Pregnancy update!

We’re over half way through this pregnancy so I thought it would be a good time to do a little update.

This pregnancy and the way my body has reacted to it has been so similar to when I was pregnant with Bodhi. So much so that I just knew it was another little boy. We decided to find out the gender at our 20 week scan. We didn’t find out with Bodhi and weren’t planning to find out with this one and even on the day of the scan it came down to the flip of a coin as to whether we would find out. I think it’s nice to keep it a surprise; it’s how nature intends it and I truly believe that you get what’s meant to be for you. It was more the organisation side of things which led me to want to find out because i was hoarding so many of Bodhi’s clothes and not knowing whether it was just taking up space or going to come in handy. Also because I’m trying to help Bodhi understand there’s a baby coming it’s been nice to start familiarising him with the fact that he’s going to have a little brother! Yes, we’re having a little boy! I’m very excited about living in a house of boys and being the queen of the house, haha!

Despite knowing the gender it hasn’t meant that I’ve gone on a mad dash to buy loads of things for the baby. There’s still time but even so it doesn’t feel like an overwhelming and confusing task like it did first time around. We’ll be investing in a ‘next to me’ crib to attach to the bed as the baby will be in with us for the first 6 months I expect. We had a Moses basket for Bodhi which he quickly outgrew and then we were lucky enough to borrow a next to me crib from my sister in law until Bodhi went into his cot in his room at 6 months. I was thinking that we may have to fork out for a double buggy but Bodhi hates getting in the pram now so I think it will be hassle and a big expense for a short lived convenience so I’m going to just get a buggy board and hope for the best!

In terms of me and how I’m feeling this pregnancy the biggest challenge is the exhaustion. I felt tired when pregnant with Bodhi and then when he arrived I knew the true meaning of tiredness but that’s been trumped with how exhausted I now am so I’m really terrified of what tired looks and feels like as a mum of 2. Other ailments which have led me down the google rabbit hole have been suffering a lot of headaches in the first trimester and terribly dry skin (both common boy symptoms btw). I did have a bit of a scare with some bleeding at 10/11 weeks but an early scan revealed everything was fine and I didn’t get any more bleeding after that. I remember sailing through pregnancy with Bodhi and feeling really lucky at how fine I always felt. I think I’ve been lucky again so far as although I don’t think I’m loving this pregnancy as much I know some people really hate and struggle the whole way and I don’t feel like that yet. I miss my appetite though! I can’t remember the last full meal I ate. I felt nauseous the whole first trimester and was really off of my food and I’ve continued to graze/snack since. My hunger erupts from nowhere and it vanishes just as soon as I do start eating. I actually weigh the same as I did pre-pregnancy! I’m not worried because it was pretty much the same with Bodhi and I always measured the correct amount of weeks pregnant and I still have the third trimester to go where I’m sure the pounds will start piling on!

I’ve been going to a pregnancy yoga class since I was 16 weeks and I absolutely love it. It gives me 90 minutes completely to myself each week and it’s so relaxing and feels so good for my body and my mind. As it’s pregnancy yoga the postures are all focused around how to alleviate typical pregnancy aches and pains and there’s also lots of breathing and posture tips for labour. It feels very much in line with when I practiced hypnobirthing before; all very much trusting your mind and body to get you through labour. I’m going to start listening to my hypnobirthing tracks soon. I still have them from when we did the classes when I was pregnant with Bodhi as well as a book to recap everything I learnt. If I could replicate the labour and birth I had with Bodhi I’d be very happy but I know no 2 births are the same so I’m just going to do what I can with the aim to achieve another enjoyable, natural, drug free birth. After losing a lot of blood delivering my placenta last time I was worried I might have a birth plan decided for me but luckily the consultant has signed me off to be able to have a natural birth wherever I choose. I just need to have the injection straight after birth to get the placenta out rather than letting it come naturally.

Being pregnant second time around isn’t as consuming or as exciting as first time around. Jack and I forget about it all the time! We’re just so busy spinning plates and thinking about Bodhi, work and all the life admin there isn’t much time to sit and talk through how lovely and life changing it is like I remember we did first time around. Being pregnant with Bodhi we made the most of it just being the two of us with plenty of meals out, cinema trips and a baby moon to Dubai and the Maldives (sigh). I can’t tell you how much I’m craving a bit of winter sun and how I wish we could get away but it’s just not worth the extra hassle with a toddler in tow; it’s more relaxing to stay at home!

Expecting a baby is exciting though and the joy of feeling them kicking away and visualising life with them must be the same whether it’s your first, second or sixth child! I feel a little naughty in knowing what we’re having because it feels like we’ve opened a present early but the anticipation of when they’ll arrive and who they’ll be and what they’ll look like is still magical.