Week 26...happy new home!

Wow! It has been so long since I posted an update, six weeks infact! We have finally moved home and have only just managed to get internet access, which is why I've been so quiet.
So, a lot has happened over the past six weeks, a lot of growing and a lot of kicks, I hope I can remember everything!

Overview
Since the last time we met my bump has really ballooned! I have started getting comments from strangers. I've had one lady telling me what star sign he'll be and therefore what type of person he will be! Then I had someone say, "oh, who ate all the doughnuts?" (I work in a doughnut shop) before (thankfully!) asking when I was due.
We saw the midwife last week, all went well, baby is a good big size, and is happy in there! I didn't doubt he wasn't happy as his movements are strong, once I am sat or laid that's it, he is moving and grooving all over in there! Sometimes it is uncomfortable but most of the time it is just really nice to feel him!
We also have bought our travel system which I love. It was very difficult for me and Stu to put up, probably not as difficult as it should have been! But it transforms into a push chair and came with a car seat! It has a lovely neutral giraffe pattern, leatherette handles which adjust easily, proper tyres which can handle rough terrains and it folds away easily! It was only £300 (on offer at the time) from Mothercare, a real bargain. Click here to check it out on the Mothercare website, there is a video on there too which is very useful!
They also start the free 2 year guarantee from the day you are due, which I think is a great touch.

We also bought a 2 in 1 rocker and bouncer from Mothercare for £40, with an Owl pattern. I love animal patterns! 

It bounces but also vibrates at three different settings to soothe the baby. It was easy to assemble and I am hoping it will be like Sex and the City when Miranda discovers the lullaby chair!

We have also started decorating the nursery. We choose an animal print (surprise surprise) wallpaper which my lovely dad put up perfectly.

We are going to paint the walls green, and have ordered some cream and brown furniture which arrives next week.

How big is he?

He, at 26 weeks, is the size of a butternut squash and weighs about 2 Ibs.

Like I said earlier my bump has really ballooned!

Symptoms

I still continue to have back pain although it has eased, which is possibly because my body is getting used to the extra weight. Instead I now have sore, sometimes swollen legs and feet and soreness around the stomach area. My hayfever is starting to kick in but isn't that strong yet. I am dreading when it does though as I get it really bad and I can't take what I normally would.

My hunger is raging, I am always hungry, if I don't eat I feel sick, so I can't just ignore the hunger at all! I have also been sick a few times, every time it starts on the bus then I need to run off to be sick, sadly wherever I can. I have made it to a toilet every time except once where it happened in the street!

Not so much a symptom, well I suppose it is linked, is having moments of feeling down and worried and wishing for my old life back just for one day! That isn't because I don't want this, I do! More than anything but pregnancy is tough it is tiring and people, even people close to you, treat you differently. Although most of the time it is great as they are looking out for you, sometimes they say/do things that make you feel unwanted. I believe just because I am growing a little person inside me doesn't mean I am a different person! Anyone else felt this? Would love to chat about it!

We are having a baby shower/house warming next week so I am looking forward to getting all our family and friends together to celebrate our little family. I will be going over the top with food and decorations! We are also going to London before then to visit Harry Potter tour for our first wedding anniversary!

Please leave some lovely comments about your pregnancy would love to chat!

Week 19 and 20...and the baby is a...

I really can't believe another two weeks have past and I am now half way through my pregnancy! It has been quite an enjoyable two weeks and I am really loving my pregnancy at the moment.

Overview
So week 19 was pretty fun as the baby really started going to town with the movements. Almost every time I am sat or laid down I feel some sort of movement, they feel like pops inside and sometimes my stomach moves, which is so exciting. Stu loves to feel them too, although Noodle does tend to stop once Daddy's hands are on my stomach - already being cheeky!
Week 20 was the scan week, probably one of the most exciting times in any woman's pregnancy, and that wasn't any different for me. We have been dying to know what gender we were having from the start so I was eager for this scan. Plus being able to see Noodle again - amazing!

Me and Stu had a nice and early appointment and we were seen by two nurses, one a trainee who did the scan. We seen everything, Noodle's little arm, heart and nose all which we recognised. The rest such as the kidneys and brain we couldn't make out ourselves but were told everything was normal and that it was, well, a boy.

Yes we are having a little boy! We are so happy and excited and have already bought some cute little jumpers and shirts for him.

I was also told that I have a low-lying placenta, and need to go back in 12 weeks for another scan. I am not worried about that at the moment as it could change in 12 weeks. The low-lying placenta can cause heavy bleeding and if it remains low it can cause problems giving birth and sometimes a caesarean section is needed. But there is only a 10% chance it will remain low at this stage.
Anyone else had a low-lying placenta? What happened with yours?

Baby grin!

How big is he?
I love that I can now say he. He, at 20 weeks, is the size of a Belgian Endive. Yes, that vegetable we all know and the love! The picture is a type of lettuce, but he is also the size of a banana, which is easier to imagine. The nurse said he is about 12oz.

My bump is around the same size, hoping for some more growth within next few weeks.

Symptoms
I have had a lot of backache, I think mainly due to being on my feet all day at work. I don't feel the pain usually till I lay down unless it is quite severe, then I feel it throughout the day. I also think it is due to the weight I've gained on my breasts and stomach on my small frame that is taking it's toll.
I have been eating great as well. I can eat pretty much anything now. I was sick one day in week 19, I throw up everything I had ate that day all at once and was fine after that.
I have also had a horrific cough which I can't tame, and now hayfever season is upon us I am worried at how bad that will get along with the other awful symptoms hayfever brings, especially since I can't take what I would normally take. My body feels quite run down with the cough and have developed a cold-sore. I am prone to them but again can't take same medication as I would normally take.
But on the plus side I don't feel sick and that is all I wanted!

Gender reveal
Well our original gender reveal ideas didn't all go to plan. First we were going to have a party with the whole family and cut into a cake, but we couldn't get everyone together all at once. Then we decided to pop balloons and the confetti inside would reveal, but that went down the pan too.
In the end we gathered my family at dad's house with blue balloons, sadly wrapped in a black bag and not hiding in a lovely box, but they were still pleased with the news.
For Stu's family we gathered for a meal and some of his Scottish family came down, making it even more special, and we gave each of them two envelopes. Inside the envelopes were letters and together they had to work out the name of the baby, therefore they would figure out the gender.

On social media we posted this picture:

He is definitely going to be a mini Stu with shirts like that!

What are your gender reveal and 20 week pregnancy experiences? Let me know!

Review - Mama Bee Belly Butter

When I first announced that I was pregnant a lot of the advice that I received from those who had been pregnant before, was to get some cream on that stomach now, to help reduce stretch marks before they even start.

After some research, reading a lot of blogs and watching a lot of YouTube videos I decided to try Mama Bee Belly Butter from Burt's Bees.

I bought the belly butter (I just love that name) from Boots for £13.99 for 185g which I think is a fair price if it is going to help.

I love the packaging, it is simple with a cute bee on the front, easy to open and scoop out which is what you need when your hands are slippery from applying the product.

The butter itself is a combination of Cocoa, Shea and Jojoba Butters which creates a pleasant but not overpowering natural smell. The texture is lovely, it is thick but after a good rub into the skin sinks in really well and I just really enjoy rubbing it round and round my belly as it feels really soft and connects me to my child inside.

After using it for about two weeks my stomach, back, chest and top of my legs all feel softer than usual. No sign of any stretch marks yet, but I can't put that down to the butter yet as it is still early days. Will report back a lot later on in the pregnancy to whether I think it helped. But all in all it makes me feel good, and that in itself is worth it.

Week 17/18 - fried chicken!

I am currently half way through week 18 and have decided to put week 17 and 18 in one post as not much has developed over these two weeks.

Overview

So week 17 started off with me continuing to be sick from the last whack of sickness, which I talked about in week 16. Then I started to feel better, then worse again, then ta-da! I felt good again. Thursday was the most exciting day that week as I went to see my lovely midwife. Although not much happened in the appointment, she took my blood pressure and felt my tummy, I did get to have a good listen to the baby.

She warned me that I might not hear anything right away, but boom! the second she put the dongle on my tummy the noise was loud and fast, a very happy baby in there! 

Week 18 has been a normal week, sleeping has been a problem, but feeling well and eating quite a lot! Just feeling stress from moving house, we should be moving in less than two weeks but there's still so many things going on with solicitors, when will this end?!

How big is the baby?

At week 18 Noodle is the size of a sweet potato - that seems quite big! 5.6inches, so he/she has grown an inch! Feeling a few butterflies, but still no kicks. I have never wanted to be kicked more in my life!

I went shopping with my mother and here is a picture of me about to unsuccessfully try on long shirts in bigger sizes. When I looked in that full size mirror I was like woah big belly!

Symptoms

Hunger! My pre-pregnancy appetite is back. I can eat pretty much anything (still not mince and I don't like pizza anymore) and I can eat a fair bit. I am not sleeping well, I wake up during night after more crazy vivid dreams - we're talking Stu hiding a monkey in the attic and stealing two Porsche cars. Then I can't get back to sleep. Is this my body preparing my for motherhood?!

Cravings

Fried chicken. Spicy chicken wings more precisely from a certain chain restaurant. It was 10 years together last Friday (with Stu not the Colonel!), he didn't get back till 7pm and I was having one of those days where I just couldn't find an ounce of energy, so we decide on a bucket of chicken, yes so romantic I know! From then on I just want to eat spicy chicken wings! and Maoms sweets. But I am resisting to eat a healthier diet for the little one.

What are your craziest cravings? Let me know!

16 weeks - bumps and barbecues!

Overview
Well most of this week has been pretty damn good. Me and Stu went to the Scottish borders and stayed in a roulotte for two days. It was peaceful and just so lovely to get away - just us three. Noodle was no trouble, he/she seemed to enjoy the peace as well :) Stu had three barbecues whilst we where there! but I really enjoyed the sausages!

Then on Wednesday we went to the Trafford Centre and bought a few baby things.

We decided that we will buy things a little at a time over the next few months. But we didn't want to buy too much as we are moving house in hopefully 3/4 weeks. To be honest every time we go into the shops like Mothercare we feel overwhelmed by the amount of stuff there is and how much we need. But we decided right, lets do this.

We got these adorable baby vests from Next. They were £11 for the three and have cute little duckies on.

We also bought a pack of six bodysuits with long sleeves from H&M. I love the owl the best, but all the animals are cute, even the raccoon! Which I thought was a weird choice.£14.99.

In Mothercare we got a bath set in cream. It includes a bath, a top 'n' tail bowl, a cuddle 'n'dry towel, sponge and bath thermometer all for £29.99. I was happy with the thermometer as I will be worried that I will make the bath two hot for noodle in the future. It lets you know when it is at the best temperature.

The last thing we got was a Philips Avent complete natural starter set, which was on sale at £75.00. It comes with an electric steriliser, 1 manual breast pump, 6 bottles in different sizes, 3 soothers, 2 natural teats and a bottle brush. I was very pleased with this purchase, getting everything that we need in one pack. Although the manual breast pump is going to take some practise, it seems to simple to really suck the milk out? I am probably being too novice.

Towards the end of the week I was very unwell again. I couldn't keep any food or water down, I must have been sick about 25 times in one day. It wasn't regular sick, more like my body would heave till something, anything came out. It was very painful. I feel better now but I am worried it will happen again as this is the second time it has happened within 3 weeks. Just when I thought the second trimester was pretty good!

How big is the baby?

The Ovia app says at 16 weeks noodle was the size of a dill pickle. My Glow app says that it is around 4.6 inches. My bump really popped during 16 weeks.

Looking quite goofy! 

Sat down view!

Bump is smaller now, I put that down to the sickness.

Symptoms

Other than tiredness, a little moodiness and the sickness there isn't much else to report. Oh, except bigger boobs, they are three cup sizes bigger, they feel bigger but not that much bigger!

Cravings

Nothing really I managed to eat quite a lot during the week. Which was very very nice.

What did you feel in 16 weeks? Please share, I'd love to know!

15 weeks

Overview

It is nearly the end of the 15th week and I am not sure how I am feeling. If you asked me at the beginning of the week I would have said I feel pretty great. But as the week has gone by I am feeling urgh. Yes, urgh is the best way to describe it. Tired, murky and my mucus-y (ew) throat is just annoying me. The throat thing was improving but now it is creeping back. However, I am off next week and I am not going to let it bother me too much.

Today I tried to go maternity shopping, but that was challenging. Not many of the clothes shops have maternity sections, not even Primark! Four floors and I couldn't find a maternity section! HnM was the best, but all the clothes are a little boring. However, I got some nice skinny light blue jeans that are very comfy. I couldn't find maternity bras anywhere, I feel let down!

How big is the baby?

The Ovia Pregnancy app says my little noodle is the size of an avocado. The bump is feeling more like a bump, some days it is bigger, some it feels a lot smaller. But it's there.

Symptoms

Tiredness is the main symptom that I am feeling this week. I fall asleep about 9pm, so I am up early and feeling drained half way through the day. I just really love sleeping at the minute. No sickness - but my tummy feels sluggish and the mucus throat doesn't help.

Cravings

Since the start I haven't had any major urges. Noodles weren't really a craving, more like the only thing I could eat. I really loved Fanta for a while, although I tried not to drink too much. At the minute I enjoy anything sweet. Pop, Haribo etc.

Emotions

Quite grumpy some days, probably due to tiredness, but over all quite okay. I cry easily, but I always have!

Bought Stu this from eBay. I know the little one won't need it right away, but I really want to get him something with daddy on!

Anything else I can add to the weekly update please let me know. 

First trimester

It's all so exciting at first. Seeing those two lines makes it all seem real. (Well sort of, sometimes I don't believe a little person is growing inside me) Then boom!!! you've barely had time to get over the excitement of those two lines and everything really does start feeling real. Sorry ladies, the symptoms kick in fairly early and they suck!

I am now 15 weeks pregnant and slowly waving goodbye to those symptoms, I may even be starting to feel pretty good, but boy for me the first trimester wasn't easy.

I'm a bit of a wuss when it comes to pain and being ill or uncomfortable in anyway, I really can't cope. And don't get me wrong, I know I am damn lucky as some women get it much worse, some get it better, we are all different.

My symptoms started at about 6 weeks. They started with period-like cramps in the night, nothing I hadn't felt before. But it was one night which really got me worrying. I woke with intense, stabbing-like cramps. I didn't know what my body wanted to do so I ran to the bathroom and laid on the cold floor, head in the toilet, hoping being sick would help but nothing came. I started to head to bed but I couldn't walk, I crawled up the stairs, shaking, my lips went blue and my skin went white, I was sweating but cold at the same time. Eventually it eased off, we contacted a midwife the next day who sent me to A&E. Few tests later, and a receptionist who made me feel a little worthless (sorry had to get that in there) I was sent home with the OK.

The next day I was told to go back in for a immediate scan as I had very high hormonal levels. Again, all was OK and we got to see a tiny heartbeat.

From there came weeks and weeks of sickness. I couldn't handle it at first, but I learnt to ease it by snacking little and often. But I was still being sick, avoiding the bus as much as possible, so I wasn't sick on there and laying down at every opportunity I could.

My symptoms got better around week 10 I could eat more and felt sick less; until it hit me hard in week 14. Everything I ate came back up, I became really dehydrated and took myself to hospital, but luckily I bounced back and now I feel pretty good.

Amongst the sickness there's been other symptoms from being very itchy to bleeding gums. Oh isn't it all fun? But you can read my next post things they don't tell you for more on that.

So the good things? Hooray!! Yes, of course there is some. Announcing the pregnancy was an exciting part of the pregnancy. We told the closest members of the family straight away. We gave our parents cute little grandma and granddad frames. Watching their faces grow from confusion, to realisation to tears and smiles was incredible.

My best friend guessed over a group pub lunch, as soon as we were alone she asked are you pregnant? The lemonade drinking and picking at my food, made it obvious since she knows me so well as a cider-and-eat-every-crumb kind of girl.

We announced to everyone after the first scan. Stu told his mates "he can now start practising his dad jokes" amongst other one liners. For everyone else we posted this photo on Facebook.

However the best moment of the first trimester was seeing our little noodle for the first time. The scan was clear and Noodle waved before wriggling all over the place and back-flipping. It brought a tear to my eye.

Stay tuned for my week by week updates.

What symptoms did you feel in your first trimester? Please contact me below, I would love to hear from you.