Week 27: 21 April

Weight: So I actually lost a little bit of weight this week. There is no real reason that I can think of, I ate the same as usual, I guess it’s just normal ups and downs for pregnancy weight.
This week: 87.9 kgs (193.3 lbs)
Down: 200 grams (0.4 lbs)
Total pregnancy gain: 7.9 kgs (17.3 lbs)

How far along: 27 Weeks. I can’t believe I am in the third trimester. Holy shit. This is getting serious.

How big is baby: As heavy as a head of cauliflower and measuring 36.6 cm from head to toe.

 

Sleep: Occasionally bubs kicks so much that it distracts me from sleep, but my belly really isn’t getting in my way yet. Insomnia is still killing me. I just can’t wait until I finish up at work and can have an afternoon nap (before bubs arrives anyway).

Symptoms: This is normally where I complain about my heartburn or other symptoms, but this week I realised a pleasant side effect of pregnancy… I have barely had any headaches. I used to get frequent headaches, but I have only had a few minor headaches since being pregnant. Weird.

I was also greeted with this information on my pregnancy app this week. Sounds pleasant! I am really starting to feel the shortness of breath, not because I’m tired, it just feels like there is too much squished in my middle and it’s hard to get my breath sometimes.

Best moment of this week: My brother and sister in law drove down from Sydney with my sweet niece Penelope for a little visit. My sister in law wanted to throw me a baby shower (NO WAY) so she compromised by buying me an awesome nappy bag and filled it with little gifts. The hilarious thing is, she bought me the exact nappy bag that I had been eyeing off from Mimco, but I thought it might be a bit of an unnecessary splurge. Yay, that was really exciting. There is nothing like a cute bag to get you excited for motherhood. Here is Penelope helping me open my gifts and chewing my hands off (she has her first teeth coming through).

And some more photos of the little cutie. She is such a sweet girl.

Miss anything: We went out for lunch in Torquay on the Anzac Day public holiday this week and I indulged in a delicious glass of wine. After one sip I declared that it tasted like my old life. Yum. I am looking forward to enjoying some more wine after bubs arrives. I am sure I’ll need it!

Movement: Some days bubs is a little quiet and others she/he goes nuts. I do consistently feel kicks and jabs every evening before bed and normally first thing in the morning too.

Food cravings: Red meat and sweets, which I think is more about feeling tired because I always crave those things when I’m worn out.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, all good.

Gender: AJ’s 4 year old niece, Billie, and I both decided this week that it will be a girl. 🙂

How’s your mood: Well, well, well, what to say? I wrote a bit about my increasing anxiety last week and nothing has changed. When I get anxious I tend to be a bit grumpy and snappy to be around. Poor AJ can’t do anything right… I’ve also been a bit down and missing my mum a lot this week. I knew that being pregnant without my mum around would be tough, but some weeks are just harder than others I guess.

Looking forward to: The 4 day work week! Getting through 5 days at work is getting harder and harder. Here is the baby daddy and I enjoying the public holiday with a cosy day at the beach.

 

The Bump: I can tell it’s growing, but I know that I still mostly just look a bit chunky. The silver lining is that when I have to meet with the bank for our house loan they won’t be able to tell that I am pregnant, because that would not be a good situation for us right now! They would not be happy to find out that we are soon to become a one income family with a baby to support… eeeek. This is why the house delay threw quite a spanner in the works. Fingers crossed it all goes smoothly and we still get a loan because I have no idea what we’ll do if we don’t!

Week 26: 14 April

Weight:
This week: 88.1 kg (193.8 lbs)
Up: 300 grams (0.6 lbs)
Total gain: 8.1 kilos (17.8 lbs)

This is about average for what I should be gaining at this stage of my pregnancy, I’m happy with 300 grams this week, it’s healthy for my BMI from what I have read.

How far along: 26 weeks. Coming to the tail-end of my second trimester.

How big is baby: The size of a red cabbage. Yep, I am definitely feeling that!

Sleep: Oh the usual insomnia, it’s not crazy bad, just a bit of a pain. I just feel totally wiped out by about 2.00 pm every day due to lack of sleep.

Symptoms: The usual heart burn and reflux, but also back pain this week too. I have an old lower back injury which seems to be inflamed by my increasing weight and my upper back is also suffering under the weight of my giant boobies too. Nothing too serious just yet.

Best moment of this week: My boss hired my maternity leave replacement, which means I have an end date for work. Yay!!! I am so excited. My maternity leave starts on June 16, but I had some annual leave, so I decided to put in for leave from June 2 so that I had some time to unpack my house and do my nursery (fingers crossed we are in the new house by then!!!).

Miss anything: Having a house. I am really struggling to handle being so unsettled right now. I just want to be pottering about in my own home getting everything set up for baby. I have been drooling over Pinterest and all the ideas I have for our new house and our nursery. I also feel quite claustrophobic by this little hotel room. The week nights aren’t too bad, but on weekends I just need to get out and get some space and fresh air. I get so antsy in this little room. We still have no idea when the house will be ready. Last I heard was it would definitely be done by the first week of April… The Developer has been an absolute pig, so I have stopped asking because I can’t handle his rudeness.

Movement: Lots of kicks and flutters and turns. Not as much as when bubs was dancing on my uterus a couple of weeks ago, so not sure if he/she turned, but this is much more comfortable.

Food cravings: Anything sweet pretty much. I had a little sweet pig out on Easter Sunday, which was totally worth the heart burn! 🙂

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, I have quite a big appetite!

Gender: No idea. And we really don’t know either. Some people have been asking if we are just pretending that we don’t know, but I can assure you that we really don’t!!!

How’s your mood: Definitely up and down. Anxiety is getting the better of me at the moment. I am finding I am really struggling to cope with pressure at work, stressing about what I’ll do if the house isn’t ready before baby arrives and worrying about money and the cost of this hotel we are living in. Basically turning myself into a ball of anxiety. I’ve also had a few panic attacks recently, so I’ll speak to my obstetrician in a couple of weeks when I next see her and see if she has any advice. I used to take valium to help in these situations, but I haven’t been able to take anything since being pregnant. I am doing yoga and breathing exercises, but it’s not quite cutting the mustard…

Looking forward to: Getting home from work every night, taking my bra off and getting into bed. Bliss.

The Bump: This week I have had a lot of comments at work from people telling me I don’t look pregnant and shouldn’t I be showing by now??? I don’t know if I would say it annoys me, it just makes me feel a bit embarrassed that I know the reason I don’t look pregnant is because of my weight and I feel the need to make a joke about it. It’s no big deal, just a little strange to have people openly comment on your body so much!

I also had a mortifying moment at work this week. I wore a shirt dress that was getting a little too tight around my boobies, but thought I could get away with it. Then in the afternoon I was up on the top level at work and our CEO called me into his office to discuss a work matter with me. This is the first time I have ever been in his office, it’s not like we have a close relationship and he definitely makes me very nervous. Then five minutes into our conversation I looked down and noticed my massive breasts hanging out of my dress because the button had popped open. I probably should have just tried to do the button up, but I panicked, so I just stood awkwardly with my arm across my chest like I was singing the national anthem. I couldn’t focus on anything he was saying and just tried to get my exposed boobies out of there asap. So, probably time to start thinking more about a maternity wardrobe.

Here I am enjoying the sunshine at the beach over the Easter long weekend. Nothing I am wearing is maternity, just clothes I already had pre-pregnancy.

And a photo with my baby daddy…

Week 25: 7 April

Weight: This week: 87.8 kilos (193.1 lbs) which is a total gain of 7.8 kilos (17.1 lbs).

How far along: 25 weeks. This feels like another mini milestone. I always said that when we got to 25 weeks that we would start to shop for the basics like a car seat and pram. Now that I am here, it still feels hard because our new house seems so far away and we have nowhere to store any purchases. It is hard to nest in a hotel! We did go and have a look at a few baby shops over the weekend, but we weren’t feeling it and I bought some shoes for myself and AJ bought a new coffee machine instead. Once we get into our new house I can nest properly I guess.

How big is baby: Apparently weighs about the same as a swede- 660 grams and is 35 cms from crown to heel. I am feeling every cm right now, bubs is really taking up a lot of space and putting pressure on my hips, bladder and everything else down there.

Sleep: Not too bad, I always want more, but I can’t complain. I’m lucky that I haven’t popped too much yet, so bubs isn’t getting in my way when I’m sleeping.

Symptoms: My bladder seems to be getting weaker and weaker already. I am not just talking about needing to go to the bathroom constantly, but experiencing leakage… WTF??? I haven’t even given birth yet, I thought this happened after! I am guessing it is from the pressure bubs is putting on me? It is prompting me to get much more serious about those pelvic floor exercises.

Best moment of this week: I started pregnancy yoga this week. It felt good to do something positive for me and bubs. I was really nervous beforehand and really tired from a sleepless night, so I was proud that made it. It was pretty relaxing and exactly what I needed.

Miss anything: Home cooked food. I am trying to prepare fresh and healthy meals as much as possible in the hotel, but mostly I stick to frozen veg pouches, brown rice pods tins of legumes, tuna and cooked chicken. Its hard to prepare much else and now the cooler weather is hitting I would love some home made soup, casseroles, curries and all the things I usually cook in winter. It’s just too hard in this small space though.

Movement: So much movement! On Saturday night bubs was going crazy and AJ could even see my tummy moving from all the kicking. Apparently this reminded him of the movie Alien.

Food cravings: It’s not a craving, but I always feel like hot chips, but I think that is normal for me.

Anything making you queasy or sick: No, I think those days are mostly behind me now.

Gender: We still don’t plan on finding out, I’m looking forward to the surprise. It seems to make it more exciting for our friends and family too. Though I know it’s frustrating for people who want to buy us presents… sorry!

How’s your mood: I am generally pretty happy most of the time, but I still have my moments where I anger easily or get overly emotional. AJ copped my wrath in Pottery Barn Kids when he dared suggest we use his sister’s old crib. What was he thinking? Does he know me at all??? I’m sure he won’t make that mistake again… ha ha.

Looking forward to: The four day weekend coming up over Easter. It is just want I need. I’m hoping for lots of sleeping in!

The Bump: It’s still pretty hard to see a defined bump, I really do just look pudgy still. I do have a bump, it is just surrounded by other rolls of fat that hide it. I try to be zen about it most of the time because the only thing that matters is that bubs is healthy… but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t upset me a bit. Especially when so many people comment that they can’t tell I’m pregnant. I know they don’t mean to be rude, but I always feel a bit embarrassed because it’s obviously due to my weight.

Oh and don’t mind my lazy eye… I was really struggling to get a good photo this morning!

Pregnancy Weight Gain

I know a number of people who barely gained weight and even lost some weight during pregnancy. It’s quite common for people with bad morning sickness or if you start from a higher BMI. Naturally I assumed I would be one of those people. Ha ha, what was I thinking???

I didn’t actually weigh myself when I first got pregnant, so it’s hard to know how much I have really gained. My last weigh in was on the 3rd of August 2016 when I weighed 77.6 kilos (170.7 lbs). I got pregnant about the end of October and I predict I weighed closer to 80 kilos (176 lbs) by then. During those few months I had a couple of indulgent weekends away and I was also eating and drinking more than usual because I was feeling a little down and out.

So here are my pregnancy weight stats at 25 weeks:

Pre- pregnancy start weight: 80 kilos (176 lbs)
20 week weight: 85.4 kilos (187.8 lbs)
25 week weight: 87.8 kilos (193.1 lbs)

This is a gain of 7.8 kilos (17.1 lbs) so far and I still have 15 weeks to go. Hmmmm.

All the information that I have read says that, at my BMI, I should only gain between 7-11.5 kilos (15.5 – 25 lbs) throughout my entire pregnancy. Holy shit, that is not much! So I had aimed to only gain about 10 kilos (22 lbs) maximum.  I have a feeling that baby still has a whole lot more growing to do, so I don’t think this will be a realistic goal.

It’s unfortunate that I gained so much in my first 20 weeks. I was so nauseous that I was eating a lot of carbs (at all times of the day and night) to make me feel better. I definitely didn’t eat as well as I could have in that time, but I just couldn’t face a whole lot of fruit or veg. Plus the Christmas period and moving house twice meant I was eating a lot more indulgently than I usually would. What can you do…

I do eat much better now (see typical diet here) and I also walk to work every day and plan to start pregnancy pilates this week. So I know that I am doing the best I can and my body will do what it needs to do to cook a healthy bubba. In all honesty, there is also a part of me that is in awe that I haven’t lost the plot completely and gained 30 kilos so far. So I am patting myself on the back a little bit too.

Here I am just before pregnancy (floral dress) and at 24 weeks pregnant (stripes).

Pre-pregnancy

24 Weeks

I’d love to know how other women handled pregnancy weight gain. How much did you gain? Was it hard to get off again? Did you struggle a little bit when seeing those numbers go up every week?

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In case you’re interested, this is typically how the pregnancy weight gain distributes:

Baby: 3.0 to 3.6kg
Placenta: 0.7kg
Amniotic fluid: 1kg
Larger uterus: 1kg
Increased blood volume: 1.4 to 1.8kg
Extra fluid: 1.4 to 1.8kg
Bigger breasts: 1kg
Fat stores: 2.7 to 3.6kg

Week 24: 31 March

How far along: 24 Weeks.

How big is baby: As long as an ear of corn.

Sleep: As with most weeks, it’s been a mixed bag. Random insomnia, but I do occasionally get a good nights sleep too, so it’s been OK.

Symptoms: I got round ligament pain for the first time this week. It hasn’t been too bad, just a bit uncomfortable really. The other thing getting worse every day is the pressure on my bladder. I’m getting nervous being out and about without a toilet close by. Tonight I met a friend for a walk around The Tan and was desperate for a bathroom and nowhere to go. I’m guessing this will get worse, before it gets better. Eeeek!

Best moment of this week: It was AJ’s birthday this week so I bought him some cute baby presents. It was the first baby stuff I have bought, so it was exciting (and weird) to be buying baby stuff for our own baby. I got him some cute Rock Your Baby outfits (see below), the jumpsuit is referencing a Beastie Boys song (apparently) and the little overalls worked perfect for AJ because he is a big Tigers supporter. It’s strange to think we’ll be taking bubs to a Richmond game in those little overalls before the footy season is over! Of course, I will still be a cats supporter!!!

The last photo is AJ enjoying a birthday dinner at his favourite restaurant, Fancy Hanks… which he calls ‘his spiritual home’!

Miss anything: With AJ’s birthday this week I really missed being able to get involved in some boozy hijinks like we normally do to celebrate. I had a beer with dinner and then I just felt like 10 more… but soon after I was just sleepy and ready for bed. Party animal.

Movement: Lots and lots of movement, getting more vicious by the day!

Food cravings: Just massive sweet cravings this week. I think this has mostly been because I have been so tired this week and my body just wanted sugar. I just hit the Oreo Easter eggs a minute ago, yum!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, no issues there this week.

Gender: No idea. It seems like everyone around me also wants bubs to be a girl, of course we’ll all be happy for a boy or a girl… mostly anyway ha ha!

How’s your mood: I’m great 95% of the time, but the other 5% of the time I feel emotional, easily annoyed and close to tears. I am not normally like this so I find it quite annoying having all these silly feelings! A guy at work was really aggressive and nasty to me this week and I was so close to crying and only just managed to just hold it together. I really don’t want anyone thinking that being pregnant has affected me or to see it as a weakness in the workplace, which unfortunately is something I could see happening at my work.

Looking forward to: I am hanging out for the 4 day weekend over the Easter break. I am just so bloody tired at the moment and need a break from work. It has just been so intense lately and it won’t be slowing down anytime soon. My boss even noticed I looked tired and unwell this week and suggested I go home and rest, which is very unusual behaviour for her (she’s a bit of a ball breaker ha ha).

The Bump: So you can see a little bump in this photo, but you still wouldn’t know I was pregnant unless you knew me. I just look pudgy. I am really looking forward to popping out more because I feel like I am missing out on the pregnancy experience by not having a bump. The girls on the pregnancy forum I visit all have such big amazing bumps and I am feeling a bit embarrassed of my little bump. Not to mention all the comments at work from people telling me they can’t tell I’m pregnant… yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it, I’m too fat to look pregnant, thanks for noticing. Oh well, I’ll pop eventually.