Pregnancy Update ~ Baby #2 (Weeks 24-28 & Pregnancy Essentials!)

Well, here we are in November - how did that happen?!! And I'm now 28 weeks so heading into the third trimester. I feel like it's going so fast now, the first trimester went so slowly because I was conscious of not telling people but now it's becoming more realer by the day. We have so much on over the next two months too so it really will be due date before I know it - eek!

I've been a bit slack at blogging my pregnancy updates recently but the truth is, there's nothing major to talk about! Other than a little tired, I've been feeling well. No sickness as such but certain smells are still making me retch and even brushing my teeth some mornings can cause me to get a bit retchy...not a pleasant side effect!

Lots of movement from the baby, even more so than what I remember with Elliot. Such a strange feeling, like she's doing somersaults in there!

Haven't seen my actual midwife since 16 weeks but I did have an appointment with the hospital midwives last week. I got the letter and wasn't sure why it was at the hospital and not at my local Dr's surgery but when I got there I was told it was due to my high BMI and that it was a special clinic for overweight mums to be - great!! Was expecting a lecture but the midwife was very nice and just did all the usual measurements and checks. She said I should be trying to limit my weight gain over the next 3 months - currently I'm up about a stone from my pre-pregnancy weight. She went over what I should be eating, what exercise I could do - obviously I won't be doing any marathons anytime soon but walking is very much encouraged in pregnancy, not just for larger ladies!

We had another scan this week (28 weeks) and this was a growth scan to see how the baby was doing. I love the later scans because the image is so clear, we could see her pursing her lips! She's growing well and measuring exactly as she should so that was good.

Pregnancy Essentials

I'm lucky to have had a good pregnancy so far but there are certain things I've been using that make life a little easier!

Pregnancy Pillow - Velinda 
I didn't have one of these when I was pregnant with Elliot but I have to say this has come in really useful this time round. It is rather big so it does take up a fair amount of room in bed but it really does make things comfier. The material is soft and the pillow is squishy without being too soft. Elliot quite likes propping himself up on the pillow to watch a film too so I think we will be getting lots of use out of it! I've read that pregnancy pillows can be used as a feeding aid when baby arrives so I will definitely be giving this a go.

I love the pattern on mine!

Maternity Leggings - Yours Clothing
I never used to wear leggings but my first pregnancy changed all that and I'm back in them this time round too - so so comfy! The choice for plus size maternity clothes online is sadly abit limited but good old Yours Clothing have a great range called Bump it Up which has lots of essentials like leggings and shirts. I kind of begrudge paying lots for maternity clothes but these leggings were £12.00 which I didn't think was too bad and I do wear them alot! I've not bought any maternity jeans so I generally live in leggings with a shirt or dress over the top.

Baby Center Pregnancy App
I love reading the daily updates and seeing what size my baby is now compared to a piece of fruit or vegetable - last week she was the size of a cauliflower which made us chuckle!

What were your pregnancy essentials?

Pregnancy Update ~ Baby #2 (Weeks 22-23 & Gender Reveal!)

The weeks are flying by thick and fast now and we finally know the sex of our baby - yippeee!!!

Last week we had a holiday in Majorca and had a really lovely time. The temperature was perfect. it wasn't too hot so this was a relief for me, didn't want to be too uncomfortable! I wore compression socks on the flight even though it was only two hours but I still got swollen ankles which I expected - I usually get this even if I'm not pregnant! We were all inclusive and it was a shame I couldn't take advantage of the cocktails but I did enjoy lots of slush puppies which are a firm favourite of mine whilst pregnant!

My bump is well and truly out now and it feels alot firmer. Even my husband said "wow you look really pregnant now!".

No cravings really but appetite is a bit hit or miss. I always feel hungry but can't manage a big portion. I eat a little portion but then find I'm hungry again within an hour!

My sense of smell is driving me mad still - public toilets seem to be the worst culprit at the moment!! I was sick at the airport as the toilet was a bit whiffy, poor Elliot, I missed his head by inches!

20 Week Re-scan

If you read my last pregnancy update then you'll know that our 20 week scan was incomplete and we had to make another appointment. It was booked for the Monday morning after our holiday and I was really excited that we might finally finally find out the gender. We decided to take Elliot along too so I wondered how he'd take to seeing the baby on screen! 

We arrived at the maternity unit and the midwife looked at my notes and said "you're not in the system, you have the wrong date!" - what! I knew I'd definitely got the correct date and she was quite rude to be honest, even when she saw the details of the re-scan written in my notes she was still trying to make out I'd got it wrong. She even said "well you're booked in for another scan on the 2nd November, why is this?" - er, you tell me, you're the midwife! Fortunately she said they'd try and squeeze me in but I was a bit annoyed as I knew it would mean sitting in the waiting room for god knows how long and Elliot was due at pre-school in a few hours! 

After waiting for 45 minutes we were called in (finally!) and I was quite pleased that the sonographer was lovely and not mean like her colleague we had met earlier! She was able to get most of the measurements she needed but was struggling with the heart - the baby was in a really awkward position and no matter how much I moved and changed positions, she still couldn't see what she needed! So I was told to go for a wee and a drink and she'd call me in after the next person. 

Fortunately, on the next go the baby was positioned perfectly and she could see that the heart was all plumbed in as it should be and everything was fine. Phew!

The sonographer said this was a cute pic of the baby's profile but I think it looks like she has giant teeth and a beard!! 

So....I guess you're wondering if it's a boy or girl?! I've been convinced throughout the whole pregnancy that we are having a boy....so imagine my surprise when the sonographer tells me it's a girl!!!! 

It's a girl!

I was completely shocked and it's taken me a few days to get my head round it but I'm really excited that Elliot will have a little sister! It also makes the name options easier because I couldn't find any boys names I like whereas I have definite favourites for girls ;) 

Now I know the gender I've been able to start shopping and I've managed to pick up some lovely bits and bobs in the Tesco sale. I'm not a girly girl and I hated all the pink floral stuff in Asda but Tesco had lots of different colour bits which were more my cup of tea! 

So there we are, time to get organised now. I think January will here before we know it!

Pregnancy Update ~ Baby #2 ( Weeks 18-21 & Anomaly Scan)

Well I'm officially over the halfway mark now and time seems to be going a bit faster now. We have lots planned for the Autumn so I feel like Christmas will be here before we know it and then January - baby time!!

Still feeling generally fine in the pregnancy although I have struggled with the heat over the last few weeks. It's been so muggy so I feel like I've just been constantly sweaty - nice! I've had swollen ankles too which happened in my first pregnancy too.

I've been feeling baby move so much more recently - my husband hasn't been able to feel it yet but I can certainly feel it! It's hard to explain, just feels like lots of bubbles and swirling inside. The baby seems very active!

My bump has definitely popped now and my tummy is looking much more baby belly round, and not "eaten all the cake" round!

I need to get round to sorting Elliot's old baby stuff out soon so I can see what I need to buy. I think I have most of the big items but I did pick up some Tommee Tippee bottles in the Asda baby event last week, plus some neutral baby grows.

20 Week Scan

Week 20 meant it was time for our anomaly scan. It was fantastic to see the baby again on the screen - he/she was really active and flipping around all over the place. Unfortunately the sonographer couldn't get all the measurements he needed - a combination of the baby moving, and my BMI. This is quite common in overweight ladies and actually the same thing happened at Elliot's 20 week scan. We are booked in for another scan at 23 weeks so hopefully the baby might be more cooperative then. I'm also gagging to find out the gender so hopefully we will know at this next scan!

As I'm under consultant care I had to have a meeting with my consultant after the scan. To be honest this was a big waste of time and just felt like they were ticking boxes! I had to sit in a room for half an hour while they read my notes and when she came in she said "Well we have a lot to go through!" so I thought I'd be in there for ages. But she literally had a list of things she whizzed through:

"You had a big baby last time, we'll keep an eye on that this time"
"Do you want to see a dietician? No? OK"
"I see you want a c-section, are you sure?"
"You're booked in for a GTT test, correct?"
"When are you seeing your midwife next?"

And that was literally it, felt it was a complete waste of not only my time but her time too!

We're off on holiday soon to Majorca and I'm looking forward to spending a week in the sun and relaxing for a bit. Well, relaxing as much as you can with a lively almost 4 year old!

Pregnancy Update ~ Second Baby, Week 12 & The Scan!

Week 12

Exciting times now as the first trimester is almost over! Been feeling really well this week, the queasiness has pretty much gone now which has been good. I'm almost sure I felt the baby move too. I know it's early but I recognised that little fluttery feeling very low down where the baby would be - I was singing at the time too with my choir and it almost made me forget my words!

It was finally time for the first scan this week - I felt quite nervous but really excited to see the baby. And excited to be able to everyone our news! We left Elliot with my parents and headed to the maternity unit at our local hospital. I was weighed and measured (I haven't got any taller...sigh!) and then we waited in the waiting room until we were called a few moments later.

I was fully expecting to have a vaginal scan as this is what happened at my 12 week scan in my first pregnancy. (If the sonographer is unable to see a clear picture then they will suggest this, normally if it early in the pregnancy or if you are overweight. ) This time round the sonographer did a regular scan and we were able to see the baby really clearly. He confirmed that there was definitely a baby (phew!) and only one (phew!) and that everything looked normal (phew!). We had some pictures printed (£5 for 5) but they're not the clearest, we could see the baby really clearly on the screen but as soon as he clicked to take the picture the baby moved!

The scan took around 10 minutes and we then had to wait back in the waiting room for me to have some blood taken. Unfortunately the hospital had some kind of emergency and everything was delayed so we had to wait almost an hour for someone to see me! Finally though a lady took my blood and explained that it would be sent off and tested so we would know if the baby was high or low risk for Down's Syndrome.

We didn't tell Elliot the news straight away, we went out for dinner on the way home but when we got back we sat him down and showed him the pictures. I'd bought him a dinosaur tshirt too which said "I'm going to be a big brother!". He seemed a little shocked but quite excited and kept saying "wow!".

I think he was a bit tired at the time and it didn't really sink it but the next morning he came running into our room and said "you've got a baby in your tummy Mummy!" - and since then he hadn't stopped talking about it! I get asked at least 5 times a day when the baby is coming and he is constantly telling people "we're having a baby!" - even complete strangers!!