Educate me I'm clueless.........

Girls I'm shaking with excitement and fear this morning because we just got 1-2weeks pregnant on a clear blue digital yeah for us!!!! To say a whole set of fears has taken over is an understatement. Up till now we've only read up on how to get pregnant but know little about what happens once we get our BFP!!!! My biggest fear is I have to take a flight Friday to Manchester and can't really cancel? Is it a big no no????? Also what about food & exercise? I walk about 40mins every day & a jog 3 times a week with 1 Zumba class? Should I be doing anything less now??? What foods are a no no????? Sorry for all the questions but we are so naive!!!!!

congratulations!!! what an exciting time!!!! defo keep up your exercise, being pregnant doesnt mean youre glued to the sofa or unable to do your normal activities (at the beginning)- once you get a decent bump you'll have to slow down and you will be so grateful for the times earlier you COULD go for a run. (i left the running club at 5 months) As for flying, my doc told me it was absolutely fine and there was no risk, however its a personal decision, some ppl will say not to fly, others will say flying is fine, its personal choice. after 28 weeks some airlines will insist you have a gp letter to say youre 'fit' to fly. Hold off on going to gp to have you pregnancy confirmed just yet. the tests they use are much less sensitive than a home pregnancy test, and theres nothing more heartbreaking than being told that your test is neg or that youre to go away and come back in a few weeks. Perhaps book your appointment for 3-4 weeks time.

Head into the bookshop and grab a copy of 'what to expect when youre expecting' its a great bible... we couldnt have done without it! Answers all the questions you might have. as for foods, there are so many different wives tales about what you cant eat, again it is down to you and your personal choice. My doc said everything in moderation (except the obvious alcohol), so i cut nothing at all from my diet, not a thing. be sure to read up on medication tho- basically you can take NOTHING other than plain paracetemol in very small doses if necessary

congratulations!!!!! you can defo fly, no need to worry about that. you can continue any exercise you're already doing but not take up something new where you'd have to push yourself. as for food my consultant said "avoid the cheeses" which means soft cheeses like brie, goat's cheese etc that are ripened in a skin and blue cheese which is mold ripened. although you can have them if they are well cooked. the rest of the time you just use common sense so avoid runny eggs and coleslaw or cold meats from dodgy delis but you can have pretty much anything else so long as you know it's fresh, that includes shellfish. you can't have fish that is high in mercury like swordfish and you can only have one tuna steak or two small tins of tuna a week. you can't have things that aren't cooked like parma ham or smoked salmon although plenty of people do and really, have you ever gotten food poisoning from them before? avoid nuts if there's an allergy in your family. can't think of anything else, like i said, it's mostly common sense! my doc happily also told me that one or 2 glasses of wine a week wouldn't do any harm but i never drink in the first trimester and would only have the very odd glass after that, never spirits. that's a very personal decision though. best of luck, enjoy!!!

Awe thanks so much for the information ladies, it really has put my mind at ease -especially about the flights. I have a few flights over the next few weeks that are unavoidable so I try not stress over that now! Delighted with the food & exercise tips too, I was dieting up till today hee hee so a few squares of chocolate every so often wont make me so guilty now!!! I determined to stick to my usual diet though because I have a tendency to put on the weight Not a huge drinker, although I was out last night and I was craving a glass of vino but I had taken a cheapie test yesterday and had a very faint line so I wasn't going to jinx myself for testing this morning!!! Soooooo exciting girls but as I said soooo anxious about money & preparing for LO but I suppose everyone is like that at the beginning. PS thanks for the tip about the GP visit, I'd be heartbroken if she was to tell me it was negative but I will probably ring for an appointment in 2 weeks because I was being treated in the colposcopy clinic a few years back so my cervix will be closely monitored during pregnancy.

There's also a great sticky at the top about foods and What now? I went to the GP as soon as I got my BFP - she didn't even both to test again and she said the clear blue/ first response are best (many Gps don't bother). Personal choice. I flew during first trimester for work no problems at all. Also start thinking about what hospital you want to go to.

If you in Dublin area I'd give opposite advice about going to gp, I recommend going ASAP as earlier you go to gp the earlier you can book hospital. The earlier you book hospital the earlier you'll get appoitments, scan etc. You also need to decide public, semi-private or private. Loads of advice available onall 3 but its personal choice. Gp never did pg test on me. And as long as you are aware that gp test is less sensitive don't be disappointed with result.

There seems a lot of mixed opinions re flying. The consultant I was seen by recently advised me not to fly at all until after 12 weeks. A mid wife friend of ours advised against it also. Hoovering is something else to be avoided, so is eating liver/pate, and changing cat litter. And coffee should be limited to no more than two cups(or 200mg of caffeine) per day. If you haven't been taking folic acid, it's important that you take 400mg everyday from now on. Oh, and if you have pets, they should be wormed regularly while you are pg. Congratulations on your BFP

Wow hoovering??? that's one I've never heard before, hubby usually hoovers anyway!!! We are in Cork so will go to the CUMH, I'm leaning towards going public because any of my friends that have had babies there all went public and have had lovely experiences, well as nice as can be expected anyway!!! Might give the GP a ring maybe next week because I had been treated the last few years in the colposcopy clinic and my cervix will need to be closely monitored during the pregnancy in case I need a stitch I don't think it's sunk in yet, I'm just staring at the test with sheer elation

Love this article... http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/par ... 00550.html