**Summer 2012 mummies!**

**bubbasweet** · 18-12-2011, 05:05pm

Thought I'd get started with our very own thread for nattering! How are you all feeling? I have sicky and non-sicky days, still generally knackered all the time.

Just starting to think I might look at maternity jeans, although I'm not showing and haven't put any weight on or changed shape, but my jeans are just a bit uncomfortable. My favourite pair are fine until I sit down, or it's later in the day and it feels like they're digging in, and they're so battered I should bin them anyway. Others I've got were probably a bit on the tight side to begin with

**Gretel** · 18-12-2011, 09:23pm

Yey good idea!
i actually ordered some maternity jeans online last night. Mainly because DP's have a 20% off at the mo. my stuff fits okay although I'm just really bloated and it's that horrible look where things look too tight. That's what I like about maternity stuff, it still fits nicely everywhere else. I needed some decent skinny jeans anyway as my others are getting baggy so thought I may as well get maternity. Got a couple of non maternity tops/dresses too.
leggings I should be fine with and skirts for a while.
im surprised how many summer maternity bits I have from my last pregnancy which I'm pleased about.

I definitely don't feel as nauseous at all now which is good although not eating meals as such... Feel like I'm just eating crap though eg tonight's dinner was sticky toffee pud

Looking forward to getting to know more summer 2012 mums to be

**bubbasweet** · 18-12-2011, 09:37pm

I really wanted chocolate sponge and chocolate custard this evening. Had a satsuma instead, which is no way the same but it felt healthy! I defo love fruit at the moment

I will go and look at Dotty P's when I'm at work this week, as I've never tried their trousers so wouldn't feel confident ordering online. But good that there's 20% off. They're not too expensive to begin with either.

Glad you're feeling better - I felt like the sickness was better once I had it under control - knew what did and didn't trigger it, so it's easier. I might just have been lucky of course that it was never really very bad, apart from the first couple of weeks. Coffee smells defo have me running to the loo, although it's mostly just retching.

**Gretel** · 18-12-2011, 11:17pm

Oh god, yes coffee is the exact same for me too! Which is annoying as its generally the first thing I need in the morning but I can't drink it hot at all bleugh!
next is quite good for mat clothes too and h&m, just generally a rubbish range!
it all seems unreal still at the mo doesn't it? I think it's around 20 weeks I start feeling properly pregnant.

**bubbasweet** · 19-12-2011, 09:53am

Yeah I find it all a bit strange too. I guess once there's a proper bump and you can feel it wriggling then it gets very real

By the time I get back to work after chrimbo and tell my boss in early Jan, I'm going to be 16 weeks, and then it's likely I'll be finishing work around 31/32 weeks, as I've got a ton of annual leave to take and I'll have to take it all before mat leave starts. That'll be mid April I think, which really doesn't seem that far away!

Are you working at the moment gretel?

**Amyb** · 19-12-2011, 03:01pm

Hi there ladies. Nice to have our own thread

Hopefully this will be the only time that I will moan.......

Had a really really rubbish midwife appointment this morning. So rubbish that it very nearly reduced me to tears

The clinic was so busy you had to wait it a huge queue of about 30 people.
I got weighed and measured in front of everyone by a really stroppy midwife. I felt like a sheep!

We then saw a really un-communicative midwife, she was afro-carabean (sp) so her English was very poor and her manner was very rude! It was the most miserable 1/2 an hour of my life! She had no interest in my previous bleeding

and only entered into a conversation when I said no to the ante- natal classes!

After seeing the grumpy midwife, I waited in another queue to be told that the only scan appointment was the end of December- I would be 15 weeks!!!!! I really begged for them to find me an appointment so they tried another clinic but still no appointments. The receptionist said that she would ask the sonographers opinion.

In the mean time I waited in another queue for a blood test- to be told that I get the results at the 24 week appointment. But surely I need the results for the downs screening????

After that, I waited again to be told that if i waited till the end of the clinic (the end of the day!) I would possibly get a scan

but probably not.

At that point my OH got a bit angry and suggested that I try calling the Harley Street clinic to see if they could fit me in. They can thank goodness so we have a blood test and scan tomorrow. You get the results at the end.

On the way home we stopped off at our GP, explained the situation and have asked to be re-referred to another hospital which they will do happily. I've done research and it has lots of good reviews.

Sorry for the moaning but i feel quite exhausted by the whole experience. Looking forward to the scan tomorrow though and I don't care about the cost.

**bubbasweet** · 19-12-2011, 05:00pm

Oh Amy I'm sorry you're still having such a rubbish time with the appointments

I defo think going for the private scan is the way forward and to heck with the cost - I mean you're only a week off it being too late to have to have the down syndrome scanning altogether, and that's really bad. I just wonder what happens to women who don't have the means or impetus to change hospitals or pay for scans

I don't get the results from my tests straight away, but will get a telephone call within a few days if I need to be called IYSWIM. Otherwise they've told me I'll receive a letter with the results in about two weeks. 24 weeks is ridiculous - I mean what if you had a decision to make following the downs testing? There wouldn't be an option for you

I really hope things are a bit better for you at the other hospital

**Amyb** · 19-12-2011, 05:24pm

Sorry for moaning but what a shit (almost 3rd world) experience!

I could have waited ALL day but I was feeling so tearful and sick at the prospect of not having the downs testing that we made a decision and got to hell out of there! The midwife was going on about sickle cell and I just wanted to scream at her what the ****!!!!!!!!

There were quite a few people who looked quite bemused and came on the wrong day for the wrong test. There were loads of women being given lucozade for the diabetes test at about 24 weeks and they all looked a bit confuse too!

Anyway, hopefully tomorrow will be slightly more dignified and relaxed, I could feel my stress levels rising today. Be happy when everything is ok and I have happier- non moaning news tomorrow!

**MAGPIE** · 19-12-2011, 05:41pm

Oh Amyb sounds like a terribly stressful day for you, if nothing else transfering to another hospital for no other reason than the understanding of each other would be a good thing, i have also had experience of a couple of london hospitals where i found a few of there midwives terribly rude and hard to understand and that was even with a neonatal warning sticker on my notes.

Abviously its good you managed to get an apointment for a scan tomorrow but chances are the reason why they were telling you no scan untill your 15th was you'd had a scan last friday so they knew your dates and had already done a nuchal fold measurement, the other blood test generally from my eperience (i only ever had one that was before they introduce the nuchal scan) but was told they will only contact you if there is a problem other wise no news is good news.

Once they had introduced the nuchal scannning my hospital dont provide both unless the scan comes back as a high risk.

But either way they shouldn't have allowed it to get to the point of stressing you and you've made a good decision of moving.
Enjoy your scan tomorrow.

**bubbasweet** · 19-12-2011, 05:42pm

I just find it staggering that the 'care' from one hospital to another can be SO different. I mean Gretel and I are both using the same hospital, probably only about 20 miles or so from you and my experience couldn't be more different. But then everything about London is a bit bonkers sometimes. I know people who applied for school places and not only did they not get a place at their preferred school, they just weren't offered a school place full stop. They just ran out of places at schools in an entire borough. I just find that utterly baffling

Anyway, good luck for your scan etc. tomorrow