Due April 2023 💕 into the second trimester 🍂🎇

[Cuppasoupmonster]

Welcome back ladies. Here we are, second trimester 🥰

I look obviously pregnant - I’m quite slim but have a clear ‘pregnant’ bump, which starts higher than bloating if you know what I mean? I can’t button my jeans as from this week so living in leggings

Ahh I love star sign chat @Pommy1 @Cuppasoupmonster ! I'd love a pisces, 🐟 they are lovely sensitive souls - they soak it all in and v empathetic! And Taurus is grounded and sensible and stubborn 💗 Aries are amazing too, energetic, pioneers, quick tempers...so we all have lovely options in store hehe.

I won't say too much in case it's identifying lol but DD, DH and I are all the same sign and it's earth not fire like Aries so it'll defo be a bit different! Just gotta make sure our little Aries doesn't feel left out. My daughter has a lot of fire in her chart so think they'll be fast friends despite being quite different sun signs.

@Pommy1 on induction it's always your choice - sometimes there is a good reason, other times.not so much! I'll probably recommend it a 100 more times to everyone before we all give birth but defo get the book The Positive Birth Book by Millie Hill, it's really great and I'd also recommend a hypnobirthing course 💗

@Pommy1 I'm 13+3 and I feel like my lower stomach is slightly protruding but still convinced it's just bloat, I feel like I don't really have much of a bump and that I've just put on a tiny bit of weight! But I don't know what to expect as it's my first pregnancy, I think I'm getting confused between what is being bloated and what might be a bump? 😂🙈 sounds silly but because it's my first I just have no idea!

I definitely look pregnant too. Definitely have a bump. It's insane how big I am compared to last time 😲 haven't tried to wear anything but leggings or maternity dresses for a couple weeks now!

Just marking my place here. Following on from similar topics my youngest was born on 30th March (EDD 13th April) so had maternity leave at a similar time. I was really looking forward to it as it meant it wouldn't be winter and I'd have the summer off work but in reality we had an awful time breastfeeding and I ended up triple feeding (breastfeeding, formula feeding and expressing) for the first 8 months as I refused to give up. We had a lot of great weather that year but I didn't get to see it as pumping and feeding took up so much time and she never latched well so I was too scared to attempt to feed in public. I feel really guilty about that time because it was dd1's last summer before she started school and I feel that she really didn't get enough of my time during that period. We were also skint so I ended up having to go back to work early.

This will likely be our last (although I'd happily have 1 more) so I really want to enjoy it more this time and not put so much pressure on myself if breastfeeding doesn't work out this time. I've no idea when to take maternity leave though, I like to leave it as late as possible but my 1st decided to come at 35 weeks so it worries me incase I go earlier. I was thinking about taking a week's annual leave from 27th March then starting after that (3rd April) but I'll be almost 39 weeks by then, and I've never made it past 38, well 37+6 when my waters went so I wouldn't have been going to work!

@xalexandra I think it basically turns from bloat to bump and the line is blurred! I think for first pregnancy it's common not to show obviously till 4/5 months. I definitely looked bloated / slightly pregnant by about 13 weeks I think but didn't properly look pregnant till maybe 18/20 weeks.

@Skylark1990 I’ll order a copy as you’ve won me over! i need to book some courses but I don’t know what starts and when. Could someone give me a heads up maybe? I’ve had no info from the nhs but could start looking online. I’m moving to a new area of the country in December and I’d like to make friends a well as learn as much as possible 😀 It’s great to meet others and I’m really enjoying learning about everything…I’ve never paid attention because I was told I could have babies, so I know a lot about parties 🤣

@Pommy1 yay, you won't regret it I'm sure! For courses I'd look at an NCT course that's local to you, so you can meet other new mums... And for hypnobirthing I'd recommend the positive birth company hypnobirthing digital course, it's online and v affordable. Good to do it with your partner so you are both in the know about birth, birth options, physiology of labour, etc etc and how your partner can help as birthday partner 💗 it's about £40 and totally worth it. Often they have sales too. I'm sure others may have other recommendations 🙂

*birthing partner but birthday partner works too 😂

@Pommy1 I think nct do courses but I've never been to any so I'm not sure what they're like. In my area you're offered 4 classes by the hospital but they're very late in, usually from 28 weeks+. I went to 1 for my eldest then she was born before the 2nd. With my 2nd they were cancelled due to bad snow and she was here before they rescheduled. I don't think I'll bother with them this time.

@Skylark1990 @Erber thank you ladies, those are wonderful. A mix of in person and online is perfect as I’m out of the country until December. Maybe I can get my in person ones booked in but they will need me to have a local gp first perhaps. I’ll ask at me Scan a week on Tuesday, or midwives the Thursday after :) xxx

Hi all, checking in, thanks for new thread. All the chat about spring babies is filling me with happiness and feeling very lucky. If it's when animals have their babies, there's clearly something in it being the best time of year for it! Plus my dd and most family are autumn born so will be really nice to have a 6 month gap.

I'm having my 12 week scan on Monday too! Due 1st May currently, but we'll see what they say on Monday and as I want a elcs it will be April I hope.

My maternity order arrived today, the jeans I thought I'd be taking back fit great and the leggings I thought were an easy buy I'm going to be taking back. So desperate for maternity clothes, I only have a couple of things I can wear without being in pain from being squished by mid afternoon. I'm much bigger by this stage than last time. I can't remember when I felt visibly pregnant to others last time but maybe 18 weeks? It was squashy and felt like I was just getting fat for ages, then gradually became a firm bump. It's the most confident I've ever felt body wise, I always have a bit of a tummy and worry I look pregnant if I wear anything fitted over the stomach, but being pregnant I obviously didn't need to have that worry and it was liberating! I hope I feel that way this time too.

Checking in.

Can I check how long people’s 12 week bloods have taken to come back? Mine were done on 30/09 and still no results. I checked and the paper I was given said it could be 4-5 weeks 😩 But you all seem to be getting them so quickly. It DOES say worrying results would get a call within 7 days but now I’m flapping that they’ve been lost.

And I’m sure I’ve not felt any movements so now I’m worrying about that too 😞

@OttilieKnackered please don’t worry about movements this early on. With my son I didn’t feel a thing until about 20 weeks. Your baby is still small, and very well protected in there. It’s definitely not uncommon not to have felt anything yet. I certainly haven’t!

I’m a first timer and I don’t look noticeably pregnant but my belly is noticeably bigger to me if that makes sense, so I can tell but I think it’ll be a while off until I look pregnant to others. Lots of my regular clothes still fit but some of the tighter things like tights and my work trousers have got uncomfortable now. I’m 14 weeks tomorrow.

@OttilieKnackered I didn't feel any movement with my first pregnancy till 18 weeks and that was just a couple of v tiny thuds. Don't worry! Very normal not to have felt anything yet.

Frugi is having a sale btw! Lots of nice organic cotton baby clothes and they do maternity stuff too. Ordered some dungarees for £18 down from £60!

Also first timer here! If I relax fully - which doesn't often happen, realised how used I am to sucking it in 😂 - I definitely have a bump that looks like more than just a big bloat. I could squeeze in my old trousers 👖, but it's extremely uncomfortable! So excited for the bump to grow.

Thank you for the new thread @Cuppasoupmonster! I can't believe we're in the second trimester!!! Aaaaah. X

I'm a first timer and bump has definitely popped this week and look noticeably pregnant, I'm trying to hang off buying too many clothes for another few weeks but I'll probably give in as things are definitely getting too tight and only have 1/2 nice outfits that fit now. I'll need new work clothes too which is annoying and expense I could just completely do without

I can't say I've noticed a bump, I thought I was starting to get one around 8/9 weeks but it must have just been bloating. I'm off work next week so i bet I'll pop then and end up going back looking like I'm full-term. 😆

Checking in :)

Definitely have a bump here (second baby) and already having congratulations from people I haven’t told (which is quite rude) haha

Morning ladies, feeling much happier today and in such a better mindset.
Headache seems to be easing day by day, im going to put it down to hormones and the omega 3 because since stopping that ive noticed headaches are getting slightly better..

I have decided to order a pregnancy pillow already! Suggestions are more than welcome, i sleep on my side anyway but found myself waking up with lower back ache, might be time for a bit of extra support!
I have also bloated so much in the past two days, i came home from work yesterday and the boyfriend said wow you look pregnant.. I know it’s more bloat for me because it’s high bloating too!

Another thing, sounds disgusting but need to ask! Odd days im waking up or going to bed and noticing a golden coloured crust on one nipple 🤦🏼‍♀️ it comes off easily but it’s there the odd days, and it is always the side i sleep on.. last night got a shower before bed and it was there, it washed away and then this morning a little bit more.. I told the boyfriend and he looked horrified 😂
it makes me feel like i haven’t washed properly even though im super clean and over the top on personal hygiene but i wondered if it was normal or anybody had experienced anything like this at 12+4 weeks or if i need to be ringing the GP Monday! X

@LauraA31 I'm on the look out for a pregnancy pillow too so suggestions would be good. I'm 14+4 and the aches and pains already x

I've had this around both nipples, too! Not much just a tiny bit but definitely noticeable. Not sure what it is x

I've woken up with really bad back ache this morning right at my lower back and hips, only just over 14 weeks so not sure if this is normal? Had quite a busy day and lots of walking yesterday so could be that bud gosh I feel about 90 😂

@LauraA31 glad you're feeling better!
and @DBS94 the nipple crust is probably just milk! Colostrum is a golden colour and your breasts start making it fairly early on and little bits can leak out of your nipples as they figure out what they're doing. I had it last time but haven't had anything this time, presumably because I only just stopped breastfeeding so my boobs are like, having a little holiday or something!

@DBS94 oo sounds like we both have the same things going on! I have googled so many pregnancy pillows but they all look the same to me 😂 x