4 Months Pregnant

I am 4 months pregnant, or 18 weeks-ish.  I am considering 4 months to mean I have 5 months left until my due date.  I blogged fortnightly through my last two pregnancies and whilst I want to record this one just as well, I think monthly posts are the way forward this time.

I am four months pregnant with this fourth baby of mine and things seem to be speeding up.  The most overwhelming symptom this time around has been tiredness and unfortunately it isn't letting up much.  I seemed to get my energy back for around two weeks, but it is disappearing again and I am starting to get the feeling that this is the way the next 22-ish weeks are going to go.  I don't need to nap every day, so long as I get plenty of quiet time, don't walk too far or do too much and eat regularly.  Mostly I do need a lie down at some point in the day and the fact that the bloke works from home is making life much easier.  He is able to supervise the boys for a while whilst I get some rest.

My bump popped out very early and still changes shape dramatically across the course of the day.  There is very much a bump first thing in the morning, and it is pretty sizeable too, but by the end of the day I look far further along than I should.  My cravings change daily other than creme eggs which I eat by the carton.  I remember being the same with Archie, I think my body just likes sugar in pregnancy (and when I am not pregnant too to be honest!).  I am mourning the old style creme eggs with the lovely dairy milk chocolate, but the current ones will suffice for now.

I am struggling with blood pressure, or what I assume is blood pressure like I did with all the others.  I can go from feeling ok to being about to pass out pretty quickly and I have sat in the floor of a supermarket recently as I knew I would pass out if I didn't.  I have to carry sweet snacks with me as I can usually feel a faint spell coming and sugar helps a little.

My skin is still incredibly dry, especially on my forehead and I find myself using serums and oil on my face before bed every night and smothering it in moisturiser every morning to try and hide how dry and flaky it is.  I am not even close to that pregnancy glow I remember starting about now with the boys and I feel like my face looks grey and tired most of the time.

We had a private scan at 16 weeks where we found out our Britney bump is a little girl.  I am still waiting for this to be confirmed at our 20 week scan before I really do much shopping, but it is pretty exciting and terrifying knowing there may be a little lady joining our family this summer.  Whilst my heart told me this was a girl from the beginning, my head argued that another little boy was far more likely and I am still getting over the shock!

This month I have been doing a lot of thinking about my options for the birth and at the moment my heart is set on a homebirth - something I will write more about another time.  We have been discussing the sleeping arrangements too as whilst our house has plenty of living space, it is only three bedrooms and there will soon be six of us in here.  The boys are excited and understanding much more, although Finn is still oblivious and Archie hasn't got the memo about not climbing on me yet.

I am not yet half way and I am trying my hardest to savour this pregnancy as it is our last.  It is much harder when I feel so rough most of the time and I am not feeling the baby kicking yet either but I know I will still look back on this part and wish I had enjoyed it more.  I love having a bump and realising what amazing things our bodies are capable of.  I can't wait to meet this little person inside me who already has very long legs (Every single antenatal scan with every single child of mine the sonographer has opened with a line about how long baby's legs are!) and three big brothers to love her.  I can't wait to see her again at our anomoly scan and my shopping wist list is getting out of control!

This picture is from after dinner at 18 weeks, I haven't been great at remembering to take regular bump shots so this is all I have.

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Waiting for Baby

As my due date fast approaches I can honestly say that this pregnancy has flown by.  Even the past few weeks which are meant to drag seem to be disappearing and I know that in the next 4 weeks I will have a third baby boy.  It is strange to think that Dylan was born at this gestation, yet I feel no signs that our little Pretzel is coming anytime soon.

The last few weeks of pregnancy are precious, even more so if things are straightforward.  Every day my swollen tummy takes me by surprise, but every morning I look at it in the mirror, in amazement at what my body is doing, how it is growing and supporting a little life and at quite how stretched my poor skin is.  

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27 Weeks Pregnant

27 weeks means I had arrived at the third and final trimester far quicker than I thought! There seems to be some debate as to whether it begins at 27 or 28 weeks, but as my babies were born at 38 and 39 weeks, I think 27 marks two thirds of this journey done.

Whilst I am loving the extra kicks, the bigger bump and finally being allowed those extra calories, I am so conscious that I only have a few weeks left to enjoy this pregnancy and as it is most likely our last,  this makes me a bit sad. It feels ironic that the more I want time to slow down, the faster it seems to go, I think having small children already just leaves little time to sit and enjoy.

Excuse the blur and shadows, I got the bloke to take the pic. . . 

When I think back to my first pregnancy, I felt like I had really bonded with the baby, I felt so aware of his patterns, his position and I would lay down just feeling him move and talking to him.  This time I am nowhere close, and whilst I love this baby with all my heart already, I don't feel like we have had the chance to bond in the same way.  I know that once he is born, none of this will matter, but it still makes me a little sad.

It feels like only now at 27 weeks I would feel confident saying I feel this baby moving enough to know if there is a disruption to his patterns, and I still spend much of my day too busy to notice.  In the evenings I see my tummy moving into all sorts of funny positions and I think that baby is head down already.  I had a midwife appointment this week, who has plotted my baby above the 95th centile, but as the other boys were large, they aren't concerned.  I was quite convinced I was measuring big again but I think that is just how I carry babies.

I am not feeling quite as tired this week, although I think the reprieve will be short as it is around this time that energy levels start to plummet again! I have been craving cheese though, and have demolished plenty of mozzarella balls straight from the fridge, baking camembert and cheese on crackers.  I am using the 'growing bones' excuse at the moment, but I know that snacking on a block of cheddar probably isn't the best idea to do so regularly.  

I have been hanging on to a few non-maternity items, but walking around town the buttons popping open on what was a very loose shirt has meant my wardrobe is cut down even further.  Thankfully, the bloke's clothes are starting to fit, and his Christmas jumper is perfect to wear over my bump!

If you have written any pregnancy related posts then make sure to link them up to BlogBumpClub!

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