Positive pregnancy test result

LegacyUser

Hi!

I just got a positive result on a pregnancy test. I am dazed but not that surprised as I felt very strange lately. I have told the father and I'm going to see a GP soon to get this result confirmed and to get medical advice. Is there anything else that I should do? Any tips?

Thanks

Surprised Girl

chuci

this is unplanned ya? if so then you should start taking folic acid straight away(for the first three months) and cut out any bad habits you may have eg smoking drinking etc. this could harm the baby esp in the first three months of life as its the most important time for development.
im sure your gp will give you more info on supports that are out there etc. so congrads and best of luck

Dragan

Is there a health and safety manager in your place of work/study that you need to tell?

It is always a good idea to let someone ( like your line manager in work ) know, in case anything happens, like you fall or something, that way at least someone else will know should the worst happen and you not be in a position to let people know.

Nevyn

It can be a bit of a shock going to the Dr is a good plan.
There are lots of options advailible to you, you just have to sit and have a think
about what you and your partner want.

http://www.positiveoptions.ie/

I wish you well.

dudara

First off, congratulations.

Lots of people don't tell colleagues etc about pregnancies for about 3 months. The reason for this is that the possibility of miscarriage is highest in the first 3 months.

Your GP will confirm the test for you and give you advice. But you need to cut out smoking, drinking straight away and start taking folic acid supplements (better late than never).

Good luck

Pink Bunny

Take a look at this site : http://www.whattoexpect.com/public/funnel/index.aspx?fnl=softofferwo&promo=40601CE9-8C3C-4CB0-8770-F89C8D304B25&np=1

The book "What to Expect When You're Expecting" is the bible for pregnant women. It's excellent!!

I know you are scared, especially if this is unexpected, but don't rush into anything you might regret later. Your body is going through a million changes right now and your hormones are going crazy. You might find yourself becoming moody and extremely emotional and now it's not easy to make an important decision when you can't always think straight. Take your time, talk to your bf and your family and have a nice long chat with your doctor. And read that book
Good luck to you!

LegacyUser

Thanks for all the advice! I supppose that I should have mentioned that I'm definitely keeping this baby.

xzanti

Congrats... From reading your original post you dont come across as someone who is shocked or horrified which is good, seems to me like you're maybe a bit chuffed with yourself???

LegacyUser

xzanti wrote:

Congrats... From reading your original post you dont come across as someone who is shocked or horrified which is good, seems to me like you're maybe a bit chuffed with yourself???

Well, I'm madly in love with the father and we were going to try this eventually! It's just a bit soon, that's all.

xzanti

SurprisedGirl wrote:

Well, I'm madly in love with the father and we were going to try this eventually! It's just a bit soon, that's all.

Ah sure life is full of suprises... Glad to hear your so happy with babys dad.. You'll be fine Im sure

FoXXy

my friend is in the same situation. congratulations though
i'd agree with the folic acid and no drinking and smoking. ur doctor will take blood tests to measure things like your iron levels, let you know if you need to be taking any other supplements that might help you out.
in the meantime just take things easy, try relax a bit even though it is stressful and maybe tell a close girlfriend. they can be really helpful when your feeling awful with morning sickness or whatever!

embee

Heya, SurprisedGirl.

First off - congratulations! I was in your position at the start of June. Positive pregnancy test result, and I'm due my first child in 9 weeks time

There are some obvious things you should be doing, namely knocking smoking and drinking on the head. Also, I would recommend a supplement called Pregnacare - its the one my GP recommended because it gives you your requirements of folic acid as well as a whole host of other vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Start taking that immediately - neural tube defects in babies due to a folic acid deficiency develop in early pregnancy, so start loading up on folic acid.

Change your diet, too. Its really important that you start to increase your intake of fish, vegetables and fruit, but don't fall into the eating for two trap, because it tends to exacerbate morning sickness (I know it did in my case). Also - drink plenty of water and milk. If you drink skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, you should change to full fat, especially in early pregnancy. There are foods too that you need to avoid. Soft cheeses, unpasteurised dairy products, paté, offal, raw fish. Also, keep an eye on your egg intake - there are certain risks with listeriosis and salmonella. Some specialists recommend you don't eat nuts through your pregnancy either, as its thought that babies can develop allergies to them if they're eaten during pregnancy. As you are in early pregnancy, be wary of morning sickness etc... if you find you are throwing up a lot, make sure and load up on fluids. Dehydration can have a negative effect on you and baby. Also, avoid strong and spicy flavoured foods. I found dry toast or a couple of spoons of muesli was all I could hold down, and I was drinking either warm water with a splash of lemon juice in it, or a weak, milky tea. Coffee or juice is too harsh on your stomach if it is playing up a bit.

Hmmm... what else? You should see your GP as soon as possible really. I did three home pregnancy tests before I went to him, as the first two were only faint positives, but the third was VERY clear. You are entitled to free doctors check ups when you are pregnant, as long as the check ups are related to your pregnancy. My doctor talked me through the options of choosing a hospital to go to, but he left it to me to make my first appointment with the ante-natal clinic. I rang the hospital, and they'll book you for your first scan and all your bloods etc. You'll find your first appt should be between 11 and 15 weeks pregnancy.

Work wise, I personally left it until I was 12 weeks before I told them, mainly because I wanted to wait until I was past that "danger" period where the risk of miscarriage is higher. Each employer will have their own dedicated health and safety policy with regards to pregnant employees, so you'll probably have a meeting with your Health and Safety Officer. Also, talk to HR about your pregnancy. You are entitled to paid time off to visit your GP or go to your hospital appointments. With regards to maternity benefit, you'll need to get those forms filled in and send within 16 weeks of you going on your leave - they take AGES to get back to you. Loads of info and forms available at http://www.welfare.ie/schemes/families/mb.html Its always useful to be organised early on so you can relax towards the end of your pregnancy.

There are some good websites out there with forums for expectant parents in Ireland

http://www.rollercoaster.ie
http://www.eumom.com
http://www.magicmum.com

where you can chat to other parents about literally EVERYTHING.

If you want to PM me about any of it, feel free.

The one thing I would say is to enjoy it... the time FLIES!