Saturday 7 March 2015

166. 24 Week Pregnancy Update

Hello lovelies.

I'm now well into my 24th week of pregnancy, and it's now just 16 weeks until this baby is due to make her much anticipated appearance. It's all starting to feel very real and different, so I thought I'd share a quick update, before I come into my third (and final) trimester in a couple of weeks.

So, how do I feel?
I feel very much the same as I did a few weeks ago; my backache is persistent and constant but I'm just so used to it now that it doesn't affect me as much, but I can only imagine it'll get worse and worse. Energy wise, I don't feel too different to normal at the moment but, by the end of the day, I'm so ready for bed. I'm managing to balance work and a social life and time for myself though; I'm trying to make the most of having time to myself before the baby arrives. 

How do I look?
I've gained a couple of pounds in the last fortnight and I'm now 1lb over my start weight which doesn't sound like much, but I can really see the difference. My tummy is definitely more rounded and people are beginning to notice it. My skin flared up quite badly a week or so ago, but that seems to be getting back under control. I've noticed that my nails are quite flaky which is a shame as I was expecting them to be super strong and gorgeous, but apparently it can go either way!
My bump isn't particularly obvious when I'm wearing dresses but in tight clothing it's definitely prominent, although I'm still at the stage where I just look like I've eaten a bit too much! o.O

Are we prepared yet?
It still hasn't quite sunk in that in a few months it will no longer be just me and S, but me, S and our baby girl. I think that from now on it really will start to sink in as I'm beginning to show, and we've bought the majority of what we needed for our baby. I'll do a post in a few weeks to show the bits and pieces that we've picked up so far, and then a clothes post nearer the time - I love having a snoop at what people have been buying, so maybe you will too!

Have I had any weird cravings?
This is the question I've been asked most during my pregnancy. Almost every day someone asks me if there's anything odd that I've been wanting and the truth is: no. I feel almost disappointed that I haven't been craving coal or crisps with chocolate sauce or something else bizarre, but I've been pretty content with cold milk, marmite on toast and chip shop chips, oh and a lot of chocolate.

I've been trying to eat fairly healthily, partcularily at lunchtime, but the evenings are toughest as I'm always tempted to go for chocolate or ice cream rather than fruit!

Other...
I had my GTT (glucose tolerance test) on Monday which is used to diagnose whether or not gestational diabetes has developed during pregnancy, it's usually tested between 24-28 weeks if you're overweight, have a family history of diabetes, have had diabetes in a previous pregnancy or are of a certain ethnicity. It involves fasting overnight then having your bloods taken, drinking a sugary drink and waiting two hours before having your bloods taken again. I'm yet to hear back from the hospital about my results (they stressed that it could take up to two weeks) but I'm feeling hopeful that I don't have diabetes, although if I do it's not the end of the world at all, apparently it affects almost 20% of pregnant women in the UK.

At my 24 week midwife check up, the midwife measured my bump for the first time and said the baby is lying oblique (apparently this means diagonally, with her head in my hip and her feet towards my ribs on the other side) and measuring at 26 weeks; meaning she's either a big'un, has just had a growth spurt or my due date isn't quite right. It's good to know that she's growing though and I'm sure she has just had a big spurt as a couple of weeks ago I wasn't feeling her moving every day, but now I do and S has even felt her move with his hand on my belly, which was pretty amazing. 

This week I also had to book in for my antenatal classes which seemed a bit mad, as they're not until May, but I'm genuinely really excited to get started with them. I've signed up to the breastfeeding class, a couple of Birth & Beyond workshops which aim to prepare you for once the baby arrives, and a class about birthing ideas. I guess I can't put off thinking about labour any longer!

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