Pregnancy Diary: Gender Reveal & 24 Week Update

So I thought I’d start this Pregnancy Diary to document my pregnancy properly here on the blog and on my YouTube channel. So many of you said you would like to see more pregnancy-related posts & videos, and I quite like the idea of doing them. I don’t want to commit to doing these weekly, but I’ll make sure to update you when I have enough new things to tell you – to be honest, sometimes weeks go by and nothing major happens, but I might fill in the gaps with some baby hauls and other pregnancy-related things. Being a first time mum, this world is all very new to me, so if you have any ideas of what kind of pregnancy content you’d like me to create, please let me know.

But now let’s get properly into what today is all about – the gender reveal! I was so keen to find out the sex of our baby that I had a private scan at 16 weeks. I did mine at BabyBond Ultrasound Direct in Cardiff and I had a great experience. So before I blab anymore, watch the video below to find out if we were having a little boy or a little girl and I also go into a bit more detail about how I rate BabyBond based on my experience with them. If you can’t see the video below, click here to watch the video.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/cxYJQipDxPA&w=740]

Did you guess right?? :) I got it completely wrong, but we are so excited and very looking forward to meeting our little one! I saw this weekly pregnancy checklist on Anna Saccone’s blog and I thought it was a good way to summarise my weeks from now on, so here goes the 24 week update:

How far along? 24 weeks 3 days.

Total weight gain: I’ve gained about 9lbs so far, which to me seems like a lot, but I know it’s perfectly normal for my body and BMI. I’ve really felt the impact of the weight gain on my body, especially this week, and I’ve struggled a lot with back pain because of it. Before pregnancy, my weight never fluctuated all that much, so having put on 9lbs in the space of 5 months was quite a shock to the system!

Maternity clothes? Yes, most of my maternity clothes are from H&M Maternity, which seems to fit me very well. I have one pair of over the bump leggings, one pair of tracksuit bottoms and one pair of over the bump skinny jeans. For tops, I have a blue and white striped jumper, but mostly I just wear my loose jumpers with a tank top underneath. The one thing that has changed my life recently has been the acquisition of a maternity/nursing bra. My mum actually brought mine from Brazil, but I’m sure you can get something similar all over the world. It’s so comfortable around the ribs and it gives me a decent amount of support.

Stretch marks? None yet, thankfully, but I’m not taking any chances and I’m applying lots of lotion all over my body to make sure my skin stays supple and moisturised. I use Bio Oil just before bed, as it is quite greasy and it doesn’t get absorbed quickly into the skin. During the day, I like to apply the Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Lotion For Stretch Marks or the Sanctuary Spa Sleep Comforting Night Butter.

Sleep: Sleep has been ok overall, but I’m starting to get a bit uncomfortable because of the weight of my bump over my hips when I sleep on my sides. I’ve started putting a pillow in between my legs to relieve some of the pressure, which has helped, but I’m definitely considering getting a pregnancy pillow like the Theraline Maternity and Nursing Pillow.

Best moment this week: Not being sick in a week for the first time since I was 6 weeks pregnant! Honestly, I can’t tell you how good it felt to not have that overwhelming sick feeling; I still have nausea, mostly in the morning and if I don’t eat anything for more than 3/4 hours, but not being sick is pretty good for a change! :)

Miss anything? I miss feeling well – I’ve caught 3 different colds in a month, so I’ve been ill pretty much since Christmas, and because I can’t take the usual medications I would take to get rid of a cold, it’s taking a lot longer to shift the illness. I also miss being able to do things quickly without exhausting myself – nowadays, even a simple task such as tidying up the kitchen makes me feel like I need to sit down and rest for 5 minutes. I have plenty of energy, but I just can’t seem to do much at once!

Movement: Yes, plenty! Lots of kicks, some a bit painful and my husband is able to feel them too. Baby really responds to my husband’s voice and his hands over my bump.

Food cravings: Nothing really, I just have a few things I like to eat because it doesn’t aggravate my nausea and acid reflux, such as kiwis, red grapes, cucumber, jacket potato and ham & cheese baguettes.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Yes! Anything with a strong flavour or too greasy and fatty really makes my stomach turn.

Gender: Watch this video to see if we’re having a boy or a girl! :)

Labour signs: No. I thought I had some Braxton Hicks contractions earlier this week, but it was probably just baby moving around and finding a strange little spot to rest!

Symptoms: Nausea, acid reflux, lots of gas, back pain, swollen hands, unwanted body hair (!!!), itchy belly. I’m taking Gaviscon Mint Liquid Sachets after meals, which has helped massively with the acid reflux, but it doesn’t matter what I eat, it always comes back! :(

Belly button in or out? In, but wanting to come out. I have a scar inside my belly button, so I dread to think what that will look like if my belly button decides to pop out!

Wedding rings on or off? Off! It sounds quite early to have my wedding rings off already, but they’ve always been quite a snug fit around my finger, and I knew it wouldn’t be long until I had to take them off. Today when I woke up, my hands felt really swollen and my wedding rings wouldn’t come off! So I ran cold water over my hands and with the help of some of soap, I managed to pull them off my finger. So sad that I still have over 3 months to go without my rings, but it’s better to remove them now whilst I still can!

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy! Despite being ill, I’ve felt much happier this week without having any morning sickness. I’m sure the hubby welcomed this change in my mood :)

Looking forward to: My midwife appointment next week and finishing my online research so I can finally buy baby’s pushchair and a couple of other things!

I hope you enjoyed my first Pregnancy Vlog and Update :) Please leave comments below with any advice or tips you may have for this first time mummy :)

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