20 weeks BUMP!

Getting lots more comments at work lately - people who've only just noticed (or got the nerve up to ask) that I'm pregnant. One horrible lady I don't have to work with often, thank God, said tonight "my GOD you're getting HUGE! Funny how you start hiding it, and now you're just letting it all out". Yeh, whatever. Good job I'm happy to be getting bigger.. but seriously, how about a bit of tact just in case I was the sensitive type! Meh.

Anyhoo, Malibu is kicking me lots more lately. Very happy about that, although it can be a bit distracting in my job LOL. Unfortunately DP hasn't felt it yet. Every time he puts his hand on my belly Malibu stops altogether. I keep telling him he's the "Baby Whisperer" and he'll be the calming influence when bub is here. I'm disappointed though. I want him to share in this awesomeness.

Having a few symptoms here & there. Here's my list of complaints so far:

* Gas pains!! To the point that it spread to my collarbone last night & I felt like I was being stabbed there! Ouch! After a warm shower I'm managed to, ahem, get rid of most of it before I went to bed. 

* Twitching eye, on & off for months! And my vision seems to have gotten worse.

* Flashing lights in peripheral vision - black & white, like an aura you get before a migraine but doesn't turn into one.

* Raging pulse! When I press my belly or anything else, I can feel my throbbing pulse in my fingertips. All that blood rushing around.

* Itchy bump, but I'm using Bio Oil & moisturiser twice a day so it's not too bad.

* Sore belly button sometimes. I think it's just my uterus growing & pushing on it from the inside. It's verging on an "outty" I'm sure.

* Aching hips & legs at night, makes sleep difficult sometimes.

* Sore tailbone when I sit for a while. I've had to buy a coccyx cushion for work (embarrassing). I did injure my tailbone skiing about 2 years ago, not sure if it was broken. I'm worried this will cause problems in childbirth (!).

Apart from all this, I'm still totally stoked to be "with child" :-). I feel pretty good most of the time so I count myself extremely lucky. Only a few weeks now until I fly overseas for work. Not looking forward to it, but at least I'm having a pretty easy pregnancy so far (touch wood) so I should be fine. We have 2 doctors on staff & my hotel is very close to an NHS hospital so I'll be covered. 

OK, that's my situation so far. Here's the latest bump. Not sure it look's hugely different from the others at this angle but I definitely feel bigger & rounder!

20 Week Ultrasound

So we were technically 19 weeks + 3 days pregnant today but the scan still shows Malibu measuring ahead. New EDD is November 5, doesn't quite have the same ring to it as 10-11-12 so we're sticking with the latter (like it's gonna happen on time anyway, right?!). Besides, we know EXACTLY when we conceived.

As I'm extremely sleep deprived & too lazy to write a long post I'm gonna cut to the chase - Malibu (baby) is A-OK, normal, abnormality-free!! I'm so happy! I realised I haven't done the "post-wipe TP check" much lately & I'm accepting that I'm really pregnant with a healthy child. Looking at shots like this, though, I still can't quite fathom that this human being is actually inside me!! Not because the infertility demon still lurks in my head, but because it's just so FREAKING AMAZING!!

P.S. We didn't ask for the gender, but DP thinks he saw meat & potatoes! Who knows... ;-)

17 weeks - A Kick!

Yesterday I felt my first kick!

We'd had a busy, active day. We went for a long walk in the morning, then proceeded to "spring clean" the garage & throw a lot of junk out. I was walking up and down the driveway carrying item after item. When we got inside I laid on the couch with my hands on my belly & tried to relax in front of the TV. Then I felt it - a definite kick right in the middle, under my belly button! So exciting!

Can't wait for more reminders of my little one in there :-)

16 week belly pic

Still pointy!!

16 weeks!

So today we're 16 weeks along.

I'm still absolutely gobsmacked that I'm pregnant! I was in the shower the other day and when I looked down I was SHOCKED to see my burgeoning belly. Sometimes when I wake up in the morning I am startled to remember there's a baby in there! I know this probably all sounds so stupid for someone who went through IVF and INTENDED to get pregnant but I guess that's what happens. You try and want it for so long that it becomes so hard to imagine. It's one of many burdens a fertile-challenged woman bears - the demon of "doubt". 

You feel like it's something that happens to everyone else around you, but never you. After seeing the 12 week ultrasound I was elated & settled - I was finally pregnant & one of the lucky ones. But the demon creeps back into your mind soon enough. Only to be allayed by the next element of proof. My increasing girth should be proof enough but a voice in my head suggests it's just bloat. Thank goodness I don't have to wait long for my next appointment with wonderful Dr P.

I need more proof. I wish I could have a scan every few days. I'm happy but quietly fearful at the same time. I wish I could live in blissful ignorance like the "fertiles". But I remind myself that I worked hard for this pregnancy & I "earned" it. It's mine, it's real & it's amazing.

13wks belly pic (& due date of lost baby)

So today we are 13 weeks pregnant. It's also the due date of my first pregnancy (technically tomorrow). I am soooo glad I'm pregnant (obviously) but even more so right now as tomorrow would be way more devastating. I can't believe it's already 9 months since we first conceived! Time flies! I'm not sad though. THIS is the baby we were meant to have. And good things come to those who wait.... and wait... and wait... ;-)

Here's our first belly pic. It's my "relaxed" tummy.. but to be honest the one where I was sucking it in wasn't much smaller. No wonder my clothes are so tight! I keep laughing at how pointy it is! So weird.. I'm still a bit freaked out by how much my body is already changing at this early stage. I can't wait to look properly pregnant instead of just bloated!

Oh, and we just got back from our 4 days away on the South Coast. It was lovely! So relaxing. However I exactly wasn't feeling the best: headaches & nausea settling in, much worse than the past 12 weeks :( The headaches are the worst & I've had to succumb a few times & take some Paracetamol. 

I also forgot to add that we met with our lovely Obstetrician Dr P just before we took off. He took my blood pressure (as usual) and I was expecting it to be "perfect" as I'm always told. However he asked if I was still alive! Apparently it was quite low (hence the dizzy spells lately). He also went through my blood test results which found that I'm Vitamin D deficient. He prescribed more time in the sun! It's a common problem for us shift workers unfortunately. Luckily we had the most amazing weather whilst we were away so I spent a bit of time lazing around by the pool & on the beach (way too cold to go in!). I am feeling a bit better now but the headache is still hovering around. I'm trying to glug as much water as I can to ward it off. Will see how I go...

12 week NT Scan!! (updated pics)

The looooongest wait ever.. but finally we had our 12 week scan & ALL IS GOOD!!! WOOOOooo!!

Finally got to do the Facebook announcement thing (which I hated others for doing but couldn't help myself).

I thought I may have seen a little penis but I may have been wrong..

Any gender guesses are warmly welcomed! We're not going to find out but I love the fun of guessing!


So my phone hasn't stopped beeping & my Facebook notifications are off the charts! I never thought I'd see this day. To all those out there still trying, I can only say NEVER LOSE HOPE. It's so worth it in the end :-) xx

Note the cord around its neck in the pic above! Apparently this is ok & happens all the time as they move about. All the other pics happened after I was made to walk around & drink water to get the baby to change position. After that the baby became untangled. Scary!