MSE Pregnancy Club V

Nicki

OK - what a day!

Woke up at 7.30 to get kids ready for school. Had phone call from school 1 - school shut due to snow. Phoned head of school 2. It's also shut. So have both kids at home with me all day. 5 inches of snow and the buses and tubes aren't running so DH has to walk 3 miles to work.

Phone surgery dead on 9.00 re chicken pox exposure. Get an appointment for 10.10. Have to tell kids why we're going (hadn't wanted to tell them before the scan just in case, but the cat's out of the bag as they have to come with me to GP. Get to GP. DD who has special needs takes a huge shine to him and decides to sit on his knee and give him a cuddle. He does very well, having consultation with 7 year old girl sitting on him. He has come across this once, when he was training 7 years ago but can't remember what the answer is. He phones the hospital - all the obstetric registrars are in surgery. Goes and asks all his colleagues and no one knows what to do. Tries to call the hospital again and gets an obstetric registrar who tells him chicken pox isn't infectious unless the spots have come out, so all is OK. He discounts this info as total bollox, and suggests to me that I phone the consultant who looked after me in last two pregnancies and who I'm booked to see next week for me first antenatal appointment. Then says he'll do a quick ante-natal check on me. DD jumps up and lies down on the couch and looks expectantly, so that gets abandoned!

Go home and phone consultant, who is very reassuring. Says I need to have my blood checked for anti-bodies and if none, then he can give me some by injection which will keep me protected for 3 weeks as if I were naturally immune. He needs to get them from D of Health apparently and they won't be released unless I've had a blood test and am not naturally immune. So me and two kids pile into a taxi. Roads haven't been gritted. Drive 10 miles through central London to hospital, where chaos reigns. DD getting very confused now. Wait for over an hour for blood test then sent off with a promise we'll be phoned with results in the morning. Try and get hold of phone number of mum of little girl to see if she's come out in spots yet, but they moved house a few weeks ago and none of our mutual friends have her new number. Then hear schools will be shut again tomorrow - so desperately hoping don't need to go back to hospital for antibodies with both kids in tow again.

So, end result is cat is out of the bag with kids, and two friends who I told the story too when trying to get hold of this woman's number, but hopefully baby will be OK whether or not chicken pox was at DS's party on Saturday.

Phew...

3onitsway

Nicki - you really deserve to sit down with feet up and lots of chocolate now!!

tiamai_d

Finding out the sex. With DS1 I knew it was a boy with ginger hair, it was a fact in my mind. I did ask at a sizing(?) scan at 34weeks the week before he was born and yes, it was a boy... and yes, he has ginger hair!

With DS2, it was a paracite, I felt so ill that we asked at the 20week scan only to try and feel a little closer to the little thing making me ill. I had a notion it was a girl because the pregnancy was so differnt, but it was another boy.

With this one we will ask, for practacle reasons, we only have 2 bedrooms and if it is a girl we will have to convert the loft in a few years, plus I want to know. I'm not bothered either way but have a suspicion its a girl.

Going home clothes. With DS1 I had an outfit for going home, but then he was induced at 35 weeks and we had to nip out to buy him tiny baby clothes, so he came home in a tiny baby blue sleepsuit with a robot, a blueknitted cardi (MIL neighbour knitted 3 tiny baby sized ones in a week after she was told he was early! and more for when we got home) and matching knitted hat and bootees. DS2 wore the exact same outfit!!! This one, seeing as how I hadn't planned on any more, we gave away all the tiny baby clothes, I will be buying a few packs of each size just in case and it will simply be white sleepsuit and cardi of some description.

Baby moving. I firts felt DS1 move about 15 weeks when I was just falling asleep and woke up screaming that an alien was in me and bursting out ( had been watching too much Alien movie). DS2 I felt about 13 weeks when lying on the sofa. Lie somewhere quiet, put your hand over your bump and press gently, this helps you feel where you will feel kicks etc and the pressure may make bubs move in protest!

And eurgh.. DS2 just started licking my arm! He thinks he is a puppy or.. actually I hope he licked it, he has a snotty nose....

Sami_Bee

Well that sounds like a most exciting day Nicki!!
How funny that so many doctors didn't know something that you can find out on the NHS website! :rolleyes:
infectious for 2 days before spots appear until all spots have scabbed over :cool:
I knew there was a blood test but not what happened next as my 2 friends who have had the est were clear so didn't need anything extra

tiamai_d

Holy Nicki! I am so glad I don't live in a big city!!

Hoping you have antibodies and can have a nice sorta relaxing day with the kids tommorrow!

Huge box of chocs / jar of gherkins / whatever your poison is :beer:

Kate1

Hello. Just wondering what other peoples experiences are of taking sick leave from work are. I'm 8 weeks pregnant now and really struggling with sickness, only seem to be sick on a night but feel sick during the day. Found it really difficult going to work today as feel really tired due to been up being sick during the night. Thinking of phoning in ill tomorrow. Don't usually have time off work but worried as only 8 weeks now and if I need any more time off if feel ill during pregnancy thinking I might end up with a bad sickness record. Main worry about this is I feel this might effect me if I try and move jobs in the future as I know employers generally want to know what your sickness record is. Any advice appreciated.

Sami_Bee

Kate - I don't know the law but I don't think you have to tell new employers your sick record if you have an understanding boss then see if you could maybe start work a bit later and make up the time after usual finish or with shorter lunches or working from home if poss or spread 1 days holiday over a few day? therefore not needing to take a sick day

Sami_Bee

ooh only just found out that Billie piper had her baby in november and called it Winston I find that name funny :rotfl: I have to say it in a Jamaican accent Chiill Winston!

candygirl

Has anyone else got really bad rib pain where the babies got it's feet?DD is in agony at the mo, and I can actually feel the babies foot stuck right in her ribs:D

ChasingButterflies

Kate1 - Sorry I can't help with any adivce re being employed and in that situation (I was self employed when dd1 did the same to me... I managed to work appointments/work around the the time of day that felt ok - which wasn't much of it tbh) Try and make sure you have plenty of fluids (I know you probably won't feel like it ) and maybe a dry biscuit. I managed somehow find a way to go back to sleep almost straight away afterwards took practice though. If you think you need it take the day off the more tired you are the worse it is (hugs)

Re finding out the flavour... I didn't with any of ours (although I meant to with dd2 - but was so excited at seeing her at the scan I forgot ) although I had an inclination that she was pink (because the ms didn't stop!) With ds I had an inclination that he was blue... but was paranoid I had got it wrong until 2 days before he was due when I woke up in the middle of the night and though "stuff it - if I am wrong I am wrong" and painted his bedroom blue :rotfl: When dh woke up in the morning he also found our bedroom was a different colour to what it was before he went to sleep :rotfl:(except round the bed - didn't want to disturb him! )

This time I *think* we are blue but ds may just have brain-washed me into there being too many girls in our house :rolleyes: I do want to know on a practical level but then feel that I would be treating this one differently from the rest ... no help at all I know

Quick Q - When I had my booking in appt the mw said that 1st scan would be at the end of Feb... it has been 2 weeks since I had the booking in appt - should I have a letter by now? She didn't say that I had to phone to book or anything but I am now panicing that they changed things... and getting really annoyed with our lovely postie that he has not brought said letter!

Best go get the little people in bed.