Pregnancy: Second Trimester Archives - A Baby on Board blog

Pregnancy week 26: a risky business?

Gillian — Sun, 13 Jul 2014 20:20:39 +0000

A pregnancy update at 26 weeks pregnant… Pregnancy and being high risk: In my last update, all the way back in the distant and misty times of being 25 weeks pregnant, I wrote about labour and birth choices. A couple of people asked why this was an issue, so in my 26 weeks pregnant update, I wanted to explain. It’s because I’m high-risk, in a way that has nothing to do with the stock market, live electrical cables, or fantastically 80’s films starting Tom Cruise (unfortunately). High risk applies to lots of people for a whole multitude of different reasons (anyone else?). Mine are an underactive thyroid and blood that’s predisposed to clotting. So what impact does this have on pregnancy? For me, it means I’m under consultant-lead care, and see specialists and an obstetrician as well as a normal midwife. It means more medication and extra growth scans. So we all yo-yo to and fro between medical appointments and blood tests. I also have to give myself daily injections until six weeks after birth. It was why I had a slightly bumpy ride first time, and why I’m amazed – and slightly suspicious – that it’s all going so smoothly now. There’s also an impact on delivery, and it automatically means a big tick on the ‘will give birth on the labour ward’ section of my medical notes, which is where I’m interested to see if there’s an alternative this time. And then there is, also, the worry; what if something’s wrong, what if something goes wrong? It tends to sneak up when I’m not expecting it, like when I wake in the middle of the night, a few hours before dawn. It makes me feel fragile for my tiny unborn baby, floating around inside me. But all pregnancies are, to a certain extent, a big unknown. You can’t really predict what will happen. I’m closely monitored and trust the care I’m given (isn’t the NHS brilliant?). The daily injections can be a pain in the…stomach, literally, especially after doing it every day for nine months – but lots of people do this every day for the rest of their lives. And it would be a long, long nine months if I was stressing about everything, constantly. And look, a smiley photo! In answer to my mum, yes my top is supposed to look like that (hi, mum). What else happened at 26 weeks? 26 weeks pregnant has been a pretty normal week of wallpaper removal – I’m like a wallpaper terminator, I just can’t stop – and feeling generally fine. That was my 26 weeks pregnant update…here are some pregnancy updates at 25 weeks, 24 weeks, 22 weeks, 21 weeks, 20 weeks, 19 weeks, 18 weeks, week 17, week 16, week 15, week 14, and the first trimester. Follow me over on Instagram…

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Pregnancy week 24: on babies, boobs and blogging

Gillian — Sun, 29 Jun 2014 08:04:50 +0000

An update at 24 weeks pregnant… Week 24 started with a blogging conference and ended with me accidentally smashing a pile of plates and getting locked out of the house, minus keys, while Eliza was home alone inside. All fine in the end – our neighbour is amazingly tall and has a ladder, E was watching Finding Nemo and hadn’t even noticed anything was wrong – but you could say it was a week of varying ups and downs. Unexpected benefits of pregnancy though; no-one will make you scale a ladder or blink an eyelid when you do ridiculous things (tell me it’s not just me?) Another unexpected benefit of being 24 weeks pregnant this week was not being hungover at BritMums Live on the Saturday this year. See, there are some positives to only being able to have a tiny wine…really. And this meant I was up early and actually made it to some of the morning sessions as well as seeing and meeting lots of brilliant bloggers. The first blogging conference I went to was in non-blogging capacity, when we were vaguely thinking about thinking about having children. The second was with tiny five-month-old Eliza. This was my fourth, with baby two along for the ride. So my babies and blogging conferences are pretty well intertwined; who knows where they’ll both get to go as a result of my blog in the next year? And finally, a finishing note on 24 weeks pregnant on, well, boobs. I wrote about breastfeeding hacks and tips, breastfeeding beyond a year, and busting myths about breastfeeding. Which was bittersweet timing, as E and I stopped feeding. Mainly because I’d been late back for two nights after BritMums, so it seemed like a natural stop. Although we’d tapered down to one evening feed (dropping the overnight and morning ones when I found out I was pregnant, and the midday one when we dropped the nap) I thought it would be a struggle, and incredibly emotional. But it was a mutual decision, it seemed, and although I do feel really emotional, I think most of that is pregnancy and just generally being exhausted. Considering our rocky start, two and a half years was both unexpected and pretty good going. Plus, it’ll only be three months until I’m back on the sofa.

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Pregnancy week 22: what I’m really craving

Gillian — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 19:37:04 +0000

An update at 22 weeks pregnant… Ah, 22 weeks pregnant – the week was gloriously sunny, and the first time someone I don’t know asked when I was due (so I must now actually look pregnant). I do feel a lot more pregnant at the moment, and it’s more pregnant in a lovely way; bigger baby kicks and much more movement. I’m pretty sure we’ll stick with two, so I’m trying to savour these moments. I was also asked about pregnancy cravings this week. But alas, I don’t think I really have any. Gherkins? I’ve always loved them anyway. Cake and biscuits? Never really stopped eating them from last time. I’m not sure there’s anything weird or unusual I just have to have. So far, so normal this pregnancy. But then I thought about it, and realised there are lots of things I’m craving. And it’s all the experiences, drinks, tastes and sensations that I either can’t have or am not allowed to. As follows; * A night of sleep that doesn’t have a 5am sunlit toddler wake-up call (what did people do pre-iPad and Netflix?) * Standing outside the pub after work, in a Soho street, drinking beer * Floating in the rooftop swimming pool of the Miami hotel we stayed at pre-conception #1 * Sitting in a sunny pub garden, having an evening of one glass of summery rosé, then another, that quickly turns into several bottles and the last train home * Distressed boyfriend jeans (it’s silly to buy jeans when it’s warm, especially when I’m only pregnant for four more months…right?) * Eating salami from the packet in our dark kitchen, where the only light is the dim glow of the fridge * A giant cheeseboard of unpasteurised goodness at the end of a lovely long dinner * Champagne on a school night, for no reason So that’s what I’m craving at 22 weeks pregnant. What’s everyone else craving – or missing – this time? Pregnancy updates at 21 weeks, 20 weeks, 19 weeks, 18 weeks, week 17, week 16, week 15, week 14, and the first trimester.

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Pregnancy week 21: wish you were here

Gillian — Sat, 07 Jun 2014 10:00:24 +0000

An update at 21 weeks pregnant… We are down at the beach, building sandcastles and eating ice-cream. Hey, if the baby wants it, who am I to argue? Pregnancy-wise, at 21 weeks pregnant I’m actually feeling fine and it’s a positive forecast for the foreseeable future (fingers optimistically crossed!) I’m much less tired, despite Eliza developing a night cough which had us all up at 2am last night, eating biscuits and looking for the seaside fox. My mini pregnancy scare of last week really was a passing cloud on the horizon. It’s all been blue skies. Calm before the third trimester storm, maybe? (Hopefully not; happy for it to be smooth sailing for the rest of my pregnancy). I do feel a lot more, well, pregnant this week. In my head I now have a giant, comedic bump that enters rooms five minutes before I do. Although I’m not sure that’s actually the case yet, looking at these photos. The baby is also kicking more, and Eliza felt it for the first time this week (so, so lovely). Her eyes went really wide and she shouted “ooh…BABY!” Like her, we are very excited, but right now seems like a good place to be at the moment and we’re relishing the time with just the three of us. So here’s my 21 weeks pregnant message on a postcard; wish you were here, baby…but sit tight for the moment. Pregnancy updates at 20 weeks, 19 weeks, 18 weeks, week 17, week 16, week 15, week 14, and the first trimester.

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20 Weeks Pregnant Update: Second Child Syndrome

Gillian — Fri, 30 May 2014 07:04:36 +0000

20 Weeks Pregnant: An Update On My Pregnancy Are you 20 weeks pregnant? Here’s a pregnancy update An update at 20 weeks pregnant… 20 Weeks Pregnant Baby Bump: Can The Baby Have Second Child Syndrome – Already? I think the new baby might be a victim of second child syndrome, already. It occurred to me this morning when Alex and I were discussing how much more relaxed we are this pregnancy. This week, at 20 weeks pregnant, I had some bleeding. For a brief moment it was awful; proper breath catching, heart in my mouth, shiver of cold dread and fear stuff. And then my second-time reason kicked in. The baby had been moving all morning. I was feeling fine. No pain or stomach cramps. The 20 weeks pregnant scan had been perfect. I had this a couple of times with Eliza, once resulting in a two night hospital stay, and each time all they could say is ‘we don’t know what’s causing it’, and it was all fine. (And yes, at the back of my mind there was also the small thought that I didn’t want to spend four hours waiting at the hospital, with a bored and tired toddler, only to be told ‘we don’t know what’s causing it.’) I texted Alex then phoned the labour ward, where I spoke to a brilliant midwife who talked to me for ages then said it didn’t seem like I needed to come in, but to call back if necessary. But it was fine, all was fine, and Eliza and I watched DVDs on the sofa instead of hanging out at the hospital while labouring women wailed around us. But yeah, much more relaxed this time round. Here’s Relaxed We Are At 20 Weeks Pregnant, Second Time Round: The Nursery First time pregnancy: at this point last time we’d already earmarked the spare room as the nursery, bought paint and planned the overall design. Second time pregnancy: Nursery…? The baby will sleep with us for months. Loads of time to sort something out (and seeing as our third bedroom is still a loft, they will most likely be sharing with Eliza for a long while anyway). Getting Ready For The Baby First time pregnancy: although we didn’t buy loads, we’d still bought some baby bits at this point and earmarked everything else we liked. Second time: I bought one babygro the other day! It’s a start, right? And really should probably think so it getting the rest of our stuff back. Now where is it? Reading Up On Pregnancy First time: I was obsessed with reading pregnancy information, looking at my daily apps, and could have told you at any given second the fruit-size of the baby (“apple…mango…honeydew melon”) Second time: my apps gather dust on my virtual bookshelf. And while I feel really bonded with the baby already, and more and more excited by the thought of what’s to come, they are probably the size of a…not entirely sure. Second Pregnancy Benefits! However, when I think about it the second child will hopefully feel the full benefit of this relaxed state, which can only be a good thing. They’ll also have the wealth of our experience (e.g. instead of spending hours googling ‘what’s that red mark on my baby?’, I’ll know it’s just a red mark. Hoping second time me is much less neurotic). They’ll also have the same amount of love, more so if you factor in that from their excited big sister. And absolutely no less affection. Which is surely worth waiting in the queue for. This was my latest update at 20 weeks pregnant…more pregnancy updates at 19 weeks, 18 weeks, week 17, week 16, week 15, week 14, and the first trimester. And if you want baby names, read unique names for girls and two syllable girl names

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19 Weeks Pregnant: Do We Find Out The Sex, Second Time Round?

Gillian — Sat, 24 May 2014 08:46:56 +0000

19 Weeks Pregnant: Here’s My 19 Weeks Pregnant Bump And 19 Week Diary Pregnancy week 19…what can you expect from being 19 weeks pregnant and the second trimester? Here’s my 19 weeks pregnant diary, and 19 weeks pregnant bump: 19 Weeks Pregnant: Do You Find Out The Sex? I’m talking about sex…baby. No, not like that, gutter minds. But about finding out the sex of your baby at the 20 week scan. And if it’s any different the second time round. We found out last time. Alex and I were both equally as impatient to know, and I even asked at the 12 week scan (they wouldn’t or couldn’t tell, obviously). I then spent hours looking up obscure old wives tales and gender prediction theories, so when the next scan came round I was utterly convinced we were expecting a boy. When they told us it was a girl I nearly fell off the table. One of my colleagues had tried to convince me not to find out, saying it is the biggest surprise of your life and you should keep it that way until you’ve given birth. However, I don’t think anything could ever have been as surprising as finding out when we did. Plus I was so utterly shellshocked by the whole gory glory of giving birth that I think the surprise would have been completely lost on me at that point. I know there are arguments either way based on bonding and planning, but it’s such a self preference. And basically, it’s still a huge surprise whenever you find out, isn’t it? At pregnancy week 19, as we approach the next scan, I’ve been thinking about not finding out second time round. Especially as of my friends did find out with her first baby, but kept it a secret this time and really recommended it (hi Emily!) I’m actually not as impatient this time, as I think when you have one baby, something different would be fun but more of the same is also great. However, all being well, I don’t think we will wait – who am I kidding? So did you, and also, did or would you do it differently the second time round? 19 Weeks Pregnant Baby Bump Photo Here’s my 19 weeks pregnant baby bump. Aka my 19 weeks pregnant baby bump with my second baby! That was pregnancy week 19…here are my pregnancy updates at 18 weeks, week 17, week 16, week 15, week 14, and the first trimester.

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Pregnancy week 18: heartbeat

Gillian — Fri, 16 May 2014 07:27:45 +0000

An update at 18 weeks pregnant…what can you expect from this point in the second trimester and what pregnancy signs, symptoms and feelings will you be experiencing? This week at 18 weeks pregnant I heard the baby’s heartbeat for the first time since the scan, which is always lovely, isn’t it? What wasn’t so lovely was when the midwife couldn’t actually find the heartbeat. Proper heart-topping stuff. But it turned out she could hear the baby move all along, it’s just that they were moving too much for her to get a proper trace. A horrible half a minute, though. All fine at 18 weeks pregnant, but turns out we are just (!) having another super-active baby, who is either slightly doppler-shy or pretty mischievous. And apparently I have a ‘lovely and thick sounding placenta.’ Which is what every women wants, surely? We don’t find out the sex out for a week or so, and only then will my husband finally talk baby names. But if the speed of the heart beat is anything to go by – an old wives tale, but it was true with Eliza and according to my friend’s midwife mum – then I know what we’re having. Although as I was convinced Eliza was a boy, I don’t really have the greatest of track records on these things. This was my 18 weeks pregnant update…you can also read me series of pregnancy updates so far, read my pregnancy updates at week 17, week 16, week 15, week 14, and an update on what to expect from the first trimester

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Second Trimester Symptoms & Some Weird 2nd Trimester Pregnancy Symptoms

Gillian — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:38:11 +0000

Want To Know About Second Trimester Symptoms During Pregnancy? What are all the unusual second trimester symptoms that no-one ever tells you about during pregnancy? As I’m now in the third trimester, I thought I’d round-up all the 2nd trimester symptoms I’ve been experiencing for the past few months (here’s my unusual pregnancy symptoms from the first trimester). Here’s my second trimester baby bump! What’s It Like Being In The 2nd Trimester? While being in the second trimester does bring you relief from some of the more weird pregnancy symptoms of the first trimester, that’s not to say there are no pregnancy symptoms in the second trimester! These are some of the less obvious pregnancy symptoms in the 2nd trimester, ones I’d now read all about. These are the weird pregnancy symptoms that come surprisingly out of left-field. Here Are Five Unusual Second Trimester Symptoms Here are my top five weird second trimester symptoms, and all my pregnancy symptoms in the second trimester: Being very squeamish and queasy. Although my morning sickness has long since stopped, I now can’t watch anything even slightly gory without feeling sick. There’s the normal things that bring this on, like anything remotely medical on TV, however the the worst culprit at the moment is that awful ad with the glossy brown singing cow made of gravy. Bleugh Weird Pregnancy Symptom – Clumsiness. Being in the second trimester seems to make me really, really clumsy. Things seem to constantly drop out of my hand and I’m always knocking things over. Just ask my husband, as yesterday I managed to knock an entire glass of Ribena all over our beige bedroom carpet, without even trying. It’s now banned from the bedroom. As I suspect I will be if I do that again Having an irritatingly dry nose Does everyone have this? During the second trimester of pregnancy my nose is so dry and really stuffy! I’m constantly blowing it and it’s always stuffy and blocked up. I feel very congested. Lack of sleep, especially when I’m really tired. Not being able to sleep when you’re pregnant is so annoying isn’t it? Especially when you’re exhausted and just want to rest. But no, now I wake up throughout the night and then stay awake for at least an hour. About three times a night. I’m also waking up freakishly early too. Am I right in thinking this will only get worse from now on? Please don’t tell me how bad it will be when I have a newborn! And finally, unexplained bleeding. Fingers crossed this is consigned purely to being an unusual pregnancy symptom of the second trimester ONLY. To be fair to the second trimester, there have been none of the nigglingly annoying early symptoms such as constantly feeling dizzy; it’s been great and I’m loving pregnancy. Plus, to balance anything else out I’m now feeling the baby kick all the time, which is the most amazing thing ever. I’m now wondering what the last three months will bring, although I’m suspecting my next list will include the entry ‘mourning the sad loss of my lovely perfect belly button.’ If you liked my post on unusual pregnancy symptoms in the second trimester, read about early pregnancy symptoms, how to keep your pregnancy a secret and strange things I loved about pregnancy Follow me on Pinterest.

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Pregnancy week 27: a blissfully normal week

Gillian — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 13:39:21 +0000

I’m trying not to speak too soon as there’s still one day left of it, but it’s been a very uneventful couple of days so far, especially after the past few weeks. I went back to work and then just did completely normal things like going out to dinner with friends, shopping, and lying on the sofa and watching terribly trashy TV. Also, watching fireworks; it’s a really good time of year to live on a hill overlooking London. Alex and I started NCT classes; more about those later, but everyone lives in our area (I was slightly worried they wouldn’t, as we have to go down the road to Dulwich for them as the Crystal Palace ones are only on Friday afternoons). All the people there seemed lovely, and we all had the same sort of baby-related concerns and questions. And next week we get to look at…photos of a placenta. I saw the midwife again; all was fine and the baby did the usual trick of trying to kick off the foetal monitor. The midwife also told me about the parenting classes they run at the surgery which I’ll probably go to in January, and she told me about coming in for the ‘birth chat’ at 36 weeks when they discuss everything that’s going to happen in labour. 36 weeks isn’t that far away, and I’m sure it’ll go really quickly – especially with Christmas in the middle. This week I also started to look really pregnant; I woke up on Thursday and my bump just seemed a lot…bigger. For ages I’ve had people comment about how small I am, so it was an interesting change of events to have people say about how pregnant I’m starting to look. Thanks to my mum though, who texted me say ‘you’re not really fat until you don’t fit into maternity clothes, so don’t worry.’ Next week we’ll get to see for ourselves how big the baby is, as we have the 28 week growth scan. At Kings you get three scans as standard (12 weeks, 22 weeks, and then one after 30 weeks). However I’m also having additional growth scans due to my thyroid condition – which can mean babies are smaller – although everything’s been spot on at the previous scans and my bump is measuring normally according to the midwife. As well as the scan I also have appointments at the pregnancy clinic (about my thyroid) and the haematology clinic (and my blood). And it’s six weeks until my maternity leave starts…

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Pregnancy week 26: an unexpected medical mini-break

Gillian — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:13:49 +0000

I’ve always been pretty lucky health-wise, and the last time I was made to stay in any kind of medical facility was when my tonsils were taken out at the grand old age of five (I got to eat ice cream and was given a Care Bear, so it wasn’t at all bad). It was therefore a bit of surprise this week to find myself having a two-night stay in hospital, following a late evening trip to the labour ward. It was due to an unwelcome visit from an old friend, putting an appearance in on Wednesday night. We spent ages debating whether we should get it checked out or not, as I wasn’t that keen on waiting around until the early hours only to be told they didn’t know what was causing it. So when we got to the hospital it was already late, and as the maternal assessment unit had closed, we were directed towards the labour ward. After waiting, monitoring, waiting, tests and waiting, a doctor came in and said they couldn’t be sure what was causing it, but to make sure me and the baby were alright, they were going to keep us in overnight. So we were whisked away to the only bed available at 1am, which happened to be on the induction ward. Alex wasn’t allowed to stay, and had to run off as I was about to collapse in tears and tiredness and just wanted to go to sleep; which didn’t exactly go to plan. The things that kept me awake for most of that night included: Being able to hear everything everyone on the ward was saying through the curtains, most notably a lady shouting ‘NUUURSE, my waters have broken!’ at about 3am One women after another screaming in complete agony at contractions, all night long (it turns out that Wednesday is the day everyone comes in to be induced) A midwife wanting to take my blood, having to use a vein in my hand, and my hand then dramatically and painfully swelling up Being unable to sleep in any kind of comfortable position due to a) not having a pillow and b) the above The temperature was turned up to tropical, and it was made worse by having to wear thigh-high nylon anti-DVT stockings Someone begging to be given an epidural, only to be told she couldn’t as wasn’t yet in established labour. Which begs the question…how much more painful is established labour then? Then trying to forget thoughts of just how much giving birth is going to hurt The only good part was feeling Baby C kick and knowing that all was OK on that front, and also overhearing the sound of seconds-old babies crying for the first time, which is pretty amazing, when you think about it. Thursday morning was a haze of no sleep and more monitoring, tests, and speaking to doctors and midwives, who told me I’d be moved downstairs to the maternity ward soon. Which sounded great, as I assumed that meant they’d then send me home. However, Thursday early afternoon crept round incredibly slowly, and there still wasn’t a bed available. Apparently nine months ago everyone was at it, who’d have thought? My phone was dead, and I had nothing to do apart from stare at my feet and have fairly one-sided chats with the baby. In the end the lovely midwife found me a magazine but it’s fair to say I was feeling very, very sorry for myself and may or may not have silently cried for about half an hour – purely to pass the time, of course. Things started looking up when Alex arrived – I was SO pleased to see him – and they moved me down to the maternity ward later on at about 6pm. However, they quickly told me that I’d have to stay in for a second night, which I wasn’t too happy about; although this ward was so much nicer, cooler and quieter. On Friday morning I saw the consultant, who said I could go home. Finally! I was packed off with promises to make sure I didn’t do anything too strenuous and had lots of rest. Pregnancy is really stressful! I thought all the major worry would start once the baby was out of the womb, but it started six months ago and I guess it’s never going to stop. They’re still not really sure why this bleeding keeps happening and they also don’t know if it will or won’t happen again. However, hearing the baby’s heartbeat or feeling a kick are the most amazing things ever, and I still feel so, so lucky to be pregnant and wouldn’t wish away a second of it. If nothing else, all of this did give me lots of insight as to what to pack in my labour bag (based on the hospital being both very hot and really boring). And although we had to cancel all our weekend plans, my mum came up to look after us all, which was lovely.

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