20 weeks - the half way point!!

Wow! After what can only be described as what feels like a marathon we've reached the half way point! I can't actually believe we're finally here and we now know that we're having a boy!!!

The last week has actually felt like an emotional roller coaster waiting for the scan, I've never felt so excited at the prospect of seeing him again and then so worried that they'd find something wrong. It was also quite frustrating because all anyone around me could talk about is what the sex would be and I just felt like shouting, "Does it really matter?".

The 20 week scan

So this took place, luckily, very early on Monday morning. After a pretty restless night's sleep Mr W and I walked into the scanning room and waited to find out how he was doing. I knew there was nothing drastically wrong as he'd been kicking like a little monkey all weekend, I even felt a summersault at one point. However, when you read the NHS pamphlet we all get provided with which explains what they'll be testing for, you can't help feeling apprehensive.

We were really lucky though because we had a great sonographer who put us at rest straightaway but literally, just getting on with it. She went over each organ in turn, checking blood flow and taking measurements. I think the most fascinating with was the heart as you could see the blood rushing in and out of all the four chambers of the heart. You could also see him swallowing some of the amniotic fluid and his little tongue moving as he did so!


Unfortunately though he was in the middle of his nap time so the process ended up being a lot longer as they couldn't move him to see everything immediately. In fact I had to go for two walks and drink both hot and cold drinks to get him to move the tiniest fraction so they could check the spine and kidneys. Fortunately though everything looked normal and healthy, so no more scans for us. Unless we want to pay for one of course.

Finding out the sex

As you may know from previous posts and tweets I was initially quite worried about finding out the sex mainly because everyone had their hearts set on a girl and I knew it was boy. I can't say why I knew I just had a feeling.

However, when we saw for certain that he was a boy in the scan we really couldn't have been more thrilled and excited to shout it from the roof tops. Although I come from a family of three girls, the only baby I actually know is my nephew from Mr W's side so I feel a lot more confident having a boy. Plus I love the idea of going to watch rugby, football or whatever they're into every saturday. No matter how cold it is outside. I also growing up always wanted a big brother to look after me and stand up for me, so it was a really nice surprise.

Mr W felt him kick!

Then top it all off this week, yesterday Mr W actually felt him kicking in my tummy. We've been excitedly putting his hand on my tummy for weeks hoping he'd be able to feel him wriggling around but to no avail until yesterday. He seems to get really excited when music is playing or at night so we keep trying to play him things to get a reaction. Well at least I'm hoping he's kicking with excitement and not annoyance or my husband will be very disappointed ;-).

Getting fit again

The final change that I've made this week, is that I'm starting to get down the gym again. I was really nervous before and had really just been sticking to trying to do lots of walking but yesterday I finally took the plunge, quite literally in aqua zumba.

I was slightly nervous when I first turned up because I was the youngest person there by about 25 years but everyone was really friendly. I was also initially sceptical when we were just jogging around the pool for the warm up but as soon the weights came out it became a real challenge. My arms were absolutely exhausted by the end! I'd really recommend aqua classes to anyone who's thinking about them. They're just great because everything you do is low impact but you can really feel your muscles getting a good work out, especially your arms!

Then today I went back to studio zumba which was always one of my favourite workouts. It was slightly frustrating not being able to leap around as much as before but I really enjoyed just having a bit of a dance. It's nice to do something and just forget about everything and as I said muffin loves music so it's a win win situation.

Now roll on the rest of my pregnancy and let's pray that the next 20 weeks go a lot quicker then the first...

Week 15 - the revival begins

Wow considering how I felt just 10 days ago I can't begin to explain the difference to now. I feel like a whole new person. In fairness I don't feel as amazing as everyone keeps telling me I'm going to feel but I definitely feel alive and inspired to actually move my bum off the sofa. I can't tell you how happy that makes Mr W feel, not having a big lump for a wife. 

So here's a quick summary of how's it been for baby and I: 

The baby

At week 15 according to The Baby Centre little muffin is the size of an apple. I really couldn't tell you if that's a golden delicious or a pink lady but it's about 10cm of crown to rump. 

This week's key developments include being able to sense light even though their eyelids are fused shut. Taste buds are beginning to form so it won't be a long before I start getting reactions based on my rather varied eating habits. All the limbs are continuing to grow and his legs should be longer then his arms (otherwise he'll be walking around like a monkey when he pops out).

His or her little face has eyelashes and eyebrows. Its backbone is strong enough for its neck to straighten out and he's moving around more than ever particularly with little hiccups beginning to start. 

If I were to have an ultrasound now we might even be able to tell the sex but unfortunately with my care plan I'm going to have to wait until 20 weeks for that information. Also and most excitingly of all, from anytime going forward I might be able to feel little muffin kicking, Eek!!! 

Me

Well as I said I feel like a whole new person this week. The biggest change of all I think is the nesting instinct kicking in. I actually spent over four hours cleaning the other day which for me, even though I know it's disgraceful, is like an alien taking over my form. I've just suddenly found that I absolutely can not bear mess and dirt. I have to sort it out straight away or I won't be able to relax. 

The fact that I even want to get off the sofa is also a pretty big deal. There have been days in the last four months when I would literally be happy to just staying in bed or not moving off the sofa. As someone who is self employed I can't begin to explain what a challenge that has been. It's also definitely been felt on the old finances. 

I'm still being sick though unfortunately. I very rarely feel nauseous but occassionaly there is still a meal that doesn't want to stay down, which is frustrating as I only get about a 10 second warning. Luckily it hasn't happened when I've been out and about. Phew!! 

The bump is also really beginning to grow and all my clothes are getting tighter. I tried to put on a pair of maternity jeans the other day but they're still a little on the big side. I think this must be the most frustrating time because it is really difficult to wear anything that fits unless you invest in clothing that's one or two sizes bigger then your norm but that just seems like a waste to me as you'll only be in them for a month. 

I also attended my first antenatal class at the hospital where I'll be giving birth which was exciting. It was all about staying healthy in pregnancy and the habits you need to be learning now to stop yourself getting into difficulties later. For example, how to sleep with a pillow between your legs, how to get in and out of bed and all your tummy and pelvic floor muscles. I'll probably do a fuller post on this later on. The other thing I discovered is that you can get help through the NHS with physiotherapy if you do have an great discomfort. As I unfortunately have a curved spine I've already been in quite a lot of pain so I'm going to start with them in the next couple of weeks. Who knew there was positives to the NHS??

Anyway I have to say this is definitely been the best week so far and I'm really starting to feel excited about the coming months. Particuarly as we now have a real bump to comment on.