Week 12 – Nuchal & Dating Scan!

Hello all! I left updating for a few weeks because overall nothing much of note has happened. I continue to eat well, sleep fairly well – particularly now that the middle-of-night peeing seems to have ceased, and generally feel normal. I do get tired more frequently, particularly in the afternoon times, and I still can’t stay up much past 11pm nowadays, but other than that – I think it’d be safe to say I got off lightly!

I seem to have developed a mild eczema problem (this is what the doctor claims it is, but I am still doubtful) and whether this is related to the pregnancy I’m uncertain. The pain I mentioned a few posts earlier in my left buttock does not look to be leaving me any time soon – and I was told by the doctor that, “you will find you’ll get all sorts of aches and pains during pregnancy”. So, after getting creams for a condition I don’t think I have, (AND PAYING THROUGH THE NOSE FOR IT – the stupid doctor did NOT tell me I was exempt and I ended up paying), and being told that the prominent, isolated pain in my arse was ‘aches and pains from pregnancy’, I have concluded only one thing: The doctors in my surgery are stupid.

Speaking of stupid doctors, she also told me that the best thing to do about the pain was to ‘take some paracetamol if it gets bad’, and ‘make another appointment’ so that they can ‘take a proper look at what’s happening’. Because, clearly since she was running late on her schedule, it made more sense for me to keep to the imaginary limit of ‘one ailment per person’ rule. Sodding twat. I wonder what I pay my National Insurance money for.

Anyhow – back to the main topic of the post today; I had my 12 week dating scan! It was a combined dating and Nuchal scan, which is the scan they do to check for Downs Syndrome. What was really pleasantly surprising is that I’ve heard only 7% of women will be offered the Nuchal scan for free, by default. A lot of hospitals do not offer it as standard, and you would usually have to pay in the region of £150-£200 for one. St Helier’s, however appear to have automatically sent me an appointment after my GP requested the first booking-in appointment with the midwife. So, needless to say I feel quite lucky and privileged.

The scan itself was quite exciting and surreal. I went into the room half expecting them not to find anything inside, and it’s hard to describe that first moment when the scan picked up a moving person. In my imagination, I would hopefully see a small, tadpole-shaped blob and maybe a twitch or two – but I got so much more than that! The baby I saw on the screen looked totally human, you could clearly see its head, hands, legs, even fingers. When it turned, which it did with vigour, it turned like you and I would turn when in bed. It was a truly amazing moment, watching our baby in full action and I can’t think of much else since.

 

 

The Nuchal scan and test came out as normal and they found my risk of a Downs baby was very low and nothing to worry about, so that was a relief, even though we were not particularly worried about that at this stage.

Now I have a scan booked for 20 weeks, which happens to be exactly one week from my birthday! I’d say being able to find out the gender of our baby is definitely one of the best birthday presents ever. We also are able now, to start planning the nursery as we know it is a single baby and not twins, which was a possibility as they run in his family! What’s really endearing is that for all the worry and joking about ‘getting two for the price of one’, secretly I think Mr. M is a teeny bit disappointed it’s not twins! X) Can’t wait to find out in July so that I can start saying ‘he’ or ‘she’ instead of ‘it’!

 

[Edit: 24/05/11]:  So I wrote the above a few days ago, but only got around to posting it now – and I have to retract what I said about getting off lightly. :T

The pain in my left buttock is rapidly getting worse, to the point where I feel it even when walking and sitting.  To top it off, I must have been positioned funny whilst sitting at work yesterday because last night I developed a really bad pain in the bottom of my spine near my RIGHT buttock, and now I can’t sit anywhere without causing myself untold amounts of pain and discomfort.  It feels the same as if I had fallen on my arse and bruised it and hurts even when I sneeze.  To think it’s only 3 months in, and already I’m like a cripple… Oh dear me. 

 

Technorati Tags: Nuchal Scan,St Helier's,Pain

Pregnacare Plus Omega-3 at Sainsbury’s!

Hello people!  Just have a few moments spare today so I thought I’d update on something useful.  Since before our planned attempts at our Honeymoon baby, (which, incidentally turned out more to be a wedding night baby!), we (Mr. M and I) had been taking the Pregnacare Conception pills – they contain all the folic acid and correct vitamins and minerals needed to prepare a mother for child bearing, and also to pump up the prospective father so that he has the best nutritional stores he can have as well.  I believe we started taking it in December, and we conceived somewhere around early March so we’d been taking them for a full 3 months before we tried to conceive.  I’ve seen on some articles that health advisors suggest mothers take folic acid supplements from as early as an entire year before trying to conceive.

It was always my intention to take Pregnacare as I’d heard really good things about it, and it just makes sense to me to fortify my body with relevant baby-making vitamins – but a lot of other people who have tried these claim that Pregnacare is definitely what allowed them to conceive easily and quickly.  Certainly in my case this felt true, as it was more or less our first attempt – this of course can be due to many other accumulative factors, for example: age, weight, existing health and fitness, diet etc.  But no doubt the extra help the vitamins gave us contributed to our fortunate and rather quick success.  With this in mind, I just thought it might be useful for any other prospective mothers to give these a go if they haven’t already, and particularly if they have already been trying for a while without success. 

A few days ago I picked these up at Sainsbury’s – right now they are doing a deal, 3 for 2 on packs of Pregnacare Plus Omega-3, which is what I’m taking now that we have successfully conceived.  They are normally 14.50 individually, so considering anyone who intends to take them will be doing so for the rest of their entire pregnancy, it makes sense to stock up now whilst there’s a deal, as they can become quite costly and you’re saving the cost of an entire pack!  Each pack lasts you a month, so Mr. M bought me 6 – which should lead right up to November – a month before baby will be due hopefully. 

So there we go – that’s my useful information for today.  I’m off to go buy some new sheets to make the bed more comfy! 

 

  

 

Technorati Tags: Pregnacare,Pregnacare Plus,Pregnacare Conception,Sainsbury's

First Real Crappy Day

Halfway into week 9 and this is probably my first actual, noticeable, crappy day so far. Sitting at work on an uncomfortable stool, which is too painful to sit on when it’s high up, and not high enough when it’s the right height, I am struggling to find a position that doesn’t agitate the shooting pain I’m experiencing in my left buttock. X_X The fact that the desk and keyboard is poorly positioned in relation to the stool means I’m constantly over compensating to try and sit straighter to alleviate this cursed pain – which then starts to wreck my back.

On top of this, it’s a Bank Holiday Monday, which not only means that the start and finish of the day is more or less dead (making the 10 hour day seem completely redundant), the day drags out longer because we have earlier lunch and tea breaks, AND I’ve also not had enough sleep. I’m not sure which particular thing is worse, but normal tiredness compounded by pregnancy tiredness will definitely guarantee a long, stressful day.

I have been reading up about this bizarre pain I’ve developed, and the symptoms are pointing towards ‘Pelvic Girdle Pain’ – or PGP. Apparently something that many women are afflicted with during pregnancy, and as early as from the first trimester. It is to do with the hormone Relaxin, which increases dramatically in a pregnant woman’s body, causing her muscles and ligaments to relax in preparation for the eventual birth. Of course, in doing so it means that daily movements like walking causes your muscles to over compensate and ends up straining the nerve in your spine – which leads to PGP. Characterised, by a shooting pain in the left butt cheek. X_X Fabulous. Just what I need, and this early on to boot!

I’m really feeling sorry for myself today. Sleep deprived, on a particularly shitty, long day at work, with a really crap chair and chronic nerve pain, whilst everyone else seems to be off enjoying the sunshine – I feel backed up and sluggish, I’m hungry at the same time, and all the while there’s a really strong smell of scrambled eggs, which is driving me insane. And the Cherry on top? It’s only 12pm; seven more hours to go.

 

Technorati Tags: PGP,Pelvic Girdle Pain,Tiredness,Bank Holiday