It has to be a Girl

DH is convinced this new baby will be a girl. He has numerous theories for this:

1. We only BDd once that cycle, about 3 days before ovulation.  There are various theories that "girl" sperm can survive longer than "boy" sperm, while "boy" sperm can swim faster. The Shettles Method suggests if you BD just before ovulation you are more likely to have a boy as this sperm gets to the egg faster, while if you only BD a few days before ovulation, only the "girl" sperm has survived to fertilise the egg.
2. C is a girl and as his sperm has a low count and low morphology, he thinks the only good ones must be "girls".
3. Some men and more likely to have girls, others boys. The fact he has fathered one girl statistically increase the odds of him fathering another.
4. He is used to C and can't imagine having a boy :-)

Is he talking sense or in cloud cuckoo land?.... watch this space... 

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!

Happy 1st Birthday Matilda Mae

I'm so sorry that today wasn't the day your Mummy and Daddy dreamt it would be.

That you're not excitedly unwrapping your presents with your brother and sister.

That you haven't been spending this week enjoying your first holiday with your family.

However I am so glad I was lucky enough to know you, to cuddle you, to see you cheeky smile and big brown eyes. 

 The only photo I have of C (far left) and Tilda (far right) (and S (centre) - Baked Potato Mummy)                                             

                                

I wish I had a picture of the time I had you sat on one knee and C on the other. Amusingly thinking to myself that this is what it would be like to have two. I wish I had known that was the last time I would see you.
 
Instead of buying you a birthday present today, I have donated that money to The Lullaby Trust.

Tonight I will light a candle in your honour.

I hope you are enjoying your birthday in the sky xxx

 Forever linked - never forgotten x                                    

              

 

Jennie and her fellow mummy bloggers have organised an online auction to raise funds for The Lullaby Trust in Matilda's memory.  Further details can be found here

This post was written as part of a blog hop for Matilda's 1st Birthday. You can view the other entries here:

 

How to survive the 12 week wait

Ok, so it is not really a 12 week wait as the first 2 weeks of that you weren’t pregnant and the second 2 you did not know you were pregnant. It’s actually only an 8 week wait. But still… that’s long enough! Almost 2 months!

In the UK as standard, you get your first scan at 12/13 weeks of pregnancy.  Before that the only indisputable indication that you are pregnant is a positive home pregnancy test.  Betas and early scans are not given out on the NHS as standard although can be requested privately.

The wait until the 12 week scan can be nerve wracking and stressful, especially if you have suffered from infertility or a previous miscarriage.  You can find yourself overanalysing every possible symptom or lack of them.  I have therefore put together a 12 week wait survival guide of reassuring facts and tips to try and help you through those early weeks…

1. Try to keep busy. The more time you spend dwelling (or Googling), the more anxious you will end up making yourself.
2. Symptoms come and go. It is perfectly normal for some days for you feel less nauseous than others, or for your breasts to be less tender. It does not necessarily mean there is a problem. Look at your symptoms over a weekly basis rather than a day by day basis.
3. Stay away from online pregnancy forums. It is a known fact that most people who post on forums, do so because they have a problem and are looking for advice. People rarely post to say how well their pregnancy is going or that they have had a healthy birth.  They therefore often paint a very bleak picture of pregnancy.
4. The odds are in your favour. Although the fact 20% of pregnancies end in miscarriage is a worrying statistic, it also means that 80% of pregnancies do not!  The odds are lower the further along in your pregnancy you are and younger you are.  https://sites.google.com/site/miscarriageresearch/miscarriage-general
5. Talk to close friends and family. At this early stage in pregnancy you may want to keep your news quiet for as long as possible. You do not however need to suffer in silence.  Confide in a few close friends and/or family.  They will be able to help and reassure you, and hopefully take your mind off things!
6. If all else fails, do not be afraid to book an early scan privately.  In the UK most cost between £90 and £100.  This is supposed to be an enjoyable time and it will help to ease your anxieties.

Good Luck!

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.