Returning from the UK I started to feel a bit bloated around week 14. It may have been something I ate, as sometimes I get that. Speaking of diet I've found that there hasn't been much that I have had to cut out of my regular eating patterns for the Baba - it's not like I have swordfish and pate all that often!
The things I have taken note of are making sure that I eat tuna only once a week and that I don't have any blue cheese (this was one to watch when we were in the UK, but out in Egypt I don't really have much choice!). I've found that I have gone off nuts a bit, I'm not averse to them, but I just don't fancy them any more. I'm not one of those pregnant women who avoids peanuts for worry about allergies. I have been very conscious of having a balanced diet though and making sure I get enough fresh fruit and vegetables and protein. Dr Cherif has also advised me on the importance of calcium, so I'm buying milk twice a week and trying to have cereal and a yoghurt most days. I'm taking calcium tablets now, as well as my pregnacare multi-vits. I'm eating lots more eggs too to keep my protein up. We tend to cook with meat, but with so many fresh veggies out here the actual portion-size of meat in each meal ends up being on the small side. There are times though when two boiled eggs for breakfast or an egg sarnie at lunch gets a bit boring.
These next few weeks at work are busy ones as we're both involved in the Whole School Production, so it's good that I've got my energy back and am not so tired. I do notice though at times that my emotions take control a little, or that I am forgetful or disorganised about things. We're starting to tell friends at work too about the Baba. We wanted to wait until now so that we had had the anomaly scan and got through the first trimester, but we knew that we needed to start telling people because I might start showing soon and I also wouldn't be doing any lifting or being as active in the physical side of the production as I normally am. This timing also coincides with my boss being back from her own maternity leave and it means that I can start proper discussions with her about my plans for next year which is good.
When we start to tell people we're amazed by how excited and happy they are for us. We told some close friends in person and then we did do a 'facebook' announcement one evening - as telling everyone one-to-one would have probably taken 9 months in itself! What was lovely was how genuine people's responses felt; that they were truly happy for us, that they thought we would be great parents and that they were pleased by the news.
I'm just starting to 'show' by week 16 but only really people who know can tell. Some trousers and tops are starting to feel a bit tight and so I start to shift my wardrobe around, but I'm not needing my maternity clothes just yet! I start to put some clothes into the air-tight bags so that I limit my choices (and to help with the move that we'll make at the end of term). It still looks more like I've had a good dinner, than I'm pregnant though!
Between weeks 17 and 18 I suddenly notice that my belly button is huge! I've never really noticed it before but it now feels really massive and wide. My work wardrobe is becoming quite restricted now (as a lot of my tops are fitted shirts) and I’m having to try and work out which of my trousers, shorts and skirts can work ‘above the bump’ or whether they can just about fit below it. I’m surprised at how quickly my clothes are tightening. I didn’t think that I wore tight clothes and I had assumed that I would be able to wear a lot of my own clothes during the pregnancy because the waist bands would just move to being below the bump, but it looks like I was wrong!
I’m starting to feel pains in my stomach, especially when I sneeze. These feel sort of like period pains as they stretch across my stomach and feel tight or a bit like cramp. By reading ahead a chapter in my ‘What to Expect’ book I find that these are probably the muscles in my stomach loosening to get ready to accommodate my expanding womb / belly. They especially hurt when I sneeze and so I find myself doubling over when I sneeze to reduce the amount they are being contracted by. If I sneeze at night (which happens most nights; just one big sneeze, no matter if it is warm or cold in the room, and not followed by the succession of sneezes which I am normally characterised by!) I try to roll over on to my side for the sneeze itself, as it really hurts when I am on my back as the muscles are trying to contract from flat.
It’s 19 weeks when the first person whom we hadn’t told asks me ‘Are you pregnant?’ I think this is a pretty brave question to ask to be honest (!), but I’m very happy to tell her that I am. After this a few other colleagues ask, including the cleaner in my block who doesn’t really have any English and so poses the question in gestures. One person does ask the question the other way around when she says ‘Have you put on weight?’!!!
In the evenings when we are going to bed I try to lie on my back and put my hand on my stomach to see if I can feel movement. I’m not sure if I can yet. Sometimes I think maybe I have done, but it could easily be my tummy or just my imagination. At 20 weeks we think we can feel, but we’re still not 100% sure.
I am feeling tired at times now; for example there are a few days when I get in from work and just need to lie down for a bit, or when I just want to go to bed early. This might be pregnancy related, but it’s not severe and to be honest it could also just be busy-ness, rather than anything else. I am having some difficulty sleeping at nights too; a combination of trying to seep on my side when I am normally a ‘back’ sleeper, and the waking up in the night for my ‘big sneeze’ or to go to the loo.
We have our 21 week scan and the amazing thing with this scan is that during the scan the baby moves and I can feel it, so I know what ‘movement’ is meant to feel like. After this it feels like every day we can feel more and more movement which is really cool. There isn’t a pattern to the movement at all yet, but I do find that I can feel it more when I am in bed or just sitting. It is as people described; like a bubble bursting or a popping feeling, and it’s below or around my belly button I think mainly.
I have been trying to sleep with pillows for the last week to help my sleep on my side more comfortably and to try and support the little bump I am developing. These seem to help for a while, but I am still waking up so after a week or so I leave them on the side and it doesn’t make too much difference. I also find that they get in the way and mean that Scotty is practically falling out of his side of the bed!
I have nearly relegated all of my work trousers to the bottom of the wardrobe and am in my maternity trousers all the time now. I’m glad that we bought these when we did and I am starting to think that maybe I shouldn’t have been so dismissive of the idea of buying more before the summer! I honestly thought that one pair of work trousers and one pair of jeans would last me, but now I am not so sure! I have ordered another pair of maternity trousers which will be waiting for my when we arrive back in the UK. They are meant to be very comfy even though they are man-made, rather than linen or cotton, and the large elasticated waistband promises to fit for the whole pregnancy!
You can really tell now that I am pregnant at 22 weeks and some students at work have also commented. The movement’s are also becoming clearer. I am spending quite a bit of time sitting at work at the moment (report writing!) and can regularly feel kicks whilst I am working which makes the day go by nicely.
I am still feeling the tiredness which I think is coming partially from work and partially from poor sleep. There are times now that I sometimes wake up in the night with movements and then cannot sleep for a while afterwards.
We’re starting to move apartment properly now and it’s so useful that we have both places for the last two weeks in Cairo so that we can spread the move out. Moving house is always stressful and tiring, but the fact that I cannot really lift anything and that I get myself in a muddle sometimes makes things all that much harder. It’s frustrating for us both, but it’s something that we just have to get through as once we hit the summer things will be different.
Now this is probably TMI (annoying mumsnet code for ‘too much information’) but one advantage I’ve found of being pregnant has been that my tummy has been really settled. A few years ago I really struggled with a funny tummy and seemed to have problems most days although this has thankfully calmed down over the last year or so. Since becoming pregnant though I haven’t had any tummy trouble and things have been really good. Sometimes things nearly go too far the other way and it’s a few days before I have a ‘movement’ but I try not to strain (as I don’t want to get the possible side-effect that some women have of piles!) and let things happen naturally. I have noticed too that I have had increased discharge and seem to have some every day when normally I’d have some around the time of my period. This is a normal symptom of pregnancy and not a concern, but for a few weeks I was finding that this, combined with the increased heat at the moment, was causing me to feel quite sore ‘down there’. So I’ve resorted to wearing a loose skirt at home when I can and taking quick extra showers too when I can.
At week 24 we have another appointment and scan to get ready for the flight at the weekend. For the first time in a while the scan shows the baby’s face and we can really see how it is growing and looking which is really exciting and a lovely way to be able to end the term.
When we land in the UK I thought more people would marvel at the bump as it feels huge and really noticeable to us, but friends and family have been taking it in their stride. They are excited, but there isn’t as much of the ‘Wow! Look at you!’ as I’d’ve thought.
At week 26 it feels like the movements have gone up a notch as they are getting really quite strong and I can feel them during the day when sitting down as well as sometimes when walking down the street and at night in bed of course. Sometimes it causes me to call out, but it’s more out of enjoyment than concern really – it’s nice to know that someone is having fun in there!
I haven’t had any cravings that I’ve noticed, but sometimes I feel proud of myself for not pretending that I have a craving for La Rosa pizza, sausages, chocolate or ice cream! In fact, during the first trimester especially I managed to stay off chocolate and coffee nearly completely. This was mainly as I was concerned about the amount of caffeine the baby would be receiving. Things have changed now and I am back on both, but not in excessive amounts (I have a cup of coffee – half coffee, half milk – most days at work and a blueberry muffin as my mid-morning snack as I reason that this is the boost I need to get through the morning and blueberries are good for you!). Scotty has noted that even though I haven’t had any cravings I have gone off a few things. For example I haven’t really fancied Chinese food for a long time, as I say I find it too heavy, and since the first trimester I have stopped drinking karkade/hibiscus tea.
I feel lucky that in my pregnancy so far I haven’t really had that many pregnancy symptoms. Yes I have had a few, but nothing too bad and definitely not the sickness that some people describe, or anything that has been severe or of concern.
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