17 Weeks | My Mills Baby

I’m pretty sure that Dex has sussed out that he has a new brother or sister coming. Strangely, I think he’s also worked out he or she is in my tummy. And here was me thinking that under 5′s are usually told that their mums and dads bought a new baby from a hospital shop, or had a secret meeting with the baby-fairy!

All the signs are pointing to the fact he knows. He’s recently become obsessed with flicking through mother & baby magazines and pointing to pictures of babies. He’ll kiss the pages, rip them out and bring them to us with the proudest look on his face.

Over the last few months, our living room has also become a student obstetrician’s paradise with tons of pregnancy books scattered around. I’m pretty obsessed with learning about the new baby and like to follow my pregnancy week by week. One of these books is heavily pictorial and has become a firm favourite with my little man. He’ll stare for hours at pictures of pregnant women (…obviously we’ve got our fingers crossed this isn’t the start of a lifelong fetish!).

Although he can’t talk yet, Dexter is able to understand basic commands. “Where’s Daddy?” will see him searching out Craig, and “Up the wooden hill for Bedfordshire” (a.k.a up the stairs to bed) will result in him hiding behind the sofa. Now, when we say “Where’s the baby?” he’ll lift up his shirt and rub his belly! Whenever my own belly is out he’ll bend over and kiss it too. The only explanation I can think of is that his choice of reading matter has prompted the connection between my bump and a baby. At just 18 months, I’m now thinking I have an utter genius on my hands.

Finally, he’s become very loving over the past few months. Previously you’d have to pin him down for a cuddle and he’d wriggle free in minutes. He’d kiss you occasionally but he wouldn’t seek it out - it would always be as a result of us bending down at an opportune moment. Now he’ll run into our arms, climb onto our laps and bat books and mobile phones out of our hands to plant a kiss on our lips. It’s an amazing and very welcome transition but I can’t help but link it to the new baby. It’s as though he knows his days as an only child (with exclusive access to us) are numbered.

Has anyone else had two babies in short amount of time, and experienced anything similar with their eldest? I’d love to hear your stories.

Linking up this week to Wot So Funnee? from the lovely Actually Mummy. If you fancy a giggle, discover more toddler antics and click the badge below to be transported straight to all this weeks posts!

WotSoFuneeBadge 17 Weeks Pregnant (Part 2): Introducing a new Brother or Sister

I’m back to my whingey self for this update. I’ve got a funny feeling this post is going to seem more like a ‘Dear Diary’ than my usual sarcastic offerings…

Here we go.

So I’m now 17 weeks pregnant and I’m not feeling well at all.

Although the morning sickness has abated and I’m physically and emotionally in second trimester territory, I’ve been struck by every single bug and infection my little hometown has to offer. From coughs that hang around for weeks, to colds that plug your ears and make your eyes weep - I’ve had it all.

Last week saw dizzy spells and near faints that were particularly scary given I’m home alone with Dex throughout the day. Blood pressure checks and iron counts followed and it seems I’m a little low on both fronts. Everything can be resolved by medication but it’s still causing migraines that could register on the Richter scale. Every scream, bang, or cry from Dex rattles through my head like fingernails on a chalkboard.

I’m having to concede that some, if not all, of these illnesses, are probably a result of my pushing my body too far. Physically I’ve had a punishing schedule. Dexter is napping less throughout the day making it difficult to find time to relax. He’s also more active and adventurous than ever. Being so young, he’s still very susceptible to any bugs I’m carrying, so my poor little guy has had more than his fair share of tricky-to-shift colds over the last few weeks too. We’re very lucky he’s such a calm and happy toddler or things would have been even harder.

I’ve also had the odd day where I’ve pulled muscles in unthinkable places. At the Baby Show a few weekends ago, I stupidly overdid it and spent hours on my feet. As my bump is very heavy, it tested the ligaments in my upper thighs and pelvis. When we finally got home in the early evening, I was stiff and exhausted and had a mystery pain in my lower abdomen.

Ever the hypochondriac, I took to Facebook and Twitter to have a moan, and was reassured by many that I’d just tweaked a muscle. If not for social media, I’d have probably spent a long (and somewhat embarrassing) night with the drunks in A&E. Like most things it disappeared a few days after so I’d have felt like a right prat wasting time at the hospital.

We’ve also recently been made aware that our landlord’s are due to sell our house (we private rent). This is part and parcel of renting, and we had intended to upgrade to a three-bedroom property when the new baby was a few months old anyway, so it’s not so much of a disappointment as a kick up the bum. The uncertainty is a little a stressful though. Although our landlords are hopeful that we won’t have to leave the house until April, as this is baby’s due date, we’re anxious about having to undergo such upheaval immediately before the birth.

Thankfully we’ve now found a really lovely place and (fingers crossed) we should be able to move at the back end of this month instead. It’s still unconfirmed as regards notice periods at the moment, but I do feel a little better having seen a few suitable places since receiving the news. If we lose the opportunity on this house, I suspect my anxiety levels will creep up again, but right now we’re hopeful all will progress as planned. It will definitely be a relief to move in before Christmas so I can spend my last trimester stress-free (particularly given Dexter surprised us all by arriving at 38 weeks!).

So… I’m after relaxation tips in pregnancy. Thanks to Craig, I’m getting time alone in the evenings for a soak in the bath, but it would be great to grab some me-time throughout the day. Any advice gratefully appreciated.