Pregnancy Diary: Week 26 & 27

19/08/13

26 & 27 Weeks Pregnant.

I am writing this as I am coming towards the end of my 27th week. I'm still feeling fabulous! My feet are still swelling but after borrowing a foot spa I have had a lot of relief. My heartburn hasn't been as bad the past week either. I've sort of gotten used to it and have found that having regular glasses of milk and eating a bit more dairy has helped tenfold. I tend to try and ease it naturally before hitting the bottle! Gaviscon bottle that is! 

I feel like my bump has gotten bigger and has filled out a lot in these past two weeks. Although a lot of people comment that my bump is small which I'm unsure about. I feel big. I have begun getting stretch marks really low down on the bump. I have to say I have been a little lazy applying the stretch marks lotions and potions. I have plenty to use but know that genetics play the biggest role when it comes to them. Here are some pictures I have taken in the past two weeks.

Mummy and Daddy.

Egg on legs.

       Me being totally serious! 

This afternoon I had another midwife appointment. I love going to the appointments to check on our boy, it's always so exciting. I had the lovely midwife that I had at my booking in appointment and it was lovely to see her again. We had a quick catch up and then got started. They begin measuring your bump at 24 weeks to try to plot your babies growth and estimate the birth weight as your pregnancy progresses. So today my bump was measured for the second time and again I was measuring big. The first time I was on the high end of the guideline but this time I was above it! She said not to worry as it is not fully accurate and it's not too big to cause any concern. It's also better to be measured bigger than small. We also had a listen in on his heartbeat and it sounded strong and healthy. The midwife also told me that he was in the head down position already! He is head down, on his side on my left. Which explains why I get most kicks on my right side and why I have had a lot of prodding in my ribs. The position he is in is the ideal position for birth so hopefully he will stay like that! I had to rush over to the appointment after work so didn't have time for any lunch. Bad move! I had my bloods taken but because I hadn't eaten and as it was so stuffy in the room so I went a little woozy. Which was very humiliating! My next appointment is in 3 weeks time when I will be 30 weeks.

I have started thinking more about birth lately. I think I want a water birth. I can see why people choose to have them. I like that you have more space, not confined to a bed and that it feels a lot less clinical. The water must be somewhat soothing too and I like how a water birth would be less stressful for our son when he is born. I still need to do a lot more research and speak to my midwife about it but it looks like a water birth will be on the cards for me. I am absolutely terrified but at the same time excited. 

This week I started to sort through all his clothes a begun arranging his bits and bats. I still have a lot more washing and sorting to do but it was nice to get started on it. I will probably leave the rest for when I go on Maternity leave which will be in less than 6 weeks time! 44 days and counting! 

My cat Teddy was showing my bump lots of love this week. He normally has a thing for bare skin and he won't sit on your knee or come for a cuddle if you aren't covered up! I think most cats are like that, they don't like the feel of bare skin. Ted came and sat on my knee and I lifted my top up for him to have a see and he started to nuzzle my stomach and fell asleep. I just had to share some pictures as it melted my heart! One of the things that I worry about it how the cats will adapt to having a new baby in the house. I don't want them to feel replaced and know that they are still loved! If anyone has any tips on how to make the transition as easy as possible then please let me know. 

I cannot believe I am moving into the third trimester already. It has gone so fast, it's unbelievable. I can't believe that in three months time my baby will be in my arms! Where has the time gone? 

Pregnancy Diary: Week 24 & 25

13/08/13

24 & 25 Weeks Pregnant.

I'm a little late with this post! I am writing this at 26 weeks pregnant but this post is all about week 24 and 25. I feel great, my energy levels are fine and I feel very chipper most days. Only thing that has gotten worse is my heart burn but it's nothing a glass of milk or a swig of gaviscon can't cure! As my bump gets bigger I am finding it harder to get comfortable at night time. I have a dream genii pregnancy pillow which is so comfortable but it seems to stop me from being able to sleep? Every time I have tried to use it I have been as snug as a bug but I just can't sleep? I think I am starting to get some pregnancy insomnia too. Some nights I will be shattered but I just can't seem to switch off and shut down. All worth it though!

Me at 24 weeks. Can you tell I am bump obsessed?!

Baby boy is kicking all the time now. He is so strong! I love those kicks and will really miss them once he is here. I am loving being pregnant and never would of thought it would agree with me so much. I know every pregnancy is different and the next pregnancy I have could be terrible but for someone who used to freak out at the thought of being pregnant I am absolutely astounded at how much I love it! I just hope I don't get addicted to being pregnant, ha ha. 

We think we have decided on a name. From day one we had a long long list of names that we liked or would consider using. Once we went through that list there was literally only three names that we both liked enough and agreed on but only one name we both adored. That name being Noah. I must admit we are already referring to him with his name so hopefully when he is here he looks like a Noah! 

Nick and I had a week off work during these two weeks. We decided to get cracking on the nursery with our free time. The room we were using was literally used for a dumping ground and every square inch was just full of boxes of things we don't use. It took us a day and many tips to the skip just to clear that! 

It took me weeks to decide what colour scheme I wanted his room to be. I was stuck between green or yellow. At first I was all about green but once I saw the yellow I knew it had to be that colour! I thought it would be a nice warm colour for him without being too distracting and it would match the pine coloured furniture that we had already bought.
We must of looked through twenty or thirty shades of yellow until we found the shade we wanted. Who knew there was so many shades of yellow?! Yellow is just yellow right? Wrong!

After we finally selected the colour we went straight to the painting! I had a little go but didn't want to be in the room so long with the fumes so I left it up to Nick. He did a fantastic job to say he had never painted a room before! Thankfully it only needed one coat and then a couple of touch ups. We then ripped up the carpets and went straight to fitting the brown carpet we bought. Everything went to well and we had the whole nursery decorated in two days. 

The following day we had the joys of tackling the flat pack furniture. Again my lovely Nick took the reins and had set up all the bedroom furniture in no time. We only have limited space in the room so we had a play around with where we wanted the furniture to go before we were satisfied. 

 

What do you think? Do you like our nursery?

I'm absolutely in love with it. There isn't a thing I would change and I'm so happy with the colour scheme we went for. Now the nursery is done it is one less thing to worry about and it really does make everything seem so much more real! I must admit I do go in there at least twice a day just to have a look around. Makes me so excited! I know he won't use that room for a long while as he will be sleeping beside me in a moses basket for the first few months. Then after that I may even bring the cot into out room!

Cannot believe how fast the pregnancy is going! He will be in my arms in no time!

Pregnancy Diary: Week 22 & 23

26/7/13

22 & 23 Weeks Pregnant.

I have just come to the end of week 23 and decided to do another double post from my experiences of week 22 & 23. I literally have had no bad symptoms whatsoever! My energy levels are back to normal, I feel fantastic, no nausea, dizzy spells, no nothing. I am loving it! Really appreciating this easy going time as I know I have had it pretty good and I know that the third trimester can be tough.

The only thing that has really changed is I am starting to struggle getting up when sat or led down. The bump is starting to get in the way a bit more. I have noticed that I have begun sitting, crouching and even standing differently. Again I find it hard to notice if the bump has got any bigger as I think it's harder to tell when you see it every day but in the past few days I have felt a growth spurt. My belly has started getting tighter and it's begun to itch. Especially around my belly button area. I have also gotten my first stretch mark on my stomach. It's only tiny and I know it will be the first of many! I have been applying creams and oil but not religiously as I know that genetics play a bigger role in stretch marks. If you are going to get them, you will get them! This bump photo was taken at 22 weeks. I am having to wear Maternity clothes now too. This dress was bought from the Topshop Maternity range and it's so comfy! 

Baby boy is now 11 inches long and weights a whopping 1.1lb! His little "poke" kicks have become much stronger and you can now see his movements through my clothes. At first I could just feel him around my stomach area but as he is getting bigger I can now feel him at my ribs and as far around as my side. He is still the most active at night time. His kicks woke me up for the very first time last night! It was 3am and it felt like he was running a marathon inside me! He tends to sleep most the day and I hope that isn't the case when he is here! Awake all night and sleeping all day! I could literally just lie there all day just watching his movements. It's amazing. I love him so much! 

We decided we wanted to buy our nursery furniture this week too. I literally went on so many websites to find a good quality set that was not too expensive and I found the whole process so frustrating. There aren't many stores now that you can walk into and view the furniture before you buy and that was my problem. We decided to drive over to our local Babies R Us as they had some great deals on and I knew they had the furniture on show. We literally walked in and both wandered over to one cot in particular and we just knew it was the one for us. We briefly looked at the others but we had already made our mind up. There was an incredible deal on the set and we got the cot bed, shelving with changing unit and wardrobe for just £250! We couldn't believe the deal. My partners parent's promised to buy us the cot so we rang them to let them know that we had chosen and that the cot bed on it's own was £100 but they kindly offered to pay for the whole set! It was incredibly generous of them and I am so thankful! I think I got all teary! 

The picture does the set no justice whatsoever. The wood is a richer colour and it's a lot more sturdier. I think they need to hire a new photographer!

Everything seems to be coming together and the next step will be choosing the colour scheme for our nursery and decorating! That will be next week! 

Can't believe how everything is happening so fast. In 17 weeks I could be giving birth. In 9 weeks I will have finished work for a year. In 3 months our son will be here!
Well they do say time flies when you are having fun!

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Pregnancy Diary: Week 20 & 21

12/7/13

20 & 21 Weeks Pregnant. 

I'm writing this a little later than expected! I decided to do another double post again as 20 & 21 weeks were very similar. I need to keep on top of these posts. At the minute it has been hectic at work, home and had lots of commitments so the blog had been put on the back burner. But I am here to make up for the lost time! 

I've felt absolutely fantastic the past week or so. My energy levels are slowly going back to normal, I feel great on a whole, I've been in a great mood. I can't really complain! Well there is always something to complain about, my feet! As it has been so hot my feet and ankles have really suffered. The heat, standing up for long hours at work and pregnancy don't mix well. But at the end of the day they are only swollen feet and after a lounge around they go back to normal. What's a pair of swollen feet when you are carrying a little bundle of joy inside you, eh? 

Anyway onto the fun part! We had our long anticipated 20 week scan on the 28th of June! I literally could not wait to see our little fella again. I didn't feel nervous until we were in the waiting room at the hospital. So at the 20 week scan it is basically to make sure everything is okay with the baby. Firstly the midwife did all the checks that she needed reporting them back to the other nurse who added all the data into the computer. She measured everything from his thigh bones, to counting his little toes to even checking if he was still a boy. Which he is! Thankfully! Everything looked fine with the baby and all the while I was just in awe staring at the screen. I couldn't believe how much he had grown since the 16 week scan and I was just amazed by him. I can't believe how much I love him already. Later on Nick told me that he was worried that the sonographer was going to say something wasn't normal but honestly I was that mesmerised by our son I didn't even think that way. It was a great relief to know that everything they could check was fine and on track. True to nature he was being naughty again. She really struggled to get a good scan photo of him and kept having to shake him around to make him budge. He really is camera shy when it comes to these ladies! 

Here is our scan photo:

I think he looks like his Dad already, just from his little profile! A Nick Jnr! 

On each of our scans too he has been sleeping or lying with his hand beneath his head. That is how I sleep at night. I wonder if that is a habit he will have when he is here?

Another milestone on the 20th week as I began feeling proper kicks for the first time too! Not little butterflies but what I call pokes. The first time it happened it had me thinking was that a kick? But every day they gradually got stronger and stronger. On the 21st week they became even stronger. He also has a schedule for his active time. I call it his afternoon aerobics class and nightly yoga session. He is always most active after I have had a big meal or when I am resting. I am adoring the kicks. Enjoying them while they are nice and gentle and not uncomfortable.

I don't feel like my bump is getting much bigger but maybe cause I obsess with watching it grow everyday that I don't seem to be noticing as much. What do you think? I think it still looks rather big. The photo was taken at 21 weeks.

I'm extremely happy at the minute and really at ease. So overwhelmed with love for our little boy and so excited for our future. More than half way there now!  

Pregnancy Diary: Week 18 & 19

27/06/13

18 & 19 Weeks Pregnant.

I thought I would do things a little different this week and write up a double post. Week 18 and 19 were very similar symptom wise so it will be a lot easier. 

I felt a lot better this week. I had the week off previously so totally relaxed and rested up. I think that worked wonders. All I wanted to do was sleep, sleep and sleep! I'm still finding everything tiring and I get out of breath easily. I can't wait for this burst of energy you are supposed to get in second trimester. When is that going to come? 

Had a tiny scare at week 18. I had some light brown CM after going to the toilet. When you see brown you automatically think old blood. I panicked, true to nature. We rang our midwives and kept getting the call diverted which was irritating but we finally got through. The woman I spoke to was lovely and reassured me that there was nothing to worry about! That there are so many changes going on that sometimes that can cause a little bleed. The fact it was brown and not red was a good sign too. I burst out crying after the phone call because I was just so relieved!

Bump isn't growing as fast as it did in early pregnancy but is getting bigger slowly. People are able to tell I am pregnant now without me having to mention it. I had a customer asking me how far a long I was and congratulating me at work, which was very sweet. I also had someone tell me how much I suit being pregnant and that I am blooming. I wouldn't say blooming but I agree that up until now pregnancy has suited me. I have had it good with no morning sickness, I haven't put on THAT much weight YET, I haven't had a break out in spots but what they don't know is that I have gone incredibly hairy and my boobs look horrendous! Ha ha. All part of pregnancy and like I have said before I have loved every minute so far! 

It's crazy how much I am in love with this baby. I haven't even met him yet and I am feeling the most insane amount of love. I would do anything for him already. I can tell I am going to be one over protective Mummy. We bought a doppler this week too and being able to listen to his heartbeat whenever we want to. Which is great when you need some reassurance and some bonding time. 

We were also lucky enough to win a moses basket on twitter this week which was fabulous! It means one less thing we need to buy. How gorgeous is it? Can't wait for it to arrive.

My lovely friend Claire made us some adorable cakes this week too. How incredible are they? Not only did they look amazing they tasted even better! At first I didn't want to eat them as they were so cute but once I got a taste I think we scoffed them in two days! 

I've enjoyed writing up this post and next time I write I will be showing the 20 week scan. We will be half way there! Can you believe it?!

Pregnancy Diary: Week 17

12/06/13

17 Weeks Pregnant.

I really struggled this week symptom wise. I was having dizzy, faint spells all week. I didn't feel like myself and felt utterly exhausted. I think it was a combination of it being a really hot week, work was very busy, I had been rushing around wearing myself down, taking on too much and had done a lot of days in a row. I think it took its toll on me. I ended up in tears as I was scared about the safety of our son while I was at work. I kept thinking to myself, if I faint while I am going down these stairs. It frightened me so much that I could be putting our son in danger. Protective mother alert! Already! I ended up going to see my GP and she actually signed me off work for a week and told me to take it easy. I had already booked the week off as holiday but either way I totally relaxed and took it easy all week. 

To me my bump still looks the same size but the shape seems to be filling out a lot more. It is starting to resemble a real bump rather than just a podgy belly. My stomach has also gone really hairy. Attractive I know. Thankfully they aren't dark hairs and they are blonde and it looks more like peach fuzz ha ha. 

Now we know that we are expecting a boy I went a little bit more baby clothes crazy this week. I have already bought a ton of unisex but now I knew I could buy for a boy I had a whole new excuse to spend more! I didn't hold back on buying a few cute outfits. I even bought some in 6-9 months for next Summer! 

Here are the some of the first proper boy babygrows I bought. We got them straight after our scan! I want our little lad to be animal mad as both his Mum and Dad are huge animal lovers. We got them from TK Maxx.

 Here is an adorable outfit I bought from Boots! I think in total it was around £35. It's all excellent quality and I think worth the price. Our little boy is going to be such a cool dude!

Not long now until that 20 week scan. We can't wait to see our little buddy again! 

Pregnancy Diary: Week 16

3/6/13

16 Weeks Pregnant. 

I'm still feeling a lot of the same. Fine apart from feeling exhausted all the time. Baby bump is still growing nicely but not half as fast as in those first couple of weeks. I think everything is evening out a little more now and I look a bit more in proportion. My cravings are now milk and cheese and I'm still not fond of meat. 

Well let's get to the good part! As you may know (if you read my pregnancy diary) we paid for a private gender scan via baby bond and we finally got our answer this weekend! No more speculating and guessing, we now know for a fact!!

On Sunday the 2nd of June we drove down to Preston for our long anticipated gender scan. All the way there we were guessing and getting so excited. I was also really nervous. I really really wanted to know what gender but once you know there is no more guessing and that part of the pregnancy ends which is sad. Bit strange to think like that cause I still really really wanted to know. We got there in good time which was good as the clinic was nearly impossible to find. Even with a sat nav, even with google. We googled the clinics number and it wouldn't ring. We googled the clinics address and it said it was closed on a Sunday! It was panic stations! So we were dashing around on foot trying to find this clinic all on a full bladder. 

We eventually found the building and was sent straight up to our appointment. I filled out a few details and we went straight into the ultrasound! No messing around and it was very straight forward. I led on the bed and my heart was pounding in my chest! Nick was sat next to me looking as equally nervous. In a matter of seconds our little baby was up on the screen. It is such an indescribable feeling when you see your baby up there, your heart just swells with love. The ultrasound technician was a lovely woman and was so much more helpful that the NHS technician I had a couple of weeks back. She told us that she likes to have a good look a few times before she announces the sex so she can be as accurate as she can. She was having a good look at baby and straight away you could see what was there! Nick looked at me with the biggest grin on his face and the technician told us to guess as it was pretty obvious! Nick said, "It's a boy!!" And he is indeed! There was no mistaking that he is a boy! She went on to tell us that little baby boy was sleeping. We could see his little mouth suckling and heart beating. It was incredible. She also told us everything looked fantastic, which always makes you feel better! 

We are both so happy and in our element. We obviously didn't mind either way if we were team blue or pink but to finally know and to be able to picture your future family with a bit more clarity was amazing! We then drove back home to tell all our family the good news and everyone is so so happy! 

Pregnancy Diary: Week 15

24/5/13

15 Weeks Pregnant.

15! Not long until we are half way through! My symptoms have taken a few step backwards this week. I started to feel sick again and became picky with my foods. For the first 13 weeks I was obsessed with fruit and fresh fruit juice and could not get enough but now I seem to be addicted to milk and cheese. Funny how your cravings change so frequently. Before I was pregnant I loved Indian food but now I am all about Chinese which I never really bothered with before. Very odd! I've always been a fruit lover and still can't get enough fruit, I must be having at least 8 portions of fruit a day. 

Bump seems even bigger this week! Believe it or not! No sign of the growth slowing down. I am going to be gigantic come 30 weeks. Nick will have to push me around in a wheel barrow to get me to and fro! Baby is now the size of an orange and is 2.5oz!  

On the next post I will hopefully be announcing the gender of our baby! As in only a weeks time we will be having our highly anticipated 16 week gender scan! I am so glad that we paid that little amount of money to find out the gender a whole month earlier. It is also a lot more accurate so I will feel more confident with this scan than a typical NHS scan. Then 4 weeks later we have the 20 week scan to look forward to! Lots of exciting times ahead! 

Pregnancy Diary: Week 14

18/5/13

14 Weeks Pregnant.

Not much has changed from my last weekly post. I am still feeling great and have hardly any pregnancy symptoms which is great! No nausea, still no morning sickness and my appetite is normal. I am still exhausted all the time but that is to be expected. I am still waiting for the burst of energy you are supposed to get in second trimester to come and save the day! 

My bump is growing well and is rather large for what stage I am. It's so comforting to rub my belly and think of my little baby growing in there. It's so humbling and I can't get enough of my bump! Although it frightens me how big my belly may end up if it is so large already!

Our baby is now the size of a lemon, little lemon baby. We are both still counting down the days until the private gender scan. We can't wait until we find out what we are having. We can then start visualising our future as a family with either a baby girl in the picture or a baby boy! I used to think boy, boy, boy all throughout the first trimester but now I am starting to think pink! It could be a baby girl, only time will tell. So very exciting! 

See you next week!