Is my baby OK?

So I took you with me on my 12 week scan and shared pictures of our little one still forming in the womb but I didn't get into the ins and outs of what happened that day. For those of you that don't know the process of testing an unborn baby for Down's Syndrome and other genetic problems has changed since I was last pregnant nearly 6 years ago. You now have the option of a nuchal translucency (NT) scan. During your scan they tell you they will measure the thickness of the back of the baby's neck, they are actually measuring the fluid underneath the skin, this can be used to determine the risk of that baby having Down's Syndrome.

During our scan the sonographer took what felt like an age to measure this and I was convinced there was something wrong. After the scan we received our results from the midwife and the measurement our baby had was 3.1mm. Apparently the cut off is 3.5mm.. so anything lower than that doesn't fall in to the risk category.

There is also a blood test which you can have (didn't feel like I had much of a choice).

The blood test measures:
• hCG (human chorionic gonadotrophin)
• PAPP-A (pregnancy associated plasma protein)
A woman who is carrying a baby with Down's syndrome will have abnormal levels of these two substances in her blood. You are given a result of 1 in ? and the cut off is 300. A woman with a 1/300 chance or higher would be classed as high risk. They told us if we fell in to the high risk category we would be contacted (by phone) within 7 days... if we were low risk we would receive notification (by post) within 2 weeks.

We received a letter yesterday (meaning we were low risk) and informing us that our number was 1 in 536.

It's all very well saying your "low risk" but surely there are degrees of low risk.. they don't tell you what "normal" is because everybody is different but if the NT scan cut off is 3.5mm and we're 3.1mm... wouldn't that worry you? What do other people get? 2mm? 1mm? And 1 in 536 chance of downs.. ok the cut off is 1 in 300 but some people get results of 1 in 1500.. when you put it in to that perspective.. 1 in 536 isn't exactly LOW risk, is it?

When I was having the scan and fearing the worst I thought the baby wasn't okay and I wasn't scared or upset I was practical. I knew we had a higher chance of conceiving again since Lee's test results had been so positive at the last fertility appointment and if this pregnancy wasn't meant to be it wasn't meant to be!

Since then I've thought a lot about it and and I just haven't become attached to this baby yet. I've tried but I'm not. I am excited when I think we're going to have a baby but it's a mixture of not really believing it yet and not wanting to be too disappointed if something does go wrong. So many people both in the public eye and that I know are losing baby's at 4 and 5 months + I feel like the baby isn't really mine until it's here and healthy. Hopefully I will feel more positive soon but right now I'm getting excited... but not TOO excited ... just in case.



14 Weeks

Well baby lemon this week is up to allsorts in my tummy. It's face is more defined and can apparently form expressions like a squint or a frown (can you say ahhhh?) Hair is growing on the head and eyebrows etc and the sex is already determined. If I'm having a girl her eggs are already developed... how crazy is that? It's the soze of a lemon and it has the potential to pro-create.. already?

I , myself am feeling overall much better.. I'm not so tender as I was, no sick feelings whatsoever, the occasional headache strikes and I'm still very tired but that may be as much to do with Ella getting up at 6am lately. I still don't have much of a bump to speak of but my waistline in expanding and I can no longer wear regular trousers. I think this will be the week I invest in some maternity workwear.  I already bought a pair of jeans from Next I'm in love with but Mon-Fri I've been living in maxi skirts and leggings.So on the whole the 14th week is feeling good! 

Cravings so far...

• Pepperami
• Sour Sweets
• Water, Water and more Water
• "Comfort Food" (Mashed Potato/Pasta etc)
• Seafood

Looking at my list it looks a lot healthier than my list of cravings when I was carrying Ella. I am a big fan of fizzy drinks and junk food and although I still eat junk from time to time it's not what my body is telling me it wants. I've never wanted fish so much ever, I've always loved seafood but never craved it this much. With a week off a head of us we are planning a day trip to the seaside to fullfill my need for fresh cockles on the coast. I am lucky enough to have a mother that makes a bug family Sunday dinner every week and since I've been pregnant I have been able to request what ever it is I fancy that week. This week it will be cottage pie!

Look what she made last week! YUM!

Water-wise I can't believe how much I'm drinking. I've never been a big water drinker (naughty I know) but I have a bottle of water now wherever I go and am filling it up contantly. Hopefully it's flushing out any toxins in my skin as well as doing my body some good because these pregnancy hormones are causing some very annoying breakouts right now. Pepperami really just symbolises tasty food.. anything that has an extreme taste to it.. I ate so much bland rubbish in my first trimester trying not to be sick that I just want to taste something good again. It delivers just the right hit of saltiness too.. I hear that's a common craving. Sour sweets I think work much the same way. I don't sit and eat sweets... a bag could last me a week but now I've discovered THE most amazing sour sweets I could probably just keep eating them until I am sick.

Chewits Extreme - Sour Apple... *drool*

Lee is buying these for me in BULK I eat so many.. and I tried a lot of stuff to find something that was sour enough.. truth be told these aren't eye-wateringly sour but they are just so damn good. I mentioned them in a recently youtube video and had a lot of helpful comments on other sour sweets I should try that are so good they'll make your jaw hurt so I might be back on here raving about something new soon.

So they are my cravings right now as I start my second trimester. I wish I'd done this with Ella.. I wish I'd known about the whole blogging community, I would have had so much fun with it and I would remember so much more but hey ho! I'm doing it now... and it's fun! 

Week 13

This week the baby is a peach! It's getting a but more exciting now it's getting bigger

No sickness at all this week, feeling 100% better but tired all of the time! I sleep A LOT! Looking forward to this 2nd trimester energy burst everyone talks about lol...

Scan Video

As promised I have more scan details for you!

Here's the video we managed to get during the ultrasound and my thoughts before/after

Scan Photo

I've JUST been for my scan and wanted to share a quick photo with you.. I'll do a more in depth post later and even got some video but for now here's your first look at the baby...

12 Weeks

This week the baby is a plum...

Still finding the fruit comparisons amusing. I'm 12 weeks and supposedly "out of the woods" and can officially announce my pregnancy to the world (hmm I may have jumped the gun there lol)

I have my first scan tomorrow and I'm not as excited as you'd think. I'm not nervous or anything it just still doesn't REALLY feel real yet.. Maybe after tomorrow?

Ella Talks Siblings...

Scan Excitement

It doesn't feel like two minutes ago I got my positive pregnancy test and our first scan is less that a week away. I know this sounds crazy but I still don't FEEL pregnant, I'm going through the motions and I'm excited but I'm not THAT excited yet.. It just doesn't feel real to me. I don't know why I just really can't believe it. I'm really excited for the scan, I remember with Ella that's when it sunk in so I'm hoping it will again but potentially it's not gonna feel really real until I feel the first kick I think. It's just so strange.. I really thought it wasn't going to happen so it's taking me some time it seems.

I will do what I can to get video of the scan itself but if I can't I will at least be able to share the pictures :)

Video Update

Here's last weeks video update...

I have been feeling so sucky recently but this week is so much better.. I'm close to my second trimester so I'm right on schedule to feel great :)

11 Weeks

This week is HUGE for our now official "fetus" ... It's actually looking like a proper baby now, the most critical development (organs and such) is complete and it's the size of a lime.



The scary part is that the baby will double in size in the next week - eek! At the moment my uterus is still in my pelvic area so my "bump" is really low but in the next few weeks it's going to become too big to stay there and will rise.. That's when I'll start to "show"... It's all going so fast already I can't believe it!!!

Water Water Everywhere

This week I cannot get enough water!!! People keep saying its a boy and I believe them.. Lots of people say you crave healthier foods when carrying a boy and I really am!! I am drinking nothing but water and I dont want any of my usual fizzy drinks ... It's so strange. I haven't had a cup of tea in weeks as it makes me sick now and I used to drink it all the time. Have any of you mums/mums to be had un-characteristic cravings? My first pregnancy was so different.. This is bizarre!

Roundness

So I tried to capture my budding bump today and this was the best I could do! Poor effort I know but you can see the swelling is becoming more defined.

None of my trousers/jeans fit me anymore. I've been living in elasticated maxi skirts and vests.. I think its time to invest in some maternity wear.. I can't believe I'm there already! I guess I am nearly 3 months but it feels soon. It's already flying, the baby will be here before you know it... I can't imagine another child in the house but I can't wait!

10 Weeks

This week our baby is the size of a prune and weighs only 14oz!

It's only 2 weeks until my scan and I'm in the "safe zone" of the 2nd trimester. I'm still getting occasional nausea throughout the day but it tends to peak in the evenings. Still feeling very tired but I already feel like nesting. I'm making so many plans I just can't be bothered to follow them through haha! 

creature gorgeous crib

I discovered "creature gorgeous" through her wedding blog when searching for something but I've been absolutely glued to her post-wedding blog, pregnancy and baby posts. She is so stylish but minimalistic, she has great foodie posts and her baby is just adorable! you can check out her lifestyle blog HERE

from there you will see a link to her wedding blog which although not relevant to this blog is still worth a look... but I warn you that you may just die of jealousy because her wedding, dress and rings are all beyond beautiful!

Anyway on to the purpose of the post... the crib! On her most recent blogpost she showed the crib she recently purchased and I am totally in love.

It's from IKEA, called "somnat" and at the bargainous price of £50.04 I am sorely tempted to rush out and buy it tomorrow. The colours I have chosen for the baby's room so far are cream and a kind of mid-green colour so it would be perfect and it's so cute in creature gorgeous's pictures. You can spend sooo much money on a crib and it's so ridiculous really, I mean unless you have oodles of cash to spend then they all do the same job so why shell out several hundred £'s when it's really not necassary? This is quite possibly it.. I think the search is over.