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.