It’s the last week of school and we had our midwife booking appointment and dating scan at the hospital. So, lots of school stuff to remember and work to get finished as clients go away for the summer.
My Pregnancy Vlog
My To Do List
- Book the Whooping Cough vaccine as well as Flu vaccination (between 16-24 weeks. Will go in October)
- Book tickets for The Baby Show (18 – 20 October) at Olympia and think about what we need and what we can reuse. (I’ve already been through the list of exhibitors and started a list – will share in October)
- Complete Exemption Certificate form to get certificate so I can book the family in for a dental check up
- Lots of reading about screening tests they do now. As well as Downs Syndrome they also screen for Edwards and Pataus Syndromes
Pregnancy Problems
- Morning sickness
- Nausea
- Very Tired (naps needed or tears before bedtime – mine!)
Pregnancy Recommendations
- Baby Buddy app from Best Beginnings (Free) my daughter loved creating the avatar and watching the videos
- The Seraphine maternity/nursing dress I’m wearing in the video (was gifted awhile ago when I helped my mum with a breastfeeding demonstration at The Baby Show)
- My midwife recommended the Haakaa breast pump. I hadn’t come across this model before and after checking it out and asking a few breastfeeding mums online it looks really good. Going on my research/shopping list.
Exercise
- Walking (school runs)
- Tara Lee Yoga breathing and meditation/hypnobirthing before bed
- Swimming with a friend after drop off
Diet
Meals getting smaller, morning sickness is really kicking in. I think certain foods trigger me being sick, and sometimes it’s just nausea. The nausea is terrible in the evening, have to lie down, take deep breaths and wait for it to pass.
How I’m feeling
With Ava finishing school this week I’m thinking about how am I going to manage the tiredness and fatigue over the summer holidays?!
My midwife booking appointment was at home and lasted 2 1/2 hours. As always I was a little apprehensive the night before but she was really great. Very positive, friendly and really took her time discussing things and answering questions (not just having a tick list she wanted to get through). I’m very excited at the prospective of going into the active birth centre this time and having a midwife I know being with me throughout this journey. We discussed my birth with Ava and because she was on the petite side, said I’d need to see a consultant and be booked in for extra scans as well as midwife and GP appointments. She took my blood pressure which was 112/72 so nice and low and gave me my hand held notes. There was so much reading to do, but in the Bounty pack there was some Pregnacare which I was really pleased to have. We don’t have any scales and I’m a bit tricky to get blood from so she said to get my weight and bloods done at our dating scan the next day.
A friend picked up Ava from school for me and took her to a gathering that was happening in the park. Just as well, as our appointment wasn’t until 4.25pm. We walked the mile or so from our house to the hospital whilst I drank the 1/2 litre of water on the way. We got there early at 3.45pm because I had to pick up my blood forms from the midwives’ office in antenatal clinic but they said to get the bloods and weight done after my scan. We were called in for the dating scan at 4.50pm. The sonographer confirmed we were 8 weeks pregnant and told me to book in again for 12 week scan. It was so good to hear they baby’s heartbeat and know we were on track for being the right size and all looked good so far. We took a ticket and waited to get bloods done. Just after five o’clock Takie said to me, ‘I think they’ve all gone home.’ He was right the reception shutter was down and the Phlebotomists office was closed. I text our midwife and agreed we’d get bloods and weight done at the 12 week scan which is at 3.45pm so I hope we manage to get seen before 5pm next time. Oh well, it’s not the end of the world. Just relieved it’s all progressing.
Pregnancy Questions
This week my question for my mum (Sarah Beeson) was…
Q: There’s so much to remember in pregnancy care. How can I feel in control and not overwhelmed by all the admin, appointments and things to do?
A: It’s about keeping calm and prioritising what’s important and things that are good but not vital. You could use your smart phone, diary or a kitchen calendar to plan out when appointments are due and to prompt you to remember to book with the GP. If you’ve got hand held notes they usually have a schedule of appointments so that’s a good place to start. For nonessential pregnancy related activity (like classes or meet up) if you feel ontop of things go ahead but if it starts to feel too much you can rearrange if it’s going to be more of a hidderance than a help.
Your appointments with health professionals are the top priority and you’ll often find hospital appointments are running late. Take a book with you or something to occupy yourself to pass the time so you don’t end up being frustrated when you’re called in. Take a bottle of water with you (good if you’ve got to give a urine sample or keep you hydrated for blood tests). Maybe take some ear phones and listen to hypnobirthing to keep you feeling calm and relaxed (though keep an eye out for when they called you). Everything you’re doing is brining you a tiny step closer to your baby.
Pregnancy Tip
When the activity that surrounds pregnancy overwhelms you remind yourself that everything you’re doing to bringing you closer to holding your baby in your arms #8weekspregnant #pregnancyproblems
About Amy
Amy Beeson runs Wordsby Communications and has a successful writing partnership with her mum Sarah Beeson MBE. Their latest memoir Our Country Nurse is set in a country village in 1975 and is bursting with stories of mums journeys during pregnancy and motherhood. They’ve also written nursing memoir The New Arrival and first year parenting guide Happy Baby, Happy Family. Amy is currently writing her first solo novel set in Wartime Staffordshire while Sarah pens advice for new parents on baby sleep, weaning and building a strong emotional attachement.