and still had loads too much but equally found I had to get things after I didn’t know I’d need (like the skin friendly dummies, hadn’t even planned to use them, just had a free one I tried and baby loved it).
I was also given lots of bits at later stages like sensory toys, teethers, a tummy time roll, play mat, I had a swing seat and so on but nothing was a necessity.
Other’s lists would be different but it’s just important to remember that influencers are flexing and making money off convincing you that you need things. Plus, you don’t need everything all at once. You can do your research and add it to the basket or make a note of it then next day delivery is always there if you want it.

 

[Laughalong]

Thank you everyone. I’ve emailed my manager explaining it all finally, I guess it’s felt like a silly issue because it’s not something physical or whatever, but really it’s consuming my life both at home where my house is clean - let alone at this dusty dirty office xx