Even just in the last two weeks I can see a big difference in my bump size! Tomorrow I’ll be 26 weeks and today I have my 25 week appointment with the midwife which should be good. I want to be able to start firming up what will happen for the birth and see if I can get a hospital tour. I have a full post on my ‘birth plan’ coming soon.
I’m still feeling pretty good in myself, but I’ve started to notice a few differences, for one I’ve lost all sight of my lady parts ;-) Shaving my legs in the shower is a more awkward too. I do feel more tired in the warm weather and sleeping is becoming a little more uncomfortable as my legs get quite achy. I’ve also started to get some rib pain so I’m wondering if that’s due to them starting to expand and widen out. I also noticed that I might be getting a little bit of colostrum coming in.
I’ve become a bit wary of the veins in my legs as one day last week they seemed to be very noticeable, so I was getting concerned about varicose veins but I think it might have been a bit of an over reaction as they are fine now. I knew my Grandma has bad varicose veins but after having a chat with my Mam and Aunt, it seems she’s the only one in the family that has them bless her! My Mam also told me a bit more about her pregnancies with me and my Sis and how her stomach instantly flattened after birth, I’m hoping I have picked up those particular genes from her!
Right now my tummy is in good shape for the size I am, no stretch marks as yet and my belly button ring is still in. As I’ve said before I do have faded stretch marks from when I was overweight, so I’m wondering if my skin is already a little ‘pre stretched’ to start off with, or if my skin care regime is paying off!
As for peanut he’s moving really well, but seems to have a few days of moving non stop followed by a few days of slowing down, which worries the hell out of me until he picks he picks it back up again. Saying that, right now he’s giving me a good kicking as I write this and was also doing so when I was taking that bump pic above!
Pregnancy exercises
I’ve been loving the gym, I don’t do much but my 20 minutes of cardio are enough to get my sweat on a little and keep me active. I’ve mentioned that I’ve been doing some Pilates moves to make sure my back / arse ache doesn’t come back and it seems to be working well. This video and this one of a pelvic rock have been the most useful for me.
I’m also becoming more aware of making sure I do plenty of squatting. Obviously I can’t say for sure until I experience it, but I can’t see that I’ll want to labour lying down and I’m envisioning that I’ll prefer to give birth squatting, therefore I want to make sure my thigh muscles are up to the job!
Another pregnant focused exercise I’ve started doing are my kegels for my pelvic floor. I found a great app called my pff which guides you through the exercises and even makes your phone buzz to remind you. Whether you’re pregnant or not I think that would be quite handy!
Recommendations
I had a bit of a shock this week when I realised that I could give birth any time from the start of September onwards which actually only gives us just over 2 months! We aren’t doing too bad now we have the travel system ordered, we just need to get a move on with everything else.
Our current stash of baby stuff I’ve boxed up under the bed for now!
We had been thinking of getting a moses basket, but the lovely Amy left a very helpful comment on my last baby update that gave me some food for thought. We’ve decided that we might as well just go straight for a cot, after all we do live in a small flat so it’s not like we’d ever be far away from him. It’s also looking like I might be able to lend a beautiful organic moses basket from a friend so if we did have him in the living room with us that would work for a few months without us spending extra money. As for any kind of theme we aren’t really going down that route, it will be more an eclectic mix of things! I have seen a great fox cushion so we might have a few fun woodland inspired toys and cushions for him which will be cute, but other than that lots of bright colours!
After Amy’s useful advice, and some great emails from various readers I thought I’d might as well ask you lot for any recommendations you may have in terms of products you’ve found helpful…
A couple of specific recommendations I could do with are around baby monitors and slings. I definitely want to have a baby monitor with a movement sensor, James’ baby brother passed away, and I have to say it really plays on my mind. I have done paediatric first aid and a movement sensor monitor would help me sleep! I was looking at the Angel Care, but if you guys have any experience / recommendations let me know!
For slings, I was going to get a lighter fabric one for round the house and then a more study / James friendly one for outdoors. The Ergo has already been recommended to me, and I’ve been looking at Ama Wrap but again I’d love your thoughts / experiences on that one. Baby wearing is something I’m really looking forward to!
I was also very kindly sent some goodies from Faye and Lou. They had already been recommended to me by a fellow health coach friend so I was delighted when Lou got in touch, she’s even exactly the same number of weeks pregnant as I am!
I received some gorgeous brightly coloured muslin cloths, a dribble bib and a whale comforter, they are just adorable and you can see how good quality they are. I can’t wait to use these when he arrives!
Do any Mums out there have product recommendations for me? What do you think of baby wearing? Whether you are pregnant or not, do you perform kegel exercises?
Hi Laura, I agree about not spending money on a moses basket, you would only use it for a few weeks. I would recommend getting some disposable changing mats for those days where the baby is just covered in poo. The mats in the incontinence section of Boots are far cheaper than baby/maternity mats and they do the same job. Also really handy when you’re out, and handy for catching vomit of you have a puker! Another thing I wished I’d done was a bit of reading up on formula feeding. I planned to breast feed but it just didn’t work out and had I been prepared it would have saved a lot of hassle, just knowing how much they need etc. xxxxxxx
Thanks Mandy, I will definitely look out for those mats, not looking forward to poo explosions! Yep a few people have mentioned about that, we are thinking of buying some formula ready just in case xx
I use a menstrual cup during my period, which is like automatic kegels! I recommend one of those to every woman (and they help save the environment too).
You’re looking gorgeous. :)
I really want to try one of those if my periods start back up normally after the baby is born, they look great and good to know they work those muscles too!
I have a Tula baby carrier and I absolutely love it!! I thoroughly recommend it. A friend of mine has a Beco carrier and it lasts from a baby to a toddler.
I bought a Moses basket and I’m glad I did. Each of my 3 children slept in it for about the first 16 weeks. I’ve lent it out to family and I’m going to keep it and hopefully pass it down to my children to use when the time comes. If you don’t buy one I do think it’s a good idea to borrow one for the initial few weeks as I think it’s good for the baby to sleep in a small, compact space – sort of resembling the womb.
Also, I agree with another comment made about researching formula. I planned to breastfeed my first and it didn’t work out, i had absolutely no idea what to buy!! With my third child I was prepared for every eventuality – steriliser, bottles, formula, nipple cream and shields, breast pump. I’m now still happily breastfeeding at ten months.
That’s a great point Stephanie, I was thinking of swaddling, and I even saw this cocoon shaped pillow thing, but if I can lend the moses basket from my friend that will do the trick. Glad that you were able to breast feed second time around, a couple of people have said about being prepared either way so I am definitely going to do my research!
First of all, I’m in love with that fox cushion. A colourful nursery with woodland animals sounds so cute, and original too.
I’m not too clued up on baby/preganancy stuff, unsurprisingly (!) but I’m really enjoying reading about it all :)
Isn’t it adorable! Glad that you are enjoying reading about all this stuff!
We had a Moses basket and Charlie slept in for about 5 months in the end – if you can borrow one do it as they are great to have in the lounge during the day while they are little and napping lots (hopefully!). We borrowed a monitor with a sensor the ended up not using it at all. The thought of the sensors going off by mistake (which can happen if your baby rolls or moves a lot in their sleep) freaked me out lore I think! Plus she took her naps during the day in the lounge mostly and slept by my bed in her Moses basket at night – sleeping in the same room as the baby, sleeping them on their back and being smoke free reduce the SIDS risks massively so I felt comfortable not using a monitor and in the end just got a cheap Motorola one for when we are outside and she’s inside sleeping
Haha, yes hopefully napping lots! Yep I do have a feeling we might get a sensor and not use it, I just don’t know how I’m going to cope with the worry but I’m sure it’s something every parent has to deal with x
Well i’ve never been pregnant so can’t help with any of that but i would recommend arnica salve for you aches and pains. Just make sure it doesn’t contain basil oil as you’re not meant to have that during pregnancy.
I’ve been babysitting my cousin’s baby lately and i would say buy the lightest equipment you can! Her pushchair and car seat are so heavy! Your gym work will be a big help when your bambino arrives!
Funny you mention that I was just looking at it in Holland and Barrett! Haha, yes I think our pushchair is going to be a hell of a workout, and when we aren’t using that then carrying him round in a sling will be just as hard work!
It deleted the end of my comment! I was also going to say that I wished I waited till Charlie was born to see what kind of sling she liked as she hated the ring sling and would never go in it happily! Good luck getting prepared! My type A personality went into overdrive planning and I think that’s pretty natural with your first :-) then once they arrive you realise you can’t plan for anything with certainty anymore but that’s still all kinds of wonderful. Take care!
Oh yes, I am planning as best I can with the understanding that it will probably all go out the window once he arrives, same with the birth plan, I’m not really having one as I think for most people you just have to go with the flow!
I loved my Moby wrap when my little one was tiny, then got a Manduca when he grew out of it that is awesome too. Might be worth seeing if there is a sling library nearby so you can try a few on once baby arrives and see what suits you all x
The moby wrap looks awesome! I will see if we have any such thing locally, seems like a great idea!
Oh god I wouldn’t have a clue what to recommend… errr baby wipes?? Haha sorry I’m not much help in this department. But I’ m loving the posts as bit by bit I am slowly absorbing info so I might have a semblance of a clue when I get pregnant!!
Kegel exercises are a great idea. I will promptly get start now! ;-)
Haha, glad to be of service, I have to say I actually wish I’d paid more attention to other pregnant bloggers posts as maybe I would have had a better idea what the hell to do ;-)
Hi there,
After my nephew had a scare, we found a movement sensor to be essential. We had the Angel care one and it really helped me feel more secure. Some people are concerned about the alarm going off, and that did happen, but not until he was old enough to roll off the mat. At that point I felt he was old enough to go without it. The only thing I would do differently is get the one with the camera. My son is 18 months old and we have used it every day – so it’s been a good investment!
We had a moses basket, but only used it for about 8 weeks.
I found the Moby wrap so useful! We also had a Baby Bjorn, but I preferred the Moby and I used it up until my son was about 9/10 months old and he was too heavy for me!
Enjoy your pregnancy – you look radiant!
x
Thanks for this Amanda, I think we will get a sensor, I just don’t know how I’d cope with the worry without one and from the reviews I’ve read on Amazon as well it seems to be worth it. A few of you guys have mentioned the moby so I might give that one a try! And thank you, most of the time I just feel hot and sweaty rather than radiant ;-)
From my experience the long material tie slings are really inconvenient, once you’re all tied in its difficult to shift clothes around for breastfeeding and takes time to get baby in and out despite what all the website videos say and when you and baby are tired and fractious its the last thing you need!. I tried 3 different carriers as my eldest had colic and was only comforted when carried upright, the one that worked for me was the old fashioned baby bjorn. I agree though the best thing is to wait till baby is born to see what suits both of you.
Thanks Karen, I will definitely look at what options we have and see if we can try a few out!
I can’t get enough of the cute baby gear Laura, so adorable! You’re looking fabulous, definitely have that pregnancy glow :)
Thanks Claire! I think the glow is mostly me just feeling hot and sweaty haha!
I do love all the cute woodland accessories!
I have no idea what to add, although some of my friends have waterproof fabric things (like a tablecloth, but waterproof) that they put down on the floor to catch all the drips and food and bits- then when the kids are older they can be used to protect tables when you do painting and things.
That’s a great idea Maria, I might have to order some nice oil cloth ready for when we start weaning to save my carpet!
looking good sweetie :) I know my little one goes through periods of being active followed by little movement, it scares me too. Sometimes that is all I think about and drive me crazy haha
I heard about Angel Care but ended going with another brand for baby monitor. So many to pick from!
We used the angel care monitor. It was helpful when Theo was small and didn’t move about much but we had quite a few false alarms so it wasn’t worth it after a few months.
In terms of slings. We used the moby religiously- so good and perfect for indoor and outdoor use. Friends of ours also use the Close Caboo which they loved. We bought the Ergo but didn’t get on with it at all. Theo always overheated in it and when he got a bit older he didn’t like that he didn’t have much visability. Controversially, we also loved the baby bjorn. Theo loved it and we used it loads- found it really easy to take on and off.
So excited for you! You can’t beat the anticipation and excitement of expecting your first child. I’m excited about having a second, but it’s a different excitement. I’m looking forward to breastfeeding again, and seeing how things will be different now that we’ve already done it once.
Sorry for rambling on! xxx
You haven’t rambled at all Sarah, thanks for the info that’s really useful. The moby definitely seems to be a popular option so I think I’ll go for that and it makes sense with the angel care, we’ll probably have to see how we go with that. Didn’t realise you were expecting your second, congrats!
Thanks Laura! :)