My pregnancy overall was classed as high risk due to having high blood
pressure even pre pregnancy therefore increasing the risk of pre eclampsia.
Therefore I was under consultant led care. Most would panic seeing "high
risk" sprawled over their maternity notes. I saw it as a positive - it
meant I would get extra care and extra scans which meant extra reassurance.
First Trimester
My first trimester I had a few scares due to bleeding but after a few
scans all appeared normal thanks to the almighty. I had more scans in the first
trimester than most do in their whole pregnancy!! The local private scan clinic
was on speed dial throughout my pregnancy lol.
It was a huge period of adjustment - getting used to the morning
sickness (always whilst brushing my teeth!), the constant feeling of tiredness,
the loss in appetite, the constant worry of my unborn child ANDDD the reality
that I was soon going to be a mummy! I found that sniffing lemon candles helped
with the sickness as did ginger biscuits!
Once I‘d passed the 12 week mark, I purchased the Sonoline Fetal Doppler
from amazon based on reviews. It was on
offer for £24.99 at the time and it was definitely a great buy. I know a lot of
people aren’t comfortable with using a doppler at home but we found it really
useful. It gave me that reassurance at
home. I asked my midwife to show me how to use it and it never took longer than
a minute or two to find baby’s heartbeat. The doppler was great but I often
found the sound a little husky.
My food aversions:
- Stir fry
- Chinese
- Soya
- Thai
- Egg
My food cravings:
- Slush puppy
- Samosas
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| First trimester baby bump |
My second trimester got a lot better in terms of sickness but I suffered with
sciatica. My blood pressure was also a constant worry but by this point I was
going to day care twice a week to be monitored. Though the appointments lasted
on average two hours each time (sometimes up to four!!), I really got to know
all the midwives on the maternity ward at Hillingdon Hospital (Katherine Ward).
They were absolutely amazing! I find their job so fascinating. I doubt there is
any other job quite like it. I wish I had it in me to become a midwife. They
provide so much care, comfort and reassurance to women who are so vulnerable. I
don't know what I would have done without them. Getting to know them so well
served me well during labour.
I was also seeing my consultant at least once a month by this point and had a really great rapport with her. She was great at discussing things with us as opposed to simply calling all the shots. She was an absolute God Send and I felt blessed to have all the right people surrounding me through such a scary journey.
I was also seeing my consultant at least once a month by this point and had a really great rapport with her. She was great at discussing things with us as opposed to simply calling all the shots. She was an absolute God Send and I felt blessed to have all the right people surrounding me through such a scary journey.
Second trimester is when I really started to feel baby's movements by
about 25 weeks. We felt our first kick just before we were about to leave home
for the airport to catch our flight to Dubai for our last baby free holiday. It
was such an amazing feeling and Preetam also got to feel it.
We signed up to NCT classes which were a huge eye opener - especially
the pictures of ladies in labour! :o I had no idea
that's what I was going to look like - my dreams of wanting to look well made
up and perfect during labour quickly came to an end!! We found NCT classes
helpful in understanding the labour process but not necessarily with life post
birth. Nevertheless we made some great friends who we regularly meet up with
now. It's such a great way to share and consult too as you are all on the same
journey. Also helps that one of my NCT buddies is a nanny of 20 years!
We decided to opt for the 4D scan at 28 weeks. It was a lovely experience seeing our baby bobbing about in colour and in 3D. He always had a habit of putting his hand to his head every time we had a scan, this one was no different! We had our 4D scan at The London Scan Clinic at Harley Street - I would highly recommend them, they were always happy to answer any questions we had and always tried their best to get baby at different angles.
We decided not to find out the sex of the baby as we always said we
wanted our first to be a surprise. That was really difficult for me as I’m a
total control freak and love to be organised.
I don’t do well with uncertainty!
Second trimester is when I started making a shopping list for baby and
we also made a start on the nursery. I felt so apprehensive about even putting
a list together – I felt like I was tempting fate. It was all so odd.
My food aversions:
-
1st trimester plus
- Kidney beans
- Dry fenugreek
- Nutella crepes
- My cousin sisters curry
- Cheese (this still hasn't gone and really hasn't helped with shifting the "baby" weight!)
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| Second trimester baby bump |
Third Trimester
My third trimester got harder as I got bigger and my sciatica got worse.
I also suffered with carpal tunnel which was painful but wrist splints fitted
by the hospital really helped though they were pretty restrictive at times! I was hospitalised a few times due to
fluctuations in my blood pressure and increased risk of pre eclampsia and
palpitations. It was nerve wracking but I had the constant reassurance of my
little baby's punches, kicks and rolls to know all was ok! Being
hospitalised was odd as I was surrounded by other women at different stages of
pregnancy. Some were in early stages of
labour – some looked so composed, whilst others were bawling; some were
admitted for the same reason as me whilst others were still very early on.
Not sure about others, but when I was pregnant, I almost wished time
away as it’s a rollercoaster of anxiety and excitement and I just wanted baby
to be here safe. But as I got closer to
the finish line, I almost wanted to hit the pause button as I realised how much
my life was about to change.
My sister in law gave me the best advice to go off on maternity leave
early to enjoy some me time and it was one of the best pieces of advice I was
given. I left work seven weeks early and
did all the things I felt like doing - afternoon teas with friends, lunch dates
with my parents, spa day with my sisters, shopping trips with my sister in law,
chilling on the sofa and watching movies, but most of all I wanted to catch up
with friends and family that had babies to get used to what life was soon to
become. I fully made the most out of my seven weeks off and really enjoyed
that time.
My food aversions:
-
Same as first and second trimester
- Nutella crepes
- Cheese
- Pizza
- Costa peach lemonade (lucky Hillingdon Hospital have a Costa on site - got me through labour!)
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| Third trimester baby bump |
