Back from my scan!!

I went for my scan this morning and baby decided that it was the perfect time to curl into a ball and play hide and seek!!

I had to go for a walk to encourage baby to move (definitely not easy with a bursting full bladder!) and wriggled my bump about a bit.

Went back in and baby had moved slightly but was still playing games so I had to turn onto 1 side then the other and the sonographer eventually got all the measurements and everything looks ok.

She *thinks* we are having a baby girl. She said she wouldn't put money on it but dh and I think we saw the hamburger. I will keep hold of the boy's clothes I've bought just in case though lol!!

We have a 4d scan at the beginning of November so hopefully that will confirm it if our little cheeky minx plays ball!!

So glad that everything was ok though. I think this baby has a cheeky character already lol!!

Dh felt baby kick!!

This morning at 2.30am Vic felt baby kick for the first time and they did quite a few nice big kicks.

I'd been getting a bit worried about not feeling many kicks and not feeling them everyday but I was reassured by the nice kicks I got in the early hours.

I have another scan at 11.20am this morning and am feeling much better about it that everything will be ok with himher. Hopefully they will be in a good position and we will find out if we have a him or a her lol!!

Right had better go and start drinking my water and will update again later this afternoon after my scan.

23 Weeks Pregnant!!

You are now 23 weeks pregnant (or in your 24th week if that's how you prefer to count it).

Your baby now weighs a little more than 500g and measures about 28.9cm from crown to heel. His hearing is well established and he can make out a distorted version of your voice, the beating of your heart and your stomach rumblings. Loud noises your baby has often heard in the uterus (womb), such as the barking of a dog or the roar of a vacuum cleaner, probably won't bother him when he is born.

Some studies seem to indicate that unborn babies prefer classical music, so put on a CD of relaxing music by Bach or Mozart for his enjoyment – and yours!

In addition to advances in your baby's hearing, his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing. He's swallowing but he normally won't pass his first stool (called meconium) until after birth.

If your baby were to be born now, he would have a small chance of survival (about 16 per cent) with the right care. Every day in the uterus makes a difference at this stage. If he was born at 24 weeks his chance of survival would rise to 44 per cent.

As for you, you may feel clumsy now that your centre of gravity has shifted. Your gums may bleed when you brush your teeth and your belly button, once an "innie", may now stick out. Don't worry. It'll revert to its pre-baby state soon after you give birth.

You may notice some bleeding when you brush your teeth - a common pregnancy complaint (along with nosebleeds). Pregnancy hormones can make your gums swell and become inflamed, which leads to frequent bleeding, especially when you clean your teeth. What to do? Brush and floss regularly but gently and follow our other self help suggestions. Although you may want to avoid disturbing your gums, it's crucial to practise good dental hygiene during pregnancy to avoid gum disease.

Most women don't have many antenatal appointments, so see if your partner can spare the time to come along when one is scheduled. Not only will he be able to hear first-hand how things are going, he can get his own questions answered too.

Feeling more movement

22+1

I'm feeling much less tired now than my last entry and also more positive about everything as I've suddenly started feeling more movement and bigger kicks.

Ellie felt himher kick for the first time last night and the look on her face was a picture, one of shock followed by excitement. We were upstairs in our bed so ran downstairs to dh and of course baby stopped right away lol.

Hopefully dh and Josh will feel himher this week too. I'm getting some nice kicks now as I type but I can guarantee that by the time I got upstairs and back into bed with dh they would have stopped lol.

I'm off to the Next 2 day sale to have a look once I've took dh to work. I was really hoping that I would know what we were having by now so I could buy something for himher but we don't. I am about 80% certain now that we're having a boy and will be quite shocked I think if at the scan it turns out we are having a girl. I'll still be over the moon though as I don't mind what we have I would just quite like to find out so I can call himher by their proper name which at the moment stand at Poppy or Toby. I really like Suzy for a girl too but no one else does and I know I would hate it if people shortened it to Sue (no offence to any Sue's).

Had a bit of a nightmare day yesterday. Josh has had a cough and a cold for the last few days and it went to his chest setting his asthma off so I took him off to the Walk In Centre hoping to avoid the need to go to hospital. They gave him a nebulizer which helped a little but his Oxygen Sats were still very low so we ended up being sent off to hospital in an ambulance. We had to wait ages to see a doctor who eventually just prescribed him some steroids and told me to give him 10 puffs of his puffer.

He was still quite wheezy when we came home but seemed a bit better when he sat still. Had better go and wake him soon to give him his steroid drink before I drop him off with my dad whilst I take dh to work and me, my mum and Ellie go to Next.

I really hope this baby doesn't have asthma as I hate watching Josh struggling for breath. I think I will make an appointment to have his inhalers reviewed as once he gets a bad do his inhalers are useless and it ends up with him on a nebulizer.

Right better go and see how he is and wake the others up.

22 Weeks Pregnant

You are now 22 weeks pregnant (or in your 23rd week if that's how you prefer to count it).

The baby now weighs almost 430g, measures about 27.8cm long from crown to heel, and is proportioned like a newborn, albeit a thinner version since her baby fat hasn't yet developed.

Although she's getting heavier every day, her skin still appears wrinkled and translucent because she needs to gain more weight. Her lips are distinct and her eyes are formed, though the the coloured part (the iris) still lacks pigment. The pancreas, essential in the production of hormones, is developing steadily.

Even this early, the first signs of teeth appear in the form of tooth buds beneath her gum line. Before you know it, your baby will be born, and soon after, her first teeth will come through.

At this point, you'll probably notice a steady gain in weight - about 225g/half a pound each week. You may also notice that your appetite's increasing. It's okay to give in to an occasional yearning for ice cream, but try to find a healthy substitute if you constantly long for junk food.

Sometimes it's difficult to look much beyond the birth but it's worth finding out about babies before you hold your own. For example, you may be surprised at what a newborn looks like or you may need a crash course in changing nappies.

You may have noticed some changes down below. It's common in pregnancy to have an increased vaginal discharge as the result of increased blood flow in that part of the body. Needing to go to the loo a lot is another side-effect of pregnancy but don't forget that you are also more susceptible to urinary tract infections too - see your GP or midwife if you suspect a bout of cystitis. You may also experience bleeding from the back passage, particularly if you have developed haemorrhoids.

Where has my energy gone?

21+4

I am so tired at the moment. For about the last week I feel as though my energy has completely deserted me.

I am getting increasingly worried about our next scan on Friday 2nd October. Hopefully the baby will have moved into a better position so they can get the measurements and checks done that they need. Dh is worried and that is making me even more worried as he normally doesn't let anything bother him.

What's worrying me the most is I haven't felt any big movements at all with this baby and I was feeling lots of movements when I was this stage with dd. I am feeling a couple of small kicks a day over the last few days but yesterday I didn't feel anything.

I hope they move today and I feel something. I will be doing my best to relax this afternoon and have a lie down as that's usually when I feel them but last night I got nothing.

I worry what will happen if we go for the scan and baby is in the same position. At the moment I think it is. What will happen then. Will they just keep sending me for scans til they get what they want. I need the reassurance too that everything is ok. Even if there is a problem I would rather know so we can prepare ourselves to deal with it.

Himher (our nickname for the baby) I really hope you are ok in there. Mummy and daddy love you so much already and want you to grow big and strong. Mummy would love it if you could give some bigger kicks from time to time. Love you xxxx

21 Weeks Today

21 weeks today!!

I have been so tired since having our scan I really feel as if all my energy has drained away.

I am also having moments of illogical thoughts where I start worrying that there maybe something wrong with bubba. We love himher so much already and I really hope everything is ok at my next scan in 2 weeks time.

My logical side tells me it was just because baby was in a bad position and that if they suspected a problem we would be going back for another scan sooner.

I haven't been sleeping great since. I think if I felt bigger movements or had seen baby move more on the scan I would feel happier.

I did feel 2 nice kicks last night in the area where bubba was for the scan and they were the biggest I had felt so far. Then bubs went quiet again. I really hope they start moving lots soon and doing somersaults as it will reassure me a lot that everything is ok.

I need to think positively I think as its doing me no good at all thinking about possible problems. I just want to know that everything is ok though.

I took a bump picture yesterday so here it is:

Me at 20+6