18ish Weeks

Today, I am either 18+3, or 17+4, I feel alright, I've been getting the flutters in my tummy again, I can't wait for them to be proper kicks & punches... although I may regret saying that in a few weeks as I remember being kept awake by Louis, he wriggled like a mad thing! I've started to feel the weight of the bump a little more - it's more comfortable to put something under it when Im laying in bed so its not 'floating' and I've had to start walking at a fraction of a slower pace.

This week I ordered our pram, so exciting! I know we have the travel system we used with Louis, but back then we had no experience, we just went for the cheapest thing. Now I think the design of it is rank, and I just don't like it - it will go on ebay this weekend. We bought a Bugaboo Cameleon, it will be arriving next week. I went for the grey and black option, as we won't find out the sex of the baby, but they also sell a 'Breezy Canopy' which is a summer hood for it, so once we have the baby I might get one of those according to the sex. Well, I might get a pink one if we have a girl, Im not sure if I like the blue!

I finally got through to someone about sorting out my antenatal care. I rang my GP, as advised by the hospital, who said they had no numbers for any midwives and I should be going to the hospital for my appointments - which the hospital said was rubbish. I managed to find about 4 different numbers for NHS care in the area - just patient advice kinda thing, typically the last one I called was the right one... well, it wasn't but she knew where I had to call. So I called them, then got the number for the community midwife, what a palava! I was told I don't need to be seen now until 25 weeks, but I will need the MATB1 form to give my work before 25 weeks to inform them of my pregnancy officially.

That's another thing I've been pondering this week - how long to have off before I have the baby. I think last time I had planned to work 'til 36 weeks but ended up leaving at 34 because I felt so pregnant. This time I have a toddler to deal with too! I don't want to 'waste' my maternity leave, but I also don't want to struggle into London in the heat feeling uncomfortable. Ohhhhh decisions decisions. A friend of mine due in March had her baby 4 weeks early (on Valentines day - ahhh), which to be honest, has freaked me into thinking maybe I need 6 weeks! Another idea I have had is to see how much holiday I have accumilated and take that off before my proper maternity leave kicks in. I still have a while to decide I guess.

Here is a pic of me today. I realise it looks like I am wearing pyjamas - I'm not - it's a white vest and boyfriend jeans :P



Baby-gaga.com says the following about week 18:

We have two more ounces! Your "getting bigger-n-better by the minute baby" is already up to 7 ounces and 6 inches! This is a big week for their baby skin. There are now two distinct layers—the epidermis (or the surface skin) and dermis. Currently, their skin is covered with a greasy, waxy, cheese-like substance, known as vernix caseosa. Sure, it sounds pretty nasty, but this mixture of fatty secretions covering your little swimmer from head to toe is the best way to protect their oh-so-thin skin from bruising and abrasions as well as chapping caused by amniotic fluid exposure (and your little one is swimming in that stuff!). Still don’t like the fact your little darling is currently slathered in fatty cream like a greased pig? Well, you know the birthing process? Where you have to push something the size of a watermelon out a hole the size of a grape? That adorable little greased piglet would have a lot harder time getting through the birth canal without the vernix caseosa. Fun fact for momma’s with baby girls: it’s a uterus within a uterus! Your little girl will have developed a uterus and vagina canal by the end of this week.

And how's mom doing? POP! If you haven’t yet, you will soon be seeing the last of your inn-y belly button—until after you’ve pushed your little monkey out. If it’s getting difficult to breathe, you can thank your not-so-small belly for squishing your lungs—which will be more and more cramped for space as the pregnancy Keep in mind that as you grow (and grow and grow) in size you produce more blood (for both of you), which lowers your blood pressure. So standing up quickly and/or occasional fast movements may cause slight dizziness or lightheadedness progresses. Not that this is surprising as everything else in your mid-section is getting properly squooshed as well. (What else is new?!!). Keep in mind that as you grow (and grow and grow) in size you produce more blood (for both of you), which lowers your blood pressure. So standing up quickly and/or occasional fast movements may cause slight dizziness or lightheadedness. This is totally normal, but means you shouldn’t be too quick to jump to your feet when your team scores a goal. It's better to just punch the air in excitement or clap gleefully. One more fun pregnancy symptom to add to the list: you are producing more melanin, which can cause dark patches of skin to occur on random parts of your body. Don’t worry—these dark spots (unlike your parent’s age spots) will retreat soon after birth.

Ooops

I had a gentle reminder from a friend that I hadn't been keeping up with my blogging duties, so I hope I am back in full force now.

I was just feeling so rubbish, that when I got in from work I wanted to think about nothing.... at ALL! Everything is fine though, and I'm feeling a lot more human now thank God. It seemed like eternal sickness.

The scan went really well - a lot longer than when I had my 12 week scan with Louis. The sonographer pointed everything out to us; all the parts, and the baby flipped over at one point, we could see it waving, and then it put its legs up... was fascinating to watch. The photos weren't as clear as last time, but here is one (albeit a little wonky) of them



The dates seemed to match mine, but as they were still within a week of what the midwife had worked out on her little wheel (20th July), they will stick with that. I have my next scan on 9th March, so I wonder if they will change it then. I am keeping my ticker on here as my date of 26th, so I can look at it and not worry if I go over 20th July! It gets very confusing with how pregnant I am though... I have to think of things by their dates, as that's what they will do - i.e. I will start my maternity leave based around that date etc. So that makes me 17 weeks and 4 days pregnant today (or 16+5 depending on how you want to look at it!) Here is my bump taken just now, at work (shhhh don't tell the boss!)


Generally, I'm feeling ok - I keep getting massive headaches over my left eye, but other than that, vast improvements on how I was feeling. I can feel lots of little pops inside my tummy too when the baby moves around.

Louis is doing great, he's started pre-school and seems to be growing up ever so scarily quickly. He keeps asking when the baby is coming - I say that it will be a long long time - after his birthday, but now we've got to the point where he is waking up asking if it is his birthday, bless him! I hope he's as excited once the baby is here!

Babycentre.com update for week 17:

How your baby's growing

Things are really moving now. This week, your baby's eyes look forward instead of to the sides, her ears are almost in their final place, and the rubbery cartilage that will become her skeleton is about to start hardening into bone. Read more information on your baby's development this week.

How your life's changing

First-time mums often start to feel their baby's movements around now. Many women report that the first sensations are fluttery or like butterflies in the stomach. Unfortunately, your partner won't be able to share in your excitement just yet - real kicking doesn't usually start for a month or so.

As your body gently expands, you may feel less than glamorous. Take some time to feel good about your changing body in the coming weeks. Even if you don't feel attractive, your partner probably still finds you a turn-on - some men find the roundness that pregnancy gives to women's figures very appealing. It's quite safe to have sex right up until your waters break, provided there is no medical reason not to, such as bleeding. Some women find that their libido increases during pregnancy while others go right off making love - it's quite normal either way. If finding a comfortable position is the problem, then follow our tips.

You may also notice that the areola, the darkish area around your nipples, is getting larger as your breasts expand. It's a harmless side effect of pregnancy but it may last as long as 12 months after the birth. You may have noticed other skin changes such as the linea nigra and the mask of pregnancy; both of which will also fade after the baby is born.

10 Weeks + 3 Days

We had a lovely Christmas - Louis really enjoyed himself and I think this was the first year he 'got it', well part of 'it' anyway! I daren't say it really, but my sickness seems to be starting to ease, and can feel lots of stretching around the sides of my tummy and boobs. Only a week until the midwife appointment, and hopefully will get to hear the baby's heartbeat. I think it will all feel a little more real then. I guess because I don't have as much time to just sit and think about things as we did before we had Louis, I still can't quite believe we're having another baby! That said, I did order a baby blanket and some shoes from No Added Sugar yesterday because there was a good sale and I didn't want to miss out!

I took a bump pic today. I'm sure it's not really this big, maybe its because my pyjamas are so skin-tight that you can really see it... anyway - this is me and my little baby :)



And in old-pregnant-with-louis style blog fashion, this is what Babycentre says about week 10;

The fetus is only about 1.2 inches / 3 centimetres long from crown to rump and weighs less than a sixth of an ounce / 4 grams. Even so, it's busily swallowing and kicking. Each day more minute details start to appear, such as fingernails and peach-fuzzy hair.

The vital organs -- the liver, kidneys, intestines, brain, and lungs -- are fully formed and functional, while the head is almost half the length of the entire body. The forehead temporarily bulges and sits high on the head, but later will change into a more human-like feature.

If you could take a look at your baby this week, you'd be able to see the clear outline of his spine. Spinal nerves stretch out from the spinal cord.

Your uterus is now the size of a grapefruit. With the help of a Doppler, a hand-held soundwave stethoscope, you can hear the fetus's rapid heartbeat -- one expectant mother likened it to the sound of tiny horses galloping.

And after reading that it's a bit embarassing why I have a bump that big when my baby is only 3cms big!?

Hello

I'm 8 weeks and 6 days preggers now. I have had a bit of shocker since my last post. First I had a horrid cold, got over that, and then got really ill - don't know what the exact cause of it was, but I had a night of being awake the whole night with sickness from both ends I couldn't even have a sip of water without it meaning another trip to the bathroom. Jack sorted Louis out and took him off to the childminder, but after a while I was feeling worse - I rang NHS direct who advised me to try a mouthful of water every 10 minutes, and that it was really important I got something in me especially as I was pregnant. After an hour I was still not keeping these mouthfuls in, so rang the doctors surgery as per their advice. They couldn't get a doctor out to me for about 4 hours and they said if I felt worse I needed to call an ambulance. It got to a point where I was feeling very dizzy and felt so weak. I couldn't stand up properly... I called 999 and an ambulance came for me and took me away in my pyjamas. Luckily I hadn't attempted drinking anything for a while so I was 'safe'.

The ambulancemen took me to Urgent Care in a wheelchair, where someone said I could be treated. I was seen by someone - BP and urine sample taken, then was told to wait again. 2 mins later saw a doctor, who felt my tummy - he said he didn't know why I had been admitted to that department as I need an IV drip and they don't have the equipment, so the only option was to go to A&E. By this point my ambulancemen had long gone, so off I hobbled and made myself a little bed on the only chairs that didn't have arm rests.

After a while Jack turned up - he hates hospitals so he was just as bad as me really! It felt like no one was being seen, it was agonising - I was so thirsty and felt so ill. A girl arrived who looked either drunk or drugged, wobbling all over the place. She stopped right next to where I was laying. I thought she was going to either throw up on me, or fall on me, so I sat up.... only for her to promptly take my place, so I was forced to have to sit up (arm rest situation) which made me feel worse. She kept running off to the loo and was being sick really loudly, which didn't help.

We must have been waiting 2 hours, when Jack went to ask when I'd be seen. They said they didn't have my notes. Great. I could have cried if I had had enough liquid to produce tears. Then someone came to say I'd be seen next, then after about 5 minutes was called. So off I went, and fainted on the walk over. Jack started shouting at the staff saying it was because they'd taken so long. He felt bad by the time we were leaving.

The nurse tried taking blood, but as my blood pressure was so slow they couldn't get anything - so she punctured me 4 or 5 times before calling another to do the job for her. They took some blood and put an IV drip in - they also added some anti-sickness stuff. I fell asleep while it went in. I don't really remember much, just being absolutely freezing. I felt a lot better by the time it was done. They said my blood results showed I wasn't severely dehydrated so I could go home and continue with the sipping water. They gave me some anti-sickness tablets too to take home, but only 5 days worth.

I asked the nurse to check the baby was ok - she said 'oh you'll get a routine scan at 12 weeks' - I said I knew, but I was worried because I'd been so ill - so she said she'd felt my stomach and it wasn't tender or soft and so everything was fine.

Jack took me home, I felt so weak. I managed 1/4 of a slice of toast... it stayed in for a while, but at least the sickness had stopped. I took 3 days off work, Jack was an absolute darling - just did everything in regards to Louis, made sure I was ok - just a total dream.

I feel fine now, but my stomach is still a bit delicate. Other than that, the tiredness has started - went to sleep at 8.30 last night!

I have my scan date through - 12th January wooohoooo!

Bleurghhhhh

I am currently 6 weeks and 3 days pregnant, or maybe 6 weeks and 4 days - I have 2 different tickers and they are a day out from each other, doh.

I thougth I had got away with the sickness and tiredness for some twisted reason, but I haven't. I definitely didn't feel this sick when I was pregnant with Louis. I've even been sick a couple of times, which I never was last time, and I hate because I really really really dislike being sick. Well, I can't imagine anyone particularly likes it, but it's just one of my things that I worry about. What if I need to puke while Im on the train? Urgh. I have been feeling soooo sick that I honestly could cry. Nothing I do seems to help - tried doing nothing, tried doing more, ginger, eating little and often etc etc - nada.

I have also gone off one of the things I most like, tea. My stomach is turning even thinking about it now. I just long for cold freshness in my mouth - lemonade, cucumber, apples, tomatos, frozen grapes.

I do realise that I am VERY lucky to be blessed with a baby in my tummy, so it's all worth it, but just BLEURRRRGH!

I can't remember if I said in my last post, that at the doctors I had a choice of 2 different hospitals... well the GP put me down for one, but then after I went home and researched I decided I wanted to go to the other and so called the surgery to inform them. Then this week I received a scan date through, but for the wrong hospital! I rang the doctors surgery and it looks like my change of hospital hasnt been processed and no record of it! They told me to cancel the scan, but Im going to hold onto it until I get a date through from the right hospital. I dont want to go without because of their error.

In other news, Jack passed his first Knowledge exam and will be starting his appearances in January, this is where the excitement (and stress, yay) starts!

I'm Baaaaaaaack!

So much has happened since I last posted... well obviously, it's been over 2 years!

Louis is an absolute dream, a really lovely little boy - he talks lots, behaves well (most of the time!) and sleeps well too. He's really got his own little character now, very very cute!

I went back to work 2 days a week, and then a few months later went back to full time. For the past 2 weeks I've gone back down to 3 days a week as the industry is pretty slow at the moment. I have taken up photography as an interest and hope to pursue it as a little sideline career.

Jack has been doing the Knowledge, and has his first test next week, it's all very exciting.

The house is fine, still not anywhere near finished, but hey, we have a home - it's all good!

The other news is that I'm pregnant again! We found out last Tuesday (11th November). I woke up feeling really sick, and so I did the one pregnancy test that I had laying around...


I was concerned it was rather feint so went and bought another one, to be sure. Luckily it was a day I was at home, so I could do all the faffing about I needed to! I rang Jack and told him not to get his hopes up but I'd got a feint line... I did the other one at Sainsburys, couldn't wait to get home!


I know that last time I tried making it special with the whole suspence and socks thing, but I just couldnt manage it this time round! I rang him up straight away to tell him the good news. Obviously we are both over the moon.

I had my booking in appointment at my surgery yesterday. She told me my due date is 20th July, but I think I have worked them out properly, so I will stick with 26th July unless the scan says otherwise. I have to choose between 2 hospitals, neither of which I know very well. Tough decision and I don't know how to make my mind up.

We've told our family and will tell close friends as and when the time is right. We've decided not to tell Louis until after the 12 week scan just incase anything goes wrong (touch wood it doesnt of course). I can't wait to tell him though, eeeek, he's going to be a big brother!

Just to let you all know that we are still here, just really havent found the time to sit and write here regularly. The office i being used as a kinda storagey room at the moment, and we have no desk yet - I am typing on a keyboard resting on my lap, and looking at a screen propped up on boxes!

Louis is doing really well, putting on weight well and sleeping through the night (yay!)

Anyway, must be off, hopefully be back soon!