Due date!

It's finally here! After 9 very long months our baby's due date is finally here. Not that he's showing any signs of budging. Luckily, due to the gestational diabetes I am booked in for an induction tomorrow so my (im)patience just needs to hold out a tiny bit longer. I would much rather have a natural birth but I'm told that for our baby's sake they will not allow me to go on much longer with the pregnancy. Now its just a case of passing the time. That's easier said than done!

9am

I have literally not slept. I have spent the night Googling ways to bring on the baby and what happens during an induction. Yet despite the lack of sleep I'm wide awake. All I can think about is "What if the induction takes days? What will we do to stop the boredom?" "What if it doesn't go as planned?" "Will the baby be ok?"....."What are we even going to call him?"

10.10am

BD has just woken up and before he's even had time to open his eyes properly I'm asking him the same question we've been going over for the last 9 months. "What are we even going to call him?"

After 30 mins of debating we've concluded....we still don't know. Or rather can't agree. He doesn't like any names I've come up with and the only name he can bring to the table is Steve. I'm sure its a very nice name on some men but that's just it - as far as I'm aware, I'm giving birth to a baby not  45 year old balding man. 

10.40am

Pamper. There is literally nothing better than  hot bubble bath and a pamper to pass the time. Only a mere hour and a half later and after a home facial, hair mask and skin treatment, I'm well and truly wrinkled like a prune but very relaxed and happy. The baby on the other hand is more active than ever but I'm going to make the most of what's probably the last moment of alone time I'll have for a while.

2.00pm

The baby will not be reasoned with. No amount of talking to my bump and trying to persuade him to vacate his little home is working. I've even found myself spending a longer than sanely necessary time repeatedly shaking the Magic 8 ball until it gives me that answer I really want. 

"Magic 8 ball, will my baby be born tomorrow?" *Shake Ball* 'Don't count on it' *Shake Ball again 'You may rely on it'.... Satisfied :)

2.30pm

Me and BD are out in the village stocking up on everything we might need over the next couple of weeks. Food, cosmetics... do we really need 3 tubes of tooth paste?? How essential is that pack of Malteasers?....Now that's done :) How are we going to carry all those bags back before it goes dark? I know its only  ten minute walk away but with my weeble wobble walk I better set off now.

3.00pm

Cleaning! Again! The house is cleaner than its ever been since we moved in but I cant stop! Its become a weird obsession. Cleaning out the kitchen junk drawer has become an urgent priority, even though I've got no clue what's in there. Ooh, is that a smudge on the window I cleaned yesterday...fetch me a duster!

4.35

Weigh myself on Wii....not as bad as I thought :) 

Bounce on Swiss Ball - probably a bit too energetically. No sign of contractions but now I have sore thighs!

Begin to do a 3 mile wander round and round the corridors of the house....get (a welcome) interruption from my mum who calls to say good luck for tomorrow.

5.15

Completely panic. Oh my god, I'm going to be a Mum soon! How am I going to grow  responsible bone in such a little amount of time. Text a friend who texts straight back laughing/reassuring me that I'm being mental. Still feel a bit terrified but spend 45 minutes returning texts to everyone who's kindly text over the last few days. I'm rubbish at communicating with my friends but god I'm lucky to have them!

.................It literally doesn't feel real. I'm a jittery giddy mess. I Can't believe in a few days time at the most I'm going to be Mum. Poor little baby :)

How to: Budget, Save and Make Money For Your New Family

"Kids are expensive!" or so my Dad constantly reminded us every time he had to write cheque for a school trip or handed over his card to the smiling cashier who'd just sold him the latest clothes we needed.

According to the news recently, it costs £218,000 to raise a child until he is 18. The sensible idea would be to plan to child and save before hand....hmmm. Whilst our baby is definitely wanted, it wasn't especially planned. Unless you count the 5 second conversation me and Baby Daddy had one night in bed:

Me:(looking at a friend's pic of her baby on Facebook): Do you want kids?

BD: (shrugging): Yeah, maybe... one day. Do you?

Me: (reading a text on my phone): Yeah, I think so. One day. 

BD: (not looking up from his laptop): Do you want one with me?

Me: Yeah.... do you?

BD: Course.

So as you can tell we had thoroughly planned our family expansion. Both me and Baby Dad work but, as I'm sure most parents to be are, we were worried about being able to afford everything our baby needs. For the first time in my life I decided to plan. To plan and to budget. Anyone who knows me will tell you this is not familiar territory for me so I needed to be as prepared as possible.

After a visit to the Money Advise Service website's brilliant section 'Budgeting for a family' and using their tool which helps calculate the cost of a newborn, I found our new baby would cost us around £3700 in his first year (https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/categories/budgeting-for-a-family) This is including new baby equipment and childcare costs.I decided to make a list of everything we needed and spread the cost over the months before he's born and do everything I could to cut this cost down as much as possible without skimping on the quality of the equipment and products.

All in all I've so far managed to save 2 thirds of what would have been the total cost of stocking up his nursery with equipment, clothes, nappies and (hopefully) everything he'll need for his first few months.

Here's how:

Check lists:

I got hold of as many lists as I could from baby books, catalogues, websites and recommendations from some well practised mummies and compiled one which detailed everything we as a family needed.

The 3 lists I had were:

• Items needed for baby's arrival and first few months
• Items needed for my hospital bag
• Items needed for baby's hospital bag.

Good websites for check lists:

• http://www.emmasdiary.co.uk/pregnancy/pregnancy-products/shopping-for-a-newborn.aspx
• http://www.newparent.com/pregnancy/baby-checklists/

Spreadsheet:

Don't worry, I'm more than aware of how ridiculously anal I sound but I used the check lists to create a spreadsheet listing everything we needed, which brands I wanted, How much they cost, Where we can get them cheaper and finally how much we actually spent on the product....and by this I mean saved.

Yes its geeky but its also so satisfying seeing exactly how much I've saved...without losing out on getting the brands and products I wanted.

Auction, Listings and Comparison Sites:

To save money and get what we wanted on the spreadsheet I used the website mysupermarket.co.uk to compare prices across the high street shops. I then spent a little bit of time checking a few other sites:

• eBay
• Prevloved
• Gumtree
• Free Cycle
• For sale and for swap group on Facebook.

I got some lovely barely used 'I Love My Bear' items from other mummy's on Preloved and Gumtree (nappy stacker, mobile, changing box and top and tail bowl) and my favourite bargain an almost brand new Mama's & Papa's changing table from eBay for £30, when the family who sold it had bought it for £280 on a couple of months earlier.

Vouchers:

I used to find even the notion of vouchers mortifying and would have rather paid double the price of something than to hand over a voucher to make it cheaper IN PUBLIC. Luckily, a very frugal friend of mine showed me the error of my ways. She taught me that the smug feeling of walking out with something cheaper than it should be (or even free!) completely over-rides any embarrassment factor or thoughts of being a bag lady type. At times you even walk out of a shop feeling like you've robbed them you've got that much for free... but there's no need to fear the security guard. 

Where to find vouchers:

• Baby magazines
• Catalogues such as ToysRus, Boots etc
• Baby Clubs 
• Bounty Packs (you can pick up your first one at hospital after your first scan)
• Emma's Diary bags (sign up to the app and you can find vouchers for these goodie bags under the 'offers' section.
• Product packaging

Freebies:

I cannot get enough of freebies. The nursery is full of freebies I've collected over the last few months such as Huggies nappies, baby creams, bibs, lovely pamper products for me by Palmers and Cussons Mum & Me and even enough samples of Fairy Non-Bio liquid and Vanish to last us through a fair few wash loads of baby clothes and muslin cloths. Most of the samples are full sized so I've saved a fortune on the little bits and bobs.

Where to find freebies:

• Bounty Packs
• Emma's Diary bags
• Freebie sites:                                                                   http://www.latestfreestuff.co.uk/free-baby-stuff/                                                 http://www.magicfreebiesuk.co.uk/free-stuff/c/kids-and-babies                                         http://www.freebiesiteuk.co.uk/baby-freebies/
• Baby Clubs (especially when you first sign up)
• Magazines (especially if you subscribe)
• Baby Shows

Out and About:

You can also save money, get freebies and hunt down bargains out and about in your local area. 

My sister and I went to The Baby Show Manchester and got loads of free bottles, bibs, baby cosmetics and food sample whilst browsing the stalls and deciding what products and brands we wanted for our babies. I don't mind admitting we didn't buy anything.... I went home and found the products cheaper elsewhere!

http://www.thebabyshow.co.uk/

There are also some brilliant Car Boot Sales out there which are for stall holders selling baby and kids stuff only. Our baby carrier, bottle warmer and electric breast pump recently came from a very popular and busy car boot. With so much choice and many items still unused in their boxes its worth dragging yourself out of bed on a Sunday morning for a bit of a haggle.

http://www.kidscarbootandswapshop.co.uk/

There are more charity shops on our village high street than you can cope with. They are however all modelling themselves on expensive vintage shops....their shelves stuffed with fur coats and well used suitcases but if the charity shops near you are more of the traditional persuasion you can pick up loads of brilliant pre loved baby clothes and toys. My lovely Gran found a few of my favourite childhood books which look pristine....Yes, I probably will enjoy reading 'Peace at Last' and 'Dear Zoo' to my baby much more than he'll probably enjoy listening to it!

Further Ways to Save:

Libraries:

Apart from my beloved Belly Book: Pregnancy Diary, I don't see the point in spending money on pregnancy or baby books. I'm a stranger to the library, having not been since I HAD to at uni so walking trough the doors of the local library was a bit of an adventure but I soon found the pregnancy section which was filled to the brim with books which covered every pregnancy subject possible: month by month guides, pregnancy exercises and home pampering for mummy's to be. Arms full, I took out loads of books from the library at the beginning of the pregnancy and jotted down everything I might need to know in a note pad I'm now calling my 'Mummy Manual'. Probably hundreds of pounds have been saved thanks to that treasure trove of books.

Apps:

I've also downloaded free pregnancy apps on my phone which take away the need to spend on books. They have been a constant daily teaching tool for this clueless mum and are a fantastic source of reassurance with the forums, articles and tools such as check lists and contraction counters. The best apps are:

• Baby Centre
• What to expect when you're expecting
• ipregnant deluxe

Youtube:

Rather than spending money on DVDs and CDs for all your pregnancy needs, have a look through Youtube and you will find some amazing relaxation, meditation and exercise videos as well as instructional 'how to' type videos and weekly pregnancy updates. Whether you're desperate to get some sleep, in the mood for some pregnancy yoga or just wondering what your baby looks like this week, you will always find a video to help. Some of my favourites are:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCSFobwvQTg (yoga)
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zk7SQ6ZZxUM (insomnia hypnotheraphy)
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHDU7ThiBMg (weekly fetal update)

Surveys and Focus Groups etc:

OK so this isn't a savings tip, more of a money making tip but if you spend the money on your baby check list you're technically saving! With all the time I now have waiting for the baby to arrive on maternity leave, I have been able to devote time to filling out surveys for money and vouchers.

The best survey sites I have found are:

www.onepoll.com - short surveys for smallish fees (eg 20p) but they pay you by BACS or PayPal once youve reached £40 of earnings. In one day you can usually recieve roun 10-20 surveys.

www.valuedopinions.co.uk - longer suerveys of around 20 mins for larger fees (eg £1) but they pay out quicker - you can redeem vouchers once you have hit £10. In 4 weeks I have collected £40 of Sainsburys vouchers.

Focus groups are also a good way to make a little extra cash. Sarosreasearch.com hosts focus groups which will pay you in either money or good freebies. For example, the last invite I had for them was for a focus group in the city which paid £50 for a 45 minute session.

Mystery Shopping is also a bit of fun and a good way to pay for meals or shopping you might have already been doing. Marketforce.com is a good site to sign up to as it requires you to have no special equipment. Recently, we have had a free pub lunch & an extra £10 fee for giving them a little bit of an insight into our experience. 

Finally, preparing the house for your baby's arrival gives you the perfect excuse to clear out unwanted items and make money for your troubles. Sell bags of unwanted clothes to a local shop that pays a set fee either per bag or per weight or use websites to sell your goods:

• eBay
• Mazuma
• Music Magpie
• Amazon

..............Happy Saving and Money making everyone! If you have any more ideas, let me know. I a sucker for saving these days :)

Only 1 more week! (hopefully)

39 weeks today!....Still no baby to report.

At my last hospital appointment the midwife assured me that despite the fact I was not even a tiny bit on the way to labour (no dilation on sweep) that as I have gestation diabetes they will not let me go past the due date. Soooo this time next week I should hopefully have my baby! The plan is to go for another sweep on Tuesday and if that does nothing I am to be induced. I'm not against being induced but Id much rather he came naturally.

I spent most of last week meeting friends and enjoying my last few times as me being just me not mummy me and trekking to and from the Midwife's office at the Sure Start Centre. Baby Dad was working away in a whole other city. I thought with all of that time me and Baby Dad were apart, it would be tempting fate. With our luck, the fact Baby Dad would be a hundred miles away with no direct route home it should have been more than enough to tempt fate for our baby to arrive, resulting in Baby Dad missing the birth. That didn't happen. Baby Dad's home now, so I shall now be mostly spending today trying to hurry up our baby...

A few months ago Baby Dad asked me if I'd miss our baby living in my tummy and couldn't help but laugh incredulously.
"God no! I cant wait to not be pregnant any more, its been a nightmare." I remember telling him.

On the rare occasion the baby is having a quiet moment and not re-choreographing the entire set by 'Stomp', I sometimes forget that I was pregnant at all. I've gotten so used to my ever growing bump I forget about it altogether and skim off doors and accidentally belly bump people nearby. Only the other day I was with my friend catching up over food and a diet coke when I (quite skilfully I think) managed to lift up the whole table with my belly trying to pull my chair in closer....drinks wobbling threateningly as I banged it back to the ground. I'm used to him being in there now and I'm getting used to my big round belly. Its weirdly comforting stroking my tummy and if nothing else its a good place to pop my phone when I don't need it and an adequate writing table.

More than anything, I will miss him kicking about happily when I'm lying still, jumping at the sound of the toilet flushing, the hair dryer or his dad sneezing and feeling him hiccup endlessly. I've even gotten to love watching his little body pushing my tummy into all sorts of weird shapes and don't mind (most of the time) his favourite hobby of kick boxing all night, every night. I can't wait to meet my little man but in answer to your question Baby Dad...."Yes, I will miss him being in my tummy."....as weird as that is.

How to: Make a Black and White Baby Mobile

Newborns love black & white! According to the various baby books and websites I've read, when they're born babies see in black, white and shades of grey. They take their time to recognise colours and can see only see as far as 8-12 inches away and its blurry at that. Black and White stands out for them until they become used to the colourful new world they've found themselves in.

Surrounding babies with black and white shapes stripes and images has been shown to engage the baby helping him to develop his sight and also keeping him calm and content, even during nappy changing. Sounds perfect to me :) 

I started looking for black and white toys or mobiles and found them to be few and far between and of those I found, I wasn't keen on AND they cost a small fortune. Babies find the Black and White shades most stimulating during their first month and spending £30 for a mobile we'll use for 30 days seemed a bit excessive...so I decided to make my own! (and it cost me 40p)

What you'll need:

Black & White Foam Sheets (I used 4x A5 sheets of each colour - 5p each from supermarket)

Coloured foam of your choice (optional)

Pritt Stick

String

Pencil

Thin tipped black permanent marker

Scissors

Existing Mobile (I had one by I Love My Bear, ToysRus and temporarily untied the existing mobile characters so I just had the frame left)

Step 1:

Choose the shapes, characters or design you are going to use for your mobile. 

I decided to focus on black and white animals: Zebra, Panda, Cow and Penguin.

Step 2: 

Lightly draw your design on the foam and begin to cut.

Make 2 duplicate copies of each character as you will be sticking them back to back. 

For example, with the Zebra I used white for the main body cut this out and drew around this first piece to cut out the duplicate shape

Step 3:

Use the contrasting coloured foam to cut out the shapes which will add detail for your character. 

For example with the cow I used white foam for step 2 and used the black foam to make the cow's spots. 

You can be as free as you like but initially I lightly drew where I wanted the spots to be on the cow with a pencil as a guide. 

You can also use a bit of coloured foam to add even more detail but this will only really benefit us not the baby. I used pink for the cows nose...just because it looked pretty :)

Tip: use this time to cut out two of every shape you make so that both the original and the duplicate are the same. This saves time and looks better - I learnt the hard way...my zebra took twice as long to make than the other animals because I was faffing trying to make the duplicate match the original by free hand.

Step 4: 

Glue. Glue all your detail foam to the main body foam, then stick the 2 characters back to back leaving enough room at the top to pop the string in the gap between the 2 main body sheets and glue up later.

Step 5: 

Repeat steps 1-4 until you have 4 separate designs or characters ready.

Step 6:

Take some string and insert one end in the gap you've left at the top, between the 2 main sheets of foam and glue securely.

Tip: You could also add little shapes to the string. I decided on little hearts as the string looked bare.

Step 7:

Untie existing characters from your shop bought mobile and replace them with the ones you've just made. 

Keep hold of the characters you've untied as you'll be using them again in a month or so.

Tip: If you dont want to use your shop bought mobile, you could use 2 wire coat hangers, 2 wooden batons nailed together or an embroidery ring if you prefer.

Step 8:

Hang up over your babies crib or changing table for them to enjoy.

My little man hasn't graced us with his presence yet but I promise I'll report back to let you know if the  black and white objects soothe him as well as is reported. In the meantime, a bit of craft is always as welcome distraction from my ever-growing impatience for our baby's arrival.

Let me know if you the black & white thing has benefited your baby or if you have any more crafty ideas :)

Sources:

• http://www.childrensvision.com/development.htm
• http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/child-rearing-and-development/bright-starts-babys-development-through-interactive-5
• http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/senses/sensenewborn.html

Dealing With: Anaemia in Pregnancy

Again another serious sounding post but I just wanted to share my experience of having Anaemia during pregnancy as I know it can affect a lot of pregnant women unexpectedly or not.

It wasn't a surprise to me when the midwife told me I was severely Anaemic at the beginning of my pregnancy. 12 months earlier I had a lucky escape when I was admitted to hospital and given 4 blood transfusions. Anaemia tends to be asymptomatic usually characterised by feeling tired and faint. It had gotten to the point I was unable to walk 3 steps without almost blacking out, my heart pounding so loud in my ears I struggled to hear anything around me. Despite this I had managed to get it back under control with 3 iron replacement tablets a day (Ferrous Fumarate) which play havoc with your intestines but I never felt more alive.

Signs of being Anaemic:

• Breathlessness
• Heart Palpitations
• Tiredness
• Grey/Pale Skin and Eyes
• Cracked Tongue and Metallic Taste in Mouth

Many pregnant women don't know they're Anaemic as exhaustion and breathlessness are part and parcel of being an expecting mum. Anaemia is a condition which sees haemoglobin production at a low and without red blood cells oxygen is unable to be carried to your organs... and your baby. The baby will always take what he needs so it is more you that will suffer than your baby but at a time when he is building his own blood supply it is important to know your iron levels are at an optimum level to help him do this effectively. Your body makes more blood during pregnancy anyway so it is hard to feel any symptoms and if you've been anaemic before like me this makes you feel perfectly fine. The nurses look perplexed when I tell them I feel healthy when they can see from my blood results by rights I shouldn't.

Its very rare your baby should experience any complications especially when its managed but Severe Anaemia can increase the risk of:

• Low Birth weight
• Premature Labour
• Baby being born iron deficient
• Infection development during pregnancy.

I don't want to scare anyone because this is very rare. To put your mind at rest I am severely anaemic with a baby who's current weight is far from low, developed no infections and at 38 weeks pregnant I have not had a premature baby. As for him being born iron deficient, I wont know until he is born but this is very unlikely. Like I said, its the mum who will most likely feel poorly from Anaemia not the baby. The last thing you want is to experience Anaemia exhaustion along with pregnancy strain.

In most cases Anaemia is caused by Iron deficiency and will be treated by either Iron replacement tablets or an increase of red meat and iron rich food such as spinach in your diet. However, Other causes of Anaemia include:

• Vitamin B12 deficiency
• Folic Acid deficiency
• Sickle Cell Anaemia
• Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Its important to keep taking the pregnancy vitamins right until the end of pregnancy to combat any form of vitamin deficiency. They've never found a cause for my Anaemia but the pregnancy vitamins have definitely made a difference.

Also a change in diet to include iron rich foods or taking iron supplements will usually make a world of difference but if, like me, you find yourself having severe Anaemia you will more than likely be offered an Iron IVI drip as an outpatient. I had one last Tuesday and it only takes 15 minutes. I requested this as I was worried about needing a blood transfusion again due to blood loss after birth and having to stay in hospital longer than necessary  so you are within your rights to ask for this.

In extreme cases a blood transfusion as an inpatient will be required but again this will be unlikely - Anaemia is so common in pregnancy that its something that midwives will continually monitor with blood tests so it will be very unlikely get to this point.....I shouldn't say this but if you end up needing a blood transfusion you will feel incredible during the first bag of blood because you will have felt so poorly. I have never ever felt better and more alive than when I was having that first transfusion and the effects last....so it isn't all doom and gloom. 

The main point of all this is Anaemia is never a barrel of laughs, especially during pregnancy when you want to be feeling your best but there are a lot of treatment options out there so its not the end of the world. Eating more meat and veg and sticking to your bi-weekly blood tests will make it bare-able. I promise :)

sources:

• http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/Anaemia-In-Pregnancy.htm
• http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a3073/anaemia-iron-deficiency
• http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/anaemiapregnancy.htm

I'm Loving: The Belly Book Pregnancy Journal

I can't tell you how much I LOVE this pregnancy journal. When I found out I was pregnant, I had this sudden and inexplicable desire to document EVERYTHING. I hadn't kept a diary since I was 12 and even then I didn't seem to have the time or inclination to write decent, regular entries (what with all my energy spent learning the moves to the Macarena, bleaching my hair with lemon juice and avoiding putting my hand up in class). What made me think I could find the time in my adult life to write one?

I spent ages trawling through Amazon reviews and staring up at the shelves in Waterstones. Every journal seemed to be a bit soppy and sentimental (in a bad way). I was beginning to think a pad of lined paper was the only way forward when I came across the Belly Book (The Belly Book: A Nine-Month Journal For You and Your Growing Belly by Amy Krouse Rosenthal). It completely stood out from the rest. Its written in a witty way, styled in a unique way with belly shaped pages and allows you to write as little and as such as you want. The ring bound pages allow you to rip pages out if you didn't manage to keep up with weekly entries if you really want to...but I found I got quickly addicted to it, so no page has been left unfilled.

Each week there's a space to fill in with an entry of the weekly goings on and a little place to put pictures of your growing belly. Every trimester there is space to write about antenatal appointments, scans, and to reflect on the months gone by. Its far from repetitive and monotonous with little polls every now and then such as what emotions you are experiencing that week and sections where you can jot down snap shots of that moment in society such as which book you are reading and which headlines are hitting the news.

This book carries on right until the baby is born and has subsequent books such as 'The Birthday Book' to allow proud Mummy's to continue to document their childs life right up to their 18th Birthday. I will be buying that book and will absolutely be buying this book again if I have more kids. I know as a grown man the last thing my little boy will want to do is read about the 9 months up to and including his birth but who cares, this is for Mummy :)

PS Pregnant friends, yes you will be receiving this as a gift from me.....and you will love it too!

Try it yourself:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Belly-Book-Nine-month-Journal/dp/0307336182/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360547161&sr=8-1

Dealing With: Underactive Thyroid in Pregnancy

I have lived with an Under-active Thyroid since I was diagnosed when I was 12 years old so am very used to the symptoms and the medication but having an Under-active Thyroid whilst pregnant is a concern - especially when a little growing person relies on you. OK, I know this is all a bit serious sounding but if you have it, it is a big part of your pregnancy experience so I wanted to say something about it. I fell pregnant no problem but it is worth mentioning that the condition can cause problems when trying to conceive as it can prevent ovulation.  
It is also worth mentioning the horror stories if you Google - I tried to ignore them but as a first time mum this is difficult. The truth is, yes having a Thyroid issue can cause miscarriages and yes it can cause birth defects but my consultant assures me this is rare especially when it is effectively managed throughout pregnancy.
Many people either don't know they have a Thyroid issue and others like my Sister develop it due to pregnancy. Hormonal and life events can trigger the condition, so if you have never been checked for it ask your midwife to test you with a blood test.

The British Thyroid Association recommends that medication of Thyroxine should be increased by 25/50mcg a day whilst pregnant. This is something I have only recently discovered as my hospital felt the need to substitute the specialist consultant with nurses (who I'm sure are brilliant but both myself and the consultant are disappointed this information failed to reach me.) Needless to say I will definitely be increasing my dosage in my next pregnancy. During the early part of pregnancy the baby entirely depends on you for the Thyroid hormone so if you are lacking you will both notice it.

The common symptoms of an Under-active Thyroid are:
Rapid Weight Gain
Depression
Feeling Cold
Brittle Hair and Nails
Muscle aches and Cramping
Exhaustion

Some of the symptoms are similar to the experiences of pregnancy (rapid weight gain?? lol) and I honestly cant say if the exhaustion I felt was due to the standard pregnancy strain pretty much everyone feels or because of my Thyroid issue. As for depression, my Baby Daddy has admitted I was an absolutely hormonal nightmare in the first trimester and recently I've had a couple of 'moments' but who knows if this is due to my Thyroid function (or lack of) or just pre baby blues.
One thing I have enjoyed though is having strong long shiny hair and nails without the continual need of hair masks and manicures and I actually feel warm most of the time rather than wanting to wear triple layers in autumn. I'm sure this is down to the fact that my medication has been managed continuously throughout. The biweekly blood tests do drive me mad but they are totally worth it - I'm sure my baby thinks so too :)

sources:

• http://www.british-thyroid-association.org/info-for-patients/Pregnancy/index.htm 
• http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Thyroid-under-active/Pages/Symptoms.aspx
• http://www.webmd.boots.com/pregnancy/underactive-thyroid-pregnancy-and-an-underactive-thyroid-gland

Not Long Now!

I'm 38 weeks pregnant today! Finally! This whole pregnancy has been a stressful surreal and at times downright scary experience yet hugely exciting and a massive learning curve.
No one tells you about the delights of leaky boobs, lack of spacial awareness, the huge fascination you will cause to people with wandering hands and no concept of personal space. Not to mention the hourly toilet trips, the sudden hatred of all greasy food and the sudden need to throw up at the most inconvenient times...(sorry fellow bus stop slaves, colleagues in the meeting room and random cinema goers).
I can just about deal with all of that but to then become a doctors dream and endure the entire 9 months being prodded and poked and even pitied at times has been a tad irritating. I cant be the only preggo in the world to have an Under-active Thyroid, Anaemia and Gestational Diabetes in the world, but the sheer volume of my medical notes cause visible excitement in the consultants worn eyes, so who am I to deprive him? Always happy to please!
Despite all of this, I have also on occasion loved being pregnant. Checking my Baby's progress every week on Babycentres app and watching the amazing video updates by http://www.pregnancychat.com/‬  have been a weekly highlight.Watching my (apparently) comedy sized big boobs look more and more in proportion to my body thanks to my growing belly has been an unexpected pleasure. And most of all (once I'd gotten the 'Alien' image out of my mind) feeling my baby swim, squirm and slam dunk inside me has been truly amazing.
From week 24, I have been told on more than one occasion to expect my little man early for various reasons and he's even teased me quite a few times recently with strong regular contractions and every sign of labour Google can provide but then shy'd away last minute.

My to do list was completed yonks ago. The hospital bags are sat by the door gathering dust. I have spent a small fortune reassuring everyone by text that I haven't had the baby and forgotten to tell them and every twinge/ache/stabbing pain I get sends my Baby's Dad into high alert, full action mode.
Come on Baby.We want to meet you! x