Pregnancy - 27 weeks

 How far along?  27 weeks  

How big is baby?  Between 24 and 27 weeks it is around the size of a chocolate cake so on the upper end of this now, around 700 g.

Total weight gain/loss?  67.8 kg so a smaller gain this week.

Waist?  II'm genuinely curious now but as soon as I close the laptop I forget!

Stretchmarks?  Nope, touch wood.

Maternity clothes?  It's been a bit sunnier so it has been lovely to wear some of my other maternity clothes.  I'm absolutely in love with my maternity PJs and seriously tempted to buy another couple of pairs.

Sleep?  I've had a few rotten nights and some reasonable ones.  Between heartburn, needing to pee and restless legs it is getting pretty impossible to get to sleep before the early hours some nights.

Best moment this week?  Getting some quality time with Ant on Wednesday morning while Oscar was at nursery and we were both off work.

Movement?  Loads of movement and it's starting to develop into a bit of a pattern at the moment.  Generally baby is quite active as soon as I wake up in a morning, I get bits and bobs of movement throughout the day and then goes crazy when I lie down at night.

Food cravings? Nothing much at the moment, just generally wanting to stuff my face continuously.

Food aversions? Nothing I can think of.

Gender?  Baby boy with a little name ready to go!

Labour signs?  No but I think I may have had some Braxton Hicks for the first time today.  

Pregnancy symptoms?  Lots of heartburn to the point where I'm considering calling the GP to ask for a PPI, rib pain making it hard to get comfortable if I'm spending too much time sitting on the sofa and potentially some Braxton Hicks whilst walking to Aldi with the girls at lunch today - it felt like a kind of tight, cramp pain in the lower right side of my pelvis and settled when I sat down in the office when we got back.

Belly button in or out?  In.

What I miss?  Alcohol!  I've not missed it at all but since there's been a bit of sunshine I've really fancied a cocktail, not enough to get drunk, just a refreshing summer beverage.

What I am looking forward to?  Starting to actually get things prepared for the baby coming now we are approaching the third trimester.

Upcoming appointments/scans? I see the midwife on 6 April and then the Consultant and a scan on 25 April.

Weekly wisdom?  It is incredible how much some fresh air and sunshine can improve your mood and energy levels! I always feel so much better for dragging myself out for a little walk, even if I really can't be bothered, and I definitely need to remind myself of this morning often when I'm feeling knackered and lazy.

Milestones?  Nothing in particular although this is the last week of the second trimester!

Bump Picture:

Pregnancy - 26 weeks

How far along?  26 weeks  

How big is baby?  Between 24 and 27 weeks it is around the size of a chocolate cake so I'd guess around 600 g this week.

Total weight gain/loss?  67.4 kg so another 1.4 kg back on, hardly surprising given the size I'm getting.

Waist?  I really must ask Ant for my tape measure back...

Stretchmarks?  Not yet..

Maternity clothes?  Wishing I'd bought more...

Sleep?  Not bad at all to be honest.

Best moment this week?  Just finally seeing a bit of sunshine - I've been for a couple of lunchtime walks at work with the girls and it's been beautiful.

Movement?  Lots of jabs, kicks, rolls and everything in between.

Food cravings? Pretty much the same, to be honest I'm just starving all the time.  I'm starting to think this baby may actually be a tapeworm!

Food aversions? Nothing, kind of wish I had some tbh!

Gender?  Boy - and he might actually have a name.  We think we are going with Finley Jack.

Labour signs?  Noooo.

Pregnancy symptoms?  Pretty much the same, I'm feeling very pregnant now but I'm loving it most of the time.  However, the rib pain has kicked in again as it did with Oscar but about eight weeks earlier so I'm not looking forward to how much it hurts by the end.

Belly button in or out?  In.

What I miss?  Having a reasonable choice of clothes that fit - I'm going to have to buy some more maternity clothes at this rate as even my stretchy leggings are getting snug.

What I am looking forward to?  More time outside in the sunshine and making the most of the garden while we have it.

Upcoming appointments/scans? I see the midwife at the beginning of April and then the Consultant and a scan at the end of April.

Weekly wisdom?  Second pregnancies are harder!

Milestones?  Someone assuming I was pregnant without me saying anything.

Bump Picture:

Pregnancy - 25 weeks

How far along?  25 weeks  

How big is baby?  Between 24 and 27 weeks it is around the size of a chocolate cake so I'd guess around 700 g this week.

Total weight gain/loss?  66 kg today so actually 0.6 kg down on last week which makes sense as I'd weighed myself after breakfast last week and also I've been more active this week.

Waist?  I really must ask Ant for my tape measure back...

Stretchmarks?  Not yet..

Maternity clothes?  Well and truly in them now and having to keep on top of the washing to make sure I actually have clean things to wear.

Sleep?  Not too bad this week especially as I've been back to sleeping in a bed!

Best moment this week?  Finding out that (hopefully) things are going to start progressing with the house.  There was also a lovely moment the other night where Oscar just lay rubbing my stomach for aches.  He likes to give it kisses and tell me how much love he's going to give his baby brother.

Movement?  I'm pretty sure the movements are already as strong as they were towards the end with Oscar but I guess that makes sense as my placenta was at the front last time so it really cushioned the feeling.

Food cravings? Cookies and crisp sandwiches with loads of butter.

Food aversions? Nothing particularly.

Gender?  Still a boy as far as we know.  I doubt that will change as they rarely get it wrong nowadays and, if they do, it's usually because the penis is hiding and they think it's a girl.  Once you've seen a penis it's hard to mistake it for anything else!

Labour signs?  Nope, not for a good while yet I hope.

Pregnancy symptoms?  Heartburn, sciatica, higher heart rate, bleeding gums, generally just feeling more achey and less fit.  I'm back to being constipated too but that could be all the Gaviscon.  On the whole I don't feel bad but I definitely do feel more "pregnant" than last time, presumably because I was less fit going into it and also I've not been able to rest the same or keep up my exercise regime because of the house and Oscar.

Belly button in or out?  In.

What I miss?  Disposable income - we haven't bought anything in preparation for this baby yet and we are constantly checking bank accounts and shifting money around, I can't wait to get moved to a smaller, cheaper house so we can hopefully get back to being able to afford to lift without constantly scrimping and saving.

What I am looking forward to?  Nothing specific at the moment, just general house moving and baby stuff.

Upcoming appointments/scans? I've got an echo tomorrow just to check everything is stable with my EDS but no standard appointments for a while.  I see the midwife at the beginning of April and then the Consultant and a scan at the end of April.

Weekly wisdom?  Keep active - you'll feel much better for it.  I've not been doing any particular exercise but I have tried to make a conscious effort to get out for walks and fresh air and it's definitely helping with my aches and pains and general fatigue, although that could also be down to the better sleep too.

Milestones?  Really starting to feel pregnant.

Bump Picture:

Pregnancy - 24 weeks

 How far along?  24 weeks  

How big is baby?  Between 24 and 27 weeks it is around the size of a chocolate cake (I really need to get used to saying "he" instead of "it").  Around 13 inches and 660 g this week.

Total weight gain/loss?  I was 66.6 kg this morning (albeit after food) which is almost 2 kg on since last week.  I'm definitely starting to look and feel pregnant now although I feel like it is probably more cookies than baby - oops!

Waist?  I'm actually getting curious now as I feel like I'm approaching the size I was at almost all full-term last time although my bump is still small compared to a lot.

Stretchmarks?  None yet but given the rapid size/weight gain I wouldn't be surprised if I'm not as lucky as last time.

Maternity clothes?  My maternity PJs are essentially the comfiest thing in the world.  I'm growing out of most of my normal leggings but I'm loathed to spend any more money at the moment as funds are tight.  My maternity dresses are great and should hopefully keep me going until the end and I can't wait until it is warm enough to wear my skirt and tops.

Sleep?  I've not been doing too badly with sleep and for the first time last night I actually managed to get Oscar to sleep in our bed instead of on the sofa and it was lovely to be able to sleep in a bed again, although we did get woken up at 5:30 this morning by him wetting himself because he slept so soundly.

Best moment this week?  Honestly this week has generally just been a bit rough however I did have a lovely prolonged game of snakes and ladders with Oscar which felt like real progress as he concentrated for ages and played nicely.

Movement?  I'm definitely getting beaten up from the inside at the moment - there are some really strong movements at times and I feel like baby has definitely had a growth spurt.

Food cravings? Cookies, cookies and more cookies, although egg fried rice is up there too.

Food aversions? I've still not gone back to Cheerios which is annoying as I'd been having them for breakfast for months, maybe years, and my alternatives are far less healthy.

Gender?  Boy, albeit a nameless one.  We are swinging between Lucas and Finley but that could change.

Labour signs?  Nope, not for a good while yet I hope.

Pregnancy symptoms?  The heartburn has been pretty intense this week, my nipples are still like bullets and I'm generally getting more aches and pains, particularly in my back.  The restless legs have been really strong for the last few days too.

Belly button in or out?  In.

What I miss?  Things actually seeming to go well for once - now it looks like we may well have lost our house buyers which means we may need to find a new house to move to and lose the one that is perfectly located and ideal for the school we want Oscar to go to.  It was a nice feeling while it lasted but I'm pretty sure we definitely wont tbe moved before baby arrives now and may have to completely start again.

What I am looking forward to?  Payday next month as I've got loads of Sunday overtime planned in the next few weeks.

Upcoming appointments/scans? I saw the Anaesthetist this morning and she's happy with how things are going.  She wants to see me in labour but mostly just for my reassurance than anything else. 

Weekly wisdom?  Life sucks, get used to it.  Not feeling very optimistic this week as you can tell.

Milestones?  Viability!

Bump Picture: