Pregnancy Health

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Whilst I really miss the days of being pregnant and get more broody when I see bumps than newborns, I think I often forget how hard pregnancy was both physically and mentally. 

Just as we forget the all consuming exhaustion that comes with having a newborn once those days (weeks, month) have passed, I think I have glossed over the back ache and stress that came with growing a baby for nine months.  

I was pretty lucky with the three boys that everything was quite straightforward but it was the fourth one that changed everything.  I think one of the reasons I knew she was a girl was that everything was a bit harder with her in every sense.  Finn was only 7 months old when I fell pregnant and I think my body was still recovering from him.  I wasn't planning another baby but early November I had a little belly growing that wasn't budging and I decided to take a test - positive.  The tiredness that I had attributed to jet lag wasn't going anywhere and we had another baby to prepare for.

I grew quickly with Cora, too quickly for the charts which meant I was tested for gestational diabetes three time between 21 and 36 weeks to try and explain my (and her) size.  Thankfully I didn't have this complication because it can cause baby to grow too quickly and need to be delivered early. I did get more backache though which makes sense considering I had put on a lot of weight and my centre of gravity had changed so dramatically. I started doing an aquanatal class that helped (something I hadn't done with any of the boys) and I loved having some time to focus on me for a bit and to relieve the weight of my growing belly.  

I was so much more hormonal with my last pregnancy and whilst I didn't suffer from antenatal depression, I did find it emotionally hard and I needed more time to myself to help me feel sane.  I did have four children all under the age of five during the pregnancy so that definitely didn't help matters! Emma's Diary have put together an infographic on pregnancy health with some of the most common complications. I think it is important to be aware of these things so that you can report symptoms to your midwife as soon as you notice them!

Did you have complications in your pregnancy?

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7 Months Pregnant

32 weeks pregnant, 7 months pregnant, fourth baby, big bump

This update was due a few days ago, but following the theme of this pregnancy, I am pretty laid back and disorganised so it is only just making it on to the blog.  There is now less than two months until my due date which means it is about time I started getting sorted!

I am pretty relaxed and by that I mean not ready in the slightest, but I know if the baby was to come now we wouldn't be bringing her straight home anyway so we still have time.  Even if I stay in this state (denial) until later on, newborns really don't need much, I have boobs, we have nappies and a few tiny clothes and I found for those first days my babies were not going to sleep anywhere but on me so we have time to build the Snuzpod crib.

That said, my plan for the next week involves buying a chest of drawers so that I can organise this little girl's clothes rather than having them in random boxes and bags around the house and work out if there is anything we still need.  I need to wash all the material on the Snuzpod as well so that it is ready to be built once we reach full term.  The plan is still to have a homebirth so rather than a hospital bag I am planning a birthing basket - something I will share more about nearer the time.

Symptom wise I feel like my growth has really slowed down now and I don't look quite so different from other people reaching the seven month milestone.  I still get looks of horror when I mention I have 8 weeks left and that I am not due until July but I don't feel as big as I was.  I have the midwife again later this week so we will see how the bump is growing.

The aches and pains seem to be lessening since baby turned head down, although getting up from the sofa in the evening is definitely a challenge and I have to waddle a little while before my pelvis clicks back into place.  This past month has seen lots of outdoor adventures, big days out and long days on my feet which hasn't really been a problem, well until I sit down at the end of the day anyway.

My cravings can generally be summed up as 'food', but if I could live off of Pizza, Coca Cola and chocolate I definitely would.  The bloke isn't always convinced by my choice of toppings but they always taste great to me!

Heartburn is my new symptom and I don't think I have it bad as I haven't had to use medication yet.  I think mine is more down to not eating regularly rather than eating the wrong food as it tends to start up if I go longer than 3-4 hours without food.  Somehow I seem to have more energy at this point in pregnancy than I have all the way through so far but I am not expecting it to last as my due date gets closer. 

Dylan is asking a lot of questions about the baby, Archie is very curious and Finn is still completely oblivious to the fact his days of being the baby of the family are numbered.  In fact, Finn has suddenly become very clingy wanting to be in my arms all the time, I don't know whether he is starting to sense change or it is just a developmental thing.  I have a feeling my lap is going to be as full as my heart once this little one arrives!

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6 Months Pregnant

6 months pregnant, 27 weeks pregnant, pregnancy, baby girl bump diary, 27 week baby bump

I am now 6 months pregnant and the third trimester isn't far off.  Considering how slowly pregnancy is meant to go, this past month has flown by and whilst in my head I still have months and months left, full term is only 10 weeks away which isn't all that long.

I am definitely finding this pregnancy tougher than the other three, physically and mentally.  I am finding if I overdo it (which is very easy with three small children around) then I can barely walk by the end of the day and I have mastered the pregnancy waddle early.  I have a repeat GTT (glucose tolerance test) this week as both baby and myself are still measuring very big, but I am hoping I just make chunky babies and have very relaxed stomach muscles.

This month the little kicks have turned into something stronger that the bloke can really feel and that you can sometimes see.  My anterior placenta means I still don't feel as much movement as I did in Archie's pregnancy but baby seems to be in quite a routine with party time being late evening (10-12 specifically).  

Mentally I am definitely more hormonal this time, I snap easier, cry easier and am much more likely to be drawn into arguments than usual.  I can see the way the hormones affect me but can't seem to do much about it.  I don't know if this is a girl thing, but I will be happy to go back to calm once she arrives. (well as calm as life gets with four under fives!)

This month I have tried to curb the shopping as I have a feeling she is going to be a big baby and not get to wear half her clothes otherwise!  I have given in to a few things though and I love finding girly bits without being pink and frilly.  We haven't started thinking about the big things yet, but we are pretty sorted having had a newborn not that long ago.

This month has started with Dylan asking questions about how the baby will come out and I know I will have to satisfy his curiousity more as I get bigger so I have a couple of books ready.  My tactic is to answer just enough, but not give him too much information and it seems to be working although every now and again he comes back with a new question so I know he must be thinking about it still.

I am seeing the midwife much more often this pregnancy due to bump/baby size which means an appointment every 3 weeks on top of seeing the consultant and April brings two midwife appointments, one consultant one, a GTT, Whopping cough vaccination and a growth scan (unless they want to throw in anything extra over the coming weeks!).

And finally here is Britney bump, measuring a little too big but completely wonderful.

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