Nearly 24-weeks preggers!! Time is not flying by (that’s how eager I am to meet our girl) but it is gradually passing away 🙂
I’m feeling well and judging from the frequent activity in my belly, our baby is doing well too. I know many things could still go wrong, but fortunately I’ve been able to stay relaxed and positive – it’s been easy since there has been no obvious reason to get worried… Fingers crossed everything is fine!
Healthy pregnancy doesn’t mean it’s like not being pregnant at all or that it’s fun and easy all the time! With every week I feel bigger and heavier as the baby grows and it’s not always comfortable.
My bump is very distinctive now – it’s still quite low and points forward (rather than being very wide, if you know what I mean). When I lie on my back my baby belly no longer disappears like it used to but instead there’s a firm bump at my lower tummy.
Our baby is growing bigger and stronger too – her kicks and movements are now visible and her daddy has been able to feel them again. She’s active so frequently I find it hard to believe she is supposed to be asleep 12-14 hours a day! She’s particularly active after meals 🙂
While all of the above is lovely, there are also less wonderful symptoms… For example, I get the urge to wee every time I stand up which is very inconvenient!! She must be literally lying on my bladder. I’m also starting to feel like there’s less space in me for food, so I get full quickly (and then hungry again very quickly!).
Until recently I haven’t had any problems exercising or generally moving about but unfortunately new pregnancy symptoms have included lower back pain which may or may not be related to a pain I’ve had in my abdomen. Pain is a strong word, it’s more discomfort than anything. If I walk a lot (in flip flops for example) I start feeling pain in the lumbar region, which doesn’t feel like muscle ache. This might have something to do with the change in the point of gravity which I’ve read about, which puts extra stress on the lower back. Need to do some stretching.
I’ve also felt a strange “squeeze” in my lower tummy a few times, which resemble the description of Braxton Hicks contractions. My bump goes all tight and the discomfort radiates all the way to my back. It doesn’t go away straight away, so maybe it’s just ligament pain I’m feeling. Need to check with my midwife at the 25-week appointment.
Finding a comfortable position when lying down is getting so difficult too! I use pillows under my bump, between my legs, behind my back and under my head to be able sleep on my side (how can anyone sleep on their side normally?!). Baby’s daddy calls the result as my “barricade” haha! He helps me to set it up at nights, bless him…
As far as I know, all this is perfectly normal so I’m just going with it and trying not to complain! I’m so excited we’ll be finally in the third trimester in a few weeks!
We are half way through our two-week Greek holiday and it’s been super relaxing. I haven’t been very active apart from walking and swimming in the sea in the past days because of the heat. And that’s fine – I’ll get back to it soon enough. I’ve enjoyed a fair amount of ice cream and some other treats but most of our main meals have been healthy. Choosing healthy hasn’t even been hard because healthy food is so delicious here! A few examples below.
Grilled calamari with fresh lemon and Greek salad (minus cheese for me, sniff):
Mango-berry smoothie and fresh (gigantic) salad with guacamole:
And finally, to keep it real, a waffle with ice cream- yum!
xoxoxo,
Sini