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Pregnancy blog

Mums-to-be talk about their pregnancy, from scans, sickness and sex to bumps, Braxton Hicks and birth plans.

Posts from July 2011

  • Goodbye Sense of Humour!

    by twinlady on 31 July 2011

    My poor DH has had it in the neck at bit today -I am seriously irritable. As is typical in pregnancy, there is no actual reason for it, I just am cranky! I am also tired, I have had fairly low energy this weekend and I don't think that has helped too much.

    Have made some progress in getting ready for the twins arrival: have had a good sort out and DH has filled the loft with boxes of things that were occupying our room; thus creating space for a cotbed. When my parents moved house, their 'grandchildren' bunkbeds were too big for the box room, so we have inherited them. Don't need to buy a new cotbed now, as we have enough, just a new single mattress for one of the bunk beds. Have got some size 1 nappies in a bag with some toiletries for when we go to hospital. I probably won't do anything else until September now regarding that, although I'm starting to realise just how much stuff I'm going to need to pack for 2 babies, particularly as it's more likely will be in hospital for more than 24 hours.

    When I visited my parents, I ordered a twin buggy for 'testing' as they had none in stock. I'm looking forward to testing it out in a few weeks time and hopefully it will be good. Some of the twin prams/buggies you get are just mental. It's all very nice if you can afford £700 upwards, however, they were so bulky when collapsed they would never fit in the boot of a 7 seater MPV with 6 of the seats up. So a traditional side by side it looks like it will be for us.

    I have taken up a new cross-stitch to keep myself occupied in the evening. At the rate I'm sewing, I'll be done within a month, so will need to find a new, low energy, hobby to occupy myself with for the last 6/7 weeks.

    The babies are quite active, although they have quiet spells sometimes now too. I won't see any nhs people for about a fortnight and admittadely get a little concerned if I haven't felt anything for a while. I tend to feel most movement on my right side, but occassionally get movement elsewhere. I feel like the babies are fine, obviously there are two placentas to cushion the movements and they do move around in different places, so I'm trying not to concern myself too much.

    My DH and I had the rare opportunity to go out by ourselves one evening last week, whilst my Mum babysat. Just a trip to the cinema & take away after, but it was soooo good! As I'm getting larger all the time, I'm almost getting more uncomfortable, so these kind of outings will happen less. Must try and get out together again soon though.

    1 week of the summer holidays down - 5 to go. I will survive!!!!

  • Sorry this post is a little later than usual. I've spent the first few days of the summer holidays at my parent' house, which they moved into less than a fortnight ago, so no internet access for me.

    Have made it to the 24 week mark - hooray! I always feel a little more relaxed when I get this far, as I know the babies have at least a chance of survival if born now, which is better than no chance at all. I still have a good feeling that the twins will stay inside for a good while yet, so am not really worrying about prematurity.

    My energy levels seem to have picked up again, whether that's due to the chocolate consumption or being more relaxed whilst at my parents, knowing I have extra hands to help, I don't know, but it's good to not feel tired all the time.

    The babies are still very active and can evidently hear what's going on outside, as my DH spent about 10 minutes LOUDLY talking to them through the belly last week. Telling them 'to be boys'- like that's going to work!! Ha Ha. Well, for about 15 minutes afterwards it felt like there was a pirahna feeding frenzy in my tummy - they obviously recognise DH's voice! It was crazy. It was lovely though.

    Sleeping is becoming more of a challenge, as I roll from side to side for some time attempting to get comfortable, I am eventually falling asleep though. I can hardly imagine what it's going to be like in 3 months time.....fun :)

    As for Stretch marks - well, the holiday is over! They have started re-appearing now. I knew it wouldn't last, and it's no real suprise as I've had them with every pregnancy. It's just the price I pay for having healthy babies - and it's a price I'm happy to pay.

     

  • Yes, every man and his dog, friend or foe, strangers and others all seem to have asked me the same question in the last couple of weeks. I still have 14 - YES, FOURTEEN - weeks to go, which is just over 3 months. As their eyes practically pop out of their heads and smile politely I feel at this point I should clarify that I'm having and twins and not just tucking away the pies!!!  The day after finding out I was expecting twins, I went to the library and borrowed a book all about twin pregnancy, birth and all the years after, and  I remember it said I would look about 8 weeks further along than I really am. So. in about 6/7 weeks I should look like I'm about to pop out a single baby... and then still have 6/7 weeks to go. At least my DS will be back at pre-school by then. Ho hum.

    A plus, is that I've no stretch marks yet. They've usually started appearing by now. I have had cravings return this week. Been fancying chocolate cake, a really nice chocolate cake with icing. Had some chocolate gateau on Wednesday, and made chocolate biscuits on Thursday night and then yesterday had some hot chocolate brownie, as the supermarket didn't have any chocolate cake. I even dreamt about eating chocolate cake and woke up in the night wanting some. Cravings have never been like this before. When expecting my DD I was quite partial to coleslaw and Turkish Delight, but not like this. I didn't feel compelled to go out and buy it, or even dream about it. I have even found a fabulous recipe online for an amazing looking chocolate cake, but have so far resisted, due to the serious naughty factor of the cake (serves 14 at over 500 calories a slice, let alone the fat and sugar content) and the fact that my DH is trying to lose weight, and it would not be helpful to him to have a big fat cake tempting him when he gets home from work.

    Aside from the *minor* craving issue, the pregnancy seems to be going well. The babies are still very active - my DS felt them move for the first time this week. He seems quite happy with the prospect of two babies so far. When asked, he tells me they are boys, although I think my DH has had some influence there....hmmmmmm. He's also made the connection that girls have babies and has asked if his sister (who isn't even 2) is having babies as well.  He also asked my MIL if she was having any more babies today, to which she replied 'No'. And then my DS reportedly said 'oh, well you are getting bigger too!'. Nice one, son! Note: my MIL is very trim, so hopefully she completely understands the humour in this situation!!!

    I have had a slightly slower week and have returned to having a little doze in the afternoon, whilst my DD has her sleep and my DS is playing. Hoping that my energy will pick up again though, as it's the last week of term this week, and I have the summer holidays yet to survive. The Battle plan is coming along nicely. Just need the weather to stay the way it is, and everything should be good. :)

    Until, next week, ciao for now!

  • Wriggly Jiggly babies!

    by twinlady on 10 July 2011

    I'm now 22 weeks along and I have two active little ones inside. They had a midnight party last night and kept me awake for a long time. It is getting interesting to roll over in bed. I'm pretty sure I'll need a crane to move towards the end. Already I can't tell if it's the bed creaking or my body creaking when I slowly roll over in the night. My DH describes it as a 'wave moving through the duvet'!

    My energy levels are holding up really nicely and I'm getting back into the swing of keeping on top of everything in the house and with the children. My DS's behaviour has been brilliant all week and now that DH is home I am getting a little more rest.

    Visited my midwife during the week, everything seems okay. Now am not due to see anyone until 12th August, so a few weeks of taking it easy before it all gets busy with appointments again next month.

    So thoroughly enjoying the happy-middle ground of pregnancy. Doing as much as I can while I can - have no idea how long I'm going to feel this good. That's about it for this week. 

  • The scan was FINE! Phew! Two very happy and active babies. Twin 1 is head down, and twin 2 breech; not that it matters too much at this stage, but it gives me hope for avoiding an ELCS. Twin 1 is the larger of the two, but not by much. We have kept the genders a surprise, just as we did with DS & DD. This irritates some of our family, but we like it that way. My DH would like two boys (of course) and I think if there was a choice, I'd have one of each, but I'll be happy whatever we have -as long as they're okay and I am too. 

    Saw the Consultant again a few days later, he did a quick scan, asked the usual questions and that was about it. Not entirely sure what I'm supposed to ask him really. Having already had 2 children, and with this pregnancy being straight forward thus far, I don't really have any questions. Unless, of course, he'd like to advise me on the best people carrier to purchase, twin buggies or how to hold on to my sanity when the babies arrive. Somehow, I don't think that is his forte...

    As for DS's behaviour - he's been an angel in comparison to the previous week. I have a health professional from the health visiting team coming over in the week to discuss his behaviour anyway. Who knows when he'll morph back into his monster form. The bigger I get the harder it will be. This week will be a real test as my DH has left this evening for a week's training with work and won't return until Friday. At least I have the car, so we can get out of the house if we need to. Roll on Friday, that's what I say!

    I had a 'realisation moment' in the Library toilets in the week. So many people have been kind and complimented how 'I'm all baby', but it's not true. My bottom is getting so big! :) I'm trying not to let it affect me too much.  I was my biggest I'd ever been after my DD and manage to successfully lose 2.5 stone last year through excercise and NO CHOCOLATE, and it felt great. I know it will take longer to lose this time, but I'm secretly hoping my body will just spring back - which it never has. I'm just not one of those lucky women. 

    My real priority though is that I get as far along in pregnancy as I can - stuff the weight gain - it's the price I've agreed to pay for two healthy babies. Note to body: if you do want to spring back into my size 10 wardrobe, it would be really helpful!! A girl can dream....

  • Oops, I just posted my first blog entry but didn't think to edit it as it has now been a few weeks since I sent off the draft copy. I'm now 24 weeks and 5 days and giving Shamu a run for his money! I've now put on 1 and 1/2 stone since finding out I was pregnant, impressive given the weeks of projectile vomiting after every meal! I'm not sure if my measurements are 100% accurate as I *may* have shaved off half a stone when my midwife asked me...is this not normal procedure?

    As I said I'm now approaching 25 weeks and boy is it obvious. I work beside a tall, slim girl with a perfect, slender baby bump...I, however, am proudly sporting a mammoth bump for my baby T-Rex! It's beginning to get on my nerves that people insist on staring at my gut everywhere I go and work colleagues now think it's ok to mention how large I am and then to rub my belly with some insane ferocity. My little lady is very active now, choosing to wriggle and kick every night at midnight-guaranteed! I tried to get an early night last night but she wasn't playing ball. The hiccups weren't her fault but I think she wants her Daddy as this is the time of day/night he'll usually rest his hand on my (blubber) bump. The hiccups actually frighten me as I sometimes worry maybe she's having a seizure and I'm mistaking them for hiccups. That may be taking my pregnancy paranoia to a whole new level so I will NOT be typing that into google! I have hired a doppler for her quiet days and every week her heartbeat gets louder so I'm hoping I can lay the paranoia aside and just try and enjoy the last few months.

    One thing I've noticed is my desperate urge to exercise! I'm usually pretty lazy although through high school and uni I did play a lot of sport, I've been having a lot of lower back, hip and just-below-bump pain when I walk so I think a run will be out of the question. I want to mention the pain to the midwife but I think it's probably manageable and last time I had physio (for short muscles in my legs aged 9) it was agony so I'd rather not go there again! Maybe the urge to exercise is because I wouldn't mind being slightly slimmer so I could see my little Lilybean moving. It seems I'm a little too overweight to see much. Her daddy has felt her kick once but yesterday she was beating me up and he couldn't feel it. It could be any number of things but I do think I'm going to have an enormous challenge to shift the extra pounds (read tons) once she's born. Oh well, a belly full of stretch marks and wobble is the least I can do for a beautiful baby girl :)

    Hope everyone is enjoying this most magical time. Keep safe and love that babybean!

  • I may be leaving it a little late to start a pregnancy blog but, truth be told, it’s only about now I really feel up to it. My name is Naomi and I am 22 weeks pregnant tomorrow. I am overjoyed at the thought of being pregnant and tried for the best part of a year. That said, it has been a tough struggle so far and I’m glad to have finally made it past the half way point.

    I’m a natural worrier and since finding out about the pregnancy I have lived in fear that it could end any day. At 6 weeks in I had a very minor bleed but I spent the day in tears on my mother’s bed ‘waiting’ as the nurse told me too. I went for an early scan at 7 weeks and could barely contain my excitement when I saw that teeny flutter of a heartbeat. Then the sickness hit. I tried to keep the pregnancy a secret at work but that’s not so easy when you can’t run fast enough to the toilet and manage to throw up everywhere! With sick in my hair my boss politely asked me if I would like to go home now…needless to say I ran and didn’t look back! At 12 weeks the sickness went and in came the depression. I’ve always had a tendency towards negative feelings but nothing quite like this. I would be elated one minute, crying the next and having to hold on to a handrail so as to not throw myself under a moving train. I would never have hurt my baby but goodness only knows I wanted to hurt me. 10 weeks on and I’m feeling better. It’s also been a little while since I quit smoking so I think my hormones are finally relaxing a little bit.

    I want to write about the little things that nobody talks about, and hope you will enjoy sharing my joy and my pain. I’ll try not to overload you with graphic information about the endless bouts of constipation followed by explosive diarrhoea, except upon request perhaps. I can even provide annotated notes of the behaviour meetings I’ve had at work since my hormones went crazy and left me a trembling sack of nerves. It’ll all be worth it in the end, only 18 weeks left now!

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Meet our pregnancy bloggers

Snan 30 has polycystic ovaries syndrome (PCOS) and is trying to get pregnant
twinlady is on her third pregnancy and this time it's twins. Will life ever be the same again?
LauraD1985 is expecting in early November
Chezwad123 realised she was pregnant when her sense of smell went haywire|
Emsie83 is hoping her 2nd child doesn't have the same congenital heart disorder (TGA) as her first 

Meet all of our pregnancy bloggers


Nothing in this blog should be taken as medical advice and the opinions expressed are not those of the NHS. If you have any concerns about your health you should contact your GP or use our medical advice now section.

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