Pregnancy

[MrsJones83]

Plus I didn't get a photograph, which I was disappointed about. I had to take a picture using my phone of the screen. Are other people having to do that? Is that a thing now? Or is my hospital stingy?

Our waiting room has a machine that you have to pay £5 per picture that you want and then give the receipt to the sonographer when you go in so that they know you’ve paid, if you don’t they just assume you don’t want a pic.

it’s a bit hit and miss with what the sonographer is like, I’ve had some that won’t speak a word until the end, and some that have described everything all the way through.

I’ve always been asked at my 12 and 20 week scan if I wanted a photo. Didn’t have to pay for them in this pregnancy and my last but did with my first. I’m having growth scans which are always really rushed so I’ve not asked/been offered, but to be honest baby is so big at this stage there’s not much to photograph.

My hospital has posters up saying that baby is too big at growth scans to get a pic so not to bother paying for them as you won’t get one.

 

[Definitelyme]

Ladies can I ask something really embarrassing I’ve been desperate to ask someone but feel really stupid and at least I’m anonymous here.

I’m 24 weeks with my first. I’ve only slept with 1 person and I’m mid 20s so I’ve never had a smear test etc. To be honest I’ve never had anything ‘medical’ happen to me in my life so naturally finding this all very strange and very anxious about it all.

I have always found sex quite painful / uncomfortable and always felt like my partner is too ‘big’ (he’s average it just ‘feels’ that way!). I also find tampons quite painful to use. I went to the doctors about the sex thing when I was at uni as it would cause me to bleed and they just told me to use more lube and sent me away. Nobody has ever actually checked it out. (Boyfriend was also a virgin Til he met me so can’t tell me what’s ‘normal’ or not )

anyway now I’m really scared that medically I might have something ‘wrong’ down there or I might be quite small/ have an issue and nobody would know about it (until it’s too late and I can’t push a baby out of there!!)


Is it possible to be too small to give birth (btw I’m not a small person I’m a 5ft7 wide hipped size lady!!)

i am really considering raising this with my midwife and asking her to ‘take a look’ to settle my nerves as I feel like a freak would that be nuts?!

Definitely bring it up with your midwife. She possibly won’t do an examination due to the risk of introducing infection (they generally like to try and keep things out of down there once the baby is in!) but she should be able to at least discuss with you. Remember that everything down there will expand and stretch during labour and delivery.

 

[WhatABore]

Ladies can I ask something really embarrassing I’ve been desperate to ask someone but feel really stupid and at least I’m anonymous here.

I’m 24 weeks with my first. I’ve only slept with 1 person and I’m mid 20s so I’ve never had a smear test etc. To be honest I’ve never had anything ‘medical’ happen to me in my life so naturally finding this all very strange and very anxious about it all.

I have always found sex quite painful / uncomfortable and always felt like my partner is too ‘big’ (he’s average it just ‘feels’ that way!). I also find tampons quite painful to use. I went to the doctors about the sex thing when I was at uni as it would cause me to bleed and they just told me to use more lube and sent me away. Nobody has ever actually checked it out. (Boyfriend was also a virgin Til he met me so can’t tell me what’s ‘normal’ or not )

anyway now I’m really scared that medically I might have something ‘wrong’ down there or I might be quite small/ have an issue and nobody would know about it (until it’s too late and I can’t push a baby out of there!!)


Is it possible to be too small to give birth (btw I’m not a small person I’m a 5ft7 wide hipped size lady!!)

i am really considering raising this with my midwife and asking her to ‘take a look’ to settle my nerves as I feel like a freak would that be nuts?!

I would bring it up with your midwife.
However, if it isn't something they've picked up on a scan, I don't think you have too much to worry about

 

[Definitelyme]

Can’t believe people have to pay for their scan pictures!! We get ours free, and they always make a point of ensuring you have some “good” ones. Even at later scans (34 weeks for example) they’d still give one

 

[MrsJones83]

Can’t believe people have to pay for their scan pictures!! We get ours free, and they always make a point of ensuring you have some “good” ones. Even at later scans (34 weeks for example) they’d still give one

One time she’d accidentally printed 4, but because I’d only paid for 2 she wouldn’t let me have the others, even though they were just going in the bin!

 

[Definitelyme]

One time she’d accidentally printed 4, but because I’d only paid for 2 she wouldn’t let me have the others, even though they were just going in the bin!

Cannot believe that! What a jobsworth!

 

[WhatABore]

Yeah it's the same for me, always had to pay £5 per photo.
Can be expensive if you want a couple of photos. Even if it's the same picture.

 

[Chickenandgravy]

Ladies can I ask something really embarrassing I’ve been desperate to ask someone but feel really stupid and at least I’m anonymous here.

I’m 24 weeks with my first. I’ve only slept with 1 person and I’m mid 20s so I’ve never had a smear test etc. To be honest I’ve never had anything ‘medical’ happen to me in my life so naturally finding this all very strange and very anxious about it all.

I have always found sex quite painful / uncomfortable and always felt like my partner is too ‘big’ (he’s average it just ‘feels’ that way!). I also find tampons quite painful to use. I went to the doctors about the sex thing when I was at uni as it would cause me to bleed and they just told me to use more lube and sent me away. Nobody has ever actually checked it out. (Boyfriend was also a virgin Til he met me so can’t tell me what’s ‘normal’ or not )

anyway now I’m really scared that medically I might have something ‘wrong’ down there or I might be quite small/ have an issue and nobody would know about it (until it’s too late and I can’t push a baby out of there!!)


Is it possible to be too small to give birth (btw I’m not a small person I’m a 5ft7 wide hipped size lady!!)

i am really considering raising this with my midwife and asking her to ‘take a look’ to settle my nerves as I feel like a freak would that be nuts?!

Could you have a tilted uterus? I always find sex painful and usually bleed too and apparently that's the cause!

 

[Octopies]

Could you have a tilted uterus? I always find sex painful and usually bleed too and apparently that's the cause!

I had a private scan at 10 weeks and they told me I had a tilted uterus, yes! I had no idea what it meant to be honest, I did have a quick Google. Didn’t realise it could be the cause of my problems :O

Might have just had a lightbulb moment - thanks!!!

 

[Tui]

1st pregnancy following IVF treatment in July. 6 years to get here, stage 3 endometriosis, blocked Fallopian tubes and PCOS, that was stopping me from getting pregnant! Anyway, had my 20 week scan recently, all went well in terms of his size and no abnormalities found, found out the sex and then at the end she tells me I have placenta previa, after a brief explanation I totally freaked out so have researched since and feel abit more calmer about it now, there isn’t a lot I can do, only hope that it moves on its own, however, I’m not fussed about a C-section if it came to it. Have had horrendous morning sickness up until around 3 weeks ago, (now 23 weeks) had 3 weeks of being able to feel slightly normal again and get back to work, then I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, insulin controlled. I have read so much about gestational diabetes occurring due to being overweight and the foods you eat! This couldn’t be further from the truth, obviously having a high BMI doesn’t help, but I am not overweight and always been careful about what I eat, my paternal family members have it and I have PCOS so my risk of getting it was pretty high regardless of weight.
I’ve felt pretty low in mood since the diagnosis, im
Constantly on edge incase I’ve eaten too much of something, not eaten the right thing, not eaten enough, it’s a bloody minefield! One thing I will say, my Hospital trust have been absolutely amazing, so supportive and schedule in an appointment every 2 weeks until the baby is here to keep an eye on things, this is the standard for everyone I believe! But the diabetes midwives have been brilliant (who knew they were even a thing) I feel like I’m chatting to a close friend when I speak to them, it makes such a difference to my anxiety. I hope the next 3/4 months go nice and smoothly and I don’t have any issues with the diabetes, my little boy is the most important thing to me now and I’ve not even met him yet! It’s crazy how we can love something so much that we haven’t even seen. Luckily I have an amazing husband and family who are really supportive so have been picking me up when I’ve had a few tears, it’s not good to bottle things up.

The best feeling in the world is feeling him moving, kicking around! I smile and laugh so much when he’s really active, it’s a lovely reassurance that he’s doing just fine in there. It’s taken ALOT of hard work to get here, IVF is probably the most physically and mentally draining experience of my life so I feel totally blessed to be in this position. I do my best not to moan to anyone (other than my husband) about pregnancy symptoms, as I know how difficult it is for those who are struggling to conceive, or perhaps had a recent miscarriage or stillbirth. It’s absolutely your right to moan and feel fed up during pregnancy, cause it isn’t easy, but I will always have that in the front of my mind to be mindful of what I say and to who.

I hope that last bit doesn’t make me sound like a witch, I’m just flying the flag for my fellow infertile friends who i have met along the way and haven’t yet had their baby. I will always support them even though I have been successful this time round,

I agree, I try hard not to moan and to be honest have very little to moan about apart from all the usual covid related tit we are all dealing with. I had a loss in April and my SIL had a miscarriage not long after, after nearly a year of trying with PCOS. She’s now waiting for IVF with my BIL so I’m very aware of fortunate my husband and I are to have had two pregnancies, even though one was not successful.

Also love the baby kicks, I felt movement fairly early (16 weeks) and it was so incredibly reassuring after that to know that he is ok in there.

I would bring it up with your midwife.
However, if it isn't something they've picked up on a scan, I don't think you have too much to worry about

You won’t pick much up on a scan that would cause symptoms like that. Sounds like dyspareunia or vaginismus? I think it definitely needs discussing with your midwife and if they don’t take it seriously, your GP. They may not want to do a speculum in pregnancy but if you struggle with tampons they may need to consider how that might affect internal examinations in labour. The blood supply to your pelvis/genitalia increases by 30+% in pregnancy and the tissues get more stretchy and pliable so this won’t necessarily cause you any problems, but I think if you’re mentally worried about it that could make you tenser and exams more uncomfortable. Definitely worth mentioning! But you shouldn’t be too small for a baby, vaginas are very stretchy!!!!

 

[Octopies]

I agree, I try hard not to moan and to be honest have very little to moan about apart from all the usual covid related tit we are all dealing with. I had a loss in April and my SIL had a miscarriage not long after, after nearly a year of trying with PCOS. She’s now waiting for IVF with my BIL so I’m very aware of fortunate my husband and I are to have had two pregnancies, even though one was not successful.

Also love the baby kicks, I felt movement fairly early (16 weeks) and it was so incredibly reassuring after that to know that he is ok in there.


You won’t pick much up on a scan that would cause symptoms like that. Sounds like dyspareunia or vaginismus? I think it definitely needs discussing with your midwife and if they don’t take it seriously, your GP. They may not want to do a speculum in pregnancy but if you struggle with tampons they may need to consider how that might affect internal examinations in labour. The blood supply to your pelvis/genitalia increases by 30+% in pregnancy and the tissues get more stretchy and pliable so this won’t necessarily cause you any problems, but I think if you’re mentally worried about it that could make you tenser and exams more uncomfortable. Definitely worth mentioning! But you shouldn’t be too small for a baby, vaginas are very stretchy!!!!

Thank you (and to the others who answered) i
Will defo raise it with the midwife even though it’s a bit awkward ‘can you check if my tina is normal please’

 

[Tui]

Thank you (and to the others who answered) i
Will defo raise it with the midwife even though it’s a bit awkward ‘can you check if my tina is normal please’

They will have heard it all before and much better to mention it early on. If they don’t take you seriously ask your GP.

 

[Rlaw1978]

I havnt had to pay for any photos, my unit just gives them out with the scans. All the hospital letters say you have to pay but the staff say they don’t charge.

 

[Upintheair83]

That's a shame your hospital stuff was so bad!
I will say though, the 12 week scan in normally 10 minutes tops.
They tend to measure, do a quick check and that's it.
The 20 week is the in depth one.
My blood tests for Down Symdrome ect were at 12 weeks and found out within days .
We're you going to have to wait until later?

Do they test for Down’s syndrome at the 12 week scan?

 

[littlepup]

Do they test for Down’s syndrome at the 12 week scan?

Have a look at this and then the link for the combined test

 

[BettyCrocker]

Do they test for Down’s syndrome at the 12 week scan?

in my experience, yes, at the 12 week scan you are asked if you want the screening test and they take some blood from you, they also measure the amount of fluid at at the back of the babies head during the ultrasound. These two things combined make up the screening test for downs/edwards & pataus syndrome and give you a result that indicates the likelyhood of the baby having one of these conditions.

 

[Sw4]

I really thought it was excellent. It's very 'medical' rather than matronly but that suits me, I didn't find it impersonal, just really thorough and they give you loads of pictures which is nice. You also hear the heartbeat which totally blew me away.

The NHS scan, I arrive and they somehow had me as registered to my doctor at uni from 18 years ago despite having gone through my doctor info with the midwife, we sort that and I take a seat with my full bladder as asked for. After 1/2 hr I ask how long because I'm bursting, 'take a seat and wait', after 45 minutes of discomfort I ask again & say I'm going to have to go to the loo. Turned out they hadn't marked me as being there, back to wait it go. Go in for the scan and it may be because they knew I'd had the Harmony so it didn't need to be as detailed but while she was very nice, she didn't really communicate much of what we were looking at or anything at all, felt very rushed.
Back for another 20+ min wait then called for my bloods as I'm Rh-. They've not put the right forms in my notes so the phlebotomist gets on the phone and starts ripping into the reception girls. Two nurses come in and she gives them a major dressing down about how slack they are, how women were suffering from their incompetence and it's always something. In a way, excellent for her but on the other hand, I didn't really need to hear about how terrible their level of service was, It did not fill me with confidence!
It was just all a bit stressfull, like it was going on around me rather than with me, if that would have been my first experience of the baby I'd have felt very anxious that they didn't really have a handle on things.
I had to call the hospital again around 16 weeks; they had absolutely no record of me with maternity services, despite having seen me and sent me letters. I can't say I'm entirely convinced theyve even got it right at this stage but I have the hard copy of my notes so I guess that's what's important.


I had it because if we were going to have to make a decision about keeping baby with a chromosomal abnormality, or likely lose the pregnancy due to one, I wanted to know as soon as possible. With the NHS I was looking at being 16 weeks before having all of the information whereas with the Harmony it was closer to 12. If the results had come back with a high chance of a condition, I also wanted the person that performed the CVS or amniocentesis required to confirm the result to be the best possible given the small risk of miscarriage they pose. The guy that runs the clinic I went to literally writes the book that trains people to do the tests so it just eliminated a lot of anxiety for me.

Thanks, God that NHS scan sounds like a nightmare and sadly I've heard so many similar stories about records being lost and pregnant women being lost in the system. I know the NHS are massively stretched but having worked in the NHS myself there's so many little things that could be improved to avoid these issues happening!

I know what you mean by medical vs matronly and I definitely prefer medical too rather than wishy washy stuff. Hopefully I get good news after visiting the the Fetal Medicine Centre on Tuesday!

 

[Al26]

Well I just went for a scan, saw a heartbeat but they said its measuring as 6 weeks not 7 and also apparently its lower down in the uterus than they expect
I'm not really sure what that means so am now feeling a bit flat. They have advised I have another scan in a weeks time

 

[Definitelyme]

Well I just went for a scan, saw a heartbeat but they said its measuring as 6 weeks not 7 and also apparently its lower down in the uterus than they expect
I'm not really sure what that means so am now feeling a bit flat. They have advised I have another scan in a weeks time

Sending lots of love. Seeing a heartbeat is a great sign, and you could have simply ovulated later than expected leading to the date discrepancy. I hope all goes well next week x

 

[Macmama]

The best feeling in the world is feeling him moving, kicking around! I smile and laugh so much when he’s really active, it’s a lovely reassurance that he’s doing just fine in there. It’s taken ALOT of hard work to get here, IVF is probably the most physically and mentally draining experience of my life so I feel totally blessed to be in this position. I do my best not to moan to anyone (other than my husband) about pregnancy symptoms, as I know how difficult it is for those who are struggling to conceive, or perhaps had a recent miscarriage or stillbirth. It’s absolutely your right to moan and feel fed up during pregnancy, cause it isn’t easy, but I will always have that in the front of my mind to be mindful of what I say and to who.

I hope that last bit doesn’t make me sound like a witch, I’m just flying the flag for my fellow infertile friends who i have met along the way and haven’t yet had their baby. I will always support them even though I have been successful this time round,

Doesn’t make you sound like a witch at all. I look back and moan now they’re here but after years of infertility, I would have taken whatever pregnancy symptoms were chucked at me so long as I had a healthy baby at the end of it all. Not that that isn’t what every parent wants but I think when you’ve had that extra level of worry, it adds something.

I loved, loved, loved feeling my babies move. Loved feeling them kick through the day, just loved a wee reminder that they were there with me. Their feet are not nearly as sweet now when they kick But I so missed my bumps once they were born. I even look back at newborn photos now (which were a haze of breastfeeding and not sleeping and fourth trimester hormones) and get so broody. Tiny little newborn faces and the smell of them and their cries Just as well DH has had the snip!