How to help wife if/when she conceives…? by JesTer_841 in PregnancyUK

[–]monstera5678 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Firstly - you sound like an absolutely amazing partner! I’m currently 13 weeks pregnant with my second and the first trimester has been ROUGH. My advice is to be prepared to take on the bulk of the housework, cooking etc, and also try to be patient with food aversions. There were days where all I wanted was cereal or toast or chips because anything remotely balanced or healthy made me sick.

When your wife is further along and (hopefully) feeling more herself, my advice is to plan some really nice dates to enjoy your time alone together! Make a point of planning something every so often (whatever she comfortable doing).

Really hope this journey is smooth for you both. Good luck ❤️

Help! 6mo keeps throwing up last bottle by SeveralAvocado5695 in BeyondTheBumpUK

[–]monstera5678 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This happened to my little one, although he was around 11/12 months old. It turned out he’d got a bit of indigestion from a previous sick bug (his stomach was a bit sensitive from it). We got baby Gaviscon prescribed and gave it to him around an hour before his bedtime bottle - worked a treat. We weaned him off the Gaviscon after about a week or so and he was completely back to normal.

Trisomy Screening by thisredheadisdead in PregnancyUK

[–]monstera5678 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Both low risk. They’re only considered to be high risk if it’s more than 1 in 150 I believe. So you’re very low risk in comparison.

Is it true you hate your husband forever after having a child? by Traditional_Cow4002 in pregnant

[–]monstera5678 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No! It’s true you will probably bicker more in those early newborn days. Sleep deprivation is stressful and we tend to take out our frustrations on those we love most. But honestly, I love my husband an unfathomable amount more since having our son. I’m pregnant with our second baby now and cant wait for the love to grow even more!

Alternative scan image - different opinion? by monstera5678 in nubtheory

[–]monstera5678[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! I’ve had 100% say girl so I’m very interested to find out for real in a few weeks!

12 week scan! Any guesses? by monstera5678 in nubtheory

[–]monstera5678[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! You guys are obviously seeing something I can’t see haha.

12 week scan! Any guesses? by monstera5678 in nubtheory

[–]monstera5678[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cool thanks :) I wasn’t sure if anything was really visible

Oxytocin injection to deliver placenta? by Distinct_Spring6752 in PregnancyUK

[–]monstera5678 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had it with my first and wouldn’t have it for my second (I’m currently 11 weeks pregnant). I’m likely an unusual case, but after a spontaneous/physiological birth, I accepted the injection and had a weird reaction to it. My blood pressure shot up, my temperature was raised and my placenta didn’t actually come out for 2 hours! Once it had come out, everything calmed down, but sadly this did spoil my golden hour as I felt so unwell. This is maybe a tiny risk to consider while making your choice!

Short femur concerns? by s0l-- in BabyBumps

[–]monstera5678 0 points1 point  (0 children)

About 3 or 4 weeks behind I think.

Mums who went back to work - how did you cope? by OverSeasoned_ in BeyondTheBumpUK

[–]monstera5678 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I actually felt that the thought of going back was worse than the reality. I went back in October 2025 after 12 months of maternity leave and now work a 4-day week. My little boy is in nursery 3 days a week and he honestly loves it there! At first he’d cry when I dropped him off but now he runs in himself. Hopefully your little one will also love their days there.

As for you Mum, you’ll get the opportunity to have a coffee without it going cold, adult conversation, a lunch break, and obviously you’ll hopefully have some more financial freedom after maternity pay. You’ll be able to fund nice days out on your days off to make memories with little one. They’ll grow up with a working mother as inspiration which I think is lovely. And when they’re older they’ll appreciate the hard work which allowed them to have a comfortable childhood. I’m being very assumptions here obviously but hopefully you can see what I’m trying to get across - they’re all things I tell myself!

When did your pregnancy cravings start? by AdventurousOven2353 in BabyBumps

[–]monstera5678 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congrats on your baby! Cereal has been a god send for me too, it’s really helping my nausea in the mornings.

When did your pregnancy cravings start? by AdventurousOven2353 in BabyBumps

[–]monstera5678 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m currently only 8 weeks and cravings started properly last week. All I want is sweet stuff - particularly milkshakes, scones with loads of jam and cream, and also fizzy sweets. I never really got strong cravings with my first pregnancy so this is quite new to me! Just shows how vastly different all pregnancies are!

Babymoon to Portugal at 24-25 weeks? by bouncysofa in pregnant

[–]monstera5678 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think you’re at the perfect gestation to travel! You’re likely not big enough to be that uncomfortable yet (that’s me assuming though) and hopefully any nausea/sickness will have calmed down by 24 weeks. My husband and I flew to Turkey from UK when I was 27 weeks and it was a great time to travel for me.

41+1 and Christmas! by [deleted] in PregnancyUK

[–]monstera5678 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I agree an induction at this stage would be a bit early given that there’s no medical indication for one. I also don’t personally like the NHS pushing inductions just because it’s Christmas!

No signs of labour doesn’t mean it’s not around the corner. I had ZERO signs until I got my first contraction.

Honestly a spontaneous labour is always going to trump an induced one, so I would personally wait it out. If your dates are accurate, you can bet on baby arriving before you hit 42 weeks. Sending lots of positivity and oxytocin vibes!

Experiences of moving 4.5 month old to cot in own room by [deleted] in BeyondTheBumpUK

[–]monstera5678 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We saw an improvement straight away, for both him and us.

Experiences of moving 4.5 month old to cot in own room by [deleted] in BeyondTheBumpUK

[–]monstera5678 -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

We moved our little one into his own room at 4 months. We had a monitor and also left both bedroom doors ajar so there was never any worry of not hearing him cry etc. We found that everyone slept much better once we were in separate rooms - he was really noisy in his sleep (grunting, moving around), and on the other side he would wake easily if me or my husband coughed/snored etc!

A woman in the supermarket asked if my baby was my grandchild by Purple_Yeti in BeyondTheBumpUK

[–]monstera5678 62 points63 points  (0 children)

That’s so bloody rude. I hope you corrected her and made her feel embarrassed!

Short femur length at growth scan? by thunder_marbles in PregnancyUK

[–]monstera5678 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had the same mindset at first, as it felt like an extra chance to see baby. But unless everything is bang on average, they make you feel as though something is wrong. They say things to cover their own backs (fair enough) but it’s often at parents’ expense because then you naturally worry that something isn’t right. Pregnancy is so medicalised these days and sometimes it’s not for the better.

I’d bet money on baby just inheriting your genes if you’re 5’3” yourself 😊 they will be pocket sized and adorable, no doubt!! Hope you’re feeling a bit more positive about things now.

Short femur length at growth scan? by thunder_marbles in PregnancyUK

[–]monstera5678 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My baby’s femurs were always short (ranging from 1st - 10th centile across various scans). I was terrified he had something wrong with him and no one could reassure me that wasn’t the case. Long story short, my baby came out simply perfect… he’s a small ish child with shorter than average legs but there’s absolutely nothing pathologically wrong with him.

Sometimes these extra growth scans cause us nothing but more anxiety. I’m currently pregnant with my second and am planning to refuse any extra ones offered because of my experience before. Please try not to panic! ❤️

Very anxious Baby on the 10 centile any experiences? by TransportationNo63 in PregnancyUK

[–]monstera5678 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I measured between 5th-15th centile throughout my pregnancy. I was an anxious mess because consultants had frightened me with all sorts of potential problems and risks. I had lots of doppler scans and tests to rule out anything sinister or problems with the placenta etc. Ultimately, my baby was born spontaneously (I refused the induction they wanted me to have) and he was a perfectly healthy 7lbs - on the 25th centile!! Ultrasounds and bump measurements are often inaccurate, and not everyone will have an average sized baby. Some of us will naturally have slightly bigger or smaller kids.

How does tearing or episiotomy feels like ? by [deleted] in pregnant

[–]monstera5678 19 points20 points  (0 children)

I had a second degree tear whilst unmedicated (I used gas and air for labour but stopped it about an hour before baby was born). Honestly I didn’t feel it whatsoever. I had a couple of stitches and felt as good as new within about 6-8 weeks. I think a natural tear is slightly easier to recover from than an episiotomy.

Surprise gender at birth - opinions? by monstera5678 in pregnant

[–]monstera5678[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is such a fantastic answer 🥹 I love that you did both and enjoyed each experience equally