31 Weeks Pregnant

With only 9 weeks to go we are in single digit weeks til my due date! It was a slow week for us Paice's and at 31 weeks pregnant it was just what I needed. Ive started to slow down in the speed I go about things and if I drop something its definitely getting hard to bend down and pick it up! Im feeling good mostly and getting more and more excited by the day. Im sleeping fairly well and rarely wake up to go to the toilet which is good, but worrying for my bladder as most of the pregnancy books I read say that I should be needing the loo several times a night by this stage. I had a bad night of heart burn and couldn't get to sleep and woke up really early with it too so Im taking Gaviscon before bed each night at this point.

I had a morning coffee date with a couple of friends and one had her little boy with her who is around 4 months old. She was breastfeeding and I was able to ask her a few questions about feeding and also about leaking. I even asked about going swimming while breastfeeding (as I can't wait to take our little one swimming and for lessons) and she assured me its fine and if I'm worried about leaking just to feed before going in the water.  When we went to leave Starbucks, a lovely man came over and said that I was a very beautiful pregnant lady and had a beautiful glow and smile. It was really kind of him and he really made my day! I took a few snaps once I got home to share how I was looking with a bit of tinted moisturiser, a slick of mascara and unbrushed hair. Perhaps he has a pregnant wife at home and knew it would really lift me up! Thank you to the kind gentleman! 

My bump is blossoming and the baby is moving, somersaulting and pressing into my sides all the time which is really nice and the thing that I will miss the most about being pregnant. Secret little movements that only I can feel. Its really special and something I will always remember.

Im still lathering on the Mama Mio stretch mark and boob tube creams from the top of my chest to my thighs every day, and have noticed a pesky little strechmark on my hip where I have old ones from my teenage years. None on my tummy and I'm crossing my fingers and toes it stays that way! I thought I would include a 'naked' pic of the bump as its at a really round and tidy stage. 

Excuse the bra!

At the end of the week I was booked in to see the GP for my 32 week checkup and we were given a clean bill of health. The fundal height of my uterus was measuring 33.5 weeks, only 1.5 weeks ahead, which isn't considered to be unusual as it can just be the way the baby is lying or how much amniotic fluid you are holding. The doctor speculated from the heart beat that it may be a girl but then the heart rate slowed slightly and we both just laughed as its really no way to tell. But it is fun having people suggest what they think we are having. We went to a friends house after their sons christening on Saturday and all of the women at the BBQ were saying they thought it was a boy for various reasons. When I got home and was brushing my teeth before bed, I said to Mr P 'What if it is a boy?' because he really thinks it is a girl and doesn't really discuss the possibility of a boy. Only time will tell! And time is moving along quite nicely!

27 Weeks Pregnant

How far along: I'm 28 weeks and 3 days along, so I am running late on my weekly update.

Symptoms:  I have just started to get uncomfortable as my belly is huge! Its probably not that big but it sure feels that way to me. Just sitting on the sofa I find it hard to get comfy as if I sit forward it doesn't give my bump enough room and if I lay back I feel crushed and like I'm not getting enough oxygen. Plenty of Braxton Hicks contractions where my tummy goes into a hard ball. These are painless but still uncomfortable. Braxton Hicks are just practise contractions to get your body ready for the big birth day. Overall I feel happy and content with not many ailments to complain about so I feel very lucky as everything is going along swimmingly.

Sleep:  I'm still sleeping really well. I wake up often to change from my right side to my left or vice versa and then I need to adjust my huge pregnancy pillow but I fall straight back to sleep. I'm very tired in the mornings and sometimes get up to go to the bathroom and have breakfast and then lay back down. Life is very relaxed at the moment but I know that in a few short months I won't be able to sleep in so I am making the absolute most out of it.

Weight Gain: I'm up just under 9kg which is around 19.5 lbs. I've noticed that this is not all baby as my upper arms and legs are a bit fuller than they used to be, but i'm ok with it and don't feel like I will have a problem loosing the weight in the months after our baby arrives.

Food:  I'm still so hungry all the time. It is recommended that you eat 6 small meals a day at this point to aid the body in digestion which has slowed down due to pregnancy, but I've still just been having my normal sized 3 meals. I'm often starving in between meals and even after I've eaten sometimes. We've started making fruit smoothies in between meals and having lots of apples, raspberries and strawberries. I'm craving fruit lately as I've been eating a lot of it which is always a good thing. We've been making sure we cook fish a couple of times a week so the baby gets all the Omegas it needs for healthy brain development. That being said, I definitely crave chocolate and Ice cream the most above everything else. I was desperate for an Ice cream tonight but Mr P wouldn't go to the corner store for me as he is trying to be good with his own intake. The rugby season has just finished so he really needs to watch what he eats for the off season. Needless to say I was very annoyed and settled for an apple instead!

Movement:  Such strong and lovely movements all day long. Lots of kicking, squirming, rolling and pressing. Sometimes so strong it startles me. We've not had too much luck with getting Mr P involved in feeling the movement as every time he tries to feel my tummy, baby Paicey becomes quiet again.

Belly Button: Its a half innie, half outie! The top half has popped right out with the bottom half still in.

Stretch Marks:  Still remaining stretch mark free on my belly (please long may it continue), but just last night I noticed some tiny ones on the underside of my boob on the left side. We went out today and brought some Mama Mio pregnancy boobtube lotion, so I will be routinely applying this along with the Mama Mio tummy butter twice a day to try and avoid any more.

Wedding rings:  Still on. And only getting tight when it gets really warm which isn't too often here in London. We had some gorgeous weather this week and only for a few hours were they feeling very tight.

Baby's Gender:  Still unknown of course! I'm feeling so curious especially with all this movement and my belly getting so big now. I just can't wait to find out if we are parents to a boy or a girl when baby Paicey arrives. So exciting!

Bump:  Getting very round and hard. The photo below was taken for my sister and wasn't intended for the blog so please excuse my outfit!

27 weeks belly. Please excuse my comfy outfit!

Second Trimester Favourites

As I near the end of my second trimester (Yes!) I have to say i've been really lucky and have had a happy and enjoyable time. Its gone nice and quickly, perhaps as I've had a couple of holidays to Spain and Australia in this time. Plus I love the anticipation of an impending British Summer. Winter to Spring changes so dramatically and I love seeing it unfold, so I think that has helped with my happiness factor also. Here is a list of my absolute favourite items that have got me through weeks 13 - 27 happily and comfortably...

1. Nespresso Decaffeinato Coffee Pods. I love coffee and have gone through so many of these little caffeine free beautys. Our machine makes the perfect latte and when I feel like a sweet treat, I add a little caramel syrup. I have certainly enjoyed the odd coffee with caffeine but these pods have been a lifesaver as I can enjoy these guilt free.

2. Mama Mio Tummy Rub Butter. I started using this product once a day from 12 weeks in a bid to prevent dreaded stretch marks. It smells and feels divine on my skin and its a lovely ritual rubbing it over my growing bump. So far I've avoided any stretch marks but feel its too early to say whether this has been the miracle cream I'm hoping it is as I will grow a lot more in the third trimester! 

3. Jojo Maman Bebe Multi- Purpose Maternity Body Support Pillow. I love this pillow! I've been using it from about 21 weeks and although I can't say that this is the only factor, my lower back pain has been relieved, I get a comfortable night sleep and I feel really supported. Highly recommended!

4. Prêt Chef's Italian Chicken Salad. Pret A Manger use pasteurised free range eggs, which means that pregnant woman can enjoy caesar dressings and mayonnaise. I eat this salad for lunch about 3 times a week. Its so fresh and full of yummy ingredients such as chicken, mixed greens, roasted peppers, black olives, cucumber, tomato, pistachio nuts, parmesan cheese and a delicious caesar dressing. I feel like I give baby Paicey a good dose of nutrients and its so yummy.

My first pregnancy purchases.

Topshop super soft Leigh maternity jeans. 
I couldn't be happier with these, super comfortable and seriously stylish. 
I brought the same size as my regular Leigh jeans and they are perfect.

Mama Mio Tummy Rub.
To combat stretch marks I have started to apply this all over the bump. 
I'll review the product once I have been using it for  a while.

Jojo Maman Bebe 'duck print' baby grow.
Our first baby purchase was oh so exciting!
Notice it is neutral as we don't know if our Jelly Bean is blue or pink!