28 YEARS OLD AND 28 WEEKS PREGNANT

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Today I turn 28. Which means I am officially ‘nearly’ 30. I am also 28 weeks pregnant +1 day. Now I’m not one of those people who dreads ageing, and sets out on a mission impossible to conceal their age, but I know which of my ’28’ milestones I’m most excited about!

As a January baby, I am so happy my baby boy will have an April birthday. It is my first gift to him. That probably sounds dramatic to the fortunate many who weren’t born in the two months sandwiching 25th December, but to those that were, they will understand exactly where I’m coming from. By the time our birthdays roll around, and depending on which side of Christmas we were blessed to be born, we find that people are either too busy decking their halls with boughs of holly to celebrate, or have had their fill of festivities. Well at least until the chocolate eggs begin appearing. Consequently, when January arrives, no one has the capacity for more than self-loathing at their yuletide overindulgence, and resolutions to never touch [insert vice as applicable: alcohol, food and/or credit card] ever again. Or at least for a month…why do you think dry January has gained traction?! Unfortunately, that leaves even my nearest and dearest bereft of birthday fun.

Nonetheless, and in spite of being reminded by everyone that they hate January, I have for the last three years inclusive, liked my birthday. For my 26th birthday, my then boyfriend (and now husband) flew us to Paris under the guise of transforming my birthday from a day I dread, into a day I love. The day after, he proposed. So that was an awesome birthday. Next came my 27th birthday when I was preparing for our February wedding. Then this year, on my 28th birthday, I am growing my baby boy inside me. So you see, I think I may have grown as my husband intended, to love my birthday. Therefore, you can forget Blue Monday, forget the 300+ day countdown until next Christmas, forget yearning for more self-control, and you can certainly forget the self-recrimination for the thrice-daily-for-a-month mince pie habit… I’m pregnant don’t you know?!

A lot can change in a year. It certainly did for me. I married my boyfriend of 6 years, we moved back to London, and I fell pregnant. Therefore, instead of dreading my January birthday, I now grab hold of the hope at what another January being alive may bring.

BLOODS AND TONS OF SUGAR

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Well I had my mini glucose tolerance test (MGTT) today, and it was absolutely vile! I mean, I knew as I counted out 17 Lucozade tablets it wasn’t going to be tasty, but still. At least (fingers crossed) that’s the last of that for this pregnancy at least. Fortunately, the midwife was a pro when it came to extracting my blood and it wasn’t in the least bit painful. The last time I had bloods taken I was at the hands of a student who left me very bruised!

Also on the upside, I am now officially 28 weeks, and into my third and final trimester-yayyy!  According to one of my many baby apps, our baby boy is now 38cm and weighs c.1kg. Given I’ve been obsessively following his growth from a poppy seed at 4 weeks to a cantaloupe melon this week, it seems such an achievement to finally be at this stage. Also, and despite comments on the size of my bump (see last post), my Fundal height is spot on for my stage of pregnancy! At least I will now have that in my arsenal for the next daring commentator…

My plan for the next 12 weeks is to a) try not to balloon too much as people have been telling me the last trimester is when you really start to store up fat in prep for breastfeeding (although I suspect my efforts will be futile because I have never, and certainly won’t start denying my pregnant self anything now when my baby’s growth is key!), b) stay calm, which I suspect will be even more futile given my propensity to overthink EVERYTHING, c) antenatal appointments galore…I have 8?! I’m not really sure what’s the normal number and given I love to over prepare I was keen to sign up to lots of different classes, and d) go through my baby list to see which remaining items I need to purchase, and when. This last point I’m looking forward to most. I’ve been holding off on purchasing some items because from the posts I’ve read from other mums to be, the last couple of weeks before the baby’s EDD (and after if they’re late!), pass by really slowly and I’ll want things to keep me occupied. That being said, last night in some kind of mad nesting/organisation panic, I started ordering Bepanthen Nappy Care Ointment, Multi-Mam Compresses, and nappy/diaper bags. I’m not even talking the kind you carry all the baby stuff around in, since that was purchased months ago, but rather the disposable ones you get through on a ten-a-day basis! In my defence the nappy rash cream was on special offer…

I will at some point share a post on my baby list, given I went to the extreme effort of composing an Excel spreadsheet with all the items, and web links on where to purchase said items. The latter I gleaned from hours and hours of trawling forums, magazines, and review sites. I even signed up to Which? But this is standard me. Whenever I feel something is outside of my comfort zone, which having a baby is given that I’m a first time mum, I like to do all that is humanly possible to bring said activity into my comfort zone. Since nothing can prepare you for a baby, the next best option for me is to get everything as organised and prepared as possible. With that in mind, I need to go and finish off my To Do list.

27 WEEKS PREGNANT AND COUNTING

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My big plan to blog my entire pregnancy didn’t exactly come to fruition. However, I figured that shouldn’t stop me blogging about my experience from this point in my pregnancy onwards. Plus, I have a pretty good memory/have obsessively been recording notes and symptoms (as you do…), so my recall should be sufficient to blog on earlier weeks too!

So today I am 27 weeks and 6 days pregnant. The days bit is super important….I wouldn’t have thought I’d spend 9 months of my life counting down days either, but apparently this is a thing during pregnancy. I’ve come across more women, who when asked how far along they are, can provide pinpoint accuracy to the day, than those that can casually throw out their no. in months. I suspect this is because no single source can agree on a woman’s stage of pregnancy in months?! Some say I’m 6 months, and others 7 months. I’m sure I could even find some claiming I’m closer to 9 months… Of course given how exhausted I feel, and if nothing else but to elicit rage in whoever I’m telling I wasn’t offered a seat on the tube, I’d rather claim to be further along at 7 months. BUT I think that’s one stretch too far. So that being said, I am 27 weeks + 6 days, AKA 6 months pregnant, and entering my third trimester tomorrow!

Given I found out I was pregnant a few days before my missed period, this feels like a long time coming, reinforced by the multiple baby apps on my phone which provide a countdown ‘until the big day!’ In retrospect, I’d probably recommend not using an early detection pregnancy test if you don’t want to drag out the countdown longer than necessary, and certainly not during the anxiety-filled first trimester when fear is the main emotion of the day (or rather 13 weeks) but more on that in a later post.

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks, inability to retain more than a thimble of pee, excitement, and tiredness.

It’s this last symptom which bothers me most actually. The idea of tiredness (as debilitating as the first trimester) returning is quite frankly a little bit terrifying. I’ve enjoyed being able to hold conversations without zoning out into the abyss. I’ve loved doing things at weekends instead of wondering if 2pm is an acceptable time to take to my bed, after lying in until 11am. I’ve also rather liked feeling a little less like the walking dead and a teeny tiny bit more like myself. So yeah, as I’m increasingly fantasising about naps with the same passion normally reserved for a bar of Galaxy after a hormonal meltdown, I am fearful!

Things I’ve enjoyed about this week: I’ve started loving, and purchasing, all things pink and heart-shaped. Given you’d typically find me shrouded in black from head-to-toe this is a little bit exciting! I really hope when my hormones have subsided that I don’t come to regret this decision because a) I’ve spent a small fortune on a pink lambswool jumper, b) I purchased said item in my pre-pregnancy size so it’s not like I can get any wear out of it now whilst my heart yearns for pretty-in-pink shades, and c) I really had to defend my selection of a heart-shaped soap dish to my husband (who over the last couple of years has played audience to me judgementally preaching the benefits of minimalism) not as clutter but as an item of beauty, AND utility- significant Marie Kondo points here!

Things I’ve disliked about this week: People commenting on the size of my bump. Unless you’re my husband or my mum I will take it to heart, and you have been warned! I wish I didn’t, and my god I hope it’s just hormones or I really have become insanely sensitive. Even so, please don’t tell me I’m ‘super neat’ because I may start to build a case against you, and/or spend the rest of the afternoon panicking about whether my baby is growing safely inside me. Before falling pregnant I’d have considered this fairly safe territory, especially if you’re commenting on another woman looking ‘tiny’, but it’s absolutely not. So if you must comment on mine or any other ready-to-explode-in-a-hormonal-outburst-woman’s size, please just tell her she looks amazing, and besides her burgeoning bump you wouldn’t have known she was pregnant. Or better still, don’t go there.

What I’m looking forward to about next week: I will officially be in my third trimester, and another week closer to meeting my baby!! Enough said really.

What I’m dreading about next week: The glucose test. Despite craving all things sweet, I suspect 17 Lucozade glucose tablets may be a little too much for me to stomach. We’ll see, since you never know these days …