Second trimester… basically leaky boobs and aching hips! Pretty much sums it up.
I can not believe I am already in my third trimester, aka the home run, and things are about to get hella serious!
Pregnancy anxiety – no bump…
This seems to have been a big one for me at the start of this trimester. My mother in law hit the nail on the head when she said to me that as soon as you get that positive test you become a worrier. And she is so right!
It’s something that you can’t really help; it just creeps up on you out of nowhere. For me it has anyway. I think maybe I have noticed it more as I have never really suffered with anxiety much, or may be I have and it is pregnancy that has brought it out of me.
For me the biggest anxious feeling was constantly worrying that everything is ok and that the baby is healthy and growing at the expected rate. This wasn’t helped by the lack of bump. Especially when you see so many on social media who are at the same gestational point as yourself and they appear to have a lovely bump growing and I only have my little fat pouch (which I have had since I was around 14).
However, as I write this I do have a bump forming, and I guess I can’t complain as I’m sure I will be mahoosive in no time and struggling to get through daily activities that, up until now, I will have taken for granted!
*EDIT* when finalising this post I am very much with bump and I strangely love it… its amazing that you can spend so much time trying to lose weight or (aspire to ) get that ‘washboard stomach’ and yet, here I am getting rounder by the day and I am ok with it, and have probably never felt more confident with my body than what I currently do.
Cravings…
A come question from people when they are asking how I am doing. So far I haven’t really had any crazy, pregnancy cravings. I think because I suffered with sickness for 3 months it was a case of trying different suggestions/foods until I found something that didn’t make me feel like I had just been on a loop-the-loop rollercoaster at least 12 times or that didn’t instantly make me sick…
So, so far it hasn’t been cravings as such – just foods that I have managed to keep down and felt safe eating… even well into this (2nd) trimester.
Although the past couple of weeks I have started having proper meals again -YAY!! Finally some nutrition back into my diet.
The main foods I have been eating are; in the 1st trimester – pain au chocolat, cheese & pickle sandwiches, and prawn cocktail or salt & vinegar crisps.
Then in the 2nd trimester these have branched out to; bacon sandwiches, avocado on toast, egg on toast, milkybar buttons (these have been a life saver)… plus some meals including vegetables – yay!!
I will however say I have become rather put off by chicken, I am not sure why but there we go.
I almost have to convince myself into wanting to eat some meals, its a very strange time considering I have always loved my food!!
20 week scan…
I just love these scans, like last time i am just amazed at the technology and it’s just incredible seeing the little bambino wriggling around.
So this time around, I wasn’t feeling sick – THANK GOD! But instead just excitement to see Bambino Hulme again. With my bladder literally bursting, to the point where half way through the appointment the sonographer/midwife let me go to the toilet as I was genuinely worried that if she started to press slightly harder (as they tend to need to do this), I actually thought I would have wet myself right there and then on the plinth…pregnancy – FULL of dignifying experiences!
Luckily I remembered to tell her that we DIDN’T want to know baby’s gender, and she avoided that area as much as possible once it came to it. Much to Angus’s disappointment! Due to him hating surprises he would have preferred to find out whether we are having a girl or boy, but then I did say to him it’s a 50/50 split… sooooo I won this one!
Plus, I have been told its the only real, genuine surprise you get in life and not knowing the baby’s gender can help in labour when giving those final pushes to finally found out if we are due a ‘Phoebe or a Phoebo’ (if you know, you know)
Anyway, everything was all a-ok with bambino, and brewing nicely. Although, I did have to go back for a follow up scan the following week to double check bubba could swallow, as the awkward munchkin wouldn’t swallow and had an empty stomach & bladder when we went to the first detailed scan. But all was good and everything appeared to be in order.
I found the detailed scan (20 week scan) just as incredible as the first, however it was a lot more interesting – I think because bubba is just that little bit more developed and bigger, I mean it is still tiny at this point but I still just find it fascinating.
Back to work…
Finally, this baby mamma has some form of routine back in her life!!!
After being signed off from work for 3 months, it was strange talking about going back to work – part of me not wanting to go back and just enjoying ‘slobbing’ around the house, and the other part knowing I needed to get back into routine and I was feeling waaaaay better so it was time to face the music and head back to work.
Part of the not wanting to go back wasn’t helped by the fact I work in a hospital (on a ward) and with the current pandemic we are living through, and being pregnant and not able to have the vaccines, I was rather anxious to be going back and what going to work would entail for me.
Luckily, after a chat with my line manager the week before my return I could breath a huge sigh of relief, and it felt like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders.
My previously clinical role has now become admin based and the trust I work for has stated in their policy for pregnant women is that we can only work in an area that is fully covid free and unfortunately at the moment the wards are changing so frequently with the coming and going of patients that it is safer for me to be admin based in an office that is off of the ward. So me and bambino are protected away from any germs – well the infection rate is a lot lower where I am currently based.
Towards the end of the second trimester I did go back to being clinical for a few weeks, which was actually really nice to be back with my team and seeing patients albeit being on lighter duties.
Baby items are so cute – buying the essentials…
I feel like I have been pretty good on the spending front… mainly because I have created a list of essentials that we will need, spending my time off work browsing the (online) January sales and any online baby events.
I have managed to get most of the ‘essential’ bits doing this. Which part of me wanted to be able to go out to the shops to buy – we all know thats not happening right now! But we are also incredibly lucky that we have had family members offer to contribute and buy something from the ‘essential’ list, so I felt a bit bad buying most of things. However, I have managed to save money on a lot of things so I am sure if anyone wants to give us the money for these things they will be thankful as I managed to get some good savings/deals!
The one department I have held off buying is clothes. As bambino will be a summer baby and with both myself and Angus being big babies (with the added fact that Angus is also 6’5″ tall) I have left buying clothes for a little while longer.
Although there are some bits I just couldn’t help myself from buying, including bits for this time next year. So next winter! Call me crazy but they were either in a sale or I just couldn’t stop myself from ordering them! Oooopsy!
**Upon editing this post this section has changed ever so slightly… I couldn’t hold off buying clothes for any longer and got stuck in buying all the newborn essentials as well as some hella cute bits for the first few months – to the point where I am now on a spending ban…for now. Well until I can actually organise the bits I do have and see what we need!
Is that a kick or a fart?
The fun and games of trying to figure out if they are little flutters in my tummy from bubba or if a poo is brewing…sorry for the TMI but it’s true!
The NHS say it can be anytime between 16 and 24 weeks that you may start to feel little movements/flutters, with 1st pregnancy’s taking up to 20 weeks until you start to feel anything.
For me, it was around 18 weeks that the flutters began. At first it is a bit strange and almost feels like rolling tap of the fingers (the kind that people stereotypically do in films when waiting for someones attention), but once you get use to the sensation or the movements it is actually quite comforting.
This even more so once the baby develops further into bigger movements, for me this was around 20 weeks that they started to get stronger. Although it kind of happened where I thought I felt a proper kick and then nothing pf that same strength until the following week where I started to notice and feel stronger kicks more regularly.
As I am typing this, it’s like my stomach is doing the mexican wave and bubba is having a good old wriggle about!
As I am finalising and editing this post I am 30 weeks pregnant, and to be honest I cant not believe it! It seems to be going by so quickly, which I am not complaining about as I am sure those last few weeks are going to draaaaaag! Especially if the weather is lovely and hot!
Due to being within a clinical role in the NHS it is still advised (where possible) for pregnant women to work from home/shield. So that is the current situation for moi.
I know not all businesses follow suit or promote this information to their pregnant staff. And the amount of friends I have that are pregnant and had no idea about the whole idea of shielding from 28 weeks is crazy. I think with my working in the NHS, you tend to be a little more in the know with this kind of information, and I am incredibly lucky to work within such an amazing team of people, who have really looked out/after me throughout my pregnancy and the time I did have at work.
I can’t believe I have approximately 10 weeks left until our lives are going to be turned upside down, but I am also incredibly excited!
Until next time (it could be once bambino Hulme has arrived!),
Han & Bambino xx
