20 WEEK PREGNANCY UPDATE WITH BABY BOY (NAME REVEAL, SCAN PICS & C-SECTION NEWS)

I cannot believe that I am finally halfway! To say I am 20 weeks pregnant just sounds crazy, this pregnancy is flying by and my bump seems to be growing pretty fast too.

I've got a lot to update about this week. I had my 20 week anomaly scan and finally saw my consultant. First I thought I'd share the scan photos of our little man (who finally has a name).

Meet baby Harry John Gallacher.

He is measuring pretty big and they were happy that he had a nice big belly. I love that he is measuring big, I think there's something reassuring about knowing your doing a good job at growing a tiny human. 

I had a bit of unwanted news at my 20 week scan, don't worry nothing regarding little man, he is perfect!

My scan began at 10.30am and I didn't leave the hospital until gone 12. The sonographer originally picked up an issue with the alignment of baby's feet. He thought at first glance he saw what is called 'Tallipes' of the right foot (basically club foot). Baby was so wriggly that it took ages to get a view from the right angle to confirm whether his suspicions were correct or not, but after a while he said he was 99% sure that it was just that baby was laid funny at the time and that his feet seemed perfect. It's something that will be double checked at my next scan but for now I was told it's very unlikely that there is an issue. The sonographer (first time I've ever had a male one) was brilliant. He was very reassuring and whilst most would just say they'd look again at another scan, he was happy to double and triple check to give me peace of mind.

 In retrospect the whole feet situation wasn't an issue for me but as you can imagine, having my belly pushed around for such a long period of time is enough to bring anyone to their wits end and then to hear the next news left me feeling pretty deflated. 

Something they also discovered was that I have a low lying Anterior Placenta. This means that the placenta is too close to my cervix for a natural labour to be possible (sometimes they move up a little as the uterus expands but mine is also anterior so it is possibly attached to my c-section scar which causes a few more issues). Unfortunately I have been told that baby will now need to be born via Caesarean Section which if you read my blog regularly you probably know that I was really hoping to have a VBAC and to have the opportunity to experience a natural birth. On the day of my scan I took this really bad. I was so, so gutted that I couldn't experience a natural birth after my traumatic emergency caesarean with Indie but now I have had a couple days to think about it I am happy in the fact that baby will be the safest possible and that we are aware of the situation quite early on.

 From what they have told me they can't risk me going into labour naturally as the risk of bleeding is just too high (contractions will potentially cause the placenta to detach at the edges and cause heavy bleeding, more likely than usual because it is near my c-section scar) . They will monitor me closely and then use ultrasound scans nearer the time to determine the location of my placenta and perform a scheduled Caesarean to deliver baby (a little higher up than usual to avoid cutting the placenta).

At first I was distraught and I couldn't comprehend the situation. I had so many questions and the worries just span around and around in my head. Now I have had a few days to think I am feeling ok about it all. I have accepted that I need another Caesarean and that this is the best thing for both me and baby, and also realised that it makes it a much nicer time for Indie as we will know exactly when baby will be born and can plan for somebody to look after her in a way that won't disturb her routine.

My main concern at the moment is bleeding. They told me that in the last trimester it is very likely that I will have painless bleeding which is a sign that the placenta is detaching. Sometimes this will stop and not be an issue though it can also be a sign that baby needs to be delivered or closely monitored until delivery is viable. This is my main worry. I'm not overly concerned about the risks as I'm confident that medical professionals are very capable at assessing what's best for baby but I was told that if I have a heavy bleed at say 30-32 weeks they will insist on keeping me in hospital for monitoring until baby is able to be delivered. This terrifies me. The thought of having to be away from Indie for that length of time is something that upsets me alot. Fortunately for me I am a very positive thinking person and am sure that within a couple of weeks my mind with put itself at ease and it'll just be something that I'll face at the time should it be necessary.

They have booked me in for an internal scan on Wednesday which I am not looking forward to, probably because it's something I've never experience before. This is to see exactly how close to my cervix my placenta is and how close it is to my original caesarean scar. I've been told I'll have another consultant appointment in 4 weeks time and then will have monthly scans and appointments to monitor position of placenta. I feel quite reassured that I'll be closely monitored and comforted in the fact that I have asked so many questions that I feel quite confident about what to look out for.

Ultimately I think the news was all just a bit of a shock after a very long morning. It's getting easier to comprehend each day and I am so excited for the future. To think that we are half way to the finish line is amazing.

Something that made me feel a bit better, hubby bought me a new dress as bump doesn't fit into much these days!

I haven't really had any symptoms this week apart from an increased appetite and an extreme craving for Hot Sauce on everything! That, and I'm obsessed with Macdonalds gherkins. I have a jar in the fridge but I just want the warm Macdonalds one's from the burgers.

After my next scan on Wednesday I should have a little more information so will update you next week.

 Sorry for the long slightly negative post but my blog is basically my diary and a place that I write exactly how I'm feeling which really helps me understand and deal with things and it would be untrue to not share the bad with the good.