My pregnancy with Archie

[You can read trimester one here and trimester two here]

Third Trimester.

Week 28.

Today I had my midwife appointment and I am now feeling a little overwhelmed. My bloods came back to show my Iron levels have dropped even lower, the midwife is very concerned about this. She was talking about seeing a consultant and having a blood transfusion which is very terrifing. She's hoping my Iron levels will improve over the next two weeks, but if they drop another 0.2 then she'll be refurring me. As well as this my bump is a little too small meaning a growth scan was booked in for some time in the next week. Until then they are going to monitor my pregnancy a little closer to ensure bug's growth is good.

Week 29.

It has been stupidly hot this week, I feel so hot all the time, there's no escape from it. I hate hot weather at the best of times but it's just making me feel ill. I had my growth scan today, and everything was fine. They are putting the smaller measurment down to the way Bug was lay. It was such a relief! Seeing Bug was amazing as always. Again he has grown so much, he's huge! It's slightly getting me nervous about labour now.

Week 30.

Another midwife appointment - this one was to just double check Bug's growth, even though the scan confirmed he is growing perfectly this was just to double check. He is back to grwoing perfectly so yay! I'm getting alot of pains in my hips and legs, it's made working so much more harder. Physio may be an option but at this point I am going to try some of my own ways and the midwife's advice and see if any of it helps.

Week 34.

I saw the midwife again on Monday. As always I was measured and thankfully bug has carried on growing at a good rate. He's head down now, it's amazing because I can feel what part of his body is where. I know his feet are in / around my ribs as I'm always getting kicked in them! My bloods have got a little better, but seem to drop very quickly. I'm told once baby is born I have to have another lot of blood taken just to check I don't need a blood transfusion. My midwife is convinced I'll be going into labour very soon but I personally think this little bug is going to keep me waiting!

Week 35.

Back in hospital but this time strapped to a monitor. This little Bug likes to scare us! I haven't had movements in a while, second the machine is put on Bug started to dance. The machine was also picking up contractions (or braxton hicks we never did find out which) I couldn't feel them though but it was very strange. 

Week 36.

I'm writing this from a hopital bed. It's Tuesday evening and I have just admitted into hospital with all the signs of a stroke. It's been a pretty scary evening to say the least but I have regained the feeling in my left side now and I am just left with this awful headache which the nurses can't seem to shift. I had my bloods taken as soon as I arrived and had them redone about an hour ago. Everything was set for me to go home and then a second doctor arrived and told me it was too risky to send me home so I have been admitted while they set up a MRI brain scan in the morning..

(wednesday) MRI scan went well, I hope to god I never need to have one of those again. I've had more blood taken - the joy - and it's come back showing inflammation levels in my blood which at normal are around 5O.. mine were in the 7O's? I have no clue what any of it means, but I have to spend another night here.

(Thursday) FINALLY HOME. MRI scan came back normal and my bloods were fine so I was sent home yay!

Week 38.

I am fully engaged and told bug could arrive at any moment! It's just hit me how close I am to holding him in my arms. Once again the midwife has told me she's sure this is going to be our last appointment but I don't know. Eva may have been early but I have a feeling this one won't be.

Week 40.

I am still pregnant, and if someone asks me again I shall stick cocktail sticks in their eyes. It's honestly the most annoying question EVER. "Still no baby" "still hanging on is he?" "Have you not had it yet?" "what are you, like 42 weeks now". Sweep booked in for the 29th, I'm just enjoying the final weeks sickness and pain free. Come on baby

Bean xo

Reminiscing.

In the run up to Archie's first bithday I have found myself looking through old photos and reminiscing. Is it really almost time for him to hit those toddler years? I will miss him being that tiny new born. I will miss his baby smell and I will miss his cute baby noises, but I look forward to the big adventure we have ahead of us and I cannot wait for my first conversation with him. So I am sharing with you just a few of the early day photos that I haven't shared online as of yet. 

Bean xo

My pregnancy with Archie.

[You can read the first trimester here]

Second Trimester.

Week 15.

I woke up this morning feeling slightly sad, this pregnancy has all of a sudden began to zoom by I'm starting to feel like I can't enjoy each tiny moment because of it. I had a lovely birthday meal, first time in a while I have managed to eat more then just soup. Today we decided on baby names for bug. Boy : Archie Mark ; Mark after my big brother and Archie was a name we found in a baby book and both love! Girl : Afia Susan ; Susan after Sean's mum and Afia is a name we heard and both loved (I forget where though) I have also ordered our pushchair. Mama and Papa's moove (It is no longer avilable to buy through Mama and Papa's) which is making me even more excited, I feel very happy.

Week 16.

We heard bug's heartbeat for the first time today, it was magical. The midwife has suggested we look into home birthing due to the speed of Eva's arrival. I love the idea, Sean isn't so keen so we are going to do some more research on it. My blood work came back fine, no low iron which I am happy about. I have been trying hard to eat a more healthy balanced diet this time - although with sickness it has been difficult at times. On the 11th (April) I felt Bug's first kicks. I'd been having the butterfly movements since around 10 weeks, but feeling kicks has been amazing! 

Week 20.

I regret drinking so much before the scan, I was concentrating so hard on not wetting myself that I couldn't enjoy the scan as much as I wanted. Bug looked huge! It's quite amazing how quickly they grow. I was amazed with how detailed the scan was, we were able to see all parts of the brain and heart which was very reasuring. We also have a baby with super long legs! We didn't want to know the sex, the scanner was very good at quickly going past this part so we didn't catch sight of something. I'm convinced I'm having a boy, if she's a girl I would be very shocked!

Week 21.

Ice. Ice lollys. Ice cream. Crave! My sickness is improving every day. I have manage to eat normal meals without being sick. I've found things like bread and creamy things tend to make me sick so I've been avoiding them. Heart burn has been a killer though, I'm dusted off the bottle of Gaviscon I have in the back of a medical cuboard. Sean's been sent to buy loads of it too, need to keep my cuboard full stocked.

Week 23. 

I ended up in hospital this week, I hadn't felt Bug move for a few

days and although I was told this is "normal" at this stage I certainly wasn't taking any risks. I had some checks and then sent home. They don't put you on the monitor until your over 24 weeks which I find horrifing.

Week 24.

Another bad week. I passed out at work today. It was awful, thankfully though I work in a hospital so I was surrounded by nurses. Although I wanted to carry on working the nurse told me I wouldn't be able to. I was driven to my mum's house and there I kept on being sick. I lost the feeling in my left hand, my vision blurred and my hearing went like I was under water. It was very scary.

Week 26.

I was forced to take a few nights off work this week following yet more dizzy spells. The doctor took my blood pressure and told me it was quite low and when I stood up it dropped even more which is what's causing the dizzy spells. He also took my blood and it turned my Iron levels are very low, so I'm on iron tablets now.

Bean xo

September 22nd, one year on.

Today marked a year since Archie was due to arrive, - of course he kept us waiting and then surpised us all by arriving in the most dramatic way possible. I thought I'd mark this day by sharing with you my pregnancy journey with him. I did begin to write this a few months back, but the perfectionist in me didn't like how it was going so I deleted it all (hello OCD).. So this is a whole fresh one using only my pregnancy Journal, I shall be sharing the termesters over a few days finishing with my labour and birth. Enjoy!

First Trimester.

Finding out.

I have been saying for weeks now that I am not pregnant, that that option isn't even possible.. Well bang goes that theory. Today, after finding a pregnancy test in the bottom of a draw and my period being late I thought "what the hell" and tested. In my head I was 100% sure I was not pregnant, I didn't even really look at the test after I took it, taking it straight to the bin. A second glance though and there it was a second line. Faulty test? Nope, I took another 3 tests before investing in a digi test "PREGNANT 1-2 WEEKS". I am pregnant!! How am I feeling, shocked, excited, confused.. numb. I feel like I can't talk, mainly because I don't know what to say. I'm pregnant.. I'm pregnant before we even started to try, how did this happen!? Ok so I know how it happened, but I was expecting it take months, years even before that second line appeared. I'm pregnant, right now, this second. Do I feel pregnant? No!

4 weeks.

I had my doctors appointment today. It went well, he congratulated me which was a far better reaction to the doctor I had when confirming my pregnancy with Eva who asked if I wanted an abortion! I am on Folic acid - the tablets that made me terribly sick with Eva and I've booked a midwife appointment. I'm told there is a small chance that this baby will also arrive early. I'm not worried about that though, what I am worried about is the speed of my last birth. My doctor informed me the average labour for a women of my age with their first baby is 16 hours, I was just under 3 1/4 hours. I've been told not to sit at home too long, to go to hospital after the first contraction. Do I feel pregnant yet? No.

7 weeks.

I saw my midwife today, she's nice, made me feel at ease right away. A different one to the one I had with Eva, although I'm told she does still work there which I'm happy about, I built a fab relationship with her. I am apparently 9 weeks pregnant, I highly doubt I'm that far along, I don't feel that I am at all, so we shall have to wait and see. I had my bloods taken - the joy! Let's hope everything is fine. 

9 weeks.

I am craving my mum's pea and mint soup, I rang her at 10pm the other night and demanded she told me how she made it. It made me feel sick, so the craving went soon after, still it's my first real craving! Sickness has hit me like a tone of bricks. I was boasting how I didn't feel even the slightest bit ill, well that back fired didn't it! Walking Eva to pre-school the other morning I had to vomit in a bush.. nice! We saw our "Bug" for the first time today. Amazing. That's the only way I could discribe it! The scanner person (insert correct term here) asked me to guess how many weeks I was, I said about 9, by the midwife's date they think I'm 12, but I'm not conviced. Amazingly I was right! 9 weeks. Bug was too small for them to get all the measurements we needed so we are being sent back in 3 weeks. Bug, looks just like a jelly teddy at the moment, no hands or feet btu one very strong heartbeat. I can relax a bit more now. Do I feel pregnant now? Yes!

10 weeks.

I have the flu and I look how I feel. Awful. Time to go hide under the duvet until I feel better.

12 weeks.

Dating scan take two. I was amazed by how much our bug had grown. He has arms! I am 12 weeks and 2 days pregnant now and starting to feel that bloating feeling. I've also had a few butterfly type feelings, I've been told that can happen with your second pregnancy, which is amazing. The scan went well, we brought Eva with us, she got bored after just afew moments and asked if we could go home. She was excited to show off the scan photo's to her grandparents though.

Bean xo

The Fault In Our Stars.

There are very few books that make me laugh as much as they make me cry, this book however did both. By the end of the second chapter I'd already been through more emotions then I thought possible. I heard so many people speaking so highly about this book, so when it caught my eye in morrisons I had to buy it. 24 hours later I had finished reading the last page, tears in my eyes feeling like I'd been on the most amazing emotional journey of my life. I just know this will be a book I read over and over and will still cry and laugh as must I did the first time I read it.

Well done John Green, well done.

Bean xo

Random facts about me.

one : I eat shredded wheat with milk and honey for breakfast every morning.
two : I wear glasses.
three : I want a tattoo but would never get one because I change my mind too much.
four : I sing "Mr sandman" every time I do the house work.
five : I hate mess, it makes me feel uncomfortable.
six : I am annoyingly positive all of the time.
seven : Sundays are for drinking tea and gossip sessions with my mother.
eight : I worry about the wrong things.
nine : I am naturally quiet.
ten : I cannot sleep unless the curtain on my built in wardrobe is closed.
eleven : I like using my slow cooker.
tweleve : I like to bake but I don't eat/like cake.
thirteen : I dislike putting on weight - it took me 2 years to admit that.
fourteen : I fear getting the same mental illness as my dad.
fifteen : I don't like sharing my food.
sixteen : I have no self confidence at all - I believe I will fail at everything.
seventeen : I am awkward and clumsy.
eighteen : I have a social phobia, talking to people makes me stutter and sweat.
nineteen : I believe I will win the lottery.
twenty : I ran out of interesting random fact about myself after number 7.

Bad Blogger!

Let me just apologize for my awful lack of blogging latey, I have so many ideas and I can't wait to share them all with you however, my computer has other ideas. It crashes every 5 minutes which is super annoying and means I have to re-write blog posts over and over which is even more annoying. I am buying a new one (I need to grow a money tree first) but I have been trying to avoid using this one so much as it has all of my photos of the kids which I am yet to put on to disks. 

In the mean time I thought I'd do a little tag. The Autumn Tag. I found this over at pretty little tea cup and a mumma's time out. 

1. Okay we're talking coffees - what's your favourite seasonal drink from Starbucks/Costa/Cafe Nero etc?

 I am not a coffee fan at all, in fact when I have a hot drink, not matter the season it's either a tea or hot chocolate. Costa do lovely tea but I am not such a fan of their hot chocolate it's too sweet for my liking.   

2. Accessories - what do you opt for scarf,boots,gloves? 

Normally thick wooly jumpers, boots and scarfs are my must for late Autumn.   

3.Music - katy perry? 

I normally listen to Ed Sheeran or any other artist that takes my fancy. I can't say I am Katy Perry fan though, her music is a little too cheesy.     

4.Perfume - Whats your favourite scent for this time of year?

 I love Next's perfume, I think it's called Pink? (don't quote me on that though) Autumn is normally the season I start to wear more perfume, most likely because there are more events to go to this season. (putting perfume on for the school run doesn't seem right) I have dusted off my Fantasy (Britney Spears) from the back of my dressing table and shall be using that alot more. 

5.Candles - What scents will you be burning this season?

 I'm not really one for Candles. Though I am always sniffing them when ever I go into a shop where they are selling them. I may invest in some just before winter, but otherwise none.

 6. What do you love most about Autumn?

 The colours and there's just something about crunchy leafs that makes me smile, I have no idea why.  

 

7.What are you looking forward to most in Autumn?

 Windy days, wearing warmer clothes, taking the kids puddle jumping, the amazing photo's I shall be able to take, countryside walks and getting the snuggey blankets out from storage.

Old photos.

After living in her house for about 20 years now, my mum finally brought it from the council and has been doing it up ever since. One sunday afternoon I went around to help her, we had to pack up her things from her bedroom - things she wanted and things she didn't - while we were doing this we came across an old box of photo's and spent about an hour looking at them and giggling. I wanted to share just a handful of my favourite ones.

We've always said Archie looks just like his uncle mark, after finding photo's of me as a baby it's quite clear he's my double. Right down the matching smiles and hair.

Returning to school.

Eva began her first day in year one on Tuesday. Like with anything, Eva took it all in her stride, walking through the school gate with not so much as a backward glance at me. I guess this should make me happy, seeing her so happy and settled in school but it doesn't. With her health now not perfect and with her still having problems with going to the loo I worry for her, I worry she'll not be able to go to the loo during the day and I worry she may poo herself. Everything isn't perfect, she's in pain daily and after school can hardly walk, it's awful to see. But she's enjoying being at school and it's also helping to take her mind off it all.