This week I am 36 weeks pregnant. This is an especially important milestone for me as C arrived at 35 weeks and 5 days gestation. I have never made it to 36 weeks before. Although extemely relieved to be here (preterm labour is no fun), it did make last week a bit of an anticlimax as I couldn't help but wonder if this baby was going to make a similarly early appearance!
I am definately bigger this time around but do not have the same hip problems I had when pregnant with C. Aside from the increasing tiredness and generally imobility, I am feeling pretty good. Labour does not feel imminent... but then it didn't with C. I was enjoying a perfectly normal afternoon until my waters broke.
Showing posts with label PCOS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PCOS. Show all posts
Wednesday, 30 October 2013
Tuesday, 8 October 2013
33 Weeks Pregnant - PCOS, Pregnancy and Diet Part II
When I was pregnant with C I was advised that because of my PCOS I was at increased risk of getting Gestational Diabetes (GD). I therefore was very conscious of what I ate throughout that pregnancy and did extensive research and experimentation into what food combinations I could and could not eat. I summarised my findings in a blog post at the time.
Friday, 3 May 2013
9 week pregnant
I am now 9 weeks pregnant. 12 weeks is really not far off now. That hasn't stopped me panicking though. I had a few days last week where my symptoms all but disappeared, and generally I have been feeling much more human. I was desperate for another scan for reassurance but felt I couldn't justify the cost of yet another private scan. I had a look on Google and to my surprise found a local company offering a special offer on pregnancy scans for only £50. I didn't need any more persuading and I booked the appointment. It was going to be a busy Tuesday: Midwife appointment in the morning and scan in the afternoon.
Midwife visit
I was pretty certain I knew what to expect from this initial visit. After all, it wasn't that long ago that I was at this stage of my pregnancy with C. It was pretty much going to be a form filling exercise so they could get my details and medical history on the system, as well as booking me in for my 12 week scan and blood tests.
I was wrong!!!
Yes there was plenty of form filling and the obvious chat about C who had no choice but to tag along with Mummy, but they wanted to take blood! Luckily I do not have a problem with needles, however if I did, then this would have come as an unwelcome shock. Apparently they have moved some of the 12 week blood tests to 9 weeks as they are shown to be more informative at this earlier stage. C looked quite concerned that Mummy was having needles stuck in her arm!
Scan
The scan was made more complicated by the fact that DH was working away therefore I had to take C along on my own. We entered the room armed with her favourite stacking beakers and a toy train she had "borrowed" from the toy box in the waiting room and I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.
It didn't start well as I got a ticking off from the sonographer as my bladder was not full enough. As many of you know there is a delicate balance between having a full bladder and being so desperate for a pee you can hardly walk into the room. On this occasion I got it wrong! Also, apparently my uterus was tilting backwards which made it doubly difficult to get a good look at what was going on inside. We swapped to an internal scan which gave us a much clearer picture.
One baby shaped baby, measuring bang on his/her dates of 9 weeks 2 days and one lovely heartbeat.
Phew!
My symptoms are obviously just lessening as the pregnancy progresses. I will therefore enjoy my nausea free days from now on rather than panicking about them!
Midwife visit
I was pretty certain I knew what to expect from this initial visit. After all, it wasn't that long ago that I was at this stage of my pregnancy with C. It was pretty much going to be a form filling exercise so they could get my details and medical history on the system, as well as booking me in for my 12 week scan and blood tests.
I was wrong!!!
Yes there was plenty of form filling and the obvious chat about C who had no choice but to tag along with Mummy, but they wanted to take blood! Luckily I do not have a problem with needles, however if I did, then this would have come as an unwelcome shock. Apparently they have moved some of the 12 week blood tests to 9 weeks as they are shown to be more informative at this earlier stage. C looked quite concerned that Mummy was having needles stuck in her arm!
Scan
The scan was made more complicated by the fact that DH was working away therefore I had to take C along on my own. We entered the room armed with her favourite stacking beakers and a toy train she had "borrowed" from the toy box in the waiting room and I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.
It didn't start well as I got a ticking off from the sonographer as my bladder was not full enough. As many of you know there is a delicate balance between having a full bladder and being so desperate for a pee you can hardly walk into the room. On this occasion I got it wrong! Also, apparently my uterus was tilting backwards which made it doubly difficult to get a good look at what was going on inside. We swapped to an internal scan which gave us a much clearer picture.
One baby shaped baby, measuring bang on his/her dates of 9 weeks 2 days and one lovely heartbeat.
Phew!
My symptoms are obviously just lessening as the pregnancy progresses. I will therefore enjoy my nausea free days from now on rather than panicking about them!
Wednesday, 24 April 2013
6 Week Pregnant (again)
It was not really going to be a question of if I was going to book and early scan, but when...
Extensive research during my pregnancy with C told me that an embryos heart usually starts beating around the 5-6 week mark and if things look good at this point then the chances of miscarriage are significantly reduced. Often a miscarriage at 8,9,10 actually showed the embryo stopped growing at 6 weeks. I therefore needed this scan for reassurance.
The day of the scan I would be 6 week and 4 days pregnant. As the date came closer I was reassured by the fact I was feeling increasingly nauseus.
Soon after we arrived we were invited into the consultants office and I made myself comfortable on the table. Surprisingly it was going to be an abdominal scan.... I had not expected that to clear enough at this early stage. The scan showed that me uterus was currently tilting backwards and although the gestational sac was clear to see, it was not possible to see what, if anything, was going on inside. We therefore swapped to an internal scan that I had been anticipating origninally. This showed the yolk sac and as he moved the wand around I could then see the embryo, my baby! I watched the screen closely, searching for the heartbeat.... and there it was, a rhythmic flickering on the screen. I exhaled a bit in relief. The consultant then turned on the speakers. It's been over a year since i've heard a baby's heartbeat but there was no mistaking that wonderful sound. I beamed at my husband and he smiled back.
The baby measured bang on target for 6 weeks 4 days and everything looked great! I knew the next 6 weeks waiting until the 12 week scan would still feel like an eternity however for now I was content.
Extensive research during my pregnancy with C told me that an embryos heart usually starts beating around the 5-6 week mark and if things look good at this point then the chances of miscarriage are significantly reduced. Often a miscarriage at 8,9,10 actually showed the embryo stopped growing at 6 weeks. I therefore needed this scan for reassurance.
The day of the scan I would be 6 week and 4 days pregnant. As the date came closer I was reassured by the fact I was feeling increasingly nauseus.
Soon after we arrived we were invited into the consultants office and I made myself comfortable on the table. Surprisingly it was going to be an abdominal scan.... I had not expected that to clear enough at this early stage. The scan showed that me uterus was currently tilting backwards and although the gestational sac was clear to see, it was not possible to see what, if anything, was going on inside. We therefore swapped to an internal scan that I had been anticipating origninally. This showed the yolk sac and as he moved the wand around I could then see the embryo, my baby! I watched the screen closely, searching for the heartbeat.... and there it was, a rhythmic flickering on the screen. I exhaled a bit in relief. The consultant then turned on the speakers. It's been over a year since i've heard a baby's heartbeat but there was no mistaking that wonderful sound. I beamed at my husband and he smiled back.
The baby measured bang on target for 6 weeks 4 days and everything looked great! I knew the next 6 weeks waiting until the 12 week scan would still feel like an eternity however for now I was content.
Thursday, 4 April 2013
TTC Baby Number 2
This month was the first month DH and I started actively trying for baby number two. When i say "trying", i mean actually thinking about what date i would ovulate. We had not been using any protection since C was born as the odds of getting pregnant will our fertility issues were so slim.
I bought myself some cheap ovulation and pregnancy tests from the interent and prepared myself for the long haul. After all, the gynacologist had said that the combination of my PCOS and DH's fertility issues meant we had a 1 in 1000 chance of conceiving naturally. To date we had defied the odds and conceived twice. The first, in September 2010, ended in a chemical pregnancy at only 4 weeks, the 2nd, in July 2011, of course resulted in the birth of C in February 2012. We were therefore aware that conceiving naturally a 3rd time might be one miracle too far.
For the past 2 months my cycle had been 36 days long which would put ovulation around day 21.
Unfortunately DH went down with a cold the day i got my positive OPK therefore we only managed to BD once a couple of days earlier. I was therefore prepared to write this cycle off.
At 10dpo i decided i might as well take a pregancy test as i had plenty of internet cheapies. There were no instructions but after no line appeared after a minute or so, i came to the conclusion it was negative. I tested again at 14dpo to confirm. Again, negative.
15dpo came and went and still no AF. This surprised me as i knew i had ovulated. 16dpo, 17dpo, nothing. At 18dpo i decided to test again. Instantly a 2nd pink line appeared, and not that faint either! I was sceptical. Why hadn't this shown at 14dpo. We had only BDd once so i knew the dates wouldn't have added up for late ovulation. Either the test was lying and i wasn't pregnant, the test wasn't good enough to show at 14dpo, or this was a result of late implantation.
I bought a Clearblue test to check again properly the next morning. There it was in black and white. Pregnant! 2-3. Wow! I waved it in front of DH.
"Impressive!", he said.
It was! How we managed to conceive in our first month of trying and only BDing once, i will never know. We had been here before though and knew things could literally change overnight. I decided i would test again a week later with another Clearblue test to check that the estimated weeks since ovulation had increased to 3+.
I tested at 24dpo. Crossing everything that this wasn't going to be another chemical pregnancy. Pregnant 3+. Phew! Then... OMG! This is really happening! Very mixed feeling began to wash over me. Obviously i was HAPPY to be pregnant, RELIEVED the latest test was still showing good numbers and AMAZED we had managed it at all. However i was also SCARED. Scared of going through another stressful pregnancy while also juggling a young toddler, and most important scared of having 2 children under 2! Assuming this pregnancy progresses sucessfully, C will be 21 months when the new baby arrives. 3 months before her 2nd birthday. This terrifies me! C has never been an easy baby. I still consider it a good day if i have been allowed enough spare time to brush my hair in a day. How on earth am i supposed to have time to look after another baby???
I keep reminding myself that plenty of women have done it before me, and how wonderful it will be for C to have a sibling so close in age, a real playmate. Their is no denying it though... It will be tough!
Currently i am feeling more confident about this pregnancy than i was at this stage will C. I know that my body is (almost) capable of carrying a baby to term (C arrived 5 weeks early), and my PCOS seems reasonably under control as i only stopped breastfeeding a few weeks ago. The progression therefore lies more with this being a viable embryo than with my own hormones.
My next step is to make my initial apointment with the midwife. Then it really will start to feel real!
I bought myself some cheap ovulation and pregnancy tests from the interent and prepared myself for the long haul. After all, the gynacologist had said that the combination of my PCOS and DH's fertility issues meant we had a 1 in 1000 chance of conceiving naturally. To date we had defied the odds and conceived twice. The first, in September 2010, ended in a chemical pregnancy at only 4 weeks, the 2nd, in July 2011, of course resulted in the birth of C in February 2012. We were therefore aware that conceiving naturally a 3rd time might be one miracle too far.
For the past 2 months my cycle had been 36 days long which would put ovulation around day 21.
Unfortunately DH went down with a cold the day i got my positive OPK therefore we only managed to BD once a couple of days earlier. I was therefore prepared to write this cycle off.
At 10dpo i decided i might as well take a pregancy test as i had plenty of internet cheapies. There were no instructions but after no line appeared after a minute or so, i came to the conclusion it was negative. I tested again at 14dpo to confirm. Again, negative.
15dpo came and went and still no AF. This surprised me as i knew i had ovulated. 16dpo, 17dpo, nothing. At 18dpo i decided to test again. Instantly a 2nd pink line appeared, and not that faint either! I was sceptical. Why hadn't this shown at 14dpo. We had only BDd once so i knew the dates wouldn't have added up for late ovulation. Either the test was lying and i wasn't pregnant, the test wasn't good enough to show at 14dpo, or this was a result of late implantation.
I bought a Clearblue test to check again properly the next morning. There it was in black and white. Pregnant! 2-3. Wow! I waved it in front of DH.
"Impressive!", he said.
It was! How we managed to conceive in our first month of trying and only BDing once, i will never know. We had been here before though and knew things could literally change overnight. I decided i would test again a week later with another Clearblue test to check that the estimated weeks since ovulation had increased to 3+.
I tested at 24dpo. Crossing everything that this wasn't going to be another chemical pregnancy. Pregnant 3+. Phew! Then... OMG! This is really happening! Very mixed feeling began to wash over me. Obviously i was HAPPY to be pregnant, RELIEVED the latest test was still showing good numbers and AMAZED we had managed it at all. However i was also SCARED. Scared of going through another stressful pregnancy while also juggling a young toddler, and most important scared of having 2 children under 2! Assuming this pregnancy progresses sucessfully, C will be 21 months when the new baby arrives. 3 months before her 2nd birthday. This terrifies me! C has never been an easy baby. I still consider it a good day if i have been allowed enough spare time to brush my hair in a day. How on earth am i supposed to have time to look after another baby???
I keep reminding myself that plenty of women have done it before me, and how wonderful it will be for C to have a sibling so close in age, a real playmate. Their is no denying it though... It will be tough!
Currently i am feeling more confident about this pregnancy than i was at this stage will C. I know that my body is (almost) capable of carrying a baby to term (C arrived 5 weeks early), and my PCOS seems reasonably under control as i only stopped breastfeeding a few weeks ago. The progression therefore lies more with this being a viable embryo than with my own hormones.
My next step is to make my initial apointment with the midwife. Then it really will start to feel real!
Saturday, 16 March 2013
Blog History
All the posts prior to this point are "historic". They were written before this blog was set up either for my now extinct "PCOS and Pregnant" facebook page or as a personal record for myself. They chart from the beginning of my pregnancy in July 2011 to the birth of my daughter in February 2012, and a stand alone update in February 2013 to coincide with her 1st birthday. They are posted in chronological order therefore if you ignore the posting date they should make sense. I hope my ramblings are interesting and informative and I look forward to adding to them in the near future x
Friday, 15 March 2013
28 Weeks Pregnant
Can't believe it's been 5 weeks since my last post... time is definately passing.
Last week (28 weeks pregnant) was my most comprehensive antenatal appointment so far.
Firstly I had routine bloods taken (I should get the results at next antenatal appointment).
Then I had my Anti D injection - as I have Rh -ve blood (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_type).
They will test the baby's umbilical cord once she is born. If she is Rh +ve then I will get another Anti D injection.
Finally I had my standard pregnancy checkup.
My urine was tested - that was all normal.
Blood Pressure - normal
Fetal Heartrate checked - 150bpm (same as last time)
Bump measured - on target!
Baby's position checked (quite an uncomfortable process) - She's head down already apparently!
All this equals happy midwife which means reassured me! :-)
Midwife asked if I was feeling well in myself. Generally I am doing really good. My biggest problem is pelvic pain.
I'm getting stabbing pains down my legs and sometimes they feel really weak. This is all normal as far as I can tell but slightly disconcerting when your legs feel like they are going to give way underneath you! I've restricted myself to just doing front crawl when swimming as have read that breast stroke can exacerbate pelvc pain.
My hands are also hyper-sensitive at the moment and seem to get irritated really easily. From what I have read, the cause is probably soap and the answer is to wash them less, however when you are trying to keep extra sanitised for baby's sake then that is not as easy as it sounds!
My next antinatal checkup is at 32 weeks. Hopefully that should come around quite quickly.
I then get checkups every 2 weeks until baby arrives!!!
23 Weeks Pregnant
A Difficult Week
Waist: 35 inches (that's a 7 inch increase from pre-pregnancy)
By the end of week 22 I was feeling more confident about things than I have in a while. This was helped mostly by the significant increase in baby movement which could put my mind at rest. Sunday morning I had a lie in and just lay there feeling the baby bopping around. It was amazing :-)
Since then however, I have felt a significant change/decrease in fetal movement.
All the medical information I have read suggested to drink a glass of cold water, lay on your side (both of which are meant to stimulate fetal movement) and count the number of movements in the next hour. Anything in excess of 10 movements in this hour is considered to suggest everything is fine.
For the past 2 days I have done this and I HAVE felt more the 10 movements therefore theoretically everything should be fine however the change from last week is disconcerting. Further online reading has suggested this may be caused by the baby having moved position and kicking into my back rather than kicking forward. I suspect this is highly probable however obviously can not be confirmed without a scan.
Speaking to my twitter buddies has indicated that a quiet couple of days is comon however I think it is safe to assume that I will never relax until my little girl arrives safe and well.... and even then I will probably be worrying for the next 18 years :-)
PCOS, Pregnancy and Diet
First of all - THE FACTS
I have therefore adopted a low carb/low GI diet throughout the pregnancy in an attempt to keep Gestational Diabetes at bay, and have bought myself a blood sugar monitor to help me monitor my progress.
However things are more complex than they first appeared. Often it is the combination of foods within your meal that affect how much your blood sugar increases.
e.g. A plain jacket potato is bad, a jacket potato smothered in cheese and salad cream is bizarrely actually much better (although higher in fat).
This whole concept has taken me a good 3 months to get my head round, and I am still learning.
The more I learn the braver I am with what I will eat. At first I stuck to salads and high protein foods, and basically avoided any carbs at all. Now I will have the odd McDonalds or Indian takeaway as I know what to pick off the menu.
The Indian takeaway example is an interesting one.....
I went for an Indian a couple of months ago and had a chicken curry dish, avoided rice and just had naan bread instead. I tested my blood sugar 2 hours later and it was HIGH, bordering on too high.
I thought this ruled Indian food out for me but I had another go last weekend and ordered vegetable curry, saag paneer (a spinach and cheese curry dish) and a small amount of biriani rice. 2 hours later my blood sugar was really low. Amazing... although reassuringly supported the conclusions I was coming to!
In the meantime I have found the following link really helpful:
http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Food_and_recipes/The-Glycaemic-Index/
- Women with PCOS are at an increased of getting Gestational Diabetes whilst Pregnant
- No-one official has actually suggested I make any changes to my diet as a result of being pregnant and having PCOS
- No-one official has actually suggested I test by blood sugar on a regular basis
- I am not a health professional and can only speak about my own experiences
I have therefore adopted a low carb/low GI diet throughout the pregnancy in an attempt to keep Gestational Diabetes at bay, and have bought myself a blood sugar monitor to help me monitor my progress.
However things are more complex than they first appeared. Often it is the combination of foods within your meal that affect how much your blood sugar increases.
e.g. A plain jacket potato is bad, a jacket potato smothered in cheese and salad cream is bizarrely actually much better (although higher in fat).
This whole concept has taken me a good 3 months to get my head round, and I am still learning.
The more I learn the braver I am with what I will eat. At first I stuck to salads and high protein foods, and basically avoided any carbs at all. Now I will have the odd McDonalds or Indian takeaway as I know what to pick off the menu.
The Indian takeaway example is an interesting one.....
I went for an Indian a couple of months ago and had a chicken curry dish, avoided rice and just had naan bread instead. I tested my blood sugar 2 hours later and it was HIGH, bordering on too high.
I thought this ruled Indian food out for me but I had another go last weekend and ordered vegetable curry, saag paneer (a spinach and cheese curry dish) and a small amount of biriani rice. 2 hours later my blood sugar was really low. Amazing... although reassuringly supported the conclusions I was coming to!
- Cheese is good! - I have read on many websites that foods high in fat can offset the carbs in a meal. This definately seems to be the case for me. Obviously you need to be careful though as too much fat can lead to weight gain.
- Portion size is important - This might be an obvious one but the bigger the meal I eat (whatever I eat) then more my blood sugar is affected. Eating little and often definately seems to be the way forward.
In the meantime I have found the following link really helpful:
http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Food_and_recipes/The-Glycaemic-Index/
22 Weeks Pregnant
Probably my most productive midwife visit to date (ok, i've only had 3).
FINALLY got my NT blood results taken at my 13 week scan.
The risk of the baby having Down Syndrome is 1:19711 - I think I would consider that low risk ;-)
She prodded my (now expanding) bump and measured the fetal heartrate. Both were fine.
My blood pressure and urine analysis were also fine.
So in summary ALL FINE :-)
I was booked in to have my Anti D (as have Rhesus -ve blood) and next midwife appointment on 3rd January.
I've passed half way now but March still feels like an eternity away. Not entirely sure how I am going to get through the next 4 months.
We picked up a load of baby bits from hubby's cousin last week but I have hidden them in the (soon to be) baby room and shut the door. I am not ready to start properly planning yet, I still feel like I would be tempting fate.
Eventually (some time after Christmas) I will have to take the plunge and sort out the nursury etc. but not just yet...
Anatomy scan
Even though I had had a scan only a few days earlier, I was told to keep my NHS scan to make sure all results were official and were recorded in my notes correctly.
The sonographer basically confirmed everything I already knew. Baby was fine!!!
She also confirmed that baby was most probaby a girl.
20 Weeks Pregnant
Unfortunately hubby was not going to be able to get the time off work to come to my NHS anatomy scan therefore we booked a private scan for the weekend before so we could be there together and hopefully find out the sex of the baby.
By now I could feel the baby moving and this plus the doppler had kept be in the knowledge that he/she was alive and kicking (litterally) however this scan would check every detail to make sure all was ok.
First of all we were through all the organs, everything was fine. Then the head, leg measurements (which were also fine) and finally into the gender. At this point baby decided he/she had had enough and clamped his/her legs tightly shut and refused to co-oporate any more :-)
Will a bit of pushing and poking, the sonographer made a tentative guess that baby was a girl.
13-19 Weeks Pregnant
Another black hole period where I was left to my own paranoia.
To help I bought myself a doppler (fetal heartrate monitor) which, although took me a little bit of time to perfect, proved so reassuring!!!
At 16 weeks I had a midwife's appointment. This was a bit of a non event. They check baby's heartbeat (which I obviously knew was ok) and went through my blood results from the NT scan. All the standard bloods were fine however they have managed to lose my crucial NT blood results therefore could not give me my Downs risk ratio. I consoled myself with the reassurance that the lab would have rung me if there was an issue.
I asked about getting a flu jab as was under the impression this was to be given to all pregnant women. The response I got back was surprising. Instead of saying it was a good idea, the midwife instead suggested I went away and did my own research on the internet first.
This was obviously a stupid suggestion as within 5 minutes on the internet when I can home I found loads of information linking the vacination to miscarriage and stillbirth. I now felt out in an impossible position. Did I risk the baby by not having the flu jab or did I risk the baby by having the flu jab?????
Some reassuring words from my twitter followers encouraged my to get it done, however I waited until I was 19 weeks so that I would be reassured at my 20 week scan that all was ok.
To help I bought myself a doppler (fetal heartrate monitor) which, although took me a little bit of time to perfect, proved so reassuring!!!
At 16 weeks I had a midwife's appointment. This was a bit of a non event. They check baby's heartbeat (which I obviously knew was ok) and went through my blood results from the NT scan. All the standard bloods were fine however they have managed to lose my crucial NT blood results therefore could not give me my Downs risk ratio. I consoled myself with the reassurance that the lab would have rung me if there was an issue.
I asked about getting a flu jab as was under the impression this was to be given to all pregnant women. The response I got back was surprising. Instead of saying it was a good idea, the midwife instead suggested I went away and did my own research on the internet first.
This was obviously a stupid suggestion as within 5 minutes on the internet when I can home I found loads of information linking the vacination to miscarriage and stillbirth. I now felt out in an impossible position. Did I risk the baby by not having the flu jab or did I risk the baby by having the flu jab?????
Some reassuring words from my twitter followers encouraged my to get it done, however I waited until I was 19 weeks so that I would be reassured at my 20 week scan that all was ok.
13 Weeks Pregnant
19th September 2011
The wait between my 10 week and 13 week scans was definately easier. Yes I was still paranoid but there was a little voice of reality inside reminding me that the chances of something going wrong now were statistically much less.
I was therefore able to lie back and enjoy this scan a lot more. Baby definately looked like a baby now and was very active, darting all over the screen. Looking at him/her then I was convinced it was a boy. No girl could possibly want to be that active I told myself.
The sonographer took dating measurements, which tied in about right, and measured baby's nuchal fold which was 1.4mm.
I then went and had the supporting bloods taken and was told we would hear the results in a couple of weeks, sooner if there was an obvious problem.
Again I left reassured that maybe, just maybe, this might all have a positive ending.
10 Week Scan
2nd September 2011
The fertility clinic were running about an hour late and the wait to go in for the scan was excruciating!
Hubby was with me and seemed to be coping with the whole thing a lot better. He was much more confident that everything was going to be ok.
When I finally went in for the scan I couldn't see the screen so I was trying to read the consultants face for an indication of what he could see. He was impossible to read (obviously well trained in such situations).
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he said "well, you have a very active baby in there, i'm having trouble keeping him/her on the screen".
I will never forget that moment, the rush of relief that there was really something there and that it appeared be be ok!
We were given a blurry photo to take away and told that that the clinic did not need to see us again.
We would be handed over to normal NHS care and would get another scan at 12 weeks.
6-10 Weeks Pregnant
August 2011
Officially the most stressful 4 weeks of my life.
The initial euphoria of finding out I was pregnant and the joy of seeing that 6 week heartbeat on screen decended into a terrifying wait to see what would happen.
Every morning and at regular intervals throughout the day I would prod my boobs to see if they were still sore.
Some days the symptoms were milder, sometime barely there at all, sending me into a paranoid frenzy.
The chemical pregnancy of the year before still weighed heavily on my mind. I had woken up one morning and my symptoms were gone. I knew something was wrong and a pregnancy test that morning proved me right. I knew in the blink of an eye things could change and that lack of control scared me to death.
The Metformin and progesterone pessaries provided me with some reassurance that my body was getting some support to do what it was supposed to be doing!
I was due a scan at my feritility clinic at 10wk5d and as the likelyhood of miscarriage lessoned as time went on, my fear of arriving at the scan to find I had had a missed miscarriage only increased. In my eyes this pregnancy was too good to be true, something was obviously going to go wrong, it was just a matter of when.
Officially the most stressful 4 weeks of my life.
The initial euphoria of finding out I was pregnant and the joy of seeing that 6 week heartbeat on screen decended into a terrifying wait to see what would happen.
Every morning and at regular intervals throughout the day I would prod my boobs to see if they were still sore.
Some days the symptoms were milder, sometime barely there at all, sending me into a paranoid frenzy.
The chemical pregnancy of the year before still weighed heavily on my mind. I had woken up one morning and my symptoms were gone. I knew something was wrong and a pregnancy test that morning proved me right. I knew in the blink of an eye things could change and that lack of control scared me to death.
The Metformin and progesterone pessaries provided me with some reassurance that my body was getting some support to do what it was supposed to be doing!
I was due a scan at my feritility clinic at 10wk5d and as the likelyhood of miscarriage lessoned as time went on, my fear of arriving at the scan to find I had had a missed miscarriage only increased. In my eyes this pregnancy was too good to be true, something was obviously going to go wrong, it was just a matter of when.
The Day We Found Out We Were Pregnant
5th August 2011
Hubby and I arrived at the fertility clinic to discuss our second attempt at frozen embryo transfer (FET).
Our first attempt in the Spring had been abandoned due to the lining of my womb considered not thick enough to support implantation of the embryo.
I was fustrated at the lack of progress and my bodies reluctance to do what it was supposed to be doing. Even my "period" the week before had been a little odd. I usually bleed for about 3-4 days but this time I had bled for a day, stopped, then bled again for a day before finally stopping.
Now at this point I must admit it had vauely crossed my mind that I could be pregnant. My boobs were surprisingly still sore and I had been extremely tired for the past couple of days. I had however pushed the thought to the back of my mind as it "was not possible".
The consultant decided to scan me to see what was going on.
"Prepare yourselves for a shock" he said.
At this point I expected him to say I was pregnant but had miscarried.
"You are pregnant" he said "and I can see a healthy heartbeat".
A huge range of emotions flooded me.
Yes joy... but also fear. The chances of this natural pregnancy resulting in a sucessful baby were slim, we had been told that before.
A consultant was really helpful and positive though. He gave me instructions to continue taking metformin and prescribed me progesterone pessaries to take as well to hopefully stop the bleeding. He would scan me again at 10/11 weeks.
Hubby and I arrived at the fertility clinic to discuss our second attempt at frozen embryo transfer (FET).
Our first attempt in the Spring had been abandoned due to the lining of my womb considered not thick enough to support implantation of the embryo.
I was fustrated at the lack of progress and my bodies reluctance to do what it was supposed to be doing. Even my "period" the week before had been a little odd. I usually bleed for about 3-4 days but this time I had bled for a day, stopped, then bled again for a day before finally stopping.
Now at this point I must admit it had vauely crossed my mind that I could be pregnant. My boobs were surprisingly still sore and I had been extremely tired for the past couple of days. I had however pushed the thought to the back of my mind as it "was not possible".
The consultant decided to scan me to see what was going on.
"Prepare yourselves for a shock" he said.
At this point I expected him to say I was pregnant but had miscarried.
"You are pregnant" he said "and I can see a healthy heartbeat".
A huge range of emotions flooded me.
Yes joy... but also fear. The chances of this natural pregnancy resulting in a sucessful baby were slim, we had been told that before.
A consultant was really helpful and positive though. He gave me instructions to continue taking metformin and prescribed me progesterone pessaries to take as well to hopefully stop the bleeding. He would scan me again at 10/11 weeks.
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