Second trimester

I can’t believe I’ve just hit my third trimester and we’re on the home stretch. This pregnancy has just flown by and I don’t feel like I’ve really had time to enjoy it. Unlike my first I’ve been incredibly lucky and it’s been super simple. I was sick until 24 weeks with my first and other than tiredness and a bad back/pelvis I’ve gotten off pretty lightly this time around.

I’m not sure if it’s the difference of boy vs girl, just luck or the fact I’ve been so busy I’ve just had to get on with life and not had the time to feel like crap. During my first pregnancy hitting the second trimester was such a relief, and I really did noticeably start to glow, have more energy etc etc but this time around it’s all just rolled into one. Maybe because we had the wedding to think about the pregnancy was slightly ignored until I was 14 weeks.

It’s been really different finding out the baby’s sex too. Last time I was dead against knowing and couldn’t comprehend why anyone would. This time around I had an urge to know and felt that I needed to in order to help both me and Liv bond with the baby before it arrived. In all honesty it’s also helped my husband to get excited about our impending arrival, he’s so over the moon about having a boy! It was lovely to be able to tell my dad too, after four girls in a row (I’m one of three, then Liv) he’s delighted he’s finally got a little boy to teach about rugby. There is so much going on in our lives at the moment I think knowing that a little lad is joining the gang has enabled me to feel a little bit prepared in the whirlwind of life... after the wedding, a trip to Australia and having our house completely renovated it's nice to feel that there is something we can be prepared for and know what to expect. We are currently living out of suitcases and God knows when we'll be back in our family home post the renovations, so it's lovely to be able to buy little bits for baby and start to get a little organised at least.

Our little man is a real little wiggler, far more lively than Liv was and constantly moving (to the point it makes me feel a bit sick) rather than the occasional little kick or stretch I got last time it's full on twists and turns. I guess that’s boys for you, he’s already charging around banging into things. If I’m honest I’m a bit nervous about having a boy, I know girls and this is a whole new ball game. I’ve also heard the horror stories of the wee! I've had some good advice from friends that are mums of boys, the best being "that they are like dogs you need to just make sure they are fed and exercised and everything will be fine...." thanks Corin!

I’ve got my glucose test in a few weeks and I’m currently on two minds about taking it. Some hospitals such as West Middlesex do the test as protical, whereas others such as Kingston only test you if you're deemed high risk. Most mums don’t realise that it’s optional as with all of your maternity care, and the impact of a positive result can have huge ramifications on your birth plan. Especially if you’re aiming for a homebirth like myself, as with every decision in pregnancy it's about making an educated choice and the right decision for you and your baby so I'll be weighing up the pro's and con's. We've also had growth scans this time around as there were some little gaps in his brain at our 20 week scan. These spaces can be associated with reduced growth in the third trimester, so I've had a 27 week, and will be having a 34 week scan to check on his progress. Though after Friday's result the hospital isn't worried at all as the spaces in his brain have now completely closed and he is already over 3 pounds!! No reduced growth here....

As a hypnobirthing teacher I know that scans can only tell your baby's weight within 20% and that's a fair bit when it's of such a small amount (that's the difference between a 10 pound baby and an 8 pound baby) so i'm taking it with a pinch of salt and just enjoying the chance to see him a little more regularly than normal. Again extra scan's might have risks involved as we don't know the impact of ultrasound on unborn babies yet and there has never been a substantial scientific study conducted to test their effect. But again you need to weigh up the risks and what's right for you. In all honestly I just can't resist seeing my little man dancing around in there, I'd do it every day if I could. We had a 4D scan with Everley and in an attempt to make sure he doesn't get second best because he's the second baby we'll also be having one with him which I'll share afterwards.

That's it for now from me and by big belly!

J x