Pregnancy - 30 weeks

How far along?  30 weeks  

How big is baby?  I've given up with the foods as they don't change weekly any more so it gets boring - baby is around 1.3 kg apparently.

Total weight gain/loss?  69.7 kg so a little loss from last week which is understandable as I have a cold and also follows the pattern.

Waist?  Meh.  I feel huge!

Stretchmarks?  Not so far but at the rate I'm growing I can't see me escaping for much longer. 

Maternity clothes?  Annoyingly getting snug already!

Sleep?  It has been reasonable to say I'm 7 months pregnant and full of cold but naturally I am pretty damn exhausted.  I also had a visit to PAU on Wednesday night so didn't get home until after midnight and obviously I was up for work by 6 AM which added to the tiredness.

Best moment this week?  I was hoping to say "getting the mortgage application sorted" but typically that still hasn't gone to plan so I can't.  Hearing little bub's heartbeat and knowing he was fine after our trip to PAU was lovely though and then feeling him kick like crazy all day on Thursday.

Movement?  We had a lot less movement on Wednesday afternoon/evening and the final straw was him essentially playing dead at bedtime instead of having his little pre-bed rave so I ended up calling the midwife and going to PAU for some reassurance.  Everything ended up being fine and he's been very active since then so I'm guessing it was just down to me being run down with the cold.  

Food cravings? Nothing much although I'm definitely still comfort eating and have a serious sweet tooth.  We baked some lovely Easter cupcakes on Tuesday as a family and they've been super yummy.  Very excited for Easter eggs this week!

Food aversions? Nothing really.

Gender?  Still a boy - definitely causing too much trouble to not be.

Labour signs?  Nope and I'm keen to keep it that way although I did say to Ant yesterday that given how pregnant I feel and how much bigger I am I would be very surprised if I make it the full 40 weeks.

Pregnancy symptoms?  I'm seriously wanting to nest at the moment - partly from a baby perspective and partly from a house move perspective but until we know what's happening with the house I can't really do anything and I'm scared to jinx it.  It hasn't helped that The Home Edit season 2 has arrived on Netflix so I've been binging that!

Belly button in or out?  In.

What I miss?  Getting excited about the house moving - honestly we have had so many setbacks I'm genuinely expecting that we aren't going to get moved at all, let alone before the baby arrives.  There's only so long I can be optimistic and now I just want the whole thing to be over.

What I am looking forward to?  Easter egg hunt this weekend - we haven't actually planned/set it up yet but we have bought him a little present and Easter egg and have a vague idea what we are doing.

Upcoming appointments/scans? I have my scan and Consultant appointment a week on Monday so I'm looking forward to that, especially seeing baby and how he has grown because I feel huge compared to how I was with Oscar!  I'm half expecting them to say he's actually fully grown already.

Weekly wisdom?  The more you get stressed with your kids, the harder they push back.  If Oscar is being challenging and I snap at him or raise my voice, he gets more aggressive and challenging.  If I can stay calm and try to de-escalate the situation then generally the whole situation calms down much quicker.  Mostly putting this down for my own benefit because I could do with remembering it when the baby arrives.

Milestones?  Reaching that last quarter!  30 weeks seems so much further along than 29 weeks.

Bump Picture:

Pregnancy - 29 weeks

How far along?  29 weeks  

How big is baby?  The average at this stage is around 1.2 kg (2.5 lb).

Total weight gain/loss?  So I got a bit of a shock this morning when I stepped on the scales and it said 70 kg!! I've never seen a 7 at the front.  However, it did wobble back down and settle at 69.9 kg.  That's 1.7 kg on this week but I'm starting to see a pattern of a big gain one week and then a much smaller gain the following week so it balances out.

Waist?  So I haven't measured my waist but the midwife did measure my bump and it was 29 cm at 28 weeks 5 days so pretty much dead on track (it should be the same amount of cm as weeks of pregnancy).  Last time I always measured about 2-3 weeks behind so it confirms that I am definitely bigger.

Stretchmarks?  No, although I may be starting to see some coming through.

Maternity clothes?  Some are already getting snug.  I bought a couple of new pairs of size 16 leggings this week from Pep & Co to keep me going and they're a good investment as I kept wearing the 12/14/16 ones I bought when pregnant with Oscar for years.

Sleep?  It has still been up and down however it has definitely not been as bad as last week.  I'm only really expecting it to go downhill from here but I'm just getting it where I can.

Best moment this week?  Starting omeprazole since seeing the midwife - it has been a serious game changer!  I've gone almost 48 hours without Gaviscon and it has had such a positive impact on my mood.

Movement?  Plenty of movement and a pretty regular pattern.  I had guessed that baby was lying sideways across my stomach and the midwife agreed so I felt a little smug about that.

Food cravings? Nothing in particular, just food all the time.  I'm flitting between meals full of veggies and super beige meals mostly.

Food aversions? Nothing specific.

Gender?  Baby boy.

Labour signs?  Nothing and no more Braxton Hicks either.

Pregnancy symptoms?  The reflux is much more under control with the omeprazole and I haven't had any pain with it since starting.  My back and rib pain has really ramped up to take its place but I have just finished two days at work sitting at a desk so hopefully I can stretch it out a bit over the weekend as my ribs are super sore and I've had to shift so many times just trying to type this blog entry.  The restless legs have been coming and going and have definitely been present most nights but I have an arsenal of tactics to try and prevent them or fend them off when they occur so I'm doing the best I can.  I'm really wanting to hit the nesting hard which I can't really do because of the uncertainty around the house move but I'm doing little bits as and when time and money allows, even if just buying mundane things like maternity pads.

Belly button in or out?  In.

What I miss?  Being able to sit comfortably is a big one but generally I'm not missing much this week.

What I am looking forward to?  Having our friends stay over for a sleepover so we can have a game night this weekend and then take the kids to the fair too.

Upcoming appointments/scans? I've got a scan and Consultant appointment on 25 April and then I go back to the midwife on 18 May.  It seems weird going so long between midwife appointments but it is standard for second pregnancy.

Weekly wisdom?  Always get clarification.  I've been really stressing about the COVID restrictions in labour but when I asked the midwife it turned out that most of the restrictions have been released and they just hadn't update the website!

Milestones?  Less than 20 working days left!!

Bump Picture:

Pregnancy - 28 weeks

How far along?  28 weeks  

How big is baby?  Apparently we are around a box of chocolates and somewhere around 1 kg (2.2 lb) in weight.

Total weight gain/loss?  68.2 kg this morning so I'm up a total of 7.6 kg (so over a stone) from my starting weight and the heaviest I have ever been in my entire life.

Waist?  One day...

Stretchmarks?  Not yet and as of the last few days I've been regularly using my tummy butter so maybe I'll escape.  However, I'm already pretty much the size I was at full term with Oscar so I'm expecting some to show up as my poor body is stretching into new territory.

Maternity clothes?  I'm starting to consider the fact that I genuinely might not fit in my maternity clothes by the end, especially if I go the full 40 weeks or even overdue.

Sleep?  I had a few absolutely terrible nights where I wasn't getting to sleep until around 3 AM with severe restless legs, added to the needing to pee, heartburn, sciatica and rib pain.  However, I've got myself some magnesium spray which I used last night and had a much better night, whether coincidence or not.  I've also ordered some extra pillows and some compression socks to see if I can keep the restless legs at bay and started trying to get more steps in and have a good stretch before bed.

Best moment this week?  A lovely mother's day seeing family with Oscar being delightful and a beautiful card from him listing reasons why he loves me.

Movement?  So much movement - baby is obviously still quite small so has quite a bit of space to kick and roll.  He gets around quite a bit and the movements can be right down towards my bladder or up higher towards my ribs.

Food cravings? Nothing much at the moment and I think my appetite might have slowed down a little bit, I'm not quite so insatiably hungry all the time, probably because my stomach is getting squashed.

Food aversions? Nothing although a little more general nausea.

Gender?  Boy, boy, boy.  Jayne at work keeps reminding me that there's a penis inside me!

Labour signs?  Maybe another episode of Braxton Hicks but nothing else and obviously that's not a sign of actual labour.  I'd like to go at least another nine weeks without any of those.

Pregnancy symptoms?  Everything.  It feels so ungrateful to admit how much I'm struggling, especially with Amy currently in her two-week wait of her final attempt and Jayne still having no luck.  However, I currently feel like I'm already about 40 weeks pregnant.  My sciatica is playing up, my ribs hurt, my heartburn is out of control, I'm constipated, I'm peeing a million times a day, my restless legs are worse than they've ever been and I'm exhausted.  I'm finding it hard to get comfortable anywhere - at work, on the sofa, in bed - and I'm aware that I've got a long way to go yet and things are only going to get harder.  I'm going to have a chat with the midwife when I see her this week to see if there's anything she can do to help, even if only a prescription for omeprazole to rid a single symptom.  Being so uncomfortable all the time is making me impatient with Oscar and Ant and it's really not fair.

Belly button in or out?  In.

What I miss?  Sleep, being able to get comfortable, clothes that fit, having the energy to do anything, being able to move around without bumping my stomach on things, being able to get my socks on easily.

What I am looking forward to?  Hopefully getting things moving with the house after the tax year ends this year so we can get the mortgage application done.

Upcoming appointments/scans? I see the midwife on 6 April and then the Consultant and a scan on 25 April.  Very grateful knowing I'm seeing the midwife this week as I'm definitely in need of some help and I haven't seen her in three months.

Weekly wisdom?  Just because you wanted a baby desperately, had to work so hard to get pregnant and are incredibly grateful every damn day, it doesn't mean it will always be sunshine and roses.

Milestones?  Finally reached the third trimester!

Bump Picture:

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: