Pregnancy

- Sarah 8 Comments

From poppy seed to pumpkin: It’s a . . .

Yesterday I had my 20 week scan. Everything is looking great with the baby; everything is where is should be and the measurements were all right in the middle of the ‘normal’ range. It was lovely to see the baby again, and to see that little heart beating away.

We did find out that I have a low-lying placenta which is close to the cervix at the moment. I’ve been booked in for another scan at 32 weeks and hopefully as everything grows the placenta will move up and out of the way. If it doesn’t then I’ll be looking at a caesarean section and my plans for a home birth will be out of the window. There’s absolutely nothing I can do to change it though, whatever is going to happen will happen. So I’m going to try my best not to think about it or worry and just hope for the best. Apparently, in the vast majority of cases the placenta does move up with the growing uterus and doesn’t cause a problem for delivery, let’s just hope it works out that way for us.

At the end of the scan the sonographer asked if we had any questions…so it was time to ask the big one…can you see the gender? And so here it is, the big news!

It's a...

Yes, another boy! Toby is going to get a little brother. If you read my gender preference post then you’ll know I was kind of hoping for a girl, and I was a bit sad for an hour or two but I’m fine now and looking forward to having two little boys running around the place!

 

- Sarah 3 Comments

Review: Cantaloop Pregnancy/Nursing tank top

I still have all my maternity clothes from when I was pregnant with Toby so I’m hoping to get away without having to get too many new things this time round. What I did find useful last time was having long vest tops that I could wear under my normal tops and jumpers making them suitable for accommodating my bump. I also had a few vest tops which could also be used for breastfeeding after the baby arrived too which was very useful and meant I got more than just a few months wear out of them. When I was offered the chance to try a Pregnancy/Nursing tank top from Cantaloop I was pleased to have another addition to my maternity wardrobe.

Cantaloop Pregnancy Nursing tank top

The Pregnancy/Nursing tank top comes in black, white, red or turquoise and has an RRP of £28.49 – I went for basic black as it goes with pretty much everything. The top is made from very soft microfibre material which is very comfortable. Its only downside is that it does have a tendency for static build up.

Cantaloop tank top

There is a built in bra within the tank top and although it is reasonably supportive I would say that if you are on the more ample side up top then it might not offer enough support on its own. I’m a 36G when pregnant and I would wear the tank top on its own around the house or to sleep in but I think I would need a bra underneath if I was going out in it.

The tank top also has nursing clips for easy access when breastfeeding. I have to admit though I am slightly confused as the front of the vest itself unclips but still leaves the bra part in place which you would then have to pull down out of the way – this seems a little odd, but maybe it’s just me!

Cantaloop

Overall the Cantaloop Pregnancy/Nursing tank top is very comfortable and there is plenty of material to accommodate my growing bump. I’m sure I’ll get plenty of use out of it, both while I’m pregnant and as a nursing top after the baby is here.

**Disclosure: I was sent a Cantaloop Pregnancy/Nursing tank top in return for this review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

We're going on an adventure
- Sarah 7 Comments

Gender preference?

This time next week, all being well, we will have found out the gender of our baby! When we were having Toby we found out at the 20 week scan that we were having a boy but decided to keep it to ourselves, although I did tell my mum and dad because I kept almost accidentally telling my mum every time I spoke to her anyway! This time though, if we can find out then we’re quite happy to share the news with everyone.

Gender preference

So the big question is what is it going to be? Another boy? A few people have asked me if I have a preference whether it is a boy or a girl and the honest truth is that if I had a choice then I would like a girl. I think this mostly comes from the fact that I grew up with an older brother who is exactly two years older than me (to the day!) and barring a few childhood arguments we have always got on really well. Toby will turn two in the month before this baby is due so there’s going to be a very similar age gap as there is between me and my brother. I think having grown up with a brother I don’t know any different and I just can’t imagine having two boys!

There is of course the slightly more frivolous reason for wanting a girl, which is that there is so much more choice when it comes to girl’s clothes! Every time I go to buy clothes for Toby I’m always drawn to look at all the lovely girls clothes you can get. And if I had a girl she could wear dresses in summer and show off all our cute cloth nappies too!

I’ve always said I only want two kids so whatever this one turns out to be will be it. I really have no inkling what we are going to find out at the scan next week, and of course above all else, I just hope that the baby is healthy. I’ve been trying to convince myself that it’s going to be another boy so that if it is I won’t be disappointed and if it is a girl it will be a happy surprise. Either way I’m glad we get to find out now and have plenty of time to get used to the idea whichever one it is. I guess all I can really do for now is just wait and see what next week reveals. (And don’t worry, all will be revealed here too!)

It’s something we don’t talk about very much but did you have a preference when it came to the gender of your baby? How did you feel if the gender wasn’t what you were hoping for?

Maternity Matters~ Ghostwritermummy
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From poppy seed to pumpkin: 16 weeks pregnant

I realise I haven’t been doing an awful lot on the pregnancy update front since I made the announcement a few weeks ago. This is mostly because I don’t really have a lot to update!

Pregnancy week 16

I’m now 16 weeks pregnant and I remember from my last pregnancy that this bit between the 12 and 20 week scans felt like the longest two months ever. I’m now at the stage where I don’t really feel pregnant. Apart from the tiredness and occasional dry heave (!) I don’t really have any pregnancy symptoms and seeing as I’m not the thinnest of people when I’m not pregnant I don’t even have a discernible bump yet. I’m not feeling any movement yet either so generally I’m just feeling fat and tired rather than pregnant! I’ve not had any cravings, I’m doing my best to eat sensibly rather than my ‘I’m pregnant to I’ll eat whatever the hell I like’ attitude of my last pregnancy. I’m hoping that I won’t put on quite as much weight this time either.

I know I should probably just be making the most of this bit, it won’t be long before I’m noticing the physical effects of pregnancy much more. For now though I’m just plodding on, trying to get as much sleep as I can and trying not to worry that something might be wrong while I wait until it’s time for my next scan at the end of March. Hopefully we’ll be finding out the gender of the baby then and I’m sure it will all start feeling a lot more real.

Oh and finally for all you fruit and veg watchers out there, the baby is now the size of an avocado! I will start taking bump photos soon too – as soon as I get a spare minute during daylight hours…

- Sarah Leave a comment

From poppy seed to pumpkin: 10 weeks pregnant

Monday 19th January

So, the weeks are moving on – I’m now 10 weeks pregnant and actually feeling much better. I’m still really tired, no matter how much sleep I get. Toby gave us a treat of sleeping through a couple of nights at the weekend but then was back to two wake ups last night – I swear he knows when we have work the next day! I’m feeling particularly exhausted today and it’s really busy at work at the moment too with exams, reports to write and a few members of staff who have left and not been replaced yet. It’s even harder when I can’t tell anyone why I’m so tired either. Apart from being knackered though, the nausea has subsided a lot which I am very grateful for. It carried on until 12 weeks with Toby so I’m glad it’s disappeared a bit earlier this time (and I’m trying not to worry that it might be a sign that something is wrong). I still feel a bit rubbish if I haven’t eaten for a while but on the whole it’s not too bad.

I’ve still not got my first scan appointment, and until I have that I won’t see the midwife. Hopefully it should come this week and I then I can make an appointment with the midwife. The community midwife I saw when I was pregnant with Toby has retired now so it will be someone new that I see. Although, by all accounts I’ll see even less of them with this being a second pregnancy than I did the first time round.

Pregnancy week 10

There’s not much else to report this week; for our weekly fruit/vegetable comparison the baby is now the size of a date. My trousers are getting a bit tighter but I still just look like I ate a bit too much Christmas cake than anything like pregnant!

 

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From poppy seed to pumpkin: 8 weeks pregnant

Monday 5th January

OK, so I skipped a few weeks in my updates. I made it through my second sober Christmas and New Year without any drama. We’ve told our parents and my brother and sister-in-law about the pregnancy now and they were all very happy. Today I went to the doctor to get my referral to the midwife service for my first scan, which should be towards the end of this month some time. I have to phone the midwife next week to arrange a booking in appointment, which they will come to my house for, if it’s the same as last time.

As far as pregnancy symptoms go, the nausea is here in full force now. Just like with Toby though, I haven’t been sick (yet!) but I’m feeling sick pretty much all the time though. Of course last time I didn’t have to deal with changing dirty nappies whilst feeling sick, nobody warns you about that with a second pregnancy do they? Grapes seem to be helping with the nausea for the moment, which I suppose is better than filling my face with biscuits, although there’s been a fair bit of that going on too! Other than feeling sick all the time I’m just exhausted. Even with very early nights and naps when I can I’m still permanently tired. I have no idea how I’m going to manage when I go back to work on Thursday. When I was pregnant last time I used to have a nap when I got in from work but now that’s the only time I get to see Toby so it’s just not feasible. I have to get up an hour and a half earlier than I did last time too. I think I’m just going to have a few weeks of going to bed straight after my tea and hope that the tiredness lessens a bit when I get into the second trimester.

Apparently the baby is the size of a raspberry now, and is starting to form fingers and toes! The last four weeks since we found out seem to have gone very quickly so I’m hoping the next four weeks do too.

 

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From poppy seed to pumpkin: 5 weeks pregnant

Week 5
Monday 15th December

5 weeks pregnant and I’m definitely starting to feel it now. I can certainly feel something is going on, the only way I can describe it is like a feeling of filling up…oh, and if nothing else, the constant need to wee is a definite give away! I’m also feeling incredibly tired, which isn’t helped by the fact we are almost at the end of a very long term at school, and that Toby has been treating us to lots of sleepless nights lately too! I’m really hoping his sleep improves soon and I manage to catch up on some sleep of my own over the holidays. The other symptom which is starting to show its unwelcome presence is that I’m already getting that familiar queasy feeling. Fortunately when I was pregnant with Toby I didn’t suffer too badly with morning sickness – at least in that I was only actually sick a couple of times. But I felt sick constantly from about week 7 to week 12. I’m really hoping that if I have to have it at all this time, it disappears just as quickly…

Saturday 20th December

Hallelujah! Toby actually slept last night so I’m feeling a bit more human. I’m only really feeling sick if I leave it too long between eating. Although I’m really trying to keep my eating under control a bit this time and avoid putting on a stone in the first three months like I did last time! Fingers crossed I make it through Christmas without feeling too rough though. We’ve not told anyone yet – I think we waited until 8 weeks with Toby but I’m going to have to tell my mum in a day or two. We’re going to stay with them for Christmas and there’s no way I’d be able to not drink and keep the reason why secret! It still hasn’t really sunk in if I’m honest, the embryo is the size of a sesame seed and already has a heart, of sorts. That’s just crazy to think about but I don’t think it really feels real until the 12 week scan, and that still seems ages away – I haven’t even seen the doctor yet!

- Sarah 1 Comment

From poppy seed to pumpkin: 4 weeks pregnant

Week 4

Now the news is out I’m going to share these posts I wrote over the last couple of months, from when I first found out I was pregnant again…

Friday 12th December 2014

We decided to start trying for another baby so that hopefully we would have about two years between Toby and the new baby. But we also had to wait until I had the contract for my new job to make sure I got all my maternity pay. When we were trying for Toby it only took two months and we were hoping the same would happen again but I am more than aware that things don’t always work out the way we hope. Anyway, this time the first month it didn’t happen for us. So month two and we try again…although there wasn’t an awful lot of ‘trying’ going on (sorry if that’s a bit too much information!) as Barry got pretty ill with a nasty cold and I wasn’t feeling brilliant either so I was fairly resigned to the fact that I wouldn’t get pregnant this month either. But then my period was late. That wasn’t entirely unusual though – until trying to get pregnant last time I had been on the pill since I was 16 and so had no idea what my ‘normal’ cycle was. But when it got to four days after the latest my period could feasibly be I decided to take a test. I was planning on waiting until the weekend, but this morning decided I could wait no longer. I was pretty convinced it was going to be negative though – I just wanted confirmation so maybe I could have a glass of wine this weekend! But when I went back into the bathroom after resolutely ignoring the test for the requisite three minutes…..there were two lines! Positive! We’re having another baby. I can’t quite believe it… and with the way Toby has been sleeping this week I think we must be completely mental to be doing this all over again. No wonder I’ve been so completely exhausted!

It is easier with two, right??

 

- Sarah 11 Comments

And then there were four

Coming August 2015

I know it’s been very quiet around these parts lately, and if you follow me on Twitter you might have noticed I’ve not been around there much either. I’ve written lots of times over the last few months about how I’m busy at work and with more teeth, and one cold after another Toby’s sleep has been all over the place. That on it’s own would be enough to make anyone tired but when you add the first few months of pregnancy into the equation it’s no wonder I’ve been knackered!

Yep, that’s right. We’re expecting baby number 2 in August this year! It was entirely (and perhaps foolishly) planned as I’ve always had it in my head I would like kids two years apart and nature thankfully decided to cooperate. I’m now 13 weeks pregnant and apart from a bit of nausea over Christmas I’ve actually been feeling remarkably well. I am just incredibly incredibly tired. Most nights after we’ve put Toby to bed, had our tea and maybe watched an hour of TV I’m ready for my bed. Hence the almost complete lack of blogging lately.

We had the first scan on Tuesday and everything is looking good so far. The baby was jumping and flipping all over the place. I even think I might have felt a few little movements already, although it’s hard to tell at this stage. I’m almost past the point of just looking like I’ve been eating too much cake and I’m starting to have an actual bump now. I think the maternity trousers might have to come out for work next week, and I bought a couple of pairs of new maternity jeans in London last weekend too.

So there we are – our big news! Despite the tiredness and the recurring ‘oh Jesus, what have we done??’ feeling that keeps sweeping over me, we really are very excited and can’t wait to become a family of four in the summer.

Big brother

I’ve got a few posts that I have written over the last couple of months so I’ll be sharing those over the next week or so too, and then hopefully I’ll manage to keep up some sort of vaguely regular pregnancy updates too.

- Sarah 3 Comments

An introduction

Let’s start at the very beginning…

Introduction…A very good place to start!

Right then. A brief introduction to me and my little family…

I’m Sarah and 15 weeks ago I had a little baby boy called Toby (that’s him up top, isn’t he adorable?). Since I found out I was pregnant I’ve been reading lots of baby related blogs and articles; I really enjoy reading other people’s stories, advice, opinions and reviews so I thought I would add my own experiences to the mix.

I’ve been blogging on and off for years now – in fact looking at my other blog (you can find it here if you’re interested) I wrote the first post on 15th February 2009! Back then, I was single, working at the Bank of Scotland, I’d just joined Twitter, got into stand-up comedy (watching rather than doing) and I was pretty obsessed with Tim Minchin. How much has changed in four and a half years!! In August of 2009 I went back to university to do a teacher training course. In May of 2010 I met the man who was going to become my husband. In August of that year I started work as a Modern Languages teacher. In April 2011 I got engaged, in August 2011 we bought a house together, a year after we got engaged we got married and then 6 months after that I was pregnant with our first baby. I think it’s fair to say there have been some pretty big changes in my life. And despite a  few bumps along the way, they’ve all been changes for the better. But that other blog is about my pre-baby life and I know a lot of people who read my posts there (if I ever get round to doing them) aren’t really interested in baby stuff. Hence the new blog.

So. What am I going to write about here? I’ve got some ideas for my first few posts – they’re going to include things I wish someone had told me before Toby was born, my breastfeeding story, coping with a reflux baby, cloth nappies and reusable wipes and a few reviews of things we’ve already got that are proving useful (or useless!)

I think that’s probably enough waffle for today though. Hopefully someone out there will read this and maybe even find it interesting or even helpful.

Ta ra for now though.