Saw my consultant yesterday!!

I had my consultant appointment yesterday. It was very strange. Obviously didn't see actual consultant but one of his registrars. She said that I would have to see the Anaesthetist. Apparantly as my BMI is high I am an anasethetic risk. I never had any need for an anaesthetist with my other 2 pregnancies. Both were normal deliveries with just gas and air and as they were both fast deliveries am expecting this one to just shoot out lol!! I could understand towards the end if baby was breach or I needed a planned c-section but otherwise can't see the point. I never had to with my other 2!!

Also have been told that for the first 6 weeks after the baby is born I have to have injections to thin the blood. I never had to do this after my other 2 were born!!

And I have to continue taking Folic Acid 5mg and Vitamin D 10mcg daily for the rest of the pregnancy. I never did this with my other 2 either.

Apparantly it is all new 'protocol' but to me it just seems like such a huge waste of NHS resources.

I know I am overweight but I was when I had dd too and never had to do any of that. Is anyone else being told they have to do all this?

On the plus side I will get a growth scan at 38 weeks to try and estimate baby's weight but I had this with dd and they said she'd be around 8lb 7 and she was 9lb 7 so they aren't exactly accurate at that stage.

I am down as being consultant led with shared care from midwife. In my previous pregnancies I was midwife led with both of them. I am going to discuss all this with the midwife as I would love a homebirth (dh not keen though) or failing that a waterbirth in the hospital but am worried being consultant led means I won't get the birth I want.

I took my antenatal notes to the doctor's yesterday afternoon and had to wait ages for them to sort out a prescription for the Vitamin D as they said they had never heard anyone being prescribed it before during pregnancy. The receptionist ended up having to phone my consultant's secretary to check it was right as she was so surprised.

So will have to do some research into it all and see what's what.

Not feeling great today. Either I have sickness bug or morning sickness has decided to strike with avengence at nearly 14 weeks. I am sooo tired too and think a nap is in order now. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow. It's strange as I was only thinking yesterday about how much better I've felt with this pregnancy then I did when I was pregnant with Josh and Ellie. Must have tempted fate!!

Bump pics

13 +2 weeks

I seem to have a huge bump already and am much bigger than I was with Josh and Ellie. I am heavier than I was at this stage in my pregnancies with them too but my stomach although rather like a jelly belly toward the bottom the top half has really come out whilst that was always much flatter.

Here's a couple of bump pics taken today at 13 +2.





I am certain too that I have been able to feel a foot or another part of the baby this last week too. I can't feel the baby kicking yet but I can feel a little tiny lump which when I go to put Ellie's hand on my tummy has disappeared and we find it somewhere else. Ellie especially loves it and is always kissing my tummy. She's so sweet and is going to be a great big sister and Josh will be a great big brother to the new baby too.

Names wise the only names we all agree on at the moment are Toby for a boy and Poppy for a girl. I also like:

Noah, Sebastian, Samuel, Zak, Max, Romeo, Todd, Reuben, Ronan, Oscar, Nathan, Kiefer, Leo, Jasper, Caspar.

Ruby, Maisie, Freya, Daisy, Seraphina, Scarlett, Matilda, Tilly, Gabriella, Athena, Annabelle, Amelia, Keziah (my nan's name).

We will wait and see anyway til after my 20 week scan on 16th September when we hope to find out what we are having then. Can't wait!! I have a consultant appointment on Tuesday morning so will find out hopefully if I had a post-partum haemorrage after Josh was born as I ended up needing a blood transfusion and also after Ellie was born I was severely anaemic so want to try and make sure this time round I can do my best to avoid becoming anaemic. Also I may get extra scans due to Josh and Ellie being big babies. I had late scans with Ellie and they said she'd be 8lb 7 - 9lbs maximum and she was 9lb 7oz.

Right had better go and tidy up so will finish with a picture of the hat and mittens set for a baby girl 0-3 months that I couldn't resist buying in the Next Sale.

Getting my energy back now!!

Sorry I have been so utterly crap at updating this diary. I am determined to try to add at least 3 entries a week from now on. I have been so tired I have been in bed by 9pm most nights.

The last few nights I have managed to stay awake til 10.30pm which feels like quite an acheivement for me. I am not as tired during the day either which is great as it means my house is finally tired again. I have been far too tired earlier on with this pregnancy to do much round the house. Just the basics done to keep things ticking over but I have blitzed the house this week and its looking much better.

I am so happy to finally be in my second trimester and feel I can relax a bit more. I have been much more nervous this time round as I haven't been anything like as sick as I was with my other two which on the one hand I am glad about but on the other hand would have made for a more reassuring first trimester.

I seem to have quite a bump already. Alright I was very overweight to begin with but my jelly belly has gone quite hard and is definitely more bump-like as opposed to just flab lol!!

I am hoping dh remembers to bring the camera home from work tonight so that I can take a bump pic and also take a pic of a gorgeous hat and mittens I bought from Next in the sale for a bargain price of £3 in 0-3 months for a baby girl. We obviously don't know what we are having yet but it was so cute I couldn't resist. I really don't mind whether the baby is a boy or a girl as long as they are healthy. We are so lucky to already have a beautiful son and daughter and are so looking forward to meeting our new baby too.

If he remembers the camera then I will add the pics tomorrow.

13 weeks pregnant

You are now 13 weeks pregnant (or in your 14th week if that's how you prefer to count it).

The fetus is now nearly 3 inches / 7 to 8 centimetres long from crown to rump and weighs nearly an ounce / 23 grams -- about half a banana. Its unique fingerprints are already in place. And when you poke your stomach gently and she feels it, your baby will start rooting -- that is, act as if she's searching for a nipple.

If you're having a girl, she now has approximately 2 million eggs in her ovaries; she will have only a million by the time she's born. She'll have fewer eggs as she gets older, and by age 17, the number will have dropped to 200,000.

As for you, the fog may be lifting, so to speak. For many women, the side effects of early pregnancy -- frequent urination, intense fatigue, nausea -- diminish sometime in the second trimester. Your uterus, while large enough to announce to onlookers that you're indeed pregnant, isn't so huge that it gets in your way. Even though birth is months away, your breasts may already start making colostrum, the fluid that will feed your baby for the first few days before your milk comes in.

You're officially in your second trimester, the fourth to sixth months of pregnancy. That's great news for two reasons. One, your risk of miscarriage has dropped dramatically, and two, many women see early pregnancy symptoms, such as morning sickness, subside - you may notice a distinct improvement in your libido as the nausea recedes and your energy levels rise.