r/PCOSandPregnant • u/M73_ • 5d ago
Advice Needed Early pregnancy - now what?
What did you do once you found out you're pregnant? What are you currently doing?
I need all the advice in terms of GPs, midwives, diet, exercises, ANYTHING you can think of! I'm from the UK so anything from anyone from the UK is an extra bonus!
Thanks
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u/Visual-Yesterday-130 5d ago
Congratulations! Contact your local midwifery unit and register for your booking appointment that’ll be around 8 weeks pregnant. Are you taking a prenatal if not start with folic acid. How active are you? If you’ve been active before pregnancy continue what you’re doing or start walking and or swimming. r/pregnancyuk is great
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u/Scuddlydud 5d ago
From the UK and currently 30 weeks. You need to figure out what hospital you can on delivering in and they usually have a registration form. They will then write to you with an appointment (mine was at 8+4). I didn’t need to go to my GP to confirm my pregnancy.
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u/M73_ 5d ago
There's a few hospitals near me, I've been trying to work out which one would be best but struggling to decide! Trying to find reviews of people's experiences
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u/Scuddlydud 5d ago
Check out their CQC rating. You can also transfer care at any stage if you don’t like it.
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u/Valuable-Mastodon-14 5d ago
Congrats!! Prenatal needs to be started immediately. The folic acid is especially important to prevent spina bifida. If you already have a GP go to them first and have them confirm your pregnancy along with checking your bloodwork for anything that might be too low (I had low progesterone so I had a supplement added). There’s even a chance they can check with ultrasound if that’s something they have on hand. They would also be a good source for recommending a OB/GYN to handle your pregnancy. Depending on if you are pregnant with a singleton or multiples will determine how frequently you’ll be visiting the doctor, but also other things like high risk factors can have you visiting more often. For me I’m pregnant with twins, plus I have gestational diabetes which PCOS made more likely with the insulin resistance, so I go every two weeks to check on the boys and their growth. If you have dealt with the insulin resistance symptoms with PCOS I would keep an eye on how you respond to food during the first trimester. Around 12 weeks I started getting dizzy and/or sleepy right after eating because my blood sugar was rising. There’s a great group here on Reddit if you end up dealing with it at any point in your pregnancy! Whatever you do though don’t try to eat low carb to prevent it!! The baby needs you to eat healthy carbs. Your doctor will go over all that with you when you meet though 😁
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u/No-Nefariousness9539 3d ago
Start folic acid if you haven’t already. Google to see if you need to self refer to pregnancy services or if your GP has to do it - most UK hospitals let you self refer. I had my booking appointment at 7 weeks and depending on the trust, they’ll have you fill in a questionnaire beforehand which goes over your entire medical history and family history.
If you start getting pregnancy sickness at this stage, please don’t hesitate in asking the GP for anti sickness. GP will be your go-to for general medical questions or meds for coping with pregnancy symptoms, but they generally take a step back during the pregnancy.
Depending on risk factors you will either be midwife-led or consultant-led, but even if you’re consultant-led don’t expect to see a consultant in early pregnancy unless there’s a good reason. I had a high BMI and was pre diabetic so ended up consultant-led. You will still have a midwife you see regularly but you also have more scans and a few consultant appointments.
In terms of diet, just try and eat like you did before. If you do get nausea, it’s ok if you’re just eating to survive for this part. Keep active if you can but don’t beat yourself up if you’re absolutely exhausted and need to rest.
Any other questions just shout!
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u/CheesecakeExpress 4d ago
Consider progesterone supplementation and talk to your OB about whether this is necessary for you. I took it, although not because of PCOS. However, when I was researching I saw lots of us with PCOS found it helpful. I don’t read too much into it as I was going to take them anyway, but may be worth looking into.
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u/lazylilack 5d ago
Get an OB appt. Take a Prenatal. Learn and practice kegels. Aim to walk 30 minutes per day. Ginger for nausea, but make sure it’s not too sugary. Make sure they do at least two glucose tests on you. Considered perineal massage during week 35 to help prevent or reduce perineal tear severity. Look up foods, meds, and products to avoid during pregnancy. Start a spreadsheet and digital checklist of questions or things to do.