Ok ladies here it is - better late than never so I hope you enjoy the read. Hope your ready for this..........You might want to sit and or grab a cup of tea its abit of a monster this one.....
Just for you Elaine - ive learnt from that mistake - I type any replys in a note page then copy and paste it onto the reply box, its a pain when you spend the time writing it up and then have it dissapear...
Manny - beautiful scan piccy honey, massive congratulations on a well and truly stuck little bean
Ok so lots has been happening with me and my growing bump.
Ive been taking photos every few weeks wearing the same clothes and standing in the same place at home so we can put them all together with a gorgeous picture at the end of me holding our new baby....with DH by our side......it will go into our baby book along with everything else.
I started showing around 11 weeks although ive lost weight through my sickness and my jeans are still loose the only difference is my usually flat tummy bacame alot fuller and has been getting more and more round since then, so now at over 21 weeks its also getting higher up too and is a proper baby bump now. (Lou if i was in your position id be really annoyed as as this one is sticking and people know im pregnant I want people to know when they see me that im expecting - im very proud of my bump and you will be too when yours starts showing properly)
So the things that have been changing most often are the eating habits - gowing round and round every 5days or so as to what i can actually eat without it making me feel really sick or not staying down still. Im now back to the stage when i can tolerate most things but in very small amounts which is ok at the moment, it will have changed again this time next week
Ive also been able to start getting more and more fluids on board as its something ive really struggled with and have had to go into hospital twice now to be put on a drip for rehydrating as even water wasnt staying down....add to that a couple of cases of (sorry TMI) loose bowel movents and thats why the hospital visits....
I also had a abulance run to hospital due to a fall at home where i blacked out and fell and came to with very bad lower ab pain and bleeding....so as DH was away on one of the work trips again I had to call for help......another scan and blood tests later confirmed i was being told to stick to bed rest for the next week before the results came back......brilliant- i live a good 3hrs away from family so I asked my lovely neighbor for help - she kindly took our woofs out each day with their jack russel and made sure I was ok(she was also great when i M/C both times and DH was away but we have always got on well and she works at the hospital)..... so results and another scan later showed i was able to get back up and do things slowly but once again baby Hill was just fine - pfffew! I just had to keep a foor/drink diary and include anytime it didnt stay down ect for the next 4weeks and im now all ok thank god.
After everything thats happened ive been really careful to look after myself and its amazing that baby has proved every time thats beans happy and healthy...
So in total 3 hospital stays, one abulance call, a fall at home, bleeding and abdominal pains plus being knocked over by a dog on a walk (not mine i have to say- the owner was mortified) and really bad sickness from week 7onwards and im still here with baby in tow
not bad for a third time lucky sticky bean hey
So ive currently had more scans now than all of my pregnant friends put together and most of the ladies in the unit know me and DH well by now - its ace as i get to see our little acrobat each time on the screen but nerve wrakking each time because of the bad news possibility. But ive stsayed positive (i wont let myself get dark and depressed unless i have reason to as its not healthy for me or baby) this one is definately a keeper no matter what my body and the outside world seems to throw at it.....
So after getting the food and drink intake sort of under control we seem to be on a more steady path and the docs and midwife are happy to see me every 3weeks for checks which is sooo much better than every week as it has been for sooo long....
So I started to feel those light flutters inside the day i turned 17 weeks and it was brilliant to feel.....trust me you'l know it when its baby as its differrent than trapped wind or hungry rumble - your tummy has butterflies in it but they move slowly, like a flutter of a wing in one place on one side of your tummy.....more proof of my growing baby....DH was at home too so he could share in the delight on my face as i rushed out of the shower and downstairs to tell him......brilliant moment for us both. Those flutters have been getting stonger and last longer as the weeks go by and its lovely when it happens..
The next milestone was of course our 20 week scan - which luckily for us was on the day i reached 20 weeks and DH was at home that week too so we sat and watched in awe for the next 20-25minutes at our baby on that screen - amazed at how much baby had grown and we got to see everything - we asked to not be told our baby's sex as we felt that as pregnancy is soo much out of our control we wanted the best surprise of all when baby arrived - also from doing my midwifery course and from friends with kids that you push a hell of alot better when you dont know as by that point you are desperate to know what you're having.....so the sonograpgher was brilliant and baby Hill actually behaved. well on the second try - we had to go for a walk to try calm baby enough so baby wouldnt move quite sooo much and she could check everything properly.
So we watched her checking the following and soooooo much more.....bone structure, toes, feet, anckles, lower and upper leg, knees and pelvis - - they check this area for sighns of flat foot/bent lags/swollen joints and dwafism (suddenly moving up to babys head as baby had uncrossed its legs
cheeky monkey)....so she checked skull, eyes, ears nose and mouth - no sighns of cleft lip or palet which was good to know...then moved down to do the most detailed check of the babys torso i have ever seen it was truely awesome to see our babys heart and organs in that much detail..the 4individual compartments of our babys heart beating for example....it was all just increadible.....oh she saw what we were having and just smiled and said everythings well and healthy and your baby is alittle small but perfect and im sooooo thankful DH was there to share that with me.....truly increadible/indescribable images imust say...... we even got a little wave
We came away with some more pictures and massive grins on our faces.....
So the only thing thats saved me through all the down days of thinking somethings wrong to the days where i almost cant get out of bed i feel soo ill is my doppler - I got it off ebay and it arrived when i was week 14 - I save it for those days and its been brilliant - i could find babys heart beat within a few minutes and its been getting stronger and louder everytime ive heard it, we can also hear baby moving around too- DH loves it too as up till now hes only had the scans and a rub of my bump to feel close to baby but when he gets home from a trip away he sits quietly and actually puts the gel on and finds our baby's heartbeat himself and its those moments i wil cherish forever as I watch his face as hes runs the probe over my tummy and then when hes found it he gets this grin, closes his eyes and just listens, onces hes happy hes reconnected he'l unplug the earphones and we both lay there and have a listen together........beautiful family moment.
I know some of you were not sure about getting one as you thought youd have to listen to baby all the time - its not like that when you get it as you suddenly have your very own home use reassurance scan effectivly and I do honestly use it for only those occasions when you need a pick me up/ are feeling unsure or to share a special moment with your DH to bond with baby....its been worth sooo much to us and i highly reccomend it to any of you who are still struggling to stay positive and believe you are pregnant.....
Mine was from ebay/brand new and came with gel and was a grand total of £15 including postage
bargin.
So the biggest and best development I know ive been waiting for and im sure you have been waiting to hear happened this weekend!!!
MY BABY KICKED ME - OMG!!!
A true, strong and deliberate shove from inside my bump........
DH is away for the final time this year thank god and i was having a nice bath - turned on my side to bathe my sore back and baby kicked me....i couldnt believe it.....i started crying it was the best thing in the world...i just lay there!
as i couldnt call DH due to the time difference even tho it was quite late i had to call my mum......I skyped DH a very over excited message too....his reply was very special indeed, made me cry again....hehe hormones - love it!
Then sunday night id got into bed had had a read and once id turned over to get snuggled for sleeps i lay my hand on my tummy as i do every night, spoke softly to my growing baby for a few minutes while concentrating on baby and my breathing and low and behold just under my hand i got a response - I felt my baby kicking me again quite a few times one after the other so i recon it was babys feet....a truly magical and emotional moment indeed....
I cant wait for more like that when DH is home.
I have as you know been skyping DH and hes finally home on tuesday morning next week and we both cant wait - he will be in the office for that week and then hes got the whole of december off to spend at home with me, bump and our woofs ;-)
I cant wait for him to feel our child moving inside my tummy - if his face lights up when he hears babys heartbeat i can only imagine what face he'll pull when he gets to feel baby.....exciting stuff...
Ive also had some very achey joints but warm baths and pregnancy yoga has really helped and of course swimming does too......just make sure your posture is good as your tummy grows and look at your breathing as well as it makes you sit properly to. also sleeping on your left mostly and occasionally on your right side is ok but not on your back as it stops baby getting as many nutrients during the nights sleep.....ive taken to sleeping with a pillow bedind me so im not laying flat if i do roll over in the night and one in between my thighs to support my bump and my legs to help with circulation as well. and its much more comfy than with no pillows thats for sure.
So we have treated ourselves for getting half way to a travel system and afew more lovely things in preparation for baby for getting this far.....DH cant wait to get all the bits we need but we have to be careful as we have our house up for sale and are getting alot of interest, so hoping to move somepoint soon so dont want to have to loft it all then get it back out and move with it so were hanging on to see what happens with that and christmas of course....
We have also had alittle bit of well grief from DH family
as they were abit stumped when we told them we wernt finding out the sex and also that we didnt call them with every little new detail of this pregnancie - they can be abit controlling so we were prepared for their reaction to be totally different to my family but DH told them tuff as its was our baby and decision what we did and when we told them news and they seem to have realised its not somethign they can control and have given us alittel space which has been nice....as they want to know everything thats been happening and it started to get alittle space invading if you know what i mean(i dont want to share all the personal things they have been asking - thats for DH ears, my GP/midiwfe andmy parents if need be - not the whole family on DH side - they have to gossip between each other about everything too you see) - DH had to have a word to stop them calling all the time and bonbarding me with questions, so now i have nice little phone calls with them and that i can deal with.....lovely. We have agreed (DH and I) to keep an eye on them as we just know its going to get worse again the bigger bump gets and the more baby moves.
So first rule - dont touch my tummy unless i offer you a feel - my bump/baby =my rules and DH says thats a good idea as they will want to hold your bump all the time otherwise....
so i will keep you posted on how we get on with them over the coming months......my family on the other hand have always been on my page throughout the pregnancie and agree ill tell them news if we want to and that baby moving is a very special and personal thing between me and my DH so they are more than happy to just hear about things with bump and ask only a few questions if they are worried about something but will be very privaleged and proud if and when i offer them a 'feel' of baby moving....and i love them for that as its soo much easier with my family than his but im getting used to it by now
The other thing is weve had to inform them all that for christmas if they were thinking about getting something early for baby please ask us as we have most of it already and we dont want a house full of two of everything or loads of stuff we dont really need - as they can be very generous but it is like a competition between them all you see so things can get out of hand quickly if we dont set out boundries.....crazy families....
So the next check up is next week with the midwife and things are going well im really happy to report.
I hope this gives you all some hope that if i can go through everything before getting this BFP and everything ive been through since getting it and still have my little bean stick in there nice and strong - no matter how hard you may find it just stay positive and believe you will get here........Im happy to answer any questions you might have about anything ok - just ask ok, x
Ok love to you all
and ill post some piccys soon once youve got over the monster that is this post
look after yourselves and relax and stay positive.........
Love Poptart and mini Hill ;-) xxxxxxxx
