29 Week Pregnancy Update!

There really isn't a moment now that I'm not aware of my pregnancy. In weeks gone by I could go about my business and momentarily forget I'm pregnant, just going about my day with loads of energy. But now, the bump is big and the baby is moving around like crazy! Things that were once easy have become hard. Shaving my legs has to be done sitting down in the bath and I can no longer get to my toes to paint my toenails. Breathing has even become a big job... I'm starting to run out of room in my abdomen and if I laugh or lay down I often get shortness of breath. All this and I'm still loving being pregnant! For me it's a beautiful time of anticipation, excitement and wonderment. Don't get me wrong, I am nervous about labour and birth, the first few weeks of sleep deprivation and learning to look after our baby, but the excitement about meeting our little one by far overrides the nerves.

We had a little shopping trip this week and brought a few more bits and pieces for the baby. I am planning to breast feed but may go with a formula dream feed during the night or express some milk to give in a bottle so Mr P can help with the odd feed, so we brought a set of Dr Brown's bottles. We have been recommended these colic reducing bottles by friends and they have great reviews. We also brought a steriliser for the bottles and cleaning utensils, a padded nappy changing matt to go on top of the dresser in our bedroom, and a few more new born one pieces which were on my earlier wishlist post. We ordered a simple white moses basket and sheets from John Lewis and a Prince Lionheart white noise bear which we hope will help baby Paicey (and us!) get a good night sleep listening to sounds of the womb.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was looking forward to starting pregnancy yoga. I've since been taking a class for the past 3 weeks and its really enjoyable. I sometimes don't feel like going as I'm getting tired around that time of the day but it is so good and refreshing once I am there. We do a lot of stretching, light yoga poses, breathing and pelvic floor exercises which will be beneficial during labour. The instructor is a gorgeous woman who has a lot of energy and loves to talk about pregnancy and babies. It may not be for everyone but we focus on our babies and send love and positive energy to them during the class, which I love. It feels wonderful to stretch out my body in a safe way for pregnancy and learning the breathing techniques feels empowering in the lead up to labour. Its also nice to be in a room full of other pregnant woman and have a chat afterwards about how they are feeling.

We have been undecided on whether we should move from our 2 bedroom house to a 3 bedroom once baby arrives as we like to have a spare room for family to stay when visiting from Australia. We think we have found the perfect solution as we love our little house and have renovated every single room in the 3 years we have lived here so are quite attached. So this week we had a few building companies come over and provide quotes to add another floor and create a master bedroom with ensuite and dressing area in our loft space. I think we are going to go with this option so it is quite exciting, however the 8 -10 week building time will not be quite as exciting!

On Friday Mr P, the bump and I ventured out for dinner on opening night of a new restaurant that opened up on the lovely Kingston river front. We were lucky enough to be invited to sample their delights free of charge and had the yummiest food and drinks. My mocktails were so divine I didn't even miss not having alcohol! Check out Busaba Eathai Here for their yummy menu and locations. I wore a pre pregnancy dress of mine that really revealed the bump which I was a little self conscious about at first, but we had lots of smiles and well wishes on our night out.

Next week I am off to the doctors to get a Whooping cough vaccination so wish me luck on that one. I can't believe i'll be 30 weeks next week! Have a great week x

Baby bump stepping out for dinner at 29 weeks.

23 Weeks Pregnant

How far along:  23 weeks, 2 days

38 Inches around my belly button

Symptoms:  My lower back. Its killing me! For the last couple of weeks I've had such a sore lower back. To bend down, stand up, move in bed or walk up stairs or a hill it hurts a lot. I've been wearing only flat converse shoes for the past week and my hubby brought me a pregnancy pillow from JoJo Maman Bebe to try to relieve the pain so I'm hoping it subsides before I get any bigger. Other than that, I feel great. Loving this stage of the pregnancy with my bump growing nicely and people starting to notice I'm not just putting on weight. I feel really motivated to get things done around the house and doing my usual share of washing, cooking, tidying, organising etc whereas in the first trimester my husband was picking up all the slack as I was like a sloth on the sofa.

Sleep:  This week I've started using my new maternity body support pillow and it is comfortable and supportive, but I do feel I have to move it around when I wake up in the night to adjust it so its just taking a while to get used too. Its quite bulky so it disturbs Mr P's sleep but we will both get used to it and anything to help my back and support my belly is welcome in our bed. At this point in the pregnancy it is advised that you try not to sleep on your back due to the weight of the uterus laying on an artery which can cause dizziness. Getting used to side sleeping is also tricky so hugging the pillow helps me stay on my side.

Weight Gain:  I've put on 7kg now which is just over a stone in weight. I've downloaded an average weight gain chart for pregnancy and I am at the heavier end of average.

Food:  I am an eating machine. Always willing and eager to eat. I try to eat healthy but theres always room for dessert these days. If you can't do it when you are pregnant, then when can you? I did say the other night that I do look forward to trying to look my best post pregnancy and exercising and eating healthy.

Movement:  Lots and lots of movement and kicking, which I love. Its so reassuring to feel your baby move. I always tell Mr P when his babe is having a little moving session. He has felt kicks a few times when we have been in bed laying flat and still, as thats when the little one usually kicks about more or when I can notice it more. The scan showed I have a high anterior placenta which means its on the front wall of my uterus so the kicks are probably felt less hard than other people can feel them at this stage.

Belly Button:  Still an Innie! But its half and half at times with the top part going flat.

Stretch Marks:   None to date but I had a little scare this week. I must have scratched my belly as I had 2 red lines side by side. My heart sank as I couldn't help but think that if I had them this early then they would be everywhere when I get big. A couple of hours later and the marks had disappeared thankfully. Im lathering on my Mamamio tummy rub each night and it smells so good.

Looking forward too:  Starting pregnancy yoga. The classes are on Saturday mornings and are sold in bundles of 7 classes for £84

Bump:  Growing and growing. Im getting too big for lots of my tops now. I've got some maternity tops on order at Asos which I hope are nice as I've struggled to find ones I like for a reasonable price.

19 Weeks - Holidays in Australia

How far along: 19 weeks, 2 days. 

Symptoms: There's been alot going on the past week with my very long journey from London to Cairns so my symptoms have been all over the place. 3 flights and 32 hours later I arrived very tired but happy. Cairns is extremely hot at around 30 degrees so I feel a bit hot and bothered at times and have noticed my hands and feet are feeling tingly and a bit puffy. At the beginning of the week I had the worst headache that made me cry out in agony at times. It was unlike any headache I've had before and felt like I was being hit over the head each time it throbbed. I gave the midwife a quick call and she suggested I take some paracetamol which I was reluctant to do but 1 tablet did the trick. This week my expanding uterus has felt a little more crampy than usual and it gets really hard during the cramping. It didn't hurt very much but  it's a little uncomfortable.

Sleep: I love it and I am getting plenty of it!

Weight Gain: Just over 5 kg now! That's 11 lbs which seems a lot but I am nearly half way through this pregnancy! 

Food cravings: It's hard to decipher what's been a genuine craving to a 'oh my gosh, I've missed you so much' to my fave Aussie foods. I've had lots of yummy macadamia and mango Weis icecream bars and delicious cold watermelon. My mum and I went for lunch at my old favourite sushi train and had the chef prepare some fresh chicken and avocado rolls for me but it wasn't as good as I remember and prefer my local in the UK. Ahhh I'm getting hungry talking about food, my appetite has certainly started to increase lately.

Best Moment: The moment I flew into Cairns was pretty special this week. There's no place like home and my mum and I have been baby shopping for a few little clothing bits which was lovely.

Worst Moment: I've had a great couple of weeks on holiday so not much to worry about  this week except the increased risk of Deep Vein Thrombosis that applies to pregnant woman flying long distance. I wore flight socks for all 3 flights, moved around and drank only water or orange juice on the flight to keep uber hydrated. I didn't have any swelling in my legs after the flight. Also I sobbed my little heart out at the airport saying goodbye to Mr P. I thought I had made a mistake leaving him for 3 weeks as we are so close normally but even more so now that I am pregnant. Needless to say I am having a great time being home so nothing to worry about. 

Movement: When I am still I can feel little nudges here and there. Usually once a day now which is awesome. One of my best girlfriends is pregnant with her second child and it's been amazing to see her and her hubby and son Hugo. Her baby moves so much and you can see her tummy moving from the outside! Now that is exciting. She's a good 15 weeks ahead of me so might be a while yet til we can see baby Paicey moving!

Belly Button: The top of it has started to pop out so I can notice a change but still definitely an innie!

Wedding rings: They are super tight on my finger and I'm contemplating taking them off but I don't want too. I think my hands have swollen from the heat rather than only pregnancy. Still currently on but not sure for how much longer. 

Looking forward too: Seeing my sister in Brisbane next weekend!

Bump: I think I finally look pregnant! My brother was asked by someone who seen me at the grocery store if I was pregnant today. I havnt seen this guy in 10 years so he was good to spot that it was a baby bump and not a thicker waist!

Mum & I 

Bump at 19 Weeks, 2 Days

16 Week Update

Oh my gosh I finally have a minute to update the blog! What a full on week this has been. Its always busy when I have exams and they always take a lot out of me but even more so while growing this tiny human being inside me! I had a 3 hour exam yesterday afternoon and another this morning so can everyone keep there fingers crossed for me that I did enough to pass pretty please?

Now onto baby Paicey, the little munchkin is doing fabulous. I know this as I just came out of my 16 week midwife appointment. I am 16 weeks, 5 days so the appointment and this post are a little late. I had my blood tests reviewed and all came up great. Blood pressure and urine samples today were good and our jelly beans heart rate was really strong at 146 beats per minute.

I had a scare last week when I had a very minor accident in the car. I ran up the back of a motorcyclist but going very slowly as I had slammed on my breaks. It was more scary than anything, no-one was hurt and very minimal damage. Thankfully the lady I ran into was lovely and really nice about it all as I was so shocked that she was comforting me when I imagine it was more scary for her!
I booked in to the GP for a check up the next day and the doctor could not find my little ones heartbeat on her doppler. She booked me into the early pregnancy unit at the hospital for a scan but couldn't get an appointment for 5 days. So we had a long wait and my husband was quite worried but I just felt everything was fine with the baby so tried to put it out of my mind. On Monday I went into the hospital and the nurse found the heartbeat on the doppler immediately and didn't proceed with the scan. The nurse at the hospital was appalled that I had waited 5 days without knowing if the baby was ok and said I could have come right in that same day if my doctor had told them that she hadn't found a heartbeat. Needless to say, I will not be going back to that doctor as she had no empathy towards a first time mum to be or any mum to be really.

I think its safe to say that my bump has finally popped out and I feel pregnant! But not in that awful feeling sick kind of pregnancy way, just that I am super proud of my little bump and I love it. I wonder if I will feel that way at the end?! I've been feeling great this week. No nausea at all and tiredness kept at bay. There has been a huge difference so far in the second trimester to how I felt in the first trimester. The only issue i've had the past week has been a very sore lower back.

Mr P and I have booked a holiday to Lanzarote for a week on Sunday. The temperatures are a high of 21 and low of 16 so not boiling hot but so much nicer, dryer and sunnier than the British winter we are having. I am really looking forward to a week of relaxing, spas, eating, sun baking and reading books all whilst enjoying my husbands company. A little babymoon for us! Ill post a pic of the bump on holiday in Lanzarote for my 17 week update, but for now here are 2 photos of my bump popping out. Excuse the photos, I had just finished my exams and been running around like a mad woman!

15 Weeks... and counting

We've had a pretty uneventful but nice and relaxed week. I've been studying for 2 accountancy exams that I am taking at the end of February, mixed in with lunch out with Mr P for Valentines day and really enjoying being pregnant.
For valentines day I received beautiful flowers from the market as well as a delightfully huge box of hotel chocolat caramel selection choccy's. I got the hubby a very cute baby grow that says I love Daddy. Heres a summary of the week just gone and what I have been feeling.

Our Valentines day treats

How far along: 15 weeks, 4 days

Symptoms: I think I've got the hang of what triggers making me feel sick, which is if I go the slightest bit too long without having something to eat. I still get surprised by how quickly the nausea comes but it is quickly relieved with food. I experienced quite strong pains in my abdomen one evening and my old friend google suggested I hadn't had enough water. 2 Big glasses later and miraculously the pain subsided so my body sure is letting me know when I haven't eaten or drank enough water! Other than that, my lower back has been super sore, especially when rolling over in bed or walking up stairs. Kind of like a pinching feeling. I think I might need to invest in a pregnancy pillow sooner rather than later.

Sleep: A few good nights, a few bad nights. My Husbands constant moving and loud breathing has been irritating me lately which I am normally fine with so I'm putting it down to pregnancy hormones!

Weight Gain: I actually lost half a kg this week which is weird, especially considering my growing belly. 

Food Cravings: I'm not really craving anything per say. I've gone off steak which we usually have once or twice a week. I've substituted my piece of steak for a big jacket potato with cheese and sour cream so that hubby can still enjoy his weekly steak fest (due to Mr P's rugby training schedule he doesn't have the potato as he tries to go mostly carb free). On Saturday night after a huge away win by Mr P's team and a try from my husband, we decided to order a pizza (naughty) and I also ordered a tub of Ben and Jerry's ice-cream in cookie dough flavour. After eating half a tub straight from the container I decided that should do it and popped it back in the freezer. I couldn't stop thinking about it and 30 mins later I retrieved it and ate the lot! Ive never done that before.. I definitely used being pregnant as a lovely excuse.

Best Moment: My favourite moment this week was on Friday when I went to the NICU at St Peter's hospital and visited my friend Jenny's beautiful new son Noah. He was so teeny tiny but absolutely perfect in every way. I even got to hold his little hand. He will be one of baby Paicey's first friends which is so lovely.

Worst Moment: No worst moments really. Studying is a real drag and I don't feel the most productive. I can't wait to sit these exams, they will be my last ones until after our baby arrives.

Movement: I recently blogged about feeling tapping on my tummy earlier in the week. I haven't felt anything similar since, so I'm still not sure if it was baby. But I can definitely feel little wiggles when I put my hand over my tummy and take some time when I am lying down or sitting still. My husband hasn't been able to feel anything yet. I signed up for weekly online pregnancy updates on baby centre, and this week it said that if you shine a torch onto your tummy, the baby can now see light and will move away from it. I really wanted to try this out but Mr P told me I couldn't torment our little baby like that and to leave it alone, our jelly bean will move when he or she wants too!

Looking forward too: We are looking into a holiday in 2 weeks time. Its so cold and wet here so its all about the sunshine and where we can get it! We are looking at Dubai which is more expensive but guaranteed sunshine, whereas the canary islands are cheaper, but still a little cold at this time of year. Looking forward to sunning the bump and hoping it pops out slightly more in 2 weeks so I definitely look pregnant and not fat in a bikini!

Bump: Popping out more and more. Its my favourite past time to look in the mirror at my little bump!

The Bump is coming! I think its lovely.

14 Weeks

How far along: 14 weeks, 2 days.

Symptoms: I think I may have spoken too soon last week, saying I felt great. Ive had quite a lot of being sick this week, vomiting 3 times! I had plenty of all day nausea early on in my pregnancy but wasn't actually sick so this week came as quite a surprise. We put it down to not eating enough and I've had to increase my food intake by adding in snacks of apples and grapefruit and nuts throughout the day to ward of being sick and it seems to have helped. Fingers crossed. I am also quite tired during the day and feel really lazy.

Sleep: Im still having plenty of sleep and lovely morning lay ins but find myself waking up often throughout the night, I'm currently a very light sleeper. I have been waking quite tired even after 10 hours in bed. This business of making a human is tough work!

Weight Gain: I've put on another half a kg or 1 lb which I am happy about as the recommended weight gain for the second trimester is 1 lb per week as a guideline. Total weight gain is at 3.5 kg.

Food Cravings: Ive been eating quite healthy since being sick this week. Lots of homemade cheese and salad wraps with boiled eggs and not much chocolate at all surprisingly. Hope this healthy food craving sticks around as I really do eat what I feel like at the moment.

Best Moment: Not related to my pregnancy but my very good friend had quite a shock and delivered her baby 8 weeks early on Saturday morning. Hearing that they were both very well and happy was a wonderful moment.

Worst Moment: Being sick in the kitchen sink!

Movement: I am desperately trying to feel flutters again and resting my hand on my lower tummy whenever I get a quiet moment. Nothing definite to report!

Looking forward too: Feeling our baby move in my tummy! Come on baby Paicey. Im at the stage where theres no scans for quite some time, usually 20 weeks, so feeling movement would be so lovely.

Bump: Coming along nicely. I think I was quite bloated in my last pics as my tummy feels and looks smaller this week. My husband asked why I was pulling my t-shirt in tight for this photo, but you can't really see my tummy if I don't, so its really not too big but I still love it!

We are Pregnant! The positive test...

The moment you discover you are a Mummy to be is magical. In my story, my heart literally stopped for a few seconds and I felt elated and joyful with a defining moment looking in the bathroom mirror and suddenly feeling very serious.
Mr P and I were married in July 2013 and decided straight away that we wanted to grow our family. I was hopeful that we would be pregnant this month in November and took a digital pregnancy test three days before I was due despite having no symptoms and the test revealed that I was 'Not Pregnant'. Two days later I woke up feeling groggy and hungover despite having not had anything to drink so I slipped into the bathroom while Mr P was downstairs having a big discussion with the builder who was installing our new kitchen, and decided to take the other digital test. I have to say that although we were trying, nothing came as a bigger shock when the test digitally displayed 'Pregnant 1-2 Weeks'.
I waited upstairs for Mr P to finish up with the builder and my heart was racing with so much excitement, he seemed to take forever. Once he came up we sat on the edge of the bed, me armed with the positive pregnancy test in my dressing gown pocket and I told him he was going to be a Daddy! My husband looked at me in disbelief as he didn't know I was taking a test so I whipped it out as proof and we hugged and kissed and laughed and smiled. And our lives changed, we are going to be parents, and we cannot wait!