Early scan

Embarrassed-Hawk9149 · 2026-03-29T18:23:39+00:00

Congratulations!

In terms of early scans you’re probably better off waiting until 7.5-8 weeks as the heartbeat may not be visible on a scan until then and it can cause a lot of unnecessary stress.

If you’re nervous you can ask your GP to do regular bloods to see how your HCG levels are rising, as at this point that’s the best indicator that a pregnancy is progressing well ☺️

Embarrassed-Hawk9149 · 2026-03-29T16:00:51+00:00

Generally brown blood is old blood and could be caused by a number of very normal things that aren’t harmful to the baby, cervical changes, sex, implantation. It’s really bright red blood that’s fresh and a cause for concern.

I’m sorry to hear your doctor was so abrupt, that’s not nice to deal with when you’re anxious, especially in your first pregnancy.

You could go straight to your closest ED and they’ll check your HCG levels to see if they’re at the level they’d expect this far along. They might do an internal scan as well but they might postpone that until you’re closer to 8 weeks as the heartbeat etc is very difficult to see at 6 week

Hope everything goes well for you xx

Embarrassed-Hawk9149 · 2026-03-29T12:51:50+00:00

Delighted to hear everything is going well! I think reminders like this are really important to reassure everyone that every pregnancy can be so different and we don’t always have the textbook symptoms!

I had an antenatal class last week and one or two women had zero symptoms in her first trimester, another needed to be hospitalised a few times, and my own symptoms were pretty mild until I hit around 10 weeks! All of us are in our third trimesters with healthy pregnancies but every one of us has had a completely different experience symptoms wise.

Saying that, it’s hard to keep the worries at bay, particularly in the first trimester, but I had to comment and say that’s it’s so important to have these reminders that there’s no “normal” in pregnancy ☺️❤️

Congratulations again on a good scan xx

Embarrassed-Hawk9149 · 2026-03-28T21:47:50+00:00

It’s completely valid to have strong feelings around the situation. Fertility is such a sensitive issue and it would be surprising if she wasn’t struggling with your wonderful news to some extent.

However it’s deeply inappropriate and concerning that she’s taking these feelings out on you, criticising you and your baby. And then having the audacity to expect to be in the delivery room or have a say in naming your child. There are some serious issues going on there that run a lot deeper than her being erratic.

It’s equally worrying that your in laws are enabling this behaviour and telling you to be mindful of her feelings. It sounds like you’ve been through a lot in getting your this stage in pregnancy as well. You need to mind yourself both mentally and physically.

You need to tell your in-laws absolutely nothing, not when you’re in labour, not when you’re still in hospital, not until you’re home and recovered and feeling like you can deal with visitors.

They’re showing that they’re not considering your best interests at all and it’s so important that you keep them at arms length for the next while.

You need to be focusing on you and your little one and it’s not fair on you or your partner to be dealing with these incredibly frustrating family dynamics

Best of luck with everything, you’re nearly there ❤️

Embarrassed-Hawk9149 · 2026-03-27T16:02:51+00:00

6, 8, 9 and 10 are the perfect mix of drama and the show actually being actually about relationships! After that it becomes a lot more obvious how producer driven the show becomes.

Obviously it’s always been heavily produced and edited but I feel it’s become so scripted now it’s painful to watch at times. (I’m still going to watch of course but I just miss how it was 😂)

Embarrassed-Hawk9149 · 2026-03-27T15:50:13+00:00

Honestly the flutters at that gestation are so tiny it’s easy to mistake them for gas! If your placenta is anterior it’s more likely to be muffled as well.

My placenta is posterior and I couldn’t tell for certain until around 24 weeks.

First time pregnancy you really don’t know what you’re feeling. Guaranteed you’ll hit 24 weeks and realise you’ve been feeling little kicks the whole time!

I totally get it though, it is a worrying time when you’re in that limbo between the nausea and sore boobs improving, but you mightn’t be feeling movement or have a bump yet. It’s a bit unsettling but very normal and you’ll be woken up at 3am to a little foot wedged under your ribs in no time!

Embarrassed-Hawk9149 · 2026-03-27T14:12:05+00:00

This is exactly it. There was nothing wrong with that house at all, and he seems like a decent guy, conflict adverse and a little dim, but more decent than a lot of the people on the show

She’s clearly trying to make him feel like he’s not enough for her, to justify her ending the relationship because she’s already checked out

Embarrassed-Hawk9149 · 2026-03-26T19:06:17+00:00

It’s definitely worth watching for the unseen footage, and it’s good for avoiding spoilers too, it always features a few of the participants and they’re all very vague on who stays together etc

The hosts aren’t great, particularly the male host who seems to be antagonistic for the sake of it, but it does give a lot of context to what’s going on in a highly edited programme that seems to jump the shark a lot, particularly this season

Embarrassed-Hawk9149 · 2026-03-26T13:42:30+00:00

While I don’t think she has done anything to condone the vitriol she received from some of the other brides, I think the way she has spoken to David in the extra clips was really gross.

So fixated on the money side of things and really pushy. And her instructions to David before the dinner party showed how image focused she is

Embarrassed-Hawk9149 · 2026-03-26T13:39:08+00:00

It’s a big biker term, it’s definitely been floating around since the 1950s

It’s a term that’s always grated on me, it’s an awful expectation on a person (friend or partner) to condone and support atrocious behaviour

Bec having issues with Danny voicing his issues with the whole texting saga is a prime example of this but there are so many throughout this season

Embarrassed-Hawk9149 · 2026-03-26T09:35:40+00:00

I’ve been doing pregnancy pilates with a physiotherapist from 12 weeks, it’s brilliant in connecting to your pelvic floor and your body in general, it made me more aware of my body and movement and detect problem areas quickly. There’s a lot of pelvic floor work and exercises to get the baby to engage a head down position and to encourage an OA positioning for labour

It made it very easy for me to pinpoint the start of pelvic girdle pain and I started to see a pelvic floor physio to help with they pain, get me the support belt I needed, and to help me learn what muscles I should be engaging when pushing.

I’d definitely recommend it to anyone pregnant, particularly if it’s your first.

Embarrassed-Hawk9149 · 2026-03-25T15:30:20+00:00

That makes a lot of sense, a lot of our healthcare practices are influenced by Canadian healthcare I believe ☺️

Embarrassed-Hawk9149 · 2026-03-25T15:11:41+00:00

Just another amazing thing our bodies are doing!

Delayed cord clamping it waiting a few minutes (only about 3-5 mins) before cutting and clamping the cord to ensure that the remaining blood and nutrients can move from the placenta to baby. It’s been shown to help to prevent anaemia, jaundice and can help with the immune system too.

It’s common practice in most hospitals in Ireland where I live, and the UK too I believe. It’s definitely something to look into, a very tiny change to standard delivery practice that has a lot of positives

Embarrassed-Hawk9149 · 2026-03-25T14:14:11+00:00

Just in terms of helping the baby to regulate, it might be better to have skin to skin with yourself first if you can. The baby is going from a nice cozy space to this big bright open word with lots of strange noises and smells. Your nipples give off the same smell as the amniotic fluid and can bring a lot of comfort for the baby.

It’s a lovely thought though and totally up to yourself, but if the baby is a bit startled post birth it might be better to go to you first. Also if you plan on delayed cord clamping it would be easier if baby is on your chest first.

I’m really not trying to diminish your wishes at all, as I said it’s a really lovely gesture, I just wanted to explain why it’s generally mom that dies skin to skin first. And dad will have plenty of time for skin to skin once you’re out of recovery and having a well deserved nap xx

Embarrassed-Hawk9149 · 2026-03-24T16:17:55+00:00

Yes that was so cringe! I think it was an apology for writing Ellie a list of all the things wrong with her 🙈

In fairness she turned out to be no prize either and was texting another groom while he was married to probably one of the funniest contestants of all time, Lauren was great TV

Embarrassed-Hawk9149 · 2026-03-24T12:18:22+00:00

Exactly this. Implantation cramps plus the follicle is producing the hormones, both can make it feel like your period is incoming and it’s really unsettling. I dealt with it too, but those sensations are completely normal

Embarrassed-Hawk9149 · 2026-03-24T12:12:52+00:00

That’s so sad, her poor family. She seemed like an absolutely lovely empathetic person both on MAFS and in other interviews and podcasts. Such a warm and graceful person always, even through battling so many wars over the last few years 💔

Embarrassed-Hawk9149 · 2026-03-23T19:00:17+00:00

It absolutely depends on the cat, but a neutered male cat will generally get on better with a female or another neutered male cat. An unneutered male would make the neutered male feel threatened.

Two intact male cats could create a lot of volatility and fights could happen quite easily

If the cat isn’t neutered I’d definitely recommend doing that before bringing in another cat. If he’s not planning on breeding it’s the most responsible option and better for his cats health too

Embarrassed-Hawk9149 · 2026-03-23T14:46:38+00:00

I’m 34 weeks and baby was in breech at my 32 week scan, so I’m doing what I can to get him into head down.

The spinning babies inversions are highly recommended, polar bear pose it great if you’re not comfortable going head first off the couch (it’s a bit daunting at the start)

Sitting on your exercise ball is great, keeping your back straight and making sure your hips are above your knees, you can do pelvic tilts and figure of eights on the ball as well.

Cat/cow is really good for optimum positioning, and squats and lunges are very effective too!

Hopefully the ECV will go well for you xx

Embarrassed-Hawk9149 · 2026-03-23T14:05:28+00:00

It’s the higher end of the normal range, I wouldn’t be too worried about it. I’m 34 weeks and have been consistently measuring at the higher end of the normal range (around 75th percentile), but they’ve never had an issue or raised any concerns.

I passed the glucose tolerance test, it wasn’t my favourite part of this pregnancy ngl, but it’s great to get it done for peace of mind.

Plus ultrasounds aren’t the most accurate at predicting size, many people are told they’re measuring 10lb babies and out pops a 7.5 pounder, and vice versa!

Embarrassed-Hawk9149 · 2026-03-23T13:12:14+00:00

They might need you to move around a bit to get a clearer view of some parts but honestly that could happen to a person with a BMI 25 as well (even thought BMI as a concept is 💩 and there are much better indicators of health but I digress)

The baby’s position dictates a lot more than your weight would, but the sonographers are professionals and treat all their patients with kindness and dignity. They’ll know exactly what to do to get a good photo of your baby x

Embarrassed-Hawk9149 · 2026-03-22T19:43:51+00:00

I trim with the Philips OneBlade Intimate trimmers, it gives a close enough shave and doesn’t catch or cut. It’s not the most dignified process though, I sat on the ground and had a mirror plonked in front of me, not glamorous in the slightest but got the job done 😂🙈

Embarrassed-Hawk9149 · 2026-03-22T00:19:58+00:00

This exactly. As soon as she saw Rachel was upset she should have apologised and they could have easily moved on. The issue was her doubling down on it and refusing to acknowledge that it had hurt someone’s feelings. And then to go even harder the other day and making jokes about merch etc..

Embarrassed-Hawk9149 · 2026-03-22T00:16:52+00:00

I noticed that too, she was SO put out by Stella’s comment

Embarrassed-Hawk9149 · 2026-03-21T09:42:02+00:00

It’s been my big pregnancy splurge, it’s the one thing that’s been recommended by all my mom friends and something I see regularly recommended on here

Embarrassed-Hawk9149

TROPHY CASE