did you guess right?!

Jamie is going to have a little sister!!

We had our ultrasound this morning and it all went well. She (still weird to say that, I actually wrote "it" first) measured pretty much bang on average for everything they looked at. Sweet little thing weighs 13 ounces right now. We're halfway through the pregnancy but definitely not halfway through the growth, crazy to think about. Jamie was 6lb 13oz when he was born. So potentially 6 or more lbs to put on (for her) (and a lot more for me-on average, I should now be putting on a pound a week!)

We are all pleased, if not a little bit in shock. Over the last week or so, I've thought she was going to be a girl. Most of my friends are having boys this time round (when they had girls the first time) and everyone, apart from one, is having the opposite of what they had first. And so the pattern continues.

I can now ask Jamie where is his baby sister and he will point to my belly and give it a kiss. So cute!

Here are the photos from the ultrasound:

She is sitting breach at the moment (head up) and she had her hand up near her face most of the time and was waving or sucking her finger/thumb. You can see her waving fairly clearly in this last one.

We haven't picked out any names yet, Paul wanted to wait until we knew the sex so we'd only have one to contend with. Don't get any big ideas though because like last time, the name will remain a secret until she's born.

Some good news is that the fibroid is measuring 8cm at it's largest point which is 4 cm smaller than it was at this point with Jamie (it also didn't grow after this point). We have another ultrasound scheduled for 32 weeks and we will be meeting with the ob/gyn in February to talk about the fibroid and see what he says about the birth. But for now we will all get used to the idea of a she and are thankful that everything looks healthy and normal.

Oh yes and here's a belly pic taken yesterday (21 weeks). You can see me at 19 weeks with Jamie here. As you can see I'm already much bigger than I was around this point last time.

the cat is out of the bag...

Anyone notice a blog title change?! Well, our family of 3 (plus Remmy) is going to be a family of 4 (plus Remmy)! We are expecting another little one in June! (Due date 6/6/12!)

We took the pregnancy test on October 2nd, which was the day I ran the half marathon. I did have my suspicions a few days before. I had similar symptoms as with Jamie (meaning I had to pee more than normal, which is a result of increased blood production.) The timing worked well as Jamie and I were flying out to the States two weeks later. I wanted to tell everyone in an unusual way like last time. So we bought a t-shirt for Jamie that says: "I'm not lion, [picture of lion], I'm going to be a big brother!" Unfortunately we don't have a single photo of it! But everyone loved it. Christine wanted to know if it was true, Kim screamed, my mom noticed straight away, my dad didn't notice for 2 hours (until my mom asked what he thought of it!). Everyone is thrilled.

I am now nearly 15 weeks, and into the second trimester. So far I've been sicker than I was with Jamie. With him, I was only ever nauseous, but I've been throwing up a few times a week, mostly first thing in the morning after I open the fridge or encounter certain smells like dog food or moldy food. Like last time, I had to eat all the time to stop from feeling sick. I think I'm nearly out of it. I don't feel nauseous as much. I am also much more tired. I take a nap when Jamie does, nearly everyday.

We had a scare a few weeks back when I spotted for about a week. I was referred to the Early Pregnancy Detection Unit for a scan and everything was ok. We got to see our little one a few weeks earlier than normal:

It's not as clear in the photo, but we saw it in action wriggling around. The baby is about an inch long here.

Our normal 13 week scan was at the end of November. I had blood taken and they measured the baby to check for any abnormalities and also to assess probabilities that it might have Down's or another disorder. Everything came back normal and here is the baby 3 weeks older:

Quite a difference! The also measured my fibroid, which is back and growing again. It's about 8cm now, which is 2cm smaller than it was at this stage with Jamie. It continued to grow until 20 weeks last time, so we'll see how it is a the next scan.

I have had one midwife appointment so far, where she took my history and we discussed the last pregnancy/delivery and plans for this one. Since I had a c-section last time and lost a lot of blood, and because of the 'large' fibroid (greater than 10cm), I am considered a high risk pregnancy. It doesn't really mean all that much except that I'll be closely more monitored in delivery and I wouldn't be allowed to have a home birth (not that I'd ever want one!). I am several extra appointments with the obstetrician to discuss fibroid and delivery. I will have a choice if I want to have a c-section or try for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). I haven't made a decision what I want yet, and apparently don't have to decide until 36 weeks. I'll keep you posted on that.

A bit of a long one, but a lot to catch up on in 15 weeks. I'll try to update more regularly. The next ultrasound is at the end of January, which is when we'll find out the sex!

doctors, midwives, hospitals

Well it's been a week of appointments for me. 5 in 4 days.  These include an ultrasound, consultant appointment, 2 midwife appointments and a hospital appointment. Most were routine appointments, but the abundance is due to us trying to change to a local hospital, and because I'm now at 36 weeks, everything has to happen quickly.  Let's start at the beginning:

1. 12:30pm, February 15th - 36 week ultrasound (actual time 12:55pm)
   This was (most likely) my final ultrasound to track Baby W's growth. He's looking good. Unfortunately he was feeling a little camera shy and we couldn't get a good shot of his face, so we'll just have to wait for the real thing in a month's time.  He's still tracking on the average trajectory (hooray!) and is currently estimated to be 5lb 14oz, which if he continues to put on the average 0.5lb per week, would make him around 8lbs around his birth--which sounds reasonable, right?! He's also still head down, which is good, and let's hope that fibroid is keeping him that way. The fibroid is still showing no growth since 20 weeks, so we're in good shape.
2. 2:00pm, Februarly 15th - consultant appointment (actual time 3:15pm)
   This was a follow up appointment about the fibroid to discuss what measures, if any, will have to be taken during the birth because of the fibroid's existance.  The consultant said, as the fibroid is external and high on my uterus, it shouldn't affect me trying for a vaginal birth (as opposed to a cesearian)-good!.  She suggested that during the delivery, they use 'active management' during the third stage of labor (which is the delivery of the placenta). There is a small risk of extra bleeding so what they'll do is give me a shot which help my uterus to contract faster to quicker delivery of the placenta. I was probably going to elect to have this shot anyway (who wants to wait around for up to an hour more for the placenta come out?!).
3. 2:30pm, February 15th - old midwife appointment (actual time 4:00pm)
   This was effectively my last appointment with my old midwife, Mara.  We did all the normal bits-blood pressure (120/80 - normal), bump size (34 centimeters -normal), baby's heartrate (131 - normal), baby's position (head down-as seen in scan) and he's not started to engage (drop into pelvis) yet-I think this can start anytime soon, and urine (slightly elevated nitrate levels, so she sent off to test for urinary tract infection, but didn't think it was likely as I had no other symptoms. We also discussed our birth plan, which is basically a list of what we'd like to see happen during the birth. I think I'll save the details for another post closer to the due date, particularly as things might have to change when we switch hospitals.
4. 2:50pm, Feburary 17th - new midwife appointment (actual time 2:40pm!)
   So this was my first appointment with a midwife in Bromley. She informed me that I have to rebook with the hospital in Bromley and luckily when she phoned they had just had a cancellation, as there were no other appointments in the next month! No idea what would have happened if they didn't--a waiting list I guess? Anyway, that appointment is tomorrow and I'll have to give a full medical history, etc again as I did in my first midwife appoitnment 8 months ago. *sigh* such a waste of time. They may also go through their referral system for a final decision on whether doctors need to be involved with the delivery (normally midwives do all normal deliveries-and doctors are just on call in case of problems). She did all the normal tests again, everything, including urine levels were normal today.
5. 8:30 am, February 18th - hospital registration appointment
   This is tomorrow, so stay posted!

8 weeks to go!!

I celebrated entering my eigth month with a 32 week scan. Everything looked good. I must have been eating well because he's gained over a pound and a half and is up to 4lb 3oz. He's still on the average trajectory in all his measurements, which is great.  He was head down and facing the fibroid (left) which is good. And the best part...he had the hiccups!  I've felt them a few times this week actually, they don't last that long. They also measured the fibroid which hasn't grown anymore which is good news. 

Because he was facing the fibroid it was hard to get a good shot of him, but this will have to do. You can see his profile right and his little hand is resting under his chin. How cute!?

And, as promised, here are the two snaps from the 28 week ultrasound.The little circles above his mouth aren't bubbles, it's the cord:)

A perfectly average little boy!

Two posts in one day-that's what you get when I get a day off work!  I just got back from my 28 week ultrasound. I've got two photos of him, but our scanner is packed away in storage (see below!) so you'll have to wait till I'm Stateside to see him. Because of my fibroid, I now will have monthly scans to measure the growth of Baby W. So in I went today and they meausred his head, tummy, length, and femur length.  All nearly smack on the average line for 28 weeks.  We even got an estimated weight: 2lbs 10oz. He was squirming about and opening and closing his little mouth-pretty cute.  They also measured the fibroid which showed almost no change in size since 20 weeks which is good. All in all, a good visit. I'm off to the doctors in a couple hours to get my swine flu vaccination.

consultant appointment

I saw my consultant today about my fibroid. She was very helpful. She explained what a fibroid is--a dense mass of muscle tissue, which grows, in my case, in the outer layer of my uterus. A lot of women have them and they can often go unnoticed. The hormones released during pregnancy can speed growth. My fibroid is on the larger side. It's over 10cm (4 inches), which by comparison, when your uterus is normal size is only 8cm (just over 3 inches). My fibroid is 'well placed,' in that it's not blocking the birth canal, nor will it affect me having a c-section should I need one.

The implications of the fibroid mean that there's that much less space for the baby, which means towards the end of my pregnancy, I might have more aches and pains than other women. It could also put extra pressure on my intestines which can also cause cramping (see last week's incident!). It's also harder to monitor the growth of the baby just by feeling my stomach, which is normally how they monitor growth from here until the birth. The result of this means I get three more ultrasounds at 28, 32 and 36 weeks.  We also got to see my little guy today:).  He was upside down and facing my back today, with his little legs curled under him. Sorry no photo today as it wasn't a full scan, just a quick one to check the heart rate. I also have a follow up appointment with the consultant at 36 weeks to discuss the birth.

In terms of removal, it's very highly unlikely that they would ever do anything during the pregnancy to remove the fibroid. After the birth, the blood supply to the fibroid can be cut off naturally, meaning it could shrink. If I ever need to have it removed, it's possible that it could be done laproscopically depending on how deep within the uterus it is lying. We won't be looking into this any further until after the birth unless it becomes an issue.

All in all, it's about as good of news as I could have gotten given the circumstances, which is a relief.

did you guess right?!

We had our scan this afternoon.  Everything about our little BOY looked perfect! He was perfectly average, which is slightly strange to think is a good thing.  The technician went through all his tiny body parts and did measurements and it all looked good.  He even turned over for us.  We got a couple of snaps of our little one. They looked pretty much the same but I thought I'd post them anyway. I'll try to get another one of my growing bump later this weekend.  Seeing our little man was the perfect way to celebrate our 5 year anniversary!  We did follow with a very nice dinner at the Boxwood Cafe which is a Gordon Ramsey restaurant.  No sign of him tonight though, but the food was pretty good. 

Don't even think about asking about the name though. We've gotta keep something back to surprise you all with when he comes next March.

Approaching the halfway point

20 weeks! Can't believe I'm halfway there!!  To celebrate 20 weeks and also our upcoming ultrasound this week, I'm giving you a chance to cast your opinion on the baby's sex.  That's right, I've caved to Paul's wishes and we're going to find out the sex on Friday.  If you want some guidance, my dad is absolutely convinced that it's a girl because when we told them with the baby bib (see earlier post), I wrapped it with a pink ribbon. Paul, on the other hand, thinks it's a boy because it was so full of squirms and punches in our last ultrasound. 

Cast your vote in the poll on the right! 

First official photo and new due date!

That's right, we had our first scan today (US translation: ultrasound). It was very last minute...had a phone call at 10 asking if I could come in at 2:30! (The hospital never receieved my original referral from my GP, so my midwife sent through a referral on Thursday, so I guess I went on a cancellation list.) Luckily, Paul was able to meet me at the hospital. I first had a blood test (testing for risk factors for Down's syndrome and a couple of other rare genetic disorders). Then we waited for about an hour before we got in for the scan.

Seeing the baby was very fun, s/he moved around a lot and was even sucking their thumb a few times (so cute!). The technician measured all sorts of things and took pictures of both hands and feet, head, bladder!, spine, abodmen, head, and the cord (and we watched the blood flow too which she made red and blue with some fancy tool). We heard the heartbeat too: 156bpm. The baby is 6.26cm from crown to rump (2.5 inches). And judging from all these measurements and stuff I am 12weeks 4 days pregnant our EDD (estimated due date) is March 12th.

Blood work and scan measurements showed the risk for Down's and the other genetic disorders is considered to be low. Hurrah!

One slight concern which was spotted first was that I have what looks like a fibroid on my uterus (official medical name: fundal subserosal anterior fibroid mass). It's 9.2cm x 7.8cm x 10.2 cm (3.6in x 3.1in x 4in) and I can feel it in my abdomen (I previously had thought it was the womb). She said there is some blood flow in it, so it's unlikely to be a tumor and she spoke with the doctor on call and she said that they'll monitor it at my next scan. There's not much they can do about it now anyway since I'm already pregnant. She said it means I might have more discomfort in my pregnancy, but shouldn't affect much else. I was doing a bit of reading and apparently they're fairly common in women and the cause isn't known.

In the waiting room we randomly ran into one of our downstairs neighbours who are due about a week after us! Another downstairs neighbour is also preggo and a bit further along. We all have the same midwife. How random (well probably not random about the midwife, but that we are all preggers)! There must be something in our water:).

We also scheduled my next scan (20 weeks) for Oct 30th, which also happens to be our anniversary!

PS I had to pay £2.00 to get a copy of the ultrasound!