Catch up!
I want this blog to take a new direction, I will record what I am doing as I go along, as its extremely difficult to plan a blog which cannot be set in such a certain order.
This post will be very condensed, as I haven't been able to update for some time but I will now dedicate myself to weekly/fortnightly updates in more detail.
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So lets get caught up! In just 2 months I have moved into my little house, changed my midwife, got moved over to a new city and settled in with my old friends and some new. Not all of this ran smoothly along the way, I’ve messed up my benefit claims, bought dodgy white goods that flooded my house, had the neighbours from hell, dealt with swellings, stretch marks, hormones and generally stressed myself out. The dust has finally started to settle and now I’m left with just me, myself and I until the pregnancy progresses. So, to keep my CV and my brain active I've been volunteering in hospital wards; schools, charity shops or food sorting centres for the homeless once a week. If you’re out of work, single and pregnant I think its vital to keep working even if its for free and a few days here and there, it gives me a sense of worth and improves my chances of a career when I finally get back into working life. I used this link for volunteering at Leeds hospitals www.leedsteachinghospitals.com (link) but I suggest typing into Google the environment that you want to volunteer in i.e a soup kitchen, school or hospital then the area/city you live in. Try to go with trusted logos such as NHS or Leeds.gov.uk. Volunteering also gives you the opportunity to take on courses in conjunction with the type of work you are involved in. So yes you are working for free but you get a free education and a boost for your CV. Not bad.
If you would like to know more about your entitlements when working as a single pregnant woman (or a single parent) then a really brilliant site to visit is www.gingerbread.org.uk (link)
20 Week Anomaly Scan
At the 20 week mark I was sent a letter for my Anomaly scan appointment, which was requested by my *new midwife on a previous visit. The Anomaly scan is carried out to check that the baby's organs and limbs are forming correctly but most excitingly what the sex is! The anomaly scan is optional and much more straight forward than the 12 week scan so I wasn't asked many questions or required to take so many tests, as my urine and blood pressure are checked once a month by my midwife. Please note that this would be a good time to ask your midwife about a free flu jab if you are either pregnant or a new mother in the winter months.
By this point I have a big bump and feel my baby move, I'm wearing maternity clothing and I'm having to use stretch mark oil over my stomach and chest twice a day (I use boots expert stretch mark oil). When it came to the 12 week scan I had no bump, no feeling of the baby moving and just no sign that my little one was healthy and well, so I felt that I really needed that scan. This time was less worried wether the baby was ok and more excited to see how it was progressing. I'm sure a lot of new mums feel that way.
I think that I’ll leave it there for today but before I sign off I’d like to introduce you to my son
Links (please click the underlined web addresses)
* For volunteering in Leeds Hospitals vist: www.leedsteachinghospitals.com
* For the Gingerbread single parents network visit: www.gingerbread.org.uk
**It was very straight forward changing midwives, I just repeated the same process as before (see post 4 for first scan and midwife procedure) in my new area and then my new midwife cancelled services with the previous team. a
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