Pregnancy Diary Week 12 – Week starting 19th November. It’s time to come clean to work this week and I’m dreading it. It’s not exactly the kind of thing that you want to be telling your new boss.
Monday morning and I’ve had no sleep worrying about how my bosses are going to take the news. Chris thinks I’m just being silly and it’s just one of those things but I’m a bag of nerves.
I told one of my colleagues who thought it was hilarious that I was so nervous. I decided to take the bull by the horns and get it done as soon as possible. In I went and just blurted it out hoping for the best. The reaction that I got was unexpected. They were really pleased for me with much squealing and congratulations. Ok I got that situation totally wrong. What a relief.
I’m not sure what I thought was going to happen………
With family and work ticked it was time to shout from the rooftops.
Development
The baby is the size of a fig, measures 5.4cm and weighs around 14g. Their eyes remain shut at the moment but they are moving around a lot at this stage. Hmm the baby can now wee into the surrounding amniotic fluid and the intestines are now developing.
Cooking is a no. Poor Chris has been cooking all the meals so I can just heat them up which is adding to his workload. The fridge smells of food so Chris has tried to counteract this by putting used coffee grounds in a bowl in the fridge. It DOES NOT WORK!
I’ve been feeling bad as I’m getting home from work and have allowed Isabelle as much screen time as she wants so that I can have a bit of a rest. She thinks this is great.
I wanted to do a bit of a social media announcement but had no idea (or energy) to think of anything.
How did you announce your pregnancy to the world?
Lisa
For all Pregnancy Diary Updates head to the top of the page and hit the Pregnancy Diary link.
Pregnancy Diary Week 10 – I still feel dreadful each and every day. Food has become the ultimate enemy with only far and few between windows of opportunity to eat.
I’m surviving on the following:
Rich Tea biscuits
Rice cakes
Cheese and pineapple
Crackers
Bread and butter
After eight mints
Apples
Flavoured water
Not exactly nutritious.
I did have some French toast yesterday but was then really sick so I probably won’t be having that again.
The baby is as big as a strawberry now and weighs around 4g, measuring about 3.1cm. Their jawbones are beginning and form and weirdly their future milk teeth are already there. He/she’s heart is now fully formed and beats around 2 – 3 times faster than mine. They will already be making a preference for the hand that they use more which is likely to be their dominant hand. All the major organs are now formed but still in teeny tiny form.
Ha ha – I love the fact that it will be developing eyebrows. Oh the images that pops into my head!
Your baby is continuing to grow and develop into a real little person! Their jawbones are beginning to form, and, amazingly, they contain their future milk teeth already. Your baby’s little heart is now fully formed, and beating two to three times faster than yours. If you see your baby on an ultrasound scan at 10 weeks, they will be making jerky movements and bobbing about!
Lisa x
For all Pregnancy Diary Updates head to the top of the page and hit the Pregnancy Diary link.
Pregnancy Diary Week 9 Week starting 29th October – This is seriously going to be a testing week. The tiredness I’m feeling at the moment is overwhelming and the sickness is still at its peak.
Isabelle is really excited looking forward to Halloween. Last year she had her first taste of trick or treating and loved it so much that it is definitely the expectation that we will be going again this year.
We did go trick or treating after finding some energy reserves from somewhere. We went as a group with some of our neighbours. Isabelle had a lovely time so it made making the effort totally worth it and I was able to sneak a few sweeties once she was in bed as well.
The baby is now the size of a raspberry but I feel like the size of a whale! My belly feels really rounded even though in reality it just looks a bit squishy not flat.
I’ve bought some jumpers which will hopefully make me feel less self-conscious. I really don’t like the beginning bit waiting for the bump to become an actual bump instead of looking like I’ve pigged out too much.
I look awful. Tired and a bit sickly, but Isabelle is full of a cough and cold which I think unfortunately is heading my way.
Remember that feeling of trying to hide stuff from your parents? Well hiding this pregnancy and the risk of being outed by my teenage son is way worse than that. He’s going to be disgusted. I feel that we may be sat down and read the contraception riot act. How irresponsible! At your age. God we’re so embarrassing!
So the hardest part of this week has been the eating. How do you explain away the fact that one second you’re not hungry at all (feeling sick) and the next your ransacking the snacks.
Oh and chicken has been added to the no go list.
Cheese is still up there, even better with silver skin pickled onions. Ryvita crackers are also a fave at the moment.
They do say savoury cravings for a boy and sweet cravings for a girl, but I’ve had the same tastes for both and have had one of each.
Concentrating at work is proving a lot more difficult than I thought. I’m looking forward to the scan and afterwards being able to tell people our good news.
Development
The baby’s organs, nerves and muscles are starting to function now. Their ears are starting to develops and it has eyelids. Fingers and toes are changing from buds to actual digits. The baby is stretching and moving about. They are also beginning to swallow fluid and produce its own digestive juices.
Hold on in there little Raspberry.
Lisa x
For all Pregnancy Diary Updates head to the top of the page and hit the Pregnancy Diary link.
Pregnancy Diary Week 8 week starting 22nd October. This is the second week of our half-term but I’m back to work this week leaving the rest of them at home and still in bed.
Week 8
This week is the same as last week in terms of how I’m feeling. It’s really hard being at work as I feel so so tired and have no concentration span whatsoever.
I always take my own lunch to work which is proving so problematic. I don’t really want anything but am snacking throughout the day. The smells from the staff kitchen are also bothering me. We’ve gone from everybody bringing salads and sandwiches to everybody bringing in warm food. Warm food = food smells.
I’m really fed up of being sick now. I know nobody likes being sick, but the constant feeling of feeling sick whilst hungry and not knowing if the next thing I eat is going to have me heading to the loo.
I also went to a wedding meal this week where we had to pre-order our food. What I’d previously ordered didn’t seem too appetising and I struggled through the meal with gritted teeth.
Development
My baby is as big as an Olive weighing around nearly 2cm long. Already it’s fingers and toes have formed and it’s heart will beat at around 160 beats per minute. The baby’s skin is almost transparent and the colour pigment in their eyes has started to form. The baby’s diaphragm is developing which will enable the baby to breathe and hiccup.
Until next week.
Lisa x
For all Pregnancy Diary Updates head to the top of the page and hit the Pregnancy Diary link.
Pregnancy Diary Week 7 started 15th October. This week was our holiday at Bluestone Wales. I was really looking forward to it but at the same time a bit worried that our secret would be outed.
Week 7
Food and smells are a real issue at the moment. When we arrived at Bluestone it was bucketing down, and we’d also arrived early so had a little wait in the carpark before we could check in. It was worth the wait, the lodge was amazing and so spacious. You can read about out Bluestone stay in our previous posts.
Although it was nice having a secret between Chris and I, we were bursting to tell people. Due to our scare last week it feels better to keep it a secret just in case anything happens.
We didn’t have proper milk on our first day, we had UHT milk which is totally rank in tea. My issue with tea has already begun, but add in UHT milk and hello toilet bowl. Bleurgh.
The advantages of being on holiday was not always knowing what we were going to eat. If I think about eating too much, the much wanted bolognaise planned this morning becomes the last thing I want to eat in the world as they day goes on.
My Mother-in-law and Sister-in-law went for a morning in the spa which sounded really lovely. I would have loved to have gone as well but never mind. We took Isabelle to a craft event instead where she made a leaf lantern which she really enjoyed.
Weirdly we got around the issue of wine which I poured down the bathroom sink. Either nobody noticed me take my glass to the loo with me or they think I sit on the loo to drink wine!
Anyway we had a lovely week and I wish I could have brought the bed home with me which was super comfortable and my favourite place at the moment.
Development
According to the Bounty Pregnancy App, at six weeks the baby is the size of a blueberry.
The baby is starting to form into an actual person with emerging arm and leg buds and a beating heart. It still has a tail which will go soon.
Amazing.
Lisa x
For all Pregnancy Diary Updates head to the top of the page and hit the Pregnancy & Baby Link.
I wrote all of this when I thought I was around eight week’s pregnant based on my dates, but since having the scan it seems that I would have only been six weeks at this point. So here is my Pregnancy Diary Week Six (written 8th October).
Nausea has hit a high!
Monday morning and not only did I switch my alarm off and go back to sleep but there’s a smelly man on the bus. The smell is wafting and it’s taking all my energy not to be sick on the head of the girl in front of me.
I’m starving but I don’t fancy anything unless it has cheese in/on it. I’m loving those Tuc Cheese Sandwiches, crackers and cheese, crisps and a lump of cheese, cheese on toast or just cheese on its own.
I wonder how far I’ll get before I’m swigging Gaviscon from the bottle.
I’m not sure if I’m going to get to the twelve-week scan before I’m outed. I look and feel like death. I do not have any glow about me. I have the concentration span of a goldfish and am toddler foot-stamping tired!
We’re off on our holibobs next week with the kids, our son’s girlfriend, the in-laws and my sister-in-law.
This is going to be the test of all tests. Why am I not having a glass of wine and how am I going to disguise the sickness.
I could pretend I have an all-week sickness bug! Hmmm, I dunno.
Would it be so bad if they knew? Probably not but I want the reassurance that all is well before we reveal our secret.
On the plus side, it means I only have one week of work which will make things slightly easier.
Today was possibly the worse so far in terms of feeling sick. The highlight of the day being needing to wee for the millionth time. After going in the loo and locking the door does the whiff of somebody else’s pooh. A hand clamped over my mouth I have two options:
1. Run out and gasp for air whilst gagging on an eye-watering way.
2. Stop breathing, go about my business and get out of there asap.
As much as it pained me I had to opt for number 2. I was desperate to go and was just about to leave for a 45-minute trip home. I had to gather myself and act/look normal on departure. Bleugh, why can’t people save their dirty business for when they get home!
I’ve had a little bit of spotting this week which has scared me so much. I’ve been obsessively checking and have been barely moving in case I do something to harm the baby. Of course I’d convinced myself that I was going to lose the baby and although the GP was great when I spoke to him, he did say that if it’s going to happen it will and there’s very little I could do about it.
It may be factual but not at all comforting. I’ve got my first appointment with the midwife on Friday and he said that she may book me in for an early scan.
I think that I’m possibly further on than 8 weeks but we’ll see.
Meeting the Midwife
I met one of the practice midwives today along with a student midwife. They were both very nice and asked me lots of questions.
We’re we happy about the pregnancy? Yes
Had I had any previous complications? Gestational diabetes.
All the usual checks such as blood pressure and weight. I wasn’t expecting to have blood taken today. My appointment was really close to Isabelle’s pick-up time and I’m a bit of a fainter when blood is taken.
I explained that I thought I was further along than expected which has been the case both times previously. The dates are taken from the first day of your last period which technically makes me eight weeks today, but I’ve had a full period both times before which would actually make me 12 weeks pregnant.
Despite this, my scan was booked on my predicted dates for the 16th of November. This seems like a long way off.
I was given an enormous folder that was packed full of stuff so had to cram this into my bag and smuggle it home before school pick up.
The next appointment I have is at home which the midwife will be contacting me to arrange.
How did you feel at this stage?
Lisa x
For all Pregnancy Diary Updates head to the top of the page and hit the Pregnancy Diary link.
2nd October 2017 – So if the title of the post wasn’t clue enough it would appear that we’re pregnant! I thought I would start a Pregnancy Diary both for myself as well as sharing the ups and downs with you guys. So here is my finding out post.
You may or may not have seen my little announcement on Instagram (at the bottom) where a very excited Isabelle is telling the world (or a very small portion).
I’ve been feeling pretty crappy for the last few weeks. Really tired and not really retaining any new information which as I’ve just started a new job has really messed with my head. One of my usual strengths is my weird memory and the ability to retain lots of information useful or not. Since starting my new job my memory has got the better of me, and I’m relying heavily on my notes as I can’t seem to remember the easiest of things.
My sickness record is usually ace, but I’ve already taken two days off with a sickness bug in the two months of starting the job.
Who knew that the sickness bug was actually a baby bug!
Taking a Pregnancy Test
I’ve been using an app to track my periods. I only starting doing this as we went on holiday in August and I was monitoring it so that if my period was due I could go to the doctors and get the tablet that stops your period so that I could go swimming and wear nice clothes.
The app calculated that I was 14 days late, but I wouldn’t allow myself to think that it could be positive. I even joked that I was starting menopause early!
I did the test and we sat and waited to see if the two lines appeared – and they did, bold as brass.
I’m writing this part only two days after finding out, and I think I’m still in shock. Good shock.
I didn’t want my baby days to be over, but at 36 I didn’t think there were going to be any more for us.
The app has a pregnancy feature which you can switch to pregnancy mode which works out how many weeks you are based on your last period.
When I switched the app to pregnancy mode it worked out that I was 7 weeks pregnant.
I’m not sure how accurate this will be as with both other children I’ve been further along than expected each time. Both times I had a period at the beginning of my period which skewiffed the dates.
How I’m Feeling
Since my sickness bug (baby bug) I’ve been feeling really nauseous every day. Fingers crossed that it won’t be so bad this time, but based on both other pregnancies I may be feeling sick right up until labour day.
Pregnancy gives me a huge hate hate relationship with food. Everything makes me feel sick unless it’s something that I really fancy and it appears before me within seconds.
I’m still drinking tea at the moment but already the taste of milk is overtaking so I don’t think it will be long before I pack that in.
My sense of smell is going into overdrive. All I can smell is GARLIC – I like garlic, but I can smell it everywhere. Catching the bus to work is a killer! Garlic breath, overpowering perfume, and smelly people are sending me over the edge. I have a pocket full of hard-boiled sweets to try and stop me gagging or worse – WHAT IF I’M SICK ON THE BUS!
Clearly, the pregnancy is a secret at the moment. It’s nice having the secret because it’s a nice secret! The knowing secret looks between Chris and I are nice, but I really must stop rubbing my belly.
I’ve made my first appointment with the midwife for Friday 13th (hmm I might change that).
So for now it’s all nod nod wink wink between Chris and I and me doing all I can not to throw up on the bus, at work or on the dog (he stinks as well)!
For all Pregnancy Diary Updates head to the top of the page and hit the Pregnancy Diary link.
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Teething troubles can be the pits for both parents and baby.
You may have just established a decent sleep routine and settled into your new role as a parent, and then teething starts. Of course, there’s no set time for when your baby will start to teethe. Our son had his first tooth at 4 months without any trouble and sprouted them left right and centre whilst our daughter was teething for months before her first tooth appeared at 8 months old and we had a rough time with cold symptoms, horrible nappies, temperature, crying and no sleep at all for what felt like an age.
We tried pretty much everything under the sun so here is our top teething tips:
Of course, the teething journey is not complete without a bottle of Calpol or Neurofen for children. I wasn’t keen on giving either of my babies medicine, but needs must for both them and us. I tried to keep them to a minimum and most often used at night when they seem to suffer the most.
There are also teething gels of various brands which contain a small amount of local anaesthetic as well as an antiseptic to help numb the area and relieve the pain.
Teething granules and powders – I did have an attempt at these as they were a natural remedy. The powder came in a folded piece of paper and you just had to rub it into the gums. My advice is never to try and administer whilst outside on a windy day!
Amber Teething Necklaces – Necklaces to be worn by baby made from amber beads which contain a special healing oil. Once in contact with your baby’s skin, the heat causes the beads to release the oil which is absorbed into the skin and relieving the pain. We try these ourselves but have heard good things. Make sure you buy a good quality necklace so that it contains genuine amber beads.
Teething Rings
These are a definite godsend. they come in a variety of shapes and sizes and can be held by your baby. Some are gel or water-filled and can be put in the fridge or freezer to help ease the pain further. There are loads to choose from but one of our favourites was the Squidge & Pip Sensory Teether.
Baby Toys
Baby toys are available with all sorts of sensory features, and many have teething attachments on them which can be the corners of a comforter, specifically made baby toys such as the Lamaze range. Again they have the little bobbles that your baby can bite down on to give them immediate relief from teething pain.
Dummies
A dummy can be a great comfort to a distraught baby whose natural instinct is to suck and chew whilst teething.
Teething biscuits
Such as Bickiepegs (not quite a chocolate digestive). These teething biscuits are hard biscuits that come on a ribbon that can be sucked and chewed by your baby. These are suitable for both vegans and vegetarians.
Carrots
Peel and wash a carrot and cut into baby hand-sized chunks. Put it in the fridge for a while and then give it to your baby to chew on. The cold will help ease the pain. This can also be done with cucumber.
Frozen yoghurt and other cold foods
Using cold to alleviate the pain and soothing the gums. During teething your baby or toddler may go off their food so using age-appropriate foods which are cold will help the pain as well as the eating issue. Breast milk lollies are a good thing to try with smaller babies. For babies past the weaning stage, lollies can be made with different fruit purees. Make a batch of the Blueberry Yoghurt bites which will help with teething troubles and my kids love them.
Teething Necklaces
These are different to the amber teething necklaces. Teething Necklaces (also known as Mummy Necklaces, Baby Bling etc) are necklaces worn by the parent which are made from materials suitable for your baby to chew and suck on. Most common Teething Necklaces are made from non-toxic food-grade silicone and can be sterilised. These are also quite nice for mums and dads who quite often give up on jewellery wearing whilst baby is young due to the potential of pulling or putting something in their mouth they could choke on.
Teething Gels, Powders & Ointments
I think we’ve tried pretty much everything on the market. Gels such as Bonjela I find just slide off the gums so I prefer teething powders that you sprinkle into their mouth. It’s sweet so they stop crying and start tasting and biting down which absorbs the powder into the gums. Anbesol is an ointment that instantly numbs the area you put it on so is great for instant relief. I would definitely recommend keeping a bottle of this handy.
Distraction
This only really works during the day when they are awake and you can pull funny faces and play as a way of keeping their minds off it.
So here are our Top Teething Tips. As well as all of the above you will need patience in abundance. Remember that it’s, unfortunately, something that all babies endure, and each baby will be different in age and how they cope with their teething journey.
If you have any tips of your own then feel free to add them into the comments box and rest assured that you may help the next Mum that reads this post whilst possibly tearing their hair out!
Good luck x
*This post may contain affiliate links which means that I receive a small payment should you click the link and make a purchase at no extra cost to yourself.
Lots of people I know are pregnant or have recently had little ones.
There was a stage where everybody was finding out the sex of their babies and now I think this has reduced and people are waiting for the ultimate surprise.
Both of mine were surprises but it didn’t stop me guessing what they were likely to be.
I thought I was having a girl and Ryan came along, and when I thought I was having a boy Isabelle popped out.
Everybody had an opinion on whether or not I was carrying a boy or a girl.
Here are some Old Wives Tales which will clearly correctly predict whether or not you’re having a boy or a girl.
Gender Prediction – You’re having a BOY if:
Your skin is better than it’s been before
You’re craving salty food or meat
When doing the ring test, the ring spins backwards and forwards like a pendulum
Your baby’s heartbeat is less than 140 bpm (the midwife should be able to help you with this)
You’re carrying low
You have cold feet
You’re clumsier than normal
You sleep on your left side
You don’t get chubby cheeks
If you have dry hands
You gain most of your weight on your thighs
If you eat a clove of garlic and the smell comes out through your pores
Your right boob is bigger than your left (no idea why)
Your bump is round like you’ve swallowed a football
Gender Prediction – You’re having a GIRL if:
Your skin isn’t as clear as usual
Your baby’s heartbeat is more than 140 bpm (the midwife should be able to help you with this)
You crave sweet things and ice
You carry high
If you have soft hands
If you eat a clove of garlic and no smell is detected through your skin
When you do the ring test it moves in a circular motion
Your left boob is bigger than your right (again no clue)
Your belly is wider rather than round
You gain most of your weight on your belly
You sleep on your right side
Your face is rounder than usual
There is also the Chinese Gender Prediction where you add your age at conception with the number of the month you conceived in. If it’s an odd number it’s a boy and an even number it’s a girl.
Do you know any more Old Wives Tales to predict the gender of your baby?
Pop us a comment.
Read my Pregnancy Diary right from when we found out to the birth of our little boy in 2018.
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