38 Weeks

We took these photographs on Saturday because I'd been having contractions on and off for about 24 hours, and we were wondering if this might be our last opportunity to take some bump pictures. Sadly, it's Tuesday and the baby has not yet arrived, so here's an update on our pregnancy so far since, well, we're still pregnant!

How far along? 38 weeks & 4 days
Total weight gain/loss: Still 21lbs in total. I think I should be within the 25-30lb range by the end of my pregnancy, and I guess I'm technically already there if you count the 7lbs I gained and lost in the first 20 weeks when I was really sick. 
Maternity clothes? Since the baby has dropped, I'm starting to hang out of a lot of the tops that fitted me a couple of weeks ago. It's too warm to wear some of my maternity clothes (especially my jeans), so I'm pretty much rotating a few outfits that are suitable for summer and don't show of my belly too much.
Stretch marks? Still none! 
Sleep: It could be worse, I guess, but it's not great. I'm having to sleep with a pillow under my bump to stop it from being too uncomfortable, and it's an effort to roll over in bed. The last couple of nights I've woken up feeling nauseas several times, so it might be time to start taking my antisickness pills again, to see if it helps me get a better night's sleep.
Best moment this week: Contractions! Although we're a little disappointed that the baby hasn't made an appearance yet, we're definitely in the final stretch now. 
Movement: The baby has been a lot more active this weekend, so all is good on that front. 
Cravings/Aversions: I've been craving sugary/sweet stuff again, which may just be my body's way of trying to keep its energy up. 
Gender guesses: We've still only let it slip once, which is crazy. 
Labor Signs: Ooh, plenty. We had regular contractions on and off for about 48 hours, including a couple of hours on Sunday morning where I was getting them every five minutes, lasting 40 seconds each time. We really thought we were in labour, but then the contractions trailed off. I've also been having more backache, some nausea and headaches, and needing to pee constantly because the baby is sitting so low. Although it's exciting to feel like we're on our way to actually having this baby, it's also frustrating that I spent this weekend feeling drained from contractions and then it didn't actually go anywhere. 
What I miss: Having more than three outfits to choose from, being able to stay out in the sun without overheating within 20 minutes, putting on shoes without feeling like it's an olympic event, and being able to get things out of the cupboard under the sink without falling on my butt. (Which, incidentally, did not happen in a charity shop last week when I squatted down and reached for a book and overbalanced myself. I also did not just sit on the floor and try to make it look like I had intended to sit down to look through this particular volume. Nope). 
What I am looking forward to: The baby finally arriving! It could still be a few more weeks, but we're hoping it's a bit sooner than that.
Weekly Wisdom: If you've had, say, four or five false starts of pretty serious contractions in one weekend, it is totally acceptable to buy Tesco Finest cheesecake to cheer yourself up--especially if it's discounted. 
Milestones: Contractions have started! And also stopped. But still, we know what they're like now, and we definitely know how to use the stopwatch on my phone, so the practice run was useful for something. 

36 Weeks

We haven't done one of these in a while, and we're definitely glad to be entering the final month of our pregnancy! The last month was rather eventful--as well as finishing up our antenatal classes and gathering up most of our newborn/home birth supplies, I also took a nasty tumble and scraped my knees in a rather dramatic way, and then came down with a cold that jump-started my morning sickness. If you thought morning sickness at 8, 14 or 20 weeks was bad, it's even worse at 34 weeks. I'm very grateful for Cyclizine Hydrochloride and Peptac Liquid for allowing me to get through the day without puking, and actually get some sleep at night. 

Everyone keeps commenting on how I don't look particularly big, and as of my last midwife appointment, my bump was still measuring two weeks less than it should have, but trust me--I feel pretty big. This is the biggest I've ever been, after all! There are some days where I have tons of energy and get all of the housework done with little extra effort, and others where just standing at the sink washing dishes hurts my back and I don't really want to move. I feel like I'm constantly flipping back and forth between the extremes. 

We technically have just under four weeks left until our due date, but since only 5% of babies are born on their due dates, we're trying not to think of a specific day on which to expect the baby. Since we're having a home birth, we've been given a four week window in which the NHS will provide midwives to attend us at home (otherwise we'll have to go to the birthing centre or hospital), so we're just imagining that the baby will arrive within that period of time. Depending on how huge and uncomfortable I'm feeling, I may start guzzling raspberry leaf tea at 38 weeks, or I may feel brave enough to wait until we go overdue. 

We've had some lovely weather lately, and I've been trying to enjoy it, but Monday and Tuesday of last week were just a bit too much for me. Apparently it was only 21C on Tuesday, but it felt a lot worse than that--I was wearing a cotton sundress and dripping with sweat after just hanging out the washing. Normally I'd be outside all day long when the weather is this nice, but the heat tends to set off my Braxton Hicks, and as huge and uncomfortable as I sometimes feel, I'd rather not go into labour just yet. 

Also, our baby officially dropped as soon as we hit 36 weeks! I had a different midwife for my appointment on Monday, and she didn't believe that it could have dropped already as I was only measuring 34 weeks (my normal midwife has pretty much accepted that I'm always going to measure a bit less than average) but there is definitely more space to breathe, and the baby's head is officially making its way down. Pretty exciting! Even if it does mean that I need to pee even more than usual ;)

How far along? 36 weeks & 5 days
Total weight gain/loss: 21lbs. Apparently 25-30lbs is average for my pre-pregnancy BMI, so I'm happy with this. A few people have cheerfully told me that I'll balloon in the last few weeks, so we'll see if that happens. 
Maternity clothes? I'm down to a pretty limited wardrobe--lots of loose skirts and dresses, plus a few long tops and my two pairs of maternity jeans. This is more to do with the heat than my size, to be honest. I can still fit into a dress that has an age 13-14 label on it, so I'm kind of giving up on paying attention to clothing sizes right now.
Stretch marks? Still none! I'm not sure if this is genetic (my mum never got stretch marks with her first pregnancy) or because I've always kept my skin really hydrated with lots of body butter. 
Sleep: I've had one night last week where I slept for seven hours straight, which was downright miraculous. Because I'm getting occasional nausea (even with my antisickness pills) I sometimes wake up during the night feeling sick (generally because the baby is lying in a really awkward position). And I can't sleep past 8am because I always need to pee. Honestly, I can't predict how well I'm going to sleep right now. It's all over the place.
Best moment this week: Getting seven hours of uninterrupted sleep, and spending most of the day shopping with one of my friends. Just the fact that I managed to spend over half the day in town without getting too tired or uncomfortable was exciting for me! 
Movement: They're mostly still on a usual schedule (first thing in the morning, last thing at night, and sometimes around lunchtime) but it's hard to predict how strong the movements are going to be. Sometimes I barely notice them because I've got used to them, and then other times the baby gives some really sharp kicks. At the moment, most of the movements feel more like the baby is elbowing me than kicking me.
Cravings/Aversions: I've been craving sweet stuff a lot lately, and for the most part (except when I'm feeling nauseas or have heartburn) I'm eating more than usual. 
Gender guesses: We're still finding that everyone is pretty split in their guesses, and I think we've still managed to avoid letting the truth slip. Impressive!
Labor Signs: I think I must be getting used to Braxton Hicks now as I'm not noticing them as much. I can pretty much guarantee that I'll have them if I walk anywhere when it's relatively hot. And the baby dropping is a sign that we're definitely on our way, but that can happen up to four weeks before the baby's born, so it might still be a while.
Belly Button in or out? Still in. I don't think it's ever going to pop. 
What I miss: A lot of things! Uninterrupted sleep, being able to carry or reach for things without toppling over, being able to put on my shoes without major effort, and alcohol!
What I am looking forward to: This might sound kind of lame, but I'm looking forward to going shopping with my mum this weekend and finally getting fitted for nursing bras. I've changed bras three times so far in my pregnancy, and the cheapy, ugly, non-wired ones I picked up at Tesco (2 for £9) six weeks ago are starting to feel really uncomfortable. Mothercare has some really pretty stuff, so I'm going to treat myself to something attractive but practical. We also have a couple of final things to pick up for the baby, and then we'll be sorted :)
Weekly Wisdom: It's okay to feel ginormous even when everyone keeps telling you how small you are. They aren't carrying around an extra 1.5st on their front.
Milestones: We're into the final month! The third trimester has gone by really, really fast (in spite of dramatic bruises and morning sickness). I'm not sure if we feel ready, but we're nearly there :)

31 Weeks

How far along? 31 weeks & 5 days
Total weight gain/loss: Some of my friends said that their weight gain pretty much doubled in the final trimester, and I think that's going to happen to me as I seem to have put on a total of 17lbs now! Which amounts to 8lbs in the last three weeks, I think? It definitely makes sense, given how rapidly my bump is growing. 
Maternity clothes? Still half and half, surprisingly enough. Anything long and elasticated still fits. I'm amazed that all of my nightdresses (satin, ranging between sizes 8-12) still fit. Those things stretch in a surprising manner. I'm determined not to buy any new maternity things unless I can wear them after the baby is born and nurse in them, since it came to my attention this week that most of my maternity tops and dresses are entirely impractical for breast-feeding.
Stretch marks? Still none! 
Sleep: I'm definitely needing more and more of it, but I'm sleeping pretty well. Simon said that I occasionally make weird noises in my sleep and wake him up, and apparently I snored last night. 
Best moment this week: I don't think anything particularly astounding happened this week. We're just chugging along, trying to prepare for the baby's arrival. 
Movement: My midwife told me that the baby's movements are meant to become less noticeable in the third trimester (more like rocking motions than kicks) but so far I'm still getting lots of kicks and punches! The baby is still small enough that it can reposition itself several times in one hour--sometimes its head will be right below my ribs, and then off to the side, and then down the bottom. Its also had hiccups a few times this week. 
Cravings/Aversions: I flip between craving salty and sweet snacks on a daily basis, and I've definitely been eating more chocolate than usual. In general, I'm just more hungry than usual, which I'm taking as a good sign. I've never had a massive appetite, but this baby needs the extra calories.
Gender guesses: We've still managed to keep it a secret from most people, which even we're surprised by! It's still fun hearing everyone's guesses. Word of advice: We both really like the colour purple, so if we buy something purple for the baby, it's really not an indication of its gender. It's just our favourite colour. 
Labor Signs: None, but I'm having Braxton Hicks more often, especially whenever I walk somewhere. It's not too annoying, thankfully. I didn't actually realise I'd been having them until the midwife described them (far better than any book or website I'd perused) at our first antenatal class, and I was like, "Oh, that's what Braxton Hicks feels like? I've been having those for weeks!" 
Belly Button in or out? Still in. Simon is convinced that it's about to pop, but it's held on pretty well so far.
What I miss: Being able to bend over without the baby kicking me in protest. It's not very patient of mummy's need to shave her legs, tie her shoelaces or pick up anything she's dropped on the floor.
What I am looking forward to: Getting our changing table! We've received a huge amount of baby clothes (especially since some friends have a five-month-old and gave us all the things their baby had grown out of) and I'm looking forward to being able to put everything away into drawers, rather than having a pile of bags in the corner of our study. I think we'll feel more ready once everything is organised. 
Weekly Wisdom: It's okay if you want to throttle everyone who says "Wow, you're huge!" In fact, you should probably just get a T-shirt made up that says, "Yes, I know I'm huge, you don't have to remind me."
Milestones: I don't think we've hit any particular milestones this week, but people have started commenting on my bump, which was a long time in coming. It genuinely took until 29 weeks before anyone who didn't already know I was expecting asked about my pregnancy. So far it's just been our upstairs neighbour (who very politely asked me if I was "with child") and one of the cashiers in Tesco, but it still seems like an achievement!

28 Weeks

In the last few weeks I have been informed by several people that my bump is "neat". As far as I can tell, what they mean by this is that I still have a defined waistline, I haven't put on weight anywhere except my bump (and my boobs, but most people are too polite to comment on that) and my bump is all in the front. You still can't see it from behind. I'm convinced it's more obvious from the left side than the right, but maybe that's just me? Either way, there is definitely a bump, but somehow I still fit into this age 13-14 dress from Asda. 

More importantly, we're officially into the third trimester! Now is the time for antenatal classes, slightly more midwife appointments (all of them rather unexciting, since there's not much to discuss with a ridiculously low risk pregnancy like ours, thankfully!), ordering our pram and deciding on a birth plan. Simon's ideas on what to include in our birth plan? "Having a baby." Anything we definitely don't want to happen at the birth? "Not having a baby." As you can see, we're making fantastic progress on that item on our to-do list.

How far along? 28 weeks & 1 day
Total weight gain/loss: Still at 9lbs, so I haven't gained anything in the last couple of weeks, but I haven't lost anything either! 
Maternity clothes? I'm still managing to fit into some of my old clothes--mostly long tops and elasticated skirts and loose dresses--but I love my maternity jeans. So comfy!
Stretch marks? Still none! Given the rate that my bump seems to be growing at, I'm rather surprised.
Sleep: I'm not as tired as I have been the last couple of weeks, but I'm having weird dreams and can't seem to sleep in past 7:30am. Either the baby's movements are waking me up, or it's my bladder. 
Best moment this week: Reaching the third trimester! It's exciting and scary at the same time. 
Movement: The baby has actually been a little quieter the last few days, but its movements are pretty consistent, and sometimes we can actually see my belly moving. There was one day when I was having horrible backache, and then we saw the baby very obviously kick right below my ribcage, so its position explained why I'd been in so much pain! And then it moved around and kicked at my side. According to my midwife, the movements will change over the next month as the baby has less room to move, and I think I'll miss the usual activity!
Cravings/Aversions: I've really been craving chocolate lately, and the other day I was in the mood for pizza. I guess that counts?
Gender guesses: A lot of people have told us they think it's a girl. It's fun listening to everyone's guesses, and we're honestly surprised we've managed to keep it a secret this long ;)
Labor Signs: None, although I have been researching Braxton Hicks so I know what to look out for, especially given how bad my backache has been recently. 
Belly Button in or out? Still in. I'm starting to think it's never going to pop. 
What I miss: Wine. I've not had a glass of wine since September, when we first started trying to get pregnant, and I'm finally starting to properly miss it. 
What I am looking forward to: Our baby shower tomorrow! Some friends from church are throwing us a very low-key baby shower, and we're really excited about it :)
Weekly Wisdom: Just smile and nod whenever anyone tells you that you barely look pregnant, even though you feel as big as a house and struggle to lean over to put your socks on in the morning. 
Milestones: We've reached the third trimester! Which means I'm flip-flopping between being excited that our baby will be here soon, and freaking out that we're not organised enough. Simon is being incredibly patient and, naturally, not worrying at all.

26 Weeks

How far along? 26 weeks & 5 days
Total weight gain/loss: 9lbs! Probably still less that I'm supposed to have gained, but I haven't lost any weight in a long time, so I'm happy.
Maternity clothes? It's about half and half. I have two pairs of maternity jeans and several new long tops/dresses, but some of them are just larger sizes than I normally wear. I'm still able to wear some of my longer tops and elasticated skirts. The one in this picture, for example, I usually wear on my waist, but I expanded the waist-band and it fits just under my bump. 
Stretch marks? Surprisingly, none! My bump has grown a lot lately and I keep looking for them, but none have appeared so far.
Sleep: Sometimes broken (I think the baby's movements are starting to wake me up during the night) and I'm obviously needing more sleep as I fell asleep on the sofa at 8pm on Monday and 9.30pm last night, both times with the lights on and a film playing. 
Best moment this week: I don't think anything particularly major happened this week, besides my bump getting bigger and the baby moving around even more than usual. We did get our Moses basket last week, which was exciting!
Movement: We can almost time the baby's movements now--it's always very active first thing in the morning, then between 7-9 every night. If I've been moving around or doing a lot of walking during the day, it'll suddenly get very active as soon as we get into bed. And if I'm ever sitting or lying down for a period of time during the day it makes its presence known :) And it still loves bath time!
Cravings/Aversions: I want to say that I've been craving sweet things more this week, but maybe that's because we have lots of Easter chocolate sitting around ;)
Gender guesses: We're not telling! ;)
Labor Signs: None, although Simon had a dream about the labour last night and apparently it was super easy and the baby "popped out" (his words) before the midwife got here. He seemed quite comforted by this dream, but I was a little more disconcerted. I think I'd prefer to have a midwife on hand. 
Belly Button in or out? Still in. I kept thinking for ages that it was going to pop, but it hasn't. 
What I miss: Being able to bend over without overbalancing myself. 
What I am looking forward to: Reaching the end of the second trimester! We only have a week and a bit left to go. 
Weekly Wisdom: Since you're supposed to be getting an extra 200 calories a day when you're pregnant, you're totally allowed to eat as much Easter chocolate as you like. 
Milestones: We got our Moses basket last week (although it's still at my parents' house until closer to our due date) and my bump suddenly got a lot bigger in the last couple of days. I'd kind of got used to the size it was and kept thinking, "Huh, it's not really that big, to be honest" and then WHAM, it feels like it tripled in size in two days! So hopefully this will stop people from saying "Oh, you're barely showing!" 

24 Weeks

We've gotten a little lazy about posting regular pregnancy updates. I think this is partially because we've been doing more lately, now that I have slightly more energy and haven't been throwing up. Plus, we're now at the stage where our baby is really active and I'm not feeling the need to constantly look up its new developments each week. It helps that we ended up having three foetal anomaly scans (as the baby was in the wrong position for the first two) so I'm absolutely certain that the baby is doing fine. 

Instead of the usual post, I thought I'd share some things I've learned so far in my pregnancy.

1. Hair & Nails: Everyone tells you that being pregnant will make your hair luscious and shiny and your nails beautiful, but I've not experienced this. I already have pretty shiny hair, and it's still shiny--but also very, very tangled. My nails seem to be breaking a lot more easily than usual, too. Either this one is an old wives' tale, or my nails and hair have hit their peak and started to go downhill. 

2. Emotions: Although I do tend to cry more than usual at any film, book or TV show that deals with parenting or children (even if the children in question are closer to my age than our baby's) I've not been as emotional as I anticipated. I've heard plenty of stories about pregnant women crying at the drop of a hat, but I think I've had one emotional day every fortnight, which is a lot less than before I got pregnant! Pregnancy seems to have completely off-set my Seasonal Affective Disorder this year, which I am so thankful for.

3. Cravings: People keep asking me if I'm having cravings. Occasionally I think, "Hmm, I'd like to eat X", but it ends up being more, "I'll plan this meal for next week" rather than, "Simon, you must go out and buy this for me immediately." When I get hungry, I tend to switch between wanting to eat something sweet or savoury, but that's the closest I've got to having cravings. 

4. Caffeine: The current "Avoid this if you're pregnant" craze seems to be fixated on caffeine, and maybe women who are addicted to Starbucks will have issues with this, but it's not been a big deal for me. I drink tea (which contains a lot less caffeine than coffee) and I'm a big fan of herbal tea, so keeping my caffeine consumption within my self-imposed four-cups-a-day limit has been pretty easy. 

5. Energy: Apparently I'm meant to have tons of energy right now, because I'm in the second trimester, but my energy levels are seriously fluctuating. Some days I can stay out at a friend's house all evening and not get back until 11pm and feel fine, but on others my energy droops the minute Simon gets home from work and I fall asleep on the sofa at 8pm. I really can't predict it, so I'm just trying to get as much done before 5pm as I can. If we cancel plans unexpectedly, we're not being rude--I'm probably half-asleep. And seriously, if you invite us to an event that doesn't start until 9pm we will laugh at you. 

6. Sleep: Talking of sleep, everybody keeps recommending fancy, expensive pillows that will take up half the bed. Aside from two weeks right at the start of the second trimester, I haven't needed any extra pillow support. I've read warnings about not sleeping on your back, but since I'm normally a side-sleeper this hasn't been an issue--plus, sleeping on my back is just uncomfortable right now, so I wake up if I lie in that position for too long. The biggest problem with the no-back-sleeping rule? I can't lie on the grass to read in the sun. My neighbours must think I'm loopy for bringing a bean-bag out on to the front lawn, but it works. 

7. Reading: After reading four pregnancy books, I kind of got burned out. Although I read a lot, I'm not actually much of a non-fiction reader. I made a big list of pregnancy and parenting books that were available within the Edinburgh library system, but in the end if I only read four. By the time I finished the fourth one, I felt like all the information was getting repetitive. I'm not saying I know everything about pregnancy, but I don't feel so worried that I want to constantly look things up. Here's what I ended up reading:

• What to Expect When You're Expecting (4th edition) by Heidi Murkoff & Sharon Mazel -- This one is great for looking up specific issues and ailments in the extensive index, and for finding out what your baby and body will be experiencing each week or month. The information on midwife/doctor's appointments is absolutely useless if you're in the UK (even in the UK edition, bizarrely), and I skipped the healthy eating/exercise section as it's overwhelming. As long as you eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and do some walking, you'll be fine. The labour section is brief compared to other books, but honest. Some people said this book made them worried about everything, but personally I like being able to look things up and feeling relieved when I find that X or Y is perfectly normal. It's not one to read from cover-to-cover--and perhaps reading about all the possible ailments and complications all at once could be scary.
• The Christian Mama's Guide to Having a Baby by Erin McPherson -- I got this free on my Kindle a couple of years ago, and while the title is cheesy and some parts are completely irrelevant to a non-US audience, I actually really enjoyed it. I appreciated the down-to-earth honesty of the author, who talked about her own mistakes and worries during her pregnancy rather than lecturing on how you should do things. I read this book before my morning sickness really kicked in, and there's a massive section on morning sickness that I probably would have appreciated more towards the end of the first trimester. This book is pretty patronising towards husbands, which I didn't love, but aside from that it was an encouraging read.
• Expecting Better by Emily Oster -- If I had to recommend one book for every pregnant woman to read, it would be this one. After reading and hearing conflicting information on whether alcohol/caffeine/fish/lunch-meat/etc is safe to consume while pregnant, I really appreciated Oster's approach to figuring out the facts behind the warnings pregnant women are given. Oster examines medical research in various situations--everything from sleeping on your back to drinking coffee to common painkillers--and lays out all the evidence to help the reader make an informed decision. This was the book that stopped me from constantly worrying about my caffeine intake. If you're wondering about the risks of Listeria or something similar, read this book rather than randomly Googling--it'll be a lot less frightening. The parts of this book that related to midwife/doctor's appointments and labour were very American, and the chapter on home births was much briefer than I would have liked, so those are the main downfalls of this otherwise helpful book.
• The Babymoon Experience by Caroline Deacon -- I picked this book up at the library because I came to collect another one that I'd ordered and the librarian couldn't locate it. I wanted to read something to do with pregnancy, and this was on the shelf. I have really mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I appreciated that the author encouraged women not to feel the need to rush back into normal life after having a baby, and to take time our to bond with their baby and recuperate. But I also felt she was a little extreme, suggesting that you sequester yourself in your bedroom in your nightclothes for 2-6 weeks post-delivery. The chapters on labour, recovery and breastfeeding were fantastic and very informative and encouraging, but the tone was rather patronising (and like McPherson's book, rather dismissive of husbands) and she seemed very biased towards certain issues, like co-sleeping and non-medical pain relief. This one is worth reading for the chapters on labour, etc, but some of the other information (diet and exercise, for example) is nearly identical to What to Expect, except the tone is worse.

8. Movement: After being told by every book, website and person on the planet that first-time mums don't feel their baby's movements until at least 18 weeks, if not 22--I felt movements at 15, and Simon was able to feel then at 16. The movements were pretty inconsistent to begin with, and while they nearly always came in the evening, I didn't feel them every day initially. In the last week or so we've been consistently feeling them every morning at 7am and every evening at 8pm, so the baby is obviously in a routine. I'm starting to feel them more in the middle of the day as well, especially if I'm sitting or lying down. The baby tends to be quite active when I'm in the bath (which is where Simon was first able to feel it) but I'm not sure if this is specifically linked to the water, or because I take baths in the evening when the baby usually moves around.

9. Herbal Remedies: I might not be going to completely down the route of replacing my medicine cabinet with herbal remedies, but I did invest in a couple of essential oils early in the second trimester and they've come in handy. I occasionally get tension headaches, which could only be eased by ibuprofen pre-pregnancy (and ibuprofen is one of the painkillers that everyone agrees is to be avoided during pregnancy), and I've found that a drop of lavender oil mixed with a mixer oil (like grapeseed) then rubbed on my forehead is very effective at easing headaches. Simon actually tried this recently when he was feeling ill, and he also found it relaxing. I've also been using peppermint oil with a mixer for backaches. Honestly, I'm not sure if the peppermint oil itself is helpful, or just using some sort of massage oil, but my backaches aren't as bad as they used to be. 

10. Pregnancy Talk: There are some points where I just get bored of talking about pregnancy and the baby. It's not that I'm not excited, but sometimes it feels like it's the only thing people want to talk about when I'm around. My entire identity doesn't revolve upon my pregnancy, and sometimes it's just nice to talk about something else for a change. It's so refreshing to talk about books or cooking or anything other than "Yep, I'm still having a baby, and it's still kicking me and making me feel nauseas." Seriously, it's totally okay to ask me for my favourite pancake recipe or what my opinion is on Season 5 of Castle. I won't be offended if you don't mention the baby straight away.

21 Weeks

How far along? 21 weeks & 5 days
Total weight gain/loss: I've actually gained 5lbs! Finally. 
Maternity clothes? Definitely. I only have a few tops that still cover my stomach, so I think it's time to invest in some maternity tops.
Stretch marks? None
Sleep: Better this week, but I'm struggling to go out in the evenings as I start to feel drained about 6pm every night. I can stay awake, but I don't really feel like doing much.
Best moment this week: Technically this happened last week, but since I didn't do a blog post, I think I can count this here ;) Our best moment was definitely getting to see our baby again at our 20-week ultrasound! It was really exciting to see it moving around (not doing somersaults like last time, but it was kicking its feet) and seeing how it was growing. It sounds weird, but it's pretty cool getting to see its bones and heart valves and stuff like that. 
Movement: The baby is getting more and more active, and I actually got worried that it was being too active at one point, but apparently that's not something to be concerned about ;) Sometimes it kicks me quite hard, and at least twice we've felt it having hiccups. Pretty exciting!
Cravings/Aversions: I've been craving sweet things this week, which is actually good as we still have tons of Christmas chocolate left ;)
Gender guesses: You guys can keep guessing, but we already know! ;)
Labor Signs: None, although I did have a dream about going into labour last night, so clearly it's been on my mind.
Belly Button in or out? Still in, but I don't think it'll stay that way for much longer.
What I miss: Having more than two pairs of jeans to choose between ;)
What I am looking forward to: Buying baby things! I've managed to hold off buying too many baby things until now (everything we've got so far can literally fit into a plastic carrier bag) but now that we're more than halfway there I'm starting to peruse the clearance rack in the Baby section of Tesco for tiny t-shirts ;)
Weekly Wisdom: It is totally acceptable to delegate floor sweeping to your husband so you don't hurt your back. 
Milestones: Over the last two weeks, we've had a lot! 20-week ultrasound, hearing the baby's heartbeat, buying some baby clothes together, finding out the sex of the baby, deciding on a name, and my bump has officially got to the stage where nothing I wear will hide it. A pretty exciting couple of weeks, all in all :)

19 Weeks

How far along? 19 weeks & 6 days
Total weight gain/loss: I've finally gained weight! However...this puts me at exactly the same weight I was before I got pregnant, since I lost half a stone in the first trimester. But hey, it's better than not gaining anything at all. 
Maternity clothes? For trousers and some dresses, and I might want to start investing in some tops soon as most of mine are starting to look too short.
Stretch marks? None
Sleep: Better, but I'm needing a lot more of it. I start to feel drained about 6pm every day.
Best moment this week: I finally put on weight? It seems kind of lame, but I have been worried about that. I also had several days with absolutely no nausea, which is an absolute first for me--I've literally been feeling nauseas every day since the start of November.
Movement: The baby has been really active this week. Instead of just little flutterings here and there, I'm feeling it consistently for relatively long periods of time. Sometimes it's definitely doing a jig on my intestines or kicking my lower abdomen, which I am not a fan of. The movements used to only be noticeable in the evenings, but I've felt it several times during the day recently.
Cravings/Aversions: Nothing right now, since my nausea is mostly gone.
Gender guesses: We're getting so close to finding out that I'm not sure what I think any more! Simon's the same.
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? Still in
What I miss: Being able to bend over to pick things off the floor without hurting my back.
What I am looking forward to: Our ultrasound on Monday! Not just because we might get to find out the sex of the baby, but getting to hear it's heartbeat and finally see it again.
Weekly Wisdom: As soon as you have an obvious bump, people will start looking at you warily and questioning whether you should be lifting or carrying anything. This makes grocery shopping so much fun. 
Milestones: Putting on weight, for the first time in about six weeks, and managing a few days without any nausea. 

18 Weeks

How far along? 18 weeks & 5 days
Total weight gain/loss: Still 5lbs less than my pre-pregnancy weight. I'm convinced the baby must be eating up all my excess fat as I don't know how it can be getting so big without me gaining weight!
Maternity clothes? I'm still wearing some of my normal tops and skirts, but for jeans I'm entirely sticking to maternity trousers. Dresses are half and half. My winter coat is too tight and my spring jacket only does up partially, so I'm praying for warm weather so I don't have to invest in a maternity jacket.
Stretch marks? Nope
Sleep: Getting better. I had a lot of broken sleep at the start of the week because my bump felt really uncomfortable when I slept on either side, but the baby must have rearranged itself because I'm sleeping better now.
Best moment this week: This week hasn't been amazing as I came down with a virus, but I've been feeling the baby move more, and my bump is definitely getting bigger. Simon came home from work one day, looked at me and said in an amazed voice, "It's huge!" 
Movement: Not consistently, but I'm definitely feeling it at some point each day. It's most obvious when I'm in the bath, or sitting on the same position for long periods of time.
Cravings/Aversions: None this week, but I scrapped a plan to make a soup with chicken thighs that needed to be de-boned as I don't think I can deal with quite that much raw meet right now. Pre-chopped chicken is the way to go when you're feeling nauseas! 
Gender guesses: Simon is pretty much convinced it's a girl, and I was for a while, but occasionally I think it's a boy. We're pretty much settled on names now, so we're happy either way :)
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? Still in
What I miss: Wearing belts around my waist and being able to button shirts up fully. 
What I am looking forward to: Seeing the baby again in two weeks at our ultrasound!
Weekly Wisdom: People will tell you your hair gets more luscious and full when you're pregnant. If you have crazy long hair and live in a windy country, it might just get more knotted. Invest in a de-tangling conditioner!
Milestones: Nothing super major this week, but my coat getting too tight is kind of a big deal, I guess? Also, I can no longer leap back up into standing position whenever I crouch down to pick something off the floor. I feel like an old lady ;)

17 Weeks

I don't look amazing in this photograph, but it is significant because I used to always wear this top with a belt around my waist (far too uncomfortable now!) and it used to lie flat against my stomach. It might not be the most flattering shirt I own, but it stretches a lot ;)

Last week must have been rather busy, as we didn't manage to take a photograph! But week 17 is exciting for us as I'm definitely into maternity clothes, my physical morning sickness seems to have gone, and we're pretty sure we've both felt the baby move!

How far along? 17 weeks & 3 days
Total weight gain/loss: Still 5lbs less than my pre-pregnancy weight. I haven't gained anything for weeks now, but at least I'm not losing weight any more!
Maternity clothes? Yes! A friend and I went shopping on Tuesday and I picked up two pairs of jeans and two dresses from New Look's maternity range, which is super cute. Most of my tops and skirts still fit, but even my biggest jeans (deliberately bought one size bigger than my normal jeans) were digging in uncomfortably. Maternity jeans are so comfortable, and I particularly like having some support over my bump now that it's getting bigger.
Stretch marks? Nope, although I've been given tons of recommendations of creams to try if they do appear.
Sleep: It did get better last week, but now every position I lie in seems to be uncomfortable. I've started sleeping on my side with a pillow under my bump, which seems to make my sleep less broken than it was before, but still not perfect.
Best moment this week: We've had a lot of great moments this week! Finding cute maternity clothes, and discovering just how comfortable maternity jeans are :) Also, managing to go twelve days without being sick, which is my current record. And definitely feeling the baby move.
Movement: Yes! I've been feeling weird twinges for about a week and a half now, but it's becoming more obvious that it's the baby, not just my insides rearranging themselves. Sometimes the movements are really faint, but other times Simon can feel them as well. We've discovered that the baby moves around a lot when I'm in the bath, which feels quite weird. We're not sure where it gets its love of swimming from because neither of us are strong swimmers ;)
Cravings/Aversions: No cravings this week, but I'm avoiding any breakfast food with raisins in it at the moment, just because I've thrown up too many bagels, hot cross buns and slices of fruit loaf to face eating anything in like that in the mornings.
Gender guesses: We've both been thinking that it's a girl for a couple of weeks now, although I did have a dream about a boy baby the other night.
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? Still in, but not as much as it was a few weeks ago.
What I miss: Uninterrupted sleep and being able to lie comfortably.
What I am looking forward to: We get to see our baby again at 20 weeks, and hear its heartbeat for the first time, so definitely that! 
Weekly Wisdom: I'm afraid I'm all out of wisdom this week ;)
Milestones: I've started wearing maternity clothes, we're hopefully (fingers crossed!) past the physical morning sickness stage, and we felt the baby move! An exciting week for us, for sure.

15 Weeks

As you can see, my bump looks different depending on how I'm standing. But it's definitely there now!

How far along? 15 weeks and 5 days
Total weight gain/loss: Still the same as last week. I haven't lost any weight, but I haven't gained any either, so I'm still about 5lbs less than my pre-pregnancy weight. I was sure I would have gained some since my bump got a lot bigger this week, but apparently not.
Maternity clothes? Nearly there! Most of my skirts still fit (sitting on my waist rather than my hips) but nearly all of my jeans need an elastic band to keep them shut. I was hoping to try on some maternity clothes this weekend when we went shopping in Livingston, but we couldn't find a single store with a maternity range. 
Stretch marks? Nope
Sleep: It was good earlier in the week, but I've had broken sleep for the last four days in a row. Initially it was because Simon kept stealing the duvet and I'd wake up because I was cold, but last night I think the baby must have been having a little disco as I kept waking up for no apparent reason. 
Best moment this week: My bump suddenly got really obvious on Tuesday, which was really exciting! We took a picture at the weekend because I seemed to have a little bit of a bump, but it seemed to double in size on Tuesday. I definitely look pregnant now, whereas previously I might have just looked a little bloated.
Movement: I don't think I've felt anything, but I am wondering if the baby was moving around a lot last night and waking me up. 
Cravings/Aversions: No cravings this week, but I can't stand the smell of burnt toast (I keep asking Simon to clean out the toaster) or eggs. Making Simon's lunch in the kitchen right after we've used the toaster is a challenge. We also made pulled pork in the slow cooker overnight, which was delicious, but I've discovered that the smell of pork first thing in the morning does not sit well with my nausea. 
Gender guesses: Up until this week I've switched my guesses every day, but I've been thinking it's a girl for several days now. Simon doesn't have any guesses right now.
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? Definitely still in.
What I miss: Uninterrupted sleep!
What I am looking forward to: Completely getting past the morning sickness/nausea stage, which is still lingering on well into the fifteenth week. It's better, but I'd love for it to go away completely. And buying maternity clothes, since Livingston's shops were sadly lacking.
Weekly Wisdom: Put all the clothes that no longer fit into storage so that you don't look at them longingly every time you open your wardrobe. 
Milestones: We have a very obvious bump now! Plus, my energy levels are much better (we stayed out until 10pm on Wednesday) and my nausea is mostly improved.