Week 20

How far along are you? 

20 weeks. Halfway there! 

How big is the baby? 

The baby is the size of a banana. It is about 6.5 inches long and weighs roughly 10.6 oz. 

How I’m feeling: 

I feel happy and healthy. 

Healthy eating? 

I did pretty well this week. However, on Saturday I had a blueberry financier after lunch and a chocolate desert after dinner. Delicious but a bit much. 

Food cravings: 

Sweet carb heavy breakfast items. I don’t normally do a lot of baking but I feel better eating that type of thing if I know exactly what goes into it. On Monday I made these baked maple cinnamon doughnuts. I only gave them a light dusting of cinnamon and sugar but they were perfect for my taste. 

Food aversions:

None.

Exercise: 

My normal routine minus Zumba on Saturday. We had a ton of little errands to run on the weekend - a trip to the post office, the bank, the grocery store, etc. Since some of those places close early I skipped class. 

However, I did attend a yoga workshop for women Saturday night hosted by Uma Dinsmore-Tuli. She is the teacher who lead the Pregnancy Yoga teacher training and Women’s Wellness/Womb Yoga teacher training that I attended. Her work deeply inspires me and I firmly believe I have this sweet, little resident in my belly thanks in part to her teachings. More on that in another post... 

Total weight gain/loss: 

I have not weighed myself this week. 

Sleep: 

It’s been a good week for sleep. I still woke up a couple of times a night but just for quick trips to the loo. The vivid dreams keep coming but they haven’t been too disruptive. 

Maternity clothes?

The maternity jeans work well. They’re pretty comfortable, if on the verge of being too short. 

Lauren said my Old Navy order arrived at her house and she’s sending it to me soon. Yay! 

My bras are getting a bit tight and uncomfortable now. One of my clients recommended a maternity/nursing bra which I ordered. As I measured myself to get the fit right I called the numbers out to Dave so he could help me remember them. When I yelled out “102 cm” he responded by saying “whoa, that’s over a metre around!” Ah, just what every pregnant woman wants to hear. Honestly, it made me laugh because he was so genuinely surprised and the comment was not mean spirited at all.

Stretch marks?

No, although my battle with itchy skin continues. In fact, more than once this week I’ve reapplied coconut oil in the wee hours of the morning because my skin felt so dry. 

Best moment(s) this week: 

On Friday I received a massage from a local therapist. I’ve known about her for a couple of years but that was my first appointment under her care. It was amazing! It was one of the best treatments I’ve ever received. She is clearly very skilled and experienced. She also used essential oils which I always love. I booked another appointment in a couple of weeks. I can’t wait!

Movement: 

The baby is active. Sometimes it surprises me how strong the kicks are already. Nothing painful, but a couple have momentarily taken my breath away. 

Although I feel the baby move a lot, poor Dave is having a different experience. Zeb seems to be playing his/her first game with his/her dad - hide and seek. I’ll feel a series of substantial jabs and call Dave over to have a feel. Just as he puts his hand on my belly, Zeb disappears. I think it has Dave a little bit bummed out but we both keep reminding ourselves that it’s going to be much more obvious soon. 

Belly button in or out? 

In, but I feel like the shape is changing. This make sense since the uterus should be level with my belly button. 

Symptoms: 

It seems only fitting that as I reached the halfway mark my body sent me a signal that I may need to slow down a bit. Tuesday evening I had a strong stitch in my right side like you’d get during an intense run. I was teaching but I would hardly call the exercises I was demonstrating strenuous. It came and went over the next couple of hours. I took it easy and talked my clients through the movements rather than demonstrating them. By the time the classes ended I was fine. 

I still feel itchy. 

I still have heartburn occasionally.  

Gender:  

We’ll know in four days!

At the moment there is a wonderful group of mums and babies who attend yoga on Thursdays. I have worked with them for several months and next week is our last class together. Most of them will not return because their babies are now too mobile for the activities we do. They know we’ll find out the gender next Wednesday and were curious if I’d share the news with them. I plan to and one mum said hearing the news will be a wonderful send off. Isn’t that sweet? 

Last week the question all my clients wanted to know was if we’d find out the gender. This week everyone is curious if I’ll bring my child to the classes I teach involving babies. The answer is probably no. Real babies are unpredictable and I don’t think I’d be able to give my full attention to my clients if I had my little one present. So, I think I’ll stick with my current set-up. Speaking of which... 

Let me introduce my trusty demonstration doll, George. (Named after my grandpa.) 

George is pretty reliable. He never cries. He never needs to be fed. He never needs to be changed. He never needs to nap. This is quite miraculous for a baby. 

However, he has no neck control and cannot hold his head up. He can’t roll, crawl, or sit up.

And, frankly he’s so quiet that I *may* have accidentally left him on a shelf during class one day this week. Oops! 

Labor signs: 

No, thankfully. 

What I miss: 

Bending from the waist is becoming increasingly difficult. My bump isn’t too big yet but it just doesn’t feel very comfortable, especially when I have a touch of heartburn. So, I am beginning to miss my previous range of movement.

What I'm looking forward to:

The builders start this week! The projects include: 

Ensuite bathroom 

• Retile the floor because it is badly cracked with chunks missing
• Replace the lighting and extractor fan because they don’t work 
• Repaint 

Guest bedroom 

• Fix the damp patches along the top of one wall 
• Replaster as needed 
• Fix the moulding because large pieces are missing 
• Repaint 

Indoor/outdoor 

• Fix the mortar between the bricks where water is getting into the house and repaint these areas

We planned to have them paint the baby’s room too but the cost was exorbitant so we’ll do it ourselves. We did pick a color called “lemony” for the walls and the wainscoting will be white. At the moment all the furniture from the guest room is in the nursery but as soon as the builders are done we’ll get started with the refurbishments. 

Also, we booked our flights to the US for our trip in May! First, we’re going to Arizona for a week to do nothing but sit poolside soaking up the sun. I expect that will be the last opportunity to do so before the baby comes. My best friend Emma is planning to join us there for a couple of days. Fun! Then Dave and I will fly to Kansas. He’ll be in Lawrence for about a week and then head home to the UK. I will stay a few days longer. I can’t wait to see everyone! 

Weekly wisdom: 

Find a balance between activity and rest. 

Milestones: 

I realized I only have two more terms of teaching left. I can’t believe how quickly the time is going! 

One of the clients talked about a group of mums that take turns hosting rhyme time in their homes. She said she’d add me to list once the baby is born. I’m really looking forward to hanging out with other mothers and babies in the area. Finchley has so many wonderful activities on tap for young families! 

Dave's Take: 

Several men Dave works with have a new addition to the family or are expecting babies. In fact, one guy will probably go on paternity leave around the same time Dave does. By the sounds of things, there is a fair bit of talk about pregnant wives and babies. I find this amusing and encouraging, especially in such a male dominated work environment.