Pregnant week 7

How do I feel:
- Nausea, all the time, its not overwhelming but it is all the time
- Tired, normally a night owl I am in bed by 9.30pm
- I simply cannot go out, after a day at work its not possible
- The hormones have made most of my answers to Mr Y's questions extremely firm
- Like my husband loves me a lot and that I love him a lot (cute hey)

Things I have done:
- Bought a pushchair, sssh, it's not a real pushchair and it was £40 on ebay
- Howled in laughter at my pregnancy bra options
- Bought any natural anti-nausea remedy I can find
- Really, really been eating properly (I am so proud)

Things I need to do:
- Allow myself to do nothing pregnancy related, other than be pregnant, until Jan

Things I have learnt:
- That morning sickness is actually nausea and may not involve actually being sick - I am angry about this mis-information

Pregnancy brain moments:
- I have now forgotten to go to 2 meetings (one, I scheduled (opps))
- I bump into people quite a lot

Food stuff:
- I have completely gone off cooked food
- Meat seems too dense to eat
- Fruit, salad and yogurt all the way for me at the moment

Thinking about:
- Bras and my boobs
- My 3 days off work
- My lovely birthday weekend away
- I think my boss may have sussed the no coffee, no alcohol thing #@!
- That all of a sudden, I hate all names

Questions I have:
- Absorbing information right now, questions will follow

Doctor's appointment #1

I met Dr. B this morning, I liked him. He was young (my age?) with a big beard and wearing cords. He looked more like a teacher than any teacher I have met - he made me laugh. It went like this:

Ms. X: I am pretty certain I am pregnant
Dr. B: Have you done a pregnant test?
Ms. X: Yes, twice
Dr. B: Yeap, then you are pregnant. Do you know when the 1st day of your last period was?
Ms. X: Yes, 25 September
Dr. B: Have you worked out when you are due?
Ms. X: A website told me 2 July
Dr. B: (playing with dial thing) Yep, the 3 July. Have you given any thought to which hospital you want to go to?
Mx. X: Yes, University College Hospital please. Its close to work and I don't want to go to Homerton
Dr. B: UCH, I can book you in for a scan online

10 minutes later I had an appointment for my 1st scan on 20 November. Loved it, so amusingly pragmatic and practical.

There was chit chat about nausea, indigestion, and about how I will go to the "women at high risk" clinic at UCL. He assured me high risk is really 37 but I qualify so best to go and get more attention. My first scan is a dating and downs scan; all my antenatal care will be at UCH not the doctors.

His final words: "We will see loads of you in the 1st 3 months, you will pretty much be abandoned in your 2nd trimester and then much attention at the end. Congratulations."

I am Ms. V (V for vulnerable)

I feel vulnerable ... everywhere. In the street, in a busy shop, on the bus, at work.

I started to hand over my current role today, the team's manager with the new project manager will take on current responsibilities. I then become Project Director on a new and associated project ... this is all fantastic!

However, all I can think about is when am I going to start throwing up, god please don't let me have morning sickness when the new project manager starts, how am I going to consistently hold complex, technical thoughts long enough to chair meetings with 30 people around the table.

Ms. V will hopefully disappear then I get used this idea? Can I compartmentalise this at work, can this blog help me do that? No idea! There have been many times in my career when I have had to raise my game, fill bigger shoes. This time, I have to raise my game as a woman too. Criks!

1. List, 2. Lists, 3. More lists

I know why mothers write list after list, lists of lists.

Because they cannot f***g remember anything!

Pregnant day 3

How do I feel:
- Same as yesterday really, chilly arms and a flushed face I think
- Mild nausea led me to my first "I must eat immediately moments" in Whole Foods this morning (isn't it too early for this)
- 3 bags of shopping was too much, I needed to be home immediately after my standard Saturday morning shopping trip

What did I do:
- Saturday morning shopping trip, too hard today it seemed
- Mooched about, listened to Adam & Joe on radio 6, watched TV, had a snooze, writing this blog
- Called V in the states to tell her I am pregnant, much excitement!
- Evening, I just watched TV and spent time getting used to how I feel now

Things I need to do:
- Book a doctor's appointment
- Buy dog-poo bags, incase I vomit on the bus
- Found out exactly how big 1 unit of alcohol is?

Things I learnt today:
- Dog-poo bags make great sick bags, very strong apparently
- I don't legally need to tell my boss I am pregnant until 15 weeks before I am due (who are we kidding, my boss is not blind)

Thinking about:
- Hospitals
- Eating properly

Questions I have:
- Do the "you cannot eat this becuase you are pregnant and you might get food poisoning" rules apply if you are in a 5 star establishment or a michelin starred restaurant?

Classy lady, got a point ...

"If you bungle raising your children, I don’t think whatever else you do well matters very much"
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Found on UK Saffa's great new blog http://uksaffa.wordpress.com/ - thanks!

Pregnant day 2

How do I feel:
- Good, generally content and happy but very mildy nauseous (I am sure I am imagining it)
- I am now sure this little ball of cells is on the left hand-side of my womb
- A little chilly, like a mild cold sweat
- Definately, as if I am building something downthere, those cells are moving about I reckon

What did I do:
- Went to work and tried to focus through the day. I am distracted, which can only be expected, I wonder if this is temporary or early on-set pregnant brain (god, I hope not)
- Took my assistant out for lunch to say thanks for a great working year
- A trip to Heals to buy curtains
- Evening in watching TV with Mr. Y, indian take-out (was good)
- Called T to tell her the news, "the news of the year" apparently
- My eyes simply just closed at 10:30pm (so early!)

Pregnant brain moments:
- I failed twice to use self-scan and pay in M&S

I have a lot to learn moments:
- I went out for lunch, I ordered Bresola for starter, is that OK?
- At lunch, I shuddered as I ordered my duck medium, should it really be well-done?
- We ordered indian for dinner, I ordered paneer, cooked cheese OK?

Nesting moments:
- I bought new bedroom curtains and put them up, they look lovely and will be much warmer

Hormones?
- I did call my husband I nasty name completely out of the blue, I apologised

Enough already moments:
- I bought 3 pregnancy magazines and I don't think I want them. I certainity don't like them. What a fundamentally flawed concept a magazine covering pregnancy, birth and parenting - with added advertising - in 130 pages is!