I meant to write before now but never got round to it. A lot has been happening over the last week.
I went to my midwife appointment on Tuesday. The midwife was really nice. It was mainly just form filling. I had already been warned that they don’t bother to do a second test as the one you do is so reliable and, at this stage, they don’t do any kind of examination. They did take some blood and I did a urine sample (only because I needed the loo while I was there – probably more info than needed). The blood test is just routine to check for things like HIV and to check your blood type. Everything gets sent off to someone who will then send me an appointment date for my 12 week scan.
I asked if we could have any influence over when the scan is as my in-laws are coming to visit the weekend before I am 12 weeks and we would like to be in a position to tell them then. The midwife was kind enough to make a note on the form to request it so fingers crossed. Obviously, no guarantees though.
You also get given your notes that you keep and take to future appointments and a pack of leaflets and vouchers etc.
Moving on from the midwife appointment, I need to own up and eat my words (just printing them off now…honest…)! I have been feeling sick all this week and have continued to struggle with the tiredness. The sickness is mainly caused by being hungry. If I go too long without food then I start to feel really bad and then struggle to feel better. I am starting to notice food that helps and food that doesn’t.
On the ‘blurgh’ list:
Banana
Nuts and seeds
Hot cross buns
On the ‘safe’ list:
Biscuits
Dry wheetos (without milk, out of packet)
Toast and lots of butter
You will notice how the blurgh list contains some healthy items and the safe list contains unhealthy. Basically, eating all the time is the best thing. Whichever way you look at it, I’m gonna get super fat and it isn’t going to be because because of the baby but because of the amount of food I've consumed!
By the way, I read online that keeping crackers beside the bed to eat first thing in the morning before getting up is a good idea – bad idea! They are far too dry to eat first thing in the morning. Though they didn’t make me feel sick. I find the best thing to do is to eat a bowl of cereal as soon as possible and then relax for a bit before getting on with your day.
Other advice that I had heard when friends have been pregnant before includes travel sickness bands. Tried this and didn’t seem to help at all though I might not have placed them in the correct place. I might try these again.
The sickness isn’t every day or all the time but, as I say, mainly if I let myself go too long without eating.
Finally, the other thing to report, my mum and sister came to stay this weekend. Stuart and I finally decided just before they arrived that we were going to tell them about the pregnancy as it would just be far too difficult with me feeling sick, tired and planning my day around when I could eat to keep it secret. It was going to be a lot less stressful to tell them. Also, if the unthinkable did happen, at least we would have support.
Obviously, they were both over the moon and really happy for us and it was good to chat openly about pregnancy and labour and their experiences. And I had to put up with them dragging me into all the baby shops of Guildford!!!
Sunday, 10 February 2008
Monday, 4 February 2008
6 weeks, 4 days
Ouch, ouch, ouch. My boobs hurt. They aren’t too bad during the day but at night they get really painful. I wake up in the night (normally needing the loo or from a bad dream) and turn over to get comfortable and they sting. I hope this means they are going to be huge!
I am also very fed up with being so tired all the time. I wake up in the morning and feel tired until about 10am when I pick up a little. Then about 4pm I become absolutely drained. I can’t do anything and have to lie down. Unfortunately, I’m not one for sleeping during the day, I just can’t do it so I don’t actually sleep but I just lay there feeling miserable and lazy. Then I have to make myself think about dinner and I have to pick Stuart up. After dinner, I then perk up again and feel fine until I go to bed.
I am also starting to feel sick but it is more like I have a hangover where I feel a bit queasy and if I was to focus on feeling sick I probably would be but as long as I distract myself I’m fine. I do think it is just down to low sugar levels though (good excuse to eat sweet things). I felt queasy this morning so had a biscuit and that kept me going until breakfast (after dropping Stuart off at the station and after a shower).
I guess you could say that I am starting to feel pregnancy symptoms now but I still always wonder if they are all just psychological.
The funny thing is I think Stuart has Couvade Syndrome which is when the husband or partner feels sympathy symptoms. He has been feeling sick especially in the mornings and nearly cried at Wild at Heart last night. The sickness is probably just a stomach bug but has been strange because he has been able to eat his dinners and pretty much keep them down and feel fine and then at an odd time in the day he is sick. He he.
Talking of nearly crying, I’ve not been any more emotional than usual. No mood swings or anything. Occasionally, my eyes might have started to well up at something nice/sweet on TV but I don’t think that is any different to normal.
I’ve got my first mid-wife appointment tomorrow. I will write again after that.
I am also very fed up with being so tired all the time. I wake up in the morning and feel tired until about 10am when I pick up a little. Then about 4pm I become absolutely drained. I can’t do anything and have to lie down. Unfortunately, I’m not one for sleeping during the day, I just can’t do it so I don’t actually sleep but I just lay there feeling miserable and lazy. Then I have to make myself think about dinner and I have to pick Stuart up. After dinner, I then perk up again and feel fine until I go to bed.
I am also starting to feel sick but it is more like I have a hangover where I feel a bit queasy and if I was to focus on feeling sick I probably would be but as long as I distract myself I’m fine. I do think it is just down to low sugar levels though (good excuse to eat sweet things). I felt queasy this morning so had a biscuit and that kept me going until breakfast (after dropping Stuart off at the station and after a shower).
I guess you could say that I am starting to feel pregnancy symptoms now but I still always wonder if they are all just psychological.
The funny thing is I think Stuart has Couvade Syndrome which is when the husband or partner feels sympathy symptoms. He has been feeling sick especially in the mornings and nearly cried at Wild at Heart last night. The sickness is probably just a stomach bug but has been strange because he has been able to eat his dinners and pretty much keep them down and feel fine and then at an odd time in the day he is sick. He he.
Talking of nearly crying, I’ve not been any more emotional than usual. No mood swings or anything. Occasionally, my eyes might have started to well up at something nice/sweet on TV but I don’t think that is any different to normal.
I’ve got my first mid-wife appointment tomorrow. I will write again after that.
Friday, 25 January 2008
5 weeks, 1 day
I’ve booked my appointment with the midwife for 5 February so I will be just under 7 weeks. God, it feels like so long to wait until I can tell people with so many events in the meantime where I have to lie or hide it to people.
I think I am in a weird denial phase. I know I am pregnant but because I haven’t really got any symptoms I don’t feel pregnant. I feel like we are just pretending.
Now, of course, I don’t want to wish the symptoms/side effects on myself and it would be great to go through the whole pregnancy feeling great etc, but in a strange way, a very small part of me (about the size of my little toe) almost wants to feel something. Just so I know it is really happening. Although, like I said, I don’t want to wish that on myself as that could cause me even more problems trying to hide it.
Apparently, the 5-6th week is when the symptoms often start so may be I’ll be eating my words in a couple of days – not sure how you do that when the words are technically the binary kind!! I guess I’ll have to print them out first…
I think I am in a weird denial phase. I know I am pregnant but because I haven’t really got any symptoms I don’t feel pregnant. I feel like we are just pretending.
Now, of course, I don’t want to wish the symptoms/side effects on myself and it would be great to go through the whole pregnancy feeling great etc, but in a strange way, a very small part of me (about the size of my little toe) almost wants to feel something. Just so I know it is really happening. Although, like I said, I don’t want to wish that on myself as that could cause me even more problems trying to hide it.
Apparently, the 5-6th week is when the symptoms often start so may be I’ll be eating my words in a couple of days – not sure how you do that when the words are technically the binary kind!! I guess I’ll have to print them out first…
Monday, 21 January 2008
4 weeks, 4 days
We told our first people over the weekend. I know it is far too early to start telling people but it was more out of necessity. The first two friends, Dan and Lou, (who are a couple) we told because they knew we were trying. I was pretty sure that Lou would ask me during the week whether I was pregnant and I wouldn’t be able to lie, so we decided we would prefer to tell them both together. The third person, Clare, was coming to visit for a drunken weekend and needed to know why, all of a sudden, I wasn’t going to be drinking.
It was nice to be able to speak to people openly about it and to see their excitement for us. However, it made it difficult to stay grounded and not to get caught up in the excitement too early.
Lou is pregnant now with her second child. I spoke to her about wanting to exercise and go to classes while pregnant. She reckons I will run out of energy and will find it too difficult to keep up too much exercise within the next couple of weeks. I guess she knows, having the experience of being pregnant twice but I am hoping that the more exercise you do the more energy you will have – that being the usual theory. I guess we will see how that goes over the next couple of weeks.
I am feeling really rubbish today though. Nothing to do with being pregnant, I’m just fed up with a cold I have. My left nostril has been completely blocked for the past 3 days and I am very fed up with it!!!! It also means I’m not getting to do any exercise at all.
I still have no real symptoms. I did feel sick after dinner out on Saturday night. Nothing to do with the food and I think it was more because I was so tired that I felt sick. I still managed to keep going until 1-1.30am.
There was a report on the news this morning about the risks of drinking coffee (consuming caffeine) while pregnant. Apparently, drinking more than 2 large cups of coffee a day could double you chances of miscarriage. Thankfully, for the last few months I have already moved to decaf diet coke and decaf tea, where possible. What concerned me was the caffeine levels in chocolate. I was very pleased to discover that, unless I eat 12 dark chocolate bars a day (which is equivalent to one cup of coffee), that I needn’t worry.
It was nice to be able to speak to people openly about it and to see their excitement for us. However, it made it difficult to stay grounded and not to get caught up in the excitement too early.
Lou is pregnant now with her second child. I spoke to her about wanting to exercise and go to classes while pregnant. She reckons I will run out of energy and will find it too difficult to keep up too much exercise within the next couple of weeks. I guess she knows, having the experience of being pregnant twice but I am hoping that the more exercise you do the more energy you will have – that being the usual theory. I guess we will see how that goes over the next couple of weeks.
I am feeling really rubbish today though. Nothing to do with being pregnant, I’m just fed up with a cold I have. My left nostril has been completely blocked for the past 3 days and I am very fed up with it!!!! It also means I’m not getting to do any exercise at all.
I still have no real symptoms. I did feel sick after dinner out on Saturday night. Nothing to do with the food and I think it was more because I was so tired that I felt sick. I still managed to keep going until 1-1.30am.
There was a report on the news this morning about the risks of drinking coffee (consuming caffeine) while pregnant. Apparently, drinking more than 2 large cups of coffee a day could double you chances of miscarriage. Thankfully, for the last few months I have already moved to decaf diet coke and decaf tea, where possible. What concerned me was the caffeine levels in chocolate. I was very pleased to discover that, unless I eat 12 dark chocolate bars a day (which is equivalent to one cup of coffee), that I needn’t worry.
Saturday, 19 January 2008
4 weeks, 1 day
First full day of knowing I am pregnant.
Stuart and I did a test last night and I was fully expecting it to come back negative. The first test I’ve ever done was the previous month and I felt quite disappointed, or perhaps more deflated, when it came back negative that I had prepared myself for the same result this time.
I had just been to the loo when we decided to do the test so I drank two large glasses of water in the hope that there would be a waterfall, just to be able to manage a spring! However, surprisingly, it was enough and after about 40 seconds it came up in clear letters ‘pregnant’. I wasn’t even looking but just heard Stuart give a little cheer.
We were going out to dinner so decided to make it a celebratory dinner. The trying to work out what I can and can’t eat (on top of my normal fussiness) began. The main question this time was whether I could eat cream cheese? Does that count as a banned soft cheese? I did chance it but must look it up. Also, I had a glass of red wine as I was celebrating but fully expect it to be one of very few. Not really an issue at the moment though as we have been alcohol free since New Year.
Had a really bad nights sleep. Was absolutely exhausted but when I got to bed I was wide awake with everything going through my mind! Then I woke up at 5am needing the toilet. So, today is the start of wondering whether everything is because of pregnancy or whether it would have happened anyway. I read today that 78% of women get insomnia when pregnant. Also, you start to need the toilet more often (not really surprising when they are recommending you drink 8-10 glasses of water). And of course, the post-Christmas bulge is no longer chocolate, cheese and alcohol but has now become baby bulge of course!!! ;o)
What is really difficult is the fear that I am only 4 weeks and have another 8 weeks to go where I am still at risk. It is very real that it is quite possible something could happen before then with the high statistic of one in five pregnancies result in miscarriage.
But to finish on a positive note – come on big boobs! I am confident their growth has begun and am absolutely delighted my boobs are going to be bigger for at least 8 more months!
Stuart and I did a test last night and I was fully expecting it to come back negative. The first test I’ve ever done was the previous month and I felt quite disappointed, or perhaps more deflated, when it came back negative that I had prepared myself for the same result this time.
I had just been to the loo when we decided to do the test so I drank two large glasses of water in the hope that there would be a waterfall, just to be able to manage a spring! However, surprisingly, it was enough and after about 40 seconds it came up in clear letters ‘pregnant’. I wasn’t even looking but just heard Stuart give a little cheer.
We were going out to dinner so decided to make it a celebratory dinner. The trying to work out what I can and can’t eat (on top of my normal fussiness) began. The main question this time was whether I could eat cream cheese? Does that count as a banned soft cheese? I did chance it but must look it up. Also, I had a glass of red wine as I was celebrating but fully expect it to be one of very few. Not really an issue at the moment though as we have been alcohol free since New Year.
Had a really bad nights sleep. Was absolutely exhausted but when I got to bed I was wide awake with everything going through my mind! Then I woke up at 5am needing the toilet. So, today is the start of wondering whether everything is because of pregnancy or whether it would have happened anyway. I read today that 78% of women get insomnia when pregnant. Also, you start to need the toilet more often (not really surprising when they are recommending you drink 8-10 glasses of water). And of course, the post-Christmas bulge is no longer chocolate, cheese and alcohol but has now become baby bulge of course!!! ;o)
What is really difficult is the fear that I am only 4 weeks and have another 8 weeks to go where I am still at risk. It is very real that it is quite possible something could happen before then with the high statistic of one in five pregnancies result in miscarriage.
But to finish on a positive note – come on big boobs! I am confident their growth has begun and am absolutely delighted my boobs are going to be bigger for at least 8 more months!
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