Questions, questions!!

LegacyUser

Hi all,
Going anon for this as people know me on boards and I don't want anyone to know yet.
So I am wondering if anyone can answer some or any of my questions, please?

I am now 5 weeks, and I am terrified in case it is a false pregnancy (after reading something in WTEWYE) and every time I go to the toilet I am checking my underwear waiting to see my period. Has anyone else been through this panic?

Also re green tea, I am addicted... Is it true you shouldn't drink it?

Got bloods taken when my pregnancy was confirmed, will I need to give more at my hosp appointment?

And last but not least, I work in a fairly manual job. Stand for a lot of my 12 hour shifts which include nights. Should I tell work early, as in 7 or 8 weeks gone to ensure that I can get an easier time if I need? When do people normally tell employers?

Thank you for reading and hopefully in a few weeks all going well I won't have to go un reg!

Glowing

Green tea inhibits the absorbtion of folic acid. You should definitely cut down!

Hannibal Smith

I am now 5 weeks, and I am terrified in case it is a false pregnancy (after reading something in WTEWYE) and every time I go to the toilet I am checking my underwear waiting to see my period. Has anyone else been through this panic?

Yes! Look forward to another 7 weeks of it! Even if you do see blood don't panic...it's important to get it looked at asap but it may not always be bad news, it could be nothing.

Also re green tea, I am addicted... Is it true you shouldn't drink it?
Don't know about this one but Glowing has answered it

Got bloods taken when my pregnancy was confirmed, will I need to give more at my hosp appointment?

It depends...was it just a blood test to confirm the pregnancy? If so you will need more at your first hosp appointment, which screens for any infections you may have and your blood count etc

And last but not least, I work in a fairly manual job. Stand for a lot of my 12 hour shifts which include nights. Should I tell work early, as in 7 or 8 weeks gone to ensure that I can get an easier time if I need? When do people normally tell employers?

I think this is up to you. If you find it too strenuous then tell them, if you don't crack on. I think most people wait until the 12 weeks before telling anyone, but for health and safety reasons it might be worth thinking about telling them sooner.

Thank you for reading and hopefully in a few weeks all going well I won't have to go un reg!
Fingers crossed for you!

JDD

Hi Newbie2

First of all, congratulations on your pregnancy! Absolutely everyone goes through the panic and the knicker checking for the whole first 12 weeks. It is completely normal. Bear in mind that I thought that 50% of first pregnancies miscarried. I found out later that this wasn't true, it's actually more like 20%, and a good proportion of those happen before your period is due, so you don't even know that you've miscarried. So rest assured that if you've got that BFP, you're more than likely heading down the full road to babydom.

If you're feeling really apprehensive, you can get a scan done privately. Mount Carmel do them for €95. Expect to pay between that and €140 depending on who you book with. You'll have to wait until at least 7/8 weeks gone before doing a scan as the baby will be too small to pick up on the screen otherwise.

I didn't know about green tea inhibiting folic acid absorbtion, but I have heard that - like raspberry leaf tea - it can bring on contractions. Great if you're 40 weeks pregnant, but not so helpful at 5 weeks. So I'd cut it out if I were you. There's lots of other lovely herbal teas out there - why not try some peppermint tea instead?

I told work at 9 weeks, but only because my morning sickness was pretty bad at that point, and also it was just after I had my first scan so I felt pretty safe in telling them. I would say play it by ear and see how you feel. You might have an easy first trimester with not much tiredness or morning sickness. One thing I would say is to avoid heavy lifting. If your job involves that, then you might have to make some excuse to tide you over until you're comfortable telling them.

The rule of thumb in telling people before 12 weeks is only tell those people that you would feel comfortable telling about a miscarriage.