Pregnancy diaries || Week 28 & 29 - First stretch marks and friends wedding

Week 28

Woohoo! Hello Third Trimester! Only 12 weeks to go! You know it's getting close when you start counting down rather than up. Random, I know, but we weighed my boobs tonight, yeah don't judge me haha. They aren't even particularly swollen at the moment but they weight 1.8kgs each! So I have 3.6 kgs of boobage to carry around with me every day! I wonder how much heavier they will get when my milk comes in.

The first of the dreaded stretch marks have started. They are faint and dark blue, I actually thought they were just veins at first. They have started on either side of my bump, near my hips. I think in generally they are determined by genetics and how big you end up getting so there's not a lot I can do about them. I will just try to stay hydrated and moisturize as much as I can, but I am kind of resigned for them to get worse. Oh well. It's only skin deep.

How far along?: 28 weeks

Gender?: Girl

Maternity clothes?: Yes and it's practically all I can wear these days

Stretch marks?: *sigh* Yes, here we go.

Belly button in or out?: It looks like "a puckered pair of lips" rather than an innie like it used to be

Sleep?: Some nights are good, others not so much. In general I am more tired though.

Best Moment of the week?: Just reaching the third trimester feels like an achievement.

Worst Moment of the week?: Getting stretch marks

Miss anything?:Fitting into my old clothes, I am rather limited in what I wear these days

Movement?: YES! Lots of movement

Cravings or aversions?: Tacos! and Lemon water

Queasy or sick?:No

Looking forward to?: Visiting family and friends next week

Mood/emotional state?: Wonderful, for the most part I'm very happy

Week 29 

We went to Taupo for ANZAC day holiday which we extended until the weekend. We spent a lot of time just hanging out with family, and going Op shopping with Mum for good second hand baby gear. We found lots of nice clothes and cloth nappies from Facebook Buy, Swap, Sell and got some pretty awesome deals. I'm not the biggest fan of pink, but as we scored such good deals on the bits and pieces we found I don't mind that her wardrobe will consist of mostly pink for her first few months. She has the rest of her life to wear the rainbow. 

We went to our friends wedding, ate some amazing food and spent the night dancing. It was great to have a chance to talk with my "mum friends" about everything baby related. The good, the bad and the cringe worthy. We also went to Paige's (our friends baby) first birthday which was super cute. 

We came back to Auckland with a car load of pink baby gear, picked up my new prescriptions of iodine, iron and ascorbic acid (vitamin c).

My belly button is pushing out a bit further but still looks like a pair of lips are opposed to an "outie" as it hasn't "popped" yet. I still sleep quite well and can't really complain as the aches and pains aren't too bad. I mean, I did spend all evening dancing at our friends wedding (in heels) with no problems, so I count myself lucky. Every day that I feel well I count as a blessing, as everyone keeps on reminding me that now I am in the third trimester it will only get worse and that the bad symptoms may hit me at any time. So I'm living in the moment and so far enjoying it. 

How far along?: 29 weeks

Gender?: Girl

Maternity clothes?: Yes and it's practically all I can wear these days

Stretch marks?: Yes, they are gradually spreading further and getting darker

Belly button in or out?: It looks like "a pair of lips" but hasn't popped yet

Sleep?: Mostly pretty good, but I do get more tired throughout the day than I used to.

Best Moment of the week?: Spending time catching up with friends and family

Worst Moment of the week?: Seeing my stretch marks spread and knowing that I can't do anything about it.

Miss anything?: It would have been nice to enjoy a glass of champagne at the wedding

Movement?: YES! Lots of movement

Cravings or aversions?: Meat, anything meaty sounds pretty good right now

Queasy or sick?:No

Looking forward to?: Starting antenatal classes

Mood/emotional state?: Wonderful, for the most part I'm very happy

Pregnancy diaries || Week 27 - Glucose test

Week 27

I spent most of this week sick with a cold that has been going around our office and finally got to me. It wasn't so bad considering I only needed two days off work, while other staff have been off all week, but it does make this week rather uneventful.

I had my Glucose challenge test when I was feeling well again. This was to test if I had gestational diabetes. The drink they gave me tasted like flat, syrupy lemonade. Not terrible but not particularly nice either, especially when you need to drink it within 5 minutes. Skull! Skull! Skull! I will be getting the results next week, and after my recent weight gain I'm a bit nervous to be honest. (edit: I don't have diabetes but my levels are on the higher side of normal, so midwife said to keep an eye on my diet)

My belly is hard and bulging. I am feeling the baby move all the time, especially when I am sitting down. I do wonder sometimes when she gets a chance to sleep with all that movement going on. I can see her move my belly quite dramatically when she kicks strongly, bulging in one direction or another. Most often near my right rib-cage.

Random people that come into work and attendants in shops are now confidentially asking when I am due. So I think it's pretty obvious that I am pregnant at this point, but they have more guts than me. I wouldn't ask unless the lady was practically in labour.

How far along?: 27 weeks

Gender?: Girl

Maternity clothes?: Yes and it's practically all I can wear these days

Stretch marks?: No

Belly button in or out?: Looking like "a pair of puckered lips" rather than an innie like it used to be.

Sleep?: Some nights are good, others not so much. In general I am more tired though.

Best Moment of the week?: This week was kind of average, so it would be the nice conversations my bump starts up with friendly strangers.

Worst Moment of the week?: Being sick with a cold

Miss anything?:Fitting into my old clothes, I am rather limited in what I wear these days

Movement?: YES! Lots of movement

Cravings or aversions?: Tacos! and lemon water

Queasy or sick?:No

Looking forward to?: Getting my glucose test results, fingers crossed I don't have anything to worry about.

Mood/emotional state?: Wonderful, for the most part I'm very happy

Pregnancy diaries || Week 26 - It's Facebook official

Week 26

We had our midwife appointment this week. I am by far the heaviest I have EVER been and now the same weight as Chris. Gulp. She measured my fundal height; the length from the top of my uterus to my pelvic bone, and I am measuring at 32 weeks! No wonder so many people have been saying I am getting big. Although she said that this may be because I have a long torso and we will see how it changes over the coming weeks.

Baby is doing well and measuring just a tiny bit bigger than average. I am also feeling pretty good this week, with not too many aches and pains. Although every morning I wake up with milk stains on my PJ's and I can't seem to sleep-in any more. 5:30am - 6:30am seems to be my new wake-up time, even on weekends which is very unusual for me. Lots of movement as always.

We signed up with a new family doctors not far from our house and Chris got the DPT vaccine to help protect baby from whooping cough when she arrives. I will get mine in the next few weeks hopefully.

We have finally announced the pregnancy on Facebook this week, so all of our extended family and friends now know our news.

How far along?: 26 weeks

Gender?: Girl

Maternity clothes?: Yes and I love them.

Stretch marks?: No

Belly button in or out?: It looks like "a pair of lips" rather than an innie like it used to be

Sleep?: Some nights are good, others not so much. In general I am more tired though.

Best Moment of the week?: Announcing our news of Facebook and seeing everyone's reactions to our photos.

Worst Moment of the week?: Feeling self-conscious about my weight gain and getting told how "big" I am by everyone

Miss anything?: Being as active as I used to be

Movement?: YES! Lots of movement

Cravings?: Hot Cross Buns and chocolate (a hang over from Easter?)

Queasy or sick?:No

Looking forward to?: Feeling my baby get stronger.

Mood/emotional state?: Wonderful, for the most part I'm very happy

Pregnancy diaries || Week 25 - Easter weekend and anniversary photo

Week 25

So my uterus is the size of a soccer ball, and it shows! My belly button mole is officially on the outside of my belly button (it used to be deep inside) and my stomach is starting to feel rather tight and stretched. My boobs are leaking more frequently but only a little at a time. My brother (Lee) and his girlfriend (Holly) came to visit this Easter weekend. They took our anniversary photo (even though it's well past our anniversary date) as a tripod and timer just wasn't going to cut it this time. And they both felt the baby move. We went swimming at Bethels beach in my new bikini and I felt quite confident rocking the baby bump.

I have been starting to get occasional sciatica after sitting, lying down or overdoing it for too long. It seems to go away with movement though which is a relief. I hope it doesn't get worse because it means I can't walk or stand up properly, and leaves me hunched over like an old lady. We measured my bump size while my brother was here at his request and it is 105cm round at the belly button.

How far along?: 25 weeks

Gender?: Girl

Maternity clothes?: Yes and I love them.

Stretch marks?: No

Belly button in or out?: Starting to look like "lips" rather than a cavern.

Sleep?: Some nights are good, others not so much. In general I am more tired though.

Best Moment of the week?: Hanging out with family.

Worst Moment of the week?: Getting sciatica after sitting for too long

Miss anything?: Being as active as I used to be

Movement?: YES! Lots of movement

Cravings?: Hot Cross Buns and chocolate (it is Easter after all)

Queasy or sick?:No

Looking forward to?: Feeling my baby get stronger.

Mood/emotional state?: Wonderful, for the most part I'm very happy

Pregnancy diaries || Week 23 & 24 - Working away from home

Week 23

Again, lots of movement this week. I spent a good amount of time away from home at a work training event where everyone was fussing over me and my baby bump. I took some nice long baths in the hotel and ate way too much food. Even with the long baths and early nights I definitely needed to catch up on sleep when I got home.

Week 24

This was another week away from home, where I was staying on a Marae as part of my work place diversity and cultural understanding training. This again meant eating way too much excellent food, combined with long days and sleeping communally in the Wharenui. I was pretty exhausted at the end of it.

I have been feeling a tonne of movement throughout the day but she calms down at night time. Her kicks are getting a lot stronger, to the point where my whole bump moves when she kicks, although it is only noticeable to me most of the time. Her favourite spot is my right rib cage just under my boob, so we will see how that area goes as she gets stronger. Chris is getting to feel her kicks a lot more now too which feels great.

I bought some new dresses off ASOS and of the ten which arrived, three could actually fit my massive boobs. The ones that a kept I like a lot and are very comfortable. Which is a top priority these days.

Still no heartburn, headaches or constipation but I am starting to get a bit of hip and back cramp when I have been sitting or lying for too long. Although this does go away shortly after I get moving.

My boobs are leaking?!? Apparently it's completely normal but it came as a bit of a surprise. I was sitting around after a shower, looked down at my breast and a drop of milk was hanging off the end of my nipple (TMI?). I have also noticed the occasional wet patch on my t-shirts when I wake up in the mornings too, so that would explain it.

How far along?: 24 weeks

Gender?: Girl

Maternity clothes?: Yes and I love them. Bought some new dresses which I know I will get a lot of wear out of.

Stretch marks?: No

Belly button in or out?: In

Sleep?: Some nights are good, others not so much. In general I am more tired though.

Best Moment of the week?:Finding some new dresses I love

Worst Moment of the week?: Sleeping in a room full of people, some of whom snore like a tractor

Miss anything?: A cold glass of wine

Movement?: YES! Lots of movement for most of the day.

Cravings?: Dumplings and Hot Cross Buns.

Queasy or sick?:No

Looking forward to?: My bump getting bigger

Mood/emotional state?: Wonderful, for the most part I'm very happy

Pregnancy diaries || Week 22 - Anatomy scan and gender reveal

Week 22

I have been feeling lots of baby movements and kicks while I am at work. I guess it's because I'm sitting and restricting his or her space. When I get home to show Chris, it all goes quiet; they must be sleeping.
I am still sleeping well, although my hips get sore from always sleeping on my side. I have tried sleeping with a pillow between my legs but that makes it harder to move around, which leads to worse hip pain. So either way, I can't win. I have been sleeping reasonably well despite needing to pee three or more times during the night. But then I am able to go straight back to sleep afterwards. I have been feeling increasingly tired and think that I should talk to my midwife about my pre-natal vitamins as I might be lacking in something. Oh, and I am super gassy.

We finally had our anatomy scan this week.... IT'S A GIRL!!! We are so thrilled to know a little more about our baby GIRL! Gosh, that feels good to say. Our ultrasound appointment was meant to take up to 40 minutes but our technician had checked everything in only 20 minutes and was happy with everything that she saw, saying that it "all looks perfect". All organs, fingers and toes doing what they should. She finishing the appointment by revealing the gender to us and was pretty confident that she had it right. We are so pleased that we have a daughter and can now embrace calling our baby "she" and "her" rather than "it".

I threw up for the first time in ages and attributed it to morning sickness, so I took the day off work, slept until lunchtime and then realised that it must be a stomach bug or something that I ate because it was more than just spew. yuck. I have been noticing a bit of pain when I have been sitting or lying for too long but it quickly goes away when I have been walking for a bit. I have also been noticing over the last few weeks that my hair doesn't need washing as much as it used to. I used to wash it every second day and as it is very fine, and by the end of the second day it looked limp and greasy. Not that it is dry now, it actually looks very healthy, it just doesn't get greasy so quickly. Which is a trait that I hope sticks around. Bonus! My feet are not swollen yet but they do occasionally get hot and veiny.

How far along?: 22 weeks

Gender?:IT'S A GIRL!!!

Maternity clothes?: Yes but just maternity jeans and shorts at the moment.

Stretch marks?: No

Belly button in or out?: In

Sleep?: Not bad, but need to pee a lot during the night.

Best Moment of the week?: Finding out our baby is a girl!

Worst Moment of the week?: Feeling sick

Miss anything?: A cold glass of rosé

Movement?: YES! Lots of movement for most of the day.

Cravings?: Dumplings and Hot Cross Buns.

Queasy or sick?: Just the once

Looking forward to?:My bump getting bigger

Mood/emotional state?: Wonderful, for the most part I'm very happy

Pregnancy diaries || Week 20 & 21 - Baby's first kick

Week 20

I have been feeling so much more movement from our baby this week. It started with me feeling harder and more frequent kicks earlier in the week and then by Friday I felt baby's first proper kick from the outside. It was quite a shock to be fair, I hadn't expected it to be so forceful. Our baby has strong legs! I was so excited, and then later that evening Chris held his hand on my belly while we were watching a movie and he felt it kick too! It was such a special moment and I am thrilled to be able to share more of the process with him. We both had tears in our eyes being able to experience this together. I think this pregnancy and becoming parents has become more real for him now that he can feel the baby rather than just me telling him that it's moving. From Friday onward baby has stepped it up a notch and is moving, wiggling, squirming, kicking all over the show.

I have been craving Chinese dumplings ever since Chinese New Year (16th Feb) so we have started making them at home, and they are delicious!

How far along?: 20 weeks

Gender?: Unknown, but we might get to find out next week! If baby cooperates...Eeeek!

Maternity clothes?: Yes but just maternity jeans and shorts at the moment.

Stretch marks?: No

Belly button in or out?: In

Sleep?: Not bad, but need to pee a lot during the night.

Best Moment of the week?: Chris feeling the baby kick for the first time.

Worst Moment of the week?: None that I can remember

Miss anything?: Not really

Movement?: YES! It has been a dramatic increase this week

Cravings or aversions?: Craving dumplings and orange juice

Queasy or sick?: No.

Looking forward to?: Our anatomy scan next week

Mood/emotional state?: Happy and excited

Week 21

We are meant to be having our gender/anatomy scan this week and I can't wait! I am desperate to know more about this little baby, gender included. Not that it matters either way, but saying he/she feels much better than it/the baby. Chris would prefer a surprise at the birth but isn't worried, either way he will be happy. The deal we came to was that if we can find out the gender at this scan then we will. Which is not a guarantee, as some babies are shy and keep their legs closed, so we might not be able to see anything for sure. If that happens then I am happy to wait until birth and won't go getting additional scans just to satisfy my curiosity. Even though I am going crazy with wonder.

I have been feeling a tonne more movement this week and my work mates are starting to comment on my bump as it is becoming more obvious, even in my loose work blouses it now shows. I have had a mole in the depths of my belly button since childhood, and now it is almost on the surface, so that is a pretty decent indicator of how stretched my naval has become. It shouldn't be too long before my belly button "pops". Chris is constantly commenting on how soft and smooth my skin has become and I haven't really been using any lotion so I guess it's all pregnancy related. Not bad as far as pregnancy symptoms go. I haven't had a single pimple yet either.

We went for a long 30km urban bike ride with our adventure group this weekend. I did a lot better than I was expecting considering that my exercise levels have dropped right off since the morning sickness hit all those weeks ago. Sure, I still go for evening walks, but nothing like I used to. I don't have the energy anymore. It was a wonderful day out with one exception. Near the end of the ride I hit a sharp curb wrong, lost my balance and came off my bike. My mummy instincts kicked in and I completely went into protection mode and sheltered my bump from the fall. This in turn lead to me sacrificing my hands and knees which are heavily skinned now as it happened on concrete. The baby was moving a tonne before and after the incident so I assume all is still well with little one.

We went to the Chinese Lantern festival which was lovely and then to the Incubus concert the next day (baby's second rock concert). So it was a rather busy week for a 21 week preggo.

Wahhh! Our anatomy scan got cancelled on the Monday which was hugely frustrating as they only told us when we arrived at our appointment and so wasted a morning off work etc. So it has been re-scheduled for next Monday now. I am SO gutted.

I am feeling really well otherwise, with no insomnia, no swelling, no heart burn, no constipation, and no head or back aches. The only unusual symptom I have noticed is that I do get a bit of bleeding gums when I brush my teeth but they are still healthy, so I guess it's just an increase in my blood pressure/having more blood in my body.

How far along?: 21 weeks

Gender?: Unknown, but we might finally get to find out next week!

Maternity clothes?: Yes but just maternity jeans and shorts at the moment.

Stretch marks?: No

Belly button in or out?: In

Sleep?: Not bad, but need to pee a lot during the night.

Best Moment of the week?: Doing normal things like the Lantern festival and music concerts. I'm glad I am feeling well enough to do the things I enjoy.

Worst Moment of the week?: Falling off my bike and having the ultrasound appointment cancel at the last moment.

Miss anything?: Sushi, it's a very popular lunch option in my office so I constantly want it while at work.

Movement?: YES! Lots of movement for most of the day.

Cravings?: Dumplings! Orange juice and Hot Cross Buns.

Queasy or sick?: No.

Looking forward to?: Our anatomy scan next week... finally!

Mood/emotional state?: All of the emotions. Happy, scared, frustrated and excited.