18 weeks: loosey goosey

How on earth did two weeks pass from my last post?!  I guess time really does fly when you're having fun!

Charlie has lately become even more fun and entertaining to be around and is already shaping up to be a fantastic big sister.  The Belly gets loads of kisses and snuggles and she talks about how she will teach the baby to walk and talk once it comes out of my belly.  Sweet thing.

I've been back to see the midwife and all was well.  I'm also feeling a lot more movement from the baby during the day which is such a comfort.  As far as symptoms go I've been feeling really good!  My food aversions have gone down and I'm eating like it's my job!  Apparently my joints have gone all loosey goosey as I briefly dislocated my knee this morning before it loudly popped back into place.  Ouch.  I was squatting on the floor picking up toys and it just popped out.  It reminded me of how I dislocated my finger shortly after Charlotte was born.  I had to go to an urgent care clinic and get it popped back into place.  Apparently loose joints are caused by a hormone called relaxin that loosens joints and ligaments in the body in preparation for delivery.  Looks like it's already doing it's job!

Still no gender news as my next scan isn't until September 19th!  (Truth be told, it was initially scheduled for Friday the 13th of September, but I rescheduled.  Who knew I was so superstitious!)  If I can't wait that long, the price of getting a private gender scan is now only £40 (as opposed to £80 to get it done before 18 weeks).  There is absolutely no rush to find out, but I sure am anxious to know what we're having!!

PS:  Here's what I was up to when I was 18 weeks along with Charlotte!

16 weeks: ready . . . set . . .

This is from last week when Jason and I celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary!

I can't believe how quickly this pregnancy is flying by!  I'm already at 16 weeks.  That means only four more weeks until we find out the sex of the little one!  I'm anxious to find out so I can either start getting rid of Charlotte's old clothes, or organising them to see what we need.  (Because shopping and organising is really what having kids is all about, right?)  ;)

Speaking of shopping, since we moved to London when Charlotte was only three-months-old, we ended up getting rid of a lot of the things we used when she was first born:  a co-sleeper, swing, bouncy chair, nursing chair, etc.  We'll have to replace those and I'd also like to invest in a new batch of cloth diapers.  Other than that, there are really just little things we need.  Since Charlie is now in a big girl bed, her crib is empty and ready!

Other than my shopping list, there isn't much to do at this point other than rest when I can and try to keep my iron levels up.  (I'm already feeling MUCH less dizzy than I was last week!)  I see the midwife again this next week and will give another update after that.

PS:  Here's what I was up to when I was 16 weeks along with Charlotte!

Anemia? Anaemia? Anenome?

(picture from www.freakofnaturefitness.com)

I have officially hit 15 weeks today!  When I was 15 weeks with Charlotte I was still dealing with major dizziness whenever I was in a grocery store.  Perhaps it was the high ceilings or simply just the large space, but I got dizzy and nauseous whenever I grocery shopped.  I ended up solving the problem by wearing a baseball cap and staring at the floor as much as possible while slow-rolling my cart into whatever lay ahead before resorting to just ordering groceries online!

I haven't had that problem this time, but I have had dizziness.  A lot of dizziness, actually.  Every time I stand up, I get so dizzy that my vision sometimes goes black.  I therefore wasn't surprised to learn after a recent blood test that I am "severely anemic" (or "anaemic" as they write it here).  Oy.  I'm now on iron pills and instructed to consume foods that are high in iron (though apparently not in conjunction with foods that are high in calcium as calcium inhibits the absorption of iron.  Right.)

My neighbour is a natural foods chef and nutritionist and she is popping down tomorrow to chat with me about upping my iron without upping my meat (which currently makes me one to upchuck--unless it were an Arby's Roast Beef sandwich which, sadly, I can't get here).  She said that vitamin C will help with absorption as well, so I also need to up that.  She's going to bring some recipes for me as well.  (I LOVE having nice neighbours!)

PS:  A local private ultrasound company offers 16 week gender scans for £80.  Is it worth it?

Better Late Than Never . . .

When I was pregnant with Charlotte, I dutifully blogged about the pregnancy in detail:  what foods I was craving, where I bought my maternity clothes, there was even a post from the delivery room!  But this current pregnancy, despite being 15 weeks along, hasn't gotten any of that attention.  It isn't because I'm now so busy with a two-year-old that I no longer have time (which would also be true) but because this is actually the fourth pregnancy I've had since Charlotte was born.

We started trying to conceive a sibling for Charlie over a year-and-a-half ago and it has just been heartache after heartache as we lost our three pregnancies all around six weeks.  By the time I was referred to a fertility specialist, I was already pregnant with this current pregnancy, so they couldn't run any tests on me.  The doctor suggested, given that I had one healthy pregnancy already and that I have no other risk factors (smoking, drinking, weight, etc.) that I was probably just unlucky.

Regardless of the reason we lost our other babes, we are thrilled that this current pregnancy is a completely normal and healthy one!  I've already had around four or five scans and have gotten to see the little one wiggling around.  I was also in yesterday and got to hear the heartbeat again.  I'm grateful for all these checkups because it helps me feel less anxious.  Though according to the specialist I saw yesterday, there is no reason I should be anxious about losing this pregnancy given that I'm already in the second trimester.  At this point, we've told all of our family and friends and are enjoying planning and dreaming about the future!

Over the next few weeks I'll try to catch up on what I missed during the first 15 weeks of this pregnancy.  I'll also write about differences between using private healthcare in the US verses the public (and FREE!) care I'm now receiving with the National Health Trust (NHS) here in London.

15 weeks down and 25 to go!

PS:  Here's what I was up to when I was 15 weeks along with Charlotte!

Better Late Than Never . . .

When I was pregnant with Charlotte, I dutifully blogged about the pregnancy in detail:  what foods I was craving, where I bought my maternity clothes, there was even a post from the delivery room!  But this current pregnancy, despite being 15 weeks along, hasn't gotten any of that attention.  It isn't because I'm now so busy with a two-year-old that I no longer have time (which would also be true) but because this is actually the fourth pregnancy I've had since Charlotte was born.

We started trying to conceive a sibling for Charlie over a year-and-a-half ago and it has just been heartache after heartache as we lost our three pregnancies all around six weeks.  By the time I was referred to a fertility specialist, I was already pregnant with this current pregnancy, so they couldn't run any tests on me.  The doctor suggested, given that I had one healthy pregnancy already and that I have no other risk factors (smoking, drinking, weight, etc.) that I was probably just unlucky.

Regardless of the reason we lost our other babes, we are thrilled that this current pregnancy is a completely normal and healthy one!  I've already had around four or five scans and have gotten to see the little one wiggling around.  I was also in yesterday and got to hear the heartbeat again.  I'm grateful for all these checkups because it helps me feel less anxious.  Though according to the specialist I saw yesterday, there is no reason I should be anxious about losing this pregnancy given that I'm already in the second trimester.  At this point, we've told all of our family and friends and are enjoying planning and dreaming about the future!

Over the next few weeks I'll try to catch up on what I missed during the first 15 weeks of this pregnancy.  I'll also write about differences between using private healthcare in the US verses the public (and FREE!) care I'm now receiving with the National Health Trust (NHS) here in London.

15 weeks down and 25 to go!

PS:  Here's what I was up to when I was 15 weeks along with Charlotte!