Blogmas Day 15 - Pregnancy Update | Week 24- 26

So today I am 26 weeks pregnant and I know I say this in every pregnancy update post, but I can't believe I'm this far along! It's almost like I'm starting to see the finishing line in sight and it's so exciting. I've always said that as soon as Christmas and New Year are over and done with, then my countdown really starts.

I'm starting to come out of the second trimester now and I'm really starting to feel the effects of the third. In the last two weeks I really have noticed such a change in my body and I'm starting to find all those smaller everyday tasks a lot more difficult now. It also feels that tiredness has hit me again with full force. Although it's a completely different kind of tiredness as to what I experienced in the first trimester; This time everything feels a lot more physically demanding and I'm not coping too well with all my joints aching, especially my feet. All this aside though, I'm in a very good place mentally and I just can't wait to meet little man now, its the one thing that keeps me going.

At the end of last week I had another midwife appointment where I got to hear little mans heart beat for the first time which was just incredible, it really was one of the best experiences ever. Pregnancy is hard, but hearing him just makes you realise that your doing it all for him, I guess my mummy instinct is just starting to kick in.

The only thing that made me feel a little bit down about the midwife appointment was that when she measured my belly, it was showing slightly smaller that what I should be at this stage in my pregnancy, which is weird because in my head I think I'm huge. Due to being a little bit smaller I have to go to the hospital at the end of this week for another scan just to make sure baby is ok and growing well. My midwife has stressed to me not to worry, but for some reason that has the complete opposite effect, I just want the scan now so I know everything is ok and have that peace of mind.

How far along? 26 weeks and 2 days

Movement? Little man is still moving around frequently and I love it. I feel that theres a lot more interaction from him now and that I can sometimes get a reaction when I rub my tummy. It's amazing to knowing he can feel and hear things. I love it.

Food cravings? No food cravings, but I am still obsessed with sparkling water! I don't have any in the fridge right now and it's making me really sad.

Sleep? At the moment I find it takes me ages to get to sleep no matter how tired I am, but once I do drift off I actually have a good nights sleep which is great. The only thing that is not helping is that I want to sleep all the time again.

Gender? For those of you who didn't catch my gender reveal post last week (here) I'm excited to say I'm having a little baby boy! Eeep.

Symptoms? Tiredness has been a killer for me this week and I'm now starting to get a cold which is really not helping things.

Stretch Marks? None

Belly button in or out? It's actually popped out a little bit more now!

Looking forward to? I'm really looking forward to my scan on Sunday. Ideally it would be good if I didn't need one because that would mean that baby is growing ok. But it will be nice to see his little face on the monitor again, so I am looking forward to that and to getting peace of mind that he's ok. 

I can't thank all of you enough for your support with my pregnancy, all of your comments really make my day. I know a lot of you are mums yourself, so if any of you have had to go back for a growth scan please let me know how you got on?

Lots of love 

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Pregnancy Update - Week 18-23

Hi guys, so this post is well overdue. Since announcing my little bump of joy a few weeks ago I had intended to get so many more pregnancy related posts up. But if I'm completely honest I am finding pregnancy so hard and throughout this whole journey have not realised just how tired that I'm going to be! Before when my mummy friends were going through pregnancy and they told me that they were tired, I just thought it was a normal tiredness. Now through I can totally understand what this pregnancy tiredness is all about and it's just so hard, especially trying to work full time too. 

Apart from being overly tired though, everything has been so great and since I announced my pregnancy I am now full swing into my second trimester and I have to say that I've actually really enjoyed this stage of pregnancy. Its been a time where I've felt a lot more like me. As tired as I've been I've found that when I have been active I've had so much focus and drive which has been lovely. Unfortunately these moments have been at work and not when I actually want all that motivation to type up blog posts or tidy up my home! 

One thing that has been really exciting since I last spoke to you guys is that we found out the sex of little baby sparkle and it really was such a turning point in my pregnancy; It just made everything feel more real. I will be doing a gender reveal post very soon - My birthday is coming up soon so I think I will announce it then as a little celebration. Even though James and I know what we're having, we are still struggling with baby names, who would have thought there would be so much pressure in choosing a name. We have a few favourites, but not one that we've decided on yet.

How far along? 23 Weeks & 3 days 

Movement? There has been so much movement over the last couple of weeks which has been so exciting. Even James felt a little kick the other night which was just so special. This little one definitely comes alive at night time, especially after I've eaten or when I'm trying to get to sleep. It really is the best feeling ever though. 

Food cravings? My biggest one has been Marmite on toast. I've always been on the hate side of Marmite and now I love the stuff, I pretty much have it every day. The craziest thing is that that was my mums craving when she had me, how amazing is that?

Sleep? My sleeping pattern has been so hit and miss which is something that does really effect me day to day. Like I said baby likes to move and wriggle around at night time and this stops me from sleeping. And then there are those nights where I'm constantly getting up to go to the toilet. It's like I have a really bad few nights of sleep, then will just sleep non stop. 

One thing that I have been finding is that I tense my legs up so bad in my sleep that I get really bad cramps in my calves. They're so painful that I'm almost in tears and they ache loads the next day. I don't understand why this happens at all.

Gender? I just want to share with the world what baby sparkle is, but all will be revealed very soon I promise. 

Symptoms? The tiredness is still really getting to me, although its a completely different tiredness to what I experienced in the first trimester, when I was literally sleeping all the time. I feel a lot more physically tried now and am starting to notice the strain pregnancy is having on my body. My job requires me to stand all day on my feet, which I don't think helps with the tiredness. 

Stretch Marks? No sign of any yet, which is great. I use Johnson's Baby Oil every night and so far I think it's helping. 

Belly button in or out? It's still on for the time being, but it looks as though its about to pop out at any moment. 

Looking forward to? James and I have just ordered our pram this week as it was on offer and I cannot wait for it to arrive. Its like a really early Christmas present. 

Let me know your guesses as to what gender little baby sparkle is going to be in the comments below? Also let me know how your pregnancy is going?

Lots of Love

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