I get so many people telling me they look forward to reading these posts every week. It's almost become a little overwhelming and I never quite know how to respond. I only ever started writing them because I was rubbish at writing in a baby book and I wanted to have something that I'd be able to look back on. I do feel the need to keep it as real as possible though, my friend Danielle warned me that pregnancy isn't glamorous and she wasn't wrong, but never did I think I'd be sharing my constipation with quite so many people.
Don't get me wrong, I am the most grateful person in the world that I'm pregnant, especially after miscarrying in January and knowing people who aren't fortunate enough to get pregnant, but it really is hard this whole pregnancy thing, I think some people underestimate just quite how much, emotionally and physically.
So I just wanted to say, to everyone who reads this every week, thank you. Whether you genuinely are interested in our little journey from a couple with a wolf cub and a polar bear for pets into real life actual parents, or whether you're just being nosey you don't know how much it means.
How far along?
24 weeks + 6 days. 15 weeks to go!
Total weight gain?
Still 10st 8lb. Normally I weigh myself when I get home from work but today I did it just after dinner. Not very accurate I know.
Maternity clothes?
Nothing new. Still being driven mad by baggy legged jeans. I'm seriously contemplating living in dresses until October. I did buy a pretty white dress from work last week in a size 8, pretty happy about that. At least I know I'll be able to wear it next summer too, although I might have it taken up an inch or two then, everything sits slightly higher with my little bump.
Stretch marks?
Still just my boobs. Knowing my luck I'll get them after baby is born and my bellies shrinking back down.
Sleep?
Good, apart from the cramp that's been making an appearance of late. I woke up the other day swearing like a sailor, I don't think Kyle was quite prepared for that.
Best moment this week?
Saturday night when Kyle's sister Tanya felt the baby kick for the first time. She kept telling me to wake it up since she got to the caravan on Friday night but every time I thought we were on to something baby would stop. Then a few hours later his brother John felt it too. I thought John was gonna start crying.
Miss anything?
Nothing in particular.
Movement?
I'm starting to get used to baby's routine now, it always goes a little wild between 5-6pm. It also has a good move around after I've eaten my dinner, I always wonder whether that's because there's not as much room there after I've eaten. I can't wait until my whole belly moves from side to side!
Food cravings?
Still none.
Anything make you queasy or sick?
It's been another good week for my stomach.
Gender?
The Chinese gender calendar says it's a boy. At first I put my age in as 22 when we conceived and it said girl. Then I remembered I'm 23 and it came out saying boy.
Labour signs?
No.
Symptoms?
Just aches, today I ached all over and kept having dizzy spells where I'd go all faint, my arms go all weak and my heart starts to race. A few people said it sounds like anaemia. It got to lunch time and I just felt so defeated by how little I'd got done.
Belly button in or out?
I think when you can feel your belly button through your top it means it's definitely become an outie.
Mood?
Foul. How I bite my tongue I don't know. I'm really glad I've not had to suffer any really rude customers at work because I probably would snap. My hormones are absolutely hellish, I can be in a foul mood or set to burst into tears. Today has been a bad one for me, I came home from work, took myself off to bed for an hour, maybe had a little cry for no reason whatsoever, dusted myself off and now I'm okay. Em text me as she does every Wednesday because it's now known as 'picture day' and she's chief photographer for this blog, but in all honesty all I wanted to do was put my pyjamas and chill out.
Looking forward to?
My check up with the midwife on Friday. It'll be the first time I meet her since I moved from Shrewsbury to Telford just after my 16 week appointment. I've got so many questions about hospital visits and antenatal classes, and I want to ask a few things about Strep B, especially now baby has got to be born on the consultant unit, does that rule out a water birth completely, and does it mean I have to stay in afterwards?
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How far along?
23 weeks + 6 days.
Total weight gain?
Still 10st 6lb. I thought I'd have started putting weight on a little more rapidly by now.
Maternity clothes?
I forget about the grey pair of jeans I bought from ASOS back when I was about 12 weeks pregnant. They finally fit me, but I'm having such a hard time with trousers, I hate when they're baggy on the legs, but obviously going up sizes because of my baby lump means the legs are baggy on my H&M pair and my ASOS pair. Wearing Topshop jeans for the last 4 years has turned me into such a denim snob.
Stretch marks?
Just my boobs still.
Sleep?
Sleep is fine, although me and Kyle have got a terrible habit of falling asleep on the sofa. Saturday night, or should I say Sunday morning, we woke up at 4.40am on the sofa - it was going light outside! We went to bed for a few hours, but I couldn't get to sleep for ages, some days I'm up at 5 for work so I guess it threw me off a bit.
I had this really scary dream as well about the film The Grudge. I've not seen that film since I was about 13 and I've not exactly been thinking about it, but it was so horrible, I lay awake for ages scared stiff someone creepy was gonna pop through the door.
Best moment this week?
Catching up with my friend Liss. She's been living in Plymouth since she went to university there, but at the moment she's home in Telford. Our travel system arrived today which was so exciting.
Miss anything?
My Jamie jeans. God how I miss them. Maybe I'll just live in dresses until I give birth.
Movement?
There's been lots of baby hiccups this week. I was cuddling up to Kyle in bed and he could feel them on his back. My little sister Em felt baby kick too. I get so emotional when someone new feels it, the excitement is just a little too much for me, I have to play it cool and stop myself from crying.
Food cravings?
No cravings but ice cream is the newest part of my diet. I even bought strawberry syrup when I went food shopping. What have I become?!
Anything make you queasy or sick?
No sicky feelings this week thank god!
Gender?
Liss's Mum Pammy G did a quick once over and said that because I'm all bump and you can't tell I'm pregnant from behind that it's a girl.
Labour signs?
No.
Symptoms?
No new ones since last week, still weeing for England. I remember my friend Danielle saying when she was pregnant that the constant need to wee is annoying but it's still satisfying because they're always really long wees. She was right, it's nothing like when you have a water infection.
It's not really a symptom, just a pain in the bum, but last Friday I had a letter through to say I'm a carrier of Strep B and that they'd recommend me having baby in the consultant unit in Telford. I had originally said I'd like to have baby there but only because it's all so shiny and new. Kyle had kept saying he wanted baby born in Shrewsbury which originally I was thinking oh no that's like 25 minutes down the road but before the main maternity unit was in Telford, anyone from Telford travelled to Shrewsbury anyway so I did end up coming round to the idea.
Belly button in or out?
Just about in.
Mood?
Kyle says I've been grumpy this week, sorry Kyle. I've just had such bad back pain this week, I couldn't even roll over the other night in bed, but when I'm not feeling top notch I just go really quiet.
Looking forward to?
A weekend by the seaside. Kyle's working Saturday and Sunday so I'm going armed with Sex and the City boxsets and a load of photos to edit to keep me busy.
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How far along?
22 weeks+6 days, although I'm posting a day later than usual so technically I'm 23 weeks today.
Total weight gain?
10st 6lb so only 1lb on last week. You know one thing that really bugs me though, being called 'fat', or anything along those lines. There's a big difference between being fat and being pregnant which I think some people seem to forget.
Maternity clothes?
I put on a dress Friday night that I think is the last time I'll be wearing it. My wardrobe seems to be shrinking by the week.
Stretch marks?
Still just my boobies. I've started using Bio Oil twice a day, it's different to what I expected, not at all oily.
Sleep?
The heat this last week has been a struggle at night. Kyle suffers from hayfever too so sleeping with the window wide open can't always happen, not that it probably would have made a difference. I do find that in the day when I've started work late or it's been my day off I've nodded off on the sofa for half an hour.
Best moment this week?
There was a Expectant Parent event at Mothercare on Monday evening where they talk about pushchairs, car seats nursery furniture. I really enjoyed it, and we've decided what nursery furniture we want, even though we're in no rush to buy it. You also get given a 10% off voucher so we're ordering our travel system on Friday which I'm super excited about!
Miss anything?
It seems selfish really, but just having more range of clothes to wear. I could go wild on maternity clothes on ASOS but I really can't justify it when I'd rather spend my money on baby things or things for the house.
Movement?
I find that since Kyle had that big kick the other week it's really calmed down and a lot of what I feel is on the inside. I think baby had hiccups on Sunday night, I climbed into bed and I could feel little jumps every few seconds. Amy felt the baby kick today at work, I got really excited and skipped over to her in excitement. I really thought she was going to cry, that would have definitely set me off as well. It's such a special thing to share with people. I get little movements all day so for someone else to feel it and get excited about it is lovely.
Food cravings?
No cravings, but a few days when I got home from work I could have eaten the entire contents of the fridge and carried on to the kitchen cupboards. I have had a real fancy for sweets these last few days.
Anything make you queasy or sick?
It's been a good week this week for my queasy stomach thank god!
Gender?
We did the baking powder test the other day just for a bit of fun. I like the old wives tales, it passes the time and makes it more fun speculating what it could be. The baking powder test is apparently 86% accurate though which I don't know how much I believe that.
Labour signs?
No.
Symptoms?
Since Sunday I've been needing a wee a lot more than before and sometimes, i'm guessing when baby is lay on my bladder the sudden urge to wee is like no other. Oh and constipation. TMI I know but like I've said before I've always promised myself to keep it real on here. I had to just confirm with a few people what it was because never in my life have I had an issue like that before
Belly button in or out?
It's still in atm but I feel smaller this week than I did last week.
Mood?
Feeling a little anxious and I'm not 100% sure why. Maybe it's normal as time goes on...
Looking forward to?
There's about 15+ people on my Facebook due babies this year and the first is due around about now. I'm only close to a couple of the people who are due but it's still so exciting seeing all the sweet little babies being born, between now and October.
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How far along?
21 weeks+6 days
Total weight gain?
10st 5lbs. Not too much of a drastic change!
Maternity clothes?
Nothing new, I'm getting bored of the same limited wardrobe. Sometimes all a girl wants is a pretty skirt.
Stretch marks?
Still just on my boobies. I picked up a bottle of Bio Oil today to try out for a change. FYI if you fancy getting some, I'm pretty sure Primark sells it cheapest.
Sleep?
The hot nights have made me and Kyle restless, but not so much that I'm shattered the next day.
Best moment this week?
Kyle feeling the baby kick on Saturday was by far a highlight. I only starting properly feeling it myself last Thursday so I wasn't expecting him to feel anything anytime soon. Baby gave him the biggest thump I've had so far, and it did make me all teary eyed.
Miss anything?
I miss having feet that don't hurt constantly.
Movement?
I felt what I knew for certain was baby movement for the first time last Thursday as soon as I sat in the chair to get my eyebrows done. I've been feeling it a lot more ever since, although it's a lot calmer on the days when I'm in work.
Food cravings?
Nothing. I've been eating pretty normal I'd say. I've had a few comments saying how small I am, but I personally think I'm all bump. I've made a conscious effort to cut down on junk food, and get as much exercise as I can (mostly just walking to and from work, but it's a lot more than I was doing).
Anything make you queasy or sick?
Just some smelly cat meat that had been sat in the sun too long had me feeling a bit queasy.
Gender?
There's a new girl at work who in the first conversation we had together she said she thinks it's a girl because I'm carrying all at the front. There's still not a single bone in my body that is bothered by what it is which I'm so glad about, I've read a few stories about gender disappointment, I didn't realise it was an actual thing!
Labour signs?
No.
Symptoms?
My belly is definitely at a point now where strangers can tell I'm pregnant. My favourite was the window cleaner who comes to work every Monday, we have a chit chat and mid sentence he went 'oh you're expecting, or you've had too many burgers this weekend'. Man's got balls, I wouldn't dare mention to it even when I serve ladies on the till who are blatantly pregnant buying maternity clothes. I also really struggle when I'm on my feet at work with a pain down below that makes my bum cheeks ache too, I really don't know what it is.
Belly button in or out?
In. But it is definitely starting to pop out, it's feeling different to how it used to.
Mood?
I'm feeling so restless at the moment. I've been making lists like nobodies business. Is it too early to start nesting because all I ever want to do is make the house our home without all the previous owners weird touches. I also think baby brain is setting in, my attention span is pretty much nil, especially at work, I'm starting to feel like more of a hindrance than a help. I also went food shopping last week and came back to find the house key sat in the front door, just where I left it...
Looking forward to?
I finally got my leaving date from work and my job is now being advertised which is a little bittersweet. I'm excited to finish so I can really concentrate on sorting baby things out and spending as much quality time with Kyle as I can before baby gets here, but I'm sad to leave my little team, especially Amy. I know how much she loves my updates on how glamorous pregnancy really is. This morning I declared that my 'vagina was going to explode'.
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How far along?
20 weeks+6 days
Total weight gain?
10st 4lbs. Kyle struggles to pick me up these days.
Maternity clothes?
The maternity shorts I bought a few weeks ago were my absolute go to this weekend. They are so comfy! But these Divided basic shorts are only £7.99 and they are so stretchy. I might pick up a few other colours just to throw on around the house.
Stretch marks?
Still just on my boobies.
Sleep?
Still looking good thank god. One thing I have noticed is that I quite often wake up with pins and needles in my hands.
Best moment this week?
Our weekend at the caravan was so lovely. The weather was absolutely beautiful, so we both ended up coming back a lot redder than we went. Unexpectedly getting to hear baby's heartbeat on Monday was also a highlight. We weren't expecting to hear it until our 24 week appointment.
Miss anything?
Still nothing springs to mind.
Movement?
I'm definitely starting to feel something but I wouldn't describe it as fluttery, more like bubbly feelings, but I won't lie, it's hard to know what's baby and what's me just needing to fart. The Doctor had a good poke at my belly on Monday and I swear baby spent the rest of the day getting revenge. Every so often I would get a little thump feeling.
Food cravings?
I had an ice cream on Saturday. Anybody who knows me knows what a big deal that is since I've disliked ice cream for years. I don't know what came over me, Kyle and his chums were going in for milkshake and for some reason I just fancied trying one.
Anything make you queasy or sick?
Nope it's been a good week this week. We've had no cat sick or cat poop to contend with.
Gender?
I've heard another old wives tale this week... if you lie on your left side when you sleep then it's a boy, if you lie on your right it's a girl. I've not heard this one before, but if we're going by this then babies a blue one.
Labour signs?
No.
Symptoms?
I had a bit of bleeding on Sunday afternoon which panicked me a bit so first thing Monday morning I called the maternity unit. Turns out if you're rhesus negative you have to have an anti-D injection if you ever bleed (from your vagina obviously, not just a cut on your finger). We popped down to the hospital and they checked my pee which was showing small signs off a urine infection which then meant I'd have to be examined because it can lead to the cervix opening which we certainly do not want at this stage. We spent the rest of the bank holiday curled up on the sofa watching films and snoozing and I think all the poking from the Doctor has woken baby up.
Belly button in or out?
In!
Mood?
I'm feeling relieved that even though it was just a little blood I still went to get it checked. I felt a bit like I was overreacting when I phoned up because it wasn't a lot of blood and I felt fine in myself but the Doctor said we'd done the right thing to go in and anymore bleeding at any point I have to go in for another anti-D.
Looking forward to?
Afternoon tea on Friday with Mum and my two sisters.
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