Dating Scan

Week 8
17 June 2010

As I was unsure about the exact date of my pregnancy and also because I couldn't wait until the 12 week scan.... St Helier hospital operate a Early Pregnancy Unit where you can book in for a early dating scan.

I called up and they said I could just turn up and be seen, so Dan and I went along only to be told that an appointment had to be made (mixed messages again, what a surprise from the NHS). They said they had a cancellation so could see me at 10.30am. Dan had to get to work as he had a meeting so I said I would do the scan on my own.

The scan was so cool (although not much to see). It just looked like a little 'Tiffany & Co' Bean (so cute).

They confirmed my due date of 23 January 2011! They let me take a scan picture home (although not suppose to!) but wanted to show Dan. It's our little baby bean! :0)

Helen's Hen Do - Sambuca baby!

5 June 2010

I was travelling up to Oxford for Helen's hen do on the Saturday morning which was a shame as I would have liked to go up on the Friday night with everyone else but I needed to avoid the alcohol and as no one there knows, it was easier blagging for one night but not for two!

Fab fab fab weekend and I wasn't even drinking! It was Pimms all round so I had a some and then just kept topping up with extra lemonade so make it look like I was keeping up!

I told Zoe this weekend (I lasted about 30 mins after arriving) as I needed a buddy to help me through the avoiding drinking and also I knew I could trust her as she has been through the same when pregnant with Iyla. She was so happy to get a fellow baby buddy and it was so cool to hear her pregnancy stories. It was now that I found out about her blog and hence why I started mine! Fab idea Zo, thanks!

Back to Sambuca baby.... we were playing Mr & Mrs and if Helen got the question right the person asking the question got the shot, if she got it wrong she did the shot. I swapped my question with Zoe as she had a harder question and Helen bloody got it right!!!! With a guess as well!! So down the hatch went the Sambuca, sorry little baby!!! Needless to say I hid in the house when the next shot was going round!

Helen was funny as after she had knocked back about 6 Sambucas (good going girl) she went on about telling everyone that she would SO know when I was preggers and she could guess straight away.... hehe, how wrong could she be this time!! I so wanted to tell her but had to wait to the right time!!

Telling Vic!

Week 7

The emotions hit today... I had a blub in the toilets of the office! Not for any reason other than the air conditioning being too cold and a sarcastic comment from a prick in the office! I am usually quite strong with these things but woo hoo, I guess the emotional hormones have arrived!

Along came the evening and I was heading over to Vic's to borrow some shoes - I just knew that I would have to tell her tonight! She had asked so many times and I had lied and I felt that week 7 was ok to spill the beans and I knew she would keep it a secret too! I would have liked to have waited until I had a scan but hey, I could trust her to keep it quiet and I wanted to share my excitement with my best bud!

I asked her to close her eyes and I stood in front of her and lifted my top and said, 'meet baby bump hawkes'. She started to cry (with excitement) and gave me a massive hug! She then began treating me like I was 7 months pregnant not 7 weeks (oh, don't lift that chick, oh, are you comfy there hon) hehe, but I wasn't complaining! She is such a geek but I love her!

I am so chuffed that she now knows and we can get alll excited together. She was over the moon with excitement and that made me make it feel more real so I was happy. Now the wedding is out the way we have another topic to spend hours talking about, woo hoo! Shame I can't have a glass of vino in my hand whilst we do it though.

Symptoms
- waking up every morning with the feeling of being so hungover!!!
- headache, headache, headache!
- Feeling fat! I want a bump not a chubbs!

NHS are useless!

Week 7
2 June 2010

I told a girl at work yesterday which was hard as her and her boyfriend are having difficulty conceiving. She is off on holiday so I was keen to tell her asap as I knew it would be hard for her to hear. I hope I have been as supportive as I could be over the last few months and I hope she is happy for me but I understood that deep down she is going to resent the fact that it happened so quickly with us! The conversation went better than expected but I know it was hard for her to hear. I hope over time it becomes easier and I can openly speak about the excitment I am feeling at work. Only time will tell.... I hope she also gets pregnant soon!

My GP appointment...... I was so excited about this as I wasn't sure what to expect but it was the time for someone professional to confirm the news. It didn't exactly happen like that... I said I was pregnant, I was asked the due date, was given a leaflet and asked which hospital I wanted to go to. WHAT?!?!? I don't know, you're the doctor, you tell me!! She said my due date was 27 Jan 2011 and said she would write to Mayday Hospital and if I had any other questions just look it up online. I was sent away with a leaflet of info and told to wait for a letter from the hospital. hmmmm... felt very deflated!

I thought she would do a blood test, test my urine or at least take my blood pressue to confirm. So yep, you guessed it, I got home and did another test... just to check that I was actually still pregnant!!!!

The following day I called St Helier hospital and they have a walk in Early Pregnancy Unit where you can get a dating scan. I decided that I would just head there next week just to get it all confirmed properly. It's funny, you find out your pregnant and you just want everything to move so quickly but in reality doctors etc won't offer any support/appointments etc until you reach the 12 week mark. Frustrating but understandable as so many miscarriages occur in this time :0(

Telling the folks!

6 Weeks
29 May 2010

My parents are coming down for a Saturday night and it's the first time we have seen them after the wedding so very excited! Also, a lot more excited than normal as we have some very exciting news to share with them! We are going out for dinner with them and Dan's folks so perfect opportunity to tell them all together and face-to-face.

Dan, me, mum, dad and Frances spent the day at Wakehurst place and I was so desperate to spill the beans but Dan and I had already decided that the evening would be best! I felt ok all day but I just needed the loo all the god damn time!

I had a little sneaky nap before getting ready for dinner and just as we were leaving to get in the cab, what a surprise I needed the loo again! This time mum said, 'Dan is she pregnant or something?', his response (not wanting to spoil the planned surprise) 'oh, is that what happens when your preggers, huh' and swiftly moved on! Good boy!

So, once we were seated at the table I broke the news, 'oh yeah, something we forgot to tell you... you guys are going to be grandparents - we're having a baby!'. My mum clamped her hands over her mouth in shock, Frances had tears in her eyes and beaming, my dad, watery eyes and gives me a hug and John - not sure he understood what I said! hehe. He soon understood in the end! ;0)

The news is finally out and after keeping it a secret for just over 2 weeks (it felt like a lifetime!) I am so glad we have shared our news! We did ask them to keep it a secret though....

The story of how it FINALLY happened

Now, when you decide you want and are ready for a baby, you just want one now and DO NOT want to wait!!! In reality it is never going to happen that way! Dan and I decided to stop using contraception in February (much to Dan's objections as he didn't want a sleepy, hormonal bride but mostly because he wanted a drinking buddy on our honeymoon!) but we decided to just see 'what happens'.... anyway, lets just say, with the stress of organising the wedding, the lack of time to even think about trying for a baby it was unlikely to ever happen! Looking back, I'm quite glad I didn't fall pregnant before the wedding or honeymoon as I had the best time and to be honest knowing what I know now about how I would feel in the first few weeks, I would have hated to have felt like that during the 'wedding times'!

I already have an app. downloaded iphone which I have used in the past to log my period dates and it also has a ovulating setting too. Along came the honeymoon and doing what all newly-weds should be doing on their honeymoon I felt quite excited and confident about the result! On the last day of honeymoon disappointment struck and yep, along came my period.... damn! Although, you know deep down that it can take the healthiest of people months to conceive, you always think it will happen straight away! Of course, it doesn't always happen!

After getting back from honeymoon, it's safe to say that I became a little obsessed about ovulating - reading about the best time to 'do it' and what can be done to help make it happen. I kept having this horrible thought that it could take months and I knew that it wasn't healthy to be 'obsessed' about it all. Anyway, whilst reading many chat room sites, a lot of people were talking about Ovulation Sticks and I thought, hey it can't do any harm in trying them, I'll pick some up! They are brilliant, you pee on the stick when your period has finished and you get a smiley face when it's the best time to conceive. You have only 48 hours from the smiley face before you would have to wait until the following month. Easier said than done when I have a husband who stays away a lot for work and yep, you guessed it, when I got the smiley face, he was bloody away!!! We managed to get one opportunity in this time and guess what.... BINGO!!! I never got my next period so the rest is history! Conception date circa 3 May 2010.

I would definitely recommend these sticks for anyone trying to get pregnant because it gives you the exact time to try and then at least you know you are getting the best opportunity! Oh, by the way... I have 18 spare tests left if anyone wants them ;0)

I feel so lucky and blessed that it happened so quickly for us and I just wish it was the same for everyone who wants a baby!

Dan's Birthday

24 May 2010

The last few days have been good - although I've not had any signs of pregnancy which to be honest is good but does make me a little worried... it's funny, but feeling like crap or having some weird feeling going on, although horrible at the time, makes you feel very comforting that something is happening in there! When you feel a cramp, a bit sleepy or even nauseous you get this little sense of excitement and feel the baby is at work growing!

Just to make sure everything was still ok I did ANOTHER test and yep, thank god, it said 'positive', phew!! Needless to say - I kept this test in my makeup bag and yep, I keep checking it.
Today, baby hawkes is the size of a 'orange pip'. Tiny but all ours! It's Dan's birthday too so on his card I signed it 'love Abby (your loving wife) and our little 'orange pip'. Sad I know, but hey, I don't care! Just think, the next birthday card I give him will be from me and our baby!! Yikes!

Although Dan (Mr Sensible) keeps telling me not to wish my pregnancy away - I so want my bump to appear and also want to be at the 12 week mark!! A few more weeks to go now...

Mum and Dad are coming down next week so we have decided that we will tell both sets of parents at the same time when we're all out for dinner. We get to share our excitement, woo hoo!