The Expectant Blogger Week 21: Sleepless Nights

Our blooming blogger talks us through the weekly ups and downs of a first-time pregnancy.

This week I'm experiencing a few sleepless nights. I can't seem to get comfortable and I'm waking up a lot to find I have a dead leg – which is always a pleasant experience. When reading up on this latest development the books say you must sleep on your left side and not on your back, as this can be bad for the placenta and put pressure on it passing oxygen through. I have started experimenting with pillows, and now my bed is starting to look like an igloo, I think Rich has trouble seeing me – he practically has to fight his way through for a goodnight kiss now.

Double trouble?
Coming back to work from holiday has been quite funny, as I'm now getting the reactions I longed for; ‘Oh my god – look at that bump!'. I went away with nothing and came back looking like I had swallowed a melon whole. It's a massive difference.

I went for a lunch at the work canteen and one of my colleagues looked so shocked he asked if I was expecting twins and whether I was due to have Bean in a matter of weeks. I think he was shocked at what a difference two weeks had made.

I'm now really fascinated about how big Bean is now. In fact I'm in total awe about the whole pregnancy process.

Boy/Girl?
We know what Bean is now.

We had the 21-week scan and it was such a difference. You really could see everything. To begin with, Bean was lying on its front, and after some prodding turned around, we could see everything arms, legs and all its organs – it's all doing well. Its face was fascinating and its little hands were up as if it was waving at us.

The sonographer did not say anything in terms of what sex Bean is so we asked her, and she told us Bean is a little boy! Rich and I are delighted and I had tears in my eyes I found it quite emotional. I really thought I might want a girl but to be honest now I know that my little boy is doing well, and he is healthy I just feel so happy. Hearing his little heartbeat is amazing. Rich looked very excited and that made it even more special.

When we left the clinic, I assured Rich that it would probably be a lot cheaper now that we know it's a boy as I will not be able to splash out on the millions of dresses I have seen. However, he will look cool you can be assured of that!

Keep on moving
My little boy has been moving around a lot, I constantly feel him now, and I love it. You can tell when he stops for a sleep, and when he wakes – not sure, if this bodes well for the future-sleeping pattern, as he was doing it a lot at midnight and four in the morning. I love it though and it gives me a nice warm fuzzy feeling. It's going to be a while longer before Rich can feel a kick but when it happens, I know he is going to be very excited.

I've been frantically rubbing in the oil in every day without fail, and have used everything recommended. Firstly I tried Bio Oil, which some people really rave about. Due to being a sensitive flower it gave me a bit of rash, so then, I moved onto Clarins tonic oil, which is pricey but worth it. It smells nice and seems to be working. A couple of my friends swear by it and say from using it they never got one stretch mark – this is obviously an incentive to lather myself in oil every morning. I'm starting to look like a big greasy chip.

A lovely friend of mine bought me stretch mark oil this week called This Works: Stretch mark oil and so I'm going to try it. She says she read about it and it's supposed to work a miracle so once I'm out of my current stock I will try it.

A brilliant invention
I bought a Bando belt this week, and it's brilliant! I got mine from grobag. It lets me wear my non-maternity trousers by putting this band around them to hold them up. Have I made it sound complicated? It's not at all - it's so comfortable and it means I do not have buy lots of new trousers which I hate doing. You can also use it for wearing your normal tops as it acts like a layer. All of these little inventions are so cool!

Pregnant office chats this week
My colleague in the office this week is at the stage where she can see her baby’s arm or leg through her tummy; she says it's weird because you can feel a boney foot rather than a soft lump.

For me I have been getting what feels like a stitch/stomach cramp. Apparently this is the ligaments stretching to accommodate my growing uterus! It's very weird talking about my body in such detail especially when you have never seen the parts you are discussing.

Overall, it has been a fantastic week and I'm now constantly thinking about what it's going to be like with Rich, our little son and me! Until next week…

• Read more from our Expectant Blogger here
  
• Boy or girl - take our fun gender quiz here
  
  
• Pregnancy timeline - week 21