The 12 Week Scan

 Our 12 Week Scan – A Milestone Full of Emotion

Twelve weeks rolled around faster than I ever expected. Between planning a wedding abroad, making multiple trips to TDR Bridal in Halesowen for dress fittings (sorry again to my brilliant seamstress — those perfectly timed alterations didn’t quite anticipate a growing bump!), and ensuring we had all the necessary legal documents sorted, time really did fly.

In fact, it flew so fast that I didn’t even realise how far along I was. I walked into our scan on the 19th May 20205 expecting to be 11 weeks pregnant — but to my surprise, the sonographer let us know I was already 12 weeks. Baby had been busy growing away in there, and they even brought our due date forward from the 8th December 2025 to the 29th November 2025. A whole nine days earlier! That small change somehow made it all feel even more real.

We arrived at Evesham Community Hospital, and Graham met me in the car park. Hand in hand, we walked in together. I thought I felt calm. I told myself I felt calm. And I really believed it — until we sat down in the waiting room.

Even as I lay back and Baby Carter flickered onto the screen, I told myself I was chill. But the truth is, these scans will never just be scans for me. They will always come wrapped in layers of fear, anticipation, and hope. I envy people who can walk into a scan room and see it simply as a glimpse into their growing baby — without the weight of past grief lingering in the background.

As our little one appeared on the screen, I immediately noticed how much he’d grown since our 8-week scan (I say hebecause I have the strongest feeling we’re having a boy!). He was wiggling around, completely oblivious to the big moment unfolding for us.

The sonographer started with all the usual checks and measurements, and while everything looked okay, the dread crept in as she moved up to the baby’s head. That’s when the nerves truly kicked in. I remember saying aloud, “This is the part I was worried about,” and Graham instinctively squeezed my hand tighter.

Even though he isn’t Louis’s dad, Graham was there with me through everything in 2020. He was my friend through the darkest days, and he gets it. He understands why these moments come with so much weight. As I lay there, I felt a single tear slide down my cheek. Silent, but full of emotion.

Then came the words I didn’t realise I’d been holding my breath for: “The nuchal translucency measurement is 1.7mm — completely normal.” I’d been watching, trying to read the screen, trying to interpret what I saw — but I’m no expert. Hearing those words out loud was like music. I was over the moon. So was Graham. He cried with me. After that, I could barely speak without dissolving into a blubbering mess — happy tears, but relentless all the same.

The sonographers knew my story with Louis and his Nuchal Translucancy, they were visibly moved. They reassured me that, from everything they could see, Baby Carter was growing exactly as they should be. Those words brought the kind of relief that can only be understood by someone who has known the opposite.

We left, still hand in hand, clutching our 12-week scan photos like the most precious treasure. To celebrate, we popped into town for some lunch — just the two of us, and our tiny, wriggling miracle.

This was our final scan before we were due to fly out to Santorini for a week, where we’d be getting married on Tuesday 27th May 2025. The next three weeks became our wedding bubble — and armed with the incredible news that our baby was healthy, we made the decision to share their impending arrival with our loved ones at the wedding. Which is exactly what we did.

You can read all about our wedding here — it was truly the most beautiful day.

Following the wedding, we flew back to London on the 30th May where we spent one last night soaking it all in before jetting straight off to San Francisco the very next day to begin our absolutely fabulous honeymoon. More on that very soon…

12 Weeks Pregnant - High NT Measurement

 
Normally when you reach 12 weeks pregnant it brings a sense of relief, the miscarriage rate drops significantly and you will probably be thinking about how you announce you’re good news to friends and family.

I had made it to 12 weeks pregnant but my worries about miscarriage were as strong as they had been since that pregnancy test turned positive. We weren’t thinking that we could announce our news anytime soon, and we didn’t really know how this pregnancy was going to play out.

We didn’t even know if there would be a baby at the end of it.

Along with my anxiety about miscarriage, I was trying to be hopeful and excited. This baby is wanted, so wanted. 

We had the second Fetal Medicine Appointment on the Monday, which of course offered a huge relief. It cemented that I needed to continue being positive, because the NT fluid was now normal and we were now waiting the results of our Harmony Test (which should arrive in week 14).

The tiredness seems to have returned this week with a vengeance, I have been falling asleep on the sofa under a blanket (something I never do) and haven’t been able to make it to the end of the movie Luke and I were watching. Much to his annoyance. 

This week Leo brought a sickness bug home from school which he very kindly shared with me. I was sat at work on the Wednesday (Leo had been sick in the morning before school and was with my mum), and suddenly I felt nauseous. I thought it was in my head and carried on.... When I finished at 2pm I thought I was feeling ok. 

I went to get Leo and within 20 minutes of getting to my parents, I was there with my head down the toilet. Brilliant. I thought maybe that would be it, but I couldn’t keep anything down. 

I had been texting back and forward with Nicky (the lady who did my 10 week dating scan) and she was thrilled to hear our news. She asked if I had been given an official due date (which I thought was the date I was provided with last time), and told me that she would try and get me back in to get the official due date in my notes.

The next day Nicky text me and said that she had a spare appointment on Thursday 30th January. As it happened both Leo and I were off work and school due to the fact we had been poorly the day before (Leo was lots better now but couldn’t go back to school until the Friday). So it meant that Leo could come with me and Granny to finally see his little brother or sister on the screen.

The amazing thing was, Nicky was my midwife throughout my pregnancy with Leo, so it was a really lovely moment. Leo sat on a chair next to Granny while I lay on the bed, the gel was applied and the Doppler positioned, and boom... there was baby wiggling around and so much clearer than the images we saw at the fetal medicine unit. 

I wanted to turn to see Leo’s face but couldn’t contort my body while being scanned. Nicky said straight away that baby was looking good and although she wasn’t going to re-measure the fluid, she could see that it was within normal range.

Nicky measured the baby and at 12+4 was measuring 61.7mm - all of these scans have highlighted just how quickly a baby grows and develops. 

Leo was amazed and found the whole experience brilliant, I was so happy that he had got to come along, and as always he was so well behaved. He just looked and listened. 

My due date was adjusted to August 9th 2020, a day out from where I had been placed at my 10 week ultrasound. 

When the scan concluded Nicky gave me 2 new scans, 2 beautifully clear shots of our little nugget. You could see a real difference between these images and the ones from 10 weeks. The babies head was smaller and the body had got longer, and the fluid was now gone. 

Absolutely incredible.

I sat up on the bed and we started talking. Nicky told me that everything looks perfect right now and that I need to try and relax and enjoy my pregnancy now. All of these scans has really built an anxiety up for me and before each and every scan I worry that there won’t be a heartbeat anymore. 

Each and every time though, our baby has a beautifully strong heartbeat and is continuing to grow as expected. I think with the miscarriage and then the threat of a high NT, of course there is going to be anxiety at play. 

I am one of the lucky ones though, if I had my fist scan at 12 weeks, I would never have known that there was a high fluid reading at 10 weeks. Nicky said the same, but we acted on the information that was available and I will always be thankful to Nicky for everything she did.

You can see here the difference between the 10 week scan and the 12 week scan, and you cannot help but notice the pocket of fluid on the babies neck in the top image. At this last scan Nicky said that it was the first thing that she noticed, where as I was just worrying about whether there would be a heartbeat. I guess as Nicky said, we were both looking for very different things.

I am just so glad that everything is looking much more positive now.

Nicky said that she was really impressed with how I took the news about the Nuchal measurement, which actually really threw me. I didn’t start flapping, I don’t know if that’s because I didn’t fully understand the gravity of what I was being told at the time, or if it was because I like to arm myself with facts. I remember being the same in July when I was told that I had a missed miscarriage. Again I kept it together through the appointment, and later when I was away from everyone I let my feelings out.

Nicky threw her arms around me and asked me to let her know when I got my Harmony results back. It was really lovely as she is such a genuine person and I could tell she really cared. 

I found this scan appointment the most re-assuring of them all. Hearing Nicky tell me everything was fine carried so much more weight than it coming from anyone else. 

I had been worried that the other consultant may have missed the fluid and Nicky would find it again. Thankfully though everything was fine, everything was normal, everything was as it should be.

We are almost at the end of the first trimester now, and what a rollercoaster it has been. I’m hoping that the rest of my pregnancy will be simple and straightforward. The one positive thing about all of this is, I have seen our little Nugget grow from a mere little blob on the screen to a proper teeny tiny little baby.

I am 12 weeks pregnant and already had 5 scans so far...

I’m going into the second trimester back in midwife led care, I’m no longer high risk and the chances of a baby at the end of all this are looking sunnier and sunnier.

Now all we need are our Harmony (NIPT) test results back, and we will be well on our way. 

11 Weeks Pregnant - High NT (Nuchal Translucency)

I have hit week 11 of pregnancy and with each passing day I feel like I am in uncharted territory. You would be forgiven for thinking that this was my first baby, not my second. 

Leo was such a straight forward textbook pregnancy, after his scan at 9 weeks I knew that at the end of the pregnancy I would have a baby in my arms. This time despite having 2 scans already in a mere 11 weeks of pregnancy, there is more doubt than ever that I will ever hold my baby in my arms than ever before.

In some respects I do feel pregnant now, I’m waking up anything between 2-5 times a night for a wee. I don’t remember that starting this early!? It’s a real thing though, and my boobs are really sore and veiny. 

That aside though, if it wasn’t for the high NT... this really would be another dream pregnancy. 

Since my scan on Thursday I have been a crazed pregnant Google lady. I have been re-searching high NT (Nuchal Translucency) testing and results, I have been finding some incredibly amazing, heart warming positive stories that have given me hope in the darkest of days, and I have read some equally heart-breaking accounts of what high NT actually means.

My CVS (Chorionic Villus Sampling) is happening tomorrow at 4pm. They will be inserting a needle  into my abdomen and removing a sample of cells from the placenta. They will then work up my baby and his or her chromosomes. Within 3 working days I should have my first set of results back that will tell me whether or not our little Nugget has one of the 3 Trisomies.

- Edwards Syndrome

- Down Syndrome

- Patel Syndrome

It's ironic really that I spent the first 10 weeks over thinking another missed miscarriage that I took my babies over all health for granted. I agreed to the Nuchal Translucency test at my booking in appointment without giving it a second thought. I saw a heartbeat on the screen and a active real looking baby dancing around and just expected to hear that everything was OK, that everything was as it should be.

In my 3rd pregnancy I am learning yet another valuable lesson. 

I wonder if there was something I could have done differently, is the high NT because I had flu and took a few Paracetamol? Could I really be having a poorly baby at the age of 30? 

In my research over the past few days I have been given a glint of hope, my first findings were that the NT scan should actually take place between 11 - 13 weeks and when the baby measures a minimum of 45mm (1.8 inches). At the time of our last scan I was 10 weeks + 5 days, and the baby measured 39mm. 

Another theory for a raised NT is the way the baby is or has been laying within the sac, if the baby is too flat then sometimes the fluid can pool there with nowhere else to go... It may be wishful thinking but I am intrigued to see what the Nuchal Fold measurement is tomorrow at the scan where I will be 11 weeks + 3 days.

I have made the decision to stay positive, I am going to get answers and request only facts. Speculation will not serve me well so I have prepared a list of questions. I feel that I have addressed everything that has gone through my mind over the last few days. 

I know that ultimately it is a waiting game, and that the real answers will come in the form of cold hard facts from the results of the CVS.

At 11 weeks I should be feeling excited at making the announcement of our baby to our friends and family, but right now it feels like a big secret. Right now I am trying to work out and fathom the fate for my unborn child, and I have a feeling that this will be something I fight for my entire pregnancy.

Tomorrow I will push for a new NT measurement, I will ask all the questions about how the overall structure of our baby is looking, are there any other markers/anomalies that jump out at them?

Can they see any issues with the heart at this stage? 

Is the heartbeat strong and normal?

My actual list of questions is rather long and I feel that they may wonder what force that have allowed into their office. 

Of course I am hoping for a happy ending, I am hoping that I am one of the lucky ones who's baby had an un-explainable high NT that was born fit and healthy. 

Right now I don't have the answers, I don't know what the future holds. I don't know if it means getting our baby at the end of it. 

I am setting mini milestones to get through this pregnancy. The first mile stone is tomorrow, the CVS. If baby is still fighting and the heartbeat beating away, the next milestone will be the 12 week scan (which we don't currently have a date for). After this I expect that I will be booking an additional private scan so that Leo can see his baby brother or sister on the screen, I want to do this sooner rather than later just in case.

After this I have been told that we will most likely have a heart anomaly scan at 16 weeks so that they can see the heart in more detail and see if that is the reason for the raised NT. 

My biggest milestone in this set of milestones will be the 20 week scan. If we can get through the CVS, if we can keep Nugget's heart beating away, and we smash all of our upcoming scans... the 20 week may just finally offer some hope and relief. 

Right now based on our NT of 4.7mm we have a 50% chance of a healthy baby at the end of all this. 

50%

This could increase or decrease based on what they find tomorrow. .

Last night I found Nugget’s heartbeat at home with a Doppler at 11+2. Right down low behind my pubic bone. It’s crazy how low they are right now, and even crazier that I found the magical beat beat beat of their heart.

I know it was definitely Nugget because last week I found my own (Insert Laughing here), Luke thought it was hilarious, but there was no mistaking this!

Where there is life, there is hope.

10 Weeks Pregnant

It's been 2 weeks since my private scan, and the last week has gone really slowly as I have been waiting for my dating scan with the NHS. This isn't the 12 week scan, but a scan to see how far along I am due to my cycles being irregular. 

Everything has been going perfectly, I was happy knowing that at 8 weeks there was a strong heartbeat, and this did help settle my mind.

I have felt less tired in recent weeks and I have put that down to the placenta starting to take over for the baby's nutrients. I am back to later nights at 10 weeks pregnant, Luke and I have been working our way through the Alien movies each evening once Leo has gone to bed.

One thing that has become very obvious is that I am not a fan of the first trimester. It's so hard being pregnant and not knowing if things are progressing as they should. You can't feel your baby move and you literally have to have blind faith that everything is going to be ok.

I think this is even more true when you don't have full blown pregnancy symptoms, for me all I have really had is tiredness and sore boobs. I have developed a few food aversions again, Halloumi is off the menu for starter, I don't know what is about this cheese when I am pregnant but I hate it.

The other night I cooked up a beautiful big steak to have in a salad, but when it came to eat the steak it just didn't taste right. The dog thought he had died and gone to heaven when the opportunity to demolish the steak came about, I stuck with my feta and salad!

The NHS Dating Scan

Today, the 16th January 2020 my NHS dating scan finally came around. I didn't really have any feelings about this scan, I was eager to see that the baby's heart was still nice and strong, but I had just somehow decided that everything was going to be ok.

Luke and I arrived at the hospital, the same hospital that I was scanned at back in July when I was referred for my viability scan due to no heartbeat being detected. I was pleased to see that Nicky, the midwife who had seen me through my pregnancy with Leo, and also the one who conducted the scan back in July was still at the helm and doing the scan for us today.

It was in a different room to last time, a room that I felt was a safe space un-tainted by the past. Nicky welcomed us in and advised us that there was a student with us today, which of course was fine with myself and Luke. I lay down on the bed, Luke sat in the chair.

The gel was placed upon my belly and very quickly our baby appeared on the screen. I could already tell that baby had done a considerable amount of growing in those 2 weeks. At the 8 week scan Nugget was 17.8mm from crown to rump, and now at 10+5 Nugget was already 39mm!

I felt instantly relaxed as soon as I saw our little baby waving around on the screen, there was constant movement and the heart was beating just as it should. Nicky then said 'I do need to make you aware that there is more fluid than we would like behind the babies neck'.

This is usually highlighted around 12 weeks when they carry out the Nuchal Translucency (NT) check, this is the fluid that collects under the skin behind the babies neck. I recalled my midwife Louise talking about this check at 12 weeks, I remember saying that I wanted it.

Not for one second did I think it would be a cause for concern.

I didn't realise the severity of what she was saying right away, I just lay there in shock staring at our baby on the screen. Nicky explained that fluid behind the babies neck was a normal part of development for babies in the womb, but if the baby has more fluid than usual.... It could be an indication of a possible health problem.

Straight away my happy safe little bubble burst.

Nicky took some more measurements and confirmed that our little Nugget had 4.7mm of fluid and then talked us through the possible scenarios that could be linked to an increased NT.

- Trisomy 21 otherwise known as Down Syndrome - It's caused by an extra chromosome in your cells and occurs by chance at the time of conception.

-Trisomy 18 - Edwards Syndrome - I had never heard of this one but as soon as I took to Google I hoped to God that this wasn't the case. Edwards Syndrome is a rare but serious genetic condition that causes a wide range of medical problems.

-Trisomy 13 - Patau Syndrome - Patau syndrome is a syndrome caused by a chromosomal abnormality, in which some or all of the cells of the body contain extra genetic material from chromosome 13. The extra genetic material disrupts normal development, causing multiple and complex organ defects.

- Genetic Syndromes

-Heart Abnormalities

- Increased risk of miscarriage

Nicky said that although it could be something, it may very well be nothing. Nicky talked us through the next steps and advised that following the scan today I would now be receiving consultant lead care for the rest of my pregnancy.

It was too early for the screening blood test to take place, and we discussed Chronic Villus Sampling (CVS), this is a diagnostic test that they can carry out between 11 and 14 weeks of pregnancy. It's an invasive test that I never thought that I would have to consider. It's where a needle is passed into your lower abdomen and into the placenta where cells are harvested and tested to look for the above chromosome abnormalities.

I looked at Luke for reassurance on what to do, the CVS had a 1-2% risk of miscarriage, we discussed what to do. We decided that we should be fully prepared and know what was happening, and the sooner the better.

In the seriousness of the scan I completely forgot to ask to purchase some scan photos. I had started walking down the corridor by the time I realised the error of my ways. I rushed back to the room like a mad woman, and Nicky had already closed the screen. She told me that she would post the images to me free of charge.

I returned to work and as I had already told the lady I work with about the pregnancy, she was of course excited to hear how I had gotten on. I explained that there was good news and some not so good news and went into the whole sorry tale.

Of course I didn't manage to stay composed and the tears did fall.

In all of the worry about the worst case scenario I had completely neglected to mention that the baby's due date was my birthday!

Our little nugget is due on the 8th August 2020! Exactly 31 years since I was born.

I am determined to remain positive, I will see this through and hope that Nugget is developing as he should be.

While I was back at work, Nikki text me and said that she had printed the scan photos off already and if I wanted to pop back that afternoon I could. When I did pop back she was in the middle of someone else's ultrasound but popped out to personally hand me the scan photos. She asked me to keep her updated and told me that she was crossing her fingers for me.

Nicky made today bearable, she equipped me with everything I needed to know (and writing it down here has really helped).

The NHS have been wonderful today, from Nicky and the referral that she has made for me to Worcester calling me up by 2:30pm (I expect this is where I will be seeing the consultant for the rest of my pregnancy) and by 4pm I had Birmingham's Fetal Medicine Department on the phone arranging an appointment for the CVS for Tuesday 21st January at 4pm!

The service today has been incredible, it may not have been the news I was hoping for, but I feel like we are in good hands.

Life After Miscarriage

This post was supposed to be one of excitement, it was one that I couldn’t wait to write, to share with you all.

One that I had dreamed of for many years, the dream of announcing my second pregnancy. A sibling for Leo, a much wanted second baby.

Over the years though, it just hadn’t happened and I could accept that. I knew... or I thought that if I ever did conceive again... that would be the hard part and 9 months later I would welcome our baby into the world. 

Today though, instead of sharing happy news with my little corner of the web, I am announcing the loss of my pregnancy, the loss of our second child.

Our much wanted second child, Leo’s longed for sibling.

Today I am announcing our miscarriage.

Over the past few months I have been writing secret posts, posts that when I read back scream of the excitement and love that I shared in being pregnant and adding a new member to our family.

They make for hard reading now, that smile on my face, the love that already coursed through my veins. 

After the worst happened (I’ll be sharing the whole story), I decided I wasn’t going to post my pregnancy posts, but then I thought ‘woah now that’s just wrong!’, this pregnancy did happen. 

When I look back at those very first posts, the big smile on my face, the look on Luke’s face when he realised we were pregnant again, it has a bittersweet feeling. I was so obliviously happy, so excited for this next chapter of our lives, and I didn’t think for one second that our pregnancy would result in a missed miscarriage. 

This baby was a part of me for all the time that he or she was tucked away in my tummy, and this little baby that was destined not to be is still a part of us today. 

It is a fact that 1 in 4 pregnancies result in a miscarriage, and now I am part of a club that I never wanted to join. A club that I naively thought I never would join, because miscarriages happen to ‘other’ people, they don’t happen to me. 

Boy was I wrong. 

1 in 4 pregnancies result in miscarriage.

I am 1 in 4.

This baby is a part of our story, even if that story does not have a happy ending. 

With that in mind, I’m still going to share my little story with you. The story with a less than happy ending, but a story that happened to me nonetheless. 

A story that happens to 1 in 4 people who get a positive pregnancy test. 

A story that people don’t like to talk about, but a story that needs telling even if people try to shine away from it.

If it can happen to me, it can happen to you.

It’s a story that I go over and over in my mind on a daily basis, one that I can’t escape from, it just keeps on replaying in my mind. 

I was told ‘at this stage it was just a bunch of cells’. 

No. No. No. 

It took us 3 years from the removal of my implant to conceive, 3 fucking years. 3 years of dreaming of a baby, a sibling, 3 years of Leo asking to be a BIG BROTHER, and my body failed us. 

A bunch of cells? No way.

 As soon as that test threw us a little pink line, those little cells meant we were going to be parents again. They meant that Leo was going to welcome his very first baby brother or sister. 

Our baby was never ever ‘just a bunch of cells’. Our futures changed as soon as that pregnancy test presented that second line. 

They changed again the moment we were told ‘I’m sorry but there is no heartbeat’.

A whole lifetime taken away before it even started. A baby we would never know. A piece of the jigsaw that would never fit.

No one wants to talk about miscarriage. 

No one wants to talk about loss, a baby that might have been. 

No one wants to remember a baby that ‘never was’.

I could show you what happened through the pictures I took, I could show you the pregnancy sac, the clots, I could show you, tell you, everything. 

But I won't (howver if you are facing a miscarriage and want to know what to expect, please message me. I'm happy to talk, and know what you are going through, drop me a message!).

I am going to share our story anyway, I am going to smile through the tears and remember how happy we were in those first few weeks knowing that we had a little baby growing away inside. 

I am always going to remember.

Luke will always remember.

Leo will always remember.

Little baby Rose, 30th June 2019 - 20:34.

No life should fit in one little shoe box, no life should be contained within four little walls. 

When a baby is lost in the womb, there is very little to cling to, very little to hold. 

This little box is all we have. 

First Trimester - 7 Weeks Pregnancy Update

At 7 Weeks The Baby is the Size of a Blueberry!

How do I feel?

This week started off with toned down symptoms, as I have said in previous weeks my pregnancy symptoms seem to come and go, away and change. 

I'm currently 7 weeks + 4 days pregnant and today my boobs are SORE! I’ve just had to come upstairs and take my bra off as the underwire was driving me to distraction. They still feel tender now even though they are free within my shirt.

I’m taking this as a positive sign, and I have to admit that I do love to feel the symptoms of pregnancy (especially with all of the drama that this early pregnancy has been subject to). 

I was thinking over the last few days though about how this compares to my pregnancy with Leo. The first massive difference is that it was November when I found out we were going to have Leo, it was colder and the nights were darker much earlier, I don’t think this helped the pregnancy fatigue I felt and it was so easy to go and get into bed.

This time though it’s July, it stays lighter much longer and I resent going and getting into bed while it’s still light (I tried last night but Leo wouldn’t allow it!), so my conclusion is that winter and pregnancy fatigue were both at play, and maybe I don’t feel as tired because it’s summertime?

It’s just a thought!

I feel more bloated this week, and I feel like it’s showing, especially in comparison to my physique before we went on holiday. I’ve finally cleared my eating habits back up and baby seems to be on board.

For the past 2 days I’ve made myself poached eggs on rye with smashed avocado, a great go to pregnancy breakfast full of everything baby needs (eggs are an all round good food!), so that is going to be something I strive to continue from here on out. 

I want to make sure I’m getting a lot more fruit and vegetables into my diet (just like before I was pregnant and baby took a dislike to them! Got to love those food inversions!).

It’s only a few days until I go to Worcester Royal Hospital for my viability scan now. I hate the word viability. At this point I’m feeling really positive and I’m looking forward to getting to Thursday and hopefully seeing Pop with his or her beating heartbeat! 

I’ve been looking at different gender theories this month, the Ramzi theory and the nub theory. 

The Ramzi Theory

The Ramzi theory works on the basis of where the placenta is, they say that if the placenta is on the left (it’s a mirror image on an ultrasound so this actually means it’s on the right) - that it means you are likely to have a boy. 

If the placenta is on the left (again it’s a mirror image on an ultrasound so this actually means it’s on the right) that this means you are likely to have a baby girl. 

I’m the scan we had last week at 6 weeks + 6 days, the placenta looked to be on the left (actually meaning right), I’ll have to confirm the actual placement at my next scan!

The nub theory is something I’ll cover after my 12 week scan!

I didn’t come across any of these theories in my first pregnancy and it’s quite fun to guess at what gender I think we may be having. Still... in 9 weeks we could potentially find out! 

In other news.... Did you know that a ovulation test can actually be positive if you are pregnant!? I had no idea! Someone happened to mention it to me... So of course I tried it out and it has indeed gone positive! 

Fatigue

During the day I’m absolutely fine, it’s the evening that fatigue descends and I just want to flop about like a potato. 

Still when I got home from work on Monday I mowed the lawn, tidied the house top to bottom and then flipped out like a potato! 

I did want to start my exercise routine again this week (now my eating is back under control), but last night Leo’s tutor cane round for an hour, and now we seem to be in the middle of a heat wave, I may be crazy but I’m not stupid! So it can wait until the heat relents somewhat. 

Here’s a little overview of 7 weeks pregnant..

Sleep seems to be coming more easily again this week (Unlike the pregnancy insomnia of week 6!), my eating has been better over the last few days and I am really hoping that this is going to help Pop with some of that early development that he or she is going through! 

Symptoms:

Achey boobs, fatigue, baby brain is in full swing, veiny boobs for days (and they have now grown by an inch! 34inches to 35inches!)

Bump:

No bump to report yet, just that of the food baby I have been lovingly crafting!

Exercise:

I know excuses don;t get results, but there is no exercising in this 33 Degree heat!

First Trimester - 6 Weeks Pregnancy Update

At 6 weeks baby is the size of a Chocolate Chip

This week has been so long, I have been waiting for my NHS scan to roll around after all of the worry caused by the early scan. I remember the first trimester feeling long with Leo, but it in no way compares to just how long this pregnancy has felt so far.

I always thought finding out early was a real blessing, but as it turns out finding out so early is probably the reason I put myself through a private early scan in the first place.

Finding out early has meant I have put myself through in-necessary worry and panic when I should have been trusting my body to do the right thing. After all, there were no complications with Leo, not one. He was a textbook pregnancy and I have to believe that this is the case again.

When I look back at this pregnancy (hopefully in 9 months time while cradling my little bundle), I hope that I realise that I spent so much time worrying for no reason. The one good thing about finding out early and my dates not being exact, is that I have seen Pop develop completely. I have seen Pop as just a gestational sac, I have seen Pop with a tiny fetal pole, and next week I will hopefully see the heartbeat. 

I still have my private scan coming up on August 1st. I pushed it back as I wanted the all clear from the NHS and my midwife first (for some reason I have no trust in Peek-a-Baby... I cannot imagine why!), so that means Leo will get to see his little brother or sister for the first time.

I am hoping that we will walk away with all of the scan images that were captured, it would make a nice little addition to Pop's memory box. 

Then of course we will have the 12 week scan (Towards the end of August, after I turn the big 30!)

How am I feeling? 

My symptoms are coming and going, I thought I was imagining it but one day my boobs are really sore and the next they feel more normal again. 

I’m assured that this is perfectly normal, but it’s a massive contrast to how I was with Leo. With my first pregnancy it felt like I could have slept for 100 years and still been tired when I woke up! 

I genuinely think that if I hadn’t had a positive pregnancy test (or 50....) I wouldn’t for a second think I was pregnant. Yes I have symptoms but they aren’t the kind that would make me suddenly think ‘ahhh I might be pregnant!’.

When the end of the day rolls around I am ready to close my eyes for a well deserved sleep, but this week I have been struggling to drift off (ironic much!) and I have woken multiple times in the night too. Rumour has it that along with pregnancy fatigue there is this marvellous wonder called pregnancy insomnia! 

And yes it is very much real!

I’ve spent the evening yearning for my bed, only to get there and not sleep. There was one night this week that I felt like I didn’t actually go to sleep, but I must have had a little shut eye.

Food wise I feel like I may be coming out of the other side, I’ve been eating a very rubbish diet of late but I am hoping to turn this around sooner rather than later.

Dating Scan

I had my NHS Dating Scan on Thursday, it looks as if I am due in March as opposed to my first thought of February (which means Leo’s t-shirt was wrong).

I saw a fetal pole (as you will know if you have read the post all about how this scan went), but due to the fact we didn’t observe the heartbeat I need to go back on Thursday (I should be 7+6 then) and it will most likely result in an internal scan.

They say that this early on internals are the best way to get the detail you need, but as I said at the start of this post, if I hadn’t found out so early on, I do think that a lot of this panic and worry could have been avoided.

We just have to hope now that little Pop has a heartbeat to be seen next week, I’m really optimistic but I just want to know once and for all now.

Announcing My Pregnancy at Work

Yup! As the headline states... I announced my pregnancy to my boss this week. Completely unintentionally and in typical Laura style, very irrationally and you could even go as far as saying hysterical! Yup crazy hormonal pregnant lady... coming right at you!

It was all a bit spur of the moment, one minute I am lay on the scanning table at the hospital. The next I am being told I need an emergency viability scan, within the next moment I am dialing my boss... And then the words leave my mouth faster than I can spit them out.

I was pondering the thought of how I was going to tell people, so maybe ripping the bandaid off was the best thing to do, little to no thought went into it, but at least it's out in the open now. I can fill everyone else in once I get the all clear (hopefully on Thursday!).

Here’s a little overview of 6 weeks pregnant..

It's been a battle of love and hate with sleep this week, some nights it comes easy, and others this pregnancy insomnia likes to keep me awake over analysing every twinge and keep sleep at a distance. 

Symptoms:

Achey boobs, fatigue, ill peeing multiple times, baby brain is in full swing (I think this is just who I am these days!) My boobs have gone really veiny now!

Bump:

No bump to report yet, just that of the food baby I have been lovingly crafting!

Exercise:

Exercise is something that I am building up to, It has been a few weeks now (who am I kidding? It's easily a month!), but I do want to build it back up and get a routine back in place.