Update and Our first visit to the Dr

Wow it has been almost a month since I last wrote and a lot has happened since then. So, I went to London and have now returned to Greece. During my 2 and a half weeks in London I hardly sat still, lots of running around for the wedding and catching up with friends. It felt like my feet didn’t touch the ground. My hen night on Saturday the 3rd May went great no one noticed that I kept losing my drink and didn’t drink anything, Nat helped by swapping glasses with me every time hers was empty. I managed to stay awake till 5.30am hard at the best of times, but it wasn’t as hard as I thought, there was so much going on I didn’t want to sleep. However it took the next day and the day after that to fully recover. On the (bank holiday) Monday I saw a little blood. It was brown and oldish looking blood. It did freak me out a little and led to a massive research mission on the internet to see if all was ok. The conclusion was in fact inconclusive so I booked an appointment with the Dr for the Tuesday. I was hoping to have a little check-up while I was there perhaps a check for the heart beat etc. But the Dr even though very understanding and much nicer than the other Dr’s I have seen in the past at the same surgery listened to my symptoms and asked if there was any more blood or if I have any pain to both the answer was no. He then went on to explain that there was nothing to worry about and should I have more blood which is heavier and feel pain then I should go directly to the hospital. He was also ready to book me in for an ultrasound and the usual check-ups until I explained that I actually now live in Greece. He was very good about it in that he said that I should be careful and should I want to give birth in the UK I mustn’t tell anyone I have been out of the country for over 3 months because then I will be made to pay because I lose my rights as a British citizen. Even though having this baby in the UK has crossed my mind several times for the simple fact that I think I will have more control over it and would love to be close to my mummy, I couldn’t bear taking that magical moment away from my wonderful new husband. There is no way he would be able to get so much time of work and it wouldn’t be fair to leave him behind when this baby is as much a part of him as it is me.
After this first little scare I started to take a little bit better care of myself. It is easy to forget that you are pregnant when you hardly experience any symptoms. I am now in my 11th week and haven’t been sick once. I have noticed that I get very bad indigestion when I eat nuts and so have stopped doing so, other than the odd bloatedness from eating too much and needing more sleep I don’t feel any different. My symptoms are so little that I even doubted I was pregnant at all and went and bought another pregnancy test. Now there is no doubt in my mind!
So back to London on the week of the 5th May. For the rest of the week I took it easy as much as possible, considering it was the week before the wedding. And by the end of the week I saw more blood. Panos arrived on the Thursday night (8th May) with his family and friends and we stayed up till pretty late catching up, and the next day I had more blood. This time it wasn’t old brown blood like before it was proper blood. I then started to relate it to tiredness as it only seemed to be happening when I lacked sleep the day before. I didn’t let this get me down even though I did worry that I might miscarry on my wedding day, nothing would have been worse. My auntie even told me that she actually miscarried her baby the day before her wedding day.
On the day of the wedding (11th May) even though the night before was a relatively late night and I got up early I was in very good spirits and there was no blood. The wedding itself was amazing, the sun was shining as were both the groom and I. I wasn’t nervous at all, just excited and even though there were a few minor hiccups it didn’t affect our mood or day. Panos and I had a great time and everyone around us absorbed our good energy and vibe and also enjoyed themselves. The day went by so quickly I wish it had lasted a little while longer but all in all I couldn’t have wished for a better day. Everything was perfect.
We even made it to an after party so we could see our friends one last time before we flew back to Greece on Tuesday. We finally stumbled into our hotel suite at about 2am where immediately we ran a hot bath and relaxed while going over the events of our special day. Again I had a little blood but it must have been at the end of the day because it didn’t make it through to my dress and when I saw it late at night it was pretty fresh. I am now beginning to think that the blood is caused by a lot of jumping around. The day before the first bleed I was bouncing around on my friends rebounder and the night of the wedding I joined in on a very lively traditional Greek dance.
Since our wedding night there has thankfully been no more blood. We are now settled back into life in Arta, Greece and today we had our very first proper consultation with the Dr. He gave me an ultrasound and asked me the usual questions, date of last period etc. How I am feeling in general etc. The ultrasound revealed a very small wriggly baby with small arms and legs and of course a big head and pumping heart. A small piece of magic in the making.
The reaction from the Dr when my husband told him that I was a vegetarian was that I should eat a little of everything including meat and dairy etc. He said that I should avoid lots of sugar and fat. He more or less disregarded the fact that I don’t eat meat and told me I should eat it, to be honest I didn’t expect anything different and I suspect I will hearing a lot of that the more people find out that I am pregnant. Unless I have a huge urge to eat meat which I sincerely hope I don’t there is no way I would even consider eating it.
At the moment my symptoms are:-
- The need for extra sleep (in other words no more going to bed at 3am, by 1am at the latest I am asleep on the couch).
- The first sign of uncontrollable food cravings. I can’t stomach my usual huge salads and all I want to eat is cheese and crackers, dairy products seem to be calling out to me. No meat cravings thankfully.
- Extreme bloatedness and discomfort when I eat a big meal, sometimes I just can’t help it, I love food!
- Occasional dizziness when I get up too quickly.
- A little agitated a bit like PMS
- A very slight swelling around the belly, only I can notice it
- Tender nipples
- Mild constipation some days

I have had no weight gain yet, but suspect that wont last long with the extra food I have been eating lately. It isn’t so much that I have been consuming more calories than the so called daily allowance, but I would say that I am probably eating more calories than I would have normally considering I wouldn’t say I ate that many calories before. Plus the type of food I am eating has changed. I am definitely eating more cooked food and foods I haven’t eaten for years, such as dairy. Since being in London where my mum was often cooking vegan food for the rest of the family every day the temptation was just too much.
However since being back in Greece I have been feasting on cherries, strawberries and apricots. And been making green juices where possible perhaps every other day, as well as eating dairy products which is something I haven’t done for years. However I recently discovered sunflower seed butter spread over apple slices and topped with slices of banana and this seems to be taking the place of the cheese and crackers.
Here are the useful facts I recently discovered about sunflower seeds, oh how pleased I was to discover that my new favourite meal is feeding me and my baby a ton of nutrients.
* Sunflower seeds are 22% protein, proteins are composed of amino acids, which are the building blocks of human cells and are extremely important for a developing foetus.
For every 100 grams of sunflower seeds there are 30g of unsaturated fats and 30mg of essential linoleic acid, which reduces cholesterol deposits in the arteries and veins. Essential fats are useful if you are trying to break an addiction to high-fat foods because they are a healthy alternative and satisfy fat cravings, hence why when I have sunflower seeds I do not crave cheese.
One hundred grams of these tiny treasures contain 7mg of iron compared to 2½ mg in the same serving of beef. The growing child requires iron for the development of its blood supply as does ones body for its own blood supply. Sunflower seeds are also filled with potassium which helps flush and reduce sodium in the body. These seeds are plentiful in magnesium and phosphorus which help the body absorb calcium. There are 174mg of calcium in a cup of sunflower seeds. The calcium to phosphorus ratio makes the calcium readily available for the building of strong bones. Calcium is required by the growing foetus for strong bones and teeth. Sunflower seeds are a strong source of B vitamins, which include the infamous pregnancy nutrient folic acid. They are particularly high in thiamin and niacin which protect the health of the brain, skin and digestive tract.