39 weeks pregnant

Woah, one week left. I'd love it if she came a little early but suspect she'll be like her brother and arrive late.

Baby is roughly 50.7cm long and weighs 7.2lbs, the size of a mini watermelon. She still moves around a lot, but has run out of room to kick too hard, so she tends to push and squirm rather then jab, it's fun to watch my stomach move all over the place on it's own accord! She reacts to sounds, particularly when her big brother comes and talks to my tummy. At the 38 week midwife appointment her heartbeat was lovely and loud, she's in the correct position though not engaged and probably won't be until actual labour starts.

Mama is fed up of being pregnant in the middle of summer. The heat makes my feet swell and it doesn't help that I have toe infections which the doctor says won't heal until after I give birth due to my low immunity at the moment. I'm tired a lot of the time so taking things pretty easy (or as easy as you can with an energetic 4 year old). Only occasionally getting heartburn and indigestion, this has eased up a lot over the last few weeks.

Today is the official start of my maternity leave as the last few weeks were taking up unused holiday so I'd be very happy if she came soon. The nursery is ready and the study (where we put all the junk that was in the nursery) is now completely tidied thanks to a blitz my mother-in-law and I had yesterday. This weekend T and I will be taking things to charity shops and the dump and then everything will be pretty much ready.

I've also met up with some other Mums and Mums-to-be through NetMums and have a couple more meet ups in the diary for next week.

C and I have spent the day together today, doing all the things he wanted to do to make the most of time without baby. We got out the easel and magnets, we read stories, played with the aquadoodle, made a lego castle and watched How to Train Your Dragon (again). We also had lunch at our local Pizza Express, it's just a 5 min walk from home and it was fun to eat out just the two of us.

Pregnancy update - 31 weeks

After waiting so long to get this far, I can't quite believe we're well into the third trimester and only 9 weeks to go before we meet this little one.

Baby is currently the size and weight of a large coconut, from head to toe she's 41cm long and weighs c. 1.5kg. She is much more active then C ever was, with long periods of time at the start and end of the day spent kicking and pushing and generally moving around. At the 28 week check she was breach, but she made a massive movement the following week, so I'm hoping that now she has turned around.

Mama is getting a bigger bump every day. This bump is much higher than with C, little feet (or head) is high up pushing into my chest so I'm getting lots of indigestion this time around. Beginning to get tired again, feet are swelling a little in the heat and uncomfy at night. But I know that it's all worth it and every time she kicks it's reassuring that everything is all ok.

We're getting the nursery ready, all C's baby equipment has come out of storage and the first set of newborn clothes are washed and into the drawers. I've been given some extra things from a mama friend who's 2nd baby is now 6 months, plus we have a few more feminine items picked up over the last few months so she's not totally in boy's clothes! The nursery has some pretty terrible wallpaper, cream with red fleur de lis all over it and the carpet is dark red, so we're going for more of a red and white theme this time around. I'm putting together some ideas on this Pinterest board - Nursery for a Girl.

- Bump shadow on the beach
- Baby girl clothes
- Boy, bump, cat
- Baby clothes washed and ready
- Bump on the beach

A baby sister

We are expecting again! I'm currently 22 weeks pregnant with a little sister for Charlie. Baby girl is growing well, we had some scares at the start, followed by a lot of sickness, but now all is good. At our 20 week scan everything was perfect and the little kicks I feel inside me are a daily reminder that this time around we are doing well. Because of our last loss I won't lose my unease until this little girl is safely in my arms, but am content as possible that all is ok.

20 week scan

Charlie is very excited about being a big brother, he has lots of questions, lots of name ideas (Rapunzel, Daisy and Slug are his favourites) and kisses and strokes my tummy in a gentle way.

Bump

I started a diary piece before we had the scares and then the daily throwing up set in so it ends pretty abruptly, but here's a record of that first week after finding out.

8th December 2013, today at 13dpo I took a pregnancy test and got the faintest 2nd line. I looked back an hour later and it was still there! Tomorrow I will use a proper test instead of an internet cheapie but in my heart I know that finally I am pregnant again.

I am tentatively excited, I want this baby so so much but I'm not sure I can face the pain of losing another. I'm only 3 weeks and right now the full 40 weeks look daunting. However the weight on my mind that I've been carrying since March is easing, it feels completely right to be pregnant and this time every cell in my body is willing this little one to survive, to be a fighter and in 37 weeks time to be held on my arms.

9th Dec. Again a faint line on the internet cheapie but took a boots own brand test and that had a stronger positive. Hooray hooray hooray!

12th Dec. Pregnancy has become real again. It felt amazingly good to start taking the half pack of pregnacare folic acid that I'd squirreled away in March. All the symptoms, the heavy boobs, intense sense of smell and slight nausea are incredibly welcome and a constant reminder that things are as they should be.

The rainbow baby is such a good analogy. For the first time the dark, depressing storm clouds of miscarriage have parted slightly to this rainbow of hope. The rain is still there and always will be, but the glimmer of sunshine needed to create a rainbow is happy and bright and the lashing rain has turned to a drizzle.

Last night as I lay in bed listening to big brother's even breathing through the monitor with Daddy's hand resting above the baby on my belly I was so happy. Everything was the way it should be once more. Peace at last. 

13th Dec. Today I have gone off coffee completely. From having 4 cups of decaff a day, now the very thought of it makes me nauseous. In Pret at 7.20am this morning I shocked Jorges my usual server by asking for hot chocolate instead of my regular skinny decaff latte.

Oh my goodness nausea also settled in fully today. I felt queasy and seasick at my desk this morning and drank cup after cup of peppermint tea to try and relieve the churning in my stomach.

And soo tired. This week has not been good for sleep, I had three 5am starts (to get to work for 7.30am) and on the other two days I stayed late, once to catch up time missed last week to see C's nativity and the other for book group. So sleep is something I long to catch up on.

16th Dec. Less nauseous today. Phoned to book a doctor's appointment but none left until Christmas week. Will try and book a same day appointment on Weds.