The Pregnancy Chat Thread!

I just packed Baby Merkin's hospital bag and it was one if the nicest things I've ever undertaken! So lovely folding up his freshly laundered, ever so little babygros and vests and everything else, made me feel even closer to him if that makes sense? It dawned on me that it will be the first time of many (I hope) that I'll be packing his little bag for him ready for one of his many little adventures......awwwwww! Just wanted to share the love and general cuteness!!

Awww thank you Sligo1, it was just such a touching and enjoyable activity, can't wait to see how he looks in them!

Awww I know, cannot WAIT to cuddle him!!!

Brilliant news! Congratulations and enjoy the fruits of your hard work.

A question re: weight gain during pregnancy and working out how much you have/ are gaining.
I lost around 4kg at the start due to nausea (and trying to sleep all of the time!) and have been slow enough to put any back on. Now I'm 26 weeks and when I weighed myself this morning I see that I weigh either 2kg more or is it really 6kg more. Do you count your weight gain from your pre-pregnancy weight or the entire gain from your lowest point?

Its a question more of interest than anything as the baby is showing to be a fine size for the gestation period and all that other stuff, I just seem (despite feeling every one of my 26 weeks yesterday and today) to be quite neat and if it wasn't for the bump you'd never know I was pregnant due to the lack of bloating or weight gain anywhere else.

shortstuff! wrote: »

Wish I had that problem!! At 32+3 weeks I have gained a whopping 15kg, Im hoping its slowing down now though as there wasnt any gain between 28wks and 32wks according to my notes. Feel much bigger though - think my legs have gotten absolutely massive despite walking 2-4miles everyday!! Bump is measuring right on dates:) I would go with your pre - pregnancy weight, so 2kg gain, nice:)

It feels like I'm cheating somewhat though.Saying that with another 14 weeks (give or take) to go in the pregnancy the weight gain could be massive yet!
I downloaded an app for my iPad called Life in the Womb. It was created by the team in Holles Street and is pretty cool. The 26 week update informed me this morning that the baby now weighs 20 times more than it did at the start of the trimester:eek::).
When I felt the little one move about this morning they had gotten themselves into a peculair position where their head (or bum) was sticking right into my abdomen just at the belly button and their feet and legs were kicking off the back wall of my insides. When I put my hand down to my stomach I could feel the perfect little roundness of a head (or bum) moving gently back and forth. It was pretty cool.
There is so much movement over the last little while - its great. When the baby is born will I be really bored by my stomach that doesn't do anything any more?:D

Karmella wrote: »

Hi Penny, I have not gained any 'weight' either, I have a sizeable bump at 27 weeks but still weigh around the same / less than I did at my booking appointment. I find it quite bizarre aswell, especially as I do no exercise besides yoga once a week and I cannot stop eating (I'm not eating well either - its all bread, chocolate and cakes!!) I think in my case I was very stressed during the first trimester and found it difficult to eat - and that's when I lost weight.

I was rather stressed with work stuff for the start of the pregnancy too and then when you add in the nausea and tiredness of the first 14 weeks I either couldn't eat or was asleep and so had no opportunity to eat.
When that passed I slowly put weight back on but only in small amounts.
Then when I went away on holidays I couldn't weigh myself for a few weeks and when I came back I had a bit of a double take at the gain showing on the scales.
None of it seems to be fat though as my pre pregnancy clothes still fit around the bum and thighs area no problem- granted the bump at the front means there is no point in trying to close them. Also my maternity jeans are still a little loose in these areas too.
I do prenatal yoga twice per week and go for a long enough walk at least two other nights but I'm not super active. My appetite isn't great though. The insane hunger that I'd heard about hasn't hit me or hasn't hit me yet. I have a decent breakfast each morning (porridge made with milk and have nuts and seeds on it) and a light lunch / snacks during the day - yoghurt, fruit mainly and occasionally half a sandwich or such. Then I eat a proper dinner (most evenings) and if I am hungry I might have cereal before bed.

Its all fine though once the baby is fine and is getting as big as they need to and I'm sure when I am post delivery and want to get back into my jeans again I'll be more than happy that I didn't gain too much.

73trix wrote: »

Have you tried the belly belts? I am still in my pre-pregnancy jeans too but ONLY with belly belt (fab invention!), zip wide open and a longish top/ belly band (also fab invention!) to cover the exposure. No need for maternity trousers yet! Bum and thighs still under control. 2Kg is amazeballs. I think i've gained between 8 and 9kg at 26+6. Waiting for that predicted massive appetite (mine's still normal) and the kilos to fly on during last tri. I'm expecting that as my activity levels drop with advanced pregnancy, weight will pile on then too. Pretty active still at the moment but almost in last trimester. Can't belive that the 2nd Tri is almost gone. Time is FLYING!! :eek:

Yes, have a belly belt and its great. I don't find it works well with my work clothes for some reason though. I ordered a couple of pairs of trousers from the Jo Jo Maman Bebe website and they should be with me tomorrow so thats that covered.
The 2kg is great but I do feel a bit of a fraud when people congratulate me on it as its not really something I've set out to do. Granted I haven't used being pregnant as an excuse to eat badly and to eat all around me but equally I haven't been totally OTT in terms of being super careful either. I guess its luck really.

73trix wrote: »

May it continue!

Too right. I've had the odd off day (post 14 weeks- was hard going before then) where I had bad back pain or heartburn (an infrequent occurance thankfully) or everything was wrong and awful, etc etc. However as they are the odd and rare occurance its all been grand for a good while and I've been able to take things easy and mind myself when needed. I dread to think what it would be like to be feeling so bad for the entire duration.

Can anyone recommend a good phone App for labour to time contractions etc? There seem to be a few!

Good idea, thanks Chat!

Penny Dreadful wrote: »

Quick question for all of you. We're going to Tony Kealy's this weekend to put our deposit on the buggy, cot and all that jazz for the baby. Thankfully we've agreed on the big purchases like that and I'm very keen to get that done.
I'd appreciate the benefit of your experience in relation to the mattress you've purchased for the cot. We will be buying the Angel Care Baby Monitor and I noticed that it says you cannot use a memory foam mattress with it and you need quite a firm mattress. What one did you you guys go for?
My husband has a little moment every so often and you hear "how much? for that!" from him. I have no intention of spending hundreds on a mattress but equally I do wonder if one for €20 from IKEA is the right choice too. I have also reminded him that the baby will be sleeping in the cot until they are 2 years old (give or take) and so its not a purchase for a tiny baby only, a bigger heavier child will also be sleeping on the mattress we pick.

My friend advised me to go with a cheap foam mattress with ventilation holes. Her son had gotten sick a bit and had leaky nappies, and she was happy she went with the cheaper option as she could afford to replace the mattress a couple times. Also, it's advised to go for a breathable mattress to reduce the risk of SIDS in the 1st year. I'm thinking I'll invest in a springed mattress with waterproof cover after the year mark.

Lashes28 wrote: »

Have many of you bought a Doppler for your pregnancy? Was it worth it?

I bought one on Amazon and love it! Baby Merkin is a very busy baby but there have been two days where he was quieter than normal and it was so reassuring to be able to listen to the little fellow! I've used it more often though just as an excuse to hear the little darling I bought an Angel Sounds one and I think they are on offer at the moment, buy an extra tube of gel as the tube it comes with is minuscule. What stage are you at?

That's just it, there is a knack to using it which I still haven't managed. I tried a few times and could pick up the baby moving but not it's heartbeat whereas hubby gets him very time, and quickly! Health professionals say not to get one because you need specialist training to use one properly but personally I think it's brilliant and just another way of bonding with your precious little one !

Can I ask any of you what your experiences have been with regards to a low lying placenta.
When I had my anomoly scan back in May the consultant asked me to book myself in for a placental localisation scan again when I was at 34 weeks to see if it had moved up. She did stress at the time that she was being a little over cautious and that it would in all likelihood have moved by that time.
I didn't think any more of it until yesterday when I was back for my ante natal appointment and I had a mini scan with the doctor then. She said that the placenta hadn't moved and she checked that I was booked in for the 34 week scan.
I've had no bleeding whatsoever during the pregnancy at all and apart from my moans yesterday over on the other thread about the usual stuff (tired, can't bend down, etc etc) the pregnancy has been nothing other than a text book pregnancy thankfully. I know that if I do start to bleed at all I'll have to hot foot it into the Coombe ASAP given the location of the placenta and its good to know that so I won't ignore anything.
Also whats the worst that can happen, I'll have a C-Section delivery rather than a vaginal which I know isn't the worst thing by a long shot.

However, that said I'd prefer not to have a section if I can help it and was wondering if any of you have had a low lying placenta and if so at this stage of your pregnancy did it just stay put or did it move? If it moved was it something that just happened or is there anything you can do that help shift it upwards

Merkin wrote: »

Did they say if the placenta is covering the cervix at all? If not it can probably still move up by itself. You could also look at having a scan at 32 weeks to establish this

http://www.nct.org.uk/pregnancy/low-lying-placenta

When it was first spotted back at the anomaly scan (22 weeks I think) the consultant said it was a bit lower than she'd have liked and it was a precaution getting me to make the 34 week appointment to see where the placenta was and that she was fully sure it would move up as the pregnancy progressed.
Yesterday I had an appointment with the consultant ob/gyn not the consultant that did the scan. The machine she used was smaller and not as detailed.
The scan was long enough in that she showed me all around the baby and how much it has grown since last time, eyes, hands waving, strong kicks and lots of fluid surrounding her too.
When I was sitting back at the desk with her she asked if I had made a localisation scan appointment yet and I said yes and asked if the placenta had moved and she said no.
I then asked what that meant- section for certain or was it still undecided. Thinking back on this now no definite answer was given. She just explained what a low lying placenta meant and stressed if there were any bleeds to come in immediately. I asked if it might still move upwards and she said there was no reason to think why not.
I was just thinking about this today and wondered if anyone else has had a similar experience and if so what the ultimate outcome was.
It's not the end of the world at all if a planned section is decided on- I'd prefer not to have the surgery given the limitations post birth but obviously keeping the baby safe is the number 1 priority.

Merkin wrote: »

I hope it moves Penny. Just in answer to one if your original questions, there's nothing that you can actively do to help it move, it's something that will happen naturally hopefully!

Fingers crossed! Of all the news you can get that might not be good this doesn't rate really. I don't like the idea of not having a choice though but that's me being a bit silly I think.
A planned section if that's what it comes down will be fine- I can prepare myself for it and I'll know that I have things to get ready before hand too which I wouldn't have done if it ended up being an emergency section.
Also it will mean that the baby will be ok, I won't go over as there will be no hanging around for labour to start by itself and all that stuff.
Is it obvious I'm polishing up the silver lining of this possible cloud ?😉