16 Week Check Up and Heartbeat

Yesterday was my 16-week check up with the midwife at 9am

My first dilemma of the day, the wee sample (yes you have to take one every time) but they baffle you with facts about how its not allowed to be the first wee of the day and it shouldn’t be after having something sweet to drink, so bang goes my morning cup of tea as I’m a two sugar girl. Your probably wondering why this is a dilemma, well when you don’t typically get up until 8am (at a push) there are only so many times you go to the toilet in 45 mins, so morning cuppa was exchanged for some refreshing glasses of water. Mission accomplished and I set off to the docs.

Claire Sweet is my midwife, this is my second time meeting her and she is lovely! Just the sort of person you would like as a midwife, although I will point out she wont be there when I actually go through the traumatic experience of delivering babytays (although we don’t think or talk about that part yet).

First off check the wee sample, all OK, next is the blood pressure and as usually, it is low.

Next are the blood test results from my previous appointment at 12 weeks. All results are all OK including the HIV, which is always a good thing.

You might be wondering what I’m talking about but when your pregnant they test you for HIV & Hepatitis along with a number of other things. Now you might think nothing of this but seriously its not till you have the test you start to think “bloody hell what if I did have it” I have to be honest and say I have made stupid mistakes in the past but its not big and not clever so don’t try it at home kids!! Your be pleased to hear they all come back fine and my blood type was confirmed as 0 positive, which is the most common type.

Ok, results time over and now the exciting bit… listening to the heartbeat.

Now a few weeks ago a friend told me you could tell the sex from the sound of the heartbeat, if it sounds like a horse, it’s a girl and if it sounds like a train, it’s a boy.

Hearing the heartbeat was amazing, it’s the first time that you get to hear the little person growing in side of you. The midwife said it was growing well (although we knew that from the size of my bump already) and its heartbeat was nice and strong, she could even hear it kicking..

So now your wondering what it sounded like… well I would say train so if the theory’s right I’m having a boy, plus with the kicking its already practicing to join his fathers football team BPH. He will be a happy daddy.

10 Interesting facts I discovered in my first trimester

1. It is possible to hate everyone one day and love them the next.

2. You are actually pregnant for 9 1/2 months! You are pregnant before you even do the wicked deed, yep if you don’t believe me Google it! The dates start from the first day of your last period, so when I thought I was 3 weeks gone, I was actually 5.

3. Constantly feeling sick is much worse than being sick. At least if you are sick you feel better for a while.

4. Sleepless nights start straight away, well for me they did! 3 bloody 30 every night I’m awake, bright as a button for at least an hour and this is the most boring hour. At least sleepless nights once you have had the baby will keep me busy. Also sleepless nights are not good for your mood especially when you have work the next day. I feel for my poor husband, a tired Mrs Tay’s is not a good thing + hormones and it is terrible.

5. Growing boobs are soooo painfully, it’s like going through puberty again.

6. By going out in the cold you discover what it must feel like to have pins stuck in your nipples; it really is that bad.

7. Anything & everything can make you heave…well it does for me anyway.

8. Not drinking over festive season is not a pleasant experience.

9. Friends saying “it will be worth it in the end” when your feeling like shit does not help, but at least they are trying.

10. Reading books to begin with provides lots of information, but can also cause you to worry unnecessarily. I recommend talking to friends who have already been there and signing up for weekly emails from http://www.babycentre.co.uk/. I receive these every Monday and the information has been spot on.

babytays up until now..

I’m wishing I had started this blog earlier as I have had so much to share. I’ll try and take a quick look back at what has happened so far..

20th Oct 2008
I woke up and just had a sudden thought “oh lets do that pregnancy test in the drawer” very random and if I had thought about it I would have left it until I got home from work, not at 8.30am in the morning! Results came up positive, so was on the phone to Mr T straight away to let him know I had already got his birthday present… a baby! As his birthday is the 7th July, around 9 months after conception.. or so I thought.

Next was a quick text to my pal Nat as I knew she was jetting off on hols and for some strange reason never takes her mobile and I couldn’t possibly have waiting til she got back!

It wasn’t until later in the day I suddenly thought… my god how much sambuca had I drunk the week before, celebrating the success of an event I manage a4uexpo, oops!!

I promise Mr t I wont tell a single person (doh) about the baby as its bad luck before 12 weeks 

22nd Oct 2008
I just can’t keep it in anymore.. I need to tell Cath the exciting news plus I want to borrow her baby books and talk in detail to a female who has already been through it, so over to Cath’s I pop for a cup of tea after work.

17th Nov 2008
First trip to the see the midwife, was given the brightest orange book you can imagine, not very discreet, in fact it just spells out LOOK AT ME, I’M PREGNANT! But if I’m honest by this time me being pregnant is the worse kept secret in Europe, apart from at work where I’m determine not to let on until 12 weeks.

24th Nov 2008
Ok, ignore my last sentence today I told my boss, mainly cos I spend most the morning outside throwing up, umm nice, and then did the typically girly thing of busting into tear when he asked if I was ok, to which I replied “I’m pregnant, please can I go home cos I feel ill” He’s a bloke so of course he did not argue at this stage.

I continued to be ill for the rest of the day, I think this could be a bug though as I haven’t actually been sick through the pregnancy, just felt sick

25th Nov 2008
Today i'm 27 and ill

27th Nov 2008
Time to return to work and face the music, after not seeing my boss since confessing I’m expecting.

5th Dec 2008
Scan day!!! Mr T and I make our way up to St Michaels for our dating scan, I am now 10 weeks. It is amazing, its only 30mm long but it was waving out to us, or so I like to think.

Totally gutted they don’t allow you to have photos though!!

My due date is confirmed as the 29th June.

Christmas
My first T Total Christmas in about 12 years and oh what a boring time it is when everyone else is getting p*ssed!

Not helped by the fact that the sickness has returned with revenge, woke up Boxing Day and didn’t keep a thing down until New Years day.

Final straw was New Years eve, we had plans to go out with Mark & Becky, my fellow fat pregnant friend for a civilized Chinese but was still feeling terrible, in fact the girly water works started again when I text to say we had to cancel. Mr T made me call the doctor who asked me to come up straight away and gave me a check over before prescribing what I can only describe as my magic pills. One pill and I’m zonked on the sofa by 6.30pm, briefly surfacing at 9.30pm for a drink and then I’m off to bed for what was the best night sleep I had had for approx 3 months. The tablets are my new best friend, oh plus I haven’t been sick!

Not so good an evening for hubby who for the first time in probably 20 years has had a T Total New Year, although he said he felt better for it the next day. I think he was just trying to make me feel better.

Since New Years I’m still sick every morning at about 8am but have had decent nights sleep so can live with that!

so that brings you up todate to where I am today…