Scan Update

I had my 12 week scan yesterday. We got up relatively early, had a bit of breakfast and then headed over to the Maternity Unit at Winchester Hospital. We arrived pretty early as we'd been told the parking was crap, but we found about 4 spaces outside. We got inside and were directed to the Ultrasound waiting area. As soon as I sat down the couple opposite me were flicking through their maternity booklet. Arse, I'd totally left mine at home! I double checked the letter that I'd been sent with my scan appointment and right at the bottom in bold lettering was 'Bring your Maternity Notes'. I'd never even got that far down on the letter, I read the date and that there were no special things to remember, so it never even crossed my mind! I think once the world know I might just keep them in my handbag so I don't make the same mistake again. Mr H did go and ask the receptionist if he should go home to get them but they said not to worry.

My appointment was at 9.10am and we eventually got called in at about 9.20am. I've obviously never had an ultrasound before, and it was quite strange to be led into this darkened curtained room with a bed and a tv screen. They wasted no time in getting my clothes into the right position, applying gel and getting the wand thing in action across my tummy.

Within seconds there was this little thing wriggling up on the monitor... and I mean wriggling. I never expected arms and legs to be moving around, nor did I expect it to be doing summersaults and rolls in there. I wasn't sure whether it was due to the sugary breakfast or whether its just got used to getting out of the way of dog paws and has already developed a technique for getting out of the way of incoming objects.

By this point, even me the ultimate ice queen had a few tears rolling down the side of my face. It really was a beautiful sight.

The baby is about 51mm long at the moment, so tiny! and is living about 2cm underneath my skin. I was quite suprised at how close to the surface it is, but I guess it being so close puts some things into context about how uncomfortable I feel sometimes when my jeans are digging in or I'm wearing tights pulled up.

Measurements were taken of the Nuchal fold (the test for downs syndrome) and they came back perfect, she was struggling to get the measurement more than about 1.6mm and the measurement at which they worry is 3.5mm.

She talked us through what she was doing and what we could see, but this baby really was wriggling. She wrote on our notes 'scan restricted by fetal movement' whoops!

Whilst she was poking around she found a cyst that was nearly as big as the baby, she said it probably wasn't anything to worry about and was probably a result of ovulation on the cycle that the baby was conceived. Apparently they will just monitor it in the other scans. I'm not that worried so I've not leapt on google right away to find out more, I'll just see what happens :)

Turns out I was correct with my EDD and they put me back two days. So I'll officially be 12 weeks tomorrow and baby is due on Saturday 21st May 2011. Mr H reckons she was a bit sarcastic when she confirmed I was correct, but I didn't really think so. We were shipped back into the waiting room to wait for my notes and pictures.

After about 5 minutes we got the pics and the notes to stick into my book when I got home. The pics are hilarious, I got two face shots, one odd shot of I'm not sure what and a profile pic.

Introducing el guapo! (because it looks like theres a mexican wrestling mask)

Though this face shot looks a little 'Roswell' to us...



Finally, a good stereotypical profile :)



After I'd got my notes back I had a wait of another 30-40 minutes until I was called through for the triple test (blood test, another downs checker). I'm such a wuss when it comes to giving blood. Something about that creepy inner arm fold that turns my stomach. Not helped by the fact I was starving by the time we were called through. It was over in seconds but I held my breath and was totally fighting back the tears. Before they took blood, I was weighed. The number on the scales scared me, it was in kg. I do not understand kg. I weighed myself at home this morning and I've gained 4lbs. I'm fine with that. The kg figure just looked really scary!

After that we had to make my appointment for my 20 week scan. I'll be 20 weeks on New Years day, so clearly have some weekend/bank holidays in the way of me getting to see el guapo again. We're booked in for the 4th January at 11.45am. I can't wait!

11+5 : White Rabbits

Happy 1st November! I think I'm feeling partially more upbeat than I did last week. Sure I bought a size 12 dress from Primark at the weekend to wear for Halloween, but I don't think it was the most forgiving of dresses anyway. Having seen photos from the weekend, I don't look as bad as I think I do. I guess the extra flabbiness that has a resulted from losing muscle definition still isn't really showing up through my clothes.

As today is the start of a new month, I'm going to make an effort to get back to the gym at lunchtimes. Now this could back fire in a major way! But I figure that even if I only managed 30 minutes of something its better than doing nothing which is where I'm at at the moment. I'm not sure what I'm going to do at the gym, but thinking something along the lines of 10 minutes cardio and 20 minutes weights. Obviously if I think I can take things further, I'll up the limits of both. To begin with I'm going to go slowly and see how I feel as the week progresses.

I've not actually got a great week to be starting back with the gym as I'm only in the office twice this week! However, this is my plan...

Monday: Gym at lunchtime
Tuesday: Going to London, so won't need the gym with all the walking I'll be doing
Wednesday: Working from Home, will try and get out for a run after the electrician has been
Thursday: Day off (scan day), 30 day shred in the evening
Friday: Gym at lunchtime
Saturday: Off to Damnation in Leeds, no time for anything!
Sunday: Pug meet in the morning (on the beach at Southsea) then lunch at MIL's.... so more beach walking :)

4/7 days wouldn't be a bad start if I can manage it!

11+2 : Coming to terms with a changing body

I'll admit it. I'm not coping well. After spending so long working to lose weight and streamline my body I feel like all hope is lost.

I just haven't had the energy to keep up with regular exercise, lunchtimes are spent cat napping and I'm usually passed out on the sofa by 9pm most evenings. October has basically just been about surviving, something which I've not really enjoyed.

As a result, I've lost muscle tone, I've lost strength, I've lost motivation and I feel terrible for it.

In the last 3 months, I've put on somewhere in the region of 2-5lbs. I know it doesn't seem like a lot, I can't accurately say what I've put on as I'm trying my hardest to stay off the scales. I've weighed in at 9st 4lbs and 9st 7lbs on the odd mornings I've weighed in. So chances are I haven't really gained that much at all, but I feel like I have.

My whole middle section is losing shape, I know its to be expected after all... I am pregnant. But after spending more than a year in tight fitting figure hugging clothing I'm struggling to find things in my wardrobe that I'm comfortable wearing. I've had really bad ab ache for the last few days, I presume as everythings stretching to make way for the baby which is just about to start its crazy growth (I think its supposed to start doubling in size every fortnight or something). I'm just not sure how I'm going to get on when it happens. Perhaps when I have an obvious bump it won't be so bad, right now I just look like I've eaten all the pies.

Its now less than a week until our scan date, just a measly 6 days. I wonder if when 'it' becomes a baby I'll feel better about the changes going on with me. I guess the excessive amount of hormones don't help, nor do my enormous boobs which seem to have taken on a life of their own. If I'm not feeling sick, my eyes are welling up at at anything and everything. I wonder if I am finding a certain amount of comfort in food right now. As I'm sitting here at 9.24am slowly making my way through a packet of Wotsits to take away the need to puke I feel quite content.

I really hope that the next few weeks see me return to a more normal version of me. I'd love to be eating a little better, I'd love to have enough energy to even just do a 30 minute session of exercise at lunchtime (I really miss the gym at lunch!). I'd love to be able to make the most of the crisp air outside and get out for weekend runs.

11 Weeks

I'm not very good at posting am I? To be honest, writing about how crap I feel on a daily basis hardly makes good reading!

Still, here I am at 11 weeks stopping by for another update. I've not managed to shred every day since I started. I ached like heck for about 3 days after the first shred, but aside from the odd shred I've managed to fit in, we've done some nice long walks with the dogs over the weekend which I'm sure have gone some way to keep me in I shape... and have contributed to some epic long naps on the sofa too.

Observations on tiredness are that I'm absolutely whacked. I mean seriously whacked! I had a good nights sleep last night and a sleep in the car to work this morning and I'm still feeling exhausted. Its not like 'over sleep exhaustion' either, its mentally destroyed exhaustation. I can't even think about doing things without feeling tired. Not good!

Aside from the tiredness, the nausea is probably getting a little better. First thing in the morning (on a working day) I'm needing to eat something as soon as I get up. Otherwise I go through this horrible dry wretching thing. My gag reflex seems to have become quite weak over the last week. Last night is was the thought of the smell of Chargrilled Steak McCoys that sent me over the edge. *shudders*

Food intake is easing off a bit. I've tried to be clever by reducing calorie intake of the things I've been eating, for example todays food:

* Lemon & Raisin Pancake - 90 cals (before I left for work)
* Bowl of Coco pops with semi skimmed milk (when I got to work)
* Banana (mid morning)
* Wholemeal Roll w/ Gouda, Ham and Cucumber (lunch)
* Bag of Wotsits - 95 calories (much less than the >250 calories of some other bags I've eaten recently)
* Penguin Bar - 120 calories ish (again much less than a wispa or a mars bar)
* Grapes
* Dinner (which tonight will be steak, field mushrooms, brocolli + sweet potato)

So still not great in terms of the sort of things I'm eating, but at least I'm eating less and making more sensible choices in the realm of the food I fancy. Gotta love pay day and the ability to get to Tesco!

In other news, a new bra arrived yesterday evening. AMAZING! I tell you what, having boobs that now fit in a bra other than my sports bra is fabulous. I've gone up 2 cup sizes so far. Hopefully I'll stay the same size for a little longer before I have to buy any more. Bras are definately one of the hidden costs of pregnancy.

Finally, to continue my fruit themed baby development according to the tracker on my iphone its now the size of a fig.