Anna's pregnancy diary: Week 20

Anna's pregnancy diary - ultrasound scan

Mum Knows Best

Before you go out and buy lots of expensive maternity clothes, have a good rummage through your wardrobe. You'll probably be surprised at how much stuff can be adapted or worn a little differently to still fit you!
Natalie, mum to Bobby
I was convinced the TENS machine I used wasn't working because labour still felt very painful. However, it was only when I took it off that I realised it had been effective, as I could feel the difference. It got me through the first few hours until I got in the pool, where my baby was born. Michelle, mum to Sam, 6 weeks
I started getting really bad headaches when I was about 12 weeks pregnant, but forcing myself to drink two litres of water every day really helped.
Jennifer Shepherd, London
Ditch as much of your housework as possible and don't stress because the house is a mess or there's ironing to do. Your baby will sense you're calm and, with luck, he'll be calm, too. I know it worked for me - Daniel is a chilled-out, happy baby!
If you're set on having a natural birth, read up on visualisation and breathing techniques so you feel strong when the time comes. It really helped me when I was having Honey.
SJ Drew, Paignton
If you're uncomfortable in bed, or suffer backache, tuck one end of a v-shaped pillow between your knees to get your hips level, put the 'v' under your bump and cuddle the top. It was my midwife's idea - it also cured my insomnia.
Isabelle Jacobs, 34, from Edinburgh, mum to Paul, 3 months
To help beat morning sickness, as soon as you wake up - eat a piece of dry toast.
If you have trouble sleeping in pregnancy, read a baby names' book. The monotony of the list means that by the time you reach 'D', you'll be gone!
Emily Gale, 31, from London, mum to Madeleine, 2, and 35 weeks pregnant
Drink ginger tea to beat morning sickness - it really works!
Jenny, pregnant with baby no.1

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goodtoknow's Food and Diets Editor Anna is pregnant, so we've asked her to keep a diary of her pregnancy, telling you all the good bits and bad bits and asking for your help and comments.

This week Anna goes for her 20-week ultrasound scan and finds out the sex of the baby!

I'm oddly nervous again. I know Lenny is alive as he likes to wriggle and wriggle and wriggle, so I'm not scared that something bad has happened to him, but just that the sonographer will find something wrong.

I'm also nervous because we both really want to know what sex the baby is and everyone's been laying their bets. My dad wants another granddaughter as he's got one granddaughter and three grandsons. My mother-in-law thinks it's a girl because she decided that's what it was and then forgot that we didn't actually know and told everyone. My husband wants a girl but thinks it's a boy.

I'm pretty convinced it's a boy, but that's not maternal instinct. I had a dream where I was at the scan and I looked at the screen and it was just absolutely obvious that it was a boy. And that's been enough to convince me. Oh and the magpies. One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy... And the day before the scan I saw four! I don't really mind either way of course, as it's my first, but it's just the moment when she says... 'You're having a..." And then it's final! It's done! We'll know what we're having!

Anyway, so back to the scan. This one is where they check pretty much everything for any sign of anything going wrong. They check head, heart, limbs, spine, blood flow, kidneys etc etc and measure everything to make sure the baby's growing properly. If any abnormality shows up then they get a second opinion from another sonographer, or refer you to a specialist in foetal medicine.

Sometimes if a problem's found it just means that you have more monitoring and the problem corrects itself, or it can mean that they have to prepare for certain treatment when the baby's born. They also check the position of the placenta to make sure it's not going to be in the way when the baby tries to be born.

Lenny was doing somersaults while I was waiting for my appointment so I knew the sonographer was going to have a hard time. And sure enough, when we went in, the first thing the sonographer said was, what a wriggly baby! It took her a while to do the measurements, so we got to have a good long look at our baby. My husband commented on how it looked like lots of different animals and an alien, which kept making me laugh.

It was a fantastic experience. All the measurements were fine and she told us the baby was healthy and happy. And at the end the sonographer had a good look and told us what sex it is! But I'm not telling... You'll just have to wait and see!

- Coming up: Anna talks more about her scan in a video blog
- Previously: Anna shares the good advice she's got from her friends
- Read Anna's pregnancy diary from the beginning
- More about week 20 of pregnancy

More pregnancy help and advice

- Our week-by-week pregnancy guide
- Find out if you're having a boy or girl with our quiz
- Different scans during pregnancy
- Common pregnancy worries answered

By Anna Penniceard

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Jolene goodtoknow Editor

I've just had my 20 week scan and found out it's a boy! It's such a relief to find out that the baby is OK and I found Anna's diary entry very comforting. Now just another 20 weeks to go all over again... :)