Hearing baby's heartbeat for the 1st time :)

So today during a routine check-up my doctor put the monitor up to my stomach and I could hear the baby's heart beat. Boy do they beat fast at this stage - you're looking at min. 120 beats per minute! I was so relieved! I haven't felt much movement so was starting to get nervous. It's funny the things that freak you out. I was worried that I'd had too hot a bath last week and the baby could've died from the high temperature. Seriously! I was honestly worried. I think sub-consiously I had absorbed a "nugget" I'd read in a book, that your baby can't regulate their own temperature up until a certain point in the pregnancy. Deep down, since that hot bath, which in reality I probably only sat in for 5 minutes, I was allowing a niggly worry to eat at me that I could've hurt the baby with my action. Sometimes reading books is bad for you!

In other news, I've PILED on the weight since my last visit to the doctor six weeks ago. Try like ALMOST a STONE!!! Through urine samples and a detection of sugar, I'm also at risk of gestational diabetes so I've been told to stay away from ALL SUGARY foods. Completely. Oh dear. All I can say is anything to stop this accelerated weight gain. The less I put on now, the lower the mountain I've to climb down from weight loss wise, when this baby arrives into the world. Everything that I currently define as a treat is vanished from my diet with immediate effect. I'm going to have to find new treats that excite me. Damm, damm and treble damm. This WILL be good for me in the long run, RIGHT?! Oh and in case I needed motivation, my doctor issued those convincing words "You don't want your baby to have excess weight.". No, you're right, I don't. And every time I even think about allowing anything sugary to pass my lips, I just need to think about this precious being inside me and go, this is for you kiddo, I'm doing this for you as well as for my figure at the end of all this. The thought's just struck me that from now on, I'll have to get used to think for more than myself. Chris and I will have a little baby to depend on us for all sensible decision-making soon.

23 weeks and almost 6 days! To be precise. Here's to a slower and steadier weight gain from hereonin. What's a good substitute for sugar anyone??!

Maybe I'm "nesting" already!

21 weeks and counting...after this week I've 15 weeks left in work before maternity leave - and I'm not really counting??? Yeah right! I think I can feel the baby move these days especially at night time but sometimes unsure if it's just my digestive system in action - then again I never noticed my digestive system making movements like that before I got pregnant so I guess I should put it down to baby movement. I've heard of the "nesting" syndrome whereby you just start getting all domestic and wanting to make your home all cosy. Well I think that's kicking in for me. I just LOVE our new home. Particularly with the fresh paint on the walls and pictures starting to go up. We had 10 visitors for dinner yesterday and I LOVED having them over. There was so much space for everyone (bar at the dining table) and the kids were out in the garden most of the afternoon playing. I'm already starting to think of having both our families for the christening! It'll have to be buffet style and eat it on your lap as between both immediate families and partners there will be 26 people and 2 babies!!! Now I really am thinking ahead. Oh roll on July 27th when I plan to start maternity leave (you can tell work no longer excites me can't you?!). In the meantime I'll enjoy "nesting" in my spare time.

Scan

So the big scan has happened and I exhaled a sigh of relief when I saw our baby on the screen alive and kicking! It was so amazing to see this little being inside all lit up on a screen. It makes it more real that this is actually happening. Everything is looking good to date - the measurements are measuring up to so to speak.

My 2 1/2 year old niece Hannah thinks I ate a baby and that's why it's in my "tummy". Blame Chris for that one!

I'm getting bigger and stiffer but I'm walking every day so hopefully it continues to help loosen me up. My mother in law declared last night that I'm "huge" so goodness knows what she is going to think of me in a few months!