Baby Gregory

I haven’t really updated in the past few weeks as it’s been totally manic. I swear I’m doing a lot more than I ever did when I wasn’t pregnant.

So, weeks 16 and 17 were pretty much of a muchness. Baby behaved as usual. No huge movements to write home about, other than I could feel flutters. Bob and I have been listening regularly to the heartbeat and it’s just so strong. It makes me so very happy!

The big thing that happened in the 17th week, was my belly popped. at 17 weeks and 5 days, I had a proper little pregnant belly! YAY!

In the last couple of weeks, according to my iPhone apps, my baby’s limbs are much more developed and are becoming more controlled in movement. Baby has mastered some simple reflexes such as swallowing, sucking and blinking. Apparently, it can even have hiccups already :) So cute! From week 17 the baby starts to form fat under the skin and this will continue until birth.

Christmas and New Year was fantastic. It involved a lot of driving though and two very excitable little boys, my stepson (6) and my nephew (3 1/2). Early starts and fun packed days, ensured that I was worn out by about 7pm, but it was certainly all worth it. I think next year will be a much more relaxed affair as we will have our little baby to look after… Our own little family! I really can’t wait to see our baby.

Week 15: At week 15, the baby is is about 70g and 9.1cm’s long - About the size of baseball or a sweet potato. I could probably find out what sex the baby is now, however, we’re going to keep that a secret unless it’s very obvious in the 21st week scan! Baby is getting frequent hiccups as it learns to breathe. The legs are now growing longer than the arms and all joints are moving. 

Christmas fell into week 15 of my pregnancy - just about! It’s been totally manic, with people to see and presents to buy. My doppler ran out of battery this week and so I wasn’t able to listen to my little Boblett, which was a little bit upsetting. but I know that he/ she is going strong still :) 

So another week passes where I don’t feel pregnant. I’m sure this is a good thing and a lot of people keep telling me how lucky I am, but I can’t help but want, at least, a bit more of a pregnant belly. I feel totally fine in myself. No sickness, no cravings, no nothing really.

I found out my Mum wasn’t going to be  back until mid January though and this did trigger off some moodiness, but I don’t think I would have reacted much differently had I not have been pregnant!

It is starting to upset me that she hasn’t been around since I found out I have been pregnant. I know it’s not out of choice as she was originally looking after my Nene in Cyprus and shortly after her returning, my Nene died, and so there is a lot to sort out. But, I don’t really feel like I have anyone.

My husband has been amazing and my friends have tried to be helpful, but a lot of them don’t have kids of their own. The person whom I’ve lent on most, is probably my boss. She’s an absolutely wonderful woman who, from the day I told her, has been supportive and helped answer any questions I’ve had. My stand in mumma I guess. If you’re reading this Wend, you have helped me in this pregnancy a lot more than you realise and I love you for it, thank you!

So now it’s time for week 16!

Towards the end of my 13th week, my Grandmother died, which was a little bit of a shock to me. She knew about baby and she was so excited. only 3 days earlier, she was talking to my Mum about me and my husband and how baby was doing - She was so happy! I wish she was around to meet my little one :( RIP Nene, we all love you very much!

Week 14 - My baby can frown, squint and suck it’s thumb! Baby is about 3 and a half inches long (a lemon) and weighs about 1 and 1/2 ounces. Baby is starting to produce ultra fine hair all over the body called lanugo. This is what baby looks like this week:

Interactive version here - http://www.babycenter.com/fetal-development-images-14-weeks

The weekend following my Nene’s death was quite hard. It was so busy as we had a house party on the Saturday night and I had arranged a surprise birthday dinner for my husband on the Sunday. No rest for the wicked! Baby seemed to cope well with my typically busy lifestyle. I didn’t really experience anything but tiredness, which has been the case all along!

So, week 14… A busy week, as you’d expect being so close to Xmas and with 2 birthdays (Husband and Mum), it wasn’t one with much rest! On Tuesday I visited the Midwife to pick up the results of my blood test and to have a general check up. My blood tests all came back fine which was a real relief. I was expecting to maybe be a little bit anaemic, but it wasn’t the case. Clearly I’m eating the right things :) I was told my blood group is O Negative, which means at about 28 weeks, they will inject me with some antibodies in case the baby’s blood group is a ‘positive’ and in which case can cause complications if the bloods mix, which can happen around that time.

After doing some research, I found out that my blood group is only 7% of the UK’s population. That came as a surprise to me as I always thought that I had a common blood group, but it turns out that O Positive is the common one. When baby is born, I’m going to make sure I give blood. I have never done it before due to being underweight, however, I think that’s probably going to change once I have baby.

The rest of the week has been good. I had my Christmas party at work and it was fab! Although, I did regularly forget I was pregnant and dance a little but too much! But I had fun and it didn’t do any harm to baby. It’s because baby seems to be behaving so much that I’m able to pretty much do as I please! I have to say though, the not drinking has been such a nice change for this time of year… Seeing hubby with his hangovers is quite amusing. Even more amusing trying to get him home ;-)

Anyway, it’s on to Week 15. Will see what this week holds!

Baby has been fairly good this week. I’m not in pain, other than the odd stretching pain every now and then and I still have my appetite which is nice. I have felt a little nauseous over the past few days, however, I’ve not been sick - Thank God!!!

*START RANT*

I do have one huge bugbear though… Commuters! Just a little tip for all you arrogant and maybe stupid people out there… If a lady is wearing a badge that says ‘Baby on Board’ (see picture) - This means that the woman in question is pregnant, with child, ‘up the duff’, whatever you want to call it!!! In addition to this, the woman does not have to have a huge belly… Babies take time to grow and some women won’t show until they’re around four or five months. I, for example, don’t look at all pregnant, but this doesn’t mean I’m not in desperate need for a seat!

Today, I found myself having to sit on the floor of a train from Raynes Park to Waterloo. Walking from my house to the station makes me out of breath and my back kills by the time I have to get on the train. I have to say, I don’t mind when people don’t notice, but when people are looking directly at your badge, then at you, seeing you struggle and *STILL* ignoring the fact they should get the hell out of the seat, it pisses me off frankly! Even more so when it just happens to be a priority seat for disabled people, elderly people and pregnant women!

I mean, what is the world coming to today. This isn’t just a rant for pregnant women, it’s for the elderly and women with children and anyone else that should be given a seat on public transport. I was always taught to give up a seat for those less able or struggling. It’s just manners! I’m seeing less and less of it as time goes on and it worries me. In my opinion, and call me old fashioned if you want, but I think being polite and having manners are two of the most important things in life and sure as hell will make sure my child has both!!!

*RANT OVER*

The ‘Baby on Board’ badges are available from tube stations, or by calling 0845 330 9880 or emailing babyonboard@tfl.gov.uk.

Being pregnant has been a very enlightening experience so far. It’s amazing how you analyse absolutely everything! The mothering instinct seems to kick in immediately, as soon as you find out you’re pregnant. I’ve found myself checking everything I eat and everything I do… Anything to keep baby safe and well. And although I haven’t got much of a bump, I reassuringly stroke my belly, knowing that one day I’m going to feel baby kick and move. What an incredible experience that’s going to be when it happens. I already listen to baby with the help of the very awesome Angelsounds.

Recently I’ve started thinking about what I’m going to buy for baby. I think now that I’m past my 12 weeks, I can at least start to think about what buggy or cot I’d like. In fact, I already know what buggy I want thanks to my friend Juli. I’ve so far decided on the Cosatto Cabi 3 in 1. It means I can have baby facing me and as it grows, the buggy converts, meaning there’s no need to get another one later on.

Seeing as we’ve decided to keep the sex a secret, there’s no point in getting too many clothes. Chances are these are going to be bought for us anyway. Apparently people love buying baby clothes, and you can see why. I think I’m probably going to be quite picky though, so I’m thinking of making a list of things that we want. I’m going to use the wishpot.com site to do this as it means that I can list things from all over the web, regardless of where it’s from as opposed to having just 1 retailer dealing with it all. People can then take their pick if they’d like to buy us any of it. I’ll post the link here once I have had time to put it together.

I’m also open to any suggestions on this front. This is, afterall, my first baby and I’m keen to cover as much as I possibly can. Bob knows a fair bit as this will be his 2nd baby, but still, he doesn’t know everything! :)

Baby behaved him/herself yesterday. I started off the morning with some terrible indigestion though, which was far from pleasant! Who’d have thought Polo’s would be the answer though?! Amazing… and cheap!!! Problem is, I’m addicted now! 

After work, I popped to Primark with my cousin who’s about to pop at any moment! I can’t believe how easy it is to feel baby inside your tummy! I can’t wait till I get my bump! It feels like forever away :( Anyway, 3 hours later I managed to get some new clothes that would be more comfortable for me and keep me warm. I forgot how much I love Primark! haha… Best buy had to be my Adult babygrow! Yes, it looks ridiculous, but soooo warm :)

Also, my Angelsounds Doppler has just arrived! I really hope I can hear my little Boblett. If I can’t I’m not going to worry too much as I know it can be different from person to person. On top of that, it will cause unnecessary panic, so I want to be sensible about this. So long as I’m not in chronic pain or bleeding… I’m not going to worry. 

I also ordered 4 pregnancy/ baby books which I’m excited about reading. I do love reading bit n pieces about what’s coming up! This whole journey is going to be so exciting! I am so amazingly happy!

I hope I can sleep a little better tonight. Bob went for a few drinks last night. He was clearly celebrating a little as he was totally wasted! Being the good wife I try to be, I managed to get him home in one piece. He was adorable anyway. He’s just so happy about everything. He’s allowed to celebrate our little Boblett! He/ She is very special!

It was the all important 1st proper scan yesterday. We had an internal scan at 7 weeks as I had some bleeding and I was petrified I might miscarry. Pregnancy is a funny thing… The moment you realise you’re pregnant, you’re automatically in Mummy mode and the thought of anything happening to your tiny little being inside you is terrifying! 

Yesterday morning, I was full of nerves. The only other time I’ve been that nervous was when I took my driving test and at the time, it meant the world to me. My little Boblett is my everything at the moment and I just want to keep him/ her safe, happy and well! My amazing husband kept reassuring me. He’s given me so much strength the past few weeks as I’ve been stressing quite a bit. 

We got to the hospital and were directed to the 4th floor. I waited about 5-10 minutes before I was called. My mind was blank with panic. All I wanted was my little Boblett to be ok! I hopped on the bed, pulled up my jumper and she squirted the gel on my tummy. I took a deep breath as she started to put pressure on my tummy… And in a matter of seconds, there was my Boblett, happy as anything - Thumb in mouth, body popping all over the place! Bob held my hand tightly and I became quite tearful. I asked him to get my Mum, who when she came in started waving at the screen :) It made me so happy!

I have to admit, I feel a lot calmer now. I’m almost at 12 weeks and I still feel ok. I get a bit of nausea every now and then and I’m so tired, but I’m trying to keep life as normal as I possibly can. :)

After we got the scan results, I posted them to my Facebook and Twitter and the response has been overwhelming. Thank you so much to everyone who’s commented. :D

I’ve started this blog to record my pregnancy and hopefully the growing up stories from my little one when he/ she is born :-)

I’m currently 8 weeks 5 days and have just booked my scan and blood test. I’m so excited, but also very anxious. I’m so worried that something’s going to go wrong. From what I hear though, that’s only natural and especially in your first pregnancy.

Here I am going to keep my feelings and I’m also going to keep a note of awesome things I want to buy/ do when baby is here.