Consultant Appointment

As I said in my last entry, I had an appointment with the consultant today. This was because I have had abnormal smear results in the past, and they needed to let me know if this could affect the pregnancy or birth in any way.

I had to wait about an hour to be seen, even though I had an appointment, but I didn't mind. There were loads of other pregnant ladies there, all far more pregnant than me, and I started chatting to a woman who was 34 weeks. Lots of people were talking about a breastfeeding programme that was on Channel 4 last night, about breastfeeding in public, and a woman who breastfed her 8 year old daughter! It was interesting to eavesdrop on other peoples views on the whole situation!

A midwife came out and addressed us all and told us not to have been put off by the show last night, and handed out leaflets on breastfeeding. I want to breastfeed anyway, so it was useful to get some information on it.

The consultant was very apologetic when I finally did see him. He told me that my abnormal smear would pose no threat to the baby or my pregnancy, and looked through the results of all the tests (from the bloods I had at my booking in appointment), and was pleased with everything. He got me to lie on the bed so he could listen to the baby's heartbeat, which he tried to do, but couldn't detect anything. I wasn't worried because before I had lain on the bed I had felt the baby kicking. He went off to get a scanning machine (yay!), and as soon as he'd left the room, baby started kicking again, as if to reassure me, or let me know that it knew what was going on!

The consultant came back with the scanning machine, and faced the screen at me so I could see everything that was going on. The picture was smaller than the last one (as in the baby looked smaller), and he said "see the heartbeat and the chest?" I told him I couldn't see a thing! So he made his way down the whole of the baby pointing out what everything was, which was lovely. I saw the leg bones, the tummy and chest with heartbeat and ribs, and baby's face and hands - it was sucking it's thumb! Better not let it carry that on too long or it'll get sticky out teeth ;) I had a blood pressure check done too, which was fine, then I was sent on my way.

My next antenatal appointment will be in 4 weeks with the midwife.

21 Weeks Pregnant!

Babycentre says this of week 21... "Your baby's putting on weight now and has turned into a slippery little thing — a greasy white substance called vernix caseosa coats the entire body to protect the skin during its long submersion in amniotic fluid. Some babies are still covered with this whitish goo when they're born.

How your life's changing: Out of breath? Most women start to feel a bit like Thomas the Tank Engine, huffing and puffing up a short flight of stairs. Some breathlessness is normal and may get a little worse as your expanding uterus pushes up against your lungs, but tell your midwife if it gets out of hand. Also, make sure you're getting enough iron. Your baby needs it to make red blood cells, among other things. It's almost impossible to get too much from food alone, as long as you're not overeating. Iron-rich foods include lean red meat, poultry, fish, lentils, spinach, and iron-fortified cereals. Don't take supplements though, unless they're prescribed by your doctor.

Although pregnancy might sometimes feel like a one-woman show, it doesn't have to be that way. If your partner is going to be your labour partner, he'll want to know how he can help and how he can communicate your wishes to the professionals."

Here are my bump pics for week 21, excuse the pj's!




















I'm off to see the consultant now, I'll let you know how it goes...!

Football Player?

I think we may have a hyperactive child on our hands! Not that I'm complaining - I absolutely LOVE feeling the baby punching and kicking, but it's developed suddenly into constant full-on movements, which is all very exciting! If I lay down and leave my hands on my tummy, every 1 in 5 moments can be felt. I told Jack to keep his hands on my tummy last night, and in about 5 minutes he felt about 10 movements - he was really happy!

House news - it's off the market! Woohoo! We had a meeting with our Financial Advisor last night and have our mortgage sorted which is a big relief, and we have a solicitor (dontcha know ;)). Our lovely friend Mark Portas, who is an estate agent and works at Callum Roberts, Holborn, London, WC1, which I hear is a very good estate agency (is that good enough Mark?!), put us in contact with a very good solicitor, so everything is going through at the moment, and the property is off the market. It's been handy to have Mark on hand to call when we haven't got a clue what we're meant to be doing next! Now we need our seller to find a house, everyone keep your fingers crossed! I want to be in by April ideally.