Trimester Talk – part 1

Pascale Pruijser
Customer Service at Gebe Maternity
33 years old
Trimester 2: 19 weeks pregnant
Calculated date: 21 December

Pascale tells all about her pregnancy in this edition of Trimester Talk. Every month, another mommy-to-be tells her story. How do you experience your pregnancy, how do you prepare and do you have crazy or striking features? Pascale works at Gebe Maternity and that is why we can follow her even better during her beautiful pregnancy. Pascale tells us in Trimester Talk – part 1 about becoming pregnant in this Trimester.

“On 12 April I found out that I am pregnant. That was one day before my father’s birthday, I wanted to surprise him with the news. The test was at that time not super visible. I could not believe it at all and at the same time I felt very confident about it. Nevertheless, I finally did 5 tests. One every day. And every day the test became clearer, the last one really indicated ‘pregnant 2-3 weeks’. There was even one test between those who said ‘not pregnant’, because I actually started testing 5 days to early.”

“In November 2016, I made the decision to become a mother alone. I wanted to become a mom since I was 25 and I did not want to wait for ‘mister right’ anymore. I have had a very long relationship, and shortly after we broke up I made the decision to go for it alone. ”

Where to start?
“And then, where do I start? I went to the doctor, but he actually had no idea. I went searching for it myself and found out that many hospitals do not help you without a donor, or when you enter the process without a partner. Then I read about the Medical Center for Children (MKC) in Leiderdorp. I went there to an information evening and that same evening I registered. I had to bring in a donor myself or join one of the banks that they work with. All these steps I have done very consciously alone. It was my process.”

“When selecting a donor, I first started looking at my characteristics, so the baby would start to look a bit like me. But once in the process and it became clear how much you can find about the donors lifestyle and family, health has become the most important part. In the end I went for that and I had let go of all external characteristics. ”

“Before I could really start, I had to undergo a hereditary examination. My biological father is a carrier of the SMA gene, a hereditary muscle disease. If I was carrying this too, the gene should not be present at the donor. Fortunately I got a positive result and that same day I had my first intake for the process. I did have a shortened second term of my cycle, so I had to spray a hormone crinone when I started. This gives the egg a little more time to nestle. ”

“From the MCK, it is advised to take at least three attempts per donor. The first three times were all untouched. My period started before I could even test. In the second round I chose another donor. That was actually a match right away. Unfortunately, at the ultrasound scan of 6/7 weeks, there was no heartbeat to be found anymore. This was very sad. The 6th attempt was a match again and then I got to see a beating heart with 6 weeks. Pregnant!!”

“It is still very unreal that I now really become a mother. It is so special. The first three months I have had three ultrasounds, a lot of course. Yet every time it was exciting and every time a bit more confirmation. With 12 weeks I dared to believe it a bit more. Meanwhile I feel my little one flutter and everything looks good. I really can not wait to feel the little even better and enter the second half of my pregnancy. I do not know if the baby will be a boy or a girl, this remains a surprise until the birth!”