Baby's getting big!

I am now 22 weeks pregnant, over half way there!  That means I have quite a bit to catch up on blogging wise, whether it be my plans for dealing with labour or choosing a new pram.  Why don't I start with the exciting part for any expectant mum?  Baby scans :)

In the UK, most women have their first scan at 12 weeks, just as they are coming to the end of the first trimester.  I ended up with a scan at 8 weeks.

Shortly after I found out I was pregnant, I flew to Ireland to visit my friend and her family for the weekend.  What should have been a great weekend turned out to be filled with a bit of panic and anxiety.  On my first night, I started bleeding.  Although, I had no pain or other symptoms that might determine a miscarriage, I naturally worried for the rest of the weekend.  As soon as I got home, I booked an appointment at my doctors who referred me for an ultrasound immediately.

Thankfully, all was well and the bleeding I had is actually quite normal for mums around 7-8 weeks.  It is know as implantation bleeding.  Implantation is the attachment of the fertilised egg to the uterine lining.  It can cause slight bleeding and isn't anything to worry about but as far as my doctor was concerned it is always something to have checked just to be on the safe side.   Anyway, my scan went well and resulted in this little blob on the screen ... who at the time was still around the size of a sesame seed!

8 week scan 

The next scan happened at 12 weeks, which is standard scan to ensure all is going well in the initial stages.  At this point you get to really see your baby for the first time, although he/she may still look a little bit alien like.  My baby was moving around like a mini raver, clearly taking after his/her father! It was surreal to watch your baby move on screen yet still not feel it inside of you.

12 week scan 

At 20 weeks, I had my anomaly scan.  I found myself quite anxious through this scan despite how fascinating it is.  I couldn't relax until all measurements had taken place and the nurse was able to say everything is progressing as expected.  The best bit of this scan is not just getting to see the increased size and shape of your baby, but the detail of things like the heart and it's chambers and valves.  Such intricate detail is shown on the screen, it does leave you in awe of modern day medical technology!  This scan didn't photograph as well as the baby was moving about so much and kept holding his/her hands over it's face.  Rascal.

20 week scan

With that being the last of my scans, we have decided to also book a private 3D/4D scan as it really is so exciting to get a glimpse of your unborn baby.  We didn't think we could last another 4 months or so without getting to see him/her again so we are scheduled in for the beginning of March :)

Can't wait!