Monthly Archives: July 2014

Pregnancy Diary: 17 Weeks

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Today I am 17 weeks and one day pregnant.

17 weeks

Baby is: the size of a turnip.  Long pause here while I wonder if that’s a Scottish turnip or an English one.  And google it.  Not sure I found the answer, but at least on the way round the internet I was reminded of this useful Scots word – must use it in conversation more.  Anyway I digress…  Baby is very active so I can feel the movements much more clearly, and even see my tummy moving quite often.

I am: still very tired, and not liking the heat – I think it is the reason I’m feeling more dizzy and faint again.  I’m starting to enjoy being pregnant though.  I love feeling (and seeing!) the baby move and it’s beginning to seem a bit more real.

I am getting a bit fed up about people making rude remarks about us having five children, but some people are lovely about it, and actually the “I wish I could have had more” comments are almost as frequent as the negative ones.  I spoke to a lady today who has two children, but wanted to have four or five.  She lost a baby when she was 40 and decided she couldn’t go through it again.  It’ s one of those brief conversations that really touched me and I will probably never forget it.  So today, despite all the minor reasons I am a bit stressed, most of all I am feeling very lucky.

Pregnancy Diary: 16 Weeks

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I am 16 weeks and one day pregnant.  I was really trying to get back on track and planned to write this post last night, but it was such a busy day.  By the time I took the photos it was late at night, in electric light, and I looked terrible.  So I deleted the photos, and took some more today which I think are slightly better (though rather blurry – I was in a hurry!) , and were at least taken in daylight.

16 weeks

Baby is: the size of an avocado, and can now probably hear. I should mention this to Paul, as he will want to start introducing the baby to a wide selection of classical and choral works as soon as possible.  Not sure I’m ready to unleash that just yet.  I might get Tiddler to sing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” to my tummy though!

I am: completely exhausted but generally feeling a bit better than I have been.  That’s about as positive as I can be at quarter to midnight.  Hoping for a good night’s sleep, but it might be difficult in this heat.

 

Pregnancy Diary: 15 Weeks

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I am 15 weeks and one day pregnant today.  I am probably too tired to be coherent, but I’m determined to get this post up tonight!

15 weeks

Baby is: the size of an orange, and can now control his/her own movements.  I’m still feeling them when I remember to pay attention and I’m trying to do that as much as I can, though I’ve been so busy it’s hard to do, but at night I can feel it and it’s nice.

I am: very tired – I know I have said that every week, but it’s still the only thing I can think of to say when people ask me how I am.  Really all I want to do is sleep, and if I ever lie down in the daytime I can fall asleep easily.  Not so much at night, unfortunately.

I have now seen the diabetic nurse, and got my blood testing kit, because I had gestational diabetes in my last pregnancy.  So far my levels have been fine, but the testing is a real nuisance and quite unpleasant.  It’s also quite difficult being organised with snacks when I am out, and I’m feeling a bit more sick again because I’m trying to eat fewer carbs and fruit which are often the things I am craving to deal with the sickness.  It’s a very tricky balance, but I’m going to try really hard to manage the diabetes with my diet as I did last time.  I really don’t want to have to take the medication which may make it less likely that I will be able to have a natural birth.  I know it’s early to be worrying about that but I can’t help it.  I have had lovely natural births with my last two babies, and felt completely normal straight afterwards instead of feeling like I’ve been in a car crash.  I can only hope I will be so lucky again.

 

Our holiday at Butlins: Part 2

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Following on from Owl’s post last week, this is Monkey’s review of our Butlins break.

My holiday at Butlins Bognor Regis

butlins kids 2c

At Butlins we stayed in the Wave Hotel.  In the Wave Hotel there was a Games Port.  In the Games Port, there were 2 PCs, a Wii, a Playstation (with Minecraft on it) and more.  In the hotel room there were bunk beds with TVs on each bunk.

butlins kids 2a

At the swimming pool there were some water slides.  There was the Master Blaster.  There was a fairground with a few rides, swing chairs, dodgems and more.  Before we left we had ice creams.

butlins kids 2b

We were invited to stay on a 4 night break at Butlins Bognor Regis as part of our role as Butlins Ambassadors.  All opinions are our own.

Pregnancy Diary: 14 Weeks

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After the change to my due date last week, I’m out of routine and keep forgetting how many weeks and days pregnant I am.  It’s good blogging a pregnancy because it makes me pay attention to it!  After the first baby, the dates and milestones usually blur into one, and I’m trying not to let that happen this time.  Today I am *thinks for a bit* 14 weeks and 3 days, and I am happy to be in the second trimester at last.  The last few months have felt very long.

14 weeks

Baby is: the size of a lemon, and moving around a lot.  I first felt it last Thursday, at 13 weeks and 6 days.  Other than the first pregnancy, when I felt the baby move at a fairly standard 20 weeks or so, I have always been able to feel movements quite early.  It was around 14 weeks with the second and third pregnancies and I think the last one was the same as this one, at just before 14 weeks.  It’s very reassuring and makes it much easier to feel connected to the baby.  At this stage I can only notice the movements when I’m sitting or lying still, so that’s all the more reason to remember to rest now and again.

I am: still very tired.  The sickness and dizziness are lingering on a little but I am much better than I was, and I have a bit more energy now so the house looks quite a lot tidier than it has been for a while.  It’s all relative and there’s a lot more to do, but I feel happier for a bit of therapeutic decluttering – I’ve taken a bag of clothes to a friend today, and there are nine more bags of clothes, toys and books in the back of the car ready to go to the charity shop tomorrow.  The last week or so has been quite difficult, but I’m focussing on the positives and other than that just trying to take it a day at a time.  I’m not sleeping very well, though slightly better than last week which was terrible.  My pregnancy hypnotherapy CD is helping a bit but I did have to listen to it three times last night!  I’m not sure what else I can do.  Any tips for dealing with pregnancy insomnia and exhaustion gratefully received.

Mother's Always Right

Pregnancy Diary: 13 Weeks

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I had my dating scan today and my due date is now 2nd January.  I’d worked it out at 7th January, the doctor said the 6th, and one of the midwives said it was about the 9th or 10th, so I really didn’t know what to think.  But I’ll go with the scan prediction as it’s probably the most accurate, though I know due dates are an inexact science.  Anyway, based on that I am now 13 weeks plus 4, so this post is kind of late, though it feels early.

13 weeks

Baby is: the size of a peach.  The scan was lovely.  I was a bit nervous at first, but I relaxed when I heard the heartbeat, and then after a while baby started jumping up and down which was quite reassuring!  The scan equipment was amazing, much better quality than five years ago, and it was, as always, very exciting to see that there really is a baby in there.

12 week scan 112 week scan 2

I am: feeling quite a lot better.  The sickness is mainly in the evenings now, and the dizzy spells are happening less frequently.  And the scan made me happy today 🙂

Our holiday at Butlins: Part 1

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I have already written here about our break at Butlins Bognor Regis, and so has Paul, so I thought it would be good to give the children a turn.  This is Owl’s review.

My holiday at Butlins

butlins kids 1e

On Monday 9th June we went to Bognor Regis, which is the sunniest place in Britain.  We stayed at a holiday resort called Butlins.  Our accommodation was in the Wave Hotel.

butlins kids 1a

In the Wave Hotel there was a Games Port.  There was also a swimming pool called Splash Water World and we went twice.  Near Bognor Regis is Fishbourne Roman Palace, and they have some good mosaics.

butlins kids 1b

We also went to the beach at Bognor Regis.

butlins kids 1c

On the way home we went to another beach, which is pebbly at high tide but lots of sand is revealed at low tide.

butlins kids 1d

Look out for Monkey’s review coming soon!

We were invited to stay on a 4 night break at Butlins Bognor Regis as part of our role as Butlins Ambassadors.  All opinions are our own.