A long catch up!!

17 +2

I have been utterly rubbish at updating so far. I have been so tired and lacking in energy this last few weeks. I've also been getting rubbish nights sleep through going to the loo 4 times a night and taking 30 mins to an hour to drop off again each time.

It makes me really hormonal and teary some days but I am just so thankful to actually be pregnant that even when it seems everything is getting thrown at me I am still so excited about this baby.

I'm trying to rest a bit more and finding that I can't shop like I used to as my pelvis and back really start to ache after about 15 mins of standing up and walking round. This is probably a godsend for dh as I can't spend as much money lol!! Oh well there's always online shopping lol!!

I've already decided that it will be too much for me to traipse round the shops for xmas pressies and hope to get most of the stuff online and had better start it in the next couple of weeks.

When I was 15 weeks I felt the baby move for the first time. I still don't feel them every day but if I sit quietly and really relax then I can feel a couple of movements maybe every other day.

On Monday I started with a large cyst/boil just under my left breast at the top of my abdominal wall (ha what abdominal wall!! Mine's just a layer of fat lol!!) and it became very painful and I ended up seeing the doctor on Wednesday morning being sent up to the hospital. I was so anxious as a General Anaesthetic was mentioned and I really didn't want one as I was worried it would affect the baby.

Thankfully once I got there and the surgeon had a look he decided to give it a go doing a laceration and drainage under Local Anaesthetic but warned me if it didn't work then I would have to have a general.

Luckily they managed to numb it ok and get all the horrible gunk out. I've been having to go and have it dressed every day since and the dressings hurt more than the actual procedure itself. It's still an open wound and apparently it will close up itself eventually but for now it means going daily to see the practice nurse and to the Walk in Centre at weekends. Hopefully it will heal quickly and not get infected.

On Thursday I had my 16 week midwife appointment. I had the blood test for down syndrome and spina bifida. We decided that we would rather know if our baby had any of these conditions so we could prepare ourselves and our children but we would carry on with the pregnancy as this baby is so wanted and longed for already. If there is anything shown on the blood test then we should know within 7-10 days so hear's to hoping we don't hear anything.

I got my other blood results back and my iron levels are good now at 11.5 so pleased about that. I am NOT Rubella Immune. I never am despite having the injections when I was supposed to at school and after having both the kids and it just doesn't seem to work on me. The midwife said I can have another jab after this little one is born but I am thinking of telling them what is the point as it obviously doesn't work on me!!

I was also weighed and was very surprised to find that I had lost 0.5kg according to their scales. I know it could just be their scales but for now I'm sticking with it lol!!

I took the kids to the midwife with me and we heard baby's heartbeat for the first time which they thought was fantastic and they loved it. It was really reassuring for me too after going through the procedure to remove the cyst on Wednesday. I am far more nervous this time round of things going wrong so was so pleased to hear our baby's heartbeat pumping away.

I really want to book a private scan for this week to see our baby but I think dh will need a bit of persuading. I will wait for him to have a really good day at work and ask him then so he will be more likely to say yes. We have our hospital scan on 16th September but I really want a scan now. I'm also itching to find out whether we are having a boy or a girl and check everything is ok.

With my other 2 I was fairly certain by 12 weeks what I thought we were having and I was right. This time I really am not sure whether this is a boy or a girl. I have moments of leaning towards it being one or the other but deep down I'm not sure. I really don't mind what we have though as I just feel so blessed to be having another baby after starting to doubt it would ever happen to us.

I will do an updated bump photo later this week as I have a huge bump already and its quite a high bump too.

I did a prediction from Madame Zaritska just for fun.

http://pregnancyandbaby.sheknows.com/pregnancy/baby/Madame-Zaritska-predicts-your-birth-experience-5.php

The day you deliver, outside will be rainy. Your baby will arrive in the early morning. After a labor lasting approximately 12 hours, your child, a girl, will be born. Your baby will weigh about 5 pounds, 1 ounces, and will be 17-1/2 inches long. This child will have dark amber eyes and fluffy red hair.

Can't see that being true in a million years as I have big babies and fast labours. Also my other 2 were born with dark brown hair. There is noone in the family even distantly with red hair!! So am taking this with a rather large pinch of salt lol!!

17 Weeks

You are now 17 weeks pregnant (or in your 18th week if that's how you prefer to count it).

Your baby is now nearly 11.1cm long from crown to rump and weighs about 140g. His skeleton is mostly rubbery cartilage, which will harden later. A protective substance called myelin slowly begins to wrap around the spinal cord (Visembryo 2006).

With the help of a special stethoscope, you can now hear your baby's heartbeat. There's almost nothing more comforting or exciting than hearing your baby's heartbeat galloping along. For times when boredom strikes and you feel as if you'll be pregnant forever, it can be a pleasant reminder of what will come at the end of 40 weeks of waiting.

Your expanding uterus (womb) where your baby is developing has shifted your centre of gravity and you've probably been feeling a bit off-kilter. Be careful and wear low-heeled shoes. Finding it hard to settle when you go to bed?

If you haven't had an amniocentesis yet and plan to, this week is a good time. One perk: you'll get a long look at your baby through the ultrasound scan used during this procedure.

First-time mums often start to feel their baby's movements around now. Many women report that the first sensations are fluttery or like butterflies in the stomach. Unfortunately, your partner won't be able to share in your excitement just yet - real kicking doesn't usually start for a month or so.

As your body gently expands, you may feel less than glamorous. Take some time to feel good about your changing body in the coming weeks. Even if you don't feel attractive, your partner probably still finds you a turn-on - some men find the roundness that pregnancy gives to women's figures very appealing. It's quite safe to have sex right up until your waters break, provided there is no medical reason not to, such as bleeding. Some women find that their libido increases during pregnancy while others go right off making love - it's quite normal either way.

You may also notice that the areola, the darkish area around your nipples, is getting larger as your breasts expand. It's a harmless side effect of pregnancy but it may last as long as 12 months after the birth. You may have noticed other skin changes such as the linea nigra and the mask of pregnancy; both of which will also fade after the baby is born.