Pregnancy - 32 week update

How far along?  32 weeks

How big is baby?  The size of a kale leaf (or a naked tailed armadillo)  - around 42.4 cm and 1.7 kg (3.7 lb)!

Total weight gain/loss?  63.1 kg today - so a relatively large increase.  However I did weight myself at a different time due to work and I've noticed that when I do this, I usually end up noticing I'm lighter the following week so I'm taking it with a pinch of salt.  

Waist?  33.5 inches, exactly the same.  This is odd as bump has definitely grown but I think it's because I'm measuring around my belly button and bump is lower down.

Stretchmarks?  No new ones, touch wood.  I'm expanding at quite a speed now so expecting some to pop up.

Maternity clothes?  I was really smug when I got my maternity skirt and decided that between that and floaty dresses I wouldn't need to buy any maternity trousers for work... I'm less smug at 6am every morning when I have to try and get tights on though.  I refuse to buy any more clothes for work though as, although it's 5 weeks until I finish, between holidays and working 4 day weeks I only have 16 working days left!

Sleep?  Sleep has been quite horrendous.  I've got a lot of pain in my ribs which means lying on my sides is uncomfortable so I keep finding myself wanting to lie on my back, which obviously I shouldn't be doing for prolonged periods.   I'm peeing pretty much every hour and, even with Gaviscon, sometimes heartburn is a problem.  A couple of nights I've also woken up drenched in sweat and had to change.  Then there's the restless legs.  None of the above is conducive to a good night's sleep... BUT I'm feeling okay and getting just about enough to function.

Best moment this week?  Getting the bookcase up in the nursery.  I love reading and I really want to encourage Pip too.  I've already dug out all my old Disney books and Roald Dahl books to start filling the shelves in the nursery and I'm reading Harry Potter to my bump (ALS isn't a fan so I decided to get a head start and hope Pip enjoys them)!

Movement?  Lots of big movements nowadays, sometimes they shake my whole body almost.  There's definitely something wedged under my ribs which, when I move, feels like it's trying to tear my lower ribs out of my chest... that's less fun.

Food cravings?  Sweet stuff... I'm trying not to give in to this one too much but it's so hard!

Food aversions?  Nothing.  

Gender?   Still no idea.

Labour signs?  Still nothing, touch wood.  My sister-in-law had her little boy on the day she turned 32 weeks so I'm getting a little nervous!  

Pregnancy symptoms?  We're going to go with a list format seeing as detailed everything would take forever: regular peeing, feeling like I can't empty my bladder, heartburn, restless legs, night sweats, rib pain, being constantly hungry, sore boobs, haemorrhoids - I know it sounds like I'm complaining but honestly I'm loving it, despite all the crappy feelings!

Belly button in or out?  In.  

What I miss?  Being able to reach to put my tights on without a struggle!

What I am looking forward to?  We're off to the in-laws tomorrow night for a Chinese for my mother-in-law's birthday.  It'll be lovely to see everyone AND it's been ages since I had a Chinese.

Upcoming appointments/scans?  I see the midwife again next week (13th Sept).  I have my next scan and Consultant appointment on 25th Sept.

 Weekly wisdom?  Enjoy being pregnant!  Yes, it's hard.  Yes, there are times you probably wish the baby would just get out already.  However, I love my bump.  I love feeling my baby moving around and I know for a fact that, although it will be lovely to be able to sit or lie comfortably and pain-free once baby is born, I will miss the special bond I have with my bump.

Milestones?  Making it past the point where my sister in law gave birth, hopefully I can relax a little more now!  32 weeks itself isn't a big milestone to most but it's been what I've looking forward to.

Bump picture: 

I'm so in love with my own figure right now!  My bump is finally joining at the top, there's just a tiny dip where it goes in just above my belly button, which will probably be gone by next week.  I feel like it's gotten a lot bigger this week.  

Happy Conception Day!

Exactly one year ago today our little Pip was conceived, along with 10 other little ones.

5 didn't survive to day 5, 2 carried the chromosome from ALS' mum and have been donated to scientific research, 1 was transferred and just didn't stick.

That brings us to today, where 1 of our miracle embryos is now wriggling around inside me and growing by the day.  We also have 1 little frostie left in storage, waiting to hopefully provide Pip with a sibling one day.

I do enjoy confusing people who don't know the whole story by telling them that my baby was conceived a year ago, watching them do them maths and proceed to ask me if I'm some sort of elephant and have been carrying Pip for 12 months already.

It's amazing to look back on how far we've come and to think that in just a couple of months we will have a real baby here to take care of.

Miracles do happen!

Pregnancy - 31 week update

How far along?  31 weeks

How big is baby?  The size of a coconut (or a small-clawed otter)  - around 41.1 cm and 1.5 kg (3.3 lb)!

Total weight gain/loss?  62 kg today - another little increase.  I'm expecting to add about 0.5 kg a week between now and baby being born so right on track!

Waist?  Not measured this week.

Stretchmarks?  No new ones.

Maternity clothes?  I got myself a nice stretchy maternity swimsuit at a bargain price from Decathlon at the weekend - I plan to keep on swimming right to the end, when other exercise gets a bit more difficult.

Sleep?  Sleep hasn't been too bad - I've taken to having Gaviscon every night before bed, rather than waiting to wake up with heartburn and having to get up and get it.  I'm getting up a lot to pee but mostly get back to sleep quite quickly.

Best moment this week?  I can't pick just one!  We had a lovely family BBQ and ALS' grandparents' house on Saturday, we went to Monkey Forest on Sunday, on Monday we went to IKEA to get the rest of the furniture for the nursery and have got most of the room organised and then this afternoon I went for coffee and cake with my sister-in-law and gorgeous little nephew - it's been a brilliant week!

Movement?  Lots! Pip actually managed to tickle me from the inside yesterday which was an unusual feeling.  I think he/she has some body part wedged under the right side of my ribs too as I can't get comfortable sitting down without feeling a bit squashed around that area.  I've also started noticing movements more even when I'm walking around this week, previously I only really felt them when I was relaxing.

Food cravings?  I was so desperate for chicken the other day I bought a ready-cooked one from ASDA and just sat eating it off the bone!

Food aversions?  Nothing.  

Gender?   No idea!

Labour signs?  Maybe some Braxton hicks in my lower back but that's it, nothing serious.

Pregnancy symptoms?  Heartburn is the big one at the moment.  Being uncomfortable sitting and having to lie/stand most of the time.  I had a nosebleed the other night which was a first (this may have been last week and I may have mentioned it previously - I lose track of days).  I'm also looking considerably more pregnant - a woman I'd not seen for a while the other day congratulated me as soon as she saw me without me having to tell her which was amazing!

Belly button in or out?  In.  

What I miss?  Nothing really - pregnancy isn't currently stopping me doing anything.  I'm really enjoying my exercise at the moment and I oddly feel like I'm getting fitter and stronger.

What I am looking forward to?  Finishing work - I love my job and I'm not finding it particularly hard being at work but I can't wait until I can wholly focus my attention on preparing to be a mum!

Upcoming appointments/scans?  I see the midwife again in 2 weeks (13th Sept).  I have my next scan and Consultant appointment on 25th Sept.

 Weekly wisdom?  Plan as much fun stuff as you can before baby arrives.  We were going to have a few quiet weekends but we have ended up with the next 3 weekends packed with stuff - especially catching up with people we've not seen in a while.  We'll still try and get out plenty with the baby but it's nice to spend some quality time with our friends and family before little one arrives.

Milestones?  Getting my bedroom back because we moved most of the baby stuff into the nursery now!

Bump picture: 

My bump really seems to have changed shape this week - it looks smaller than last week but I think it's actually because it's dropped down a little, which is odd because it feels like baby is really high up under my ribs.  Hopefully this means Pip has turned head down and it's feet that I can feel jabbing into my ribs!

Bittersweet Moments!

It occurred to me the other day that if our first transfer had worked, baby would have been due on 24th August so I would either have a baby now or be 4 days overdue.

Whilst I feel a twinge of sadness for our lost embryo, the pain is a lot easier to deal with knowing that I'm carrying our second embryo and he/she will be here in another couple of months.

I was devastated when they embryo didn't stick but looking back now I can see that the time just wasn't right.  If I'd become pregnant I would have never taken the opportunity to come back to my current job when it arose, which has put me in a far better position mentally to be able to deal with being pregnant and deal with the idea of having to go back to work after my maternity leave.  It may seem inconsequential to some but I know for a fact that my own mental state being so much better will make me a far better mother and you can't put a time limit on that - the extra few months was worth the wait.

On another note, if it had worked first time, by November I'd have a 2 month old and time would be flying by. This way I still have everything to look forward to and all those firsts to experience. I'm also still getting to enjoy my pregnancy. Both of these are big things for me as I'm very aware that I'm currently experiencing pregnancy for the first, but possibly also last, time.  We have one embryo in the freezer which we plan to transfer at a later date but if that doesn't stick, we can't afford to pay for another full cycle so our little Pip may well end up as an only child.  This makes me want to savour the whole experience as much as possible.

I know it's easy for me to say "be positive" and "look on the bright side" when I'm currently pregnant and my failed transfer is behind me and I would probably feel very differently if I'd had further failed transfers and was still waiting for my miracle, but please have faith that it will happen when the timing is right. I didn't see that the timing wasn't quite right when we first had the transfer but now I realise it wouldn't have been as perfect as it is now.

Wishing you all lots of sticky baby dust <3

Pregnancy - 30 week update

How far along?  30 weeks

How big is baby?  The size of a cabbage (or a platypus)  - around 39.9 cm and 1.3 kg (2.9 lb)!

Total weight gain/loss?  61.5 kg today - another tiny increase.  I'm pretty happy with the steady increases and Pip is definitely getting bigger and stronger all the time if the movements this week have been anything to go by.

Waist?  33.5 inches.

Stretchmarks?  No new ones.

Maternity clothes?  I've bought myself some leggings in a bigger size and a few stretchy t-shirts from Primark for casual wear and a lovely lady at work gave me a couple of maternity tops that she had for work so I'm well kitted out now.  I'm mostly living in leggings and dresses.  I have my maternity skirt for work but I'm still in normal tops most of the time.

Sleep?  Sleep has been a bit poor this week.  My bump is starting to pull me forwards so I've been trying to wedge a rolled up towel or pillow under myself to support it.  Between that and the pillow between my legs to ease my sciatica, I then find within a couple of hours I've really overheated.  That being said I don't feel too bad so I'm dealing with it, it's just preparing me for Pip being born I guess!

Best moment this week?  Catching up with our friends who have just come back from New Zealand after not seeing them for almost a year!

Movement?  There are some very strong kicks and a lot of wiggles and rolls (some of which make me feel quite nauseous).  It's very nice being able to watch my stomach moving, it's like having a little alien in there.  Pip is very active in a morning for a good few hours after work and I've put this down to drinking Lucozade with breakfast!

Food cravings?  Nothing in particular.

Food aversions?  Nothing.  

Gender?   We still think it's a girl, everybody is of a similar opinion aside from 1 or 2 people who are sticking with it being a boy.  I'm SO excited to find out!

Labour signs?  Nothing at all - I keep having a bit of an upset stomach which I keep seeing can be an early sign of labour but I'm mostly putting it down to Pip squashing all my organs!

Pregnancy symptoms?  All of them!  I'm still not waddling yet though so that's something.

Belly button in or out?  In.  

What I miss?  Having money to spare!  We have pretty much everything we need for Pip now but there are still a few little bits I'd like to get.  However, due to ALS having been off work for a couple of months due to a fire in his workplace and me having a really expensive month with my car I don't feel able to finish the baby shopping until at least next month.

What I am looking forward to?  Meeting my baby!  I know I still have a while to go yet (and I definitely don't want Pip to show up for a while yet) but just knowing that in an absolute maximum of 12 weeks I will be a mother is such an amazing feeling and it's starting to feel very real.

Upcoming appointments/scans?  I saw the midwife this afternoon and I see her again in 3 weeks (13th Sept).  I have my next scan and Consultant appointment on 25th Sept.

 Weekly wisdom?  Don't go shopping alone!  Every time I head into a shop I end up having to fight with myself to prevent buying extra baby things that I don't need.  When Ant is there, I don't have the same desire because I know he'd tell me to stop it and we just look at the practical things together and buy what we actually need.

Milestones?  I'm 30 weeks today which is 3/4 of the way through!  Hitting the 30s feels like a really big milestone for me and I'm liable to start counting backwards from here and counting how many weeks I have left rather than how many weeks I've done.

Bump picture: 

I took my bump photo in the light today so it's a better image (as you can see from the background I've been sorting out baby stuff too).  Bump is getting bugger every week - it's measuring 3 weeks behind but the midwife isn't concerned as baby was measuring fine on the scan so clearly I'm just not carrying much extra fat/water.

One year on...

Yesterday marks a whole year since I first started IVF meds. Our journey had already been about 18 months to that point, but that was when it started to feel real that we might actually be starting a family.

Exactly a year later I am incredibly grateful to be able to say that I am almost 30 weeks pregnant.  We were very lucky that our actual IVF success came only 6 months after first starting the medication and, although it was hard, we didn't suffer nearly the amount of heartache that some go through.

In another year's time I will be sat here with a 9-10 month old baby... here's to the future!

Pregnancy - 29 week update

How far along?  29 weeks

How big is baby?  The size of a butternut squash (or a New England cottontail rabbit)  - around 38.6 cm and 1.1 kg (2.5 lb)!

Total weight gain/loss?  61.2 kg today - a tiny increase from last week and as I know baby is growing well I'm more than happy that I'm not gaining weight excessively whilst gaining enough to keep baby in good health.

Waist?  ALS has nicked my tape measure so I have no idea!

Stretchmarks?  No new ones.

Maternity clothes?  Same as before.

Sleep?  Some days great, other days awful.  I tend to alternate between a really bad night and then being completely zonked the next so at least I'm catching up.

Best moment this week?  Seeing our little Pip wriggling around on the scan and having confirmation that he/she is growing well.

Movement?  Plenty and it's getting higher up now too.

Food cravings?  Nothing in particular this week.

Food aversions?  Nothing.  

Gender?   We managed to avoid seeing any little boy or girl parts on the scan but facially we really think it looks like a girl (sorry Pip if you're a boy and we just called you feminine).

Labour signs?  Definitely not - not even Braxton Hicks.

Pregnancy symptoms?  Struggling to reach my toes to put my tights on in a morning!  The heartburn is getting pretty excessive although I've had a good handle on it for the last few days.  I also keep peeing myself (sorry, TMI!) so time to break out the pads!

Belly button in or out?  In.  

What I miss?  Having time to chill out in an evening - I've really got back into my workout routine lately and been busy with friends and family.  However, it means I usually get home with less than an hour to spare before bedtime.  I either end up staying up late to chill out and wind down but then find myself knackered in a morning OR feeling like I've not wound down before bed.  I've got little to no housework done either!

What I am looking forward to?  Getting the nursery mostly finished.  The plasterers are coming in tomorrow to fill the hole where the radiator has been moved from which means this weekend we can finally crack on properly... although we have a busy weekend so I'm not sure how much we will get done but at least I'll have the option!

Upcoming appointments/scans?  I have an appointment with the midwife next Wednesday (23rd August) and my next growth scan/Consultant appointment is 25th September.

 Weekly wisdom?  I don't have any wisdom this week - I have full on baby brain!  Maybe that should be my weekly wisdom... make lists, lots of lists, because you'll forget everything.

Milestones?  I don't think we've hit any particular milestones this week.  I think we have everything we need now in terms of clothes and I've just got my hospital bag out ready to pack after work tomorrow - so they're pretty big things!

Bump picture: 

There's definitely no denying it now!  I'm so in love with my body and the miraculous things it's doing :D

Here is little Pip at 28w5d.  He/She is sat with head under my ribs, feet over face and bum sitting on my bladder (which explains all the weeing) - plenty of time to turn around yet though :)