Gender Scans | My Mills Baby

Quite unbelievably I’m now 18 weeks pregnant. I just can’t believe I’m almost midway through. With Dexter, pregnancy definitely consumed me. Every conversation, dream or decision was unconsciously linked back to the baby in my tummy. This time around, I can honestly say there are entire days when I completely forget I’m pregnant. It’s the visual prompts that will snap me back to reality - the Pregnacare tablets by the kettle, or the What to Expect app on my iPhone, catching a glimpse of my disappearing waistline in the mirror etc.

Dexter is definitely a great distraction from mulling over every little twinge. His little personality is so infectious, and he seems to manage something new everyday - it’s easy to lose yourself in parenting him, and not looking ahead to when I’ll be responsible for two babies. We’re also in the middle of moving house so I’m living among boxes and chaos. As there’s so much to organise, it’s this that’s at the forefront of my mind at the moment. When we’re in our new home I can finally start nesting and preparing for this baby.

Capture1 18 Weeks Pregnant Eek! I Felt a Kick!!!

The new house!

Baby at 18 Weeks

I’ve heard it said that you’re likely to feel kicks sooner the second time around. With Dexter, I was able to say with certainty I’d felt a kick around week 22, with this pregnancy, I’ve been feeling somersaults and flips for a few weeks now, and on Saturday I felt the first thump of a tiny foot just below my belly button. This little foot cannot be much bigger than a Barbie doll’s, but I definitely felt it. Since then, I’ve been far greater attuned to any movement, and baby continues to wriggle around in there. It’s definitely a reassuring development as my anxiety continues to be a problem.

Baby is, hopefully, now the size of a sweet potato (approx 12cm) and growing at pace. The most important thing to note is that his or hers sex organs are now distinct and recognisable. Our gender scan is just a matter of days away now, and I’m very excited. I’ve wavered back and forth between thinking this baby is a boy or a girl, and it will be a genuine surprise when we find out. With Dexter, my intuition told me all along he was a boy so the scan merely confirmed it. Of course, we’ll be delighted either way so long as baby is healthy, but I must admit I am nervous at the prospect of having a little girl. I think this is simply because I’ve reassured myself that I’m a good mother to Dexter (and really enjoy it) so I’m a little scared of the unknown.

baby development 18 weeks pregnant 18 Weeks Pregnant Eek! I Felt a Kick!!!

Me at 18 Weeks

My own weight seems to have slowed down these past two weeks and there’s not too much to note in terms of my bump. Craig did point out that my belly is much harder than it was with Dexter so I’m trying not to think too deeply about what this could mean.

My hair and nails are growing faster and thicker which is not without its irony as I couldn’t feel any less attractive at the moment. Although the flu-like symptoms are beginning to taper off, I’m still exhausted and really value my naps in the day.

There are a few new symptoms to report. I’m smelling phantom smoke at night and am continually seeking it out in the early morning. I’m also up at 4.32am every morning without fail which I assume means this is a likely feed time for the new baby. Finally, I’m very short-tempered (I’m blaming this on the pregnancy rather than admit I’m like this most of the time). Craig’s coping well with it and managing to laugh it off but I can go from happy to moody in less than 60 seconds.

So What’s Next?

Shortly after the anomaly scan, we’ll meet the consultant for the first time. This appointment is also playing heavily on my mind. I’ve been forewarned by my midwife that the consultant will want to know my thoughts on a VBAC, and will, in all likelihood, suggest I should attempt it. I’m sure you’ll hear lots of musings from me over the next few weeks on this very subject.

So that’s enough from me… these updates are getting longer and longer! If you’re pregnant and would like to win an ultra sensitive doppler to listen to baby’s heartbeat, stick with me over the next few days as there’s a very exciting competition on its way…

Okay so it’s still very early days here (6 weeks in) - but this pregnancy is already very different from my last one.

With Dexter my little bump emerged gracefully around 18 weeks in, I only had minor sickness and was able to cope with it discreetly, and my hair and nails looked beautiful. I felt positively swan-like and loved every second of it.

Carrying Dexter (and a huge Christmas dinner) at 18 weeks

With this pregnancy I’m already spotting a hefty pot-belly (I’m seriously hoping this is water retention / baby and not too many baked potatoes) and I’m regularly slumped over the toilet with my hair shoved up in a crude ponytail. The headaches are coming thick and fast and blurring my vision, and I’m exhausted all the time. It’s like having a perpetual hangover.

I’m crying at adverts - not just charity ones either, the Persil ad had me welling up the other day! And I’m incredibly clumsy - I’ve fallen out of bed twice already and almost knocked myself out by walking into a glass door yesterday. It’s as if there is a small child in my brain operating my body via a Playstation controller.

Of course, only having carried one baby to full term so far, I’m no pregnancy expert. I know all the books are telling me that every pregnancy is different and it would be the mother of all assumptions to assume this baby is a girl - but this is exactly what I’m doing. It’s this or octuplets and I don’t want to think too deeply about that!

Yep, I’m convinced that the little clump of cells, no bigger than an orange seed, is a little mini-me. I’m reliably informed by the SMA website that her “umbilical cord has formed and established the circulation between the placenta and the embryo. The little heart is flickering now and four tiny limb buds are appearing” - well judging by the state her mummy is in, I think she’s probably already throwing a diva strop and making herself at home in my tummy. Give it another 10 weeks and I’ll play her a bit of One Direction to confirm my prediction.

When I was in my early days with Dexie I wrote a post about a few ridiculous websites that trade on a mummy-to-be’s preoccupation with her bump. These weird websites claim to see into the future and can tell you the sex of your baby and what he or she will look like. Funnily enough, despite me taking the proverbial out of these sites, they were actually pretty accurate.

The Chinese Gender Prediction Chart was in fact spot on that I was carrying a little man. And the cherubic little fella grinning at us courtesy of MorphThing does actually look eerily like a 6 month old Dexter. Just look at this…

Well naturally I decided to give it a go again. The Chinese Gender Prediction Chart (with its ‘laughable-in-its-irony’ 50% accuracy) confirms that I have a little princess on board. And look how beautiful she is!

Despite using several different photo combinations, the result doesn’t vary much. I’m not sure I’d want it to as she looks lovely. Her eyes are darker than Dex’s, she has a fuller mouth, and very sweet plump cheeks. She’s also around 5 or 6 years old (I hope she isn’t quite so old when the midwife passes her to me for the first time - that would eff’ing well hurt).

So there you go! I’m off to get stuck into a baby name book! Until next time…