So today I am 23 weeks pregnant with Matilda Bump and there is no hiding the fact that I am pregnant anymore. Bump is beautiful and big and baby is a little body popping wriggler. I love being pregnant!

What I do not love is that I am still getting over my Twixtmas illness and David is about to go away for a whole week. We are going to miss him so much. I have my parents and sister coming to stay but it will not be the same. We will miss Dada!

I am very spotty at the moment and seem to tire easily though I think this is because I am still not 100% well rather than because of the pregnancy.

I am not looking forward to my week without David but I know that the day he comes home we will have made it to 24 weeks and viability. That will help me to get through.

Since my last Bump Watch post we have had a private scan with Mr Penman and our first hospital consultant appointment. Both have served to reassure me that this pregnancy has the potential to go full term but also proved to me that my widwife is not really giving me personalised care and is not aware of the problems from my last pregnancy and the implications they leave for this one! Surely she should be more aware?

Suffice to say that contrary to my midwife’s advice I will not be allowed a home birth or to be on a midwife led unit when Matilda makes her entrance to this world. I will be giving birth in theatre under consultant care.

Private Scan

I went to the scan on my own as David had to stay with Esther and William. I was really looking for answers after my NHS anomaly scan where the sonographer told me that I had a low lying anterior placenta. Mr Penman reassured me that though my placenta is a little low on one side it is not obstructing the cervix and is not as low as it could be. It should not cause me any problems through the pregnancy or during birth.

I love having private scans and getting a sneak preview of what our little one might look like. The photos are stunning. Matilda Bump is stunning. She looks very much like Esther did at 22 weeks

Matilda already has perfectly formed legs and hands. I could see her wriggling away. I heard her heartbeat too. At 22 weeks she was weighing approximately 1lb and growing just as she should. Can’t believe we still have to wait another 17 weeks to meet her!

Consultant Care

So I have finally had an antenatal consultant appointment.

I had to go to a different hospital as my local hospital was too busy.

Seems 2012 is going to be a baby boom year!

Whilst waiting to be seen I was feeling a little awkward as I had forgotten to bring with me a urine sample. I am drank a can of Sprite to try and bring on the urge but as usual in these situations – nada!

I sat in the waiting area trying to think what I needed to ask. What is it that I wanted to know? Why do I feel I need to be seen by a doctor for this pregnancy?

My mind was blank.

These are the notes that I had made for myself with help from some lovely people on Twitter.

Would you expect this pregnancy to get to term?

At my anomaly scan sonographer said that placenta is low and will be seen again at 32 weeks, what if I do not get that far?

Is it worth having steroid injections in case preterm labour is a possibility again?

Unclear of care plan for third trimester. Can it be treated as first pregnancy as did not get that far with my actual first one so am unsure what to expect, what I should and should not feel etc …

Will I be able to have growth scans to check that baby is okay? Are docs concerned that scar will not stretch enough for bump or that it may be damaged because of bump?

If lots of adhesions and scar tissue will I be likely to lose a lot of blood giving birth?

Have been ill constantly for over a month? I eat well but worried could be low iron or deficient of something???

My main thing I think is that I need some reassurance that just because I experienced pre term labour with the twins it will not necessarily happen again this time. So many people have told me so many different things that I just don’t know what to believe.

I just want to know from someone who knows as everyone I have spoken to has a different opinion of what is best for me and what will be for the best.

The night before the appointment I spoke to the lovely @twopointfourchi on Twitter and she gave me some of the best advice I have had yet. To set small targets and celebrate reaching them. So that is what I am going to do.

My first aim is to reach viability at 24 weeks. My second aim is to reach Esther and William’s gestation of 27 + 3. I would then like to reach 30 weeks, then 32, 34, 36 etc …

I do wonder what my chances are of getting to term?

When the wait was over I saw an SHO. She reassured me that I have a low risk of pre term birth this time. The twins birth was kick started by the bowel surgery I had and the fact that they were twins. This time I will hopefully not require further emergency surgery and of course, there is only one baby.

My next appointment with my midwife will be at 25 weeks, because I did not have a third trimester with Esther and William this pregnancy will be treated as if it is my first.

My next Consultant appointment will be at 28 weeks together with a growth scan to see how baby is developing and to check that scarring is not affecting growth or causing any problems. I feel better knowing that I am going to be closely monitored.

I will also be scanned at 32 weeks to check the position of my placenta and so will also see a Consultant again at this time.

As I thought home birth and midwife led unit are not options for me. I will be giving birth in the hospital on the labour ward under consultant care.

So the appointment served its purpose. I feel reassured that I will be closely monitored through the remainder of this pregnancy and I know that I was just not being paranoid thinking that the close monitoring would be necessary.

With a more positive feeling from the appointments I have also started making some plans this week. I started planning Matilda’s little corner of our room and today I actually ordered the bits we need to make the room a reality. I have also fallen in love with a moses basket at Mothercare which I am going to order as soon as it is in stock. She will be so safe and secure in it. And so beautifully sweet!

17 weeks to go until she will be sleeping in her moses basket or in our arms.

I cannot wait to meet our Matilda May!