I have just found out I am pregnant!!

[lilyfrog]

I took a home digital pregnancy test last night and it the result was positive. We are over the moon and I am going to the doctors tonight to discuss it all. However, I suddenly have soooo many questions and I am not sure of the best place to fing things out. What can I eat, can I lift things, when should we tell people, what if it was a false positive, what do we need to buy and when, etc etc ec. Can anyone point me in the direction of good websites, books, magazines etc, and does any one have any great advice that they wish someone had given them when they first found out they are pregnant? I think I am 5+5 weeks gone.

[loza]

hello and CONGRATULATIONS!!

to be honest i really wouldnt like to give you any advice as iv never been pregnant and wouldnt want to get anything wrong however ive always thought if i got pregnant i would like my figure to stay and look ok afterwards so i know of a bottled miracle! called BIO-OIL my friends have used this and it is known to reduce the appearance stretch marks and scars and for the average bottle is around 8.95 i understand this isnt the best advice when your so excited about the patter of tiny feet i bet this was the last thing on your mind, just i remember my mum said once i wish they had things for stretch marks when i was pregnant x now you can x

[loza]

also i know this is your moment but i have a question for you if you dont mind? I am 3 days late for my period however i should point out im sometimes irregular but mostly earlier rather than later. I also have sore breasts and noticed a few tiny spots around the nipple? and have had stomach cramps about a week ago which i thought was signs of my period. I'm not too sure now and just wondered if there was any signs you experienced so early on? xx

[lilyfrog]

Hi Loza,

They are both symptoms I experienced, but to be honest took no notice of. I believe most of the early signs of pregnancy are similar to that of the early signs of pregnancy. The thing I really noticed was feeling over tired and slightly queasy, although I suspected that was psychosomatic till i actually took the test.

I hope you get the result that you want!

xx

[redcrx]

firstly congratulations! I bet your head must be spinning with everything to take in.

The best bit of advice i can give is to join a pregnancy board. I used the one on IVillage from about 6 weeks pregnant and now my son is 21 months old and Im still there (the pregnancy board changes to a mums board)

I expect you are due December so heres the link http://messageboards.ivillage.co.uk/iv-ukpbdec 07 you will find many first time mums who have the same concerns as you do and the same questions. There will also be many 2nd, 3rd or 4th time mums willing to help with any info they can. You will share your stories and milestones and celebrate and comiserate with the many friends that you can make there. My board often have meets and families from all over the country arrive and have a wonderful weekend or day out with the children.

[redcrx]

just to add, a few things that you should avoid:
soft cheeses and unparsturised milk / cheese
Pate
cigarettes and alcohol (goes without saying)
runny eggs
fresh mayonaise or mousses where raw eggs are used (helmans is fine)
undercooked meat and seafood and unwashed salads
Tuna, limit yourself to no more than 1 can a week.
check any medication that you take and discuss with your GP about its safety. over the counter remedies should also be checked by yourself, for instance ibruprofen should not be taken.

You should be OK to lift things if youve not experienced any problems or have a history of miscarrying, but be careful and dont push yourself too far.

start taking folic acid tablets if you arent already

Im sure I will think of other things but these are basics

[lilyfrog]

Thanks everyone for answers so far, its lovely talking about it with people as we are not telling most of our friends or family for a while yet. redcrx - thanks so much for the advice, if you think of anything else then let me know!

[winny]

You dont get false positives on preg tests. They only test for one hormone (HGC) and it is only present in the body if you are preganat so Congratulations. Redcrx advice spot on as far as i can recall (it is a while since pregnancy and I cant remember it all) Dont do anything you wouldnt normally do and lifting is fine but just dont be silly (after all we all lift toddlers when we are on number 2) Best advice I can give is read the books and listen to all the advice and follow it all within reason dont get too hung up on dos and donts. Enjoy and be sensible. If you have a local yoga class I found the relaxation techniques brilliant and the teacher can give you different stuff to do dependant on how far gone you are. Congrats again and good luck.

[jollygreen]

Congratulations! I agree with Loza about the bio-oil - I didn't get any stretch marks and I used it every night before bed (it makes a mess of your clothes so wear old stuff). I would say my biggest mistake was being so caught up in being pregnant I didn't really prepare at all for life after birth!!I know that sounds mad but I had never even held a baby, so if there is an NCT class nearby def sign up to it as well as your local hospital ante natal classes. Also I would avoid looking on internet too much in 1st few months as all it does is scare you about everything - much better to join a community as advised by redcrx. xx mrs jg

[helliebobs]

Hi lilyfrog, congratulations!
Having recently had a baby myself, I found the following websites really useful:

www.bounty.com
www.babycentre.co.uk
www.ivillage.co.uk

Be warned though, it's really easy to go on the internet to look stuff up and get totally paranoid about it, especially if you have symptoms or things that seem not quite right! A little information can be a dangerous thing! Don't mean to scare you but it's really easy to get carried away! I found out I was pregnant at about 5 weeks and it's a long time to wait until things start happening (first midwife appointment, scnas etc)which can be a nightmare, but just go with the flow and enjoy every minute of it , the time will fly! I wish I was pregnant again and my little boy is only 6 weeks old!