1 Week "Bump" Update.

P.S. What do you think of our Christmas look? I'm between blog designs at the moment and thought we'd embrace in the Christmas cheer.

Don't forget - you can vote every 24 hours!

38 Weeks Bump.

I think it's fair to say, I'm a rubbish blogger when it comes to bump updates. I could throw a number of excuses at you but the real reason I've not taken any of late is simple - I feel like a whale. And as beautiful as whales can be, I don't feel like a particularly attractive one. Definitely not one who wants to be dressed most days, never mind have her photo taken.

To say this pregnancy has been different to that of John is an understatement. Between Hyperemesis Gravidarum, crippling SPD & a bigger-than-before bump, I think it's fair to admit that no two pregnancies - regardless of past experience - are the same. Not to mention my belly looking like a road-map despite being relativity stretch mark free with John (...do those lotions & potions I religiously used last time actually work? Perhaps it's not all nonsense after all). But we're now down from counting the months & weeks to counting the days, as now we're past 37 weeks, Baby Boy could make his début any day now.

So I could moan & moan about pregnancy until the cows come home, but instead I think I'm better throwing myself into baby preparations. Nesting is finally kicking in but SPD is restricting my ability to actually do what needs done (finish painting the kitchen, paint the bedroom, clean the carpets...) so instead I've been packing my hospital bags, trying to keep on top of the small jobs around the house, starting Christmas shopping(!!) and doing a bit of crafting.

Now the wondering begins - when will Baby Boy actually arrive? What will he look like? How will we cope?!

Don't forget - you can vote every 24 hours!

August Instagram Round-up.

Another month gone by! Another reminder that this year is flying before my eyes. What's even more scary is looking back on my Instagram Dump from August last year. John was only 7 months old, in the early stages of weaning, learning to crawl and I'd just gotten my new camera lens! A year on and John's 19 months old, eating his first chocolate ice cream, learning to play guitar and I'm still as in love with my camera lens. It'll be interesting to see what stages we're at come August next year.

For now, here's a sneak peak into our daily lives through the eyes of Instagram. My favourite photos this month have to be John's big eyes in the photo of his first fat lip (2nd in, 3rd row) and of course the chocolate ice cream smile (2nd in, 4th row).

   
   
   
   

Are you on Instagram? Leave me a comment with your username and I'll be sure to check you out!

29 Weeks Bump.

Ouch! My arm's sore. At 29 weeks (after much thought & research, I might add) today I had my whooping cough vaccine. Like most pregnant women, I of course doubted the safety of this 'new' vaccine and spent many an hour researching the facts & figures. And the information available is conflicting to say the least - no wonder there's so many confused ladies out there!

What turned out to be the biggest deciding factor for us was John. If this baby was my first and I knew they'd be having limited contact with the world (particularly given it'll be the winter months & we'll most certainly be hibernating) I would have maybe reconsidered having the vaccine. But since we already have John, whom is an expert at bringing home every bug & illness, it made good sense to take any kind of pre-caution we could for this new little one.

However, it's not just my arm that's sore. My pelvis is also getting worse recently. Following my 28 week midwife appointment, I've been advised to see the NHS physiotherapist for SPD. This of course, sucks. Especially given the advice to rest & avoid heavy lifting - obviously impossible with a toddler! I'm just hoping that SPD doesn't take a similar route to Hyperemesis Gravidarum and continue to get worse - crutches aren't really that practical, you see.

Don't forget - you can vote every 24 hours!

27 Weeks Bump.

This pregnancy is kicking my ass. I took these photos at the beginning of the week and its taken me this long to sit down and actually wrote this post.

Motivation is nil. Both in terms of blogging and daily life. I'm tired, fed up and feeling hugely pregnant. Walking has become greatly uncomfortable and even at times, painful. Baby must be lying low or head down as I've recently developed a waddle -- the only way that's remotely comfortable to walk. Everything is still on the back-burner. Our rooms are ready to be swapped and redecorated but I'm by no means ready to do it. One more nap then I'll consider it.

I've also been looking back at pictures if myself whilst pregnant with John and right now I resemble the size I was at 38 weeks. Lord knows how I'm going to make it until November when I'm struggling so much already. I'm even contemplating bringing my start date for maternity leave forward...

Don't forget - you can vote every 24 hours!

26 Weeks Bump.

I've hit a wall. Exhaustion, procrastination, complete and utter lack of motivation. It's fair to say that pregnancy has reached a rather uninteresting stage. With so many plans to start redecorating, organising and blogging, I still manage to find myself taking advantage of John's nap times to indulge in 40 winks myself.

Even these bump photos were only taken today (despite reaching 26 weeks last week) and in my work clothes no-less as it's one of the only times I actually find myself getting washed and dressed -- otherwise my days are spent in pyjamas. I'm not sure if it's my body just starting to struggle as I approach the third trimester or if my exhaustion is simply due to lack of a good nights sleep thanks to not being able to get comfortable for more than an hour or so at a time. Either way, the house is a mess, my to-do list is rapidly growing with little being scored off and things have been a bit quieter here at Diddle Diddle Dumpling.

Someone insisted in being part of the photo action.

But despite my lack of enthusiasm for the daily grind, John has been coming leaps and bounds these last few weeks. Despite still not talking, boy is communicating on new levels each day. Now able to identify his nose, ears, eyes, teeth, tongue, fingers, toes, tummy & willy (haha!) as well as responding to questions like "would you like a snack?", "can you find your shoes?" and "do you want to feed piggy [guinea pig]?". He can now dress & undress himself with a little assistance and is even showing the first signs of potty training, such as letting us know when he's in need of a nappy change. He's also becoming a pro in walking from A-to-B whilst holding Mummy or Daddy's hand -- a great relief as I really don't want to have to invest in a double buggy come November. But as I say, his speech is still limited. We get Mumma, Dada, Hiya, Yeah and Ta but other than that he communicates through babbling, pointing and snorting, which for now is fine -- he is only 18 months old after all!

Don't forget - you can vote every 24 hours!

24 Weeks Bump.

As you can probably tell by my attire, this week has been all about comfort. Because if I'm totally honest, I've been feeling like poop.

Maybe it's this whole being a year older business... But honestly (& rather devastatingly) it feels like my hyperemesis gravidarum is creeping back into my day-to-day. That and a severe lack of sleep has left me longing for a duvet day, everyday. Something that isn't possible with an 18 month old! Instead I need to power through the daily grind.

On the bright side though, today Iain bought me the best present I could have asked for -- a pregnancy support pillow! Tonight I will be heading to bed with great expectations of a peaceful nights sleep, which will hopefully result in sunnier outlook and improved motivation for the day-to-day. Now I just need to figure out a way to get bump to sleep through the night and stop waking me with a swift kick in the bladder at 4am every morning...

Don't forget - you can vote every 24 hours!

23 Weeks Bump.

This heat is getting to me. Things have been quite quiet here as a result.

This week has been a mixture of trying various methods of cooling down (lying on the couch with the windows open, spending time on the beach with the sea air...) and trying to make the most of the weather and spending time enjoying the outdoors with John. Neither makes pregnancy in the summer any easier. In fact, my favourite place right now is in work with the air conditioning switched on!

A hot and stuffy week hasn't been improved with John's ill-health either. Poor boy has been suffering something rotten with a virus that's caused a sky-high temperature, swollen glands, a sore looking red throat and an outbreak of cold sores. Thankfully today has been a turn around and he seems to be back to his usual self.

Despite a hot, ill-health filled week, all seems well with baby in the belly. Kicks are getting stronger -- strong enough to wake me at 3am when a foot digs into my bladder! Although my increasing size comes hand-in-hand with increasing exhaustion and difficultly in day-to-day tasks.

Don't forget - you can vote every 24 hours!

22 Weeks Bump.

Flutters have turned into kicks and popping has turned into punches. This week baby is making their presence known! As a result, I'm finally feeling pregnant.

I'm also already feeling myself start to struggle with day-to-day life. Sore legs, back and hips, exhaustion from doing the smallest of tasks... I never had this issue with John until much later in my pregnancy. But then when I compare my size to that of my last pregnancy, I'm around the same size I was at 35 weeks already. I'm wondering if my size will plateau at some point soon or if I'm going to end up double the size this time around.

On a more positive note, I've started buying some little bits & pieces for this new little one -- namely some new itty bitty sleepsuits. It's strange looking at how small these outfits are and trying to remember John being that small -- it's all just a distant memory now. My wee boy is all grown up already. Time need to slow down -- it'll be 40 weeks and we'll be welcoming our new addition before we know it.

21 Weeks Bump.

This week we had our 20 week scan. Thankfully my motherly worries were unnecessary and everything was absolutely fine with little one. No apparent ill affects thanks to my Hyperemesis Gravidarum or the the anti-sickness medications I've had to take -- a particular worry after watching BBC Panorama the night before the scan which was titled The Truth About Pills & Pregnancy.

Oh and yes, we did find out the sex! But more on that to come...

This week I'm also starting to feel real movement -- kicks, punches and rolls instead of little flutters. A constant reminder that this baby is always getting bigger and will soon be short on space in there.

20 Weeks Bump.

Half way. Half way there, half way done. Half way to finally meeting this little human that's slowly growing inside of me.

This week nesting has started to take over. I've tidied my self up (hair cut, eyebrows, nails...), become obsessed with decorating our bedrooms, cleaning the rooms in our flat one-by-one, started re-doing the design on this blog and even organising the cupboards & filing at work. I say nesting but the truth is, it's really an attempt to keep myself busy.

On Tuesday we will have our 20 week scan. Just like before the 12 week scan, I find myself getting irrationally nervous. What if something isn't right? What if there's a problem with the baby? What if we decide to find out the gender and I'm disappointed with the answer? I know all these things are highly unlikely (particularly the latter) but I'm a hormonal woman so they all become a huge possibility!

19 Weeks Bump.

"Where has that bump come from?" and "Are you sure there's just one in there?" are two questions I've been asked multiple times today. And it's fair enough really -- I do seem to have well and truly popped. I'm now comparable to the size I was at closer to 30 weeks pregnant with John, when I'm now only just approaching the halfway mark with this pregnancy.

The fact that I'm nearly half way is a scary thought. Second pregnancies are definitely different from firsts. For a start, if my phone didn't flash up once a week to tell me I another week has passed, I'd probably have lost count long before now.

The honest truth is, I keep forgetting I'm even pregnant. And yes, I feel guilty about it but unlike the first time around, this time I've something else (or someone else) that constantly occupies my thoughts. Oh, and I mean John, by the way!

This time around I couldn't tell you which sized vegetable my baby is comparable to on a weekly basis but  I'm sure that once I start feeling those kicks and punches, instead of the occasional flutter, I'll be constantly reminded. For now though I'll just need to carry on relying on that reminder from my phone to update me each week.

18 Week Bump.

This week has been a tiring one. Between John not sleeping as well and with me still having to work regardless of how many hours sleep we've managed, I'm feeling awfully weary.

The pregnancy exhaustion is a constant reminder that my body is busy at work, creating another little being. One that this week will apparently be developing their hearing.

It makes me wonder what they must hear. Me talking utter nonsense to John or singing Round And Round The Garden. Perhaps they'll be an expert in optics before they're even born. Or maybe they'll just be so fed up with my constant, "I'm sleepy" cries to anyone that'll listen.

17 Week Bump.

This week I heard our new little baby bean's heart beat for the first time.

Despite feeling those first flutters of movement and seeing that baby-shaped blob on the ultra-sound screen, it was wooshing little heart beat that really hit home. Things finally seem real. There really is a tiny human slowly growing inside of me. Another son or possibly a daughter, a baby sibling for John.

Maybe it was because those flutters could have just been wind, or perhaps because for all I knew the sonographer was just playing back a video of someone else's scan, but now I know there's a real heart beat in there, I finally feel connected, empowered. I also feel girl. That's right, I'm now getting girl vibes.

Up until now I didn't really have any feeling of what the sex of this baby may be. With John, it was instant -- the second I saw that positive test, I just knew. We never found out with John but by a certain point in my pregnancy I started referring to my bump as "he". And we're undecided if we'll find out this time around but I'm leaning slightly more to asking the big question at our 20 week scan.

Now I just need to convince Iain it'll be better to find out the sex than it would be to keep another surprise.

Have you, or would you find out the sex of your baby? Care to take a guess of what gender I'm carrying?

16 Week Bump.

This week, after nearly 10 weeks of being signed off due to my Hyperemesis Gravidarum, I returned to work. I'm not going to lie, it's been awful. Between not getting paid and having to leave John for 8+ hours a day, I can't help but yearn for past weeks where I've acted as stay-at-home Mum.

It was always the assumption that we'd be a working family, and before I was ill, we had a good routine. But now, now I realise how short life is. How much my wee boy enjoys having his Mummy at home. And it could be purely coincidental but whilst I've been off, John has started sleeping through the night, napping at regular times and self-settling like a boss.

Of course there's days I feel like I've had enough. Days when I wished I could escape for a few hours peace, but generally, 10 minutes quiet whilst John naps is enough for me to realise how thankful I should be for being able to be there when he wakes up.

One thing is for sure, after this second little one arrives, I'll be doing all I can to ensure I can stay at home and look after my kids.

15 Weeks Bump.

I keep catching a glimpse of myself in shop windows.

Do I look pregnant? Are people going to start asking when I due? Jeez these jeans are getting tight...

It's 15 weeks now and I still keep forgetting that I'm growing around my middle. I look down and get a shock that my feet are already starting to disappear. I'm still pulling myself into my normal skinny jeans -- partly because I can't afford a new pair of maternity jeans just yet & partly because I keep forgetting they're too tight (she says sitting at a table with unbuttoned jeans on...).

On a more positive note, I'm now at a stage in my Hyperemesis where I feel well enough (ie. on a good enough combination of medication to function day-to-day) to return to work. I've been signed off work for the past 10 weeks so it's going to be a bit strange, especially since there's been so many changes at my workplace during my absence. I just hope John's not got too used to be being home everyday and he'll fall back into our working family routine without a hitch.

14 Weeks Bump.

Hello there, hugely-obvious-bump. Where did you suddenly appear from?

After my pondering on my last bump post if my Hyperemesis was improving, it turns out it's not. It simply is a good combination of medication. After a few days of reducing doses, I could feel the nausea creeping back in. It's disappointing - all I want is to be able to enjoy my pregnancy - but the silver lining is that the medication is helping. I've read of so many women recently who struggle right through to 40 weeks, having tried numerous different remedies, none with great success. At least I can get some relief. And the one thing that seems to have improved is the early days exhaustion. I can now get through a normal day without needing to nap when John does (although I do still indulge in a mid-afternoon snooze from time to time - sue me!).

I'm also pretty sure I'm feeling the start of some movement, although not full force punches and kicking just yet. It's still a nice little reminder that there's actually someone growing in there. Second pregnancies are definitely different from first, in that I need to really think about when people ask how far along I am. Gone are the days of counting the hours until my due date & knowing what vegetable my baby is comparable to each week. In all honesty, if the app on my phone didn't flash up once a week, I'd be none-the-wiser.

13 Week Bump

At long last! I feel like there's an improvement on the Hyperemesis front. Whether it's down to the combination of anti-sickness medications, or that there's an actual, real improvement, is yet to be decided, but the fact I can eat again is something truly wonderful!

This week I've also started to feel like I look pregnant. There's a definite bump there now, one which is being noticed by people other than myself. At the moment I'm still in normal clothes - due to the amount of weight I've lost thanks to Hyperemesis, maternity wear isn't an essential just yet. I do feel like I will need to invest in a good pair of maternity jeans at some stage soon. And unlike first time around, I won't be spending £40+ on a pair of temporary trousers and will instead opt for an eBay bargain.

I'm also debating with myself if there has been the start of some small movement in there. I keep coming to the conclusion that it's simply gas (thank you pregnancy, my favourite symptom...) but given that you're meant to feel movement earlier with your second, it could perhaps be the first kicks & punches from my little womb dweller. I'll know for definite when I see my tummy move from the outside.