25 week update

Right I'm going to try and get better with these posts particularly as the weeks get knocked down although 15 weeks still seems like an age to get through.

Getting the finances in place

With only two weeks until the official start of the second trimester I'm really starting to think about that great big shopping list. It's funny how everywhere you read to get advice on what you really need for a newborn states that you really don't need that much but I'm telling you it's all lies. When you actually add it all up you need a fair amount and it is pretty costly I don't think you can get away with spending less than £1,000. Luckily though you can try and spread some of it out not only in the countdown but also in the first couple of months of their arrival. For example, you can stick them in a moses basket for awhile before they need a cot.

Some of the brands also offer good finance deals if you are really struggling e.g. Mothercare. However, my advice is just to borrow as much as you can! You'd be surprised how much room in storage baby things take up and therefore how many of your friends would like to get rid of it until they need it again. There are also lot's of local sites where you'll often find mums giving things away for free or for a minimal cost.

The final piece of advice I can pass on from other friends is to really think about your pram. So many people I know have spent an absolute fortune on their travel system and then only used it for a couple of months until their baby can get into a maclaren. Mainly because they end up being so heavy and cumbersome that they just get too tired lifting them in and out of the car.

Thinking about work

I'm also really beginning to think about managing my work load going forward. I unfortunately am not like most people in that I work for myself and therefore there's no official maternity leave, I just have to manage it for myself.

With a due date of Jan 7th the natural time to stop would be Christmas but if I'm honest I'm going to have to start winding down before that. My job entails a certain degree of creativity and I'm already noticing my head starting to get foggier so I have to make sure if I take on work I can actually deliver. Not an easy position to be in when you need to save as much as you can because the more I can put to one side, the more time I can take off to be with my baby.

Stand back, the hormones are on the loose

So for the first time this week (surprisingly enough) I've also really started to experience some hormonal mood swings. I don't know what got onto me but I literally couldn't keep myself together over the weekend. I actually cried when after spending all morning looking forward to a cream tea, the one I got was genuinely awful. I mean the scone was stale, I was given squirty cream instead of clotted and the jam was just jelly, AND the whole thing cost £6. Surely that can't just be blamed on the hormones? Poor Mr W I don't think he knew what to do with me...

The hungry monster

I've also noticed a complete change in my appetite. Through most of the second trimester I've genuinely not been that interested in food which is very unusual for me. I didn't really have any cravings for me and I couldn't have cared less what was put in front of me but now I'm so hungry and it's hard keeping a lid on it!!!

I really hate it when you see those experts on TV talking about how you don't need to eat any extra calories and if you must then literally a slice of brown toast. I mean have they actually been pregnant themselves? I try to be good and if after a meal I find myself still hungry I wait 20mins and drink a large glass of water to see if it's genuine but if it is surely I can indulge??

At least I'm not waking up in the night needing snacks like in the first trimester, at least not yet ;-).

Finally, little muffin

Is doing well I think. He's kicking loads now and I'm pretty sure I'm beginning to notice some hiccups going on. My bump is also still looking nice and neat, I've been lucky enough to just have a football bump at the front but I'm sure over the coming weeks it will begin to spread.

He should be around 34cms long now (head to heel) which seems a little big for the size of my tummy and beginning to open his eyes. They can't see anything but he might be able to sense a difference in light and darkness. Finally his brain activity is beginning to up and he can now start to respond to sounds. So I guess now's the time to start playing him those tunes over and over again that you want them to recognise once he pops out...