16 weeks and counting!

Hello,

Welcome to the blog of my 2nd pregnancy. I've just reached 16 weeks, and now that the morning sickness has finally lessened, it seems like a good time to start blogging. This will be my last pregnancy - I hope - and so my last chance to record pregnancy thoughts and feelings as events unfold.

My first pregnancy produced a daughter, Cassie, who is now 23 months old. Like most 23-month-olds, she's very cute, often infuriating, and generally heaps of fun to be around. She already knows about the "bee-bee", and seems to think that she has one in her tummy too!

The other person involved is my husband, Geoff. We're both feeling simultaneously happy and terrified about the prospect of a 2nd child. Sometimes we wonder why we're risking our hard-won equilibrium, which took a long time to re-emerge after Cassie's arrival...but hopefully it will be worth it!

A quick update on events so far:


Getting Pregnant:

Luckily, this seems very easy for us and happened nearly straight away after we started trying. Actually, I only had one period between Cassie's birth and this new pregnancy. That is one of the joys of "extended" breastfeeding!

Finding out:

I took a pregnancy test when my period was 1 day late, as I was keen to get into Canberra's famous Birth Centre. Everyone says it's "virtually impossible to get in... You practically need to phone up if you're planning to have sex when you think you might be fertile". I thought that was a bit excessive, so I waited a little longer...

Well, to my surprise, the 2nd little line appeared on the wee-test, so I phoned up the Birth Centre straight away, even before phoning Geoff. Amazingly, I got in, although I had to lie a tiny bit about the due date. Not a problem, as it's only by a couple of days.

Straight after doing the test I was hosting a Breastfeeding Association on Tandem Feeding, which seemed suddenly very topical. It was all I could do to hold my tongue and not announce to everyone at the meeting that I was "29 days pregnant!!!" Especially when the councilor hosting the meeting commented that she must have a trustworthy face, as several friends had announced to her that they were pregnant before they'd even told the babies' fathers...But, I did actually succeed in keeping it a secret, at least until I went to the doctor and did a second test to confirm.

I was very happy when we found out from the Dr's test that I really was pregnant. I resolved to really enjoy my pregnancy. I hated being pregnant the first time. I had bad morning sickness, followed by bad indigestion. I felt like an elephant the whole time. I felt completely unsexy the whole time. I didn't even much feel like going out at all during the last 3 months. Anyway, that was a big mistake, as all those things get much harder once you've got a newborn...

First 3 months:
Despite my resolution to have fun, the first three months can only be described as awful.

At 5.5 weeks, I experienced some spotting, and of course was scared I was about to miscarry. I also became paranoid that I might have an ectopic pregnancy. An ultrasound showed that the baby was in the right spot - big relief. I felt much better even though the horrible ultrasound sonographer did her best to make my day unpleasant.

Luckily, the spotting stopped, and around the same day that I had the ultrasound, I started to feel the first few twinges of morning sickness. At first, I felt relief, after all, this is supposed to be a sign of a healthy pregnancy. That was soon replaced by a feeling of "Oh no, not again", when I realised that the morning sickness was going to be just as bad as it was with Cassie. If not worse...

Not very nice to be feeling nauseous 18 hours/day (i.e. all the waking hours), losing much of your food intake, totally dependent on help from husband, parents and in-laws to keep the household running.

Luckily, I improved a bit at 11 weeks, just in time for me to play my flute at my brother Michael's wedding ceremony. Very relieved, as I was so worried I wouldn't be able to play.

11-15 weeks was ok, then at 15 weeks I caught a gastro bug off my daughter (I think), which seemed to restart the morning sickness. Or maybe it just took a week to shake the gastro bug. Yet again, I was feeling sorry for myself and generally unhappy with the whole world. It's hard to think about anything, let alone the changes that you and your family will face with the arrival of another child when you are experiencing all-encompassing nausea.

And now?

I've been feeling good for the last 2 days, and am really enjoying life again! Of course, it helps that the last 2 days have been perfect Canberra autumn weather. 17 degrees, completely clear and cloudless, no wind; perfect for walking near the Lake and appreciating the autumn trees.

Of course, life was cheaper when I was sick. Maybe to make up for all the time at home I've felt like visiting cafes and eating out all weekend. Geoff can never say "no" if I suggest eating out or takeaway, so I really need to show some restraint.

We also bought a Very Expensive Pram yesterday. It's a "City Mini by Baby Jogger". Note it's not actually suitable for jogging and comes with a warning label saying not to exceed 3mph. As if I'd be jogging after the birth of a new baby...

Actually, it cost nearly $500. I can't believe we spent that much. I felt like a complete yuppy walking with it this morning with Cassie in it. But I'm hoping it will save us money in the long run as it folds up really really small, and I think it will actually fit in our very small car with 2 baby seats and a load of shopping. Hopefully, this means we won't need to buy a new car. I really don't want to submit to a high-carbon lifestyle and buy a Falcon or Commodore...

The new pram is also light enough that I will actually have a chance of lifting it in and out of the car within 3 months of giving birth - no such joy with the Bema Q!

Anyway, that is just about up to the minute.

Photos coming soon, I hope.