For those of us only JUST here!

[Lisa Ch]

Hi
good luck everybody you all seem to be doing so well.

Hope i get the names right
Christina - I also take Sanatogen Pro Natal once a day, I take it with fresh orange as was told that would help with my iron intake. Don't know if it has but had my iron tested at 28 weeks and it was exactly the same level as at 7 weeks so maybe something in it. As I am expecting twins it has meant that I have not had to take any extra supplements of iron.

Shellie - The Emma Mahoney book was good although if you could afford half of the things she talked about it would be even better! Some of it was just not practical after you have spent so much money on other things. Although as Tracey says the article on BJ's was interesting!!!!!! and maybe worth a go.
Carol Cooper's book, Twins and Multiple Births was also good and I enjoyed that. However, I think that I have read so many a lot of the advice was contradicted. It would also be worth joining TAMBA the Twins and Multiple Birth Assoc - they also have a message board, good advice, newsletters and discount at certain shops.

Anyway, off for my 'membrane sweep' today

Take care all
Love Lisa xx

[caz1]

Lisa- don't really know what a membrane sweep is - sounds delightful though! Good luck anyway!

Hope everyone is well. Had our scan - its was TOTALLY amazing I have to say...........I am in serious danger though of behaving like one of those people who think she's the only person in the WORLD EVER to have had a baby -anyone know what I mean?!
Anyway I won't go on - but the scan was very cool. saw the little one moving / almost waving (teary moment!). Could see hands feet head almost shape of eyes and mouth! Actually thats all a lie .... I couldn't make ANY of it out at all , - but DH and the lady who scanned me pointed it all out!
Anyway she said all looked perfectly normal - although obviously we have to wait for the nuchal scan at 12 weeks. But she said it looked like things (heart/ bowels/ tummy etc) were where they should be. I guess the nuchal will eb mainly focusing on the down syndrome. Yippee!!

Anyway like you Gem - am NOT going to worry (for the time being!) - going to go on holiday and enjoy!
Is it just me or does anyone else feel completely and i mean COMPLETELY done in. I understand that its the hormones etc - but I also think the whole process is just SO long and SO stressful - it just suddenly gets to you....am I alone....by the way I am NOT complaining!!

Is anyone else sickness etc getting better - mine has been at its worst this week -best descibed as hangover from hell - ALL the time! Just hoping a bit of sun and lots of sleep will sort me out!!!!! Did I tell you I'm going on holiday next week ?!
You'll miss me SOOOOO much won't you...........not!

Anyway - am ranting - how are you all? Tracey I'm so pleased you didn't have to saw off your engagement ring!! Phew!

Gem/ Bina/ Shell/ Fiona- how are you - what news?

Big X
Cazxx

[Dagny]

Hi Caz

Just a quick one to say how pleased I am that your scan went so well. It IS amazing and I do remember all my scans with Katelyn and thinking that it is the most incredible thing in the world. Enjoy the euphoria!!

Wishing you a very happy holiday hope you are not too tired to enjoy it!

Love Dagny xkx

[gem]

HI MUMS TO BE
Caz hope you have a brill hoilday and I'm so glad your scan went well.
I've had to go to the doc's today as I woke up at 2.30am as I needed to go to the toilet and I had a reallyt bad pain on my right side around my pelvis/groin area at some points it was really painful it had eased when I got up for work but during the day it got really bad sometimes I was bent over in agony I phoned my midwife who kept asking about bleeding and said it isnt ecoptic I said no it cant be as i've had lots of scans so know the baby is in the right place she said oh itys prob growing pains so take 2 paracetamols and see how it goes-vry helpful which I dont want to do it kept easing then coming back really painful then I realised it was gettimng more painful when I needed the loo and easing after I'd been which Annette said it sounds like a water infection so after work I went to the dr's and he said it sounds like one so he as gave me something for a water infection and hopefully they will do the trick,I said to teh dr it cant be growing pains cos I';m sure they artent this painful,so hopefully I will be painfree in a few days,also is any one suffering with headaches they haev been really bad ove rthe weekend and I had to sit in darkness last night it was that bad it gets worse when I'm tired which Iam alot these days.
Other then that I'm fine and so thankfully I'm pregnant and I'm 12 weeks today.
Hoep everyone else is oK
Love gemxxxxxxx

[Fiona L]

Hello everyone.

Been off the board for a few days and can't now remember what everyone has said but it sounds like you are all doing OK, give or take the odd scare.

I am taking Pregnacare but it doesn't seem to be helping much as I am exhausted. We went to Wimbledon yesterday and I could hardly walk back to the car.

My son is now ill! Ha. You lot have all this to come. He came back from his father's on Sunday having slept all day and complaining of a sore throat. Top timing for our day at the tennis. Took him to the doctor at 10am who diagnosed tonsilitis then left him with my mother and shot down to Wimbledon. Picked him up this am and he seems a lot better. He was being very irritating and doing his own running commentary during the Henman match today so I think he will be back at school tomorrow.

BUT if you think Nikola's story about the baby poo was foul, fon't read on.......

Both my children stayed with my parents last night. My son was taking penicillin for his tonsilitis and at 2.30am had terrible diarrohea. He made it to the bathroom but not the loo and it went EVERYWHERE according to my poor mother. Up the walls, all over the carpet (which they think they will have to replace) and in the bath. He's 10 so there was a fair amount of volume!!!!

After she had cleaned it up as best she could, my daughter then woke up complaining of a nightmare and spent the night with my mother, putting paid to any more sleep..Think I might take her some flowers tomorrow otherwise she may disown them.

Then had to take my daughter to the minor injuries clinic this pm as she has a cut that won't heal. It turns out to be infected so now she is on penicillin!!!

Believe me, the baby bit is the easy bit. Meanwhile I am so tired I can barely move. Thank God they are usually at school all day.

I think it must be very hard to women who have toddlers and then become pregnant as that is the most demanding time. At least my two are quite self-sufficient - when they are not ill!

Can't remember who asked about headaches. I've been OK this time around but last time I had really bad ones. My doctor told me it was very normal and to take paracetamol. They do go after 12 weeks or so.

Booked 10 days hols on Sunday. We are off to a fab hotel in Mallorca in July, the last holiday we will probably ever have on our own until we are in our wheelchairs!

Have had a few comments over my enhanced assets (easy to notice when you start with only a little). I am blaming a fantastic new bra!

Tracey - having your rings cut off is a penance for being so brown. No jealousy at all from another pale face!

Christina ( I think) - have sex. There's not much on TV apart from when England play. It will fill your evening (sorry, no crude pun intnended).

Off for my booking in tomorrow and to argue over hospitals.

Take care everyone

Love Fiona

[slymunchkin3]

Hi everyone,

Nice to read that you are all doing well. Hope you've all been enjoying the footie. Thank you all for your advice re: vitamins & nookie. Started the vitamins but still a bit nervous about having nookie just as well DH is very understanding & not demanding.....lol

Well we go for another scan on friday & hope we can see the heartbeat a bit better this time round ( 7 weeks ) still its very soon isn't it?

Well I hope all you mums to be are all feeling good & take care

[Tracey S]

Oh I love this thread - makes me

Caz - what absolutely wonderful news - make the most of them - the scans - the time flies by! Sounds very good to me and the nuchal will concentrate on Downs and other chromosome problems but you will see munchkin again! Have a lovely holiday and the sickness gets worse - peaks and then goes mainly! Mine peaked around your stage and then poof it just goes and you think - oh no why aren't I being sick! Have a fabby holiday!

Gem - poor you - drink plenty - get those fluids down you and some cranberry juice and just drink. Don't be a hero - honestly Gem paracetamol does not cross the placenta and it is better for you to feel better.

Fiona - OMG - you have brought the thread down to a base level. Your poor mother - does she know you are pg yet because not sure the best timing after you told me her feelings in you last thread! How awful for you - you must be exhausted - must be one after the other. Penance hey? Well I am the one that will look (or probably already does) like an old handbag!

Shellie - good luck with the scan but should be fine at 7 wks. LEt us all know. Where is Bina?

Well hospital tour for me tonight - well me and DH and then back early am for a scan - yikes - 33wks on Friday
Love to all
Tracey
xxx

[alisonn]

hihi gem, hope your water infection has started to clear, just wanted
to say re the headaches, i had very bad ones that would wipe me
out for and evening and the following day, have to say i was getting
them quite often, i did have my blood pressure taken just to be on
the safe side, but eveything was ok, its just one of those syptoms
of being pregnant.
take care alisonn

[bina]

Hi everyone,
Sorry, haven't been on much, because either too busy working or too busy sleeping trying to get over the tiredness....! Not much of a life, but wouldn't have it any other way.
Soooo pleased to read you're all doing well (with the odd fret and worry thrown in, but that goes without saying, doesn't it?).
Gem - hope they diagnosed correctly and your infection clears up - won't harm peanut, so that's the main thing, isn't it?
Anyway, went for my 12-week scan today and it was brilliant! All measurements are fine, nuchal seems OK, two hands, two arms, two legs, even toes! Saw the spinal cord, brain (now separating into left and right side already!) and heard the heartbeat: 162 beats per minute - it's amazing! So, so far so good! All as it should be! Apparently the placenta is a little low, but apparently can't worry about that (well, that's what the sonographer said, but I can worry about anything without any encouragement at all!!!!) yet, because later scans will show whether the location of the placenta is a real problem or not. So am trying to stay calm over that one...!
Also had the 1st blood test done, next one mid-July, then shortly after we should hear about Down's risk.
Phew - soooo relieved! Phoned my mum in Germany straight away, because we're now 'coming out' ie telling everyone (who listens!).
Sorry, got to go, now have the booking-in appointment at the hospital where I'll hopepfully deliver....may last up to 3 hours, apparently..!
Hope you're all doing well! Good luck with everything.
Love,
bina

[Tracey S]

Bina

What wonderful news and the scan sounds fabulous - bet your mum was thrilled! The low lying placenta - or quite low lying - it's amazing how many of them move up so not a huge worry at this stage. they will keep an eye on you and then see what is like around 20 wks - if it is still low then then won't move upwards but let's cross that bridge and all fine for the moment. I mean Nikola's was very low lying all along and she had twins - they were both low lying.

Enjoy - and happy booking in
Love
Tracey
xxx

[gem]

Hi guys
Bina so glad your scan went well we cant wait for ours on weds.
Fiona bet you were glad they were sleeping at your mums,hope you have a lovely holiday are all 4 of you going?
Tracey cant believe your 33 weeks on fri hope the hosp tour goes ok.
Shellie your scan will be fine.
Thankfully the pain hasnt been bad today so the tablets must be working.
Did anyone give dh a card on sunday I gave dh a father to be card it made both of us nearly cry when I gave him it one of the moments I've been waiting for for years.
dh as been off today so he did the asda shop which he would never have doen if i wasnt pg it was so nice to come home and all the shopping doen and put away plus he was hoovering when I walked in-bless him.
we've been looking at my belly tonight cant believe how big Iam allready dh said hes glad i'm big then least it shows the baby is growing,as anyone else got a belly?
Bina what is your due date as it changed from todays scan?
Hope you are all ok
Love gemxxxxxx
12 weeks and 1 day

[Shellie]

Hello everyone.

We had our 7 week scan today and we saw 2 little heartbeats. We were so thrilled it was a special moment. They even printed out two pictures of our two jelly beans. We didn't even ask for them which I thought was sweet. We have them stuck on the fridge!! They do look like 2 little jellybeans. DH and I have been walking around with big smiles on our faces all day. We have told our families and a few of our friends know. I figure if I am to enjoy my pregnancy I want a few people to share it with me.

Thanks for the advice on the twin books Lisa. I haven't bought any of them just yet. Don't want to jinx anything (weird considering I've told some people oh well). Will probably get them in the next few weeks.

Glad everyone else is doing well. I can't believe you girls are up to your 12 week scans already(Bina, Gem,Caz). How come it seems like your time has flown but mine is dragging along slowly.

Hope you see a clear heartbeat Christina. We did at 7 weeks and 2 days. I guess it depends on how the babs is positioned.

33 weeks, wow tracey. Are you getting worried yet?? The nurse said today that 36 weeks is normal for twin births. Only 29 more weeks to go!!!

How are you alison, resting up for that golden eggy?

Hope I haven't missed anyone out. I'm off to sleep now. For some reason I am finding hard to make it through the day without a nap and then during the night I am up 5-6 times to the loo. Must be pregnant

Shellie

[caz1]

HI there!
Check out what time it is!!!!!!!!!!!! Beyond 130 and I'm STILL awake - WHAT a result!
Just wanted t come on to say -
Bina - FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!! So pleased it all went well -its such a big hurdle to get over you and DH must be on claoud nine. Really chuffed for you

Gem so sorry about the water works - pretty common in pregnancy (am I right?) - I think? My friends maternity nrse said you should drink LOTS on cranbery juice as you are apparently suseptable when pregnant. So there you go - some more useless advice!!!!!!!!

Tracey - how did the hospital visit go - is it starting to get just a little bit scarey???!!

Fiona -that is a TOTAL horror story- you mum must be SOOOO chuffed!!!!!!!!! POor you too though.


Sheelie - SO pleased about your scan - one just blew me away - can't imagine how you must be feeling. WOW!

No other news - less sick today -PHEW!! Went to gym and now have the weirdest pain in my groin - no pain at all when I don't move - I think I'd describe it as muscular - but at the same time can't really identify exactly where it is - seems to be somewhere behind my pelvic bone - and is making walking quite difficult!!!!? Do you think I might have just pulled something - I dunno how -I hardly did anything!! Has anyone else had anything similar? I guess if it was a bladder infection it would hurt to pee - which it doesn't. I wonder if I overstretched or something - dunno?!By the way - I'm not overly stressing about this (I mean you KNOW me right?!?! ) - but I would quite like to know that I haven't done anything stupid like ripped my uterus or something (can you even do that/1!) - I guess I'd really know about it if I had!!

Anyway - I will go to bed now - might treat you all to a boring little update on my groin tomorrow!!!!!!

TAke care

Cazxxxxx

[bina]

Hi girls,
Shellie - your time has not dragged - you wouldn't believe how slowly it went to get to 12 weeks (almost feels like 12 months...) So it'll all be there before you know it. Why don't you keep yourself busy with midwife appointments, registering with the hospital, seeing your GP and stuff? I happened to have that kind of thing booked in over the last few weeks (one appointment a week sort of) so that way I felt I was actually doing something pregnancy-related and it made things move on a little quicker...!
Gem - so pleased to hear your pain is getting less and less, must be a good sign that the tabs are working; fingers crossed it'll all clear up by the weekend!
Caz - what are you like being up so late? The gym must be giving you lots of energy! How's your groin this morning? Hope it's got better overnight, maybe it was just a little strain that calmed down with some sleep? Wishing you well in any case!

So - sorry to be moaning again, but my euphoria after the scan in the morning (done privately at different hosp. because mine could not fit me in when I needed to go - only doing the integrated scan on a Tuesday afternoon), it's all been crushed by another useless midwife at the hospital where I booked in. Here's what she 'advised', if you can call it that:

- no exercise at all (her words: well, we want to keep the pregnancy, don't we? [no shit!], so it's best not to do anything, especially in your case with an IVF pregnancy. I did then query this and asked about exercise after 12 weeks , but she basically said I shouldn't risk it. Surely that's a lot of rubbish?
- I asked her why I should not go on long car journeys and she said the main problem is the 'rocking/shaking' sensation [not the sitting still in one place posing you at risk of DVT, which is what I thought it was]; so she recommended the following preference for transport: 1. flying (her words: that's the best, because it's the shortest! - when I asked about DVT she said that didn't matter, because that would not affect the pregnancy; but surely if I did develop DVT it would put the baby at risk; i.e. no blood being pumped to my heart means no blood for the baby either...?) 2.nd best would be train and 3.rd best mode of transport the car. I'm just not convinced........
- then she went on her soapbox and mentioned the recent discussion about IVF being available on the NHS, which she strongly opposed. Her words: why should the taxpayer pay for someone to have a child. People have the choice to have a baby or not (at which point I alerted her that DH and I had made that choice, but it didn't work and therefore we needed help); she basically said that it's not on for the NHS to pay for it, that it's not life-threatening (has she ever heard of emotional effects of infertility?), etc. So I just threw in the liver wasted on George Best, but she wasn't having it. I was livid! I'm all for people having different opinions and can to some extent understand it, but surely the ante-natal clinic (including IVF pregnancies) is not the forum to share those opinions?

She said a whole lot of other things that are a bit petty to mention (like asking me what my urine sample had shown, which she had analysed herself about 15 minutes earlier, without telling me the result, but forgot to write it down, so just assumed it was normal.....) but suffice to say she very thoroughly hacked me off, didn't actually help me with any of my questions and made me lose all confidence in having some decent ante-natal care. This is such an emotional and scary time that I really wish I had someone (ideally a midwife) who can put my troubled, worried and over-stretched mind at rest!
So, I got the number for private patients at the hospital to see whether I could go for private shared care (ie midwife/obstetrician). Does anyone know anything about it? Does it mean we'll have to sell the house to afford it? Apparently at my hospital the head midwife has just set up a private group of midwives who offer their services. So see what that sounds like.
I'm just really disillusioned and don't really know where to turn if we can't afford the private care throughout....is it possible to go halves ie half NHS, half private?
Again so sorry to be moaning, but needed to get this off my chest. DH is also quite shocked and worried - what do you girls think? Am I being oversensitive and should just get over it?
Hope all is well with all of you!
Love,
bina

[Tracey S]

OMG you lot where on earth do I start??? So tired as just got back from scan - all ok thanks and one twin is 5lb and the other 4.5lb they reckon - ouch but will come on to that! and the tour last night so no sleep again really
Bina am starting on you as am so cross with that silly bint of a midwife - sorry but what absolute bollocks and not putting stars in it as justified in this case I feel What a witch - get her changed at the very least! Bina you cannot continue with this. All the very sensible advice I have been given from QMC in Nottingham which are fabby and one of the best in Europe is gently exercise is postively good for you not the other way around! Honestly better for you and baby and I am having IVF twins for gods sake. The reason they think I am doing so well is because of all the walking and up and down hills etc I have done since they went back in!!! Twaddle is what she is talking and long car journeys - omg what twaddle - ok in this heat drink plenty and if you are very worried put on the lovely dvt tights but not to go - rubbish - I have done loads! Can't now but then too uncomfortable. Speak to the midwife led ones at the hospital and talk to your consultant - they should be able to recommend one their - you could have consultant led care - get rid Bina and you should not have to pay! And as for IVF well quite right about G Best's liver and numerous other lung people we have to pay for and detoxifying various alcoholics - sorry set me off.

Caz - yes when i went around the hospital last night it's suddenly like yikes - I was only 12 wks pg last week - really brings it home so spent all night thinking about it -scan was fine. As for you probably just a small muscle strain and no you have not torn you uterus - takes a lot to do that and with babies kicking etc The muscles are changing all the time - could be the pubic bone - some get pubus dysfunctis or some such thing where the bone dividing the pubus splits more and more. take it a bit easier and you should be fine.

Gem - glad all ok with you - growing hey - it goes in shocking spurts so beware but lovely to see isn't it?

Shellie - glad you have the piccy - I did not get any books until 12-16 wks so don't worry - some put the fear of god into you anyway. Amazon is the best. Need to sort you that list - keep reminding me! 36 wks is good for twins - they say I have done well already when you consider how many born at 28 wks! So they see no reason right now not to get to 36 wks but watch this space!

fiona how are you today?

Loads of love
Tracey
xxx