Had my 16 week (slightly delayed) midwife check-up and tried to sort out the toys to make some more space in the flat. Sending love to the bump…it’s getting visible and I don’t think I’ll fit into my yoga pants for much longer.
My Pregnancy Vlog
My To Do List
- Buy glucose tablets
- Book check-up with GP
- Book flu and whooping cough vaccinations
Pregnancy Problems
- Pregnancy sickness
- Nausea (caused by decorating flumes)
- Headaches
- Tight shoulders and back
- Waking up in the night
Pregnancy Recommendations
- My pregnancy yoga teacher Tara Lee recommended coconut water for headaches (it’s something I like and can keep down so will include)
- Getting comfortable to sleep. Noisy neighbours upstairs keep waking me up at 5am and it’s so hard to get back to sleep. So now using blankets, cushions and pillows as props
- Singing to baby and getting Ava to join in. Relaxing the jaw to release tension
Exercise
- Pregnancy Yoga with Tara Lee
- Dance Aerobics with Dr Nirja Joshi
Diet
Feeling and being sick. Drink lots but not too fast or it triggers the sickness.
How I’m feeling
At the end of the week our midwife paid us a visit for our rescheduled 16 week check-up (she’d had to cancel because one of her mums was in labour, so, completely understandable). One the day of the new appointment I got an early morning text to say another mum had gone into labour in the early hours of the morning and rather than cancel again could she come earlier. We quickly got changed out of pjs.
Having a Sunday visit was great for Ava who has been waiting for her chance to meet our midwife. The midwife really let her get involved by including her in the conversation and letting her use the Doppler to pick up baby’s heartbeat. She checked urine, blood pressure and discussed results of blood test and asked what we’re doing as a family to bond with the baby. She talked me through what I’ll have to do for the Glucose Test when I see her at 28 weeks (it was much simpler when you just got to drink a bottle of Lucozade beforehand).
Trying little by little to sort out the flat. Regularly have to declutter and rearrange Ava’s toys. Her kitchen has been a mess since her birthday party months ago. I finely found the energy to sort it out but I had to give up on doing more. Nausea has returned so had to do bits of sorting out mixed in with lying on the sofa feeling a bit sorry for myself.
Pregnancy Questions
This week my question for my mum (Sarah Beeson) was…
Q: If cut I back on activities in an attempt not to spread myself too thin will it make my older child resent the new baby?
A: It’s a delicate balance trying to keep your child/children involved and in no doubt of your continuing love for them when a new baby is expected. Reassure them that they still are and always will be your baby. Giving cuddles and enjoying fun activities creates love and security with a generous helping of praise and encouragement. It’s often not what we do but how we do it that makes us feel cherished.
It might be you need to put a few activities on pause but reassure your child they can resume them later. Maybe offering them a choice of what they’d like to continue doing and which options can go on pause for a little while.
Looking after yourself and balancing everything is such a challenge so accept offers of help from family and friends if available. Some domestic chores and meal preparation can be kept simple.
Pregnancy Tip
There’s no harm in taking some easy options for awhile, no-one should expect you to be supermum (especially you). #17weekspregnant #pregnancyproblems #mumtobe
About Amy
Amy Beeson runs Wordsby Communications and has a successful writing partnership with her mum Sarah Beeson MBE. Their latest memoir Our Country Nurse is set in a country village in 1975 and is bursting with stories of mums journeys during pregnancy and motherhood. They’ve also written nursing memoir The New Arrival and first year parenting guide Happy Baby, Happy Family. Amy is currently writing her first solo novel set in Wartime Staffordshire while Sarah pens advice for new parents on baby sleep, weaning and building a strong emotional attachment.