Weekly Update: 31 Weeks Pregnant.

Another pic of my massive Baby Boy! This was taken last week, at 30 weeks pregnant.

Baby size at 30 weeks: 41.1 cm long.

Baby weight at 30 weeks: 3+ lbs

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Well this week has been horrendous! A mixture of fed up with work (and obviously the commute!) mixed with this glorious weather that I’m REALLY not coping with! See my blog post about the intense heat>> Coping with this heat (!!!) at (almost) 31 weeks pregnant.

My heartburn seems to have calmed down this week, but I have had increased Braxton Hicks! All very strange – but it’s not at all painful so I don’t mind so much right now. Baby Boy has kind of slowed down with his kicking, but is really really active still – he just keeps twisting and turning now instead! He’s definitely running out of space in there. Literally, everyone just keeps remarking on how “big” “massive” “ginormous” I am. Which is of course lovely! (Please note the sarcasm in my tone).

I’ve had my wrists slapped by OH as I have still haven’t started buying my Hospital Bag essentials or sorted out my Birth Plan! DEFINITELY doing both of these things on Sunday, whilst sat in the shade of the garden 🙂

We’re pretty excited to also be starting our NCT Antenatal Classes tomorrow! We have a long session tomorrow, 9:30am-4:30pm… and they then continue every Monday 8pm-10pm for 4 weeks. Really looking forward to meeting couples in our area as we haven’t lived here long.

Hope you’re all enjoying this weather!

 

So what is happening to baby boy this week?

Fig 1: http://www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/fetaldevelopment/31weeks/

Baby’s brain and nervous system are fully developed, although their movements would still be poorly co-ordinated if they were born now. Baby boy’s sucking reflex is fully developed, but he could still do with a little more practise before he has to feed from the breast.

Baby Boy’s lungs are developing so quickly that each day he spends in the womb increases his chance of being able to breathe unassisted. The adrenal glands are busy producing a hormone called cortisol, which stimulates the lungs to make surfactant. This oily liquid plays a vital role in helping your baby’s lungs work properly.

MM.

Weekly Update: 30 Weeks Pregnant // The final quarter!

Here we are then! With just 10 weeks (ish!) left to go.

Baby size at 30 weeks: 40cm long.

Baby weight at 30 weeks: 3 lbs

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This week, again, I’ve felt increasingly fed up with work… and the commute. I’m just so so tired. Baby Boy is really beginning to take it out of me now! I just really need to get my feet up.

As of today, I have just 18 (non-consecutive) days left at my desk. Hurray! So fingers crossed that is going to fly by.

Otherwise, I’ve felt a little bit tetchy this week. I’m not sleeping so well. Getting up twice a night to nip to the loo… I suppose it’s all in good preparation! I’ve had Braxton Hicks, bad back pain and leg cramps this week. All part of the course, of course!

I managed to get some videos of Baby Boy wriggling around in my belly. So will upload those on a new post 🙂 He’s amazing. I’m so so proud of him. His hiccups have again increased. He usually has a hiccupping session at around 9:30am-10am, then again after lunch at about 2:30pm and then at bedtime, around 10pm. I really can’t help but feel like he’s irritated by it. I keep imagining his little face! Poor Boy!

We’ve also started stocking up on (more!) clothes. I just REALLY need to sort my hospital bag. I have made a massive geeky spreadsheet list, so just need to actually get out and get it all organised! *Must sort this week*.

So what is happening to baby boy this week?

Fig 1: http://www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/fetaldevelopment/30weeks/

Baby Boy’s lungs and digestive tract are almost fully developed. He continues to open and shut his eyes. He can probably see what’s going on inside your uterus, tell light from dark and even track a light source. If you shine a light on your stomach, he may move his head to follow the light or even reach out to touch the moving glow.
About a litre of amniotic fluid now surrounds baby,boy but that volume decreases as he gets bigger and has less room in your uterus.

MM.

Warning: May induce hysterical tears. (Or maybe that’s just me then!)

While watching the Britain’s Got Talent – Final last night an advert came on that reduced me to hysterical “I can’t breathe” tears. I got emotional at adverts before my pregnancy, but now it’s an absolute extreme set of events. Horrendous. Not only did I sob my heart out at the entire advert, not even knowing what the advert was even advertising, it got to the end and I couldn’t breathe when I found out it was for Volkswagen Polo. OUR CAR! Cue more intense hysterical sobbing.

The advert is tells the story of a very protective Dad, through the years of his lovely daughter growing up. Then handing out a brand spanking new Volkswagen Polo to her as she drives off to university… more crying ensues (on my part).

If you think you’re tough enough to watch this advert, click the play button below! Don’t say I didn’t warn you…

Weekly Update: 29 Weeks Pregnant.

Fig 1: http://www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/fetaldevelopment/29weeks/

Baby size at 29 weeks: 39cm long.

Baby weight at 29 weeks: 2.5 lbs+

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I’ve had another difficult week. Felt completely drained. It’s like attack of the first trimester, all over again! Had a dicky tummy at the start of the week and threw up on Wednesday morning. I must have been fighting a tummy bug off I think.

On Tuesday we visited Broomfield Hospital again and ended up with an emergency scan! Read about it here>> Measuring 34 weeks at 28 weeks! But everything is fine, and we’ve also been told we don’t need to go back for our 32 week scan now! Which is great, we’re over the moon – I can actually begin to relax. The next time we visit Broomfield will be for Labour – which is pretty scary! Not long now!! 😀

Baby boy has been incredibly active this week. I can’t get over how much he wriggles and moves! It’s amazing watching my tummy and he gets himself into a comfy position. I’ve been trying to video it, but he goes camera shy! Typical! He’s had an increase in hiccups too. This is apparently good though, it means his lungs are functioning properly and he’s taking in the amniotic fluid as he should be.

So what is happening to baby boy this week?

Your baby’s head is getting bigger to make room for his developing brain. Nearly all babies react to sound and light by the end of this week. At this stage your baby’s lungs have matured so their survival rate outside the womb is significantly higher.

Your baby’s head is now growing larger to make room for the ever-developing brain. This amazing brain can detect rhythmic breathing and also control body temperature. Research speculates that babies can dream by this stage of development.

Your baby’s adrenal glands are helping to make oestriol. This is thought to stimulate the production of prolactin which is responsible for the production of milk. This means that even babies born early will be able to breastfeed from their mothers.

MM.

Hospital Update: Meeting the Consultant and measuring 34 weeks at 28 weeks.

My favourite image of our Baby Boy so far! Taken at 20 weeks, UCLH. 20th March 2012.

Yesterday morning we drove up to Broomfield Hospital for another appointment with our Consultant; to discuss the findings from our last scan –The Bilateral Talipes. But our actual consultant was stuck on the M25 (of course), so we saw someone else and had to go through the whole rigmarole of explaining everything that’s happened in this rollercoaster of a pregnancy!

Fast forward half an hour and I’m on the couch being measured up with a tape measure again. At my Midwife appointment, less than a week ago, my bump was measuring up at 30cm, so 30 weeks – Weekly Update: 28 weeks. So had expected it to be about the same.The two Doctors measured me again… I was measuring 34cm, so one would assume, 34 weeks! UH OH.

I was referred for an emergency scan to check out baby boy’s measurements properly, along with an index of my amniotic fluid. Had to sit around the hospital for 3 hours until the scan. MASSIVE YAWN.

Had the scan and everything was FINE. He’s measuring up at 29 weeks (of which I am 29 weeks tomorrow). He weighs about 2 and a half pounds. He couldn’t be more spot on measurements wise, he’s spot on all the ‘average measurement’ lines on the scan graph. Which is great!

Also, my amniotic fluid is showing up at 6cm at the deepest point, which again, is absolutely normal! So everything is great. I just have a lot of my own water retention and bloating..possibly because I drink far too much water. What can I say? I’m a thirsty girl!

Additionally, the Sonographer also said that we no longer need to go back to have a scan at 32 weeks. She’s more than happy with the progress of everything and doesn’t see why we should have to go back to the hospital to review baby boy’s Talipes. Which is also fine by us! We’re over the moon! But at the same time, I’m also a little bit sad that we won’t be seeing our baby boy for a little while… in fact, the next time we see him will be when he’s ARRIVED! Which to be honest, is also a little bit scary! It’s all very very very REAL now. EXCITED.

So the moral of this story is, don’t believe the measurements! It was never going to be an exact science, measuring your bump – who thought it would be?!

MM.

Weekly Update: 28 Weeks Pregnant // Third Trimester!

Fig 1: http://www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/fetaldevelopment/28weeks/

Baby size at 28 weeks: 38cm long.

Baby weight at 28 weeks: 1.1 Kg+

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Happy Final Trimester (to us!)!!

Had a rough week this week – been feeling quite emotional and fed up. Fed up with commuting, getting work, working, I’m just really tired and so ready to start my Maternity Leave! (Not long now).

Had my second Midwife appointment with my local Midwife this week. After last time, I was slightly anxious to see her again. I was greeted however by her student first, both Midwives were jolly enough. Urine was completely normal. Blood pressure great. I hopped onto the couch for them to listen to Baby Boy, who’s heart rate is also perfect. But then they measured my tummy. They both looked confused. *Here we go again* I thought. What are they going to sodding say now?

“So, your baby boy is measuring up quite large…”

“Oooooh, right!”

I didn’t actually notice that I was looking like a beached whale very very pregnant lady. To be honest, the majority of people are pretty surprised when I say how long I have left to go… Being a touch over 5’ft makes my bump look bigger… I’m sure of it!

So basically Baby Boy is measuring 30 weeks – they explained that it could just be that he’s had his growth spurt early and he’ll start to slow down with his growth as we get further along. Or he could just be a ‘tall’ boy. Or he could actually be older than the due dates dictate currently (I wasn’t sure on my LMP when we found out we we’re pregnant….). I’d love it if he was further along, we can’t wait for him to arrive! But something tells me that he’s just going to be a little fatty instead!

Again this week, I’ve struggled with heartburn, pelvic and lower back pain. Had quite a few bouts of cramp in my right leg too. I think my Converse are just too flat. *SIGH*.

So what is happening to baby boy this week?

At about this time, he can open his eyes and turn his head in your uterus if he notices a continuous, bright light shining from the outside. He’s getting used to blinking his eyes, which now have eyelashes.

His fat layers are continuing to form and his bones are nearly developed, though they are still soft and pliable. His bones won’t harden properly until after he’s born.

Baby boy is also “breathing” with a regular rhythm, drawing amniotic fluid into his lungs and pushing it back out again with his diaphragm. This helps the tiny tubes and air sacs deep inside the lungs to develop, and builds up the muscles he needs to breathe.

Baby Boy’s lips and tongue are very sensitive and finger sucking is becoming a favourite pastime. However, it will take a few more weeks of practise before he’s strong enough to suck at the breast. That’s one reason why premature babies sometimes need to be fed via a nasal tube.

MM.

Hospital Update: Baby Boy bump has (mild) Bilateral Talipes.

Wednesday 18th April: Re-scan at UCLH, Fetal Medicine Unit.

This morning we visited the Fetal Medicine Unity in UCLH (University College London Hospital) for the re-scan of baby boy bump’s feet – to confirm or exclude Talipes (Club Foot). Since my worrying Midwife appointment the other week, I’ve thought about nothing other than the results we might find at the scan today. Not about his feet though, I was thinking about everything else that it could be linked to. Yesterday the panic set in again and I started googling all sorts, which we all know, is probably the worst thing you can do – ever! Based on the, err, google search findings, I’d really worried myself about how his spine might be developing, as Talipes can be the result of other genetic disorders. This all combined with the Midwife appointment made me really really quite anxious in that waiting from this morning.

Appointment was for 9am, we arrived early, as always, at 8:30am. We went into see the FMU and Speciality Doctor who has performed our most recent scans at UCLH, at about 9:15am. Our Speciality Doctor is beyond thorough, so started off with checking the progress of the brain and heart. Then he went on to check other internal organs for size and function, making the necessary measurements and notes as he went along. (See below for measurements from this scan!) He muttered that “everything is developing beautifully”. Then he turned to the back, looking at the spine and ribcage. He pondered over the spine and I clenched onto OH’s hand. The Doctor didn’t say anything so I asked “Is his spine ok?”. He smiled and said “Of course, he’s beautifully in proportion and developing as he should be. It’s a good thing!”. PHEW. I was happy at that point 🙂

As baby boy bump has proven at every single scan, he’s a wriggler. He moves non-stop. Which is amazing! But not great when the Doctor is trying to desperately get a good view of his feet! It was at this point that he got the 4D scanning images up again – which is just incredible. It’s so amazing to see your baby’s face like that – unbelievable to be honest! But he was really wanting to get a good view of his feet… so it was a quick look at his cute-as-a-button face and then back to business.

The Doctor scanned his feet for about 15 minutes using both the 4D and 2D imaging. He then turned to us and said that he was “convinced there is a degree of Bilateral Talipes. But is extremely mild”. He then went on to discuss corrective methods and said he’d like the Consultant to take a look. The Consultant arrived and said that the Talipes was so mild that “I probably would have missed it to be honest!”.

So with all this in mind, we’re over the moon. Couldn’t be happier. We always knew this baby boy of ours would be a character, and he’s certainly that!

We”ve now been discharged from UCLH and referred back to the care of Broomfield. We will have another scan (YES!) at 32 weeks to see the progression of the Talipes. This will be our 8th scan, although these scans have not been under happy circumstances (mostly), we’re extremely grateful that we’ve been lucky enough to see our baby boy growing at every single stage. As long as the Talipes has progressed as it should (or hopefully, not at all) then we’ll remain within the care of Broomfield. We will not be treated any differently for the birth, so there is no reason for me not to have the Water Birth I’m planning! Once baba is born, we’ll obviously review the extent of the Talipes and take it from there.

Measurements at 25 weeks and 5 days.

Biparietal Diameter (BPD): 67.9 mm

Head Circumference (HC): 243.9 mm

Abdominal Circumference (AC): 213.3 mm

Nuchal Fold Thickness (NT): 5.6 mm

Nasal Bone: 7.4 mm

Femur Length: 45.5 mm

Estimated Fetal Weight (BPD, HC, AC, FL) :842 g / 1 lb 14oz

4D scan of baby boy’s face. He has my nose and chin and OH’s eyes. He’s playing hide and seek here though unfortunately! 

MM.

Re-Scan: Echocardiogram and Anomaly Scan at 21+4 Weeks.

Tuesday 20th March: 4D scan! Fetal Heart Echo (Echocardiogram) and 20 Week Anomaly Scan at UCLH.

This Tuesday we went back to the Fetal Medicine Unit for a repeat Echocardiogram, doubled up with our 20 week Anomaly Scan. We are absolutely chuffed to say that every appears normal and all of baby boys organs are working correctly. So we will have no further review organ-wise, which is great news! The specialist was also (more than!) kind enough to surprise us with a few sneaky peaks at a 4D scan of our baby boy! It was absolutely incredible.

The extensive scan did however highlight that in some views there was a suspicion of Talipes (club foot). But in other views both feet appeared normal. The specialist also noted that the range of movements in all joints is normal. So this basically means that we have to go back to the FMU in about 4 weeks time to have a repeat scan to confirm or exclude the suspicion.

If it is found that one of his feet are a little on the wonky side, there are tons of things that can be done – without the need of surgery. So we’re happy.

Just also curious to find out if you had a baby with a suspected club foot and your experiences? What happened after the birth?

Here are some measurements and findings from the Anomaly scan that you might find useful. We were told these measurements were pretty much spot on for gestation, 21+4 weeks.

Biparietal Diameter (BPD): 52.4 mm

Head Circumference (HC): 189.1 mm

Abdominal Circumference (AC): 168.0 mm

Nuchal Fold Thickness (NT): 5.3 mm

Nasal Bone: 7.3 mm

Femur Length: 34.1 mm

Estimated Fetal Weight (BPD, HC, AC, FL): 416g / 15oz

MM.

 

CVS: The Fetal Echo (Echocardiogram) at 16 weeks.

Tuesday 14th February: Fetal Heart Echo (Echocardiogram), at UCLH.

Today we went back to the Fetal Medicine Unit in University College London Hospital (UCLH) for a specialist Heart scan. The scan was performed like any other normal ultra-sound scan, but was dedicated to looking closely at the heart; the way the blood flowed, the rate and a close look at the chambers of the heart. The sonographer will use colours on the monitor to look at the blood flow etc – so don’t be alarmed if you see lots of red and blue splats all over the screen! (This looks a bit like a heat map).

Look how much bigger he is! (Image above). All his organs are now well formed and his bones were all clearly visible. He was, again, moving all over! Such a lively little boy we have!

We’re very happy to say that everything looks on course here! The blood is flowing the correct way and he has a smashing heart rate. But we have to go back on 20th March just to have another look, when he’ll be much bigger; he’s still pretty tiny at the minute. But overall, no cause for concern! 😀

MM.

 

 

CVS: The Full Results.

Thursday 2nd February: The full results came back.

I had anxiously waited all week for that ‘BLOCKED’ number to call me again. It got to 4pm every day and I felt physically sick. I was shaky, dizzy and unable to concentrate at work. I was going to give it until Friday 3rd February at lunchtime, and then I was going to call UCLH to chase up the results. I couldn’t bear another weekend not knowing.

We got home from another tiring day at work, I felt withdrawn and exhausted and drained at the fact I hadn’t had that phone call, again.

There was a few pieces of post on the doormat… including one postmarked ‘London’, the address was handwritten. I just KNEW these were the results. I felt that pang of sickness and dizziness again.

We sat down together on the sofa as I struggled to open the envelope. I quickly glanced over the letter just looking for the words ‘normal’ and ‘positive’ and ‘clear’. The letter was a generic, photocopied letter.

But we saw the words we desperately wanted.

“We are writing to inform you that the results from your CVS demonstrate that your baby has a normal chromosome pattern“.

We were overjoyed! The letter was post-marked as 30th January, so the results took less than the two weeks to actually come back. Shame the hospital couldn’t call me to tell me directly – it would have saved a whole lot of agony. But still, we got the results we hoped for!

The letter also stated that we could call the FMU department to find out the sex of our baby. We we desperate to find out! So I called first thing the next day and they called back to tell me that we were having a LITTLE BABY BOY!! Absolutely ecstatic. We weren’t hoping for a boy or a girl specifically, but were beyond surprised to find out we’re having a boy! My partner is the last male on his families side, so we’ll be carrying his family name on – which is a wonderful bonus! We’re still in shock – but it’s so lovely to be able to bond with him properly now. Our little boy 🙂 Most people don’t get to find out the sex of their baby until the 20 week scan and even then, the scan isn’t 100% accurate! So we felt a little bit smug knowing that we’re having a boy, and that it 100% definitely is a boy! 😀

The next stage was an Echocardiogram (detailed Fetal heart scan) at 16 weeks – scheduled for Tuesday 14th February. Aptly, on Valentines Day.

MM.