Meet Noodle

Well today we got to meet our precious Noodle!

I had some really bad pains in my tummy on Sunday, so bad I was on the floor crying in pain. I was petrified! All the fears about what happened before came flooding back with a vengeance.

So we called the out-of-hours doctor and managed to get seen an hour later for a check-up. Result: everything was fine, "what happens will happen" was what the nurse so nicely told me. (p.s. not what a girl wants to hear!!) So we go home and I go straight to bed to put my feet up and relax.

Monday morning I get a phone call from my doctor saying she got a referral note from the nurse the night before, letting her know what happened. Doctor T asks me to come in so she can do a full check-up and exam to make sure everything is fine. I should probably mention that I love Dr T, she's fantastic! Very thorough and likes to get to the bottom of things.

So she does her exam, cervix is fully closed, uterus feels the right size for the gestation I'm at, no sign of it being an ectopic pregnancy, blood pressure is normal. All hunky-dory but she decides to send me for an early pregnancy scan just to be sure.

Our scan was this morning. After a nerve-wrecking hours' wait in the hall we finally get called in. I climb up on the bed and she starts to scan. There's nothing there. Panic starts, I can feel the tears about to stream down my face. Nurse says my bladder isn't full enough (eh??! I've just drank 2 litres of water!) so she sends us to sit in the hall again for another 15mins to see if it fills up some more in that time. Six more cups of water consumed to speed up the process. We get called in again. I lie down on the bed and cover my eyes, I don't want to see any empty sack or a baby with no heartbeat. Nurse starts scanning. And scanning. And scanning. And then...

"There's the heartbeat" - I have never felt so much relief wash over me in my life!! I burst into tears and finally managed to tear my hands away from my eyes to see our perfect little Noodle, all cosy and snug. That's the moment I fell completely and utterly head-over-heels for him!

Nurse measured him at 2.5cm which equates to me being 9 weeks and 1 day along today. One day more than we thought. Either the dates are off or Noodle is going to be big....The due dat ethey've given me is August 30th, although it may change at the next scan if they get more measurements.

Either way I'm just so happy that I finally know there's a heartbeat in that little chest!

I asked the midwife after about what could have caused the pain and they said my uterus slants backwards rather than forwards, which means it presses on my intestines. Anything passing along that way is rubbing my uterus, therefore causing pain because it's tender as it grows. In other words I just needed a big dump. Embarrassing to say the least....

As the scan picture is not the best quality (Noodle is tucked as high up as he can possibly get and my womb is tilted away from the scanner) we get another one done at my booking scan in about 3 or 4 weeks! So by then we should be able to make out the nose, hands, feet, etc. Yay! 

I also asked the midwife what the likelihood of me miscarrying between 9 and 12 weeks was. Her answer: less than 5%! I like those odds! And for that reason we told Scott's family tonight about our little bundle of joy and about the wedding in South Africa! :) They are over-the-moon about the new baby and are very happy with our plans to get hitched abroad, even without them there. I really couldn't ask for better in-laws!! I can't wait to be part of the family!

Ugh, Just Ugh....

Whoever said pregnancy was easy was having a laugh...

At the moment all I seem to do is sleep, eat a little, work, eat a little, nap, eat a little and sleep again.

Ugh.

I have no energy to do anything else at the minute. I can't even sit on the sofa and watch tv without my eyelids shutting shop for a few hours. Yes, hours. A nap is usually about 2 hours. Normal sleep is anything from 10 hours to 14 depending on if it's my day off or not.

I have no social life, I think some people are starting to cotton on to what's happening. They just haven't said anything to me out of fear that I'll shout at them or burst into tears. My temper is irrational at the best of times, but it's heightened tenfold right now, the slightest thing sets me off. It's really not a good idea to work in retail with emotions all over the place. Customers irritate me with their stupidity right now and I just want to shout at the rude ones.

Ugh.

And where I started eating like a horse before, I can't even look at a full plate without turning green. The amount of food I've wasted in the past week could feed a third world country for a year. I still haven't been sick but nausea is just as bad. I'm too afraid to eat anything in case I actually am sick. I still haven't found anything to combat the nausea. Tried all the old wives tales about lemon juice, ginger cookies and flat cola and nothing seems to be helping. I think a call to the midwife is in order to see if they have anything to stop me feeling queasy all the time. At least then I might be able to feed Noodle something decent.

I hope this passes soon, I hate feeling this rotten.

Ugh.

Noodle's Progress

Well today we start into week 9 (8wk 0dy) WOOHOO! One week closer to getting a scan and seeing Noodle for real!

 

Length: 1.2inch Weight: 2g

"Congratulations! Your amazing growing baby has been accepted into to the fetus-club, a very exclusive and exiting new stage in their prenatal development. Basically, this means the little sweet pea has graduated from swimming embryo creature to a recognizable human being! This week in particular, the irises of their little eyes can function, but (frustratingly for them?) their eyelids remain fused shut for a while yet. Their external ears are formed and their inner ears are now filled with fluid—so your little one is already developing their sense of balance. Your baby's little swimmer legs are still relatively, although other bodily developments are going forward at a nice pace: their kidney is actually functioning now, which means they’ve started urinating (this might seem charming now but wait till you have to start buying diapers!)."

Noodle's Progress

Well we're officially heading into week 8 today! (7wk 0dy) This is how Noodle is getting on:

Length: 1inch Weight 1.5g

"Woohoo! You've got one whole inch of baby inside of you! Your little embryo has finally reached the one-inch mark (30mm). And if it were possible to take a peek, you could actually see your tiny baby without a telescope! What’s more, your baby is finally starting to take on some very distinct human features. For starters, their little tail (really just the spinal cord) has disappeared completely. It’s nice to know your baby can no longer be mistaken for a sea creature! Additionally, both their toes and fingers are prominent with very little, if any, webbing. Upper and lower limbs all show recognizable joints (elbows and knees) and the lower limb bones are starting to ossify. But don’t expect your baby to resemble either parent quite yet. Right now, your baby’s head is disproportionately larger than the rest of their body--making up almost half of your little one’s height and weight!"

Miss J

Well I got to meet my midwife (Miss J) yesterday, and she's lovely!

I was so worried that I wouldn't like her and would have to request someone else. After all you have to have a good rapport together or the next 7 months would be hell!

She took a note of my dates but never actually gave me my due-date estimate. I've taken a couple of online due-date calculators and they both said 1st September 2011, won't get that verified until I get my dating scan around week 12.

I have a mountain of rading material from her, including my "Ready, Steady, Baby!" book which is basically my pregnancy bible and details each stage of my pregnancy as well as labour and birth, first days together and all about our growing baby.

I also have my pregnancy record booklet which I have t fill out for when I go into labour. I give this to the midwives when we check into the labour ward. This details all my family medical history, my medical history, my birth plan and also includes any notes the midwives make from each of my scans so that they know if here's been any problems during the pregnancy.

It's quite a lot to get my head around just now and it's finally starting to feel more "real" now that I have all this stuff.

Miss J also said that she miscarried with her first pregnancy so she knows that I'll be quite anxious to know how everything is going on with baby. She has given me her number to get hold of her at the maternity hospital and has said that if I feel too anxious at any point or I have symptoms like last time, I can just give her a call and she'll get me in for an early scan! How sweet!

To be honest I think I'll wait until 12 weeks to get my dating scan, that way we can see a proper baby rather than a little blob on the screen. Plus, ultrasounds aren't exactly safe for baby so I don't want to go getting too many done. Miss J has said that she'll contact me in the next 4-5 weeks with the date for my scan.

Houston, We Have Cravings!

:D

So it would apper that Noodle likes carbohydrates over anything else. 

I did a food shop today and noticed as I was unpacking the bags that I had bought a lot of pasta, bread and jacket potatoes. More than usual anyway considering I don't even like jacket potatoes!

I realised that I had in fact been eating more carby food lately for meals, things like cheesy pasta, baked potatoes, jam on toast instead of cereal in the morning, sandwiches or pasties for lunch.

I think this is what's been keeping the morning sickness at bay as the carbs are a slow release of energy and also balance sugar levels in the body. This is a good thing , although I feel I may have to slow down on the starchy stuff for a while. After all, I do have a wedding dress to fit into!!

But I don't want to stop too much, obviously the carbs are something Noodle needs or I wouldn't be craving them. And right now I want to give him everything and anything he needs. Look at me! Noodle's not even out yet and already I want to spoil him!

Anyway, I think I should learn to take carbs in moderation and try get some more variation in my diet, that must be good for Noodle as well, right?

Dear Noodle

Thank you for listening to mummy and letting her know that all is well in the belly, I'm feeling the nausea loud and clear!

Could I just ask that you keep it down a little bit please? People at work were commenting that I was starting to look green today...

Take A Deep Breath....

...and chill out! This is what I need to keep reminding myself of.

Yesterday morning I had some spotting, a very small amount, but enough to get me worked up and imagining every possible thing that could be going wrong.

I don't hate my body for what happened previously with the miscarriage, it was only doing what it was meant to do when it realised the pregnancy wasn't viable. It was keeping me healthy and I cannot be more grateful for that.

I just wish that there were different "signals" that it would give me for when things are going right, instead of giving me ones that I remember as being negative (i.e. cramping/spotting).

Now I know that cramping is just my body stretching and adjusting to the situation and preparing me for the rest of the pregnancy. And I know that most women have spotting around the time when they would be due their period while they're pregnant. But because of my previous experience I automatically assume the worst is going to happen, it's totally uncontrollable!

I know I need to remain positive but at the same time I feel like I can't enjoy being pregnant because I'm automatically going to assume the worst.

I can't wait until I get a scan just so I know everything is ok. I have my first midwife appointment on Tuesday so I'll ask her then if I'll be able to get an early scan. I'd be happy even getting one at 10 weeks!

"Achievement Unlocked"

That's what Scott said anyway when we realised that today I am 5wk 6dy into this pregnancy. (Call Of Duty code-talk for "You've done well" apparently...)

This is a landmark for us as we lost our last baby at 5wk 5dy in 2009. So we have passed the dreaded day and are feeling much more positive and hopeful about everything this time round.

So far I have had none of the symptoms I had with our last pregnancy. No bleeding, headaches, swelling, unquenchable thirst. Nothing! I am so grateful for this though. I think if I even had one of those symptoms I would be going into "freak-out" mode and worrying constantly, which would do Noodle absolutely no good at all!

So far so good! Another 6 weeks until we're out of the woods though but remaining optimistic :o)

First midwife appointment next Tuesday...

Preggo Symptoms (Or Lack There-Of)

Two of the girls I work with are also pregnant and today we were having a quiet chat about the pregnancy niggles and symptoms we've been having. I say quiet because we're all under 12 weeks, we're keeping schtum about our babies until our scans. In fact one of them is due the same day as me! :D At least I'll have some baby buddies when Noodle is here!

Anyway the girls were having a chat about how they're feeling really tired all the time and constantly running to the loo for a pee or how they can't stand the smell of perfumes or certain foods and they're having heartburn plus many other weird and wonderful things. To be honest I sat there feeling a little out-of-the-loop. I don't have these symptoms.

Apart from the CONSTANT need to pee and a slight crampy feeling (which I'm assured is normal and just muscles stretching) there's no heartburn, morning/noon/night sickness, no aversion to certain foods (in fact it's quite the opposite, I have the appetite of a horse!), I can still wear my lovely perfume I got for Christmas and I'm actually quite perky most of the time.

I have the occasional mood swing, but c'mon what woman doesn't?? I have been slightly more irritable about small niggling things, like Scott munching mint imperials in bed!! Grr! I hate crunching when I'm trying to sleep!

And there's been a little bit of back pain, but nothing so serious I would put it down as being a pregnancy symptom, I just figure it's down to me being on my feet all day.

I suppose I should be lucky I'm not one of the women who get barraged with every symptom going and ends up being bed-ridden for most of their pregnancy. But it would be nice to "feel" pregnant. Even a little bit of morning sickness or heartburn would assure me that our little Noodle is actually there and growing.

I have been told by many people that every pregnancy is different and not everyone gets symptoms, one friend didn't have any during her first pregnancy and she had a beautiful healthy girl. So I am confident everything is okay, but it would be nice to feel something....

Something Else To Look Forward To

Everything is officially booked for our wedding! I'm soo excited!

Scott and I are heading to Cape Town on holiday to visit my Dad and step-mum in April and Scott thought it would be a nice idea for us to get married while we're out there, I couldn't have agreed more!!

It's gong to be a small private ceremony with only the two of us, my Dad and step-mum as witnesses and the minister and photographer. I am really upset that my Mum won't be there for our big day but I am trying to include her in as much of the preparation and planning as possible, with both of us making home-made wedding announcements and going dress shopping together.

It's only my parents and a close friend that know about the wedding so far. Scott has decided not to tell his family about our plan to get married as he really doesn't want a big fuss made with too much expense, hence why we're making wedding announcements rather than invitations.

It really is going to be  lovely day. The ceremony will be held outside at Cape Point (shown below) with photos being taken on the beach and we'll all go for dinner in the evening, with my Dad hosting a party for us the day after so we can meet all their friends, and he can show off his new son-in-law! (And grand-bump!)

My Mum will send out the wedding announcements the day we get married so the rest of the family in the UK get them the day after, and when we return to the UK a week later, we'll have a party for all our friends and family who were not there on our big day.

I really cannot wait to be Mrs S.P. I have dreamed of this day since we met in 2005! Scott is the most caring and generous person I have ever met and has been there for me through some very tough times. He really does make me a better person and brings out the best in me! I can only hope to make him happy in our life together, I cannot thank him enough for loving me!

Our Journey Starts Here

Well Santa decided to swing by early and bring the baby stork with him in 2010! I had been having quite strong cramps  since Thursday 16th Dec (CD22) so decided to bite the bullet and take a test two days early on Monday 20th Dec (CD26) ....

BFP!!

I had two days left of that cycle so we were hoping and praying that AF stayed as far away as possible!And it did!

It feels like everything is in limbo right now, I don't actually know whether I should believe what I see or not.

Scott has told me to keep a straight head on, remain optimistic but careful and not get too carried away. But I can't help but feel excited! We've waited three years for this and I feel strongly that this baby is staying with us. 

I am a huge jumble of emotions right now: excitement, elation, nervous, scared, shocked. We actually took a break from using the fertility monitor this month! Thought we'd relax and enjoy the festive season, give ourselves a month off to have fun, we certainly had fun! And it's paid off....

I know our little angel baby is looking down on this one and protecting us, making sure we're healthy and happy. Thank you Jellybean!