Sep 2 2013

8 Weeks (Going on 30) - Anxiety & Intuition

Posted on September 2, 2013 by admin

So we’ve made it to 8 weeks!

This pregnancy continues to be really eventful. I’ve had two bugs now - both lovingly passed to me by Dex. We’ve endured gastroenteritis and now sinusitis. I’m feeling bunged up with an earache, a sore throat and a blocked nose. This whilst still averaging two bouts of morning sickness per day - usually around 9pm and 4am. I know people will have experienced worse pregnancies, but right now, I’m almost at my limit. I feel unhealthy and ill.

I don’t want to complain too much. We’ve been waiting for this pregnancy for months and I’m not suggesting it’s putting a dampener on the experience. I’m just so worried that my body is failing the baby in some way; that all the tiredness, nausea, and sickness is making my belly an inhospitable place to be. It’s all the worse as we’re still yet to meet the midwife - I stupidly said I was a few days (rather than weeks) pregnant when I booked the appointment so we’ll be meeting her for the first time on the 12th September (I’ll be 9.5 weeks).

The long wait to have any official checks and kick off the medical notes is scaring me. I’m still utterly convinced this is a multiple pregnancy and that’s making the anxiety worse. My belly is huge (which could be owing to several other factors such as lax muscle tone, gas, or a larger than average uterus) but for me, I just have this feeling that there is more than occupant in there. I don’t know how I’ll feel if I’m wrong.

It doesn’t help that I’ve gone into full-on research mode again - What to Expect When You’re Expecting is my bedside companion, and I’ve been abusing the hell out of 4OD watching One Born Every Minute all day. Right now, if this is a single pregnancy, this baby is the size of a raspberry and beginning to take shape. If you could peek inside, this is what would be happening:

You’d see an upper lip forming, the protruding tip of that cute button nose, and tiny (and very thin) eyelids… Your baby’s webbed fingers and toes are differentiating now (too) WhattoExpect.co.uk

It’s just incredible that in such a short amount of time, this bump could be playing host to such an amazing thing. But I just can’t picture it like I could with Dexter. All I can think about is twins. Although twin pregnancies are on the rise here in the UK (About 1 in every 65 pregnancies in the UK today is a twin pregnancy - NHS Direct) I don’t fit the normal profile of a mum with twins - I’m only 30, this was a natural conception, and I’ve only successfully carried one baby through to full-term previously. I don’t even have some of the common symptoms of a twin pregnancy - but I can’t seem to shake the feeling.

With all these concerns, I’ve deliberately changed doctors to get access to a different midwife for this pregnancy. My experience with Dexter was so traumatic, I just didn’t want to work with my previous midwife again. She failed to recognise Dex was extended breech (despite us showing her images from a 3D scan) and we had to wait until 35 weeks to have an ECV. This turned out to be unsuccessful and the trauma of the procedure ruptured my placenta. Given we also had the miscarriage at 12 weeks back in January, I’m now more determined than ever to work with a midwife who will help me through my anxiety.

I just hope and pray that my midwife will be able to rule out or confirm twins are a possibility using a doppler at our first appointment. If not, I’ll be insisting on an early ultrasound so we have some answers before we go on holiday on the 28th September.

So there you have it. That’s as much of an update as I can muster today. I’m so exhausted I’m off to have a lie down.

Did anyone have an overwhelming intuition with their pregnancy? Were you right or wrong? I’d love it if someone could set my mind at ease.

(Image source: christinabaglivitinglof.com/)

Aug 30 2013

Test Tube Babies and IVF Explained

Posted on August 30, 2013 by admin

Although Craig and I have been blessed with this new pregnancy, and Dexter was conceived naturally, I have hundreds of friends who have relied upon IVF to grow their families. Having struggled with our own TTC journey, I found myself earlier this year researching IVF and exactly what it entails. It turns out the theory behind it is relatively simple, but the science and technology is truly fascinating. Having recently had two very close sets of friends successfully grow their family through IVF (managing 3 children between them) their babies are healthy, happy and the product of something so miraculous, they’ll always be very special in my eyes.

The first test tube baby was born in 1977 and since then more than three million children have been born as a result of reproductive technology. Human pregnancy is the mostly studied area as compared to all the other mammalian pregnancies, and as such conception maybe achieved as a result of sexual intercourse or assisted reproductive technology. This technology which has been proven to work provides relief for a lot of people and has opened up the possibility of pregnancy for those who may be unable to properly ovulate or produce sperm, a single parent or a couple of the same-sex.

A test tube baby is formed when a sperm from a man and an egg from a woman is removed and fertilized outside the mother’s body, it is an egg fertilized with sperm in vitro. The tube has the same nutrition conditions and warmth as compared to that of a mother’s womb. After a short period of time when the unicellular zygote is formed it will later be put inside the mother’s womb. As with the with the normal development of a zygote, the baby forms after the period of nine months. In other words, a test tube baby is the procedure of uniting the ovules and sperm cells in another place which is not the womb, and lets the zygote to form there, later on it will be restored into the mother’s womb so as to ensure of the development of the normal zygote.

IMG 0019 Test Tube Babies and IVF Explained

Image source: DrMichael Flynn

In the case of normal conception, a viable zygote is formed as a result of the union of the female ovules and male sperm. The fertilization takes place in the womb of a mother from the beginning to the end. The child is usually born after 38 weeks commencing after the period of conception. Through the first eight weeks after conception an embryo is developed as an offspring and later on the term foetus can be used until the birth of the child. The human pregnancy is divided into three trimesters the first carrying a high risk of miscarriage. The second involves the development of the fetus which can be monitored and the third involves the ability of the foetus to survive with or without medical help.

It really is amazing how far technology has come. It’s certainly true to say that in vitro fertilization (IVF) may help you finally achieve your pregnancy dream.

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Aug 30 2013

Ain’t No Stopping Him Now

Posted on August 30, 2013 by admin

What a difference a week makes!

Dexter is now a walking machine! He’s crossing the room with ease and simply loves being on his feet. It never fails to make me laugh when I’m engrossed in the telly and his little head bobs into view. He’s a massive fan of picking up random objects from around the house and bringing them to me. I’ve had pen lids, coke cans, DVDs and rubbish from the bin all thrust into my lap over the last few days. He usually prods these items further into my lap with an enthusiastic little “Aaaaa” until I thank him and give them back to him.

It’s certainly opened up new and exciting ways for him to make a mess and scare mummy. Not content with the floor, Dexter likes to get scale the bookcase, the sofas, the worktops… he definitely subscribes to the motto the higher the better. I have no idea if these new death-defying stunts are normal or not. All I know is that we’ve had to find new and inventive hiding places for drinks, remote controls, laptops…

But that’s not all! He’s now a stair climber. Having forgot to close the stairgate behind me a few days ago, I was shocked and a little scared to have him appear in our upstairs bathroom where I was bent over the loo (I’m really struggling with morning sickness this time around). Clearly concerned that mummy was making grunting noises, in comes my beaming baby boy for a closer inspection.

He’s also becoming more aware of the world around him. He now knows that when I sit down on the lounge floor with the babywipes in my hand, it means a bum change is due. This is usually met with eyes as big as saucers and him scampering towards the kitchen in double time. He’s also began to shake his head if I dare to offer him something to eat that doesn’t meet his exacting standards.

I can’t believe how quickly he’s growing up. Just a few month ago he was laid on his back on his activity mat getting really frustrated he couldn’t quite reach the dangly bits. I can’t wait for the next few weeks now - maybe I can get him breakdancing and send him viral on YouTube… maybe I can get him helping out around the house doing the washing-up or tidying up the garden… maybe I can sellotape a paintbrush to his sleeve and bring out his inner Picasso… the possibilities are endless.

Linking up this week to the fabulous Ethan’s Escapades and the #SSAmazingAchievements linky!