Pregnancy #63

[Vmanxx]

Hi all,

I'm new to this thread and am currently nearly 10 weeks. I apologise in advance for how long this'll probably be, and I'm not sure there's any real advice I can be given but I'm a first time mum, unplanned, and I've struggled with anxiety for a long time, I am also autistic.

I'm finding the day to day with my mental health really hard, I've been referred to a specialist midwife team but no contact yet, I've also been referred to a perinatal mental health team but again, not much contact yet. So far, I have been incredibly anxious around food and hygiene (toxoplasmosis and listeria), especially as I live with family and don't necessarily "control" a lot of my environment. I recently tested negative for toxoplasmosis but it's an ongoing worry - I wash my hands to the point of them cracking daily. I don't eat leftovers, in case they haven't been refrigerated or heated up again properly, I also won't eat anything even slightly past its use by date. I even feel anxious about plates that I've put down on the side, in case someone has had raw meat or unwashed vegetables on the side recently.

I'm also incredibly anxious about my upcoming 12 week screening and scan. I work for a disability charity, so potential issues are always at the forefront of my mind; I speak with people struggling to cope very frequently.

Not so prevalent, but still there, are worries about giving birth (tearing etc) and potential a c-section, as I believe I'm considered quite high risk because I am older, overweight and pre-diabetic.

I then have worries about my living situation (family members not keen on the idea of me being here with a baby and my partner lives far away, we were saving to buy a place together) and work, it just all feels overwhelming and never-ending...

Hello, I’m autistic as well and very similar around food hygiene (although as per my comment further up I’m fine with listeria worries, banned list foods etc) but I will only eat food that’s been bought that day or maybe the day before, must be taken from the back of the shelf for the longest date, can’t eat sauces/spreads that have been opened for more than my brain says is ok etc so I totally get you on that one. It’s exhausting!

Hopefully the mh team get in touch with you soon, don’t be afraid to chase them up if you need to x

 

[RedPotter]

I've been struggling with a really bad cold and the cough is just becoming too much. I'm so confused with what cold/cough medication is actually ok for me to take, Google is just confusing me more!

 

[anything at all]

The ‘pee’ in the night wasn’t actually pee but blood. I didn’t even notice until I checked the clothes I discarded to the floor in the middle of the night when getting ready to leave for the hospital to have the bleeding I woke up to checked out

They said they couldn’t see any active bleeding when examining me and other than lots of tightenings they were happy with baby. Keeping me in for 24 hours (unless bleeding properly starts again then a further 24hours) but it’s not fully stopped yet. They couldn’t test to check none of it was any of my waters because of blood? So that has me a little uneasy.

They got me to attend my pre op, growth scan and consaultant appointments as normal and I felt so bad for everyone around me sitting in the waiting area while I was coughing, sneezing and feeling like absolute tit

I’m not sure if it’s because I’m unwell or if I just lucked out but they’ve put me in a private room for the night instead of the bays so I can’t complain at that!
They did keep me from having to have anything to eat all day til around 6pm when someone finally told me it was okay - good practice for my Csection Monday I guess

I feel like I’m just being told so many different things by different people

First was told I could likely go home tonight/tomorrow, but then they came back in with a different dr who said they didn’t want me to go home, they were concerned about how his growth has slowed down and that they might deliver as soon as tomorrow

basically sounds like I’m not leaving until I have baby

my first was born at 37 weeks so it’s not really a surprise to me that things would happen early again (section was booked for Monday at 36+6, my placenta is still in the way a bit apparently)

Anyway to get over the cough/cold/headache/possible Covid in the next 24hs-few days?
I’m actually surprised my temperature keeps coming back as normal when they do observations because I’m absolutely boiling hot!

 

[ThisIsMyDragName]

How are we staving off nausea? I had to make an abrupt pit stop at an Aldi on the way home from somewhere yesterday because the minute I’m hungry, I feel sick. But sometimes I feel sick in a way that I don’t want to eat . Today I just want to crawl back to bed even though I know objectively I don’t actually feel that bad and it will probably get worse than this. Had some sad news yesterday (nothing related to my pregnancy at all) and so I guess I just feel a bit blue and really quite sick!

Nibbly salty snacks have been quite helpful for me. Pretzels and nuts (cashews in particular) especially. Bit worried they’re a bit fattening though as I am still eating three meals a day most days (didn’t manage breakfast yesterday and that was a disaster!). The battle between knowing as soon as you eat you’ll feel better but the smell of food sending you over the edge is a fun one isn’t it?!

 

[Bubblesandflowers]

How are we staving off nausea? I had to make an abrupt pit stop at an Aldi on the way home from somewhere yesterday because the minute I’m hungry, I feel sick. But sometimes I feel sick in a way that I don’t want to eat . Today I just want to crawl back to bed even though I know objectively I don’t actually feel that bad and it will probably get worse than this. Had some sad news yesterday (nothing related to my pregnancy at all) and so I guess I just feel a bit blue and really quite sick!

Nibbly salty snacks have been quite helpful for me. Pretzels and nuts (cashews in particular) especially. Bit worried they’re a bit fattening though as I am still eating three meals a day most days (didn’t manage breakfast yesterday and that was a disaster!). The battle between knowing as soon as you eat you’ll feel better but the smell of food sending you over the edge is a fun one isn’t it?!

Ritz crackers, mini cheddars, lemonade, pretzels. Literally anything you can eat, eat it! I was the same where I needed to snack regularly or I'd feel sick. Try not to beat yourself up over fattening etc as sometimes you just need to do what you can to survive the sickness!

 

[clmay]

My first trimester was a lot of white toast, a lot of cereal and a lot of very early nights! I’ve been fortunate that from around week 14 I’ve felt so much better and able to eat a more balanced diet!

 

[ThisIsMyDragName]

Thank you ladies! I am managing to eat a fairly balanced diet which is why I feel like a fraud for moaning about the nausea. If it was *that bad* I’d not be able to eat!
Literally the day after my BFP I was due to start on a serious healthy eating/low cal diet to drop some weight to get me within the range for IVF. Obviously when I got the BFP I changed the plan and increased the calorie amount back to a normal amount but tried to keep my choices healthy. I’m a big lass anyway, I don’t want them to get confused and send me to the vet with all the pregnant cattle

 

[BWinter]

Ginger tablets helped me massively. I got ones from a health food shop (she has RNSED me while TTC and the first few months of pregnancy) but the ginger tablets really worked (can’t confirm if the TTC vitamins helped or not or whether it was ‘natural’).

 

[anything at all]

Have to say cereal is a top tier snack in pregnancy!
Though with my first for at least the first trimester it was biscuits, malted milks especially

Always found snacking little and often helped, it’s just finding that snack that actually does it for you

 

[anything at all]

I’m down to have baby tomorrow and they just gave me the first lot of steroids in the leg. That thing is no joke ouch
Another one in 12 hours. 🥲

I want whatever is best for baby of course but I thought I still had a bit more time left as pregnant to eat all the junk food and not worry about my weight

 

[littlepup]

Just a note re sickness. If you’re taking pregnacare of anything with iron it can make you feel more nauseous. Experimenting with taking it at different times may help.
If you respond well to ginger, Lidl does ginger shots which take your head off but may help also.

 

[ThisIsMyDragName]

Have to say cereal is a top tier snack in pregnancy!
Though with my first for at least the first trimester it was biscuits, malted milks especially

Always found snacking little and often helped, it’s just finding that snack that actually does it for you

I hate milk! But I like snacking on dry cereal so that could be a winner actually! Yeah, I cannot squeeze enough snacks into my work bag.

 

[ThisIsMyDragName]

Just a note re sickness. If you’re taking pregnacare of anything with iron it can make you feel more nauseous. Experimenting with taking it at different times may help.
If you respond well to ginger, Lidl does ginger shots which take your head off but may help also.

Interesting! I’m not taking a multivitamin and also not taking iron at the moment until I’ve seen the midwife and I see if I need it or not. I’m on the higher strength folic acid, and I’ve been taking omega 3, vit D and magnesium only alongside it for now.

 

[ThisIsMyDragName]

Ginger tablets helped me massively. I got ones from a health food shop (she has RNSED me while TTC and the first few months of pregnancy) but the ginger tablets really worked (can’t confirm if the TTC vitamins helped or not or whether it was ‘natural’).

Oh ginger tablets sound interesting! I find ginger a wee bit too fiery but I’m guessing in tablet form it’s less obvious?

 

[RoseyThorney]

Just chiming in to add that if you’re ever recommended to take iron tablets with orange juice do NOT. This is what my consultant advised me as vitamin C helps the iron uptake but then I was later told by a diabetic midwife when trying to prove I didn’t have GD that I was essentially advised to drink liquid sugar. I’ve since been advised to take my iron tablet with water, followed by the actual orange fruit as opposed to juice.

 

[101d]

Any one else struggle with excessive sweating in late pregnancy?! It's so embarrassing, and then gets worse because I'm embarrassed!

 

[calabazarock]

Sour gummies do the trick for me to keep nausea away.

 

[anything at all]

Any one else struggle with excessive sweating in late pregnancy?! It's so embarrassing, and then gets worse because I'm embarrassed!

yep! I never had it in my first pregnancy but this time I’ve always felt so gross with sweating

I was lucky with my first because I also didn’t get the postpartum sweats you hear about.. feel like if I’ve been sweating all near the end of pregnancy that I won’t be so lucky this time

 

[LittleMissMuffet]

Is anyone on their second pregnancy and not having any of the symptoms you had in the first? I’m still so early (only 7 weeks) and I’m an older mum (the big 4 0…) so I think I’m just really nervous about it even more this time round.

 

[Pixie123]

I just had my 36 week midwife appointment and baby has jumped slightly from 50th centile to somewhere below 90th centile. They are sending me for a growth scan on Friday. Midwife did say that fundal measurements are notoriously inaccurate so not to stress. Has anyone got any positive stories of this happening? I’m hoping it’s an inaccurate reading because I really want to avoid induction if possible!